Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Price You Pay ❯ Chapter Twenty-Seven ( Chapter 27 )

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The Price You Pay: Chapter Twenty-Seven

The room that had been arranged for Bulma was welcoming and luxurious. The entire room was done in white and gold. There was an antique gold floral pattern to the wallpaper and the sheer white drapes that faced incredibly tall windows. The bed was a canopy and had an embroidered white and gold comforter with gold trimming. The bathroom was also done in white and a small vanity done up in gold was adjacent to it.

How could a room like this exist at all among the darkness of the rest of the palace?

Bulma asked herself. She liked the change and slowly went around touching all of the items including the small grooming tools set down on her vanity.

"I take it the room is to your liking, Lady Bulma?" asked Radditz, suppressing laughter at her dramatic reaction to the splendor of the room.

"Yes, of course." She sat down on the bed as she mumbled the reply and lay down. It was very soft, almost too soft, if that was possible. It was everything out of a fairy tale dream, but there was something missing and that something, or rather someone, was Vegeta. She couldn't help but frown despite herself.

There's got to be some sort of explanation for this. I'll make him remember.

She bit down on her lower lip and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Is everything alright, Lady Bulma?" asked Radditz again, standing uncomfortably. He was trying not to fidget, apparently not used to displays of emotion.

"Of course, of course." She waved her hand to reassure him. "The room is wonderful, how could I not be alright?" She tried to make him believe she was perfectly fine but failed miserably.

"Ah, but you still haven't seen all of the room, have you?" Radditz asked with a grin.

 

~~~~~<(((((|||)))))>~~~~~

The mark had appeared a few days earlier completely out of the blue. It was just after dawn and Vegeta was practicing some swordplay in the courtyard when he had suddenly been overcome by a, literally, searing sort of pain between his shoulder blades. The pain was so intense he'd dropped the sword and fallen onto his knees, bracing his head between his hands. It wasn't just his back that was being invaded—it was his mind as well. There was an alien presence trying to force its way into his consciousness and the pain was crippling. No matter how many mental walls he kept putting up or how quickly, within an instant, all were torn down.

The searing pain between his shoulder blades crescendoed and he became overwhelmed, forced to drop all of his mental barriers. There was a light, a white, pure light that had completely enveloped his line of vision before it all faded to black.

He couldn't help but shudder as he remembered it.

What is wrong with me, first the appearance of this dreaded mark and now my weakness for an onna?

He wasn't sure how, but he knew that somehow the two were related and it worried him. The last thing he needed to worry about with the impending war was a woman who would cause him unwanted distraction.

But he did want her. Spending the previous evening wrapped in her bare arms and smashed against her nearly naked body had assured him of that. It had been years since a female of any species could get under his skin like that. There was something else there though. He was drawn to her. There was something magnetic to the atmosphere when they shared the same room. It was as if her proximity to him was only natural for their bodies. And, damn it all, he liked it.

~~~~~<(((((|||)))))>~~~~~

"We still can't find a planet with her species, sir," reported one of the Saiya-jin communications officers. "We've searched our entire data bases and those of our associate planets. Nothing. Not a trace." The officer wouldn't say it, but Radditz could tell what he was thinking. All of them were thinking the same thing. Does this have to do with the war with Dokar-sei? Of course, none of them knew of the mark this mysterious onna possessed nor why they were forbidden to tell the King without Vegeta's permission. All of them were worried.

She's too enticing.

Thought Radditz, captured in his own thoughts.

She'll be the undoing of the empire if Vegeta allows her too close.

He already had though. And that was the problem. The scent of her was all over the Prince, barely stifled by the soap he'd tried to use to cover it up. Not that Radditz could really blame him. Bulma was very beautiful. The type of beautiful that made even the prudest male look twice. She was striking and sharp in an alien way. And she was a handful. Yes, he would have to keep a close eye on Vegeta and himself for that matter. She was beguiling and Radditz was determined not to let himself fall victim to her charms.

 

~~~~~<(((((|||)))))>~~~~~

The closet was, wow... Bulma's thoughts trailed off. If one thing was for certain, Radditz did know how to cheer her up. She liked him, she decided after a few moments of contemplation. Despite his Saiya-jin aloofness and intimidating stature he was quite the charmer and very attractive. Not that any other Saiya-jin men could really ever hold a candle to Vegeta, but they were all quite attractive in their own devilish sort of way. She smiled.

My goodness, gold silk and crimson. Gorgeous.

Thought Bulma as she pulled out another gloriously expensive, hand made, gown from her enormous walk-in closet.

"It was my mother's," came a voice from behind Bulma, causing her to jump and cover in goose bumps all at the same time.

"Vegeta no Ouji," started Bulma respectfully, "I didn't see you there," she responded. She still couldn't figure out why she was going along with the whole amnesia thing and respect for goodness sake, but if that's what it took to win him back, it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. The Saiya-jin no Ouji smiled.

"No, you wouldn't..." Then his face looked puzzled. Really, it was too cute, noted Bulma as she studied the man leaning on the door frame before her.

"So all of these were your mother's?" questioned Bulma when she finally found her voice. Thankfully, it wasn't shaky in the least.

"Yes, she was a woman of very good taste, very rich taste. Or so I've been told," stated the prince rather cooly.

He never knew his mother...

"She died when I was very young," added the prince after noticing the question reflected in Bulma's eyes. It seemed that was as much as he would say.

"So are you finding your new quarters to be acceptable?" questioned the Saiya-jin no Ouji. It was nearly rhetorical.

"Yes, yes. Why wouldn't I Vegeta?" asked Bulma with a sigh. "...no Ouji" she added after seeing the strange look on his face.

"I apologize for keeping you on such a leash but you must understand that you, little one, are a great liability to me. If you have anything to do with Dokar-sei..." He trailed off. "Never mind that, you know the saying: 'Keep your friends close...'"

"And your enemies closer," finished Bulma with a defeated look on her face.

What the hell is Dokar-sei? And what is my connection to it?

Thought Bulma in more confusion.

Vegeta moved away from the door and approached Bulma. She suddenly became painfully aware of the fact that she was only wearing the robe from earlier and that her hair lay strewn in a curly mess about her shoulders. Vegeta's eyes were hard as he reached out a hand and gently stroked her slightly rouged cheek.

"Be sure you've decided where your loyalties lie, little one, before the war has begun. Saiya-jins are not known for their mercy and I would hate to see such perfection desecrated." It was another warning and Bulma still didn't know what was going on. She reached her own hand up and placed it over Vegeta's. As if waking from a trance, he hastily removed his hand from her face. "Pray I find no treachery in you, onna. Pray for it." And he turned to leave so quickly, Bulma had no idea where her thoughts should begin or end.

"Oh, and onna," came the Prince's voice from somewhere out in her room, "do wear something more appropriate tonight for dinner. I'm afraid my robe is quite unacceptable." The humor in his voice was apparent and Bulma couldn't help but blush.

His robe. No wonder he kept giving me such a strange expression.

At least that explained why she felt so comfortable in it. But dinner. She had no idea what to wear to that. She had no idea why she was going or why Vegeta would invite her. Especially considering the fact that she was his "little secret." Nevermind that, she had some questions to ask Radditz about this Dokar-sei.