Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Seaside ❯ Seaside ( One-Shot )

Seaside by Kaialicious

Disclaimer: I in no way make any profit from DragonBall Z and the characters of DragonBall Z. Akira Toriyama own all rights to DragonBall Z (and he would kick my butt if I were to say anything different).

Warning: This story contains obscene language and adult situations. (If you are not offended about that, then you are good to go!)

Author's Note: This story is a spin-off of The Super Namek. It stars Bulma, Vegeta, and the rest of the Z gang.

*****

Bulma kept looking at her brooding passenger. She knew how hard it had been for him to accept her offer to take him shopping. She did not think that she would have ever lived to see the day that Vegeta blushed. Well today, he had and it was because Bulma had embarrassed him by telling him that he could not expect to walk around Capsule Corp wearing the same blue body suit repeatedly. Of course, the Saiyan prince had yelled at her, but in the end, she had won him over.

Now, they were heading for the shopping district and Bulma was all giddy with excitement. She could just imagine the looks on the store clerks' faces when she brought the handsome, strapping Saiyan into their stores. What fun!

"Why are you grinning like a fool?" Vegeta asked her.

"No reason."

"You are lying. Your face is turning red."

She had forgotten how observant he could be. "Its hot today, that's all."

"Humph," he said, his eyes narrowing.

She could tell that he didn't believe her. She hoped that her actions had not seriously ticked him off. If that was the case, she was screwed. He would be impossible to appease. He would probably blast out the store front windows if she tried to make him wear something that he didn't like.

"This is adequate weather," he grumbled.

"You can't be serious," she said in disbelief. "It is ninety-eight degrees outside."

"You humans don't know what heat is."

"I'm not going to argue with you, okay?"

That shut him up but good, but still… "What do you mean we don't know what heat is?"

Her question provided Vegeta with a medium of letting out all of his frustration on the puny, pathetic humans.

When they made it to the shopping district, the Saiyan prince had thoroughly explained to her why Saiyans were superior to humans in all things. Bulma conceded. He had won the argument. He was quite proud of it too, if his smirk was any indication.

Bulma had to admit that she did love to provoke the arrogant Saiyan. It was probably why they got along so well. She would bother him and he would yell at her. Bulma's mom had told her that it was a sure sign that the testy prince liked her. Bulma thought her mother had misinterpreted Vegeta's obvious anger issues. Mrs. Briefs had a tendency to confuse fantasy with reality and in her world, Vegeta was a sweet little boy who had saved her daughter and could do no wrong. It was amusing to see the handsome prince after he had an encounter with her mother. Her behaviors baffled him so much, that he would just accept whatever food or drink she offered him and remained silent while she went on and on about what a pleasant young man he was. After an encounter with her mother, poor Vegeta would retire to his training room where he would stay until Bulma would call him for lunch or dinner. Then, the arguments between them would start all over again.

Bulma sighed. At least he was not threatening to blast anyone into another dimension anymore. Her father had nearly had an apoplexy when Vegeta had pressured him with such a fate when Dr. Briefs had informed him that it would take some time to rebuild the training bots that he had destroyed. If ever there was a person that her father did not impress with his vast knowledge, it was Vegeta. Being an alien, Vegeta had seen many inventions that could rival any creation on Earth. In addition, he was used to getting his way, so he would brook no argument from Dr. Briefs. In a way, Vegeta's spoil attitude actually helped Dr. Briefs. It kept him on his toes. He was becoming a better scientist, one who could whip up an invention in a matter of a few hours.

Bulma pulled into the shopping district and found a parking space. "We're here," she announced cheerfully. Vegeta grumbled something inaudible. Bulma ignored him and proceeded to the nearest building. Vegeta followed behind her, his arms crossed, his face in its customary brooding expression.

The first place they went to was a men's store. Bulma let Vegeta choose what colors he wanted, while she concentrated on getting him the current styles. It was no surprise that the prince wanted most of his garments to be royal blue.

"No, Vegeta. Try some other colors, like green or yellow. Oh! Look at this great pink shirt!"

Vegeta looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Okay, maybe it's a little too soon for such a drastic color change for you. What do you want?"

He chose subtle colors like tan, black, and gray. He kept a couple of blue outfits despite Bulma's protests. Bulma secretly purchased other items for him, and left them at the counter, telling the shop clerk to have the items sent to Capsule Corp.

Their next stop was another men's store that specialized in men's bathing suits. There Bulma had the worst reactions from the prince. He found typical Earth beachwear a bit daunting. Bulma did her best to appease him.

"Here, try this on," Bulma handed him a pair of baggy blue shorts.

"It has flowers on it," he said in disgust.

"Yes, that's because flower prints are in right now. Look, its blue. It'll look so good on you, Vegeta," she told him.

"I am not going to wear it!"

"Fine," she grabbed the shorts from him. "Take this."

He lifted the small red scrap of fabric with his thumb and index finger. "What the hell is this?"

"It's called a bikini."

"And what am I supposed to do with it?"

Bulma grabbed the material away from him and said, "You know, you are being very picky. These suits are at the height of fashion."

"Those are suits? I could only imagine what your people use for armor," he crossed his arms and looked down his nose at the racks of clothing.

"Kame, Vegeta, these are swim suits. They are made this small so that people can move through the water more easily. Didn't you have anything similar to this on your planet?"

"No, our pastimes were spent doing battle or training. Besides, low class Saiyans were not known to have a fondness for frolicking in water," he admitted.

Bulma choked back a giggle. She cleared her throat and said, "I've got an idea. Why don't you pick a swim suit?"

"Fine," he said and walked off towards a rack at the far end of the store.

Bulma shook her head. "He had to pick the one rack in the store with the most expensive swim suits on it."

Vegeta soon returned with his choice. It was a pair of royal blue baggy swim trunks with dual white stripes that ran down the sides. It had an elastic and drawstring waist. It was made of durable material and proudly sported its white brand name logo at the bottom of the left pant leg.

"Nice," Bulma confessed. "There's a fitting room over there if you want to try it on."

He followed her to the fitting room and stared with much distaste at the tiny quarters.

"They're not made to live in, you know. Come on, we still have other things to buy," she rushed him.

Vegeta grumbled and entered the small room. Bulma had to close the door behind him. Already, women who had been shopping in the store were starting to convene around the fitting room area. Bulma grinned. After all, the store was a men's store.

"How is it going in there, Vegeta?" she asked him.

"Stop rushing me!" he snapped.

"It's his first swim suit," she explained to the women.

The women giggled.

"Do you need some help?" she inquired.

"Damn it, woman, I am perfectly capable of doing this on my own!" he replied.

"Oh, my," a young red head said, "he certainly has a temper."

Grumbling could be heard coming from the stall. A few choice obscene words were enough to make everyone's face blush. Bulma cleared her throat in embarrassment.

"This fucking room isn't big enough for a rat!"

Bulma was sure that even the store manager had heard the remark. Sweat dropped down her temple. The prince was certainly in a fine mood today.

Finally, Vegeta emerged from the stall, dressed in nothing but his swim trunks. Jaws dropped at the sight of his startling physique.

"Oh, my…" a blond sighed.

Vegeta seemed to be indifferent to the presence of the other women. He looked at Bulma; his arms crossed, a scowl on his face, and asked gruffly, "Well?"

Bulma took in his entire body and forced herself to respond. The Saiyan's looks were a bit arresting. "Um, you look great."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, you look perfect," she conceded.

"I'll say…," muttered a brunette.

Vegeta turned on his heel and returned to the stall to get dressed.

"He's a dreamboat," a dewy-eyed young girl said.

"He's something, all right," Bulma mumbled.

When Vegeta left the dressing room, the women were still there drooling over him. Bulma paid for his swim trunks and they left the store.

They made several other stops for footwear and toilet accessories. Bulma even made Vegeta wait for her while she tried on a swimsuit. He noticed that she did not allow him to see how she looked in it. He kept quiet about it and followed her back to her transport.

They were half way to the car when Bulma spotted a shiny baldhead heading towards a hat store.

"Krillen!"

Vegeta growled as she called the undersized man over. He considered that any friend of Kakarott had to be a total idiot, and the small Earthling was as big an idiot as they came.

"Hey, Bulma. Doing a little shopping I see."

"Yeah, Vegeta needed a few things."

"Oh," as if noticing him for the first time, Krillen smiled crookedly at the Saiyan and told him, "You're looking well, Vegeta. I heard about that trouble you and Goku had with that super Namek. Boy, am I glad I wasn't there. I'd be dead for sure."

"It's not too late for you to die cue ball," Vegeta said.

"Vegeta," Bulma admonished him.

The Saiyan prince scowled at Krillen and headed towards the car.

"He's awfully chipper today," Krillen commented.

"He should be. I'm taking him to the beach."

"Huh?" Krillen's eyes opened as wide as saucers. "You and Vegeta are going to the beach, and he agreed to it?"

"Yes."

"This is unbelievable…" Krillen darted a look at the brooding prince before he whispered to Bulma, "Are you sure that taking Vegeta to the beach is a good idea? I mean, you could be putting a lot of people in danger."

"Don't be ridiculous. Vegeta won't cause any trouble. I already explained to him what to expect so he won't freak out or anything."

"I don't know Bulma," Krillen scratched his head. "A well populated beach could mean extra annoyances for him. You know how angry he can get."

Bulma told him the name of the beach that they were going to visit. "It's not always packed. I wouldn't take him there if I thought that people would be at risk. If you don't believe me, swing by the beach later and check it out. If it's still standing in one piece, then you'll owe me an apology."

"Sure, I'll come by, but be careful Bulma. There is still a lot that we don't know about this guy."

"Sweet of you to care, Krillen." She smiled and kissed him on his crown. The monk blushed and pretended to be irritated by Bulma's show of affection.

"Quit teasing me," he said and walked off towards the hat store.

Bulma giggled and returned to the car. Vegeta gave her such a look that she inquired, "What?"

He said nothing and got into the car. Bulma hid a smile and thought to herself, Rigid Vegeta is going to have to loosen up before we hit the sand. Maybe mom can fix him a daiquiri or two.

That would be interesting to see. A drunken Vegeta on the loose at the beach -Kame, she was tempted to let it happen.

They returned to Capsule Corp. Sure enough, Mrs. Briefs had a cooler of goodies waiting for them.

"I made you all of your favorites," she told Vegeta.

The prince sweat dropped. Mrs. Briefs' generosity still made him uncomfortable. He was not used to having anyone mothering over him. That was due in part to the fact that his own mother died when he was a child. He had never known her. Even if she had survived, she would not have coddled him the way that Mrs. Briefs tried to. Such sensitivity and emotional weakness was not practiced nor welcomed by Saiyans. Those emotions made one soft, feeble.

Still, Vegeta grumbled something in passing to the bubbly blond. He figured that it was the least that he could do to make the woman's day. Bulma and her father were always too busy to be pampered by her. Vegeta would never admit to allowing the woman to dote on him. It was against his principles. Besides, he had a reputation to uphold.

"Such a nice boy!" Mrs. Briefs' declaration made his face red.

He quickly went outside to get some peace and quiet. If the blue haired woman needed him, she would find him.

*****

Bulma put on her new bathing suit and pulled a large tee shirt and a pair of lime green shorts over it. She slipped on a pair of sandals and went downstairs to begin loading up the beach equipment into the car.

Vegeta was standing several feet away from the car, leaning against a wall, his arms crossed. Bulma shoved the cooler into the back of the car and looked at him. "You know, this would go a lot faster if you'd just help me."

"I am a prince. Servant work is beneath me," he told her gruffly. "Besides, it was your idea to go to this beach of yours."

"Yes, how could I forget?" she sighed in exasperation. "Well, it was worth a try anyway."

While Bulma slaved away, Vegeta was treated to a strawberry daiquiri compliments of her mother who had seemed to forget that it was Bulma who was doing all of the work. It took her all of an hour to get everything properly packed into the car. When she finished, she wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her arm and stretched her sore back muscles.

"Okay Vegeta, go put your swim suit on."

He did not move an inch. Bulma put her hand on her hip and said, "Silly me, I forgot. Will you please go and put on your swimsuit, your highness?" she added an elaborate bow to her question.

Vegeta gave her an irritated glance and stalked off towards the house.

"It was your idea Bulma," she berated herself.

Fifteen minutes later, Vegeta appeared wearing a white sleeveless tee shirt, his swim trunks, and a pair of sneakers. Bulma could not help staring at the Saiyan's bare legs. They were very impressive, nice and strong. His arms were good looking as well, bulging with muscles. Bulma could see why the women in the store had been drawn to him. His brooding expression coupled with his dark looks made him seem irresistible.

"Are you going to stare at me all day, or are we going?" he snapped at her.

Bulma hid a smile and got into the car. The prince followed suit and crossed his arms again, looking as if he had been forced to do something that he totally abhorred.

"Ready?" she asked him.

He grumbled something in response. Bulma took it as a yes and drove off Capsule Corp property.

Naturally, traffic was crazy. It seemed that everyone intended to go to the beach as well. The longer they stayed in traffic, the more menacing Vegeta's expression became. Thank Kame that the traffic cleared before Vegeta exploded with anger.

Bulma remained silent for the rest of the trip, giving the prince enough time to cool down.

When they arrived at the beach, Bulma parked the car and began unloading it. Knowing that Vegeta would not lift a finger to help her, she used her female ingenuity. She turned on the charm to a group of young men that had just pulled up beside them. They were more than happy to help her.

"See that?" she asked Vegeta.

"Humph," he said and surveyed their surroundings.

"Come on," she told him and ran to catch up with the young Samaritans.

Bulma found them the perfect spot down the beach and even got the young men to set up everything for her. Vegeta watched all of this with interest. The woman certainly knew how to get what she wanted.

"Thanks guys," she waved at the blushing men as they left.

She started removing her tee shirt and shorts. Vegeta raised an eyebrow as the garment that she wore beneath was revealed.

"What is that?" he asked her.

"A bathing suit," she replied.

"Is it supposed to be that small?"

"Yes, silly. Just look around. I'm not the only one who has one on."

She was right. All of the other women were wearing similar suits. Some wore even smaller suits than Bulma. Still, Vegeta felt that the woman was overly exposed. He was about to tell her so when down the beach came a commotion that drew both of their attentions.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he and Bulma spotted a familiar, noisy group coming towards them.

"Hey, look, Vegeta. Its Goku, Chichi, Gohan, and Krillen. Isn't it great?"

Vegeta growled at the woman's excited announcement. Why did he have to share her company with those losers? Especially since, she was wearing the most incredibly indecent piece of clothing that he had ever seen. When they had first gotten on the beach, Vegeta had noticed how all of the males had stared at her with open interest, and that had been before she had removed her tee shirt and shorts. He had been pleased to know that others had found the woman to be extremely desirable, and so out of their reach.

"Hey, guys! Come over here," Bulma was saying. "We've got plenty of room."

"Damn it," Vegeta grumbled.

"Hey, Vegeta!"

Kakarott's childlike excitement drew Vegeta's attention. Why was the bumbling idiot always smiling when he greeted him? Didn't he know that Vegeta didn't like him? The brain damaged idiot…He probably thought that they were friends.

"I never figured you to be a beach person, Vegeta." Goku told him as he watched Chichi set up their stuff.

"It wasn't my idea to come here in the first place. The onna had some foolish idea to drag me on a holiday with her."

"So Bulma's on vacation huh? I understand how hard it must have been to refuse her. She can get pretty angry when she doesn't get her way," Goku reflected. "I remember one time when we were kids…"

Vegeta let Goku's voice drone on as he watched Bulma bend over to pick up something from the blanket. No descent Saiyan female would have worn something so immodest. He tilted his head to have a better look at the scandalous pink material stretched taut over her pale, shapely buttocks. A growl escaped his throat of its own accord.

"…my head still hurts just thinking about it. She sure hits hard," Goku finished saying.

Vegeta realized that he was staring at Bulma. He looked at a grinning Goku and said, "What, you're still here?"

Goku took offense. "I just got here, Vegeta."

"Hey, Goku! Last one in is a rotten egg!" Krillen shouted as he ran for the water.

Goku took off towards his bald headed friend like an overgrown child.

"Clown," Vegeta muttered.

He returned his gaze to the blue haired woman. She was smiling as Goku's mate talked to her. It was good to see her somewhere other than that ridiculous lab of hers. Now he could truly try to comprehend the bothersome woman. Being cooped up in her house with her strange, but useful family had been quite a strain on him. He had had to curb his anger a number of times, especially with the woman. She was frustrating. She could make a nuisance of herself when she wanted to. Still, she had some value to him. Her father's wealth and her link with Kakarott made it easy for him to accept living on this detestable planet.

She had said that she knew Kakarott since he was a child. That meant that she knew almost everything about the bumbling fool. She knew how he trained, and how he thought. There was a good chance that she also knew what had pushed him to become a super Saiyan.

Vegeta also believed that Earth's atmosphere had triggered the growth in Kakarott's unexplainable power. How else would a low class Saiyan have inherited such overwhelming strength? The key to Kakarott's power was this planet. Vegeta was certain of it.

"Hey Vegeta!" Kakarott's voice broke his train of thought. The fool was flailing about wildly in the water. "Come on in, the water's fine!"

"Idiot," he grumbled.

"What's the matter? Are you scared of the water?" both he and the cue ball, Krillen, started to laugh.

Vegeta growled.

"Maybe he's afraid of getting his hair wet!" Krillen said and rubbed his baldhead.

"Hey, Vegeta, maybe you can borrow one of those head caps from Bulma or Chichi," Kakarott suggested quite seriously.

"Maybe you can go to hell!" Vegeta replied angrily.

"Does that mean that you'll pass on the head cap?" Kakarott inquired rather too loudly for Vegeta's liking.

"That's it!" Vegeta waded into the water and then dove beneath an oncoming wave. When he rose to the surface, he was just inches away from his tormentors.

"Now what were you fools saying?" he asked them irritably.

Krillen sweat dropped and began to stutter. "G-Gee Vegeta, we were just p-playing around. You know, ha."

"How about I plant my fist in your face? Then we can all laugh about that!" Vegeta threatened.

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Krillen threw up his hands in defense. Vegeta managed to get him in a headlock.

"Goku, help!" Krillen pleaded. "Vegeta's gone nuts!"

Goku nearly split his sides laughing. That is, until Vegeta swung a fist after him. He clenched his teeth and ducked under the water. Knowing Vegeta's rage, he swam a few feet away from the mad prince.

"Kakarott, come back here, you coward!"

"No way!"

Back on shore, Bulma and Chichi watched as Goku, Vegeta, and Krillen appeared to be having some sort of mock fight.

"Would you look at them?" Chichi said. "Already they're behaving like children."

"Yeah," Bulma agreed. "Isn't it great?"

Chichi darted a curious glance at her.

"For Vegeta I mean. It isn't everyday that he's this relaxed."

"He doesn't look relaxed to me," Chichi commented.

Somehow, Vegeta had grabbed Goku by his hair. Using his other hand, he continuously pushed Krillen beneath the surface of the water. All the while, he shouted curses at them, unspeakable curses. Goku and Krillen struggled to get free.

Gohan looked up from the sand castle that he was making to laugh at the spectacle. Other beach goers watched the three men with amusement. They were making quite a scene.

"It's going to be a long day," Chichi sighed.

Bulma just giggled.

After Vegeta had worn himself out pummeling Kakarott and his idiot sidekick Krillen, he had accepted lunch from Bulma and watched as Kakarott's son, Gohan had buried him in the sand. It was a customary tradition; Bulma had assured him when he had asked her if Gohan was trying to kill Kakarott. She had pointed out similar scenes on the beach. Vegeta thought that the practice was stupid. Why Kakarott would subject himself to such humiliation was beyond him.

Vegeta stood over the buried Saiyan and said, "Kakarott, you look like an idiot."

"Probably, but it is kind of relaxing. You should try it, Vegeta."

"I'd rather drown."

"Hey, that reminds me. I am a little too close to the water and the tide could come in at any moment. Could you help me get out of here?" Goku squirmed in the sand.

Vegeta grinned and told him, "The tide, hmm?" He bent over and picked up Gohan's abandoned beach pail. He turned it upside down and placed it over Goku's head.

"Hey!"

"Have fun swimming, Kakarott!" Vegeta told him, and stalked off laughing maniacally.

From a short distance, Bulma watched what he had done and frowned. "Gohan, I think your dad is ready to get out of the sand. Why don't you go and help him?"

"Okay!"

Bulma watched as Gohan scampered off to dig his father out of the sand. She caught Vegeta's gaze and made a small gesture towards him. She could see his forehead furrow in anger. He hated it when she gave him what he perceived to be orders. Bulma sat down on her beach blanket and fiddled with the beach umbrella. Vegeta finally made his way to her and stood before her, a scowl on his face.

"What is it?" he snapped.

"Have a seat; you've been standing all day."

"I like to stand," he replied.

She patted the blanket beside her. He muttered something unintelligible and reluctantly accepted the space that was offered.

"Have you been enjoying yourself?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"It looks like you were. Why don't you go back into the water?"

"It is far too salty. I don't like it."

"How about the sand, did you like the way it felt between your toes?"

He sent her a look that said, Are you mad?

She hid a smile and then inquired, "Surely, there must be something that you enjoyed?"

Vegeta closed his eyes and shook his head. "This outing was a waste of time. I could have stayed home and trained. I don't understand why you always want to drag me around the miserable, forsaken hellhole that you call a planet. Do me a favor and never-"

His lecture had been cut off as Bulma tipped the beach umbrella over them both, blocking unwanted eyes as she kissed him.

Vegeta stiffened in surprise at her actions.

Bulma giggled. She had left Vegeta speechless. She was going to pat him on the cheek and tell him that it was only a kiss, but Vegeta surprised her as well. He leaned forward, flicked his tongue over her lips once, from the bottom up and told her, "I accept your offer."

His cryptic words and unusual behavior puzzled her.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked him.

The Saiyan prince crossed his bulging arms and announced, "I accept your offer to be my mate."

Bulma stared at him in shock. Gradually, her senses came back to her and she started laughing. "You're just teasing me, aren't you? You naughty Saiyan," she shook her finger at him. "You almost caught me there for a moment. Well, I forgive you for your little prank." She kissed him on the cheek, straightened the beach umbrella, and went to help Gohan dig Kakarott out of the sand.

Vegeta smiled to himself conspiratorially. The woman thought that he had been deliberately teasing her. In truth, Vegeta had indeed taken her as his mate. She had offered him her lips. He had found the taste of them acceptable, quite pleasing in fact, and had shown her his appreciation by anointing them with his tongue. It was as good as any life-bonding tie in the universe, but the woman was not aware of it. She should be honored that he had bestowed it upon her. He was a prince, and she a human, fairly below his standards.

Still, Vegeta thought unreasonably, she should not have initiated the kiss first. It serves her right!

"Vegeta, you old dog," Krillen appeared out of nowhere to pat him on the back. "I knew that you had it in you."

"Will you get away from me?" he said in an ominous voice.

"Okay, okay! I'm going, I'm going!"

"I don't know you guys. I've never been very good at sports."

Bulma's voice drew his attention. The group of young men that had carried her things down the beach had surrounded her and was avidly staring at her body. One of them held a white, leather covered ball in his hands. He looked up briefly from Bulma's ample breasts to tell her, "Volleyball is easy to play once you've got the right person to show you how to play it."

Bulma hesitated.

Why doesn't she just tell them to fuck off? Vegeta thought irritably.

"I'll try it!" Goku, after having washed off the layers of sand on his body eagerly came forth. "How about it Krillen?"

"I'm game."

The men seemed a little disappointed. They tried to convince Bulma again. "See, your friends are going to be playing too. You have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, Bulma. It'll be fun," Krillen told her.

Shut up you idiot! Vegeta silently warned.

Bulma gave in. "How hard could it be?"

The person with the ball led the way while his cohorts stared at Bulma's rear. Goku and Krillen seemed unaware of the young men's ogling. Vegeta took great offense. His pride would not let the incident go.

"I want to play too!" he heard himself say gruffly.

They all turned around and looked at him. Bulma, Goku and Krillen looked stunned. Chichi and Gohan were surprised as well.

"You want to play volleyball?" Bulma asked in shock.

"That's what I said."

"I don't believe it," Krillen muttered, his mouth open.

"This is going to be great!" Goku said excitedly. "You can be on my team!"

Vegeta growled a warning at him. "Just keep out of my way."

"Uh, sure man. The more the merrier," said the brown haired male with the ball.

They were led to an area where some sort of net stood above the ground, held in place by two poles attached to each end. Vegeta waited impatiently as the brown haired human explained to him and the others about the rules of the game. His impatience wore thin when the human, who had introduced himself to Bulma as Ralph, instructed Bulma on how to serve the ball. His instructional methods were unnecessary. Ralph stood behind Bulma, too close for Vegeta's liking, and put his arms on either side of her. He leaned against her every time he showed her how to spike the ball.

"Hey, Vegeta, if you're not careful you could lose your girl," Krillen quietly told him as if they were sharing some secret that only they were privy to.

"Listen, you twerp!" Vegeta turned on him about to give him a sharp lecture when he heard Bulma giggle. He ignored Krillen for the moment to see what had amused his little mate.

Ralph was caressing Bulma's wrist as he showed her how to hold the ball while she attempted a serve.

Vegeta would not stand for it. "Are we going to play this game today?" he sent Ralph a scathing glance.

"Sure, man." Ralph and his cohorts went to the other side of the net and shared a few secretive words with each other. When they were finished, they took their places and Ralph prepared to serve the ball. His serve sent the ball over the net, towards Vegeta. Vegeta wasted no time in returning it, but with more speed and force that was humanly possible. The ball ended up soaring into the air, nearly missing a sea gull.

"Wow," Krillen said.

"I think that you hit it a little too hard, Vegeta," Goku said.

Vegeta grunted in answer and watched as the volleyball fell back down to earth. The leather ball came down rapidly making a loud noise in its wake. Everyone besides Vegeta let out a startled cry and moved out of its path. Somehow, the ball headed straight for Ralph and clobbered him on the head. Ralph was knocked unconscious.

"Ouch!" Krillen winced.

"Hey, buddy! You okay?" Ralph's friends converged on him and helped him to his feet. Ralph looked as if he was unaware of his surroundings, and a mysterious bump was rising beneath his brown hair.

Vegeta watched all of this without an expression. Bulma caught his gaze. Her eyes gleamed with mischief. She knew that he had hit Ralph intentionally.

Good, he thought.

"Maybe you guys should take Ralph home, or at least to a doctor," Bulma told the young men.

"You mean we're not playing?" Goku asked disappointedly.

"Don't look so glum, Kakarott," Vegeta told him. "The game is highly overrated."

"Come on, Goku. Let's get something to eat," Krillen suggested.

Goku and Krillen headed back up the beach towards Chichi and Gohan.

Vegeta felt a pair of eyes on him and located its source. Bulma. He frowned and stared at her.

"That wasn't very nice, what you did," she told him.

"It wasn't meant to be nice."

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I could," he snapped.

"That's not saying much, Vegeta. Usually if someone irritates you, you just call him or her an idiot and walk away, but this time, you lashed out at a perfect stranger. You could have killed him, you know?"

"But I didn't, did I?" he turned on his heel and walked away.

Bulma ran up beside him. He expected her to keep nagging him about what he had done, but surprisingly, she kept silent. He studied her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed perfectly content to be with him. It always puzzled him, her lack of fear for him. When Vegeta had reigned over the Saiyans of Vegetasia, even his loyal subjects had feared him.

Nevertheless, no matter what monstrous things he did, Bulma remained by his side. Sometimes she would reprimand him, but often times, she would stay silent as she did now. Vegeta was starting to think that the little human knew him too well. The thought did not bother him. A female should know about the mannerisms of her mate. It was what kept her in her mate's favor.

When they returned to their spot on the beach, Gohan was constructively building a sand castle. Goku was stuffing his face with food and Krillen was drinking a soda. Chichi was applying sunscreen to her arms and shoulders.

Bulma sat down on the blanket and began applying her own sunscreen as well. Vegeta watched in fascination as the lotion made her skin glisten, as if she was glowing with perspiration. The lotion made her muscles look more defined and sensual. In fact, her innocent act of applying the lotion drew unwanted attention from other males.

"Hey, baby!"

"Let me do that for you!"

A lewd sounding whistle curdled Vegeta's blood.

"Oh, Yeah!"

Vegeta growled in frustration and plopped down next Bulma, his arms crossed and a steely look on his face. The catcalls immediately ceased. He had established that the woman was his.

Goku, Chichi, and Krillen watched his display of possessiveness with interest. He ignored their stares and concentrated on the flowery scent of the woman beside him. He was thinking of what it would be like to pursue Bulma in the ceremonial mating hunts of his home world when she turned to him and asked, "Do you want some sunscreen?"

Goku, Chichi, and Krillen held their breaths and turned their gazes to Vegeta to see his reply.

"Saiyans do not get sunburn," he said.

"How do you know? You said that Saiyans don't go to the beach."

Before he could reply, she was on her knees behind him, pouring lotion into her hands and rubbing it into his back and shoulders. Vegeta stiffened.

"Loosen up, Vegeta," she told him. "You're so tense."

Vegeta heard Krillen snicker. He darted the cue ball a scathing glance.

Before long, Vegeta was slick with sunscreen lotion.

"There," Bulma sighed, "full protection."

She lay down on the blanket on her stomach and looked at the progress of Gohan's castle. "Isn't Gohan clever? He's very bright for a kid his age."

"He should be glad that he did not inherit his father's intellect," Vegeta remarked.

"Hey!" Goku objected.

"Oh, Goku," Chichi patted his arm. "Don't listen to him. You have qualities about you that I find very appealing."

Chichi's words appeased him. He smiled down at her and she blushed.

"That's so sweet," Bulma said low enough so that only Vegeta could hear.

Vegeta's eye twitched. That kind of emotion should only be displayed in the privacy of one's bedchambers, not for anyone to see. Many races took advantage of the bond between Saiyan couples. What better way was there to destroy your enemy than to kill the people that meant the most to him? Severing a Saiyan union was the most effective way for non-Saiyan races to win a war. That was how Vegeta's mother and countless other females had died.

Non-Saiyan war tactics revolved around eliminating Saiyan females. With fewer females, the Saiyans could not reproduce and their numbers dwindled. Even if Vegetasia had not been destroyed, the Saiyan race would have still become extinct. The males had outnumbered the females by a hundred to one. If the females had not died in war, they had died giving birth. They were doomed either way.

The hardships that ended his race made him frown with displeasure.

Other thoughts soon plagued him.

Had he done the right thing by making the human his mate? Would she be strong enough to survive carrying his heir? Kakarott's mate had produced him an heir and survived the ordeal. Perhaps Bulma would carry his seed without any complications.

He relaxed and stared out at the ocean. He was worrying himself over nothing.

The day went on. Gohan built his castle and Kakarott and Krillen made fools of them selves in the water again. Bulma went for a swim with Chichi and Gohan. When she returned to shore, she squeezed some of the water from her hair on to Vegeta's head. Vegeta argued with her briefly but did not put up much of a fight. She convinced him to go swimming with her. He grudgingly went.

"Isn't this nice, Vegeta?"

He grumbled a vague reply.

Bulma swam near him and wrapped her legs around his waist, then leaned back until she was floating on top of the water. Vegeta looked aghast at her precarious position. "What are you doing?"

"I'm using you as an anchor so that I don't float away," she explained.

"An anchor," Vegeta repeated and raised a brow. There were many names on Vegetasia for what she was doing, but he had never heard it called an anchor before.

He placed his hands on her shapely thighs. Surely, she realized that this was considered an open invitation to him. She closed her eyes and let her arms float out on either side of her. Her hair fanned out around her in bright blue tendrils.

His groin stirred.

Her eyes shot open and she stared at him in shock. She had felt his arousal. She removed her legs from him and blushed.

Her sudden shyness amused him.

"Vegeta…" she began but could not continue.

He wondered what she was going to say. She would have swum away had he not caught her and pulled her close to him. Vegeta was just as stunned by his behavior as she was. He released her and mentally chastised himself for his stupidity. What was wrong with him?

"Vegeta-"

"It will not happen again," he told her.

"It w-won't?" she sounded disappointed.

"No."

"Oh."

Vegeta studied her features and noticed the downward tilt of the corners of her mouth. What was she upset about? He had already told her that it would never happen again. If anyone should be angry, it should be him. She was his, damn it, and he could not even touch her! Kuso!

"If you ever get the urge again to hug me, I won't mind. I was just… startled," she said.

"I want to do more than just hug you, woman," he admitted.

"Oh." Her blush spread to her neck. "Well, I understand what you're saying, and I think that we should go home now."

"Now?"

"Now."

"But we've barely done anything-"

"Damn it, Vegeta, I don't have time for your complaints! Either you come home with me now or you go to hell!" Her outburst was unexpected. Vegeta suspected that the woman was still angry at him for taking liberties with her.

His guess was proven wrong when she swam close to him and brushed her lips against his own.

"Now, are we going to go home and talk about this, or are you going to stay out here and gawk at me all day long?"

It was then that he knew that she wanted him too. The attraction between them was palpable. Even the cue ball, Krillen had seen it. Why had it taken so long for Vegeta himself to see it?

Bulma threw him a challenging look and swum back to shore. Vegeta smiled at her open taunt and followed in her wake. It was true; they did have many things to discuss. Perhaps she would finally accept the fact that he had made her his mate.

And, if she should ever ask him again if he enjoyed his day at the beach, he would simply tell her, "Yes. It was most gratifying," and mean it.

The End

Man, Vegeta is such a stud! Did I say that aloud? Sorry! Anyway, tell me what you think, and don't forget to check out my other stories. Just click on my pen name at the top of the page and you are there! ^_^