Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Event Horizon ❯ Crash Course ( Chapter 3 )

Event Horizon: Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do not own DB Z/GT ect, nor the characters themselves save for the few that will be introduced in the upcoming chapters. The minor OC 'Kit Karr' is mine..

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Capsule Corporation, the Briefs' Estate...

Night came quickly for the residents of Capsule Corporation. Bulma was up late as usual, sitting cross-legged atop her queen-sized bed. She had bid her parents a quick goodnight before retiring to bed, but as always she was kept awake by the multitude of thoughts, ideas and memories that assaulted her conscious being. Instead of fighting wakefulness, she decided on giving in to it instead. For the second time in less than three hours, she was propped up in front of a television set. This version was much smaller than its cousin in the den below her; it sat perched across the room on the broad expanse of her solid oak dresser.

Boy, I never watch this much TV in one day, she mused.

She would make sure to thank Kami if by some small miracle she could find some rambling infomercial on some entrepreneur's 'amazing' new line of cotton swabs. It would be a quick, merciful ending to the burgeoning exhaustion that never did seem to overtake her around that hour.

Scouting through several channels again, Bulma let a low sigh wind through half-parted lips. It didn't seem luck would be with her that night. With a small adjustment to the bandaged wrist she had stuck up upon a square pillow beside her, the woman took one last gamble with the stubborn television. As soon as her good hand selected the next set of moving pictures with one tap of an idle finger upon the surface of her bedside remote, her attention was sharply caught.

It was a blonde newscaster, seated in the normal fashion in front of a blue screen. Just above the upper left hand corner of his head was a commonplace in-picture box, which portrayed the still-life photo of a woman with flame-orange hair. As the reported droned on, Bulma began to actually listen in to what he had to say. She could have sworn she heard that name mentioned somewhere before...

"...Kit Karr declined commentary today about the sudden rise of her multi-billion dollar business and what Enjinn Technologies has in store for their mega-buck rival, Capsule Corporation. With the sudden popularity in their newest product line, we can only sit back and watch as the two behemoths battle it out. Until then, this is Yiogi Tao, signing out. Back to you, Ro---"

Bulma wasted no time in hitting the off button on the remote. A tinge of worry tilted her lips down into a frown. Was this the reason that her father had seemed so preoccupied that day? Why hadn't he even bothered to mention that another business was actually catching up to Capsule Corp.?

Where worry had first been her initial emotion, a rush of anger swept in to take its place. How dare he! She was a very large part of Capsule Corporation as well, and here her very own father was keeping secrets from her. Just like Vegeta always did.

She shook her head as if to clear it, raising her uninjured hand to her temple.

Paranoid. That was the word for it. It was crazy to think that anyone at all could ever get a foothold over C.C. They were the strongest company name anywhere and everywhere, and it was insane to think that would change over a matter of days. She would believe a few decades, or even at least a matter of years over a gradual period of time, but her father had put too much of his heart and soul into what they had made of themselves. He was simply a genius like herself, and everyone knew it.

...So therefore it was nonsensical to believe that some young woman with short orange hair and muddy-brown eyes could steal all of that away in a flash. Besides, just what had she made that had caused such an uproar? For a moment, Bulma regretted on turning the channel to that particular one so late in the report. If there was some new product out there with such popularity that wasn't a creation of Capsule Corp, wouldn't she have noticed? Yeah.

Duh. See? Nothing to worry about.

Making the resolution to confront her father about it in the morning, Bulma stretched her limbs, grimacing as she contorted her wrist at the joint, once again forgetting about its presence. Some genius she was if her long-term memory was on the fritz. With another drafted sigh, she fell back onto the mattress like a rag doll, sprawled out like she was ready to attempt a snow angel on the bed sheets. With the lights still on, she lay there and stared blankly up at the ceiling. It was at times like these when her thoughts drifted to Vegeta.

That pompous, arrogant loafer. She felt the first tide of quiet anger stir within her as she shot a look over to her wounded wrist, face turning to follow her gaze. It was quite true that she had made him angry before he'd done it, hell, she even wanted to arouse his temper. Around that point in time, she was so kept with the memory of Yamcha that it just didn't seem fair that he could be his usual demanding self while she sat on the sofa feeling lost.

She wasn't regretting breaking up with Yamcha for that final time in the least. Sure, she'd always care for the ignorant guy. It was just... regret.

Regret that so much time had been invested without a thing to show for in the end. Wasted time, Yamcha had said. He had never been more right.

A growling low in her abdomen interrupted her reverie, causing her to roll her eyes a little. Perfect timing, if she ever knew it. She tried to suppress the warnings her stomach was giving her, and it instantly brought her back to thinking of Vegeta's own insatiable hunger. Even though she fought valiantly to control it, she soon lost to the sudden onslaught of complaints issued by her traitorous stomach. Takes one to know one.

Groaning now, Bulma swung over on one side, mindful of her wrist as she set a pair of bare feet against the cool, flat carpet. A little push, and then she stood, walking towards the door to the bedroom. Her fingers reached out, gripping the metallic handle and twisting in. The barrier between herself and the outside hallway gave without a fight, swinging inward with a silent glide.

Bulma padded out into the long stretch of darkness to either side of her. From what she could tell, the seam of light from beneath her parent's bedroom was non-existent. Her mother was most likely fast asleep, dreaming of sugarplums and dancing fairies. If she had to place a bet on it, she would guess that her father was still out in his lab, either asleep himself or still working on his inventions with zombie-like movements.

Why was she walking around the dark house that late? Another low vibration in her belly swiftly reminded her of her purpose, and she plodded on. Oh yeah.

There, she was at the pinnacle of the stairs, just before they descended into the foyer below. Take a couple of turns and she would be instantly in the kitchen, no problem. She couldn't see a damn thing, but she restrained herself from flicking on lights when she figured it wouldn't take that long to snatch up a midnight snack from the fridge and return to her room. After all, just how many times had she followed the same route as a kid, unknown as it were to her parents?

Too many to make this same endeavor even borderline difficult, that was for sure.

So with confidence measured with each step she took, she descended the stairwell... only to knock into something solid and unmoving on the third step. She lost her balance, teetering on one leg as she shot out one hand to catch herself on the banister before she plunged forward.

There was only one problem with that move, unfortunately. It would have worked under any other circumstance, but... that was her bad hand that just scrabbled to grab a firm hold of the railing beside her.

Shit.

The hot flash of pain drilling up her arm was nothing compared to the screech that followed. Her good hand attempted to brace herself against the wall in front of her, but to her shock and horror that 'wall' was suddenly pliant and gave way. There was a surprised grunt from within it, followed by a hissed "Woman!" as Vegeta lost his bearings right there on the stairwell. If he hadn't been blasted in the ears with the woman's squall, he would have not been distracted by her firm shove. He could have steadied them both.

Sadly, this was not the case.

With a chorus of cries and curses, the two went tumbling down the stairs, rolling over the jutting edges of each single step. The close proximity of the railings on either side of the living bowling ball kept them from falling apart from one another, forcing them to endure the crazy chute ride until the end.

When they finally did reach the base of the stairs, it was Vegeta who landed first. His forehead smacked roughly up against the tile floor, while Bulma was not too far behind. The teal-haired scientist landed gracelessly across the backs of his legs, while one of his muscular thighs pinned her bandaged hand beneath him. Needless to say, the attack on his eardrums was far from over.

"VEGETA!" She yowled, trying to force his leg off of her throbbing wrist, "You BASTARD! Get off my hand!!!"

At first, sound returned to him as if listening down a long tube. He would have preferred it stay that way, because he soon seriously pondering grinding her hand beneath his leg right then and there. The deflection of his head against the expensive ceramic tile was a pounding, painful affliction. He had had far worse before, so in truth this was really nothing. Just more annoyance that accompanied being in the presence of the banshee positioned in a heap over his back legs. Vegeta finally made the decision to stand, if only to make Bulma let up on her screams.

As Vegeta did a push-up with his hands and rolled aside, Bulma let a pent up sigh of pure relief escape her lips. "Oh, Kami!" She deftly snatched her hand away from the spot under which it had been imprisoned, holding it to her chest with nurturing care. The woman shuffled into a kneeling stance, attempting to regain her composure while Vegeta finally got to his feet.

Even though she couldn't see it, she knew he was glowering down at her with a malicious glare that harbored the need to kill for the infraction he had suffered at her clumsiness. After the waves of agony began to settle somewhat in her tortured hand, she risked a glance up. Yeah, she had just about hit the nail on the head with that one, even if she couldn't entirely make out his face in the lack of light. The waves of fury radiating from his person told her all she needed to know. You can just call me 'Psychic Bulma'.

"What the in the hell was that?" he spat, without giving her even a chance to speak her piece first.

"You idiot!" She righted herself and stood, pushing aside the anguish that he had dutifully rekindled in her wrist. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been there! Hell, learn to turn on some lights!" Her ragged accusation seemed to do a decent job of covering over the fact that she was guilty of exactly the same thing.

Vegeta snorted, before snarling, "You insane bitch... I can see far better than a human can in any light. You should be the one turning on lights, not I."

"Oh yeah?" she answered in kind, bundling up her good hand into a tight fist. "Well, you.. uh, that is.." She lost some of her attack, based on his snidely honest observation. She tried again, but with less power to her words than before. "You could have at least warned me that you were there!"

"I do not put much effort on sensing the ki of weaklings like yourself every fucking minute of the day. You are the fool that fell into me, without my knowledge." His growled utterances pinned his logic onto her, causing Bulma to send him a glare without much leverage.

So she had surprised him. That was new. The heiress of Capsule Corporation had always been one to think that Vegeta never let anything or anyone get the better of him, not if he had anything to say about it. In this very instance it seemed to be the case, but did he think her so low that she wasn't even worth sensing? He acted like he had just tripped over an insignificant stray animal that had unwittingly run between his feet. Kami, but it made her furious.

"You are a complete asshole, Vegeta. Quit acting like the world revolves around you. Another one may have at one point in time, but this one sure as hell doesn't. There are other people living in this house, people that actually own it, and it would do us a load of good if you would just realize that!"

Both of his eyebrows dipped low against the upper half of his eyes, outlining them with arrogance. Her words hit a chord with him, and he wasn't about to let the sting pass unnoticed. "Idiot creature. Need I remind you again of who I am? You and those that spawned you are nothing to me, and never will be. As soon as I am strong enough..."

"Oh, shut-up Vegeta. You keep repeating the same damn thing over and over again. It is sooo old." Bulma crossed her arms against her chest, tucking her injury into the crook of the opposite forearm as a measure of protection. He had not only hurt her wrist in the first place, but now he had reversed nearly one good day of healing. She wasn't about to let that happen again if she could help it. "I don't care if you are going to help us with the Androids or not, but you will NOT insult my parents for any reason."

"Do not provoke me, woman." His voice was now dangerously low, threaded with some dark emotion she couldn't pinpoint outright. "You do not know the danger your pathetic words place you in." He took a calculating step closer to her, as if to prove his point.

She didn't even flinch, although the move didn't go altogether unnoticed. Deep down, she was scared to death. It was like telling your executioner to go to hell right before he put you up on the chopping block. One could damn well bet that he wasn't going to aim for the right place on your neck and get it over with in one blow. No way. He was going to hack you to pieces, taking his own sweet time with it while you were still alive and feeling every swing of his axe. "Big words, Vegeta. You are the only person I know who loves to inflict pain in small doses, like this." She produced her bandaged wrist again for his viewing pleasure, regarding him disdainfully all the while. "...And then act like it is nothing until the next time you inflict damage."

She could feel his eyes travel the winding the path the white gauze took on its encirclement of her arm and hand, but nothing came of it save more silence. It was so dark that she couldn't make out much of his facial expression, but it didn't matter. After whatever ego trip he was on subsided, then she could be sure to expect the cruel mockery.

"Take that as a warning, then." The gruffness in his baritone surprised her slightly. "...And stay the fuck away from me."

"With pleasure, Vegeta. At this rate, I'm going to be in a body cast within a few months."

An upward snake of his mouth was his only response to her then, even if she couldn't see it. At length he added, "...When I need you to fix the Gravity Room or get me some sustenance, then I will call for you... and only then."

Oh, sure. 'Stay the fuck away from me... except when I call upon you to be my perpetual slave for life', she thought bitterly. "Whatever, Vegeta. If it keeps you from going on a killing spree, then fine. I'll fix your damn GR, and I'll even fix you food. But that is it."

"Agreed."

Wow, that had gone a bit easier than she expected. Vegeta was never easy to deal with, but on rare occasions like these he could prove her wrong. "Good. Now if you will excuse me, your highness..." She latched on a load of exaggeration on that last word, smiling to herself when she heard a non-committal grunt from his direction. Without wasting another word or minute on him, she slipped on by Vegeta and found her way into the kitchen. From somewhere out in the foyer, she heard the distinct sound of footfalls beginning to ascend the staircase again. They shook the foundations of the house a little, but at the same time they were cautious in a way they hadn't been before.

Bulma couldn't help but smile at that. Looks like I'm making him look before he steps, for once. It would be beyond hilarious if the same predicament came of Vegeta and her mother, who might have been awakened from the litany of swearing going on at the bottom of the staircase. The more she thought about it, perhaps not. It would most likely end in Vegeta smiting off the entire Briefs family. That turned her waning smile into a frown.

Sighing to herself for the hundredth time that night, Bulma employed herself into finding what could be found within the fridge. The pain in her hand had receded to a dull ache, although moving it in certain directions would cause the hurt to flare up again. Man, she really had to pay attention to it this time. If she kept up with the way she had been handling it lately, it would no doubt be broken in a matter of days.

As she swung the thick door of the fridge aside and the interior light immediately clicked on, Bulma's eyes grew wide. She surveyed the contents of the refrigerator, her expression completely aghast. Oh no, he didn't...

But he did. She could plainly see that.

"VEGETA!" She yelled up the stairs, shaking the walls with her cry.

There was no reply, but she expected none from him anyhow. Slamming the door shut to the empty fridge, Bulma stormed up the staircase and up to Vegeta's room.

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A/N: Well, there is Chapter Three. Please R&R! I haven't been getting many reviews for this, so if anyone thinks its going badly, please let me know. Right now I am kind of in the dark as to what you guys think of it. Thanks!

~Bura