A/N: Many thanks to those who take the time read my humble work. Your opinions are greatly appreciated. Also, Vegeta may be a little OOC, but he returns, for the most part, to his normal self in the next chapter.

Lady Bulma to the Rescue

I felt the sting of early sunlight on my eyes the moment I opened them. It was six o'clock exactly, the time that the sun's rays passed through the one crack in the wall of my prison cell. I rolled over and glowered at the wall to my right, grumbling about the extreme firmness of the dirty, cold floor beneath me. All my thoughts of hopelessness swiftly returned, and I remembered just how long it had been.

I could hardly believe that it had been forty-eight days since I had last seen the outside… forty-eight days since I had last held my fiancée… and forty-eight damned days since that disgusting creature had taken over my father's kingdom.

What abhorrent, despicable creature could possibly render an entire planet helpless? Why, he's conquered more civilizations than any ruler that preceded him has, and people of all races bow down at his feet... even my own proud race. Should I ever be given the chance to destroy him, I personally would remove his repulsive head from his shoulders and mount it above my throne! Then, I'd cut off his unsightly horns and have them carved into little trinkets for my future mother-in-law!

Then, I snapped out of my impossible fantasy and continued as I typically did. I pulled a pebble from the wall that the sliver of sunlight shined onto and carved another notch beside the many notches made from previous days spent in the cell. It was during that precise moment that I began to question how my future would unfold, where all it would lead me. "Surely nowhere," I reasoned to myself as I returned the chalk-like rock back to the groove where I had first found it. I carefully grazed the ends of my fingers across the notches that I had been making... all forty-eight of them. I doubted then the chances of my ever having a future, for nothing awaited me in the years to come. Confided within my cell, no opportunities lay before me. I had no chance of escaping, and most certainly no chance of fully viewing the light of day ever again.

Falling gracelessly to my knees, I pounded my course, worn palms into the grimy floor before me. I tried to remain strong and keep my composure, but a single defiant tear rolled down my face and trickled onto the floor, leading me into a fit of shameful sobs. Such an action may have been disgraceful for a prince such as I, but I could do nothing to stop myself. No one considered me an honorable prince any longer, especially not the ones who held me prisoner.

As I continued to mull over my losses, an unfamiliar rapping came from my door. I wasn't sure what to make of it since the sentry only checked on me once during the late evening to see that I hadn't escaped. A thud sounded from the opposite side of the door, subsequently followed by... abrupt silence. Curiosity getting the better of me, I slowly stood and gently pressed my ear against the door. I could hear faint footsteps pattering down the hallway, and as the seconds passed, I could hear them growing louder and faster! I tore away from the door and forced myself against an adjacent wall, awaiting the impact. As the footfalls drew nearer, I could hear some unfortunate fool's crying plea for mercy.

Then, I heard the most horrendous, blood-curdling shriek. The quick hack of cold steel slicing through flesh and bone sounded all too real. I heard a weary, exhausted groan just before a fresh cadaver smacked against the floor outside my door.

I wasn't entirely sure whether it was safe to move back to the door, but again curiosity tempted me. Ever so lightly, I inched nearer the door, but mere moments before I could lay my ear against it, the chains around the lock began to clatter, and so I bolted to the darkest corner of my cell. As the clattering intensified, whoever it was on the other side was obviously becoming impatient. Suddenly, the clattering stopped. Even though I had long since covered my eyes, I knew the source of the dragging, eerie creak that followed. A few heavy footsteps plodded on the stone floor of my cell, halting what I presumed to be only inches ahead of me.

"Is this the great Prince Vegeta huddled here in a cell corner? I was expecting you to be little more valiant," his smooth, seemingly feminine, voice echoed throughout my chamber.

Normally, I would have retaliated with my own degrading remark, but my shattered ego kept my face hidden and my mouth closed. I was halfway expecting him to ruthlessly decapitate me for not responding, so I waited for him to put me out of my misery.

"No comment at all? They must have done away with you before my arrival."

I heard him sheathe his sword and depart from the cell with a rather slow, disappointed pace. I then lifted my head to catch a glimpse of my potential attacker, but his back was facing me, so I could see only the flowing dark cape he wore.

It was then I realized that I was behaving like a spineless coward. Why had I let this arrogant, barbarian from who-knows-where make a fool of me? I proudly rose to my feet to accept his challenge, as I could never decline a fight.

"Who says I'm dead? The Saiya-jin Prince is alive and well!"

He halted in mid-step and hesitantly turned to face me. "Vegeta, you're alive!"

Completely ignoring the comment, I gaped at incomparable beauty and grace, for it was no barbarian that stood before me, only my Lady Bulma to whom my father had betrothed me. How she could possibly have gotten past the sentry, I wondered, but nonetheless greeted her with open arms. She dived lovingly into my waiting embrace as though we had been separated for an eternity.

Then, she gently placed her delicate hand on my cheek, gazed deeply into my eyes, and sighed, "My dear Vegeta, what have they done to you? I've never seen you look so… broken. My proud, wild prince is gone…"

I took her smaller hand into my own and said, "No… they may take my kingdom, my title, and my freedom, but they can never have my pride."

She looked me over apprehensively. "You look as though you've seen a century. I'm taking you out of here-no one can keep my Vegeta incarcerated in a dungeon!"

I made sure to keep my true feelings to myself since I really didn't want her to know how downhearted I truly was. In the past forty-eight days, I had experienced more of Freeza's cruelness than I had ever wanted to see. I knew then just how Freeza's unfortunate war captives felt, the torture they underwent. Yet, the presence of my Lady somehow seemed to lighten my burden.

"My dear, how did you ever manage to find me-and keep your head? And how do you expect to find a way out without being caught?"

"I owe it all to this little device," she answered proudly, as with her unfailing ingenuity had mostly likely invented it herself. She slipped what appeared to be holographic disk from her pocket and laid it out flat on her hand. "Now, watch carefully," she instructed as she took several steps back from me. It wasn't until then that I had noticed the object's fading glow, and as she stepped closer to me, I saw its luminescence grow brighter. "You see, its glow changes intensity when closer to someone with a high power-level."

"Who else but you could think up such a clever thing? I would ask how, but it probably involves some unknown, futuristic science that only the most brilliant scientists could understand."

"Would you listen to that flattery? Why, I've never heard such compliments from you before!"

"Do I hear complaining over there? Maybe I shouldn't be nice, since meanness seems to suit you so."

"Hold it just a minute, there! I like hearing you talk this way, but I'm curious to know what changed you."

"Self realization: Let's leave it at that."

She didn't pursue the subject any further, which surprised me, but she did continue to ask about what all had happened in the cell. I told her as little as possible. Once I had said enough to satisfy her curiosity, she led me out of the cell and into the winding hallways of the castle, where we encountered the first few ruts in our path…

A/N: If you think it's good enough to continue, please let me know. If not, then I really wish I could give you that ten or so minutes of your life back.