Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Shadow in the Twilight ❯ Chapter 20 ( Chapter 20 )

Chapter 20

"Yu-vee's crazy about you!" Bardock's head whipped around at that barefaced declaration. Tristan's grin widened further, his light eyes twinkling at the effect his words had on the Saiya-jin warrior's face.

"I…I don't know how to respond to that," Bardock stammered in response.

"Listen, I've been best friends with Yu-vee for longer than anybody and believe you me, I can read that girl like a book! And I can say unequivocally and totally without reservation that she's fallen head over heels in love with you, Bardock!" Tristan watched with amusement as a ruddy blush traveled its way upward onto Bardock's tawny face. The open candor in Tristan's direct words was making the warrior fidget uncomfortably.

Bardock squared himself up and cleared his throat to regain his composure. "Ahem! You have me at a disadvantage!"

The synth-guit player's face became serious. "I don't know how much you actually know about our history together, but it's important to me that you understand that Yu-vee is a really unique person. Since we were kids, she's managed to save my bacon more times than I can recall. And, if it wasn't for her dogging me, I wouldn't have screwed up the courage to ask Jen to be mine. And that's something I would have regretted for the rest of my life.

When we finally received the contract to perform here on Vegeta-sei, Yu-vee got so excited! If you don't believe me, you can ask Addy and the others! They'll tell you that she behaved like an absolute lunatic, jumping up and down, hugging and kissing everybody in sight! When I finally cornered her long enough to get the straight story, she told me about meeting you and Toma after the benefit. Every time she mentioned your name, I saw a light come into her eyes in a way that I haven't seen for years, not since our sensei died." Tristan paused for second, a brief look of uncertainty flitting across his face. "Man, she's going to clobber me for telling you this, but Yu-vee's been voluntarily celibate for more years than I know I could've ever been! Not that any number of 'stage-door johnnies', like that smarmy Zarbon, haven't tried to persuade her otherwise!

"The reason that I am saying this to you is because I want you to know that I would give anything within my meager means not to ever see her hurt. She's always been the one to defer to everyone else's concerns and not giving a second thought to her own needs. She's been my protector, my advisor, and the only family I've had for most of my existence. Yu-vee's my best friend, Bardock, and I want her to be happy, always!"

Bardock was astounded at the passionate words coming out of the musician's mouth as he spoke about his friend and all she meant to him. "I assure you, the last thing I would ever want is to see her hurt or in pain!" Bardock surprised himself with the heartfelt words that just tumbled unhindered out of his own mouth.

By Kami! I really meant what I just said! The inner part of him that had always been convinced of emotions' worthlessness cringed, but the newly awakened part of him that longed for Lluvia, stood firm.

Tristan's wide grin further creased his tired face. "I thought so! It's high time that someone steps up and takes care of her needs for once, Bardock!"

A hair-raising howl suddenly cleaved through the air. "OH KAMI! HELP ME! IT'S COMING! TRISTAN, GET YOUR SKINNY LITTLE ASS IN HERE!"

The young man whooped jubilantly before scurrying back through the infirmary doors. Before he cleared the threshold, he stopped to flash a two-fingered victory sign back to the bemused Saiya-jin. "Whoot! Now that's music to my ears!"

"VEGETA! THAT WILL BE QUITE ENOUGH!" The regal Saiya-jin sire's temper had reached the breaking point with his son's disrespectful conduct. The diners were all leaning forward in their seats, their eyes flying back and forth from each speaker. Things are finally getting interesting again, thought most of them.

Zarbon was also becoming infuriated by the prince's rude, off-hand comments towards his dinner partner and, bolstered by the amount of wine he'd consumed, had begun to rise off of his chair, ready to do battle for Lluvia's honor. A truly foolhardy gesture, considering that he was far outnumbered by Saiya-jins loyal to Prince Vegeta. Wondering why he was unable to completely straighten up, Zarbon looked down at the remarkably forceful touch that a slender hand had on his forearm.

"Do sit down, Zarbon! I don't need you to get yourself massacred on my behalf," she whispered to him out of the corner of her mouth. "Trust me, I can handle this!" The steely strength in her husky voice took him by surprise as he sank down slowly into his chair. Two sharp points of midnight blue pierced directly into the haughty prince's obsidian eyes.

"I don't lie, Prince Vegeta. It takes too much wherewithal to keep track of tendered fabrications. I always defer that talent to those who are far more proficient and comfortable with such effusions," she said, a cold edge to her voice.

Grinding his teeth in annoyance, he growled, "I'm calling your bluff, female! There's no way in hell that you could have brought any weapon, let alone be carrying a full-sized katana on your person, onto Vegeta-sei, undetected!"

"Time for 'truth or dare', is it?" Lluvia rose from her seat to make her slow and theatrical way out into the open area in the middle of the arranged tables. Some of the royal bodyguards uneasily moved in closer, ready to protect their charges, while other guards automatically began to close ranks on Lluvia, but the king abated their progresses with a curt look. She stopped her fluid stroll just in front of the royals' table and beamed directly into the intrigued king's face. "Your majesty, by your leave?"

He brought his right hand up to stroke his carefully groomed beard while he considered her request. His dark eyes were shining with amused anticipation as he nodded his head. She responded with a brief nod of her own. Her sparkling gaze swept dramatically around the room.

"Assembled ladies and gentlemen! Valiant warriors of Vegeta-sei! I have been handed a royal challenge! And as you all well know, a royal challenge is not one to be taken lightly!" She had now transitioned back into the entertainer, gliding and gesturing widely around the tables' inner circle as she spoke, the hem of the dress flaring and glittering in punctuation to her words. A few soft chuckles and drunken titters greeted her exaggerated pronouncement. "The gauntlet has been cast down before me, by your very own crown prince!" Lluvia posed dramatically and brought her hand up to gesture towards her challenger. Feeling extremely confident that she would never be able to meet his dare, Prince Vegeta languidly leaned back into his plush velvet-lined chair.

"Let's see now." Lluvia stood with her head cocked to one side and tapped at her chin with an index finger. "Where in the world could I possibly be hiding a katana?" She traced her left hand down her outstretched right arm from wrist to shoulder. "Hmm, nothing up this sleeve?" The motion was repeated on the opposite arm. "Nothing up this one, either?" Small chortles and snorts resounded around the room. She spun around with arms held out, giving the appreciative audience another view of her exposed muscular back. Turning to face the royals once more, she snapped her fingers. "How silly of me! Why, I must be hiding it under my dress!" Another round of raucous laughter circulated. She hitched the long skirt's hem up to reveal a pale, shapely calf. "Nope! Not there!" Ignoring numerous cat-calls to raise the hem higher, she turned and repeated the same motion with the other leg. "Where is that darn katana?" This elicited a few more sniggers and wolf whistles from the male diners and attendant warriors. "And yet, it is here!" Upon releasing the hem of her dress, her features became serious.

She closed her eyes and bent her arms out from waist level with palms open and up, towards the Saiya-jin prince and king. Lluvia began to hum a soft, almost imperceptible, tune.

The assured smirk on Prince Vegeta's handsome face began to falter as his memory was seized by the recognition of the gentle melody. A single bead of sweat formed high atop his widow's peak and trickled its way down past his temple when he realized that her song was being matched by a second harmonic humming. Other than Lluvia herself, the prince was the only other person in the room who was aware of what was responding to her song, because he'd heard it last evening in her room.

The others in the room listened intently to the soothingly soft melody. But where was the second vibration originating? More than a few sets of eyes darted nervously around the room in an attempt to place the sound's source.

Zarbon's gold-flecked amber eyes grew progressively wider as he stared directly at the serene beauty standing so confidently alone. Her aura was haloing her form with its soft, violet radiance.

Under her dress, the chain hummed its reply to her summoning song and liquefied into its globular state. The single molten form slithered under her tight dress, its progress marked by an undulating ridge as it moved from about her waist and up her torso. Wriggling up between her breasts, it split into two silvery snakes under the sheer sleeves, continuing down past her wrists and emerging over her hands. The two separate ends of the snake-shapes converged into a single rod. On top of her open right palm, the rod became the emerald-scaled handle of the katana, its pommel retaining the forged silvery face of a small, stylized dragon's head. The remainder of the shining piece curved slightly and thinned out to become the exquisite, but deadly, blade resting inside her cupped left hand. Lluvia ceased her humming as soon as the magical transformation was completed. "May I humbly present for your distinguished and discerning perusals…the one…the only…the katana of legend…The Dragon's Kiss!"

Time hung suspended in the royal dining hall. It seemed that no one dared to exhale for fear of breaking the fragile enchantment.

The blade rested tranquilly enough in her open hand, but it was as substantial and as lethal a piece of weaponry that was ever forged by arcane metallurgic arts. The gorgeously intricate engravings on the face of the polished metal told the story of its origin to whoever could decipher its ancient cuneiform characters. In Lluvia's grasp, the brilliant surface reflected the room's offered light in flashes of bluish-white, like an elongated, steely jewel. The katana's cutting edge was honed to be beyond razor-sharp, but the sword knew its owner and would never cause injury to Lluvia for as long as she lived. However, its tender mercies were not extended to those who would seek to do her ill, as Prince Vegeta had discovered to his great consternation the prior evening. For a brief moment, the palm of his right hand felt like it was burning again.

Firmly gripping the scale-covered handle with her right fist, she slowly brought the blade's point down towards her feet. With a confident grin accenting her face, Lluvia shifted her weight to the side and nonchalantly rested her left hand upon her jutting hip. The image she presented to one and all was of an undeniably sexy and dangerous warrior; formally attired, of course. Like on the arena floor earlier that evening, the temperature in the dining room shot up substantially.

"So, your highness, do you still believe that I am lying?"

"GUARDS! SEIZE HER!" At the prince's bellowed orders, the bodyguards rapidly moved in to surround Lluvia. She moved not a muscle in response to their threatening presence, but kept her defiant eyes trained on Prince Vegeta's very angry face.

"I ORDER YOU ALL TO STAND DOWN!" The Saiya-jin king boomed loudly as he bolted to his feet, banging his fists on the table at the same time. "AS YOU WERE!"

The bodyguards slowly backed away from Lluvia. As the last of them retreated to their original stations, King Vegeta turned to glare over at his son. "VEGETA! THIS TIME YOU HAVE OVERSTEPPED YOUR BOUNDS!"

"But…but she has not denied bringing a concealed weapon onto Vegeta-sei, my father," the prince stammered in protest to his sire. "Such an action implies that she wants to do someone, perhaps even yourself, bodily harm!"

Unable to disagree with his son's logic, King Vegeta whipped his eyes over to meet Lluvia's composed gaze. "Female, answer me truthfully else you may consider your life to be immediately forfeit! Do you seek to harm anyone here with that weapon?"

Nonplussed by the dire warning, she answered, "Now, that would be extremely imprudent, not to mention awfully rude and ungracious of me to openly threaten my host. Such an ill-advised action would smack of the highest breach of etiquette! I was merely reacting to the allegations made by your regal offspring there. Your majesty, I respectfully submit to you this question: In your honest opinion, did I not adequately respond to the aspersions cast upon my personal integrity?"

A muffled, but familiar rumbling of amusement erupted from within the Saiya-jin ruler. "Ye gods, that you have, Lluvia! In fact, I consider it to have been well and truly met!"

A collective exhalation of relief spread out in a palpable wave.

Her dinner date was now eyeing Lluvia with a renewed sense of appreciative speculation.

Well, I'll be plucked bald-headed, Zarbon thought admiringly. That little dancer's got more tricks buried in her hat than a sorcerer! I wonder how Lord Frieza will react when I tell him about this evening's events?