Bandaid: Chapter 1

Band-aid

By EliteSaiya-jinJenny

Author's Note: Hiya, friends! This is my first one-shot fic, so be gentle! It's very romantic, so for you fluff-haters heed my warning and LEAVE NOW!!!

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.Band-aid.

Bulma gasped as she put her left earring in; a certain Saiya-jin prince was yelling from down stairs and it was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on her date preparation.

"WOMAN!! MAKE MY DAMNED DINNER OR THERE'LL BE HELL TO PAY!!" his raspy voice cried through her closed door.

Bulma cringed as she nipped her ear again and threw the earring down in a rage. She kicked the door open and screamed, "COULD YOU MAKE YOUR OWN DINNER FOR ONCE!? Kami!! Can't you see I'm busy!?"

"Hey! I'm the-"

"'Prince of the Saiya-jins and I command you to make my dinner!'" Bulma mocked. She leaned down and picked up her lost earring with the lovely crimson red jewel hanging like a tear drop of blood. A hand clasped her shoulder and thrust her upward and crushed her to the wall next to her bed. Vegeta was seething and Bulma's shoulder was paining her more and more by the second.

"How dare you mock me?! I'm going to save your pathetic planet and this is how you pay me? Don't you have better things to do than fawn over that puny Earthling you call a man?"

Bulma pulled her arm away from the Saiya-jin's grasp. "For your information, Yamcha will always be more of a man than you will! He actually has a heart! He also doesn't throw me around like some slave, thinking he owns the place!"

"That's what you are! You're a bothersome, female slave! Now feed me!"

Bulma laughed. "You sound like a child! 'Feed me!' Honestly, you'd think I should carry you around in a basket because the floor might dirty your pretty, white boots! I've provided you with shelter and a place to train to save my pathetic planet! I don't owe you anything else. So if you'll excuse me, I have a date to attend because I'm actually liked!"

"I could have any Earth female I wanted if in fact I DID want one! Your species is so weak it's appalling. I also wouldn't call it an accomplishment to "own" that fool's affection. He'll drool over any woman his eyes set on that's rich or half-way decent-looking."

Bulma smiled. "So you think I'm attractive, do you?"

Vegeta snorted. "You're the ugliest thing on and off of this planet that I've ever seen! Now get your big ass down there and make some damn food!"

Tears flooded into Bulma's eyes. She picked up her things and pushed past the grumpy prince in a rage. Turning and grabbing the door knob she yelled back to him, "I HATE YOU! IF YOU'RE SO DAMN STRONG AND SUPERIOR MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD, BECAUSE YOU'LL GET NOTHING MORE FROM ME! I DON'T LISTEN TO JERKS WHO HAVE NO RESPECT FOR ANYONE BUT THEMSELF! ROT IN HELL!!" With that she slammed the door and stomped downstairs.

"I'VE ALREADY BEEN THERE! WITH YOUR ATTITUDE I'LL BE MEETING YOU IN HELL AFTER I SNAP THAT NECK OF YOURS!!" he yelled after her, but she had already tromped outside and Yamcha's red convertible was already welcoming her into it.

Fool, he thought. That moron wouldn't give her any respect, he didn't have enough to go through the many girls whose hearts he had stolen.

'What an idiot...like I am...' he closed his eyes and stalked downstairs. The time he hadn't offered to admire her curving body in that lovely, shimmering nightgown he was already regretting. It definitely suited her. A deep midnight blue to counter her bright turquoise hair and sky blue eyes combined with that enticing scent she always possessed was enough to drive him mad. He would, of course, try to push the woman out of his head with some solid gravity training. But he knew what was coming. His effort would provide itself futile and he would eventually give up and go to sleep.

'I don't need dinner anyway...'

Vegeta grabbed a towel from the cupboard and dabbed the sweat from his face. Like he had predicted mournfully, training would not wipe the form of his blue-haired muse from his mind. Walking to the shower he heard a car drive away rather quickly, followed by the door slamming shut.

'Let me guess, he insulted her and admitted to screwing someone else and now she's going to throw a fit! Just great!' he sneered. This had happened many times before and the process was not unfamiliar to him. But something was wrong. A habit he had unwillingly picked up was tracking the energy of the blue-haired wonder; she was hurt.

He looked down the stairs and saw her familiar silhouette stumbling over chairs and other things. Vegeta jumped down the stairs and helped her up. She was sobbing hysterically. She sank into his strong arms as her legs gave way, and he hefted her off her feet and set her onto the kitchen counter.

Silent tears were now streaming down her cheeks as Vegeta tended to her wounds. She was cut everywhere along with bruises and maybe even a broken bone. She looked downward and cried quietly, recalling the past evening's events.

Vegeta cupped her chin with his hand and tilted her head upwards.

"Hey." he spoke gently, "Look at me. Bulma, look at me and tell me what happened."

She looked up and stared right into his onyx eyes, while tears still slid down her face. Until now she hadn't noticed how handsome he was. Vegeta certainly didn't exaggerate Saiya-jin superiority, at least when it came to looks. His eyes were so narrow and dark, shaped with those demonic brows. A strong nose with a small upturn at the end with luscious lips and a strong chin to frame his heart shaped face was difficult to ignore. Especially since he was here with her now, only inches away from her face.

"Bulma, what happened?" Vegeta persisted.

Sobs continued to rack her body as she described the evening's horrific events.

"H-he hit m-me! I a-asked him ab-about his loyalty to m-me, th-then we argued for a w-while and he h-hit me!" she threw her arms around Vegeta's head and cried into his shoulder.

Vegeta was at a loss for words. One reason was the audacity of that human to touch her in any way, and the other was her arms around him. Unsure of what to do, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the counter, taking her upstairs to her room. He laid her on her soft, satin bed and stroked her face gently. Feelings were swarming around in his head angrily, and he was completely lost on deciding which one to choose. Until he ignored the feelings he learned as a child and leaned in for a passionate kiss with Bulma. She too leaned in to his gentle offer, hoping to Kami it wouldn't end. But he pulled away and pulled the blankets over her. He gently shut the door, and Bulma sank into a fitful sleep.

Bulma awoke with a start to hear pounding and stomping and yelling downstairs. She jumped out of bed and threw open the door to see what was going on, much to the dismay of her throbbing head. But it appeared to be over, whatever it was. She did, however catch a glimpse of a broken and bruised Yamcha jumping into his destroyed car. Surprisingly, it started and drove away with a cursing, mumbling, and crying driver.

The last thing she saw before she shut her door with a smile was Vegeta standing near the stairs dusting off his shirt with the most dominant evil look she had ever seen; accompanied with his dark accent lacing his voice seductively. He walked outside to the Gravity Room and shut himself in, probably for until she was well asleep.

"So he does care," she thought with tears in her eyes. She climbed back into bed and drifted through her sleep soundlessly, knowing there was someone living with her to heal her wounds.

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