Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ False Pretenses ❯ Chapter 10

Hiya! I've got a nice long one for you guys!

Enjoy!!

DISCLAIMER: Nothing's change.

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Chapter 10

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Starr flopped down on the oversized bed in her room on the ship. She couldn't believe she was finally headed back to Earth! It had been almost a year, and she missed everyone terrible. She smiled to herself, memories of the green planet flooding to the front of her mind.

`I wonder what's changed?' she thought to herself. She was busy daydreaming when a knock at the door brought her back to reality.

“Come in,” she called, already sensing who was on the other side. The door opened, and Bulma came strolling in. She smiled at Starr as she plopped down on the bed beside her.

“I can't believe were going home!” Bulma exclaimed. Starr looked over at her blunette friend and smiled.

“Neither can I,” Starr replied. “It's so weird to think, but as much as I want to stay, I made a deal with Vegeta that I can't break. I just hope he lets us stay for a while.” Bulma propped herself on her elbows and looked at the younger woman.

“What deal?” she asked, raising her eyebrow questioningly. Starr bit her lip and sighed.

“There's some things that I need to tell you,” she began slowly, sitting up as she took a deep breath. Bulma raised her eyebrow more, and waited for Starr to spill her secrets.

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Vegeta stood in front of the control panel, watching the radar closely. The would arrive on Earth in two weeks' time, but he didn't know if they would be arriving on the planet alone. The traitor had said that Frieza was also heading to Earth, and although there had been no sign of him, Vegeta was on edge.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” he muttered to himself, forgetting that he wasn't alone in the room.

“Then why did you agree to this?” Saruka asked from his right, reminding him that she was in the room. Vegeta sighed and raised a hand to his temple, deciding not to answer. Saruka knew the Prince well enough to know not to press him on the matter, do she smartly turned her attention back to the screens in front of her.

“We'll arrive in just under two weeks if we continue at our current speed,” she stated. Vegeta nodded.

“Very well, but when we get there, I want Saluna watched like a hawk. I don't want any mishaps, and I don't want her disappearing on me.”

“And what are you going to do when she finds out that Kakarot is alive?” Saruka asked, earning a death glare from Vegeta.

“Bring that up again and see what happens,” Vegeta growled threateningly.

“Yes, Sire,” Saruka bowed her head respectfully to her Prince, and Vegeta turned his attention back to the numerous screens in front of him.

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“Please say something,” Starr pleaded to Bulma. She had just finished telling her bluenette friend everything, but she offered nothing in return. Bulma placed her hand on her chin thoughtfully.

“I'm not judging you,” she said finally. “It's just a bit shocking, that's all. I mean, you hated the guy, then he saves you so you're kinda ok with him, then you sleep with him, and now you've agreed to be his lifelong partner. It's a lot to take in, but I'm not judging you. How could I? Have you seen my dysfunctional relationship with Yamcha?” Bulma gave Starr a smile, and squeezed her had reassuringly.

“I know it seems really weird,” Starr agreed. “but we've been gone almost a year, and I really want to believe that everyone's moved on.” Bulma squeezed the girls hand again.

“It has been a long time, and you did what you felt like you needed to. You're a survivor, Starr. No one could fault you for doing just that.” Starr gave Bulma a small smile in response, and allowed her body to fall backwards on to the bed. “You need to do what you feel is right, and what you feel you need to do. I just want you to be happy with whatever decisions you make,” Bulma added. The girl stretched out as a long yawn escaped her.

“I'll let you get some sleep,” Bulma said, starting to rise from the bed.

“Screw that,” Starr responded, shifting her eyes to her friend.

“Oh? You aren't expecting a visitor any time soon?” Bulma said, teasing her friend.

“Shut up,” Starr laughed, giving Bulma a light shove. The women started laughing, and soon Starr drifted off into sleep. Bulma smiled as she watched the Saiyan peacefully sleeping. There were times that she still thought of her as the little six-year-old that looked up to Bulma, but the truth was that Starr was a beautiful, powerful, strong willed young woman, and Bulma couldn't help but feel proud of her. Once she was certain that Starr was fast asleep, Bulma carefully picked herself up off the bed, and tiptoed out of the room.

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Starr sighed as she wandered the halls of the ship. By her count, six days had passed since they left the Saiyan planet, and boredom had fully set in. She hadn't seen Vegeta much, and that surprised her. She knew perfectly well that there was a training area on this ship, but she hadn't been summoned there even once since they set off for Earth. Starr's shoes lightly slapping the ground as her feet carried her to that exact part of the ship. She was getting restless, and some training was what she felt she needed to let some excess energy off. As she passed a window, she couldn't help but glance at her reflection. Her long black hair was pulled into a high pony tail, her salmon colored tank top completed her lightly tanned skin tone perfectly, and her face looked care-free and young; the complete opposite of how her reflection looked a year before.

“It's amazing how time can change things,” she murmured to herself. She sighed as she thought about what her life used to be like, and what it could've been like if she hadn't been taken from Earth. She missed Seifer dearly, but she had to keep telling herself that everyone moved on. She had to make herself believe it, or else she wasn't sure how to cope with everything that she had been doing. She didn't want to think about what would happen if her boyfriend didn't move on and he found out about Starr's indiscretions, or, even worse, about how she had agreed be bind herself to the Saiyan Prince. If Seifer had moved on it would make things so much easier. Starr shook her head and continued down the hallway.

Before long, Starr arrived at her destination, and it was what she didn't hear that surprised her. There were no sounds of training, which was unusual on a ship full of Saiyans. Shrugging, Starr opened the door and stepped inside, and found that what she didn't see matched what she didn't hear. The room was completely empty. Deciding not to worry about it, Starr started her own training regime. She worked her whole body with various exercises, paying special attention to her abs and core. After a several hours, the young Saiyan finally felt muscle failure. She stretched out her sore muscles as she reached for a towel to wipe the sweat off her body. She was wiping off her face while walking out the door when she collided with Vegeta.

“Watch it,” the Saiyan Prince snapped as he put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “What are you doing?” Starr glared at Vegeta before responding.

“Training, obviously. I mean what else do you do in a training room?” Starr snapped back. Vegeta scowled at the younger Saiyan.

“You'd best watch your tone,” Vegeta growled, and Starr stood her ground.

“Or else what?” Starr asked flatly. Without warning, Vegeta shoved Starr, hard, back into the training area, halfway across the room. If it wasn't for her quick reflexes, the girl would've fallen flat on her back, but she recovered only to have Vegeta on top of her, pushing her the rest of length of the room and into the wall. Starr gasped as she hit with force, and felt Vegeta's hand go to her throat. Starr narrowed her eyes as Vegeta leaned in close.

“So, I guess the asshole does still exist,” Starr hissed through gritted teeth. Vegeta scowled and felt his hand start to twitch. Starr waited for the blow to come, but it never did. Instead, she felt Vegeta loosen his grip, and Starr took the opportunity to slap his hand away from her.

“Seriously, what the hell is your problem Vegeta?” Starr demanded. Vegeta closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then reopened them.

“Regardless of what is going on between us, or what arrangement we have, but I am still the Saiyan Prince, and you are getting too comfortable with your tone and attitude.”

“What you actually mean,” Starr said, putting her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrow, “is that you don't want other Saiyans seeing how I interact with you and take it as an invite to do the same. Guess what? There's no one around here! It's just us! I've already agreed to bond with you, so you can drop the tough guy attitude with me, and don't think that I can't tell that there's something else going on with you.” Starr locked eyes with Vegeta, waiting for him to speak. Vegeta raised his eyebrow and responded slowly.

“And what makes you think you know me so well, Saluna?”

“Well, for starters, you have literally had me attached to your hip ever since you brought me to Planet Vegeta. Secondly, we've been on this ship for like six days, and you haven't once summoned me to come train. Kinda hard to ignore that,” Starr added, almost sounding like she was whining. Vegeta sighed and motioned his hand towards the door.

“You can go. You already seem to have hit muscle failure today. It wouldn't do me any good to train with you today.”

“How do you know I hit muscle failure today?”

“Your movements were slower than normal. Now go,” Vegeta said as he turned away from Starr, who stuck her tongue out at his back before moving towards the exit. Vegeta's voice caught her as her hand was about to turn the handle on the door.

“Go enjoy your time with the Earthling, and I may be paying you a visit to your chambers tonight.” Starr offered no response as she left the room, shutting the door behind her. She started heading back to her room when a thought suddenly hit her.

`That's why he hadn't called me to come train! He was allowing me to spend time with Bulma!' she thought to herself, a small smile creeping on to her face. Vegeta did have some semblance of a good side to him, and, as much as he tried to hid it, Starr had already seen it.

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The next five days were interesting, to say the least. Vegeta kept his word and had indeed visited the younger Saiyan's room a few times, but he also kept his distance during normal daylight hours, allowing Starr to do as she pleased. She took full advantage of the newfound freedom she had been given and spent a great deal of time with Bulma, but she also used it to spar with her siblings, something Vegeta had never allowed previously because of her Super Saiyan power. Starr was happy to learn that so long as she didn't transform, they provided her with a good work out, and the twins, Surleena, and Astra seem eager to have a new sparring partner. Starr could get used to this, but in her heart, she knew that it wouldn't last.

The sixth day began, and Starr reluctantly stirred in her bed, slowly opening her eyes. She yawned and slowly sat up, stretching her arms and back as she became upright. Grudgingly, the Saiyan pull the blankets off her naked body, and dragged her feet to the bathroom to shower. Vegeta had visited her the previous night, and there was no doubt that she was feeling a little sore. She wasn't surprised to see that Vegeta had already gone by the time she woke up, but as her eyes lost the sleep blurriness, she saw something that took her completely by surprise as she glanced at herself in the full-length mirror.

“Why the fuck do I have a tail!” she screeched, suddenly fully awake. There was no mistaking it, her reflection clearly showed a furry, brown, appendage coming out from her back side at her tail bone. Starr's jaw dropped. She wanted answers, but she knew she couldn't barge in on Vegeta while his scent was still on her, just in case the others were around. Neither one of them had openly admitted they had been fornicating to the other Saiyans, so Starr jumping into the shower. She quickly scrubbed herself down, although her new tail kept getting in the way by knocking things over. As she as she was clean, she dressed, and all but ran in the direction of Vegeta's Ki, wanting to demand answers and find out what he had done to her.

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Vegeta was bored as he listened to the updated report from Bardock. Internally, he was pleased that they were going to arrive earlier than expected, but on the outside, his usual scowl was plastered to his face. They were expecting to arrive within the next couple days, which pleased the Prince because in his mind the sooner they arrived and Saluna's worries were calmed, the sooner they'd be able to return to the Saiyan world and he could claim the girl.

“Sire?” Bardock asked, seeing the faraway look on his Prince's face.

“What?” Vegeta snapped, and focusing on the older Saiyan. Bardock raised his eyebrow, causing the Prince's scowl to deepen. “Yes, fine, good, whatever,” Vegeta said, clearly annoyed. Bardock was about to speak again, but the sudden appearance of an unhappy Saluna drew everyone's attention. Vegeta turned towards the girl, and cocked his head slightly when he saw the unmistakable tail flickering irritably behind the younger Saiyan.

“What's this?” he asked, almost curiously. Starr frowned, and was about to respond when Kessoro and Saruka moving behind her distracted her. Starr turned her body to watch the twins as they studied her.

“Well this is new,” Kessoro said, placing his hand on his chin.

“Indeed, I've never heard of a Saiyan's tail growing back after it had been removed,” Saruka mused, curiosity obvious in her voice.

“Back off!” Starr growled in warning to her brother and sister. She snapped her head back to Vegeta. “What the hell is this? This thing was removed when I was a kid! What the hell did you do?”

“Me? I didn't do anything,” Vegeta chuckled. As much as he was irritated by Starr's tone with him, he couldn't help but find amusement in her frustration. “Like Saruka said, this has never happened before. Even I have to admit that it's interesting.” Starr narrowed her eyes at the Prince.

“So you're telling me that it just magically grew back after fourteen years?” Starr asked irritated, and Vegeta simply shrugged.

“I'll tell you this though, you should probably learn to wrap it around your waist,” Vegeta stated, amusement clear in his voice.

“What is that supposed to- AHHH!” Starr was cut off as a sharp pain radiated through her body and she dropped to her knee, unable to move. She turned her head, with effort, to look behind her, and saw that her tail was held in Saruka's firm grasp. Starr growled in agitation, looked back at Vegeta, her scowling deepening as she saw the Prince smirk. He gave a small nod to Saruka, and Starr felt her strength return. She rose back to her feet and folded her arms across her chest.

“What the hell was that?” she demanded, and her father answered this time.

“A Saiyan's tail is a weakness,” Keaton said. “That's why you see all of with our tails wrapped. If a tail is grabbed, the Saiyan becomes paralyzed, as you just experienced. As Prince Vegeta said, it would be in your best interest to learn to keep your tail wrapped around your waist.” Starr eyed her father carefully, and focused her thoughts on her tail, and carefully wrapped it around herself.

“While you're here,we might as well get this out of the way,” Vegeta spoke, directing Starr's attention back to himself. “We will be arriving in less than two days.” Starr squealed in delight, but Vegeta's voice once again cut in. “While we're on Earth, you are not to go galivanting off on your own, do I make myself clear?”

“I don't need a babysitter,” Starr stated flatly, her elation at arriving in a couple days all but gone. Vegeta narrowed his eyes, and Starr saw the warning flash through them. She sighed in defeat, not wanting to cause a scene in front of the others.

“Fine, whatever you say,” She said softly. Vegeta grunted in satisfaction, and moved past her towards the door. He stopped short and turned his head towards the younger Saiyan.

“Come, we have training to do.” Starr gave him a questioning look. “You were just complaining the other day about the lack of training, weren't you? So, let's go.” Vegeta turned back towards the door and walked away. A wicked grin spread across Starr's face as she scrambled out of the room after him.

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Starr was breathing heavily as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Across for her, Vegeta was also beginning to show signs of fatigue. She had no idea how long they'd been going at it, but her body told her it had been awhile. Starr smirked in satisfaction as she looked at the Prince. Vegeta returned the smirk as he began taking his gloves off.

“It feels a lot harder sparring in our regular state,” Starr mused.

“Well, what do you expect? These ships aren't designed to handle the power of a Super Saiyan, much less two.”

“Maybe Bulma can figure out a way to improve this room so that it can,” Starr said thoughtfully. Vegeta raised his eyebrow at the suggestion.

“Perhaps.”

“Well, I'm going to go shower. I feel gross now,” Starr turned towards the door, but only got a few steps away before she felt Vegeta behind her. He snaked his arm around her waist, and Starr felt his warm breath against her ear.

“You know, our tails serve another purpose,” he whispered into her ear. Before Starr could respond, she felt a shiver run through her body as Vegeta stroked her tail with his free hand.

“No fair,” she purred, as her body melted into the Prince's on its own accord. Starr felt Vegeta smirk against her ear.

“I'm a Prince, I don't have to play fair,” he chuckled. In an instant, he released Starr, and spun her towards him, replacing his arm around her waist. Vegeta captured the girl's mouth, to which she eagerly returned. The Prince backed Starr up against a wall, allowing his free hand to slide up her body. A moan escaped Starr's throat, which only served to encourage Vegeta further. He smirked against her lips, and slowly peeled himself away. He moved his hand up to Starr's chin, while pulling her closer with his other arm. When he saw that he had Starr's full attention, flushed cheeks and all, he spoke.

“I have a very good reason for demanding you have, how did you phrase it, a babysitter? Yes, that's what you said. You do remember that Frieza is supposedly going to be heading towards Earth as well, don't you?”

“Yes,” Starr said as she squirmed against Vegeta, more irritated that he had stopped.

“The last thing I need is that purple freak showing up and finding you alone. Now, do you understand?” he lifted Starr's chin further, forcing her to really look at him. He saw the desire swimming clear as day, as well as the frustration. The thought of this woman desiring him made him smirk. He waited for that for nearly a year, and now he had her, and was close to completely having her. He looked at Starr expectantly.

“Yes,” she finally said in a small voice. “I understand.” Vegeta smirked in satisfaction, and fully released Starr, letting a low chuckle escape at the pout that formed on the girl's face.

“What? Is something wrong?” Vegeta cocked his head to the side, knowing full well what Starr's problem was.

“You're an ass,” Starr scowled, feeling frustrated. Vegeta's smirk turned into a grin as he turned away, waving his hand slightly towards the door, effectively ending the conversation. Starr scowled again and turned towards the door to leave.

“Jerk,” she muttered, before leaving the Prince to himself.

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Starr plopped down in her seat, the joy radiating from her body, much to the Prince's annoyance. He scowled as he took he's seat next to her, and Bulma sat on Starr's other side. Bulma gave the girl a dazzling smile, her own excitement obvious to see. They had received word that they would be entering Earth's atmosphere in ten minutes, and neither woman could wait as all on board moved to the control room.

“I can't believe we're finally here!” Starr said happily, as Bardock, Keaton, Radditz, Nappa, and Starr's siblings all sat down.

“I know, right? They are going to be so surprised to see us,” Bulma said, echoing Starr's happiness. Vegeta's scowl deepened.

“Remember the deal,” he growled warningly. Starr turned her face towards the Prince.

“Yes, I know,” she smiled, not even letting Vegeta's sour mood affect her. She turned back towards the front, taking in the beauty of Earth before her. She smiled again, and started humming to herself. In no time at all, the ship began to violently shake, indicating that ship was entering the planet's gravitational pull. Starr's smile widened the closer to the ground they got. The ship leveled out, and hit the ground with a loud and bumpy thud. Before anyone could say anything, or stop the girl, Starr unbuckled her seat and sped out of the room.

“Damnit,” Vegeta scowled, hot on her heels. He caught up to Starr just as she was opening the door, and jumping out. Her feet landed on the soft grass, and she took a deep breath in, smiling as she saw Capsule Corp looming in front of her, the sun shining brightly behind. She was about to take step forward when she felt Vegeta roughly grab her arm and yank her back.

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” he growled angrily, forcing Starr to look at him.

“You're hurting my arm, Vegeta,” she said, looking unflinchingly into the Prince's eyes. Vegeta relaxed his grip slightly, but did not fully let go.

“Do not think that being on this planet gives you room to disrespect me, or disobey what I say.”

“I know, Vegeta. Can't you let me be a little excited? I haven't been here in a year, and besides, I don't sense Frieza. If he was here, there's no way I'd miss his power level.” Vegeta stared at the girl hard, releasing his grip entirely just as the others joined them. Bulma jumped down from the ship and stood next to Starr, her eyes brimming with tears of happiness. Starr followed Bulma's gaze, her smiling returning once more. An older purple haired man and chipper blonde woman emerged from the back of the house to see what all the commotion was about.

“Mom! Dad!” Bulma couldn't contain herself any longer, and she ran as fast as she could towards her parents. Starr remained where she was, watching Bulma embrace her parents. As she stood still, she heard a familiar, but long missed voice reach her Saiyan ears.

“Dr. Briefs, what's going on out here?” Starr gasped as she watched her best friend step out of the house and stand next to the Briefs. Starr heard Charm shriek as she noticed Bulma, and the two women grabbed on to each other. Bulma said something to Charm, and the blonde girl stepped to the side to see around the blunette. Starr could see her eyes widen immensely from shock, and Charm began to race towards her long-lost friend. Starr shifted her head slightly towards Vegeta, and soon as he gave the slightest indication of a nod, the Saiyan took off to meet her friend. The two girls collided and hung on to each other for dear life. After what seemed like an eternity, they pulled apart, tears freely flowing from Charm's eyes.

“I can't believe you're here! I've missed you so much!”

“I've missed you too, Charm, more than you know! Are the others here too? I've missed everyone so much!” Charm shook her head.

“Everyone's out right now, but they are going to die when they see you! We were starting to wonder if we were ever going to see you again,” the two girls started walking over to the Briefs family, Vegeta scowling behind, and the other Saiyans watching what they thought was a pathetic display of emotion. Starr gave Mrs. And Dr. Briefs each a hug, smiling broadly.

“Starr dear, it's so good to see you and looking more beautiful than ever!” Bunny said, making the Saiyan blush.

“Uh, thanks Mrs. Briefs,” Starr muttered, lowering her head slightly, earning a laugh from Bulma and Charm.

“Oh?” Bulma said, her head turning to the side as the Saiyans approached. “Mom, Dad, you remember Vegeta and the others, right?” Bunny squealed, causing all the Saiyans to wince.

“Yes! Of course! Thank you for taking such good care of my little girl and Starr. Are you hungry? Let me go make something to eat, and we need to get you all in to rooms!” Mrs. Briefs said breathlessly.

“You better make a lot of food then, Mom. Saiyans tend to eat a lot, remember?” Bulma said laughing. Bunny clapped her hands together and ran back in to the house, wanting to get started on making a feast for the guests. Starr giggled at the display, and turned her head towards Charm.

“Hey, um, I don't still have any clothes here, do I?” Starr asked uncertainly.

“Of course you do! We refused to touch your room. We always hoped you'd come back someday,” Charm smiled. Starr didn't have the heart to tell her the stay wouldn't be permanent. Instead, she smiled gratefully and allowed herself to be pulled in to the house. She heard Bulma's voice come from behind her.

“Come on, let's get you guys set up into some rooms, shall we?”

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Starr stood in front of the full-length mirror of her old room, admiring the way she looked in one of her old dresses. She couldn't help but notice how she had filled out a little bit since they last time she wore the red and white summer dress. It had a V-cut neck that showed her assets but was still classy, and it fell above her knees. Starr was surprised by how good it still looked on her.

`I guess training constantly and putting on muscles will do that,' she thought to herself. A whistle from the doorway interrupted her thoughts, and she looked to her left to see Charm leaning against the door frame.

“Well, damn, look at you. How the hell did you manage to get even hotter since you've been gone?” Starr laughed in response.

“Literally all I've been doing is training.”

“Well, it's working, that's for damn sure,” Charm smiled, stepping in to the room. Charm's smile was infectious, and Starr found herself smiling back at her.

“How's everyone been? What's changed?” Starr asked. Charm reached over and grabbed Starr's hand.

“Come on, let's go get some ice cream first, then we can talk,” Charm responded, pulling Starr out of the room.

“Oh my god, ice cream. I don't even know if I remember how it tastes!” Starr said licking her lips. The two girls arrived in the kitchen to a rather awkward scene. Nine Saiyans were sitting and standing all around the kitchen, while Bulma and her mother were busy chatting over cooking food. Vegeta looked up, a scowl plastered to his face. He looked Starr up and down, his scowl deepening. While he admired the view, he disapproved of the amount of skin showing.

“Hi guys,” Starr said, choosing to ignore Vegeta's scowl.

“Going somewhere?” Vegeta growled, the disapproval evident on his face.

“Why yes, actually,” Starr smiled sweetly at him. “Charm and I are going to get some ice cream. Who's going to be my handler today?” Starr added, looking around the room expectantly, before Vegeta could say anything. Vegeta growled again as Kessoro stood up.

“I'll go with Saluna, Prince Vegeta,” Kessoro said, bowing to Vegeta. Vegeta waved his hand, and turned his head away, pretending as if the display was beneath him. Charm looked at Starr with a confused look.

“Handler?” Charm questioned.

“I'll tell you later,” Starr said hurriedly. “Let's go, see you guys later!” Starr crossed the kitchen with her head held high, and straight out the door, leaving Charm and Kessoro to follow. Once they were outside, Starr slowed her pace.

“I forgot how beautiful it was here,” Starr mused, looking up to the sky.

“What's the Saiyan planet like?” Charm asked, catching up to her friend. Starr sensed Kessoro fall in step behind them, and she cocked her head to her friend.

“It's got its own beauty. It's got lakes and forests, just like here. I think you would like it,” Starr smiled.

“Sounds nice. I'm glad you're doing ok.”

“I really am, I promise.”

“Thanks for taking such good care of my girl,” Charm said, looking back and smiling at Kessoro.

“Of course, she's my sister.”

“All the same, thank you,” Charm turned back to Starr, and the two returned to merrily chatting away as they walked down the street.

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Soon enough, the threesome was walking out of the little shop, ice cream in hand. Charm had insisted that Kessoro partake in the treat, and the Saiyan happily obliged.

“This sweet treat is surprisingly good,” Kessoro said. “What's it called again?”

“Ice cream,” Starr laughed at her brother, before taking another lick of her own. The three sat down at a table, and began making small talk. Even Kessoro was in a good enough room to chat a bit. Starr was in the middle of laughing, when a familiar face from across the street caught her attention. Charm noticed Starr's distraction, and turned her head to see where she was looking.

“Oh…” Charm said slowly.

“Seifer…” Starr said softly, looking at the handsome blonde man. Seifer suddenly noticed Starr from across road, his mouth hanging open in shock. He looked like he was about to head across the street, when a gorgeous brunette appeared at his side, snaking her arm through his. He looked at the girl, and then back at Starr. Starr smiled sadly, and shook her head, telling him not to come over. Seifer frowned slightly, before gently pulling his date to start walking again. Starr turned her head back towards her ice cream and stared at it without saying a word.

“Starr, I'm sorry,” Charm said sadly. “I should've told you, but I just wanted to spend time with you before ruining your day. I'm sorry, that was selfish of me.”

“No, it's ok,” Starr said, looking up at her friend. “Really, it's ok. This actually makes things a little easier for me, in all honesty.” Seeing Charm's confused look, Starr continued. “There's actually some things I need to tell you. I know I've been gone a year, and I was hoping that everyone would find a way to move on. As much as I love Seifer, it's for the best that he's with someone else, especially because I guess I'm kinda with someone else too. Although that won't be official until we get back.”

“Get back? You mean you're not staying here? But this is your home!” Charm said, shock clearly written on her face. Kessoro stayed silent, choosing only to observe the exchange, knowing full well were this was going.

“Yeah… That's one of the things I needed to talk to you about. Part of the deal to let me come here was I had to agree to return with no arguments, and I also had to agree to bind myself to Vegeta.”

“To Vegeta? As in the jerk of a Prince that currently sitting in our kitchen?” Charm asked, raising her eyebrow. Kessoro growled at the insult towards the Saiyan Prince, earning himself a look from his sister.

“Don't growl, it's rude,” Starr snapped. “Yes, that Vegeta. Basically….” Starr began recounting the story of when she was born, about how the arrangement had been made for her to eventually wind up with Vegeta. By the time she finished, the group had finished their ice cream and Charm was listening intently.

“Is that what you really want?” She asked.

“It's not as bad as it sounds. Yeah he can be an ass and I want to punch him in his smug face, but it's not the worst thing that could happen,” Starr answered. Charm leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms out behind her head.

“Well, if you're happy then I'm happy for you, but you know you're going to have to explain all this to Seifer. You owe him that much.”

“I know,” Starr nodded in agreement. “Come on, we should be getting back before I get into trouble.” All three stood up, and began walking back to Capsule Corp. Starr felt a little bit lighter, as if a weight had been lifted, but she knew was going to have to have this conversation again.

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Starr and Charm were giggling as they walked back on to Capsule Corp property, Kessoro in tow. Charm was in the process of telling a story about an infamous Zell freak out, when Starr noticed Vegeta sitting on the wall looking as sour as ever. The Prince looked up at the group's arrival and scowled.

“It's about damn time you showed back up here,” Vegeta growled. Starr smiled apologetically as she approached the Prince.

“Sorry about that, we lost track of time. At least we came back before the sun started to set,” Starr's response only made Vegeta scowl more. “Why are you sitting out here? Where is everyone?”

“The blue haired woman decided to summon all your annoying friends here, and they were aggravating me.”

“The gang's all here?” Starr said excitedly. “Yippee!” Starr sprinted away from the group and towards the back of the house. Vegeta followed closely behind, with Charm and Kessoro not too far after. Vegeta watched with mild curiosity, well-hidden of course, as the younger Saiyan happily greeted every single one of them. He shifted his eyes slightly as Bulma came to stand next to him.

“What do you want, woman?” Vegeta said. Bulma smiled next to him.

“It's nice to see her so happy again,” she simply stated. “I haven't seen her smile this much in a while.” Vegeta said nothing as he shifted his eyes back to the scene in front of him. Even he had to admit that he hadn't seen Starr smile this much.

“Come on,” Bulma said, stepping away from Vegeta. “My mom's finished cooking. It's time to eat.” Bulma began walking away from the Prince and rejoined the group. Vegeta paused a moment before doing the same. The group began taking their seats at the extremely large table, Vegeta sitting next to Starr. He watched as she looked over to her former lover and gave a small smile, before she began an animated conversation with Krillin from across the table. Yamcha was busy giving his full attention to Bulma, and various other conversations were taking place. The other Saiyans, like Vegeta, remained silent while consuming their food, finding little interest in the ongoing conversations. Starr was in the middle of laughing at something Zell was saying, when her laughter was suddenly cut short. She suddenly sensed something that couldn't possibly be real. She stood up, knocking her chair out from underneath her. Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in posture.

“What…? It can't be…” she whispered. The rest of the table fell silent, and Starr gasped in shock as a new group joined them. She took a step back, away from the table, complete disbelief all over her face. Goku released his wife, and put his son on the ground and looked back up at Starr.

“Hiya, Starr! It's been awhile.”

“How… how is this possible? Did the Dragon Balls bring you back?”

“The Dragon Balls? What? Why would I need them?” Goku scratched his head, confusion on his face. Shock quickly turned to anger as the young Saiyan turned her attention to Vegeta. The Prince, sensing her rising anger and energy level, stood up and stepped away from the table. He stood directly across from Starr and narrowed his eyes. He folded his arms across his chest, and gave a look of warning to the girl.

“Saluna,” he growled, only serving to further fuel her anger. Starr clenched her hands into fists, the pressure drawing blood as a low growl erupted from her throat.

“Whoa, Starr, take it easy,” Goku said putting his hands up in an attempt to calm the situation. Bardock suddenly stood up and spoke to his son, realizing the gravity of the situation.

“Kakarot, if I were you, I'd back away.” Goku looked over at his father, and then back to Starr. His eyes widened as he saw a golden aura start to surround the girl. Starr continued to glare at the Prince, her eyes never leaving Vegeta's face. Her growl intensified the longer she glared. The other Saiyans stood up, slowly backing away. The rest of the table followed suit, sensing no good about to come from the exchange. Vegeta unfolded his arms and returned the girl's intense glare. After a moment, Starr finally spoke again.

“You fucking lied to me,” she whispered in a voice dripping with dangerous venom. “You told me he was dead. How fucking dare you, Vegeta!” And with that, the younger Saiyan launched herself at the Saiyan Prince, her golden aura surrounding her completely.

~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~******************************~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow, that took a while to write. Long chapter, longest I've written so far. I know it seems like a lot to happen in one chapter, but I'm going to update my other story with a couple of chapter's before I come back to this one, so I wanted to leave on a nice cliff hanger and this is where I envisioned leaving off.

I hope you enjoyed! Tell me what you think!!

Until next time!!