Bulma sat on the edge of her decidedly comfortable bed. The rooms were designed with hot racking in mind meaning multiple beds in one room to save space when transporting large numbers of warriors. At first Bulma was uncertain how she would adapt to sleeping in such small, cramped conditions but she seemed to settle in quite nicely.
Currently she was stroking the long, black hair of her son, Gohan. The boy slept peacefully on his mother's lap, not a care in the world. Bulma looked down at the young hybrid's face with adoration yet also with a growing sense of apprehension. 'What have I gotten you into, my beautiful boy..?' She wondered internally.
What kind of mother would bring her 5 year old son into the deep, dark depths of space? They were surrounded by monsters and en route to arguably the most dangerous one in the whole universe. Looking at him now she was starkly reminded of how much the boy looked just like his father.
Physically so similar and yet the boy's personality could not have been more different from his father's.
Kakarot was strong, confident and always seeking the next big challenge. In contrast their son was a gentle and loving soul who would no sooner harm a fly than himself. The boy was extremely uncertain of himself and who he was, despite his rapidly growing power.
Bulma bit her lip. In truth she was ashamed. Not only because she had brought the boy along and placed him in harm's way in the first place but also because she lacked the strength to protect her family. The boy in her lap, at the tender age of five, rivaled his mother's power level of nearly 3000.
A year ago she would have been ecstatic with how powerful she had become. If she had been this strong before the Z-warriors had begun their preparations for the arrival of the saiyans, she would have unequivocally been the strongest on Earth. But in the face of monsters like the fearsome Vegeta, what use was her strength now?
Would she always be forced to rely on her husband to protect their lives and home? It wasn't fair to the man she had dedicated her life to. She thought about the way the prince of the saiyans had looked at the slightly younger man. It was akin to how a child might look mischievously at a new toy. She had always felt safe with her husband around but.. She foreboding feeling that the dynamic of things could change at any moment.
Kakarot was no longer the strongest among them. Beyond that whenever she made eye contact with the prince…
Her cheeks flushed and she cursed herself, looking away from her son in shame. 'Why am I.. Having such thoughts? I love Kakarot.. I would never do anything to hurt him or jeopardize our family..'
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Maybe it was the recent spike in her power level throwing off her hormones in a way she'd never experienced. Maybe it was tampering from some divine source yet unseen.. Either way she could not deny the unnatural, almost magnetic attraction she felt for the raven haired man.
The automatic door to the room slid open with a hiss and she gasped, startled from her thoughts. It was her husband. She looked away for a moment before steeling her nerves and calming her thoughts. As she looked back at the man he smiled at her and her heart melted.
'Whatever infatuation I may feel for that other man… I love my Kakarot with all my heart. I will never choose another..' She lifted a finger to her lips and mouthed, 'shh' gesturing down at their sleeping son.
Kakarot used his hand to stifle a silent, closed eye giggle. He walked over and swiftly planted a kiss upon the woman's forehead. Then with a supernatural grace granted to him by his unparalleled Ki control, he gently scooped his son up in his arms and deposited the sleeping boy into one of the open beds.
He fussed and rolled a bit but after Kakarot tucked him in with a blanket the boy fell back into a restful slumber.
Kakarot's wife stood and stretched before coming over and snuggling up to the man's chest. He inhaled deeply, smelling her freshly washed, blue hair. Strawberries.. He loved that smell. It brought him peace.
"Everything OK? I felt a fluctuation in your Ki when I came in." The man asked, caressing her shoulders with his strong, veiny arms. She looked up with a frown. "Fine.. it's just.." She looked briefly over at the sleeping Gohan before turning back to look into the man's eyes. "What if I can't keep him safe, Kakarot? I should have left him with his grandfather Gohan.."
The tall saiyan chuckled and smiled reassuringly at his woman. "No. You made the right call, Bulma. With that evil tyrant out there tracking down and exterminating the rest of the saiyans.." He paused as he looked down at his fist and clenched it tightly. ".. He's safer with us than anywhere else in the universe. Besides, Vegeta said the only reason they've remained one step ahead of Frieza and his men so far is because our ship is the fastest in the entire fleet save Frieza's own. It's a first strike raider sort of ship I guess." He said, crossing his arms and scratching his head with a frown.
Bulma giggled and shook her head. "Jesus, my love, as intelligent as you are, you're so incredibly ignorant sometimes." Her giggle turned into a laugh as the man's face flushed crimson with embarrassment. He raised his hands in defense.
"Hey, it's not my fault! I was raised in the mountains for most of my early life you know.." He grumbled sheepishly.
The woman, Bulma, placed a hand on her hip and winked teasingly at her husband. "How about this? I could really use some help finishing that second project I was working on back on Earth.. It's almost there. I just need a few more weeks to perfect my formula. The technology on these ships is honestly beyond anything we have back on Earth. The results should be exemplary. You can learn more about science and technology and I can finally finish this stupid project." She finished with a sweet smile.
Kakarot nodded slowly, chewing his words in his mouth. "Ooook.. I mean it's not training, that's for sure but it could be fun. I haven't studied math and science since my early years with Gero. Plus it'll be nice to spend time with you." He finished with a firm resolve in his eyes.
"Exaaactly! That's the spirit!" Bulma quipped. "Just think of it as.. training for your mind, mmkay?" Hearing it put into terms he was more comfortable with, a fire was lit in Kakarot's spirit. "All right, then let's do it!" He said excitedly while punching his open left palm with his right fist. "So what exactly are we doing?" He asked.
Bulma smirked at the man before turning to exit the room. "That's.. a secret." She said with an overabundance of mock and sass. Kakarot face-planted at his wife's antics before quickly scrambling to his feet and following her out the strange alien ship's automatic door.
End of chapter 16.