Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Doubts ❯ Vandals ( Chapter 6 )

Doubts: Chapter 6

As the day wore on, gliding neatly into a scenic sunset, a few tensions had dissipated while others lingered and grew. Bulma was in her laboratory again, revving up the motorcycle that had undergone her technical ministrations for the last few days. Bra and Pan were upstairs, having only once retreated to the kitchen for a lunch prepared by Mrs. Briefs before sprinting back up to Bra's room. They appeared to be getting along far better than they ever had before, but for some reason Bulma's young guest had behaved a bit nervous and apprehensive all throughout the meal. She kept switching frazzled looks over to the fridge, and then to Bra. Bra in turn would direct covert looks back to Pan, shaking her head and chewing her food rather carefully. They acted as if the scientist took no notice, and indeed she had pretended not to do so. Whatever they were up to, she had ignored. She had more pressing predicaments as of late. As soon as the girls had made their departure, Bulma's mother had begun to prattle off about 'what nice children' they were, and other mundane trifles that weren't really noteworthy. She had nodded along with a blank smile, but her mind was concentrated elsewhere.

Vegeta hadn't turned up at all, and usually he was right on time for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, snacks... the smell of food alone attracted the Saiyan like a bloodhound to the kill. After her mother had thankfully bid her a temporary goodbye to go search down her father and fill his head with her inane chatter, Bulma took the opportunity to go check out the Gravity Room. To her shock and growing consternation, he was absent of the chamber altogether. Where had he gone? Those words alone repeated themselves over and over like some obscene, broken record as she hastily beat a path into the house, bounding up the staircase to go look in the last possible place she could expect him. After a thorough search of their bedroom, she was at a loss.

Just where could he be? Did he head over to spar with Goku without telling me?

It was true he had been avoiding her the past couple of days, as well as she him. Confused, she gave it some time and returned to work in her lab until dusk fell. By then there was still no sign of Vegeta, and a sickening feeling was beginning to twist within her gut. Killing the engine on the bike with a noisy choke that left the vehicle sputtering into eventual silence, Bulma hopped off and reached for a phone kept near the doorway to her work station. Punching in a number she knew too easily by heart, she awaited a response while her anxiety swelled. Two rings later, there was a click and someone picked up.

Initially, all she could hear over the line was the obnoxious bass boom of rock music, with a voice struggling to cut through the clamor. She could barely make out Goten's yell over the airwaves, "Hello..? Hello?"

"Hello!? Goten?" Bulma bit her lower lip and raised her voice a few octaves. "Goten! Is Goku or Chi-Chi there??"

There was a scuffling on the other end, and the rowdy music died somewhat as the volume was lowered. She vaguely heard someone's muffled voice remark, "Trunks, I think it's your mom."

Bulma squeezed her eyes shut, rephrasing what she had just said. Her contralto was still high, as she momentarily forgot that the music had gone down to a reasonable pitch. "Trunks!?"

She immediately got an annoyed response for that feat. "Whoa, mom! Keep your voice down, ok? I'm not deaf!"

Bulma was quick to recompense for the unwanted pressure she had thrown into the scale of her tone. "Sorry, but you guys had that music going a little too loud, don't you think?"

"Yeah, well... Goten got a new CD he wanted me to listen to. It's pretty cool."

"I see. Well, I just called to see if anyone could inform me as to whether or not your father is over there with Goku."

The reply on the other end was a little surprised, as well as sarcastic. "Dad? Over here? What made you think that?"

Bulma sighed, a little perturbed by the response. She unconsciously shifted her weight to her right leg, and perched the palm of one hand on her hip. "This isn't funny, Trunks. I just wanted to know whether or not Vegeta was planning on sparring with Goku."

Concern laced Trunks' words when he spoke next, after a small pause. Ah, there was her son. "No, he isn't here... are you saying you haven't seen him at home?"

"Not for days." She did little to hide the fact from him, where on the other hand she would have with Bra. Trunks, for some reason or another, could sometimes rationalize Vegeta when she could not. Where she failed to understand him, he picked up the pace and vice versa. It was a nice tactic.

"Whoa.. well.. did you guys get into a big fight or what?"

Bulma pondered this query for a minute, shaking her head at long last. Even though Trunks couldn't see the movement, he could hear the dissent in her voice. "Nothing bigger than normal. Just a lot of little ones here and there." Ok, there was that part about her attacking his role as a father, but she didn't mention that.

"Hmm. Sounds serious. Need me there to find him? I can probably track him down pretty quick. He's probably just avoiding you for awhile..."

She cut in quickly, "Oh, no, that's ok. I want you to have fun there with Goten. It's probably nothing. He'll show up by tonight, and moody as ever..."

Trunks hesitated, before inquiring worriedly, "Are you sure, mom?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry about me. Have fun." She could already hear the music rising in the background again, as if Goten had turned it back up by some unseen cue from Trunks. How were they getting off having it so loud with Chi-Chi around? Goku's wife must have either been struck deaf or was out of the house altogether on some errand. Knowing the probability of such things, Bulma concluded it was the latter.

"Yeah, see you later mom!" Trunks' voice was swiftly drowned out by the fast tempo of some rock band and their overbearing beat. Bulma sighed again deeply, hanging up the receiver. It looked like she was alone on this one. Muttering to herself in a way even she didn't understand, the blue-haired woman abandoned her laboratory and began to make her way out the door. She gave one last, lingering look out regret out at the motorcycle, parked quietly where she had last left it. When she turned around to go out the door, she nearly did a faceplant into a wall of some sort... even though it wasn't.

Vegeta was standing in her path, as if he had been there the entire time. His arms were at his sides, and he was garbed in a loose pair of boxer shorts and a white wife beater. Strangely enough, he was barefoot. Commonly enough, he was scowling. "Woman, just where do you think you are going?!"

Bulma gasped and planted two hands in between them, one on either side of the flat pectoral muscles making up the expanse of his chest. Shoving herself away, she brought one hand up to still the rapid beating of her heart. Her eyes immediately narrowed, and she fought the urge to slap the rage right out his face so he would understand hers. "You JERK!"

"Some hello. Do you always greet everyone like that?" Even though the burgeoning fury created twin slits of ebony malachite in his burning orbs, he still made sure to take her through her paces when instigating an argument.

"Ass. What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know I've been wondering just where you were these last few days? I even called Goku's house!"

Vegeta's eyes widened for a split second, before knitting together again. "You called Kakkarot, in hopes of finding me there? Are you truly that much of an idiot?"

"You go there for a good spar every now and then, and you know it. It was the last place I could think of." She grated out each word, her shoulders tensed as if she would sock him one at any given moment.

"...Only because the fool insists on it. There is no greater match for him than myself, and he knows it."

Wishing she could deflate his bulging ego, Bulma continued to vent her anger. "He's still better than you, and always will be. End of story." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back.

He growled, a bestial sound that emanated from deep within his vocal chords. "I do not need to be reminded of that, woman. I thought you had more sense than that."

Bulma shook her head quickly. She was already furious with him, and by the looks of it, it was mutual. Things didn't need to go from bad to worse. Lately, all they ever seemed to do was fight over tiny, insignificant matters. "Fine, fine." She voiced her resignation from the topic, switching gears a second before she queried, "...So what made you decide to come out from your hiding place and find me?"

Vegeta's lower lip curled at the implication that he had been 'hiding'. Wisely, he chose to overlook it for the present and concentrate on the main subject. "Simple. The Gravity Room is broken. There are wires all over the floor. I would have never thought you so petty that you would act out such a childish prank, but once again you have surpassed my expectations." The heavy satire was fairly dripping off his sentences.

"WHAT!?" Bulma screeched, rocking the heavens themselves with her cry. She pushed him aside, intent on moving past him in a beeline for the GR. She didn't think it possible that such a thing could actually be. After all, had she not checked the empty chamber a few hours ago, only to be assured of its state then? Unfortunately, she didn't get very far when her mate reached out and grabbed a trailing wrist. Her jerked her back a few stumbling steps, forcing her to look at him.

He seemed amused, but in a bitter way. "By your reaction I can only guess you didn't know?"

Bulma glared at Vegeta indignantly, "Of course not! If you are so stupid as to believe that I would mess up your precious Gravity Room, only to be forced to fix it later and further waste my time, then you are out of your mind!" That said, she tugged at the wrist he had wrapped a fist around, making a sharp bend to the left just outside the door when he complied.

She was the first to reach the scene, as Vegeta followed in her panicked wake like a lazy predator that had all the time in the world to catch up. She stood in the entrance to the GR, eyes impossibly wide as they registered the havoc. A rainbow of multihued wires were strewn across the floor, originating from the keypad that controlled the gravity levels. It was as if something had come along with an appetite for circuitry, as the various wires looked like the gutted entrails of some mechanical animal. Bulma nearly dropped to her knees as she finally took in the whole of the carnage, and it was only Vegeta's steadying hands on her shoulders that kept her from wavering too much. He smirked, and even though she couldn't see it, she could tell he was really displeased with the entire affair. "What is it that Bra likes to say so often..? I told you so..?"

Bulma barely heard him. After the shock passed, she turned to study his features appraisingly. "Who.. did.. this.." Each word had a separate bite to it, and she was trembling with sheer anger. The GR was one of the things she worked hard on and prided herself in. She made sure it was always running in good order, no matter what. Sure, she might bitch and complain about its very existence at times, but that was only because Vegeta made sure that she knew it needed repair when it broke down. To have such a tantamount to her skills destroyed.. well, it was the final straw. "I swear to Kami, Vegeta, if I find out you did this..."

She was rudely interrupted by a snort. "For once woman, think. Why would I destroy the one thing I actually find appealing on this mud ball?" Bulma shot daggers at him through an unspoken glare, and he merely chuffed in amusement. The humor didn't last long, for the seriousness of the entire ordeal quickly brought him back up to speed with his disdain. "Fix it."

"What??!" Her eyes swept the floor, gluing themselves to the severed wires. "This is no normal glitch, Vegeta. Those wires were a special order. It would take at least six weeks for new ones to arrive in the mail.."

Silence lapsed in between them. The only sound was the rustle of clothing as Bulma crossed her arms against her chest, awaiting the storm that was sure to follow.

To her surprise and slight chagrin, he seemed calm. He spoke quietly, as if that alone took a battle of wills. "Are you telling me that I won't be able to train for six weeks?"

She nodded her affirmation. "At least." A cringe.

Vegeta brought his fists up before him, gripping so tightly that the blood in his knuckles ran white. "...And you expect me to settle for this!?" His voice rose, nearly shaking the chamber walls.

As his voice skyrocketed, so did all of her rage. "You aren't the only one suffering here, buddy! If you haven't figured it out already, no Gravity Room means I'll have to put up with all of your crap during that period." She breathed deeply, counting back to ten as she got a hold of her composure again. Stepping up to him, she settled a gentle hand on the ball of his shoulder. "Look, it can't be all bad. I'll take a look at what I've got here, and then maybe I can do something about it instead of waiting for the new wires. In the meantime, you could actually spend some time with your kids, Kami forbid."

The thick muscles in the shoulder beneath her palm contracted for a brief eternity, and then loosed as he absorbed what she had said. "You had better take a look at it soon, woman. I am not a patient man."

Bulma just rolled her eyes. "Duh." She began to remove her hand.

Vegeta cast her an angry frown, before catching her wrist again as he had back in the lab. This time around he simply held it in front of them, instead of bringing her up against him. His eyes darted back and forth, searching her face. Curious, she stared back over at his, which was unreadable as always. He almost said something, but appeared to think better of it as his lips sealed a firm line on his face.

Bulma observed Vegeta carefully, before landing a look on the contact his grip had on her wrist. In a soft undertone, she spoke at last. "What's wrong, Vegeta?"

Vegeta's throat muscles convulsed as he tried to speak, as if forcing himself to bring ideas into words. He failed again, and then just shook his head in finality. He let go of her arm abruptly, letting his hand fall away.

Bulma smiled, a slow trace of acknowledgement breaking the ice. She reached up of her own accord, tenderly tracing the stern line of his jaw with her fingertips. His eyes were glued to the hand that touched him now, never wavering. Stepping closer, she wound her arms around his neck and leaned in to brush a gentle kiss against his lips. Drawing away, she nodded yet again before whispering, "I missed you too."

Vegeta was really never one for pleasantries. Without skipping a beat, he grabbed Bulma by the waist and brought her as close as physically possible, crushing her lips against his as his strong arms folded her into a tight embrace. She canted her head to the side, bringing her mouth in at a better angle as she felt the first probe of his tongue enter past the barrier of her teeth. The slick, gliding motion of the two tongues tangling with one another brought a rising heat from within Bulma. Over the past days she had been too caught up with other things to actually realize how much she missed the closeness. As the two came up for air, Bulma felt an exhale of hot breath stir the fine blue hairs growing at the top of her forehead. "I know. Who wouldn't?"

She laughed mirthfully and socked him in the chest for it. "Besides me, I could name quite a few people that could say otherwise."

He smirked, creating that facial expression she had both grown to love and hate at the same time. "We can't get distracted. You need to fix the Gravity Room and make me dinner."

Her smile faltered, and was then wiped clean as she pushed roughly away from him in disgust. Her playful demeanor was completely gone when she cried, "Ugh! Vegeta, you are such a-"

He laughed before she could finish the statement, causing a low, smug baritone to erupt from within the contained space that they currently stood in. "Just make sure it gets done in due time." His expression darkened, his lips twisting into a sneer, "...Or it won't be a very pleasant experience for you or the brats." He stepped closer to her menacingly, even after she had put a distance between them.

She could buy that. "Fine. I'll go see what I can gather for tools." Her clipped speech was the last sound she made before storming back to her laboratory. She could almost feel his sliding, masochistic smirk burning a hole in her back.

He really is the Prince of all Jerks, she thought.

No sooner had she made it back to her laboratory and flicked on the overhead lights when her jaw fell open in a silent scream...

-AN: Chapter 6 complete. R&R! What comes next? Well, you'll just have to wait on that one. ~_^

Disclaimer: You know how this goes...