Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend Of the Bond ❯ For our sake.... ( Chapter 15 )

It was her day off and Bulma doing what she usually did on her day off: study technical manuals. These days, she spent her free time trying to catch up with everything she had missed out while being a slave. Bulma didn’t’ want to boast too much on herself, but with each page of information seemingly getting easier to understand, she felt like a happy little duck splashing about in familiar waters. Learning as much as she could and working in her secret lab besides her regular work had kept her busy, very busy.

Her old capsule sat on the low-rise table next to her, collecting dust. She had ignored it since she arrived here, as other things took priority. She paused in her reading and glanced at it for a moment, then returned her wayward attention back to her screen. But try as she might, today her thoughts kept drifting elsewhere.

The whole building was a-buzz with the latest news. Prince Vegeta had returned to Vegeta-sei and, under orders from Freeza himself, was going to take control the whole division. The old council member who used to oversee the division would be reassigned to a new post somewhere else for the time being. Bulma knew nothing else, other than Vegeta had been back about three days ago. As soon as she heard that, she began to slow down on her normally frenetic work pace. She also felt relieved to know that he was alive and safe. His situation with Freeza had felt like a tight grip, the anxiety and uncertainty strangling her for so long. Now, that tight grip was released, allowing her to breathe once more. But more than anything, she wanted to see him again.

It was odd for her to admit that, but hearing about his return caused her to acknowledge one thing: she cared for the Saiya-jin. In some way, he was very much like her. Having accepted a part of him, she felt herself caring for him in a way she never thought she would again. Somewhere beneath his princely title and swagger, he was still that nameless friend. But she didn’t want to dwell on that either, because she was upset with him. Three whole days had passed since his return and he still had not come to see her. She had fully expected him to fly right to her and demand updates on her progress.

She leaned back in her chair and began to take a mental tally of all of the new innovations she had finished in the past months. She had created some poisons for Vegeta-sei, but if the Cold Empire somehow got their hands on these new potions to use against the rebellion, they would be rendered useless, since she also created their antidotes. Another thing she created was an updated scouter, with built-in scanner that could detect false ki levels. Using that same technology, she created a device to create false ki levels, which she planned to pass onto the Vegeta-sei and the Cold Empire forces. If they ever used them, the rebellion would see right through them. Both of the empires were far too proud to employ false ki levels, but her research did open the way for other battle technologies. There were many things she uncovered in her study of proposed technologies; oddly enough, they had never been completed because parts of the formulas were lacking key elements, which Bulma easily supplied.

But as she created more things for the rebellion, Bulma began to worry. Not about herself, or the rebellion, but about Vegeta. That worry kept sidetracking her, so in the midst of her constant fretting about Vegeta, she started devise ways on how to make him stronger.

She didn’t want him placed in yet another situation that would make him say or do the things he did the last time they were together. She could still see the trapped look in his eyes, and the passionate goodbye kiss that seemed to have stayed fresh on her lips. For him to feel like that must have meant that something awful was in store for him, something he could not escape or defeat. She never wanted him to be in that kind of situation ever again.

She remembered all too well the vicious beatings she got from Chili. The torture, and the bleak realization of her powerlessness against it still ate at her spirit. It must eat at Vegeta’s spirit as well. She didn’t want Vegeta to feel what she had felt many times before. If only he would come to see her, perhaps she could talk to him and rekindle their old friendship for the sake of what they both had experienced. If he was willing to have a friendshop with her again, it would be something that she would surely miss when she left Vegeta-sei. Bulma sighed and continued studying, hoping that Vegeta would come and see her soon.************Vegeta woke up from a sleep that felt like death. He didn’t move after opening his eyes, but instead felt content in staring at the underside of the canopy, like he had done many times in the past. He knew he was in his personal suite in the palace, lying on his own bed, covered in sheets woven of the finest thread. He wasn’t sure if the last five weeks had been real, though he knew better. He must have been in the rejuvenation tank for days. After a few minutes of utter silence and dazedly staring straight ahead, Vegeta sat up. It still took him a few minutes to collect himself. He hadn’t been able to move for most of the time he was on Freeza’s ship. Now he could.

Vegeta experimentally punched the air while still sitting in bed. His punch cut through the air faster than he had ever been able to before, strong and without fault, slicing the air with grace and precision. Vegeta felt strong, unbelievably strong. He looked at his hands, glancing at them in amazement. By beating him down close to death, those two ki-less creatures had unwittingly helped Vegeta become powerful. Saiya-jin physiology was like that; after every battle, after every near-death experience, instead of becoming weaker, Saiya-jins grew stronger. Now Vegeta could feel himself close to becoming Legendary, perhaps he was even Legendary now. Carelessly throwing the sheets aside, he got up out of bed.After dressing, he went as fast as he could to his training room. Nothing else graced his mind except his power and his new-found strength. But he didn’t want to remain satisfied with his current level of strength – he wanted to make himself even stronger.

The fact that he had been so overpowered and humiliated consumed his pride. He wanted to be stronger than before and he wanted revenge! Those two monsters did as they pleased to him, but they were trash compared to him! He was the Prince of the Saiya-jins, not some weak doll someone could toss around. His vision filled with red as he stepped into his training room and, fueled by his hate and anger, proceeded to rip the place apart. Soon the room began to crack and rumble as a result from not only his increased force, but his emotions as well. Freeza had sold him out to those abominations and he had been too weak to stop it! Never again would he let such ki-less creatures surpass him! Never again would he let he allow anyone else to be stronger than him!

He took to the air and let loose a series of ki balls from his palm, filling the room with smoke and debris. Driven by his fury and shamed priced, Vegeta didn’t want to stop, he couldn’t stop. Sweating and tired from the massive training he put himself through so soon after recovering, he reared back his head and screamed all his frustrations into the air. Never again would he return to Freeza and play that puppet master’s game! Soon he would leave and start his journey to end not only Freeza’s life but of those two…things as well. He wouldn’t let anything stop him. He would use this rage to feedl his energy, to make him stronger, to kill every one of those bastards!

Vegeta continued to punch and kick in the air, spinning and completing combos. They would all feel his wrath. He was just as evil as those who spat upon his pride. He would be stronger, he would be Legendary and he would kill them, rip them apart, gut them and send each of their limbs across the universe. Nothing would stop him then; nothing would stop him from destroying the universe after he got his revenge. Then everyone would feel his pain and have to live in the same agony he felt. Nothing would…

…STOP!…Please!…

Urgent and shaken, the faint and familiar whispers re-entered his mind. Their pleading and frightened tone made Vegeta still his anger for the moment, as he reached out to Bulma in panic. If anyone dared hurt her…he wouldn’t go easy on them! After allowing himself to sense her, he picked up on her fear, desperation, sadness, and longing. Then he knew…it was him. He had caused her to feel this way. Bulma could sense him just as he could sense her, though she still didn’t know about the bond. His emotions were too intense for her; his frustration, anger, and pain had attacked her, frightened her. Not knowing what else to do, she probably called out, while desperately trying to make her own whispers stop.

Vegeta smirked. Bulma was the only one who knew what he felt, the only other that could understand. She was the one who helped him survive, she was the one creating things for his rebellion, she was the one that was waiting. He needed her, too. He had been away from her for too long. But now he was back and he could see her again. Vegeta slowly floated down to the cracked and broken floor. He would wait no longer. He would see her now and take her as his own. She wanted him. Deep down, he knew that to be true; somehow, he would make her see that.

He walked to the door and as it slid open, a servant appeared in front of him. The boy was scared, but composed himself as much as he could in the presence of the scowling prince. Vegeta stepped through the door and stood right in front of the boy, waiting for him to make his next move. Vegeta carefully watched as the boy dropped to the floor on his hands and knees, before pressing his head down to his hands. The boy could tell that Prince Vegeta was not in a good mood so he kept his head down to deliver his message.“Y-your Highness, His Majesty, the King, wishes to see you immediately. He has instructed me to tell you that it is regarding the Science and Technology Division and Freeza and that it is a most urgent and important m-matter.”“Hmph.” Vegeta wanted to dismiss this summons outright. He had other plans which didn’t include wasting time talking to his traitorous father. He said nothing, but began to walk away, leaving the shaking servant where he was, with his head pressed to the floor. If the boy had been a Saiya-jin, Vegeta would have killed him for displaying such weakness, but he was alien. It felt good to see his fear.

After he returned to his chambers in the palace and finally got ready for his reunion with Bulma, he paused to look outside. He noticed that the day was waning. The thought of the oncoming night somehow soothed him. He hesitated as he was about to leap into the air, remembering the message delivered earlier by the servant boy.

His father wanted to speak with him about the division Bulma worked in and about something to do with Freeza. Perhaps it would be best to talk with his father first. Forearming oneself with knowledge of things could become the winning hand in a fight. Instead of taking off into the sky towards Bulma, Vegeta turned around and headed for his father’s chambers.

Vegeta walked along proudly. Everyone, servant and Saiya-jin alike, immediately bowed in his direction, their respect of him coming mostly out of fear. As he continued to make his way down the corridors, Vegeta made note of the number of servants he had passed. He had always believed the palace was over-populated by too many servants. His own suite of rooms had one; someone to clean and such, but the palace itself had over two hundred; far too many, in his opinion. Vegeta decided as he walked along that it was one of the things that he would change, once he became king. A palace this size only needed cooks and cleaning servants, nothing more and nothing less.

When he opened the doors to his father’s chambers, he found his father propped up in his massive bed, bare-chested and surrounded by four female pleasure slaves, all in various stages of undress. Vegeta sigh-puffed and rolled his eyes. On top of all the servants currently occupying the palace, his father also had a collection of pleasure slaves populating his own personal harem. And that was something else Vegeta would get rid of completely when he became king.

Vegeta turned around and stood with his arms crossed his chest and, impatiently waiting for his father to speak. The king said nothing for a few minutes as he kissed one girl’s back, while one of his hands slightly teased the full breast under her filmy robe. Like his petulant son, the king was not in a good mood either, but the girls were starting to change that.“Vegeta, you really should make use of these –” he began to say.“Save it, Father,” Vegeta brusquely interrupted. “What did you call me here for?”The king frowned. His son was all business, as usual. “Freeza has sent word that he wants you to look after the Science and Technology Division as its overseer.”Vegeta turned to look at his father sharply. “Why? That councilman is in charge of that division now. Why have me, the prince, oversee it?”“It seems Freeza has acquired an interest in that particular division. Not only does he want you to oversee it, he wants you to investigate what is making them so proficient of late, when until recently only his science division was that well-progressed. We have decided that once you determine the reason behind its unusual jump in productivity, if it is just one person, we will send that person over to Freeza. If happens to be a group of scientists, we will negotiate on getting a new staff to fill the open slots.”Vegeta didn’t like the sound of this at all. “What?”“You’ll start tomorrow. Freeza wants your first report in four days.”A sour taste entered Vegeta’s mouth. “That could be done by someone else,” he restated.“Since Freeza specifically ordered that you do it then I suggest you do it. I don’t want you see you in the shameful state you were in when you were returned to us. It was embarrassing to our house.”Vegeta glared at his father. More than ever, he believed that the king had been thoroughly brainwashed by Freeza and had no idea about what was really going on. “This is ridiculous! I have training to do.”The king laughed lightly as one of the girls wrapped her hand around his thigh. “Well Vegeta, I must admit that you made the right move when you promoted that slave. I told Freeza that it was most likely her doing, but being the skeptic that he is, he wants hard proof that it’s just one girl.”Vegeta suddenly felt his blood run cold. Of course, Bulma was the one; he suspected it the moment his father told him about what Freeza wanted. And if he asked happened to ask anyone else, they would inform Freeza that it was indeed the blue-haired Chikyuu-jin. Vegeta no longer had a choice in the matter. In order to protect her from Freeza, he would have to stay behind and do Freeza’s dirty work. He would do it, for Bulma’s sake. As long as he falsified the paperwork, certainly no one would be the wiser for it, and it would keep Bulma hidden away from Freeza’s greedy eyes.

“…”The king looked at his son and smirked. “At a loss for words, my son? I’ll take your silence to mean that you have accepted this assignment?”Vegeta glowered furiously at the man laying indolently in front him. It would take a lot for Vegeta to openly address this man as “father” again. His disgust for him and his indulgences went above most, almost equal to that of Freeza…but one thing had always galled Vegeta, that deep within his heart, despite everything, he still loved his father.

This time Vegeta walked away, silent, with his father watching him leave. No words were needed; the slavish figurehead that his father had become under Freeza didn’t deserve words. He deserved a quick, silent death.**********After leaving his father’s chambers, Vegeta took some the time to think. Nothing could have helped him escape this situation. Things had to be done this way. He would be close to Bulma, but now, she was in danger, something he didn’t like. He thought that she would be safe once she was away from those disgusting barracks, but that was no longer the case. As long as Freeza was around, she would never be safe. Vegeta then thought to contact Bardock, but that would have to wait until after he saw Bulma. Getting in touch with his rebellion commander wasn’t as imperative as his seeing her, right now.

And the evening sky, of course, was there, to remind him those nights with Bulma; in a garden, under the light of Vegeta-sei’s stars. Those times, those feelings, they were…important to him. She was important to him. Vegeta took off into the air, flying fast towards Bulma’s chambers. He wanted her close to him now. It was such a short distance from the palace to her room, her living quarters; not fit for a prince, but infinitely suitable for a nameless friend.Vegeta landed softly on her small balcony, which provided hardly enough room for him to land upon properly. Oddly, the window was already slightly opened, almost as if inviting him in. The breeze drew him closer as he quietly stepped into her chambers. His footsteps were whisper-light. If it wasn’t for the sudden, slight gust of wind entering the room with him, no one would have known he was there. It was also quite dark, the lights were out. Looking around he could see Bulma was in bed and under the sheets, with his cape on top of her like a blanket.

Her long, blue hair cascaded over the pillows, and the rise and fall of her soft breaths told him that she was asleep. The sight of his cape covering her almost brought a smile to his lips…almost. Vegeta walked up to her bedside and looked down at the sleeping woman. Thanks to the unexpected detour he had to take to meet with his father, he had come too late yet again.

Before, he had come to her, wanting her, but she had rejected him, and now it all seemed like a dream. His desires, her rejections, nothing else existed but those starry nights, when they trained together, sat together, and talked together. Now, she was in real danger. They were all in danger and he couldn’t protect her…or the sweet memory of those nights.

Slowly he sat down on the edge of her bed, putting his face into his hands. He couldn’t have her, not like he wanted. Soon, he would have to leave join his rebellion for good and he might not be back for years. Until then he had to oversee this place; he couldn’t be distracted by anything or anybody. If he drew too much attention to them, it could bring Bulma closer to danger and closer to Freeza. And for her sake, all for her sake, he would let her be. She wasn’t ready for him and there would be no future for them until after Freeza was dead. And then she would leave Vegeta-sei. Of all the future scenarios, that was the hardest one for Vegeta to accept, but he had to.

It would be best never to hold her, to let her go and live on without him. Back when he was on Freeza’s ship, he vowed to set things straight with her, but now those fervent vows rang empty. So that she could be safe from Freeza’s filthy clutches, he would not fulfill them. His hands became fists, his expression pained. His love for her must stay within him.

Vegeta heard her sigh and looked down at her. She was facing him in her sleep, revealing a little scar on her neck. He leaned closer to her then, just hovering over her form, looking into the face of his one, true bonded. She was the only woman for him; the only one for whom he would ever feel like this. Vegeta hand reached out to gently touch her neck, one finger caressing the little scar.

Slowly, his hand moved up to touch the soft plains of her face, but his glove was in the way. He then looked at his hand, the hand belonging to the Prince of the Saiya-jins. Vegeta relaxed his tail, letting it fall behind him and took off his gloves. He wasn’t the Prince here. He was that nameless friend that trained the woman sleeping in the bed before him. The woman he loved utterly. He had to hold her, just one more time.

He leaned down, slowly wrapping his arms around Bulma’s sleeping form, careful not to wake her or to move her. As he held onto her for dear life, he buried his face in her neck, feeling as though he was holding onto a dream that would never come true. He lay almost on top of her, keeping his arms around her, not wanting to let her go. Bulma stirred within his arms and Vegeta froze.Barely above a whisper, Bulma exhaled, “Vegeta…”He thought she had awakened and looked down at her, fully expecting her eyes to be open. To his surprise, she was still asleep. She had called his name in her sleep. Vegeta closed his eyes and once again lowered his face, but this time he brought his face to hers. Bulma sighed once again in her sleep. Vegeta could feel the warm air from her lungs and the sensation caused him to shiver slightly. Being so close to her, like this, it felt good. Vegeta kissed her lips as lightly as possible, without applying pressure. It was just a moment, but it was the one he needed. Vegeta buried his face once again in her neck and continued to hold her tightly, wishing morning would never come.**********Bulma hazily woke to the early summons of the alarm clock. She hit the cutoff button and moaned a complaint. She had never been a morning person but ever since she came to Vegeta-sei, she had been forced to wake early. She continued to lay down with her head in the pillow, knowing she had to get up soon for work.

Bulma went to roll over to her side when she felt a weight shift on the opposite side of her bed. Startled, she sat up. As she did so, one of her sleeping gown straps fell down, revealing part of her breast, though she didn’t notice. She was too busy staring at Vegeta, who was standing next to her bed, looking at her. She blinked once then twice. Her thoughts were awhirl with the emotions going through her: longing, reservation, happiness, and hate. She could also feel a very strong sense of hate coming from Vegeta, but it did not seem to be directed to her. He was here, safe, in front of her. But somehow his eyes looked different from before. Bulma couldn’t believe how happy she was to see him.“Vegeta, you’re back!” Bulma said with a smile. She wanted to hug him, to celebrate his return, but something held her back. There were too many things between them now.Vegeta didn’t know what to do. He sensed that her emotions for him had changed since he had left, though not exactly as he would want them to. That didn’t matter now. Even if they had changed in the way he wanted, it would be best for both their sakes not to act upon them. So instead of reacting to her obvious relief she displayed at his return, he turned his gaze to the floor. Her smile faded and confusion set in.

“Of course I’m back. What a stupid thing to say. I’m right in front of you.”Not understanding Vegeta’s odd tone or actions or even his choice of words, Bulma went on her feelings, rather than anything else. “Well, that is obvious, but it wasn’t a stupid remark. It was more of a greeting. If you had acquired any proper communication skills, you would know that I was merely stating that I was happy to see you,” She faced away from him then. Her rushed confession that she was happy to see him had made her blush. Then she muttered, “I will never understand Saiya-jins.”Forcing his eyes to become cold, Vegeta stood and looked down at her. His eyes fell on the strap that had fallen from her shoulder. The top of her nightgown was resting half-way down the swell of one breast. The sight of that bared flesh ignited his desires once again, making him step closer to her. He desperately wanted to reach out and touch her, to hold her again, as he had done earlier, but instead he turned away from her so that he could control his emotions simply by not looking at her. “It would be best that you never understand Saiya-jins and stay away from them, especially me.”Bulma quietly got out of bed and stood behind Vegeta. She could tell he was trying to be distant, and that was the last thing she wanted. She wanted her old companion back; she wanted him close to her again. Perhaps it was too late; perhaps she had destroyed whatever they had when she told Vegeta she never wanted to see him again. Perhaps the damage was already done. She stepped in front of him to look directly into his eyes, to see his face.

“Vegeta, you…?” she started to ask, but the rest of the question died in her throat. Vegeta saw the tears forming in her soft, blue eyes. He disliked emotional displays; in fact, he hated them. Surely, she was stronger than this. Something rose within him suddenly, a sense of great loss and regret. He knew those feelings were coming from Bulma and it was what he wanted: for her to think it was over. The sense of loss was one thing, but the regret was something he didn’t want her to have. His own regret took up much space inside of him; he couldn’t take in hers as well. “I have to leave. I will back to get an update on the work you have done for the rebellion.”When he didn’t make a move to leave, Bulma took the chance to speak. “Don’t leave,” she said. “Not yet. And stop acting so distant. I can tell you’re acting. Don’t do that.”Vegeta moved to pass her, brushing her shoulder softly on his way, leaving Bulma to continue to stare at the place where he once stood. When he reached the open window, his red cape, similar to the draped one on the bed, flowed behind him. He stopped to look down.

“It would be best for both of us that I continue to act distant. I am, after all, the Prince and you are just a paid servant, an alien that will leave this planet once your work is done here. Nothing would be gained from any sort of relationship between us.”Bulma turned frantically to look at Vegeta and caught the brief glimpse of pain written on his face which quickly turned to stone. She couldn’t stop the similar anguish she was feeling from coming to her own face. “That can’t be true. I once asked you if you were my friend, and you said you were my ally. Is that no longer true, Vegeta? Can I not be your ally anymore?”Vegeta turned his face fully to look deep into her eyes. “I cannot be anything to you and you cannot be anything to me besides useful,” he said, trying hard to keep his voice flat and emotionless.

Time seemed to stop as they continued to stare at each other. Vegeta was trying to hold onto his control and Bulma just stood there, a victim of his gaze. Then he spoke again, but this time his tone was lighter, “Isn’t it time for you report to work?”Caught off-guard by the abrupt change of subject, Bulma turned her head and shot a worried glance at the clock. The digital readout was flashing almost 0800 hours. “Oh, no! I am going to be late for work!”

Vegeta’s parting words then came back to her, filling her with panic and fear. Bulma’a gaze slowly returned to the window, hoping that he would still be there, but she already knew what her sorrowful eyes would see. The place where he was standing earlier was empty, devoid of any trace he had ever been there.

Bulma sank to her knees, her face etched in pain and disbelief. His last words were playing over and over again in her mind. It was painful, utterly painful. All those years under Chili seemed relatively tolerable compared to the heartache she was feeling. And what made it worse was that she had done it to herself. There was no one else to blame, no one to hate, but herself.**********
Vegeta hated what he had just done. In so many words he had told her that they could never be, that he had given up on her. And hated himself for saying that to her. There was nothing he could say to himself to make him feel otherwise. His dream to have her had just ended.

Last night, as he held her, he didn’t let his imagination run away with him, though he could easily picture himself kissing her, caressing her, touching her. From this day forward, there would be nothing for the two of them, just the cold, just the emptiness. They would have to make do with this new arrangement. Things would be simpler if he didn’t have to see her again, but he had to. No matter how much he wanted to force himself to become distant, for the sake of his rebellion, he needed to see her again. He could feel her; her anguish was so clear and sharp that he could easily mistake her pain as his own. It was hard not to fly back to her and tell her it was all lies. The future would be dark as he knew it would be; his life would be hollow.

He had to stay focused, he told himself. After he killed Freeza and those other two abomindations, he would find a suitable female and produce an heir, and then vanish. With the threat of Freeza gone and his heir in place to rule Vegeta-sei, his people could continue on without him. It would be good to travel the universe, challenging and defeating any number of warriors and growing stronger as well. At least in that way, he could try to forget about Bulma. He would use this loss of Bulma and turn it into a new, dark emotion to fill himself and to train harder and grow stronger. Without Bulma in his future, his goals were all that he had. He needed to kill Freeza and to do that his first priority was to get in contact with Bardock immediately. Overseeing the division would have to wait a day or two.**********It was almost impossible for Bulma to work that day. She puttered around her workstation, but none of her pending projects got anywhere close to being finished. Her usually organized and analytical mind hovered somewhere between denial and shock. She didn’t cry after Vegeta left, of course, because it somehow didn’t feel real. The idea that he would never again be the friend, the companion he once was to her left her light-headed. That she blamed herself letting her stubbornness destroy everything made her feel listless.

Even though her heart was torn in two, she knew what she had to do. She would keep her promise to help Vegeta’s rebellion and then leave, like she had always planned to do. Unlike before, when she believed her break from him and Vegeta-sei would be a clean one, this time she knew she would be leaving much more behind. Perhaps somewhere on her future journeys through space she could find someone who could be there for her, someone like Vegeta to have by her side and with whom she could share adventures. But, in reality, no one could ever come close to replacing Vegeta.

Afer work, when Bulma normally went to down to her secret lab, she found herself walking out the front door of the building. Her feet felt as if they were taking her somewhere and she could only follow where they led. Her emotions were so drained. For weeks, she had been worried sick about Vegeta. Instead of the happy reunion for which she had hoped so that they could rekindle their old friendship, he turned her away and told her that she was only useful to him and nothing more.

It was so obvious that he was lying, too. He was telling her this to end something between them, although what he was really trying to accomplish by doing so she didn’t know. Everything was so wrong, everything was so displaced… it was all her fault.

And everything around her had become dark. Bulma glanced around and noticed that her feet brought her out into the city and right into a place with no sign of life anywhere. The royal palace was very close by; the massive structure casting a huge, deep shadow even at night. Bulma smiled sadly; her feet were taking her to the palace to see Vegeta. She glanced up at the great royal place. As bright as it was, its inner light inside did not reach the shadow that covered her now.

She wanted to make sure what he said was real and not part of some dreadful dream that had come upon her when she had awakened. Her pale face looked up, silently pleading with the building to tell her where she could find Vegeta, so that all the wrongs she felt within her aching heart would be set to rights.

In the middle of her prayer, a hand came out of nowhere and suddenly covered her mouth. Scared but alert, Bulma immediately elbowed the person in the ribs with all her might, but the blow seemed to have no effect. She then felt herself being gagged by a cloth and thrown to the dirty pavement. Expecting to see just one attacker, Bulma looked up to see three burly Saiya-jins grinning evilly down at her. When she tried to get up, the biggest one planted a booted foot squarely on her chest, holding her down quite painfully. Using all her strength just to breathe, Bulma realized that she could do nothing, not even put up a fight. It was obvious that these three Saiya-jins weren’t third-class idiots.

“Oh lookee! What we got here?” chuckled the one holding her down. “Why it’s someone’s little paid servant, wandering around the palace.”The second, but smallest one then came forward and kneeled beside Bulma. “She looks kinda suspicious to me. I bet she must’ve been planning on trying something, huh?”The last one then spoke. “Yeah, we should punish her.”The Saiya-jin that was holding her down could hardly contain his drool. “Yes, let’s punish her and show her what we do to terrorists.”Unable to speak because of the gag, Bulma shook her head. She wasn’t a terrorist! She wasn’t doing anything wrong! Though she had a sinking feeling that they were just trying to find an excuse to rape and kill her. The Saiya-jin who was holding her down moved to grab her wrists, holding them above her head with one hand, while forcing her legs to spread in the process. Struggling wildly, Bulma tried to spit out the cloth that was in her mouth but couldn’t, so she bit into it as hard as she could. They all chuckled as the other two watched eagerly as their companion first tore off her armor and the rest of her clothes with his one free hand, leaving just her underwear. Bulma continued to kick and push at him with her legs, but the Saiya-jin on top of her just shook his head.“I don’t think it’s wise to struggle. It’ll only hurt more when I rip into you-” he stared to say, but the words died in his mouth.

Bulma watched round-eyed with astonishment as his head was suddenly crushed and blood, bone, and brains went gushing everywhere. Pieces of what used to be his head went flying in all directions, mostly of them landing all over Bulma. She quickly scooted away to avoid being crushed by the falling body. And when she looked up, where the Saiya-jin’s head once was, a blood-stained, white-gloved fist hovered, still clutching the last pieces of flesh from the dead Saiya-jin’s head. Bulma frightened eyes followed the bloodied hand to the arm, then past the armored shoulder to Vegeta’s face.

The blatant displeasure she saw in that deep scowl made her suddenly scared of him. His eyes seemed so cruel and judgmental that she couldn’t say anything. Bulma brought her hands up to cover her nakedness and looked down at the ground, but all she could focus on was Vegeta standing over three very dead bodies. Vegeta hadn’t used one ki attack; he killed them all by hand.

Fumbling mentally to try and find the right words to say, to thank him for saving her life yet again, Bulma let her gaze wander around the gory scene. While continuing to be shocked and distracted by everything around her, Vegeta quickly stomped over to her and picked her up, flinging her over his shoulder. Even if she wanted to protest being treated so casually, she couldn’t; she was in a state of shock.

Vegeta blasted off into the sky, his anger fueling him to no end. He had felt the unexpected array of frightened emotions while in the middle of his training. Knowing she was in danger, he sped from his new training room as fast as he could, letting the bond unerringly guide him to where she was. Despite his earlier declaration to her, he would, no matter what, protect her. Because of his earlier decision to distance himself from her, his situation had become an annoying dilemma. In spite of the fact that he didn’t want to be distracted by her and her inability to protect herself, because of the bond, he would, no matter what, always come to her rescue.

Upon entering her quarters, he went to the sanitary chamber. Without warning, he pulled her off his shoulder and released her. Bulma landed on her butt onto the tiled floor with a thump. She opened her mouth to protest but the enraged look on Vegeta’s face made her shut it quickly. He looked over her half-naked form with disdainful eyes. When he finally spoke, barely suppressed anger sharpened his words.“What do you think you were doing? You could have been killed!” he growled. “I cannot let that happened to…to…something as useful as you! You can’t get yourself killed until you’ve completed your service to me. Your annoying weakness disturbed my training! Do you even bother train anymore?” Vegeta had almost said something he would have regretted but continued on with his venting. “From now on, you are not to go outside into the city unless I say so. Don’t make me order guards posted at your door!”Rubbing her aching parts from the fall, Bulma stared up at Vegeta. To his great annoyance, a small, soft smile began to grace her lips. “Why are you so angry? Were you worried about me?” she asked.Worried? The very idea that she would even suggest such a thing! His anger stemmed only from the fact that she had disturbed his training and that was all! But that smile of hers told him she knew better. Despite his angry diatribe and what he had asserted to her that morning, he had been tremendously worried about her. He would have to lie to her, so that his words would become believable; to her and to himself. “Your reckless behavoir interrupted my very important training and that is all. You know nothing of what you speak.”“How did you know I was in trouble? Um, but I do continue to train by the way, I was just-”“I don’t want to hear any more of your pathetic excuses!” Vegeta said, before abruptly turning and walking away. His emotions had been running high even when he was training and now with this, he felt overwhelmed. He couldn’t be around her, feeling like this. And he didn‘t want to tell her about the bond. He needed to get away from her and get some air to help clear out his turbulent thoughts.For several minutes after she heard the closing of her chamber door, Bulma continued to sit on the cold, hard floor of the sanitary chamber, lost in her thoughts. She remembered feeling terrified of Vegeta after seeing what he had done to her attackers, but later when she was flying in the air on his shoulder, she felt him. She sensed how worried he was and how angry he was at himself.

All of the things he said this morning to her were lies. He only wanted to spare her of the hardships that they would undoubtedly be facing in the future. She felt his unwavering resolve to face Freeza alone and to protect her from that reality. Try as he might and despite what he kept telling her, Vegeta would always care for her in some way. Bulma’s heart embraced that simple fact and it gave her hope. She would stand with Vegeta against Freeza no matter what. And he couldn’t stop her from being there for him. All they needed was time.**********Freeza stood with arms folded over his chest and gazed into a computer screen. He was looking over a transmission from Vegeta-sei, which contained the last updates regarding their Science and Technology Division. Freeza pondered on what would happen now that Vegeta was there to do his bidding, to uncover the key to the division’s sudden rise in capabilities. Would the monkey faithfully perform his assignment, knowing what would be his punishment should his master? But Freeza was uncertain. He couldn’t shake this odd feeling that the monkey prince might actually attempt to betray him. Because of this uncertainty, Freeza decided at that moment that it would be wise of him to take additional precautionary measures.

A few minutes later, Zarbon, his most loyal servant, approached Freeza and bowed to him. Freeza’s eyes continued to watch the computer screen. Even well after the incident, Freeza still felt a small amount of inner discomfort whenever Zarbon was in his presence, though he did a credible job of hiding it. He waited for the light blue-skinned man to talk.Feeling equally uncomfortable, Zarbon cleared his throat softly before greeting his emperor. “You called for me, Your Excellence?”“Zarbon, do you trust those Saiya-jins?”“No, my lord,” Zarbon replied. His quick answer seemed to please his master, because he noticed a small, malicious smile begin to curve Freeza’s mouth.

“I have decided that you will take some time off from your duties and go to Vegeta-sei. I may have made a slight error in judgment and I want you to find out if my misgivings are warranted. I need you to monitor Vegeta and their science division and report back to me if you become aware of anything suspicious. But do be quick about it,” he added. “You are needed here.”“Yes, my lord, I will leave right away.”“Good. You are dismissed.”Zarbon bowed again and left, leaving Freeza to continue his study of the data scrolling down the computer screen. The Ice-jin’s thoughts were no longer centered on the report coming from the computer but instead were focused on the future for himself and his empire. He wanted nothing else but to be the ultimate power once again. And he would do whatever it took to make sure that things ran smoothly in that direction from now on. Nothing or no one would get in his way ever again.***********