Hooray I got my 100th review yesterday! I never really expected ADB to reach the 100th mark first, I had thought Promised would because it has so many more reviews. I believe that this is likely my most popular story. And since I now have my 100 and way before the 21st too ^.~ I decided to reward you all, so I set down today and wrote chap 9, the chapter that you've all been waiting for. You're all very lucky that I stayed home today, because that gave me the time to write. And thank you to VJ who gave me lots of reviews. (I'm glad I've been able to keep your interest) I seem to have this habit in all my stories of taking forever for them to even meet. And also thanks to Lil Vegeta's Twin who was the 100th reviewer! Now on to the story!

Chapter 9

A Fateful Meeting; The Dark Prince

Her hand paused at the panel and she looked down, suddenly taking notice of something. There was a light coming from the crack beneath the door. She stared in wonder at the sliver of light, and then felt surge of rage bubble within her. How dare anyone trespass in her home, and in her father's office no less? She reached into her pocket and held the tiny capsule tightly in her hand. She reached up once again and pressed her hand to the panel. The door flew open with a rush of air, and she cautiously stepped through the doorway. Her eyes fell at once on a black leather office chair, which had once been her fathers. A tuft of black hair could be seen peaking over the top of the chair.

She growled low in her throat and addressed the mysterious person, "Who the hell are you? I suggest you show your self!" The office chair slowly swung around revealing the face of the man that she sought. Her eyes widened considerably, she had been expecting a thief, not her quarry. Now that she was a mere ten feet from the man she discovered that the picture had not done him justice. He had well defined chiseled features and sharp black eyes that still shone with intelligence. Yes the man still had all his wits about him. She knew he would definitely be dangerous. Her shocked featured settled into a small smirk of satisfaction, but before she could speak her quarry took the opportunity to do so.

He remained seated in the chair his hands steeped in front of his face as he spoke. "This is my home, so I don't believe you have the right to suggest anything to me. Now what the hell is it that you want?"

She growled and deployed the capsule, catching the heavy sword before it could hit the ground. She was before him in an instant the tip of the sword pressed to his breast. "Your house!" she snapped, "This house belongs to me, to my family, not to some runaway prince who must cower in a hole from the likes of Frieza."

Before she knew what was happening she found that her sword was no longer in her hands and that she was held high against the wall, her slender neck in the hands of the renegade prince. "I cower from no one," he snarled. "How the hell do you know who I am, earthling? Do you take me for a fool! The family of this home was destroyed long ago so don't think that you can deceive me with petty lies. Now tell me, who you are and who sent you!"

Bulma grimaced at the pain, it was so hard to breathe, and she wondered how he really expected her to answer. She smiled painfully and rested her free hand on her ki destabilizer.

"I am the angel of death and I was sent from hell to destroy the likes of you!" she managed to rasp out. She quickly pressed the ki destabilizer into his flesh and fired off a blast. He dropped her in surprise and she fell to the floor in a heap, gaping and desperately trying to fill her lungs with the precious air. Her throat was terribly sore from his crushing grip, but still she stood and faced the prince. She glared at him with malice and shock not quite believing what she was seeing. He seemed completely unharmed. Even on the lowest setting the blast should have disrupted his ki energy and weakened him considerably.

Bulma raised her gun to the prince, quickly recalibrating it on the highest setting, but before she knew it he had twisted the gun out of her hands and destroyed it leaving only a pile of ashes. "A ki destabilizer how clever!" he snarled.

He was dangerous far more dangerous than she had believed. She should have listened to Neko and stayed away. Stayed at home, away from Vegeta and this planet that held only memories and pain. But still there was no turning back, not at this point in the game, and she refused to die here.

The two stood facing each other with a deadly calm, each judging the other with a cold calculating gaze. The tension in the room was so thick that Bulma could have cut it with her sword if she had still had it. She had an urge to look around for it but instead kept a cold steady gaze on her opponent. Finally the prince broke the uneasy silence.

"You are the angel of death?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes"

He threw back his head and laughed. "How could a thing as fragile as you be the legendary angel of death? And I suppose next you will tell me that you are the one that Baruh brought here," he chuckled amusement clearly evident in his voice.

"Yes, she did, and I am appalled that she would give you warning. We had a deal, she and I."

He glared sharply at her, "I would not require a warning for a creature as weak as yourself. I don't know why Baruh even considered that you could be the one that we seek."

Bulma snarled and took a step back. Could it be that this was all a set up? A trap set up by the Celay Mafia? That might explain Yamcha's sudden appearance. "Was this all a setup?" Bulma growled at the prince annoyed that her voice still cracked due to the damage he had caused. She placed her hand to her throat in an attempt to ease the pain.

"You could say that," he smirked wolfishly, "but I prefer to think of it as a field test. We had to figure out if you were the one that we were searching for. The fact that you came here might just prove that you are, but then maybe you have other means of locating people. Though you did seem surprised to find me here. So do you care to explain your being here?

"I don't have to tell you anything," she glared at him with distrust. He was circling her like a wolf might circle its prey. His hands were clasped behind his back as he paced. She noticed the burn spot caused by her ki destabilizer on the dark suit he wore, and she saw through the hole a shining patch of white. As she looked closer trying to determine just what it was. He stopped his pacing and walked up to her shoving her back so that she plopped unceremoniously into her father's office chair.

"What are you staring at wench?"

She glared at him from her slouched position in the chair and set up straighter pointing to the white spot. "What is that?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her, "It's simple standard issue armor woman."

"No, no its not, no normal armor could reflect that blast at such close range, even if the thing was on its lowest setting."

He shrugged indifferently at her, "It is standard issue I just modified it a bit. I found some very interesting toys in the labs of this place."

"You were messing in my father's labs!" she shouted incredulously. "How dare you, what gives you the right…"

She was cut off due to Vegeta's rather insane sounding laughter.

"And what the hell do you find so amusing you bastard?"

"You" he snarled, "Really are a fool. You've just given it all away, Miss Briefs."

Bulma gasped at her stupidity, and slumped down in the chair in shock her right hand resting against her forehead. How could she have told him for all practical purposes that she was the daughter of the famous Dr. Briefs? For all she knew Prince Vegeta could be involved in a conspiracy with Celay, and she just told him that she was a Briefs. She did not think she had ever made a worse mistake in her entire life, aside from getting involved with Yamcha perhaps. She rose from the chair coming face to face with Vegeta. She found that they were nearly equal in height as she stared straight into his dark ebony eyes. "Fine then. Kill me."

He cocked an eyebrow at her and laughed sharply. "You are worth too much to our cause for me to kill you now Miss Briefs"

His breath tickled her lips and she closed her eyes before speaking. "I would rather die then be returned to Celay, so if you will not kill me then I shall do it myself."

To her shock she felt his hand lightly upon her cheek and her eyes snapped open and locked with his. He spoke sharply to her, "I work for no one but myself woman and I am certainly no operative of Celay. I am not so foolish as to involve myself with the likes of Dekim Gero."

Ooo now you know a little more about Dekim ne? ^.~ I'm not sure if I liked how this chapter went but then I sorta did rush it. Please let me know what you think! And Keep those wonderful reviews coming!(I like the ones that are really long!) Now REVIEW!