I’m sure lots of you are wondering why Vegeta and Bulma are taking so long to actually get cuddly, and why their relationship seems so strange. Well…I like drawing things out. And as for the weird part…well…? I’M weird. There.

Also, something you guys should know. I’m nearing the end of my Grade 12 year, which means a LOT of things are happening (I get to be in the Grad 2002 fashion show!!) and I have a lot of assignments that need to get done. So what I’m saying is; my updates might slow down a bit. I’M SORRY!! But not too much. Maybe only by a day or two. Please bear with me? ‘Sanks ^_^

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter! And thanks again for all the nice reviews. It’s so fun to log-in and see what everybody thinks of my fic!

~J. J

"Sssomething is wrong today…"

Strifelon stood at the entrance to his underground lair, his blunt snout carefully sniffing the aroma that was carried on the wind. Something smelt wrong. The air was darker than usual, and the earth didn’t feel right beneath his feet. Mainly, it was something in the air. Dark, strange looking clouds were gathering in spotted clusters in the corners of the sky, boxing R’haksin in.

"A ssstorm, perhapsss?" Strifelon’s first thought was the Psytrim. If it was indeed one of R’haksin’s rare storms, the Pystrim had a good chance of being wiped out.

Unless…

He pulled his cloak around him and started off toward the Council of Elders.

* * *

Feeding Roctorns was not an easy job.

Bulma sighed in frustration as she attempted to pour the strange purple liquid into the ten perfectly placed bowls. Strifelon had stopped by to give them the liquid, which he explained, slowed down the growth process a fair bit so they would not have problems with size. Spider stuck his head under the stream of liquid and lapped at it as Bulma poured it.

"Spider, don’t!" she protested, drawing the liquid away. Spider lashed his six tails out behind him and gave her a goofy, lopsided animal smile.

"You are so a dog." She mumbled as she moved on to the next bowl. "Isn’t there anything about you that’s cat-like?"

Spider remained silent as he stared enviously at his brothers and sisters as they ate their portions. When she was done, Bulma stood and wiped her hands off on her jeans. She walked over to the Calendar on the wall in the kitchen and drew a green line through one of the blocks. "Three days." She said, holding the green pen limply. "Three days…"

* * *

Treskor stared down the older Storkrin angrily. Around him, six other Storkrins sat in their appointed wooden seats, all weighing the value of Strifelon’s words.

"Isss what he sssaysss true, Tressskor?" One of the Storkrins hissed.

Treskor growled. "No. He liesss. R’haksssin hasss not had a ssstorm in sssix yearsss."

Strifelon advanced on the much larger Storkrin and slammed his clawed hands down upon the circular table. "The earthling female hasss two daysss until the Psssytrim growsss. Doesss ssshe not dessserve for her cure to be protected? A barrier would not be trouble." He threw his arms in the air and made an exasperated noise.

Treskor shook his head. "Crazy." He hissed darkly. "Leave usss, old one. We want nothing of your foolissshness."

Strifelon paused at the Council doors and gave them all a terribly evil look. "Do not be ssso quick to sssend me on my way."

"OUT!" Treskor hissed menacingly.

He turned from them, muttering on his way out. "You will sssee."

* * *

The dark clouds that had been gathering on the outskirts of R’haksin were much larger now. By the afternoon, the entire Planet had been closed in by their dark ring and had not lessened any for the now worried Storkrins. Bulma and Vegeta stood in front of the Capsule Ship window, staring out at the dark expanse of oncoming storm.

"Do you think that’s what it is?" Bulma asked worriedly. "Do you think it’s a storm?"

Vegeta shrugged. "Yes, but its hard to tell whether or not it’s going to be violent and long, or short and sweet." He looked down at her as she stared out the window, her brows furrowed with worry. Behind them, Spider paced back and forth nervously, a low whine in the back of his throat alerting them. Bulma turned and called him over. Together they stood and comforted him.

"Looks like Spider thinks it’s going to be scary…" she trailed off. Vegeta knew what she was thinking. He took her by the shoulders and guided her face to look at his own. "Look," he said, "I know what you’re thinking. You’re worried that the storm is going to wipe out the Psytrim." He frowned deeply at her. "You can’t think like that. If you do, then it could happen."

She pulled away from him. "Like it’s that easy!" she said. "What if it does, Vegeta? How is one little tiny flower supposed to hold up to a massive storm like this one?" her eyes were growing wider with each passing second. "What if…this ship can’t?"

Vegeta snorted. "Now you’re being stupid, woman. Your father built this ship; of course it’s going to stand up to a little bit of wind and rain. R’haksin hasn’t had a storm in years. It’s not going to be bad. Hell, it might even pass over us within an hour or so."

"It’s not going to." She said. "I know it won’t." she plopped down on the closest chair and sighed miserably. "Not with my luck."

"Don’t be such a defeatist." Vegeta said, annoyed. He watched Spider as he plopped his head in her lap and stared up at his with unblinking orange eyes. Eyes that were filled with worry. He whined and half-heartedly wagged his tails, begging to be patted. Vegeta tried to ignore the look on her face, but he couldn’t. Her hands slumped down at her sides, her mouth turned down in a little quivering frown, and her eyes wavered with what he saw as oncoming tears.

"Don’t cry, for Kami’s sake." He muttered. He stood behind her and embraced her from the back. "It’s going to be all right." He said. "Trust me."

She reached up and clasped his hand in her own. "You’re just saying that."

* * *

The storm advanced with a terrible swiftness.

Before anyone had even the slightest warning, the foreboding clouds pressed in on them with a suffocating pressure and hailed turrets of rain onto the red earth of R’haksin. Wind rocked the Storkrin foundations with fury, rain pelted the ground with enough force to leave tiny holes, and jagged bolts of strange, blue-green lightning split nearby trees nearly in half. All the while, Koru curled up in her cell and held herself as the wind howled and roared through the tiny hallway of The Dungeons. She had seen and survived many R’haksin storms. She knew she was safe, being as far as she was under the earth, but the terrible wail of the wind still reached her and there was nothing she could do to block it out.

Bulma, meanwhile, had cast aside any remote feelings of embarrassment and headed upstairs to find Vegeta and curl into him. She found him, amazingly, asleep in his bedroom. Spider growled as she opened the door a crack, noticed who she was, and put his furry head back down. She closed the door and hurried to the side of his bed. She reached out and shook him, hard. He bolted awake.

"What?" he cried, clearly annoyed at being awakened.

Bulma did not wait for an invitation. She yanked back the sheets and crawled into the bed with him, curling up against his chest, her head buried beneath his chin. Vegeta remained silent for a few moments, feeling the small shaking vibrations running through the terrified female’s body. He embraced her slowly, leaning his head in her soft hair.

"Wimp." He said gently.

Bulma said nothing. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always been deathly afraid of storms. The one opinion of a cold-hearted Sayajin Prince was not going to change that.

"Shut up." She pouted. "How the hell could you sleep at a time like this?"

He smirked. "I’m not afraid of a measly storm, woman. Nor should you be. It can’t get us in here."

"I know that." She replied. "It’s the noises that bother me." She opened her eyes and lifted her head enough so that their noses were touching. "I hate lightning!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Don’t be stupid." He bumped her nose with his own, trying to grab a kiss from her. She obliged and closed her eyes against the welcome sensation. It was only their second kiss, and she enjoyed it just as much as the first. "You’re so warm." She said. "You’re always so warm. It’s not fair."

Vegeta flashed her a wicked smile. "We could do something else to take our minds off the storm."

She blushed and lowered her head back down into his chest. She wanted to, Kami, she wanted to. Ever since that night when she had crawled into his bed with him, she had experienced the overwhelming desire to have sex. It was been weeks and weeks since she had engaged in any sort of intimate contact with anyone, and she was finding it increasingly difficult to stay off of Vegeta and his perfect physique. And then, in the middle of her thoughts, she suddenly realized he was naked. It didn’t surprise her; he always slept in the nude. In fact, it rather excited her. Now, as she nudged her small body closer to his own, she felt the immediate reaction press into her abdomen. A hot, uncomfortable warmth blossomed between her thighs and she knew he could probably smell her instant desire. Vegeta was absolutely huge. She bit her lip and felt her face turn even redder. How in the hell could a man be that big? She lifted her leg enough to drape her ankle over his own, affording herself just the right angle to feel him pressing against her crotch.

Vegeta closed his eyes and groaned audibly at the sudden and unexpected sensation. Strong, warm fingers sought out her buttocks and suddenly pulled her down upon him, enough so that he was pressing against her hard enough to give her a pressure induced orgasm. Bulma whimpered and shifted her weight against him. She lifted her head and caught his tongue with her own, letting herself be lost in the rhythm of their mounting excitement.

Then, a tremendous flash of the eerie blue green lightning hit the ground only yards away from the ship. So intense was the explosion that the light lit up the entire ship, spreading through the hallway and beneath the door to Vegeta’s bedroom. Bulma shrieked and clutched at Vegeta, completely forgetting her arousal. Spider yelped and leapt up on the bed, his tails between his legs. He crawled as far as he could into Bulma’s side, whimpering and quaking at the rumbling sensation that was spreading through the floor.

Vegeta couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed, but he knew now wasn’t the time, especially after such a close strike. He answered Bulma’s obvious request in kind and hugged her comfortingly, glaring over her head at the far wall, cursing the storm for all it was worth. Finally, her shivering subsided, and she lifted her head to look at him.

"Are you mad?" was her first question.

He frowned. "What?"

"I mean…that we…."

"Woman," Vegeta smirked, "We have all the time in the world, don’t we? Of course I’m disappointed, but I can forget that for now." He paused, trying to think of a biting insult. "It would be nice if you weren’t such a coward."

She punched him in the shoulder, but there wasn’t nearly enough anger to sound genuine. Her inner thighs still tingled and she knew that when she took her panties off in the morning, they would most definitely be soaked. But what he said had merit; she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on love making if lightning was constantly hitting the ground inches from their Ship.

There was a sudden clawing and chirping at the door, and Bulma recognized it as Ghost. She left the warmth of the bed and opened the door to find Ghost and nine Roctorn’s peering hopefully up at her. The terrified Cheribulum instantly scrambled up into her arms and nuzzled into her shoulder.

"Looks like we have company." She said, trying to hide her smile at the adorably angry pout on Vegeta’s face. He groaned loudly as she opened the door fully and let the nine thundering monstrosities inside.

"All right, but you’re all staying down there!" He yelled at them as they all surrounded the bed, whining eagerly. "Don’t look at me like that!" he snarled at them. Spider looked smug.

Bulma snuggled back into the bed, Ghost between them. It was an instant mistake. Vegeta growled at Ghost for separating him from his desire, Spider growled at Ghost for making his master growl, and the remaining nine Roctorns growled at their brother for being on the bed when they were not. Ghost shrank back from the Prince’s glare and tried to hide in the folds of Bulma’s nightgown. She laughed and ruffled his ears, receiving a few good natures chirps. Spider growled in indignation and curled up as close as he could get to Vegeta, sending Ghost a ‘next time you won’t be so lucky’ look.

Vegeta looked over at Bulma. Her eyes were wide and alert as she looked around the darkened room. "What’s on your mind?" he asked her.

"The Psytrim." She sighed. "Vegeta, I’m worried."

He frowned. "Like I said, there’s nothing to worry about. Flowers are rooted into the ground. It would take a much more violent storm than this to tear one up."

"You’re trained to say these things."

"I was trained to do many things in my life, Bulma, but lying was not one of them."

There was an awkward silence. "I’m…sorry." She said.

"Don’t be." He replied. "I’m used to the lying, heartless bastard impression I give to people."

She frowned and sat up. Ghost slid down her chest with an annoyed chirp. "I didn’t say you were a liar." She defended.

"You insinuate it."

She rose from the bed, carrying her fuzzy bundle. "I’m going to get something to drink."

He didn’t say anything. She shrugged and headed toward the kitchen, Spider padding alone softly behind her and Ghost on his usual shoulder perch. She was angry, and she knew if she stayed in the bedroom beside him, her anger would worsen until they got into another one of their arguments. She didn’t want that to happen, not tonight. With such a storm going on, she didn’t know how she would be able to sleep by herself in the dark without being able to cuddle with him. He made her mad, he made her furious even, but he also made her feel safe. She didn’t want to ruin that.

The kitchen lit up in a flash of light as lightning struck the ground miles away. She shrunk back and Spider hid behind her legs. "You’re supposed to be the big bad guard dog." She muttered to him, inching toward the light switch.

If the power goes out, I swear….

Click.

Bulma screamed in frustration when the lightswitch failed to work. She fumbled her way back to Vegeta’s bedroom and tapped on his shoulder. He was already asleep, again. He blinked up at her. "Hn?"

"The powers out."

"So?"

"So I can’t see where I’m going!" she complained. "I have to go pee. I’ll bump into something."

"Woman-

"I’m scared!" she pouted, determined not to budge. "Please come with me!"

"You want me to go pee with you?"

"DON’T BE DIFFICULT!" she screamed into his face. Vegeta laughed, the Roctorn’s jumped, and Ghost squealed. Spider looked nothing short of amazed; he hadn’t yet seen his ‘masters’ powers.

"All right, all right." He smirked as he rose from the bed, standing naked next to her. "I’ll help you go pee."

He concentrated his Ki and instantly it flared to life, creating the crackling, soft golden glow that always came with the energy. Bulma took his hand and they went down the hall toward the bathroom. Vegeta waited outside the door, letting his Ki fade enough so that he wasn’t wasting precious energy. Spider sat on his haunches beside him.

"Don’t listen to me." Bulma growled from behind the door. "And no peeking."

"I swear, woman, you get weirder every day."

Outside, the heavy rain pelted the window and Vegeta had a sudden thought about the Psytrim. What if Bulma wasn’t worried for a stupid reason for once? What in the hell would they do if the damn plant they had gone through so much for just…died? He scowled at himself and clenched a fist. He wouldn’t stand for it. But then, what could he do? The click of the bathroom door opening took him out of his thoughts.

"Done?"

"Yeah."

He took her hand and led her back to his bedroom, where they crawled back into the sheets and each other’s arms.

They were asleep in seconds.