Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Count Down From Ten ❯ A New Year ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Three

(Second week of January)

 

(Bulma’s Pov)

 

The weeks had flown by and before long it would be February. My mother, my father and I had celebrated New years together, toasting to a brand new year. My father had complimented my lead on the military project, even going as far as hinting that maybe this would be the year that I completely take over the company. I had laughed lightly with him but joked back that he was not ready to retire just yet. 

 

My new year has been going excellently. Then Yamcha decided to show his face on the fifth of January, flowers in hand to personally apologize to me; even though at that point I had yet to reply to any of his messages. I did not accept his flowers but I did tell him we could slowly work back into a friendship.

 

Vegeta had been training furiously; I took it as a compliment since he seemed to enjoy his Christmas present. So I focused most of my time preoccupied with the half-accomplished military contract and when I wasn’t focused on that, I was being bothered by a certain pesky Z fighter.

 

Between all the chaos I still somehow managed to find time to plan the upgrades for arrogant house-guest training equipment. Normally I would spend any of my free time pampering myself. That had not been the case. I found myself using my spare time to develop a kick-ass upgrade to the gravity room. I had been waiting almost a week to install said update; Vegeta had a very cumbersome training routine, he was rarely not in the chamber. Thankfully the other morning I had woken up extra early. As I smoked my morning cigarette on my balcony cozied up in my robe I noticed the Gravity Room wasn't in use.  

 

I stared into the empty gravity room and I argued with myself; I had been anxious for an opportunity to install these updates yet I had to accompany my father to the monthly company-board meeting this morning. I reminded myself that there was rarely a time of day for the gravity room to be free of Vegeta.

 

I told myself it would be a quick easy upgrade then I’d join my father at the meeting. I didn’t change my clothes and I didn’t even make a cup of coffee, spur of the moment I rushed down the stairs to the lab to grab the new algorithm chip. After sorting through the mess on my desk I found my object of interest and with a burst of excited energy I rushed through the halls and straight out of the back door of the kitchen. 

 

As soon as I entered the gravity room I practically skipped over to the control panel; booting up the system to provide a decent heat source while I worked. It felt like it had been ages since I’d stepped into the room to do an upgrade; I was really starting to enjoy the tedious work. It was an easy task to pry off the bottom panel so I could install the upgraded training algorithm chip. When I finished the install I was confident in my work and I was tempted to leave but something in me wanted to run a simple systems diagnostic. 

 

I stripped off my robe as I read through the report; as it turned out, the gravity simulator was actually short circuiting. That must have been the reason why the Prince wasn’t up and at 'em yet. The gravity update was a more intricate job and I knew it would take more time; and I would have to go grab more things from the lab. As I rushed out the room I hoped my father and I would cross paths so I could inform him of my planned absence from the board meeting. I knew my father could handle meetings on his own so it shouldn’t bother him.

 

~

Vegeta shorting out the unit came at an excellent time, it really gave me an excuse to tinker with the system. Fixing the gravity functions in the room was no easy feat; I had to completely renovate the circuitry of the simulator in order to withstand the new gravity output. As it so happened to turn out one of the gravity capacitors blew a fuse so I had to replace it, thank kami I had plenty of prefabricated pieces of the gravity room at hand. I also took it upon myself to reorganize the wiring underneath the control panel. I had spent almost 48 hours straight with the door to the gravity room closed. My fathers’ espresso machine was coming in handy for the joyous occasion.

 At first I enjoyed the mix of offensive saiyan stench paired with the smell of freshly soldered metal, but after spending hours stuffed underneath the panel I was starting to get short winded. I decided to open the door to smoke a cigarette. I watched the bright morning sun glisten against the snow as I smoked, leading me to the decision of leaving the door open; opting for the fresh air instead of the stuffy atmosphere of the gravity room.

I also didn’t want to deal with the saiyan griping about the room smelling of stale smoke. With the new gravity capacitor box installed all I really had left was grunt work.

As I returned back to my tedious task at hand I welcomed the cold air; it felt refreshing on my sweaty skin. I was glad Yamcha hadn't come to bother me and I was surprised that Vegeta hadn't come to yell at me, yet. I knew if I completely devoted myself to the last couple of fixes then it would be in working order by this afternoon. 

~

I had just finished soldering the new chip, the last piece to complete the upgrade for the gravity simulator. While I waited for the chip to set I went back to work underneath the panel. I just cap these two wires together; then run this one along with the blue wire here and twist— 

"WOMAN!" 

Groaning, I pushed myself from underneath the unit. I looked up to the door, instantly my eyes locked into his icy glare. Vegeta, the arrogant prince whose hair always defies gravity; the same arrogant prince I was just thinking about.  

I casually stood up and pointed the tool in my right hand at the Saiyan whilst placing my other hand on my hip. With a calculated glare I shouted, "I am not in the mood today, Vegeta! I'm already fixing the gravity room, what more could you want?"

I was greeted with silence, seemling stuck in a staring contest with my alien house guest. I could never get over the fact that his eyes are as black as coal… As my eyes wandered down his chest, examining all the scars of his past battles, I tried to remind myself to not get too distracted. After far too long I finally drew my attention back up to his hair; I've only recently started to wonder what it felt like. I was well aware I had been admiring his in-human physique for far too long. 

Our eyes met once again, I ignored the smug smirk pulling at his lips as I hardened my glare; I waited in silence for his normally aggressive response.

The silence began to feel a little too awkward , "Well, cat got your tongue, what do you want?" I coaxed, my voice lost some of its fierceness, but I could tell it irritated him as the smirk fell from his face. I mentally patted myself on the back as I noted the vein on his forehead pop. 

"When will the gravity room be complete?" His voice was stern, curt, and to the point. 

"Well, Princey, since you went over five-hundred and fifty times Earth's gravity– when I specifically told you not to! – I had to install two new gravity capacitors and a new gravity simulation chip. I also had to adjust the settings in the main controls so that maybe, just maybe, I can stop your grubby hands from tampering with things that you should not be touching at all." I callously explained. I tried to keep myself calm, it was hard to do; especially when there was an asshole standing there. 

An aggravated scowl sketched on his face and his arms crossed against his sculpted chest like I was wasting his time. 

"That doesn't give me time, woman." He bluntly stated and alas my calm subsided, I felt my face growing hot with frustration.

I snapped back, "Bulma! My name is Bulma." 

He’s lived here for almost six months and it infuriated me that he never ever used my name. 

He just squinted his eyes, "Listen here, woman. I have a training schedule that I need to keep; right now you and your nonstop babbling are putting it further on hold. So why don't you just tell me when you and your tiny brain will be able to finish the gravity room." He ended his harsh statement with a smirk. 

"You... you asshole!" I exclaimed, throwing the wire-cutter in my right hand straight at his head frustrated even more by his rather weak insult to my intelligence.

He caught the tool swiftly, stupid saiyan reflexes. The action of throwing the tool helped ease my frustration slightly, considering it had only been a minute I was already fed up with the alien, "Just for that, I won't even finish working on this! You can try and fix it yourself. I even gave you a pair of wire-cutters, if you can figure out how to use them!" I ranted defiantly while I crossed my arms to my chest. I beamed a smile at him as if I had it all figured out.

He just scoffed, "Fine, I'll just go get your father, this is obviously a man's job anyway." He tossed my tool to the ground.

My smile didn't even falter, "This job will take him a long time, you should already know I work faster than my father." I snarkily reminded him. 

He rolled his eyes and turned to leave. I don't know why, but I called back out to him. 

"In all actuality, it will only take about another hour or so to finish the job." I heard him grunt in acknowledgment. Vegeta was definitely like an active ground mine; you never know when he'll blow, but almost everything triggers him. I walked over to pick up my wire-cutters that had been haphazardly discarded on the floor before turning around to go back to work.

(Vegeta’s POV)

That blasted woman had been working on the gravity room for the past two days. I had expected the work to be done by this morning; it completely disrupted my training schedule. I had only slept for a pitiful three hours and after groggily staring at the ceiling for another hour I looked at the clock on the bed side table, displaying 3:00 am in neon green numbers. 

I decided to just get on with my day and start training. I was expecting the gravity room to be fully functional; but to my disdain when I trudged through the snow and to the chamber I noticed the lights were on. I didn’t even bother checking to see who was in the room. I already knew who it was. That woman was still working on that damn thing so I had spent most of my morning in the remote desert I had selected for my impromptu workouts; it was an acceptable climate compared to the cold of the city. As soon as I arrived at the desolate location I stretched my eager limbs, then proceeded to do an extensive amount of push-ups and sit-ups.  

After spending over seven hours out in the middle of no-where I figured that the woman would be finished with her task. I found my way back to the compound confidently walking up the ramp to the gravity room; the door was left wide open. The woman had her back to me as she typed some things into the control panel. She let out a jumbled mess of words before she crouched back down; I continued to watch the woman work. As she positioned herself to crawl underneath the control panel it was obvious that she was ignorant to my presence in the room. It was truly pitiful how unaware the woman could be. I watched her for far too long before I instigated our casual game of insults. 

“Woman!” I called out to get her attention.

She let out a grunt as she wiggled her way out from underneath the controls. As soon as her head popped out I was met with her fiery blue glare. She pushed herself up to her feet and stood tall; pointing the tool in her right hand towards me, “I am not in the mood today, Vegeta! I’m already fixing the gravity room, what more could you want?” She protested aggressively.

I glared back at the woman, slightly impressed with her snappy reply but annoyed that she had no earthly idea of why I would be here in the first place. It was obvious why I was here, she had already been here for two days; normally upgrades didn’t take this long. I wanted to know when the gravity room would be complete. 

The room fell silent as I continued to glare at the bluenette. Instead of meeting my eyes the womans’ stare dropped down. Her eyes glazed over slightly as she began to analyze my physique; just like her mother. I crossed my arms to my chest. She was truly a vulgar woman.

Her eyes trained back up and I found her flared pupils amusing-I stared back at the woman with a smirk on my face. It was quite obvious that the woman was off in another world.

“Well, cat got your tongue, what do you want?” she quipped.

I was unfamiliar with the phrase but decided to state the obvious, “When will the gravity room be complete?” 

The simple question seemed to have annoyed the woman, "Well, Princey, since you went over five-hundred and fifty times Earth's gravity– when I specifically told you not to! – I had to install two new gravity capacitors and a new gravity simulator chip. I also had to adjust the settings in the main controls so that maybe, just maybe, I can stop your grubby hands from tampering with things that you should not be touching at all." She lectured; completely dodging my initial question.

“That doesn’t give me time, woman.” I huffed bluntly, my words seemed to have struck a nerve with the woman. 

Her left eye twitched as her cheeks reddened, “Bulma! My name is Bulma.” she fumed. 

I glared back at her, “Listen here, woman. I have a training schedule that I need to keep; right now you and your nonstop babbling are putting it further on hold. So why don't you just tell me when you and your tiny brain will be able to finish the gravity room.” I spat out, eagerly feeding the budding fire of our conversation.

Her left eye twitched once more and she shouted, “Yo..you asshole!” She lifted her arm and hurled the tool in her hand toward me; she did have decent accuracy I noted as I caught the object. 

She began another rant, “Just for that, I won’t even finish working on this!” She gestured back at the controls before she continued, “You can try and fix it yourself! I even gave you a pair of wire-cutters; if you can figure out how to use them!” She crossed her arms to her puffed chest and tossed me a vindictive smile. 

I scoffed at her immature retort; “Fine, I’ll just go get your father, this is obviously a man's job anyway.” I replied calmly while tossing the tool she threw at me to the ground.

“This job will take him a long time; you should already know I work faster than my father.” She confidently stated her smile widening. 

I rolled my eyes at her, annoyed that she still had yet to answer my initial question. I turned on my heel to walk away, instantly locking in on the old mans’ location; at least he would complete the work without yammering on too much.

 As I stomped down the ramp I heard the woman call out, “In all actuality, it will only take about another hour or so to finish the job!”

The woman was aggravating but I had to admit the small verbal spar with her had eased my frustrations, slightly. With her comment I knew she would be done with the gravity room soon enough.

Most of my interactions were with the blue-haired woman or her father. She was the most entertaining of the two, it was easy to rile her up and she never stepped down. Through the past weeks I’ve argued with her countless times. She had even made an effort to try to get me involved in meaningless conversations when I would find myself at the dinner table; each one had quickly escalated to another verbal spar. 

With my arms crossed to my chest I walked around the perimeter of the compound for the thirteenth time, my feet crunching through the path of snow that I had continued to walk along. Even when her parents were present she never backed down. Neither party seemed too bothered by my constant mocking of their daughters' intelligence and it was quite an interesting affair. After walking around the compound once more I entered the building, navigating the halls to get to the kitchen. The blonde woman would no doubt be cooking up an array of food that should occupy my time until the updates to the gravity room were complete. 

~

Halfway through my meal the blue-haired woman proudly strolled into the kitchen. She stomped her way up to my place at the table, I kept my eyes trained on my food ignoring the woman. That was until she snatched one of the yeast rolls off my plate. My nostrils flared as I snapped my head up. I bared my teeth at the woman as she took a confident bite of the roll while her other hand rested on her hip. 

Kami, she always managed to piss me off. She swallowed her mouthful before smirking at me, “The gravity room is complete, your majesty.” She sarcastically quipped before she swiveled on her heel. She strolled a few steps towards her mother to begin another conversation.

I glared at the tangled mess of curls on the back of her head as she chatted away with the older blonde woman. I wondered if the woman truly valued her life as I rolled my eyes at her insolence. Slightly frustrated, I continued eating my food; at least the gravity room would be ready for me by the end of this meal. 

(Bulma’s POV)

( First week of February)

Yamcha had come over for a visit without my permission. He interrupted my afternoon cup of coffee by strolling into the kitchen with a bouquet of red roses. He made an awful attempt to ask me out to a Valentine's Day dinner and after being rejected he convinced me to allow him to stay for a small amount of time. 

Everything seemed to be going alright, he sat next to me at the kitchen bar while I sipped on my coffee. He knew he was treading on thin ice so he kept casual and quiet. 

The silence of the kitchen was briefly disrupted when a certain saiyan prince stormed in through the back door to get some water from the fridge. He grabbed a bottle before swiftly leaving without saying a single word. 

Apparently the small action had made Yamcha extremely upset.  

He started off on a delusion rant; he kept spouting off about how dangerous Vegeta was and it aggravated him that he was living at the compound. I had stood from my chair and walked over to the coffee pot all the while I explained to my scar-faced ex that my alien house guest has already been here for six months; close to seven with no major problems and- not a single person dead. 

Yamcha retorted that he was simply waiting for the right opportunity to strike and that he would probably destroy the planet.    

"Yamcha, I swear to Kami, you are the most annoying man in the world!" I screeched, slamming my fist on the granite counter of the spacious kitchen. “Just what is your deal with Vegeta!” I asked breathlessly.

"Well, Bulma, you can't just expect me to stand by as a mass murderer lives down the hall from you! He is far from an innocent man besides he almost killed me at last year's Halloween party for Kami's sake!" He anxiously explained from his seat at the bar. 

Removing my fist from the counter, I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, releasing a deep sigh. I had to calm myself down, "He's not that bad, Yamcha. Besides, I've already explained this, you were the one who instigated that fight." I reiterated for the third time.

"What about three years ago when he first came to the planet? Him and his bald partner destroyed East city! They killed several innocent people. He slaughtered me, an innocent man in cold blood back then, a man like him doesn’t change drastically." Yamcha exclaimed with determination, his hands clenched in fists against the counter.

I took a deep breath, trying to ease my own frustration, "Yes he has done questionable things in the past but you were killed by a saibamen. Once upon a time, you were also a bad guy yourself so stop calling yourself innocent. Most of the gang had ill intentions in the past; look where they are now, they’re fighting alongside us. Vegeta died on Namek and just so happened to be wished back, I consider his slate clean. Just give the man a chance, he could be a strong asset to the Z-Fighters.” I nonchalantly counseled, trying to prove an honest point to Yamcha.

Yamcha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms to his chest, “A chance? To be a Z-Fighter? Have you lost your mind! I’m sorry that is reserved for good people B, not for maniacs like him.” He replied flatly. 

 “Why do you have to be so...so...selfish?" I asked in agitation. I glared down at the counter-top, I couldn’t bear to even look him in the eye.

Yamcha scoffed, "Me, being selfish? You’re the one who is catering insane training equipment to a callous asshole who has murdered countless people. You have never helped with my training; it's obvious you are choosing him over me, your own boyfriend!" He delusionally countered.

 Kami, he's such a dumbass.

"We are not dating, Yamcha! How many times do I have to explain this? It’s been over since November; I don’t understand why you won’t leave me alone about this.” I frustratedly clarified as I gestured towards the both of us before I continued.

“I do not cater anything to Vegeta, I am simply assisting him. You have never once asked me for help and you were never interested in what inventions I did have for you. You can't blame me for helping Vegeta, we need him so we have a chance against the androids! It's not my fault he's hardworking and trains diligently. You aren't even prepared for the androids." I defended my work, my voice trembling with anger.

I could sense I rendered him speechless and I embraced the silence that filled the kitchen. 

I watched as Yamcha opened his mouth to speak, his eyes squinted in blinding anger, and he spat back "He's just an asshole who's using you because he can. Watch, he'll turn against us, he could even destroy the planet and you can take part of the blame for helping him obtain his strength." 

The statement sent a chill down my spine, but I shook it off.

“Enough, Yamcha! Leave Vegeta out of this!” I demanded, Yamcha rolled his eyes once more.

He jumped up from his seat, “He must be a good lay for you to get so defensive.” He harshly taunted back at me. 

I growled in frustration, practically seeing red as I screamed “Leave, now!”

I continued to glare at Yamcha’s back as he stormed out the back door just a couple of steps away from the counter where we had just been arguing. 

"The nerve of that guy." I fumed aloud to the empty kitchen. 

Before Yamcha’s rude interruption I was enjoying a relaxing cup of coffee, reminiscing about the past couple of weeks. When I wasn’t focused on my military project I was with my father, assisting him with different company projects. Earlier today my father pulled me aside and we had discussed, in depth, the steps towards my transition as head of the capsule corps company. My nerves were already shot before Yamcha’s visit and I couldn’t believe his outburst over my house guest. Vegeta seriously wasn’t all that bad, my relationship with him had progressed as far as less harsh insults. 

I understood Yamcha’s bitterness towards the man, but I couldn’t comprehend why Yamcha was still trying to cling to me as if there was any chance at us getting back together. He constantly referred to himself as my boyfriend and it stressed me out more than it needed too. I picked up my forgotten mug and filled it with more coffee as I remembered Yamcha’s outrageous comment on Thanksgiving and it made me chuckle to myself. 

I continued to relax by staring out the door, appreciating the bright blue sky that was lightly dusted with white clouds. It helped clear my mind. My earlier irritated mood melted away as I took a deep breath. I strolled out of the kitchen with a fresh cup of coffee and headed towards the lab; time to see if I can’t design a different training algorithm for Vegeta’s bots. 

Maybe if he wasn’t such a callous asshole I’d take him to my bed.

~  

A month had passed without a word from Yamcha and it didn’t bother me in the least bit, it was refreshing to not have to worry about the scar-faced fighter. 

The prince was pushing the gravity room to its limit, the last two upgrades of twenty-five g’s barely seemed to wet his hellacious appetite for punishment. His fuse must have short-circuited because the prince argued more than usual over the upgrades. Most times he would storm down to the communal lab, disrupting my work with his crass attitude. We would shout back and forth at each other until he would finally stomp out of the room leaving the both of us fuming.

My employees had since learned to steer clear of the two of us as we spat insults at each other. I was becoming accustomed to an aggravated saiyan disrupting the peace of my workspace. If he wasn’t demanding that the gravity room needed to be fixed or upgraded he was throwing jumbled messes of metal onto my work bench.

He always criticized my work saying nothing was up to his standards, meanwhile, his body was constantly scattered in what he referred to as minor bruises and burns. The man seemed to be a masochist the way he was injuring himself training in over six hundred times earth's gravity for hours on end. He was insane; he always refused any sort of medical attention. The brute wants to train in over seven hundred times earth’s gravity but he didn't seem to acknowledge that my father's design could only withstand six-hundred and ninety times earth's gravity. We barely had that figured out completely. 

I had spent the bulk of my morning monitoring my jet project but alas it was interrupted by a very sweaty, aggravated saiyan. He stormed into the hanger and dropped a heap of tangled metal on the floor, then left without a word. He must have been in a very special mood not to yell at me. 

Judging by the size of the mass it was at least four bots mangled together. I quickly changed pace and focused my attention on the droids. I called out to the teams working to let them know that I had another task to focus on.    

My father who happened to be helping me in the hangar tossed a glance over to the pile of scrap, “Here let me assist you, I’ll call down some worker bots to help carry the load.” He shouted from his position amongst a group of workers. I nodded my head at my father and walked out the hanger. We navigated the halls together, it didn’t take long to journey to our private work space. When I arrived at my desk I discarded my clipboard and opened the drawer to my left to fish out the most recent training bot blueprints. 

With the prints located I walked over to the workstation I share with my father. It was nice to have my father join me in the task of ‘fixing’ the jumbled mess of training bots. 

We sorted out our tools as we waited for the worker bots to bring us the mass of mangled metal. It was second nature as we worked diligently, chatting idly along the way. I was finishing up one of the bots when my father politely excused himself for a second. I paid no-mind to the man. I was fully entranced by welding the outer frame of the droid. I finished the seal and threw my welding mask up.

I glanced around the room and noticed my father sat at his desk, his back towards me. I looked over at the time and gave myself a mental pat on the back. It only took an hour to complete two of the four mangled bots. It wasn’t often that Vegeta destroyed more than two bots at a time. I wondered what was frustrating the saiyan recently. 

My father scurried his way back over to our shared work table a blueprint in one hand and a densely rolled joint in the other. “Let’s take a break darling. I have something to clear our minds while we take a look at something a little different.” He mused with a cocky smirk. 

I gave my father a wicked smile and pulled up a chair, “Did mom’s crop bud early this year?” I questioned curiously, it had been a good while since I found myself indulging in such substances. 

He sat back in his seat and set the newest print on the table, “Indeed it did, best batch yet. Your mother nurtured this group well.” He explained before he put the white cone to his lips; he quickly sparked the joint. 

I chuckled lightly at my fathers’ response, I grabbed the new print off the work station. I unrolled the document and gave the paper a careful once over; it was obviously for a new gravity chamber. I set the print down, placing different objects on the corners to keep it from rolling back up. 

I smiled back up at my father. “This is a new unit.” I beamed in excitement.

My father nodded his head as he blew out a plume of the heavy smoke, he held the spliff out to me. I grabbed it from his pinched fingers and instantly brought it to my lips. “It’ll be able to withstand up to nine-hundred times earth's gravity, maybe higher. I think the project should be a piece of cake.” He explained confidently. 

I stifled a snort so I could take another hit before I handed the cone back to my father. I looked back down at the prints immediately noting the equations, “Uh-oh pops,” I muttered as I picked up a white marker to edit one of the equations. “Your estimation was off by a decimal. Papa you are going to need way more surface area to endure this amount of pressure.” I critiqued his work casually.

My father raised an eyebrow as he scooted his chair closer to me. He pushed his glasses up his nose as he read over my edits. He offered the joint to me as he began to scratch his chin. 

He glanced up from the print with a smile, “You’re right dear, maybe we should build the new unit in the compound. We have plenty of spare rooms your mother won’t miss!” He pitched the idea excitedly. 

I released the smoke from my lungs and held back a coughing fit before I spoke,“Papa, we do not need a permanent unit.” I hastily dismissed his idea. As much as I was starting to enjoy having Vegeta around I had no clue what the alien was going to do after the androids. I felt an uncomfortable pang in my chest at the thought I ignored it in turn to take another quick hit of the joint before I held it out to my father. 

He carefully grabbed it and brought it to his lips; he took a hit and held in the smoke as he spoke. “I know dear but it would be such an interesting project.” He explained before he exhaled. He hacked lightly into his elbow before he began chuckling. “Golly! Your mother truly has a green thumb.” He commented with a crooked smile. 

I grinned back at my father and nodded my head in agreement. While we continued smoking the joint we casually edited the prints for the newest gravity unit. My father was right that the project would indeed be an interesting endeavor. When we finished the print we joked back and forth as we took the last few hits of the spliff. My father wagered a bet on who could fix the training droids the quickest, the first to finish would get my fathers prized brandy. As soon as he stubbed the roach we both grabbed for the pack of cigarettes. When we both had a white stick we refocused our attention on the two mangled training bots.  

Within forty minutes I had my bot completely functional, I looked over to my father and he was close behind but obviously not finished with his. “Looks like your out of a bottle pops.” I shouted smugly. 

He looked up from the rim of his glasses, “Darling, you're missing the synchronize button.” He commented before he returned to his droid.

I glared back down at my bot quickly turning the sphere over, sure enough I had forgotten one of the most important components. I growled in frustration as I quickly went back to work. 

~

When I wasn’t focused on Vegeta’s training I had most of my attention on the military contract. After the first two hundred jets were completed I thanked my father for his help and told him he could turn his attention elsewhere. I was still hands-on with my employees but I occasionally have days where I simply monitor our workers progress. I was very pleased with everyone's work ethic; the teams were working too efficiently. The lab had been somewhat less of a disorganized mess as the task forces worked on the last two batches of fighter jets. 

We were weeks ahead of scheduled completion. King Furry was coming over to the compound for his first in-person presentation of the jet. He reminded me of his visit through email. He was expected to be here this Wednesday. I couldn't believe it was almost the eighteenth of March; I was more than excited for the King to see our progress but a little antsy about him crossing paths with my house guest.

~

Before the King’s arrival I made sure Vegeta had plenty of bots to work with, the last thing I wanted was my alien house guest to disrupt such an important meeting. I convinced my mother that she didn't need to make a four course meal, I insisted that she only have tea and small sandwiches ready for after the King’s tour of the labs. I dressed accordingly, under my pristine lab coat was a pleasant turquoise pant-suit paired with my solid black toe flats. 

I had a clip-board with pre-answered questions for the King. Everything was in order but I was still a little anxious as I waited by the company helicopter pad; my freshly manicured nails tapped the back of the clip-board. My father, who I asked to be by my side, put a reassuring hand up on my shoulder, “Don’t worry dear, I'm positive King Furry will be more than satisfied with your progress.” He assured me gently.

I gave him a confident smile, “It is not the King I'm worried about.” I muttered as I fluffed the curls atop my head. I readjusted my headband slightly, “I don't want Vegeta to cause any trouble.” I stated matter-of-factly.

My father chuckled at my comment, “Non-sense, the man has a strict training schedule. I doubt he’ll cause us any trouble.” He reassured me with one more pat before dropping his arm.

I focused on the sky, I wanted to believe my fathers statement but I knew at any given point Vegeta could break a number of bots and I really didn’t want my house guest to come face to face with King Furry. I’m quite positive that Earth’s military had video footage archived from Vegeta and his bald comrades’ first appearance on the planet. 

There may have been no incriminating footage but the destruction of East city was a tragedy and it was obvious who the culprits were. The last thing I wanted to deal with was a massive legal battle for harboring an international criminal. 

Unfortunately we were never able to use the dragon balls to reverse the damage or casualties. The Namekian dragon balls only brought back those who were killed by ‘Frieza and his men’; I glared at a cloud drifting by as I recalled Vegeta’s explanation, him and his partner had deserted the Frieza ranks in-order to travel to Earth in the first place so technically they were not Frieza’s men. By the time we had the Earth’s dragon balls restored the one year time limit had passed. 

I hastily tapped my finger against the board, my eyes trained on a sleek black object in the sky above; King Furry’s jet. I looked over to my father with a smile, “Looks like our guest will be arriving soon.” I mused. 

~

The meeting with King Furry had been marvelous; the king was short in stature but bustling with a rambunctious attitude. His blue fur was brushed back neatly and he was donning his formal military attire. At first I was nervous, then we went to shake hands and he pulled me in for a hug. We laughed as we navigated the halls to the lab. When we walked through the open door all my employees paused before instantly bowing for the King. He had laughed and told them no formalities necessary; he wanted to watch us work, he was simply a guest he had stated.

 After walking him through the hanger I demonstrated the durability of the jet by shooting it with a multitude of different weapons. The jet got through the demonstration without a scratch. As I walked him through the encrypted special capsule storage the King couldn’t hold his excitement towards the project, he was amazed really; he asked me how our progress was. 

I explained that we had developed a total of eight fleets, each having one-hundred and fifty jets. He looked at me shocked, he had only expected half the work to be done not three quarters. He gave me a hearty handshake, he expressed how ecstatic he was about the whole ordeal. 

As we walked back through the halls toward the kitchen the King and I discussed a more appropriate completion date for the build-out. When we walked into the kitchen we were greeted by my enthusiastic mother, she fawned over the King as she sat us down at the table, coffee tray in hand. As we ate, the King was thrilled to announce that he would be hosting a top-class military ball; he invited my parents and I as guests of honor. My mother was ecstatic towards the invitation, my father and I were pleasantly flattered. 

We wrapped up the meeting without any hiccups and just like my father predicted there were no unruly saiyan interruptions. After the King departed I checked my phone, I could feel its vibration consistently throughout the meeting. To my surprise I had a handful of messages from a certain scar-faced fighter. Before reading the messages I decided on a celebratory bottle of wine. 

When I grabbed the bottle I asked my mother if she wanted to join me, she declined politely, explaining that she was about to make lunch for our saiyan house guest. As I walked out the pantry my mother called out, “Don’t drink the whole bottle! Darling it’s barely noon!”

I rolled my eyes at her teasing comment, “I’m a grown woman, who just so happened to get you invited to the King’s ball. I deserve a reward.” I tossed back, flashing my mother a smile. She giggled lightly as I strolled out of the kitchen, bottle and corkscrew in hand. My set destination was my balcony, adjoined to my room so I could enjoy my celebratory red wine in peace.

After drinking a good quarter of the bottle of wine while soaking in the wonderful spring sun, I decided to read the messages from Yamcha. He started by apologizing for the outburst, particularly the nasty comment pertaining to my alien house guest and I. He also apologized for insisting that he was my boyfriend, through a hefty paragraph he explained why he felt the way he did. I must have finally gotten through to him because he ended by asking if we could start over, as friends. It was nice to finally hear that from Yamcha and I responded kindly, accepting his new set of apologies.

 He had instantly responded to my messages, and asked if Paur and him could come over later today. I glanced over to my bottle of wine and back up to the sky; I was thrilled that Yamcha had finally come around to the notion of being friends but I didn’t like how quick he was to meet up; especially after last time. I responded with a light fib saying I was neck deep in work, going as far as telling him I wouldn’t have any free time till the first week of April. He replied that it wasn’t a problem, throwing in that he also had a busy schedule to keep with his baseball team and all. 

I felt slightly peeved by his response. He had already played in the fall season. I had no-clue he would sign up for spring. I set my phone down on the ground. I took another sip from my wine bottle and wondered if Yamcha was ever going to train for the androids.    

 ~

The first week of April I got a call from Yamcha, he asked if he could come over for some coffee after he finished his training. I was glad to hear that he was actually training so I agreed. With the military contract basically completed most of my time was spent on small company projects or on the gravity room.

 The last couple of weeks Vegeta has been ferociously training-the man barely took a break. It had been awhile since the saiyan had left the gravity room to seek out my father or myself so that he could demand hellacious upgrades. So when Yamcha had called I figured maybe I needed some socialization; I could definitely use the company of a normal individual rather than my scattered brained parents and my aloof house guest.

I somewhat expected an awkward atmosphere with the scar-faced fighter but it was quite the opposite, it was calm... As if our previous encounter never happened. He had arrived in his training gi but he didn’t look like he had worked up too much of a sweat. I brushed that notion off as I guided him to our seats. I noticed his hair cut but held back any compliments, I didn’t want him to take it the wrong way. 

We had settled ourselves down in the living room, we had chosen the comfortable set of chairs, “How is Puar doing?” I asked casually as we sat in front of each other in opposite recliners. We both had a mug of freshly brewed coffee in our hands.

Yamach gave me a light smile, “She is doing alright, she hangs out at the apartment while I train.” He eagerly explained to me.

 "Sooo, how is training for the androids going?" I asked in genuine curiosity. 

Yamcha looked down to his coffee and chuckled, "I do a little here and there. It’s obvious I haven’t devoted all of my time towards training; even if I did I don't even think I'll be that big of help when those androids do come." He replied casually.

I raised an eyebrow, "What makes you say that?" I pushed lightly.

He met my eye for just a second before he stared back down at the coffee, "I'm not exactly the strongest guy in the universe, B; I will just be a punching bag." He explained in a calm voice.

At least we could use you as ammunition, or perhaps a shield.

I shooed the irrational thought away, maybe I had been spending too much time arguing with the arrogant prince. His mannerisms were starting to rub off on me. 

I gave Yamcha a reassuring smile, "You could at least go out there, give some support to Vegeta and Goku right?" I offered lightly.

The coffee cup in his hand shattered, "Why do you always have to bring up Vegeta?! You shouldn’t even mention him around me." His voice dropped to a practical growl.

I took a deep breath and set my own coffee down on the table beside me, I thought he was over this. "Vegeta doesn't plan on hurting anyone." I preached peacefully. 

 Yamcha scoffed, "That's what you think, B."

I ignored his comment and calmly picked my coffee back up to finish it in silence. When I was finished, I stood to walk to the kitchen. I was typing into the side panel for a worker bot trying my hardest to ignore Yamcha and his constant bickering as he stood behind me. He was trying to defend his earlier acquisition.

“You don’t understand B, he is dangerous!” He groaned out.

I turned around with a raised eyebrow, "Can you please just tell me what your deal is with the man?" I asked him sternly.

Yamcha cracked his knuckles, "He just makes me so angry, he refers to me as 'Weakling' and he's always rude to you." He continued to whine.

I couldn't help but chuckle, "If the term weakling bothers you so much, maybe you should think about how even you don't believe you'd be able to help in the fight against said androids?" I jested back with his previous accusation.

The comment seemed to ease his frustrations as Yamcha chuckled to himself, he swiftly brought his hand up to rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I guess I did just say that huh."

Right as I went to reply to Yamcha, I witnessed a huge flash of bright lights. Followed by what felt like a small earthquake before I heard the distinctive sound of an explosion.

It had come from the backyard. 

That could only mean one thing, "Vegeta!" I screamed as I shoved past Yamcha to rush out the door. Upon seeing the crumbled remains of the gravity room, my eyes scanned the area– there was no sign of the Saiyan prince anywhere.

 I rushed over, immediately throwing myself to my knees, trying to sort through the remains desperately. The metal ruins singed my knees but I ignored the pain. I felt helpless as I tried to find the man who occupied the now destroyed gravity room. 

Yamcha screamed out behind me, "I just knew something bad would happen, I told you he was trying to do the impossible!" I ignored his rude comment and focused on the task at hand.

"Where is he? Vegeta!" I hastily muttered to myself. I was holding back tears as I tossed mangled pieces of metal to the side. Suddenly a hand popped out of the rummage a few inches in front of me, making me jump back.

Yamcha somehow grabbed me, pulling me further from the man I was trying to help. Yamcha was closer than I thought.

Vegeta slowly pulled himself from the remains of the gravity room. His arms had several large gashes that were gushing blood, and I stared in horror at the huge gash across his chest.

 I swore I could almost see some bone through the jaggedly torn muscle tissue. Vegeta was grunting in what had to be immense pain.

"Are..are you okay?" I hurriedly shout, my voice shaky. 

"Of course I am." He replied quickly, his voice even more rough than usual with confidence, a harsh chuckle escaped him. 

I sighed, allowing my anger to surge through my veins as I shoved down my concern with feigned annoyance. "How could you? You dweeb! You almost wrecked my house, what are you trying to prove?" I shouted at the injured saiyan.

He just stood up tall and smirked, but his knees buckled under him and he fell backward with a barely audible grunt. 

"W..what?! Oh no," I barely gasped out as I jumped up to rush over to him. "You're hurt!" I exclaimed, kneeling down next to him.

I started supporting the back of his head with my left hand placing my other hand on the big gash in his chest trying to apply pressure to at least somewhat halt the bleeding. As I scanned his body I couldn’t hide my concern, I have never, ever, seen Vegeta beat up this bad. When I finally met his eye I felt slightly annoyed, he still had the audacity to scowl at me.

"I don't need help, I've got training to do." He managed to rasp out. I could see past the charade as his eyes told a different story; glazed with pain, their dark depths conveyed the same tired, worn condition as his tattered shorts and weeping gashes.

So, naturally, I interrupted him, "You have got to stop training for a while– I mean, look at you, you're a complete wreck." I tried to keep myself calm.

He barely met my concerned stare, his left eye swelled shut while his right twitched. He was just barely holding it open; that was going to bruise later. I wish he would set his pride aside to allow me to help him. 

"I feel fine, I'm a Saiyan and I can take a little pain. It means nothing to me. I have to get stronger than Kakarot." He gritted through his teeth.

As soon as Vegeta finished I spoke, "Okay, sure, you're the toughest guy I know; but you need to rest right now." I reassured him with a smile.

"I take orders from no one." He gruffly disputed as he shoved me away. 

With new found energy he tried to stand up but it wasn't enough as he faltered and fell right back down.

"Oh, Vegeta," I whispered as I scooted over to him. He had fainted, that couldn’t be good; I looked up to see Yamcha standing there dumbfounded.

"What are you doing just standing there?!" I hastily chidded Yamcha, "Help me carry him to the medical wing." I urged in desperation.

Yamcha calmly walked over with an agitated look on his face. He picked up Vegeta and tossed him over his shoulder; he followed close behind me as I rushed inside.

 ~

Before we arrived at the infirmary I had quickly called the best doctor we had on staff to come up and examine him. The doctor was waiting with a heavy staff of nurses and instantly went to work. I sent Yamcha home after all of the smart remarks he made while he carried Vegeta to said room. 

While the medical staff worked on the battered saiyan in our makeshift emergency room I made sure he had his own private recovery room set up as soon as possible. One that had a nice window, with a clear view of the backyard full of worker bots cleaning the wreckage.

I eagerly awaited the doctor's report, I stood with my back leaned against the wall right next to the makeshift operating room. Time had escaped me as I nervously recounted the tiles on the floor. 

When the door to the room opened I immediately met the doctor's eyes. He was obviously baffled as he caught me up to speed on the saiyans’ injuries. He suffered a concussion, five fractured ribs, on top of several huge gashes along his body that they couldn’t manage to stitch shut. He relayed that him and the accompanying medical staff had pulled a car's worth of shrapnel out of him.  

~

With Vegeta heavily sedated and set-up in his temporary room I stayed to chat with the doctor. My father had come by to discuss some important information with the baffled man. While they discussed a non-disclosure agreement Vegeta started rambling in his sleep. I paid acute attention to the injured fighter while my father and the doctor continued their conversation. I couldn’t help but feel that the explosion could have possibly been my fault. I sat at the desk right next to his bed with my head down; just gazing at the unconscious man for the longest time. 

As the afternoon wore into night my father and I found ourselves deep in conversation about the gravity room and the past two upgrades; I told my father I felt like maybe I had missed something when I was putting the controls back together. I was putting the blame onto myself and he had interjected, he thought my rationalization was absurd. He clarified with full honesty that the explosion had nothing to do with me.

We both glanced over at the sedated saiyan, “Vegeta was working under pressure over six-hundred times earth's gravity darling, he’s a strong man Bulma but he is still mortal. I expected this to happen sooner or later; he is very stubborn. He trains at a brutal pace but remember he is an alien with a very strong healing gene he will be fine darling.” He reassured me with a stiff nod. 

I gave him a slight nod back and forced a weak smile, I couldn’t find any words to say. 

My father put a gentle hand on my shoulder, “You should go upstairs and get some rest, we’ve all had a long day.” He expressed with a small smile. I looked between him and the saiyan.

“I want to be here when he wakes up, nobody deserves to be alone after such a thing.” I deflected calmly.

My father nodded at my response, “You are too kind dear. I’ll see you in the morning.” He remarked before he turned to promptly leave the room.

I looked back over to the Saiyan. It was hard to see a strong man like Vegeta reduced to such a level. His arms and chest were covered in adhesive bandages, IVs ran through his left wrist, and a mask had been placed to administer anesthetic to him. 

My father and I practically begged the doctor to keep him heavily sedated. He really is the most dedicated man I know, there was no doubt in my mind that he would egregiously try to train through his wounds.

 He never stops pushing his limits, but I hope he hasn't pushed too far; I can't stand to see him bed-riden. It’s obvious Vegeta is a prideful man, he surely believes he can accomplish anything on his own. But in my experience even the strongest of fighters needs someone there who cares– he has no one but himself, and I don’t quite trust him with himself. 

Especially after this... He definitely needs an individual to confide in. 

Some time during the passing months I had simply thought about building some sort of weird friendship with the saiyan. After witnessing the results of that explosion my mind had been anxiously thrumming through every encounter with the man. I began picking at the chipped paint on my fingernails while I continued to over analyze my own thoughts. I was stuck absently staring at the saiyans’ unconscious figure. I couldn’t ignore my blatant concern for the fighter status, but there had been something I’ve carelessly overlooked these past few weeks. 

I have never encountered an individual like Vegeta. I’m well aware of the fact that I myself can be an intimidating person. I am well known for my verbal repertoire. Hell, most of the gang has had a vicious whipping from my tongue; they’ve all cowered back obviously afraid. Vegeta was unlike them, he had never once been offended by my harsh retaliations. As of late our occasional encounters were always fueled by a few scathing remarks strategically shot between each other. 

I genuinely enjoyed every moment I spent with the saiyan, he could really piss me off but the nature of our interactions was unlike anything I had experienced. As I reflected on my thoughts a sudden realization hit me, I was starting to actually like Vegeta, Yamcha had been accusing me of infidelity with the man and because of that I had completely disregarded my true feelings for the saiyan. 

I was actually falling for the saiyan prince. I couldn’t help but rub over my face. I could feel the unraveling emotions swirling in my chest and I let out a shaky breath. I dropped my hands to my lap and concentrated on the unconscious man. I inspected the strategically wrapped bandages on his arms before I evaluated the heavily wrapped section of his chest. As I drew my eyes back up to his face I couldn't help but admire the Prince in front of me. Even when unconscious, his eyebrows were furrowed together and a frown still plastered on his face; although he may look menacing he is very handsome. I reminded myself that saiyans are a lot stronger than us humans, but I still worried about his recovery.

I took a calming breath before I settled my arms on the desk to rest my head. My cognitive wheels continued to turn and my brows drew together as I wrestled with my unsettled emotions. He needed someone to show him that they cared about him, that he mattered. I had somehow come to the conclusion that I was going to be that person; no matter how crazy it seemed. I was going to show him what it meant to have peace. I guess that’s why I allowed myself to sit at the desk by his bed, hoping it would help me ease my racing mind. I didn’t want to admit how focused I was on the saiyan man by my side.

These thoughts kept filtering through my head as I slowly drifted to sleep. 

~ 

I stirred awake as I heard Vegeta mumble some unintelligible words. I quickly wiped the sleep from my eyes and threw myself to his side. His forehead was heavily creased as he gritted his teeth in his still unconscious state. I sighed and placed a hand on his bandaged covered chest. I inhaled a shaky breath as I stared at my hand on the bandage.

“Why do you have to push yourself so hard,” I muttered to the empty room. 

“You just had to constantly demand upgrades and like a fool I’ve complied to your idiotic requests; by the looks of things I’ve only helped you fatally injure yourself.” I complained to the unconscious man as I looked over his features. 

His brow was still furrowed, his lips twitched as if he was about to speak. I watched him, desperately wishing he would say something, anything; I didn’t enjoy the painful silence that filled the room. Instead of going back to sleep I quickly rushed down to the lab to grab a few things, I will make sure the gravity room never explodes again. 

~ 

I stayed by Vegeta’s side for two days. The doctor, my father, and myself all agreed that he was to stay under very heavy sedation to allow his body to cope with his injuries. Thanks to our collective decision the saiyans wounds were in fact healing marvelously. The doctor was amazed by the notion and we paid him kindly to keep this knowledge to himself. We knew by tomorrow morning he could be taken off the medication. 

My father and I were both well aware how stubborn the man could be; we agreed that an unconscious saiyan was better than an injured one trying to train through his wounds. I sat at the desk working over different schematics for the new gravity room, we had a spare but I had no intention of eluding Vegeta to that conclusion. I sighed and looked over at the unconscious saiyan.

 In the forty-eight hours that I’ve stayed by his side he would occasionally mumble; usually he was either growling out Freiza or Kakarot, but he never said anything more. I set my pen down neatly on the desk, crossing my arms on the hard surface and resting my head. I stared at the arrogant prince as sunlight danced across his bandaged chest. I closed my eyes and relaxed, a nap would do me some good.   

(Vegeta's POV)

'I am a Super Saiyan!'

The words drifted through my mind as I immediately woke up in a cold sweat. Flashes of my dream faded away as I analyzed the walls around me, trying to determine my surroundings. All I remembered was training ferociously, immensely aggravated that I had yet to achieve my goal. I was hastily deflecting multiple blasts from the droids. I formed a counter attack, and then … Ah, that's right, the gravity room exploded. I ripped the stupid mask contraption off my face, and instinctively took a deep breath, relieving my lungs of whatever that mask had been dispelling. 

It was hard not to notice this scathingly sweet scent filling the air– then something blue caught my eye. 

Huh. Why is the woman here? 

Then, I remembered how she had rushed out after the explosion. I didn't understand why she had forced her aid so quickly. There must have been something I missed. I know she knows that the only help I need from her is if it directly benefits my training. Out of all the Earthlings I had met she was by far the most curious. 

There was no reason for her to be here by my side. As far as I was concerned she was just the woman who always has a remark or a witty comeback; she's the closest thing to a female Saiyan left.

I mentally slapped myself at the comment; she was far from saiyan. That explosion must have really racked my brain. 

I gazed at her sleeping face, unknowingly matching my breathing to her own. I allowed myself to lay back into the mattress while I analyzed her slumped figure.

I thought back to the first time I saw her on Namek. I had seen plenty of other humanoids in the past but the appearance of her cyan blue hair in contrast to her alabaster skin was new to me. The depths of her ocean blue eyes were beyond any race I had seen; they were different– new, unique even. Saiyans were always known to have had dark hair and darker eye colors. I was admitting something to myself... It aggravated me so much that I couldn't stop bugging her, I just had to argue with her to see her face red in anger.

I couldn't deny my attraction to her. 

I sat up and started to pull out the needles that those weirdos in lab coats had annoyingly poked into me. This mental fog was obviously due to whatever they had been pumping into my veins. I heard a slight murmur from the woman beside me. 

I stared at her sleeping face, making sure she wasn’t stirring. I sighed and slowly laid back into bed, turning my head. I could no longer stare at the blasted Earth woman. "What has this planet done to me?" I mumbled under my breath. I continued to read through my own feelings for the annoyingly alluring woman. 

There was no comprehending the situation at hand. Despite my inner battle, I turned my head. My eyes stayed concentrated on her sleeping figure for a moment before I mentally chaste myself once more. With more effort than I intended, I pushed myself out of the bed, stretching my limbs, ignoring the aches I felt.

I threw one more glance at the woman. Immediately I derailed my thought to the one important matter- I need to achieve Super saiyan. 

I need to train.

(Bulma's POV)

I was poised comfortably over my desk, drawing up random schematics as my music played through the laboratory. My body swayed along to the resonating beat of the song. Suddenly the lights in the lab changed hues with the music but it didn’t bother me. I simply sat down in my swivel chair, its wheels squeaking slightly after I shoved myself towards my work station. I jumped to my feet and started assembling what I thought was a training bot, my hands working diligently as I sang along to the thumping music.

Tell me why-I like the way you get me high-So alive

That you just make me wanna die-Tell me why-Why I still want you to be mine

You're a poison in my mind- Stop my heart and hope to die

Candy coated suicide-(You're my)-Candy coated suicide

My hips swayed to the music as my hands finished assembling whatever gadget I had been fumbling with. I continued to sing along to the music as I confidently turned around to go back to my desk when out of the corner of my eye I caught the outline of a specific individual. 

I could feel his stare burning into my skin but I ignored the man and continued to dance my way back to my desk. I felt motivated by the menacing man's presence and I wondered if he was enjoying the free show. I recognized my favorite part of the song simply by the slight change in beat and I sang along with the track. 

Don’t know what's wrong with me-But the temptation is stronger than me

As I sang I analyzed the prints in front of me recognizing that I needed to make a trip towards my fathers side of the room. My audience was lucky tonight I knew this playlist like the back of my hand and the song that would play next was perfect. I haven’t danced in a long time but muscle memory never failed me.

As the last few minutes of the current song played I made my move towards my fathers side of the room, swaying my hips seductively as I hummed the rest of the song feigning ignorance to the person watching me. I gathered up the materials in my arms still humming to the ending beat of the current song, anxiously waiting for the next one to start. As my luck would have it as soon as I dropped the materials the song ended and the next began. 

I sang out the lyrics with all my heart and when the bass dropped my body instantly moved to the music, my voice timed perfectly to the song as the first verse followed the next.

'Cuz now, I realize  - That little boys  -  Bring out the girl in me

You know those boys  - Bring out the woman in me

Those little boys - Bring out the sugar in me

So let's enjoy one another

I turned toward the prince, my eyes accordingly closed as my body choreographed a seductive scene along to the music as I continued to sing my heart out..

Those handsome men  -  Bring out the pretty in me

Those gentlemen - Pull out the lady in me

I tore my eyes open daring to meet those of my one man audience, I tossed him a wink.

And little prince  -  The sleeping beauty in me  -  I am convinced like no other

I'll cast my spell - And wave my wand - That clever woman in me

Your great ma’am needs to succeed  -  I'll shake my curls  - Sing loud and twirl

'Cuz girls rule the world

I acted out the set of lyrics waving my finger towards the dark man, taking three cautious steps towards him before turning my back to him again, tossing my hair in his direction as I strolled back to my desk. I turned to face him, seductively leaning against my somehow empty desk, I ignored it and continued my ploy, I wondered if he was an interactive audience. 

That regal king - The royal highness in me

And country boys - The southern bell in me

Those wild boys - Bring out the tigress in me

So let's enjoy one another

As the last verse rang out, I motioned with a confidant finger for my one man audience to join me. He stepped out slowly from his shadowed position into the dim light. My eyes raked over his muscled build a tight coil building in my gut as he sauntered across the room, his arms crossed against his chest.

 As he stepped closer towards me the next song started to play but the music seemed muffled as I focused my attention on a certain saiyan prince whose footsteps seemed to ring through the room. We were suddenly in the gravity room but I ignored the slight shift of scenery. 

“Did you enjoy the show bad man?” I asked boldly as he stopped a few inches in front of me with a smirk plastered to his face. 

“It was mediocre at best.” He gruffly replied, I pouted my lips and crossed my arms, copying his own stance. 

“Well why did you stand there and watch me if I wasn’t entertaining?” I questioned the stoic man, a shiver running down my spine as his eyes trailed down my figure and back up to meet my defiant glare. 

He un-crossed his arms and I anticipated some sort of irritated command to finish fixing the gravity room. Instead the man tsked and stepped forward, crowding me against the control panel; his arms blocking me in and his face directly in my own.

“Because I was thinking about doing something…a little more interesting.” He replied huskily before he crashed our lips together. 

~

My dreams of rough hands and a deep voice fade away to the sun glimmering through the window forcing me to wake up. After stretching my arms I rub the sleep from my eyes; I instinctively looked over to the hospital bed only to find it empty. Seeing the emptiness my mood quickly soured, "That stubborn prince is going to get himself killed for kami sake!" My voice is rough with sleep. I went to look at the window to see if he was training on the lawn but the sight I saw when I peered down towards the backyard made my blood boil with anger.

The backup gravity room was up in the same singed grass that the old one had been. I quickly turned around, marching out of the room. Rage flowed through my veins, I felt hotter than molten lava. I stormed my way out of the hospital wing mumbling obscene words to myself. My next destination was the lab to have a word with my father. 

Knowing Vegeta he probably went there to acquire another gravity room and my father obviously complied. I pick up my pace, hastily moving down the hallway to the lab. I threw open the door, instantly seeing my father working on some random experiment with his back huddled over the drawing table. Scratch resting on his shoulder like always.

"Dad, did you give Vegeta the capsule to the backup gravity room?" I pried calmly but truly I was battling the vortex of rage swirling inside.                                                               

He slowly looked up from his work. I could see the fear in his eyes as his eyebrows knitted together. He knew exactly why I was pissed. "Ummmm y..y..yes, I did sweety, but I gave him the oldest-model.. It only goes to three hundred." His voice cracked under the pressure just like I expected.

"Of course you did, I swear I'm the only person in this house that was born with common fucking sense!" I growled as my frustration bubbled over. I stomped past him to get to the main computer. It was the only one that had a direct link to the said gravity room. "Dad, get out." I hastily demand. I didn't even have to look back, I heard his scuffling feet before the door closed behind him with a click.

Connecting to the gravity room wasn't hard at all. When I logged into the system I noted that the gravity was set to two-hundred and it infuriated me even more; it was like he had a death wish. As soon as the link connected I saw Vegeta floating in circles in the middle of the room. 

My anger burst, "Stop it Vegeta, you are in no condition to be doing this right now!" He just grunts at me as he continues to float around in a circle, probably working his balance but who the hell cares; that is the last thing he should be doing. I meet his hard onyx glare with my own electric stare.

"I know you’re hard-headed and don't want to believe it but you are made of flesh and blood!" I shouted aggressively.

He scoffed at me before replying "Stop pestering me Woman. Why won’t you just leave me alone!" His voice was stern, his face set; that was until he grunted in pain and proceeded to fall to the floor.

I gasped at the sudden event and my hands quickly flew to my mouth as I watched him slowly lift his head up. He made a less-than-audible grunt and he gave me his signature annoyed stare. 

My concern was instantly replaced with irritation, I uncovered my mouth to leer back at him. "You know I'm right! You’re still injured; you need to rest! So why don't you just keep quiet and do as I say for once." I passionately urged I ignored the small hint of distress behind my words. 

I was trying so hard not to show it.

He continued to say nothing, he just held himself up with his forearms obviously trying to ignore me. I cross my arms over my chest. "Nothing to say," I nagged, pausing just a little in case he wanted to say something but he did not.

"Good now why don’t you shut off the gravity room and go back to bed. You need to let your body heal." I commanded as I let a smug smile spread across my face. I turned sideways; arching my back just a little bit to add confidence to my statement. 

Plus a girl still has to make herself look good while having the upper hand in any conversation.

Vegeta lifted his head a little bit more, jutting out his chin in the tiniest way, "Not yet I do have something to say." He grunted out.

I turned my face back toward him, locking eyes with the man; it was hard to ignore the way his body quivered under the intense gravity. I let my concern take over, "Wait is something wrong," I hastily interject.

As his scowl deepened I couldn’t help the smirk that pulled at my lips, "Or maybe you're finally going to apologize to me if that's the case come on then let's hear it!" I shouted confidently.

I didn't have to wait long before he pushed himself up more, his eyebrows drawing together as he hardened his glare, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" He callously roared.

I hadn’t anticipated the pain his demand had caused. I felt a familiar ache in my chest that I honestly didn't expect. My building anger hastily crashed with my harsh anxiety. I didn’t understand why his words stabbed me the way they had. I tried to hold my composer but it was hard to control my ragged breath. I couldn't cry in front of him, I just couldn't. 

Why can't I be cold-hearted like him? 

"Why won't you just let me help you?" I pleaded carelessly, my voice quivering as it crackled with repressed emotion before I fumbled to switch off the cam. 

Why do I care this much?

I asked myself again as I finally felt the tears start to fall. I tried harder to repress them, I wiped away the stream of emotions and walked out of the lab; I nodded to my father who was standing right outside the door. The anger inside me collides wickedly with my apprehensive concern.

(Vegeta's POV)

Why does she continue to pester me, it was obvious I don’t need her assistance. It was her own fault for involving her ignorant concern for my well being; she was just clearly so confident that she’d get her way. There's no reason for it, I have done nothing to encourage such things from the woman. 

It is quite obvious she has grown accustomed to me but there is no reason for her to force her concern upon me. I have always watched my own back, I don’t need some loud wench yelling at me over frivolous injuries. Only I care for myself, and obviously if I say I can train with my body being able and willing then dammit I will push myself to train. 

She clearly just wants to hinder me, yelling at me and demanding I rest; she obviously doesn’t know anything about saiyans superior biology. The image of her normally fiery eyes suddenly dulled by my egregious demand for solitude flashed to the forefront of my mind. 

Why do I feel guilty about yelling at her?

I slammed my fist into the floor, she was yelling at me first. I never feel guilt, she deserved what she received; I am royalty and I will not be told what to do by a woman of lesser status. I was in disbelief over my obsession towards the womans’ reaction, I had never second guessed my actions before and I’ll be damned if I start now. 

Holding myself up I started doing push-ups feeling no need to count yet thanks to a slight jab in my chest every time I went down. I felt every muscle tense in my body with discomfort. 

‘Maybe she was right about resting’

I try to toss the thought aside. 

Why am I thinking along these lines? I can't agree with her.

I grumbled in frustration. I don't understand why these measly injuries are bothering me so bad it's only five fractured ribs. I felt another throb of pain underneath the soiled bandages on my chest, maybe six from that fall but I can push through this. I've pushed through worse injuries before, this is how I get stronger and I need to get stronger. No matter what, I'm going to become a Super Saiyan even if I have to push myself to the brink of death.

Frustrated, I force myself into doing one-armed push-ups. The gravity somewhat restrained me even though it was only two-hundred times Earth’s natural forces. I felt the aches slowly getting worse, but that's not what mattered. I forced myself to push through the bothersome pains. Giving up hurts more, it's the worst type of failure; this is my philosophy and I plan to stick to it. 

Concentration is key. That's what I must do but how can I concentrate when I keep thinking back to how the bluenette had lost her composer.

Why had such a simple statement offended the woman so easily? I've said worse things to her. We have had callous arguments over duller subjects, resentment once again started to cloud my thoughts. 

I forced myself in the air flipping onto my feet as I practiced a series of organized punches and kicks, mentally replaying my first fight with Kakarot. It did little to ease my frustration, as I jerked through the motions. The womens' bright blue eyes filled with recognizable hurt kept filtering through my mind. 

~

After another two hours of shadow training I repeated multiple sets of my basic bodyweight warm ups, my chest heaving with every breath. I worked through the pain but thoughts of that stupid woman kept pestering me. I forced my body through the motions of more reenacted fights, the bandage around my chest was slowly unraveling as I pushed my injured body to the limit. 

‘Maybe if I just go and see if she's alright’

Wait, what am I thinking?

I growled in frustration, I decided to switch tactics and forced myself back down to one armed push ups, my body straining as I continued my brutal onslaught of training. This isn't right, I need to get her out of my system. I can't have such a distraction like this when the woman isn't even anywhere to be seen.

I could tell that she was definitely in her room. I ignored the fact that I could focus on her ki faster than any other person on this kami-forsaken planet.

I reassured myself that I didn't care for her or her sea-foam blue eyes. No matter how prying her stares were, they would never break down my meticulously built walls. I kept trying to convince myself that I didn't notice her delicate skin or the outfits she chose to prance around in. It was as if she was practically begging for my attention.

The attention of a prince; lost in thought I felt my body crash to the floor, angry at myself I yelled in frustration, “Stupid earth woman!”

I fumed in the empty room as I forced myself off the floor. My chest was aching and my stomach was growling. I can’t take this any longer, whatever is causing this method of distraction needs to end. I punch the floor making a hefty dent in the tile. Grinding my teeth through the pain I forced myself up into a standing position and with quite a lot of effort, I started walking over to the control panel. 

Finally after more effort than necessary I was facing the gravity controls. I noticed the gauge displaying the gravity intensity. I tsk my tongue,  "Pathetic only two-hundred when I was moving fluently at over six-hundred times Earth’s gravity, I'm not going to get any stronger like this." I complained to myself.

As soon as the gravity shut off I could feel the pain subsiding, and my muscles relaxing. I shouldn't be doing this, I chidded myself as I started walking towards the door to leave the gravity room, 'What am I even doing?' I questioned my motives as I stepped down the ramp and into the grass.

I quickly sensed the woman, instantly pinpointing exactly where she was inside the huge complex. She was still in her room. I also noticed that her mother was in the kitchen as per usual, and her father was in the lab.

 I could go bother the older woman for some food but after taking a deep breath I slowly walked across the lawn towards bluenettes balcony. I could still sense her distress. My body moved in its own accord while I tried to gather my thoughts, I didn't know what I was going to say to her. I stopped in my tracks and looked back towards the gravity room while gripping my side. I should be training but the aching in my body was distracting me more than anything, or at least I tried to convince myself of that.

I ignored the several thoughts running through my mind as I continued the short distance to the cover underneath her balcony. I stood and glared at the bare concrete still debating why I was even here. I took a step back and forced myself up; I landed on the rail with cool precision. I was perched on my feet and crouched like a predator, a natural stalking stance of a trained warrior. The glass door was open but her curtain was drawn shut. I could hear sniffling.

"Why is he such a jerk?" The bluenette complained.

I glanced around, wondering if she could see me, I straightened my back and was just about to say something but she continued her tyrant.

"I try to help him and I try to be nice but he is just so stubborn!" The woman fumed angrily.

Who is she talking to? I don't sense anybody else here. I repositioned my feet on the railing leaning closer slightly to listen more intently to what she was saying.

"Chi I just don't understand, I know that he's gone through a shit load but why can't he let me in.” She paused before she bitterly replied, “I know what he has done in the past Chi-that's not the point, I had to help him.’’ She quipped in aggravation.

There was another small pause before she continued “He was unconscious for two whole days Chi-"

My mind was whirling as the conversation stalled, I never asked the old man how long I was out, I only demanded the other gravity room. I knew from previous experience the man always kept a spare. I couldn't believe a minor explosion reduced me to such a status, she must be talking about some weakling intern from her lab.

"It was my father and I's invention that exploded. You can't blame it on him- I just, I don't even know why I but I want to help him Chi- but I just need him to try and let me in." She hastily explained, there was a second of silence before another sob left her.

I felt a twinge of guilt for listening to her conversation; I knew she was talking to Kakarot's wife, but it only caused me more confusion. She couldn’t possibly be talking about me? I mean what does she mean by letting her in, she just barges into the gravity room whenever she wants.

Her words seemed to fade to the back of my mind as I thought over everything I had heard thus far. I let her yell at me all the time, she has to be talking about somebody else; I was definitely not unconscious for two whole days after such a small ordeal. She must be rambling about one of those white coated weaklings, one of those jets must have imploded on itself or something.

 I turned my attention back to the woman.

"I know that Chi- but it's different for you, Goku cares for others naturally and I know Vegeta hasn’t shown it but he is capable.” She rattled on, she had to be delirious.

“He just doesn't acknowledge that himself. Just because the man is emotionally stunted doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve some sort of compassion!” The woman lashed behind the curtain. 

Her words nearly knocked me off balance with their force, verbal confirmation that I was the main topic of the conversation. Her whirling words caused flames of anger and confusion to thrum through me in their own synchronized beats. My ears were ringing yet I grudgingly waited for the conversation to continue wondering what other thing the woman had to say. I wondered if the woman had stayed by my bed for those 48 hours of my supposed unconsciousness.

“Chi, I don't know why I feel this way but I just do, I just want him to feel comfortable around me.. maybe grow to care for me…even if it's just a little bit... I don't know what else to say, I can’t stop myself, I've ripped my own heart out Chi!!” She carelessly ranted.

The wind whipped passed me as the woman paused once again, I took in a hot impatient breath as her words washed over me. 

Something inside of me wrenched and soured.  I stepped off the railing opting to stand. My eyes glued to the curtain. 

Why am I the woman's main concern? 

She was an intelligent woman who knew little but enough of my past to know I don’t care about anyone.

“I didn't mean to catch any sort of feelings for him Chi it just happened....can you stop being so negative I didn't call you to get criticized" she retaliated.

Her voice quickly shifted from sobbing to her natural argumentative tone. 

"It doesn't matter that he slaughtered people, almost all the members besides Goku and Krillin have done regrettable things in the past!” She snarled violently.  

There was a pause before the woman squealed with rage, “Yes I’m on my cycle but that has nothing to do with this!” 

There was another short pause before she continued, “You know what, I don’t even know why I called you! Thank you so much for the help!" She shrieked horrendously. 

I had to cover my ears to protect the sensitive drums when suddenly a device came hurtling toward me through the curtain. I stared at the ruffled curtain as it settled and I quickly took notice of the small handheld contraption that was now in my hand. 

Blasted woman, I glared at the black device; if I hadn't caught it it would have surely hit my left temple. The device should have been as light as a feather but I felt like my already aching body was back in the intense pressure of the gravity room.

My mind raced as the conversation replayed through my head. I couldn't believe what the woman had been talking about. Icy needles pricked at my spine as the realization dawned on me.

I should be enraged by this whole ordeal. Instead it caused a sick unfurling curiosity to unwind in my mind. I did not need to hear any of that, mentally I was berating myself. I was angry with myself, I should have stayed in the Gravity room. Well out of listening distance to this blasted conversation. If that had been the case I wouldn't have been able to hear any of this.

 I’d rather be ignorant; I fucking hate this, why does she care about me. The whirling confusion was overbearing.

What the hell does it even mean to her to care for another, a stupid emotion that pertains to these weak earthlings. 

I try my hardest to be rude to her, we argue non-stop and I always annoy her because I can't manage to help myself.

Her faint footsteps were drawing nearer and a fist of panic squeezed my insides, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get myself to budge. I was too entrapped in my own thought process. My eyes never left the device that was still heavy in my hand. I wanted to crush it to see if maybe I could just upset her more before I had the gull to leave her be. My body was rooted in place as I counted her steps toward the curtain.

I questioned my own intentions about staying here on her balcony because in doing so I was certainly going to be caught. It felt like my mind was a blank slate when the curtain slowly slid open. As much as I wanted to flee, I was consumed by paranoia. I ignored the bullet of panic rising in my throat as I made sure my face was stone-cold. 

An icy cold calm washed over me as her striking blue sapphires locked with my own dulled expression.

(Bulma's POV)

Why does Chi-Chi have to be such a bitch. I mean yeah Vegeta fought Goku but so did half of the Z fighter gang; hell, Piccolo killed her husband for Kami sake and now he’s basically Gohon’s uncle. I knew I was sane, why could nobody else understand my reasonings? 

Sighing I wipe a few stray tears off my cheek and walk over to my dresser. Looking at myself in the mirror I felt relieved that I didn't wear makeup today. I know it would have left messy streaks down my already red-streaked cheeks. I had cried more than I had wanted to, after the release of so much emotion I was left feeling exhausted and raw.

As much as I wanted to contain the rampant swirl of obvious rejection I just couldn't hold it in. I had never dealt with a situation anywhere close to what has happened to me today. All I had wanted to do was help the injured man and the gratitude I get is his egotistical rage. I decided it was best to just come to my room to weep. I ended up sobbing instead. 

I had decided to call Chi after hours of tossing the scenario around in my own mind. I had been hoping to have a shoulder to lean on and an open ear so I could get this stuff off my chest but if I had hindsight I would have known it was the wrong decision. I decided to change out of my striped dress and into something more comfortable, a giant t-shirt with a pair of baggy basketball shorts that had once been worn by Vegeta briefly. 

I peeled off my dress and threw it to a random corner. I remember taking these after I finally found some training shorts that were ‘adequate’ for the saiyan standards. It's a little weird but I rather like his clothes. I had given Yamcha all his clothes back after our break-up but I had grown accustomed to a drawer of male clothing to relax in. Besides Yamcha's shorts hung too loose off my hips, these on the other hand were nice and snug.

I glanced back at my reflection and released a sigh that I didn't realize I was holding back. I relaxed, looking into my own eyes. I straightened my back, building my own confidence, 'I don’t need to focus on others judging me for my own decisions, I'm the smartest scientist on this planet and I won't let anyone berate me for my opinions.'

Looking away from the mirror I pull my pack of cigarettes from the drawer to my right, precisely pulling one of the white soldiers out and putting it to my lips. I quickly lit it with the lighter that was stashed inside the pack, closing my eyes. I take the first drag, slowly feeling the nicotine start to relax my racing mind. I placed the pack and lighter on top of the vanity and I gaze back in the mirror. I just wish Vegeta would show a little appreciation towards what I do for him.

 I glanced over to my balcony, the curtains were slightly flapping in the light breeze. I didn't hear my phone crash on the concrete so it must have gone over the rail. I walked over to the balcony door and I decided to pull the curtain back. I stared at the sky noting the slowly setting sun not paying much attention to my surroundings, when I did gaze ahead I jumped back a little.

Right in front of me was the exact man who caused all this. I step outside, analyzing his person. He looked rough, his bandages were unraveling and his knuckles were bruised but I noticed my phone in his hand. Pulling the cigarette from my mouth I blew the smoke towards his face.

 He just twitched his nose, "How may I help you, or have you just come to yell at me some more?" My voice was calm as I looked to the sky right past him. It was my only way to ignore the need to ask him if he was alright. I already knew what his answer would be.

When I looked back at him our eyes locked, his dark eyes radiated a fierce, uncompromising intelligence. I waited in the uneven silence for his response but none had come. Instead of waiting any longer I tore my gaze from his and brushed past him. I chose to lean against the railing resting my elbow on the cool metal.

Vegeta copied my stance and leaned against it as well, he was right next to me his elbow was practically touching my own. Considering the way my mood was swinging today I chose to try and relax. His presence was nice but I still couldn't help but stay slightly tense. I ignored him and continued to puff on my cigarette absentmindedly staring at the sky; I was focused on the scarce reasons why he was here, I let these thoughts wander.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him shift slightly. I decided to look over to his extended hand; he was offering me my phone. 

I take it out of his grasp and toss him a curt thank you. I placed the device in the baggy pockets of the shorts. As my cigarette slowly ebbed away I looked across the expanse of the city. I put the burning butt out on the expanse of the railing tossing the snuffed filter into the small metal tin on the floor. It landed amongst the beige colored sand which intermingled with other snuffed butts. My addiction was quite obvious due to the half full bucket. The air was cool and I deeply inhaled, enjoying the breeze as civil twilight set in.

It was rare to have a moment of silence with the saiyan. Turning around I lean against the rail once more, my back to the lawn as I glanced over at Vegeta. He appeared to be inspecting the city line, so I turned my attention up towards the sky once more. I watched the clouds lazily float overhead. I was mesmerized by the purple and red hues of the sun setting, they brightened the sky in a captivating way. They danced along the sky entwining with one another, nature truly was awe inspiring. I found myself confused as to why anyone would want to destroy such tranquil beauty.

I glanced back at the Saiyan, I was growing anxious of the silence as I stared back into the sky, "So are you just going to stand there or do you have something to say?'' I nudged the saiyan’s elbow slightly. I waited another minute still, no response. 

I let out a deep sigh as I looked over and met his eyes, he must have been staring at me. "Is the gravity room broken again?" I asked matter of factly. 

Still, nothing, I sigh again and close my eyes. I lean back more against the railing. I was trying to pop my back in just the right way against the sleek metal. I stretched a little too much allowing my head to hang over causing me to lose my balance. Suddenly I felt myself flipping over, I was about to scream until I felt a pair of rough hands grab me, pull me back to my feet.

My heart hampered in my chest, "You're so clumsy, Woman.'' He freely mocked, his voice was music to my ears but those words obviously irritated me. 

I snapped back at him, "Bulma my name is Bulma you douchebag, and so what I'm clumsy! Besides, you're a jerk who blew himself up. It's obvious that you don't care about anything, not even yourself, I can't stand you anymore.." I ranted until his hand covered my mouth. 

The action frustrated me more and I still tried to ramble through his surprisingly light grip. 

He leaned in closer and whispered in my ear, "Calm down Bulma."

His sudden words washed over me, did he just call me by my name?

I tried to rip his hand off my mouth but it was to no avail.

I felt his shaky breath on my ear before the vibrations from his rough voice, "I came to say I... I need you to upgrade the gravity room so it can withstand over seven hundred times Earth's gravity." He explained calmly.

My scream of frustration was muffled underneath his calloused hand. Why is he such a dick? I mean seriously what did I do to get treated like this.

"And to say I may have fractured another rib, while I am recovering I expect you to work faster, you have one week. I will not intrude on your work." He finished gruffly. 

My mind repeated his statement a second time, did he just say what I think he said? 

When he finally removed his hand I blurted out my reply, "Thank you for finally taking my advice! Just for that Prince Vegeta, I will make sure the gravity room can go to seven-hundred and fifty times Earth's gravity! Just don’t blow it up again!" I concluded sarcastically. 

He simply nodded his head as a reply. His hand still hovered near my cheek and I realized my hands were still gripping his wrist so I dropped them to my side. As we continued to stare at each other I noticed that his face looked calm for once. I glanced down, suddenly realizing our compromising position. 

A slight blush rose to my own cheeks as I noticed Vegeta's close proximity. 

A smile crept its way onto my face, “Do you require anything else from me, injured prince?” I jested lightly as I chuckled nervously; I swear I could see him start to blush. 

My back was still against the railing and I was suddenly reminded of my dream from earlier in the day, my face grew hotter. 

He failed to move; his calculated gaze bore into my own curious stare. I raised a brow as his face drew in closer. I could already feel the heat growing in my abdomen as I imagined his lips crashing into mine, just like in my dream.

 I couldn’t help but release a small moan of anticipation. In the next moment he was gone. I whipped my head around trying to see where he had gone. It felt like a bucket of ice water and was poured over me as I searched the backyard of the compound. My mind reeled as I questioned what had just happened, while the ghost of his body against mine sent chills down my spine. First my dream and now this; just what is going on?

I pinched my arm harshly before I stormed back into my room scrambling to grab another cigarette. It would help ease my confused frustrations. Before I lit the said cigarette I searched my disorganized room for my robe which was carelessly thrown on the floor. I snatched up the soft material and slipped it on; careful not to break my cigarette. I stomped back out to the balcony, glancing around hoping to catch sight of the prince somewhere but I had no such luck.

 I focused my mind on the gravity room updates; the spare wasn’t equipped with the same training bots so I would have to prepare the algorithms for the new addition. I racked my brain trying to recall the right formulas for everything, making a mental checklist for all the materials I would need. Maybe building a relationship with Vegeta wouldn’t be that difficult. I snuffed my cigarette, freshly determined. I would get a good night's rest and then, first thing in the morning, I would get to work.