Hi guys! This took me much longer than I expected but I'm finally done! Yeahii.
Thanks to everyone who helped me and encourage me. You're amazing! Especially thanks to the talented and lovely writers HannaBellLecter and thats_my_bulma for helping me so much and especially enduring all my harassments about this story xD
The sun was shining through the leaves of the huge oak tree and tickling her nose into a tiny sneeze while she was giggling. Only moments ago she was sitting next to her mother in a beach chair and they both had looked at the few fluffy clouds in the deep blue sky, imagining what animals they could see in them, giving them names and creating funny stories for each of them.
"There! This one mommy. Can you see it? It's a little puppy!" The little girl's eyes had shone with excitement to discover that little pet. Like all little innocent girls growing up in a pampered, ideal world, she loved those cute and fluffy animals.
"Yes, my dear, I can see it. What's its name?" Her mother was clapping her hands in delight as she looked up into the sky with a big smile on her face to show her joy.
"Hmm.." the little girl thought for a moment. "I want him to be called Wuffy".
"Wuffy, what a fitting name for this cute guy. What's his story?" the woman wanted to know.
"He's on his way to his candy chew bone over there." She had pointed at another white cloud sitting not far from Wuffy in the blue sky.
"His candy chew bone? He has a sweet tooth, just like you!" A light giggle and a loving smile had warmed that girl's heart and she decided it was the happiest day of her life. She squeezed her eyes shut as she laughed at her mother in a way that had let her know that her daughter was truly happy and she as well had thought to herself, that this must be true happiness and exhilaration.
The little girl then started chasing butterflies. The colors of the tiny animals as bright as her long blue hair, waving in the wind as she ran around in the venerated garden and her cheerful laughed had echoed over the immense property belonging to her parents.
Eventually, she had let herself fall down on the soft grass under the big oak with a merry giggle. The happy song of the birds sang her to sleep on this beautiful, warm and carefree summer day.
...ooo...
If there was a heaven, then this place, this time, right now, had been it. She had felt blessed, she had felt secure, she had felt safe.
"Nappa..?" Her mouth formed his name in a desperate attempt to wake him up, but her voice was too hoarse and the word barely came out. He didn't notice her.
She felt dizzy, keeping her eyes open was the hardest thing she had to do while her head was spinning and dropping limply to the side.
What happened? Why is it the 15th of May? Vegeta! Where's Vegeta? Is he alive? Had she only dreamt everything? Does it mean he's still missing or does it mean he's back or had he never been missing? Her mind was racing, her emotions going crazy. First, her stomach dropped, then she felt hope rising inside her, giving her a tiny bit of energy and will but it was suddenly replaced by an upcoming panic, a knot in her stomach moved up and tightened up her throat, making breathing nearly impossible.
The sound of the heart monitor sped up again and woke Nappa this time. It took him a second but the moment he realized she was awake, he jumped out of his visitor chair, went to her bedside and looked her over worriedly.
"My Princess?! How are you feeling?" He asked impatiently.
"Vegeta..?" Was her only response in a hoarse and weak voice, still no strength to keep her head up.
He knitted his eyebrows and bowed his head as he spoke in a low voice.
"The rescue party is still on planet Proxima Centauri b. They could only find Vegeta's broken scouter but no trace of the Prince himself.
Bulma tried to swallow a tear. "H-how are the chances?" she pressed out.
Nappa hesitated for a moment. Contemplating if she could take the truth or not. He decided she would want to know the truth plus if he wouldn't say it now then he would have to say it later.
"If the scouter wasn't fully destroyed then it could either mean that he lost it before he was pulverized by the attack or he lost it after the attack which would mean he found a way to escape or he was carried away. If he escaped himself then there are little chances that he is still alive. The transmission left no room for hope, his injuries were way too bad to survive without medical help."
"But if someone helped him..?" She sat up somewhat troublesomely, as she placed her hand on his forearm and looked at him with the biggest and most hopeful eyes he ever saw. He hated to take that little hope from her, but she always appreciated his honesty, so he told her his assessment of the situation.
"If someone took him, then we can only hope it's someone with access to good medical knowledge and who's a friend of us Saiyans but since the negotiations didn't show the wanted results and Centauri Proxima b was about to be purged... "
Bulma raised her hand to silence him as she looked away to hide her tears from him. Still, she was grateful he wasn't giving her false hope where only very little to no hope actually was.
"Nappa..." her voice so low he almost couldn't hear it.
"My princess?" He looked at her intensely.
She knew it was stupid to ask. It was too dangerous. If Vegeta couldn't stand the enemy and if the rescue party couldn't do anything, what could she do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing but she couldn't sit here and wait and drink tea. She had to look for him. He would do the same for her.
"Please escort me to Centauri Proxima b." She begged desperately.
"My princess, you need to rest and the party is still there. They're searching every centimeter of the area!" He tried to argue with her, genuinely concerned about her well-being.
"Nappa, I need to. If he is still alive and needs help th-then I will never forgive myself f-f-for lying in bed instead of doing e-everything possible in m-my powers!" The rising desperation was audible in her words, as her breath picked up again and she started shaking slightly, tears filling her eyes.
Bulma looked at him with pleading eyes as she whispered, "Nappa, please. I love him."
"Bulma." He said in a sad voice "you came a long way." He smiled sadly as he petted her hair in a fatherly fashion.
Their marriage had been not like any bedtime fairytale Bulma had been told by her father as a child. Vegeta hadn't been the charming prince, smiting the dragon, saving her from her terrible fate, pulling her out of the poverty and bathing her in wealth. No. Not one bit. They had both been forced by the king into this marriage. Neither of them had decided for it but Vegeta had made it his mission to let his frustrations out on her, punishing her for the consequences his own stubbornness and rebelliousness and showing her that he had only felt hatred, scorn and spite for her. Their first year together had been almost worse than her whole life in slavery before their marriage. As a slave, she had had a job to do, endured pain, harassment, and mockery but she could always leave soon to the next task and at the end of the day she had gone to her slave's quarters and had been able to rest a bit.
But after the mating ceremony, she had been under constant observation, had been forced to stay at Vegeta's side, who always had new cruel ideas for her every day and every day she had wished Nappa would have just let her die in that shabby bar he found her working in. The second year had a change in store for her. Vegeta had finally stopped torturing her and had started to accept her as his mate.
Now, additional two years later, she sat in that hospital bed and all she could worry about was if her beloved husband was alive and well, fighting back her tears as she held on tightly to the forearm of his friend, her hand trembling with trepidation.
Nappa was a very tall and muscular man, even for the Saiyan race. He was a very talented fighter and of noble blood which made him one of the favorites of the royals. The king and the prince were strong themselves, without doubt, but with Nappa around them, they could allow themselves to relax for a moment. Despite his reputation for being a brute, which he was in battle, he was a decent man with principles and honor.
He once found Bulma and brought her into the palace. That's why Vegeta gave him the fault of his situation as much as he did her. So he thought it would be a nice punishment to glue Nappa to Bulma and force him to protect the now-princess, a woman that was not of his own race, a person as strong as the rats in the gutter. A task truly way under his level and a disrespect to his strength and abilities. But it didn't work out as the Prince had didn't let his displeasure out on her as well, instead, they befriended each other.
...ooo...
He first had met Bulma after a mission.
The squad, composed of Nappa, two other men, and two women, had gone to a shabby bar after they had purged another planet. A bar Bulma had been working in. The job they had just completed was only another bullet point on their long list of vivid planets which were once rich in vegetation and different species and that now lay dead and grey - burned down to ashes.
"What a shitty mission. They said they would be hard to kill but I only had to flick my fingers and it was all done," Nappa had complained with a snort, obviously disappointed and annoyed by that complete waste of time. After all, he was an elite, one of the best men in the army. Yet he had been sent to a ridiculously easy mission which had been, in his eyes, a disrespect and an insult towards him, his rank, and his abilities.
"That's because we did all the hard work and you stayed in the area for the old and weak," had mocked the small woman on the opposite side of the table. She had been slim but muscular and with short, black hair.
"Yeah, Fasha's right! Congrats Nappa, you were able to kill the old and weak. You should be proud of yourself. That must have been one of the most difficult missions you have ever participated in," agreed the man next to Fasha. Everyone at the table, except Nappa, had laughed. Nappa had looked like an offended child as he crossed his arms over his broad chest and pouted, knowing there might be some truth in it but still not wanting to admit it.
"Pff, look at you two," accused Nappa pointing to Fasha and Tora, "you're completely bruised. That's because you're not as strong as I am. Of course it was hard for you and now you're only trying to cover your envy." he had gestured his hands wildly as he spoke before he had crossed one arm over his chest again and took a long sip from his beer with the other.
"Hmm...maybe you should train me then," Fasha had responded in a honey-dipped voice as she had leaned forward towards him. She had puffed up her breasts underneath the fighting suit with her upper arms, giving him a sly smile and a quick wink.
Nappa had been unsure what she was implying and had got even more confused when the other three had started to whistle and give inappropriate remarks.
"Uh huh UHHH! Train or 'TRAIN'?" Tora had nodded with a wink and holding up his beer. He had clinked his glass with an imaginary one above the table at his clever emphasis on the second "train."
"I would train you anytime, Fasha," the man on her right had said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. He had leaned over to her and had given her a flirtatious grin. Fasha only had rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Pff! I've heard of your 'training,' Borgos. You couldn't even make it for 5 minutes," a woman, Jinje, on the opposite side of him had said as she pointed her beer bottle at him.
Borgos had blushed furiously as the others had laughed mockingly at the tall woman's comment. Everyone had known the story of him trying to get a woman drunk and rape her while on a purge mission. A couple of men had been standing around them, cheering him on and waiting impatiently for their turn when it had happened. Borgos came the moment he had pulled his dick free, making even the woman laugh uncontrollably and mockingly. This story had been years old but still had haunted him to this very day. As if this hadn't been enough, it had got even worse for him.
"Not to mention your 'weapon,'" Fasha had laughed, as she had leaned on her right elbow and had wiggled her pinky finger as if promising to further his humiliation.
Borgos' embarrassment and annoyance had been rising equally with the volume of their laughter. "Pff. All lies. Just envy," he had muttered with a huff before taking another sip of his beer, only causing the others to laugh even louder.
"Hahaha, well, I never met a man who would confess any of this," Jinje had blared out between laughs.
Fasha had leaned forward to the other woman and had pointed her beer to her, "Oh I once did. He said I would be disappointed by his tiny dick!"
"What?!" exclaimed Jinje in disbelief.
"Yeah," laughed Fasha, confirming that they had heard right.
Nappa raised an eyebrow in curiosity before asking, "Were you?"
"Yeah, were you?" had wondered Tora.
"He at least tried his best to pleasure you, right?" had asked Borgos. His voice had sounded as if he had been trying to defend the poor man that dare admit he was a bitter disappointment.
"Not. Even. A. Little," had enunciated Fasha. She had sneered at the memory of having once had dealt with such a defective male.
"Wait, was this the guy who always had to be right and argued with you until you said he was right?" had wondered Jinje.
"Yup! That obnoxious one," Fasha had nodded once before she took a big gulp again.
"So...if he would have given his best..." Nappa had started.
"...then he wouldn't have been right," Tora had added.
Borgos had gasped dramatically, "So he WAS right in the end?"
"Yes. It would have been more exciting to use a tampon. He was disappointing in every aspect," laughed Fasha as she relived the bitter memory. She had laughed even harder as she continued, "He even said he is the female in the relationship and, guys, I can tell you...it's true. But hey! At least he was right!"
"Oh God, I met this guy once, he was actually good looking and was very intelligent but he had even less social skills than the Prince!" blurted out Jinje.
The table had erupted with boisterous laughter. The women had made sure to hold their beers close as the men had slapped the table or had placed their arms down to laugh heartily.
"Don't let him hear that or he will execute you!" Tora laughed loudly.
"Yeah, that's true but his father would laugh his ass off and protect you for telling the truth and making the King laugh," Borgos added.
Once the laughter had died down, Nappa had took a drink of his beer and then had looked straight at Fasha across the table. "What you need is a decent man, one that is also equal in battle..."
"...just like Nappa here," had cut in Jinje.
"AND equal in bed," had nodded Borgos in agreement. "Just like me over here."
Fasha had bat her eyes and had given Nappa a flirtatious smile while slowly stroking the neck of her beer bottle up and down with her index and middle finger. "Aren't you one of the most skilled men in the army, Nappa? I wouldn't be opposed to learning all of your...'skills.'"
Nappa had sat in confusion, his face growing red from the sexual innuendo. Unsure of how to continue he released an awkward cough before speaking up again," Um. Yeah, I am. But you're only a third class soldier, why would I train you?"
The immediate hurt had been clear on Fasha's face. "Yeah, why would you? How stupid of me," she replied in a low voice.
The look across Fasha's face hadn't gone unnoticed by Jinje and she immediately had come to her friend's aid. "Oh Nappa, if you would share your strategic fighting knowledge and show her some techniques, she would surpass all the third class warriors easily! This happened once before. Rank doesn't mean you can't be outstanding."
Nappa seemed to have been considering it for a moment l. "That's true. Kakarot was really outstanding but so was his father, Bardock. But her family is average," he said with a hand gesturing towards Fasha.
"So was Bardock's family! Training her is still worth a try," Jinje snapped in ire. It was just like an elite soldier to think he was too high and mighty to give someone else a chance to succeed.
"BUT," Tora interjected, "they were both in desperate need to protect themselves and others in order to achieve those powers."
"Maybe Fasha is in desperate 'need' too. Only you have what she needs, Nappa," Borgos had laughed with his hands stroking the air in front of him like pleasuring an invisible, large cock.
"Well, that's definitely about the right length in proportion to my body," Nappa had laughed completely ignoring the former training request.
Tora nudged Fasha with his right elbow and moved his eyebrows up and down suggestively, "Uh, you hear that? I hope you can keep up with him!"
"OH, MY GOD! YOU GUYS ARE IMPOSSIBLE!" Fasha shouted in frustration and some embarrassment.
Jinje scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Ugh, so typical of men. But anyway, speaking of training, we need to get up early for the mission, right Tora?
"Ah, right. I tried to forget but thanks for reminding me. This mission is ridiculous and almost insulting. I don't get why they don't send a baby," Tora snorted.
"Yeah yeah, sure. I guess it's time to leave then," said Fasha as she began to rise out of her chair. Faster than she had ever seen her move, Jinje was right behind her, pushing her back down into her seat.
"Ah, no no! You guys stay. It's us who need to work tomorrow, not you. Have a nice evening discussing various types of 'training,'" grinned Jinje.
Fasha looked over her shoulder at Jinje with a confused expression and a pleading look in her eyes. Jinje simply winked and released her friend's shoulders once she was firmly planted back in the chair.
"Training is always good, but first I need to piss. Get home well and have fun on this GLORIOUS mission, Tora and Jinje," Borgos had mocked.
"Yeah yeah, fuck you too. See you guys," Tora waved.
"Goodnight," said Jinje following Tora to leave.
Borgos stumbled his way towards the bathroom as the slave barmaid walked over and began clearing the empty glasses.
"I'll take another beer, wench. What about you, Fasha?" Nappa asked, taking the last sip of his beer.
Fasha stood abruptly. "I'm leaving too," she huffed.
"What? I thought we..."
"Goodnight," Fasha said as she stomped away quickly without another word.
"Pff, what's wrong with her? Women...," said Nappa with a roll of his eyes.
"She's hurt," replied the barmaid as if she was being addressed.
"What did you say?," Nappa asked in irritation that this SLAVE was speaking to him freely.
The woman was unsure if she should continue after hearing his voice dripping with anger. "She's hurt. She tried to flirt with you the entire evening and you insulted her and refused her. You hurt her," she replied almost timidly.
"What the Hell are you saying to me?!" Nappa hissed angrily. "What do YOU even know?"
"Well I AM a woman, sir," replied the barmaid.
Nappa had calmed down a bit when he realized that she might know a thing or two about her own gender, alien woman or not. "She's just not interested," he said in a lower tone.
The barmaid began to count off the different things she had witnessed Fasha do that evening in order to come closer to Nappa.
Nappa had been avidly confused by these new revelations. "But...what..? Nah, I'm much older than her. Why would she...?"
"I don't know, sir. You should ask her about that on your own, but I can see that she likes you more than just a comrade," the barmaid interrupted.
Nappa sat in contemplation of her words and couldn't help but eye the girl. She had looked unkempt but had beautiful features. With proper clothes, she would certainly be gorgeous. If there had been a time before slavery then she perhaps really could know the one or the other thing about mating habits and the temper of women.
...ooo...
Bulma stood in the walk-in closet of their chambers which was as big as a one-bedroom apartment. When Bulma was forced to move in, she had so little belongings that she only needed to occupy a little corner on a shelf.
First, she had been quiet and shy, noticing and knowing she had been an unwelcome intruder in his quarters. Neither of them had wanted her to be there but she had hoped her life would be better, less painful and less agonizing at least. Oh, how wrong she had been but luckily that time was long over.
When he had stopped torturing her and had started to treat her like an actual person, she had started to open up and even relax in his company. At some point, she even started to joke around with him and he would even let her.
Bulma liked to call the closet his secret hidden apartment and asked where the bathroom is or if Vegeta would hide inside when he needed a break from his duties or if it's secretly the door to Narnia. It always made Vegeta smile but also wonder how someone could live with that little space or what the hell Narnia is. Sometimes she would ask him why he has such a big closet anyway since his variety of clothes were as diverse as the wardrobe of Bart Simpson. Whatever that means.
Besides a few noble garments for special occasions, he had tones of the standard Saiyan uniform in blue. Long pants, tops with long sleeves and turtleneck collars, white gloves and white boots with golden toes, white-golden armors with big shoulder pieces. Everything was neatly laid down.
He was a handsome man but this uniform suited him so well that it made him look even more elegant than he already was. She smiled to herself when she let her finger dance over his favorite piece of them all, which he wore at their wedding ceremony. Well, not willingly. He thought that day was not worth the noble clothing and hated to be forced to wear it.
Unlike the other pieces, it was an expensive black fabric and had two golden small stripes around the right upper arm. The light grey gloves and boots had a dynamic curved shape around the wrists and calves and also had golden stripes. The armor was not white with golden shoulder pieces but in lighter and darker gray with red shoulder pieces, it was tapered down to a sharp point at the waist which only emphasized his attractive muscular and V-shaped upper body. A long red cape was attached to the shoulder pieces. Her fingers traced the royal crest printed in red on the left chest before her gaze wandered over to the golden scarf he had worn around his waist. It had covered one of his strong legs, just right next to his crotch, drawing her gaze to just that very place. She had blushed at the thought because the pants didn't leave much to the imagination. When she had seen him back then, in that very moment, she had thought he was the most handsome and attractive man she ever saw (and not only for his big dick) and she had felt a tiny bit of excitement rising inside her. A feeling she hadn't known before, one she never experienced before and she couldn't tell what it was or meant but she decided it was not that bad.
Bulma tried to draw some strength from her good memories – she needed all she could gather for this mission. The woman took a deep breath and got dressed in a standard Saiyan suit and armor. Nappa suggested for her to dress that way because her royal clothes would draw the attention to her and since they don't know what's waiting for them on planet Centauri Proxima b, it's wise to be as inconspicuous as possible. Bulma even had a black wig with wild hair and black contact lenses, because blue hair and eyes are not what are called "inconspicuous". She sighed. Bulma pinned her long curly hair up, made sure that no strand hung lose and would appear under the wig. She grabbed the wig itself and left the closet, walking through the huge bedroom. She stopped in front of the tall windows in the living area for a moment and looked out into the night sky. The fucking sun will shine through the huge windows the next morning, illuminating the whole room. She liked the day but despised the sun.
"Close the curtains in every room!" She ordered the slave on service.
When she stepped out of the big mahogany doors into the corridor, Nappa was already waiting impatiently outside for her. He knew the importance of this mission and how important it was for her and how stubborn she was but still, it was a very dangerous plan, even for a Saiyan and she was only human. He wished she would stay in the palace.
"I went to the lab and got us some bottles of regeneration fluid from the tanks. I don't know if it will work considering how little it is and how much a tank can contain, but if he is still alive, he will need every drop he can get.." he trailed off.
Bulma nodded in acknowledgment before they started walking tensely and in silence over to the docks where a couple of Saiyans already waited. Vegeta picked them himself and told her if she ever needed men, she should call for them. Besides Nappa, he trusted only a few people unconditionally. Those Saiyans were part of that special circle after each one proved their loyalty to Vegeta during the darkest hours, each in their own ways. And now, now they needed every single one of them, needed them to stay true to their vows, so Nappa called for them in Vegeta's name and they followed.
Bulma sat in a passenger seat, the one Vegeta usually occupied, in front of the huge window, that revealed hundreds of stars, planets, moons and the most beautiful nebulas a human eye had ever seen.
But she was blind to the beauty of the colorful universe in front of her. All she was able to see was the black in the endless depth between the variety of colors. Black like his beautiful, piercing eyes that she loved looking into, eyes that seemed to reveal his soul to her and only her. Black like his soft, thick hair that she often pulled during their intense lovemaking. Soft, thick hair that she let her fingers wander through in moments of intimacy. Black as never-ending as her soul - riven by sorrow for the loss of her beloved husband. Now, his eyes were slowly fading away from her sight and his thick hair left her hands empty.
Nappa watched her from the other side of the room as he noticed that she was imitating Vegeta with her body posture. She sat enthroned on the edge of the chair, leaning back and her head rested on one hand that was propped up on an elbow, her slender legs are parted widely and her facial expression was angry, just like Vegeta's always was.
Her whole presence reeked dominance, authority, and menace; ready to jump, attack and kill the poor fuck who dared to lay hands on her mate. She was only a human but the tension she caused hung thick in the air, almost palpable. Nappa smiled to himself. When he first met her, she was a broken woman - beaten and scared - and now she was strong, respected and self-confident. She's a grown ass woman, taking no shit from anyone - a true leader, a worthy mate for the Prince of all Saiyans .
...ooo...
When Nappa opened the old and rotten door, the disgusting smell of alcohol, sweat and cigarettes had come his way and stung in his nose, causing him to cringe. He let the door fall shut behind him and stood for a moment in front of it, scanning the shabby room until he had seen a glimpse of blue behind the bar. Nappa hesitated for a second before he made his way slowly over to the barmaid behind the long table, sitting down on a battered barstool uncomfortably.
The woman on service insecurely went gone over to her new costumer, obviously not unenthusiastic and uncomfortable to do this job at all. How often must she be harassed or attacked by her customers? Were drinks the only thing she had to serve? She tried her best to dress up as good as possible but her tattered and dirty clothes, and unwashed hair didn't allow her to succeed. She was wearing black pants and a black and white dress with halterneck straps that pushed up her full breasts. When it had been new, it probably had looked really nice and elegant but now it was dirty, marred and long overdue to be replaced. Her oily blue hair was been pinned up in a messy bun and the scum on her hairline had shown, that she had been probably only able to wash her face over a sink.
When the woman reached Nappa and recognized him, her face brightened up a little bit.
"Hey, big guy, what can I do for you?" She asked with a tired but honest smile.
"One beer." He answered roughly.
"Which one do you like? I have... a shitty brand aaaand... a shitty brand." She held up one bottle of the same brand in each of her hands, shaking them lightly.
Nappa leaned forward on one elbow, eyeing both bottles intensely while he knitted his brows before he saying with a total seriousness. "This is a very difficult choice. I think... I will take the right one. What do you think?"
"I think this is the better choice, Sir." She answered with the same seriousness, mirroring his posture before she opened the bottle and placed it on the damaged surface of the old bar table.
"What brings you to this 'fancy' establishment? Is it the beautiful interior? " She spread her arms wide, gesturing to the room in front of her.
Nappa turned around to follow her motion and let his eyes wander from one dingy corner to the other. The tables were dirty and partly damaged, the chairs didn't match each other and the benches weren't even upholstered. He looked back at her as she continued: "or is it the delicious and classy beverages?" Pointing to his bottle. Nappa couldn't hide a smile and thought of an answer. "I think it's the overall package."
"Yeah. I can agree. It's a very luxurious place." She said dryly as another customer fell drunken from his seat in the middle of the room.
Nappa had looked over his shoulder, raised an eyebrow and huffed before he had turned back to her and asked: "What's your name?"
"I'm Bulma, Sir." She smiled warmly, obviously enjoying the conversation with her guest.
"Nappa." He simply replied and raised his bottle to her as she nodded to him in acknowledgment.
They shared a moment of comfortable silence before Bulma asked "How's it going with the nice young lady whose ass you kicked so unceremoniously when she tried to get laid by you?"
He almost spit his beer all over the place before he looked at her utterly shocked for such a blunt question. His cheeks were burning with embarrassment when he recalled that evening where he totally screwed up and didn't realize at all that Fasha was trying to flirt with him.
"Well.. um..." he stumbled as he shifted uncomfortably on his stool.
"Hu, that well, yeah?" She joked and Nappa just grunted his disapproval.
She started cleaning the glasses and counter, served other customers and talked with Nappa about Fasha for hours. He would never admit it to her but he had actually come to this shitty place just to talk with Bulma about Fasha. He had tried to talk about her with other people, like Jinje, but somehow he could never find the right words to start the conversation. Bulma seemed to be the only one he could talk to when it came to this particular topic. He hadn't known why that was. Maybe because Jinje was a warrior at his command or because he knows her personally and Bulma was a stranger? A slave, even, he could just kill her if he had to in order protect his reputation. Or was it that she spoke so openly to him the first evening? He didn't know why but he felt strangely familiar with her, even trusted her and it seemed to pay off. She had given him good advise and when he had thought about it, it even sounded logical. Why didn't he come up with it himself? Oh, right. He hadn't known anything about women besides that some of them let you get their cunts if you shove some coins into them first.
"I need to piss." Nappa announced and got up on wobbly legs, making his way to the rancid bathrooms. He managed to reach the urinal but hadn't cared at all that he hadn't hit it the whole time. He washed his hands halfhearted and had swayed down the long hallway back to the bar. Halfway there he noticed a woman screaming and men laughing in a room he had passed.
He almost hadn't given it a second thought but something had told him to have a look. Nappa opened the door and after a moment he realized what was going on there. Three men were standing around a table, pinning a woman down on it and by the way she was fighting against it, he could say, that she hadn't liked it one bit. Nappa heard her clothes being torn apart and black and white shreds were flying through the room as the woman's screaming intensified. 'Hmm.. odd. Bulmas dress is black and white, too.' He thought and was about to turn and leave when he got a good view to the bar and noticed Bulma wasn't there. Where had she gone? He hesitated, contemplating what to do and decided to have a second look.
He sobered up within a blink of an eye and stormed into the room, ripping the first man who already his cock in his hand, down from the blue haired woman, seconds away from being raped. Nappa knocked him and the other two out before he carefully picked Bulma up, eying her thoroughly from head to toe to make sure she was ok.
"Are you alright?" He asked her honestly. She was still in utter shock but could stutter her answer, swallowing her tears. "ye-yes.. I-I'm ok.."
"You're coming with me." He ordered as he carried her out of that place.
Nappa hadn't thought it through in the moment. He couldn't let her live with him but also, she had no powers, no important name, no property, no reputation. Letting her go and live on her own on the planet would have meant her certain death. He remembered that a comrade owed him a favor so he had managed to bring Bulma to the palace and let her be on service for the royals and nobles. She was still a slave but the conditions were much better. She got clean clothes, could wash herself daily, she got enough to eat more, and rape and violence were reduced from almost daily to almost never. When it did happened, he would take care that the person wasn't able to do it again. Also, he had some influence on where she was put her on service and he tried to let her serve for the royals who rarely touched slaves, completely different to the middle and lower ranks who didn't mind fucking or killing whoever the slave was. That wouldn't be any better than in that shitty bar.
It had been the best he could do for her.
...ooo...
He watched her a bit more and smiled to himself. Somehow, it was also his doing that she was in the place she was now. He brought her to the palace and protected her whenever she needed help. Whether she got lost because she went out of the palace all on her own, or from men who tried to approach her, or Saiyan women who thought they would get into the Prince's favor when they freed him from his unwanted bride, or even from Vegeta when he let all his frustrations out on her again. Nappa lost count of the beatings he got from the Prince because of that.
His smile faded when guilt swept over him as it came to his mind how hard the first year of their marriage was for her and that she wouldn't have gone through it if he hadn't brought her to the palace. He was pleased and relieved to see how their relationship had changed and how they started to develop respect, affection, and you might even say... Love for each other.
And this is what he was witnessing in that moment. This love was the reason why she broke down when she heard her husband was missing and this love was demanding the little squad on this ship to find Vegeta. Nappa was so proud of his dear friend.
"Vegeta's last mission – report!"
Nappa's deep thoughts were interrupted by Bulmas demand, her voice strict, leaving no room for disobedience.
Nappa obeyed her and briefed her shortly about everything they knew of the fight and the attack. It was quick, strong, and very brutal. There was no equality in strength or speed. It was a massacre. The tables have truly turned. For once, Vegeta stood on the same side, as the people of the planets he purged. The side of the attacked. The side of victims, the weaker - the slaughtered ones.
Vegeta and a handful of men went to the planet to make sure it was ready for selling. The client was an important business partner so the prince took care of the issue himself. The inhabitants were dead, the resources and nature were intact. Via scouter Vegeta confirmed that everything looked good and ready for the selling as he suddenly screamed in pain, then an explosion, a power level much higher than Vegeta's flickered over the display and then the transmission ended abruptly.
"The inhabitants were fighters and too strong for a Saiyan baby but not strong enough to stand even a small group of third class fighters," Nappa explained.
"This means it's very unlikely that one of them was strong enough to fight him," Bulma concluded with a mutter, knitting her eyebrows in deep thought.
"Correct," Nappa agreed with a single nod before he continued: "Also, none of their scouters showed any life forms beside weak animals, plus Prince Vegeta was attacked from behind. Besides the level of the attack itself, we have no data or any other records of this piece of shit. Not even a picture or sound." His scouter jumped 10 cm high as he slammed his big fist in sheer anger and frustration down on the counter next to him.
"So, we have no idea who we're dealing with." Bulma trailed, her voice dripping with concern for her beloved husband.
Will they be able to find him? Rescue him? HIM?! The Prince, the strongest fighter of their race, beaten with one single attack. What in the name of the seven could she do? A human. With no powers. Sure, she has very strong and capable fighters with her but none of them is nearly as strong as Vegeta was and if he couldn't make it what changes do they have? Is he even still alive? If not, would they find his body to give him a proper and respectful funeral so he will be able to meet his ancestors with dignity, pride and his head held high?
Bulma lost herself in thought as the smell of rotting flesh stang in her nose again. It was clearly a hallucination, yet more vivid than everything around her.
She shut her eyes tightly for a moment and shook away the image before she squared her shoulders, sat a little more upright and demand the next report – the description of the planet they were heading to. One of the men jumped from his seat and gave a slight but respectful bow to his princess before he stood beside her.
He had black spiky hair, standing up in all directions. He wore dark turquoise armor without shoulder pieces but with grass green applications, long dark blue pants, red wristbands, leg warmers, a headband, and black boots with grass green toes. He had a big scar on his left cheek and was almost as tall as Nappa. He was also very muscular and had a very athletic physique.
"Proxima Centauri b. This planet is orbiting within the habitable zone of its closest of the two suns in this star system. It's slightly bigger than Planet Vegeta and one day on Proxima Centauri b equals about 7.5 days on our planet. The gravitation is a third of our plant's one and the surface is dry, stony and rutted.
Stellar wind pressures leave only a thin atmosphere which makes the condition pretty tough. Most of the life forms were withdrawn from the surface to the underground, creating a tunnel system that branches out in all directions, making it absolutely obscure and giving enough places to hide. You never know if you're going to get to a living area, a public space, a dead end, or if you'll head right into a water reservoir and drown in it." He paused and shook his head slightly like he remembered an actual event before he continued.
"The planet turns in a synchronous rotation which means that the same side of the planet is always turned to its closest star. The always bright side is between 0 to 30 degrees Celsius, the opposite side is in permanet darkness and freezing cold. The temperature there is between -20 to -50 degrees Celsius."
Bulma nodded acknowledging.
"Vegeta's last position was on the lighter side in an area that was about 20 degrees Celsius," Nappa remarked.
"What's your name, rank, and task?" Bulma asked the scarred man.
"My name is Bardock, my princess," he answered with a bow of his head. "I am the scientist and pilot on board. I was born as a third class and was trained as a mechanic, but I had the honor to receive the first class rank ten years ago. Due to my advancemen,t I was able to acquire comprehensive medical and astronomical knowledge plus I am allowed to assume command in case the commander is incapacitated."
Nappa stepped forward. "Bardock proved himself to be a very loyal and skillful fighter. Sometimes he gets too cocky, to be honest." He turned slightly to the others and waved his hand to them before he continued to inform Bulma, "They all have. Zucci was indispensable in the historical fight against Freezer because she has the Saiyan's unique ability to heal."
Bulma raised an impressed eyebrow and gave the woman a simple nod, eyeing her thoroughly as Zucci bowed and knocked her right fist against her left chest plate for the noblewoman in front of her to express her respect and loyalty.
The woman in front of her was about 15 cm taller than Bulma. She wore gray armor with black shoulder and stomach pieces, black, tight, knee-high boots and black, fingerless gloves. All of the applications like, the outlining of the armor, the decorative lines on her boots, and gloves were pink. Just like her skirt and scouter. 'What an unusal choice of color for a Saiyan.' Bulma thought to herself. Still, she looked like she could easily beat your ass. Better not mess with her.
"And this is Tora. He's fought for years on Bardock's side. He is a ruthless fighter and kills in cold blood but he also likes to tease and toy around with everyone. He has a strong sense of honor and is very loyal. Also, he has a great strategic mind, stays cool in desperate situations, and finds solutions no one could even come up with when they have days to think." He shook his head in disbelief and grinned proudly as he looked at the tallest fighter of the group.
His shoulder length hair was tied into a ponytail and he wore short pants, armor with shoulder pieces colored in black and ice blue which was a nice contrast to his dark tanned skin.
Next to him, stood the last warrior of this group who was just as tall as the average Saiyan. He had the same armor as Bardock, just in a red-gold shade and without shoulder pieces. A small scar on his right cheek was l silent witness of past battles. His black spiky hair didn't stand on end but hung down a bit, revealing that he wasn't a pure-blooded Saiyan which explained his foreign name as well.
"And here we have Caulitz." Caulitz followed the example of the others and bowed respectfully for the Prince's wife before Nappa grabbed his shoulder and shook him in a slight brotherly manner and grinned "He's a brute and the asshole of the squad."
"What the..?" Caulitz protested against his description as everyone laughed. Even Bulma cracked a little smile and the others started joking around again and agreeing with Nappa, much to Caulitz's displeasure. Who wants to be introduced that way to their princess?
"Vanug! Intred in tie Atvosviele in te enog svonsvie Minotin! Unshiedon auf monoeddun Diovogue envolden." (Warning! Entering the atmosphere in t minus twenty-five minutes. Switching to manual controlling is recommended.)
The artificial voice of the ship's computer system filled the room and let them know that they were going to land on Proxima Centauri b soon. The chatter between the warriors died when all of them prepared for the landing by taking their seats. Bardock deactivated the autopilot and took over the controls by pressing several buttons and the big window at the front of the ship revealed a breathtaking sight of the planet that covered the red dwarf almost completely. The little sun peeped out only a little bit which gave the planet a stripe of glow on top of it. Various shades of red and brown danced over the surface of the planet, covered by a few small and thin clouds, creating a painting-like scenery.
Unfortunately, it was not the right time to admire the view because the stellar storms jammed the whole control system and caused it turn off and on over and over again. Everyone was grabbing tightly onto something when they shook back and forth due to the turbulence. Red warning lights flashed to emphasize the dangerousness of the situation. The whole spaceship moaned, cracked and creaked under the pressure until they eventually passed the storm. When they landed it was dead silent onboard and Bulma couldn't decide if it was a good or a bad sign that she wasn't the only scared one for a change. No one dared to breathe until Bardock announced that everything was over and he would run a quick analysis of the conditions outside. His fingers flew over the control panel again and shortly after a green light flashed, telling them there was nothing to worry about at the moment.
"Alright," he began "the conditions are safe. The temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius and the air is not toxic in any way. The oxygen content is a bit low. It's safe for us Saiyans but I would recommend you, Princess Bulma, to wear a mask. Also, we are only 20 meters from Prince Vegeta's last known position. Precision landing." He got up and walked over to a cupboard, opened the door and got out a little black mask that covered only the mouth and nose. There was a small bottle with a belt attached that had the sign for oxygen printed on it. Bulma recognized it as the standard equipment for every spaceship and took it with a nod. The woman tied the belt around her waist before she put the mask on and opened the oxygen feed, testing if it worked correctly and put on her black wig. When she was ready they all went over to the heavy door of the spaceship.
Nappa pressed the opening button and the thick door fell down heavily on the planet's surface, blowing up thick dust.
After the dust had settled, the group left the ship and had a first look at the surroundings. The surface was as described - dry and stoney, painted in the most beautiful shades of red and brown, but also marked from the battles that took place. Everyone was very attentive, scanning the surroundings for any living beings or danger. Bardock checked their position with his scouter before he pointed to a direction and announced: "From over there came the last transmission."
They walked a few steps until the whole extent of the situation became clear to them. Shocked, they stopped not being able to believe the scenery in front of them. This was not a battlefield, this was a massacre. Bodies and body parts very laying around, there was so much blood, none of them had seen this much blood before. The armor of the deads let them be recognized as Saiyans but they were to many to count.
There was one important question left unanswered for Bulma: Was Vegeta among them?
Phew! This took me way too long to write it. I hope you guys like it :)
Soibean requested on AO3 to show how the relationship between Nappa and Bulma developed and I liked the idea that they are actual friends. I hope I could picture that well.
If you guys have ideas, wishes or criticism then let me know and I see what I can do and if it fits into the story. I'm happy to read from you :)