I don't own DBZ.

It was raining heavily and the wind was ridiculously strong, blowing in every direction possible.

Bulma's perfect hairdo was ruined as her blue locks now fell heavily on her shoulders, dripping wet, the hood of the sweater doing nothing to keep them dry. She was shivering, her pale skin filled with goose bumps under the heavy jacket that covered the hoodie and the t-shirt underneath it. Her eyes once again travelled from the dripping radar screen to Vegeta, walking beside her and looking around as if something was bound to attack them any time soon.

His frown was in place, with droplets of water setting in between the creases for a few seconds before rolling down his perfect nose. The tips of his hair were bent downwards, but it surprised Bulma how the rest of his black mane remained upwards, defying physics. His ripped spandex was soaked wet and drops were falling nonstop down his indestructible armor, but he wasn't even shivering.

His arms were pasted to his sides, with his gloved hands fisted tightly and his tail swishing back and forth, angrily.

He was losing his patience.

"Woman, how much longer will this take?"

They were in some sort of green land, with tall grass that reached their knees and tall trees scattered around. Not like they could see very further away, with fog surrounding them.

"The radar says is not very far away." She said loudly so that Vegeta could hear her over the falling rain.

"That's what you've been telling me for the past twenty minutes."

"Maybe you should stop asking the same question for twenty minutes straight." She shot back, glaring at him.

"Do not try my patience, you petty excuse of a living thing."

Bulma was about to answer him with some very rude verbal abuse, when the radar suddenly beeped. She turned her eyes towards it and frowned.

"What the hell?" she muttered, wiping the screen with her thumb.

"What?" Vegeta spit out, stopping abruptly.

Bulma stopped a few steps ahead from him.

"It-it moved." She said.

"What do you mean?" he growled.

"I mean it moved! It was somewhere and now it isn't there anymore!" she said, furiously brushing damp strands of hair away from her face.

"I heard you, earthling! Do not try my – "

"Just shut up." She grumbled. "It didn't move very far. Just a few meters."

"But that means that it's probable that someone else has it." He said.

Bulma nodded as his statement mirrored her troubled thoughts. She turned around and looked up at him. His frown was, if possible, even deeper. His face was tense and his jaw was extremely tight. The wet material of his white gloves squeaked. She realized he seriously needed to punch something. Her brown boot slid a centimeter backwards.

"Let's just go there and see what's going on." She said, looking back down at her radar.

Vegeta growled and began to walk. Bulma caught up with him as she put the radar back into the pocket of her jacket.

.

After another fifteen minutes of walking, the rain finally stopped. A gust of wind froze her bones and she sighed.

Her eyes widened when the trees stopped appearing as abruptly as the rain, and far in the distance she could see what she assumed to be an extremely giant tree. Even from that distant, it looked impressive. She gave a few steps forward before taking the radar out.

"It's there." She said. "That tree is immense!"

Vegeta arched an eyebrow. He had seen much bigger trees, but he supposed that it was quite big, compared to the ones he had seen so far on the planet. He walked behind her as they approached the immense oak that stood in the middle of nowhere. Small rays of sun filtered through the clouds and Vegeta watched as her figure moved graciously towards the tree. He stopped for a second, not knowing why but feeling compelled to do so.

Bulma turned around, curiously, and the sun made her eyes and skin shine splendidly.

"Are you coming or what?" she asked with a smile.

Vegeta frowned deeper, angry at his distraction, and trudged forwards, following her.

The tree was a million times bigger than what she imagined. The roots that protruded from the ground were three times their height, and she couldn't even see the highest branches from the sun blocking her view. She turned around, her eyes wide with excitement, but she frowned when she noticed Vegeta's total lack thereof.

"It's supposed to be somewhere around here. So I'm guessing maybe inside the tree or in between the branches. Maybe if you fly up there and – "

"There's something on the other side of the tree." He grumbled.

"What?"

"They might have your precious ball."

"How do you know that?"

He didn't answer. He simply began to walk around the big oak, which didn't seem to have a goddamned end. Bulma followed him, frowning. How did he know there was something else behind the tree? Could he smell it? Hear its breathing?

Vegeta wrapped his tail tightly around his waist as thye approached the curvature of the oak. After a few minutes, they could finally see what was behind the gargantuan tree. Vegeta growled and Bulma gasped as she hid behind him, covering her red lips with both of her hands.

A giant dinosaur was propped up against the tree, sleeping soundly. His large mouth hung open, showing his gigantic fangs that shone under the sun rays. Bulma figured that she was smaller than his canines. Or even smaller than the long claws that protruded from his long fingers. His scaly tail twitched a bit as he growled in his sleep. He was really a majestic creature, with strong muscles hidden under his scales and wings folded behind his powerful back.

"Do you think he has it?" Bulma whispered.

"This is bullshit." Vegeta growled. "For all we know the bastard could've swallowed it."

Bulma crossed her arms as she looked up at the sleeping creature. She was about to take her radar out once more before she spotted something shining inside the mouth of the creature. She squinted her eyes and walked closer, shielding her face from the sun with her hand to see better. An orange thing was stuck between two of his sharp molars, and Bulma felt andrenaline coursing thorugh her veins as she whipped around to face Vegeta.

"Look!" she whispered. "It's between his teeth!"

Vegeta looked up and his eagle eyes caught it. The orange orb stuck in the dangerous mouth of the creature.

"I'll go and get it." Vegeta said.

"No, wait." Bulma said, alarmed. "It's way too dangerous. We have to make a plan."

"I have a plan." He growled. "I'll go and get it. If it doesn't work out, I'll kill it."

"You can't kill it!" she said.

"Why not?" Vegeta asked, lifting himself off of the ground. "Better him than me."

"Well, yes, but – "

Vegeta flew higher, cutting her off. He flew upwards until he was just in front of the creature's open muzzle. Its breath was disgusting, but he had smelled worse things. A planet covered with rotten corpses, for instance. He stared briefly at the sharp teeth that were bigger than him, and his eyes focused on the orange orb. He slowly floated over to it, getting past the row of front teeth.

Bulma was looking up, worried. Everything seemed to be okay… when suddenly, the creature's eyelids fluttered, and shot upwards, showing his yellowed eye. Bulma screamed as the creature's muzzle wrinkled in anger.

"Vegeta! Watch out!" she shrieked.

Vegeta jumped and realized that the creature's growl was now louder. He hastily retreated, getting out of the dinosaur's mouth right before it clamped down its teeth. It glared at Vegeta, who looked like a tiny ant before it. He cursed and clenched his fists, getting into a fighting stance. The dinosaur moved, getting up and showing its real height. It stole Bulma's breath. She had seen dinosaurs before, but nothing like this. Nothing this… frighteningly majestic.

The creature roared, the sheer force of its breath sending Vegeta a few meters backwards as he shielded his face with his forearms.

"Blasted creature." He growled before his hands began to glow with ki.

"No! Don't kill h – " Bulma began before she was interrupted as the creature seemed to notice her and glared down at her. Fear coursed through her veins and she couldn't find the will to move as it roared and stomped on the ground, making her fall backwards when the earth quaked dangerously. Her wide eyes looked up at the beast as he lifted his foot once again, preparing to stomp her and turn her into his potential next meal. That, if he could eventually scrap her intestins and bones off of his claws.

She screamed as the clawed foot got closed to her, before something knocked into her, lifting her from the ground. She opened her clenched eyes and saw Vegeta with his arms wrapped around her waist, flying upwards into the branches of the bush.

"God." She whispered, trembling. "Thank you, Vegeta."

"Shut up. I'm killing this bastard now." He said as he set her down on a giant branch.

"You can't kill it!"

"Why the hell not?!"

"Because it's wrong!"

Vegeta glared at her and growled.

"How can it be wrong? It almost killed you, you idiot."

"Yes b-but… he doesn't know any better. It's in his nature. He's innocent."

Vegeta froze.

"But they're innocent creatures. Why should I kill them?"

"Because they are useless. We need the planet, not the inhabitants. You were brought here because you will become a soldier. A murderer of sorts. You will know no better. Make it part of your nature."

He snapped out of his sudden flashback when the creature roared again, louder. He whipped around, ready for action, and flew out of the bushes to meet it.

Bulma ran across the branch until she reached the tip, and could clearly see the dinosaur trying to catch Vegeta between its clawed hands. Vegeta dodged his swaying hands with ease, but there was no smug smile on his face. He seemed troubled. She wondered if maybe he had actually taken her words to heart and was doubting if he should kill the creature or not. Her eyes widened when he seemed to make a decision and he extended his gloved palm.

Bulma looked around as she realized that he really was preparing to kill the dinosaur, when she suddenly spotted something on the next branch.

A nest.

The dinosaur. It was a parent.

It was protecting its children.

Her eyes widened and she turned back to Vegeta.

"No! Vegeta! He's a father! He's protecting his kids! Don't kill him!"

Vegeta seemed momentarily distracted by what she said and he turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

"I found its nest! He's just pro – "

The dinosaur took Vegeta's slight moment of distraction to sway his claw in his direction and hit him full-force, sending him crashing to the ground a few meters further. Bulma's eyes widened as a huge crater appeared, as if he weighed millions. Fear ran down her spine. A fall like that could not be survived by anyone.

"VEGETA!" she screamed.

The dinosaur turned to her and glared, growling. Bulma put her hands up, trembling in angst and fear. The creature lifted his powerful tail and hit the trunk of the oak making it shake. Bulma tumbled down and fell to her hands and knees, gripping the branch with all her strength not to fall down. Her eyes travelled back to the crater where Vegeta's body lay and tears prickled her eyes. This was all her fault.

But there had to be something she could do.

She briefly remembered that her father used to talk to dinosaurs in his lab and they would understand, even if they didn't talk back.

She took a deep breath as the dinosaur lifted his tail again, preparing to hit the oak and make her fall off.

"Hey, stop." She said, lifting a hand to show she meant no harm. "Stop. I don't want to hurt you." Its enraged eyes focused on her and it hesitated for a moment. "My name is Bulma. I don't want to hurt you or your babies. I… You… There is something in your mouth. Between your teeth."

The creature let his tail fall to the ground and stared at her for a long moment. Bulma saw some sort of intelligence in his eyes. Understanding.

"I need it. I mean no harm. I just want to get it and then we'll leave you alone. If you could just… let me enter your mouth and take it out, that would be amazing."

Vegeta opened his eyes and groaned. His head was pounding. He sat up, rage coursing through his veins, and stood up. What he saw next baffled him entirely.

The dinosaur was slowly opening his mouth, and Bulma was slowly walking in.

"How de hell did she…?"

He slowly walked over, closer to the creature, but feared that if he got to close, it would hurt Bulma. Not that he cared or anything, but she had the radar with her and she had promised to fix his pod.

His mouth smelled horrible, but she only put a hand on her nose, trying to ignore the fact that her costly boots were getting drenched in dinosaur saliva. Bones and pieces of flesh were stuck between the sharp fangs and she shuddered. This was Vegeta's job, he was the fearsome warrior. But of course he had to go and ruin the goddamned chance. She crept closer to the dragonball. She extended her arms, grabbed it with both hands, and pulled it free. It went out surprisingly easy, and she walked out of its mouth again, proudly holding the orange sphere in her hand.

She looked up at the dinosaur as it closed her mouth and blinked innocently at her.

"Thank you!" she beamed.

The dinosaur lifted his hand and put a gargantuan finger in front of her, motioning for her to get on it so that he could help her back to the ground.

Vegeta watched the whole exchange interested, until she was safely on her feet. She turned to him and smiled widely.

She waved at the dinosaur and it, surprisingly, waved back.

"Okay." She said after tucking the dragonball away and walking over to him. "I'm glad you are okay."

"Of course I am." He growled.

"For a moment there I thought – that was a nasty fall. How are you unharmed?" she asked, a bit alarmed.

"It was not a nasty fall." He growled. "Which reminds me…" he turned to the dinosaur.

It was giving its back to them, looking over its eggs.

"What?" Bulma asked warily.

"That bastard hit me." He growled. The tone sent shivers down Bulma's spine. "I'm going to rip its ugly head off."

"Vegeta, no."

"And you are not going to fucking stop me!" he screamed at her. Bulma stepped back. The vein on his forehead was protruding and his pupils were tiny. Heat and some sort of blue light began to radiate off of him and his tail lashed angrily behind him, bristled. The muscles on his arms tensed and bulged as he dropped into a fighting stance.

"Vegeta, please! It has children!"

"Who the fuck cares?"

"I care!"

"Good for you, you softhearted bitch!"

Bulma gasped and placed a hand on her heart. Vegeta turned to the beast and his hand glowed with ki. He was preparing to throw it at the dinosaur, rage coursing through his veins, when he caught sight, briefly, of Bulma's face.

She seemed truly afraid of him.

He should've felt satisfaction. Pride. That was what he lived for: to cause fear and pain. To kill and murder and make others suffer their worst nightmares.

But somehow, his arm whipped sideways and the ki ball shot into a tree far away, destroying it. He turned around and walked away, clenching his fists.

"Let's get going then." He growled.

Bulma sighed in relief and smiled widely, catching up with him after throwing one last glance at the dinosaur.

"I knew you wouldn't kill it. You're a good man." She said.

Something in Vegeta snapped. He grabbed the front of her damp shirt and pulled her closer to him, until their noses were almost touching. He growled, showing his canines and staring directly into her wide, blue eyes. He could feel her. He could feel her speeding heartbeas, her shoulders tensing, her throat swallowing thickly. He could smell her fear and feel her ki shifting.

"Listen to me." He growled. "You don't know me. You don't know what I'm capable of doing or what I've done before. You don't know who I am. Don't think for a second that you could ever understand me or know anything about me because you don't."

He let her go, pushing her away from him. She stumbled backwards and glared at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she muttered as she watched his retreating back.

He whipped around.

"It means your pampered little ass can't understand anything so don't fucking patronize me!"

"Stop shouting! Who the hell do you think you are? I'm not going to help a rude man like you! You can leave if you want! I can find the dragonballs by myself!" she shouted.

Vegeta stared at her. Her tense form, her perfect frown, her eyes filled with rage. He took a deep breath. She was beautiful.

"This is bullshit." He said. He took another deep breath and put a gloved hand on his forehead. "Let's just… get going."

Bulma rolled her eyes and began to walk alongside him, rage coursing through her veins.

Who did he think he was?