Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ False Pretenses ❯ Chapter 9

Sorry it took so long, but I finally have the new chapter. I made it a nice long one to hopefully make up for the delay. I've been working on another story, so I'm trying to alternate between the stories so they both get updated regularly. Please check it out. It's called Darker Tides.

DISCLAIMER: I own only the character's I've made up.

Now then, on to the story!

Chapter 9

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Starr moaned softly as she began to awake. She slowly sat up, the blanket gently falling from her body. She stretched as she tried to stifle a yawn, and looked around the still dark room. She glanced over to her left when she heard the soft breathing of Vegeta. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness around her, and she studied his sleeping figure. He looked peaceful, and almost innocent in a way. Starr couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Vegeta innocent? The young woman covered in mouth to muffle her giggles. She cut her laughter short when she saw Vegeta begin to stir. When he settled back in, Starr pulled the blanket fully off, and stood up. She searched the room for her dress, and, when she found it, she dressed quickly and silently crept to the door. She looked back at the sleeping prince before quietly leaving the room.

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Starr walked quickly down the hall, using her sixth sense to make sure she was alone. The last thing she wanted was to have to answer unasked questions in the form of looks and glances. She made it back to her room without having encounters, and for that Starr was grateful. Starr stripped out of her dress and made a beeline for her closet. She had barely done any training the last few days, and Starr decided to get some done. After pulling on a pair of black shorts, green long-sleeved shirt, and favorite running shoes, Starr looked herself over in the mirror. Her cheeks began to flush as she thought about the night before.

“One time deal,” the Saiyan said to herself. “One night, that's it.” Starr gathered her resolve and walked on to her balcony. She took in a deep breath of the cool air and leapt. Starr landed gracefully on the ground, and couldn't help but look towards the spot where she laid helplessly, pinned on the ground only a couple nights before. Her beautiful face was darkened by a scowl that Starr quickly shook off, and she started jogging in the opposite direction. Before long she found herself standing in front of the gravity chamber. She was about to press the button to gain access when an amused voice came from behind her.

“I didn't wear you out last night? I must be losing my touch,” Vegeta chuckled. Starr turned to face him, and raised an eyebrow.

“Perhaps you've been with women who are too easy,” she retorted. “or maybe you're not as good as you think you are.” Vegeta walked up to Starr, until he was shoulder to shoulder with her. Starr felt her heart quicken slightly as she felt his warm breath on the side of her face.

“That's not the indication you gave me when you were in my bed,” he whispered huskily. Vegeta smirked as Starr was unable to find her voice for a reply. “That's what I thought. Now come, we have training to do.” Vegeta entered the gravity room, and Starr, still unable to respond, scowled and followed him inside. Starr closed the door behind her, and faced the Prince and his still present smirk.

“One time deal,” Starr finally choked out. “Don't get used to it.” Vegeta's smirk widened into a grin.

“Oh, we'll see about that. Now let's go!” Vegeta powered up into his Super Saiyan form and looked expectantly at the younger Saiyan. Starr smirked, and gave a yell as she transformed into her Golden Warrior self. The two Saiyans squared off, before leaping at each other in a furious display. The smirk stayed on her face as she met Vegeta blow for blow. As great as the sex had been, in Starr's mind, nothing was better than a good sparring session.

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Starr leaned up against the cool metal of the room, sweat dripping off her body.
She took a long sip of the cool water and sighed. She stole a glance at Vegeta, who was drinking from his own bottle. The prince offered a smirk, which the girl returned. Starr closed her eyes, and pulled herself away from the wall. She reopened them to find Vegeta was watching her.

“What?” she asked, taking another sip of water.

“I think it's time we upped the gravity level,” Vegeta said after a moment. Starr glanced over at the controls, which currently read `150G' and smirked.

“It is a bit too easy now,” she said thoughtfully, and the Prince nodded in agreement. A silence filled the room, but before either one of them could break it, and rapping came from the door. Starr, being closer to the door, pressed the button to see who was there. She smirked when she saw her sister standing on the other side.

“Hey Surleena,” she greeted the older Saiyan.

“Saluna,” she responded. She looked towards the Prince and gave a bow. “Vegeta no Ouji.” Vegeta gave a curt nod of acknowledgement. “Forgive the intrusion, but the King is requesting your presence for the evening meal. Both of you.”

“Very well,” Vegeta replied in a bored voice, and waved his hand in dismissal. Surleena bowed once more, gave a smirk to her sister, and disappeared in to the sky. Starr turned to looked towards Vegeta.

“You heard her. Go do what you need to, and head to the King's dining hall,” Vegeta said, giving Starr her own dismissal. The young Saiyan surprised the Prince by giving him a small bow before turning and leaving the chamber. Vegeta folded his arms across his chest and watched the girl's exit. A smirk found its way on to his face.

`That girl… She's always coming up with ways to keep me on my toes.'

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Starr Reku quietly made her way to the King's Hall, dressed in a pair of simple black pants and a baby blue tank top. She had pulled her hair in to a simple long braid, that was hanging gently over her left shoulder. Her knee-high boots slapped the ground gently as she took her time moving down the elegant hallway. The sun was beginning to set, and the soft pink hues were filing the hallway. Starr had to admit that Planet Vegeta really was a beautiful planet, but she missed Earth.

`Stop it!' she scolded herself. `This is where you are now. You decided to move on, remember?' Starr shook her head a sighed. She stopped walking and turned towards a window on her left. She slowly approached it, and gently rested her hands on the window sill. She stared out into the scenery of the setting sun. She sighed again, and turned back towards the hallway. She continued on her way, her mind going a million different directions all at once. She missed Earth terribly, and as much as she had been telling herself lately, she couldn't get the planet off her mind. She missed her planet, her friends, and Seifer. Starr Sighed again.

`Knock it off you idiot,' she thought to herself. `This is the way it is. It's time to start think of Planet Vegeta as your home. I just hope everyone is okay and happy back on Earth.' Starr finished her thought just as she made it to the door of the grand dining hall. She was about to push the door open, when she felt a tail wrap around her waist, followed by an arm. Starr tensed up as she was pulled backwards in to a rock-hard chest. She relaxed slightly when she realized it was Vegeta.

“One time occurrence,” she reminded the Saiyan Prince. She heard Vegeta chuckle from behind her.

“And again, you say that now,” Vegeta replied, his breath warm against her ear. Vegeta released her and stepped beside the young woman, wrapping his tail back around his waist. He smirked at Starr before pushing the door open. The two Saiyans were greeted by the sight of the King laughing with Bulma, who had obviously been in the middle of telling a story when the door opened.

“Ah, Vegeta, Saluna, about time you arrived,” the King laughed and waved them over. “Come, sit. Let's eat before this food gets cold. Bulma here was just telling me a few stories about you from when you were a child, Saluna.” Starr rolled her eyes as she sat down. Vegeta raised his eyebrow at his father as he took his place. The Prince was not used to this mood that the King was in. His father was usually focused and serious, not laughing and joking around. The atmosphere felt contagious, and Starr couldn't help but allow a smile to creep onto her face.

“And what story would that be, Bulma-san?” Starr asked, grabbing some food from in front of her. Bulma smirked evilly, taking even the Prince by surprise.

“Oh, nothing major. Just the one about the time that you destroyed half the buildings in West City when you were a kid because you wanted a sundae, but all the ice cream was melted because of a power outage.” Vegeta looked from Bulma to Starr, and smirked.

“Sounds like you clearly had the correct attitude for a Saiyan as a kid,” the Prince smirked. Bulma turned her head to Vegeta, taken aback by his rare, light hearted tone. Vegeta shifted his eyes when he sensed the blunette look at him, and smirked again when she blushed and quickly turned her head away. Starr laughed, distracting them from the awkward moment.

“Gimme a break, I was like 4.”

“Actually, you were five.” The woman laughed, and the Prince retreated to his own thoughts as his father joined in the conversation. Starr smirked at the display in front of her.

`It's almost like have a regular, nice dinner,' she thought to herself, clearly amused by the thought, as the Saiyans and Earthling continued with the unusual meal.

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The next few days were the same as most days the young girl had come to expect. Her training with Vegeta had been stepped up and becoming fiercer every day. The two Saiyans were sparring in one hundred and seventy-five times normal gravity, and they were quickly becoming accustomed to it. Starr was surprised at how far she had come. She'd be lying to herself if she didn't acknowledge the pride she felt in herself, or the joy she experienced from her power. She smiled to herself as she landed on the grass in front of the gravity room. Before she had a chance to walk up to the down, she felt a ki land behind her that she had become very familiar with.

“Morning Vegeta,” she said as she turned around. She was greeted by the sight of Vegeta, scowling and looking more sour than normal. “What's your problem?” she asked questioningly.

“Watch it,” Vegeta warned the girl. Starr raised her eyebrow and the Saiyan Prince.

`What's crawled up his butt this morning?' she thought to herself. `His asshole self hasn't made an appearance in a while.'

“We won't be training in the gravity chamber today,” he said, bringing the teenager out of her thoughts. “My father has insisted on seeing you fight today. Come.” Vegeta turned and flew off, Starr following behind him. The came to an area that she recognized as being the training arena. The Saiyans touched down on the edge of the track that surrounded it, and Starr looked around. She noticed the large gathering of Saiyans, many of them in the stands that were on the side of the arena.

“What's all this?” Starr asked. Vegeta growled in annoyance.

“Seems he decided to make a spectacle of it,” the Prince grumbled. “Come on.” Vegeta began walking towards the stands, Starr matching his pace. Before long, the approached a small gathering in front of the bleachers. Starr immediately saw her family in the mix, along with Bardock, Radditz, Nappa, and even Bulma. As Starr and Vegeta approached, the group turned and bowed to the Prince, as did the Saiyans in the stand. Vegeta stopped walking just short of the group, and folded her arms across his chest. He turned his head to the left, just in time to see his father approach. The group turned and bowed to their King. King Vegeta walked past the group and stopped in front of his son and Starr.

“King Vegeta,” Starr said, giving the King a small bow. Vegeta nodded towards his father, as the King smirked.

“Well, well,” the King said, looking around. “it's a good day to have a sparring match.”

“Can we get this thing going already?” Vegeta said, in a bored voice, to his father. “It's bad enough that this cutting in to my training.” The King tsked the Prince.

“Patience, Son. All in good time.” He turned back to Starr. “Now, my dear, I think it's high time you showed me what you can do. You've been here almost a year, Vegeta's had you all to himself, and I want to see your power.” Starr cocked her head and raised her eyebrow at the King.

“All of it?” she questioned. The Prince scowled at his father, waiting the answer.

“I know what you're referring to, and the answer is no. Do not go that far, but I do expect a good showing. And furthermore, I'm sure you don't want to embarrass yourself, or Vegeta for that matter, in front of all these Saiyans,” the King smirked as Starr looked around, and the Prince's scowl deepened.

“So, basically you just want me to spar while having an audience?”

“Yes, but I've hand selected your opponent, and you may not be too thrilled about it.”

“What did you do, Father?” Vegeta growled, none too pleased by the cryptic statement. Before the King could respond, Vegeta heard a low, growl come from his right. He turned his head to look at the Saiyan girl, and he was shocked to see a murderous look plastered to her face. Starr's growl rose to a dangerous tone, and Vegeta followed her gaze. What he saw caused his face to mirror hers, and an equally dangerous growl erupted from him. Milik was approaching, flanked by two guards. He spun angrily towards his father.

“What the fuck is the meaning of this?” he spat out. The king raised his hand.

“Calm yourself, Vegeta. I thought this would be a good opportunity for Saluna to let out some rage. Before he was arrested for treason, he was ranked among our top elite, and can therefore will be an adequate opponent.” The Prince again growled, but the King had already made his decision. Without saying another word, the King walked away from the group to stand on the sidelines, leaving a fuming Prince and a livid Starr. Starr's family looked at the girl, said nothing, and quickly moving next to the king, closely followed by Nappa and Radditz. Bulma waited a moment, and contemplated saying something, but the look on her friend's face kept her quiet, and a glance at Vegeta made her move briskly to the side with the others.

Starr kept her focus on the Saiyan that had tried to assault her almost a week earlier. She glared at him, and felt like throwing up when she saw his eyes look her up and down, and a smirk appeared on his face. She felt another growl force its way from her throat, and she felt the foreign desire to kill him. Starr balled her hands tightly into fists, to the point of drawing blood. She sensed Vegeta step closer her, and felt his breath in her ear as he leaned down to her.

“Do not go easy on him at all,” he said softly to her.

“I don't plan to,” Starr growled back, never taking her eyes off Milik.

“Make him suffer for what he did to you.” Starr said nothing in response as Vegeta walked off and took his place next the King. The guards moved Milik towards the center of the arena, right past Starr. As soon as he passed, the girl turned and moved to the center herself, standing opposite Milik. The guards moved away as Starr firmly planted her feet shoulder-width apart. The smirk on Milik's face widened as he stared at the Saiyan in front of him.

“Saluna.” Starr fought the urge to throw up at the sound of desire that she heard in his voice. She scowled deeply as she dropped into her fighting stance. She cleared her mind of everything except for her hatred of the Saiyan in front of her. Normally she would feel shocked and ashamed at the depth of her anger and hatred, but right now she didn't care. The only thing that mattered to her was getting revenge and punishing the man that tried to rape her. Across the way the King's voice clearly rang out.

“Begin!” Starr wasted no time, and lunged at the smirking man that evoked such dark feelings from within herself.

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Vegeta stood next to his father, arms crossed, with a scowl plastered to his face. He was downright pissed off about this stunt that his father decided to pull. A low growl emerged from his throat, and as his father heard it, the King crossed his arms, mimicking his son.

“Don't scowl, Vegeta. There's a reason I did this,” the King said in a low tone.

“And what could that reason possibly be for pulling this?” Vegeta asked in an equally low and dangerously tone.

“Don't you think she deserves to have some revenge for what happened to her, delivered at her own hand? I was planning to see her fight eventually anyway, so this was a good way to kill two birds at one time.”

“I agree she should have revenge, but you don't understand the depth of her rage at the situation. With this match, there is going to come a point where she will not be able to keep that rage in check, and if she loses control then she will transform, and the Super Saiyan secret with be blown. Do you really think that's smart when we already know there's a traitor in our midst?”

“Then I supposed you'll need to watch her like a hawk, and if you see her control slipping then you'll need to reign her in,” the King said simply. Vegeta watched as Starr's face darkened further and she dropped into her fighting stance. Besides him, his father's voice rang out.

“Begin!”

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Starr lunged at Milik, solely focused on making him pay for what he had done to what, and what he had almost succeeded in doing. Milik dropped to his stance, and Starr phased out and reappeared behind him. She threw her leg at him, and he threw his arm up to block. Starr countered with a punch and soon the two were exchanging blows at a blazing speed, but it wasn't fast enough to Starr. She was used to sparring with Vegeta, and the Prince was a much tougher opponent. Starr threw a barrage of attacks, leaving little open, but the split second she was undefended Milik attacked and landed a blow to Starr's stomach. He followed it up with a kick to the side of her head, and the Saiyan was flung to the ground. She hit with a sickening thud on to her back, and slowly pushed herself up onto her elbows. Milik land and straddled her, hovering above her with a wicked grin on his face. Starr heard Vegeta growl angrily, clear as day, from the sidelines.

“Oh, now this looks familiar,” Milik mused, his grin growling larger. Starr narrowed her eyes, and a murderous growl rose from her throat. She phased out and reappeared on her feet a short distance away, and she attacked immediately.

“Shut the fuck up!” She roared, her rage beginning to build and take over, as she flew towards Milik with incredibly speed. She attacked him head on, and easily broke through his defense, landing a punch directly to his face. While he was still dazed, she began to ferociously assault his torso and stomach. Starr refused to slow her attack, and seeing the blood begin to come from his mouth only fueled her rage. She kneed him in the stomach, and a second kick flung him up into the sky. She pushed off the ground and flew above him and brought both her fisted hands down on top of his head, causing him to hurtle back towards the ground at break neck speed. As soon as he hit, Starr was already on top of him, pounding him in the face and chest. She stopped her assault momentarily to study his face. Blood was smeared over his face, the result of numerous open wounds delivered by the girl's hands. She felt her rage boil over more, but she found she was unable to stop, nor did she want to. She floated up into the sky and concentrated her ki. She brought the heels of her hands together in front of her, for a moment, before bringing them to her side. A bright blue energy ball appeared between her hands, a manifestation of her internal anger brought outward.

“KA…..ME….HA….ME….” she snarled as she powered up her attack. She began to see black spots in her vision, her rage physically beginning to affect her body. She felt as though her rage was going to consume her, much like it had when she watched Goku fall before her. She felt the familiar warmth of her Super Saiyan powers begin to swell, but in that moment, she didn't care. She wanted to hurt the Saiyan that had hurt her, wanted to kill him. She felt like she was at her breaking point, about to snap, but Vegeta's voice suddenly cut in to her.

“Saluna!” Starr's eyes shifted towards the Prince, the energy ball still encompassed in her hands. She growled angrily, and shifted her eyes back towards the broken Milik, who was struggling to prop himself up on his elbows. She sensed Vegeta begin to approach, but the motion only made Starr's fury grow.

`How dare he try to interfere! This is my battle, and I will finish it! Fuck him and fuck Milik!' Starr growled again, and prepared to unleash the powerful energy wave, but Vegeta's voice once again cut in to her.

“Saluna, that's enough!” His voice held the unmistakable command heard in his voice was what was expected of the Saiyan Prince, but it was the warning undertone that forced Starr to fully look at him. He stood with his feet spread apart, fists balled up at his side, and starred hard at the girl, daring her to challenge him. The way he looked at her made something snap in her, forcing her back in to the here and now. Starr blinked a couple of times, and regained her control over the blinding rage. She powered down her attack landed back on the ground facing Vegeta. He approached her, glancing over at the pitiful form of Milik.

“Why the hell did you stop me?”

“You were dangerously close,” he said in a hushed tone. “You lost control, and your full power was about to emerge.” Before Starr could respond, laughter began to come from where Milik laid on the ground. Starr and Vegeta turned to his direction.

“You are both fools,” he laughed and coughed, emitting more blood from his mouth. “No matter what you do now, I win. I only wish I could see your faces when you realize it.”

“What the hell are you carrying on about over there?”

“Oh nothing,” Milik coughed up more blood. “Just imaging the joy of how I'll feel when Lord Frieza kills everyone you care about.”

“What?” Starr asked, shocked.

“You won't feel anything, because you'll be dead!” Vegeta snapped, as Milik's increased. Vegeta snarled, and formed an energy blast in his hand. He hurled it at Milik, and his laughter abruptly stopped as he was enveloped in a blinding light. A Pained scream sounded briefly, but was gone as quick as it came. When the smoke cleared, the only evidence of Milik's existence was the blackened earth that surrounded where his body had been. Vegeta growled again, and turned his attention back towards Starr. He noticed immediately that her fists were clenched and her eyes were narrowed.

“Saluna,” he said softly.

“Tell your father to forgive me, but I need to get out of here,” Starr cut him off. Before waiting to hear his response, Starr took off in to the sky. Vegeta watched her fly away as the King approached.

“Well, she certainly does not disappoint,” the King said.

“No, she does not. Your foolish plan caused her to nearly lose complete control.”

“But she didn't. You reeled her in, just like I thought you would. Where did she go?”

“I have an idea.”

“Then go retrieve her. We can't very well have our young Super Saiyan running amok on the planet,” the King directed. Vegeta gave a short nod, and took off in the direction that Starr flew. The King watched as his son disappeared from view, smirking to himself.

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Starr headed away from the palace, not wanting to be around anyone else right now. She looked ahead of her and saw the jade forest. Starr increased her speed and headed directly towards, deciding it would be a sufficient hideaway for the time being. She descended on the trees, and landed softly on the path below. She sighed and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the lingering rage she still felt. She walked up to a large tree in front of her, and leaned against it, closing her eyes to try to focus. She was trying to clear her mind, when she sensed an all too familiar ki land in front of her.

“Why can't I have five minutes to myself,” she muttered, her eyes still closed. Vegeta folded his arms across his chest and scowled.

“You really think I'd let you go off on your own with a traitor still among us, and your rage obviously still present?” Starr opened her eyes and starred at Vegeta. She sighed and leaned her head against the tree.

“I can't seem to shake the anger I feel,” she said softly. Vegeta uncrossed his arms and closed the distance between the two of them. He placed his hands on either side of Starr's head and leaned in.

“You wanted him dead, and so he is by my own hand, just as I said he would be.”

“I know, but I still feel so angry.”

“Close your eyes,” Vegeta said. Starr eyed him suspiciously and Vegeta frowned. “Will you just trust me, for once. Close your eyes.” Starr sighed, but did as Vegeta said.

“Clear your mind,” the Prince directed. “Focus on your surroundings, what you hear and what you smell.” Starr took a deep breath and focused her mind. She heard the soft sound of wind blowing, and the scent of the forest entered her nose. A second scent reached her sensitive nose, the subtle scent of the Saiyan Prince himself. She focused her mind further, and she began to feel her anger and rage melt away. The Saiyan girl took another breath and opened her eyes. Vegeta was inches from her, and his eyes studied her closely.

“Feel better?”

“Much,” she responded. Vegeta leaned in a little more, and Starr lifted her head slightly. The Prince took the motion as an invite, and he brought his face down to Starr's, capturing her mouth. Starr returned the kiss with no hesitation. After a few moments, Starr broke away and starred Vegeta in the eye.

“I want to go to Earth,” she said suddenly.

“What?” Vegeta asked, taken by surprise at the sudden request. He leaned away from Starr slightly. “What did you say?” Starr sighed, knowing full well she was about to piss off the Saiyan Prince.

“I want to go to Earth. I need to. You heard Milik. He said that Frieza was going to kill everyone I care about. I have to make sure they're all ok. Please, Vegeta,” Starr pleaded. Vegeta closed his eyes, taking control over his own anger. He let out a slow breath and opened his eyes to see Starr nervously watching him.

“If I agree to this, will you agree to let me claim you?” It was now Starr's turn to be taken by surprise. She took a deep breath, and chose her words carefully.

“If you let me go, then can you wait until we return here?”

“We?”

“Yes we. I'm assuming you aren't going to let me go alone. Will you let me make sure everyone's ok so I can be reassured first?” Starr asked, trying to read a reaction from Vegeta's face. The Prince sighed again.

“Very well then,” he finally answered after a moment, and a smile crept onto Starr's face.

“Then my answer is yes.” Vegeta smirked and leaned in to Starr again.

“I told you, one way or another you were going to be mine,” he said huskily in her ear. Starr smirked and met his lips, allowing him to take her in the forest. She was going home, but now she felt like thanking the Saiyan Prince in a way that she knew he would appreciate.

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Alright! There you go. Please tell me what you thought!!