Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Second Time ❯ Chapter 3

Vegeta opened his eyes. As coherent thought slowly formed into his mind, he felt confused and could not understand why he was lying naked on a hard, cold floor, until he heard Bulma's soft breathing beside him and felt her warm skin against his. Ah, now he remembered. The damned time machine. That his woman… that he wondered why she still had not driven him nuts. Well, at least the incident contained something good. He hadn´t seen her so randy in ages…
Just like the good old times, Vegeta thought as he smiled and reached out to brush a hand on Bulma´s hair.
His hand froze in mid-air.
Bulma´s hair was short again, in that stupid hairstyle that might look good on Trunks or Android 18, but at least in Vegeta´s opinion, made his wife look much older than she really was. She stirred slightly and smiled in her sleep, a slight line present at the corner of her mouth.
She was no longer a girl. So...
He patted his rump. No more tail, just the old, well-known scar. He glanced around, scanning the clothes lying scattered around them. No more orange striped dress, Saiyan battle armor or the rest of the parephenalia they were using as teenagers. Instead, present were the simple house clothes the prince wore when he had entered the lab and a plain, long dress he knew well. The effects of the time machine had lasted just a few hours. Maybe because of the accident or because, despite their young appearance, inwardly they were no longer the teenagers they once had been. Willing or not, people changed along with the times. He was lucky that he had changed for the better.
Shit. Now he would never know if he could have become a Super TeenagerSaiyan. Before Kakarott. Everything because she had pulled his tail and…
…And against his will, Vegeta's mouth curled up into a smile at the thought of what had happened by next.
He shrugged his annoyance off. Feh. Anyway, what good would the experience have done him? As he had said to Bulma, to become a teenage Super Saiyan wouldn´t have made him able to surpass his rival. In addition, although Vegeta never would admit it to himself, very deep down something inside preferred that things remained as they were, in that eternal and now friendly rivalry.
It was better this way. At least he had his power back, and they had enjoyed their temporary youth.
Just at that moment, Bulma stirred a little, finally starting to feelthe coldness of the floor. Her eyes slowly opened and she saw Vegeta standing with his back turned towards her as he got dressed. She smiled, enjoying the view as he put his pants on. Then something made her sit up abruptly and widen her eyes.
"You… you cut your tail again?"
Vegeta stopped buttoning his shirt and turned around. His face was still young, but now he had the features of a man, not a boy´s.
"I'm not a masochist, although to live with you and the brats might give anyone this impression. And, even if I was, I'd prefer to kiss Kakarott's wife than to cut my own tail off."
Bulma gasped and touched her own face, then her short hair. She sighed in dissapointment:
"It was only for a few hours... oh!" the scientist cut herself in the middle of the sentence because she suddenly became conscious of her own nudity. The velocity at which she utilized to gather her clothes and put them on could be registered in the Guinness Book of World Records. Vegeta watched that sudden attack of modesty without any reaction but a slight rise of one eyebrow.
"Well, at least we know it works," Bulma concluded as she smoothed the wrinkles of her long skirt, two pink spots still present on her cheeks "Now I'll just have to figure out how to make the effects permanent and..."
Once again she was cut off in the middle of her speech. shining, blinding ki blast sent her backwards, followed by a rumble that shook the lab walls. After her eyes recovered enough to see anything recognizable, she obseved Vegeta standing with his armextended and the palm of his hand turned towards what was once the time machine. Now it was just a twisted pile of glass and metal, so melted that no one could tell which was one and which was another.
"Nooo!!! What have you done?!" Bulma's shock and outrage were sopalpable that she fell on her knees. Sometimes Vegetawas irritated about her inventions when he thought they were taking her attention away from him, but he never had laid a hand on any of her devices. Although Vegeta never said it aloud, Bulma was quite aware of how much her husband respected and felt proud of her work. She excelled in science as much as Vegeta excelled in fighting. So this act of wanton destruction seemed completely cruel and senseless.
"Why, Vegeta? Why? Didn't you like me as a girl?" she asked, her voice broken and hurt.
Vegeta stood staring the smoking remnants of the machine, not bothering to look at her.
"I couldn't have you risk your life again with this contraption," he said simply.
"To risk my life?" Bulma echoed in outrage. "How many times I have to repeat that-was-an-accident!"
"Don't make a fool of yourself!" Vegeta snarled as he finally turned to face her. "We were lucky we've been turned into teenagers. But, what if we had turned into newborns? What if instead of coming here I had went out to train and something happened to you?"
"Nothing would happen! Don't you trust in my competence?"
Vegeta ignored her last speeches.
"You could have reverted back to childhood... and I'm not a pedophile. Worse, you could get so old till you turned into a mummy and could have been reduced to dust. And if that happened, I couldn't wish you back because you would have died by natural death and left me all alone!" he blurted out before thinking better.
As the implication of his last words made their fast way in his mind, his face slowly went white.
"Err… I mean…" he stuttered uncharacteristically, trying desperately to fix it. "… you would have left me alone to take care of the brats on my own, and that´s not fair!" Vegeta finally exploded, his face already crimson with the vexing situation.
Bulma nodded understandingly, as a tear slid down her face. Vegeta never had admitted so openly how much he cared about her, let alone that he feared to lose her. For Bulma, that was worth far more than her youth or all the inventions she could build. The still ashamed Saiyan, however, noticed the soft expression in her eyes and quickly changed the subject before she opened her mouth and said something sickeningly mushy.
"If you really wanted to get rid from your wrinkles, why didn't you request it from Shen-long?" he demanded, his embarrassment making him sound harsher.
Just as he expected, the change in Bulma´s attitude was instantaneous. The tenderness faded from her eyes and they sparkled in anger, as she tapped her bare foot on the floor.
"Who's got rid of WHAT wrinkles, you boorish ape? I look much younger than any woman of my age! You Saiyans are the freaks…"
Vegeta just gave her that ' who are you trying to deceive' look. Defeated, but never admitting it, she regally crossed her arms.
"All right, all right! Yes, of course I thought about the dragonballs! That´s SOO obvious! But it´s easier talking than doing it. You don't have a company to run and you don't have a husband and a pair of children that can't breathe without my aid! I haven't got the time or health to gather little balls spread all around the world!"
Vegeta´s expression remained unchanged, save by one eyebrow slightly raised.
"And who told you spreaded around the world?" he stated, more than asked.
"What do you mean?"

Instead responding he turned around, yet not before Bulma could notice two famous red spots present on his cheeks. Quickly, she walked towards the nearby metal cabinets, opened one of them and grabbed the dragon radar from its shelf.
And she gasped.

The radar signaled that there were SEVEN dragonballs together...EXACTLY at the place they were standing!

"The dragonballs are here? But how? Where?" she gazed around frantically, as if she expected that the little starred spheres would jump out from a corner of the laboratory.

"In the same place you found the first one."

Bulma stared confusedly at her husband. The same place where she had found the first one? Carefully, she concentrated on her memories of the last time they had used the dragonballs, trying desperately to remember where they had found the first sphere… yet, something whispered into her mind that wasn´t the right answer. She ventured a look at Vegeta. It was enough to make her sure that he wouldn´t give her another hints. Then, the voice whispered into her mind again and she looked back at the melted thing that hours ago had been a machine and made them look like they did so many years ago… It had worked so perfectly that Bulma even had been wearing the same exact clothes she had been when she found Goku for the first time, on the road. When she started that adventure, she never could imagine that a simple discovery in the attic could change her life so much… in one boring, rainy day, when, having nothing better to do, she had went to rummage through the old knickknacks of her family just to find…

"The attic! They are in the attic! But... how... You gathered the dragonballs and hid them up there? Why?"
"They're up there. Does it matter how?" Vegeta snarled, still with his back turned about her. Even the back of his neck was red now.
Bulma smiled tenderly at him. As much as he had changed, Vegeta still hated to be caught doing something good, let alone to admit it.
"You... you 'borrowed' the radar and brought them for me..."she muttered, her voice trembling slightly. "Because you knew...
He growled.
"Don't be so delusional! I...I just caught them because I have done with your ramblings and babblingthat you look like my mother! Getting excuses not to have sex wearing your blasted button-necked nightgown, like Kakarot´s ugly old woman, who probably had her sons through artificial insemination so as not to use the thing between her legs!"
With that, he expected obviously that Bulma would throw another of her tantrums, almost deafening with her screams as usual, but even that was better than the terrible embarrassment that still made his heart race. He expected in vain. After a long moment of silence, the prince ventured a glance over his shoulder. Bulma was staring quietly at him, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Wonderful. Now he really had cocked it up.
"I… I am so sorry. Really."Those atypical words left her lips as she slowly looked down at her bare feet, her voice shaken.
"What?" Vegeta expected to hear anything but that.
" I was very mean to you, wasn´t I?"she started forcefully, that confession obviously costly to her. "It´s not your fault if Saiyans… err… if you still look young and I don´t. But… for a woman that was as beautiful as I used to be, is very hard to admit that age… has come. When I was forty, I was so proud to not look no more than thirty, but now…"
Vegeta impatiently cut off her hesitant explanation.
"What the hell are you babbling about?" he snapped out. Spurred by his rudeness, Bulma´s eyes looked up in rage, loseing their broken expression.
"Don´t make a fool of yourself!" she yelled back. "You know perfectly well what I´m talking about! Here!" she pointed at the first lines in her face "And here! You just said yourself that I havewrinkles ! And even Goku called me old lady!"
"I didn´t… why, kiss my ass! Any woman would have wrinkles , smoking the way you do and applying make up with a trowel!""So you admit it!" She knew that Vegeta hated seeing people cry, but it didn´t matter anymore. He could call her pathetic if he pleased, she no longer gave it damn. Turning around, she raised both hands to cover her face."Go away! Get out here and go get some pretty young girls for you! I know you want it, that´s what all men do. Saiyans or humans, you men are all unsensitive monsters. You may go, I don´t mind."
Vegeta´s eyebrows rose in sudden understanding. Of course. In Earth society, everything was disposable, including people. Men chose a woman and married her swearing eternal love; however, as soon as her grays appeared and breasts started sagging, she was replaced by some girl with fresh beauty and smelling like diapers. Such mentality was easy to understand; after all, Vegeta was also a man, and that kind of behavior wasn´t exclusive of Earthlings. No wonder human females were so obsessed about their appearances. Still, he felt slightly offended that Bulma could think he would do such thing to her.
Vegeta had been born and raised in an universe where the value of a warrior was in his power, not in his appearance. Too many times he had blasted into dust morons that had underestimated him because of his 'pretty face' or because he was 'shorty'. The same way, you can´t measure the value of a mate by how big and firm her breasts were, or how smooth and clean was, free of wrinkles. What about the years of patience, comprehension and complicity you share together? That doesn´t count? Why would he replace his own wife with some empty-headed, no brained little girl that never would know him like Bulma did, that wouldn´t be able to give him scientific support and probably would wince at a simple glare of his?
Vegeta had taken a long time to realize how much Bulma was aging because, as late Mrs. Briefs used to say, the women of their family start showing age very late. Perhaps he had needed to pay much more attention to notice it, if it wasn´t for the changes in Bulma´s behavior. The reality and its implications had been a shock for him. He didn´t knew exactly how long Saiyans lived; they were usually short-lived because of their routine of violence and battles, so he never heard that some Saiyan had died of aging. Also the idea of remaining alive after all his beloved ones had gone was terrifying for this man who had changed so much. That´s why he had secretly gathered the dragonballs, to at least have Bulma at his side a while longer. He was born and lived half part of his life in loneliness. He didn´t want to die alone, too.
But how could he tell all that to his whiny, moronic wife? How to make her understand without looking a fool and damaging his pride?
Then, a crazy ideathrough his mind.
"Do you like green apples?" he asked, the question practically leaving his mouth by itself.
"What?" Bulma raised her head in confusion and shock. Vegeta himself almost couldn´t believe that he had said that, for he felt like Kakarot was talking though his mouth. Too much influence, he thought. But he hadn´t gotten any better ideas.
"I hate green apples," he added alsoin. "They´re hard, acidic and tasteless."
"What in the world are you talking about?" she blurted out in annoyance. Ignoring her, Vegeta carried on.
"There are tasty exceptions, I admit," he smirked slightly. "like the apple I just ate an hour ago. But they never have the same taste as a mature fruit does."
Bulma frowned a bit. She finally
"Are you calling me apple?" she snapped defensively.
"Hm… a pear would be more fitting. Earth fruits are delicious… but there´s something annoying about them.""And what is it?" she folded her arms and rolled her eyes.
"You have to peel the skin off them eating."
Bulma felt a strange cold breeze brushing her legs as she heard the sound of something being torn off. She looked at Vegeta: apparently he hadn't moved from his place, but from his hand there dangled a long of cloth that looked strangely familiar.
"Much better. I had almost forgotten that you have legs," he said, grinning mischievously.
Bulma looked down and gasped in shock. Her skirt, that reached her ankles now was above her thighs, barely covering her still firm backside.
"Aah!" she yelled and pulled the dress down. "What did you just do, you pevert? Allrighgt, this dress is not new or I wouldn´t use it in the lab, but it was expensive!"
"No wonder, with the amount of cloth it took. Only the skirt is enough to build a tent! Let's continue?"
"No! Wait..."she started, but RIIIIP!!! Vegeta already had torn off the sleeves.
"Stop! Please stop that!"she searched for shelter behind a chair, but Vegeta appeared behind and tore off in two what was left of her dress. Bulma was now wearing aslip, bra and panties. She angrily pounded on his chest:
"You... you bastard! Perverted! Hadn't you enough before? "Bulma clutched at his shirt in her anger, before she could notice what she was doing. Riiipp!! She found herself holding the front part of his shirt.
Vegeta looked like the Incredible Hulk, the remanents of his shirt hanging from his shoulder, a grin of pure amusement on his face. He snickered as he shrugged off the tatters and gave a step forward.
"That was impressive, woman. I thought you have forgotten this sort of stuff. Let me help you." With that, he tore off his own pants to stand in front of her wearing only a pair of underwear.
Bulma backed away, clutching her hands at her baby-doll.
"No... Don't you dare to rip anything else off, are you listening?I´ll call the police!"
Vegeta´s ample forehead wrinkled as hefrowned, his patience definitely finished.

"I had enough of that!" he burst out. "What else do I have to do to prove it to you? Your skull is even thicker than Kakarot´s! What´s good into looking younger if deepyou remain as chaste as anold nun? I thought I could get my wife back like she was before, but nowI see that I´m wrong."With that, he whirled around and stomped towards the door.

Bulma´s cheeks drained of all blood at this lecture. Then, as quickly as it had gone, the blood went back to colour them in red. Vegeta´s lecture had crashed down on her like a bomb, but what really marked her attention was that 'for you'. Hurrying forward, she could reach Vegeta before he went through the door and touched his shoulder.

"Huh... you didn´t understand me. I wasn´t pushing you away. It´s just..."

Vegeta stopped at her touch, but didn´t look at her. Still, she could see he spied her through the corner of his eye, awaiting the repost. Forcing a smile, she struggled to continue.

"Well... uh...since you gathered the spheres, shouldn´t we summon Shen-long at first? To make me more... presentable?" she finished with a wink.

Vegeta stared at her for a long moment over his shoulder, like he was considering if he should stay or go. Finally, he turned around and towards her, his face unexpressive.

"I´m not going to have Shen-long seeing what belongs only to me," he stated, staring at her curves under the see-through piece of silk, before turning his head to look at a spot on the floor, where a stain of dry blood was visible.

It was a quick glance, but it was enough to demolish all the rest of the woman´s resistance. She didn´t complain when Vegeta tugged the slip to pull her towards him, almost tearing the delicate silk. For her surprise, he didn´t tear the piece of cloth off, just untied the laces that kept it hanging on her shoulders. The baby-doll smoothly slid from her body to land silently at her feet, sending a shiver through her spine, and Bulma wrapped her arms on Vegeta´s shoulder. She tensed a bit when he removed her bra, but soon forgot all her uncomfortableness when he bent and kissed her nipple, cupping a breast still firm, even if not like a girl´s .

As he slid off her panties, she took advantage of the opportunity to slip a hand into his underwear and tease a very well known spot she liked so much.
"Hmm...muuch better than that long tail… I couldn´t lick it so well."
She felt Vegeta tensing in her arms and something hard brushing her thigh almost immediately. Both stepped back to look down, already knowing what they would see. They glanced up to meet each other´s eyes and smiled.
"Do you really believe that an old woman would make me hard like this?" Vegeta asked.
As respost, Bulma just made "hmm"and reached out to grab the hem of his underwear. With a quick, move, she yanked and tore it off, freeing Vegeta´s erection and leaving him completely naked.
The Saiyan prince stood gaping at her for a moment, as he didn´t believe he finally had his old Bulma back, just the way she used to be. Then, in a swift gesture, he took her in his arms and they rushed out of the laboratory, both naked and blissful, leaving tattered clothes, shames, uncertainties and unjustified jealousies, along with a pile of melted metal.

EPILOGUE

Many, many hours later...

Tiptoeing, Bulma entered the room and smiled lovingly at the man sleeping on their bed. The sheet had been pushed aside, exposing completely the sculpted body that could belong to a Greek god, if his legs weren´t a little short for the Greek standards. For Bulma, however, he was the her own Beauty incarnated.
Shrugging off her robe, she stood naked in front of the mirror of her wardrobe. Happily, she slightly shook her head, making her now long again hair wave, and admiring her curves and her fresh, smooth wrinkle-free skin. No girl, no old lady. She was aged 21 now.
All right, to know how much she was loved and still desired even when a mere girl of fifteen was a gift. But… she couldn´t waste those dragonballs after Vegeta had troubled himself to get them, could she?
As silently as possible, she sneaked towards the bed, and laid besides her loving husband, pulling the sheet over them carefully.
"I know you´re sick of hearing me say this, but I love you so, so much…" she whispered to herself, before falling asleep.
A slow smile tugged at the corners of Vegeta´s mouth. As slowly and carefully as Bulma had done before, he reached out and pulled her sleeping body towards him, until she lay against his chest.
Trunks and Bra wouldn´t come back until Monday. He and Bulma would have a great Sunday together.


The End.