Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Princess WHO of WHERE?!? ❯ A Change of Pace ( Chapter 26 )

Hmph. I was expecting more of a response to my lemon chapter. I know it wasn't that great, but gee…..

Oh, well, what you expect isn't always what you get. Here's what a lot of you have been waiting for, the NEW chapters of PWoW. I hope there up to snuff. The gap between writing the new chapters and the old is pretty considerable, so things may not be quite the same, but I hope they are.

Anyway, on with the fic…….

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Bulma's awakening was uncustomarily slow as she was loathing pulling away from the comforting warmth at her side. The part of her that was an early riser coaxed and cajoled her until she soon found herself stretching and yawning while trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. A few blinks finally cleared her fuzzy vision and the first thing she saw was Vegeta lying on his side, his head in his hand which was propped up by his elbow. He was staring at her with a look she couldn't quite decipher. Her own eyes dropped to his wonderfully unclothed chest and followed down to where his torso disappeared beneath the blanket.

"Don't look at me like that, Woman, or we won't get anything accomplished today."

Suddenly everything came flooding back about last night and she felt the heat rushing to her cheeks.

"Well, maybe we don't need to accomplish anything today," she suggested meaningfully.

Vegeta chuckled before pulling her flush against his body and planting a kiss on her forehead. "You're an insatiable wench, aren't you?" he teased. "This has probably been your plan all along. Play the innocent until I couldn't help myself and when I finally took you to my bed, you hold me down and have your way with me."

Bulma blushed even more. "That's not true! I've actually tried my hardest to stay out of your bed!"

"Really?" said Vegeta. "I couldn't tell. The scent of your arousal was constant while you were in my presence, even while we sparred. If anything it seemed to intensify when we did."

Bulma's look was one of complete mortification. "You-you could smell it?" she stammered.

"Of course. We Kylarians are not that far removed from our less civilized ancestors. We can still tell when our females are ready to mate."

Bulma had the overwhelming urge to hide herself under the blanket, completely and totally embarrassed. Here all this time she thought she had been keeping her feelings under control, but her body had been giving her away the whole time. That was why Eighteen and Chi Chi had just laughed at her when she said she wasn't interested in Vegeta like that.

"But enough talk," Vegeta said, breaking into her thoughts, "it's time we start our day."

He pulled the cover back from both of them, exposing their bare bodies to the slightly cooler temperature of the bedroom. The two noticed their tails were entwined, but separated before there was the chance for it to become an even more awkward situation.

"I know you want to have your morning bath. Just return here after you're finished," Vegeta told her.

Bulma nodded and began looking for her clothing, but upon finding the scraps of both their clothing scattered around, she found herself returning to Vegeta's side. He still sat at the bedside, examining the remains of his shredded pants.

"Vegeta?" she called and his eyes met hers questioningly. "I, uh, don't have any clothes to wear."

That announcement suddenly made her very self conscious of her state of undress, so she crossed her arms over her chest, covering her breasts, yet trying not to appear as if that was what she was doing.

"Woman, just take whatever you require. There was no need for you to ask," he dismissed her to search the chest where he kept his clothing.

Bulma shifted from one foot to the other nervously. `I wonder if I should tell him or wait until he discovers it for himself.'

"Woman, what have you done with all my clothing?!"

`Too late,' she thought. "I forgot to mention that I had all your clothing washed yesterday, except for the few dirty things I picked up yesterday, but there aren't enough to be of any use to either of us."

Bulma heard the low growl and she winced, laying her ears back against her head waiting for the tirade to begin. However, the growling stopped as suddenly as it had began and Bulma looked at Vegeta to see him deep in thought, arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed. His silence made her a little nervous, but the slow smile that spread over his features really worried her. He got up from the bed pulling the blanket with him. He wrapped it around her and tucked it securely so it wouldn't fall.

"I can't wear this! Somebody will see me before I get half way there!" Bulma complained.

"Don't be foolish. I would never allow the chance for another male to look at my woman."

`HIS woman!' she thought.

"Did things change that quickly?" she asked softly.

Surprised at her tone, Vegeta tilted her face up to his and kissed her lightly. "You've always been mine, you just didn't know it," he told her. "Now let's go."

He pulled her to the balcony connected to his bedroom.

"Wait! Where are we going?"

He looked at her, obviously annoyed with her hesitancy. "Don't you want to bathe?" he asked.

"Yes, but-," she began and was cut off by his transformation into his gryphon form, the one he most often carried her in.

`Then come on,' he thought to her.

She mounted him and he leapt over the railing before she even got the chance to settle herself. Only confidence in the fact that he would never let anything happen to her kept her from panicking.

As usual, Vegeta's wings pumped hard and his speed was swift. Bulma tucked her exposed legs beneath her and laid as close to Vegeta as possible to keep warm. She wasn't sure how far they had gone, but it was a way she had never been before so she watched the quickly passing scenery with interest.

`Where are we going, Vegeta?' she thought to him.

`It's a surprise. Now be silent. If I don't pay attention, we'll miss it.'

`Miss what?' she thought, not intending for Vegeta to hear it.

`There.'

He began spiraling downward, though to where Bulma couldn't see. The trees here were very dense. She could tell this forest was very old, even with her weakened nose. Without warning, he broke through the canopy and maneuvered through the branches skillfully and soon landed on a branch that would easily hold his weight.

`Look there,' he thought to her and pointed with a single talon.

A few trees beyond was as far as Bulma could really see. There was fog rising and………………

`Wait a minute! That's not fog, that's steam!' she thought happily.

`A true genius,' Vegeta thought sarcastically and rolled his eyes. `Yes, it's a hot spring. Now get off my back so we can get down.'

Bulma slid off with no further encouragement and waited impatiently beside him. The branch they had landed on was wide enough to use as a walkway with no worry of falling off even from a fit of clumsiness.

Vegeta jumped down first causing the branch to spring up a waver a little, but Bulma's superb balance (well, it is in her opinion), not to mention tail, kept her from falling. He turned to her and waved her down.

"Jump," he called up to her.

Without hesitation, she jumped. Of course Vegeta caught her, but chose not to set her down. He instead carried her into the hot spring. The water was hot enough to make you skin tingle, but not so much so that you felt like you were being cooked.

Bulma sighed in pure bliss as she pulled gently out of Vegeta's arms to better experience the warmth. This was better than any indoor bath except for the lack of soap. The sandy bottom was soft as the grains were so fine and the foliage that could stand up intense heat was lush enough that one could almost forget it was nearly Winter.

She looked at Vegeta who was sitting with his back against some rocks that bordered the pool, he eyes closed. Bulma thought it was a little odd that his hair still stood as erect as it did any other time. Her own hair had begun to wave and curl up before she had even been in the spring a full minute. Only the tips of her ears were visible since her hair had gained so much volume. She reached out and combed her fingers through his hair. There was no doubt his hair was damp from the humidity, but it didn't show any signs of limpness.

"Woman, what are you doing?" He cracked his eyes open to peer at her.

She quickly snatched her hand back. "Oh, sorry," she apologized. "Am I bothering you?"

"No, but what's with the sudden fascination with my hair?"

"It's nothing," she lied.

A single eyebrow rose in disbelief. Bulma suddenly found the offending limb grasped by Vegeta's hand and having already caught her off guard, he pulled her to his chest and held her.

"Tell me," he demanded gently.

"Really, Vegeta. It's nothing."

"Hmph. Then you'll stay here until you do," he said.

"Vegeta!" She yelled, disturbing the peace and causing violent ripples in the otherwise calm pool.

"Must you always shriek," he asked before silencing any words she had in response with his lips.

Vegeta was pleased that she wasn't fighting him. She gave in to the kiss immediately pressing herself to his hot, moist skin causing them to slide against each other easily, almost sensually, like silk against silk. Bulma wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her even close around her waist, deepening their kiss.

She didn't notice their movement until she felt the warm water on the back of her head. The whole time Vegeta had been laying her back into the spring, the lush warmth enveloping her like molten fire. Had she not already adjusted to the extreme heat, it might have turned out to be a less than pleasant experience. Soon both were submerged to the point of Bulma's back brushing the sandy bottom. She found the experience oddly erotic, though the sudden thought of the lack of air alarmed her and almost completely removed her from the moment.

After getting such an ardent response from her, Vegeta easily felt her stiffening and after briefly brushing his thoughts against hers, he learned what caused her reaction. He gently breathed the life she needed back into her lungs, gaining her immediate relaxation in response.

`Foolish woman,' he mentally chided her. `Did you think I would let you drown?'

Bulma pinched Vegeta's arm playfully in response.

`You had better not! Unless you're tired of me already?' She finished wistfully.

`Never,' was the fierce response as he tightened his hold around her, squeezing some of the air out he had only just provided her with, his lips pressed against hers bruisingly declaring his possessiveness.

Vegeta's thoughts changed abruptly. If he was so intent on keeping her at his side, it should be alright to tell her his secret, right?

Bulma would have never guessed that Vegeta was this way when she had first met him. Last night had definitely proven that there was more to him than meets the eye. And this whole morning had been nothing but even more surprises. His whole body was against the length of hers as they floated slowly through the hot spring. The heat sent her mind spinning and all thoughts of leaving to continue her quest or returning home drifted away like a leaf on a raging river. HERE was all she needed, all she was truly looking for. Someone who loved, wanted, and understood her despite her uncommon appearance and abilities.

Perhaps it was during almost missed Vegeta slipping away. The loss of his touch sent her to the surface, splashing furiously. Bulma looked everywhere around, but Vegeta was nowhere in sight.

"Vegeta?" she called out.

Had he left her? Was this all just some elaborate joke on his part? It wouldn't be the first time she was left in a similar position.

"Vegeta? This isn't funny!" she yelled again.

`Are you doubting me again so soon?' she heard in her mind, though Vegeta was nowhere in sight.

"Nobody's doubting you," she lied. "Now come out and stop playing games."

Bulma heard something splash to her left just out of her line of sight and whipped around (well, whipped around as fast as one can when they're literally up to their neck in hot water) hoping to catch Vegeta, but there was nothing there except the rippling water. She swam in the direction of ripples; maybe she would be able to figure out which way he went from the disturbance in the water.

No luck.

"Vegeta?"

That got her a mental chuckle.

"Vegeta, when I catch you I'm going to physically hurt you! You're lucky I can't change or I would've caught you long ago!"

Still only the sounds of trickling water came to her ears. Suddenly, something brushed against her leg. Bulma nearly jumped straight out of the pool. She thrashed through the water hoping to graze something, but nothing was there and when she stopped moving, all was silent. Bulma growled and slapped the water in anger.

"Vegeta, come out NOW before my threat becomes a promise!" she yelled.

His laughter continued to echo through her mind. `No fun at all,' he thought to her.

Bulma felt something approaching her in the water, though who, or rather what, emerged from the water wasn't at all what she expected to see.

The dark, sleek, body, the small head with a pointy nose and even tinier ears, not to mention the bark it greeted her with (if you could actually call it a bark, it had the quality of honking goose) drove Bulma's memory to the conversation in the kitchen.

"Vegeta?" she ventured.

It barked twice as if in confirmation, and Vegeta's laughter still plagued her mind as if he found her shock vastly amusing.

"You're a selkie?" she whispered in awe.

`Yes,' he answered simply before diving backwards gracefully and resurfacing face to face with Bulma.

She was getting and up close look at a legend and forgot to tread water. She suck quickly, but for only a moment, as Vegeta dived again and wrapped his body around hers and easily brought them both back to the surface. The same dark eyes of Vegeta stared back at Bulma from the mythical creature before her. She timidly touched his face with her fingertips and was surprised to find it extremely smooth and soft.

`Does it…….bother you?' Vegeta asked, soundly unusually unsure of himself.

"Bother me? Of course not!" Bulma could feel a tenseness from him that she hadn't known was there before dissolve.

`Good,' he released her, allowing her to stay afloat on her own.

He floated on his back, flicking his tail fin slightly to propel himself. `I don't need to emphasize the point of keeping this a secret, do I?'

"I'm sure if you wanted everyone to know you would have told them yourself."

Vegeta barked in agreement.

"But I thought selkies were extinct?" Bulma asked. "Well at least that was what I was told."

Vegeta stared at her intently. He again disappeared beneath the surface, but before Bulma had a chance to wonder where he had gone, she felt him circling her, his skin brushing against hers. He then resurfaced before her presenting his back and beckoning her to hold on.

`There aren't very many selkies these days,' he began while swimming around the pool. `Some of Kylarians have odd ideas about a selkie's abilities.'

"Like what? No one said anything about selkies that was too remarkable."

Vegeta chose that moment to take them both underwater. Bulma trusted him to know when she ran out of air.

`Many people think selkies have the `old magic',' he thought.

`Old magic?' she replied, clearly not understanding. Bulma hadn't had much experience with magic of any kind, not until Nomaro had captured her.

`The magic that is commonly used deals with one using their own stored power. Once you've used it up, it's gone until you've recovered. The old magic was the ability to take power from outside elements,' Vegeta explained as quickly as possible.

Once he finished, Bulma readily understood how one having the use of the old magic would have limitless power.

`So you don't know the old magic?' she asked.

`No, nor do I have the desire to,' he responded and arced into the air and splashed them into the water lightly.

`So what you're saying is people were looking for selkies so they could coerce them into using their magic.'

`Exactly.'

Vegeta twisted in her arms so that she was now on his stomach and changed back into his human form. He wrapped his arms around her and kept them both afloat.

"So as a preventative, all of the selkies left disappeared. Those still in noble families began to relocate and dismiss everything as myth to help people forget. Some never took their selkie form again." Vegeta stared at the treetops above hearing the story as it was told to him by his Father.

"That's not fair, but I guess life isn't always fair," commented Bulma sympathetically.

"No, it isn't."

They were both silent for a few moments.

"What about your family, Vegeta? Is you father a selkie also?"

"No. It comes from my mother's side of the family."

Again with the silence.

"I heard about what happened. I'm sorry."

Don't be, you had nothing to do with it."

Awkward silence, then Vegeta starts stroking one-armed, taking both of them to the shore.

"Let's get going. We've spent enough time here," Vegeta told her with an edge to his voice.

Bulma nodded, not wanting to say another word. Had she been wrong to mention his mother?

"No, but it's not a subject I talk about willingly," Vegeta answered.

He had been assisting her from the pool and had his grip not been sure, Bulma would have fallen back in.

"You heard that? Sorry. That was supposed to be a private thought."

"I know."

Once securely on land, he retrieved the blanket they had forgotten and wrapped it back around her. The flight back to the fortress was as uneventful as the one to the spring. Instead of going back to his tower, Vegeta circled around to where the roof to the atrium at the center of the harem. Bulma, not knowing the fortress as he did, sent a feeling of inquiry and confusion to him. He returned with soothing ones of his own as he came to a landing at one of the atrium's skylights. He deftly opened it with his `hands' and passed through it with room to spare.

Vegeta fell freely and landed agilely on a wooden beam. Bulma peered around him, then looked down to see the harem below.

"I didn't know there were rafters up here, but then, I don't think I've ever looked up here either," Bulma said.

Vegeta shrugged and wiggled a bit, settling Bulma more securely. He jumped down with no warning, but she was prepared. His wings unfurled smoothly and he glided down until he reached a second story balcony. He latched onto the railing with all four paws and held on sitting safely. Only then did Bulma finally notice she was outside of Chi Chi's and her old rooms.

"Oh," she said.

Vegeta snorted before reaching one arm around to hand her down. By now a nice little crowd had gathered below, but the pair didn't notice as their eyes were then only for each other. Bulma reached up and caressed his cheek, first soft feathers and then skin as he had went into his human form still perfectly posed and balanced on the railing, bare as the day he was born, giving every female in the vicinity a clear view of his ample `goods'.

He nuzzled her palm and lightly kissed it sending shivers all over Bulma's body. "Come to me before sunset," he told her.

Bulma just nodded as Vegeta took his significantly smaller hawk form and took off back to the window they had just came through to go to his own rooms. She watched him until she couldn't see him anymore and went in Chi Chi's room with a dreamy look in her eyes.

Needless to say, the gossip that afternoon flew furiously.