3 Years in the Making

\"Kick, step-step, kick! Come on ladies! Get those legs in the air!\" The T.V. speakers screamed.

Bulma had her hair tied back into a ponytail that swayed with her movements. She wore her favorite workout get-up. Blue jogging shorts and top with black design sewn on the sides of the clothing. She was sweaty and growing tired, it was becoming harder and harder to stay in beat with the video, her muscles strained and were beginning to cramp up. She had been doing this for the last hour and a half. Longer than she had ever gone before!

She stopped and finally gave in to her bodies exhaustion. Panting she shut the TV off and patted herself down with a towel. Exercise always helped her clear her mind and get her in a good mood and it had once again proved itself. A shower sounded good right about now, and Bulma couldn\'t-wouldn\'t- find an excuse not to enjoy that idea; so she made her way to her bedroom.

She walked by Vegeta\'s door, the room he never used, and stopped for a moment. It had been four days since Vegeta\'s latest accident and Bulma was still in the earliest stages of creating a GR. Something she knew Vegeta was bound to notice. Where had he run off to anyways? After he recovered he had taken off to God only knows where. It was the same cycle over and over. She NEEDED to find a way to keep the GR in one piece, for good. And she was determined to make this next GR do just that! With a sigh she kept walking, she needed that shower. Finally she came up to the double doors that marked her territory. Her room.

\"It\'s about time you finished, woman.\" And just as she was about to finish her night on a good note, Vegeta had decided to pop in. His voice, how it was dreading, was sexy. Gruff but powerful. She whirled around to face him, he was really good at sneaking up on her. But by this time, after about four months of living together, she had grown accustomed to it.

\"What is it now, Vegeta?\" Her voice was flat and annoyed, that\'s how she always replied during these times. She placed her hands on her hips waiting for his reply.

\"Only to mention how poor your form is and ask how much longer until the GR is up and running.\" He had such a way with words… note sarcasm here.

\"Vegeta...\" his eyebrow cocked up in that \'what\' manner. \"First. Why in all of hell are you watching ME do my workout, are you some kind of freaky peeping tom! Getting your jollies off while watching me try to keep my body this gorgeous! It would only seem to fit you perfectly and secondly… Fuck off. The GR will be ready when I decide to finish it.\" And with that she slammed the door in his face.

With a satisfied smile Bulma walked over to the foot of her bed. She couldn\'t believe she had just done that and had gotten away with it. She grinned and started to unzip her top.

The woman could be annoying at times, which was most of the time. But no one and he meant no one could EVER slam a door in HIS face. Vegeta had to make a decision, walk away and fume about it, letting the girl get away with this allowing her to only do it again. OR, break in there and scare her into submission. The later was the better option. With one swift kick the door broke and flew of its hinges. It had landed merely inches from where she was standing.

\"VEGETA! WHAT ARE YOU-\" He moved too fast for her to follow. For all she could tell, he had been there by the door and was now pinning her to the wall.
The scent, her scent filled his nostrils. He noticed that he had caught her in slight disarray. Her shirt was zipped a little down; her hair was loose and wild. Her face full of fear and anger. Vegeta pressed his body hard into her and held her wrists up, over her head. She was going no where.

\"You seem to have forgotten who you are dealing with Woman. So I find myself in a position where I have to remind you!\" He tightened his hold on her wrists; he knew it was hurting her. \"It would take me only a moment to end your pathetic life and I should do just that. But instead I\'m only going to remind you to never do that again. All I want woman is a little respect and I will make sure that I get it!\"

\"Is that it?\"

Vegeta clenched his jaw. It was going to take more, much more to make this woman respond the right way. He tightened his hold on her wrists even more. A little more pressure and he would snap them. The pain showed on her face. He took the moment to enjoy the aroma of fear mixed with sweat from her earlier attempt at a workout. She did take on the persona of a female Saiyan. That pissed him off more than anything.

\"Little minx. On my end of things it almost looks like your trying to act like a Saiyan.\" He lent in close to her ear. His knee went up and pushed her legs apart. \"Would you like me to show you just exactly how female Saiyans were treated? Especially when they pulled such a disrespectful act as you did.\"

\"I\'m not a Saiyan.\" Her voice, he could tell, was strained but she fought hard not to let it show.

He chuckled into her ear and in his most low and dangerous voice he could muster replied: \"How right you are. You could never attain such a privilege and honor.\" He finally let go of her and backed off only a step away. She stuck to the wall and rubbed her wrists. He studied her hard for a minute, letting the danger he set off sink into her skin, letting it intoxicate her. \"Get the gravity room complete. I want it in no more than a week from now. No excuses.\" He kept his glare steady on her. He watched those blue orbs shake, but the more he looked the more he questioned why. Was she scared? Or was it something else? She nodded her head; just what he had wanted from her. Complete submission. He smirked and walked out of the room.

After the doors shut and she was sure Vegeta was gone she collapsed to the floor. Her body was shaking and heaving. Tears welled up in her eyes but she wouldn\'t let them fall. Her wrists stung from the pressure he had forced on them. She knew they would swell and bruise; making her task of fixing the GR that much more difficult.

Her body was hot, and sweaty. She blushed. She should have been scared out of her mind. But she wasn’t. SHE WASN’T! No. She had another ache. She wondered about that little confrontation. His eyes, those black orbs were mesmerizing. And his knee… Bulma’s face went a shade darker. She had to stop herself now. Why? Why was she turned on? Shouldn’t she be scared? She always liked it a little rough… a little S&M. That’s why it had never worked out between her and Yamcha. He wasn’t commanding enough.

She pulled herself from the floor and drifted to the shower. She would have to get started on that GR as soon as possible.

***

She had been up all night working on the new plans for the GR. Her eyes hurt, her head hurt, and every time she made a line on the paper her hand would hurt. She unconsciously rubbed her wrists as she thought about it. She was lucky no one was around to see her wrists. She had bandaged them and would occasionally let them sit on ice to help with the swelling. That bastard, how dare he treat her like this! After all she had done for him!

She sighed and decided it would be best to not think about it. What to do? The new GR’s design would defiantly prove itself worthy for the Prince. But she wasn’t entirely sure that Earth had a metal or any kind of material that was “Saiyan Proof”. And, despite how hard it was for her to admit, she doubted she could create anything remotely close to what she needed. She laid her head down on the desk in defeat. What was she going to?

“Where could I get it?! Who would know where I could get that kind of metal!” After she had said that, she almost expected Vegeta to pop up and have some witty remark about how this planet has this type of metal; instantly solving her problem. But of course, she liked the fact that he wasn’t there to pop up and he didn’t have that sort of information. Did he? She sat up straight, her back narrow. Like she would stoop so low to ask him for ANY information! She could figure this out and on her own!

With new determination she picked up her pencil and readied herself to come up with the answer right there and then. The clock ticked, signally that a minute had passed. She dropped the pencil and slumped over. “This is hopeless.” She slammed her fist down on the table in frustration and immediately regretted it. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes, she blinked them away. “Utterly hopeless…”

~~

Vegeta dug through the kitchen cabinets and “fridge” to find whatever he could to eat. That woman had forgotten to come and fix him dinner! And he thought that he had finally gotten that woman in the right place! He humphed and started to fix his own meal. This wasn’t something he minded too much, he was used to catching and cooking his own meals, but something about this whole kitchen idea made him feel… out of place.

After seasoning his meat… which looked like dog scraps, he looked around to find the means for cooking it now. He spotted the grill; he had seen it used several times before. How hard could it be; especially for him? He trotted over and within no time, figured out the contraption. For some strange reason this felt to be a more comfortable situation than the “kitchen”.

It was a hot day, comforting for the Prince. He figured that the season was somewhere close to summer. He sat down on the grass only a few feet away from his cooking meal and thought which was focused mostly on his primary goal. Super Saiyan. His very heart would perk at the idea but at the same time it filled him with rage. He was close, so very close, but just when he believed himself to be only a hands spread away from it, it would vanish. What was the key? What was it that he had missed? Kakarot would blab on about nonsense; about unlocking emotions and such. The poor fool. Emotions may have been the key for that idiot, but it most certainly was not for the Prince of Saiyans. Vegeta’s emotions were beat out of him. The only things he could feel was when he was in battle.

It was indescribable feeling of pain mixed with pride, and with lust. His blood would boil with such force in a battle it felt he would explode; he could never feel that alive in anything else. But Super Saiyan… He wanted to know, he wanted to feel it. It was his right to attain it.

The smell of his spiced meat filled his lungs, bringing him back to his snack. He looked at the cooking meat; it was perfect, only lightly browned on the outside. He took them off and threw a few more on for his next course.

As he sat down to eat he had a moment of thought. Where was that woman? Preferably working on his GR, if she knew what was best for her. He smirked, he couldn’t dismiss how the woman had looked, sweaty and ‘ruffed’ up and when the fear had run its way through her system her aroma had intensified. However, at the same time that night had disturbed him. She was a lowly human, weak and pathetic. He could have snapped her wrists with only a pinch of more pressure.
His smirk deepened. He wondered just how she was managing at the moment.

~~

“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!” Bulma repeated as she came up the stairs from the lab. Her head had started to throb with the incessant banging she had done on her desk top. She probably had a bruise to boot. Cooking meat filled the air, she could smell the bits of pepper and what was that other spice? Wait, who was cooking. The elder briefs were out on another one of their trips around the world. She rounded the corner and came to the kitchen only to find it empty. She blinked a few times, searching for any sign of human life. “Could I just be that hungry?” All though the room had no sign of human life it most certainly screamed Saiyan.

Bulma opened a few cabinets… then she moved to the refrigerator. She found the kitchen pretty empty all-right! “Thanks for leaving some food, mom.” Bulma stated to herself flatly. She sat down, crossed her legs and searched for the phone and phone book. There is always pizza. She found the number, dialed and ordered food for tonight. But of course, in this case, she had NOT ordered for the bitchy prince, Vegeta. He could starve to death.

Bulma glanced at her watch; it would take at least an hour. She sighed as her stomach let out a yell that it might not make it. The smell of meat danced its way to her nose. This time it was stronger though, much stronger.

“Damn, I was beginning to hope you had fallen and hurt yourself.”

She wasn’t sure she wanted to respond… but how could she not respond? “You’re so caring Vegeta. A real big, strong guy.” She could see his face harden. It made her smile just a little.

“Well, if you would like me to fully explain what I had meant, I will explain it to your tiny and fragile skull.” She rolled her eyes, but they had found their way to the one slice of juicy meat on the table.

“Like I can’t guess for myself. Hmm, let’s see. You hoping that I had fallen and gotten hurt, so you could see me willow in pain and possibly die, therefore leaving you forever in peace… and without a GR might I add?” He chuckled has he came closer to her, her heart skipped a beat as she held her breath.

“Not quite minx.” He came up right next to her, he reached out a hand and started to play with a lock of her hair and in a lower voice he said “Had you of fallen and have been hurt… the easier it would have been for me to….” he cut it short as he leaned in, keeping her eyes locked with his own he brushed the side of her face with his thumb. “Besides, I would only be without a GR until your father returned.”

He was back by the table, near the meat. Her chest was heaving and she could feel the butterflies slamming into her stomach walls. “You look hungry; you can have this last scrap. Just be sure to hurry with the GR… Woman.” And he left the kitchen. Bulma could only think of one thing: had that been his second pass at her in the last week? Or was that the first? Was it a pass at all?

~~

Vegeta slammed his fist into the ground but he did it gently enough to only crack the marble. What was HE doing! He looked-glared at his hand like it had just betrayed him; like IT had just touched that vile creature without his full consent. He should cut it off, cut it off and never have to see its disobedience again.
But that would also mean he would loose his hand and some advantages to having at least two. He growled to himself and picked himself up from his bedroom door. More or less he stomped into his bathroom. Flipping the faucet to full, stripped and entered the hot shower. He leaned against the cool tile of the shower wall, still glaring at his hand.

But his thoughts were distracted by the remembrance of her hair and her skin. And the smell. Always her intoxicating smell.

He snarled and looked away from his hand. Had it really been that LONG since his last touch of a woman in bed? It wasn’t disgraceful to enjoy such things, no matter what type of creature it was. But that…her……THAT WOMAN, BULMA she wasn’t a warrior, she was defiantly anything really… well… He had to think, what type of woman did he normally bed. Warriors, assassins, the occasional slave, and their was that one dancer; he had to smirk at the thought. But Bulma? She was a loud mouthed, spoiled---SCIENTIST-BITCH! He dropped his gaze from the tile to the tubs drain. He watched the swirling water flow down it.
He smirked. She wanted to be a Saiyan, he’d treat her like one.

~~

Bulma sat back in her seat; her stomach for the moment busied it self digesting the delicious meat. She should really let Vegeta cook more often, even though it had been a little raw for her tastes. She glanced at the clock, thirty more minutes until pizza arrived. That gave her half an hour to try and figure him out once again.

Vegeta, Veggie-head, and countless other names… what was it that he had just done. Had that been a threat, or something else? She found it hard to believe it had been a pass. Vegeta couldn’t possible be capable of that! But than again… Bulma started to tap her finger along her jaw. She could call Chichi and ask her. But Bulma instinctively knew that Goku had probably never made a “pass” on anyone, in his life. But would it kill her to call and ask?

It could, but Bulma was willing to take that chance. She got up and trotted over to the kitchen counter, hoped up and sat on the cool tile, snagged the phone and speed dialed Chichi. After two rings Chichi picked up the phone.

“Son residence.” Chichi’s voice was calm and sweeter than it usually was. Which meant it was a good day by Chichi’s standards.

“Hey Chichi. How are things today?” Bulma tried to hide her eagerness to get to business.

“Oh! Bulma, things are going great. Goku is out back running chores for once! And Gohan hasn’t made a single chirp about his studies. And I have been able to take a rest for once! But how are things over there? Sounds like you have something important to ask me.” Bulma hated how Chichi could always tell when something was up.

“Can I ask you something about Goku?”

“That depends.” Chichi’s voice went flat and serious. Despite the fact that Chichi was always angry and yelling at Goku, she loved him with every fiber in her body.

“Don’t worry Chichi, what I want to know… though I doubt Goku has ever done anything like this in his life, well-“

“Spit it out already.”

“Has Goku…ever…, made some sort of pass at you.”

“Bulma if you’re asking what I think you’re asking, you should already know that answer. But if you SAYING what I think you’re SAYING, I suggest immediate professional counseling. But I hope to God, I’m wrong.”

Bulma wondered if Chichi could tell she was frowning. “No, no Chi. It’s, well,” Bulma lowered her voice, and whispered into the phone. “I think Vegetable-head made a pass at me… actually I think he made several over this last week.” No reply. “Chi? Hello? Chi?” Bulma strained into the phone’s ear piece, curious if her friend had hung up on her… or ran out of the room.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!” Bulma about flew back from the phone. “Bulma, I want you to hold tight, I will be up there in a flash. DON\'T go anywhere! I want details!” Bulma almost regretted ever calling Chichi.

“Okay-okay, Chi. I’ll see you soon.” Click. The sound signaled that Chichi had hung her end up. Bulma sighed and hung her phone up. She hoped that Vegeta wouldn’t bother her further tonight. She placed her hands on the counters edge and balanced her wait down on them.

She let out a shrill and immediately shot her hands up. Oh shit. What was she going to do about her wrists? She couldn’t let Chichi see; that would only cause big problems. Bulma momentarily panicked. She looked around the kitchen, looking for some sort of an answer. She studied her hands. What could she do to make them almost… well non-existent for the night. She could feel the ping in the back of her mind screaming for her to hurry up! When Chi said she would be up here in a flash, she meant it.

Bulma was at a lost. There was no way she could let them find out! Especially Goku, even though he was a sweet heart almost 99.999998% of his life… there was still that .000002% he could be scary. And he would defiantly be angry with Vegeta. Of course Bulma had to take a second to think about how that was a bad thing. She shrugged it off; she had to do something about these bandages.

~~

“GOKU!!! Where did he run off too! Grrr, that man sometimes I swear!” Chichi paced around the outside of her house until she came up around to where Gohan’s windows were, interestingly enough, wide open. Chichi frowned has she stomped up to the windows. “Gohan, you’d had better be in there!” She looked in and moved the curtains out of her way. No sign of Gohan.

“GOKU YOU’RE A DEAD MAN!!!” Chichi secretly hated the fact that Bulma had called. And yet, was eternally grateful. Although Chichi had enjoyed her day of relaxation she knew it had to have been too good to be true. However, she did need to find Goku, she had told Bulma she would be there in a flash and Chichi never liked to deceive a friend no matter what. Besides, she wanted all the details. Vegeta acting… normal, if that was the right word, was something to be interested in.

~~

‘Hey she’s kinda cute…’ Yamcha’s mind wondered has he walked along the streets to Bulma’s house. He hadn’t seen her in a while and wondered what was going on at the Brief’s house. Besides, he didn’t trust Vegeta; he would trust the devil himself first.

Although Yamcha and Bulma were dating, they had more or less gone on their separate ways. It was one of those things that just sort of happen. They were still quite acquainted though, quite! But nothing serious and so Yamcha was left to wonder, and of course, so was Bulma. But just in case either was feeling a little lonely there would be no worries.

Yamcha started to hum his favorite tune with a smile. He rather liked this situation. When he had first met Bulma, being THE desert bandit Yamcha, he had been shy of females. Every last one of them. But she had warmed him up and now there was just a world of females to meet! Of course, some would only be friends… or two second annoying-fellow-travelers. He wasn’t a pervert. Master Roshi more than ruled that category.

He came around to the park, only a few blocks away from Bulma’s’. It was a nice park with white benches, pebbled walking paths and little fenced flower gardens. But the trees were his favorite thing here. They were large and shady with healthy green leaves. A little further down this path and one was sure to find the cherry blossom garden. It was the busiest part of the park with its soft green grasses and hundreds of Cherry trees with their blossoming pink flowers.

The wind was subtle today; Yamcha guessed that the cherry tree’s blossoms littered the grass and walking path. He loved windy days and being in the Cherry Blossom garden, the sight was shockingly beautiful. He turned left at the fork, turning away from the Cherry Blossom garden; He didn’t have time to visit it today. This path would take him around the pond, through some more trees, and then he would have to cross the street and head due east to Bulma’s. He could fly, but what was the rush?

~~

Bulma was panicking, she ran around her room looking for the solution to her little problem. She had finally gotten to the point where she had ripped the bandaging off. Which left two purple, puffy, painfully obvious marks and all looking much like Vegeta’s hands. Bulma sighed as she plopped down on her bed. Well, she figured she had a few more minutes and maybe sitting down to think quietly for a moment would better her reasoning. A shirt, DUH! Long sleeves!
But would that do it 100% for her? Probably not. Chances are she would lift her hand up or something and it would show. She couldn’t just sit there the whole time and not move! That would be even more obvious! Chichi wasn’t that stupid. What else? Bulma taped her finger on the bed. She could re-bandage them… but that would take up time she didn’t have. She brought her hands up to her face and inspected her wrists. She looked at the marks to see how long they ran along her arm. Not very far, it looked like he had only used two fingers to hold her there. That made her shiver. They were a little puffy, but not as bad as they could have been.

The marks wouldn’t be covered by a watch or a bracelet and she doubted make-up could do the job. She couldn’t wear gloves that would give it away. She dropped her hands, her face set in her thinking mode as she scanned the room. Her eyes laid on something. Her mind stopped moving, time went to a stand still as the sudden thought occurred. “OF COURSE!” Bulma started to laugh in her triumphant way. She grinned and pranced over to her bathroom door.
She could pull this off, no sweat. She just had to hurry.

~~

Vegeta was in his room, the lights turned down to an agreeable level. The air was crisp and clean as the wind filtered in through the window that was left slightly open. He sat on the floor at the foot of his bed. Meditating, searching deep within. Focusing hard on himself and everything around him; listening to the breathing core of the world.

He could feel Kakarot and his son along with the namik; they were training and training hard. Vegeta felt a ping of jealousy; the boy was strong, surprisingly strong. Vegeta knew the boy was holding back, still not aware of his true power. In a way, it made Vegeta proud, the boy was a Saiyan, if only half, he was a part of the same race. The boy was a true warrior, both in brain and in power. Vegeta had to wonder how Kakarot felt about that, being bested by his own son…Did Kakarot even understand it? Probably not.

But then again… why was Kakarot pushing him so hard? Kakarot did know. As Vegeta concentrated harder he could almost see the fight the three were having, like he was there. Yes, he did know and Kakarot wanted to awaken it. Vegeta could feel that Kakarot was proud, very proud of his son. Vegeta cut the image there. He didn’t need to see anymore. With his all too familiar scowl imprinted on his face he came too from his meditation. He glared strait ahead, his fists clenched and his power threatening to rise out of control.

Kakarot had surpassed him and now the boy was on the edge of surpassing him. Vegeta was quickly becoming the weakest of the three Saiyans. Vegeta’s eyes narrowed. He was not weak! The boy would NOT surpass him, perhaps for a little while the boy would taste the glory but Vegeta would not let it live. No, Vegeta would be the strongest again. Yes, Vegeta would be the prince once more. The pride and the power of the Saiyan race! And then he could defeat Kakarot. Take his place once more and insuring it forever more. That was his goal, to defeat Kakarot; and to do that he needed to be a super Saiyan, stronger even…

He sat still on the floor while in the next room Bulma was, in a way, saving his ass. While back at the country side, Gohan, Goku and Piccolo all sweat dropped at the sight of Chichi. Yes, she had found them. Yes she was pissed off; to the point her ki was flaring. And Yes, Goku knew he was in deep shit.

~~

“Hi Hun, hehe…” Goku rubbed the back of his head in that oh-so-gokuish way. Chichi glared with her ‘death ray’. Piccolo took this chance to scoot out of the way while Gohan awaited the terrifying yells his mother was about to do.

“Go-KU! Down here” Chichi pointed to the ground, “NOW!” Goku drifted down, curious to how she had found them… and a little scared. He loved his wife, but man was she scary. He finally came down, Chichi’s hard eyes never wavering from him. She stomped up to him, and grabbed him by his somewhat torn shirt. “Goku…You get no dinner tonight! And later I’ll give you every bit of tongue you deserve! But right now I have to get to Bulma’s NOW!” Goku nodded with a big frown on his face, he reached his two fingers to his forehead searching for Bulma’s ki. Chichi turned to Gohan. “Get home, NOW! And you had better be in those books!”
Gohan laughed nervously has his mother transported with his father over to Bulma’s. Gohan had a feeling tonight was going to be a very rough night. Gohan looked to his mentor, Piccolo. Just has he thought, Piccolo pointed in the direction of Gohan’s house. Making it clear he should go home, now. Gohan sighed.

“Later Piccolo. See you again, here, tomorrow?”

“That’s if you and Goku are still alive.” Piccolo gave a nod, picked up his cape and flew off, leaving Gohan to fear for his well being.


***

Although it had been a shock to Chichi and Goku that Bulma was in her tenis-out fit, with wrist cuffs and all, the night was good. But because Chichi had brought Goku and all he could do was moan and complain about having some pizza. The two girls never got a chance to have their little chat. Which Bulma thought, might be a blessing in disguise. But what had been the most interesting thing of the night was that Yamcha had dropped in to say hi. It was almost like old times again!
Vegeta in the corner not socializing, Goku prancing around the pizza like a little kid; Chichi giving him warnings every five minutes; Yamcha laughing every now and then, giving Goku a few encouraging remarks and then having to fend off Chichi for the remark. Almost like old times, it was only missing a few key figures. Tien, Gohan, Krillian and the rest of the gang. Out on wild adventures, having good nights were they would just kick back and have a good time.

The only thing that was out of place was her. Not only because she refused to change; her two wrist bands for tennis hid the marks perfectly! But she was too quite, and she knew it. She was too distant, and that was even more obvious… well at least it was pretty obvious to her and no one else picked up on it. She missed being the wild, young, beautiful and brilliant child she used to be. Being able to just get up and go! She didn’t feel she could do that now. Were things really changing like that?

She wondered if things would be so sour in the future, how it would be if she… became old. She was supposed to be in her prime right now, not feeling like she was about to hit 70. Bulma took a moment to smile and laugh at something that had happened in the room. She even missed the pig, oolong. Where was he at? Where was Puar? Where was the rest of the gang?

Training or getting in to all the things that they had missed out on in life. The androids were coming. A fact that had almost slipped by Bulma, but would re-root itself into her brain. That’s why times had changed. That’s why things could never be the same. But she had to be thankful for the blue haired boy’s message. At least now they stood at a better chance of surviving. She looked at Goku. His face set in his childish manor. A deep frown on his face, he almost looked like he was going to cry, even his hair was wilting. He kept whining about how it was his favorite kind of pizza, and Chichi, her face set in a scowl, reminded Goku that he loved all flavors of pizza. Bulma smiled. Everything was still good. But what was it that really kept her from enjoying life. Was it Vegeta?

She looked over at him and was shocked to find him watching her. Studying her. The shadows played on his face and his eyes were intense. Someone in the room had noticed her change, her lack of interest. Even has she caught him spying on her, he didn’t turn his face, never faltered. His face was like stone, all except the texture of his skin. The color and the way it was shaped. His mouth turned down ever so slightly, forming his trademark scowl.

She felt a bit un-easy. His eyes were peering into her soul and she didn’t like it. She didn’t like being that easy to read and he made it look like he could read her with ease. She turned her head, trying to shake the feeling. But it wouldn’t leave. It never would.

~~

Yamcha watched with a careful eye. He had caught Bulma and Vegeta in their little moment. It wasn’t anything sexual; hell wasn’t even romantic to any form. But he knew something had been passed. And he feared for Bulma. He knew she wasn’t being herself. OF course she was still her but something had changed in her. He would have to get to the bottom of it some other night, when every one was gone… including Vegeta.

Yamcha turned his attention back to Goku and Chichi in their little back and forth brawl. He smiled; at least some things hadn’t changed. Yamcha decided it was time to get back to his own little world. He said his good-byes; Chichi had decided to follow his example and had dragged Goku outside. They said their goodbyes and went back home. Yamcha waved goodbyes then turned to Bulma.

“Call me sometime, will ya Bulma? I like to keep up with the current events, ya know? Don’t like to get too dragged down by the upcoming event of the Androids.” Yamcha could hear Vegeta mumble something about it. But Yamcha didn’t press it.

“Sure thing, Yamcha. I’ll be sure to remember to do that. I’ve just been busy.” She had her sweet smile on, something was on her mind. He said some more good-byes, gave a quiet threat to Vegeta if he were to ever touch her and went on his way.

He felt that he would stop by the Cherry blossom garden before he went home.


~~~~
R&R please, also looking for lots of advice or ideas!