Chapter 4

Vegeta was happy that he had managed to get rid of that whore Charlotte.

Once he reached his room he headed straight for his shower. He had to get her scent off of himself, he was sure he would throw up if he smelt her scent one second longer. Stripping off his tux he jumped into the shower. The warm sprays of water calmed him down so he could collect his thoughts.

For some reason his mind kept on drifting to Bulma and that weakling. He was well aware of Yamcha and his reputation with women. Bulma definitely didn't know what she was getting herself into. He was the talk of all the elites and royal guards.

Rumour had it that he had a tendency to date women for a couple of months, gain their trust and then worm himself into their beds and Kami help the woman who refused to share their bed. Vegeta had heard that he had killed quite a number of women after he had done what he needed with them.

There was no way in hell that he would let Bulma become one of his victims.

He hopped out of his shower, dried himself with his ki and pulled on a pair of silk, black boxers. As he was about to climb into bed he felt the woman's ki in her room. It looked like she returned home from her date.

Pulling on a black silk robe and tying it loosely he exited his room and made his way towards Bulma's. As he walked the various passageways he received some strange glances from the palace guards, considering his attire he could see why but he paid them no attention as his mind focused solely on the task at hand.

Once he reached her door, he knocked furiously. He heard the latch unclasp and a second later Bulma's mother was staring at him a large smile on her face.

"Oh hi Vegeta! What brings you here so late at night?" she asked curiously

"I came to see the blue-haired woman"

"Okay sure come right in!" she said happily. It scared Vegeta that she could be so happy at every hour of the day. It just wasn't natural. His eyebrow twitched in irritation at her happy mood.

That was when he noticed Bulma sprawled out on the couch, her eyes closed. She was still wearing her dress from that evening but she had kicked off her shoes and her hair was in disarray.

He studied her for a moment, and then decided he should have some fun with her. He walked over to the couch and kneeled down on the floor so that he was by the arm rest, overlooking Bulma's face. He smirked before screaming "WOMAN WAKE UP!"

Bulma's eyes shot open and the first thing she saw was Vegeta's face staring down at her. She screamed and then toppled off the couch in a heap. Vegeta was laughing his head off at her reaction.

"VEGETA YOU JERK!" she screamed getting up on her feet.

"Oh I'm too good" Vegeta said to himself smirking

"No you are not! What do you get some sort of sick enjoyment from seeing me half scared to death?!" she yelled in his face. Oh how she just wanted to slap that arrogant smirk off his face!

"As a matter of fact, I do" he said still smirking

Bulma pinched the bridge of her nose noticing that this conversation was going nowhere. "What is it that you wanted Vegeta?"

Vegeta looked around noticing that her mother was eavesdropping from behind the kitchen wall and her father was sitting in the arm chair opposite the couch reading the newspaper. He was obviously used to their little fights and paid them no mind; however Vegeta didn't want to say anything to the woman in the presence of her parents. Vegeta pulled her by the arm and into her bedroom shutting the door behind him.

"Hey!" Bulma yelled at him. She looked at him curiously once they were inside her room. He seemed on edge and the tops of his cheeks were coloured with a reddish tinge. Wait a minute. Is Vegeta blushing? She thought shocked.Something must be up.

"Woman, you cannot date that weakling anymore"

"What?" That was the last thing she expected him to say. Why would he want me to stop dating Yamcha?

"You heard what I said" he said his eyes narrowing as he glared at her.

"And tell me Vegeta, why the hell not?" she said starting to get angry.

"Because I said so"

"Aggghhh! Vegeta if you are not going to give me a suitable response I'd appreciate it if you show yourself the door. I'm tired and I rather much be sleeping now than listening to you" she said crossing her arms over her chest.

Vegeta clenched his fists at his side, his anger threatening to explode. "Woman you better watch how you talk to your superiors"

"You're impossible Vegeta!" she said starting to push him out of the door.

"Wait woman"

"What?" she stopped pushing him and looked him straight in the eye.

"He is not the kind of man you think he is" he said looking at his feet

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously

"He….uh….he has a… how do I put this?"

"SPIT IT OUT VEGETA!" she yelled

"Relax woman, he has a reputation…. with women" he said softly

"What kind of reputation?"

"Let's just say he has a history of … mistreating woman"

Bulma looked at him curiously. He seemed to be very nervous and the reddish tinge that coloured the tops of his cheeks turned a shade darker. She had never seen Vegeta like this. He was always calm, collected and absolutely sure of himself. It wasn't often that he stuttered when he talked to people and yet here he was standing in front of her stumbling and unable to keep his composure. "Vegeta, look I don't really get what you are trying to tell me"

"Gods woman, how thick are you?" he said pinching the bridge of his nose and staring up at the ceiling.

"Well maybe if you weren't acting like a bumbling dweeb and actually told me PROPERLY what you want to say I might understand what you are trying to tell me" she replied angrily

"You know what woman, if you want to insult me for being the good person that I am and warning you about that weakling boyfriend of yours, I might as well just leave" he spat making his way towards the door.

"Wait Vegeta"

He stopped and turned around to face her

"Warn me about what exactly?" she said softly. Vegeta stared her straight in the eyes noticing the worried look that crossed her features.

"Look, Yamcha isn't the man you think he is. All I am going to say is that if I were you I would end any relationship that you have with him. He is dangerous towards a woman of your calibre and if you are not careful you will find yourself trapped and helpless and he will take from you whatever he so desires with or without your consent" and with that Vegeta turned and walked out of her room.

Bulma stared at his retreating figure in shock. What was that about? As far as I am concerned Vegeta has never done anything for me, let alone try to warn me about anything that could be dangerous. So why would he pick this moment to warn me about Yamcha? Plus, how do I even know he is telling the truth about Yamcha? I mean he hasn't given me any solid evidence for me to believe him, but then again Vegeta isn't one to lie about anything. With these thoughts Bulma headed towards the shower before bed.

Vegeta walked the palace corridors in a fury. His mind was in complete disarray and his thoughts kept on drifting to Bulma. He didn't understand exactly why he told the woman about Yamcha, he just felt that it was something that he had to do, and that was what had confused him the most.

He was not one to interfere in other people's personal matters yet when he had seen the woman with that weakling he just couldn't stand the sight. An odd feeling deep within him stirred when he saw the two of them together and to make matters worse that feeling just became more intense when he thought about Bulma getting hurt by that bastard. So he had no choice but to warn her about him and before he could even stop himself he found himself in her room telling her everything.

Shaking his head vigorously, he made his way towards the royal training facilities where he hoped a good few hours of training would help him clear his mind.

Bulma walked into the royal kitchens with a frown on her face. Her mind focussed on what Vegeta had told her last night. She didn't know what to do. So far the only time Yamcha had done anything relatively hurtful to her was last night when he had seemed to lose control outside her door.

But was that enough for her to leave him and believe whole-heartedly what Vegeta had told her about him? Plus, he had stopped when she had told him to, doesn't that show that she could trust him at least a bit?

Making up her mind she decided that she would continue to date Yamcha until she saw a change in his behaviour that would cause her to believe what Vegeta had warned her about. She really didn't like not listening to Vegeta's warning since he sounded like he was telling her the truth and in the 13 years that she had known him he never once had lied to her. But her mind was telling her that until she saw that Yamcha as a potential danger to her with her own eyes, she would continue dating him.

Entering the kitchens with her mind made up, she spotted Chi Chi at the stove while Goku was trying to sneak up behind her and scare her. Chi Chi was the deputy head chef in the royal kitchens working under her mother. Over the years Chi Chi and Bulma had become the best of friends. Whenever Bulma needed someone to talk to or just hang out with she would seek out Chi Chi and Chi Chi would do the same to Bulma.

Goku and Chi Chi had started dating about a year ago and were still going strong. Goku's love for food is what had drawn him to Chi Chi in the first place and had resulted in him spending a lot of time in the kitchens. Chi Chi fell in love with the lovable saiyan and before Bulma knew it they had started dating.

Goku had managed to successfully sneak up on Chi Chi and was now being attacked on the head with a frying pan. Bulma laughed at this turning the attention of the two towards her. Once Goku spotted Bulma he immediately ran behind Bulma for cover.

"Awwww Chi Chi, I just wanted some food" he whined a pleading look in his eye.

"BUT YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO SNEAK UP ON ME!" Chi Chi yelled back at him. Goku whimpered and looked towards Chi Chi with big innocent eyes.

"Fine come here Goku, I'll fix you up something to eat" Chi Chi said lowering her frying pan and turning towards the stove to make something for him to eat.

"You're the best Chi!" Goku said happily and seated himself at the table in the middle of the room.

"So Bulma what's up?" Chi Chi asked Bulma from the stove

Before Bulma could respond Vegeta stormed through the door, his fists clenched at his sides and his eyes narrowed.

"KAKAROT WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" he yelled at Goku who was trying to hide himself under the table.

"I was hungry Vegeta so I came here so Chi Chi could fix me up some food" he said peeking out from under the table.

"Well forget about your stupid hunger Kakarot and get your ass in the training room now!" Vegeta yelled

Before Goku could move Bulma turned towards Vegeta her hands on her hips. "Cut him some slack Vegeta, he's hungry. Plus, he doesn't have to do whatever you say"

Vegeta glared at her. "Yes he does woman! I am the Prince of all Saiyans and as his superior he has to bend to my every whim" he said arrogantly sticking his nose in the air.

"Oh get over yourself! If I know you, and mind you I do, I'm sure you're probably just as hungry as Goku is" she retorted.

"That's where you're wrong woman. You don't know me as well as you think." He said smirking

At that moment Vegeta's stomach made a loud rumbling noise echoing throughout the entire kitchen. The smirk from Vegeta's face fell immediately and he glared at his stomach as if it had done something unforgivable.

"Oh so I don't know you well huh?" Bulma said triumphantly

"Shut up woman" Vegeta mumbled making his way towards the table and sitting opposite Goku.

Chi Chi was lucky that at that moment Bulma's mother decide to make an appearance so that Chi Chi didn't have to stress about making enough food to satisfy two hungry saiyans all by herself.

"Oh hello everyone!" Bulma's mother said happily as she entered the kitchen. Seeing the two hungry saiyans sitting at the table she immediately got to work preparing large proportions of food.

"Why don't you all go get seated at the dining table while Chi Chi and I prepare the food. I'm sure Vegeta's mom and dad will be coming for breakfast shortly to." Bunny said enthusiastically her back facing them as she cooked something at the stove.

"Yeah okay" Bulma replied and they all got up and made their way to the royal dining table.

When King Vegeta had appointed Bulma's mother as head chef for the royals, it was decided that Bulma's family could be allowed to dine with the royal family. Seeing as how Bunny was the only one capable of making the food for their household and without her the remaining Brief's would basically have nothing to eat, it seemed like the only fair thing for the king to do. Since the Briefs and the royal family now shared at least three meals together every day, the two families seemed to have gotten closer. King Vegeta would often discuss science and weaponry with Dr Briefs and the Queen and Bulma's mother always found something to chat about whether it be the latest palace gossip or the newest fashion trends. That left Bulma and Vegeta. Most of the time Vegeta would be too busy eating as if he hadn't eaten in days and would occasionally verbally spar with Bulma in between bites of food. Kakarot also occasionally joined them and since he was Vegeta's personal sparring partner the King allowed him to partake in meals.

Goku, Bulma and Vegeta seated themselves at the table leaving the chair at the head of the table and the one to the right of it empty for the King and Queen. Just as they had taken their seats the King walked in closely followed by the Queen.

"Good morning" the king's voice boomed as he seated himself at the head of the table. Goku and Vegeta acknowledged his presence with a nod while Bulma replied with a cheery 'Good Morning!' The queen looked at her and smiled warmly. "I see you are feeling especially jovial this morning Bulma" she said

"Yeah, this morning started off great, I just managed to prove Vegeta wrong once again" she said smirking at the prince. Vegeta glared back at her while the king chuckled. Dr Briefs then walked in through the doors and plopped down in the chair next to Bulma looking exhausted.

"Good morning your majesties" the doctor mumbled towards the king and queen.

"You look especially tired this morning doctor" the queen said looking at him curiously.

"Yeah, I had got this idea for a new weapon last night and since I couldn't sleep I decided to head back to the lab and work on it. I only left the lab now" he said, the exhaustion clear in his voice.

"So what is this new weapon Briefs?" the king asked. At this Dr Briefs' eyes lit up, all traces of tiredness gone as he animatedly started describing the weapon to the king.

While the king and Dr Briefs discussed the new weapon, Vegeta glared at Bulma from across the table while Goku had his eyes focused on the kitchen doors waiting for any signs that the food was coming.

"Woman"

"Yeah, Vegeta" Bulma said looking up to Vegeta

"I went to see your mother to retrieve my scouter, but she informed me that you had not given it to her"

"Oh damn, I completely forgot about your scouter" Bulma said smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand. "You know what, come by the labs after breakfast and I'll have it ready for you"

"You better not be wasting my time woman, I have training to catch up on" he said crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah right, that's all you do. I doubt you have anything to catch up on." she said smirking

"You'd be surprised, I have quite a few other talents" Vegeta said mirroring her smirk, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively

"Oh God, we are NOT getting into that!" Bulma said turning a deep shade of red.

Thankfully for Bulma at that moment the kitchen doors opened and Chi Chi and her mother brought in the food. Goku once hearing the doors open started to jump up and down in his seat and as soon as the food was laid out on the table, piled as much food as possible on his plate. Vegeta, seeing that all the food was quickly disappearing , followed Goku and grabbed whatever was within reach.

Goku and Vegeta dug in like they hadn't eaten in days. Shaking her head Bulma observed them while they ate. They hadn't changed one bit since they were younger and still ate like barbarians.

Tying her blue locks into a messy bun, Bulma slid herself under the half-completed gravity machine, half her body sticking out of the contraption and dug her skilled hands into the wires. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn't hear the door open and close.

Yamcha walked into the labs and immediately spotted Bulma's long legs sticking out from under some large machine. His eyes travelled up her long, creamy legs finally stopping where she was hidden under the machine, his thoughts wandering to what those legs would feel like wrapped around his waist as he took her over and over in any way he so desired. Snapping out from his thoughts he walked over to where she was and wrapped his hand around her ankle, slowly pulling her out from under the machine.

"Hey what do you think yo-" she started angrily but then she caught sight of who it was.

"Oh hey Yamcha!, I didn't expect you down here so early" she smiled at him, grease smudged across her cheek.

"Well, I was eager to see you" he said putting all the charm he could muster into his smile and offering her a hand.

Bulma's cheeks turned a soft pink as she took his hand and stood up. Yamcha's smile widening as he noticed his antics having the desired effect on her.

"So, do you want to go out again tonight?" he asked hopefully

"I don't know Yamcha I kind of have a lot of work to catch up on…" she said looking at her desk piled with papers.

"Oh come on babe it will be fun" he said closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"But…"

"Come on, I promise I will make it worth your time" he said lowering his head towards hers.

"Okay fine you win" she said finally before he covered her mouth with his.

Vegeta was frustrated as he walked down the palace corridors making his way towards the labs, his tail swishing angrily behind him.

After breakfast his father had called him to the throne room to have a 'talk' with him.

Apparently it is a bad thing to basically tell the daughter of your finest elite that she was unworthy of him and act like she was piece of trash. Vegeta shrugged; well it was her fault for acting like a whore anyways. If she was really as 'elite' as her title claims, she wouldn't act like a common low-class woman desperate to get laid.

Not only had he received a firm talk from his father but the King had also promised to keep on setting up dates for him until he could learn to properly treat a woman.

What the hell was wrong with his father?

It was not his fault that those woman given to him were so damned annoying and superficial, it was all he could do not to blast them into the next dimension! If only he had a chance to find a woman who suited his personal tastes, then maybe he wouldn't be so against his father's wishes.

At that thought he frowned. There was probably no woman on the planet that was perfect for him. He was looking for the perfect mate, a woman who was the best at everything she put her mind to, a woman who was not only strong but also had a fire, determination in her that set her apart from the rest, one that he would be proud to have standing beside him as he ruled over his planet and stood before his people. So far, he had seen these qualities in none of the woman he had been paired up with and he was starting to doubt whether it was possible for any one woman to hold all of these characteristics.

It was with these thoughts that Vegeta soon found himself standing in front of the lab doors. Pushing open the door rather forcefully, he was not prepared to be confronted with the one sight that was able to possibly make his day even worse.

There in front of him stood Yamcha with his arms wrapped around Bulma, kissing her like he wanted to absorb every part of her into him. As Vegeta took in the scene before him, his stomach lurched unexpectedly and an animal, that he didn't know existed, roared to life within him.

How dare that scarred vermin touch Bulma!

Angrily he made his way towards the two and as soon as he had reached them, he grabbed Yamcha by his armour pulled him away from Bulma and threw him into the lab wall. Yamcha slammed into the wall, creating a crater where his body had made contact with the wall.

Vegeta only seeing red, stalked towards Yamcha who was slowly regaining his bearings, his tail slashing angrily behind him and his coal black eyes glowing with ferocity.

"Get out" Vegeta snarled at him bearing his sharp canines.

Yamcha who had finally realised what had happened looked at his prince with wide eyes, his body slightly shaking in fear from the look that Vegeta was giving him.

"Yes your majesty" he said softly before scurrying from the room as quickly as possible. Bulma who had watched the scene before her in shock, finally realised what Vegeta had just done.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU VEGETA?" she shouted at his back which was currently facing her. Vegeta who was trying to calm his heavy breathing slowly turned to face her, his eyes still glinting dangerously.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him" his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked her directly in the eye. Bulma shivered mentally at the intensity in his eyes, not daring to show Vegeta that she was intimidated by him. She had never seen him like this before; something was definitely off with him. First the nervousness he displayed last night and now this…this intensity that she had never seen in him before.

"Look Vegeta, I'm not going to leave Yamcha because he is supposedly dangerous to be around and somehow mistreats women" she said meeting his gaze.

Vegeta was frustrated; well actually beyond frustrated he was damned furious. First he takes the trouble to warn her about that scarred idiot, then all that shit that he had to go through this morning and now this!

Stalking closer to her until she was pressed up against the wall he leaned down towards her, his voice as threatening as the look he was giving her.

"Do not be daft woman, that man is as dangerous as Frieza with all the power in the universe at his fingertips, he will not hesitate to break you, crush you, destroy you, until you are nothing more than a crumpled heap, a shadow of the woman you are now. If you are as much as a genius as you claim to be, you would wisely consider my warning."

Moving away from her and turning around, his back facing her he continued, "But fine do not heed my counsel, experience his true nature for yourself. But remember this, do not come crying to me when your expectations of him explodes right back in your face" and with that he walked out of the lab, leaving her speechless.

Vegeta angrily stomped his way down the palace corridors making his way towards the training facility, his mind in complete disarray.

How dare that woman ignore his warnings?!

He was the prince of all saiyans, for kami's sakes, she should do exactly as he says!

But then again she was never one to listen to anyone and in the 13 years that he had known her she had shown him plenty of times that she would not blindly follow his command just because of his title, like every other saiyan on the planet. Still the sight of her in the arms of that weakling had stirred something deep within him, something that he did not recognise.

He did not like her to be involved with that scarred idiot it just did not feel right. She belonged with a man who she truly deserved, someone honourable and who would be able to treat her like the perfect woman she truly is.

Shaking his head vigorously as if to try and rid himself of these foreign feelings, he made a decision to let her be. Let her suffer for not listening to him!

It would be all her fault if she has to face the consequences of ignoring him and if she comes back crying there is no way in hell he would help her this time.

Authors note:

Awwww Vegeta cares in his own Vegeta way. Or is this a hint of jealousy we're seeing in our Saiyan Prince?