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Bulma woke in a haze of pain and dizziness. She tried to sit up, but immediately fell back down, her head exploding into a myriad of colors. She groaned a little and shifted so that she lay on her side.

Oh, Kami; that man could sure pack a blow. She was surprised she still had her head. The oracle was right: that man was definitely a bastard. To think, her would have hit a child because she touched him! That was . . . outrageous! Bulma felt her anger starting to rise from the center of her being, and it manifested itself in a slew of cursing.

She heard a chuckling and she opened her eyes to find the man laughing at her from a dark corner. "What the hell are you laughing at, Monkey Boy?" she snarled, her anger kindled higher at the sight of him.

Immediately she regretted her words because he grabbed her by the throat and pulled her up, sending her head into a swirling of pain. "I am the Prince of the Saiyans and I will not be spoken to in such a manner." he spat in her face.

Bulma felt her head loll back as she tried to right herself. She tried her damnedest to stare him right in the eye as she retorted, "I don't give a damn who you are, Monkey Prince."

Out of the corner of her eye she could see and ethereal glow staring to form in his hand. She stood her ground-- or hung her ground-- daring him to kill her. She fully expected him to, but was surprised when he dropped her on the floor. She landed on her rear harshly, and another spray of curse words came out of her mouth.

"Woman, you should watch your mouth: there are little children running around." he said, laughing again.

"My ass. Like you give a damn about them. You almost killed one just a little while ago." she spat in his direction, rubbing her reddening throat.

"I don't. But I know you do." he retorted. "What are you doing here?" he asked after a while.

Bulma looked up at him, her mind finally righting itself. "I was sent here on a mission." she said.

He peered at her curiously. "What mission? I don't remember my Father authorizing a mission for a human."

"Your Father didn't send me." Bulma said, getting up from the floor. "The oracle said that Vegetasei sent me."

He stared at her suspiciously now. "Why would Vegetasei send a human?"

"Because apparently I'm the only one who can get this damned thing done right." she said irritated.

"And what is this damned thing?"

"I am to teach you how to love." she said simply.

He stared at her for a long time, musing over her words. And then he . . . laughed. He began to laugh at her. Not quietly either, but a roaring type of laughter. "Love? Ha ha! That is funny. Saiyans don't love."

"That's what I've been told." she said. She suddenly felt tired. She swayed a bit on her feet, and had to hold on to the wall for support.

"I would most certainly like to see you try to make me love. It would add some color to this drabby world. I have been getting rather bored." he said humorously.

Bulma heard it all, but couldn't keep up. She was beginning to see colors again. The world was spinning in several different directions all at one time.

"Woman, what the hell is wrong with you?" she heard him say.

"I . . . I . . ." She looked up at him in pain filled eyes. Her head continued to spin as she took a step toward him. And then she was falling . . . falling right into him arms.

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Bulma woke again, but this time on a soft bed. She sighed and dug herself deeper into the bed, trying to go back to sleep. She didn't want to wake up just yet, especially since she'd have to talk the Saiyan Prince. So far the oracle was right on about his character: he didn't give a damn about anyone. She didn't know how she'd get through to him.

What the oracle didn't mention was how good he looked. He was short, but he was built. She could still see his muscles ripple under his armor as he walked before her a few hours before. And she vaguely remembered how solid his body felt as he caught her in his arms. His face was unlined, and he looked dangerous, which had always appealed to her greatly. He looked like a stone, but his lips looked soft and she wondered how they would feel on her.

Bulma shook herself. "What the hell are you thinking girl?" she thought to herself. "Remember that this guy had your family killed and tore your life to shreds. Don't start falling for the bastard."

Bulma flipped herself over to stare at the ceiling. What was she going to do? Now that she had reached her destination she didn't want to go through with anything. How could she possibly teach that bastard how to love? "Think, Bulma." she whispered furiously to herself. "You are the genius of the universe."

"Genius, you say?" she heard his dark voice from across the room.

"Do you have a fascination with me? Don't you have anything better to do than watch me sleep?" she said, her voice showing her growing annoyance.

"I don't have to justify myself to you, Woman. This is my kingdom." he said shortly.

"Since when was Matrigad your kingdom?" she retorted.

"Since Vegetasei was destroyed." he said softly, a little too softly.

Bulma looked at him from the bed. For a moment he seemed to be defenseless. His shoulders relaxed and a look of regret and sadness flashed on his face. But then he noticed her looking and quickly collected himself.

"So, you said you are the, how did you say it, the `genius of the universe'?" he said, his voice half mocking.

Bulma sat up slowly, trying to get her bearings better. "Yes, that is what I said." she said slowly, trying to see what he was getting at.

His obsidian eyes seemed to dance over her for a moment. She could tell what he was thinking. He just stood there with a considering stare. Finally he said, "I need to get stronger. Could you make me something to increase my strength?"

Bulma looked back at him in shock. He wanted her to help him? The Prince of the people who basically destroyed her whole entire world? "Why should I help you?" she asked disgusted.

He looked at her darkly. "If someone destroyed your planet wouldn't you want to get back at them?"

"I most certainly would." she said, clearly implying that he was the one who destroyed her planet and this would be her way to get back at him.

He smirked at her. "How little we know." he said, his voice condescending. He started to walk across the room and Bulma couldn't help but follow him with her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" she said, her voice suspicious.

"How long have you been asleep?" he questioned her.

"Five months."

He stopped right before her and leaned on the bed with his hands. His face was a mere few inches from hers. "In the space of five months, Freeza has destroyed dozens of planets, including Vegetasei and Earth." he whispered to her.

Bulma stared at him in shock. Earth gone? But Vegetasei had said that . . . . But no, Vegetasei was gone too. Bulma sank back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Everything was gone, her whole entire life and planet. Would she ever get a break? Her only drive for this mission had been to save Earth, and now that was gone, destroyed by . . . Freeza.

Bulma felt her heart suddenly go cold. Everything had been taken away from her. First the Saiyans took her friends and her family. Okay, she could deal with that, especially since Vegetasei promised to restore Earth when Bulma completed her task. But now Freeza had to go screw everything up by destroying both Vegetasei and Earth, taking away all over her hope.

Bulma sat up suddenly, rolling her neck to get all the kinks out. She flexed her hands and looked up at the Saiyan Prince. "What do I have to work with?"

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Bulma smiled secretly to herself as she looked at her handi-work. Good-Kami, she was a genius! She had, in the span of one week, put together a gravity machine for that baka Saiyan Prince, Vegeta, that could reach up to 500 G's more than Earth's gravity. Oh would he be so ever pleased-- not that she gave a damn, but he was the only chance for revenge.

She sighed and cleaned her hands off on a towel. In the one week they had spent together he had degraded her eve moment he got, and made her do the stupidest things for him, like cook. Kami-knows she is the worst cook in the universe, but no, he forced her took cook for him. Didn't he get his just deserts when he tasted her food; but he still insisted that she cook for him. "He's just out to get you." her mind said. "Don't let him."

Bulma pushed open the door to an adjacent chamber which housed the kitchen. She'd been living in a rude house that had been built my the Matrigadians for Vegeta. In her opinion, she could have constructed a better house when she was two years old, but she guessed that it was the best the Matrigadians could do. At least it had a roof. The house consisted of a four rooms: a bath, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a miscellaneous room which had become her lab. Since Vegeta had to have her everyday she had been deduced to living with him in the cramped space. Okay, maybe cramped wasn't the right word, because the rooms were all actually kinda big; but she had to consider that Vegeta's ego took up most of the space.

Bulma walked into the bedroom, fully expecting to see Vegeta lounging around-- he was a Prince after all-- but was surprised to find him not there. She was also surprised to find that even though they had been living together for a week she knew almost absolutely nothing about him. Like, what did he do during the day?

Bulma checked the bath and found it empty also. "Vegeta, where do you disappear to during the day?" she said to herself. She walked out into the kitchen, through her lab, and then out the front door. "Vegeta!" she called.

Nothing.

"Vegeta!" she tried again, her voice getting tired.

Nothing.

"Vegeta, if you don't get your ass home right now I will blow up the contraption that I just made to make you stronger, and I won't rebuild it!" she screamed at he top of her lungs.

Vegeta appeared a few seconds later complaining. "Woman, do you have to scream so loud?"

"If it means that you'll come, then yes." she said sweetly.

He growled at her and averted his eyes from hers.

Bulma took in his appearance. His armor was completely scuffed up, like he'd been fighting someone, and he had a few scraps here and there. He was sweating profusely and he reeked. Bulma covered her nose. "Vegeta, what have you been doing?" she said, he face screwed up in disgust.

"Trying to save our asses." he said. "What do you think I do all day? Sit around and sleep?"

"Yeah." she said, turning her back on him and walking to the house.

"For your information, Woman, I train hard everyday so I can get stronger." he said following her.

Bulma concealed her surprise as best as she could. She guessed her idea of a Prince was off by a long shot-- then again, Vegeta was like no Prince she ever thought of. "Well, anyway, I finished the gravity machine." she said. She grabbed the capsule from her worktable and walked back outside. She uncapsuled it and in a great woosh, it stood before them. Vegeta walked around it, taking it in. "What do you think?" she said smugly.

"I think that within one week you will have to fix it." he said, his trademark smirk appearing on his face.

"I highly doubt it, Vegeta. This is the latest technology. Not even you can break it." she said smugly.

"We'll just have to see about that." he said as he closed the gravity machine door behind him.

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