Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The King and Queen Diaries ❯ Usesaru ( Chapter 7 )

Author's Note: Ok, the wait for this chapter wasn't so long, so that's great! And what's also great is that this chapter is LONG...like, 25 pages long! And it's freaking awesome too, so that's just another bonus! Enjoy and review!

 

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Chapter Seven: Gone (Usesaru)

 

 

It seemed like days had passed and they still had not left the daunting forest. Two of the men that Vegeta had sent out returned, with nothing. They said that all they could find was forest, and they were unwilling to go so far as to get completely lost.

 

The other two men were more than likely dead. All through the day they heard bombing in the distance. The ground still trembled beneath their feet and the horses' hooves, but there was nothing they could do. Absolutely nothing.

 

Vegeta was growing desperate. He was unwilling to send out more men just in case there was a chance they would be killed and their numbers would begin dwindling. Turles and five of his top generals were constantly giving him advice until he shouted at them to shut up and let him think on his own. He was King after all.

 

Bulma roused several times, and thankfully she did not scream or put up much of a fuss. When she did wake up, Vegeta halted their entourage and managed to get some water down her parched throat before she passed back out. One of the times she did wake up she said a few words, mostly Vegeta's name and mentions of the word “pain” and “hungry”. Vegeta promised himself that he would get her to wake up fully when they set up camp later and get her to eat and if possible, bathe. If there was a lake or pond or even a stream nearby, then he was definitely going to bring her to it if she was capable of walking. He knew how much she hated being dirty, and he imagined that she would feel the need to be clean after what she went through...whatever it was.

 

The thoughts of what happened to her still continued to plague him. He had no clue if she was touched in any way...or if she was raped, molested, or injured internally. From what he could tell the child was fine; she had not miscarried or showed any signs of discomfort or pain in that region, which relieved him to no end. The only real concerns now were her fingers and the gash on her head. The rest of her injuries were minor cuts and bruises...besides any possible mental trauma.

 

He prayed that she was fine. What mattered most was that she had gotten away from whatever had hurt her and that she was alive. He was proud of her.

 

The forest was clearing a little. From the looks of it, it was just a small area where no trees had grown. Vegeta halted his horse and lifted his gloved hand. The group stopped slowly and watched their King.

 

He looked around, seeing if there was any sort of danger. The birds were chirping and he could hear the distant sounds of animals. All was fine.

 

He glanced up at the sky, noticing that it was starting to get dark as night approached once more. He looked at Turles wearily. “Shall we set up camp?”

 

Turles shrugged and shifted the reins of his horse to the side because the animal was dancing too close to the King. “Depends on if you want the men to be any more exhausted than they already are, your highness.”

 

Vegeta chuckled and shook his head as Turles' horse calmed. “Give the order for camp to be set up. The Queen shall have Bardock's tent again, as well.”

 

Turles nodded and went about his orders. The men dismounted eagerly, ready for food and rest.

 

Instead of the men staying up for hours and talking and joking around the fire, most of them set up their tents and went to bed. What few men were fine in the sleep department stayed up, hunted food, and patrolled the area to keep the camp safe.

 

Once Bulma was set up in Bardock's tent, Vegeta went inside, only to find her wide-awake. The first thing she did was give him a watery smile and open her arms to him.

 

He was beside her immediately. He buried his face in her hair and wrapped his arms tightly around her, gathering her against as much of his body as he could get her in contact with. She clutched at his armored back and shoulders with her arms, her face hidden in his neck as she cried. They both had such a hold on each other that breathing was becoming difficult, but neither wanted to let go.

 

“Oh, Vegeta,” she cried, her body wracked with sobs. Her whole being, from the inside and out, hurt unbearably. Her fingers were the worst; she used her wrists and the bottoms of her palms to squeeze Vegeta so her fingers would not hurt. Already they were aching, throbbing with excruciating pain. Her head was burning and sore, and she had a headache coming on. The rest of her was tender and raw from her whole ordeal, but she was alive. She was alive and she was with her husband.

 

“I thought I would never see you again,” she whispered as her sobs calmed down. His hands were rubbing up and down her back, and she had to admit that it felt wonderful on her sore muscles. She was already melted all over him; he was holding her up in a sitting position, otherwise she would have been a puddle all over the ground. It hurt to move too much, and she was grateful for his strength.

 

“Shh,” he said against her ear, and then he kissed it. Her eyes closed and she sighed. They were silent for quite some time, until Vegeta asked gently, “Are you hungry?”

 

A ravenous growl from her stomach answered him. She groaned as he chuckled. “Oh gods, I am so hungry it hurts.”

 

He nodded and helped her lay back down. “I will bring you some form of nourishment. I am sure that someone has something around here. You need your strength.”

 

He gave her a thorough look before his eyes latched onto hers, and he leaned over to place a gentle, barely-there kiss upon her lips. He was afraid to exert too much pressure just in case it might hurt her.

 

“Oh, Vegeta. I do not know what I would have done if I had never seen you again...” she whispered, wishing she could stroke his face with her fingers. He smiled soothingly down at her, and she smiled back.

 

“I love you, Vegeta.”

 

He drew in a deep breath. Gods, he had wondered over and over again if he would ever hear those words from her lips again. He had not known how horrible her mental condition was, and had wondered constantly how traumatized she would be. He was so grateful that she seemed fine that he could barely contain himself. He would ask her later what had happened to her, when the time was appropriate.

 

His eyes closed and he buried his face next to hers into the makeshift pillow she was laying on, wanting to be as close to her as possible. He drew in another deep breath, and the scent of her hair assaulted him. He chuckled in amusement and lifted his head before he kissed her cheek.

 

“I love you too,” he said, caressing the spot where his lips had just been with his fingers. “But you do need a bath, wife.”

 

She blushed and then looked away in embarrassment. She would have whacked him good if her fingers were in working order. “I'll get you for that one later, husband.”

 

He smirked at her. “I am sure you will.”

 

When he left the tent, he almost immediately ran into Turles and Bardock, who were guarding outside the tent. Vegeta glared at them both.

 

“You idiots, why are you not asleep? There are plenty of other men to watch the area. Nothing is going to happen, and besides, I am sick of seeing your ugly faces every time I turn around. If you want something to do, then find the Queen some food.”

 

Turles chuckled and shook his head at his King before he shrugged and said sleep sounded good. Bardock was immediately off to find food.

 

Vegeta watched the retreating back of his Queen's Captain and frowned. He was always so eager to do anything for her. He sighed. Perhaps he had been wrong about him. Bardock really had tried all that he could...the situation had not been his fault, and he had blamed it all on him. Later, when he got the chance, he would speak with him.

 

Several minutes later, the older man returned with a few strips of jerky that the men always carried around with them for emergencies, along with what was left of some kind of animal on a stick that the men had cooked over the fire. Vegeta gave him an appreciative look, and then told him quietly, “You should get some rest. You have been going nonstop for this whole journey. You are going to wear yourself out, and when we might need you, you are going to be of no help.”

 

Bardock looked surprised. He shrugged after a moment to break the awkward silence, and then handed the food to the King. “I have gone longer without sleep before. I just feel like I owe it to her highness for what happened to her.” He gave him a pleading look. “You understand, your highness?”

 

Vegeta felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. “Yes. But get some rest, even if you have to sleep outside this tent on the ground. I am sure that if anything happens, that you will instantly wake.”

 

Bardock nodded. “I think I shall do that, your highness. Thank you.”

 

Vegeta inclined his head in acknowledgement, and then reentered the tent. His wife was surprisingly sitting up, and from the expression on her face, she looked slightly disgusted.

 

“What?” he questioned, handing her the food on the stick first. He was starving himself, but he wanted to make sure she ate all that she could before he ate anything at all.

 

She bit into it like a starving animal. All rules and decorum she had learned from years of practice was forgotten as she grasped the meat gingerly with both of her hands and took huge ripping tears out of the flesh.

 

“Mmmmm,” she groaned, eating so fast that Vegeta hoped she would not get sick. The whole thing was gone quickly, and when Vegeta offered her a piece of jerky, she groaned again and closed her eyes. “No more. I am stuffed.”

 

He chuckled and helped himself to the rest. “So,” he said between bites. “What was that look about when I came back in? You looked like you wanted to puke.”

 

She laughed lightly. “I can feel and smell my own stench. I wanted to puke. If you had not said anything, I probably would not have noticed, just like if you had not said anything about food, I would not have noticed anything about that either.”

 

Vegeta shrugged. “Well, I imagine that there is probably some sort of water source around here. The men came back with their canteens filled with fresh water earlier, so they obviously found something.”

 

She nodded, and then looked down at her clothing in the dark room. The lantern that was placed beside her was on the lowest setting, just in case they might need it for later emergencies. She did not want to put it on full blast and waste all of the fuel.

 

She looked back up at her husband when he was finished eating his meager meal. She knew that he was still hungry, and she felt warmth blossom inside her chest knowing that he had sacrificed for her so she could eat and feed their child. Tears wanted to well up in her eyes, but she blinked them back. This was not a time for tears. This was a time for happiness. She was alive, he was alive, and they were going to survive. That was all that mattered.

 

“Did you want me to find some form of clothing for you as well? I can tell that you are none too pleased with your attire.”

 

She smiled brightly. He always managed to figure out what she was thinking and feeling. “You do not have to,” she said quietly, shrugging. “I have no spare clothing, and if we only have men in this group, which I imagine we do, then I will have to wear male clothing.”

 

He looked at her as if she had grown another head. “Since when did it bother you to wear male clothing, woman? Did becoming Queen warp your mind in some way?”

 

She rolled her eyes. “No! I just do not think it is appropriate for me to wear such clothing in my...well, my condition. But as long as you are fine with it, I am sure that it is all right.”

 

Vegeta chuckled. “It is more than fine with me. I just want you and our child to be comfortable.”

 

Bulma felt her whole body soften as she placed her injured hand over the tiny curve. “We will be, as soon as we get a bath.”

 

Vegeta set out to find an extra set of clothing that would fit his wife as best as possible. Searching for a small man, however, proved to be difficult. Most Saiya-jins, especially males, were large. There were only a few exceptions. He would have willingly given her any extra clothing he might have had, but he had none.

 

A thought struck him. One of his guard's was only slightly taller than his wife, and was not too much different in the width department. The only problem was finding him and discovering if he had any extra clothing.

 

It was surprisingly easy. He was one of the few men patrolling the area around the campsite. When Vegeta walked up to him and approached him about the chance of him having an extra set of clothing available to her highness, the Saiya-jin was more than willing to aid his Queen in anything she may need.

 

Vegeta was quickly gifted with a pair of tan pants and a slightly off-white shirt that totally reeked of sweaty horse. The man had scratched the back of his head and said something about he kept it in his saddlebag, which was always with his horse.

 

Vegeta was even lucky enough to have the man point out where the water source was. The man said that there was a stream to the south of the camp. You could not miss it.

 

Bulma was very enthusiastic about her new clothes and the chance for a bath. However, when she tried to stand and get up to go with her husband to the stream, she promptly fell back over.

 

Vegeta thought the whole situation was funny, and Bulma glared at him as she crossed her arms, demanding that he carry her. He rolled his eyes. As if she really had to demand him to carry her.

 

Once they had left the camp to the south and found the stream, Vegeta set his wife down on the mossy and leafy ground, hoping to help her walk again. Her legs were weak from inactivity, and Vegeta made her sit on a boulder and hold her new clothing as he rubbed feeling back into them.

 

She nearly purred from the feeling of his warm hands working her thigh muscles. She wiggled her dirty toes in his face, giggling, while he scoffed at her and began massaging her calf muscles and ankles.

 

“There, “ he said, standing back up again. He helped her stand by taking her arm, and he yanked her up. She “eeped” and fell against his chest before she could regain her balance, but from the look on his face, Bulma had the feeling that he had done it on purpose.

 

“You naughty King you,” she murmured coquettishly, and then unable to help herself, she giggled, ruining the moment. He just smirked at her and her implied meaning.

 

“Can you walk now?” he asked, pushing her away from his chest and holding her up by her arms. She wobbled slightly as he let go of her, but she quickly regained her footing. She smiled and took a few hesitant steps around him. She was still a little unsteady, but at least she could walk at all. She nodded at his questioning look.

 

“Good,” he said, and then cleanly ripped her gown down the center from the top to the bottom of her waist in one clean tear. She gasped in shock and attempted to cover herself with her injured hands.

 

“What the hell, Vegeta! I mean...well, I suppose it does not really matter, huh?”

 

He shook his head and began removing the rest of her clothing. She looked around self-consciously, covering herself as best as she could with her wrists and arms as her articles of clothing were slowly divested from her body. “Do you think there is anyone around?” she whispered, moving closer to him for protection.

 

He smirked and pulled her nude body against his armored chest. “Everyone is asleep, woman. No one is going to bother us.” She gave him a coy look that told him otherwise, but he just ignored her and placed several kisses on her shoulder, which was surprisingly clean. He would have loved to have his way with her right then and there, but he doubted that now was a good time. Oh yes, and she needed a bath, the dirty little woman.

 

He set her away from him, watching as she looked around uncertainly. Leaving his side, she walked up to the water on the shore of the stream and stuck her toes in it, testing the temperature. At his inquiring look, she nodded. “It feels great.”

 

He began disrobing himself, sighing with relief as the pounds of material, armor, and steel left his body for the first time in over two days. He set down his heavy sword, the dagger and its sheath held snugly on his left arm, the knife he had tucked against his other side, its twin held against his thigh by a tight piece of leather, and then the tiny blade sharp enough to peel a grape in his boot. His blood red cloak, armor, blue undershirt, and pants were quickly folded and his boots were removed. He placed her new set of clothing next to the shore on a rock along with his, ready for them when they left the water. The rest of her ruined clothing he gathered into a ball and tossed into a bush.

 

She waited for him to come up to her, and with his help, was aided into the water by his strong grip. The floor of the stream felt slimy and rocky at the same time, and together they nearly slipped several times. They laughed and held each other in the water, happy just to be together as they floated around. The water was a little chilly, but it felt so wonderful and refreshing that she slipped out of the protection of his arms dunked her head under the water. She nearly shouted with joy at the feeling of cleanliness.

 

That was until the stinging on her scalp began. She gasped and placed her hand over the bandaged gash on her head, and then cried out when pain spurted through her fingers.

 

“Damn it!” she cursed, and Vegeta scolded her as he swam back over to her and cradled her bound hands in his.

 

“You need to be careful, Bulma. Some of your fingers were broken, and the rest were dislocated. You have a large cut on your head as well. Just be careful.”

She gazed up at him through her long eyelashes, suddenly feeling shy. He had her pulled against his chest, and he was staring at her so intensely that it felt as if he was looking right into her soul.

 

“What?” she asked nervously, wishing he would stop it. He continued to look at her, and then out of nowhere, his hand cupped her cheek. She leaned into his touch and continued to watch him.

 

“Are you all right?” he whispered, stroking her pale skin with his thumb. Her eyes closed, and then opened once more. He could have sworn that they looked brighter when she reopened them.

 

“Yes,” she said, but it was barely audible. She knew what he meant; he was talking about what had happened to her that had gotten her in this condition. He was holding her so close, like he never wanted her to leave his side again.

 

She buried her face into his neck seconds later. She just wanted him to hold her. She wanted to know that everything was safe and that she would never have the feeling of losing him again. The thought of never seeing Vegeta again was one of the two reasons why she had fought for her life. The other was for her baby.

 

Vegeta let her cling to him for quite some time. When he could no longer take the suspense, he pulled her out of his embrace and looked at her intently.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

 

She stared at him, her blue eyes wide. The darkness that seeped into them terrified him. She was quiet for a few moments, and then she drew in a deep breath.

 

“I...I was going for a walk in the garden,” she began quietly, looking away. “Senaka and Kutibiru went with me as my guards. I was just smelling the flowers and enjoying the day when a huge explosion went off only a few yards away from me.” She fell silent and then looked back up at him. He was watching her closely, just as she had expected.

 

“They dived on me to protect me. Almost immediately they dragged me to this secret passage that they told me was an ancient escape route.”

 

She became silent once more. Vegeta felt her breathing accelerate and become erratic, and he pulled her back against him. Her body was shaking like she was going to cry, but she forcefully pushed herself away from him, shaking her head. “I lost my hold on Senaka in the darkness, and someone grabbed me. They covered my mouth so I could not scream or anything, and I was completely helpless as Senaka and Kutibiru yelled for me and searched everywhere. Senaka came so close to us, that I could feel the heat from his body. If he would have moved just one more inch to the right....”

 

This time she did sob. She fought him as he tried to pull her back into the protection of his arms, and she lost quickly. She fell against him and began crying, feeling weak for her emotional display. She wanted Vegeta to know that she was strong.

 

“I had no idea who it was. I do not know if it was a Saiya-jin or some alien. He kept slapping me and punching me, and he pulled my hair and slammed me into the wall repeatedly.” She sniffed. “I thought I was going to pass out, but I managed not to.” She pulled back and stared up at him, tears pouring from her eyes. “I fought him, Vegeta. All I could think about was you and our baby, and how much I loved you and how I wanted to see you again...and I became this monster.”

 

The last part was whispered. He felt his face fall into a frown, and he asked softly, “What do you mean, a `monster'?”

 

She shook her head, as if she was unwilling to say it. It came out seconds later however, and Vegeta had a hard time deciphering what she was saying between her gasps and sobs.

 

“I felt like I wanted to kill him. I just wanted to hurt him and destroy him and everything that was in my path. I kicked and hit him so hard that I broke my own fingers, Vegeta! How could I do that to myself?”

 

She was gasping for air now. He soothed her by stroking her cheek and telling her “Shh, it is all right.”

 

She kept shaking her head. “I do not know if I killed him or not. I just kept hurting him until I could no longer hear him breathing. And then I ran.”

 

She finished by saying that she did not remember anything after that. Vegeta elaborated by telling her what he had heard from Bardock, which was that his men had found her passed out along a wall, looking like she was dead. She just nodded.

 

He held her closely for a while after that. It was a relief off his chest knowing that she was fine and had actually undergone very little when compared to what had been on his mind. He would never tell her what he had thought had happened to her. It would just make her more upset.

 

To get her mind off the subject, he reached his hand under the water and placed it gently over the growing curve of her abdomen. He was surprised to feel it had grown slightly since the last time he had held her like this.

 

“How is our baby?” he asked, and instantly she was smiling and glowing as if she had not just been bawling her eyes out.

 

“Oh, he is wonderful. I am so proud of him. I am so happy that he survived everything that happened to me...I was so worried that I would lose him again.”

 

He chuckled and flicked his finger affectionately over her cheek. She stuck her tongue out at him. “What makes you think it is a boy?”

 

She shrugged. “I do not think from all the Vegeta-sei history I have ever read that there was a single princess. The heirs were always males and there were never siblings.”

 

He looked thoughtful. “Come to think of it, I think you are right.” He smirked at her seconds later. “But we can always try for more if it is a boy.”

 

Her face lit up and her arms wound around his neck. She avoided touching anything with her fingers. “Really? That would be wonderful, Vegeta.” She kissed him lightly on the lips, but he would have none of that. She gasped as his lips clung to hers, his tongue slipping past the barrier of her lips and into her mouth. She moaned and felt her whole body melt against his. Oh how she had longed to kiss him like this.

 

He was the one who pulled away a few minutes later. Both of them were panting, and Bulma was clinging to him for more. She was about to demand for him to continue, but he shook his head and placed his finger over her lips.

 

“I do not think you are in the best condition to be performing such activities. Maybe in a few days, once you have your strength back,” he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

 

She pouted, wanting to kick him. So she did.

 

He dropped her on purpose and laughed when she got a mouthful of water. She growled at him, but that was all the further she got as he swam away from her to the side of the stream. She gasped and tried to hurry after him, thinking that he was mad at her and was leaving.

 

“Vegeta! Wait—”

 

She stopped when Vegeta turned around and handed her a thick reed from the stream's banks. She gave him a questioning look as she held it in her outstretched hand, for she could not bend her fingers very well. “What is this?” she asked, looking at it closely.

 

“Squeeze the insides out. It produces something like soap,” he instructed, and then rolled his eyes when she just continued to look at him with the reed in her upward palms.

 

He did it for her since she could not very well do it with her fingers. Not that he had a complaint washing her with it, oh no. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

 

Vegeta washed her neck, shoulders, and arms first. Since the rest of her was beneath the water, he did the best he could by rubbing his hands up and down her body. She giggled and squirmed when his fingers grabbed her ankle and he began cleaning the bottom of her feet. She kept balance by resting her wrists on his bare shoulders, but it was hard not to jerk away from him because he was tickling her.

 

Once he was done, he unwrapped the bandage on her head and took as close of a look as he could at the wound. The only light was the moon, but it reflected off the water and offered twice the normal light.

 

It looked like it was going to heal fine. She hissed when he touched it, and he scolded her for being such a sissy. She told him some choice words and what he could do with himself after his comment, which just made him laugh.

 

Vegeta managed to wash her face and hair as gently as he could. Her hair was ridiculously hard since it went clear down to her hips, and by the time he finished with her scalp, he just said that the rest would have to wait until they had a real area to bathe.

 

He combed his fingers through her hair to get the knots out, and was pleased with the results once he was finished. She thanked him with a thorough kiss to his lips, and said that if her fingers were not broken, she would have willingly bathed him as well.

 

He just chuckled and promised her that she would have other chances once they were out of this mess.

 

Vegeta bathed quickly and efficiently. The water was starting to get cold, and he did not want to stay away from camp too long just in case.

 

He told Bulma to wait in the water so he could get dressed and then to come out when he was finished so he could help her dress as well.

 

She nodded, not having a problem with the cool water. It felt wonderful. Vegeta is just a chicken, she thought, and then laughed as he left the water and shook the water off his magnificent body, causing his tail to poof up. He just gave her an amused look as she continued to giggle.

 

Vegeta reached the pile of rocks that he had set their clothing on, still chuckling at his wife as he smoothed the fur on his tail back down.

 

But their clothes were not there.

 

He frowned. Maybe he had placed them elsewhere. He turned back to see his wife floating around in the water, looking up at the starry sky. She was totally mesmerized by the forest.

 

He took several steps into the wooded area, and sighed with relief when he saw them lying scattered around in the dirt several yards away. It looked as if an animal had grabbed them and dragged them through the dirt, and then had dropped them around the place randomly. Maybe they had gotten scared when they had heard him coming and had run off.

 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he looked around to see if there was anything or anyone around, for it seemed quite suspicious, even if it had been an animal.

 

He looked back at his wife one more time before he bent down and picked up a particularly large rock that fit his hand quite nicely.

 

He cautiously walked deeper into the forest, naked, picking up the pieces of clothing and shaking the dirt out of them, all the while looking around and keeping his ears tuned to the forest around him.

 

The birds seemed quiet, but it was also late at night. He could not hear any animals, but then again, they might have scared off any animals or beasts by the noise they had been making while bathing.

 

Vegeta cursed himself for wandering around by himself when the planet was possibly at war. It probably would have been a good idea to have Turles keep watch. He knew that the man would not risk his hide and spy on them while they bathed. Not only did he respect Vegeta, but he also respected the Queen.

 

Vegeta gave one last suspicious look around the forest as he pulled his tight blue pants on and picked up his wife's new, horse-scented shirt. As he stood, he stiffened in realization.

 

His weapons were gone. All five of them.

 

The second he ducked there was a resounding, vibrating thud noise as the dagger he always had sheathed against his arm was embedded into the tree where his head had just been.

 

Fuck, he cursed to himself, scrambling to his feet in the dirt. He could not run to the stream where his wife was. That would only endanger her and their unborn child. She was the one thing he was definitely not losing again.

 

He took off in the opposite direction, the rock in his hand falling along with the clothes in his arms. He only had a vague idea as to where his would-be killer was, and he had the feeling he was behind him. He did not hear the pounding of feet, he did not hear heavy breathing. He heard nothing.

 

Vegeta stopped and looked around nervously. Someone was out there, and wherever they were, he knew they were trying to kill him.

 

He heard the whoosh only seconds before the tiny blade he always had tucked in his boot was embedded to the hilt into his right calf muscle. He hissed and cursed everything to hell and back as he hurriedly ripped the offending piece of metal out of his leg. He only had a brief second to watch as the blood gushed out and soaked his pant leg instantaneously.

 

Vegeta stood as if the wound in his leg was just a trivial sting. He flicked the three-inch blade in his hand so that he could fling it at his opponent with deadly force in just a blink of an eye.

 

The only problem was, where was his opponent?

 

Vegeta cursed the darkness. The moon was of little use with the enormous trees overhead. He could see fairly well considering, but the trees...they were everywhere. They afforded too much cover.

 

He would not be able to run very far with his leg, but it probably would not be a good idea to just stand there and allow his would-be killer to come and attack him once more.

 

He turned and ran as fast as his leg would allow him. He did not yet feel the pain, and he thanked the adrenaline pumping through his veins for the few minutes of pain-free escape.

 

He could hear the person behind him now. He jerked around to see who it was and to see how close they were, and just barely missed running head-long into a tree. He grunted in pain when his shoulder took the impact, and only a split-second later, he heard the whishing sound of another knife in the air as it buried itself halfway into his right shoulder.

 

A strangled cry caught in his throat as he was pitched forward from the force of the impact. He fell hard on his knees, and he flinched in agonizing pain as he tried to reach for the blade sticking out obscenely from his back.

 

He closed his eyes as he felt for the hilt. He swallowed hard as he sensed the blood pouring down his back as he struggled to grip the handle.

 

He could not reach it. His fingers barely brushed the hilt, and he knew if he tried to reach any further he would just cause himself more misery. He knew he would not be able to grab it no matter how hard he tried.

 

There was a sinister laugh behind him. Vegeta felt his eyes widen as a shadowy figure advanced on him slowly. It was as if he was deliberately trying to torture him with pain and fear.

 

He was on his feet instantly. His whole body begged for the darkness of unconsciousness as the muscles in his leg began to spasm and contract, and by sheer force of will alone did he keep going. He had to get as far away from Bulma as he could. He had to keep her safe, even if it meant his life.

 

Vegeta alternated between holding his leg and shoulder as he dragged himself from tree to tree. He was breathing heavily and his leg was all but useless now.

 

He turned to look back through the night and trees. He could see the shadowy figure weaving in and out from between the undergrowth, walking towards him.

 

He only had one chance. Gripping the handle of the small knife in his free hand, he turned faster than he ever had in his life, his body whirling in a deadly circle as the blade was loosed from his hand and into the air.

 

A hoarse scream filled the air a second later. Vegeta landed heavily onto his left side in the dirt and leaves, his labored breathing slowing only slightly as he watched the man fall to his knees.

 

He had gotten him right in the ribs. Smirking triumphantly and then flinching in pain, Vegeta struggled to his feet.

 

And then he stiffened as the man laughed.

 

The glint of his last knife ripping through the air alerted him for only the blink of an eye before it implanted itself in his left thigh.

 

With a cry, he fell back to the ground. He cursed as he gripped the offending appendage, gritting his teeth in agony. Fuck, there was no way in hell he was going to be able to get away now.

 

How in the hell was the man still alive? He must have missed all of the vital organs....

 

Vegeta lay there completely helpless as the man made his way to his feet and over to his prone form. Unconsciousness was tugging at him from the loss of blood, and the shadowy colors of the forest whirled before his eyes.

 

There was dark, deep laugh. Vegeta watched as the man stalked over to him until he was standing above him as a threatening, looming figure.

 

“Pathetic, vile King,” he hissed, kicking him violently in the side.

 

Blood flew from Vegeta's mouth as he coughed and hunched into a ball from the blow. Another laugh filled his ears, and Vegeta closed his eyes as the man knelt beside him, breathing harshly onto his face.

 

“I would have loved to kill you, but unfortunately, there is someone else who wants you more than I do.”

 

Vegeta let out a strangled scream as the knife in his shoulder was pushed in deeper with deliberate slowness. The excruciating pain burned his way through his shoulder until the long blade was sticking out the other side of his shoulder. Vegeta stared at the blood-coated metal glinting in the low light, in shock.

 

“I'll let you know a little secret,” the man breathed in his ear, making Vegeta's body shudder in disgust.

 

“I am the one...” he whispered, “I am the one who pushed her...I am the one who beat her in the tunnels...and I will be the one fucking her once you are gone.”

 

Vegeta felt the man drag his saliva-slicked tongue over the side of his face...and he snapped.

 

A roar filled the night sky as Vegeta's fist smashed into the offending man's face. He felt bones give in his attacker's skull as the man fell to the ground with a hard thud. Vegeta was instantly on him, his pain forgotten as fury ripped through him.

 

“You will never touch her!”

 

His fist rammed repeatedly into his assailant's face as his right hand grabbed a hold of the man's hair and ripped to hold him in place. He was struggling to get away, but there was no way in hell that Vegeta was letting him go until he was a bloody mass of gore below him.

 

Vegeta felt the man becoming quiet below him, and he blasted his fist one more time into his nose, effectively smashing it flat into his face.

 

Vegeta had no idea if the man was still conscious, but he lifted him by his shirt until his face was only inches from his anyhow.

 

“You piece of....”

 

He trailed off as his eyes widened in recognition.

 

“It was you...it was you all along! You son of a—!”

 

Vegeta felt a pair of knees slam into his back. He flew forward onto his face, his mouth full of dirt, and the leg with the knife still embedded into it scraping agonizingly along the ground.

 

Seconds later Vegeta heard scrambling behind him, and he turned just in time to see his assailant pick up a large rock that hardly fit his hand.

 

Vegeta had absolutely no time to even move out of the way as the man dived on him, the rock high above his head and rage mottling his face. He lifted his arms to block the blow, but he was too late.

 

The rock smashed against his temple, and everything went black.

 

 

 

**********

 

 

 

Bulma looked back into the darkness of the ancient, towering forest. Vegeta had been gone for several minutes. Surely it did not take that long to get dressed unless you were a woman.

 

“Vegeta?”

 

The call echoed around her. Silence returned. Not even the animals were making noises. She tried louder.

 

“Vegeta?!”

 

Nothing. She felt her heartbeat accelerate as panic seized her. Something was wrong. Very wrong. She could feel it in the air.

 

“Vegeta!!!”

 

She ran out of the water and into the forest completely nude and uncaring. Their clothes were missing, along with Vegeta's weapons. She ran deeper into the woods, until she found their clothing in a rumpled pile by a tree with one of Vegeta's knives buried deep inside the trunk. She grabbed up the pile and dislodged the knife from the tree, flicking it in her hand so she could easily toss it into someone's throat.

 

She walked deeper into the forest, noticing that everything was eerily silent.

 

That was when she spotted a disruption in the dirt and leaves, as if there had been some sort of a struggle. She hurried over to it.

 

Her eyes widened when she saw blood.

 

It was everywhere.

 

She screamed.

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note: OMG! I am freaking evil. That is a great cliffhanger, isn't it? Bwahahahaha! Next chapter should be pretty dramatic...poor Bulma, she's going to be totally traumatized! And Vegeta...what happened to him? Is he still alive? Find out next time!