Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dimensions of You ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Bulma grinned at the scene before her as she leaned her elbows on the kitchen table, eagerly waiting for dinner.

Nappa stood next to Mrs. Briefs, head almost touching her own as he looked closely at what she was doing. Snickering quietly, Bulma covered her mouth with a hand as an apron-clad Nappa carefully recited the instructions that Mrs. Briefs was giving him on how to cook some kind of concoction that Bulma couldn’t even pronounce, let alone make. She was an atrocious chef, as Nappa had been quick to point out when Mrs. Briefs had offered to let Bulma cook one night. Nappa, however, had a knack for the activity that greatly contrasted with his appearance and demeanor.

Bulma leaned back slightly in her chair. Even if her time here was short, she was enjoying it. Part of the day she trained, and part of the day she worked with Dr. Briefs on the ship. Surprisingly, Dr. Briefs hadn’t asked any questions about why the ship was there or where the big hole in it had come from. Instead he asked questions about the functions of different parts of the ship. She was quite willing to tell him such and was pleased that Dr. Briefs had yet to ask any questions she couldn’t have answered.

Dr. Briefs had only requested one thing in exchange for helping her with the ship. Every night, Bulma and Dr. Briefs would retire to the lab, where Dr. Briefs was working on a machine that stimulated Earth’s gravity, with the added ability of being able to make the gravity heavier. He called it the Gravity Room, unoriginal as that was.

He said that he was doing it so that Vegeta and his friends could get a better workout. Bulma mentioned maybe trying it herself if it was done in time. He hadn’t asked what she’d meant by ‘done in time’, though he did give her an intent look.

Her training did not let up simply because of her extended stay on Earth and neither had Nappa’s. Years ago, Bulma would have said that sparring with Nappa was the only way for her to train, but now it seemed as if she had a whole group who were willing to fight against her.

Yamcha had been one of the first to come watch Bulma and Nappa’s sparring sessions. He had carefully kept his eyes where they belonged the entire time and Bulma had finally decided to find out what the human wanted.

He looked down at his shoes. “I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted when we first met. You just took me by surprise.” He met her eyes and smiled. “I didn’t think anyone could be that beautiful.” Bulma was surprised and not a little flattered by the statement and smiled back. Encouraged by this, Yamcha continued. “I also wanted to know if you’ll train me. When Nappa hit me that easily, it made me realize just how little I knew. Even Vegeta was able to ward to him off. And if Vegeta can do it, so can I. Besides, if this Frieza really is as powerful as you say, I’d like to be ready, just in case.” Bulma merely nodded her agreement, not wanting to let on that she truly didn’t feel that Yamcha had the same fighting spirit as Vegeta. But if the warrior wanted to improve himself, she would not dissuade him.

“Tell the rest of your friends that I’d be happy to train them also.” Yamcha had nodded and taken off to the Island where he and most of the gang lived.

Surprisingly, the next day, not only did Yamcha and Krillin show up, but Goku did too. This shocked her after his refusal to help them defeat Frieza. She had looked at him after that with a continually puzzled expression. Seeing someone so naïve and innocent was disconcerting. It seemed as if anything thrown at him bounced off some kind of invisible wall. It would have reminded Bulma of Mrs. Briefs had Goku not had periods of lucidity that scared her with its perceptiveness. His attitude did not disarm her as her brother’s had, but rather put her on her guard. She always waited for that casual grin to fall and whatever was behind it to show itself.

She had to admit that Goku had some real fighting prowess behind him. For a third-class, he picked up what was taught and demonstrated it back exceedingly well. Sometimes he even provided her with a challenge.

So she trained the three who had come to her, but her thoughts always turned to one person.

She had approached Vegeta and asked him if he would teach her those skills he knew in exchange for those she knew. He’d looked shocked for just a moment, obviously no one had ever asked to train with him, before throwing her offer right back into her face angrily. Bulma hadn’t brought it up since then.

 After about three years, she had Nappa had both become used to the state of things on Earth. Bulma had even grown to like the members of the Z fighters.

Goku had married a black-haired fighter named Chichi, and a year later they had a son they named Gohan, after the old man who had adopted Goku.

Yamcha was pretty nice once you got beyond his perverse tendencies. He’d just spent too much time around the perverts Oolong and Master Roshi. Krillin was a real wisecrack when he wasn’t standing in front of an enemy. Bulma felt he could be a much better warrior if he’d only believe in himself. She hadn’t seen much of Tien and Chaotzu, but what she had seen told her they fought best together.

There was a new member to the Z fighters. At least, Goku insisted that he was a good guy, even if everyone else, including Piccolo, disagreed. Only a few months ago, Piccolo had shown up at a competition and challenged Goku to a fight. He had tried to kill Goku but, after a drawn-out battle, Goku had defeated him. Bulma could’ve taken out the green man within a tail’s flick of time, but it was exactly because of that that she had let Goku take care of it. He’d needed the practice.

Bulma couldn’t really tell much about Piccolo. Just that he was usually a silent observer, putting in a comment every once in a while when he deemed the humans didn’t comprehend something fast enough. He stayed around only because he insisted that he was going to defeat Goku, which reminded her of someone else.

It was this ‘someone else’ who fascinated Bulma the most. There was something alluring about Vegeta that drew her to him time and time again. Perhaps it was the way he held himself away from the group, as if he was only pretending to be a part of them, or maybe it was that he kept so much of himself closed off, showing only anger and hate, and sometimes not even that. All Bulma knew was that each time she looked at him, she saw another side to him that hadn’t been there before.

As if on cue, Vegeta strolled through the back door.

He stopped dead in his tracks and took in the scene before him, feeling as if he’d suddenly been thrust into an alternate universe. He didn’t have to control his laughter as Bulma did. He let it roll right off his tongue.

Nappa whirled suddenly and began to stammer and fidget. He could only imagine what he looked like in the floral print apron he wore over the casual clothes he’d been given. He managed to not color as he growled at Vegeta and turned back to Mrs. Briefs, who had ignored the whole exchange.

Finally able to calm himself down, Vegeta sat down across from Bulma. His state of humor had gone down to Bulma’s level. After the day he’d had, this was surely a welcome distraction.

Of course, the reminder, as all reminders are apt to do, made his mood go sour, and his face followed suit soon after.

Bulma looked curiously at Vegeta out of the corner of her eye. In the time she had come to know him, she knew how his little changes in countenance expressed his moods. Where she would have said that the scene genuinely amused him when he had first walked in, now she could tell that his thoughts had turned to something else. Slightly narrowed eyes glaring at his hands on the table, which were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white; mouth a thin line on his sharply accented features; and a twitch of a muscle every so often that showed how tense he had suddenly become.

“What’s on your mind?” she suddenly asked, surprising herself.

It had obviously surprised Vegeta as well for his whole posture changed as he looked up at her. “What makes you think anything’s on my mind, woman?”

Bulma shrugged off his snappish tone and rolled her eyes. “Come on, Vegeta. I’ve been around you long enough to know that look.”

Vegeta’s brow lowered in confusion until he understood what she was saying. “And here I’d meant to put on my ‘don’t bug me’ face this morning.”

Bulma merely smirked. “I know that one too.”

Vegeta glared at her and shoved himself away from the table, rising quickly.

Both Nappa and Mrs. Briefs turned at the disturbance, but only Nappa was silent. “Vegeta honey, dinner will be done soon.”

He did not even look over at Mrs. Briefs, just glared down at Bulma. “I’m not hungry.” He moved around the table smoothly and strode out the door, his demeanor screaming the anger and hate it always did.

Mrs. Briefs put one hand to her cheek daintily. “Oh dear. I hope nothing’s wrong.”

Nappa sneered. “Nah. The human’s probably just got a— Princess?”

Bulma did not answer him as she too rose and followed Vegeta, catching up to him as he was going up the stairs. “Vegeta?”

He stopped but did not turn.

She climbed a few steps ahead of him so that she could look at his face. “What’s wrong?”

His face twisted in the hate-filled glance he gave to her. “What’s wrong is that you won’t mind your own business.”

Bulma scowled and folded her arms across her chest. “Something’s bothering you beyond the norm. You can usually come up with better retorts than that.”

He sighed suddenly and looked away, still managing to sound gruff. “I’m tired, woman. Let me pass.”

Bulma looked closely at him. “Why haven’t you been sleeping lately? I hear you up at all hours of the night. Do you even go to sleep?”

Vegeta flinched and looked at her with a hard glare. “What I do is none of your affair! Stay out of it!” With that he pushed past her and continued up the stairs. She stood there, looking after him, until she heard his door slam shut. Then she sighed and went back down the stairs, her Saiyan appetite not being able to resist the smell of food. *   *   *

Vegeta scowled fiercely as he slammed the door shut. How dare she? How dare she pry into what was none of her affair? How dare she demand an explanation of him? He owed no man an explanation for his actions.

In reality, he was not mad at Bulma so much for nosing into his business as he was at himself for weakening so much that she became nosy. He was letting too much slip. He kept forgetting that she was a Saiyan. She had acute senses. She could hear him when he snuck out at night, could see that he wasn’t sleeping, and could detect the most minute of facial changes.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed disgustedly, sitting down on his bed. He had been truthful when he had said he was not hungry. An impromptu meeting he had just come from had made him lose his appetite, but he’d wanted to at least keep up a pretense of interest.

He swung his legs over and lay back on the bed, leaning his head against the headboard.

Autolycus had sent him another note, leaving it on his windowsill. It had simply requested his presence at the KouKon.

Vegeta had arrived to meet the stares of five other assassins and immediately stiffened his back. They were all rivals, all contesting for the title of leader of the Guild, Vegeta merely an unwilling participant.

Although Autolycus was the undisputed leader of the KouKon, he allowed the best of the best to taste a little bit of their own power. The other five had all set about making their own circle of assassins, hoping to garner their leader’s favor by demonstrating their leadership skills. So they were all outraged that the one among them who had refused to set up his own band of lackeys was the one who was in the Boss’s good graces.

Vegeta simply preferred to do things himself. He didn’t trust anyone else to get the job done. He hadn’t done it to get any type of recognition.

Vegeta had his two preferred among the group, and he gave them a slight nod, which they returned. It was either of these two that he wanted to get the job. The other three would be only too happy to slit his throat as soon as they ascended.

Vegeta glowered at the three mentioned. Luckily for him, each individually did not have enough manpower to overcome him. They held too much animosity to join together. But upon becoming boss, they would have the backing of the whole Guild. Even Vegeta couldn’t stand up against that.

Autolycus steepled his fingers together and frowned. “Vegeta, you are called here because some have decided to question your membership.”

Vegeta’s eyes flashed as he realized he was on trial, at least, the KouKon’s version of it. If a person’s ability was questioned, they could be brought before the leader and, with a majority vote, called to account for themselves. He glared at the three again, knowing that these were the majority. He looked back at Autolycus. “I understand.”

Autolycus nodded. “Good. And your plea?”

Vegeta huffed. “As if I would do anything else but deny the claim!”

Autolycus nodded again. “Merely a formality, Vegeta. You know this.” He smiled. “Well, have you anything to say in your defense?”

Vegeta thoughts whirled. He had already denied the claim, but he couldn’t just come out and say why he hadn’t killed Kakarott yet. It would only be considered an excuse and not proof that he was an able member of the Guild. He needed proof….

“I call for the Test.”

The gasps from the others made him grin, but he never wavered from Autolycus’s gaze. The Test was simply what it sounded like. It was a test that Autolycus would decide the rules of. Unfortunately, a member of the Guild had yet to pass it. Failure of the Test resulted in immediate disbandment from the Guild, and disbandment was only possible through death. Vegeta had ever been one to go against the odds.

Finally, Autolycus nodded. “It shall be done. I will need time to think of something appropriate. You will be called when it has been decided. This could take hours or years, so I consult patience. During this time, you will not be targeted. Understood?” The last was said for the benefit of the three and Vegeta felt, rather than saw them, nod.

Autolycus turned his attention back to Vegeta. “That is all.”

With a curt nod and not single glance at the glowering three, he turned on his heel and left.

Sure, when he had seen Nappa in that ridiculous garb, studiously concentrating on every word Mrs. Briefs had said, it had lightened his mood, but hardly anything had been made that could keep him amused for long. He swung too much from one extreme to another for that.

He’d been contemplating his current situation and what exactly he could do to prepare for it when the woman had intruded on his thoughts with that simple question.

He’d found himself surprised. One because no one ever asked after him and two because she hadn’t asked him a single question since two years ago, when she had asked if he wanted to be trained by her.

He’d adamantly refused of course. There was no way some slip of a girl was going to teach him anything. When she’d mentioned trading some of her training in ki manipulation for some of his on stealth, she looked quite shocked when he’d rebuffed her offer. But he hadn’t missed the calculating look she’d given him as he stalked away.

The woman knew far too much, and what she didn’t know she was guessing. Every time she looked at him, he could hear another piece click into place in the puzzle that was him in her mind.

He frowned as he put his hands behind his head. He had to keep an eye on her, had to somehow distract her. Maybe if hiding things from her was only revealing them to her, revealing things might just hide them, but only if he played his cards right.

He grinned. Yes, he’d take her up on her offer of training and teach her a little bit about his ‘stealth’. He’d mix lie and truth in a web so tangled that even if she did know he was lying about some things, she wouldn’t be able to figure out what he’d lied about in enough time. The ship had been calculated to be ready in four to five more years. The Test was an unknown variable, but he’d just have to make allowances for it in his plan.

He closed his eyes and grinned. He was going to have fun tricking the woman. It would be quite the challenge. NEXT