Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend Of the Bond ❯ Future Beheld.... ( Chapter 20 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Freeza stood on the bridge of his ship, a grim and unpleasant look slashed across his face, staring straight ahead at the main viewer, watching as the stars raced by. His dark, beady eyes seemed to burn with rage and it didn’t take long before a scowl of disgust formed upon his half-cybernetic face. He had given Prince Vegeta an assignment for which he should have been far more grateful, as it had extended his life just a little bit longer... but no; the monkey prince wasn't appreciative at all. As he angrily clenched his fist into a ball, red liquid began pouring from Freeza’s hand; whether it was oil or blood, or a mixture of the two, it did not matter to him. Zarbon, who had always remained loyal and reliable, stood silently behind him. Freeza had recalled him from an assignment on some worthless planet that was still spinning in space only because of the revenue it brought to his army and empire.

Freeza almost felt like pacing. Things were going badly; too badly for his liking. He wanted to regain control and believed that, with Zarbon by his side, he could reestablish his control and also get rid of the unwanted instigators. The stilled anger hanging in the room was broken by none other by a person that happened to be on the top of Freeza’s hate list. The entrance by this despised one only meant that he obviously wanted something. As he began to speak, Freeza reluctantly turned around to face him.

"Freeza, I have changed my mind. I want Prince Vegeta back here!" Gero announced with disdain and forcefulness, knowing full well the white lizard in the half-tin suit still believed himself to be the supreme being of the universe.

"You needn’t concern yourself. We are on a heading towards Vegeta-sei now."

"What?” Gero said, both surprised and apprehensive. “I know what you are planning, Freeza, You cannot destroy that planet!"

"I do not intend of taking your goal away from you, Gero." At least not now, Freeza thought smugly, "But it does seem as though Prince Vegeta has been very foolish. And for that, I will have to punish him myself."

Narrowing his eyes squarely on Freeza, Gero said in a deadly tone, "Whatever he’s done, you cannot kill him."

Freeza sighed; he hated playing obedient. "Don't worry. I’ll leave that to you. I have recently learned that the damned monkey has raised an army against me. I seemed to have overlooked that he has taken quite a few slaves from planets which he has promptly destroyed. And not only that, I also hear he has built up an alliance of planets which are ready to start a civil war.”

Gero almost smiled. "I can assure you that won't be happening. He will be mine before he can start anything."

“You are quite correct, Gero.” Freeza turned around to face the main viewer once again. "We will be arriving in the Vegeta-sei system within a day’s time."

"Very well, Freeza. Just make sure he is brought to me alive." Gero then left the bridge, satisfied that he would get his prize back sooner than he thought possible.

Zardon kept his mouth shut as Freeza continued to stare out into space in a deathly silence. His right-hand knew better than to offer any comment because he knew that Freeza was on the verge of a psychotic rage. The reports had been delivered to him only days ago, confirming that for years Vegeta had been betraying him. Freeiza was well aware of Vegeta's dislike of him, even of his rebellious nature, but he didn't think the monkey was foolish enough to actually gather a revolt against him. Now that he knew, he wasn’t going to wait out the three months, giving Vegeta the benefit of the doubt any longer. There would be no more mercy for such betrayal. Even though he couldn’t destroy Vegeta-sei, he knew that he would make certain that the traitor would be barely alive once he handed over the treacherous monkey to Gero. And it would be most sweet to look upon Vegeta's face as he watched as the female Chikyuu-jin scientist, the one he obviously cared about, fall into the arms of his most hated enemy.

**********

It was morning and the light was shining in the room when Bulma finally awoke. Slowly, almost painfully, she opened her eyes. Her head felt a bit foggy, momentarily spinning for a second or two, but the dizzy feeling passed. She was oddly very comfortable. The sheets surrounding her felt very different, richer and much more luxurious, as they softly caressed every place on her body. Her eyes widened further as she sat up in surprise. Immediately, the sheets fell from her shoulders, exposing her bared breasts. Quickly gathering the sheets to cover her nudity, she sat on the bed and began to think about the previous night.

There was no doubt that she had been drugged, her own body and mind had betrayed her. Anything she had felt, and at times it was almost wonderful, she knew better. She had imagined it was Vegeta loving her and not the counselor Paragus, but he had used her injury to his advantage and took her while she was delusional, believing that Vegeta had come to her. Anguish soon crept into her heart, fueled by the anger she felt towards Paragus, and at herself. Bulma tilted her head to the ceiling, about to say a silent prayer to Chikyuu's star, and noticed that a canopy was now hanging over the bed. The drapes of material were grand, to say the least, made of some fine, silky fabric she’d never seen before and gave the bed a most impressive and royal feel.

But then her heart stilled. There too many gaping holes in her memories from last night. Did Paragus, devious pervert that he was, take her to another's bed, where she was taken by another member of the counsel…or even the King? And now what would Vegeta think of her? She wasn't anyone’s whore, but she knew he would think of her like that.

Bulma wanted to leave this place fast, before Vegeta could see her. Looking around frantically for her clothes, she noticed them strewn about on the floor. As she moved to retrieve them, her heart skipped a beat, stopping her. She could feel Vegeta. He was somewhere nearby.

Closing her eyes in despair, she thought back on the night he came to her, offering her a deal to exchange her vast knowledge of technology so that she could have her freedom. At first she wanted to nothing more than to get away from the man that, even though she loved him, had destroyed her home. Then, as the weeks passed, she did it solely to secure her promised freedom. But, in looking back, she truly wanted to help Vegeta in his cause, to kill Freeza and because she wanted the universe to be safe again from the maniacal warlord.

And Bulma was supposed to leave Vegeta-sei today. A ship was probably being prepared for her at this very moment. She had gone with Paragus because she wanted to leave with no regrets, losing completely who she had become on this planet and to go out into the galaxy as a different person. Her freedom, everything that she had done, was to get away from everything that had gone wrong on Vegeta-sei, from the second she had landed. Bulma was misplaced; first, she was enslaved under the cruelest of slave masters, the later brutally beaten and punished. But all of that paled in comparison when she lost Vegeta…and now this.

Opening her eyes, she slid out of bed and grabbed her clothes. Standing as tall as she could, she gathered herself for what would come next. She had to be brave, or at the very least, appear to be. But as she looked up toward the window, she startled. There, bathed in the morning light, was Vegeta, wearing only his blue spandex pants and looking out of the window. His arms were crossed and he had his back to the room. At the sight of him, Bulma's heart thudded in her chest and her knees gave way. Falling to the floor with a thump, she kept her wide eyes glued to Vegeta, who had turned around to face her.

"I see you’re finally awake," he said evenly.

Her face burned as embarrassment flowed over her body, not knowing if the heat came from the fact that she was naked or that he had found out about Paragus. "Don't look at me, you pervert! I can't believe you’ve been watching me like this!" she yelled, holding her clothes around her tightly,

Scowling, he relaxed his arms and started walking forward. "You have no right to feel modest here!"

Not knowing what to say or do, she just continued the argument. "Oh yes, I do! I can't believe you're even here. Did you come just to see me humiliated the day before I leave?" Although that made no sense, because he never did anything truly harmful to her, she could only blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

"This is my suite, I have every right to be here and do as I please," Vegeta said, coming to a stop right before her and looking deeply into her eyes.

Looking at his eyes, she couldn't read them. She couldn't seem to read his emotions either and feared that they would be lying to her anyway. "Why did you bring me here? I suppose you wanted the satisfaction of personally telling me the name of the ship I’m going to be leaving on today?"

He was slightly surprised by the statement, almost hurt by it. "So, you still intend to leave?"

His words caught her off-guard. "Yes, of course I am! Remember, you said it yourself: I'm no longer useful to you anymore,” she stated defiantly, before adding, “though you’ll be missing out on having a genius around." Bulma didn’t understand from where this fierce attitude of hers was coming from, only that it was the only thing protecting her at the moment. Why was she here with him? Had he saved her? It couldn't be. He had probably brought her here after she was ravaged by Paragus so that he could rub her betrayal in her face.

Vegeta took in a deep breath and looked at her evenly, unable to say what was really in his heart. He half-heartedly retorted in anger, "Fine! Then leave my palace at once and go! Blast off to wherever the hell you want so I don't have to see your useless hide ever again!"

"Fine, I don't even want to be here!” she growled back through clenched teeth, clutching her clothes to her chest. “I don't even know how I got to this place anyway! I'm sure you were quite happy to see my lowly self brought down and humiliated in such a way. And to think that, for a split second, I actually thought that you showed up to save me! Or that I felt any shame and agony, believing that I had betrayed you, when in truth I was nothing to you! Goodbye, Vegeta! I hope we never meet again!"

Vegeta stared back at her while she was ranting and said nothing. She spun around, half-stomping towards the only door she saw, furious with his indifference to this whole situation. But she was having trouble executing her angry exit, as her injuries caused her pain with each step. What a fool she had been! Her anguish at having thought that she betrayed him was silly! Hadn’t he told her time and again that he did not care about her anymore, not like he once had? No! She had betrayed her own heart, which had held her unrequited love for Vegeta for so long. She really shouldn't be mad at him; at least he had given her a decent night’s rest in his comfortable bed. Then His voice slowed her steps as he spoke again.

"Why did you go with him last night?" His words were too controlled and even for her to read the pleading emotions buried beneath them.

"Paragus threatened me. He told me that I was going to be placed in his harem and my upcoming freedom taken away, but you don’t have to pretend to care about that," she mumbled softly to him, wanting to put this hurtful situation behind her as quickly as possible. Once she was through the doors that were an arm’s length away, even naked as she was, she would be free of everything . . . the man she loved, her desire to help his rebellion, and her wish to be by his side forever. Reaching for the door, she felt tears begin to sting in the back of her eyes.

"It was me last night," he said, and this time she heard the hint of sadness in his voice.

Bulma’s body froze, but her heart and mind couldn't stop racing over the words he had just spoken. It was him last night? Only him last night? Hope began to stir. What did that mean? Trying hard to remember all that had happened to her during the night, she was puzzled by the realization that she could only picture Vegeta; his body, his face, his touch and the bond they shared was so warm in her memories. It wasn’t a delusion after all. She had been with the man she loved, and with no other...only him.

But did he love her? She had hoped all this time that he still cared about her. Two days ago, she almost lost all her hope and her dreams. Now, she felt them bursting from within the depths of her heavy heart. As Bulme felt Vegeta begin to walk toward her, she turned around to look at him again with blue eyes wide and shining full of hope.

"You? No one else?"

"Tch! Of course there was no one else!" he snapped back in annoyance, hating the way he was feeling. From the moment she had awakened, he had been flooded by the strong emotions that he felt coming from her, and it all but put him in a foul mood all morning. He reached out and began to drag her back into the middle of the room near the bed, careful not to make her injuries more severe. Locking his eyes onto hers, he wanted to forcibly shake the misunderstandings right out of her brain.

His shortness with her was beginning to irritate Bulma. ”Oh yeah? What happened to 'you're just useful?’ Huh? What about all those times you kept telling me that I was ‘nothing’ to you?"

"It was for your own good," Vegeta answered in low voice as he drew her closer to him.

"My own good? I can decide what’s for my own good, you bastard!" As he put his arms around her and hugged her in a tight embrace, Bulma felt her will to continue fighting with begin to dissolve.

"Do not question me, woman. I have changed my mind about you," Vegeta said softly into her ear, then knowing she would still question him about why he changed his mind anyway, he quickly added, “Freeza knows about you. He will come for you sooner or later."

Shocked that he would embrace her so lovingly, Bulma let the surprise pass and relaxed in his arms, resting her face on his shoulder. "You wanted me away from you and this planet for my own good. You've loved me all this time." The words that came out of her weren't questions; yet they came out of her naturally, as if the answers were inside of her all this time, coming directly from the bond they did indeed share. And it warmed her heart. "You must have suffered, just like I had…" With that, she withdrew her head from his shoulder and looked straight at him.

There was a bond between them and she couldn't explain it. She didn't think she wanted to try to even to figure it out at this moment. Perhaps later, but now, she was relieved, and very happy. At last, she could love him and at last, he would love her.

Vegeta looked at her face, knowing what she felt and his own heart swelled with pride and confidence. He would defeat Freeza! He would be emperor of the five galaxies for her, and he would be Legendary! With her, he would be strong! There would be no more reservations and no more indecisions. He would take her with him to the rebellion; with her by his side, he and his followers would do whatever it takes to devastate Freeza and his minions and anyone who would dare try to hurt the ones who were precious to them.

The past few months had been stormy, filled with confusion, regrets, and misunderstandings between him and Bulma. Vegeta swore to himself that he would not let it happen like this again. He wouldn't let anything tear them apart again, not even their own stubborn natures. Gazing at her, his longing for her came back to him and this time the feelings no longer caused him pain. As he let his desires flow freely, he slowly brought his head closer to hers, his hot breath comfortable upon her skin.

This is what Bulma had always wanted, ever since their time together in that garden, a place that seemd so far away from them now. Soon their lips came together in a passionate kiss, letting the world around them melt away and their love for each other fill them. Vegeta continued to hold her tightly, as Bulma stayed close to him, her feelings too intense to figure out at the moment. All she wanted to do was stay within this kiss for all eternity.

Her wish wasn't granted, for as soon as Vegeta and Bulma, still locked in their fevered kiss, moved to sit onto the bed, his scouter alarm rang. The noise was unwelcome and louder than Vegeta had ever remembered. Reluctantly, he slowly removed his lips from the sweet sensation of Bulma's tender mouth and reached for his scouter. Frustration and anger began to rise in him again. He hated to be disturbed like this, now that he finally had his beloved in his arms. Forcibly clenching the scouter with his hand to the point that it cracked a bit, he put it up to his ear. They both sat still as Vegeta pressed the receiving button, bringing the sound of a very impatient King Vegeta’s voice into his ear. Bulma remained as silent as possible so that the king would not know she was in the same room with his son. She knew well enough that their love affair needed to be kept secret for the time being.

"Vegeta, where are you? I need you here immediately!" Scowling at the tone his father had taken with him, Vegeta wanted nothing less than to simply reply with a “no” and put an end to this conversation.

"What is it?" Vegeta asked instead, curious as to what had transpired.

"I’ve just been informed that Paragus was found dead and his ashes are collecting dust as we speak! You have to drop whatever you’re doing and come at once! We need convene an emergency meeting to discuss this with the other counselors."

Vegeta smirked, remembering with pleasure the death blow he had dealt to the old Saiya-jin, but his smirk quickly faded as he also remembered that he had charged Kakarotto with taking care of the situation. Knowing he had to cover his own tracks, he decided to go, just to find out what the fools were saying about the whole mess. "Hmph, fine. I'll be there shortly." And then he abruptly clicked his scouter off before his father could say anything more.

Bulma blinked at him in disbelief, but she had heard the same thing as Vegeta: Paragus was dead! "You killed him, didn't you?"

Vegeta looked at her and answered with a smirk, "The weakling had it coming."

She contemplated his words, still slightly nervous, but also strangely comfortable, with the change in their relationship. "I suppose he did have it coming. The bastard bragged that he was going to betray you and defy the decree you ordered so many years ago.”

"I already knew that he’d been planning to usurp me with his son, Brolli. But what the fool didn’t realize is that I have a more far-reaching and well-established network of information on this planet than all the trash on the council combined." When he stood up, his smirk disappeared and he turned to face Bulma with the intensity and seriousness of a man deeply and utterly in love. "And he overstepped his boundaries when he though he could have you."

"Vegeta…" was all Bulma could say at the moment. Then, without warning, he suddenly grabbed her by the arm and flung her over his shoulder, destroying the tranquil mood that had been between them. "VEGETA!! WHAT THE…? PUT ME DOWN NOW!"

"I have to get ready to meet with my whiny father. And you need to heal," he said as he made his way toward another part of his suite. Bulma just continued to squirm on his shoulder. Surprisingly, a laugh escaped her throat. "Oh, what's so funny?"

"I can’t help it! This reminds me of the time you dragged me off to that rock pool so that I could wash the stink off of myself!" She laughed again, adding with a giggle, "And it tickles, too!" No sooner than she said that, she felt him come to a stop. In one motion, he lifted her off his shoulder and lowered her into a small rejuvenation tank near the sanitary chamber. Before Bulma could protest, he roughly put an air mask on her face, stood back and away, then secured the front hatch. He quickly reached over, flicking on the switch to fill the tank with healing liquid.

Looking at her through the tank window, he said, "After you are fully healed, I want you to clean up and change into some clothes which I will be leaving for you." She continued to stare back at him as he walked further into the sanitary chamber and away from her view, trying her best not to panic inside the small tank. But soon she fell into a deep and relaxing sleep, one which would allow her to recover and her wounds to heal. Even in her sleep, she could sense Vegeta close by and it reassured her that she would be safe, despite being in a world filled with evils.

Vegeta showered slowly, not wanting to rid himself of her scent on his skin, but wanting to remember every embrace, kiss, and exploring touch they shared the night before. Feeling her doze off into a medically induced sleep, he sighed with relief, assured that she would now heal properly and thoroughly. He had adjusted the settings on the tank so that even the scarred disfigurements on her back would heal and her skin would again be new and perfect, like it was before Chili. Vegeta would protect her for now on; he wouldn't let her come to harm. He was of the Super Elite; the most powerful being in the universe! Or he would be very soon and he would protect her, not with just his strength in his muscles but with the added power of the Legendary!

As soon as he felt himself clean enough, he stopped the water and stepped out of the shower. A few minutes later, he was dressed in his finest armor, letting his red velvet cape glide behind him with each step. Before leaving his suite, he passed by the tank to look once more at Bulma, who was sleeping soundly within the tank. Grateful and reassured that she was safe and in the process of healing, he walked towards the main door of his suite then stepped outside to go and see his father.

**********

Vegeta strode proudly into the war room, but unlike the night before, it was full of people, guards, scientists, and council members. Once he entered, they all automatically parted to make room, bowing to him as he walked pass them to reach his father’s side. To everyone else in the room, the prince’s face was set in its usual, unreadable scowl and an unpleasant aura surrounded him.

As he walked past them, Vegeta grew suspicious of this gathering and wondered if they already discovered that it had been he who was responsible for killing the traitorous counselor. And without an opportunity to put together enough evidence of Paragus’ betrayal to the royal house, Vegeta would certainly lose face with some of the other council members. Even though he regarded them all as trash, especially because it was they who had backed the alliance with Freeza, which caused the enslavement that Freeza had inflicted onto his people, they still were Elite members of his race and co-ruled with his father. Ultimately, they could decide to dethrone him if they believed him to be weak or not in his right mind. Saiya-jins respected and looked up to power. If any within the council even suspected that he might be planning to rise against them, they would rally the people’s opinion against him by first spreading rumors that he had grown weak and no longer worthy to rule. Then he would have to respond to every person who challenged him, to prove he was still strong, thus killing many of his own people and further alienating them. And if something like that happened, even though he would be established as the ruler of Vegeta-sei, it would be difficult to control and definitely be a very large and inconvenient headache. It was a situation that he didn’t need, especially not now, when the rebellion was gathering, ready to strike back. Stopping only an arm’s length away from his father, the king, he folded his arms cross his chest and looked down at the pile of ash and blood stains that used to be Paragus.

"It seems, despite our best efforts, we cannot uncover who Paragus’ killer was,” the king commented somberly to his son. “All of the surveillance videos were destroyed and his ki signature was altered. Even the investigating scientists tell me they have no way to discover the real killer."

Hearing that, Vegeta hoped that the king would call off the investigation. He was thankful that he had planned ahead with Kakarotto, and although the 1st-class idiot had done as instructed in burning the body and destroying the evidence, the ashes were still here, which caused a stir. Luckily, Vegeta was strong enough to alter his ki to hide any evidence of him being there the night before. "Then I suppose there is nothing else we can do. If Paragus was killed so easily then perhaps he shouldn't have been on the council."

"No, I cannot drop the investigation, Vegeta, until we get some answers. With Freeza suddenly cutting off contact with us and rumors resurfacing about a slave, who was suspected of killing a Saiya-jin and who also happened to be the Chikyuu-jin scientist you promoted, things aren't looking good. We need to find the killer and soon."

Releasing his arms to his side, Vegeta looked at his father, while ignoring the comment about Freeza. "What are you getting at?"

Sighing, the King almost shrugged. "If there is evidence pointing towards this former slave as Paragus’ killer, even though I don't want to, I may have to order her death. And if my information is correct, that Freeza is headed here specifically for her, I cannot risk his disfavor by having her executed, knowing that such an act will infuriate him to the point of taking it out on our people."

"Really, Father, I doubt very highly that such a weak female could have overpowered and killed an Elite like Paragus." Vegeta didn't like the idea of Bulma being held in such a harsh spotlight.

Caught off-guard by his son’s statement, which almost sounded to him as though the prince was defending the Chikyuu-jin, the king could only look back at Vegeta in puzzlement and replied as best as he could. "One cannot say that, given the types of devices I have heard that she can create. Besides, only you and I are physically stronger than any member of the council and I was in my harem last night. So, that leaves only you and your whereabouts unaccounted for. As for me, I would prefer to just pin this murder on this alien female rather than have you face the council."

Vegeta bristled, visibly growing even more upset. "Are you trying to suggest that I killed Paragus?"

Carefully watching his son’s angry reaction, King Vegeta began to suspect that something else was going on. "Calm down, brat. I was just airing out some options. This is a very sensitive situation and we have get to the bottom of it.”

"Hmph, fine! Then I will go find the woman and talk to her myself." Raging, Vegeta turned on his heel before his father could say anything more and left in a rush.

Vegeta wasn’t just angry, he was very worried. Unless he could find some unfortunate soul on which he could place the right evidence and thus the counselor’s death, Bulma faced certain execution by the council. And with Freeza’s cutting off communications with the planet, matters had already become a lot more complicated. But he couldn’t worry about that this moment. If he was found out to be the killer, he had to have a defense ready to show evidence of Paragus’ plans of betrayal. He also needed to prepare so that he could escape the wrath of the council for killing one of their own. Although his killing of Paragus was justified, he knew that he had to provide a credible witness, someone who would be able to testify on his behalf, or else the council would demand he be stripped of his title and punished. And he wanted Bulma to be that witness and supporter, but he also realized that no one would bother listening to her unless she was presented as more than what she seemed to be.

Turning the corner into a corridor located in the oldest part of the palace next to the scholars’ wing, Vegeta came upon the person he was looking for. Unlike the newer sections of the palace which had been made from Vegeta-sei metals and marble, this part of the palace had been constructed of mostly stone and wood. It was dim and very warm within this part of the palace, which was thousands of years old. Vegeta found the old Saiya-jin kneeling before a large carved statue of a sitting ape and muttering words in the old language. As Vegeta's shadow covered him, the old Saiya-jin startled and looked silently up, then turned white as a ghost at the sight of the smirking prince. It was obvious to Vegeta that the old man could no longer fight and was resigned to death. The priest tried with great difficulty to get to his feet and properly bow to the prince, but Vegeta didn't care about that formality at the moment. He had already thought of a way that would allow the old fool to die a most honorable death.

**********

Using the sides of the opened hatch door, Bulma began to pull herself out of the rejuvenation tank feeling like the last seven-eight years of her life had been nothing but just one bad dream. In fact, she felt wonderfully alive and strong, ready to take head-on whatever might be thrown her way. Stepping on the cold marble floor made chills run all over her body. Looking down at her almost completely naked state, she noticed that her underwear had been obviously torn and tied back on her. Thinking about the pervious night, she couldn’t recall if Vegeta had done it, but imagining him doing such an caring and intimate thing caused her to blush.

Knowing that she needed to bathe and dress, she made her way into the sanitary chamber, heading in the same direction that Vegeta had earlier gone. As she stepped into the giant shower room, she almost melted with delight. There were piles of towels, fluffier than she had ever seen, and an array of bathing soaps and lotions everywhere. Then she spotted the clothes that were laid out for her. Laid out neatly was a navy spandex body suit, a small-sized set of Saiya-jin armor, a white scientist’s coat, along with a pair of gold-tipped white boots, much like the ones Vegeta wore; and to completed the outfit, a pair of Chikyuu-jin underwear. Thanking the gods, she turned on the shower, which quickly filled the shower room with steam, peeled off her old, torn underwear and began to indulge in the luxuries provided to wash herself clean from head to toe.

By the time Bulma finished showering, dressing, and taking care of her hair, Vegeta had been gone for almost two hours. She felt very comfortable in the clothes Vegeta had picked out for her and very strong. Thinking of Vegeta, she closed her eyes and focused on the bond in order to seek him out. It took only a second or two to find him, but his emotions were troubled with uncertainty. Worried, but hoping that things were going to be alright, Bulma tried to take her mind off the negative emotions coming from him and decided to look around Vegeta’s suite. Besides a bed, a communication room, and the tank/sanitary room, she quickly discovered that there wasn’t much else to his huge apartment, and that the two-story suite was filled with empty rooms. It made her sad to think of the wasted space in the empty, but beautiful, rooms.

As she made her way back into the main room, Bulma stopped when she saw a portrait hanging on the wall, lonely and hardly noticeable. She could see that it was a picture of the royal family. In it, Vegeta was a young boy, standing as proudly as he could next his father and mother, both of whom were sitting regally. Staring at the woman who had borne the man she loved, Bulma began to wonder about her, but her pondering thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Vegeta coming back. She knew it was him; she could feel his relieved thoughts at being back in his own space. This is what I wanted anyway . . . she heard in her mind. . . Father will try to blame her . . . Not waiting to understand his whispered thoughts might mean, she decided to quickly run to meet him, happy that he had finally returned. When she finally saw Vegeta, she smiled widely and ran towards him.

“Vegeta, thank goodness you’re back! I – ” Bulma began to say, but her voice froze as she came to a halt, scared by what she was seeing. Standing next to Vegeta was an old, pasty-looking Saiya-jin, his arms filled with things that both smelled and looked as if they were rotting. Bulma resumed walking slowly towards the two, but looked uncertainly at Vegeta, who returned her questioning gaze without emotion, yet trying to reassure her through their bond.

The old Saiya-jin looked at Bulma with wide, questioning eyes. Clearly, she was an odd alien female, very Saiya-jin in appearance, but obviously weak. “Your Highness, is she the one?”

Before Vegeta could respond, Bulma demanded, “What is this, Vegeta? What’s going on?”

The already pale skin of old Saiya-jin grew even whiter with surprise. This girl was treating the Prince like an equal! And what was more shocking, the Prince seemed to let her! Darting his eyes at Prince Vegeta, he could plainly see that the royal heir had truly fallen for this bossy little alien.

“This is the only Saiya-jin priest on Vegeta-sei. And as such, he is the only one who can properly wed us.” Vegeta was very factual with his tone, trying his hardest to keep is royal composure in front of the priest.

Bulma fell silent, taken aback by his words. She had always believed that the two of them had no real future together and that he would eventually leave her to marry an Elite Saiya-jin woman to be his queen. Of course, she knew how much he desired her, but her side of the bond wouldn’t let her read his thoughts exactly. Never had she expected to marry him! Now that she knew how deeply he cared for her, it swelled her heart with joy. “You want us to . . . get married?”

“I need you to have say in matters. As the Queen, if anything bad were to happen, you would be the only one who would be able to understand and convey my wishes.”

After a moment, she began to feel her old arrogance return and a confident smile spread across her face. “Of course, only someone as beautiful and smart as me can be the Queen!”

Then did the old priest see the similarities shared between the two before him. Perhaps this blue-haired female was meant by the gods to be the next queen.

But, less than a minute later, Bulma’s smile faded as she turned to look at Vegeta with a panicked expression. “What the hell am I saying? Queen!? I can’t be queen! I don’t know a thing about ruling this planet!”

Clearly getting annoyed at her, Vegeta half-yelled, “Be quiet, Bulma! There’s no need to be worrying about something as insignificant as that! Tch, besides, I know you want this,” he added, turning slightly red, “. . . as much as I do.”

“Yes, Vegeta, I do want this,” she said with a slow nod, surprised yet again by his behavior, “with all of my heart.”

“Good.” Vegeta turned to address the waiting priest and commanded, “Hurry and start the ceremony!”

“Y-yes, Your Highness!” Not willing to argue that the royal heir was about to marry an alien and that the prince had made him swear an oath of secrecy, the priest shrugged and began to prepare for the ceremony. As he gathered the necessary items, he kept in mind that the Prince had threatened to kill him should he ever betray his sworn oath and tell any one what was about to take place, unless either Prince Vegeta or his intended bride gave him permission him to reveal the truth. But, the priest also remembered that, in performing this act, the prince was offering him one last chance at greatness and he was not about to pass it up, since death was just around the corner for him.

Vegeta and Bulma stood facing each other as the priest stood in front of the two. They weren’t dressed in anything fancy, just what they were wearing that day and they weren’t surrounded by any ornate decorations, only the sparse furnishings in Vegeta’s suite. The priest had been very specific about the details regarding the ceremony’s rituals, making Bulma fully aware about what was expected of her and what she was supposed to do. The priest held an old wooden cup underneath Bulma’s outstretched right hand as Vegeta carefully cut into her palm using his ki. Blood trickled from the opened wound into the cup. When that was done, she held her right hand palm-up, and, using a small dagger in her left hand, she cut into Vegeta’s right palm as the priest held the cup to catch his blood. Then Bulma and Vegeta joined their cut right hands together, wound-to-wound, letting their blood mingle. The priest opened an old animal skin scroll and took out a stick-like pen. Dipping the pen into the blood, he slowly wrote the names of the prince and his bride onto the scroll. Paying no attention to him with their hands still enjoined, Vegeta and Bulma continued to look at each other. Slowly, the priest turned and opened the lid of a decomposing box and pulled out a cloth, stiff with old dried blood, which he proceeded to dip into the blood-filled cup. Not until the cloth had absorbed all the blood in the cup did he remove it. Carefully, he wrapped the cloth around the joined right hands of Vegeta and Bulma. Then the old Saiya-jin priest began his prayer:

“With the cloth of your ancestors, soaked with of the blood of great Kings and Queens of the past, I join you both forever under the watchful eye of the Great Saru. May you have strength to defeat your enemies and triumph in battle together, letting neither of you fall onto weakness nor cowardliness.” Looking directly at Bulma, he continued, “May Saru bless you so that you will bear powerful heirs to honor and uphold the name of Vegeta.” Then he turned to look at Prince Vegeta. “And may Saru grant you the strength of the Legendary, so that you will lead our people to power and greatness.” With his part in the ceremony done, the priest stopped and bowed deeply to the two before him.

Before the priest could stand and remove the cloth from their hands, Vegeta asked Bulma, “What is the custom for Chikyuu-jins when they wed?”

The priest straightened and threw a puzzled look at the prince. Nothing like this had ever happened in any wedding ceremony he had ever conducted before; for the prince to inquire about her alien wedding customs only solidified the priest’s growing suspicion that Prince Vegeta was marrying this female purely out of love and not for power.

Bulma paused, thinking for a moment before she answered. “Well, as I recall, the ceremony was something similar to this, but the vows didn’t involve so much…blood. Instead, the bride and groom would exchange rings and, at the very end to seal the arrangement, the couple would kiss.”

Vegeta’s complexion reddened again and a frown appeared on his face. He turned his head and caught the priest, who was staring back at him at the moment with disdain. Quickly, the priest bowed again. Returning to Bulma, who had her brows raised and her face filled with curiosity as to why he had blushed so, Vegeta breathed in deeply.

“I will not do something so vulgar in front of another!” Vegeta declared at last.

Bulma smirked, thinking that it was cute that he was embarrassed about kissing her when someone else was present. “Well, I didn’t expect you to.”

Knowing quite well what she was feeling, Vegeta clenched his teeth together and turned even redder. Then he yelled to the priest, “If you tell anyone about this, I promise to will cut out your eyes and feed them to you!”

The priest then bowed as low as the floor and his old bones would allow him. “Yes, Your Highness, I swear I will not tell a soul unless you wish it!”

Vegeta stepped in closer to her and Bulma’s smirk disappeared. Not believing that he would really kiss her, she stood where she was, waiting for him do . . . anything. She could sense his struggling with it, but finally she tilted her face up toward his and he bent his head to her. With their eyes closed, the newlywed couple kissed, while the priest continued to bow, keeping his eyes down. After a minute or so passed, he raised his eyes to risk a glance, only to see what he already knew to be true. Prince Vegeta was kissing his princess lovingly, almost passionately. Taken back by the powerful emotions coming from the pair, the priest’s misgivings about this union were swept away. In all his years, he never felt so certain that the bond of legend was genuine and that these two held it between them. As soon as the prince broke off the intense kiss, the priest quickly bowed his head again, pretending not to have looked.

Bulma and Vegeta looked at each other, sharing a feeling of wholeness, of being one. They knew that whatever was coming, they would meet it head on and together. Their bond, unbreakable and powerful, would bring Freeza to his rightful death. And for that, the galaxy would fall down on its knees in gratitude for its liberation from the evil of the white lizard. Nothing would stop them and nothing would tear them asunder. Then, the very universe would tremble before them.

But more evil was fast approaching; it was stronger than Freeza, stronger than Gero and his creations, and stronger than even the gods themselves. The newlyweds would both have to face battles that would seem hopeless – and they would each have to learn to survive without the other.