Water flowed down in rivers from the heavenly ceiling of a hidden forest oasis, pouring into a deep blue pool below. The clear life-fluid was spilling from every crevice in the rock and beading over swathes of flowering moss. The flowery scent filled the air as Bulma stared up to the sunlight filled opening. Sitting atop a rock, she was dressed in a beaded, shimmering garment made of quartz and drops of lapis lazuli which complimented her long, curling azure waves.
If this was a fantasy, it was one she never wanted to leave. Bulma sighed and let the waterfall spill onto her chest and harden her nipples, surrounding her with cool moisture that awakened her senses and sent excited tremors throughout her limbs. She was putting herself on display as a tempting celestial maiden, her toes grazing the rippling water as she swung her feet back and forth and teased the dark shadow circling below.
The burbling water mixed with the sound of her laughter as something grazed the soles of her feet– slippery and fleeting. Bulma gasped as she realized she'd lured the elusive cryptid to the surface at last, his body rising from the water, streams trickling down his muscled chest as he gazed down at her with glowing teal eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as he waded from the depths, a dark fin like a widow's peak blended into his wet black hair, and faded into his bluish-gray skin speckled with spots.
In this fairytale dream, Vegeta was an anthropomorphic beast, half man, half shark. Bulma's imagination had no limits, and her veil of morality was lost to her slumbering fantasies. She crawled back on the flat rock she was sunning herself on, shivering either from fear, or desire–she wasn't sure, not that she cared. His towering figure revealed more and more of itself as he stepped out of the depths he lurked in and onto land, the jagged fins accenting his strong legs laying down as he acclimated to the surface world.
He had not left his dark underwater dwelling in a century, but the siren had been calling him for half of that time, and he could no longer stand to listen to her lovesong. Grasping her ankle with a slick black hand, he pulled her down so that her legs fitted around his aquiline waist with rippling muscle that led to a grooved V. Bulma couldn't stop her eyes from traveling even farther, gulping upon seeing that the obvious erection he was sporting was split into two appendages of equal size and length.
An inhuman chuckle left him as he caught her staring, and Bulma gaze moved back up to his face, becoming hypnotized by his gleaming stare. He moved closer to her and grinned with rows of serrated teeth, which he licked with a purplish red tongue.
"You've teased me long enough, woman," He snarled before grasping her plush hips and breaking the strings of crystals that made up her see-through garment. Crystals tinkled and broke on the slippery rocks as he tore apart the flimsy dress and her body was freed from its restraints. The creature she had summoned was taking her bait, mouthing her breast and lining his unique genitalia up with hers.
Bulma made muffled cries of her pleasure as he caressed and nibbled her chest, his duplicate shafts stroking her folds and wetting her with a translucent slime. All the while, their eyes remained locked in a trance. Her body responded to his manipulations enthusiastically with a flush of heat and pleasant pulsation, the nostrils of his pointed nose flaring as he took in her exotic, aroused scent. His claw tipped hands stroked down the curves of her body and left hairline scratches, the scent of her blood causing him to growl and become more aggressive as she whimpered and squirmed in reaction.
Vegeta, satisfied with the scratches and bites now marring her porcelain skin and marking her as his mate, could take her teasing no longer and filled her with one decisive thrust. She cried out in ecstasy as her core was entered by both of his pulsing appendages, which stretched her walls pleasantly as they wriggled inside of her sensually. Her walls responded by squeezing and drawing him in deeper as she embraced her eldritchian lover.
Once he was sure she was ready for more, he drew back and began thrusting with great, powerful smacks against her stimulated clit. Vegeta leaned down to stroke his tongue with hers as their sexes entangled and became one warm, slick, sensual experience. The siren who had called to him and promised to shower him love filled his ears with her cries of pleasure as she hooked her legs around his waist to ensnare him as she gripped his powerful shoulders for leverage. The beast roared and plunged his dual erections into her body, filling her completely in a way she'd never experienced before.
His grasp on her hips tightened and she moaned hoarsely as her body felt like it was being clamped onto, utterly unable to escape his penetration as he laid his weight onto her hips and the pressure became insurmountable, her climax thundering throughout her body and coating him with her fluids as Vegeta made his final, trembling thrust. His warm seed spilled into her womb in twin streams as his hips pulsed and his arms folded around her back possessively and held her captive, her only option was for her body to drink upon his life milk and submit to mating with the monster she had summoned. Once his orgasm ceased, he remained inside her body and held her face with both hands, caressing her tears away and kissing her bitten lips.
…
Bulma started awake with a gasp, blinking to take in the pink glitter-spray ceiling in her bedroom. She was still panting heavily and her body remained stimulated from her erotic dream. With a whimper, Bulma closed her eyes and her hands moved down her body as she attempted to reclaim the erotic fantasy her mind had created. With one hand cupping her breast and tweaking her nipple, she bit down on her lip and felt between her legs to find that she was slick with her own moisture and extra sensitive. Bulma moaned as she attempted to replicate what she felt in the dreams with her fingers, inevitably spending an extra hour in bed just trying to climax the way she had in the dream, yet never reaching that intangible peak.
…
If I would've known Vegeta was going to be such a prude, I would've brought my favorite vibrator! Bulma internally fumed as she left the bathroom with a cloud of steam, drying her hair with a towel. Even showering didn't seem to calm down her overactive imagination and aroused body, she had spent another hour in the shower after washing up trying to use the massage setting on the showerhead to masturbate. It had been slightly more convenient than her hand, but she found the aphrodisiacs in the water left her insatiable no matter how many miniature climaxes she had . I didn't think I'd need to bring a vibrator with Vegeta thrusting nonstop between my legs, damn it!
"This is getting sad!" She grumbled to herself as she lathered her body up with lotion, all the while admiring herself in the wall-to-wall mirrors. Bulma had never experienced the problem she was encountering recently. All her life, men had thrown themselves at her feet and kissed her toes. In school, she was being chased daily by admirers and left love notes in her locker at least five times a week. What changed? Was it her age? At only twenty five, Bulma was at her sexual prime and went to great lengths to make sure she was preventing aging and keeping all parts of her firm and toned.
As Bulma finished lotioning, she rummaged through her drawers for undergarments to wear. She'd brought all the best lingerie she owned from prestige shops, some of it was even custom made to fit her like a glove! But all her preparations hadn't brought her the rewards she thought Vegeta would hand to her on a silver platter. Digging all the way into the back of the dresser, she pulled out a gray sports bra and matching underwear literally made for comfort. Forget the uncomfortable thongs and itchy lace, Vegeta wasn't going to be peeling off her clothes anytime soon.
Their game of 'I Spy' last night along with the wine had her on the cusp of hoping that Vegeta had a change of heart and he actually liked her back. But, all he'd done was tease her and send her to bed early like a child with school in the morning. The game had gotten so heated that it ended with her licking wine off of his neck. His hot skin with a savory, salty residue had left her mouth watering. She should have known that once she got a taste of him, she'd be addicted.
Shaking off the thoughts before she aroused herself again, Bulma slipped on a plain pair of black leggings and a baggy pink T Shirt that read 'Barbie', then prepared to fix her hair. She wasn't going for anything fancy, just her trademark side ponytail with the rest of her hair laying on her shoulders. Bulma was no longer sixteen years old, but right now she was wishing she was so she could transport herself away from this cold, metal cage. She would trade tromping through the desert with Yamcha and Goku for this anyday! In fact, maybe an adventure was just what she needed, some fresh scenery and new faces could stop her from focusing on chasing around a man who wasn't even interested in her.
As Bulma applied her finishing touches of lip gloss and perfume, she thought back to the dream. It was so strange, they were completely surrounded by water and seemed to be in some alternate reality. It was definitely reaching. A dream is just a dream, after all. Yet, It reminded her of the time she ran out of books to read and asked her mother if she had any good romance books, and was handed an entire box of them. Every dog-eared book had some variety of fantasy smut, whether the character was being probed by aliens, the helpless omega in a love triangle with two alpha males, or Kami forbid, having Bigfoot's baby. Yet, to Bulma's shame, she'd eaten up each one of those books and even bought herself the sequels to binge on after her breakup with Yamcha. The distraction and laughs they provided her was preferred over intrusive thoughts about her ex being dominated in the bedroom by Tien.
Bulma took a deep breath and attempted to summon an air of confidence as she looked in the mirror, closing her eyes and recalling her self-affirmations: I am a beautiful, independent woman who doesn't need a man to be happy. I am smart, successful and sexy…Vegeta. Her eyes snapped open and she fumed upon realizing that thoughts of that meat-headed Saiyan had interrupted her self-affirmations.
"That's it! I gotta get this guy out of my head or I'm going to go batshit crazy!" Bulma groaned, then stormed out the door, ready to rip him a new one for ruining her entire morning with his stupid sex-appeal.
That… smell. That infuriatingly infatuating smell. Vegeta's nose twitched again and he was tempted to rip it off his own face as Bulma breezed into the kitchen behind him with her chin raised high, her luscious scent wafting all over the place. The aroma had his mouth watering and his body so hot that he had to grip the edge of the pilot's chair to keep himself from ambushing her like a feral creature. How dare she walk in here and flaunt her fertility in such a vulgar way! He thought to himself while inwardly steaming.
Vegeta's nose scrunched against his brow in an angry scowl and he redirected his focus on what he could hear on the radio to hopefully take his mind off it. He had opened the channels so he could pick up on radio communications and alien frequencies. Some channels were in languages he couldn't understand, so he skipped them by turning the knob. It was painfully boring but it was better than being alone with those randy, unwanted thoughts as he gazed out into space. As long as his channel was muted, the others wouldn't notice the extra listener on the line.
While Bulma mulled around the kitchen for a snack, she happened to hear the static from his radio, then the garbling voices of others out in space. She fetched herself a banana and a cup of juice and hovered nearby. Their eyes met through their peripherals, then quickly darted away as both hesitated to greet one another. Bulma peeled her banana slowly as she inched slightly closer, hoping to hear whatever it was Vegeta found so fascinating.
The current conversation he had landed on actually took away his frustration with her for a moment as he listened.
"We… made it– got attacked by the… –rations… soon out. Need water…."
"We cannot send supplies to your location. Fly to your nearest rest station and refuel. Goodbye." A metallic, lifeless voice responded.
"Wait! Help me! Help! You listening– HELP ME!"
Bulma nearly choked on her banana while processing what she'd just overheard. Before she could hear anything else, Vegeta had turned the volume down to zero.
"Hey! Turn that back up! If we can hear them, that means they aren't too far away, right?"
Vegeta scoffed.
"Did you not hear how they kept cutting out? They're as good as dead to us from this distance."
"Oh… Right… Well, where's the nearest rest station?"
This question elicited a chuckle from him this time.
"There are no rest stations just outside the Milky Way. We're days away from Earth at this point… We won't reach one for at least a month."
"WHAT?!" She screamed, then rushed over to the controls and began rapidly tapping buttons on the console to open up the map. Thankfully, Vegeta was thinking quick and caught her juice cup and half eaten banana in mid air, setting them on a counter nearby as she madly tapped buttons, in search for any proof that he could be wrong.
"No! There's– There's gotta be one somewhere!"
"I'm telling you, this place is a dead zone. All the exoplanets just outside your Solar System are inhospitable. The nearest possible rest area is orbiting Alpha Centauri."
"Alpha Centauri…?" Bulma wondered, searching her memory for such a name.
"It's a red dwarf much like your sun. That's what we're looking for in planets if we want fresh water."
"Right.." Bulma typed the name into the search bar, and was able to find it quickly.
"Oh, here it is Vegeta! It's only…F-four light years away… In other words, s-seven thousand years…"
" 'Light years,' Heh." Vegeta snickered. Bulma glared at him angrily, not finding his mockery amusing.
"Earth terms. We can bypass that, you know. It's a simple process…"
"You better tell me what it is right now, Vegeta!"
He cracked his knuckles and set the ship to auto pilot, his smirk still prominent on his face as for once, he knew something very tantamount to their travel that could change the entire course, and hopefully shorten it by a long shot. But he wasn't going to let out his secret that easily. Not after all Bulma had done to him, she deserved to stew in her own juices for at least a little bit.
"My services aren't free, woman. You better have some form of payment for the time and effort this will take."
Bulma frowned and mulled over his proposal in her mind. Well, offering my body hasn't worked so far. Besides, I'm not that type of girl… What does Vegeta even LIKE?
She thought it over for a moment while he stood before her, tapping his fingers on his bicep. Then, it came to her. Food! Saiyans LOVE food!
"I'll cook for you! I can make whatever you want!" She answered cheerfully, looking up at him with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.
Vegeta's brow rose and his fingers stopped their tapping as he considered her offer.
"What makes you think I want your cooking, anyway?"
Bulma placed her hands on her hips and recalled the way he scarfed down her salmon nigiri just yesterday.
"I know you won't refuse my food, Vegeta."
"Hmph. Well… I could eat. It's settled, then. I need you to show me to the bowels of the ship, and promise me that you won't watch what I'm doing. I'd like to have my meal once I finish working. Then we can set our coordinates to Alpha Centauri and search for untainted water upon arrival."
Bulma made a giddy laugh and clapped her hands like a child after hearing his proposal. They were finally communicating like decent people, and he was willing to actually put in work to quicken their journey! In that case, she would make him a literal buffet if he asked.
"Ok, so what do you want to eat?"
He blinked, looking towards the kitchen and pondering his options. He recalled seeing various vegetables and meat in the refrigerator, and thought they could perhaps make a tasty soup of some sort. It had to be hot and filling for his Saiyan appetite.
"At least ten bowls of hearty beef stew worthy of a warrior, with root vegetables and bone marrow broth included with a pound of pork fried rice. Then, twenty pork buns and dessert afterwards. I want four freshly baked pies like the ones Panchy makes."
Bulma's mouth tempted to drop open in astonishment at his gluttony, but she managed to hold back her shock. Other than his massive Saiyan appetite, she didn't expect him to actually know exactly what he wanted and for it to be specific things she had to make all from scratch.
"...You have the required ingredients, do you not?" Vegeta asked after a beat, and Bulma nodded apologetically.
"Yes! I have basically the Noah's Arc of groceries in our fridge and pantry. There's fifty of everything you could want all capsulized for our convenience."
"Fifty of everything? Good. I want pumpkin pie and cheese cake too. With plenty of whipped cream. Oh, and some of that wine we had yesterday too."
Bulma was making a mental list of ingredients before he even finished his sentence, knowing this would take her some time. At least two hours or more, with one hour solely dedicated to food prep. That's not counting all the dishes she'd have to wash afterwards! Oh, what am I getting myself INTO here! I'm no Martha Stewart! Bulma thought with a helpless whimper.
"Alright, I can make all this, but you'll have to wait awhile."
"The ship alterations will take some time as it is. If you're not finished cooking by the time I'm done, I'll just squeeze in a workout. Are we agreed?"
Bulma took a deep breath, then nodded with a smile.
"Yes. I can do it."
"Good. Now, I need access to all your tools and spare parts. Do you also have a 'Noah's Arc,' of parts down there, I hope?"
Bulma giggled and nodded her head.
"Actually, I do! I brought backup parts of everything just in case something went wrong. There's extra, so I don't care if you have to tear something apart."
A thought came to Vegeta that only a space pirate or a criminal could possibly have, and it was delightfully greedy.
"By the way, who is Noah and where can we find his Arc? He sounds like a very rich man."
Bulma laughed so hard she nearly doubled over, clutching her stomach. Vegeta may be an ass at times, but she had to admit his ignorance of Earthling knowledge was sort of cute.
"What's so damned hilarious?! I'm saying we should rob him!"
"Oh Vegeta, you crack me up!"
Vegeta grumbled and realized he must've said something stupid by her reaction. Oh well. At least she's laughing and in a good mood. He mused, a tiny smirk tempting to play on his lips as she regained her composure. Then, he quickly fixed it into his signature frown. Stop being comrades with the enemy, fool. Don't forget her original intentions to get you on this ship! She's nothing but a semen harvesting tart! His conscience whispered to him, and he half paid it attention, thrusting out one of his hands to shake on their deal.
"Enough theatrics. Are we both in understanding of the terms? I want not one pork bun misplaced."
"Yes, Vegeta. I understand completely." She responded, and took hold of his large hand and shook it. His handshake nearly lifted her feet off the floor, but their deal was sealed. Now all that was left was the monumental task of cooking it all for him.
She supposed it could be worse.
Vegeta paused, then put his hand to his nose. The source of that smell was all over her hands and a bit of it was even behind one of her ears. He knew that smell, it was something akin to how Raditz and Nappa reeked after leaving the sex brothels in space. Except, this smell wasn't at all repugnant or fishy. It was actually… mouth watering, and sent his taste buds and the cilia of his nose into a frenzy. Not to mention, it had the capability to stir the starved, primal beast residing in his loins from its slumber if he allowed her to be in his space any longer.
"Also, you should be sure to wash your hands before cooking anything. Then, behind your ears and under your nails." He demanded, looking incredibly stern. Bulma jolted a little in place, confused by his sudden change in attitude. The way he was staring her down intimidated her, she had taken a shower earlier today when she got out of bed, but she supposed another time wouldn't hurt.
"..OK?? I always wash up before I cook!!"
"Good. And after playing with yourself too?"
Bulma's eyes widened and she blushed madly, her hand clenching into a fist as she realized this was why he'd been acting funny.
"That's NONE of your business, Vegeta!"
"You may as well be like setting off a flare, woman. My sense of smell is infeasible to a human nose like your own."
"It's not like YOU give two fucks anyway!"
Vegeta snickered cruelly in response to her desired reaction; she was flustered and embarrassed just as he'd intended.
"Two fucks? Who said I'd even give you one?"
"Oh, shut the hell up Vegeta, before I change my freaking mind!"
He smirked and kept silent as she led him to the bowels of the ship, stomping all the way. Her furious, feisty reaction was more entertaining than he thought it would be. He almost liked this side of her. It was very Saiyan in nature. All that was missing was a stimulating grapple to top it off. Nevertheless, he preferred she play with herself instead of coming to his room and attempting to seduce him like she had their first night on the ship.
Images of a gauzy pink slip flashed through his mind, her blushed, erect nipples and curvy body teasing his memory with their feminine wiles. Damn that tainted water… It was the water that was the problem, not him. He could restrain himself. He would. His pride was at stake here, not to mention his royal lineage. Succumbing the scheme of an Earthling scientist was not the way he planned to lose his virginity.
Bulma cracked an egg against the side of her wok, discarding the shell and repeating the motion again. She was in the process of making his fried rice while a large pot on the stove held simmering beef stew. The kitchen was steamy and thick with the savory aromas of food. She stirred in the eggs and let the rice get golden brown and crispy on the bottom, giving her a moment to check on the steamed dumplings. They were in a bamboo basket atop a basin of boiling water, and as she lifted the lid a large puff of steam came out. The dough was translucent and glistening, and as she poked it, it retained the shape of her finger and she decided that they were ready.
Everything was going to plan thanks to her careful planning, despite Vegeta's nasty comments earlier about her smell. She lifted the dumpling basket off the counter and allowed them to cool, then turned back around and stirred the rice. His disapproval of her scent didn't dissuade her, though. It only meant that it was so hard for him to ignore that he had to speak up about it to keep himself under control. Bulma rolled her eyes and turned the burner down to low now that the rice was lightly toasted and looking delicious.
She lifted the lid on the stew pot and was greeted with another puff of steam as she stirred the stew together, then replaced the lid. The only thing left was the pies, which were now baking in the oven and didn't require as much attention as the other courses. She wiped her brow with a clean towel, then drank from a large glass of water with ice cubes floating around in it. Bulma didn't care that the water was tainted with aphrodisiacs anymore, actually it seemed like she was kind of getting used to it. She wouldn't dehydrate herself just to appease Vegeta, anyway.
As she relished in the completion of her arduous task, Bulma reflected that all the cooking she'd done really wasn't as daunting as she thought it would be when Vegeta originally asked. In fact, it was nice to have a task to distract herself with. It made her forget the aching between her legs and the annoyingly persistent wetness that accompanied drinking aphrodisiacs. Now that she'd dealt with it for a few days, she was ready to admit she'd made a terrible mistake in tainting the water. Vegeta on the other hand, was much too proud and much too resilient to be reduced to a feral creature by human made chemicals.
Besides, the promise of food had seemed to make him warm up to her slightly, and as hard-pressed as she was to admit it, she really cherished those moments when he seemed genuinely content in her presence. The Vegeta she knew from the past, before his rebirth was bitterly harsh and battle hardened so much so that his empathy for the lives of others had dwindled away to nothing, like carelessly slaughtering entire Namekian villages in his search for dragon balls. At more than one point, even her life was at risk in his presence on Planet Namek. She wasn't sure what had happened, perhaps he only spared her now seeing as she'd given him this new life and the resources to make himself stronger.
She couldn't lie– She had harbored the weirdest, most nagging crush on him since she first met him, she wanted to deny that he even entered her thoughts back then, after knowing– and witnessing first-hand all the cruel acts he'd committed and the slaughter of her then boyfriend Yamcha. What was charming about this homicidal alien? His… voice, deep and rich with its roughness caressing her ears like cashmere? His eyes, magnetic and alluring? His proud manner, or the fact that he'd never allow someone to disrespect him without due punishment? He was a man in every sense of the word and then some. He was brusque, rough and jagged like a raw diamond but dazzling nonetheless. He carried himself with dignity and respect as a true prince should, and just to be at his side would make them the most powerful couple on Planet Earth.
Bulma scoffed and cursed her internal dialog for confirming that yes, she not only so obviously wanted to jump his bones, she also LIKED him, as in: Vegeta and Bulma sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage, like like. This trip had done nothing but make it even more clear to her now, when his refusal of her affections had broken her entire imagined fantasy and made her rethink her actions, as if she really wasn't a genius. Noone had ever been brave enough to even imply that Bulma was of average intelligence at best, let alone a moron. Vegeta broke every societal norm and every prediction she could have hypothesized in regards to this venture. He certainly was an enigma. His mental fortitude matched hers and even made her wonder if she had met the single most worthy competitor in the galaxy for her genius and ingenuity.
"Krillin was right. I really do like bad boys, huh? Kami. This one will be the death of me."
As the timer for the oven chirped it's annoying chorus of: 'Ding ding ding!' She felt like she'd just won the prize on The Price is Right for the most goofiest prize package ever, her very own HOMICIDAL Saiyan PRINCE!
...
His footsteps were barely heard over the humming of the massive generator at the center of the room, which was full of spinning gears and electrical charge. The ship was powered by a dynamic system of mechanical energy. Perfectly advanced for Earthlings, yet decades behind Frieza's technology. They had actually hacked the limitations on physics and discovered how to harness gravitational waves, an invisible ripple in space that travels at the speed of light. These waves squeeze and stretch anything in their path as they pass by. It sounded impossible but it was actually more simple than not.
He couldn't exactly tear the entire system out while the ship was in flight, and he would need to sacrifice all of the water tanks on the ship save for a few gallons to keep them hydrated until they reached Alpha Centauri.
Vegeta sighed and clenched his fists in frustration. It couldn't be avoided. They needed to make a pit stop, and he would require her assistance.
…
A knife slid into the center of the last pumpkin pie on the cooling rack, then came out perfectly clean. Bulma smiled as she looked on at her work proudly. Perhaps her mother was right all along. The way to a man's heart really was his stomach! Vegeta would be so pleased by all this, the meal was exactly to his specifications and still piping hot. She removed her apron and hung it over a chair in preparation to let him know the food was done, but that was right as he entered the kitchen with an odd look on his face. A silent plea?
"I have updates."
"Oh? The food is ready, would you care to sit down and discuss it over dinner?"
He couldn't deny that the scents in the kitchen were tantalizing and he would like to taste some of those scents, but duty prevailed.
"We need to make a pit stop in order for me to do what I need to on the ship. Also… We will have to sacrifice nearly all of our water for my idea to work. But yes, I would like to eat on the way there."
"Sacrifice our water? Do you plan to use hydropower?"
"Er… No, nothing as antiquated as that. I suppose I'll have to enlighten you on the subject. Over dinner?"
"Ok… But, don't we need that water?"
Vegeta snorted, crossing his arms.
"As far as I'm concerned, that water is the last thing we need. Its tainted quality will make no difference for my purposes. Furthermore, if my calculations are correct we will not even need backup water, but we should save at least a gallon or two as an emergency measure."
"Hmm… Vegeta, this will require quite a bit of trust in you on my part. How do I know you aren't trying to sabotage my ship in revenge for tainting the water?"
Vegeta snorted at her outrageous claim and shook his head.
"If I wished to incite my revenge, I would not share such damning information with you. Revealing our scientific discoveries to an Earthling scientist would surely get me beam-dispatched on Frieza's ship. Telling you this could very well be considered treason, but luckily I am free of that tyrant with thanks to Kakarot. Otherwise, I would be bound by my code as a soldier to not reveal this information even at threat of execution."
Bulma's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly as Vegeta said all this. He was willing to let her in on top secret information that could very well change the entire future of Earth in regards to space travel for the small fee of dinner and drinks. Bulma's hands trembled as they wished to reach out and capture him in a crushing embrace, but she resisted, instead remaining professional.
"You have my word Vegeta, I will not use this technology against you or share it with anyone else. I'm honored that you would ask for my assistance with such a task!"
At last his tension wavered and his tensed shoulders dropped a few inches. He felt relieved, and hopeful that what she said was genuine. As far as he could tell, she was telling the truth. He would be able to read her facial cues and smell her fear if she had been lying.
"Good. Now, we simply need to land on a solid, stationary planet, which should not be difficult to find. We don't need oxygen for this task as it will all be done inside the ship. Just allow me to set the coordinates, and we can be on our way."
Bulma nodded her agreement, then watched as he headed towards the control panel and opened the digital map.
"Any one of these large rock formation exoplanets should work. There's one ten minutes from here." He remarked, then set the coordinates.
"Alright. That gives us time to eat then!" Bulma said, pulling out her chair and inviting him to sit down with her before the delightful looking spread. Vegeta turned around and had to keep his tongue trapped in his mouth or he would be swiping it over his lips like a starving lion.
The smell in the kitchen was tantalizing, and he couldn't help but chuckle as she held up a wine bottle with a pleading look on her face.
"Can you do that cool trick again?"
"Sure. But we should limit our alcohol intake, we have lots of work ahead of us."
Vegeta took the bottle from her hand, and allowed his body heat to center into his palm, the increased pressure in the bottle causing the cork to pop out into his other open palm. Bulma smiled in surprise, she was still impressed by his powers and ingenuity as she was the first time she'd witnessed it. Her scientific brain was spurred into action, and she couldn't help but question how Vegeta knew that the water in the wine would expand with the addition of heat.
He poured them both a reasonable amount of wine, then sat down at the table where she had placed his meal all in the specified amounts. Bulma sipped her wine before sampling a dumpling with a delighted moan of approval, then waited for him to begin digging into his food before asking him her nagging question.
"Vegeta… How is it you know so much about science and physics? Did you… go to school in space?"
He chewed a piece of stewed beef as he contemplated his answer, then swallowed.
"School… I'm not familiar with that word. I have learned all I know from experience and training. The Planet Trade Organization educates all of their soldiers for a four year period where we do test drills and sit through lectures. We learn how to repair our own ships, scouters and how to deal with life on alien planets."
"Ohh! That explains it. That sounds like a great educational program?"
Vegeta shrugged and began digging into his food as Saiyans do, one hand picking up pork dumplings and taking bites as the other spooned stew into his mouth. He clearly liked the food, and her pride showed on her face as she tasted it for herself.
"It was both enlightening and also much like a prison. Some less studious soldiers have to stay two years longer as punishment and become engineers, like Raditz. He was more easily distracted than I and flunked his lessons, never even training his tail the way I did. That was his downfall." Vegeta muttered, and Bulma nodded in understanding.
" Tail training?"
Vegeta inhales deeply as if annoyed, then gulps. If he was as annoyed as the sigh implied, he wouldn't answer. The subject of tail training was a sensitive one, seeing as his tail was sliced off by that idiot with a sword back on Earth.
"Yes. It's a sensitive limb, and like a hand it can be trained to do things. We had to train our tails to be able to withstand pain and pressure, or else be felled by nothing by a yank of the tail. It's the one weakness of a Saiyan, and I'm glad to be rid of it."
Bulma took this in, her intrigued expression easing his annoyance as he polished off his first bowl of stew. He supposed he could entertain her with some stories while they were here, it's not as if it could cause any harm.
"I see… But, don't you ever miss it? If it's like another limb, does that mean you experience ghost limb syndrome like amputees do?"
Vegeta nodded, the stump of his tail twitching just slightly as the conversation centered on its existence.
"Of course. It's inconvenient to not be able to reach behind me like I was accustomed to. It could also sense my surroundings with its sensitive hairs and signal that a presence was near even before my other senses."
"That's SO cool, Vegeta! Are you sure you don't want to have a tail? We could wish for it with the dragon balls!" She exclaimed with excitement, causing a hearty chest laugh to erupt from him.
"I wouldn't waste such an opportunity on such an insignificant thing as a lost appendage."
"Oh." Bulma responded, and fell silent as she quietly took this in.
"But… Thank you for your consideration. If my planet still existed, then perhaps I would require my tail to take on my role as king. A Saiyan without a tail in the royal office was unheard of. Only criminals and lowlifes were punished by having their tails removed. It's a terrible practice, really."
"I'm sure it must be painful. Being an extension of your spine….?"
"Tch. Pain is good for a warrior. The more he can take, the tougher he is. Now, let's eat our food. We have but several minutes until we land on the exoplanet."
"Ok." Bulma said, though she wanted to complain, the promise of learning his top secret flight method was more intriguing than drilling him about a tail he no longer had. Plus, the food was absolutely delicious and she didn't want it to go to waste.
A part of her couldn't help but consider the person they'd heard asking for help earlier today. The empath in her was still curious if they were alive, and if so… Could this alteration to the ship make it so they could fly there quickly enough to save them? It was a long shot and she was sure Vegeta would refuse to go back to save one pitiful life… However, that cold, robotic voice responding to them saying that they couldn't help them remained prevalent in her mind. Who was it? Why were they so cruel? Why would they let a person starve to death if they had the resources to save them? Perhaps space really was as cold and dark as it looked. From the sounds of it, Outer Space had just as many flaws as Earth, and just as many terrible people, such as Frieza and even the Saiyans who cut off the tails of their own people.
All her dreams of escaping to luscious alien planets with her lover seemed folly now. Dreams, nothing more. So much for their exciting elopement and following honeymoon. To Vegeta it was nothing more than a mission to train and nothing else. She looked up at him as he was forking down his tenth bowl of stew and had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh. Rice was flying, his cheeks were splattered with broth and the sounds he made while eating reminded her of a dog scarfing down its supper. She took a long sip of wine and savored the flavor as her eyes veered towards the cheesecake and away from her empty bowl. She hoped he wouldn't mind if she took a few slices from each. She couldn't eat an entire pie like him, but she certainly enjoyed the indulgence of a dessert now and then.
Vegeta set down his plate, then primly wiped his face with a napkin. Bulma gingerly took their empty bowls and plates away, setting them on the counter to be washed later. He was eyeing the same pie she was, and Bulma took it that he was ready for dessert.
"Allow me." Vegeta said as he stood quickly from his chair, and Bulma spun back around in surprise. She hadn't expected him to start serving her a slice, but she appreciated it. As he handed the cheesecake with cherries on top, their fingertips grazed against one another and caused a little zap of static that made her jolt in place. Was that chemistry or was it just his ki warning her to stay away?
"Thank you, Vegeta. You really are such a gentleman when you want to be!" She giggled warmly as she cut a piece of pie with her fork then popped it in her mouth.
Vegeta cut the rest of the pies up for himself, leaving two aside in the case she asked for more. He took a hefty spoon of whipped cream and dumped it onto his tower of pumpkin pie slices.
"It's not that I want to be a gentleman, it's simply called having manners. You made all this food, and you shared it with me. I could be starving to death like that poor sap we heard today, and yet I'm here, stuffing myself gluttonous."
Bulma was surprised that he would bring that person up again, and her eyes brightened at the prospect of convincing him to go back for them. After all, he was filling his belly with her food and she knew from experience that Saiyans were the most cheerful and easygoing while eating food. Perhaps this was the ideal time to ask.
"Do you think it would be so bad to send them a little care package? One meal could mean life or death for them… I'm not sure if I can have that on my conscience."
Vegeta eyed her from beneath his brow as his pie filled cheeks moved to chew his dessert, and he mulled over her suggestion. Swallowing, he answered.
"How do you know they're not just trying to trick anyone that can hear them? You know, there are space pirates like myself abound in space. To have reached this end of the galaxy means they've either become lost, or desperate. It was stupid to even come this way. Why should we help?"
"I just… keep hearing those cries for help at the back of my mind, and it's killing me inside. If just one death could be prevented, then I would know that I haven't completely wasted my time out here in Space."
Vegeta looked surreptitiously away from her, and down into the sanguine pool of his wine glass, where inside he could imagine the drowning souls of his victims trapped for all eternity, crying out for help endlessly on and on even though they would never be saved. He was stunned that Bulma was feeling the same guilt as he, that heavy survivor's guilt that weighed down his shoulders and hung ten ton bags of unwept tears from his eyes.
"It's one person. One idiot who came the wrong way and was too unprepared to bring enough rations."
"... You were once that one person that needed saving. I watched Frieza kill you, and that guilt… that pain… It stuck with me for so long. What he did to you was so cruel… so inhumane. How do we know that person isn't a hungry Saiyan? Or maybe even an asset to our mission?"
Vegeta grimaced and downed his wine in one hard, tight throated gulp, avoiding those large blue saucers of hers that were brimming with sympathetic tears.
"...Find the channel and listen in. If they're still alive, we'll question them before anything. You have to wait until after the ship is repaired for us to go back, though. If they can survive for that long, I may consider going back to send a care package. That's it. Hard rations and a flask of water. We can't possibly spare anything else. This is a diversion from our original plan and I won't waste more time discussing it."
Bulma nodded her understanding, and reached across the table towards his hand, resting hers just across from his as she smiled at him warmly.
"Thank you, Vegeta. I'm so glad I saved you." She whispered, and watched as his eyes widened with surprise, and for a moment, a pained expression crossed his face.
"You're glad… Glad I'm alive?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes. Very glad. You're interesting to talk to. If it were Yamcha here in Space with me, I'm sure I'd be tired of him by now. You always keep me guessing."
Vegeta looked away and towards the floor as he felt blood pool into his face. She… Prefers my company over his. She's glad I'm alive. But… Why me?
He jumped slightly when he felt her fingertips touch his, and this time it was her own ki that caused little sparks to fly between them.
"I'm happy I saved you, Vegeta. Even if you have to suffer riding through space alone with me, at least I can cook a decent meal, huh?"
Vegeta felt a tiny smile wanting to tug at his cheeks, but shook away the feeling as soon as it came. He remained silent, pushing away his empty plate.
"I do appreciate the cooking, but all this sentimental blabbering is turning my stomach. Let's prepare to land, Bulma."
He pulled his hand away from hers briskly, tucking it tightly under his bicep as he crossed his arms.
"Don't be so quick to surrender your heart, woman. You don't know who you're trying to reach, or how deep into that abyss you'd have to fall to find my heart. That part of me is long buried. Sentimental value for a warrior can only breed weakness and fear. Training to defeat the Androids is my sole mission in Space, let's not forget."
Bulma frowned, yet a state of resolve came over her and she understood that tapping into that vein of his soul was dangerous, at risk of collapsing around her and suffocating her with decades of his stifled emotion and trauma. She read through his elusive wording and understood that he was not ready to talk about feelings such as love. He was perhaps not even familiar or experienced in them.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't waste time apologizing for petty things. We're here."
The ship landed on the small exoplanet rhat was to be their makeshift work station. It seemed dark, cold and utterly lifeless. So much like the warrior's eyes who looked upon it.