Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ MiNd GaMeS ❯ Chapter Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

A/N: Long time no see, right everyone? Ah, well, better late than never right? Ahem. Anyway, only one chapter update this time (as we get closer and closer to the end I'm making more and more changes) but I think this chapter is a good one in a way. Just a bit of advice: never take anything any character says as is. There will always be clues to show you that (for example) when someone says, "I hate you and wish I never met you" that they're really thinking "I hate that loving you makes me feel vulnerable" or something to that effect. Okay, that's enough of that! Onto the show!

MiNd GaMeS: Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: Uh, DBZ is the creation of Akira Toriyama. Not me. My only creation (I'm sad to say) is Lady Sinclair. Well, there are some more but none that you've seen on TV before.

WARNING! A 'bad' situation comes up later; let me reassure you that this is a B/V don't stop reading because you think Vegeta has gone crazy or something. I wrote this situation in here because I thought it would show both characters' feelings for each other (which it does if you read between the lines) and because it becomes MUCH more significant later when we find out more about the scarlet-haired woman.

READ AND ENJOY!

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The Queen had wanted to have her dinner within the confines of her own rooms that night, so Rachel pulled up a chair and ate at her side (the King was out, only Kami knows where). She eagerly told Bulma all she had witnessed an hour ago, ending the story with Vegeta's smirk.

Bulma's face took on a sort of whimsical, lop-sided smile. "I really don't give a damn as to what his royal pain in my ass is doing, as long as he isn't bothering me."

Rachel raised her eyebrows in amused disbelief and looked pointedly at Bulma's right hand, which was gripping her fork so tightly, her knuckles were turning white. Bulma looked down at her hand in mild surprise, and instantly released the utensil so that it clattered into her bowl.

Her friend laughed. "You have a funny way of showing your 'disregard' for him."

The blue haired genius laughed slightly, a rueful expression on her face. "I guess. Is it really that obvious?" she asked in a low, resigned voice.

"Only if you've seen it before," Rachel replied, answering soberly. "I think you need to tell Vegeta everything-and I do mean EVERYTHING Bulma-if you ever want to be happy." The redhead looked pointedly at Bulma as they heard the door open.

The pregnant earth woman stiffened slightly, but took a deep breath and got out of the bed, walking purposefully to the main room. "Ve-" she stopped. It wasn't Vegeta, but a slave. "Yes?" she asked, puzzled.

The slave got on his knees and bowed low to the floor, not daring to look at her. "My Queen, the King wishes for you to come to the throne room to receive a guest."

Bulma frowned, "Tell the King I will be there shortly." The slave crept out of the room silently as the Queen of Vegetaseii returned to the bedroom. She quickly informed Rachel of her situation, and began to dress as she spoke. Rachel helped her as best as she could and did her friend's hair for her, cursing Vegeta's abruptness under her breath.

The result of their hard work was stunning. The red dress Bulma had chosen hid her unborn child's large safe haven well, and with the matching shawl that hung almost to her knees, it was impossible for any outsider to guess at her pregnancy. Her hair hung around her shoulders in long ringlets that made her look younger, thanks to Rachel, and she wore no make up. The dress was like none seen on Vegetaseii, because Rachel had made it for Bulma on one of her off days. When Bulma thanked her for it, the American blushed and waved a hand in dismissal at her thanks, "It was the least I could do for you after all you've done for me." The knee-length dress accentuated the blue of Bulma's hair, and since it was strapless, it also showed off the ample bosom, which came with pregnancy, well.

"Time to face the lion in his den," Rachel stated, handing Bulma a short pair of red boots with one-inch heels. "Are you sure you want to wear these? It definitely won't make the pain you're experiencing any better; actually, it'll make it worse."

"Beauty is pain." Bulma answered nonchalantly, waving absently at Rachel as she left.

*********

Vegeta threw his cape over his shoulder. He hated wearing it, but he felt it would aid him in his ploy by adding authenticity to his actions. One of his slaves had just told him that Bulma was to be here soon. He was waiting for a slave (something he didn't do very often) to come to him with word of his mate's response.

He sat in his throne expectantly, gripping the arms of the golden throne tensely. As the slave arrived, his slightly raising anger disappeared. He waited impatiently, as the slave bowed. "Rise and speak," he snapped.

The slave got on his feet and looked to the floor, "Lady Cambodia's ship has landed sire. She is presently being escorted here, as you instructed."

Vegeta nodded curtly and dismissed the slave. His tail (which was usually wound tightly around his waist in a no nonsense fashion) twitched at his side, showing the excitement the King was finding hard to contain. Soon, he thought, smirking slightly, very soon.

************

Lady Cambodia Sinclair was not what one would call an introvert-anything that crossed her mind immediately came out of her mouth, often hurting the feelings of others and reducing powerful warriors and emperors to trembling boys. As if this wasn't bad enough, the woman in question was also, uh, "blessed" with a strong set of vocal chords that allowed her sultry, aristocratic voice to be heard by those miles away if she so wished. It was due to these chords that Bulma knew there was a woman in the throne room with Vegeta before she even opened the door to the throne room. Her hand hovered over the door handle and trembled slightly as she found herself wondering: is Vegeta replacing me with another woman? The Queen of Vegetaseii opened the door decisively and breezed into the room.

"Oh, Vegeta, you tease; you know you want this," a curvy vixen purred, kissing Vegeta passionately. The kiss lasted maybe 25 seconds; twenty-five seconds of pure hell for Bulma. Vegeta responded to her kiss briefly, before gently pushing the redhead away. He held unto her hand and stroked it slightly, eventually looking up and seeing Bulma, his eyes luminous and full of an emotion Bulma could not have placed even if she was not blinded with rage at that particular moment.

As the earth woman angrily strode down the length of the red carpet toward Vegeta, the female guest turned and looked over her shoulder at her, raising her perfectly sculpted eyebrows disdainfully.

Bulma frowned as she got a good look at the home wrecker's face: She is very beautiful. No wonder Vegeta chose her. She wasn't sure if being replaced by such an exceedingly beautiful woman was a good thing, or not. Lady Cambodia-who stood 5 feet eleven inches-was a striking woman with beautifully scarlet hair that matched the color of Bulma's dress. Her red tresses were long and parted down the middle, partially covering her left eye. Her slender and curvaceous body which was clad in a provocative black outfit (equipped with a short dagger at her hip) made Vegeta's mate clench her fists in anger as she remembered how much more beautiful she had been before her pregnancy. The fiery red-head could have easily passed for a human. Bulma felt immediate loathing for the woman, and by the look in Cambodia's emerald eyes, the feeling was definitely mutual.

Her loud voice was beautiful, cultured even, and her words cut through Bulma like a knife. "Your slave is dressed a little extravagantly; don't you think so, Vegeta?"

Vegeta stood, his onyx eyes revealing nothing as he impatiently flipped his cape over his shoulder. "Cambodia Sinclair, this is my mate, Bulma," he stated, his voice as cool and light as a New England day.

Bulma put a cool smile on her face and dropped a very regal curtsy, even though it hurt her ankles. "Charmed," she got out between clenched teeth. Vegeta shot her a curious glance, but then his eyes quickly returned to Cambodia as though he was purposefully making an effort not to look at her.

Their guest raised a red eyebrow in surprise. "When did you get joined Vegeta?"

Vegeta frowned slightly, as if remembering that event pained him. "It doesn't matter."

Cambodia smiled triumphantly at Bulma and wound her hands in Vegeta's cape. "I didn't think so," she said laughing.

The fake, cold smile slipped off of Bulma's face and she fought to keep from attacking the woman, who was openly appraising Vegeta in front of her. She struggled to keep her tones civil as she spoke to Vegeta. "Did you need me for something, Your Highness?" She couldn't stop herself from hissing the last two words with venom in her voice, her eyes flashing with her pent up rage and frustration.

Vegeta's eyes shone briefly with an unknown emotion before he shot back a reply, "You're mistaken. I don't 'NEED YOU' for anything. I merely desired that you meet our guest. She will be here for the next few weeks."

Bulma smiled stiffly at the curious yet obviously amused Cambodia. "Then I will take my leave." She quickly curtsied to Cambodia and left quickly.

As the doors closed behind her, she heard the wretched Sinclair woman's laughter. "I'm so glad you asked me to come, Vegeta. This will be just like old times..."

The Queen clenched her fists angrily as she walked swiftly to her room. Damn them both to hell. And triple damn Vegeta. I don't need him either!

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She waited tensely for Vegeta to come back to the room so that he could sleep on the couch like he had been every day during the course of her pregnancy. He never came. Bulma cried herself to sleep silently for reasons she wasn't even aware of.

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"He never came back? Oh, the nerve of that bastard!" Rachel exclaimed in an attempt to comfort her friend who was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.

"He slept with that woman. I know it!"

But wait a second Rachel; let's try to give him the benefit of the doubt here. After all, I was just beginning to suspect that the King might possibly harbor feelings for Bulma. The American woman's auburn brows furrowed as she tried to think of some way to make this situation out not to be a catastrophic event. "We can't really assume that just because--"

Bulma interrupted her furiously, her eyes snapping open and locking angrily on Rachel's. "Where else would he be Rachel?" she demanded.

Rachel turned away from her friend for she knew that within those blue eyes, she would see the immense underlying hurt and betrayal the Queen was trying so hard to suppress. "I-I don't know. But how could he? I thought he--"

Laughing mirthlessly, the young scientist finished her sentence. "You thought he actually cared about me. If you believed that you are just as stupid as I am."

Her American friend frowned at her, frustration in her words. "Stop it Bulma! You're feeling sorry for yourself, and trust me, that never helps. Just because Vegeta is being an ass, doesn't mean you have to fall to pieces. You need to keep yourself together and--"

The door opened, cutting the rest of Rachel's sentence off. The very topic of their conversation walked in briskly with that oh-so-annoying and oh-so-Saiyan like aura of arrogance about him.

Bulma seethed silently for a moment before she was able to compose herself a bit more. "Rachel. Can you excuse us for a minute?" Rachel nodded and darted past Vegeta and out of the door, praying that things would work out for her friend and simultaneously thanking her lucky stars that she wasn't left behind in that tension filled room with those two.

Vegeta's eyes followed Rachel as she all but ran out of their quarters, and he raised an eyebrow in question as his eyes returned to Bulma's face where there were faint traces of red on her cheeks.

The enraged Queen of Vegetaseii pushed herself away from the wall and moved toward Vegeta purposefully. She stopped when there was about half a foot between them, her voice as cold and hard as steel. "Why have you come back?"

The dark, fathomless eyes of the King narrowed slightly at her demeanor. "Why, pray tell do you even give a damn one way or another?"

"I DON'T!" Bulma yelled, temporarily losing her icy composure. "I don't care," she began again, her voice going back to that frigid tone she could adopt so well. "I was just hoping that bitch would keep you occupied, and I wouldn't have to see you any more."

Vegeta smirked before answering. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous."

The Queen laughed dryly. "Jealous? To be jealous of her I'd actually have to have some kind of feelings toward you, and I assure you that I don't."

Vegeta said nothing but looked upon her, his eyes full of scorn.

"I must confess Vegeta that this isn't too much of surprise to me," Bulma continued, her anger growing even more at his mention of her jealousy. "I was wondering when you'd find some smarmy bitch to try to replace me but by Kami, I thought you'd let the sheets cool down a little before you found another unwilling wretch to satisfy your wild, uncontrollable animalistic urges," she hissed her eyes boring into his angrily.

His expression never wavered as he took a step toward her, closing the distance between them so that there were mere millimeters between their faces. "You may never know just how much self-control I've had to exercise when dealing with the likes of you," Vegeta said coldly, his obsidian eyes reflecting his hatred for her. "But if I have to deal with any more of your melodramatic bull shit, I may just run out of patience."

Bulma sucked in her breath audibly at his tone and then the intense look in his eyes took their toll on her. Frightened, she took a step away from him, but her enlarged state along with her mixed emotions made her clumsy. She stumbled and fell on her rear end, her teeth slamming together with a jar, causing her to whimper slightly. She looked up at Vegeta, who looked startled and…something else that was very hard to read on his face. He kneeled in front of her silently, his eyes looking intently into hers. His previous aura of hate and disdain disappeared and was replaced by an emotion Bulma would have identified as concern in any one else's face but his.

Now more confused than afraid, Bulma sucked in her breath and awkwardly got on her feet, stepping away from the King, anxious to get away from him in her confusion. I don't understand what's going on. What is he trying to pull?

Vegeta stood and looked away from her before she could see the look in his eyes, "I apologize for my behavior," he said quietly. "I'll find someplace where my presence is wanted." With that, he left the room, his cape swirling behind him.

Even more confused than before, Bulma watched him go, a lump rapidly rising in her throat, she swallowed painfully and tried to call to him back. "Wait, don't go." Unfortunately, it was far too late. And she knew exactly where his presence was wanted…with that seductress, Lady Cambodia Sinclair.

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The End of Chapter Eleven!

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter of Mind Games! I changed it quite a bit from the original just to spice it up. Please review me or email me! Oh and for those who asked me to email them the lemon, I promise I'll send it to you as soon as I get my old computer up and running.

Ciao for now minna-san!

* Claire/B16