Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Against All Odds ❯ Introspection ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I don't own it., but just think of the things you could do with that tail of his…

Chapter Eleven:

Introspection

He stalked to the center of the room and stopped abruptly, his hands fisted at his sides. He wanted to kill. He wanted to maim, murder, annihilate. He wanted to massacre everyone on the base, to slaughter an entire world. He wanted to sink his hands into her soft flesh until her blood gushed no more.

I thought it would make you happy.

Why did she do this? Why did she care?

The GR powered up and the lights on the panel flashed to life. She had moved quickly to appease him, as well she should. He saw fear in her cerulean eyes earlier, not even when she had approached him for the first time, when she had put her life on the line by uttering treasonous words to him, had she shown fear. She should fear him, everyone feared him. She had become too comfortable with him over the past few months and she needed to learn her place.

He stalked over to the panel, punching in the gravity setting that he was working at before he was interrupted. He moved back to the center of the floor and began to warm up again, losing himself to his thoughts while he moved through the steps of an all too familiar kata.

He felt a twist in his gut, something he had never felt before. He looked deep inside of himself, turning the sensation over and over in his mind, examining it, analyzing it, until finally he could identify it. It was guilt. He felt guilty for the way he treated her. He felt guilty for making her fear him.

Why should I feel bad for that? Why should I feel?

Before he met her he had suppressed his emotions ruthlessly, now he had to deal with a list of them. Lust for her body. Possessiveness of her affection. Interest in her mind. Remorse for causing her pain. Fear for her life.

It was too much. He had to distance himself from her. This fear of him would work to his advantage. After all, she was just a tool, something he was using to ascend to greatness. She was an extension of the Gravity Room, nothing more.

But why did she do it?

I thought it would make you happy.

A vision of her tear streaked face rose up in his mind. Her nails had clawed frantically at his wrist while she fought for life giving oxygen. Her expressive eyes had reached out pleadingly to his nearly non-existent soul.

It was her eyes that had stilled his hand from brutally snapping her neck, not thoughts of the glory and revenge that would be lost by his actions. With one flick of his wrist he would have thrown it all away for a momentary release from his pain, a repreive from his scarred memories and from his betrayal. The same betrayal that he saw in her eyes.

I'm sorry.

Her pale lips, blue from the lack of air, had said the words meant to seek forgiveness but he heard the real meaning behind them. She was sorry that she had put her trust into him. She had faith that he would achieve their goal and that he would defeat Frieza, but some where down the line she had fooled herself into believing that he wasn't a monster.

But why?

She of all people knew exactly who he was. She knew more about him than any of these fools on the base that feared him so desperately, but she still smiled at him. She spoke to him like he was a person. She responded to his touch like he was worthy to be her lover. She did not shudder in distaste when his blood stained hands caressed her, instead she shivered in delight. She looked at him like he was a man not a demon.

She wasn't necessarily pristine herself and while she may not make it through the pearly gates, she was definitely not going to end up in the dark dimension he was bound for, so she should feel disgust for him. He was a murderer of millions, an inhuman beast of a man who dwelled in the nightmares of even the more darker minds. And yet, she wanted to talk to him, to be near him, like he was her friend.

Why did she do it?

I thought it would make you happy.

To recreate the Torque of Kingship was to court death. If Frieza found out he would punish her, but she must know that. She was already embroiled in a deadly plot so what was one more ingredient to the stew of disobedience.

She had reconstructed it perfectly, right down to the stone used. Kerithiam Quartz was exceedingly rare to come by since the destruction of his planet, the only known place of its existence. Jewelry already crafted in the stone could sell for millions of credits, but she would have had to have bought the material unworked, which would have been triple the price.

Did she even have that kind of money? Before he could even finish the thought an image of Bulma fluffing her hair appeared in his head. "Of course, I am a genius. I know how to invest my credits." The image said. Of course that would explain it. She was probably the wealthiest woman in the universe.

He began to spar with an invisible enemy, tossing ki balls viciously, wishing that he could throw away his rampant emotions in the same manner.

When he had opened the box he had been shocked. The memories had bull rushed him like an enraged opponent and he had been unprepared to handle the riot of emotions seeing the Torque had caused.

He was aware of a longing that he had not allowed himself to feel for years, surging up inside of him. The longing to take his rightful place as king, to feel the cool stone against his neck, proclaiming him as the strongest in the universe.

But he wasn't the strongest and he wasn't the best. He was the servant bitch to the tyrant that had stolen his birthright. He hadn't been strong enough to protect his race or his planet. He wasn't strong enough to claim his freedom or help his men if Frieza chose to destroy them. He wasn't even strong enough to protect the woman if Frieza found out about their plan and decided to kill her for her perfidy.

She had done something that no other being had done before. She had, with quiet deliberation, at great personal risk and at the cost of a large fortune, sought out something that would please him and gifted him with it.

Why?

Because she thought it would make me happy.

He didn't deserve happiness, he didn't deserve her trust and he didn't deserve that symbol of strength.

He thought of his father kneeling before the evil Ice-jinn in subservience, the same demeaning position he had found himself in more than once through the years. He felt sick to his stomach from the memory of the disgust he had felt at his father's weakness. A weakness that had soon become his own. The nausea began to mix with burning anger that seared his throbbing heart.

He needed to train more, so he could become more powerful. Once he defeated Frieza he would be a worthy warrior. Worthy enough for the throne and to wear the Torque of Kingship. Worthy enough for the woman? Until then he was nothing.

Their plan could fail and he would not, could not, risk the humiliation of having it ripped from his neck and crushed under the Ice-jinn's heel once again. No, he would wait until he was victorious and then he would take his rightful place as the Ruler of the Universe.

He paused and turned his narrowed gaze towards the door. What he felt for the woman was confusing. There were too many emotions to sort out when he thought of her. There was one thing that he knew for certain. He could trust her with his life. Their fates were intertwined, her freedom hinged on his success. She would do what she needed to do to see him win. Perhaps it would be different after they obtained their common goal and he ruled, but in this moment she was his staunchest ally. He needed her and she needed him.

He shut down the gravity before turning on his heel to leave the GR, absently glancing at the clock. He had been lost in his thoughts for many hours and it was nearing dawn. He stopped at the kitchen table to snatch up a cookie. His eyes widened as he bit into the chewy morsel. It was tasty.

He gathered up the abandoned box, gazing longingly at the shiny red and black necklace. Almost fearfully he ran his fingers across the cool stone. Some day soon he would wear it with pride and honor.

He closed the box gently, careful to flick the golden latch down. Tucking it under his arm he entered her room. She was huddled on the bed in a fetal position, as if she was trying to ward off an attacker. He could see the dark shadows of bruises on her slender neck and he wanted to frown. It shouldn't matter to him that she was hurt, but he had to shove down the urge to scoop her up and dump her in the nearest regen tank.

He reached down and grabbed her by the shoulders sitting her up on the edge of the bed before she was even fully awake.

"Woman, get up." He growled.

She blinked at him blurrily, her eyes clearing an instant before they clouded again with fear. He towered over her as he stared down at her impassively while she looked up at him with apprehension.

He held out the box to her. "You will hold this for me until I am strong enough to claim it."

Her wide eyes darted down to look at the box before returning to his hard visage. She held his gaze for a minute before nodding slowly and taking the box. He saw the question in her eyes, but he turned to leave without addressing it. He stopped in the doorway, unable to look over at her. Sometimes it was easier to say what you needed to if you didn't look at the person. He turned his head slightly so he could see her from the corner of his eye. She had the box clutched tightly to her chest and she looked slightly ill.

He opened his mouth to speak but the words stuck in his throat. Summoning his massive control he forced his limp tongue to form syllables.

"My actions earlier were uncalled for." He said hoarsely.

He saw her reach up to massage her neck, her face pale and withdrawn. Finally she nodded in acceptance of his words and he curtly dipped his head in response before striding out.

Bulma sat on the edge of the bed, frantically trying to absorb the last few moments.

Did he just apologize to me?

She tried to reconcile the new data with what she knew to be true of the prince. She just couldn't imagine it. Shrugging away her bewilderment she moved slowly around the foot of her bed. She pushed aside a lounge chair that sat in the corner of the room and knelt on the floor. She brushed her fingers across the ground, searching for the almost unperceivable indentations. Finding them, she pressed slightly causing a portion of the floor to slide away.

Inside, the catch contained her most precious items. A picture of her parents, an extra GR capsule and other things she wished to keep hidden from prying eyes. Carefully she nestled the polished box in with her treasures and slid the floor closed. She replaced the chair before lying back on the bed to get a few more hours sleep.

Later that morning she discovered that Vegeta and his men had left the base on a mission. He left a note by the empty plate of cookies telling her not to leave the lab unless absolutely necessary, since no one was there to protect her. She crumpled the sheet while an angry look gleamed in her eye.

No man tells Bulma Briefs what to do.