Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unfaithful ❯ Part Three: 18 ( Chapter 18 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

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................................................................ ...................Rhapsody~*



________________________~* Part Three*~: Diplomacy
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After making sure that Bulma was comfortable in a warm, healing bath, Vejita used the balcony as a launch area to return back to his own chambers. There he would wash the sweet scent of Bulma and the sex they had partaken in off of his skin. It would not do to walk around with all of your secrets reeking off of you.

Upon arriving there, he found a plain envelope sitting on his bed, sealed with his mother's emblem. With a sigh, the prince disposed of the offending paper without even reading it. He alread knew what it contained. The woman was looking for him, no doubt, assuming that he was getting in some sort of trouble (which he had been), without having any legitimate proof. He would deal with her, as well as the rest of the world, later.

Now, all that he wanted was a long shower. But, as his luck usually went, he was prevented from achieving that. Because just then, Kakkarott came through the door, his goofy face worried.

"Hey, Vejita!" he called, coming into the main room, where the prince waited, scowling. "Why weren't you training this morn-- Wow! What were you doing?!" His nose crinkled up as he caught the scent of Bulma and uh... adult activity coming from Vejita. Immediately, his face darkened.

"Don't feed me any of your shitty lectures on danger right now, Kakkarott," Vejita snapped. "I don't need to hear it from you."

"One of these days, someone else besides me is going to walk in and you'll be sorry that you didn't listen to me, Vejita-sama," the other man said, sounding suspicously like Magdalene. "I guess I know why you weren't training this morning now."

The depressing attack on Bulma began to replay itself in Vejita's mind, and he almost wished that he had stayed in his own chambers and gone training instead. "I had more important things to tend to," he finally argued. "Wasting my time with you and the rest of those fools is hardly productive."

Kakkarott raised an eyebrow in a way that made him almost look like a functional adult. "And sleeping with Queen Bulma is?"

"Believe me, we weren't sleeping," Vejita quipped with a smirk. "Did you come here just to annoy me, Kakkarott, or is there a reason for your intrusion?"

Kakkarott briefly considered telling him about his meeting with Nataliah, then dismissed the idea. Vejita did not need another reason to commit murder, and he did not feel like a savage beating. "Nope. I just wanted to know where you were."

"Figures." Vejtia seemed to acceptt his answer and turned his back to Kakkarott. "I would like to shower without an audience."

As Kakkarott left the room, he felt his stomach turn. He had found himself yet another secret burden to carry.
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As soon as Magdalene's servant came to her with word of Vejita's whereabouts, she quickly donned a hand-embroidered robe over her dressing gown and hurried towards Vejita's chambers, as fast as her heeled shoes would allow. Now, she wasn't the kind of mother prone to overreactions, but this feeling... it was eating her alive.

The queen marched right into her son's luxurious chambers without bothering to knock, which earned her a scowl from her son, who was just stepping out of his bathroom, wearing just a towel wrapped around his waist. It never ceased to amaze her just how much he looked like his father. She could only hope that he would decide to rule differently.

"What is it with people and convienantly forgetting to knock today?" Vejita commented with an amused half-smile. He hid his anger at the morning's events well.

"What have you been doing this morning?" Magdalene demanded, ignoring his remark completely. "And don't try any of your deceptive bullshit on me, Vejita, because I know that you were doing something seriously wrong."

Vejita knew that he would have to make up one hell of a lie to fool his mother, who was not inclined to overreacting over nothing. So much for a relaxing after a shower... "I was with Kakkarott, in the city."

Magdalene sat down in one of Vejita's leather chairs and raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Oh? Then why is that none of my servants could find you, even after conducting a citywide search? And just what were you doing that would raise red flags in my mind?"

"Avoiding your idiot lackeys is not difficult to do," he responded, crossing his arms. He was getting sick of being questioned today. "And would harassing the street vendors risae your... 'red flags'?"

Magdalene only pretended to believe her son's lie. "Again? Vejita, I am getting sick of apologizing to those poor men on your behalf. Please tell me that you didn't hospitalize this one?"

"Unfortunately not. I seem to be losing my touch."

"You are most definitely your father's son," Magdalene said with a sigh. "And may Kami have mercy on my soul for allowing such a thing to happen."

Vejita scowled. "My father was a dishonorable coward. I am neither of those things, Magdalene, so don't feed me your 'woe is me' bullshit."

"Its nice to know that you care," Magdalene snapped. Her son had made a disturbing habit of lying lately, and she did not like it in the least. "Dammit Vejita-- we are on the brink of war here! The last thing I need is you making trouble and getting tongues wagging."

Vejita rolled his eyes. Magdalene didn't preach to him often, but when she did... look out. The only way to shut her up, usually, was to shock her with one of his trademark rude comments. But that would not work this time. It looked like he would have to talk his way out of this one... "What difference does it make, Magdalene? We're always at war with somebody, and we've always prevailed. Why start doubting now?" The prince adjusted the towel around his waist and moved to his minibar (purely Radditz's creation, back when partying had been the bane of their existence) to make himself and his mother a drink.

"I know," the woman said, watching Vejita mix her drink with dark emerald eyes. "But somehow, this one is different. Yamcha came here to start this for a reason. The question on my mind is-- why? He must be planning something worthwhile."

Vejita handed her a drink and stared at his own, thinking on her comments.

"What's in this?" Magdalene asked. Then, with a wave of her hand, she dismissed the question. "You know what? I don't even care."

"Perhaps it can be coaxed out of his woman."

Magdalene took a sip of the drink, cringed, and shook her head. "No-- he wouldn't waste his breath telling her. What did you put in this thing?" She set the glass down with a look of disgust.

Vejita smirked and downed his own without so much as a wince. "Enough vodka to make you forget all about your war. And everything else, for that matter."

Magdalene stood and moved to the exit, rolling her uniquely-colored eyes as she went. "Everyone's right-- you are an asshole."

She closed the door just in time to miss her son's mocking chuckle. Vodka-- guaranteed to chase anybody's mother anyway.
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Much to Bulma's relief, Yamcha returned to their chambers just in time to prepare for that night's meeting. She was not amused, however, when on the way to the meeting rooms, he began to recall to her his day.

"I chose to forgo training, as I met up with several rather attractive Saiyan women," he explained smugly. "They could not compare to you, of course, but they were nice-looking, nonetheless. Let me tell you, those Saiyans act and fuck like animals! I haven't experienced anything equal to that in... well, since this morning!"

Bulma felt queasy already, and the area between her legs still hurt. "i hope that nobody saw you being unfaithful," she said quietly. The irony of the statement did not amuse her. "Rumors would be started."

Yamcha shrugged nonchalantly. "I rather don't care what the Saiyans think of me," he stated boredly.

Bulma personally thought that attitude to be quite foolish, considering that (at this rate) they would soon be dancing on the edge of war with these people, but did not share her opinion. Let the man think what he wanted-- there would be no convincing him otherwise. She decided to let the Saiyan council have the privelege of critiquing him tonight, since that's what they would surely do.

"I don't approve of your leaving Nataliah behind again," Yamcha informed her quietly as the neared the meeting rooms. "Its hardly proper for a lady to be unaided."

"We are not on Earth right now, Yamcha," Bulma reminded him, trying not to sound at all defiant. "No one thinks twice about it here."

Yamcha did not have a chance to reply, because they found themselves at the doors of the grand room. Bulma gathered her courage as the guards bowed, then allowed them to enter. She had a feeling that she would be needing as much courage as she could get today.

The entire Saiyan council had already assembled, as they had the day before, and once again they all stared at Bulma's outfit, once again chosen by Nataliah. This one was a strapless wrap of a smoky-gray material, particularly form-fitting so that it would stay in place. Judging by the appreciative glances of the men, including Vejita, the handmaiden had chosen well.

"Welcome," Magdalene greeted as they took their seats.

"Here we go again," Vejita grumbled, just loud enough for Yamcha to hear. "I wonder what fun and games are in store for us this time."

"The last time we met, we were speaking on the subject of trade," Bardock started, shuffling some of the papers set before him.

Vejita scowled. "And we got nowhere. Clearly, talking about this in small incliments is not working."

Yamcha crossed his arms. "Then how would you propose that we do this?"

"I say screw organization. We all know what this is about-- war." Vejita leaned back in his chair with a shark-like smile of a businessman. "So lets talk war."

Magdalene started to protest, but Vejita shot her a glare that miraculously made her stop. The queen glanced over at Bulma with genuine fear in her eyes and took comfort in knowing that she was not alone in her worries-- Bulma gripped the arms of her chair until her knuckles went white.

Yamcha seemed slightly impressed and interested at last. "So we finally see eye-to-eye. Go on."

"I have learned throughout my experiences in planning for war that there are three basic components that must be discussed-- first, the terms, then the reason, and finally the battle itself," Vejita began seriously. "Once we have discussed those, then we can fairly judge whether we really want a battle or not."

"Your Majesties, I strongly recommended that we choose another, more peaceful method of doing this," Bardock said. "These meetings have been organized so that we can avoid war, not promote it."

Nappa glared at the old man. "You speak of what you do not know, Bardock. Perhaps if you were physically active, you would be more inclined to go along with your prince."

"Come on, Father," Radditz prodded. "A Saiyan prides himself on his thirst for war."

Turles rolled his eyes at the two's hasty actions. "You two had best shut up. Neither of you are at liberty to critique Bardock. He has fought in many more wars than the two of you have combined."

"He is right," Bardock said. "I have."

Kakkarott looked strangely downcast. Only Bulma and Vejita knew the true roots of his problems. "I don't like war, period. Too many innocent lives are lost."

"I have to agree with Kakkarott," Magdalene put in. "Honestly, gentlemen-- think of the planets and the people you are putting at risk here."

Bulma looked on, utterly frustrated, as the men and Magdalene debated, wishing that she could offer her opinions now rather than later. But, considering the foul mood Yamcha seemed to have settled in, that was not a good idea. So the queen watched helplessly as the bloodthirsty men duked it out verbally, snapping and snarling at each other like children. Once again, they were getting nowhere.

"Bulma," Kakkarott called suddenly, causing all of the arguing around him to stop in mid-sentence. "What do you think about this?"

The queen's mouth opened and closed silently, as she weighed her options. She could not just ignore Kakkarott, but the consequences of her speaking up were far worse. Yet, the woman desperately wanted a say in the matter, before it was too late. Magdalene and Vejita both studied her intently, thinking much the same thing as she was. Beside her, Yamcha downed another glass of wine, glaring at her as if daring even one word to cross her painted lips. Finally, she spoke. "War should be discussed only as a last resort. We are here to make up a treaty, and it appears as if we are breaching it already."

"I agree with you," Kakkarott said, seeming to have forgotten the danger he was putting her in. Bulma silently willed him not to ask her any more questions. Thankfully, Kami went in her favor today. "Why can't we just act like responsible adults and talk this over?"

Vejita scowled, but seemed to still not be convinced. "Fine, Kakkarott," he relented grudgingly. "But mark my words, this treaty shit is a waste of time."

Yamcha glared at the prince from across the table and signalled for more wine. "Thanks for your confidence in us, Prince Vejita."

"You're welcome," Vejita answered flatly, his menacing eyes locked on Yamcha, as if trying to get him to crack under the pressure of his glare. It should have worked-- even Bulma was squirming in her chair. But the effects of the liquor clearly strengthened her husband's resolve.

"Now, moving on to more productive things..." Bulma tuned out Bardock's clear, even voice and snuck a peek over at Vejita.

He seemed to be listening to Bardock intently, though it was obvious by his bored expression and angry frown that he was not taking it seriously. In a way, Bulma could understand why. It was no secret that Yamcha wanted war and nothing else, but at the same time, the queen wished that the hotheaded prince would think about at least trying to convince Yamcha otherwise.

All of that got Bulma to thinking of what would become of her, in case of a war. Her good judgement led her to stay with her husband and home planet, but her heart was telling her otherwise. More than anything, she wanted to stay with Vejita, on a planet of people that accepted her as more than pretty face and Yamcha's trophy. If she stayed here, she could live her life normally, without having to worry about what was 'proper', or 'ladylike', or about what the snobby courtiers thought of her.

On a whim, she glanced over at Vejita again, imagining all of the possibilities. Somehow, he must have felt her eyes, because he looked away from where Yamcha and Turles argued and directly back at her. The bold prince dared to smirk, and Bulma indulged him in a small smile. Their eye contact then abruptly ended when Magdalene suddenly put a hand on her Vejita's arm, asking him what his opinion was on something or other. Bulma averted her eyes to her lap and blushed in spite of herself, praying that Magdalene had not seen.

Unbeknowest ot both Bulma and Vejita, the Saiyan Queen had seen it all. The tell-all smirk, Bulma's unmistakable emotion behind her grin, adn even the young woman's faint, becoming blush. The lurking suspicion that she had been entertaining for some time now resurfaced.

Magdalene could not stand by any longer. Something had to be done. Soon.
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Surprisingly, Yamcha did not pass out until he reached their chambers. Bulma hadn't even expected him to make it through the meeting, which had ended with little more success in discussing peace. The whole of the meeting had consisted of Yamcha and Vejita arguing about war, with Bardock, Kakkarott, and Magdalene vying for peace, and Nappa, Radditz, and Turles seemingly neutral, though certainly eager to jump into any given arguement. Bulma, of course, had been perfectly silent.

Nataliah assisted her now in unpinning her long curls, humming a pleasant Russian folktune under her breath. Bulma indulged herself in the sinfully delicious chocolates that Magdalene had sent to her, while staring back at her reflection in her vanity mirror. She hadn't spoken since Yamcha had passed out, apparently still thinking about the meeting... or Prince Vejita, Nataliah mused to herself.

"Did the meeting not go well?" Nataliah asked, breaking the silence. "You looked grim when you arrived, m'lady."

"No, it did not go smoothly," Bulma confided absently. "How many of these chocolates do you suppose it would take to make me fat?"

Nataliah blinked at the odd question. "I haven't the slightest idea, m'lady. Why do you ask?"

Bulma ran a hand over her slim torso, tilting her head as if looking at her profile for the first time in a while. "Perhaps if I became overweight, Yamcha would leave me alone, and I coud live a normal life."

"Oh, even if you were fat, your face would betray you, Your Majesty," Nataliah replied. "You will always be beautiful."

"Then may Kami soon deliver me from this suffering," Bulma stated quietly. "Leave me alone now, Nataliah. I can undo my own hair."

Nataliah recognized her lady's desire to be alone with her sorrows, and wordlessly wen to her own chambers to deal with hers, leaving Bulma alone to do as she pleased.

The queen did not move from her place at the vanity. Azure cat-eyes stared hollowly back at her in the mirror, as if mocking her predicament. She had been foolish to even think about living on Vejitasei during the meeting, because now she was plagued by the hopelessness that came with every far-fetched fantasy. She had been sitting there for some time when a hand reached over to cover her mouth and stifle her scream.

"Stop your screaming," Vejita whispered into her ear. "Can I trust you to keep quiet now?"

Bulma, who was both surprised and pleased to have him next to her, nodded and sighed when he withdrew his hand. "What are you doing here?" she demanded in a harsh whisper. "And must you always startle me like that?"

Vejita proved to be smirking in amusement when Bulma stood and turned to him, with a wary glance at Yamcha's snoring form and Nataliah's closed door. "We have to discuss the meeting sometime," he said, already heading for the balcony. Bulma had a feeling that discussing the meeting was the last thing that he wanted to do. "And there's no better time than the present. Or at least, thats what my son of a bitch father used to say."

"Where are we going then?" Bulma asked, following him onto the balcony.

"Down to the ocean."

"The ocean?" Bulma's heart skipped a few beats. "But I'm hardly dressed for that..."

Vejita took in her loose white dressing gown, half-pinned hair, and bare feet wtih appreciative eyes. "You'll be fine," he assured her. "Besides, who the hell's going to see you so late at night?"

"I suppose you're right..."

"Then hurry up and come over here," Vejita chided. "I'm going to have to fly you to the coast."

"I am so glad that we're going down to the ocean again," Bulma breathed as she allowed the Saiyan to pick her up and move to the railing of the balcony. "Are you sure that no one will be down there?"

Vejita half-grinned oddly, as if he had something up his sleeve. He easily maneuvered Bulma within his arms as he left the solid ground of the palace and took to the sky. "No one would venture to this particular spot unless they had a pressing desire to drown," he assured her.

"That is, no one aside from you," Bulma corrected. Strangely enough, she felt no fear at his comment. She trusted the bold man's judgement.

"And now you," he replied. "You don't seem afraid at the prospect of having your body battered against the rocks along the coast either, woman."

Bulma's playful smile grew more serious, and she felt no qualms as she looked the menacing prince in the eyes. "I trust you," she said softly.

Vejita seemed a little uneasy with her reply. He had not been expecting a serious comment. "Famous last words, especially where I am involved."

"One more foolish action could hardly make things worse," she said.

"Never underestimate such a serious situation, woman," Vejita advised her. "Of all things, that is what you must never do."

The remainder of the flight to Vejita's spot along the coast was passed in silence. Both parties were daring to imagine what could and most likely would happen, and both knowing that with every precious moment spent together, they were heightening the stakes.

Finally, the arrived at their location, a large rock jutting above the water, precariously placed between the cliffs that made up the shore and the vast ocean, therefore receiving the worst of the waves and being submerged covered in high tide. At this time, however, the rock was surrounding by still, pristine water and pale moonlight. As soon as Vejita landed, his human companion rushed to the edge of the rock and dipped a foot into the cool water.

"Do you come here often?" Bulma asked as she carefully sat on the edge of the rock, mindful of her delicate nightgown.

Vejita sat beside her and gazed out to sea, his black eyes thoughtful. "I come here when I want to be alone, and when I want to do serious thinking without being distracted by Kakkarott or any of the other dumbasses in the palace."

"It seems like a good place for that sort of thing," Bulma agreed, shredding a piece of stray seaweed between pale fingers. She then, in a sudden burst of frustratin, cast the plant violently aside and glared down at the water. "You are so lucky," she vented, her blue eyes smoldering. "You have everything that one could ever dream of-- private, quiet places, clean oceans, accepting people-- it isn't fair! How can one person have so much, when so many others have so little?"

Vejita, surprised at the uncharacteristic outburst, did not know what to say. "No planet is perfect, even this one. Your home has just fallen victim to more flaws than others-- shitty rulers being one of them."

"Before I came here, I thought that I would hate this place," Bulma confided. "I had always heard stories of savage warriors and unwelcoming, overcrowded cities. But once I came to see it for myself, you have more beauty and tolerance here than anyone on Earth could ever dream of. Back home, women practically live their lives in cages, but here... they are treated as equals, and not porcelain dolls. You even have a female ruler-- a person would be condemned from even thinking of such an outlandish thing. I hate it! Not because of simple jealously, but because I know that after I return home, I will have left my heart behind, as well as you." No tears came this time-- Bulma was beyond that point now. "I hate the thought that I'll have to return to being Yamcha's whore, going about the same routine every day for the rest of my life. I don't want to die a miserable, lonely old woman locked up in a corset. Could you blame me for that?"

"It doesn't have to be that way," Vejita suggested gravely, catching a loose lock of her hair and examining it within his fingers. "I could kill him tonight, and all your troubles would be gone." He could not stop picturing her screaming and crying as Yamcha ravaged her, laughing all the while. He was not lying-- he would have taken great pleasure in murdering him. "I would enjoy his blood on my hands."

"As much as I would love for that to happen, you musn't do it." Bulma shook her head so that the strand of hair slipped out of his hands and frowned. "You and I both know that if you did that, a war would be started and we would both be punished for our crimes. Your mother would have no choice but to see the truth and do what is right. I cannot allow that to happen just because of my own selfishness."

Vejita regarded her seriously with his alluring, dangerously intriguing black eyes, and Bulma know that it would take all of her strength to refuse his plans. "Not selfishness. Everyone has a right to obtain happiness, do they not? I am not opposed to pulling a few strings-- or limbs-- to help you, or rather, both of us, reach that goal." The Saiyan ran his hands up the woman's arms with a smirk. She truly was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. That alone was worth fighting for. "It would be child's play to set the bastard up in any number of ways-- poison, alcohol, an accident-- name your means."

Bulma was now finally getting a glimpse of the killer he was known as. "No. There are too many risks involved."

"Then how the hell do you propose that you estrange yourself from him?!" Vejita demanded.

"I do not yet know," she replied. Her tilted blue eyes came to rest on Vejita, and he found them to be filled with compassion. Then the woman slid into his arms, taking comfort in his strong embrace. "Perhaps a means will not have to be decided. With the way the negotiations are going, war seems inevitable. Perhaps... there isn't even a way." The woman nearly cried out in grief at the thought that there might not even be a way for her to obtain a happy ending.

"I will not even consider such a thing," Vejita said. "I can certainly speed up the war process, however."

"Must you always promote violence? Yamcha will use it against you," Bulma advised him. "Bide your time. Yamcha will announce war soon enough."

"Yes, when he was created enough technology to crush us!" Vejita protested, moving away from her. "I will waste time no longer-- tomorrow motions toward war will be made."

Bulma knew recklessness when she saw it, and knew that initiating war was what Vejita must not do. But, judging by his fierce expression and pride, he would not easily be perseuded otherwise. Hot tears of despair welled up in her eyes, and were not lost on the prince. He turned the woman to face him (for she had turned away from him in shame) and was dismayed to witness her tears of helplessness for himself.

"Why do you cry, woman?" he inquired as gently as Bulma had ever heard him. "This should delight you-- soon your husband will be dead."

"I do not think that this will go over as planned," Bulma whispered, as if someone might overhear them. "I have a feeling that there is more to this than you think. Please do not start a war-- I cannot even begin to tell you how horrible it could get."

Vejita seemed amused at her 'foolish' fears and premonitions, but did not think less of the queen for thinking them. She would be, after all, in the middle of everything. He took her chin in one hand and looked her solemnly in the eyes. "I brought you here to relax, woman, not to set you sobbing. Tell me what will stop your pointless despairing."

Bulma didn't have to think twice about her answer. "Don't go through with this plan. Above all things, that would bring me solace."

Vejita leaned forward to share with her a short, soft kiss, and then grinned lazily. "Fine. I shall forget all about war for the time being. Does that satisfy you?"

"Yes," she replied. The easy smile that came to her perfect face let Vejita know that she had accepted his easy lie.

Part of him felt guilty for telling her such a serious untruth, but his cunning mind got the best of him. It was the only reasonable way to get what he wanted, and Bulma did not have to know about it.

At least, not until the war was over.
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Rhapsody~*
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FF.NET MEMBERS:: Ugh! Can you believe these awful changes that have been happening around here?? They changed my pen name... Above all things, that is what pisses me off the most. And I have more fics posted than the other Rhapsody! Geez, there's no justice in the world today. Now I have to think of another pen name with 'Rhapsody' still in it, because I refuse to remain a number! Maybe you guys could help me out with that... ^_~ I would greaty appreciate all suggestions. Anyway, I'm sorry for the longish wait. I made this chapter a little bit longer to make up for part of that. So, until the next chapter... Oh yes, and in response to another reviewer (forgot the name, I'm sorry!) I don't WATCH horse shows, I show in them... I show dressage.

Note to DBZ Fanfiction Queen: Just a word on your 'tone it down' review. That's the way that I write, so I don't think that I can completely take out the sex without ruining the storyline, ya know? I'll try to tone down the scenes where the sex does happen, but don't expect Bulma to be wearing a chastity belt anytime soon, LOL! Hopefully, you'll be happy with that. The fic's rated 'R' for a reason, dear! Thanks bunches for your honesty and faithful reviewing! As always, I will forever be grateful to you for that.

MEDIAMINER.ORG MEMBERS:: Yay! More reviews! I'm glad to see that you guys are finally warming to me... Hehe, at least, I think thats whats happening. Until Chapter Nineteen...

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