Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unfaithful ❯ Part Four: 36 ( Chapter 36 )

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

..................................U N F A I T H F U L ........................................................................... ........Rhapsody~* ________________________~*Part Four*~: War.....Yamcha watched the radar screen in front of him with disbelief. At that very moment, an exceptionally large ship was entering the atmosphere, almost directly above them, at an alarmingly fast speed. And, just when he had thought that it couldn't get much worse, three more of only a slightly smaller size entered behind it. He had been anxiously waiting for, even been looking forward to, the moment that Vejita decided to step up to the plate and challenge him, but all of the fantasies he had gone over in his head could not have prepared him for the moment that it actually happened. He felt like he was standing ass-naked in the middle of his war-planning room, while all of his generals laughed in his face. He had been telling them to relax, that Vejita wouldn't show up for another week, and here he was, proving him wrong."I had thought that this Saiyan would wait until we're completely weakened," the man sitting next to him said, as if on cue. "You said that he wanted total domination instead of a speedy war."The others in the room waited for Yamcha's answer expectantly, their faces doubtful of their leader's prowess. For his part, all that Yamcha could do was open and close his mouth blankly."Well," he stammered out. "That wasn't a concrete hypothesis... after all, the people are a bloodthirsty, unpredictable race. You can never guess what they're going to do next...""It sounds to me like you have no idea what the hell is happening," one of the generals grumbled."Excuse me, general?" Yamcha snapped. He could hardly believe this-- had they lost their respect for him completely? Who was the king here?"Nothing, sir," the man replied, but he certainly didn't look remorseful. "I was just mumbling to myself.""What's your plan of action?" another man asked, crossing his arms. "I'll need to know now, so that I can prepare my army.""My plan of action?" Yamcha scrambled for an answer. All of a sudden, he couldn't remember what he had been planning to do. He was definitely, above all, a cowardly man by nature. The idea that he might have to take charge and make the first move had not occured to him. "Prepare your armies to defend the city, and most of all the palace. I don't want a single damned Saiyan setting foot in this palace except for King Vejita. Allow none of his cronies in with him, do you hear me?"The generals in the room shot each other puzzled looks at this odd request, but moved to follow their king's orders anyway. It wasn't as if Yamcha was a typical ruler, they reminded themselves (both silently and aloud to each other) as they exited the room. Yamcha watched them leave, then shot up out of his seat when they were gone."Kami-damn it all," he groaned under his breath. Moving the windows of the room that overlooked the city, he found himself searching the skies. Vejita would be here in a little under an hour, if he continued at his current speed. Hardly enough time to put a proper defense together.It was no matter, though. There was no one left in the city, or at least no one that Yamcha particularly cared about. The brutes could destroy most of it, for all that he cared, just so long as they didn't touch his palace. Or his woman. The reminder of Bulma made Yamcha even more apprehensive about Vejita's coming. Would the man even bother to fight Yamcha, or would he just sneak in, take Bulma, and leave? Thankfully, that second plan didn't sound like something that the proud Saiyan would do, but he could rule nothing out. The possibility that Vejita might be able to take Bulma, his most prized possession, away from him, made his fists clench in anger.How dare she stray away from me! he roared inwardly. If the little bitch wasn't so quick to spread her legs, we wouldn't be having this little problem. Or at least not so soon, he amended. He had, after all, gone to Vejitasei to start a war. But he hadn't known that Vejita would find such powerful inspiration back then. He had never dreamed that timid, subservient little Bulma would dare to defy him. She had grown back the backbone that he had taken so long to destroy, and that irked him."The men left looking rather hopeless," a throaty voice pointed out from behind him. "I wonder what could have inspired such a reaction?"Yamcha did not want to speak with the calculating Lady Briefs right now. Sometimes he wondered why she stuck so close to him all of the time. Something told him that she was waiting for the opportunity when she could take the power from him. But that was ridiculous-- she was just a power-hungry noble, like all the rest of them. "Vejita's coming in under an hour. He's got three ships headed for us right now. I don't think that that's something that usually brings about smiles, do you?"Lady Briefs smirked. "So cynical! What happened to that enthusiastic king that I used to know?" Before Yamcha could answer for himself, she continued. "You've received a little dose of reality, I assume.""Reality?" Yamcha snorted. "You don't know what you're talking about. I've got everything under control. I was just surprised at the early arrival.""Ah," she replied. "I see now. Have you had a chance to check in on everyone's favorite adulteress?"He had almost forgotten about his earlier attempt to see her. "No, not yet. Have you?""Why would I waste my time?" the woman dismissed breezily. "I was merely wondering whether she had crawled back into her shell again. She's a coward-- she can't even face her own problems.""I have no doubt that she's safe," Yamcha said. "I have two of my best guards on her right now. They won't let the wrong people through."Lady Briefs nodded. She knew that Yamcha would protect his trophy, his badge of honor, as best he could, though never with his own life. "Now that Vejita's almost here, don't you think that you should hide her a little bit better?"Yamcha grinned. "Nope. I've got her right where she should be. I want Vejita to find her. When he does, I'll be there waiting for him.""You don't mind if I lurk around in the shadows, do you?" Lady Briefs asked casually. Unconsciously, her hand went to where she had her dagger hidden in her skirts. "I just want to watch that son of a bitch fall, and my snotty daughter's face when he does." She was careful to play on Yamcha's ego by assuming that he would win, just to get her way. Of course, she knew that he might not, which was why she wanted to be there. She was thinking of an arrangement that she could come to with the Saiyan King as they spoke, always in the back of her mind. The dagger-- for protection and intervention, if the occasion called for it.Yamcha shrugged. "I don't care."The woman's face broke out into a grin. "Wonderful! I assume that when he arrives, you'll contact me somehow?""Just stick around." Yamcha looked again towards the skies, and the aristocrat knew that she was losing his attention."I'll take my leave then." Before she left, she stole another look at Yamcha. He looked distressed, and his complexion was ashen. Oh yes-- it was very likely that he would choke. She then left, but she would not be very far.Yamcha squinted so that he could better watch the sky above the clouds. Any moment now, he worried inwardly. Any moment.....________________________________________________________________ ________________________...Chichi passed a hand in front of Maylene's face, trying to get her to focus. "Hello? Are you alright?"The human woman feebly attempted to swat her away. "To hell with 'alright'," she muttered. "How the fuck could I be 'alright'?"Chichi rolled her eyes at the sarcastic woman's response and glanced over her shoulder at Magdalene, who was fixing up the bandages that she had applied to Bulma's arms. They were stained with blood already, but it looked to be slowing. "Listen, Maylene, it doesn't matter how we feel right now anyway. The only thing that matters is getting Bulma back to consciousness, and we need all the help that we can get. So why don't you stop being so selfish and think about your best friend for right now?" Her voice was unusually sharp, and her race began to show itself.Maylene blinked, surprised at Chichi's outburst. Then, to the other woman's surprise, she cracked a tight smile. "Well, well, well. There's that famous Saiyan temper.""Are you going to get up now?" Chichi asked impatiently. "Maybe seeing you when she wakes up will do Bulma some good.""Leave me alone for a minute," Maylene snapped, her eyes guarded again. "I'll be over there soon enough."Shaking her head, Chichi left the moody girl alone and approached Magdalene again. "How is she? Is her breathing any better?""No," Magdalene said. "She's not conscious right now. I think she's slipped into some kind of trance or something. We have to wake her up, give her something to live for.""How might we do that?" Magdalene's brow furrowed, as if she were weighing her options. "Well... I suppose I could give her a jolt of energy, but I don't know that I can control it well enough to keep from hurting her. I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I wish Vejita were here."Chichi knelt beside Bulma and put to fingers to her neck. "Well, her pulse is steady, and you could probably manage your ki better than me. I've never even used it before." She eyed Magdalene seriously with her gentle brown eyes. "I think you should try it.""Try what?" Maylene had approached them, and she eyed the two Saiyans with suspicion. "What are you two talking about?"Ignoring her demands completely, Magdalene set her lips determinedly and placed a hand on Bulma's chest. "Kami give me strength... because if you don't, I'm going to be gutted by my own damned son."Maylene looked downright angry now. "What the hell is she going to do to Bulma?!"Chichi shot her a warning look. Even in her weakened, pregnant state and without any training at all, she was still stronger than the human woman. "She won't harm her. She's just giving her a shock to wake her up. I would suggest that you stay away so that you don't get hurt if anything goes wrong." This last part was exaggerated, but it worked, because Maylene stayed where she was, her arms crossed.A blue light shone around Magdalene's hands, a telltale sign of the use of ki. The queen took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then released the energy into Bulma's body. Almost as soon as she released it, she withdrew her hands and opened her eyes as if she had been shocked herself.Bulma's body jolted, then went still again. Just when the women thought that nothing was going to happen, the human woman groaned, and her eyelashes fluttered against her high cheekbones. Magdalene could hardly contain her relief."Bulma!" she said, taking the woman's head in her hands. "Wake up. You're safe now-- its Magdalene. Kakkarott's mate, Chichi, is here also. And I believe that you would be very interested in seeing our other companion. Her name is Maylene."Bulma blinked a few more times, then her eyes opened fully. They were still painfully blue, but something was lacking. Magdalene could not study her closely enough to decide just what it was, but it took away from her originally startling beauty. "What..." She turned her injured arms over, seemingly puzzled at the bandages as well as the spots blood that had leaked through. "You're alive," Magdalene informed her, as if she needed reminding. "Thank Kami that we reached you in time. What on Earth were you thinking of when you did this?"Bulma disregarded the question as if it weren't important. "Why are you here? Yamcha-- he's here too... if he finds you--" Her head fell back in exasperation and weakness."If he finds us, we can handle him," Magdalene assured her. "Besides, I think he has his hands full at the moment. Vejita's on his way. He'll be here before you know it, and all of this will be over."The human shook her head, and tears brimmed in her eyes. "It won't be over. So many people have been killed. Yamcha and his friends, they... he..."Magdalene caught the gist of what she was saying. He had raped her. "I know, dear. That time has passed. You survived, and for that I commend you."Bulma wanted to say that she didn't survive, that she would never be the same again, but she couldn't stand to watch the renewed light in Magdalene's eyes go out so soon. "I'm ruined now!" she muttered. She spoke of both the ugly marks on her arms and the damage done by Yamcha and his friends. "Who would want me like this?""The crazy son of a bitch that overthrew me would." Magdalene did not dwell on the subject. "I have someone here who's been wanting to see you for years now. Perhaps you should sit up and greet her."Maylene did the job for Bulma. She moved quickly to her side, her hazel eyes bright with emotion. "Oh my Kami, B... look at you! How could you do this to yourself? Have you completely lost your damned mind?"Bulma's eyes widened dramatically, and reached out a hand to Maylene's cheek, to see if she was really there. "Maylene? How...?"Her friend decided not to tell her about Byron yet, just in case the fool was killed. "After Yamcha stripped me of my title and near close to everything else, I moved to the outskirts of the city. I've been living there like a fucking pauper ever since. When this all started, I joined up with a group of people who stayed in the city. And its a good thing that I did, too, because these two found me." She winked at Bulma with all the humor that she could muster. "They wouldn't have gotten anywhere without me, of course."With a wince, Bulma began to sit up. Maylene helped her, and when she was upright, the woman immediately swept up her injured, tortured friend in an embrace. Maylene's eyes teared, and Bulma began to weep. For their parts, Magdalene and Chichi watched with warmth on their faces."I never thought that I'd see you again," Bulma muttered into Maylene's shoulder. "I always wanted to find you, but he was always watching me.""I was watching you almost the whole time," Maylene told her a bit smugly. "I saw you whenever you would make public appearances, and when you came back from Vejitasei. You looked so terrible, B-- I had half a mind to approach Yamcha and assasinate him myself."The two separated, their eyes taking each other in for a moment. They had both changed more than they could have imagined. Maylene looked wiser, more serious than the carefree, troublemaking girl that Bulma used to know, and as for Bulma herself... needless to say, Maylene was having trouble taking it all in."Look at us," she whispered sadly. "What happened to those girls we used to know?""They're dead," Bulma replied, her blue eyes darkening to the color of the storm clouds that had enveloped their adolescent dreams. The blue orbs came to rest on the bandages on her arms. "Everyone we used to know is.""I hate to interuppt, but your charming husband won't leave you alone here forever," Magdalene cut in gently. "We have to think of something. He'll recognize us from a mile away."Maylene stubbornly ignored her, having eyes only for Bulma at the moment. "Why did you do it?" she asked, reaching out to touch a finger to the makeshift bandages on her friend's arms. "What good did you think that this would do?"Bulma turned her face away from the accusing eyes of her friend, her matted locks hiding her face. To her surprise, she felt shame. "I don't know," she said under her breath. "The first cut was the only one that hurt.""We're lucky that you did do it," Magdalene said reluctantly. "If you hadn't, Vejita most likely wouldn't be on his way right now. He felt something... he saw you hurting yourself I think.""This isn't right," Bulma said. "He shouldn't be coming now. Yamcha's anger is fresh. I don't know if he can hurt him, since Vejita is so much stronger, but something... something's going to happen. I know it.""What could possibly happen?" Maylene demanded of her. "I've heard some pretty unbelieveable stories about your new lover, dear, and it sounds like Yamcha met his match and then some.""That's how it should be," Bulma whispered. Maylene pretended not to hear. "Perhaps its just me. Lets just keep an extra eye out. Please."Chichi watched the door warily. "You aren't expecting any company anytime soon, are you?""I don't know. They don't tell me anything. Yamcha's most likely with his generals..." Bulma's voice trailed off, and it was clear to see that she was still feeling weak and lightheaded."You need medical attention," Magdalene pointed out. "I wish that this were all over with so that we can go about setting things right again."Maylene sat closer to Bulma and put a supporting arm around her shoulders. For the moment, the fact that one of them was a queen and the other an exiled noble was forgotten. "What will become of Earth when this is all over?" she asked Magdalene. "Will you leave and let us run ourselves again?""That is not my decision to make." Magdalene's green eyes were steely. "Not anymore.""What do you mean?" Bulma asked. "You are the Queen of Vejitasei."It pained Magdalene to have to tell Bulma about the shortcomings (which were much more numerous as of late) of her future mate, but she had to answer the question. "After you left, and we were sure that there would be a war, Vejita ascended the throne.""But why? I had thought that you still wanted to rule--""I did," Magdalene said dryly. "He took it by force." At the alarmed look on Bulma's already distressed countenance, she quickly corrected herself. "Don't ever think that he is in any way like your husband, Bulma. He gave me his word that he would step down once this is all over. He merely took the control so that he could moniter the war situation better. You know how he is."Bulma nodded slightly. She looked a little bit sick, but Magdalene guessed that she would be fine for the moment."I'm landing right now," Vejita's voice snapped from the communicator in Magdalene's skirt. "We landed right in the middle of the damned market to save some time. Hopefully we didn't crush too many of those human bastards." His last comment couldn't even pass for halfway sincere. "It won't take me long to get there.""How comforting," Magdalene spoke back. "You remember my warning about that group of rebels, don't you?""Yes," he replied. "Its bullshit. How the fuck are a bunch of weakling refugees supposed to help me?""More than you might think. They know the palace, and the people running it. You can save some time if you use them. Besides that..." She glanced over at Bulma, but the woman's eyes were glazed over once again, perhaps to shut out pain or reality. Or perhaps both. "their leader is an acquaintance of Bulma. It would be kind of you to spare at least his life." Or give him a speedy death."I'll think about it.""She's getting stronger," Magdalene said. She knew she didn't have to say Bulma's name. "She's conscious, at least. Her arms have some nasty cuts, though. She's going to need some stitching as soon as we can arrange for a doctor. I'm thinking of taking her somewhere safe, so that she doesn't have to go through any trauma.""No!" Bulma called out with surprising urgency from behind her. "I'm- I'm fine. I want to be there.""Don't be foolish, woman," Vejita responded. "You don't have the stomach to watch what I'm going to do to that little worm.""I've lived with, even slept with, that man for countless years," Bulma said through gritted teeth. "You cannot honestly keep me from being there when he is killed. If I weren't... weak... right now I would do it myself.""Make sure that she's out of harm's way," the Saiyan King ordered Magdalene. "When will you be here?" his mother asked.There was a heavy silence on the other end, and then it was broken by Vejita's thick voice. "You'll know."...__________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________