Destroying Fate: fate has us all in her grip

destroyingfate2

Last time...

    "No." he said shaking his head.  "You don't know what you're talking about.  Maybe concerning humans but not me.  Now leave.  I'm going to sleep."  His voice was toneless as if the conversation had taken a vital part of his will.  He didn't meet her eyes again but merely drew his legs up and stared off into space as if she wasn't there.
    She said nothing in return, not unaware of the effect her questions had had on the last Saiyan Prince.

Chapter 2 - fate Has Us All In her Grip

     He didn't sleep at all the rest of the night.  The room had begun to spin for awhile but he refused to acknowledge it and eventually the sensation faded and disappeared.  She didn't know what she'd said.  His entire life had been one twisted fuck.  That was it.
     He'd gotten fucked out of his kingdom and birthright, turned into a goddamn slave and victim.  For years he'd been screamed at, beaten, insulted, and humiliated... He was amazed he hadn't put her head through that wall after she'd spouted that bullshit.  She didn't know what the hell she was talking about!
    How did I ever deserve any of this?  I did everything my father wanted, learned every god-damned thing I needed to know to rule an entire planet.  I trained until I couldn't stand or throw a punch.  And when he gave me up to Frieza like a fucking piece of meat, I went right along with it like a mindless puppet.  And when I was certain my father had given me up for good, Frieza destroyed my home and my entire race.  Stupid father included.
    All that time I had been doing my best to not cause trouble and tried to take orders without complaint and for what?  Only to find out that it was for nothing.  There was nothing to go back to.
    But even if there had been, I never would have gone back- except maybe in a few dozen charred pieces.  No I was a pitiful slave in more ways than I dare to remember.
    I had a hold over Frieza and I wasn't even aware.  Of course I wasn't aware.  If he felt anything at all, we never knew.  Except for anger or amusement, nothing showed.  Not even lust.
    Any desire was hidden behind that bemused smile.  Those black-cherry baby lips, the corpse-white face that looked far younger than was fitting.  Especially when he spoke. His raspy feminine voice threw everyone off.  Those pussy vocal chords.
    It took me a few months to realize that Frieza was male.  To be enslaved by a female was a poor and unacceptable thing.  I'd been frantic to know.
    And I had learned the truth in a horribly unexpected way.
    BUT I REFUSE to even THINK about THAT.
    She might be right about one thing.  I do hide things but if I thought about them too long my mind would shatter at last, like so much glass.  He thought as he lay there.

    He continued to tell himself that she didn't know anything about him and had made an assumption.  She hadn't been doing it to be deliberately cruel.  She didn't know any better.
    And how could she?  Until about two years ago they had thought Kakarotto human, which was incomprehensible to him.  Humans didn't have tails, so he assumed they were all insane or incredibly stupid to have thought him so.
    Until Radditz arrived the had just thought him, abnormal.  And then his own brother had come to collect him and Vegeta clearly remembered the shock and rage in Radditz's voice over the scouter.  Kakarotto had completely forgotten himself and become as soft-hearted as the ningen he was surrounded by.  He was nothing like a Saiyan,  even his fighting power had been laughable.
    But when he thought back to it, he had heard her voice over Radditz's scouter.  And if not, someone had said her name.  She'd been there when Radditz had first confronted Kakarotto.  She'd had to have seen Radditz.  She had to have realized that Kakarotto was about as human as she was Saiyan.
    So why had she said that?  It didn't make sense to Vegeta.  And another thought that continually was plaguing him, why did he care what she thought?  Why did he accept her hospitality?  And why the hell wasn't he training or SOMETHING?  He wasn't drunk anymore!
    He discovered that he was indeed still very drunk when he abruptly stood and just as quickly his vision turned black and he fell backwards gasping for air as the room spun and his stomach twisted.
    "Damn it." he groaned.   He gripped the mattress and waited for the dizziness to pass.  He slowly opened his eyes and the room blurred into focus.  The sky was growing pale outside.  He crawled into bed and burrowed under the covers but as soon as he closed his eyes the dizziness returned with a vengeance.  His eyes slid open and he moaned softly in dismay as his stomach seemed about to rebel.
    He drew in several slow, deep breaths and it somewhat calmed his stomach, but he couldn't close his eyes again.
 
    He decided then to not drink as much alcohol in the future.

    His eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each and every time he blinked he had to struggle to keep them open.  After only a few minutes of that struggle his eyes slid shut and he sighed wearily.   He was asleep within minutes.

    Bulma woke around noon.  It was Saturday and she had no company business or even anything to tinker around with.  Besides, she had just returned for a several-month excursion to another planet.  She had nothing to do.
    She showered and dressed and headed to the kitchen.  Her mother was out in the garden and from the state of the refrigerator, Vegeta was still asleep.  It didn't really surprise her.  In fact, she would be surprised to see him at all today.
    And that was the least of her concerns.  She wished he hadn't found out that Goku had them all wished back.  Now Vegeta surely felt that he owed Goku his life.  And that couldn't be a good thing for the proud Saiyan.  If she hadn't opened her big mouth, he would have never known.  Goku would never say whenever he got home.
    Damn it, not again, she thought angrily as she sudden felt a swift ache of sympathy for the Saiyan no Ouji.  She also began to feel an overwhelming concern.  Should I check and see if he's ok?  Or will it just piss him off more? She wondered as she ate a bowl of cereal.
    She finished it quickly and washed her dish before heading upstairs.  She stopped outside his door, suddenly nervous.  What if he freaked out and yelled at her?  What if he was so wasted that he passed out and puked and choked to death on it?  It had happened to other's enough, just because he was Saiyan didn't mean he was immortal, he'd drank so much, it was a possibility.  The thought of finding him dead sent a shiver of fear up her spine, she would become unhinged, and she hardly knew him.  It wasn't that she'd miss him.  Just the thought of finding a dead body...
    She ignored the thoughts and knocked on his door.  She was greeted with silence and she knocked again, calling his name.  When she heard nothing, she slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

    She gasped and slammed the door shut and ran to her room, her face beet red.  He was alive and was still asleep alright, and totally naked!  All the sheets and bedcovers had been kicked to the floor and there had been virtually nothing left to the imagination.
    "Oh Kami." Bulma murmured, embarrassed.  She could not get the image of his nude body out of her head!  She'd thought him gorgeous before?  His body was virtually perfect!  Each muscle was well defined and she had caught a glimpse of his sleeping face before she'd fled.  He'd been utterly relaxed, and the angered expression he constantly wore had disappeared making him appear much younger. "Oh, Kami" She breathed again.  She felt like a pervert, she was completely aroused and all because she'd seen the Saiyan naked and completely vulnerable. "He's an alien, Bulma, not to mention a murderer!  And what about Yamcha?" but the feelings would not be ignored.  But there was no way in hell she would give in to them!  It was only lust, nothing more!  She needed to get laid, that was all, and having sex with a psycho was the last thing she needed.
    She headed to the lab to find something to tear apart and rebuild.

    Vegeta awoke at nearly three in the afternoon feeling worse than he had the day before.  The immense bruise on his back had faded somewhat and only throbbed painfully on occasion.  But his stomach and head were another story.
    His head was throbbing painfully and when he opened his eyes the light made him wince and strengthened the pressure in his skull.  He moaned aloud as his stomach began to rumble and churn violently and he rolled off the bed and crawled to the bathroom.
    As soon as he reached the toilet he began to vomit.  The contents of his stomach spilled out in a dizzying gush and once he started he was unable to stop.  He was still retching and gasped for air and vomit began to leak out his nose.  He cried out in pain and disgust as the acid burned his nostrils but the cry was muffled as more of what he'd eaten and drank spilled out.
    Suddenly the toilet flushed by itself and Vegeta slumped against the lid sweating and gasping.
    He decided then that he was never, ever going to drink alcohol again.

    Bulma decided to check on him again at 4 in the afternoon.  She'd gotten over her initial embarrassment.  It was the lust she'd felt that was still plaguing her.  Now that she was seeing other aspects of Vegeta besides the hard-core killer, she had difficulty banishing the ideas that filled her head.  He was flesh and blood just like she was,  he felt more than just physical pain.  And if she knew anything at all, she knew he was probably very much regretting his alcohol consumption the night before.
    She had run out to the corner deli-mart and had purchased some Ginger-Ale for him to drink.  It was the only thing that didn't make her vomit when she was hung over or had the flu.  She carried the bottle to his room and knocked loudly.
    "What?" Vegeta moaned weakly.  She grinned before she could stop herself.  She shouldn't laugh, she'd done the same thing to herself more times than she liked to remember.
    "I have something for you." She yelled and opened the door.
    He was still in bed, which didn't surprise her.  But what did surprise her was how bad he looked.  His eyes and the flesh around them were covered with broken blood-vessels.  That had happened to her once also, and it had happened one night when she had drank WAY too much and after that last shot she'd immediately begun puking.  And she didn't stop for awhile.  The next morning it looked like she had sprouted freckles, but it had been tiny burst capillaries beneath her flesh.
    And apparently the same thing had happened to Vegeta.  The rest of his flesh was alarmingly white and the flesh beneath his eyes that wasn't dotted with 'freckles' was decidedly darker.  His hair was a mess and he was curled pitifully under the covers.
    When she entered the room he sat up, stifling a moan.
    "Watching TV?" she asked indicating the set.  It was on but the volume was turned down all the way.
    "Not really." He said quietly.  He stretched for a moment, and Bulma nearly turned red again seeing his powerful chest and arms.  He sighed and slumped back against the pillows and then his eyes met hers.  "What do you want."
    "I told you I have something for you." She said and pulled the ginger-ale out of the bag.  "This is probably the only thing you will be able to drink all day and I bet your dying of thirst."  She knew she was right for as soon as she pulled it out of the bag, he'd sat up again, staring at the liquid with a mixture of longing and apprehension.  "It's not alcohol, although I've heard that if you have a hangover your supposed to drink a beer when you get up and it'll go away.  But I was never able to find out." She said with a slight grimace of disgust.  The expression on his face was one she couldn't quite make out because so many emotions - more than she thought him capable of - flitted across his face.  "And don't drink it fast." She added.  "I'll be right back, I'll get you some ice." She said with a smile, ignoring the pained expression on his face as he stared at the soda.

    The day was just getting worse.  Why was she doing this to him?  And why was it making him feel like this?  He was a prince after all.  He should have servants like her everywhere.  But she wasn't his servant.  She wasn't slave to anyone.
    And he wasn't really even a prince anymore.  Except in that black lump in his chest that some would call a heart.  She wasn't trying to do things for him because she had to.   Were all humans like this?  If they were then maybe he would feel a little better, and not quite how he felt just then.
     At the moment he felt like he was going to be sick again and it had nothing to do with the hangover.

    Bulma returned with a large glass full of ice, but stopped short when she saw Vegeta, back pressed against the headboard his knees drawn up, head resting on his knees.  He looked.. so miserable!  She'd never seen the expression on his face and somehow knew it had nothing to do with the hangover.   She calmly sat down next to him, and even though she feared he would become enraged, she asked:
    "Vegeta, what's wrong?"
    "Nothing." He murmured dully.  He didn't look at her at all, but stared at the flickering images on the television.   She reached over and opened the bottle of ginger-ale and poured some into the glass.  Ice cracked and tiny bubbles foamed and fizzed.  He raised his head a bit and stared at it.
    "What is that?"
    "Pop." She said.  "Drink it." she handed him the glass.  He stared at the offered glass, the miserable expression intensifying.  "Vegeta," she said, concern filling her.  "What is wrong?  Tell me."  He glanced sharply at her, but there was no anger in his gaze only immense sadness and guilt.  That was what she was seeing.

    He stared into her eyes.  They were such a strange color.  But very pretty.   Suddenly those eyes widened as if she'd come to a realization.
    "Vegeta.  I'm not trying to poison you." She said with a half-smile.
    "I know." He said softly.  "But I don't understand why not."  He rubbed his forehead, his eyes closed.
    "I don't want to hurt you.  Even if I could.  I know what you tried to do to my planet and I remember when you killed Zarbon." She paused, her eyes large and thoughtful.  "But everyone deserves a second chance, even you.  That was why Goku didn't want to kill you.  He knows this.  Most everyone on Earth does."
    "No I don't." Vegeta muttered darkly.
    "Why not?  Are you really going to kill us all after you defeat Goku?"
    "I'm not going to defeat him, woman.  I'm going to kill him." He didn't say it with venom, he was merely stating a fact.
    "But, why? Is it because of Frieza?" he glared at her and his fists clenched.
    "Shut up and leave me alone." He snapped.  Bulma blinked in astonishment.
    "Oh, Kami, Vegeta.  I'm sorry I asked." She said, rolling her eyes.  She almost screamed when he grabbed her by her arms and roughly shook her.  Her head snapped back and when she lifted it she was dizzy.
    "How dare you trivialize this!" he screamed.
    "I -I'm sorry!" Bulma cried instantly, fear gripping her.  To her surprise, his eyes widened in shock and he let her go.  He scooted back and away from her, still glaring at her as if he didn't know what she meant to do.
    Her eyes were clenched shut as if she were waiting for a blow to fall.  Her entire body was rigid with fear and again he felt that achingly disturbing feeling.
 

    When he let her go she tensed, awaiting a blow that would turn her skull to a blood-soaked pulp.  When nothing happened she slowly opened her eyes and saw Vegeta staring at her, and again she saw that flash of guilt.
    She tried to relax but she found that she was shaking and she quickly got to her feet, stumbling on the way to the door.  She said nothing until she reached it.  She turned and looked at him, took in his misery and felt no satisfaction.  He wasn't her enemy any more.  He looked young and lost.
    "Vegeta, there is more to life than vengeance."

    He stared at the door for a long time after she'd left.  That awful feeling had increased and he hated it completely.  He had wanted to scare her, maybe she would leave him alone now.  But that realization did not make him feel better.  It strangely made him feel worse.

    Bulma ran to her room, her hands clenched to keep from shaking.  She didn't think she could help him, his wounds were too fresh.  She decided that leaving him alone for awhile would be safer for her.  He was unable to discern compassion from malice.  He hadn't been on earth long enough to see that many people were like her and her family.  She had no ulterior motive for doing things for him.  She just wanted to be nice, and hopefully he wouldn't kill her.  Well, that was how it had been at first.
    But after seeing how deeply he was suffering, (and she didn't think she'd even seen half of his anger and pain) she couldn't turn away from him.  In fact she was drawn to him.  She wanted to help him.  She wanted to help him be not so angry and maybe even semi-content.  She doubted he would ever be truly happy, but it wasn't impossible. She couldn't say why she wanted to help him so badly, Kami knew he probably didn't deserve it.  But from the way everything looked, it was seeming more and more like he had been pushed down his eventual path until he had learned to walk it freely.
    If he hadn't than she never would have seen remorse or wretchedness in his eyes.  Only that cold, dark joy that she'd seen on Namek.  She remembered that well enough, especially that wicked smile of his.  She sort of missed it.  It would be almost preferable to this state he was in now.
    She just hoped she wouldn't get burned after everything was said and done.

    A week passed.  Bulma had begun to build a gravity room for Vegeta and he had wandered off to parts unknown after his day of being hung-over.  But he knew very well what she was building for him, even though he had not asked.  When she had told him it had sparked a huge argument.
    He had begun to demand to know why she was doing things for him and what she expected in return.  She had been insulted by the very idea and had said something to the effect that if he was really a prince he shouldn't have to do anything in return.  She didn't know why she'd said it, the words had just popped out.  She should have kept her damn mouth shut.  That mean little grin that she had oddly been missing had suddenly appeared.
    "Very well then." He said and turned on his heel, walking away.
    "Shit." Bulma murmured.

    Her fears appeared well warranted.  She had built the gravity room to go up to 100x earth's gravity and the day she'd finished he'd been standing there waiting for the better part of an hour.
    "Can't you go any faster?" he sneered, and she growled in anger.  She had opened the door for this behavior, but she didn't have to like it.
    "I could if you weren't annoying me constantly." She snapped back.
    "Well, I wouldn't be annoying you if you weren't so damn lazy." He said, smirking.  The expression had become constant, and she firmly believed that he was thoroughly enjoying himself as he drove her into a frenzy.  It was becoming an added ritual to each day.
    "Lazy?" she cried.  "I've been working on this damn thing for over a week!  The least you could do is say 'Thank you.'" He issued a short bark of laughter.
    "I'll thank you when you finish.  If it works at all." She threw her wrench down and jumped to her feet, wanting nothing more than to claw that smirk off his face which was quickly turning into a grin as she advanced.
    "It'll work just fine Vegeta, far better than if YOU built it." she snarled.  Vegeta rolled his eyes.
    "Of course, that's what you're for.  Now hurry up." He said, his expression openly amused.
    "Fuck you, Vegeta."  She hissed, clenching her fists.
    "What?" he snapped, his eyes wide.   "What did you say?" he grabbed her arm, but exerted no pressure.  Just enough so she couldn't escape.  She tried anyway.
    "Let me go-" he instantly released her and she fell backwards, landing painfully on her hip.  "Ow! You asshole!" she cried.  She painfully got to her knees and rubbed her hip.  But she would pay him back.  She got up and ignored the grin on his face and hobbled towards the house.
    "Hey, you're not done with this yet!" Vegeta called.
    "Go to hell!" Bulma yelled and then gasped as she bumped into him.
    "I've already been there Bulma, and you know who wished me back.  So who do you want to blame?" he said softly, that mean little smile still in place.  Bulma froze, the truth of the statement angering her.
    "He just wished everyone Frieza killed back, not you specifically, your not that special."
    "Of course." He said.  The smile was gone, and she felt a thrill of victory.
    "Now if you'll excuse me." She said trying to limp around him.  He grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. 
    "Not until you finish this!" he snapped.  "I need it now."
    "No! You can't make me do anything you asshole!" she cried loudly.
    "Who are you calling an asshole, you fat ugly bitch!" he bellowed and quickly set her on her feet.
    "I am not fat and I am NOT UGLY, or FAT!" Bulma screeched, noticing with satisfaction that her volume made Vegeta wince.
    "Well you are a BITCH!" he screamed back just as loud.
    "And you're a fucking BASTARD!"
    "FUCK YOU!" he screamed.
    "FUCK YOU!!"  Bulma shrieked back.
    "SUCK MY FUCKING BALLS!"
    "WHIP 'EM OUT AND I'LL BITE THEM OFF!"
    "I'LL CHOP YOUR TITS OFF!"
    "I'LL RIP YOUR DICK OFF!" They glared at each other, panting.  Both of their voices had cracked on their previous insults.  But they would continue until they were hoarse.
    "You better fucking finish this thing.  I'm not letting you go inside until you do." Vegeta said his voice still loud and full of venom.
    "What are you gonna do if I refuse to do anything?  You can force me to sit in there all night!  I won't do shit!"
    "What if I set your hair on fire?" he snarled and she jumped back as a small ball of flame crackled above his palm.
    "How dare you threaten me like this!  I feed you AND give you a place to stay!"  She cried, shocked and enraged.
    "AHA! I KNEW you would hold that over my head!"
    "Well what do you EXPECT, GENIUS?! I can't fight you!!  What could I possibly do that would make any difference to you?  I don't WANT to hold ANYTHING over your head!  But I'm not going to take this shit from you either!" she snarled.      His face had gone remarkably blank during her tirade, and when she was done she thought she saw a ghost of a smile on his face.
    "Too bad.  You're going to.  Do this now and you won't see me for days at a time, I guarantee." He said his voice low and soft.  She swallowed nervously at the tone.  It was almost sensual.  But using that word to describe Vegeta.. It didn't seem right.  But in an odd way it did, sort of.    And she was staring at him.  He was starting to eye her suspiciously and she knew she had moments to answer before another screaming match ensued.
    "Fine.  That sounds perfectly fine to me." She snapped and stomped to the GR, ignoring his disdainful chuckle.

    True to his word, she barely saw him after that.  For two weeks he only emerged when she was lying in bed at night, ready to sleep.  As soon as the GR powered down she could finally sleep.
    The humming sound that was easily ignored during the day was eerie at night, especially when you heard the rumble of explosions.  Or muffled screams of rage.
    What the hell was he trying to prove?  And she knew he was only trying to prove anything to himself, but still..  It was crazy.  Each night she'd hear him nearly fall going up the stairs.  And then he'd collapse on his bed.  One night she heard him fall right out of bed after falling onto it.  But he didn't get up and she had almost gone into his room after hearing a muffled groan.
    But she didn't.  If he wanted to kill himself training, she didn't care.  It gave her less to worry about if he did.  She didn't want to be responsible for giving him what he needed to kill her best friend and ultimately destroy the world.
    If anything..  Maybe she should try and be nicer to him.  Maybe then he wouldn't want to kill everyone!
    Yeah right, Bulma.  She thought crossly.  If I'm nicer he'll just take advantage of that and get me to do more for him.  She didn't know what to do.  He probably had never heard the word gratitude.  And besides, he could never tell when she was trying to be nice anyway, he always bit her head off!
    "Fuck him." She murmured into her pillow and let sleep claim her.

    The next morning she woke relatively late.  The annoying hum from the gravity generator had not woken her.  She'd thought she'd just grown used to it and she realized it wasn't even on.
    She looked at her clock.  It was almost eleven in the morning.  Vegeta was in there by six at least.  Maybe he's eating lunch early. She reasoned and climbed out of bed to shower.
    She had to stop by the lab today and help out a bit in the research department.  She had scribbled a little too illegibly on one of her plans and the new tech was absolutely mystified as to the meaning.  It would only take a few minutes but she had to grab something to eat, even if she ran into the little bastard.
    She entered the kitchen and her mother was drinking tea.
    "Bulma dear, is Vegeta still asleep?" her mother asked before she even said good morning.
    "I don't know.  Didn't you see him this morning?"
    "No." her mother said, beginning to look worried.  Bulma rolled her eyes.  She would never understand why her mother seemed to like the jerk so much.  "I hope he's all right.  I was up last night getting a glass of water when he came in and he looked like he was going to pass out in the door way!" he mother said softly, as if she was worried someone else might hear them.
    That got Bulma's attention.
    "He was hurt?" she asked, concern filled her despite her anger towards him.  And despite the fact that he'd done it to himself.  Or maybe because of that fact she worried.  How far was he going to push himself?    He wasn't immortal.  His wish hadn't been granted thankfully.
    "Oh, he looked terrible Bulma," he mother sniffled.  Bulma forced herself not to roll her eyes, her mother was so dramatic at times, he couldn't have been hurt that bad..  "He has an awful burn on his shoulder but he wouldn't let me touch him!  I swear, he jumped away like I was going to hit him!" her mother's eyes filled with unshed tears.  "I felt so awful!  I didn't know what to do so I let him go and he almost didn't make it up the stairs!"  She grabbed a towel and dabbed her eyes.
    Bulma frowned.  That did sound kind of serious.  I guess I gotta check on him now, she thought with a sigh.  Research would have to wait a minute or more.  She went to the master bathroom and found the first aid kit and headed to Vegeta's room.

    He was asleep, lying on his side and she stood there for a moment before loudly calling his name.  He jerked and quickly sat up, his eyes wide and alarmed.  He noticed her, and he immediately slumped over back onto the pillows.  She frowned and went over to his side and gasped in shock when she saw that indeed, he had hurt himself.
    "What do you want?" he moaned from the depths of the pillow.
    "Vegeta!  Look at this bruise!  It's bleeding!  And look at this burn!  You have to let me take care of this!" she cried in shock.  He slowly sat up eyeing her in confusion.
    "What?" he said.
    "What do you mean 'What'?" she cried.  You have to let me do something about this!" she cried spilling the first aid kit on the floor.  She ran to his bathroom and pulled out a clean washcloth and noticed he only had a few towels left.  She sighed in annoyance.  Lazy bastard can't even do his own laundry but he can train until he's all beat up! She thought with a scowl.  She turned the sink on as hot as it could go and held the towel under the steaming water until she had to pull away, wringing her hand in pain.
    She squeezed out a little bit of water and returned to the room to see Vegeta again lying on his side.
    "VEGETA!" she yelled and he sat up with a gasp.
    "Stop that." He said wearily.
    "I will when you let me take care of this." She said, indicating his injuries.  He frowned but didn't protest further.    He sat up and turned his back to her, and she sat down on the mattress at his side, her shin pressed against his thigh.  He moved his leg just until it was no longer touching hers, but she ignored it, not caring either way.
    He had a disgusting, dark bruise along his side and the burn on his shoulder had blisters.  She shivered in disgust.  How could he just think this would heal by itself?
    He noticed her expression and frowned.
    "Onna, this is nothing it will heal in a day or two." He said.
    "Well then this will make it heal faster then, won't it?" She snapped.  "Then you can train until you kill yourself for sure."  She pressed the hot cloth to the bruise and wasn't surprised when he made no movement or sound.  The cloth was still steaming, but it had to be incase there were any germs.  Even the blister, which definitely needed something cool, she would have to though.  And so far Vegeta wasn't complaining and she doubted he would, even if it hurt like hell.
    She gently cleaned off the blood and applied antibiotic ointment and covered the spot that had bled with a large bandage.  There was nothing she could do about the bruise.  It would have to heal on it's own, and he wasn't lying about the rate at which he'd heal.
    At least from what she knew from Goku.
   Next she attended the scorching blister.  It was painful just to look at, she grimaced and rewetted the towel and brought it on his shoulder.  He twitched at the contact, his expression blank, for which she was grateful.  If he had complained and carried on like Yamcha used to (and probably still would when he was wished back) she probably would have left him to suffer.
    She dabbed the wound and grimaced when most if not all of the blisters popped.
    "Eew." She couldn't help but mutter.  She felt Vegeta stiffen beneath her hand.
    "What?" he snapped.
    "The blisters popped."  He grimaced in distaste at the information and she giggled.  "Don't worry."  She sighed, seeing his tense expression.  She cleaned the wound as best as she could and then found the tube of burn ointment.  She squirted a large glob on the burnt flesh and gently applied it and then, as her mother had done for her as a child, she blew on the area.
    Vegeta noticeably shivered before he could stop himself but Bulma was already retrieving some large gauze pads and tape and didn't notice.    She placed as many as she needed over the burn and expertly taped them on.  She had taken care of Yamcha and Goku's wounds all those times the senzu hadn't been available, and the practice had paid off apparently.  Vegeta's eyes widened when she announced that she was finished and he eyed her work with unvoiced appraisal.
    She saw it immediately and smiled.
    "Your welcome." She said and got up and walked out of the room and headed toward the research lab.

    He slowly lay back down after she'd left, marveling at how much better the annoying burn felt.  Whatever she had put on it was tingling not unpleasantly, and he wondered if it would indeed speed up the healing process as she'd said.
    Why was she doing this to him?  The question continued to plague him over and over.  Especially after the last fight they'd had.  He was almost embarrassed about it.
    Their insults had gotten more vulgar at then end then he like to get with a female.  Unless it was a female he despised.  And he was finding it very hard to hate her more and more each day.  They hadn't fought since the day she'd finished the gravity room.  At the present he could find no reason to be angry with her.
    Once again she had come to his aid, without his asking.  Perhaps that annoyed him the most and at the same time it was a relief.  Because he never would ask her for anything.  But it was unnerving that she alone had several times now seen him at his weakest!  It was an uncomfortable thought, and he didn't want to think of what he would do to her if she used it again.
    He opened his eyes with a start.
    Why didn't he want to think of it?  He ignored the stray thought.  It was simply that she was beginning to serve him well, and despite her disrespect, he was beginning to enjoy it.
It was dangerous, he knew.  If he grew to depend on her in anyway, it would be then that something bad would happen.  Either by his own hand or another's.   Or her own.
    That was the way it had been for so long.  Just because Frieza was defeated didn't mean that his years of abuse hadn't set certain behaviors and patterns of thinking in Vegeta's mind.  And something like that was not easily dismissed.
    He didn't want to become close to her in anyway.  It would mean his or her death in the end, of that he was certain.  And while the thought of her death didn't really bother him at the moment, he knew if he started to not hate her then it might!
    "No.  I won't let it happen." He decided.  So maybe he didn't really hate her.  He didn't have to like her either.
    Realizing he'd just admitted that he didn't hate her, he ground his teeth in frustration.
    Tomorrow.  Tomorrow I will make her hate me...
 

TBC!  So what do you people think! 

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