Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unnatural ❯ Chapter 5: Let me in ( Chapter 5 )

AN: So, my last chapter was a little short and I apologize, and as promised, I made this chapter longer! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to post this chapter, these past few days haven't been so great, and I received some news that's possibly going to affect my future in the not-so-good way… Both of my parents are losing their jobs (they're divorced) and my insurance is through my dad's, so bye-bye insurance, bye-bye free college tuition… :*-( But no fear! Things will work out! So I keep telling myself!

To answer some questions: My “social network” is just something I call my new website :p Unfortunately, it's nothing like facebook, twitter, or myspace, however, you can update blogs, create a thread in a forum, and whatnot, so it's kind of like a social network. I created it for other DBZ loving fans, but it's not exactly strictly DBZ based (in the forum it isn't, but the site itself is based around DBZ), that just happens to be one of my favorite Anime's, lol! So I hoped that answered your question. It's completely free to join, the link is my homepage on my profile, it's still being worked on, but I encourage people to join! Again for the link (It's on my profile, but I'll put it here, two people already joined!)

throughthelookingglass (dot) spruz (dot) com

REVIEW THANKS TO: TheGlassAndEmberRing, elleelle, Jaylee-Rebel, Sasse1892, Roguereader, caityuva12, Supersaiyan2479, LoveLikeARazor

DISCLAIMER: No DBZ ownage for me… *cries in a corner*

WARNING: This story is Rated M for sexual content, adult themes and language. If you are offended by sexual themes or any reference to sex, adult themes, or the use of profane language; this story is not for you! You have been warned!

…And onto the story…

Through the Looking Glass Book I: Unnatural

Chapter 5: Let me in

Things became harder for Bulma since the tension lessoned. She had imagined the opposite; thinking that once the tension began to dissipate, she would be able to think clearer. That wasn't the case. Not only did it become harder to separate her thoughts of the prince, but it also became more difficult to understand the feelings she was experiencing towards him too… She was coming to find that she cared for him on a level that was beginning to frighten her.

Ever since she cooked for them, things between the two of them returned to normal. Normal? Nothing about them was normal. He demanded whatever it was he needed from her and she would retort in a sarcastic tone, causing an outright verbal battle—in a way. But this was as close to normal as it would get for the two. Their normal verbal battles use to be fierce and could be carried on for at least a good twenty minutes till one of them either won or just walked away out of sheer frustration. As of recently, it became a passing of few words. So, normal? In Vegeta's mind, yes, things were normal. In Bulma's mind, something was off.

Neither of them talked about their lust-filled encounter or the small—as Bulma began to call it—bonding moment they had in the kitchen. She wasn't entirely sure what was going through his head; if he was as confused as her or if he really was as emotionless as he put off. But Bulma was sure there was more to the alien prince then he let on. That there was something deep, buried away inside him, just waiting to be unlocked by the right key. She knew he was hard headed and that, if she tried to get close, he would just pull even further away. But that was what she was beginning to want. To be close to him, to become something special instead of being looked at like a servant to do his dirty work and be dismissed when he didn't need her. That wasn't what she neither wanted nor felt she deserved.

But then again, she had to remind herself that he was raised entirely different from her. One, he was a prince of a nearly dead race and looked down on all creatures like they were below him. Two, he was raised by a tyrant. She had no idea what happened to him while he was under Frieza's command, but she saw the scars that marred his muscular body and knew they all weren't from purging planets and fighting fierce battles. Bulma knew there was an even darker side to Vegeta than the one she witnessed on Planet Namek; just thinking about it would cause shivers to run up her spine in both fear and excitement. He was a mysterious man with a dark past and a lot of passion.

Though he didn't want to let anyone close to him, for just a short time, she was able to see a side to him that she had thought never existed. She was able to experience a small amount of passion he held. It was something she wanted to experience again. But how? How would she be able to invoke a reaction from him like she was able to the night they almost shared each other?

Bulma drummed her fingertips on the counter of the kitchen as she watched the lights flashing from the GR. It was only two days since she cooked for him and since, he locked himself up in the simulator and cranked up his training. Last night, she waited up in her room to see how late he was training, and when she heard the door slam, she glanced at the red digits of the clock next to her bed. It read a quarter past three in the morning. Over three hours past the normal time he would quit.

She knew something was bothering him, but it was just a feeling. He acted normal, he ate normally, he demanded from her normally. But the look in his eyes told her something was off. She felt it every time he was around her. Bulma wanted to approach him about it, but her stomach would tie in knots whenever she was about to do so. When she called him for dinner the other night, she was surprised to find him walking with a slight slouch to his posture. And when his eyes met hers from across the table, she nearly gasped with shock. They looked so defeated. But as soon as the look was there, it was gone, replaced with a severe scowl.

Turning away from the window, Bulma opened the fridge and began to prepare lunch. She knew his daily routine pretty well; wake up at five, train, demand breakfast, train, eat lunch, train, eat dinner, train, and then train some more, normally till midnight. But the last two nights, he trained till three in the morning. So, his routine was nearly normal.

It was nearing his break for lunch, and Bulma sensed that he was in a foul mood. She wanted to stay on his good side and have lunch ready for him before he came into the compound to search her out for his meal. The food was on the stove cooking when he came barging through the doorway to the kitchen, on the prowl for his food. But he stopped abruptly when he saw Bulma at the stove flipping and stirring away, his words dying on the edge of his tongue at the sight of her. Bulma turned her head to the side to glance his way, and when she did so, his stance straightened, and his arms crossed. She smiled softly at him and he turned to sit at the kitchen table.

The meal didn't take long to finish, before she sat it down on the table in front of him. “Here, I thought I'd be nice and make you lunch without you having to ask…” She said softly, almost teasingly, as she sat down next to him. He grunted and began to pile food onto his plate and ate in silence, Bulma doing the same.

No one said a word, although Bulma wanted to approach the subject of his behavior again, and the moment she opened her mouth, her stomach began to tie in knots, causing her to push her food away and lean back in her chair. Vegeta paid her no attention as he devoured his meal with a quick pace and before Bulma knew it, he left the table to return to the GR, not once glancing in her direction.

She wasn't entirely surprised. This was how he acted for the last two days. Come in, eat, occasional small talk, glare, leave. However, tonight, there was no small talk, there was no argument, and Bulma was beginning to miss their daily banter. Their arguments were now few and far between, which supported her theory that something was wrong with Vegeta.

Bulma turned back to her abandoned meal and began to eat slowly, mulling over her thoughts. Ugh… Talk to him… Don't talk to him… I hate my stupid feelings! She took another bite and stared at her plate as she continued to have a conversation with herself. Why does he have to be so difficult to read? Why do I have to be so emotional? Stupid Bulma… Bulma, again, took another bite, this time, chewing her food roughly as her thoughts turned to anger. Stupid Vegeta! Stupid feelings… Why do I care? He made me care! Ugh! Throwing her fork down on the table, Bulma gave up on her breakfast, her appetite ruined.

She glanced down the table to see his plate was still there and she frowned. Bastard! First he makes me have feelings for him, now he can't clean up after himself! Stupid Prince! Standing up, Bulma gathered the many plates from the table, carried them to the sink in the kitchen, and turned the water on. As she began to wash the dishes, she took a glance out the window at the GR, the flashing lights coming out in a quick and steady pace, indicating the high levels of the gravity being used. She scrubbed at one particular plate rather rough. I hate this! Why is it so hard? It was never this hard with Yamcha! I could read him like a damn book, that kid was so predictable!

As Bulma finished each plate, she threw them into the drainer with force, nearly breaking a few plates, but she didn't care. I hate men! I should just go lesbian! At least women have a little bit more consider— she snapped out of her thoughts by a few knocks at the front door. Her frown immediately turned into a scowl. Who the hell is that! How dare they interrupt me! I'm thinking here! Wiping her hands dry with a kitchen towel, she made her way to the front door and opened it wide, determined to give this stranger a piece of her mind. Without taking a look at the person's face, she opened her mouth to speak. “What!” she screeched.

The mysterious person chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Having a bad day, babe?”

Blinking, Bulma lifted her eyes and met the amusement ones of Yamcha. Her tense form softened and she straightened her stance. “Oh, hey Yamcha…”

Yamcha chuckled. “A bit stressed?”

Bulma smirked sheepishly. “Maybe a little…” She let out a breath, leaned against the door, and eyed him. “So, what are you doing here?”

He shrugged, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his black leather jacket. “It's a beautiful day; I had nothing to do, and thought that maybe you might want to hang out.” He shuffled from one foot to the other and it took Bulma a moment to realize they were still standing in the doorway. Again, she smiled, and stepped aside, inviting him in.

“Sure, just let me go change real quick,” she said as she shut the door. Yamcha nodded and sat on the couch, watching as she made her way to the steps until she disappeared from his line of sight.

He rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants, and then folded his arms across his chest. Even though they were broken up, he still had feelings for his ex. He still loved her and felt a small sadness that he allowed for her to slip through his hands, but now, it was nearly three months later since their break up, and he had already told her that if he couldn't have her as a lover, he'd keep her as a friend. But in the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't that easy. He still wanted to pursue her, to see if there was a chance they would ever get back together. They've broken up before plenty of times and always got back together. He didn't see this any different. But he was going to tread lightly for her sake, unlike every other time.

Ten minutes flew past and Yamcha was flipping through a magazine that was on the coffee table; no doubt one of Bunny's, until he felt a spike in a ki signature that he registered as Vegeta's. Something was wrong… Yamcha stiffened when he heard a growl near the door and he lifted his head to see Vegeta's tense form standing several feet away from him, his arms crossed, his lips peeled back in what looked like a snarl, and Yamcha gulped. What the hell pissed him off?

“Vegeta…?” He asked hesitantly.

“What the fuck are you doing here, weakling!”

Yamcha winced, but stood and crossed his arms defensively. “Not that it's any of your business, but I invited Bulma out.”

Vegeta scoffed. “Is that so?” He asked mockingly as he sized Yamcha up. Part of him didn't believe that was all he was here for. Just a day out with a friend. No, that wasn't how Yamcha was. Vegeta could always smell the many scents of women on him and immediately, it invoked a reaction of pure rage and disgust. Didn't humans have any pride and respect? Apparently not! He knew that Yamcha wasn't faithful, what he didn't know was if Bulma knew about his indiscretions. He guessed no. But it was none of his business. Vegeta just found moments between them rather entertaining… But only a few.

Yamcha took a deep breath and began to count to ten in his head. He never liked Vegeta; he had his reasons. Yes, jealousy was one of them. He hated how much Bulma would waste her time on him. He knew she thought about him often, but it was more than enough to make him both uncomfortable and jealous. He never understood why she took him into her home in the first place. It was something that baffled him and the day he showed up was the day their relationship began to crumble. So, yes, he blamed Vegeta one hundred percent. At first, he partially blamed himself for losing Bulma, but being taunted by Vegeta made Yamcha want to win her back even more.

Shaking his head, Yamcha sat back down on the couch, deciding to wait for Bulma and ignore the annoying Saiya-jin no Ouji before him. Vegeta raised a brow at his actions, then shrugged and walked off towards the stairs.

During this, Bulma was in her room messing with her hair. The weather outside was warm and sunny, and she hadn't been in public in a while, so she wanted to look good. Not once did the possibility of Vegeta and Yamcha clashing. She figured that Vegeta would hole himself up in the simulator till dinner, which wasn't for another few hours. They had just eaten lunch, so there was no reason for him to come into the compound.

Bulma winced when her door flew up, slamming against the opposite wall, and she turned to see Vegeta strut into her room. She sighed. Kami was really against her. Bulma turned away from him to face her vanity mirror to mess with her hair again. “What did you do?”

Vegeta stopped a few feet behind her and she had a clear view of him through the mirror.

He looked neutral.

That was odd…

“The weakling is in the living quarters, I demand he be removed from the property at once!”

Bulma rolled her eyes at his outburst. Of course. It was Yamcha. His face displayed no emotions, but the sound of his voice suggested he was perturbed. She knew they had their problems with each other, she just couldn't understand why they did. It was one of the reasons why she ended her relationship with him.

“Don't worry, Vegeta, he's not staying long. We're going out.”

“Out where?”

“I don't know.”

“When will you be back?”

“I don't know.”

“What about dinner?”

After putting her hair in a bun, Bulma flung her arms out exasperatedly. “I don't know! For once, you worry about cooking tonight! It's a nice day; I'm going out with a friend!” She yelled. “You should think about doing something similar. All you do is train, why not take a break and enjoy the sun?”

Vegeta scoffed and chuckled. “Sure, I'll ignore my training, and then when the androids come, I'll have them explain to you why they were able to defeat me as they kill you.” He said sarcastically.

Bulma cracked her neck and turned around to face him. “One day away from training won't hurt. Come for a walk with us?” When all he did was stare emptily at her, she rolled her eyes. “Oh, I forgot, you two don't like each other… Kami knows why…” She muttered sardonically.

Again, Bulma turned her back to Vegeta as she began to apply light makeup to her face and when she reached for her favorite perfume, Vegeta's tanned hand stopped her. She turned her head to the side and noticed the proximity between her and Vegeta. At first, he was standing five feet behind her, now, he was more than a few inches from her. What's going on with him?

She watched as he took the perfume bottle from her and raised it to his nose, then scrunched it up and sat it back down. Bulma's eyes narrowed curiously. “What? You don't like it?”

Her eyes widened as he leaned closer to her, his nose barely brushing against the outer shell of her ear. She could feel his hot breath against the nape of her neck and it sent chills down her spine. One moment, her mind was racing, but at his nearness, her mind went blank. She heard him inhale deeply and then he pulled away slowly.

“Don't wear it again,” was all he said as he left the room.

Bulma opened her eyes and blinked.

What the hell…?

oOo

Bulma couldn't make any sense out of Vegeta's behavior. She stood in the same place for another five minutes in shock, before she remembered that Yamcha was waiting for her. His actions in her room just added to her theory that something was indeed bothering him, but she couldn't approach him about it. She compared this situation to thin glass. It was fragile and could break at any moment if not handled correctly. So, she waited for the right time to approach him. She would treat him like that fragile piece of thin glass.

She was brought out of her thoughts by her name being called.

“Hey, Bulma…? Hello!”

Her head snapped up. “What?”

Yamcha chuckled. “Penny for your thoughts? You were pretty far away there.”

Bulma shook her head and smiled. She knew better than to bring her problems up about Vegeta with Yamcha. It would just create more problems. Instead, she fibbed. “I'm just a little stressed. I needed to get out.”

They were now walking in the park by the water. It was a clear day with hardly a cloud in the sky and the sun was creating glitter effects on the surface of the water. Yamcha could sense something else entirely was on Bulma's mind.

Bulma pushed her issues to the furthest part of her mind and let out a long breath, trying to release the tension in her shoulders. It was a beautiful day, after all. Why should she let go to waste? She turned to Yamcha and smirked. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”

He nodded. “No problem! I figured someone as busy as you needed a day off every once in a while,” he said with a smile. Then he inhaled deeply before glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “You know if you ever need someone to talk too…” He trailed off, leaving the offer open.

Bulma turned her head away and watched as the sun's rays played over the water. “It's not something you'll want to hear. Don't worry.”

Yamcha shook his head. “Alright… But just so you know, I'm here.” When all she did was nod, he frowned. “Why do you act so brave and tough?”

She snapped her head in his direction, her eyes widening. “Excuse me?”

He winced. “I didn't mean it how it sounded!” He exclaimed defensively, holding his hands up.

“Then what did you mean?”

“Just… Kami…” Yamcha rubbed the back of his neck and he walked a few paces a head of her before turning around. “I know how he's making you feel! I can read it all over your face! Something is bothering you and I'm willing to bet my bottom dollar that it has something if everything to do with Vegeta!”

Bulma narrowed her eyes and muttered, “Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?”

“I know I don't have a lot of room to talk, babe, but I don't like how he treats yo—“

Running her hands over her face and through her hair, Bulma interrupted him. “Yamcha! Just stop!” He quickly snapped his mouth shut. “This has absolutely nothing to do with you! I can take care of myself.”

Yamcha nodded and his arms fell to his sides. “Alright.” He stepped next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. “I'm sorry. I'm an ass…”

She stiffened somewhat at his gesture, but allowed it. “You're not an ass… Well, you can be, but I know you're doing this because you care.” She said slowly.

After that short squabble, they walked in silence, his arm still around her shoulders.

Throughout their walk, Yamcha couldn't help but feel a bit of resentment towards Vegeta. That was a new feeling. When he first moved in, Yamcha just didn't like the alien, but now, he could see changes in Bulma; he wasn't sure whether that was good or bad, but he knew he resented Vegeta, because it was because of him that she was going through this. A part of Yamcha wanted Bulma to fawn over him like she use to, but it wasn't like that anymore. He had to accept it.

He saw her moving on and it caused him to panic.

If he wanted things to progress between him and Bulma, he'd have to move fast.

oOo

Vegeta sat in the GR, fuming. He couldn't understand why the onna left with that weakling. Humans had no sense of respect and dignity. He could still smell the lingering scent of women on the fool and it filled Vegeta with disgust. Yes, Vegeta had been with women before, but there was something called mates. And if he was correct, Yamcha was Bulma's mate. In his culture, you never turn your back on your mate. An unfaithful mate was shunned in his culture; many of them were killed for their behavior.

He shook his head and left the GR. He had wasted enough time thinking about the onna and what she was possibly doing. She had been on his mind too often and something had to be done about it. Vegeta slammed the door shut to the kitchen and began to rummage through the fridge for a bottle of water. Shortly after Bulma left, he returned to his training only to have his mind wander to what was possibly going on between the two. But after that thought crossed his mind, he decided that it was none of his business; that he couldn't care less what she did and who she did it with.

Yet, he was having trouble ignoring that small voice in the back of his mind that constantly whispered liar.

Now, his mind was against him!

He slammed the door to the fridge shut and turned around, flipping the lid off the bottle, and began to chug its remnants. He nearly choked when he saw Bulma standing behind the island counter. When the hell did she get there?

Why didn't I sense her? Damn wench!

She was just setting her keys down on the counter, avoiding his eye contact. The walk was almost relaxing. But nothing could chase her thoughts of Vegeta away. Not even Yamcha. Though he tried… after he brought it up. Why must he be an idiot?

She took a chanced glance at Vegeta and found him staring back at her. She felt nervous all over again. Knowing there was nothing she could do to talk to him; she turned and began to walk away, feeling Vegeta's intense stare burn a hole in the back of her head.

Vegeta watched her walk away before turning his head away to finish his drink. Crushing the bottle in one hand, he tossed it into the trash and walked out of the compound towards the GR. He half expected Bulma to say something to him, but when she said nothing, he was surprised. What did he expect her to say anyway?

He really was wasting too much time thinking about her.

oOo

Nightfall came too quickly and dinner past uneventfully. Vegeta didn't show. Bulma wasn't entirely surprised. She sat alone at the table and ate while occasionally glancing towards the window in the kitchen to see the flashing lights from the GR. He was training way too hard. She knew he was determined, but there was a fine line between determination and suicide. She couldn't help but be worried about his habits, but what could she do? Convince him to take it slow? That's laughable!

She carried her empty plate to the sink and proceeded to put the leftovers away incase Vegeta came in demanding food. She wasn't entirely in the mood to deal with his demanding nature. Her little walk with Yamcha took a lot out of her.

Clicking her tongue, Bulma decided that tonight, she wanted to be lazy. Walking to a keypad near the entrance of the kitchen, she called for a bot to come and clean the mess before leaving the kitchen to take a long shower. Upon reaching her bedroom, she immediately undressed, leaving a trail of clothes behind her as she made her way to her shower. She turned the knob on and climbed in, adjusting the temperature, and rested her hands on the tiles of the shower.

Yamcha gave her quite a bit to think about. Yes, Vegeta didn't treat her with the kindness she deserved, but it was Vegeta. He was born a prince, raised a warrior—and evil—but she saw good in his heart. She didn't care what others saw or thought. She knew he changed.

After allowing the water to run along her body for a short time, she reached for her strawberry shampoo and proceeded to wash her hair. There was a huge difference between Yamcha and Vegeta. Yamcha, though it still pained her to think about, was the past. She still couldn't figure out what Vegeta was, but she didn't mind finding out. In her mind, Vegeta was a challenge, a puzzle that she desperately wanted to piece together. She already knew everything about Yamcha, and after they dated for so long, society changed him, molded him into something she couldn't even recognize anymore. Once upon a time, he was the Desert Bandit, a thief, a man filled with adventure and excitement. Now, he was just like everyone else. He wasn't as exciting as before.

Bulma was the type of girl who yearned for that excitement in life, who needed the adventure. It was the sole reason why she became a scientist. Taking things apart just to figure out how they function was exciting, interesting, and there was so much in the world—the universe—that she had yet to learn. To say she became bored with Yamcha… it was part of it. He was an adventure she would never regret, but that adventure came to an end.

But Vegeta… Just thinking about him caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach.

Bulma finished her shower and began to dry off.

She had to get herself under control.

oOo

It was around midnight and Bulma was still awake. She waited in her room for the door to slam to the compound, and when it didn't, she took a peek out of her balcony windows to see the GR lights were off. That's odd…

Leaning against the wall, she glanced across the lawn, searching for his figure. Maybe he's training in the wild?

Shrugging, Bulma left her room. After all the stress she had endured, she was in need of a good drink. Opening the fridge, she pushed aside that night's dinner to grab herself a beer. It had been a while since she had one, the last time being the night she and Yamcha broke up. Cracking the bottle open, she took a cautious sip and walked outside. Tilting her head back, she watched as the stars twinkle and shown, each with their own brightness.

Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye and she snapped her head in that direction, only to see Vegeta sitting in the grass Indian style, his hands resting on his thighs. She frowned and began to walk slowly towards him, before sitting behind him, setting her beer in the grass and wrapped her arms around her knees.

“Go away, onna. You're distracting me from my training.”

She smiled. “Training? It looks like your just sitting to me,” she replied teasingly.

He scoffed and opened his previously closed eyes to glance back at her. “It's called meditating, you imbecile. Now leave me be.” He looked straight and closed his eyes again.

Bulma sighed. “I thought you could've used some company, you looked lonely…” Again, her stomach began to tie in knots when she was reminded of his behavior. She eyed his tense form and before he could reply to her last statement, she added, “You've been acting rather strange, lately, Vegeta.”

His back stiffened. “How so?” He asked gruffly.

Swallowing, she took a breath. “You're acting like something's been bothering you…”

He chuckled darkly. “Don't be foolish, onna, nothing bothers me… Except you and that infuriating woman you call a mother.”

From his tensed form, Bulma knew she was right, no matter how much he was going to deny what she was going to say.

“If I'm such a bothersome, how come you're not acting like you normally would; arguing with me, yelling at me, calling me names…?” Then hesitantly, she whispered, “I'm worried about you, Vegeta.”

His eyes snapped open and he stared straight ahead. Worried? About him? Why? No one has ever cared what happened to him; sometimes he didn't even care what happened to him. So, why did she? He didn't reply to her. He didn't know what to say. Something was bothering him, but he didn't need to talk about it, let alone with her. He wasn't the talking type. He was able to get through this before by himself, now wasn't any different.

Vegeta was hoping Bulma was going to give up when he didn't say anything, but he should've known better. She was as stubborn as him and giving up wasn't in her vocabulary.

“I'm here if you want to talk, you know…” She said softly, reassuringly.

Vegeta sighed and lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in agitation.

“Onna…” he said warningly, nearly growling.

Bulma nodded to herself. Fine. If he wasn't going to talk, then she was going to sit here and be a constant to his presence.

When she stopped talking, he nearly relaxed, but the fact that she didn't leave was what kept him tense. Instead, he tiled his head back and searched the sky for that star. The star that constantly haunted him. When he finally found it, his eyes never wavered away from it. There it was shining bright with a glow so intense Vegeta could almost feel it in himself. When Bulma noticed his attention was elsewhere, she followed his line of sight to the sky, searching for what caught his attention so easily. She wasn't able to find it, but Bulma had a good inkling at what he was looking for.

A star. Not any star… His home planet. Realization struck with a force and her eyes began to glisten with the wetness of unshed tears. She looked back at the man sitting before her and felt her heart ache for him. What it must've been like for him… I can't even imagine…

She sat there and waited for him to speak. Bulma began to scoot closer to the prince until she was sitting right behind him. When he didn't respond to her movement or tense up, she concluded that he was deep in thought. She sat there and waited another few minutes and when she was about to place a hand on his arm, his voice stopped her. “You humans know nothing of the horrors that take place out there…” he said quietly, so quietly that she had to lean forward just to listen. “Peace doesn't exist.”

When he didn't say anything after that, Bulma finally reached out and placed a hand on his arm. He stiffened under her touch and shook his head, shrugging her hand off. “Don't presume you can touch me just because I allow you to be in my presence, onna!”

Bulma rolled her eyes. “You don't have to always act tough.”

“What do you know? You don't even know the things I've been through!” He bellowed and his lips peeled back in a snarl.

Bulma frowned. “Because you won't even talk! You're a hard shell that carries the weight of an entire race on your shoulders! It's not a weakness to confide in someone, Vegeta.” When Vegeta opened his mouth to deny her statement, Bulma interrupted him, her voice fierce and determined. “You are a proud warrior prince of a strong race, Vegeta! You don't have to keep telling me that, because I know! But you are all alone and that has got to be eating at you. I can see it! It will—“

“Onna, if you value your life, you will stop talking immediately.” He said calmly. When her mouth snapped shut against her will, he let out a breath, and then tilted his head back to stare at the star that was once his home planet. After a few minutes of silence, and without turning away from the star, he said, “This will be a one time opportunity and it will not be repeated again. If you interrupt, that's it. Understand?”

Bulma's eyes widened at the offer. Was he really going to open up to her? This had to be a dream! She pinched herself as reassurance, only to feel the slight tingle of pain from the slight pinch in her arm. Finally she turned back to him and nodded. “Okay… No interruptions got it!”

Vegeta's back straightened as he continued to stare at the star above. “Twenty-five years ago, to this day in your earth time, my home planet was destroyed… And for years, I was led to believe that a meteor was what destroyed my race.” His fists began to clench. Again, he was silent as he watched his home planets light twinkle in the night sky. Then he whispered, “I barely remember what it looks like now.”

So that was what was bothering him! Bulma glanced up at the sky, her heart breaking for the already broken prince.

He must be homesick…

She knew he wasn't going to reveal much, but the fact that he even told her this much was saying something! It didn't bother Bulma anymore when he didn't continue, but she saw how tightly clenched his fist was. She inched her way forward and placed her hand atop of his clenched one, rubbing it with her thumb gently, reassuringly. He flinched at the contact, but allowed it briefly. Then he pulled away and cleared his throat, his scowl returning to his face.

“Do not pity me, onna, I will not tolerate it!”

Then, he stood and stomped into the compound, leaving her out in the cool night air. Bulma couldn't help but smile. That was the Vegeta she knew. She glanced back at the sky and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She couldn't even imagine what it would be like if Earth was destroyed. She had trouble even digesting the little information Vegeta provided her. All of his family was killed by a power-obsessed freak and he grew up believing otherwise. She knew there was more to what was bothering him than what he was letting on, but the fact that he opened up just a little was enough. Her stomach tied in knots again, but for entirely different reasons.

She didn't return to the compound until the sun began to rise and the star disappeared from her sight.

oOo

…TBC…

Ahh… Poor Vegeta… I want to run and give him a big hug, but I'll probably be put through the wall for it. *shrugs* It'd be worth it!

Well, as promised, it is much longer! I hope you liked it!

PLEASE JOIN MY SITE! I need recruits, lol! I also need site moderators… Hmm…

Until next time, my lovelies!

Crystal