Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unfaithful ❯ Part Five: 38 ( Chapter 38 )

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

..................................U N F A I T H F U L ........................................................................... ........Rhapsody~* ________________________~*Part Five*~: Vengeance.....Maylene started when the explosions coming from the city started up again. Some of them seemed to shake the foundations of the palace itself. Magdalene and Chichi ignored the sounds like they were birds singing on a sunny spring morning.Wringing her hands behind her back, she turned to them. "They can do this with their bare hands?""Not with their bare hands," Chichi corrected her. Her eyes grew distant at the reminder of Kakkarott. "With their ki's -- their energy. They can control it and wield it as a weapon.""Or they can use it for protection against cold or gunshots in some cases," Magdalene added from her seat beside Bulma, whose head of abundant curls was still in her lap, cradled by the Saiyan's caring hands. "Humans, I suppose, could do it too, but I don't know that your weaker bodies could handle it as well as ours could.""Is that so?" Maylene wondered at the possibilties. "In that case, maybe someone should go and tell Yamcha about it..." She showed a hint of her cynical smile."Let's avoid talking about him for now," Bulma suggested quietly. Her blue eyes remained closed. "Believe me, we'll be seeing enough of him in due time."Another blast sounded, this time unmistakeably close to the palace. From through the stained glass windows, Maylene could make out a cloud of debris rising above the city, hardly a few blocks away. She hurried to her feet and crossed the room to the window."They're here!" she exclaimed in relief. "They're barely a half-mile away!""Vejita's at the palace doors, but where's Yamcha?" Magdalene wondered. "Its highly unlikely that he wouldn't find a reason to check on Bulma so far. We've been too lucky -- I have a feeling that our little vacation will be over soon.""He'll come here when Vejita enters the palace," Bulma assured them. "He wants to meet him here, where they can battle without interupption. He's a coward, above all else -- he'll run here.""Its far too late for Kami to have mercy on anybody," Magdalene commented dryly, looking about her as if noticing that they were in a church for the first time. As she said this, she gave Bulma a gentle, comforting hug. As her hand slipped near to the younger woman's abdomen, a strange energy registered in her mind. Furrowing her eyebrows, she pretended to hold Bulma close, but was really searching for the cause behind her feeling. Magdalene's hand rested on Bulma's flat stomach for just a few moments, but those short seconds were enough. More than enough. She was about to realize just how ironic her words really were, because in that brief time, she had detected a small, emerging ki signature in Bulma's womb -- a weak, human ki signature."Thank you..." Bulma suddenly said to Magdalene quietly, offering a small smile. That gesture made Magdalene's heart contract painfully. "For everything. If you hadn't come here, I don't know what I would have done.""You're quite welcome, dear," Magdalene assured her, faking a smile in return. She took in the already dampened spirit behind the girl's normally bright blue eyes, and it killed her to think that she might have to go through even more pain. The possibility that she was carrying a child -- Yamcha's child no less -- would crush what little bit was left of her. "You're so welcome..."Shattering the quiet mood, the doors of the church flew open, and a thin, cloaked figure entered the room. The four women, including Bulma, craned their neck in surprise, getting a closer look at the intruder. The person took their hood down, revealing snowy-white curls arranged in perfect braids, cornflower blue eyes, and a tight, stiff smile. Lady Briefs."Well, well, well," the noblewomen said as she strode down the aisle towards them, supposedly without fear. "What have we here? The damsel in distress, a queen without her guards, and a loyal handmaiden." Then her cold eyes moved to Maylene, and the corners of her lips turned down in disapproval. "Maylene -- formerly known as Lady Maylene -- I had never thought that I'd have the displeasure of seeing you again. I thought that Yamcha had gotten rid of you years ago.""He tried," Maylene said, her chin lifted. "What are you doing here?"Lady Briefs stood at the front row of pews now, her hands resting on her corset-covered hips. "I'm here to see the show," she replied. "From the sound of it, the Saiyan brute will be here at any moment."Bulma laughed bitterly from Magdalene's lap. "Nonsense, Mother. You're here to see if you can benefit from whatever happens. That is the only reason that you would risk your precious neck.""Come dear," her mother retorted. "Of course I came here to be sure that you were safe."Magdalene narrowed her sharp green eyes, and somewhere inside, Lady Briefs felt that this equally bold woman was a threat to her. She didn't like the feeling. "It would be wise to watch your words, m'lady. You mock the mate of the man who has the power to destroy this entire planet.""Is that what she is?" Lady Briefs said. "The 'mate' of this man? I knew that you were all animals. I also should have known that Bulma would be stupid enough to fall into your trap."Maylene's eyes flashed with anger. "Watch how you speak, my lady. I've watched you torment Bulma for her entire life, and now that I have no title or reputation to lose, I'm certainly not above killing you myself!""Leave her be," Chichi interuppted, malice apparent. "I want to watch her die slowly, at the hands of the people that she has so kindly called 'animals'."Lady Briefs grinned and primly took a seat on the front pew, her white hands folded in her lap. Magdalene watched her carefully, and did not miss the faint outline of a dagger hilt underneath her fine skirts as she sat down. The woman was armed, and for a reason. The Saiyan Queen wondered just how this woman thought she was going to affect the upcoming battle."Kami mocks me," Bulma moaned under her breath to Magdalene. "He's sent my mother to watch perhaps the most precarious situation I've ever been in, to gloat at our every mistake.""Ignore the wrinkled old bitch," Magdalene ordered her with motherly protectivenes, even though it did seem that the gods were picking on Bulma. "Even Kami couldn't bring himself to favor such a sullen woman."Maylene kept her eyes on Bulma's wily mother. She very much doubted that she would be able to do much once Vejita and his men arrived, but dread hung heavy in her stomach. Wherever Lady Briefs went, controversy always followed. She, too, had noticed the outline of a weapon underneath the woman's skirts as they were smoothed across her lap. Of course, she had known that the woman would have at least a dagger. Lady Briefs might have been many things, but stupid was not one of them. In her mind, she relived the times when Lady Briefs had dominated the royal court, putting her selfish influence on Yamcha and corrupting the minds of those whom she consorted with. Her hands clenched in anger, and she suddenly couldn't wait for the fighting to start.Magdalene kept a careful eye on Lady Briefs, trying to judge if the woman would pick up on anything strange in the air, and gripped Bulma a little bit tighter. Frightening thoughts about what Vejita might do if he discovered that Bulma was pregnant with Yamcha's child entered her mind, and the Saiyan Queen knew that if she didn't do something quick, the battle could be over before it even started. In her embrace Bulma unknowingly awaited the entrance of Vejita.Elsewhere in the palace, Yamcha also heard the explosions, and every one was like an Arctic wind down his spine. He quickly set up a simple defense plan for the entrance of the palace, ordered his waiting army to attack, and hurried through the palace halls to the church where his wife was being kept, accompanied by only four personal guards. At his waist was a loaded gun and a long sword, both of which he planned to employ for the murder of the Saiyan King.When he entered the church, he was not prepared to see Bulma accompanied by a small crowd. Not only was Lady Briefs sitting in the front pew as if waiting for a play to begin, but Queen Magdalene of the Saiyans was there, as well as another Saiyan woman whom Yamcha did not recognize. Also unexpectedly, the former Lady Maylene stood by the altar, her trademark hazel eyes locked suspiciously onto Lady Briefs. Even more surprising was the dried puddle of blood and trail of crimson that followed Bulma to Magdalene's lap. Even from this distance, Yamcha could see the stained bandages on her arms and the discarded dagger a short distance away. He put two and two together quickly, and it infuriated him."What the hell has been going on?!" he demanded as he stormed down the aisle to the front of the church. The women stared at him like he was some sort of alien at first, then collectively adopted expressions of anger, save for Lady Briefs, who smiled, and Bulma, who turned her face away. "Is this a party that I wasn't invited to?"Magdalene glared. "We're here to protect Bulma, you cowardly son of a bitch. The better question is, what are you doing here when you should be out fighting Vejita, like a real man?" Her hopes of somehow helping Bulma before Vejita arrived were disipating like dust on the wind."I want that filth to come to me," Yamcha snapped, stopping in front of the raised area that the women stood on. "Now move away from my wife, before I have my guards dispose of you!""What's the matter, Yamcha?" Maylene taunted. "Too afraid to get your hands dirty?""I wouldn't waste my energy on you," he replied. "Now move away from her, or else they'll create a new hole for you to bitch out of!""If you want me to move," Magdalene informed him, maintaing her iron grip on Bulma. "you'll have to come over here and do it yourself!" Then, her sharp tongue got the better of her. "You dumb prick! Don't you see the scars on Bulma's arms? Can you not see what you've done?! Even if you do win this fight, which is highly unlikely, your wife would rather slay herself than bed with the likes of you again! Don't you understand? No matter the outcome of this battle, you've lost!""That's where you're wrong," Yamcha said. "How can Bulma kill herself when she has no weapon to do it with? I'll never make the mistake of leaving her unattended again. Now remove yourself -- this is your final warning.""No," Magdalene said firmly. "I won't--"All of a sudden, another explosion rocked the palace, causing some bits of the ceiling to come raining down on them. Yamcha's guards turned in shock at the sound."The front doors, sire!" they exclaimed. "It sounds like they've been blown open!""Can it!" Yamcha ordered impatiently, as if Vejita's entrance into the palace was useless news. "Get them away from my wife! Now!"Magdalene scrambled for an idea as the men approached her. Chichi was nervously backing towards the windows (a wise move, considering her pregnancy), and Maylene was standing her ground, jaw set determinedly. Bulma's eyes were open and fixed onto Yamcha now, and her face was contorted into an expression of dread. Magdalene could feel her trembling beneath her hands. Protectively, she put herself between the men and their queen. "I could take you both down if I chose to," she warned. This was true in a normal case, but the me had swords, and she wasn't sure that she would be able to defeat them with that advantage. "I would advise against coming any closer."The guards didn't say anything, just came at her. When they seized her arms, Magdalene broke free of their grip, but when their swords were drawn, she gave up her struggle. Helplessly, she let them drag her over to the windows, where Chichi was standing. Maylene was placed beside her by the other two men, but she kicked and screamed the entire way. Lady Briefs was allowed to remain. She watched the display with blatant amusement."What's the matter, Magdalene?" Yamcha asked. "Ashamed of being defeated by humans?""You'll soon know the real meaning of defeat," Maylene hissed. "When you're taken down, I'm going to come over and claw your eyes out, you -- " The guard closest to her cuffed her across the cheek, and she resigned herself to glowering silently.Yamcha stepped up onto the raised section of the church, towards Bulma. He paused for a moment when he reached the largest puddle of blood, scowled, then continued towards her. Bulma, who had propped herself up against the altar, turned her face away from him. "Why did you do this?" Yamcha asked her firmly, taking her arms into his hands and examining the dirty bandages. Bulma let out a little sound of pain. "You little cunt -- did you honestly think that this would change anything?"Her lips set in a tight line, but she said nothing.Yamcha's eyes slitted, then he delivered a slap to her face. Bulma's face recoiled at the blow. She had been caught unawares; she was unbalanced, and almost fell over. A few tears trailed down her face. Magdalene could hardly watch her already damaged spirit being pushed down again. But a tiny part of her, the part that she despised, wished that Yamcha's violence would at least kill the unborn baby. Beside her, Maylene resumed her frantic struggle."When Vejita gets here, I shall delight in him seeing you like this," Yamcha whispered to her. "Damaged, with your impeccable beauty marred. I hardly think that he would want you like this. You aren't a blushing, innocent maiden anymore, are you? I'm the only one who will take you now..." Magdalene cringed at his words, and the bit of truth that might be behind them.His wife squeezed her eyes shut in mental pain and tried to separate herself from her body, but to no avail. She was trapped again. "Stop," she breathed, almost inaudibly.Yamcha laughed. "Stop? Not in this lifetime. You've been a bad girl, and for that I must punish you."Just as he raised his hand to strike her again, the doors literally fell from their hinges, and revealed the large forms of two warriors -- Turles and Valyn. Yamcha replaced his hand by his side (with one hand still gripping Bulma's arm) and watched them expectantly. From her vantage point behind him, Magdalene saw that his free hand was shaking.The men entered the church, followed by Vejita, whose aura of power glowed an eerie blue around him, and Byron, who wore a cloak with its hood pulled up over his head. Magdalene felt dread grip her stomach like a vise, and not because she afraid that her son would lose. The men who held her and Chichi released their grip and took a step back. The Saiyan Queen gladly moved from their grip and past Yamcha."Its about time you got here," she half-scolded her son. "Kill him quickly, and without delay. Bulma needs a doctor." She off-handedly hoped that Vejita would be too distracted to look at Bulma's ki signature too closely. With any luck, the tiny human ki would be too weak to find from that distance anyway.Vejita looked carelessly past her to where Bulma lay on the floor, held fast by Yamcha's arm. His sharp eyes narrowed at the sight of her bandages, and also from the dried blood that encrusted the floor a short distance away. He had known of her attempted suicide from Magdalene, but seeing the evidence of it in person, seeing the actual red stains that had come from the lifeblood of his would-be mate... that was something else entirely. His black eyes became tinged with red."I'll kill him in whatever way I choose," he said to Magdalene through gritted teeth. "And of all the possible ways I could do it, quickly will not be one of them.""That's a bold statement," Yamcha said boastfully. "Why don't you make good on that promise?" Assuredly, he signaled to his guards, who sprang forward towards Vejita, seemingly ignorant of just how mismatched they were.Vejita rolled his eyes, and in the seconds that it took for Turles and Valyn to dispose of the human guards, he had not moved a muscle. Yamcha watched his guards go down like fish in a barrel with only a little bit of surprise -- after all, he had witnessed firsthand the power of the average Saiyan warrior back on Vejitasei. When the men were killed, Turles and Valyn stepped away from the corpses and over to where Magdalene, Chichi, Maylene, and Bulma were. Magdalene, with the assistance of Turles, moved Bulma back nearer to the windows, and helped her to a sitting position. Lady Briefs gripped the sides of her skirts from her seat in the front pew, unsure of what was to happen to her.Quickly, Magdalene used the excuse of leading Bulma further away from the fight to get her hands on the woman's abdomen, and ejected a quick jolt of ki-energy into the area -- hopefully enough to destroy the growing being inside of her. Bulma flinched, and Magdalene offered an apologetic smile."Just a bit of energy in case you need it, honey," she explained. With satisfaction, she noted that the tiny ki was gone now. Hopefully, Bulma wouldn't suffer too much as a result of the hastily-performed abortion. "Come closer to the windows, where you'll be safer." Surprisingly, she felt a little bit of guilt in killing Bulma's would-be first child, even if it was the product of rape, but she pushed the feelings aside."Excuse me, Your Highness," Byron said from behind Vejita. With a grunt of displeasure, Vejita gave some of his attention to him. "But I think it would be a good idea to restrict Lady Briefs -- Bulma's mother. She may seem frail, but if I know anything about her, then I'd wager that she's armed and ready to manipulate what she can."Vejita's gaze shifted over to where Bulma's mother sat, and memories of hearing about her cruel treatment of Bulma came to mind. He didn't want to deal with her now, so he motioned to his men. "Make sure that she doesn't move a muscle. We'll deal with her later."Lady Briefs looked like she was about to protest, but after a second look at the burly men who were closely watching her, she gave up that option. Since Byron's hood was up, and she hadn't seen him in many years, Lady Briefs nor anyone else recognized him, besides Maylene, who shot a sideways glance at Bulma. The human queen had eyes only for Vejita, and was watching him with an expression of anticipation mixed with fear."Are we done talking now?" Yamcha asked impatiently, taking out his sword. Vejita couldn't help but think of how ridiculous he looked with his pathetic piece of sharpened metal -- like a fool hoping to achieve some far-fetched feeling of chivalry that just didn't exist anymore. Warfare consisted of guns and ki now, except for on Earth it seemed. "In a few minutes, you'll be wishing that that's what we were here to do," Turles snapped.When Yamcha started to close the distance between Vejita and himself, Bulma fought feebly to free herself from Magdalene's gentle but commanding grasp unsuccessfully. Magdalene sensed her dread and put a comforting hand on the woman's soft hair, as if she were a child."This must come to pass," she muttered to her. "The fighting can't end until it does.""Something's going to happen," Bulma said worriedly. "Release me!"Vejita and Yamcha's attention was drawn to the small struggle. Yamcha grinned at the frenzied state of his wife, but Vejita was much more passive. He hardly displayed emotion at all. The red tint in his eyes could be seen from the distance, and Magdalene knew he was struggling to pull himself out of the black hole that his bloodlust had created."What's the matter, dearest?" Yamcha called out to her. "Worried for this poor Saiyan? Never fear, it'll be over soon."Maylene watched him in disgust. He was either incredibly stupid or filling his desperate mind with hopeful thoughts, she figured, because as far as they were concerned, he didn't have a chance. "Maybe you should stop stalling and get to this beating that you've been promising us!" she shouted at him."Stay out of it, and keep your damned mouth shut!" Turles ordered her from behind Vejita. "We don't need a human wench distracting everyone!""Human wench!" Maylene repeated incredulously. "Why you -- "Chichi cut her off with a quick placement of her hand over her mouth, and received a grateful nod from Turles. Briefly, she had the urge to ask him where Kakkarott was, but decided not to. Judging from the way Vejita looked, now was not the time to mention his least favorite warrior.Yamcha shut out all of the outside distractions and concentrated on his foe. Vejita was waiting to meet his eyes, his blue aura of power radiating around him like fire. A chill went up the human king's spine, because in the Saiyan's eyes he saw his own death. Uncertainly, he changed his grip on his sword and lunged towards him.Vejita dodged the blow without any effort and did so repeatedly, watching with half-interest, as Yamcha stupidly chased him around in a circle. The man swung his sword around like a playful child, Vejita observed. Finally, he got sick of moving around to elude the man's useless weapon and with one clean move, smacked the sword from Yamcha's hands. Yamcha watched with wide eyes as his sword went clattering across the floor to rest underneath the pews."Well, that plan backfired," Vejita pointed out. "Do you have anything else for me before I kill you?"Yamcha was sputtering in anger. With shaky hands, he pulled his gun from his belt. "Let's see how well you can dodge bullets, son of a bitch!"He began to shoot at Vejita, who raised his ki to a golden glow, borderline Super Saiyan. He had been expecting it to be a normal gun, but when a couple bullets grazed right through his ki, he changed his course of action. A few grazed his legs and shoulders when he wasn't quite quick enough to move away, but that only bolstered his anger. With a sadistic smirk, he began to aim tiny bits of ki around Yamcha's feet, causing the human to dance around comically."What the hell is he doing?" Magdalene grumbled to herself, from near the windows. Bulma had tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't think that Vejita would be defeated, but she knew that some harm would come to their side from this fight, and watching Vejita prolong the match for longer than necessary only strengthened the feeling. "He's toying with him, and enjoying it.""I wish that you could communicate with him telepathically, like some Saiyan mates can," Magdalene said quietly. "Then you could at least relay your feelings to him. Maybe that would put some sense into him."Maylene shook her head, having overheard their words. "I'm actually enjoying this."Yamcha hopped around the aisle of the church frantically, darting away from the little ki blasts that Vejita was playfully aiming. When one caught him in the foot and burned him, he let out a small yelp, which caused Turles and Valyn to chuckle, and Vejita's smirk to grow."What the fuck are you trying to pull?!" Yamcha shouted inbetween jumps. "Stop clowning around and fight me for real!""While your offer is tempting," Vejita replied. "I'll have to politely decline." He started firing off more and more blasts, until Yamcha was getting repeatedly burned, and very red-faced. He then stopped, and crossed his arms, quickly getting sick of the lack of a challenge. "Fine then. If you want to fight 'for real', then aim and shoot again."Yamcha looked surprised at the twisted suggestion/invitation, but it seemed to him that he had no other choice, besides getting severely burned. Trembling, he lifted his gun and aimed.Vejita waited impatiently. "Come on -- aim the gun and fucking shoot me! You did it before, why is it so difficult now?"Bulma's face blanched in horror, and it was all that Magdalene could do to hold her back. "He's going to get himself killed just standing there, and then Ill be left here with Yamcha," she sputtered mindlessly."Hush," Magdalene ordered impatiently. "Do you honestly think that he would invite Yamcha to shoot him again if he didn't have a way to survive the shots? Sometimes I think that you put too much faith in your instincts. If you protest for no reason again, I might have to make you shut up!"Bulma's eyes widened at the uncharacteristic threat. "What?""I can't have you distracting him from this fight, however easy it may seem," Magdalene replied. "When something truly dangerous happens, then you can protest." She fixed her attention back on the fight, and Bulma reluctantly followed suit, her struggling ceased."See you in hell," Yamcha announced overdramatically. Then, at last, he fired the gun.Vejita smoothly dodged the shot at the last possible moment, smirking at Yamcha. "You seem to have missed. Care to try again?"Yamcha growled angrily and fired shot after shot at the Saiyan King, but all were seamlessly evaded just in the nick of time. When the gun was empty, he violently tossed it at the other man, at a complete loss for words. Bulma, Lady Briefs, Maylene, and Byron seemed to be speechless as well. Only Magdalene and Chichi watched impassively, having long since witnessed the infamous fighting skill of the Saiyan race."You'll see me in hell, hm?" Vejita repeated. "It seems like even your ki-invading gun couldn't bail your ass out."Yamcha swallowed hard, knowing that he now stood completely defenseless. He had known, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he was severely outmatched for this fight, but his pride had long since been keeping him from fully realizing that fact. Until now, when he stood utterly helpless at the famously meager mercy of the Saiyan King. To put it simply, he felt as if he were about to piss himself."It seems to me like you've been defeated," the other man continued, all of the amusement gone from his voice. When Yamcha remained silent, he slowly advanced on him, until they were only inches from each other. "This would be your cue to beg for your life." They stood nose to nose, but Vejita's commanding presence made it seem like he was looking down at Yamcha -- a technique that he had mastered."Never," Yamcha squeaked out with his last bit of bravery. "I wouldn't lower myself that far, even if you had a gun to my fucking head!"A trace of a smile came over Vejita's face. "I don't have a gun. I have something much better." A glowing bit of ki emerged from his hand. "Show some honor for once in your life," Yamcha hissed, trying to use a challenge to lessen the pain that was inevitably coming to him. "Kill me quickly and cleanly. That is, if you're even capable of that."The women up by the altar were frozen in anticipation. Bulma's face had changed to the color of freshly-fallen snow, while Magdalene, Maylene, and Chichi were all slightly tinged green, wondering just what form of torture Vejita would employ this time around. Alone on her pew, guarded by Turles and Valyn, Lady Briefs put her hand over the spot where her dagger was concealed."I am the King of the Saiyan Empire! I have more honor than all the members of your race combined," Vejita boasted predictably. A glimmer of hope appeared on Yamcha's visage. "Unfortunately for you, however, none of my elites are present, which means that no one will ever know how I disposed of you."The ki in Vejita's hand grew, and Yamcha took a frightened step back."I'm really going to enjoy this," the Saiyan King said under his breath.Yamcha whirled and retreated in panic, so Vejita followed him....____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________