Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Prince and Princess Diaries ❯ Boutou Aisuru ( Chapter 20 )

Chapter Twenty: Boutou Aisuru (Beginning to Love)

Vegeta caught up to the search party and told them what to do. Several of the stable boys he had yelled at earlier were there, along with ten guards from the palace. They nodded at his instructions, and Bulma did not say one word.

Vegeta made his way back home slowly, afraid that he would cause his wife more pain than was necessary. It was getting late, and all the peasants were in their homes for the night. The palace was lit up bright, waiting for their return. No doubt everyone had been panicking about them being possibly dead and ending a thousand year-old bloodline.

Vegeta made his way into the stable almost an hour later, and several stable boys rushed up to his side. He told them to rub down Warui very good and to feed him a lot of oats and carrots. They nodded and he dismounted gently, hoping not to disturb his wife. She seemed to be asleep. He prayed that she was all right.

One of the palace guards that were stationed in the stables went ahead of him, opening any of the doors that they went through. They were heading for the infirmary, which was in the south wing of the palace. It was almost empty, for Vegeta's father had forbidden anyone to come in to get treated and spread the plague around throughout the palace. Too bad that had not stopped it from spreading to him.

A woman ran up to him, apparently the only person there, gasping at the sight of the princess. He had a grim look on his face, and he obeyed the woman when she told him to lay the princess down on an operating table. He noticed right away that she was not Saiya-jin at the sight of her red hair. Another person from Anausia-sei?

She lifted Bulma's eyelids, and concluded that she was in a deep sleep. Vegeta stood next to her side as the woman took out a pair of scissors and began cutting away her pants. She was concentrating very hard, for she was trying to avoid touching her as much as she could. She did not want to wake her up.

Vegeta watched as Bulma's pants were cut away, leaving her in leather boots, a sword hooked to her side, her shirt, and a pair of what looked like modified and shortened pantalets. He wanted to chuckle at her inventiveness.

"Can you remove her boots, your highness?" the young woman asked, reaching for Bulma's shirt. She began unbuttoning it, and Vegeta gulped and looked away. He felt like he was doing something wrong by watching the young woman undress his wife. He nearly snorted to himself at how pathetic he sounded.

He moved down to her feet and unlaced her leather riding boots. One was soaked in blood, and the other was flecked with red spots. They would have to be thrown away.

After removing her boots and tossing them into a corner, he moved back to his wife's side and unbuckled the sword and scabbard from her side. The nurse had taken off her shirt, and she was left with a band of cloth around her breasts. Vegeta shook his head, knowing that Bulma must have gotten the clothing ideas from Anausia-sei.

Vegeta held the sheathed sword in his hand, his eyes boring into its structure. It was made very finely, just as good as his own. He felt confused that he had never noticed her wearing it back in the field, or even after they had been on his horse. He supposed that he had been thinking too much about his wife to notice anything else.

He set it against a wall, still wondering about it. What was his wife doing with a sword? It confused the hell out of him. Did she even have any idea how to use it? Was it just a little show or for protection? He would have to ask her later.

The nurse was back at her side, and he asked her quietly what her name was. She smiled and said, "Tenohira." He nodded and thanked her for helping him and his wife. She just smiled again.

Tenohira went to work at cleaning up the enormous amount of blood that was dried on her leg. Her thighbone stuck out obscenely from her flesh, which was ripped horribly. He flinched almost every time the nurse came close to the bone sticking out of her leg. It was one of the worst things he had ever seen-even after going through war and killing so many people. He had seen people burned to death, hung, run through, tortured...but this took the cake. He wondered briefly if it was because she was his wife.

After cleaning up the massive amounts of blood drenching her whole leg, she wiped her hands off with a sterilizing cloth. "Prince Vegeta, I need to set her leg," she said out of nowhere, startling him out of his reverie. He nodded, and unconsciously grabbed Bulma's hand. He prayed to the gods that she would not wake up.

The nurse maneuvered her hands into the proper position, and then pulled viciously. Vegeta heard a sickening crack as her leg was set back into place, and he nearly sighed with relief when her eyes stayed closed.

The nurse left her side and went into a side room. She came back a few minutes later, and asked him to pick the princess up and carry her to the prepared regeneration tank. He nodded and picked his wife up as gently as he could so he could bring her to the regeneration tank that had been readied for her.

Tenohira made the proper settings for the princess as her husband carefully placed her in the tank. She placed a mask over her face, hooked up the necessary things to check her vitals and brain patterns, and then closed the door. She pushed a few buttons on the consol that controlled the tank, and then it began filling with light blue liquid. She noticed that Vegeta watched the whole time, not taking his eyes off his wife once. She smiled to herself, wondering if the prince loved her. She was such a good young woman.

The nurse left, and Vegeta was all by himself in the regeneration tank room. It was filled with about twenty tanks, all ready for healing. He kept his eyes on his wife as he pulled up a chair, and prepared himself for a long wait.

************

Bulma blinked open her eyes, her face screwing up into a mask of disgust when she noticed that her eyes were nearly stuck together. Her hand reached up to rub them, and she sighed with relief when they opened. That had been a horrible experience....

She looked around, noticing that she was in her room. Judging by the angle of the sun, it was also early afternoon. She stretched and yawned, but did not get up. She felt wonderfully snug and warm in her bed.

She turned to her right side, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

Her husband was sitting by her bed in a stiff feminine chair, one that seemed to be too small for him. His eyes were closed, and his face was peaceful.

He was asleep.

Bulma's eyes devoured the sight before her. She had never in her life seen such a stiff, aristocratic man like Vegeta look so...serene. His features were calm and smooth, making him look years younger, almost as if he were a young boy again. His chest was rising and falling evenly, and she smiled at the sight of his head resting against it. He must have been extremely tired in order to fall asleep in that unyielding, petite chair.

She lay there and watched him for the longest time, content with just watching at him. She felt calm, happy, blissful. It seemed like all the world's cares and worries were gone, and she had nothing to worry about. The plague was no longer a threat, her mother- and father-in-law were still alive, Chichi was here with Kakarott. Ucukusii was still alive, out in a field grazing. The day was bright and not a cloud in sight. It was perfect.

She sighed and smiled dreamily, closing her eyes briefly as if she was in a fantasy that she did not want to wake from. She wished that she always felt like―

A sudden noise caught her attention, and she opened her eyes with a sudden gasp.

Vegeta was awake. All the feelings of tranquility vanished, leaving her bereft and lonely. How she wished that peaceful expression on his face would return....

"Bulma..."

She watched as he removed himself from her chair quickly and moved to her side. She made enough space for him to sit, and she felt her smile return when his hand cupped her face gently. He was looking at her closely, as if inspecting her to make sure she was healthy. For the moment she was luxuriating in the feel of his hand on her cheek, his thumb caressing her skin so lovingly....

Vegeta blinked when he suddenly heard a low purring noise emanate from her throat. She looked like she was in heaven, her face pressed against his calloused palm. He felt a bolt of lust hit him hard, and he forced it down violently. He could not act that way, especially right now. Not when he had to make sure she was all right.

"Bulma, are you in any pain? How are you feeling?" he asked, removing his hand when she struggled to sit up at his words. He helped her by lifting her from under her arms, and she blushed charmingly. He smiled faintly, praying that she would not get bashful and close up to him. He knew that he was not acting like his normal self, but he was doing it for her. He did not want to push her away.

Bulma looked at him closely, nodding when she mentally checked over her body. "I seem to be fine, but I cannot really tell. How long have I been asleep?"

Vegeta moved back to get a better view of her. She seemed to be in healthy condition, but they would have to get her up and walking before they made any final conclusions.

"Well, let me say first that on the way home from the field you fell asleep. A nurse took care of you and put you in a regeneration tank to heal. I helped, but there was not much I could do." He continued at her bright smile. "You were in there for about a day. I guess from what the nurse said that you had gotten a wound in that same leg before?"

Bulma felt herself pale slightly. "Um...yes. It was an accident. I am fine now."

Vegeta frowned at how tight-lipped she sounded. Was she hiding something? Did it have something to do with her sword?

"Well, after you were healed I brought you here. You slept for a few more hours, and that was this morning. It is the afternoon now."

She nodded, remembering everything vividly. The loss of Ucukusii, the excruciating pain in her leg...Vegeta's patience and kindness and gentleness. She glanced at him from beneath her lowered lashes, and fiddled with her light blanket.

"Um...thank you, Vegeta. For helping me and all."

He smirked. "You are welcome, my princess...." He stood at the confused look on her face. He knew that she was wondering at the tone of his voice. Did she know that he was about to ask something, lets say, intriguing?

He turned back to her, giving her a probing stare. She automatically lifted the covers to her chin. He chuckled at her modesty.

"I was wondering...Bulma...why you happened to have a sword strapped to your side while you were out riding. Do you happen to know?" he asked, a cocky tone in his voice.

Bulma sucked in her breath. He sounded...evil. What was his purpose? Was he trying to threaten or scare her?

She lifted her chin when arrogance filled her, and then lowered it when she thought better of it. Should she tell him the truth? Or should she lie? She was afraid that he might banish her from swordplay forever, which was what she feared the most, and that was why she did not want to tell him the truth. But if she told him...would he think it was interesting? Would he perhaps fight with her, become her sparring partner? What should she do?

She just had a feeling that she should not tell him. She did not know why, but something was nagging at her to keep it hidden. Then what to say? What could she say without sounding incredibly ignorant and stupid?

"I was, well, I thought that I might need it for protection. That's all there is to it," she lied, hoping that it did not show on her face. Could he tell?

Oh, he could tell all right. Did she think he was stupid?

He chuckled again, but did not say anything. He would let her play her little "game", but he would find out sooner or later what she had really been doing with such a magnificently crafted blade.

"I understand, my princess. For as you know, this world is not a very safe place. But I was also wondering..." He looked at her closely, noticing that she was nearly drooling to hear his next words.

"Well, I guess I was just wondering where you acquired such a beautiful sword. Surely you know that only Royalty would possess such a superb piece...."

Bulma started ringing the blankets in her hands, a reaction to her nervousness. She did not even notice she was doing it, but Vegeta did.

"Well, I...Hokora had it made for me," she blurted out, only telling a half-truth.

Vegeta's eyes widened. Had she just dared to utter his mother's name? That had been his father's honor...and only his honor. He felt anger seethe inside him, for not even he had ever dared to do such a thing. He had never even tasted the feel of her name on his tongue....

"Never utter her name again," he hissed, stalking over to her bed in anger. She leaned back in fear, not understanding until his face was one inch from hers. She began stuttering nervously.

"I-I well, Vegeta...I did not mean it. Hok―I mean, the queen, gave Chichi and I permission to use her name, but only in private. It was just a habit...I am so sorry, I did not mean to insult you, Vegeta," she said truthfully, searching his face when he relaxed slightly and moved back. He sat on her bed and drew his legs up so he could bring his arms around them. He stopped glaring at her like he was the devil and looked at the floor. Bulma was surprised at the sad look gathering on his face.

"My mother..." he whispered, closing his eyes. He had not thought about her for a while. He had been so busy....

Bulma felt sorrow fill her at the sight of her husband. She shifted towards him, and placed her hand lightly on his shoulder, afraid that he would push her away. He did not move.

"My mother was very important to me," he said, still staring at the floor. "I never really thought anything about it when I heard that she was sick, for I thought it was a lie. My mother had never been sick a day in her life."

Bulma started at his words and nodded, rubbing his shoulder to tell him to continue. She wanted to hear this...needed to hear this. She could not believe that he was saying anything, and she ate up every word. She had always wondered what his thoughts had been about Hokora's death and everything that had transpired before and after it. Maybe this would be her chance to hear it.

"But something just did not feel right. Certain events forced me to come home...unwillingly. I did not ever want to return."

Bulma felt pain slice through her, but she ignored it, wanting to hear him confess his story. That was more important than her pitiful emotions.

"When I came home, I found Vegeta-sei in a shambles. I had no clue that it was this bad," he said quietly, feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders. He felt like he was carrying the whole universe.

"I found my father stark raving mad, screaming atrocities and death at me. He...he told me about how my mother died," he whispered, looking at her for the first time. He was not surprised to see tears in her expressive eyes at the mention of his mother's death. By the gods she was beautiful, with the way her eyes became so bright and her face flushed, her lips so pouty and alluring...how he just wanted to ravish her mouth with his, let his tongue caress every inch of her skin, feel her writhe against him in pleasure, cry out his name as he―

He turned away from the temptation. He just wanted to take her up in his arms, kiss her, touch her, make her feel things she had never felt before. He wanted to make love to her, show her what he should have shown her in the first place.

"I was so angry...at him, at my mother...at you. I hated you, Bulma. I thought, somehow, that you should have saved her. That somehow it was your fault. Everything I thought was wrong though...I realize this now," he said, unwilling to look at her. He felt like he was opening up a part of himself that he had never seen before, one that he was frightened of, one that he wanted to back away from. But Bulma seemed to be responding to this side of him, almost as if she was beginning to understand what kind of person he could have been...still could be.

"I loved her, Bulma. I might have hated my father because of so many reasons, but my mother...she was everything to me. She showed me love; she cared for me and made sure that I never wanted for anything. My father despised her for a long time because of that, but I suppose he got over it. Maybe he realized that he could not have his way in everything."

Bulma felt confusion fill her. "Have his way in what?"

"In my upbringing. He wanted me to be a killer, a murderer. Yes, it is true that I am a killer and a murderer, but not to the extent that my father wanted me to be. He wanted me to be better than he was; he wanted me to do all the things he could never do. He wanted to mold me into his own image. That was why I hated him. I hated him because he tried so many times to take me away from my mother."

Bulma shifted from her position and moved behind him. She soothed him by stroking his shoulders and back, and he relaxed against her ever so willingly. She blushed madly when his head rested in between the valley of her breasts, but she fought embarrassment down at the content look on his face.

Vegeta sighed as her hands worked magic on his stiff muscles. That chair had been hell, but he had not dared to move onto her bed. He had not wanted to push her away further when they were making so much progress.

"Anyhow," he said, waving his hand through the air, "I suppose that my mother's death was not anyone's fault. Things happen...we cannot prevent fate."

Bulma nodded, kneading his shoulders with everything she had. He seemed to have a lot of knots, but they were slowly relaxing.

"What was it like...when you were young, and Hok―I mean, your mother was alive?"

Vegeta felt something shift inside himself. He wanted to say it, so bad, just once....

"Hokora...."

Bulma smiled and hugged him from behind. "See, it was not that bad, was it?"

He smiled softly and said it again. It rolled off his tongue...it was such a beautiful name.

"Do you know what my mother's name means in Saiya-jin, Bulma?"

She shook her head, her eyebrows coming together. Sure she knew Saiya-jin just as well as Anausian, but she had never learned what "Hokora" had meant.

"It means `small shrine'. I suppose it is fitting, for so many people loved her and worshipped her. She was a very stunning woman." But not as stunning as you, my love....

Bulma nodded. She wished many times herself that she looked like her mother-in-law, but she knew it would never happen. She was only Anausian, and she would never sport the brown or black hair, the dark, striking eyes. It only emphasized her point when she felt something furry curl around her arm, and she grinned at his tail. That was definitely something she would never have.

Vegeta sat up, knowing that he could not lie around all day. He smiled down at her in her frothy white virginal nightgown, and stuck out his hand to help her from the bed. "Get dressed...and we shall have dinner together. After that, I have a surprise for you," he said, seeing her face light up with excitement. He chuckled and kissed her cheek, wanting to see her blush shyly. She did just that.

He realized yet again after looking at her pink face that she was completely innocent. He would have to remedy that soon...if he wanted to contain his sanity.