I'm hoping some fanfic expert will tell me I've written the longest "How Bulma and Vegiita Got Together" story.

This story is completely out of whack, BTW. I know some things aren't exactly right (as in the timeline), but had I written Dragon Ball Z (which I didn't, you-know-who did), this is how it would've gone. And yes, I _know_ Vegiita isn't really in character, but I found myself continually putting myself into Bulma's shoes, and if he was nearly as disrespectful towards other people as he is in the original I wouldn't stay with him. Therefore... prepare yourself for a strange Vegiita.
***

Chi Chi walked over to the phone as it rang. She shook her head at Gohan as he reached for it, dried her hands, and picked it up. "Moshi moshi!"
"Chi Chi?"
Her friend's familiar voice sounded uncertain. "Bulma?" Chi Chi questioned. "Are you all right?"
"Oh, I'm fine!" Bulma's voice came out stronger then her greeting. "I've... got some news."
Chi Chi waited for a few moments of silence to pass. "What is it?" she asked. "Good or bad?"
"However you want to take it, I guess."
Chi Chi made a face. Something was obviously bothering Bulma, or else she would be making a little more sense then she was.
"Something's happened."
"And that something is?"
"This is gonna be a long story."
Chi Chi thought for a moment. "Then why don't you come over?"
"Is anyone else home?"
Chi Chi looked at her son, who had been watching her, getting only one side of the conversation. "Gohan's here, but he was just leaving." At Gohan's confused expression, Chi Chi gestured for him to get his butt out the door. Gohan simply shrugged and left. "He's gone, now."
"Okay, I'll come over."
"Should I make tea or something?" Getting no answer, Chi Chi realized Bulma had hung up without saying goodbye.

* * *

Bulma walked to Chi Chi's house, instead of riding one of her Capsule Corporation vehicles. After a night like last night, she certainly felt like walking.
She walked at changing speeds, thinking about what she had found out the night before. But as she remembered she was about to get it out in the open, she walked faster.
She finally reached the Son household, hesitating before knocking. ~Do I really want to tell someone about this?~ she thought. She looked at the hand she was reaching up to knock with, and realized she couldn't hide something that big for long. She knocked.
Chi Chi opened the door and quickly ushered her inside. The sat down at the kitchen table, where, typically, Chi Chi had already set out some food ready to be eaten.
"Now, what's happened?" Chi Chi looked her friend straight in the eye.
Bulma stirred her tea uncertainly, trying to think of the way to break the news that wouldn't make Chi Chi faint (or something else entirely drastic). She looked up at the dark-haired woman's worried expression and decided to plop it out.
Bulma put her hand on her stomach.
Chi Chi looked down at Bulma, realizing at once what she meant, and her eyes widened. "You're pregnant?! That's wonderful!!"
Bulma shook her head.
"You're not pregnant..."
"Oh, I'm pregnant all right."
"Then what is it?"
Bulma looked down and frowned.
Chi Chi sat back in her chair and thought in silence. "Yamucha?"
Bulma shook her head.
"Whose is it, then?"
Bulma continued staring at the cup of tea in front of her. Chi Chi had reacted extremely well to what news she had broken so far... but she wasn't sure how Chi Chi would react to _this._
"Bulma?"
"It's..." Bulma took a deep breath. How _would_ Chi Chi react to her best friend having a child with the man who had nearly killed her husband and only son?
"Bulma!"
"Vegiita." Bulma whispered the man's name.
Chi Chi stared at Bulma for a few solid minutes before  exploding. "HOW COULD YOU HAVE SEX WITH THAT MURDERER!?!?!" she screamed, rising from her chair.
Bulma looked away from Chi Chi's enraged face.
"Vegiita is nothing but a cold-hearted snake who has pleasure in taking lives. In KILLING. Bulma, that man has so much blood on his hands! How could you stand to-" Chi Chi stopped when she saw tears falling from Bulma's eyes. She walked around the table and knelt by her friend.
"You were drunk? Or drugged?" Chi Chi asked in a softer tone. Bulma looked up, shocked. "I understand... we can go get an appointment for an abortion. He upsets you, doesn't he? I'll come with-"
Bulma's eyes narrowed. "I'm not getting a abortion, and it wasn't a mistake," she spat out. She stood up, scowling. "I'm sorry, Chi Chi. Telling you first was a mistake. I'll go now." Bulma turned to leave, but Chi Chi grabbed her arm.
"I'm sorry, Bulma..." she said. "Please don't go."
Bulma shook Chi Chi's hand off. "I'm having a kid, and this is the first thing that REALLY affects the rest of my life. And, believe it or not, I still like him." Bulma's frown deepened. "I don't appreciate the fact that you called the father of my baby a murderer."

* * *

Gohan, of course, had been listening at the window. Along with just about everyone else in the gang. Kulilin, Oolong, Puuar, Kamesennin... even Yamucha, who looked sick.
They remained out of sight from the two women. Gohan had told the group of Chi Chi's conversation with Bulma, and they were quick to eavesdrop.
Yamucha was pale as he heard Bulma tell Chi Chi she had 'done it' with the proud Prince of the Saiyajins. Not that Yamucha had ever been exactly kind to her all the time, but he hadn't been real mean. He had just always thought of Bulma as _his._ He just didn't want to settle down yet.
Kulilin realized that those two were practically perfect for each other. Vegiita had a stubborn temper to match Bulma's. Unfortunately,  Vegiita had power to go with that temper, which made him more dangerous then Piccolo ever was.
Gohan was rather bored, but he was interested to learn of Bulma's... something... to one of their former enemies. Remembering how Vegiita acted when he first arrived on Earth, and how he acted now, Gohan decided he had come a long way. He also remembered, chuckling, how Bulma reacted to Vegiita the first few times she had seen him, on Namek.
Kamesennin's mind was running on a completely different track from everyone else's. Surprisingly, it wasn't about Bulma, but Vegiita. The first battle between Vegiita and Gokuu... he had always wondered why the 'Genki Dama,' as Gokuu had later called it, hadn't killed Vegiita. Now he knew. Vegiita wasn't totally evil, like most people Gokuu had fought. That little bit of compassion in Vegiita's heart had kept him alive. Apparently, that little bit had grown since then. He found enough room to care for someone else besides him.

* * *

"Don't go, Bulma," Chi Chi pleaded. "Please, sit down."
Bulma reluctantly sat, not meeting her friend's eyes.
Chi Chi sat down again. "Tell me what happened."
Bulma looked up and smiled weakly. "I think that's obvious."
"Start from the beginning. You said it was a long story."
Bulma sighed and sat back in her chair. "Okay. It started right after Vegiita moved in about two months ago..."

* * *

Bulma had always thought Vegiita was attractive in own unique way. But knowing the Saiyajin prince had a bit of a social problem, Bulma tended to stay away from him. And he stayed away from her. Besides, Bulma had Yamucha.
It was their regular on-again, off-again relationship. Sometimes they politely agreed that they needed time apart, other times they broke off with a vicious argument. But, somehow, they always drifted back together.
It continued for several weeks.
One night, there was a particular nasty fight.
"You don't care, do?" Bulma spat out. "You really don't give a damn. You just get up and leave time and time again, going out to party every time you get slightly bored. You leave me _here,_ not giving a rat's ass about what I'm going through!"
"Baka!" Yamucha shouted. "The way you carry on, it's no wonder I need some time to myself."
"You're not exactly by yourself, Yamucha," Bulma replied savagely. Yamucha opened his mouth to respond, but Bulma cut him off. "Get out. I'm not letting a bastard like you come crawling back every time you feel like it." Bulma stalked over to the door and opened it. "Leave."
Yamucha glared daggers at her before storming out the door. Bulma slammed it after him, making a picture on the opposite wall fall to the ground.
She paused a moment, leaning against the door. The had had the same argument before, but this time...
Bulma had no intention of letting Yamucha back in. They were finished.

* * *

"... I wasn't going to let him screw with my emotions any more. I had put up with it for too long."
Yamucha cringed at her words, trying to ignore the others glaring at him.
"I understand, Bulma," Chi Chi's voice came out. "Please go on."
Bulma gave a short laugh. "You would never believe this..."

* * *

She closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from crying. She turned around and put her head on the door and gasped after she got the full impact of exactly what she had just done.
She had just thrown out the only man in her life. For good.
Bulma didn't know how long she stood there, but she came out of her trance when she heard a sound behind her. She whipped around and spied Vegiita glaring at her from across the room.
"What the hell were you yelling about?" he demanded. "I could hear you in the gravity room."
~Shimatta!~ Bulma thought. She didn't want anyone, especially the ever-so-proud Vegiita, to see her in the state she was in. "None of your business," she snapped. "Go back to your training." She turned her back to him and wiped her eyes, watching in a mirror for his departure.
She saw him still staring at her. He seemed to know she was watching him, watching her. He finally hiked an eyebrow and turned to leave, but paused at the fallen picture. Bending over, he picked it up, sneered at it, and hung it back up. Then he did his usual stalk out of the room.
Bulma turned back and stared at the doorway he had just departed through. She walked over to the picture he had hung. It was a picture of the old gang - although younger. Gokuu looked a little older then Gohan was now, and flashing a ridiculous looking smile full of teeth at the camera. Kulilin's round face was drawn in to a frown. Yamucha was giving the camera a thumb's up. Kamesennin had an unusually serious look on his face.
While herself...
She looked happy.
HAPPY.
Bulma looked away from the picture as it began to blur when her eyes filled with tears.
What the hell had happened to her life? Nothing was the same anymore...
She wasn't the same.
Perhaps everyone else was, but she had changed. She was older, more mature, with different views on life.
Her wish, to find a boyfriend, was the reason she found her circle of friends. But when they started dying... she realized there was more to life. Finding the Dragonballs for herself alone didn't seem important anymore. Getting her friends back to flesh and blood was the most important thing in the world.
But now she was crying over losing her boyfriend.
Or perhaps she was crying for her lost childhood. For HERSELF.
Bulma tried desperately to silence her sobs to keep the nearby Saiyajin from hearing, but they became uncontrollable.
A hand touched her shoulder.
Bulma turned around quickly to spy Vegiita, who looked shocked, in a way. Like he hadn't expected to touch her.
"What do you want?" she spat out through her gasping sobs. "Leave me alone, please, Vegiita."
"Bulma-"
She turned away from him, failing to notice he had actually called her by name, instead of his usual 'woman.' "PLEASE go away." His very presence had given the need to get her tears from falling, and she began wiping her face with her hand. She was still gasping, but she had stopped crying.
Vegiita stayed silent for a moment, then turned and walked out of the room.
Bulma sank to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. ~What the hell is wrong with me?~ she thought. Another gasp shook through her. ~I never thought I depended on Yamucha this much...~
Perhaps she had lost something more than him...
Once again, a hand touched her shoulder.
Bulma jerked her head up to see Vegiita once again. She opened her mouth to tell him to leave, but then he held something out to her. After a moment, she focused on the glass of water.
"Drink."
Bulma looked from the glass back to him, wondering if she should follow his demand. She finally took it and held it with shaky hands. "I-I..." she stuttered. She raised the glass to her lips, but she was shaking too much.
Vegiita reached out with a hand and steadied the glass. "Drink, woman," he snapped. She titled the glass and drank, realizing how much she needed it.
She finished the glass without stopping. When the glass was empty, Vegiita took the glass back into his hands. He stood there watching her.
Bulma sniffed, realizing she had stopped gasping. She looked up at Vegiita again to see him peering at her through his usually dark eyes. "T-thank you," she whispered.
He "hmphed" and crossed his arms, still holding the glass. He stood there for a few more moments before saying something. "You do realize that you're stronger than him, don't you?" he said, in an un-Vegiita-like way. "He is always the one to come begging back to you." With this, Vegiita turned and left.
Bulma still sat on the ground and stared after him.

* * *

Bulma looked at Chi Chi, who had an extremely surprised looked on her face. "He really said that?!" she exclaimed.
Bulma smiled weakly and nodded. "I must have been one sore sight if HE was giving me sympathy."
"I'll bet," Chi Chi said. She plastered a rather contemplating look on her face. "I just can't picture him saying anything like that."
"I wouldn't be able to either, if I hadn't seen it."
Chi Chi thought a moment longer. "Go on."
Bulma took a breath. "Okay. A couple days later..."

* * *

Bulma heard the knock on her door and knew it was Yamucha.
She had been working on a new type of robot in her lab for the past four hours... and she needed a break. She was sitting in her living room, relaxing, when Yamucha came around.
She walked over to the door and jerked it open. Yamucha was there, looking sheepish. "Hi."
Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Hi."
"Um... can I come in?"
Bulma sat for a moment, thinking. She had the greatest urge to slam the door in his face... but that wouldn't _hurt_ him enough. Maybe to try and lull him into a false sense of security...
Bulma smiled and stepped away from the door.
Yamucha quietly shut the door behind him and turned back towards her. Not meeting her eyes. "Bulma, I..."
Bulma knew he was going to apologize. But she wanted him to do it himself without her saying it for him, like she always did. "Yes?"
"I'm really... I mean, I really feel bad about what I said the other day."
Bulma leaned against a wall, thinking back to what Vegiita had said. ~'He is the one to always come begging back to you,"~ she thought. ~How true.~
She smiled again, feeling lazy and dangerous, in her own way. "Do you?" she asked him.
Yamucha looked surprised, like he expected her to just fall back into his arms. "Yes, Bulma," he said. "I'm really sorry... I don't know what I can do to make it up to you..."
Bulma smirked and began slowly walking towards him. She looked alluring, she knew. She was wearing short shorts and a tank top that hugged her figure nicely. She was rosy from working in the lab. She was positively GLOWING.
Yamucha smiled as she came towards him.
Bulma knew he wanted her. She felt almost giddy with the power she had over him. She wanted... wanted... to _hurt_ HIM... like he had hurt her...
Her hand reached out and traced the collar of his uniform, from his neck to his chest. She looked up at him through her lashes and smiled again. "What _can_ you do to make it up to me?" she purred.
Yamucha's smile widened, becoming mischievous. "Why don't you tell me?" Bulma said nothing, and she smirked, her eyes narrowing. "You can..." she looked down again, looking at her hand on his chest. "You can..."
"Yeah?" Yamucha asked.
She smacked him.
Yamucha reeled away from her, putting a hand up to his reddening cheek. He looked at her, to see her still SMILING. She still had that SMILE on her face.
She still grinned as she walked over to the door, opened it again, and gestured. "You can LEAVE. That's what you can do."
And she said it with a smile on her face.
Yamucha didn't say anything as he walked out, but Bulma could see he was hurt. He shot one last look at her, which was a combined expression of sorrow and something unreadable.
Just the way she wanted.
She shut the door after he was out the door, and she spun away from it, giggling like a school girl...
... and nearly running into the local Saiyajin Prince.
Bulma shouted something illegible, then yelled, "That felt so damn GOOD!!" Then she flitted away, still spinning.
Vegiita simply looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You do realize that was perfectly Saiyajin-like, don't you?"
Bulma stopped spinning and stared at him. "How so?"
"Many Saiyajin women liked to play with their suitors before rejecting them. They made the men think they like them, before laughing in their face, then throwing them out on their ass."
Bulma blinked. Had she really been acting that vicious? Enough to be compared to a Saiyajin...
"You're joking," she blurted out. "Aren't you?"
Vegiita shrugged nonchalantly and left. But Bulma didn't miss his smirk.
Bulma stood, shocked at herself. Perhaps she should have just followed her instincts and slammed the door in his face. Dear Kami, I _hurt_ him...
But she was happy.
He deserved it.
Bulma smiled to herself and returned to her lab.

* * *

Bulma sat in silence, musing over what she had just told Chi Chi.
"Bulma?"
She looked up to see the dark-haired woman's worried face. "Sorry." Her eyes narrowed in thought. "I feel guilty, now..."
"Don't," Chi Chi quickly said. "I saw the way Yamucha treated you. I, personally, think he deserved it."
"Just because he deserved it doesn't mean-"
"Bulma." Chi Chi smiled. "Forget about it. What's done is done. Continue. Vegiita's behavior is intriguing me."
Bulma giggled, despite herself. "All right. A few nights later..."

* * *

Bulma woke up to a low rumbling sound, and realized it was her stomach. Remembering she hadn't had anything to eat all day, she got up and stumbled out of her room.
She nearly fell down the stairs, and she began cursing loudly when she ran into the coffee table. Finally reaching the kitchen after receiving a few more bruises, she saw the refrigerator door open and heard someone rummaging inside.
"Hello?" she called.
"You don't sneak around very well. You are extremely loud," Vegiita's voice came out, and then his head popped up. "I could hear you the moment you got out of bed."
A slight look of annoyance crossed Bulma's face. "So this is where all my food has been going."
Vegiita smirked. "So you're not as clueless as you look. You noticed."
"Of course I noticed!" Bulma snapped. "And what do you mean 'clueless?'"
Vegiita smiled enigmatically and ducked into the fridge again.
Bulma frowned and snapped the light one. "What are you doing?" she asked.
Vegiita slammed the door shut and put the deli meat on the counter. "What does it look like?" he said, scowling as well.
"Like you're taking all of my food. Are you trying to eat me out of my house?"
Vegiita chuckled. "I don't think that's possible. You're one of the richest women in the world."
Bulma snorted and folded her arms over her nightgown. "The way you eat, I'd say it's very possible."
Vegiita turned his attention toward his sandwich making. "Well," he said on a rising note, like he would have continued.
"Well, what?"
Vegiita smirked. "Even a warrior has to eat."
Bulma narrowed her eyes, grabbed an apple, and left.

* * *

"That seems awfully... nice for Vegiita."
"Those were my exact thoughts."
Chi Chi sat in silent thought for a few moments. "Go on."
"Well, you were there during our Christmas party... you must have noticed he was acting weird."
"I think everyone noticed."

* * *

She woke up feeling strangely excited. Today was the English Christmas. It wasn't common to celebrate Christmas in Japan, but it still fun, and it was a great excuse to get everyone together and exchange gifts.
Bulma hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed. The gang would be at her house in about two hours. Everything had to be ready by then.
Everyone arrived almost simultaneously. Bulma ushered them into the living room. There was no tree, but the presents were piled high.
Bulma scanned the room and frowned. "We're... missing someone," she said. Without waiting for someone to question her, she got up and walked out.
She went to the gravity room door and knocked. After a few moments, she heard the gravity machine power down, and the door opened. "What?" Vegiita spat out.
"Would you like to join us?" Bulma asked, tensing up.
Vegiita's upper lip curled. "That is a waste of my time."
"Sometimes it's good to waste some time. Take a break, Vegiita."
Vegiita growled, grabbed a towel, and walked out of the room, storming past Bulma. Bulma had a rather shocked look on her face. She hadn't expected Vegiita to agree. She smiled to herself and turned around.
Vegiita had stopped moving. "No." He turned back to the gravity room.
Bulma stood directly in his path. "No what?"
Vegiita snarled. "Out of my way, woman."
"Just go in there, Vegii-"
"I said NO," Vegiita hissed.
"Why not?" Bulma asked. "Give me one good reason besides 'you don't want to.'"
Vegiita glared at her, seemingly searching for a reason not to go in. "I will not be welcome in there," he spat out. "Wouldn't I be _ruining_ everyone's good time?" he added sarcastically.
Now it was Bulma's turn to scowl. "They have to get used to  you eventually." She paused. "And _you_ have to get used to to _them."
"Says who? You?" Vegiita crossed his arms. _
"Yes. Please, Vegiita?" She made puppy-dog eyes at him, out of habit of manipulating men.
Vegiita leaned towards her, making himself even more intimidating then he usually did. "You owe me, woman," he half-whispered, half-spat.
Bulma held back a smile of triumph as she walked past him. She glanced back to make sure he was following.
When she walked back into the living room, she ignored the stares aimed at the man standing behind her. She walked over to the couch and sat next to Chi Chi. Vegiita stood in the doorway, silent.
Bulma glared at him. "Would you sit down?"
Vegiita said nothing as he stalked across the room and sat on the floor, apart from everyone else. He sat almost like a properly trained prince - back straight, head down, eyes closed, arms crossed. Although the others didn't want to admit it, there _was_ a strange sense of royalty about him. At least... as royal as a Saiyajin could get.
Bulma rolled her eyes and turned her eyes back toward the other people in the room. They were all staring at Vegiita, looking quite shocked. Bulma sighed, snatching their attention again. "Who goes first?"
"First?" Kulilin said cluelessly.
"Why are you here, brain-dead?" Bulma said sweetly.
Kulilin smiled sheepishly. "Why don't you go first, Bulma? You're the hostess."
Bulma frowned. "When did you become so formal?" Nevertheless, she stood up and handed out her presents.
She came to her last present, which was wrapped in plain white wrapping paper. She turned to Vegiita, who was still in the same position. He only looked up as she sat the present in front of him.
Vegiita raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"
Gohan's eye widened and his mouth dropped open. "You don't know-" Chi Chi quickly covered her son's mouth, glaring at Gokuu, who was (rather unsucessfully) trying to choke down a laugh.
Bulma, by now, was used to Vegiita's naivete towards Earth. "It's called a gift."
Vegiita didn't move. "What does it do?"
"It doesn't DO anything. Somebody gives it to you. A present."
Vegiita remained silent for a few seconds. "Why are you giving it to me?"
Bulma smiled. "Because I want to. Now take it."
Vegiita uncrossed his arms and took the gift out of Bulma's hands. He stared at it for a while longer while Bulma walked back to her spot on the couch. "What do I do with it?" he finally said.
"Take off the paper on the outside."
Vegiita stared quizzically at her. "Is it a puzzle? To get the paper off?"
"Oh, just TEAR it off!!" Gohan blurted out from behind his mother's hand. He was getting itchy. It had already been two minutes, and he STILL hadn't opened his present.
Vegiita glanced at Gohan with a hiked eyebrow. "What is the point of that?"
Bulma held back a laugh. "That's the fun part."
Vegiita tore the paper off viciously. "There was no joy in that," he said, now staring at the box. "Was that the 'gift?'"
"Now open the box."
Vegiita flipped the lid of the box open. "More paper."
"Dig through the paper a bit."
He did, and he finally pulled out a white shirt. He held it up, stared at it for a few seconds, and slowly smirked. "I... like it," he said slowly.
"What is it?" Kulilin demanded, wondering what could possibly deserve such a reaction from  Vegiita.
"Hold it up to the rest of us, Vegiita," Chi Chi said.
Vegiita turned the shirt around. 'Badman' was written across the back.
Kulilin smiled. "Bulma, where did you _find_ that?"
Bulma simply smiled. "Not telling."
Vegiita turned the shirt back around, still smirking (which was the closest thing to a smile for him). He put the shirt in his lap and looked at Bulma. "I did not get a... gift for you."
Bulma smiled. "It's okay. I don't care."
Gohan was trying desperately to keep a look of control on his face, but it wasn't working. Bulma finally noticed and laughed. "Okay, okay, you can open yours now."
Gohan yelled with joy and ripped the paper into tiny schnivels, putting Vegiita to shame.
Kulilin was commenting (quietly) to Yamucha about how polite Vegiita was acting, by Vegiita standards, anyway. Yamucha just nodded, and said nothing, frowning slightly.
About an hour later, all the presents had been unwrapped. Kulilin, Yamucha, and Bulma were stuffing the wrapping paper into a bag while the others talked and ate. Vegiita had resided back in his corner, back in the same position as before.
"Vegiita?" Vegiita opened one eye to spy Kakarotto's son looking at him.
"What is it, kid?" Vegiita asked, closing his eyes again.
"Would you like a gingerbread man?"
Vegiita's eyes snapped open. "A what?!"
"Gingerbread," Bulma filled in. "I bought them from those American bakers downtown."
"That explains nothing. What is a gingerbread man?"
Chi Chi walked up with the plate of cookies and pointed. "That is a gingerbread man."
Vegiita stared. "And you do what with it?"
"You eat it!" Gohan exclaimed. He grabbed one and shoved it down his mouth.
Vegiita blinked, which was a big reaction from the ever-stoic Prince. "You _eat_ someone that is _smiling_ at you?"
"They're not real men, Vegiita. They're just shaped like them."
"I figured that out," Vegiita snapped. "The don't smell alive."
"But they're looking at you. Oh, no," Bulma said sarcastically. "Just try it."
Vegiita reached for one, paused, and drew back. "No." His face looked slightly disconcerted, which looked awful strange on him.
Kamesennin, Kulilin, and even Yamucha were trying to stop themselves from laughing.
Gohan shrugged. "Okay, so you'd rather not have one. More for me!"

* * *

Kulilin choked back laughter, trying to keep silent. Gohan was blushing as he stuck his tongue out at Kulilin.
"Yes, I remember that," Chi Chi said through a few giggles. "Who would have thought that Gohan would be more daring than Vegiita?"
Bulma snorted, and both women's laughter sounded out the window.
"So... did he explain why he was acting so nice?" Chi Chi finally asked after the giggles had subsided.
"Vegiita doesn't exactly explain his actions..." Bulma said. "But right after you guys left..."

* * *

Chi Chi waved to Bulma and Vegiita as she dragged Gohan out of Bulma's house. "Take care, Bulma!" she called as she closed the door. Bulma sighed and turned back towards Vegiita.
He was looking at her.
"What?" she asked. "Do I have something on my face?"
He tilted his head back and looked at her through narrowed eyes.
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She turned away from him. "By the way..." she added, cocking her head back at him, "Thanks for acting so civilized all day." She automatically looked away from him, expecting a smart comment.
He said nothing.
Bulma shrugged and began cleaning up the dishes. Vegiita watched her with his arms crossed, as usual.
After a few minutes of pure silence, Bulma finally spun towards him. "What is it?" she demanded. "If you're going to stare at me, at least say something."
Vegiita smirked and walked out of the room.
Bulma glared after him. ~Strange man,~ she thought. ~Very strange.~
Later that night, Bulma was lying on the couch reading when Vegiita slithered in. Bulma raised her eyes to him, but didn't move. "Yes?"
Vegiita's eyes narrowed. "I have... a gift... for you."
Bulma sat up, genuinely surprised. "For me?"
Vegiita put his hand out. "Come."
Bulma hesitated, but took his hand. He lead her out of the room, and up to her bedroom.
"What are you up to?" Bulma asked, curiously, as he opened the door.
"I want to give you a gift," Vegiita repeated, this time with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"But-"
"Oh, just shut up and come in."
Bulma opened her mouth to say something as she walked in, but when she saw his gift, it dropped open to it's widest.  "V... V...Vegi... I mean - you didn't..."
Vegiita had an all-knowing look on his face. "Is this an adequate gift?"
"Adequate?!" Bulma exclaimed. "This is amazing!!"
A flute. It was a flute. Or something like a flute. Bulma's eyes traced the curve of the wood as the smell of sawdust filled her nose. "Did you... make this?"
Vegiita nodded. "Yes. It was not hard." His sovereign expression faded as he picked it up. "This is a Saiyajin instrument. The only instrument of Vegiitasei, actually." He put his finger over the holes carved into the wood, and put his lips to the reed at the top. He watched Bulma as he played a beautiful song - it rose and fell, and somehow, although she couldn't see how, played chords. The chords were amazing, like nothing she had ever heard. When he ended the song, he immediately turned towards her. "Now answer a question."
Bulma paused. "All right. Shoot."
"What is the point of these... gifts?"
Bulma turned towards the Saiyajin. "It's just something you do."
"It's required?"
Bulma smiled. "No... you do it because you want to be nice to someone."
Vegiita's lip curled. "And you must do this for everyone you know?"
"No, just the ones you care-" Bulma cut herself off.
Vegiita cocked his head to one side. "You... care?... about me?"
Bulma thought for a moment before answering. "Yes... I guess I do."
Vegiita's eyes narrowed more. "Why?"
Bulma looked at him in the eye. "I'm not sure, really. I used to just despise people who acted like you... pride beyond belief, always so sure of yourself, an ego the size of Wyoming..." Bulma stopped herself and hurried on. "But for some reason, there is something different about you that just separates you from other men."
Vegiita smirked. "It could be because I'm not human. I am a Saiyajin."
"Gokuu's a Saiyajin-" Bulma pointed out.
"Kakarotto is a Saiyajin with a mind and a heart like a human's," Vegiita interrupted. "Therefore, he's not a true Saiyajin."
"But you're different from Raditsu and Nappa - they were both Saiyajin, weren't they?"
Vegiita snorted at this.
"Then maybe it's because you're a prince," Bulma said, exasperated. "My point is... I care about you because you're different."
"Everyone is different."
"Now you're being difficult," Bulma said. "But you're always difficult, aren't you?"
Vegiita smiled. "Am I?"
That earned a glare that could catch flowers on fire. "You're different because of who you are, and who you were."
"I am still the same person."
Bulma shook her head. "No, you're not. Think about the first time you arrived on Earth, and then look at you now. Look at how much you've changed."
"I am the same as I was then. I just react differently to everything."
"And everyone."
"Perhaps."
Bulma turned her head back towards the flute, which Vegiita had set on her bed. "And what was this reaction to?"
Vegiita paused. "Your gift to me."
"It's incredible, Vegiita." Bulma smiled at him. "Thank you."
Vegiita began looking uncomfortable, so he turned and walked out.
Bulma watched his controlled stride until he turned the corner. ~I guess that means "you're welcome."~ She turned her head back towards the wooden flute on her bed, and she picked it up. She touched the reed with her fingers - it was still warm from Vegiita's lips. Bulma closed her slender fingers around it and closed her eyes. "Vegiita..." she whispered to herself. She looked up at the partially open door. ~You're lonely, aren't you?~
The more the thought about it, the more it made sense. Of course the Saiyajin would be lonely - who does he talk to? Everyone shuns him for his actions, and the way he acts... but Bulma couldn't blame him. He had been born and raised on Vegiitasei... he acted the way he had been molded into acting.
Without a second thought, she jogged out of her room.
She first went to the gravity room, and was surprised when she found it empty. She walked into the kitchen, wondering where else he would be, when she looked out the window. He was outside, looking up at the night sky.
Bulma ran out of the door. He apparently took no notice of her when she slowed down and walked up to him. "Vegiita?" she asked timidly. "Are you... all right?"
Vegiita jerked his head towards her. "Why do you care?"
"Why shouldn't I?" Bulma demanded, scowling. "You're living under my roof and I've been around you long enough to know something is bothering you."
Vegiita snarled. "You don't know me." He turned his head  back up to the sky pointedly, signaling the end of his side of the conversation.
Bulma looked at his face shyly. "I.. I'd like to."
Vegiita moved his eyes towards her. "Like to what?"
"I'd like to know you."
Now he looked at her in the eye, something he rarely did. "Why?"
Bulma smiled. "You're different... like I said. And... you helped me."
Vegiita hiked an eyebrow. "Helped you what?"
"When Yamucha... when he... you showed me that someone cared."
Vegiita's eyebrows drew together. "I was just getting sick of your annoying crying sounds."
Bulma felt something twist, but she continued. "I don't believe that."
Vegiita snorted. "You should."
"Do _you_ believe it?"
Vegiita said nothing, and from his silence, Bulma knew she was right. "You care for me, don't you?"
Vegiita turned his head back up to the sky. Bulma smiled. His silence meant 'yes.'
"I told you why I cared for you... will you tell me?"
Vegiita didn't take his eyes off the sky, but he uncrossed his arms and pointed. Bulma followed his finger. "Do you see that empty space between those two stars?"
"Yes."
"Although you wouldn't be able to see it without a high-powered telescope from this planet, that is where Vegiitasei was  before Furiza destroyed it."
Bulma looked back at his face. "Are... are you homesick?"
Vegiita's express remained unchanging. "In a way. I resent the fact that my planet is gone, but not my race. Most of them were idiots - they didn't know what to do with their power." He paused and continued. "After I learned Vegiitasei was destroyed, I felt nothing, except contempt that I would never find a place  to... hang my hat." He finally turned his head back towards her, but didn't meet her eyes. "I never expected to be living on Earth, alongside with all these humans. I never expected to be allied with a bunch of weaklings." He closed his eyes. "You didn't have to accept me in your house, yet you did." He looked up, and Bulma saw, for a brief moment, a look of compassion on his face. It faded back into his eternal frown. "I had never experienced such a feeling - I felt accepted. Not just tolerated, but accepted."
Bulma smiled at him. "Vegiita... I'm not just accepting you. I like you, even. Care for you. I want the others to accept you, too. That's the reason why I had you come to our Christmas party today." Vegiita blinked, and she continued. "I want you to look at Earth as a home."
The Saiyajin's mouth opened, but he said nothing. He just looked at her, while thinking. "I-" he said, finally. He stopped, and took a breath. He tried again, and failed to even form a sound this time. After a moment, he simply reached out to her.
Bulma, suddenly afraid, tensed up as his fingers brushed against her bare shoulder. He grabbed her arms - not harshly, just enough to hold her up. "You..." he whispered. "You amaze me." He looked at her, with almost dilated pupils, and then...
He kissed her.
Bulma's eyes sprang open as far as they would go before she genuinely realized what was happening. ~This is Vegiita?~ she wondered. ~Vegiita? High, mighty, Saiyajin prince, never caring about anyone besides himself? This is really him?~ She noticed herself, instinctively, kissing him back.
His touch was warm, and she felt her knees growing weak. He removed one hand from her shoulders and put it on her back, drawing her closer to him, and supporting her.
She didn't know how long they kissed, but when they drew apart, she found herself staring at him, wondering what had made him do that. She found herself, smiling, reaching up to stroke the side of his face, and couldn't give herself an answer to 'why?'
Vegiita picked her up. "You amaze me," he whispered again. He then walked into her house, with her head resting on his shoulder.

* * *

"... and you can guess what happened next, I guess."
"I can give you a few, but I'll go with the most obvious."
Bulma smiled. "Vegiita almost had something like a split-personality that night. It was strange."
Chi Chi nodded. "It certainly _sounds_ strange. That doesn't sound like him at all."
Bulma agreed silently. "The next morning, though... he was back to his old self."

* * *

Vegiita poked at his food. "What the hell is this?"
"Breakfast."
His upper lip curled as he poked the egg again with his fork. "You cannot cook, woman."
Bulma slammed a dish down on the counter, shattering it and cutting her hands. "Then you cook your own damn breakfast." She stalked out of the room to tend to her bleeding hands.
When she returned, he was gone. He was, of course, in the gravity room.
Bulma put her hands on her head. What the HELL had she been thinking last night?
A few weeks later, she noticed she was late. With a sinking feeling, she went out and bought a pregnancy test. When the urine  turned blue, she promptly threw up.
Vegiita found her on the bathroom floor about an hour later, and she turned to him with a vicious look in her eyes. "You bastard. You KNEW, didn't you?"
His silence was all the answer she needed.
She threw the urine in his face.
He left.

* * *

"... I haven't seen him since then."
"Really?" Chi Chi said.
"Really."
"So that's it?"
"That's it."
A few moments of silence passed between them.
"So... how pregnant are you?"
"A month."
Chi Chi nodded. "Is there anything else you... want to add?"
Bulma covered her face with her hands and shook her head.
Chi Chi was silent for a minute. "Bulma... what are you expecting out of him?"
Bulma looked at Chi Chi. "Vegiita? I... don't know."
"Well, my advice... don't expect much. Don't expect him to be a father."
Bulma smiled weakly. "I think I'd better go."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I need to think."

* * *

Bulma closed the door and walked down the path.
"Bulma!"
She turned her head to see Yamucha running towards her. 
"Can I walk you home?"
She sighed and nodded.
"Um... Bulma... I heard. Kamesennin insisted we listen at the window."
"WHAT?!" Bulma turned her head towards him.
"Please... I'm sorry."
Bulma's expression turned into something unreadable. "So you know."
"Yeah." Yamucha held his tongue for a moment. "Bulma... can I ask you something?"
"If you're going to ask me 'why,' don't bother. I don't know, either."
"No... I know we can't be a couple anymore... but can we at least be friends?"
Bulma looked at him for a moment. "You still want to be friends with me?"
"Yes... Bulma, you're the only person I can talk to."
"Really?" Bulma smiled.
Yamucha nodded.
"We can be friends, Yamucha." Yamucha grinned, and hugged her.
They walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

Bulma shut the door to her house and walked over to the CD player. There was one musician who could make her feel better in this situation...
She found the CD and popped it in, skipping a couple tracks.

"Sleep walking through the all-nite drug store
Baptized in fluorescent light
I found religion in the greeting card aisle
Now I know Hallmark was right
And every pop song on the radio
Is suddenly speaking to me
Art may imitate life
But life imitates TV
'Cuz you've been gone exactly two weeks
Two weeks and three days
And let's just say that things look different now
Different in so many ways

I used to be a superhero
No one could touch me
Not even myself
You are like a phone booth
That I somehow stumbled into
And now look at me
I am just like everybody else

If I was dressed in my best defenses
Would you agree to meet me for coffee
If I did my tricks with smoke and mirrors
Would you still know which one was me
If I was naked and screaming
On your front lawn
Would you turn on the light and come down
Screaming, there's the asshole
Who did this to me
Stripped me of my power
Stripped me down

I used to be a superhero
No one could hurt me
Not even myself
You are like a phone booth
That I somehow stumbled into
And now look at me
I am just like everybody else

Yeah you've been gone exactly two weeks
Two weeks and three days
And now I'm a different person
Different in so many ways
Tell me what did you like about me
And don't say my strength and daring
'Cuz now I think I'm at your mercy
And it's my first time for this kind of thing

I used to be a superhero
I would swoop down and save me
From myself
But you are like a phone booth
That I somehow stumbled into
And now look at me
I am just like everybody else."

Bulma was asleep in minutes after the song ended, but the CD continued playing.

* * *

Vegiita landed on the roof. He couldn't explain it to himself, but he felt he had to keep checking in on Bulma. As he peered in the window, he saw her asleep on the couch, and a CD playing. The current song wasn't one he recognized, but it was a woman with an amazing talent for an American human. The song playing was just ending.

"When I say you sucked my brain out
The english translation
Is I am in love with you
And it is no fun
But I don't use words like love
'Cuz words like that don't matter
But don't look offended
You know, you should be flattered
I wake up in the night
In some big hotel bed
My hands grope for the light
My hands grope for my head
The worlds in my oyster
And I know I'm better
Off alone."

Vegiita found his brow furrowing in thought as the song ended and the next one started. This next one was simply rhythmical, but the tune sounded oddly familiar. It was a play on a popular song in the United States.

"Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost
But now I'm found
Was blind but now I see

'Twas grace that taught
My heart to fear
And grace that fear relieved
How precious did
That grace appear
The hour I first believed

Though many dangers
Toils and snares
I have already come
'Twas grace that brought me
Safely thus far
And grace will lead me home

And when this heart
And flesh shall fail
And mortal life shall cease
I shall possess
Within the vale
A life of joy and peace."

END