A/N: Do not own DBZ, The Cure or the rights to any of their songs.

Chapter Eight: Racing Home

Vegeta found Bulma waiting for him outside. She was standing next to two air bikes. She smiled at him as he emerged. "That didn't take you very long," she said taking his bag and packing it into a storage compartment on one of the vehicles.

His meager belongings had already permeated the fabric of the gym bag. It gave off Vegeta's strong masculine odor and this caused Bulma to involuntarily shiver. He smelled as good as he looked and felt, this much she remembered from the night before. She secured the bag and turned to face the Saiyan.

He was standing with his arms crossed, scowling at the nearest bike. "I hope you do not think I'm actually going to ride this contraption!" he announced.

Bulma laughed and stepped to the front of the bike. "Of course you are. It's a super simple ride; I've been driving one ever since I was a kid. Here is the ignition, this is the throttle, the shifting mechanism is down here and the breaks are right on the handle- bars," she said pointing to the various parts of the machine.

Vegeta silently studied the air bike. He was certain he could operate the damned thing. He just resented the woman telling him what to do. He wasn't about to set any standards on the day they moved in together. He sensed her watching him, so he gave his best smirk and asked, "What if I refuse, Woman?"

She grinned an evil smile as she jumped on her bike. She powered it up and revved the engine. "Well, I guess that will mean you'll lose the race, then." With that said, she waved 'good bye' to Vegeta and sped off.

Race?

The Saiyan Prince growled and leapt onto his own vehicle. He flicked the ignition switch and quickly accelerated to follow her.

Vegeta was competitive by nature and a sore loser to boot. He refused to let his incompetence at driving or the fact that he was clueless as to their destination, allow him to lose to a female!

Bulma found the speed to be intoxicating. She could have screamed for the pure joy of the adrenaline pumping through her veins as she led Vegeta on the wild goose chase through the Capsule Corp grounds.

Their new little home was not really that far away from the main grounds, so Bulma led Vegeta the long way. She wondered what had possessed her to challenge the petulant Saiyan to a bike race, perhaps a secret hope to wipe that ever -present scowl off of his face or her desire to show of her wild side. What -ever the reason, she felt more alive and free at this moment than she had in ages.

Bulma turned and saw Vegeta quickly gaining momentum. She stood, forgetting the impossibly tiny skirt she wore, and kicked her bike into high gear. The extra burst of speed caused her skirt to whip about wickedly, but Bulma didn't even notice. She was far ahead of Vegeta and she was going to win!

The Saiyan Prince had almost caught up to the woman when she surprised him by maneuvering into a vertical position. This of course gave him an exhilarating view of her backside. He felt his mouth drop open in surprise as he took in her long creamy white thighs, which merged perfectly with her long never ending legs. His concentration was blown when he was given the hint of something pale blue beneath her white skirt.

"She didn't just flash her panties, did she?" he wondered. He never had the chance to answer as he found himself careening head first through a tall bush.

Bulma heard Vegeta scream in outrage behind her. She glanced back in time to see him crash through a tree. She found herself laughing hysterically at the sight of foliage jutting out of his spiked Saiyan hair. The look on his face told her he was mad enough to spit nails, so she returned her focus back to her own driving.

The angry Saiyan was not even close to giving up. He shook off leaves and branches as he stood to accelerate his own vehicle. He soon found himself side-by-side with the blue haired female and gave her a sly wink as he passed her. He smirked as he left her indignant cries behind him. "That'll teach her to laugh at me!" he said aloud to no one but perhaps his bigger than life ego.

"Hey! No fair!" yelled Bulma as he sped by her. That jerk had even been arrogant enough to wink at her! She knew the house was just ahead and unless she could pull off some fancy driving, he would beat her there. Bulma had more than her share of pride to let him beat her at her own game. She quickly formulated one last desperate plan.

Vegeta spotted their new home. It wasn't too difficult to recognize, as this was the only building on the compound that showed any sign of life. He knew he was far enough ahead to ease up on the throttle so he could execute a nice, sleek landing.

He didn't however, expect Bulma to swing around and cut him off in mid-landing. He seized up on the breaks, but was still moving too fast to stop. He froze in horror as he slammed into her with the nose of his bike. He hit her broadside with a sickening crunch.

In what played out as slow motion, he watched as the impact of the crash ejected Bulma from her own vehicle. She was sent flying backwards and hit the ground with a loud 'thud'.

Vegeta cut off his engine and leapt towards Bulma. She was spread eagled about ten feet from where her bike had landed. He made a quick judgment call to stop and cut the motor on the mangled bike, lest it explode and cause even more damage.

The employees of Capsule Corp had all rushed over to the still fallen Bulma. They had gathered around her and one man was bending over the prone woman to examine her.

Vegeta pushed his way through the crowd and snarled at the man attempting to help Bulma, "Get away from her!" He turned and bared his teeth to all of the workers until they all took several step back.

"Woman! Are you all right?" he asked, searching her for exterior injuries. She had a large, bleeding gash on her right leg, probably cut from some broken shrapnel. Bulma was lying still, with her eyes closed. Vegeta knelt and lowered his ear to her chest. Yes, she was still breathing. He brushed her blue hair from her face and asked quietly, "Woman, can you hear me?"

She stirred and mumbled, "My name is Bulma." Her big blue eyes flashed open and she found Vegeta beside her, his usually stoic face now flustered with worry.

Bulma tried to sit up, supporting her top half on her elbows, "Did I win the race?" she asked. She was still a little fuzzy about the last five minutes. 'How did she get on the ground? And why did her tail bone feel like it was just whacked with a hammer?'

Vegeta sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. "Woman, I could have killed you! Are you freaking insane?" He was trying to conceal his anxiety over the accident with his usual contempt.

Bulma grinned and managed to sit up with out too much discomfort. "You're just sore because I won, that's all."

Vegeta only snorted his reply. He was secretly impressed with the woman's gumption. She was certainly in a league of her own as far as Earth women were concerned. "If not a little nuts," he decided.

He stood and watched her try and struggle to her feet. She was obviously in a great deal of pain, whether from her leg or somewhere else. He held out a helping hand to aid her progress.

Bulma accepted his offer gratefully and was surprised to feel herself swept up into a standing position. He had lifted her as if she was a feather, and she knew in reality she was no feather.

"Thanks," she smiled, still holding his hand. Bulma was amazed that he hadn't snatched it out of her grasp.

"Are you all right?" he asked her softly. He was staring deep into her eyes, as if searching for the answer with in their depths.

Bulma felt a heat generating from the touch of their hands. It was slowly rising up her arm and spreading through out her body. She wondered if Vegeta felt it too. His body language showed no indication, other than giving her a small squeeze from his entwined fingers.

"My leg hurts and so does my butt," she admitted, "along with pride". Vegeta smiled and nodded with understanding. Bulma felt herself blushing under the intensity of his gaze. Although still in pain and suffering some shock from the collision, she was aware of an acute giddiness within her. She willfully suppressed the urge to throw herself into his arms and begin sobbing.

Vegeta was, at that same moment, battling his own emotions. His heart was pounding like a bass drum and he wasn't sure if it was because of his anxiety over the Woman or the incredible feeling of her touch. He could tell she was fighting off tears and he longed to draw her into his arms and offer some comfort. But he fought that urge, as much as he admired her strength, he just couldn't take that next huge step. Could he?

What ever was brewing between the Heiress and the Saiyan; was interrupted by the nervous throat clearing of a Capsule Corp employee. Both Bulma and Vegeta whirled around and were shocked to find themselves still surrounded by workers, all wearing either bemused or nervous expressions.

They both released their grasp, in embarrassment and glared at the men. Vegeta had serious thoughts of blasting them all to Hell for such an invasion on his privacy, but Bulma took the initiative first.

"What are you all doing standing around and gawking at me? I'm paying you to install my hot tub, so either get your lazy asses back to work or find new jobs!" she screeched, herding them back towards the unfinished work.

Vegeta watched her limp behind them barking orders like a little General. He was a little confused at what had just transpired between them, but watching Bulma put the worms in their places was amusing enough to make him smile.