I don't own Dragonball, etc, etc. The DBZ universe and its characters are property of the Hi No Tory Studios (Since Akira Toryiama let them do what they pleased with his creations in DBGT...:()

This is my first DBZ fanfic, so please be nice! I'm trying to make a different BV get together; however, since there are so many of them, it'll probably have things you've, sigh, already seen before. Oh well...(shrugs)

The Sheep and the Hedgehog

Prologue

Bulma leaned over the computer typing feverishly. It was merely research, nothing really important or special, but anything was good to keep her mind from *that subject*. She was almost sure her current indisposition had something to do with the tension and stress caused by *it* . She hadn't been feeling like herself lately; she wept without any reason one moment and a single innocent comment was enough to make her burst out in rage the next. She slept poorly and ate worse. Her mother had suggested she see a doctor, but Bulma promptly dismissed it. She hated doctors, hospitals and anything related to them, and it seemed too much ado about so little. It was probably just the flu, yes, that was it. She would be fine.

She scratched the back of her neck, her fingers brushing her fresh-cropped locks. Trying to distract herself, she had paid the beauty parlor a visit that morning and cut the rest of the permanent off. The result was simple but elegant, a bit reminiscent of the haircut she wore when Radditz had showed up at Roshi's House. Not as beautiful as long hair, alright, but very practical, it wouldn't get in the way when she worked with her machines. Besides, for her first time in her life, Bulma didn't care (too much) if other people thought she was beautiful or not. She sighed bitterly.

Almost in silence, the door opened up, but Bulma didn't turn around. Although not hearing anything further, she could perfectly feel the short, muscular figure walking towards her in his panther pace, sting-eyeing at her now much smaller head. She stiffened defensively. He would probably say that she looked like a man, or that she'd look better bald. Or even pretend to not recognize her. The most probable, however, was that he didn't even take notice of her new hair. Saiya-jins or humans, men were all alike. Boorish and insensitive...

"Hrm. Much better." Vegeta grunted.

Bulma almost jumped in her chair. Had she heard right? Had Vegeta made a compliment?? Forgetting her initial plan of ignoring him, she turned on her chair, a beautiful smile lighting up her face:

"Do... do you like it? Really?" her voice sounded disbelieving, but anxious as well.

Vegeta felt the familiar pang he always had when she smiled at him like that, with her blue eyes shining like they were filled with a myriad of mycroscopic stars. Automatically, he folded his arms across his chest, like shielding himself from her:

"No. But at least you stopped looking like a silly sheep ."

Bulma felt her blood piping hot. Should have expected that! How could she had been so naive to believe that, for just a moment, that self-centered jerk would be able to say something gentle -- even to her? Only the smirk at the corner of Vegeta's mouth kept her from bursting out. That was what he wanted.

"Hmpf!"she primly closed her eyes and lifted up her little nose "Better to be a graceful sheep than a conceited hedgehog! At least someone here changes her hair occasionally." and returned to her work. Vegeta sneered:

"Occasionally? Since we met, I've already seen you with FOUR different hairstyles, including this junk! A Saiyan's hair doesn't grow that odd way and has to be cut all the time."

"So if I shaved your head you'd be bald forever? How tempting!" Bulma scoffed, her eyes on the computer screen, "But you haven't come for a hair fight, Vegeta. What do you want?"

Vegeta shut up, irked at her question. Actually, he didn't know why he was there. It had been just like a sort of magnet had pulled him towards her place against his own will, just like it happened so many times before. Like he just had to see her, one last time, before he ... Vegeta nearly shook his head. Absurd. That was what he got for bedding an Earth woman: her race's sentimentality was contaminating him. No wonder that a pure-blood Saiyan like Kakarrott had become a soft-hearted fool just for living on that sickening planet. But not him.

They stayed a long while in there, one working and the other watching, one without knowing what to say and the other fearing to listen. The air between them was so thick with tension that it could be cut in half, the woman thought. Vegeta had avoided her for the last couple of weeks and she had finally found out why. A hard lump began to form in her throat. In part, it was her fault, as much as it cost her to admit it, but blaming herself wouldn't do any good now. She peeked at Vegeta from the corner of her eye: he was still there, frowning and arms folded, like an statue. Bulma couldn't stand it anymore.

"When are you leaving?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible; only a slight tremble in her fingers betrayed her anxiety, and she prayed for him to not notice it.

Vegeta suppressed a gasp. He had purposely concealed his plans of going to train out in space from her. The woman had been unbearable those last days; if she learned that he was going off again, all the Capsule Corp's glasses would be shattered in particles by her hysteria. He didn't fear her, of course, but he also didn't want to be deaf. Besides, that diabolic witch of his would be downright able to do anything to keep him beside her, from sabotaging the ship's engines to slipping that blasted "pee-pee" stuff * in his food.

And now she calmly asked him, like it was nothing.

He never would understand her.

To Continue

The Sheep and the Hedgehog

Whew, at last I did. I´m sorry had taken so long to update, but I was getting unsure about my English, and it took long until I found a beta reader. One very special trhanks for my beta Applescruffs, who made all the corrections. Without her, this chap would probably take another half year to come.

Enjoy! :)