Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Light in the Darkness ❯ The Morning After ( Chapter 65 )

A Light in the Darkness - Part 65: The Morning After
by Mia Skywalker & Wataruo

PAIRING: Bulma/Vegeta
RATING: NC-17
WARNINGS: LEMON! This is a Saiyan wedding scene, folks. If you don't expect lemon, you shouldn't be reading this fic. ^_~
DISCLAIMER: Neither of us owns any of the DBZ characters or anything about DBZ, but we both wish we owned the Saiyans. All of them. At least all of the ones with hair. And yes, we're including Yamcha and Ryouga in that, now you know. Dragonball Z and the associated characters are owned by Toei, Viz, Akira Toriyama, and FUNimation. Ranma 1/2 and the character of Ryouga Hibiki are owned by Viz, Rumiko Takahashi, and some Japanese studio I don't know the name of. We do own what we've written here, and our specific storyline, just not Dragonball or Ranma 1/2 themselves. We make no money off of any of these guys, nor off this fic. We just have fun writing it. Oh, I guess we do own Hakusai and Serori. But I doubt anyone cares. ^_~
SUMMARY: A wedding morning barbeque with a little lemonade on the side. ^_~
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Thank you to TwoMoons, Lady Lark, Selenity Jade, and klewis for their betas. 

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Day 11

 

Vegeta woke to birds singing and a nagging pain in his side. He muttered indistinctly under his breath as he pulled the rock out from underneath him and tossed it over his shoulder, causing him to brush against the warm body next to him. Bulma made a small noise in her sleep, protesting Vegeta's movement away from her as she tried to snuggle nearer. He smiled then, a smile that would have shocked Bulma into speechlessness if she had seen it. It was so caring, so filled with warmth and tenderness, it showed the true depth of his affection for her that he never exhibited in public.

 

He couldn't help but feel a surge of masculine pride that the incredibly responsive woman lying next him was his, now and forever. Vegeta dipped his head to her shoulder, nuzzling the skin of her throat, eliciting a sigh from his sleeping mate as she tried to get impossibly closer.

 

“Wake up,” he said, grazing his teeth along her jaw. “I am hungry.”

 

Bulma made a soft, incoherent sound, and then blinked as she yawned and stretched. She felt Vegeta near her, so she deliberately rubbed against him. She really had no intention of doing anything with him at the moment, but she felt the urge to tease him a little.

 

“You're always hungry,” she murmured in protest. “You're going to get something to eat and leave me all alone?” She pouted teasingly at him.

 

“No,” he replied, as he placed a soft kiss on her mouth. “That is why I woke you up in the first place. I did not want to eat alone.”

 

Bulma grunted. “I don't feel like hunting right now.” She continued to pout, not paying any attention to the fact that she was simply being contrary. She sat up, pulling her legs against her, and looked around, a frown on her face. “Where are my clothes?” she asked Vegeta accusingly. It wasn't really her clothing she was concerned about, it was her capsule cases. She had clothes in them, so she could replace the clothing that was gone, but without her capsules she was helpless and she absolutely hated that.

 

Vegeta seemed to think about it. “I don't know,” he replied blandly. “I think you should go around as you are.”

 

Bulma stared at him in horror for a moment, trying to determine if he was kidding or serious. Instinctively she thought he was serious; it wasn't like Vegeta was normally inclined to make jokes. But somehow she didn't think he really meant it, as her brow furrowed in confusion.

 

“Vegeta, I need my capsule cases. If you know where they are, can you please bring them to me?”

 

A black eyebrow arched. “Are you asking me nicely?” Something in him wanted to play, but Bulma did not seem to be cooperating.

 

Bulma stared at him, torn between wanting to cry or getting angry. As was common for her, she chose the latter. Unmindful of her nudity, she stood up, snatched up a large rock, and threw it at him with all the force she could muster.

 

“I was asking nicely! But since you don't seem to respond to nice, I'm asking you in a way you will understand!”

 

Vegeta simply batted the rock out of the way, frowning at her sudden anger. What had gotten into her?

 

“Come here, woman.” His tone was soft, startling Bulma. “Come here,” he repeated, when she did not seem inclined to move.

 

Bulma completely ignored him, and continued to glare angrily at him. “Vegeta, FIND my capsule cases. NOW! We somehow lost them last night and I need them!”

 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously at Bulma's command. She dared order him about over a bunch of capsules? Was the woman completely out of her mind? It figured she would become distraught over something so ridiculous. “Ahou!” he snapped at her, annoyed with the way she was carrying on. “They are not lost. They are where we left them last night. Unless you think someone stole them.”

 

“Well I don't know where that is, Vegeta! If you know, then find them for me! Vegeta, I need them now!”

 

She was completely furious. If he was holding out on her with something this important, she was going to kill him. Bulma was absolutely helpless without her capsules, and they both knew it. After her experiences as a teenager, and more recently on Namek, she hated feeling powerless and never wanted to experience it again.

 

“What is so important about those damn things?” he sneered. “It's not like anything in there cannot be replaced.” Vegeta stood up, watching her anger play across her features. She was upset about the disappearance of her capsules for some reason Vegeta could not comprehend. “Damned irritable female,” he muttered as he stalked off to retrieve the cases, without waiting for an answer.

 

Bulma glared after him, then as her anger began to abate it occurred to her that she was naked. With a squeak of mortification, she wrapped some of the nearby ferns around her, before she realized there was no point. The only people here were herself and Vegeta... well, at least as far as she knew. She considered the facts. Vegeta would have been able to sense anyone else, and he hadn't said anything so she had to assume that at least for the time being they were alone. She sighed and sat down on the moss where they had slept the previous night and waited for him to return.

 

::You'd better bring me both of them, vegetable head. If they're lost because of you, I swear I'll get even.::

 

Vegeta came back a few moments later, clothes and capsules in hand. “Now do you mind telling me what that was all about?” he growled at her, his eyes narrowed angrily.

 

“What?” Bulma snapped irritably, as she stood up and snatched them from his hands. She dressed quickly, but she seemed more intent on making certain all the capsules were still in the case. She counted them carefully, then sighed in relief and closed the cases up again, clutching them protectively to her chest.

 

“Thank you, Vegeta,” she murmured, not answering his question.

 

He simply grunted in reply. “Are you in a rush to get back?”

 

“What?” She looked up at him and blinked. “I suppose not,” she replied with a shrug. “Why? Do you have something in mind?” Then something occurred to her and she frowned. “I do want Hakusai and Serori to see something,” she murmured thoughtfully. “I haven't had the chance, things keep happening. I need to see if I can pin the two of them down....”

 

“Find Yamcha. Hakusai and Serori will most likely be with him.”

 

Bulma stared at him. Trust Vegeta to state the obvious. She sighed in exasperation. “I know that. You asked if I wanted to get back. I answered. Are you always this dense, Vegeta?”

 

“Hardly.” Vegeta sighed in frustration. “Bulma...” he began then shook his head. “Let's go home.”

 

Bulma nodded, then looked at him curiously. “Why did you ask, anyway? If I was in a rush to get back, I mean. Was there something we still needed to do?” She frowned, trying to remember. No, he had said `a hunt, a meal, a bath, and a bed under the stars'. They hadn't missed anything, unless there was more he hadn't mentioned. “Seeing Hakusai can wait another day if necessary. If what you wanted was important.”

 

He shook his head, annoyed that he couldn't express himself better. “No, not at all. We completed the ritual.”

 

“Oh.” She frowned. “Well, then why did you ask?”

 

“Just wanted to be with you,” Vegeta replied awkwardly, blushing slightly as he looked away. He didn't seem comfortable admitting that fact. Admitting that he wanted to be with someone implied that he cared about them, and that was still difficult for him to accept.

 

“Oh,” she said again, her face softening. She stepped toward him, and touched his face with one hand, the other hand still clutching the capsule cases tightly. “I'm sorry, Vegeta. I haven't been very good company this morning, have I?”

 

Vegeta shrugged in apparent indifference. “I will just have to remember that you are even crankier than normal in the morning.”

 

“I'm sorry, Vegeta.” She dropped her eyes, and then realized that Vegeta was still completely unclad. She stared at his manhood unabashedly, unable to tear her eyes away from it. Although he wasn't currently aroused, her memories of the previous night were starting to make her feel a little warm. “I'm sorry, Vegeta,” she murmured again, but her thoughts were elsewhere, and not on her words at all.

 

Vegeta smirked at her when he realized where her gaze had settled. “See something interesting?” he asked huskily.

 

“Hmmm...?” She sounded distracted, like she was only half listening to him. “No, nothing interesting. Nothing interesting at all.” She noticed that as she looked at it, it seemed to stiffen slightly. Was looking at it somehow getting it that way? How odd!

 

Vegeta suppressed a groan as he felt himself harden as she looked down at him with such a thoughtful expression. Although he had not been aroused before, he was slowly getting that way simply by the way she was staring at him.

 

His increasing arousal fascinated her, and she couldn't help herself - the urge to reach out with one hand to touch it was irresistible. She slipped the capsule cases into her pocket and zipped it shut as her other hand wrapped lightly around the tip of his arousal. He groaned out loud as she took him in her hand, touching the tip curiously.

 

He fought to keep himself still and under control as Bulma's light touch made him tremble. “Bulma? Nani?” He couldn't finish the thought as she slid her thumb over the tip of him, his arousal growing harder and throbbing in her hand.

 

Bulma looked up then and saw the passion in his eyes. Her own eyes widened in astonishment and then she blushed, realizing she shouldn't have been shocked. She smiled slyly then, and moved closer to him. “Hai, Vegeta,” she whispered, as she pressed her mouth to his and kissed him passionately. She didn't release his manhood as she kissed him, but continued to caress it gently, feeling it harden and grow larger in her hands.

 

Vegeta's hand came up to tangle in her hair as they kissed. It really shouldn't surprise him, her control over him. His body seemed to want to react to her slightest look, the most innocent of touches. But then, it had always been that way.

 

“I need you,” he groaned against her mouth.

 

“I know,” she whispered back. She felt him removing her clothing again, but didn't care. His arousal was arousing her in turn, causing her to grow warm with desire for him. He had her clothing off more quickly than she would have thought possible, then he lifted her in his arms and lay her gently back down on their mossy bed.

 

He kissed her passionately for a few minutes, his hands roaming lightly over her body before he started kissing his way down to her throat. He licked at her neck and she arched it back, allowing him to press kisses over the skin of her throat. Then he continued his way down to her breasts where he paused again. He took one aureole in his mouth and sucked it lightly, flicking his tongue over the nipple. It hardened into a tiny pebble in his lips as his other hand kneaded the other breast, rubbing his thumb lightly over its peak. He continued to flick the nub with his tongue, feeling her tremble in tiny spurts under him. Then he moved his mouth to the other breast, flicking his tongue roughly over the already hardening nipple, blowing lightly on it as she writhed under him.

 

He let his hand wander down her body, and slid his finger over her mound. Bulma parted her legs as Vegeta played with the tiny jewel, and he felt it enlarge as she whimpered in need. He gave one last tongue-stroke around her nipple, then kissed his way down her belly, stopping at her mons. He looked up at her as he lifted her legs onto his shoulders, and then he lowered his head to her womanhood and kissed her lightly. Her trembling and shivering were driving him insane; he wanted to pleasure her, to make her need him as much as he needed her. He began suckling her, his lips and tongue and teeth doing things to her that he knew she had never imagined before he became her lover. He drank her juices as he closed his eyes. She was delicious; her scent and taste surrounded his senses, making him insane with desire. She was more woman than he had ever believed anyone could be.

 

He felt her beginning to tense and he pulled back, ignoring the cry of protest as she was left just at the brink, not quite fulfilled. He drew himself back up to her, and kissed her face, easing up on his seduction, pulling her back from the brink. He wanted this to take just a little longer before he allowed her release. He slid the tip of himself gently into her, and was pleased at the way her head rolled back in pleasure and desire. He sheathed himself into her slowly, loving the way she trembled, as well as the way she felt around him. He closed his eyes then, simply enjoying the feel of her tight warmth. She felt good, better than any woman had the right to. He was the Prince of Vegeta-sei.... And he opened his eyes and looked at her and smiled.

 

::And she is my Princess,:: he thought proudly.

 

He thrust deeply into her, smirking at her response, her cries and whimpers of pleasure and delight arousing him. He could feel her getting close, both through the tremors in her body and through the bond that was now complete between them. He reached down and touched the tiny nub of her womanhood again and was rewarded by her explosion. She cried out his name as she reached her climax, a cry of love and longing and need. He felt her squeeze gently around him, and sweat beaded his brow as he felt his own climax nearing. ::My Bulma!:: he thought, as he gave a final thrust, and his roar joined her cries as he also reached release.

 

Vegeta rolled off of Bulma to lie at her side, panting as he pressed his face against her shoulder. “Bulma,” he whispered softly against her skin, listening to her breathing slow and her heartbeat return to normal. He nuzzled kisses into her shoulder as she returned to herself. For some reason the prince found himself overwhelmed with emotions that were not completely his own.

 

“Ai shiteru,” he murmured into her ear.

 

Bulma smiled and ran a hand down his back, enjoying the feel of his skin under her hand. It was slick with perspiration, and it pleased her that she had made him sweat that way. “Ai shiteru, Vegeta. But I thought you were hungry?” she teased.

 

“I am.” He kissed at the skin on her shoulder, enjoying how soft and silky it was. “I thought I would have an appetizer first.”

 

“Hmm...” she murmured, not really paying attention. “You know, Vegeta, we don't need to hunt for our breakfast. I do keep supplies in my capsule cases, for all sorts of emergencies.”

 

“Where is the fun in that?” he asked, dropping kisses along her collarbone. He paused to dip his tongue in the hollow at the base of her throat.

 

“Fun? You think hunting is fun?” She sighed. “Men!” she exclaimed, but there was no heat in that epithet. She couldn't help teasing him a little. “Well, if you're so insistent on proving your virility - which, by the way, you don't need to do because you've proven it amply to me - then we can go slaughter some poor innocent animal that's just minding his own business. That's fine with me!”

 

Vegeta chuckled, his breath warm against her throat. “You have no sense of adventure, woman,” he teased back, trailing kisses along her throat, over her chin, and then nipping at her bottom lip. “But I suppose we could do it your way and save our time for other things.”

 

Bulma closed her eyes, savoring the sensations he was causing. “Do you ever think of anything besides sex and killing?” she asked curiously. “Oh wait, I can't forget food. Is there anything else that goes on in your mind? Or is your little Saiyan brain too primitive to manage anything else?” She squirmed slightly when he licked her earlobe and shivered when he blew gently into her ear.

 

“I think that is about it,” he agreed sounding somewhat distracted as he nipped at her earlobe then spread open-mouthed kisses along her jaw. “I cannot imagine anything more important than this.”

 

“You can't? What about... what about... oh!” She was going to mention training, but his hands had found her breasts and begin kneading them, tweaking her nipples once again into hardened nubs. She whimpered, squirming against him. Her hands trailed down his back and to his buttocks, one hand cupping a hard cheek while the other found the base of his tail and massaged it gently.

 

Vegeta growled low in his throat and forced himself to keep control. ::She has no idea what that does to me.:: He looked down into her face and could have sworn he saw a smug look of satisfaction in her eyes. ::Then again...:: He smirked at her before lowering his mouth to hers, his tongue slipping through her parted lips to ravage her mouth while his hands continued the gentle kneading of her breasts.

 

Bulma whimpered again, and when he slid on top of her, she bucked against him. She could feel herself growing warm in her center, and she knew that she wanted him inside her again. She parted her legs, wrapping them around Vegeta's hips, pressing her womanhood against his pelvis. Although she was growing impatient for him, he managed to keep himself in control enough not to follow his immediate instincts and thrust into her fiercely, plundering her like a barbarian. Instead, he continued to stroke and tease her breasts as he kissed her passionately on the mouth, enjoying the moans and helpless whimpers emitting from her throat, as she desperately wanted him to fulfill her.

 

After a while, he trailed his hands down her sides and to her hips, and he lifted himself off of her enough to slide slowly and gently into her. She bucked against him, not satisfied with his careful and gentle entrance, but he held her back with a smug smirk. She was not going to get off that easily. He was going to take his time with her, and enjoy her every moan of pleasure and whimper of delight.

 

As gently as he had entered her, he slowly pulled out, reveling in her cry of protest. When he had fully emerged, he began the same gentle descent into her depths again, going so slowly that it seemed a wonderful torment to the two lovers. Vegeta heard her beg him - both in words and without - for him to give both of them their release. For a long time he managed to hold out, to drag it on in what seemed like endless torture, until he felt it building to something and he could not control it any longer. Then he thrust into her fiercely several times, and was rewarded by her clenching around him, as they both spiraled over the edge, their bond causing them to merge, to both soar and plummet together through ecstasy and beyond.

 

This time when Vegeta rolled over onto his back, he took his mate with him, so Bulma ended up sprawled out on his chest. Vegeta would have been content to stay that way for a time if his stomach hadn't chosen that particular moment to growl.

 

“Are you sure you do not wish to hunt? It has its... advantages.”

 

Bulma blinked at the abrupt change of subject. Well, what did she expect? She had once said that Saiyans think with their gonads and their stomachs, and she knew she was right. “I thought we were going to spend our time doing... other things,” she said, trailing her fingers lightly up the sides of his belly.

 

His muscles jumped in reaction to her touch. “You still have not figured out why we like hunting so much, have you?”

 

“What, to show off your virility? Because you all suffer from testosterone poisoning? Why do you ask?” She continued to run her hands down the sides of his hips, teasing the edges of his buttocks as he lay against the ground.

 

Vegeta sucked in a breath. “Not quite,” he said, voice husky with repressed desire. “It is the blood, you see.” He slid his palm down her back and then back up to her shoulder as he spoke. “Saiyans like blood. It has an after-effect, one which you may remember feeling.” He leaned forward to blow in her ear. “When we completed the hunt, and we shared the kill,” he whispered as he nuzzled her throat. “You felt it then.”

 

Bulma shuddered, suddenly no longer aroused. “Blood?” she yelped in surprise. Yet she realized that she should have been expecting something like that. She pulled back from Vegeta, and stared down at him in shock. “Saiyans have a thing for blood? Why am I not surprised! You are a race of savages, of animals! No wonder you're all merciless killers and homicidal maniacs and bloodthirsty barbarians....” She was getting upset, although whether it was with anger, fear, or horror even she didn't know.

 

“I am what I am,” he said calmly, noting her discomfort but not knowing how to reassure her. He tugged her back down against his chest, her head nestled in the hollow of his shoulder. There were going to be a few things his mate was not going to like about him, but he was at a loss how to get her to feel more comfortable around those traits that would be foreign to her. After all, he wanted her to feel at ease with him.

 

Bulma allowed Vegeta's voice to calm her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. “I... see,” she said simply, trying to digest the information, to file it away and not let it bother her. “Well then, it sounds like you need fresh meat. And besides, I have supplies, but with your appetite they wouldn't last long,” she said acerbically.

 

He smirked and pressed a kiss against her forehead. “Just wait until you are further along in your pregnancy. You'll probably end up eating more than me.”

 

“That isn't likely,” she muttered irritably. “I'd get fat as an ox if I did.”

 

But she did suspect that since she was carrying a half-Saiyan child, she would probably need to get used to eating raw meat during her pregnancy. Even if she didn't like it, her child might need it, and she wasn't going to do anything to endanger the child she carried. She sat up again, this time without the violence of before, and looked down into his face for several minutes before sliding off of him.

 

“Well, if you're so anxious to go hunting, we might as well go,” she said simply as she de-capsulated a case of clothing.

 

She looked at him curiously after they had both dressed. “Are we going to go after something as large as last night, or something a little less dangerous? I need to know if I should be prepared.”

 

Vegeta shrugged. “What are you hungry for?” One black eyebrow arched as he gave her a questioning look. “At this point, I would rather have something quicker.” His stomach growled in agreement. Now that the endorphins from their lovemaking had dissipated, he realized that part of him was still resentful over their argument earlier, but he held it in, not allowing his expression to show it.

 

Bulma shrugged. “I won't bother to get out a gun if we're going against something not dangerous. I'll just let you do the killing in that case.” She tilted her head slightly. “Am I at least allowed to cook my meat this time?” she asked archly.

 

Vegeta smirked at her. “If you insist.” He led her down a path towards the beach. There was smaller game there, game that would not be such a threat to Bulma, and no concern at all to him.

 

It did not take the warrior long to find a medium-sized deer-like creature and before Bulma could even blink he had killed the animal and was slicing it up in large chunks with beams of ki. “Are you going to make a fire?” He was still feeling irritated about their fight from before they made love, and there was a gruff edge to his voice that Bulma did not know how to interpret.

 

Bulma stared at him, trying not to notice the way the blood was spattered all over Vegeta. He would need to bathe before they went home; they would both need to, but she wasn't going to let him come near her all bloody like that.

 

“A fire?” she said stupidly, then shook her head. “Why bother with a fire?” She pulled out her capsule case and selected a capsule, de-capsulating it into a large-sized grill. She glanced at Vegeta. “I don't suppose you could slice a piece off in a reasonably steak-like size for me to cook?”

 

Vegeta inclined his head and cut two nice sized pieces of meat for her. He held them out to her with one hand. “Small enough?” he asked licking the blood off the fingers of the other. “Or do you want it smaller?”

 

“That's fine,” Bulma said tightly, trying to ignore the way he seemed to relish the blood. “Just put them on the grill.” Vegeta did so, and Bulma turned away from him with a shudder. She was obviously going to have to get used to this. She wondered how long it was going to take her.

 

Vegeta returned to his kill, cutting the meat off the bone with startling precision. It was clear to Bulma that he had done this kind of thing often in his past. He looked up at her from his crouched position and took a deep breath. “That smells good. Make me a few while I go wash.” He knew the sight of blood all over the place was making her uneasy.

 

Bulma nodded, unable to say anything as she continued to try to control the queasiness she got from the blood all over Vegeta. It wasn't the blood so much as it was his obvious enjoyment of the kill that bothered her. That and the fact that the man she had just slept with was wallowing in blood almost happily. It disturbed her more than she liked.

 

“Just put whatever you want cooked on the grill, if there's room for it.”

 

Vegeta put a few more steaks on the grill and headed toward the beach. Within minutes no one could have guessed that he had just been covered in blood. When he was satisfied, he used his ki to dry himself and headed back to his mate.

 

He found Bulma at the grill, turning the meat over. “Are they done yet?” he asked. Though his tone was mild, Bulma was aware of the snappish edge to it. Almost as if something was still annoying the Saiyan Prince that he was not about to mention.

 

“I thought you ate it raw,” she replied somewhat acidly. “You didn't have enough before?” Her attention shifted briefly to him as she answered, and she frowned when she saw the scowl on his face. She couldn't tell if he was angry about something, or if that was just his usual scowl. His tone said that he was angry, but she was not sure why. “Cooking takes time. We just need to wait until they're cooked all the way through, unless you want it raw.”

 

“Hmmmph....” he snorted then plopped down on the ground, his body language practically screaming his anger. “How much longer?” he grumbled at her.

 

“I don't know. A while.” Bulma continued to frown as she studied him, trying to puzzle him out. “Vegeta, what has your knickers in a twist? You're acting like you swallowed a porcupine backwards.”

 

“My what in a twist?” Vegeta frowned at her. “What are you talking about?'

 

“It means...” Bulma paused a moment, realizing that he didn't understand Earth euphemisms. Even Goku had trouble with it sometimes and he had been raised here. Since Vegeta was so intelligent sometimes it was hard remembering that he was not from their world. Other than the fact that he was constantly reminding them about it. She debated letting it slide, but realized that with Vegeta confrontation was sometimes not only the best solution, but the only one.

 

“Vegeta, something seems to be bothering you, and I don't know what it is. I'm assuming it's because of something I've done since you and I are the only ones here. But if you don't tell me what it is then I can't do anything about it, can I?”

 

“Who says anything is wrong?” he snapped a bit more defensively than he intended.

 

Bulma rolled her eyes. “Vegeta, I've known you long enough to know when you're irritated and when you're just your normal delightful self. Not that you're not always irritated at one thing or another, but this is one of those times that goes a little beyond the usual for you. So since I prefer your regular sunny disposition, why don't you tell me what's making you act like you've been sucking lemons?”

 

Vegeta scowled at her darkly. The look alone would have made the strongest of men shiver in fear of him, yet Bulma merely gave him a mild look, waiting patiently for him to confess. Knowing that he was defeated, Vegeta merely gave in to the inevitable and snapped at her.

 

“Your behavior earlier,” he grumbled. “I don't see what's so damned important about those capsules anyway.”

 

Bulma blinked in confusion. “The capsules?”

 

She tried to figure out what he was talking about, and her mind winged back to earlier that morning. She remembered her feelings of helplessness over the missing capsules, and how she had exploded at Vegeta until he had found them for her. Shooting him a guilty look, she realized he could not understand how she had felt at the time. He didn't really know her all that well, despite having lived with her for the past year.

 

She remained in silence while the steaks continued to cook, thinking about what she would say to him. It occurred to her that it would be a good idea for them to each learn a little about the other now that they were `married'. And this seemed a good place to start.

 

When the steaks were finished, she pulled a capsule out of her case and threw it, creating a small picnic table already set with plates and a tablecloth. “Can you bring a few plates, Vegeta?” she called out to him, as she poked a fork in one of the steaks, determining that they were completely done.

 

Vegeta grumbled something about being a Prince and not a common servant as he did as he was asked. He noted to himself that she had completely avoided the responding to what he had said earlier. He realized that he had not really asked her anything, just told her what he was thinking. But what irked him was the knowledge that he had wanted her to explain herself. It would have solved one of the many mysteries about the woman he was mated to.

 

Vegeta handed her the plates, then moved away with a fierce scowl plastered over his face, his aggravation clearly written on his features. He studied a vague spot in the distance, ignoring her for the time being yet strangely hurt that she did not feel the need to confide in him.

 

::Figures,:: he groused to himself. ::When I want her to talk she avoids it. When I want her to shut up, she talks non-stop. Humans.::

 

Bulma set the steaks on the plates, handing two heaping plates to him and bringing the other two plates to the table. As she took a seat at the table, waiting for him to join her, she studied him curiously, almost apologetically. Her gaze shifted to the plate that she had placed in front of herself with its lone steak, then folded her hands in her lap and waited for him to join her. She wanted to say something, but felt it might be easiest if he was sitting down and eating, so she would have a little more time to think. With a small start she realized she was acting self-conscious, afraid that he might ridicule her for what he would consider a weakness.

 

When he sat down across from her, she looked back up at him again. Her mouth opened as he began to eat, and she started to say something, then hesitated again. What if he mocked her, and told her she was weak? She shook her head. No, if she said nothing, he would remain angry. She had to trust him.

 

“Vegeta, maybe I should explain something to you,” she began slowly. “You know that when I was very young I went adventuring on my own. It was on one of those adventures that I met Goku. Maybe I... maybe I should tell you a little about them, maybe it would help you to understand me a little.”

 

Vegeta had barely begun digging into his meal when Bulma had spoken. He had not thought she was going to say anything at all. Something about the way she spoke caught his interest. Whatever it was she clearly felt that it was important, at least to her. He tipped his head to indicate she should continue.

 

Bulma took Vegeta's silence and attention as encouragement, and swallowed hastily, determined to continue. “You know, of course, that I can't fight. And I haven't always been rich like this. Daddy's and my inventions made our fortune, but this was when we'd first built Capsule Corp, and although we were rich, I wasn't really used to it yet. I would get tired of all the commotion and fuss, and sometimes I would just want to run away. But the only thing I had to help me were my brains and my capsules. And if I lost my capsules....”

 

She frowned unhappily. “The first time was after I had met up with Goku and Oolong. We were on a river and the boat ran out of fuel. We stopped so I could get a capsule with some fuel out, but when I went to get my case, it was gone! I had never felt so helpless in all my life. There I was, out in the wilderness, nowhere near civilization, with only a little boy and a pig with me, and my capsules were gone. Anything could have happened to me then....”

 

“I was lucky,” she continued. “Although we had to walk a while, it turned out that Oolong had a capsule so we had a place to sleep. I don't know why he didn't tell us about the capsule before; it would have saved a lot of walking if we'd had it earlier. Although maybe it turned out for the best the way it was. Otherwise we wouldn't have met Yamcha.”

 

She smiled at the memory, not conscious of what effect her smile would have on Vegeta, as he realized that she was smiling about her ex-boyfriend.

 

“And?” he ground out when it became apparent that her mind was wandering into the past, and to add to his irritation it was most likely lingering on her old boyfriend. “Go on,” he prompted.

 

Bulma blinked. She realized she had not explained everything yet, and she sighed. “All right.” She thought for a moment. “Well, we lost that car later when Yamcha destroyed it, then strangely Yamcha gave us another one. Goku destroyed that one when he learned the Kame Hame Ha blast, but then Gyu Mao replaced it with a new one.”

 

Bulma sighed. “We were lucky each time. But each time I felt more and more helpless. What if someone hadn't taken pity on us each time and given us a new one? Vegeta, I can't fight. I can't fly; I can't even run very fast. If I had been alone in the wilderness, without Goku or Oolong or any of the others.... Vegeta, I wouldn't have lasted an hour. You know that, don't you?

 

“And that wasn't the only time I was without my capsules.” Her voice was strained at the memory. “It happened again, the next time Goku and I went off adventuring. We were searching for the dragonballs again - I was angry at Yamcha, so wanted to make a new wish for a perfect boyfriend - and I accidentally took my father's capsule case, which was empty! My father had never refilled his case, so once again I was helpless.

 

“And then it happened again on Namek. That was a place I didn't want to be without my capsules!” She shuddered at the memory. “I was powerless. I was on a world where everyone else was flying around fighting, and what could I do? I lost my capsules in one of the earthquakes tearing the planet apart - Gohan told me later those were caused by the fight between Frieza and his father - and I was completely defenseless.

 

“Vegeta...” She looked at him hesitantly, her eyes wide and anxious. “Would you have cared if I had died there, alone and helpless? My friends would have, but you didn't know me. I had no way to protect myself from anything, and I never want to feel that way again.”

 

The shifts of emotions were really quite easy to read over Bulma's face as Vegeta sat and listened to her explanation. It did make sense after he thought about it. Though Bulma was the most intelligent person he had ever encountered, she had absolutely no fighting abilities.

 

“Don't be stupid.” His eyes narrowed a bit. “You're asking me a question you already know the answer to. What is it with humans and your endless need to be verbally reassured every five minutes?”

 

Bulma frowned. His reaction was not too surprising to her. He also hadn't really answered her question, although she knew the answer to that as well. He wouldn't have cared at the time if she had been killed. He had not known her then, and she had meant nothing to him. He had even threatened to kill her at one point, though she knew that if he had really wanted to do so, she would be dead now.

 

But his question reminded her of the fact that she did not know him any better than he knew her. Oh, they each knew bits and pieces of the other's pasts, but not really very much. Certainly she did not know much about his; he was not very forthcoming, and everything she knew were things that either he or Gohan had dropped carelessly in conversation. She did not know much about him, and she wanted to.

 

“Vegeta,” she said, looking at him curiously. “Tell me something about your past. You seem to push people away a lot. Did you have any friends at all when you worked for Frieza?”

 

“Friends? Why would someone who destroys worlds and countless lives need friends?” he asked bitterly. “No, I had no one that I would give that title to.”

 

“None?” Bulma looked at him in surprise. “What about Nappa and Radditz? Weren't they your friends?”

 

Vegeta's only response to that was to laugh. “You have to be joking! Radditz and Nappa?” He smirked at her. “True, we destroyed worlds together, but we were not friends.”

 

Bulma stared at him in disbelief. He dismissed them so easily, yet she had the feeling that those two had been the closest to him. If he didn't consider them friends....

 

“You had no friends?” she blurted out in her shock. “Why not? Didn't you ever want to have any friends?”

 

“There was no point having them. Not after...” Vegeta stopped, his voice resentful. His old hatred for Frieza churned in his gut. Once again he felt the bitterness of inadvertently causing of the death of the one person who had actually understood him. It was odd that after all these years it could still cause him pain. “It does not matter any more.”

 

Bulma studied him a moment, realizing there was something underneath his words that he wasn't saying. “No point? I think there is a point, and I think you realize that as well. So tell me why you didn't have any friends, Vegeta. Why did you want to not care about anyone?” she asked with a perceptiveness that surprised him.

 

“If I so much as talked to someone else more than necessary they would die.” Vegeta looked away from her. “I learned that friends were not necessary for survival, merely a weakness.”

 

Bulma frowned, trying to make sense of his statement. “I don't understand. Why would talking to someone cause them to die? That doesn't make any sense. You've talked to me plenty of times and I'm not dead, so it's not like you're Typhoid Mary or anything, so why would there be a problem?”

 

Vegeta snorted. “Frieza would have them killed.” The Saiyan Prince shrugged. “It only had to happen once. It taught me not to depend on anyone but myself. It was a rather enlightening lesson.”

 

“Lesson?” Bulma's eyes widened in realization as what was unsaid became clear to her. “Someone you cared about was killed, is that it? Frieza did that to you? But... I don't understand. Why? How old were you at the time?”

 

Vegeta was so quiet Bulma did not think that he was going to answer her. “I was nine,” he said simply, refusing to elaborate further.

 

Bulma stared at him, not sure what to say. She wanted to offer sympathy, but knew he would take it the wrong way. Vegeta was simply too proud, and had never learned to differentiate between sympathy and pity. She yearned to take the young boy he had been into her arms and offer him comfort, but she knew that the man he was now would never accept something like that. No, he would reject such comfort as being weak, and as pity, and his pride would never allow him to accept it. Not from anyone, and most especially not from her.

 

It explained a lot, she realized, as she continued to study him. It also explained why he adamantly did not consider either Radditz or Nappa his friends. If he had, then they would have been killed as well - she had the feeling that Frieza would not have stopped at doing that just once. And if they had been killed he would have had no allies, a position she could see as being completely untenable to him. He might not have considered them `friends', but she had the feeling he had known he could count on their loyalty, even if only because they were the last of their kind.

 

“Did... did you ever have a chance to make any friends after that?” she asked quietly. “Or would they have been taken away as well?”

 

“I had no reason to.” Vegeta gave another careless shrug. “As for whether or not they would have been killed, yes they would have been.”

 

“No one else ever wanted to be your friend after that?” Bulma asked shrewdly. “Or were they afraid to try, knowing what Frieza would do? Did others know what Frieza would do? Or did he only make you aware of it?”

 

“I am sure he did,” he said thoughtfully, as if the idea had never occurred to him. “He bragged about it often enough, at least to me.”

 

Bulma was silent, considering this. She picked up her fork and started to cut her steak, still thinking about it. Finally she spoke again.

 

“Vegeta, you do know that Frieza isn't around anymore, don't you? That means you are allowed to have friends now. No one is going to kill anyone you care about now. So you are allowed to make friends and even show that you care about people on occasion. It's not a weakness, you know. In fact, caring about others is our greatest strength!”

 

Bulma smiled at Vegeta triumphantly, expecting him to be floored by her logic.

 

Vegeta paused in mid-bite, too startled by her reasoning to do anything more than gape at her. He managed to gather his wits rather quickly. Trust Bulma to think of the positive in any situation, but that was not the problem. The problem was with Vegeta himself. Did he even want friends? When he was a child, he had secretly wanted someone to talk to, to spar with, but Frieza had taught him the hard way that they were not a priority in life.

 

“It is not that simple,” he said after swallowing the piece of meat. “Nothing ever is.”

 

Bulma blinked at him, completely undaunted. “I don't see why not,” she declared. “Goku would be friends with you if you let him, and I think Yamcha would as well. Maybe.”

 

She looked thoughtful, wondering if it was true or not. It seemed a little too early to tell, but she thought there was some sign that Yamcha's attitude towards Vegeta was changing slightly, although she was not sure of the cause. It could be the fact that he was now Saiyan, or it could be Hakusai, or it could be his acceptance that Bulma belonged with Vegeta and that he belonged with Hakusai. She wasn't sure, but she believed that if he were given a chance he would become friends with the small Saiyan Prince.

 

“And Gohan, he respects you. I'm not sure if he would consider you a `friend', but he does view you as his sensei, much as he does Piccolo. And knowing him, that means he'll eventually consider you a friend whether you want him to or not. As long as you don't push him away from you, at least. So if you have people willing to be your friends, why not allow them to be? No one is going to kill them in order to keep you in line or anything, so what's stopping you?”

 

Vegeta rolled his eyes in irritation. “Has it occurred to you, woman, that I may not want them now?”

 

He knew his reply would start an argument of epic proportions. Since humans themselves seemed to crave large social groups, it was going to be hard to convince his mate of his unwillingness to let himself get attached to someone other than her. Bulma was enough to render him more emotionally bare than he would have liked and having the thought of someone else having that kind of hold on him was not something the warrior found appealing.

 

Bulma blinked in surprise at his unequivocal statement. “Why not? Friends help you out when you need them, and they're loyal to you in a way you can't get elsewhere. I can't buy loyalty from my employees like I can get from my friends for free. If I ever need help I know Son-kun would be there for me, as would even Krillin or Yamcha. I might even be able to count on you on occasion.” She winked at the Saiyan.

 

“Or are you afraid of them turning on you, or being a vulnerability if they get hurt?” She smiled at the thought. “Vegeta... exactly what was it that made Goku go over the edge to become a Super Saiyan?” She knew the answer to this, but wondered if he did, and waited for his reply.

 

Vegeta merely scowled at her. “How the hell would I know? I was not there.”

 

Bulma's smile broadened slightly. “I didn't think you knew. Gohan told me shortly after we got back from Namek. He told me that the one thing that finally triggered Goku's transformation was anger. But it wasn't anger at being hurt or threatened, or any of that. It was anger that Frieza had killed Krillin, Goku's best friend. It was because of his friendship with Krillin, the fact that he cared, that made him angry enough to go Super Saiyan. Without that he probably couldn't have done it. And I know that despite what you say about Goku, you don't think he's weak, do you?”

 

Vegeta glared at her. He did not want to admit it but it was true, he was constantly trying to outdo the other warrior. “It was probably a fluke that he managed it in the first place,” he grumbled at her.

 

“A fluke?” Bulma arched an eyebrow at him in disbelief. “I don't think you really believe that, Vegeta,” she commented slyly. “And even if it was a fluke, even if it is something he can never do again - which I doubt - he still managed to do it. It was because of his friendship he managed to do it, the fact that he cared enough about someone to get angry over his death. Does that make sense to you?”

 

Vegeta opened his mouth to snap at her, then changed his mind. “Anger could have been the trigger, woman. And anger I have an abundance of.”

 

Bulma wagged a finger under his nose, her eyes sparkling. “Ah! But what makes a person truly angry, Vegeta? Isn't it loss of something you care about? I think, Vegeta, that you're actually afraid to feel. Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans, afraid of feelings!” She was deliberately provoking him, trying to get a reaction out of him, hoping it would make him admit that he did have some feelings after all.

 

“I am not afraid of emotions!” he snapped back at her. The Saiyan Prince was angry. It never ceased to amazed him how she could wring the pride right out of him, knock the bravado right out from underneath him with a few well-spoken words. “Nothing frightens me.” His obsidian eyes narrowed on her. Even as he said it, he knew it was not true. There was one thing that really frightened him, but he would not say it to her.

 

“Nothing?” She looked at him dubiously, a sly smile gracing her features. “Oh, I think there are a few things that could truly frighten you. What if....” She glanced away from him, pretending to be thoughtful. “What if I decided that I'd rather be with Yamcha than with you after all? Or with anyone else for that matter? Wouldn't that make you angry? I think you might be frightened of something like that happening.

 

“Or what if you could never become a Super Saiyan after all? What if Goku really is the legendary Super Saiyan, and you can never quite attain that? I think you're afraid of failure, Vegeta. That's a fear, whether you realize it or not.”

 

He could almost hear his father laughing at him for being a fool, and Frieza taunting him for being nothing. His fists clenched at his sides. “I would have to kill Yamcha,” he replied, his eyes narrowing dangerously on Bulma, “in what you humans would call a fit of jealous rage. But I know you would not leave. And Kakarotto is not the legendary Super Saiyan. He can't be.”

 

Bulma stared at him, blinking twice. “Of course not. He became a Super Saiyan before anyone else, but we know he's not the legendary Super Saiyan. After all, how dare he become that, if you were the one who was supposed to be?” Although her expression was bland, it was obvious from the drawl in her voice that she was being facetious, and Vegeta knew it.

 

Vegeta snorted. “There is just no way to explain it to you, woman.” He turned his attention back to his food, signaling the end of the conversation. It was going in a direction the Saiyan Prince did not want to think about. At least not while Bulma was looking so smug.

 

“Of course not,” Bulma muttered undaunted. “I'm not the one in denial about who the legendary Super Saiyan is. So there's just no speaking to me unless I'm in as much denial as you are.” She looked at him blandly at his accusing look, then smiled and took another bite of her steak, not even letting him intimidate her in the slightest.

 

Bulma simply watched him curiously as he glared at her and continued to eat. Despite the sheer volume of the food he consumed, he ate with a speed that had him finished before she was. She realized also that she had eaten more than she was used to, and felt uncomfortably full after the steak she had eaten. She couldn't even begin to imagine how Goku and Vegeta managed to inhale the quantities of food that they did. She just could not figure out where all of it went.

 

She decided not to pester him with further questions during their meal, sensing he would no longer be receptive to anything she might ask. That did not mean she wouldn't normally enjoy provoking him, but she also was not stupid. If she really wanted the answer to a question, and he gave an ultimatum that he would refuse to answer it, she was afraid that he might refuse to give her the answer later on principle, even when he was in a better mood. She felt it was not worth risking that information just for a few moments of watching him squirm, enjoyable as the sensation generally was.

 

When they had finished, she re-encapsulated the table without bothering to clean anything up. She would have cleaning robots do that later when they got home, but right now she wanted to get back. She sighed wistfully, trying to figure out what she was going to do about some of the things that were once again worrying her.

 

“Is something wrong?” Vegeta growled, sensing her disquiet.

 

“I'm just worried,” she admitted. “There are a lot of things I need to get done, and I'm not sure if there's going to be enough time. I need to finish that device to test DNA before the Budokai. It's almost finished, but there are some little adjustments I need to make on it. And I haven't had the chance to do a couple of other things.... I need to work out something so that you don't all go Oozaru during the next full moon, and I don't have any ideas on that, other than forcing all of you to stay inside during that time. But what if an enemy decides to attack us then? You know the likelihood of that. And you try keeping Yamcha or Gohan away from a fight if it comes to that.” She stared at the capsules in her case as she counted them, not really seeing them, too concerned with other things. “And there's something else I haven't had the chance to do,” she muttered. “But I'm almost afraid to now.”

 

“Afraid? Of what?” Vegeta frowned at her. “What do you mean?”

 

Bulma continued staring at the capsules, not looking at him. “I think the Saiyan woman who tried to recruit Hakusai a few years ago might be Yamcha's mother,” she admitted, after several long minutes of silence. “I want to see if she recognizes the hologram I have of Yamcha's mother. I'm just concerned because... well, she doesn't like the woman, and if she is Yamcha's mother, I'm just afraid of what it might do to the two of them.”

 

“I see,” Vegeta said, watching her carefully. “It is possible that nothing may happen. I do not think you are giving the two of them enough credit.”

 

“You're probably right,” she admitted reluctantly. “But I'm not sure....” She sighed, and then snapped the case shut determinedly, looking up at him finally. “We should get back. There are only a few more days until the Budokai, and there are too many things I need to get done before then.”

 

Vegeta nodded. “I need to train in any case. So when you are ready, let me know.”

 

It did not take Bulma long to finish packing everything up, and then she stepped in front of Vegeta. She looked into his eyes for several minutes before she finally gave a small smile. “I guess it's time to go home now, Vegeta,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “It was a nice little vacation we had,” she whispered softly into his ear.

 

Vegeta wrapped his arms around her as he lifted her off her feet. “Yes, it was. We will have to do it again sometime.” And without another word he took to the air and headed towards home.

 

The two of them were silent as they flew towards Capsule Corp, just enjoying the presence of the other, wishing it didn't have to end. Bulma snuggled into his arms, pressing her face into the crook of his neck, feeling comfortable and secure in his tight embrace. She knew that no matter how abrasive he might seem towards her in public, his feelings for her were true. She could live with it, as long as he could at least show her in private how much he loved and needed her, because she loved and needed him in return. He was, she finally realized, her other half, that part which she had been searching for even when she was a teenager and thought she knew what the `perfect boyfriend' was.

 

They landed lightly in the Capsule Corp courtyard and Vegeta released her almost reluctantly. She set her feet on the ground just as reluctantly, and the two stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds before they finally pulled away from each other.

 

“I guess we have work we need to do,” Bulma said slowly, staring into his eyes.

 

“Yes, we do,” Vegeta said, stepping away from her. “I'll see you later.”

 

Bulma nodded, touching his face briefly before she stepped away as well. She walked towards her workshop, then glanced back at him and noticed he had not yet moved, that he was watching her walk away with a scowl on his face. She smiled slightly, realizing now that he used that scowl to cover up his true feelings, and then she turned away again and walked into her workshop where she began working on the adjustments to the DNA scanner.

 

Vegeta headed off to the gravity room after Bulma had disappeared into her work shed. He set it to four hundred times normal gravity and went to work with his exercises, his subconscious keeping tabs on Bulma just in case she may need him.

 

To be continued.....

~~~~~*~~~~~

And in the next exciting episode of DragonBall Z: A Light in the Darkness... Goku tries to explain being a Super Saiyan to the others.