Phew! This chapter turned out to be much longer than expected. I hadn't even finished it and it was already over 20 pages long (a bit like the chapters of my other FF). It annoyed me and even though I would have liked you guys to read the two parts one after the other (which would have required more time publishing...) I finally decided to cut it in two parts!
So here is the first half. The other will follow very soon, because I've already wrote 90% of it (in French, I will have to translate it too!)
Happy holidays by the way! Have a great time with your families! :)
xx
Chapter 26 – Vegeta
"Woah! Your room is much bigger than mine!"
Vegeta stepped aside to let Bulma in. The room, although spacious, was nothing extraordinary. A large bed with blankets in sober tones, a glass cabinet in which he kept a few combat suits as well as his armor, and a table on which he ate most of his meals.
"You don't often have visitors" the woman noted, pointing to the one and only chair facing of the table.
Vegeta ignored her. He dimmed the artificial lighting and adjusted the filter integrated into the glass of his window to let in more natural light. Earth's moon was very close to the ship tonight, and its rays were much more pleasant than those of the neon lights installed on the ceiling. Luckily, the glass assimilated almost all of the Blutz waves coming from it, which prevented any undesired transformation aboard the ship.
"What did you talked about with Frieza?" Vegeta asked as soon as the door was closed.
The prince, impatient, could not wait any longer.
"Tut tut" Bulma said, raising her finger. "Shower first. Answers later. It's your fault I'm so dirty. I'm not going to stay like this any longer."
Vegeta sighed in exasperation but resolved to give her what she demanded.
"Bathroom is over there" he grumbled, pointing to the back of the room.
"Oh! Your bathroom is separated from the rest of your room! My shower and toilet are sitting right next to my bed, which is utterly disgusting!" she said, grimacing. "It's nice to have the privileges of a prince, I guess."
"Humph... Frieza doesn't give a damn that I'm the Saiyan prince. This room is assigned to me because I'm a General, that's all."
Bulma gave him a smile over her shoulder. Something had changed in the woman's attitude since she had left the Command room. She no longer looked at him with that eternal glint of confrontation, but rather with that expectant touch that Vegeta couldn't decipher. Recognition, perhaps? Gratitude? Her stay in the Quarters had been brief, and he had partly contributed to her release, after all. Maybe it had something to do with her being free of it before her first client could even consume her.
"Your shower is big too…" she said, stopping in the doorway to study the place.
She turned to him, her enigmatic smile suddenly transforming into a slightly amused pout.
"…big enough for two" she added.
Vegeta stiffened up, taken aback by her comment that had an air of invitation.
"Vulgar woman" he growled.
"Vulgar? Me? Come on… Vegeta. I was only commenting on the size of your shower. It's your twisted mind that sees vulgarity in everything I say."
"Tsk! All I want is answers to my questions. Let's get this over with and go clean yourself up!"
"Oh my! Okay, okay… I'll go" she finally conceded with a roll of her eyes.
But rather than entering the bathroom as he had expected, Bulma turned around to face him. Her smile faded, and all traces of amusement disappeared from her face. She riveted her crystal eyes into his, and the sheet she was holding around her shoulders suddenly began to slide down her body, before falling at her feet in a barely audible rustle.
The Saiyan tensed. It was the third time this evening he had seen her in that goddamn provocative underwear. This time however, was different. This time, she was revealing herself to him. Voluntarily. And the comment about the size of her shower, although she had denied it, was not without innuendo. Her gesture was completely deliberate. The invitation was real… and outrageously tempting.
"Don't try to distract me" he growled, carefully avoiding to look at the indecent bulge of her breasts.
"Is it working?"
"No."
A soft laugh escaped Bulma's mouth. Even his renowned tenacity was no match for the betrayal of his cheeks flaring up.
"You're as good a liar as I am, Vegeta" she said, winking at him.
The prince was relieved to see her slip away behind the door, taking the object of temptation with her. However, she didn't bother to close it, and Vegeta cursed her inwardly for making this open door a metaphor for her invitation. Because even if she had physically disappeared, she reminded him that joining her was still possible.
Unable to move, Vegeta stood there staring at the sheet lying on the floor, undecided, truly distracted and furious of being so.
They were alone, in the privacy of his room, hidden from the rest of the universe. She was probably getting completely undressed on the other side of that damn open door. And there was no doubt now, she had invited him to take a shower. With her.
Vegeta couldn't decide what made him angrier; the fact that she was once again trying to delay their conversation about the Dragon Balls, or the fact that a part of him, much too omnipresent for his taste, was really tempted to succumb and follow her under the water jets.
And as if that wasn't enough, he saw the Human's delicate arm stretched out in the doorway. She held between her fingers the underwear she had worn and presumably removed. With a graceful, slow and completely intended gesture, she let them fall on top of the sheet laying on the floor like a silent argument to the internal debate that was tearing him apart.
Fucking woman... here she was now, projecting to him a mental image of her completely naked body in the next room. She knew how to argue, and even if Vegeta deplored her strategy, he was forced to recognize its efficiency.
Attracted as if the sheet and underwear had their own gravitational field, the prince took a step toward the bathroom. He heard the woman turn on the shower valves, and the sound of water running on the floor. He took another step closer, a little less hesitant this one, and the water began to flow with an irregularity indicating she had entered the shower. The mental image he had of her evolved a notch. As he took a third step, he imagined thousands drops of water streaming down her body. He thought of her thick, silky hair, crushed against her shoulders by the humidity. He dreamed of her pink lips parting to let out a loud sigh of satisfaction the heat of the jets would initiate.
Vegeta, practically conquered by the power of attraction that she exerted on him, pretended to take a fourth step.
But it was at this moment he stopped dead, right in front of the doorway. He lowered his head and set his eyes on the stained underwear laying on the floor, knowing full well that if he took another step, he would finally be able to admire what they had hidden earlier.
In all honesty, he was dying to take that extra step. But on the other hand, if he did, Bulma would be able to see him, too.
And if she did see him, Vegeta knew there was no going back.
If he took that step, he would remove his suit under her perverted blue eyes, and he would join her under the water jets. She would welcome him with open arms, he would spread her legs, and they would fuck until the ship's water tanks were all empty.
To take a step forward meant accepting her invitation. It meant to incline into the carnal desires he struggled to repress. It meant to admit that she had this power over him, and that he could not measure up to it. To take a step forward meant to let her win and delay their discussion about the Dragon Balls.
To take a step forward meant to capitulate.
Vegeta was far too proud to take that step.
"Oh, Vegeta! Does your status as a General would allow you to find me suitable clothes?" he heard from the other side of the wall.
Vegeta jumped. The woman's imperious tone abruptly brought him back to reality. His desires momentarily forgotten, the truce allowed him to gather the necessary strength to retract. He mechanically bent down to pick up the sheet and underwear at his feet and it was with an unpleasant feeling of flight that he left his room to head for the nearest laundry room.
Agitated and furious with himself, the prince quickly disposed of the soiled clothes he had brought and began to rummage through the reserves of clean laundry. He found a few clothes that he guessed were to the taste of Humans, then returned to his room before placing everything he gathered in front of the bathroom door.
The thick fog mixed with the smell of Bulma's hair was beginning to invade the place, and Vegeta identified it as his number one enemy for now. He had to get as far away from this room as possible before he engaged in another battle with his own rigor.
The Saiyan headed to the table sitting in the middle of the room, grabbed the only chair and turned it around so it could be facing the window. He took off the top of his navy suit and sat down for a moment to look absently at the moon. He anchored himself there for several long minutes, and its rays, soothing, enveloping, allowed him to find a more serene state. He then began to undo the remaining bandage still covering the wound on his torso. He had time to remove it and clean the wound thoroughly before the sound of the water jets finally stopped. A few moments later, he was placing a clean bandage on his skin when he felt a presence behind him.
"Damn it… your bandages are all messed up" the woman said in an outraged tone. "Honestly Vegeta, you could have waited until I was done. I could have helped you."
He heard her approach, then stiffened when he felt her fingers brush against his left shoulder. Knowing that she was replacing the pieces of bandage he had not managed to stick properly, he remained docile and let her do it. With all this time spent in the medical unit, the exercise was familiar to both of them anyway.
"You're healing so fast... it's amazing" she commented softly after a long silence. "A Human would need months to recover from injuries like these. You took less than two weeks."
Her palm slid gently over his shoulder blade, and she followed the path of a few of his scars with her fingers. He knew the caress was not necessary for his care, and he should have refused it. But her touch was strangely restorative, loosening the muscles he didn't even know were tense and calming the violence permanently dormant in his mind.
"The scar you have on your torso is certainly not your first. Your back is covered in them."
"Humph" he growled. "I like to fight."
Bulma made a small sound, halfway between dismay and laughter.
"Saiyans..." he thought hearing her mumble.
She removed her hand, and he felt her move away from him, leaving a cold, empty space on his back.
"Thanks for the shower" she said. "It was very much appreciated… and it's especially nice not to shiver while cleaning yourself! Oh! Thanks for the clothes too! They're not quite my size, but the attention is there."
She appeared before him, and her presence eclipsed the moon shining behind her.
Her white skin was clean, freed from the Kordylipe's blood. Her damp hair fell gracefully over her shoulders in loose curls. She was wearing the sweater he had left at the doorstep. It was twice too big for her and reached mid-thigh, but the color matched her skin tone well.
Shit. She had this gift of making a good impression, no matter the situation.
"I like the sweater" she said cheerfully. "Pink always suits me! But what I like the most about it is what's written on the back."
She turned in front of him to show him what she was referring to. Vegeta then noticed what he hadn't seen when he had selected the clothes in the laundry room. On the back of the shirt was printed the word BADGIRL in big, fat black letters.
The inscription made him smile. The garment, even if it was baggy and unflattering, fit her like a glove.
"Do you want to send a message?" she asked, smiling too.
The prince didn't answer. He tried to make that goofy smile disappear from his face before she realized the complicity that had developed. What he couldn't stop thought, was his eyes instinctively darting to her barely covered ass. Bulma witnessed his distraction but did nothing to hide her attributes. Worse, her unbearable smile widened even more.
"Pants don't fit?" he worried, to create a diversion.
"They do. But did you really think I would wear canary yellow pants with a color like that? Honestly Vegeta, I'm not impressed by your taste in clothing!"
"I have other fish to fry. You wanted clothes and you have them. Stop complaining."
"I'm not complaining. In fact, this sweater is very comfortable. And… I have the feeling that you like it, too…"
She began to play absently with the hem of the only clothe she was wearing. The maneuver was of course intended to reveal a little more of her skin, right where he could see the sweet curve of her buttock.
Vegeta immediately responded to this umpteenth attempt at seduction. He stiffened and sharply pushed Bulma's hand away from the pink sweater so that she wouldn't lift it up another centimeter.
"Enough" he said sharply.
Bulma pouted and crossed her arms on her chest.
"You really are a killjoy, you know. Do you ever have a little fun?"
"Yes. I had fun earlier when I decapitated the dirtbag who was about to rape you."
"So… violence is the only thing that amuses you, is that it?"
"Not at all. Sex amuses me too. But do you really think I don't see through your little game?" he retorted, crossing his arms in turn. "You try by all means to distract me, only to avoid answering my questions. I won't let you."
"Who said I was trying to distract you?" she asked innocently. "Didn't it cross your strategist mind that all I really wanted was to sleep with you?"
Vegeta opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again, clenching his jaw. He wasn't even surprised by the audacity of her words anymore. What shocked him this time was how she managed to sow doubt in his mind.
Was she really playing a game? Was she really trying to distract him, so she wouldn't have to answer his questions? Or…
…was it really just about sex?
After all… they had a very intense, inexplicable physical connection. Maybe he had overestimated her. Maybe her attempts at seduction were real. Maybe all she wanted really, was to fuck, and nothing else? She wouldn't have been the first one to try…
If that was the case, Vegeta couldn't help but be disappointed. Oddly enough, even if delaying the discussion about the Dragon Balls made him furious, these shenanigans she took pleasure in indulging in made her even more captivating.
He couldn't find anything to say, honestly, and Bulma interpreted his silence for what it was; uncertainty. And it was when he saw her smile, triumphant, that he had his confirmation.
No. Her twisted mind wasn't as simple as she wanted him to believe. She was testing him and having a lot of fun doing it.
"Damn woman..." he growled between his teeth.
She burst out laughing and leaned forward a little to absently adjust the bandage on his chest.
"You're right Saiyan" she said quietly. "I'm trying to delay the moment when you learn what the Dragon Balls are, because believe me, I'm really dreading your reaction..."
She began to caress him once more, following the contours of his pectoral muscle, just below his wound. Vegeta was tempted to push her away, but that would only have confirmed that she was managing to reach his mind, one way or another. Instead, he tried to ignore the shiver running down his neck when he saw her unconsciously (or not...?) bite her lower lip, and patiently waited for her to speak.
"You must know though; I hope you don't think my desire to sleep with you is false..." she whispered.
The prince prepared to retaliate, but before he could react, she turned around and leaned on the windowsill in front of him.
That's when he saw it. For a split second only, his Saiyan eyes caught the characteristic brilliance of the Blutz waves the glass couldn't filter. The blue rays of the moon, as pale as they were, were reflected like lightning on Bulma's white skin, as well as on her hair, which took on a purplish tint. The vision of the light filtering through her locks was extremely brief, to the point where Vegeta questioned its real existence. But the shock wave crossing his spine to the tip of his tail, as well as this irrepressible desire to get closer to Bulma to better capture this fascinating color her hair was taking under the moonlight, confirmed it. Even if a very small amount of Blutz waves managed to hit his retina, they were enough not to be completely harmless.
Vegeta, however, was a very well trained elite Saiyan warrior, and he managed to control it's effects by taking a big, long breath through his nose.
The woman, for her part, seemed a little nervous all of a sudden. She had abandoned her seductive attitude and had started to play feverishly with her hands. Her preoccupation was such, that she did not even notice the Saiyan's quivering body in front of her, nor the hair clearly standing on end on his tail.
Both struggling with their own torments, the pair observed each other in silence for a few seconds.
Vegeta didn't need to talk anyway. Bulma knew exactly what he wanted.
"I was eighteen years old when I made that wish" she finally said quietly.
The prince raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?" he asked with a hint of exasperation in his voice.
"Shut up, will you? Let me explain."
The Saiyan gritted his teeth, but kept his mouth shut and motioned for her to continue with his hand.
"I was eighteen…" she persisted. "When I picked up the Dragon Balls to give them to my ex-boyfriend—Yamcha. You know, the one who died the night of the nightclub attack? By your fault."
"Correction. It's not MY fault he was too pathetic to fight with the Saiba-"
"I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you" she snapped.
Vegeta did as she asked. It would have been stupid of him to start a debate at such a critical time. She was about to share crucial information, and arguing about his share of responsibility for her ex's death was likely to make her changer her mind.
"The Dragon Balls are crystal balls" she blurted. "There are seven of them in total, and I was planning on giving them to Yamcha as a gift for his birthday. But that night I learned he cheated on me. The idiot couldn't keep it in his pants, so you must imagine- "
"I really don't give a damn about your petty boyfriend infidelity stories" Vegeta snapped. "What's the utility of these crystal balls? For Frieza to be so interested, they must be more than just pretty shining stones."
"If you'd let me talk, I could explain without being interrupted!" Bulma exclaimed, not bothering to hide her irritation. "I didn't want to give Yamcha stones as a gift, but a wish! When the seven Dragon Balls are gathered, it is possible to call Shenron, a sacred dragon who can grant the wish of the person in front of him."
Vegeta sat up straight in his chair.
"Any wish?" he asked, his interest suddenly piqued.
Bulma nodded, and the prince felt his heart race in his chest.
A wish. Any wish.
Now that's a precious treasure.
"I know" Bulma added, noticing his enthusiasm. "You can imagine my excitement when I discovered their existence."
Vegeta remained silent. He understood completely. His thoughts raced through his head just imagining all the possibilities.
"But there is a problem. The Dragon Balls are very difficult, if not impossible to find" the Human explained to undeceive him. "Each crystal ball is randomly scattered somewhere on Earth. It could be anywhere! On the cliff of a mountain. In the ocean depths. Hidden in someone's closet. Anyone can consider themselves extremely lucky to find even one in their life. The real challenge is to find all seven."
Bulma began to play absently with her hair, looking as relaxed as if she were telling him she had just bought a new pair of shoes. Vegeta, however, was so agitated that he had a hard time sitting still in his chair.
"I think Frieza has only one of them" the woman admitted. "It was the easiest to find, because it was the one the Resistance was guarding."
"That's why he ordered their headquarters attacked."
"Hmm hm..."
She looked down and started playing with her fingers again.
"I'm a little surprised you don't know" she confided. "But then again, Frieza isn't stupid. The Dragon Balls are hard enough to find as it is, he doesn't need a rival who wants to steal them from him on top of that."
"How come you know the Resistance had one of the crystal balls?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Because I can locate them. Easily."
Bulma looked up at him again, and Vegeta had the impression she had just dodged part of his question.
"That's what you offered Frieza in exchange of getting out of the Quarters" he deduced.
"Very perceptive of you, Vegeta" she replied, smiling. "That's exactly what I offered… except for a few details."
Vegeta watched Bulma for a moment. He understood now why Frieza had accepted her conditions so quickly. She had offered him his wish on a platter. He would have been foolish to refuse such an opportunity, even if it had required him to show mercy.
"How…?" the prince stammered. "How can a little Human like you help Frieza find those Dragon Balls?"
She raised her chin and took on an offended look to answer.
"It's not very nice to underestimate people so much" she said in a disapproving tone, but with a hint of pride. "It's quite complicated to explain, and I'm sure the brute that you are can't understand anyway, so I'll spare you the details. I discovered that Shenron and the Dragon Balls give off a special quantum energy, and I managed to develop a radar capable of detecting this specific wavelength. The radar is ultra precise, and the Dragon Balls are very easy to locate if you know how to use it."
A little surprised, Vegeta frowned at the mention of the radar as well as the physical principles involved. Inventing such a tool was no small feat. That this woman spoke to him about it with such fluidity was intriguing. And brilliant, he had to admit.
The way she spoke, as well as the feats she took pleasure in boasting about, gave him once again the strange impression that he was not dealing with the average bear.
Bulma noticed his skepticism and puffed out her chest with pride.
"I may not look like it, but I have a lot of knowledge in mechanics and physics. Building a radar like that is very easy for someone like me!"
"Tsk!" Vegeta hissed. "That still needs to be proven... Does it even work?"
"Humph!" she said, crossing her arms and taking on an angry look. "It works really fine, thank you! If you really want to know, I managed to gather the Dragon Balls at least ten times in the past. Shenron even knows my name!"
"Wh... what? Ten times?!"
Vegeta felt his excitement rise a notch. Unable to contain his excitement, he moved forward on the edge of his chair. This whole magic crystal balls-sacred dragon-wish thing seemed too good to be true. He needed to find out if the Human was really telling the truth.
"I'm not lying to you, Vegeta" she said as if she could read his mind. "I did indeed make those wishes. And believe me, it worked."
"What did you wish for?" he asked, getting carried away by curiosity. "Let me guess. Clothes? Jewelry? Money? Big boobs?"
"Of course not! I don't need any of that anyway..." she said with a wink. "Usually, wishes were used to resurrect dead people. I've never wished for anything so superficial. Except maybe..."
Nervousness took over her again. Seeing her so uncomfortable, Vegeta remembered what she had mentioned at the beginning of their conversation.
"Wait a minute… So that's what you were talking about earlier. The wish you did when you were eighteen… Why tell me about that one specifically?"
Bulma held her breath. She ran her fingers through her hair, making a few strands fly around her head. For a second time, Vegeta caught the moonlight filtering through her bangs, and the purplish glow caught his attention once again.
"That wish… well… it's a bit… different than the others" she stammered.
"Why? Explain yourself" he ordered, his impatience returning.
"It's stupid… Like I said, I had just learned that Yamcha was cheating on me. I was angry, and my heart was broken. And I drank wine. A LOT of wine. I was completely drunk…"
"Stop beating around the bush. What are you trying to justify here?"
"I'm just trying to tell you that… I don't remember very well how I could have asked for it. I… In fact, I had forgotten about that wish. I thought for a long time that it would never come true because it was the first time I had made a wish like that!"
"Damn it woman, what was that wish? Tell me!"
Vegeta couldn't wait any longer. This woman made him languish in every way possible. Agitated, he straightened up in his chair to approach her. He pretended to grab her wrist with the intention of squeezing it a little to encourage her to talk, but she spoke before he could even touch her.
"I asked Shenron to meet a man."
She had spoken quickly, almost as if she wanted to get rid of this information weighing on her. Vegeta, on the other hand, couldn't believe his ears. Was she really still talking to him about her pathetic love stories?
"What a waste..." he grumbled with a sigh. "You could have had anything you wanted, and that's what came to your mind? A man? It's completely ridiculous."
"I know! It was stupid! But as I said, I was young, heartbroken and drunk! But… why do you think I'm even telling you about it, huh? Idiot!"
She threw her arms up in the air to show how exasperated she was. Vegeta narrowed his eyes, searching for the missing element in their conversation that justified her insulting his discernment.
"Like a stupid schoolgirl, I asked Shenron to meet a man. A handsome, strong, courageous, intelligent man…"
She gestured with her hand to designate him from head to toe. Then, in front of his apparent confusion, she thought it was a good idea to add the detail that would make everything clear to him.
"… but the worst part is that I asked him to be a PRINCE!"