No, I don't own it. Though I may retype this without the DBZ elements and get it published or something…. Anyways, the object of this story is to guess what is going on before I reveal it…. Putting your guesses in your reviews tells me you aren't cheating…. ~_^

Chapter 1

Bulma looked up in shock from the lunch she was preparing as she heard the definite sound of the front door opening and closing. She left the food cooking and headed toward the strange noise; strange, at least, for this time of day. "Yamcha?" It wouldn't be unusual for her boyfriend to show up unannounced, but after their fight the night before, it was highly unlikely he would come back to apologize now.

She entered the living room to find the door closed and no one in the room but turned at a sound, seeing something trailing darkness round the corner at the top of the stairs. Frowning minutely, she followed the figure upstairs, turning the corner just in time to see the dark edge of cloth disappear into Vegeta's room, the door closing firmly after it.

Bulma put her hands on her hips and allowed a scowl to alight her features. No need to let the jerk know how much he had worried her being gone all last night and half the day today. She stalked to stand in front of his closed door, an indication he didn't want to be bothered. Well, too bad for him.

"Vegeta! Where have you been? You missed dinner and breakfast!"

Her face reddened in anger at the growing silence that answered her from the other side. "And just what are you doing with my blanket? I was using that to get a tan and I expect-"

The sudden opening of the door and the aforementioned blanket thrown in her face stopped her tirade. "There! Now shut up and leave me alone!" The door slammed shut practically in her face as she yanked the burgundy blanket away.

She had to swallow a scream of rage, calming her ruffled feathers enough to purr out in a sickly sweet voice, "If your stench doesn't come out of this, I'll have to use the power to your Gravity Room to get it out. In other words, oh Prince, have you ever heard of soap and water?"

The grumbling that answered her was obviously meant to leave her wondering just what he had said. However, she was not going to humor him by asking. "Whenever your highness is clean enough, he is allowed to come downstairs and eat lunch. However, you can forget coming down wearing that BO cologne!"

The one word that answered her, sharp and staccato, named her a dog in heat. Bulma retorted in kind, albeit the masculine form, and stomped down the stairs to finish lunch.

~<*>~

She could feel his glare at her back as she prepared his third plate so that, perhaps, she'd have time to finish her first. She didn't acknowledge him as she turned and sat the plate beside the others at his chair. He directed his attention from her to his food as he took his seat, voraciously tearing into his meal as soon as he was settled.

Bulma stared at his inhaling and calculated that she'd get a few bites in before he demanded more as she sat to her own meal. "You know, if you'd stop this gone-all-night-and-morning thing you might actually find yourself less hungry at this time of day. Are you even getting in more than a meal a day? And when are you sleeping anyways?"

Vegeta ignored her, continuing his assault on his food and handing an empty plate to her with impatience etched on his dark features.

Bulma took the plate and went to refill it with furrowed brow. Usually he made a big deal about her nagging that brought out a semi-confessional designed to shut her up. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she put down the plate, now full of food, and picked up another. Now that she had asked it, it didn't seem as if Vegeta was getting enough rest. There were deep, dark circles under eyes that stared blankly ahead, and his motions seemed a bit sluggish. His lips and black eyes stood out in sharp contrast with the pallor of his face, pasty considering his usual tan.

She sat back down after she refilled his second and his eyes glanced at her for not doing the same with the third. They quickly returned the food though, dismissing her actions as unimportant. "Vegeta? Are you sick?"

Vegeta's head jerked up suddenly, the fork he had been holding clattering to the plate. He looked at her with widened eyes for a moment before lowering them back to the food and picking up his fork again with fumbling fingers, composure quickly recovered. "No."

Bulma raised a brow at his reaction. "Really? Why didn't that sound the least bit convincing?"

Vegeta's eyes again stabbed her, intense, dark, and angry. "Are you calling me a liar?" The voice had an edge that told her she better not be.

Bulma slowly brought her own food to her mouth, giving her time to consider her answer. "Not exactly. But something's wrong. That much is evident. This has gone on for almost five days and you look like you haven't been sleeping or eating well for almost as long. The Gravity Room logs say you haven't been there but for a few hours between lunch and dinner, and you aren't in your room. So, what exactly are you doing all that time, Vegeta?"

Vegeta glared at her, and that old 'Namek feeling' assailed her; the one that had shrieked when he touched down before them, sneering. Now he wasn't sneering though. He looked dead serious in fact. "It's none of your business, woman. You know, you'd do well to keep that nose to yourself. Some people would bite it off if it got stuck in the wrong place."

Bulma colored at the offensive tone he carried. "Well sorry, Mr. I'll-eat-your-food-and-use-your-Gravity-Room-but-you-can-forget-about-knowi ng-my-schedule! I just thought that maybe if you told me what was going on, I might be able to fix some food for you in advance, or at least open up a few places for you to sleep. Like a hotel or something." She took a swallow of her drink, hoping it would help her cool down. Vegeta always got her so riled up, and so effortlessly too. "I don't mind that you might want to train somewhere else. I'm sure all this human-ness gets to you, but at least take good care of yourself. I don't want you to walk in the front door and pass out. I can't drag your heavy carcass to your bed!" The last note was teasing, but Vegeta did not look as if he had noticed.

He looked at her with a strange expression, covering up whatever he would've shown by finishing his second plate and standing. "I'm going to train. Don't bother me."

Bulma rose and took his dishes to the sink. "Of course not! I'll wait a few days before I fish out your rotting body that died of dehydration…. You know, sometimes overworking yourself can have the opposite-" She turned to address him to find the spot he had been empty. She let out a muffled sigh that bordered on an aggravated screech and turned back to the sink to start on the dishes. If he didn't manage to kill himself, she was next in line to do it.

~<*>~

Vegeta's right foot slid forward, his arms following the motion, one pulling back sharply to tuck into his side and the other sliding up to strike an opponent with the heel of his palm; a warning or critical blow, depending on his current mood. His mood right now had it crushing an enemy's nose, crunching the bone hopefully straight up to the brain; a lethal hit.

He grunted and shifted his stance, turning with a fluid motion and bringing both hands back, thrusting them forward groin level and smirking at the imagined pain his opponent was in. He charged forward, feet sliding back to a cat stance and executing a flawless jump front snap with a sharp 'kia' that echoed in the domed room. With a hissing sound, he slid back to his original position, pausing for a moment to reflect on any flaws in his stance or arm positioning. He found the flaws and considered going back over the kata but nervously glanced at the clock that told of the impending night. He didn't have time for it.

He ground his teeth and stalked over to the console, wondering if there was any way to block the 'logs' the woman was watching. She was inspecting these logs, checking his room, doing everything short of wiring him with a hidden camera, in order to figure out where he was going and what he was doing. He almost punched the thing, but that would only create more problems.

He did let off a ki blast, listening for the satisfying crunch as it impacted the wall behind him and feeling the weight inside lift somewhat. He really wished he could tell the woman what was going on. Maybe she could…. He dismissed the thought quickly, shaking his head and exiting the Gravity Room. He glanced at the sky, not noticing the colors of the sunset so much as he noticed that the sun was setting.

He grunted and quickly took to the air. It was better not to risk it here; to go somewhere secluded, although it always ended at the same place. He wondered at that, but those thoughts only led to what the woman had said.

'I just thought that maybe if you told me what was going on, I might be able to fix some food for you in advance, or at least open up a few places for you to sleep. Like a hotel or something.

…at least take good care of yourself. I don't want you to walk in the front door and pass out.'

He had been shocked. Though, by her actions when the Gravity Room had exploded, he shouldn't have been. But he could count the number of times someone had said something that made them sound like they cared or were even concerned about him for him, not for his usefulness on one finger; now two fingers.

He snorted and landed in the desert where he and Kakarott had first fought. He looked around, his eyes sliding eventually to the horizon and the sun that was just vanishing below it, taking in a deep breath to prepare himself….

Gut-wrenching pain, his very body feeling as if it was being torn apart. The sensation of falling and never hitting the ground. Time and reality spun dizzily inside his head and he was cradling it as the pain reached a crescendo that kept rising, bubbling like a geyser. He could not find release in his power. In fact, his ki lowered drastically through the whole ordeal, which was far from ended.

He gritted his teeth and felt blood fill his mouth as he bit his tongue, not even registering the pain as he felt every cell in his body, every fiber of his being, cry out in mortal agony. He joined that cry, voice hoarsely filling up the desert around him, sending animals that lived there scurrying for cover. He screamed long and lustily, trying to alleviate the pain with the sound that soon became lost to the horrendous sensations.

Suddenly, all sound stopped. The silence stretched for long moments before he blinked bleary eyes and raised his head wearily, taking in his surroundings with some confusion. He gave his head a shake and tried to rise, feeling much too drained to do so. He surrendered to the sleep without question, fading quietly to black.

~<*>~

Running…clean wind…. Scent…woody, heady, fresh…. Ground crunching…aching legs…. Stilling, slowing down, stopping. Scent…musk…dizziness…. Turning slowly… wind teasing…. Scent…prey.

Running…scent…sound…fear…heady, strong, wild. Sound…panting…rasping breath…white mist…. Scent…heady…fear…close. Turning…skidding…never slowing….

There! White…flashes of white…fear scent. Sweat…heat…closing. White…leap…grab…pull…fall.

Shake…red…warm…. Backing up…coming in…liquid warmth…tasting…. Satiated.

Tearing. Leaving. Traveling…night. Stop. Dig…earth…cool. Dropping. Cover. Mark.

Traveling….

Stop. Scent…. Moving…slowly…slinking. Sound…. Leap…roll…tear…gnash…. Warmth…. PAIN! Tear, rend, mangle…. Stop. Pant…scent. Mark. Leave.

Tired. Night fading. Lay down. Cool. Warm. Content.

PAIN! Scream….

~<*>~

Vegeta came back to himself with a heart-wrenching screech forced from his lips. He lay on a forest floor; the one he knew was behind Capsule Corporation, his body wracking with pain-filled tremors. Slowly, he felt his pulse calm and steady. His power came back to him, albeit lower than it should have been. He feared he was being drained, slowly but surely.

He raised his head, feeling an incredible dreariness thumping it back down to the cool ground. He winced. Every muscle was still screaming in protest, every bone aching. It felt like his whole body was simultaneously burning and freezing. He took in a deep shuddering breath and forced the pain to the back of his mind, forcing back the drowsiness as well.

It was morning…again. He groaned aloud and tried to sit up, succeeding in doing so only on the third try. His entire body trembled and he had to hold himself up with both hands, trying to stop the spasming of his muscles. He could feel warmth seeping from his right thigh and brushed against it with a hand clumsily to bring the appendage back darkened with his own blood. Darkness crept in the edges of his vision and he suddenly leaned over, violently and thoroughly dispensing the contents of his stomach.

He heaved until he thought his throat would be ripped out and shakily leaned back on his elbows, away from the pile of red liquid, trying not to study it. It was obviously meat of some kind. He just didn't want to know what. He finally pushed himself back up, using a hand to wipe his mouth once he was steady. He blatantly ignored his nakedness. He was used to it by now.

Feeling the drowsy warmth once again try to overtake him, he gritted his teeth and rose in one pain-filled motion, drawing a moan out from his unwilling lips. He leaned heavily on a tree, pressing his face against the bark. The woman was already suspicious. Perhaps, if he returned in the morning, instead of letting himself rest as he usually did, he would assuage some of her qualms.

He took an unsteady step, then a second. A root suddenly popped up underneath his feet from his fogged surroundings and he sprawled gracelessly to the ground, trying to stifle the choked yelp that, nonetheless, exited his mouth.

He cursed in his native tongue for several minutes before rising, inspecting his now bruised ribs with a warrior's accuracy. It would be nothing if he weren't so weak…. He ground his teeth, wanting to scream and rage that he was a Prince. He wasn't weak!

Swallowing the futility of such words, he again rose, with less pain this time, though it still had him swaying on his feet, and continued on, allowing his mind to fall into a numbing stupor as he made his way to his bed and blissful sleep.

~<*>~

Bulma stared out worriedly as she watched the dawn approach. Vegeta had left right before sunset according to the Gravity Room logs. He wasn't in his room and he hadn't come home yet…. She was worried. This was just not like Vegeta. Sure, he had taken off unannounced at times, but she didn't think he'd ever done so and come home looking as if he was starving of food and rest.

She frowned as she noticed something coming out of the mist that clung around the small woods around Capsule Corporation. In keeping so many stray and unwanted animals, Dr. Briefs had insisted they make the forest behind them a reservation.

Bulma opened the glass screen door where she had been standing since about five that morning and stepped out to peer at the shadow coming toward her. It looked like it walked on two legs, but it was hunched over, as if in pain. She took a step forward and the black shadow jerked to a halt.

It weaved back and forth for a second, obviously seeing her but not knowing what to do about it, seeming as if it would topple at any time. Bulma tried to see through the murkiness surrounding it, not daring to take another step forward. All of this left the taste of a cliqued horror movie in her mouth. "Vegeta?"

The figure jerked again and quickly turned on its heel, vanishing into the still dark like a wraith.

A/N: No, you hentai's! The scene in italics wasn't what you think it was! Dag porn-people! (of which I am one!)