Chapter 25 – Vegeta

Leaning against the wall facing the door to the Command Room, arms crossed over his chest and tapping his biceps frantically, Vegeta was waiting.

He detested being dismissed like Frieza just did. It wasn't the first time he'd been left out of important discussions like this one, and every time made him furious. Except THIS time, his exclusion could only confirm two things. One, the Emperor didn't trust him. And two, since the beginning of operations on Earth, the lizard had secretly coveted something extremely precious.

Dragon Balls.

Vegeta had been immediately intrigued when the woman had mentioned them. And Frieza's undeniable interest had given his intentions away. There was no doubt now. Bulma was right. These Dragon Balls, whatever they were, were what Frieza had been actively looking for during the past few months. They were also the reason for their recent operation in West City, when Zarbon had gone to get something on the very top floor of the building targeted during their offensive.

All of this was of course only suppositions. Vegeta had in fact no idea what Dragon Balls could be. He also did not know why the Emperor wanted them. No one had ever talked about it in his presence before.

But thinking about the lizard's reaction when the Human had said she could help him find them only made Vegeta boil with impatience to know more.

So, once out of the Command Room, rather than returning to his own room as he should have, the Saiyan had parked in front of the door to wait for the only person who could inform him without creating much commotion.

Bulma.

She was the one he was waiting for, impatient, furious, ready to unleash a myriad of questions as soon as she would appear.

Fortunately, the wait wasn't too long.

"You owe me an explanation!" he said, jumping to his feet as soon as he saw her azure hair.

"You're a prince!" she cried out as she pointed at him.

Vegeta stopped, and the questions he was about to ask died on his lips.

Of all the reactions he had prepared to face, this accusation was by far one of the most unexpected.

"What... huh?" he stammered, taken aback.

"You're a prince!" she repeated, approaching him with an angry step. "Yes or no? Answer me!"

Vegeta frowned. Bulma's blue eyes, always so magnificent and hypnotizing, had become strangely bright. Her skin, although mostly covered in dried blood, was even paler than usual. He could however easily see that her cheeks had flared up.

She was angry, and very agitated. Probably even more than him.

"Indeed" he conceded, proudly raising his chin. "I am the Saiyan prince."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she spat between her teeth.

Vegeta momentarily forgot the reason he had waited for her and let himself be carried away by the wave of contagious frustration.

"I assumed you already knew" he explained, gritting his teeth to keep calm.

"Well, I didn't! How was I supposed to guess anyway?"

"Everyone on this ship knows me. Every inhabitants of the Milky Way knows who I am! Except you, apparently. It's not my problem if you're not perceptive enough to realize I'm the Saiyan prince" Vegeta snapped.

Bulma let out an angry cry.

"Pff! The information must not have been that important, since it didn't make it to Earth! No one there knows who you are. No one even knows what a Saiyan is!"

"Why does it matter anyway?!" Vegeta spat, confused as why she was making such a big deal out of it. "It doesn't change anything. At all!"

"Yes! It changes EVERYTHING!" she cried, raising her arms in the air.

The sheet she was holding around her shoulders slipped from her grasp and fell to the side. Vegeta caught it instinctively before it touched the ground and got even dirtier. The prince's eyes then automatically fell on Bulma's half-naked body. This vision, as brief as it was, was enough to distract him even more than he already was.

Damn Human...

Why did she have to wear underwear that fit her curves so well? The lingerie that had been given to her in the Quarters, even if it was soiled with a black, tarry liquid, highlighted the paleness and the delicacy of her skin. The sight of her brought him back to the events of the day before, and he remembered how nice it had been to touch her in the medical unit, when he had been able to run his fingertips all over her. He also remembered the dizzying view he had had of her, of her boobs specifically, when she had leaned down in front of him to kiss his abs.

Seeing her almost naked like that, in front of him and only a few centimeters away, tempted him again, and he wanted to confiscate the sheet he was holding in his hand.

But, much like when he had seen her in the Quarters, Bulma's vulnerability was far too palpable for him to take advantage of it. And even if this time, Raditz and Nappa weren't there to dampen the feeling of intimacy that set in as soon as they were near each other, even if this time, he wasn't blinded by the anger of seeing the Kordylipe's hands trying to appropriate what should have been his, seeing her revealed like this seemed very intrusive.

So, a little uncomfortable, Vegeta looked away and mechanically handed her the sheet so that she could hide and regain a semblance of dignity.

The woman immediately grabbed it.

"I would have liked to know… sooner..." she breathed, properly replacing the fabric around her shoulders.

Bulma's voice broke as she said these words.

Vegeta looked up at her face. Her blue eyes had been clouded. Frozen, he watched a single, merciless tear escape from her eye before rolling lazily down her pale cheek. The drop of salty water left a visible black trail behind it, taking with it the blood that had stuck to her skin.

Vegeta was about to remind her how pathetic she was when he saw her wipe her cheek with the back of her hand. The gesture only made the damage worse, and her pretty face was even more smeared than before. Annoyed, the Saiyan forgot his insults. He raised his arm to grab a piece of the sheet she was holding and help her clean herself. But he stopped dead before he even touched the fabric.

What was happening to him? Where did this sudden courtesy come from? Why was he suddenly so attentive? How could the sight of a bit of skin and a single tear disorient him to this point?

Bulma's unexpected reactions were so destabilizing that she had managed to lead him astray from his initial intentions.

Anger took over him as soon as he realized his own weakness.

"Enough! Damn it!" Vegeta said, shaking his head to pull himself together. "I have other priorities than managing your hysterical crisis! Yes, I am a prince. So what? I really don't see why you're making a big deal out of it!"

Furious, he approached the woman and grabbed her chin in his palm. He forced her to raise her head so that he could plant his irises in her eyes still bathed in tears. A strange feeling of satisfaction took hold of him when he saw a spark of revolt light up her cerulean gaze.

"Stop whining" he growled. "And tell me what the Dragon Balls are."

Bulma didn't flinch. She had held her breath as soon as he had approached her. Her whole body had tensed, as it did every time their skin touched. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out of it. Her features then changed rapidly. Vegeta watched her go through a whole range of emotions, her face expressing surprise first, then worry and finally frustration, testifying with great transparency the conflict of interest taking place in her head.

The Saiyan was relieved. These emotions were much easier to handle than some inexplicable tears.

"So?" he insisted after a while.

"I knew you would ask that question" she finally answered in a whisper. "That's why I didn't want you to know about my plan."

"Well, it failed" Vegeta replied with a smirk.

He came a little closer and took care to raise her head with his hand so that she could continue to look him in the eyes.

"Your initial plan failed, woman. Whether you like it or not, I know that Dragon Balls exists now. And I know that it must be a very precious treasure for you, and Frieza, to hide it from me. I demand you-"

"Shh!" she cut in, suddenly stiffening.

Vegeta saw her blue gaze fall over his shoulder.

"Hum hum…" said a voice behind him.

Vegeta released Bulma and turned abruptly. Behind him, a few meters away from them, was one of Frieza's personal guard soldiers. He made a brief bow, gracefully bending his slender body towards the ground, before advancing in their direction.

"Prince Vegeta" the soldier said, visibly a little uncomfortable. "I didn't know you were here."

"What do you want?" the Saiyan asked harshly, unhappy at having been interrupted.

The soldier pointed at Bulma.

"I was assigned the task of taking this Human back to her room. She must rest before taking up her new duties."

Vegeta frowned. New duties? What could this soldier possibly be referring to? Had Bulma really managed to negotiate her exit from the Quarters so easily?

If that was the case, that idiot had to get out of here as soon as possible. He really wanted to question her alone.

"That won't be necessary" he said harshly. "I'll take care of it. Go away. Now."

The soldier looked perplexed. He was probably wondering why the prince wanted to take care of this task personally. This hesitation was brief, but it was enough to put the Saiyan's patience to test. He was seriously considering using force to shorten the intrusion.

Bulma, more rational, perceived Vegeta's growing irritation and thought it was a good idea to intervene for the benefit of all. A single bloody shower was probably enough for the day.

"Come on, soldier..." she said in a cajoling tone. "Leave us alone, will you? The moon is very close to the ship today... and you know it's effects on Saiyans, right?"

She punctuated these words with a knowing wink at the newcomer, and then put an arm around Vegeta's neck.

The prince automatically stiffened when he felt her cling to him. He was not a fan of affection displays, far from it. He even tended to flee them like the plague, and to violently push away those who came too close to him. But Bulma's gesture was so unexpected, so casual, so natural... that the idea of freeing himself didn't even cross his mind. He remained frozen, surprised and disoriented, even forgetting his impatience and his anger, that part of his brain suddenly monopolized by the sensation of the woman's fingers absently playing with a lock of his hair at the nape of his neck.

This Human had just touched him like no other female had dared to do before in his life, and rather than breaking away from her embrace, he found himself appreciating it's audacity.

The soldier, for his part, suddenly seemed embarrassed by the suggestiveness of Bulma's words, as well as by the intimacy she had just created. The implication she had just made about the effect the moon had on Saiyans clearly did not allude to their ability to transform into Oozaru.

"O-of course. I-I'm sorry for interrupting, General" he said, lowering his head.

He bowed a second time and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

Vegeta turned to Bulma as soon as he had left, without however breaking away from her embrace. He narrowed his lids, intrigued.

"How do you know about the moon?" he murmured, his eyes questioning her.

The woman's pupils contracted. Her heart also accelerated, and Vegeta deduced she had just realized her mistake.

"I... uh..." she stammered.

"I thought you had never heard of the Saiyan race. Yet, you seem quite well informed."

"Idris told me about it" she justified expressly.

"Why would she do that? You're lying."

"Of course not!"

The woman grimaced. Dissatisfied, she removed her arm from around his neck and pretended to walk away. But the prince held her back by grabbing her arm.

"Yes. You're lying. You're a terrible liar, woman."

"Let go of me! You idiot! You're hurting me!"

Bulma tried to free herself by shoving her arm away. Vegeta was furious, but he couldn't bring himself to tighten his grip any further and he released her to avoid hurting her. Stubbornly, she took a step in his direction and raised her head to challenge him with her gaze.

"What do you want? Why are you here, huh? What possessed you to come and get me from the Quarters and decapitate this monster like a psychopath?" she spat.

"Would you have preferred getting raped?" Vegeta replied angrily.

"Of course not! But don't you think you could have intervened earlier? In the medical unit, for instance. BEFORE I was forced to undress and exhibit myself in this cage! What's gotten into you, suddenly playing savior?"

For the second time, Vegeta was at a loss for words. In all honesty, he himself didn't know why he had intervened at that moment. That sense of urgency he had felt when he had learned that she had been sent to play whore in the Quarters, and that possessive rage that had overwhelmed him when he had seen the Kordylipe touch her, was simply inexplicable.

All of this, all of this useless worry, was very unusual and impossible to justify at the moment.

So, rather than try to defend himself, the prince did what he was best at, and he attacked.

"Enough!" he growled, taking a step forward as well. "You should just shut up and consider yourself lucky that I was there. I don't have to justify my actions, understood? You're the one who owes me explanations. And you're going to answer my questions now! What did you negotiate with Frieza? He's not the type to be easily convinced... What did you offer to make him accept so quickly, huh? And what are the Dragon Balls have to do with it?

The Saiyan braced himself, ready to welcome the woman's high-pitched voice as she was trying to dodge his offensive. But to his great surprise, she remained calm and plunged her blue eyes into his, apparently not at all impressed by the aggressiveness of one of the galaxy's most powerful warriors.

"Not here" she simply answered.

She glanced furtively to her right. Intrigued, Vegeta followed her gaze and understood immediately when he saw the lens of a surveillance camera pointed in their direction.

She had a point.

Answering his questions, discussing the Dragon Balls and displaying a semblance of complicity in the middle of the ultra-secure ship was unwise.

Defeated by this strong argument, the prince retreated. He closed his eyes, crossed his arms over his chest and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that the woman was scrutinizing him attentively. She did not seem victorious. Half-naked in this icy corridor, covered in dried blood, her hair disheveled and her eyes tired, she rather looked exhausted. And relieved that he finally agreed to cooperate.

"You're very dirty" he stated flatly.

She blew air through her nose, a little amused by the contrast and the sudden lightness of the conversation.

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed..." she snickered.

Vegeta wrinkled his nose.

"And you reek."

This time, the shadow of consternation crossed Bulma's features.

"You really know how to talk to women, huh?"

"Tsk! As if that was one of my priorities..."

Vegeta turned away from Bulma and began walking down the hallway.

"Hey! Where are you going?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice. "You're not going to leave me here all alone, are you?"

"Follow me" he ordered as a response.

"And why would I do that? You're not going in the right direction. The elevator is over there" she said, pointing in the opposite way.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, exasperated that she always had to question everything. He stopped and turned his head to look at her sideways.

"My room is on this side of the ship."

Bulma's eyes widened.

"You... want... Your room...?" she stammered, embarrassed.

The prince growled to let her know that he was at his wit's end. This woman was truly the most complicated he had ever met.

"Unlike those of low-ranking workers like you, my room is not monitored. We can talk without fear of being disturbed" he explained.

"Oh..." she said.

They both stood there for a moment, looking at each other, she undecided and he, furious that she was.

Then, Vegeta remembered a detail that could probably convince her to do what he asked without him having to use force.

"You can take a shower there" he said. "With hot water."

As expected, the argument hit the nail on the head, and she followed suit with no complain.

Haaah! I love these two so much! Always confronting, challenging and hating each other… without realizing that they are slowly falling in love. Vegebul is the best DB couple in my opinion. So interesting to develop!

Besides, I know that this chapter doesn't add much to the story, but I really enjoy exploring this love-hate relationship that characterizes Vegeta and Bulma so well.

I hope that's the case for you too!

Aaand… with this ending, I imagine you suspect what will come in the next chapters?

See you soon ;)