Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Princess WHO of WHERE?!? ❯ Caught Up ( Chapter 3 )

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!! It feels good to know someone is reading my fic. There are hopefully more people reading it and they're just not reviewing it. I would also like to comment upon the idiot who left the review saying they didn't like A/U's. Now I know that is specifically put in the VERY FIRST chapter and in the fic summary that this is an A/U and if you don't like them, then don't read this one and definitely don't review it. Obviously, some people aren't too good at reading.

Anyway, I getting my chapters finished a little sooner. I almost finished installing the engine in my car, so I'll be able to devote more time to my fic. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own DBZ

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Bulma left the town quickly wanting to forget the whole episode, especially the meeting with Nomaro. There was something really strange about him. She was soon passing the outskirts of the town and heading for the surrounding forest. Just when she reached the edge, she realized someone was following her. She stopped and turned to scan the road behind her. There wasn't anyone there, but the feeling of being followed hadn't gone away. She stayed alert and entered the forest without incident. She heard the flapping of wings from the few night birds and bats above her. The silent forest was unnerving. A forest was never silent unless something or someone disturbed it. A younger Bulma would've ignored the feeling as nothing, but every time she did nothing good came of it.

She moved into deeper cover and changed into her natural form, complete with a dark, mottled coat to help conceal her location. She went from two legs to all four in order to stay better hidden. The low-lying brush would do more than the farther spaced apart trees. As soon as she found a thick enough clump of bushes, she wriggled under them. With a large tree behind her she could keep look out on all her remaining sides and also above. It was then that she heard wing beats. Loud ones. Long, sweeping ones. Whatever was flying over was BIG. Bulma learned from a very young age that the more wing beats a flighted creature took, the larger it was.

She looked above hoping to get a glimpse of whatever was flying over and almost made a sound of alarm. There was a break in the tree canopy, with moonlight shining through brightly. It was Bulma's luck to see some THING passing directly over. It was HUGE. Her extremely sharp eyesight was not lying to her. The creature's body alone was at least twice the size of Bulma, not to mention its wingspan, which was quite considerable. After all, the wings would have to be gigantic to lift that thing even an inch off the ground.

Is that what's following me?

She prayed it wasn't, but was certain it was. More likely than not, it was some predator out for its evening meal and had chosen her for its main course. The wing beats had gotten faint until she couldn't hear them at all. She waited a few minutes more, debating with herself whether or not to come out from under the brush. When she finally decided to emerge, she heard a whoosh of air through the treetops. Bulma looked to see the creature pass again, but this time lover. It was gliding this time and that's why she didn't hear it flapping.

For a moment, Bulma panicked. I have to get out of here! She thought of her options. Flying was out: it would pick her off as soon as she broke free from the trees. She could go by ground: it would require intimate knowledge of this particular forest, which she didn't have. The only thing left was her favorite road of travel: through the treetops themselves. She scrambled up the tree and as soon as the creature made its pass, she leapt from one tree to the next, not even disturbing a leaf. She made two more jumps before it returned. She froze on the spot waiting until it was far away again. She made it through four trees this time before it came again. Her luck was finally changing. Again it passed and in mid leap, Bulma was snatched out of the air and pulled higher and higher.

Leaves and branches smacked at her relentlessly and she fought just to keep clear of them and when they finally flew high enough that there weren't anymore trees, Bulma got a good look at her captor.

"MY KAME!!!", was all she could say. It was a giant bat carrying Bulma clutched in its feet. Bulma squirmed trying to get away, but it wouldn't release the iron grip it had on her torso. She tried to scratch it, but that was no good either, as it just seemed to ignore her lacerations as nothing.

Finally, she just did what came naturally and changed. The biggest thing that popped into her mind was a bear and suddenly the creature was being dragged down by something it could never ordinarily carry. It shrieked all the way down, trying its hardest to keep itself in the sky. Bulma grabbed the creature and flipped them so that she would be above it. She changed back to her natural form just as they hit, the giant bat absorbing all of the impact. Bulma jumped off of it, making sure to be well clear of it before taking a good look at it.

It lay there still squeaking, partially conscious. It probably had broken quite a few bones, but she really didn't hold too much sympathy for it.

"Hah! That's what you get for messing with m-," Bulma didn't even see what hit her, but it hit hard and she slammed her head against a tree. Everything was black for a few minutes while she tried to get her senses together. The first was the feeling of pain that ran through her body especially her head. She felt the cold touch of metal around her neck and was slightly alarmed knowing that she didn't wear any type of jewelry. She wanted to lift her hand and touch it, but everything was starting to become visible now. She moved her head and everything was fuzzy and started to spin. That's when the waves of nausea began to come over her. It took all her left over strength not to retch the contents of her previous meal.

"Ah, look Nesbit, she's awake." She heard from not to far away. The voice was vaguely familiar even though it took her a minute to place it. She looked in the direction of the voice, but the sudden movement of her head caused everything to spin even more violently and she did lose her dinner.

"If you had been more acquiescent, you wouldn't be so sick about now. Head injuries cause nausea you know."

After a few more moments she was reduced to dry heaves and her vision quickly righted itself and she looked at the owner of the voice, shocked.

"NOMARO!"

"You remember me. I am so pleased," Nomaro replied in that too smooth way of his.

"What's going on here? Why did you attack me?"

"I? Attack such a fair person as yourself? How ridiculous! I'm afraid if anyone did any sort of attacking, that honor would belong to my servant here."

Bulma looked to see that the giant bat creature had righted itself. It stood there cowering as if it expected to be lashed out at.

"Nesbit, change yourself and show this young lady here what we're about."

Bulma started to say what are you talking about?, but somehow she knew what was going to happen. The giant bat's form started to shrink and condense himself, the wings drawing in to form arms, the legs and head became distinctive. The change continued until what clearly stood before her in the bat creature's place was a man.

"My Kame. Your....your....like..me." Bulma tripped over her words in amazement. Here she was looking for her own kind and here were two of them standing before her. Oh, yes. She knew now that Nomaro was one of them also. It was he, in his fox form, that tackled her and knocked her into the tree.

"Now you see."

"But....I don't understand what's going on?" She them remembered the unusual weight around her neck. She put her hand up to feel it. It was some sort of metal with what felt like jewels embedded in it. She grabbed at it trying to pull it free, but it didn't give. It was almost as if the thing were made specifically for her neck. She tugged again and again.

Nomaro stalked closer to Bulma as she futilely sought to remove the collar. "That's a waste of time you know. It won't come off without the proper...procedures."

"What are you talking about? Why are you doing this to me? I don't even know you!" She wailed knowing things had gone from bad to worse.

"Now please calm down. It wouldn't do at all if you were to harm yourself. The master would be most displeased to have to pass on a beauty such as yourself."

"WILL YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT??!!!" Bulma was to the point of hysterics she got to her feet and was ready to pound him to the ground like a tent peg. She advanced on him, fully intending to do just that.

"Ah, ah, ah." Nomaro used two of his fingers on his right hand to grab a ring on his ring finger of his left.

Bulma suddenly felt all the anger drain away and she stood before him docilely. For a moment, she forgot what she was angry about, but then it came back and she prepared to attack him again. This time she was going to shred him in her feline form. She tried to change.....and found that she couldn't. She looked down at her hands and instead of paws and claws, she still saw slightly blunted fingers of her natural form covered with their usual aqua blue fur.

"What have you done to me?" She sank to the ground, lost.

"Do not worry. I have merely provided you with a little restraint. As long as you behave yourself, I will not coerce you further. However, one more outburst and you shall suffer the consequences with no explanation.

She didn't know what to do, other than she had to get out of this. She stayed in on the ground thinking that there had to be something she could do.

"Good. You should have gave in sooner and I wouldn't have had to take such measures. Now rise and follow me. We have a long journey ahead and-," He didn't get to say anything else Bulma had launched herself at him, determined to beat him and escape anyway.

He sensed her before she came anywhere close. He sighed before again touching the ring on his finger. Bulma dropped to the ground, stunned.

"I had not anticipated such a fight from her. I have forgotten that the females of our kind are rarely docile. No matter though. Nesbit! Come and carry her. We're leaving at dawn and I don't have time to fight with her anymore."

"Yes, sir." The servant scooped up the unconscious Bulma and followed his master.

"I think our Lord will be very pleased with his newest acquisition, don't you, Nesbit?"

"Sir, your taste is flawless. I'm sure Lord Vegeta will be very pleased."

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What do you think of that? I hope everyone likes it so far. Please READ AND REVEIW!!!!