It had been several minutes that Bulma had been sitting on the couch, squeezing one of the cushions as she listened to both Vegeta grunting through his exercises from the other room and the stew that was bubbling on the stove in the kitchen. There was a sinking feeling in her gut as the flash of orange she'd seen at the window replayed in her mind.
'It couldn't be…' She thought, her cheeks flushing as she shook her head. Any of the three men she knew who would be wearing something like that were all dead. Perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her? Perhaps she was way too tired, after all!
But still, the nagging feeling in her gut wouldn't subside. Finally, after what seemed like minutes of trying to get a grip, Bulma took a deep breath and pulled herself up to her feet. Something was telling her to go outside and see if anyone was out there, and as much as she told herself not to be so wistful, the sensation just wouldn't go away. If all it would take was for her to look around the perimeters of the capsule house for her anxiety to subside, then she'd do it. Just as Bulma was about to make her way across the room, the bedroom door flew open, and out stepped Vegeta.
The first thing she noticed was that his head was dropped so he was looking at his feet, and his body language told her that he was in a foul mood. This was enough to catch her attention, for he had seemed nearly happy when he'd closed himself off in the room for his workout an hour earlier. Before he'd began his workout, Vegeta had been almost cheerful about the retrieval of another dragonball and the idea of soon being able to eat a warm cooked meal.
Now he appeared to be nothing short of angry, and the saiyan stepped to the side to walk past Bulma without even looking her way. She watched as Vegeta marched through the small house, grabbing an entire melon from the refrigerator and carrying it to the small table that was set up in the space between the kitchen and the living room. As Bulma watched, he sat down, placing the melon in front of him. Without even a sigh of hesitation, Vegeta slammed his fist down on the fruit and cracked it open.
The Bluehead almost stepped forward to give him a lecture about making a mess, but she quickly remembered that she was dealing with someone who likely couldn't care less. So, she raised an eyebrow and sat back on the couch instead. As she watched, he lifted the melon and devoured its insides with one swift action, leaving only a green shell as its remnants. He wiped at his mouth with his forearm, pushing himself back in his seat and finally looking up at Bulma as if he were expecting her to speak. Recognizing this invitation, she stepped from the couch and made her way into the kitchen. She glanced down at the pot of stew that was still bubbling on the stove. "Well, I would ask if you even still had an appetite after that, but I know you do." She grabbed two bowls from the cupboard, filling them both to the brim with steaming meaty broth before placing them on the table. Without missing a beat she turned back for the kitchen to grab a couple of spoons.
Vegeta had gulped the entirety of his bowl before Bulma even had a chance to give him the silverware. "Do you want more?" She asked, and he only responded with a quiet nod. A minute later, and Bulma was sitting across from the saiyan as he furiously chowed through his second bowl.
He was such a strange specimen, she couldn't help but think, as he glared down as the dishware and sat in his obvious frustration. He was still blatantly angry about something, though he hadn't said anything snide to her because of it. This wasn't the first time she had noticed him channeling his pent up anger on other things rather than take it out on her. In one instance it had been by blasting down numerous trees, and now he was doing it by stuffing his face with food.
Wouldn't it be more than easy to lash out at her, instead? Not that Bulma wanted him to - but hadn't he kidnapped her? Wasn't she, by all definitions of the word, currently a hostage? It was strange that he was acting so – well, careful.
Why should he even care enough to consider her in his rage?
"Did something happen?" She asked, and it came out as an urgent blurt of thought that made her own eyes widen to hear.
Vegeta looked up at her and raised an eyebrow at the genuine curiosity in her tone.
"Not that I care." Bulma gasped, hoping she sounded convincing. She didn't know why she cared about what had happened to this man. She shouldn't be curious at all about what had occurred during his workout to make him so bitter - and yet she was... But why?!
"You say you don't care, and yet you asked." Vegeta folded his arms across his chest, nearly looking at her with suspicion.
"I only ask because you make it so obvious that something's bothering you." Bulma replied, lips pursed. He was still watching her with that raised brow. It was making her flush, and yet she couldn't even tear her gaze away. Kami – why couldn't he at least lower that damned eyebrow?!
"And yet you don't care..." The saiyan cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes.
"You said you were in there to do some training." Bulma said, and by now she was just speaking whatever came to her mind. She was hoping that whatever she said would start to piece together into something. At least if that happened it would look like her question had been related to a train of thought, rather than an impulsive act that had been spurred by her confused mind!
"I must always train." Vegeta said flatly, and then his face dropped into a deeper scowl than he'd already been sporting "Even if my resources are limited..."
"Oh! I get it now!"
Vegeta, who now almost resembled a spoiled child with how deeply he was pouting, shot the Bluehead a quizzical look.
"I had a friend named Goku." She said. It was with this simple sentence that he could suddenly detect the hint of a quiver in her voice. It was when she spoke that name – Goku – that he heard the most pain. "He worked out all the time. He called it training, just like you do. He always told me, even in times of peace, that he trained because it was what he was compelled to do. Almost as if it was in his blood. It was as natural to him as breathing and eating."
Despite how bitter he was, Vegeta could feel a smirk threatening his cheek muscles. It was interesting to hear her description of the lower class saiyan who had failed at his mission long ago. It was clear that she knew nothing of his heritage, nor his planet, and yet she spoke of this Goku as if she were gifting him on some type of inside knowledge. If only she knew…
"Goku was dedicated to his strength. And he was the strongest man I knew. You remind me a lot of him in certain ways, though I can't put my finger on how."
"Funny you should say so." Vegeta couldn't fight the smirk any longer, and he was now looking at her with marked amusement as she continued to babble with such clear ignorance. What the hell had "Goku" done during his time on this planet? And how had the two become so close, anyway?
"Actually, I was working on some plans for him before he suddenly got so sick." Despite how sad it made her to replay her friend's ailment, it still made her happy to remember her special project, and Bulma's voice began to cheer. "I wonder if it would be beneficial to you, now that Goku won't be around to use it."
"Plans?" Now, this peaked his interest. No longer feeling quite so amused, it was suddenly time to get to business. Vegeta leaned forward in his chair. "What kind of plans?"
"I was still in the early stages when Goku contracted his heart virus." Bulma replied, sounding almost robotic as she worked her way through detailing the illness. "I had been keeping it a secret... I wanted it to be a surprise. He would have loved it! Well - if you allow me the time I need for it, I can try to complete the schematics and finalize the project for you, instead."
"And what is the project, exactly?" Vegeta's brain was racing with the sudden possibilities, and he nearly felt ecstatic. He knew this woman came from some type of elite family of technologists. He had no doubt that whatever it was she'd been working on, it would be worth his time.
"I don't really want to say what it is, yet." Bulma said. "I don't believe in sharing details until I am at least 80% done. Call me superstitious, but I just think it's bad practice. It's preparing everyone involved for disappointment."
"Hmm." Vegeta narrowed his eyes with a growl, shifting his weight to the side as his mood suddenly dropped again. He hated to be declined of something he was asking for, and especially if it would supposedly help him with his training. He was too impatient to wait! He needed to know now!
"I need time to work on it." Bulma repeated. "If you're interested, then that means you need to take over some of the traveling duties. I can't fly the plane and work at the same time."
"Hmm." Vegeta growled again, plainly deep in thought. "So, what you are saying is that this may inhibit our search for the dragonballs."
"We've already found two, and it's only been a few days." Bulma offered. "Our progress may slow a little, but it isn't as if we're making bad time. We'll still get them."
"Right." He growled again, growing increasingly irritated with what he was about to agree to. "Alright, then. But I want to know what this is within 7 days. If you won't tell me by then, this project is going to be abandoned."
"I can get a lot done when I'm able to focus." The Bluehead shrugged. She was speaking with such a matter-of-fact tone that it made Vegeta's eyelid twitch. "And why do you want to get this done at all?" He challenged, still unhappy with this decision he had found himself making.
"Oh!" Bulma, who had been leaning across the table, fell back into her seat. This was enough to wipe that blank expression from her face!
Why did she care about this? Why should she care!? Now that she thought about it, she had absolutely no idea – it'd simply been something she'd been compelled to do! And what more, why was she nearly giddy at this prospect?!
She must have been sporting her flustered thoughts on her face, for Vegeta simply let out a sarcastic chuckle instead of demanding a reply. Her cheeks reddened as she watched him rise from his seat. "You might as well get started on it, then. I'm going to shower."
.
As Vegeta began his shower, Bulma walked to the intercom of the house and clicked it on. If she was going to resume working on these plans, she'd need her father's help to get started.
The monitor of the phone system let out a soft buzzing noise, static rippling across the screen. "Damn!" Bulma snapped. She slapped a hand over the top of the monitor, as if this would resolve the issue. "I forgot this thing was fried! Why didn't I fix this weeks ago?!"
The monitor continued to buzz, despite her whacking. The Bluehead bit her lip and reached into her belt bag of capsules. It took several seconds of digging around, but finally she pulled out a capsule that she recognized to contain her mobile phone. It was a large and clunky phone, one of her early prototypes that she'd created before perfecting the programming. It could work without radio towers, with signals so strong that it would bounce to whomever she was calling, regardless of distance. It worked, but the reception was shotty. It was a backup that she kept handy in the event that her main phone was ever rendered useless.
She'd have to step outside for the call to go through, and even then the reception would be choppy if there were too many clouds out. Now that Vegeta had approved her the time she needed to get some mechanical work done, Bulma made a mental note to work on the house's phone system as a side project as she stepped onto the grass.
It was when the Bluehead took a few more steps away from the house, clicking a few buttons on her phone and listening to see if the call went through, that she heard a noise. Having been distracted with her own thoughts, when the bushes near her rustled so suddenly Bulma couldn't help but the back away with a scream.
"Hey, hey!" Krillin's frantic voice whispered, waving his hands desperately to try and keep her calm. "Bulma! It's me! Quick - there's no time! We need to get out of here!"
Clutching her phone as if it would be the voice of reason, the Bluehead stared at the Z Fighter with wide eyes. Slowly, after a few seconds, she shook her head. "N-No." Was all she said, still processing the scene as the denial began to set in. "You can't be - I saw it. You were killed."
"No I wasn't. I had a senzu bean!" Krillin breathed. "Look, Bulma. I sensed you last night. I know something happened that was freaking you out, and I came as quick as I could. Yamcha's at the hospital - we need to get you there. He's desperate to see you!"
Bulma looked at the phone she was holding, taking a deep breath as she turned to eye Krillin again. "Yamcha... lives?"
"Yes, but I didn't have a good senzu bean for him. He'll be recovering at the hospital for weeks! Now, come on! Before we get caught. We need to go!"
"No." She breathed again, shocked at herself even as she spoke. This just didn't add up - it didn't make sense. Something about this just felt wrong.
"No?!" Krillin echoed, losing his ability to keep his voice down. He hadn't expected this at all. "What do you mean no?!"
"I'm not going back to Yamcha. I want to stay here. I'll be fine." She continued, looking back down at her phone. "I'm glad you two are okay, but I have something I need to do. You should leave before anything happens."
"Wh-Bu-Sh-PFFT!" The Z Fighter stuttered, nearly falling on his back. "Bulma! He tried to kill me! He's going to kill you! You're in danger!"
"He didn't kill you." She replied, glaring at her phone and punching a button on it. "And he won't hurt me, either."
"Didn't you listen to me?! I'm alive because I had a senzu bean!"
"And because he held back." She gave her phone a firm shake before giving its antennae a firm tug.
"Bulma, look! You're not thinking straight right now. It's probably from stress. Just come with me. I can get you out of here."
"No, Krillin. I can't."
"Yes you can, don't worry! We just need to get far away and we'll come up with a plan."
"But I can't…"
"Bulma! Listen to me!" Krillin shook his head. "We need to go! Yamcha's worried sick about you! I already told you that we felt your ki spiking yesterday. We knew something bad was happening! You're in danger!"
"Well, that's true – I was in danger – but it wasn't Vegeta." She scowled at her phone before putting it back in its capsule. It was clearly too cloudy to be of any use right now. "Vegeta's the one who saved me. Look, Krillin… I really don't want to go…"
"I'm assuming that Vegeta is the name of that guy who tried to kill me?" Krillin raised an eyebrow. Why was he even having to try to convince her? He'd assumed she'd be happy to see him, and that she'd be desperate to get away!
She looked up at the Z-Fighter, but before Bulma even had a chance to respond she saw Krillin's eyes widen. He quickly looked towards the house. "He's coming!" He whispered. "Quick, act like I wasn't here!" And, with that, he dove into a nearby shrub, leaving Bulma standing alone. And, just as Krillin had predicted, the Bluehead listened as the door to the house opened and Vegeta stepped out into the yard.
She turned towards him to see as he marched across the grass. He didn't look angry, but he didn't look happy either. He had a serious expression on his face, and he was staring into Bulma's eyes as he made his way for her. The Bluehead's heart jolted. The shock had sudden worn away, and now the intensity of the situation was sinking in.
"Hello, Woman." Vegeta said, his eyes never leaving hers.
The Bluehead bit her lip. Now that she thought about it, it seemed that every time they were speaking he was staring into her eyes… It was intimidating, yet bewildering at the same time. It always seemed to leave her searching for words when she realized how long he could go without blinking.
"Tell me…" He continued, looking over her shoulder as he broke eye contact to scan her surroundings. "Where is the man that I tried to kill, as he put it?"
"You heard that?" She gasped. She couldn't even think of a way to respond – they hadn't been talking very loudly. How had he heard?
"Hm," Vegeta stepped around her and peered at the shrubs. "It seems he'd have nowhere else to take cover…" He muttered, before shooting an arm into the leaves. Bulma cringed, listening as Krillin let out a yelp and was pulled out from the oversized bushes. It seemed that the Z-Fighter knew it would be futile to attempt to fight back, his body limp as the saiyan dragged him out into the open.
"Tell me." Vegeta was saying to him. "How did you find us?" He was speaking authoritatively, though he wasn't necessarily yelling. Krillin cringed as Vegeta squeezed his arm. "Answer me."
"I have my ways." Krillin replied, letting out a gasp when Vegeta finally dropped him and stepped back. "Elaborate." He said. "Do it now, before my patience wears thin and I start to lose my temper. I will grant you a favor and warn you that I'm already in a bad mood."
"I'm not here for a fight, okay! I just came to get Bulma back." Krillin balled his hands into fists. "You may have caught me off guard before, but I came prepared this time. Just let Bulma go, and there will be no trouble!"
"Hm. Well, from what I heard, she doesn't want to go with you." Vegeta said, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now stop acting like a fool and tell me how you found us."
"Krillin." Bulma said. She was starting to feel worried as she stepped forward. "It's okay, really. Just tell him. Please…"
Flabbergasted, the Z-Fighter was now looking from Bulma to Vegeta, and back to Bulma again. She seemed to be serious, but she was also good at lying when she needed to. It was hard to tell whether she was just saying what she thought Vegeta wanted to hear, or if she was being truthful, or if it was something in between. What if he had brainwashed her? What if she believed that she didn't want to go, but in reality her mind was distorted?!
"He can sense ki." Bulma finally announced, taking matters into her own hands before it had a chance to escalate any further. "They all can. He was able to find us because he tracked our life auras."
"Really?" Vegeta appeared to be shocked, but a moment later his expression turned to anger. "You mean to tell me you can read power levels without a scouter?! How?!"
"I can't tell you how – it's just something I can do!" Krillin shot back. He turned to Bulma, now looking almost desperate. "Are you sure you don't even want to leave?"
"You heard her. She doesn't want to go." Vegeta growled, narrowing his eyes as Krillin flustered his way through a response. He looked to Bulma, who smiled with a reassuring nod. "Really, Krillin. I'm fine. We're making good time with the dragonballs, and we'll be done before long. Just go back."
"That's fine if you really feel that way, but Yamcha isn't going to buy it!" Krillin finally sputtered. "He won't accept that answer, you know!"
"Oh?" Vegeta crossed his arms with a smirk. "And where is this Yamcha?" He scoffed. "If that man is so concerned, why is he not here now?"
Krillin let out a growl, showing the whites of his teeth as he grinded them together. He didn't want to admit that Yamcha was still recovering from the fight they'd had a few days ago. He wouldn't state such a thing to the man who had done it! "He would be here if he could!"
"You tell that-" Vegeta began, but Bulma was quick to cut him off, not caring to listen to another one of the saiyan's dramatic threats.
"Krillin," She began, and she said it with enough authority that both men turned towards her in surprise. "You tell Yamcha that it's none of his business what I do. You tell him that I appreciate his concern, but I'm smart enough to think for myself. It's an insult to my intelligence that you don't seem to think I have accessed the situation and come to my own conclusion. If Yamcha doesn't want to accept my decisions either, then that's his problem, but he's going to have to get over it."
"Bulma," Krillin breathed. "This isn't just another one of you guys' spats. You know what happened back at Goku's house."
"I thought I knew what happened, and obviously I was wrong. So, no. I don't know what happened. Not at all. But what I do know is what has happened since we began looking for those dragon balls, and that's something that neither of you two do."
Krillin was dumbfounded. With his mouth hanging open, he looked back to Vegeta, who was still sporting a smug smirk. With a sigh, he dropped his head. "We're keeping tabs on you." He finally said. "If I sense any more distress, that's it. We're taking you home."
"I'd like to see you try." Vegeta scoffed.
"Just watch yourself." Krillin continued, this time directing his words at the saiyan in front of him. With that, he took off into the sky, Vegeta shaking his head as he went. "That pathetic man knows perfectly well that he wouldn't last a second if he was engaged in a serious battle with me." He growled. "And you." He said, turning on Bulma and making immediate eye contact with her. "You aren't any better than him."
"Me?!" She snapped. "What did I do?!" How was she suddenly on the defense? If anything, she had sided with Vegeta during this!
"I told you yesterday not to romanticize matters or fool yourself into believing in good when there is none to depend on." Vegeta said, taking a step towards her. "It's obvious that you didn't listen. You should have been eager to make your escape with that pathetic man, and yet you turned him away before you were even aware that I knew he was here."
"How dare you?!" Bulma spat back. "This is the thanks I get?! If anything, you should be flattered that I wanted to stay and work on the project instead! And what good would it have done me to try and get away, anyway?!"
"Hm." Vegeta growled. "If I really hadn't known that he was here, I would still be in the shower. You two could have made it across the globe by the time I found out."
"Oh?" Bulma snapped. "And then what?! You know where my parents live! You could easily track us down!"
"But you would know enough to not go back to your parents' home." He spat. "You could easily find a unsuspicious place to hide for the rest of your life."
"And?!" Bulma retorted. What was this becoming?! He'd made a point in threatening her countless times not to even attempt an escape, and now that she had been presented with an opportunity she had turned it down. He should have been pleased about that - not mad at her!
"AND it is clear to me that your survival instincts are void." He growled. "Just a few days ago you jumped out of a plane to attempt a getaway. What happened to that?!"
"I don't know what happened!" She shot back. She hated this – why, she resented it. She couldn't answer his questions, and she knew he was making good points. But still, he didn't have to be such a jerk about it. She didn't think she'd done anything wrong. Why should he care so much, anyway?! She'd chosen to stay!
"There is no good! Do you understand me!?" He was nearly yelling now. "You cannot depend on such idiotic things!"
"Oh, just shut up!" The Bluehead barked. She turned and began to storm for the house.
"I mean it, Woman!" He snapped back, going after her. The two stormed inside, with Bulma slamming the door shut behind them.
"My name is not Woman!" She shouted. "And you're going to apologize to me before I even think of working on that project now!"
"What?!" Vegeta's angry demeanor quickly dissipated as his mouth dropped open. The gall of this woman! Who did she think she was!?
"You have the nerve to call someone like me an idiot?! Why should I work on something so genius for you if you can't even recognize how smart I am!?" She yelled. "You're going to apologize to me, right now!"
"You're kidding!" The saiyan's lip twitched.
"You think I'm joking?! Well, think again!" She tossed her hair over her shoulder and stormed for the bathroom. "I don't care if you got to finish your shower or not. I'm going to take a bath. And when I get out, you'd better have an apology ready, or I'm not going to work on it at all!"
And, with that, she marched for the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Vegeta's face twisted as he listened to the water starting to run. "What…" He breathed. "What a strange woman!"