Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Play Alongs ❯ A Prince's Proposal II ( Chapter 3 )

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Vegeta landed carefully on Namek’s blue grass. Nearby, Nappa and Raditz were partaking in some friendly sparring as they waited for their Prince to return.

He’d spent the past couple of hours inspecting the planet without success, as usual.

The three Saiyan warriors had landed on the small planet three days ago, and so far, they’d only managed to gather up six out of the seven mysterious Dragon Balls Frieza had instructed them to collect for him.

No sign of the seventh Dragon Ball.

And no sign of Bulma…

He run his hands through his hair frustratingly, feeling as if he were running out of excuses in front of his comrades. Vegeta knew they’d already become suspicious about the strange behavior he’d been displaying ever since they’d embarked on this mission.

“Hey, Vegeta!” Raditz said, panting loudly as a consequence of Nappa’s amicable ass kicking. “Did you find it?”

The Prince shook his head, staring angrily into the ground.

“Man… Seriously?” Nappa sighed. “Vegeta, trust me. I know you said we couldn’t kill anyone on this mission, and I’m not even going to ask why, but, you know, if you just let me kill a couple of those green assholes, you can bet your ass they’ll start singing. I’m sure they’re hiding the last one somewhere…”

Vegeta crossed his arms, pinching the bridge of his nose and exhaling heatedly.

He’d fucked up.

He’d fucked up, big time…

The woman wasn’t even on the planet.

He’d given her every last credit he owned in this world and the woman had, very possibly, just taken the money and run. And who could blame her? He probably would had done exactly the same thing under similar circumstances.

And that wasn’t even the worst thing.

Sure, he’d given her the money so she’d be protected, free to go and buy whatever she needed, but Space was a dangerous place, and a gorgeous creature like Bulma would always find herself in danger unless she had a strong man by her side to protect her.

Fuck!

If only she’d accepted his proposal…

Wasn’t he good enough? That was the problem, wasn’t it? He’d been thinking non-stop about the possible reasons behind her rejection and the only thing he could come up with was that the woman was, most likely, repulsed by him.

And why not? He worked for Frieza, after all…

Sure, it was against his will, and the Gods knew the only reason why he hadn’t rebelled against the slimy bastard yet was because he still wasn’t strong enough to defeat him and he didn’t want to die before he could take him down, thus avenging his planet and his people.

He’d even ordered Nappa and Raditz not to kill anyone during this assignment, in some insignificant, pathetic attempt to become a better man.

For her…

And now the woman wasn’t even where she’d promised to be.

“I’m going to take another look. If I can’t find it this time, we’re killing one of those bastards and burning this place down…” Vegeta announced irritably.   

“Now we’re talking!” Raditz said happily.

The Prince turned around, ready to take off.

“You two, stay here! And, Nappa?”

“Yeah?”

“Do not lift a fucking finger against anyone or anything unless I say so, you got it?”

The bald man shrugged disinterestedly.

“Sure, Vegeta…”

“I mean it, old man! And the same goes for you too, Raditz!”

Before the long-haired giant could give his Master a response, Vegeta took off furiously into the sky, telling himself that he’d thoroughly inspect the planet one more time before he’d finally have to relent and admit defeat.

Damn it!

He shouldn’t have let her go! Now he’d never see her again!

He’d never hear her giggle as she told him her funny silly stories, and he’d miss the way her cute little nose scrunched up in disapproval every time someone brought her some disheveled space pod to repair. He’d never be able to stare, almost entranced, at that waterfall of turquoise waves and those sparkly blue eyes and…

Wait.

‘What the Hell was that?’           

In the distance, he could discern a figure dressed in some kind of orange clothing. As he got closer, he realized it was a male figure, kneeling on the ground by the edge of a lake, seemingly filling up some empty bottles with water, and…

‘No way…’

It couldn’t be…?

“You!” Vegeta yelled irately, immediately increasing his speed.

The loud sound of his voice startled the man, who turned around and, after giving the warrior a quick glance, grabbed the water bottles clumsily and started running towards a cave nearby.

The Prince shot a small ki blast by his foot in warning, making the male stop dead in his tracks. He took down dangerously close to him, approaching him slowly from behind.

“Don’t even try it…” Vegeta said menacingly in a very, very low voice, making the man’s already trembling frame shiver even more.

“Turn around!” He ordered, lifting his chin knowingly at the sight of the cowardly man’s face.

Yamcha.

“I knew it…” Vegeta muttered, grabbing him by the neck of his strange orange clothing and effortlessly lifting him off the ground. His head was spinning in a million different directions. So, she was on the planet! Had she lied to him when she’d told him the weakling wasn’t her mate? And why? Had she simply felt pity for him?

“I fucking knew it… Where is she?!”

“W-Where i-is wh-wh-who?” The terrified earthling asked, deep down suspecting who the warrior was talking about.

The Saiyan sneered, absolutely disgusted by the male’s spinelessness.

This?

This was the man the woman had chosen over him?

What the fuck?

Vegeta knew he was far from the perfect man, but he sure as Hell was a much better choice than some pathetic, wobbly idiot that looked as if he were about to piss his pants.

“The woman! Where is she?!”

“Wh-wh-what wom-woman?”

He brought the Earth male’s face even closer to him, his mouth furiously panting against the pale scarred face now covered in cold sweat.

“Don’t play stupid with me, or the Gods help me…” Vegeta took a deep breath, wanting nothing more than to turn the asshole into ashes right fucking there, but he knew it wouldn’t sit well with the woman, so he made a superhuman effort to keep his rage in check.

“Bulma… Where is she?”

Yamcha frowned slightly.

How did the Saiyan know Bulma was on the planet? Had she told him about their plans? And if so, just how much did Vegeta know about the Dragon Balls and the incredible things they could accomplish?

“H-how do you…?”

“Is she your mate?” He cut him off, incapable of concealing the jealousy now very present in his voice anymore.

“M-my wh-what?”

“Your mate, you fool! Your woman!”

Yamcha’s eyes widened in shock.

So, that’s what it was? Jealousy?

He’d already suspected Vegeta was interested in the woman. The frequency with which he visited the small repair shop was unusual, especially for someone like him, who had subordinates to order around to do menial tasks in his place. And yet, whenever he wasn’t off planet, the Saiyan would find excuse after excuse just to be able to spend time around Bulma. Sometimes even helping her as she worked, for instance, using his enormous strength to lift the heavy vehicles for her, allowing her to get underneath and finish her tasks faster.

The weaker man had undeniably felt envious of how comfortable and open the striking woman always seemed to feel around Vegeta, in spite of how many times he’d warned her about him and about the very dangerous tales Yamcha had heard about the Prince. Tales of death, planet purging and cruelty, and yet, the young woman would treat him almost as if he were a friend.

Still, Bulma had brought Yamcha with her on her trip and not him, so maybe she didn’t trust the warrior just as much as he’d previously thought. Perhaps it was a territorial thing, and if he told him Bulma was indeed his girlfriend, he’d leave them alone. After all, it was only a matter of time before he finally convinced her to be his girl. No matter how many times the woman had refused his advances, Yamcha was damn sure Bulma was just playing hard to get and someday she’d be his, especially once they wished Earth back and he had her all to himself with Vegeta out of the picture for good.

“Y-yes… She is…” He nodded, swallowing hard and awaiting, expectantly, Vegeta’s reaction.

The Saiyan dropped him at once on the ground, roaring desperately in fury.

How could it be? A mere human woman rejecting the Prince of all Saiyans for… this…

It made no damn sense!

Vegeta needed to find her, make her look him in the eye and give him a proper explanation. He deserved, at least, that much.

‘I don’t doubt it…’ She’d said in reply to his statement about him being the ideal mate for her.

“Take me to her!” He violently instructed.

“Wh-what? Ve-Vegeta… Look, sh-she doesn’t… She wants nothing to do with y-you… Th-That’s why we-we left…”

That did it.

Without further warning, the Saiyan tackled him, aggressively jumping right on top of him and trapping Yamcha’s body between his robust knees against the ground.

The earthling didn’t see it coming…

Just like he didn’t expect Vegeta to punch him right on his nose.

Twice.

“Shit! What the fuck?!”

“Be quiet, you idiot! Where is the woman?! Y-you… You are fucking lying! Did you do something to her? What have you done?!”

Vegeta wrapped his strong hands around Yamcha’s neck, ready to literally squeeze the life out of him.

He was lying.

He had to be!

There was no way Bulma had fled the planet in order to run away from him…

“Ve-Veggg…”

“Don’t! Don’t even! You’re not even worthy of pronouncing my name! Where’s the woman?!”

The earthling gave up at last.

His face felt hot and dizzy, and his vain attempts to try to get the warrior’s hands away from his neck were failing miserably…

“P-please… I’ll… I’ll tell you… Sh-she’s…”

Right away, Vegeta punched him again.

“Fuck! Wh-why?! I was gonna tell you where she was!!!” Yamcha asked in shock.

“That’s right, you asshole! You were going to tell me where she’s hiding! What kind of a fucking mate are you if you’re going to betray your woman just to save your sorry ass?”

The earthling squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head and utterly disconcerted.

That damned Saiyan was absolutely insane…

“A-Alright, th-then I won’t tell y-you…”

“Oh, you will! You will tell me right fucking now if you know what’s good for you!” Vegeta threatened.

“B-but I… I thought you just s-said…”

“I was just teaching you a lesson, you fool! Where’s the woman?”

“I… I…”

“You know what? Fuck this shit! Now that I know she’s on the planet, I’ll find her myself!”

Vegeta began forming a ki ball on the palm of his hand, pointing it right at Yamcha’s face. The human, haunted with fear, simply froze in shock, incapable of moving or even breathing anymore.

“You don’t deserve her…” The Saiyan sadistically grumbled.

“Vegeta, don’t!”

A feminine voice suddenly brought him back to reality, and he promptly extinguished his ball of energy, dropping Yamcha’s body as if he were nothing. He turned around, setting his eyes on the owner of a voice he knew as well as his own by now.

“Bulma…” He whispered, his voice a mixture of relief and amazement, not only at finally being able to see her again, but at the sight of the mysterious men that kept grabbing her in an ineffective effort to restrain her as she kept walking towards his spot.

There were two of them, one of them short and bald, and the other one much older, wearing a colorful floral shirt and sunglasses.    

“Bulma! Don’t! He’s dangerous!” The younger man warned, still trying to stop her by clutching her arm, while the old guy had tripped and fallen, and was now lying on the grass, lecherously looking down the woman’s skirt.

“I said, let go of me! Goddammit!”

“Bulma! You don’t know…!”

“I know him, Krillin! And now, let go of me!” Bulma commanded furiously, finally managing to get the younger man’s hands off her. “And you! Stop that shit right now!” She yelled at the old man on the ground, whose nose had mysteriously started to bleed. When the man wouldn’t move, she kicked him out of her way, sending him flying several meters away.

Finally free of what the warrior thought the oddest group of freaks he’d ever seen, she proceeded to walk towards him unhurriedly but confidently, finally standing right in front of him. She stared at Vegeta in awe, her shimmery eyes inspecting him curiously as if she couldn’t truly believe he was there with her.

“You’re… You’re here…” She finally said in a low, breathy voice.

The Prince simply nodded, feeling the bundle of nerves he always felt right in his stomach, whenever he was in her presence, coming back to him in full force.  

Bulma allowed herself a tiny smile full of wonder.

“You came because of me?” She asked shyly, a shiver of hope hiding behind her girly voice.

“No,” he quickly replied.

Her pretty face immediately fell into an unmistakable sad frown.

“Oh…” She muttered in disappointment.

‘Fuck!’

Why had he even said that?

‘Of course, he’d come for her!’

Damn him and his Saiyan pride!

“Bulma, I…” The Saiyan started to say, trying to find the right way to express himself, but the woman cut him off.

“Wanna go talk inside our house?”

He frowned at that question. How had the woman built a house on a planet she’d just arrived in?

“Your what?”

She giggled, finding his confusion humorous. He looked so damn cute when he didn’t know what was going on…

“My house. It’s right there, inside that cave.” Bulma indicated, pointing to one of the many dark caves on the island they were standing on. Planet Namek seemed to be full of them.

“Are you crazy?!” Yamcha yelled. He was still on the ground, sitting with difficulty on the grass with the help of Krillin and pitifully covering his bleeding nose. “Bulma! The guy just punched me on the nose! THREE TIMES!”

Bulma gave him a quick glance, apparently not bothered at all by his injuries. The truth of the matter was, she was already sick of him and his antics. Throughout their entire trip, he’d been nothing but a bothersome sickly-sweet idiot that kept hitting on her, even though she’d already made it quite clear that she wanted nothing to do with him, at least, not romantically. But the guy just couldn’t seem to take a hint, so she sighed tiredly, crossing her arms and squinting suspiciously at him.

“What did you do to him?”

“What?! What do you mean?! Bulma, the guy is trouble! He…!”

“He told me he was your mate,” Vegeta informed her calmly, inwardly enjoying the complete disinterest the woman was showing in the scarred-faced idiot.

He knew it…

The Earth woman was too good for a pathetic weakling like Yamcha…

“He, what???!!!” She screamed furiously.

“B-Bulma, I… I was just trying to…”

“And he said you’d traveled to planet Namek in order to escape from me,” he declared triumphantly, knowing by now the woman would not be happy with the asshole.

Oh, she wasn’t.

“WHAT?!”

In the blink of an eye she knelt down and aggressively punched Yamcha on the shoulder.

“Ow! And what was that for?!” Yamcha asked miserably.

This was not his lucky day…

“That’s for fucking lying about us, you idiot!” She punched him again.

“What the Hell?!”

“And THAT’s for lying again! How could you say something like that when you guys were the ones who convinced me not to ask him to come?!”

“You, what?” Vegeta asked in surprise and disbelief.

Bulma nodded demurely, suddenly embarrassed about having revealed such a thing.

Would he mock her?

She knew he’d basically proposed to her just mere days ago but, would he still want her after having been rejected so brazenly? If there was one thing she’d learned about Saiyans was that pride was one of their most prized possessions.

“I did…” She whispered, boldly stretching her arm and offering Vegeta her hand.

He took it without hesitation, making Bulma’s heart flutter. She bravely intertwined her delicate fingers with his, affectionately squeezing his strong hand and giving him a timid smile.

“Come with me,” she said, her shy smile widening when the warrior automatically followed her and gently clasped her hand back without a second thought.

They both walked into the cave, under the astounded watchful eyes of all her friends, who didn’t seem to comprehend how it was possible for a powerless woman like Bulma to be so apparently carefree and trusting around the frightening Saiyan Prince.

When they reached the door of the small Capsule Corp. house Bulma had settled inside the dark rock shelter, Vegeta inspected it with inquisitorial eyes.

“Bulma, how…?”

“It’s a capsule house,” she proudly explained. “Remember how I told you my father was a scientist? Our company created all sorts of products that we encapsulated. You see that button by the door?” Bulma asked pointing at it. “If you press it, the whole house will turn into a capsule so small it’ll fit in the palm of my hand.”

Vegeta blinked in surprise a few times. The woman’s claims seemed quite surreal to him and yet, he believed her. He’d gotten to know her and her many talents during the few months they’d known each other, and it had become quite evident to him that her brains were just as brilliant as her beauty.

“Let’s get inside; it’s cold in here…” Bulma continued, opening the door and guiding him through the small home, never letting go of his gloved hand until they reached her bedroom. When they did, she got in, finally releasing him, much to Vegeta’s disenchantment, and she closed the door behind them.

“Sorry about the mess,” she mumbled self-consciously.

Being alone with him inside her room was suddenly making her feel bashfully vulnerable. She sat awkwardly on her unmade bed and pointed towards a small chair in front of her.

“Please, take a sit.” 

The Saiyan silently followed her instructions, uncomfortably sitting on the tiny chair as he warily inspected his surroundings. Just as he’d suspected, based on seeing Bulma work on the small repair shop, the woman was a mess. The entire room was cluttered, full of odd books, magazines and pieces of paper, scattered around with other equally unusual items the Prince assumed were ‘feminine objects’. As a man who had spent his entire life surrounded by other males, the whole situation seemed almost dreamlike to him: one moment he’d been alone, miserable and ready to give up on the idea of ever seeing Bulma again, and the next, he was sitting in a closed space with her, in her private surroundings no less, encompassed by her most intimate belongings and, worst of all, almost dazed by the sweet aroma invading his senses.

Her scent…

It was getting harder and harder for him to control his most primal urges, so he chose to focus on Bulma’s actions instead, who was now fidgeting apprehensively with her dress, still sited on top of the messy bundle of girly pink bedsheets.

“So… What’s your wish?” She finally asked.

“I’m sorry?”

“Your wish… You guys are the ones who have most of the Dragon Balls, right?”

“Bulma, how do you…? H-How do you know that?” Vegeta asked perplexedly.

Bulma chuckled sadly. On one side, she was glad to finally find out the reason behind the Saiyan’s presence on Namek but, on the other, she couldn’t help but feel another tinge of disappointment at Vegeta confirming, once again, that she wasn’t the reason behind his visit. Her carefully premeditated plan was quickly vanishing, and it was pretty obvious the Prince had already forgotten about his intentions of dating her.

“Well, if you’re not here because of me, then I assume it’s because of the Dragon Balls. This is just a small planet without much else to offer.”

“I see,” Vegeta replied cautiously.

Was it his imagination or had the woman’s stunning face shown a look of displeasure when he’d lied to her by telling her she wasn’t the real motive behind his trip to Namek?

Did that mean he still had a chance with her?

Perhaps she regretted having rejected him in the past…

“So, what’s your wish?” Bulma asked again.

“Woman, I’m sorry but, I haven’t got the faintest idea of what you’re talking about. We’re here on a mission; we’re taking the Dragon Balls to Frieza.”

The earthling’s eyes widened in shock, and she gasped softly, absolutely horrified by the man’s words.

How could Vegeta do such a thing?

“You can’t be serious! Oh, Gods, Vegeta! You can’t do that!”

Vegeta frowned in confusion, still dumbfounded and not having a clue about what the woman’s problem with his assignment was.

“Why not?”  

“What do you mean ‘why not’? Do you have any idea what Frieza could do with that kind of power?!”

Okay.

Now he was really starting to lose his patience. It hadn’t even really crossed his mind what the damn Dragon Balls were for and, if he was totally honest with himself, he didn’t give a crap about this mission either. The only reason he’d chosen to accept it was because Nappa had told him the planet was the same place Bulma was supposedly about to travel to. In fact, the night he’d drunkenly attempted to drown his sorrow in alcohol, he’d been dangerously close to sending everything to Hell and asking Frieza to kiss his ass and find some other idiot to do his dirty work for him, even if that meant the lizard would finally kill him.

After all, what was the point of living?

He had no home, no family, and no real friends besides Nappa and Raditz. And his ascension didn’t seem to arrive, regardless of how hard he trained and worked towards it. He’d been envisioning a pretty dark future for himself, beginning to lose hope, until he met Bulma.

She was the purest, most beautiful thing he’d ever known, and he’d come to believe that maybe, just maybe, if she accepted him as his mate, he’d finally get to experience a taste of happiness for once in his life.

Of course, the woman had declined his proposal. He shouldn’t have been surprised.

When had life actually given him a break? Did he even deserve it? And, with a woman like Bulma?

She was, after all, one of the few survivors of her race, and her planet had been purged and destroyed, which was precisely what he did for a living. The fact that it had been the Ginyu Force and not him, the ones who had done the job, was purely coincidental.

Why would a delicate, honorably good creature such as Bulma agree to have someone like him as a life companion?

Eventually, her soft, understanding voice broke his pessimistic train of thought…

“You don’t actually know what they do, do you?”

Vegeta shook his head, relieved that the woman had finally understood his predicament.

Bulma sighed wearily. “I see… Alright, I’ll tell you…”

And she did.

She told him everything.

She told him about her discovery of the mythical Dragon Balls back in her home planet when she was a young teenage girl. About how she’d built a radar capable of finding the mysterious objects, which, by the way, were way smaller than the ones from Namek. It was during her journeys that she’d met Goku, a child Vegeta had deduced was, in fact, none other than Bardock’s son, Kakarot. Bulma had already alluded to him in the past, during one of their many conversations in her old repair shop, when she’d noticed his tail one day and she’d mentioned she’d once met a little boy who had a tail and transformed into a horrifying, ridiculously strong giant ape during nights with a full moon. Based on the description of the kid and the location of her now gone planet, Vegeta had reached the conclusion that the boy was, indeed, Raditz’s brother.  

Bulma explained how she and her friends had finally found the Dragon Balls, all seven of them, and the legend had turned out to be real: the Dragon could make their wishes come true. The Dragon from Earth could only grant one wish, the one from Namek, three wishes.

In her small shop, she’d met an enigmatic green man that reminded her a lot of one of Goku’s old enemies, a strong warrior named Piccolo that had once threatened the Earth but who’d ended up being defeated in battle by the young, third-class Saiyan. The mysterious man had told her a little bit about himself and about his race, confirming her old suspicions that there was another planet, the one Namekians originated from, that also possessed Dragon Balls, and from that very day, three months ago now, she’d started saving as many credits as she could to buy an old, second-hand ship, which she’d been secretly repairing and upgrading during her spare time in order to escape the small planet she’d been living in, travel to Namek and bring her home planet and its inhabitants back to life.

The story was absolutely incredible, and yet, if someone like Frieza was so damn interested in those secretive Dragon Balls, perhaps there was some truth to it.

“So, you see now? We can’t let Frieza get hold of them, Vegeta! Only the Gods know what kind of wishes that bastard would ask for!” Bulma warned him, still perturbed, as soon as she finished her tale.

Vegeta nodded in agreement, not even wanting to imagine what Frieza was planning to achieve by getting the Dragon Balls under his control. If he knew his Master well, and sadly he did, it’d probably be something sinister and insane that would allow him to stay alive and rule forever, such as immortality. Vegeta had already heard stories, through the years, of the despicable lizard employing and enslaving all sorts of scientists in his endless quest for power and eternal youth. He had to admit that, at one point, immortality had seemed extremely tempting to him, if only because it would keep him alive until he was strong enough to bring the filthy Overlord to his knees, right before he ended his life. However, if he pondered such a wish with a cold, analytical mind, he knew that desire would end up being a curse more than a privilege, so he truly didn’t think he’d ever actually pursue such a mindless goal.

“So…” He finally replied, his speech slow while he attempted to put all the pieces together. “One wish to bring your planet back into existence, one wish to resurrect all its inhabitants and… I presume, one last wish to take you and your friends back to Earth?”

That last sentence automatically filled him with despair. The thought of the woman he was in love with vanishing from his life forever was absolutely devastating, and yet, if going back to her home planet would bring her more joy than sharing her life with him, he was prepared to let her go.

“That was supposed to be the plan, but… But then it changed…” Bulma explained reservedly.

This was it.

She was about to reveal her secret wish to the man sitting right in front of him. Bulma knew that if Vegeta’s feelings towards her had changed, she was about to make a fool of herself. Yet again, hadn’t the Saiyan opened his heart to her during his proposal? It couldn’t have been easy for someone like Vegeta, a warrior that very possibly felt uncomfortable expressing his emotions, to declare his feelings for her, and it must have been even more humiliating for him to deal with her rejection.

What had she even been thinking?

She wanted this man…

And she wanted him all to herself, the thought of him moving on and ultimately spending his life with another female made her mad with jealousy.

He deserved to be treated with the same kind of honesty he’d offered her in the past, so Bulma took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to show her vulnerability.

“I… I don’t understand, Bulma. What changed when?”

“It all changed…” She sighed timidly, her eyes fixated on the lavender carpet on the floor. “It all changed the moment you walked out of my shop, the last time I saw you…”

Vegeta remained silent, feeling his mouth go dry and his heart skip a beat.

Was she talking about what he thought she was talking about?

He didn’t dare open his big mouth and get into trouble if it turned out she was actually referring to something else entirely, so he waited quietly but impatiently for her to carry on with her explanation.

Bulma looked at him, anxiously biting on her thumbnail before finally revealing her secret plans to him.

“One… One wish to bring Earth back into existence, one wish to resurrect all its inhabitants and… Well… I was actually going to do as you just said, and take my friends and I back to Earth but… But, by my calculations, the improvements I made on our ship and the amount of fuel we’ve bought would take us comfortably back to our home planet so… So, there was no need to waste a wish on that if… You know… If I wanted something else…”

Vegeta held his breath momentarily, and his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.

“What…? What did you want, Bulma?” He asked, incapable of waiting anymore for the woman’s reply.

“I… I just thought… Well…” She raised her gaze again, her soft cheeks flushed in mortification.

The Saiyan thought she’d never looked lovelier than in that very moment…

“Yes?” Vegeta said, gently coaching her into revealing her true intentions.

“I was going to ask the Dragon to bring you to Earth with us… Well… With me…”

Bulma kept staring at him, waiting for some kind of a reaction, but, much to her disappointment, Vegeta’s face remained immobile, void of any expression that could tell her whether he still wanted her back or whether she’d just made a huge fool of herself. And suddenly, it hit her that perhaps he’d misunderstood a small aspect of her hypothetical wish.

“Oh! I wouldn’t have done it without your consent!” She quickly clarified, waving her tiny, nervous hands defensively in front of her. “The… The Dragon can’t actually bring someone to another place without asking them first! So, you know… You would have had a choice…”

“Would you have wanted me to say yes?”

The woman assented meekly.

“More than anything…” She quietly whispered, her fingers fidgeting again with her flowy blue dress, never having felt more exposed and raw in her entire life.

Vegeta shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut in puzzlement before setting them again on her.

“Bulma, I don’t… Forgive me but, I just… I don’t understand. You… You rejected me. Why…?”

“I know I did and I… I felt so terrible, Vegeta!” She declared, now raising her voice passionately. “I was… I guess I was scared, you know?”

“Scared?” His heart sank. “Scared of me?”

“Oh, no! Not of you! Never of you!”

She’d never been afraid of him?

That was a new one…

“I guess…” Bulma kept saying, “I guess I just felt overwhelmed, you know? We were supposed to escape that same night, and… You… Your proposal… From what I know from you and from your, from your words… You weren’t really, um… It was a serious thing, right?”

“Serious? Of course, it was serious! Woman, what…?”

“No, I mean that… I assumed you weren’t just asking about one date. It was a real commitment, not just sex or something like that, right?”

“Of course not!” Vegeta yelled, offended by the woman’s implications. “Is that what you thought I wanted from you?”

“N-no, that’s what I mean… You, you were asking for something real, something serious, the same night we were supposed to leave and, then… And then, there were the Dragon Balls… The night we escaped I even asked my friends if I could bring you with us, you know?”

“You did?” The warrior asked with a mixture of shock and hope within his voice.

“I did.” She confirmed. “But they… They said you weren’t trustworthy, and that you’d just steal the Dragon Balls from us and…” Bulma stopped, shaking her head at the memory. “I shouldn’t have listened to them…” She whispered, almost as if talking to herself. Then she observed him carefully, with those deep blue eyes of hers, and she declared firmly. “They were wrong.”

Vegeta thought for a moment.

Had the woman’s friends been wrong or were their fears founded?

They probably were…

In the back of his mind, he knew that his old self, the ruthless warrior solely concerned about his own survival, whatever the cost, would have undoubtedly jumped at the chance of joining the group of trusting weaklings and betray them in the end, when they’d reach their destination.

But now…

Well, now he wasn’t so sure anymore…

The woman had changed something in him, deeply and fundamentally. And no, he would never dare to call himself good, the Gods knew there was still a special place in Hell reserved just for him because of his past evil deeds but, at the same time, something about Bulma and her generous, vivacious heart, made him want to do better, to be better.

A better man, just for her…

“They were wrong, woman,” he finally answered. “I would have never, ever betrayed you if you had asked me to join you and your comrades.”

Vegeta realized at once he must have said the right thing, because the most enticing, radiant smile drew itself on Bulma’s lips.

“I knew it,” she declared triumphantly. “I knew you’d never hurt me or my friends. They… They told me you were just like Frieza, but I knew… I just knew, deep in my heart, that you’re nothing like him.”

The Saiyan inhaled sharply, deeply offended by that comparison and yet, again, he knew his friend’s assumptions weren’t too far from the truth. He had, after all, done terrible things throughout his life.

“Bulma, I am not like Frieza, but… You must know, my past… My past is not an easy one. I’ve…”

“I know,” she simply replied.

“You do?”

“Yeah… Some people on the planet said things about you, and, you know… Yamcha did as well. He was always trying to warn me about you, trying to make me stop talking to you so much, but… I knew it was because of Frieza, you’re not free to do what you want, are you?”

Vegeta felt his fists automatically clench, his body trembling in rage and shame…

Despite his ‘Prince of All Saiyans’ bravado, he knew he was basically a slave. Sure, he was sometimes generously rewarded for his ‘services’, but even so, he was still a man obligated to serve a Master he despised.

“No, woman…” He confirmed, a deep, ragged breath abandoning his lungs. “I am not free to do as I wish.”

“I see… So… If you, if you could escape from Frieza, if you could…”

“I will never escape from Frieza, Bulma! I’d rather die than go into hiding from that filthy bastard! Besides,” he continued, eyeing her warily. “Do you really think someone, anyone, could hide from Frieza? Sooner or later, he’d find them, and then he’d…”

“I know that, Vegeta! But I don’t mean hiding from him indefinitely! It would be more like… Like buying time. Time until you were ready… You do want to fight him, don’t you?”

The Prince immediately assented.

“And… And if you won, you’d never be like him, would you Vegeta?”

“Never,” he promised.

He was telling the truth.

His only goal in life was putting an end to that miserable, filthy creature, but his old dreams of universal domination no longer appealed to him. If only he had this woman, and he could go live somewhere in peace with her, after getting rid of Frieza, of course, he knew he’d have everything he’d ever need. After all, he’d gone through enough mayhem and destruction to last an entire lifetime.

“Promise?” She asked again, an honest, hopeful smile on her face.

“On my life, Bulma,” Vegeta declared solemnly.

The earthling’s smile widened, brightly illuminating her marvelous features, and she speedily stood from the bed, giving him a strange, mischievous look before turning around and walking towards a small desk placed in the corner. She grabbed some large wrinkly documents and joined him once more, kneeling on the carpet and proceeding to talk excitedly about her plans.

“So, remember when you told me about your planet? That day, back in the shop?”

He remembered. How could he forget? It was the only time anyone had ever asked him about Planet Vegeta out of innocent, harmless curiosity.

“I do.”

“Yeah… So, anyway… You were telling me about how the gravity was higher and about how hard it was for you to get stronger these days and, um… About how, if you… If you could find a way to challenge yourself, you’d become stronger and you’d, uh, what was it called?”

“I would ascend and become a…”

“A Super Saiyan, right?”

Vegeta nodded, stunned at the discovery of the woman recalling one of their many conversations in such great detail. He’d truly believed she’d only ever asked him about his past out of politeness, perhaps even because of boredom, but apparently, she’d really been listening to his stories and concerns.

“That is correct.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought… So…” She carried on, her enthusiasm growing as much as his curiosity. Her energy and positivity were contagious, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or if it could get him in trouble really fast.

“So… I couldn’t stop thinking about it ever since…”

“You couldn’t?” He asked, absolutely dumbfounded.

“Nope. You see this?” She enquired, unfolding the white and blue documents right in front of his face. They looked like blueprints, blueprints written in letters and numbers he’d never be able to decipher, not in a million years.

“They were my dad’s…” Bulma whispered, a tinge of sadness hidden behind her chattiness. “They were plans we designed for a special project for one of our planet’s military…”

“The two of you?”

“Yup!” She proudly declared.

He knew it…

The woman was more than just a mere mechanic.

“What…? What is it about?” The Saiyan asked, incapable of hiding his inquisitiveness.

“They’re plans for a Gravity Room! And I just solved the final equations! You know what that means?”

He blinked a few times, shaking his head.

“It means I’m ready to build it! It’d be perfect for you! Think about it!”

“Bulma, I don’t… What…? What does it do?”

“It’s a Gravity Room! I just told you, silly! It would be a closed space where you could increase the gravitational forces by up to 400 times Earth’s gravity. Maybe even more once we perfect the system!”

Vegeta’s mouth opened, but no coherent sounds came out of it.

Was such a thing even possible?

“So, you’d… You’d build this on Earth?”

“Yeah! What do you think?”

“Well, it’s… It’s a generous offer… Perhaps too generous…” He replied, uncomfortably scratching the back of his head, not quite knowing why a woman that had rejected him just a few days earlier was willing to help him this way.

“What do you mean?” Bulma protested in discontent. She’d certainly expected him to be way more excited than this.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is… Why would you do something like that and help me in such a way?”

“Because that’s what mates do.” She sincerely replied. “Wasn’t that what you said to me?”

Mates.

Bulma had actually used the word ‘mates’.

‘What the Hell was going on here?’

“What…? What I said about what?” The Saiyan cautiously asked, still afraid of getting his hopes up. His already wounded pride wouldn’t be able to handle any more rejection. Not from this woman.

She gently put aside her blueprints, still sited on the floor, and she raised her head, finally choosing to put all her cards on the table.

After all, what else had she got to lose?

“You told me you’d fight all my battles with me, by my side.”

“I did…” He muttered, feigning a confidence he didn’t have.

“Then I’d do the same for you… That’s what mates do, right? I know… I know I’m not some strong Saiyan warrior, but… But I have other strengths Vegeta! And if you… If you and I…”

“Bulma, wait, what…? Are you…? Are you trying to imply that you are agreeing to be my mate?”

Bulma nodded in assent, thus putting all his doubts to rest.

She’d said yes…

She was saying yes to him!

“Bulma,” he whispered softly. “Do you really mean that?”

“I do, Vegeta…”

“What…? What made you change your mind?”

“I haven’t, actually… I always wanted to say yes, Vegeta…”

She finally found the courage to get closer to him, gently caressing one of his cheeks, his skin both burning up and unexpectedly soft at the same time. “I wanted to say yes so badly… I just told you, I got scared and… But I do want you, Vegeta, and I’ll help you. We’ll fight Frieza together, as a couple! What do you say?”

What did he say?

Every fiber of his being was internally screaming ‘yes!’ but, for her own protection, he still felt it was his duty to warn her about the danger she was about to put herself in.

“Bulma… I am Saiyan. If I take you, I take you for life, do you understand?” He asked gravely.

“I know...”

She didn’t care. Bulma knew there was no way she’d ever meet a man more perfect and suited for her than the one sitting right in front of her.

“And if you are mine, that means you will also be a target for Frieza. And rest assured, woman, he will find us eventually.”

“I know that, Vegeta! But it’ll be months, possibly even longer before he does. He… He destroyed my planet and all the other ones around it, right?”

“As far as I know, yes, he did, Bulma.”  

“So, he won’t even start looking in our side of the Universe for a long time and, when he finally finds us, we’ll be ready for him!”

Vegeta humbly placed his hand on top of hers, stubbornly keeping her touch close to his skin. Never had he been touched in such a gentle, kind manner, and for the first time, he understood all those tales of men that ended up committing insane acts in the name of the women they loved.

Only this time… This time things could, in fact, work out…

Bulma’s plan made sense. He knew the Legend of the Super Saiyan was getting closer and closer, so much that at times he could even taste it. All he needed was a little push, an extra challenge, and this incredible woman was willing to help him with his training and to share her life with him.

This time, he wouldn’t fight alone…

And, when the time came to finally face his old Master, not only he’d be ready, but he’d also have something else to fight for other than his pride and the old ghosts from the past that had constantly tortured and haunted him ever since he could recall.

Next time, he’d have someone to fight for, someone to protect…

Wasn’t the risk worth it?

Even if he died, would he ever find a more honorable cause to give his life for?

But he wouldn’t die, not with Bulma as a mate, by his side…

Vegeta took a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline rushing through his veins. The excitement of knowing a new chapter in his life that was about to begin. He let go of her hand, slowly removing his gloves and standing from his chair. He then looked down at Bulma, who was now expectantly gawking at him, waiting for his answer.

And she got one when Vegeta eventually smiled at her, a real, honest to Gods smile, so unlike his usual playful smirks, which were equally devastating to her. He sat on her still unmade bed and he offered her his rough, ungloved hand, which she took without hesitation, graciously getting up and standing impatiently in front of him.

“Tell me about your planet, Bulma…”

She gave him another one of those dazzling smiles as she shamelessly sat on his lap, landing her pert little bottom on top of one of his strong thighs and wrapping her slender arms around his neck as if it were the most natural thing in the world to her. As if they were already lovers and they’d shared such an intimate gesture many times in the past.

And then she talked…

She told him about her planet: Earth. About her mother and how much she adored tending to her garden and watch over their wide variety of house pets; about her dad, his inventions, his big mustache and his black little cat. ‘Did he know what a cat was?’ He didn’t. ‘Oh! It was the cutest thing ever!’ And strawberries! ‘He had to taste strawberries!’ They were juicy, sweet and ripe. The Prince inadvertently run his tongue across his suddenly very thirsty lips. And she lived in a huge house with a massive swimming pool. ‘Did he know how to swim?’ He did. ‘Oh, then they had to visit her family’s own private island!’ It was so secluded they could indulge in some skinny dipping! ‘Did he know what skinny dipping was?’ He had no idea. She giggled playfully, whispering the meaning of the very naughty expression in his ear. ‘Sweet merciful Gods! Was that true?’

Bulma kept chatting, inundating his now very dizzy mind with hopeful promises of happiness and pleasurable experiences.

Earth was beautiful, she said. And even though it had a wide variety of different climates, the weather was mostly warm where she lived. Warm. And blue. Oh yes, the sky and the water were turquoise blue, just like her hair and her eyes.

‘He liked that color very much…’

And then there was even more delicious food. And books. And music. And trips. And movies. And shopping. ‘They had to go shopping!’ Even though men didn’t usually like that a lot, she said.

‘And he had no idea what any of those things were, but he’d happily indulge her anyway…’

Every now and then, she’d get even closer to him, close enough for him to subtly nuzzle her rosy cheek, and she giggled again, illuminating the whole damn room.

‘How could she even do that?’

And she’d play with her glossy hair, twirling it distractedly between her long, delicate fingers while she told him all he needed to know about her home planet. It had constantly amazed him how someone like Bulma, a woman who enjoyed doing manual labor, could always possess such silky hands.

His eyes would always end up hungrily gazing at her fully exposed creamy neck, and he wanted nothing more than to sink his fangs into her warm, ivory skin and mark her for all to see. Making her his for all eternity. He wondered what the woman would think of that particular custom from his race, would she find it barbarian? If she did, he wouldn’t do it, but something told him the impetuous woman would let him get a little taste of that delicious part of her anatomy.

By the time she was done with her stories, he was nowhere near closer to understanding a single thing about her world, but he’d already decided it didn’t matter anyway. After all, he had no home himself, no roots to speak of, so by joining her, he was sacrificing nothing but his own loneliness.

“So…” Bulma asked in a low voice, nervously biting her lip. “What do you say? Are you coming with me?”

Vegeta grunted affirmatively, nuzzling her cheek possessively one last time.

He would.

He’d follow this extraordinary creature to the end of the world and back.

“Really?” She asked, her eyes brightening with joy. “Oh, Vegeta! You’re gonna love it! You’ll see!”

Bulma hugged him even tighter, pressing her forehead against his, staring into his enigmatic dark eyes. He really was the most attractive man she’d ever met, and not just physically, there was something else about him, a mystery that kept begging to be unraveled, and she’d spend the rest of her life trying to figure it out.

“I’m excited…” She whispered gleefully. “Are you?”

He closed his eyes, overwhelmed by her near presence, her exotic scent pervading his senses as he found himself unable to take his eyes off the luscious lip she was nibbling again.

“I am…” He muttered, closing the distance between them and finally locking his lips with hers, making the woman inhale sharply by the unexpected move. However, she soon allowed herself to relax in his embrace, kissing him back slowly, languidly, simply savoring the moment.

He was real, he was here, with her, and now he was her mate.

It was hard to believe…     

There was something sweet, almost childlike about his kiss, and she guessed pretty soon that he probably hadn’t kissed a lot of women, the same way that she hadn’t really dated more than a couple of men before her planet had been destroyed and she’d ended up alone.

In many ways, they were the same. They’d both experienced the grief of loss, but in her case, she’d only endured it for over a period of a few months, while he’d been alone throughout most of his entire life. Now, she was going to show him what having a home, a family and a partner felt like.

They lazily kissed for a few more minutes, basking in each other’s presence. Melding their bodies together, and all Vegeta could think of was how perfect she felt against him, it was as if she’d been specifically designed just for him.

Just as he was about to boldly deepen their kiss a single knock on the door awoke them both from their reveries.

“Bulma!” A voice yelled from behind the door, not even waiting for her to reply before he opened the door. “I’m sorry to bother you guys, but we have a couple of visitors and they look… Wow!”

Krillin’s speech was immediately cut off by the sight of his friend sitting on the lap of the very frightening and very dangerous Saiyan Prince.

“Uh… Um… I’m s-sorry, b-but…”

“They must be your friends, right Vegeta?” Bulma asked sweetly, apparently unperturbed about having just been caught in such a compromising position.

The Prince grunted in assent, a fierce scowl now invading his regal face in a strange mixture of embarrassment and fury at the bald man’s interruption. However, his hands were still greedily clutching Bulma’s hips, obstinately refusing to let his woman go.   

“You think they’ll wanna come with us?” She enquired again.

‘Shit!’

He’d been so entranced by his obsession with Bulma that he hadn’t even stopped to consider what Nappa and Raditz would want to do next.  

Vegeta sighed, reluctantly releasing her petite form.

“I guess I should have a talk with them,” he finally replied, helping the woman stand up and doing the same himself. “Would it be a problem if they wanted to join us?”

“Of course not! They’re your friends, so they’ll always be welcome in our home!” She replied in all honesty. “Besides, a bunch of strong Saiyan guys protecting the Earth can only be a good thing, right?”

The Prince nodded once more in agreement. Even though he was, by far, the strongest of his gang, having his comrades fighting by his side, defending his woman’s planet, would unquestionably be a positive thing. And he’d make damn sure those two idiots wouldn’t misbehave when they got to Earth.

Bulma grinned with enthusiasm. “Great! See, Krillin?” She declared cheerfully. “Vegeta will take care of everything, don’t worry about it…”

The bald monk couldn’t believe his ears. Was Bulma actually going to bring those brutes back to their home planet with them? And, why the kiss? Had she secretly been dating Vegeta all this time and she hadn’t told them? Even though he had a million and one questions on his mind, he really didn’t dare to ask any of them, afraid he’d make Vegeta snap and turn against him. Besides, Bulma appeared to be so relaxed, so comfortable in his presence that he hoped, and prayed, she’d keep the Saiyan under control.

“Uh, um… Sure… G-Great… I’ll leave you guys alone then… I’ll wait outside…” He stuttered, leaving the small bedroom as fast as he could.

“I’ll go outside to deal with my comrades, Bulma,” Vegeta declared, making a move to follow Krillin, but the woman’s voice stopped him all of a sudden.

“Oh! Vegeta, wait! I almost forgot…” She said, unzipping one of the small pockets of her blue dress and grabbing the small object it contained: the black card the warrior had given her the last time they’d seen each other.

“I believe this is yours,” she whispered, offering him the valuable item, which Vegeta straightaway refused to take back, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

“Keep it, Bulma. Now it belongs to you.”

“B-But, Vegeta… Where I’m going to, I won’t need it…”

“Neither will I,” he shrugged.

Bulma sighed, her hands trembling slightly as she recalled the overwhelming emotions she’d felt when she’d discovered Vegeta had presented her with a small fortune.

“But it’s so valuable, Vegeta…” She whined. “What if you ever have to go on a space trip again?”

“Then I’ll ask for it. In the meantime, I’m entrusting you with it, woman.”

She took one last look at the card, finally putting it back in her pocket, making sure she closed the small zipper.

“Fair enough…” Bulma concluded, now walking in his direction. She placed her hand on his shoulder, slowly running it across his tanned skin until she gently scratched the back of his neck affectively, making Vegeta immediately shiver in desire. “I’ll keep it safe for you,” she promised confidently, wrapping her other arm around his neck.

“Vegeta…” She said in a small voice. “Can I ask you something?”

“What is it, woman?” He asked back, finding it increasingly hard to concentrate with Bulma lazily running her fingers through his wild mane.

“Why…? Why did you give me such a large amount of credits?”

The Prince frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean… I didn’t even know you were such a wealthy man…”

“I’m not anymore. I gave you everything I possessed. Everything I’ve earned through my years under Frieza’s service.”

Bulma’s blue eyes widened in surprise.

“What? Oh, Gods, Vegeta! Why…? Why did you do such a thing?”

“Because I knew you were lying, Bulma,” he replied matter-of-factly. “I was pretty sure your boss hadn’t granted you permission to leave the planet. Was I wrong?”

‘Clever Saiyan…’

“N-No… You’re right, he didn’t. But then… If… If you knew I’d probably never come back, why would you…?”

“It’s very simple, woman,” Vegeta said, swiftly cutting her off. “Wealth is power, and when I offered you the chance of being my mate, I promised to protect and cherish you… And…”

He paused, feeling increasingly uncomfortable about having to talk about his emotions.

Vegeta was a warrior, and it just wasn’t in his blood to openly discuss such matters, not even with the woman who’d just agreed to become his mate.

“And?” She asked sweetly, encouraging him to finish his thoughts.

“And…” He exhaled heavily. “Well… I realized that, even if you rejected my proposal, I still wished all of those things for you. So, I… I felt that giving you my wealth was in a way like offering you a part of my power, so that you’d be safe, free and protected.”

‘Gods…’

If she hadn’t already loved this man, she would have fallen for him right after hearing those words.

‘He wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn’t with him…’

She hugged him tighter, pressing her body against him and kissing him softly on the lips one more time, lovingly holding his smooth face between her hands and looking at him as if he were the best man in the world. The adoration in her shimmery eyes was both exciting and deeply disturbing.

Nobody had ever looked at him that way…

“Thank you,” Bulma mumbled gratefully against his lips.

He nodded, not quite understanding how his woman could be so moved by his actions. After all, he’d only done what he’d thought was the honorable thing to do.

“Do not thank me, Bulma,” he answered, carefully removing her hands from his face. If she kept touching him and looking at him like that, he’d end up having his way with her right then and there, and he couldn’t allow himself to do that. A woman like Bulma deserved more than a quick fuck inside a cave in the middle of space. When he finally mated with her, he wanted to do things right, savoring and relishing every single inch of that perfect body.

“I must talk to my comrades before they lose their patience and do something stupid.”

“Oh… Right! Of course!” Bulma quickly replied, blushing like a school girl about her previous brazen behavior. Her flushed skin wasn’t lost on the warrior, who proceeded to walk out of the small room, not before turning around first, flashing her one of those maliciously cheeky smirks.

“All in good time, little woman,” he said. “All in good time…”

Bulma stood on wobbly legs, alone inside her bedroom for a minute.

‘That cocky bastard…’

If he could make her feel like that with just the mere promise of his touch in the future, what would happen when they actually consummated their relationship?

She swallowed hard in anticipation, her heartrate sky rocketing inside her chest. Her mind wandered briefly, trying to imagine what being with Vegeta would be like, not just intimately but in general, living together and sharing their lives as a couple.

She smiled softly, shaking her head and mentally preparing herself to leave the tiny house and join the rest of her friends. There was no point in being nervous or worried about the future. It was time to be brave, get outside, make those wishes and go back home.

Bulma recognized that as long as Frieza lived they wouldn’t be completely safe, but she also knew that both Vegeta and she were strong-willed, intelligent and tough people. Neither of them was afraid of working hard if that meant achieving their goals, and now, they were together, which meant they’d be there for each other when things got hard.

‘It was time for a new beginning…’

By the time Bulma left the cave, Vegeta was already having a private discussion with the other two Saiyan warriors, a few meters away from her small group of friends, who were sitting on a rock, absolutely flabbergasted as to what was going on exactly. Yamcha’s face was not only astonished, but also filled with jealousy and anger. Someone must have brought him an icepack from inside the house, and he kept carefully pressing it against his nose, which had already stopped bleeding but was now uncomfortably swollen.

Bulma stood cross-armed by the rest of the earthlings’ side, waiting patiently for Vegeta to inform Nappa and Raditz of the new situation. Every now and then, the two Saiyans would give her a surreptitious glance, raising their eyebrows in shock and interest, but the woman could tell they didn’t look angry or upset, which she took as a positive sign.

“So… Earth, uh?” Nappa finally asked as soon as Vegeta finished telling the story.

“I’m in!” Raditz exclaimed, looking rather excited about these new developments. “I mean… It seems like a sweet deal. A nice planet, no Frieza for a while and training equipment…” He gave Bulma another look, elbowing the Prince playfully. “Man… She’s really hot! I can see why you like her…”        

“If you know what’s good for you, you will never, ever, refer to my mate in those terms again,” Vegeta threatened in a low, menacing voice. “This is not one of your space whores, Raditz. This woman is to be treated with the utmost respect, is that understood?”

The long-haired man waved his hands in front of him, trying to make some peace with his Prince.

“O-of course, Vegeta! Sure! She’s your mate, I get it! It won’t happen again…”

Vegeta nodded, choosing to let the matter go this time. He was in such a great mood that not even Raditz’s antics could spoil things for him.

“What about you, Nappa?” The shorter man asked his subordinate.

The older man shrugged. “You know me, Vegeta. You’re my Prince, I’ll follow you wherever you choose to go,” he vowed.

“Vegeta, that planet is the place my brother was sent to, right?” Raditz asked again.

“That is correct.”

“So… If we bring its inhabitants back to life, that’ll include my brother too?”

“I suppose…” Vegeta responded. “He died in battle, from the description Bulma gave me of his enemy, it must have been against Ginyu. Apparently, he held his own quite well…”

“Really? Wow! I thought Kakarot was supposed to be really weak. His power level must have increased a lot!” He shook his head, chuckling in disbelief. “A brother… Man! I never thought I’d have any family again… It sounds pretty good, if you ask me...”

“I agree,” Nappa said. “That means we’d be four Saiyans in total standing against Frieza when the time comes.”

“Five,” Vegeta quickly corrected, making his two friends stare at him in confusion.

“What…? What do you mean?” Raditz enquired again.

“Your brother has a son, I believe he’s about four years old.”

Nappa couldn’t believe his ears. “Wait, we can breed with them? How…? How is that even possible?”

“I honestly do not know. Perhaps we share a common ancestor… Who knows…” Vegeta responded thoughtfully. “But apparently, the child was strong, very strong for his age. He attacked Ginyu and even managed to damage his armor.”

“What?!” The other men yelled in shock.

“He did. But he did so in a fit of rage, so I assume the little brat hasn’t learned much about fighting or about how to control his power yet. Still, his potential seems promising.”

“A brother and a nephew, uh? Alright then, let’s meet your woman and get this party started!” Raditz declared excitedly, already walking towards the place where the earthlings waited patiently. Before he got too far, he turned around. “Am I allowed to talk to her?” He asked prudently, not wanting to get punched in the face by his Prince before they even got to Earth.

“Sure, but Raditz?”

“Yeah?”

“Keep your hands to yourself if you want to keep them,” Vegeta threatened.

Raditz goofily winked at him, giving him thumbs up. “Gotcha!”

The Saiyan Prince kept his eyes fixated of the taller man. When he stood by his woman he saw how Bulma extended her hand to him, a sign he’d learned was the way earthlings introduced themselves sometimes, and he assented when Raditz gingerly looked at him, as if asking for his approval. Bulma smiled cordially at him and they talked as if they were best friends already.

‘That woman…’

She certainly had that effect on people…

There was something warm and comforting about her, and something told him she had a thing for welcoming outcasts into her vibrant world.

Nappa’s voice brought him back to reality.

“Vegeta,” he said, standing by his side, watching Bulma pensively through his more experienced eyes. “If we turn our back on Frieza… Well… You do realize how dangerous that is, right?”

“I know,” Vegeta agreed. “But I trust that the woman’s technology will get us ready in time.”

Both Saiyans shared a brief silence, until the bald one spoke again, never taking his eyes off Bulma.

“Is she worth it?”

Vegeta smirked, fully understanding the meaning behind his subordinate’s words.

Was she worth walking away from everyone and everything they knew, just to end up living in some backwater planet in a galaxy far away? The consequences and the implications of what Frieza would only consider a betrayal were heavy, and certainly deadly, based on what he’d seen so far, but…

There she was, standing fearlessly in front of one of his men. A warrior that was at least twice her height and could kill her with the tip of a finger, and yet, she remained confident, cheerfully talking to him with a smile on her face.

“She’s worth it, old man…” He simply replied, walking towards her, wanting nothing more than to join her and remain by her side forever.

“Whatever you say, kiddo…” Nappa mumbled to himself, loyally following his Prince with a smirk on his rugged face.

‘Who knew?’

Vegeta was no fool, that much was true. Unlike Raditz, he wasn’t some mindless idiot who thought with something other than his brain. The Gods knew how many stupid decisions the long-haired warrior had made through the years because of his love for the ladies, unlike Vegeta, who’d remained single, always focused on doing his job and training hard in order to increase his strength and avenge his people.

If his Prince had ever had a woman, he wouldn’t know, given how private, lonely and discreet the younger man had always been so, whatever he’d seen in that young woman, it must have been something else besides her very obvious, almost ethereal physical beauty.

And if what she’d said about Kakarot’s son was the truth, she’d be able to give him a child, an heir to carry the Royal bloodline of the House of Vegeta.

A new Saiyan Prince…

Yes, when Frieza eventually found them, they’d be ready and waiting for him, and perhaps it would do his Prince some good to have a mate and a child to fight for this time. Maybe the desire for protection would also get him closer to his ascension, enabling him to finally become the Legendary.

“Oh, you’re gonna love her! You’ll see!” Bulma enthusiastically told Raditz.

“Who’s going to love who?” Vegeta asked, finally joining his new mate and the taller man.

Bulma quickly turned around, smiling at the Prince once more. “Hi, there! I was just talking to Raditz about a girl that’s perfect for him!”

Vegeta interestedly raised an eyebrow at that.

“We haven’t even gotten to Earth yet and you’re already thinking about bedding women?”

“Hey, now! She’s the one who offered, actually…” Raditz replied, slightly embarrassed.

The shorter man chuckled in amusement, glancing at Bulma. “Is that so, woman?”

“Yeah… But it’s only because he asked if all women on my planet were hot!” The woman whined defensively.

Vegeta couldn’t help but shake his head at that.

‘Was he the only one who took things seriously around here?’

“Anyway… I told him there are some really pretty girls on Earth, and I have this old friend of mine that would be great for him!”

“I’m listening…” Raditz replied with serious mockery.

“Well, she’s really hot…”

“I like her already.”

Bulma giggled at that. She liked Raditz, he had a playfulness that definitely was missing on Vegeta, and she could tell the giant rascal was probably the funniest of the gang.

“Yup!”

“What does she look like? Does she have hair like yours?”    

“Mmm… Not really… She actually changes her hair quite often… Sometimes it’s dark blue, sometimes she goes blonde… But you’re really gonna love her! She’s a little bit like two different people… She can be really sweet but also real feisty at times…”

“Mmm… Feisty, uh? Sounds good to me… I like women with a backbone.”

“Oh, trust me…” She promised mischievously. “You’re never gonna get bored with this girl…”

Vegeta witnessed the exchange silently, getting the impression that his woman was messing with Raditz in some way. There was a barely concealed humorous tone in her voice that he knew oh, too well. He supposed it was one of the perks of having spent so much time around her, trying to learn as much as he could about the pretty woman.

“Hey guys! I found him!” Krillin’s voice yelled happily.

They all turned around, only to find the hairless man standing with a young Namekian child by his side.

“Ah! Great!” Bulma spoke excitedly. “This is Dende,” she explained to the two Saiyans. “He’s going to make the wishes for us.”

“Why him?” Vegeta inquired.

“The wishes can only be voiced in the Namekian language, apparently there’s also a special formula that must be pronounced.”

The Prince nodded in understanding. “I see… I assume you and your friends have the seventh Dragon Ball…”

Bulma smirked naughtily. “We do.”

“So, are we ready to start the process now?”

“We are. You have the rest of them, right?”

“We do.”

“Then it’ll be easier to bring ours to the spot where you’ve hidden yours.” She looked at Krillin and spoke authoritatively. “Krillin, will you bring the Dragon Ball, please?”

“Um, sure…” The monk quickly replied, having given up on trying to comprehend what the Hell was going on here a long time ago. Bulma looked really chummy with those three Saiyans, so he figured she’d have everything under control by now. As long as he didn’t end up getting killed, he truly didn’t mind whether the crazy woman brought those three guys to Earth or not.

“Oh! I almost forgot! I’ll go get the house…” Bulma said, making a move to leave in order to go back to the cave and encapsulate the small dwelling, but Vegeta stopped her immediately, grabbing her arm softly but firmly.

“I’ll do it. Wait for me here.”

“Oh, um, thanks Vegeta…” She whispered, blushing at the intense look the Prince was giving her. “You just have to press the large yellow button by the door.”

Vegeta assented, letting go of her and following her instructions.

Nappa quietly observed the couple’s exchange and he smiled knowingly at the sight of his Prince falling in love for the first time in his life, something he’d never thought he’d ever witness.

A girly voice got his attention. “Nappa, right?” She asked, politely offering him her hand, a gesture he’d seen her share with Raditz just moments earlier. He took it, carefully squeezing it back.

“That is correct.”

Bulma gave him a warm, welcoming smile, and Nappa rapidly understood how Vegeta was so taken by this small creature. She looked fragile in appearance, but her spirit was brave and exuberant.

“It’s nice to finally meet you…” She replied, and after a brief pause, she asked him the question that had been on her mind for quite a while now. “Um, can I…? Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Did you remove some pieces from Vegeta’s scouter?”

The older man’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

“His scouter… When he lent it to you? Did you…?”

Raditz laughed loudly at that, intruding in their private conversation. “Nappa borrowing Vegeta’s scouter? Ha! That’s a good one!”

Bulma frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Child, Vegeta is extremely fussy and possessive when it comes to his property, his scouter in particular. He’d never let anyone else touch it!” Nappa answered in all seriousness, he then tilted his head to the side curiously. “What made you ask such a thing?”

“No reason…” The woman replied with a mysterious smile on her lips, which turned into a huge grin as soon as Vegeta came back to her and placed the small capsule on the palm of her hand. Before the Prince had time to open his mouth to ask the reason behind her beaming expression, she threw herself into his arms, literally clinging to him.

“Woman,” he whispered, feeling his cheeks grow crimson. “What are you…?”

“I thought we were ready to go,” Bulma simply answered.

“We… We are…”

“So, I can’t fly,” she pouted childishly. “Aren’t you going to fly me with you?” She asked, fluttering her long eyelashes coquettishly.

His throat bobbed nervously, and it became quite evident Vegeta was not used to such public acts of affection.

“Or, you know… I could ask one of the other guys to fly me there. Maybe Krillin, or perhaps even Yam…”

Vegeta immediately locked his arms around her waist, so greedily and tightly Bulma couldn’t even finish her teasing sentence.

“Over my dead body,” he whispered possessively in her ear, making her giddy with excitement. He simply took off into the sky, and a side-eyed glance told him Bulma had been teasing him purposefully to get her way. “You really are a troublesome woman…” He muttered.

Bulma giggled in delight, nuzzling his cheek and kissing it indolently. “Oh, you have no idea, Prince Vegeta…” She mumbled tantalizingly, already impatient to make her wishes come true and finally get to spend some alone time with the handsome man, who was now groaning and pressing her against his deliciously muscular body even tighter in response to her blatant attempts at seducing him.

He smirked maliciously, barely succeeding in keeping his carnal urges in check.

“Just wait until I have you all to myself…” He threatened wickedly. “You’re playing with fire, little woman…”

She just buried her face in the crook of his neck, protecting her delicate visage from the cold air and inhaling his musky, masculine scent.

“I can’t wait…” She whispered breathlessly.

They all finally landed on the spot where the three Saiyans had hidden the Dragon Balls, and Nappa and Raditz went to find them, beginning the process of arranging them in the right position, with the help of her friends, under Dende’s instructions while Bulma and Vegeta waited calmly, both sitting cross-armed on a nearby rock, silently witnessing the scene.

“Bulma, I’ve been thinking… If Frieza eventually comes to this planet himself…”

“It won’t matter…” Bulma cut him off, having guessed already what his concerns were. “The Dragon Balls will be useless for a while after we make our wishes.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah… And even if they are back to normal by the time Frieza gets here… Well, let’s just say that I talked to the Namekians, and they’ve told me they’d rather die than letting that asshole use the Dragon Balls…”

“He will do just that, you know that, right?” Vegeta kept warning her.

“I know… And again, it won’t matter…” Bulma coolly replied. “Once the Earth is restored, so will our Dragon Balls. So, we can bring the Namekians and their planet back to life in the future anyway without Frieza’s knowledge.”  

Bulma felt Vegeta’s shocked eyes on her, wordlessly staring in admiration.

“I am a genius, after all…” She smugly stated, lifting her chin in an arrogant but devastatingly attractive stance.

Just as the Prince was about to retort in some futile attempt to bring his woman down a notch, Krillin interrupted them once again.

“Um, guys? We’re ready!”

“Alright,” Bulma declared, standing up and shaking off the dust from her lovely bottom. “Let’s go, Prince Vegeta…” She said walking in Krillin’s direction without even giving her mate a second glace.

“That woman…” Vegeta mumbled. A side of him felt deeply offended by her woman ordering him around, and the other one just followed right behind her like some unpracticed, naïve young boy.

“Bulma, you never told us what your third wish was,” Krillin enquired. “I assumed it was to take us all back to Earth, but you said…”     

“That’s exactly what it is, Krillin,” Bulma confirmed, running her eyes over her friends and the three strong Saiyan warriors that awaited her orders diligently.

Who would have thought that three of the strongest, most intimidating warriors in the entire Universe, would be now on their side?

She had a good feeling about the future…

Bulma placed one of her hands firmly on the monk’s shoulder, addressing him with friendly self-assurance.

“Let’s ask the Dragon to take us home.”    

Krillin smiled, also happy about the idea of returning to their home planet as soon as they could. He knew Bulma had told them about the possibility of using the third wish for something else and simply use their old, disheveled ship to travel back to Earth, and he wouldn’t have minded it too much if it meant eventually getting back home, but it was good to know they wouldn’t have to endure another unpleasant journey squeezed together inside the tiny vehicle.

“They’re coming with us, then?” He asked again, his head pointing at the three Saiyan fighters, trying to confirm the orders he had to give the young Namekian.

“They are.”

“All three of them?”

“Yup!”

“Are you sure about that?”

Bulma’s dirty look was all the answer he needed before he found himself waving his hands in front of her, apologizing nervously.

“Alright! Alright! You know best…”  

Krillin knelt on the grass in front of the small Namekian child, giving him his final instructions while Bulma stood by Vegeta’s side. She could feel her heart hammering furiously inside her chest, eager to be reunited with her parents and her friends back home. She couldn’t wait to see them all again, and to show her mate her old home, inviting him into her life.

“Is everything alright?” Vegeta asked, his sharp Saiyan senses immediately noticing her nervousness.

She nodded anxiously in reply.

“Everything’s fine. I’m just excited, that’s all…” She whispered with her heart in her mouth.

Dende’s loud voice filled the air, pronouncing enigmatic words in a foreign language. Soon, his words provoked a reaction, and the enormous orange spheres flickered, shining brightly as the green Namekian sky darkened and a magical, artificial night fell upon them.

The Namekian Dragon, Porunga, finally materialized before their very bewildered eyes, and his large, red eyes illuminated briefly every time one of the first two wishes were made. The earthlings jumped and cheered in pure joy while the Saiyans stood stoically, although barely able to conceal their stupefaction at the unusual spectacle they were a part of.

Just as the Namekian child commenced the process of making their third wish, Bulma felt the warm, comforting presence of Vegeta’s fingers intertwining with hers, apparently not caring about his gesture of affection being seen by anyone else, especially now that everyone’s eyes were focused on the gigantic magical creature in the sky. She immediately squeezed back, responding to his touch and closing her eyes shut as she felt her body slowly evaporate, vanishing into thin air in a bright flash of light.

When she finally dared to open them again, the familiar rays of the Sun almost blinded her.

Her planet’s sun…

Vegeta blinked a few times, fleetingly disoriented by the unfamiliar sounds, scents and colors surrounding him. Despite having spent most of his life traveling throughout countless Galaxies, discovering and exploring a myriad of planets, it was always confusing visiting a new world.

But this time, he wasn’t visiting.

This time, he was here to stay.

He felt his mate’s hand clasp his lovingly one final time, wordlessly attempting to get his attention. When he finally set his eyes on her, he allowed the ghost of a smile grace his lips. And in that moment, the unadulterated joy in her features made him realize she’d never looked more beautiful.

“Welcome to Earth, Vegeta,” she whispered merrily in his ear, placing a warm, feathery kiss on his strong jaw.

Vegeta raised his eyes, admiring the magnificence that now enveloped him.

Earth: a planet that was beautiful, warm and blue, just like his Bulma.

He loved them both already…