Chapter 17
Bulma diligently continued her training with Vegita, and continued to make steady progress. As the months wore on, she realized that there was just no getting used to the soreness and fatigue that built up in one's limbs during a hard day of training in the gravity room. Vegita hadn't been kidding. The day that he'd let her train in eighty g's HAD been a walk in the park compared to what was to come afterwards. Things just kept getting harsher and harsher after that. Bulma was having considerable difficulty adjusting to the increased levels every week. Despite all Vegita's - and her - determined efforts to keep her improving at a steady pace, it was easy for Bulma to see that she was drawing ever closer to the point where her human limitations would kick in. And as harsh and unwilling as Vegita always was to give her any excuses for weakness, even he must have been noticing it too. But despite all this, she was still making fair progress anyway, even if it was hard-won, and she never once let him hear her complain, no matter how traitorous the rest of her body may have been about the matter.
Four months had come and gone, and Bulma was entering her second week of 140g training. After she'd finished her first week of 120, Vegita had decided - with much scowling and glares of disapproval on his part - that he'd graciously allow her two weeks at each level now instead of one. Still, she failed to see how this would give her much undue comfort in the gravity room; she didn't know why he'd thought he had so much to scowl about. But she had laughed at him just the same, telling him that he was getting soft, and that if he didn't watch it, she just might turn him into a human yet! At this his face had all but turned an indignant shade of purple.
"How dare you suggest such a thing?!" He had demanded in an explosion of indignant rage. "I've killed for less than that, you ungrateful wench! There'll be harsher exercises today for that! And just be glad I'm in no mood to put up with your whining, or else I'd most definitely give you the day-long pounding you deserve!"
Bulma only shot him a grin and made a face at him. She loved getting him all worked up about silly things, even if it did usually mean a heavier workout in the end. And that was one effect of a far greater change in Bulma's life than the increase in her strength. But however incredible, it went totally unnoticed by Bulma. She just continued training, and paid little attention to the fact that she was laughing and playing around a lot more with Vegita these days. True, he didn't really joke and fool around the way she did to him, but that didn't mean that he didn't egg her on. The truth was that he enjoyed pushing her buttons almost as much as she enjoyed pushing his - much as he tried to make it appear that he was only being scornful and insulting. In a weird sort of way, Bulma had discovered that she actually enjoyed his company. Sure, he was rude and obnoxious - not to mention unduly abrasive most of the time - but Bulma realized that training with Vegita was actually much more fun than training by herself. And, truth be told, her past few months with him had greatly improved her disposition toward the gruff Saiyan man - even more than she realized. But her mother could see the true magnitude of the change that was taking place in Bulma's personality, and although she didn't mention a word of it to anyone, leastwise Bulma, she could frequently be seen smiling happily as she heard her daughter trotting eagerly out to the gravity room each morning.
Yamucha had noticed a change in Bulma too, but he hadn't put two and two together in the same way Mrs. Briefs had. All he could see was that Bulma seemed a lot happier these days, and although he still didn't altogether trust Vegita to behave himself, even he had to admit by now that this training of his was for real. It was producing such astounding results in Bulma, in fact, that at first, he honestly didn't believe her when she'd proudly announced one day that she had finally broken 100 g's. It wasn't until he snuck after her to the gravity room the next morning that he finally realized that she wasn't kidding. He turned on the one-way camera on the outside controls so he could sneak a peek at them, and his mouth dropped open in surprise at what he saw. They had the machine on at a whopping 105! True, Bulma wasn't moving too quickly in there, but it was easy to see that she really was in training. A surge of guilt had overcome him once he'd seen it for himself, but it was for a less honorable reason than doubting his best friend's word. It was instead because of the fact that he had only progressed to 55g's himself. That was barely more than half of what she was training at, and it made him feel so low that he spent the whole next day training furiously in his own gravity room, causing both Bulma and her mother to worry a good deal about him. But even his guilt didn't last long. There was a definite reason why he hadn't improved as rapidly as Bulma, and it wasn't because Vegita wasn't training him, either. Rather, it was a psychological block that he had erected, much like the one that Bulma had had in the beginning. He felt that if these jinzouningen he'd heard so much about really were more powerful than that boy from the future - more powerful than FREEZA even - how on earth could he hope to stand up to such a threat after any length of time? He wasn't a Saiyan or a Namek, for Kami's sake! He was a human! A dwarf in the wake of Goku, Vegita, Piccolo, or even Gohan, and now even his former pupil had surpassed him so much that he didn't have any more hope of catching up to her. SHE wasn't going to survive an attack from these monsters, no matter how much she trained. He knew that, although she was really good, there was no way she'd get any better than Vegita, and even that kid had said that Vegita hadn't been a match for the Jinzouningen. So how could he expect to do something that even Bulma wouldn't be able to do? It just didn't make sense for him to kill himself with training if it wouldn't even make any difference in the end. So rather than put himself through the extremes that Bulma chose to endure, he simply trained at a fairly comfortable pace. He wasn't lazy or anything, but he saw no point in running himself into the ground, either. So, despite the twinge of guilt he felt each time he noticed how quickly Bulma was outstripping him, he made no effort to speed things up.
All things considered, peace had once again made its home at Capsule Corporation. Bulma, Vegita, and Yamucha were tied up in their training; Dr. Briefs was busy running his corporation; and Mrs. Briefs had a heck of a time seeing to it that she, her husband, and three ravenous young fighters had enough food prepared at mealtimes to keep themselves satisfied. Each person had his or her own job to do, and each one pressed on without much complaint. But by the end of four months, Bulma was beginning to get tired. Not the "dead-on-your-feet, nearly comatose, worn out after a training session" tired, mind you. This sort of weariness went a little deeper than that kind. This kind of lethargy was the result of an unchanging cycle of eating, sleeping, and training for seven hours a day; day in, day out; seven days a week. Bulma knew that if she didn't take a break from this mind-numbing schedule soon, she was going to go nuts. So, one morning, she set out for the gravity room with a determined but rather troubled look on her face. She had the plan all worked out in her mind, had made exception for all the contingencies, and was ready for any possible hindrance. But she knew nonetheless that she was facing a very difficult task. It had to be done though, whether Vegita would choose to agree with her or not.
She entered the gravity building when he opened the door for her, her jaw set, and her eyes level with his. She had spent enough time with Vegita by now to know pretty much how he was going to react to all this, and she was prepared for anything her imagination could cook up. But still, Vegita was a rather unpredictable character sometimes, and she was pretty sure she was going to have to resort to drastic means to bring about the desired results. And this would make him very angry, she was sure. But it had to be done, of course. So when he turned around to go turn the machine on, she gritted her teeth, reached forward, and lightly grabbed onto his arm to get his attention.
"Vegita, we need to talk," she said when he turned around to glare at her in surprise.
Vegita looked first at the determined expression on her face, and then at the hand still holding firmly onto his arm. Scowling, he looked back up at her face. "You'd better have a good reason for stalling me, woman," he said in a threatening tone of voice.
Bulma had been around Vegita so long now that she no longer felt all that threatened when he used this tone of voice around her. He usually reserved it for expressions of annoyance or displeasure, which, all things considered, made up about three fourths of his vocabulary. Besides, this was going to be a cakewalk compared to what was to come; that much she knew. After he had heard what she had to say, he wasn't going to be so easy to blow off.
"Vegita," she began, letting go of his arm and stepping back a little. "We've been at this for four months straight now. Seven hours a day for me, twelve for you (not counting your time with me) for seven days a week every week since we began. I say it's time for a break."
Vegita didn't answer her immediately. He eyed her for a few moments, his expression insufferably unreadable. Finally he seemed ready to reply. "Just how long a break did you have in mind?" He asked sternly.
Bulma crossed her arms and unwaveringly returned his stare. "A week at least," she said succinctly, "although I daresay two wouldn't hurt."
Vegita snorted almost immediately. "And I suppose you think you've EARNED such leisure," he said with a disdainful sneer.
"I do," she said solemnly, her eyes never breaking contact with his. This was going well so far, she thought to herself. But of course, she hadn't expected the real explosion to come yet anyway.
Vegita stared back at her, almost giving away the surprise that came to him. He really hadn't expected her to reply so frankly. Instead, he had fully expected her to lose her temper and blow up at him in self-righteous fury. Perhaps it was her civility that caused him to give in to her so easily. But whatever the reason, he didn't take a large amount of time to make up his mind.
"Well all right then," he said, raising his nose derisively at her. "Take as much time as you see fit, but be warned that I won't be dropping your level. When you do decide to return, we'll take up exactly where we left off."
"Agreed," Bulma replied, closing her eyes and nodding in grave concurrence.
"Now get the hell out of here," Vegita grunted, glaring impatiently at her. "Just because you've chosen to go the lazy route doesn't mean that I have."
Bulma drew in a deep breath and looked unwaveringly up at him again. Now began the difficult part. "No," she said firmly.
"What?" Vegita said, arching an eyebrow in pure surprise. "What did you just say to me?"
"I said no," Bulma replied calmly, her gaze still unwavering. "I will not leave."
Vegita had momentarily been struck speechless. Bulma had gradually developed an obnoxious way of blowing off his authority over the past few months, but she had never openly opposed him in the gravity room before - never, that is, until now.
"You'd better explain yourself, and I mean right now, woman," he said, his voice icily quiet. He crossed his arms and glared at her. He was graciously giving her a chance to explain herself before he knocked her silly - something he wouldn't usually do. "I won't allow anyone - absolutely ANYONE - in the way of MY training!"
Bulma didn't have to see the expression on his face to know that Vegita was deadly serious. She knew there were SOME things that he wouldn't readily let her get away with. But, looking up at his face, she reaffirmed herself of the severity of Vegita's situation. There were unmistakable signs there on the face she'd grown so accustomed to in the past few months - signs of a fatigue she knew all too well. She was experiencing it herself, but she knew that Vegita had a far more dangerous case of it than she. And she wasn't about to let it get the better of him. Not if she could help it. She wasn't about to back off now!
"When I said that I believed I'd earned a break," she began, matching his stare once again, "I wasn't being entirely accurate. It's true that I've earned a break, but that's not why I've asked for one. More to the point is the fact that I NEED one. Training with you is anything but monotony, Vegita. But it's easier than you might think for someone to do damage to himself if all he does is train. I believe the mind requires more to occupy it than such things, and if periods of rest and recuperation aren't taken from time to time, then more harm could be done to that person than any serious physical injury might inflict."
Vegita looked very much like he was about to lose whatever degree of patience he had left. "I already said you could take your little vacation, didn't I?" He said, making no effort to hide his displeasure at being hindered thus. "You could have saved that ridiculous lecture, you know."
Bulma disregarded his snide comment and continued. "And the training I've undergone is nothing compared to yours, Vegita," she continued, gazing fixedly and sternly at him. "I need a break, Vegita, but not nearly as badly as you do. I'm not leaving. Not until you do."
To say Vegita felt outraged was putting things lightly. "How dare you!" He hissed, balling his hands into fists and glowering at her. "I am a Saiyan! To imply that training of ANY duration could do to me any of that garbage you just spouted is an insult I won't allow to go unpunished! And you didn't even imply it! You said it outright!" He then sent her such a glare of fury that for the briefest of moments, she felt her resolve falter. But only for a moment.
"Try to understand," she chided gently, giving it one more shot. "You're incredibly powerful, Vegita. More so than anyone of my degree could ever dream of. But even you aren't indestructible. You've already proven that you have a bit of a blind spot when it comes to self control and your training. You nearly killed yourself last time. Do you want to go all the way this time?"
Vegita glared at her, his eyes as red as hot coals. "I will not be told by ANYONE that I am EVER not in control of myself! I am the most powerful Saiyan that has ever lived! And I have no 'blind spot' in anything I do, least of which my training! I alone know what's best for me. Not Kakarrot, not those asinine friends of yours, and certainly not you. Don't you EVER contradict me again!"
Bulma sighed angrily. "Shall I take this to mean that you refuse to take a break?" She asked him, her expression calm but very stern.
"Not only do I refuse," Vegita hissed, "but I give you my word that if the idea is even suggested to me again, I will make you VERY sorry it was."
"I thought so," Bulma sighed, shaking her head angrily and walking past him toward the gravity machine. "I had really hoped I wouldn't have to resort to this, Vegita. Honestly, do you always have to do things the hard way?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Vegita roared, spinning around and glaring at her with barely suppressed fury.
Bulma ignored him. She walked over to one of the side panels of the gravity machine, gritted her teeth, and punched through the metal panel. When she withdrew her hand, dozens of wire pieces emerged along with it. Dropping them unceremoniously on the gravity room floor, she strode past Vegita and opened the door.
"Here it comes," she thought with a wince.
When Bulma had punched into the metal panel, Vegita's face had turned red. By the time she'd stood up and walked past him, it had changed to dark purple. It didn't take him long to relocate his voice after that.
"Don't move a muscle!" He roared, whirling around.
Bulma stopped in the doorway. She exhaled, and then turned around slowly. She crossed her arms and looked directly into Vegita's eyes, patiently awaiting the impending eruption.
"You'd better be able to fix that!" Vegita said in a dangerously soft rumble, taking a menacing step towards her.
"I've rendered the machine inoperable," Bulma said coldly, standing her ground. "It'll be easy enough to fix, Vegita, but I give you my word that I won't fix it until I'm satisfied that you've had enough time away from it. You can tantrum all you want to; just be aware that nothing you can say or do is going to change my mind."
Vegita looked like he was about to pop a vessel. "Wrong!" He roared, his ki flaring impressively. "You're going to fix that machine right now! Or I swear I'll…"
"Or you'll what?" Bulma snapped, stepping up so that she was right in his face. "Go ahead and say it, you self-absorbed cretin! Just what are you going to do about it, Vegita?"
Vegita nearly stepped back, her abrupt advance had surprised him so. He glared into her infuriated eyes, and found no trace of retreat in them. She was more determined about this than he had initially given her credit for.
"Well?" She demanded impatiently. "Say it! Finish your sentence!"
Vegita had lost his patience again. "Careful, woman, or I'm liable to lose my temper with you!" He shot angrily.
If Bulma hadn't allowed herself to get so angry, she might have seen this as her opportunity to wrap the whole thing up. But unfortunately, she blew it.
"Oh, is that all?" She laughed snidely. "I thought you might have had an inclination to blow me to smithereens or something. At the very least give me a good pounding. But lose your temper? Tch! You really ARE getting soft, Vegita."
That had done it. As she turned to walk out the door, his arm shot out like a serpent, and it snatched her arm, wrenching it from her side, and pulling the rest of her along for the ride. Bulma should have anticipated something of this nature, but she didn't because of her anger. It didn't take her long to realize that she'd made a boo-boo, though, when Vegita pulled her back so that her eyes were level with his again.
"I'm what?" He said, his voice icily low.
"Y- you heard me," Bulma replied, suddenly rather unsure of herself. Vegita was gripping her arm so tightly that she couldn't help wincing a bit. And she hadn't seen this kind of anger in his eyes for a good while. Perhaps she'd gone too far.
Vegita saw the insecurity and nervousness flicker in Bulma's eyes, and he pounced on it. "What I heard," he said quietly, squeezing her arm even harder, "was that you think I'm getting soft. I'd hate for you to get the wrong impression. Perhaps I should prove to you just how wrong you are."
Bulma wasn't sure how he did it. All she knew was that at one second she'd been standing next to him in the gravity room, and at the next, she was sailing backwards out the door, with him flying out after her.
"Woah!" She cried, dodging an energy blast as he flung it at her. "Vegita, stop!" She did a quick somersault and dropped to her feet. The ki blast he had thrown exploded harmlessly just past the adjacent building. But that made no difference to Bulma.
"What's the big idea?!" She spat at him as he landed a few yards away from her. "Firing off ki blasts in the middle of the compound! You might have hurt someone, Vegita!"
Vegita curled his lips into a cruel sneer. "You're right," he said evilly. "I very well might have, mightn't I? But the day is young. Give me some time." And with lightning speed, he darted forward and landed a vicious kick to her stomach. He jumped back as Bulma hunched over and then fell to her knees, gasping and clutching her middle in pain.
"Why… why y- you…!" She gasped, her head reeling from the pain, but beginning to boil with anger. This wasn't anything like the kind of blows he dealt her in the gravity room. This was much worse. She must have seriously pissed him off.
"Get up!" Vegita ordered, scowling fiercely at her. "You're the one who chose to disable the machine, so you're the one who I'll use to train myself with. You've dug yourself a hole you can't climb out of this time, woman."
Bulma looked up at him in disbelief. She hadn't expected this; that was for sure. Vegita was threatening to beat her up - to seriously beat the holy snot out of her - unless she agreed to fix his machine. She was sure that's what he was driving at. And she had only to see the look on his face to tell he was serious. She wondered if she was willing to take a serious beating over this. Principles or not, the prospect of getting pummeled into unconsciousness didn't appeal to her. And she knew that Vegita wasn't going to stop until she gave in. But when she looked into his angry eyes and once again saw the signs of overexertion in them, she knew that she had to do whatever it took to win. Whether he liked it or not, Vegita needed to take a break, and she absolutely refused to risk his blowing himself up again. Vegita was a very stubborn person, but for his sake, she had to beat him at that. So, gritting her teeth, she got to her feet. This was one time when Vegita wasn't going to get his way.
Staring hard at Vegita, Bulma straightened up, but did not assume a defensive stance. She allowed her arms to lie still at her sides. She wasn't going to give in, but she wasn't going to fight him, either.
Grinning at what he perceived to be her doubting his seriousness, Vegita leapt at her while her guard was down, and dealt her a solid blow to the jaw that sent her sprawling backwards.
"I caught you napping," he jeered, laughing cruelly at her.
Bulma didn't answer him. Instead, she shook the dizziness away, and, slowly and painfully, returned to her feet. Once again, her arms remained at her sides.
Now, it just so happened that everyone who wasn't deaf at Capsule Corporation had heard the small explosion that had accompanied Vegita's blast. And Yamucha, being the fleetest of foot, was the first to arrive on the scene. And he arrived just in time to see Vegita send Bulma sprawling backward with that punch. Aghast, he watched Bulma get to her feet and look up at Vegita, who only laughed in her face.
"Bulma!" He cried angrily, dashing toward her. "Don't worry! I'm coming!"
Bulma didn't openly acknowledge him. She didn't even look in his direction. Instead, she raised her arm and shot a ki blast toward him. It exploded a short distance in front of him, and he had to skid to a stop to keep from being hit by it.
"B- Bulma!" He cried in confusion.
"Stay away, Yamucha," she said solemnly, not removing her gaze from Vegita. "This is between Vegita and me. You have no place here."
Vegita sneered at her. "Maybe you ought to ask him for help," he jeered with a wicked smile. "You're certainly going to need it."
But Bulma didn't answer. She simply watched him, ready, but not guarded in the least. There was a slight hint of sadness to her expression, but no trace of anger.
Vegita flew at her again, and this time it was a kick to her left side. Bulma landed with a grunt on the ground a few yards away, and, rubbing her side where he had kicked her, slowly picked herself up off the ground. She stared at Vegita with a look that was devoid of emotion for the most part, save the trace of sadness that still lingered.
At about this time, Dr. and Mrs. Briefs came running up. They stopped when they came even with Yamucha, and shared his look of confusion when they saw Vegita, poised to fight, and Bulma, scuffed up a good deal and totally unguarded.
By now, Vegita had finally noticed that Bulma wasn't fighting back, or even making a move to defend herself from his blows, for that matter. He didn't know for certain why she was acting so strangely, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was her way of trying to defy him. And the thought only served to make him angrier. "All right," he thought savagely, charging up his ki for a blast. "I'll up the stakes then. Let's see how much longer she can keep up this inane little act! I'll be damned if she doesn't get the point from this!" He shot a rather potent ki blast at her for a direct hit. It was a considerably powerful one, but nothing she couldn't handle. Still, Vegita had made the assumption that she was finally going to take him seriously and block it. No such luck.
Bulma lost a little color when she saw what was coming, especially when she sensed how powerful this blast was. Vegita was starting to get serious indeed. Still, she neither flinched nor blocked the oncoming blast. Instead, she took the full brunt of it head-on, totally surprising Vegita, and eliciting gasps of horror from Yamucha and her parents.
Bulma didn't get up right away. There were a couple of places where she had rather painful burns, and the blast had fairly well stunned her. It had been a long time since she'd taken a ki blast head-on, without the slightest effort to block it. But she hadn't remembered it hurting like this. She had known when he hurled it at her that she had only two options: cancel the blast out with her own ki power, and risk it exploding and hurting her parents; or take it head-on and absorb the damage herself. Given the circumstances, there really had been no thinking necessary to make the decision. Unfortunately, the obvious choice was also the more painful one on her part. "This won't do," she thought with a soft groan, and she got slowly and shakily back to her feet. She looked at Vegita. He certainly had gotten over his initial surprise quickly. In fact, he looked like he was about to explode from his own anger. This wasn't good. "It can't be helped," she thought resolutely, her eyes darting briefly to her stunned parents and friend. "I'm just going to have to teleport us away from here. I can't run the risk of letting them get hurt by any of this."
Vegita was advancing toward her again, but he was stomping forward furiously - not the usual advance he used for attacking someone. Just the same, if she was going to do this, she was going to have to do it now.
She stopped time just before he reached her, and, grabbing one of his arms, she flew up into the air, pulling him along behind her. His blows had weakened her somewhat, but she had ample strength to fly him - and herself - someplace more secluded. If Vegita was intent on using ki blasts, Bulma wanted them as far away from other people as they could be.
After a good hour's flight, Bulma settled on a grassy field about 100 miles past the eastern borders of the city. This would be adequate, she decided. Panting slightly from her efforts, she set Vegita down on his feet and backed off a few yards. Then, after taking a few long, calming deep breaths, she let time flow again.
Vegita nearly tripped when he came back into motion. Staring wildly at the abrupt change of scenery, he tensely balled his fists. "Finally," he thought, "she's trying something."
"I'm sorry, Vegita," Bulma said, still panting a little. "It was becoming too dangerous to remain where we were. Yamucha might be able to dodge a stray ki blast, but my parents can't."
Vegita growled at her. "Why didn't you just knock it away, then?" He demanded. "You could have handled that pathetic little fireburst quite easily, you little fool! Why aren't you fighting back?!" And with an infuriated yell, he lunged at her, his fist raised.
Bulma didn't move. She just remained standing where she was, staring calmly but resolutely into his eyes as he raced forward.
Vegita drew his fist back to strike, and when he reached her, snapped it forward, right for her face. But strangely, he stopped it to within a millimeter of her nose. He glared furiously at her. She hadn't moved. She hadn't even blinked. She just stayed there, staring at him.
Vegita let out an infuriated - and exasperated - groan. "God dammit, woman!" He thundered. "What the hell is wrong with you? Fight, dammit!"
Bulma smiled a kind smile at him. "No," she said simply.
"No?!" He yelled. "No?! What the HELL do you mean no?!"
Bulma's expression became more serious. "I will not fight you," she replied quietly.
"And why the f**k not?!" He roared.
"Because," she replied, closing her eyes and folding her arms, "if I fight you, I'll lose."
"You don't have to tell ME," he growled. "Is that it, then? You're afraid of losing to me? Feh. I'd have thought you'd be used to it by now."
"And if I lose to you," Bulma said, continuing as if he hadn't interrupted her, "I'll have to fix your gravity machine. And I'm not going to do that."
Vegita looked like he was about to explode again. "You most certainly will!" He yelled, beginning to look slightly flustered. "And I mean right now!"
Bulma smiled again. "No," she said again.
If it were possible for a Saiyan to spontaneously combust from anger, there would have been a bright pillar of flame standing there in front of Bulma at that moment. Vegita tried three times to say something, but each time the words got stuck in his throat and his face got slightly redder. Finally, the words came.
"Why in the BLAZES not?!" He exploded, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head.
If Bulma hadn't been so earnest in her efforts, she might have giggled at Vegita's exasperation. But she didn't. Instead, she took a deep breath and answered his question.
"Because," she said, smiling at him. "Strange as this may sound, Vegita, it WOULD bother me if I happened to lose you from your overexerting yourself. So if you won't take proper care of yourself, then I guess I'll just have to do it for you."
What she did next shocked all of the anger right out of Vegita. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug. "Don't be so hardheaded, Vegita," she said softly. "I promise I'll fix your machine after you've rested up for a week. Will that really be so horrible?" She leaned back away from him and smiled at his bewildered expression. It looked like this was one battle Vegita wasn't going to win.
Vegita stared back at her and sighed. "Damn," he said finally, shaking his head. Bulma let go of him and stepped back again. He shook his head again and frowned at her. "You should have just said all this in the beginning," he grumbled. "You didn't have to let me knock you around so much, you idiot."
"Oh come on, Vegita!" Bulma laughed. "You can't stand there and tell me with a straight face that you were in a mood to actually LISTEN to anything I had to say, now can you?" She laughed again, and Vegita scowled. He knew full well that she was right, but he wasn't about to feel sorry for anything. It was her fault he'd gotten so angry, after all.
Bulma could tell what was on his mind, and she grinned. He couldn't help being the way he was, she decided. And at least she was going to get her way. He didn't hurt her all that badly, really. Just a few scrapes, scratches, and burns. She smiled at him.
"So it's settled then?" She asked, a slight spark of triumph flashing in her eyes. "You'll try to relax, won't you, Vegita?"
Vegita frowned. "You know you're just wasting my time with this, don't you?" He said, sounding rather annoyed.
Bulma's expression hardened slightly. "I suppose it's possible," she said with a reluctant nod. "But it's not a risk I care to take."
Scowling, Vegita crossed his arms and turned away slightly. "You just don't know how to mind your own damn business," he snapped.
"No, I guess I don't," she laughed, holding a hand behind her head and sticking her tongue out. "Call it a flaw, I guess."
"Feh," Vegita snorted. "I don't know why I put up with an idiot like you."
Bulma laughed. "The answer's simple, Veggie-san!" She giggled. "Although it may come as a surprise to you, it's because you're just as flawed as I am!"
Vegita bristled indignantly, and when Bulma began to laugh, he took advantage of her lowered guard. He shot around behind her and put her in a full nelson before she had any time to realize what he was doing.
"Hey!" Bulma laughed, sending a half-hearted kick back towards him. "Knock it off, you sore loser!"
"I'll give you one chance to withdraw that foolhardy remark," Vegita breathed in her ear, nearly crushing her arms with the force of his hold.
"What, that you're flawed?" Bulma giggled. "No way! In fact, I think I'll just tell the whole world! Hey world!" She shouted, trying not to laugh. "Vegita's flawed! Sorry folks, but the Saiyan prince we all know and worship is imperfect! I know there will be much mourning and wailing in the streets, but it's the awful, horrifying truth!"
"Are you through?" He asked her, his voice dangerously soft.
"Yeah, I guess so," Bulma replied with a grin. "Let me guess. I've just sealed my doom, right?"
Although she couldn't see, his lips had curled into a wicked grin. "You have no idea," he said evilly.
"Then I think it's only fair to warn you," she said, stopping time, disentangling herself from him, and after backing off a good bit to give herself some distance, letting it pick up again. "That without high gravity on your side, Veggie-san, you're going to find me harder to hold onto." She grinned and crossed her arms defiantly.
Vegita, seemingly unsurprised, crossed his own arms and smirked back at her. "Don't forget I'm faster than you are," he said bossily. "I'll admit, that trick of yours might come in handy at times, but your using it as a crutch is going to get you into trouble. I can knock you senseless long before you execute that move if I can see it coming. And more often than not, I can. You're predictable enough."
Bulma groaned. "Save it, Vegita," she said, making a face at him. "I've heard this lecture at least a hundred times already. And besides, you're not supposed to be giving me a lesson today, remember? You agreed to take it easy for a while."
"I said no such thing," Vegita said, raising his nose at her haughtily.
"You implied it," Bulma pointed out.
"Is it my fault you got the wrong idea?" He said with a sneer.
Bulma grinned evilly at him. "You're going to relax, even if I have to force you to," she said, with an audible note of challenge in her voice.
"Feh," Vegita grunted. "You couldn't force ME to do anything."
"We'll see," Bulma replied mysteriously. "But since I know you're unaccustomed to the concept of relaxation anyway, I already figured I was going to have to teach you. After all, there are some things that even YOU don't know, oh mighty prince of the Saiyans."
"Feh," Vegita snorted. "I only need to know things of importance. You can spare me whatever trivial fluff you might have in that vacuous head of yours, foolish woman."
"Well," Bulma retorted, grinning mischievously and rising into the air, "then I guess it must not be important enough to mention that I'm going to tell my mom not to cook you any more food if you won't relax."
"What?!" Vegita said, unfolding his arms. He had suddenly become interested. "You wouldn't dare!" Bulma had guessed right. About the only thing that rivaled Vegita's ego was his stomach. She grinned.
Laughing tauntingly, Bulma took off like a bullet for Capsule Corporation, with a protesting Vegita not far behind. Happy that her "plan" was a success, she began to think of what she could do to ensure that the fidgety Saiyan prince really did take it easy. It was going to be so much of a challenge that she knew she was going to need a second week herself, just to recover!
On to the next Chapter!
