"You can't make me! I won't do it!" The princess yells at her mother. Bulma, Princess of Earth, was arguing her rights as an individual and able to make her own decisions. Her being as beautiful as she was she expected various princes would want her. But, Prince Vegeta of Vegeta-sei? No way was she marrying him. Little did she know she had absolutely no say in the matter.

"Sweetheart, you don't really get to decide." Mrs. Briefs, the queen, would have none of her daughter's shenanagins. She had finally convinced the savage King Vegeta to take her daughter as a peace offering for his son. After seeing the Princess the King readily agreed. After all the Saiyans view the color of blue as pure and "untouched." Evidently that's the kind of things they want in a future co-ruler. Bulma's hair was a magnificent color of blue. She was blessed with it really considering the Queen was blond and the King has always had a purplish color of hair.

"What do you mean? I have every right! It's my body. I get to decide who touches it! And I won't have some savage monkey touching me!"

Mrs. Briefs stalked across the room and slapped Bulma in the face, hard. "You know very well, you ungratedful spoiled brat, that if you do not comply with the King's demands and you insult him he will just conquer this Kami foresaken planet and take you as a slave, not as a princess. And slaves are not treated kindly. Do you want that fate for me? Your father? What are you thinking?"

Bulma held her cheek gingerly, eyes watering. It was stinging and probably red by now. "I don't want to. I don't even know what he looks like." Of course, she had heard stories and legends about the great prince of Vegeta-sei. Everyone had. But, they were always barbaric and horrific. Conquering planets, slaughtering millions. The mere thought of killing someone made her shiver.

"What's this all about?" King Briefs asked, putting down one of his latest inventions on the nearby vanity table. It started leaking some terrible smelling black liquid onto Bulma's vanity, ruining the finishing.

Bulma didn't even notice this. She was too preoccupied with tattling on the queen.

"Daddy! Mom tells me that I have to marry Prince Vegeta! Is this true?"

King Briefs rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes." He had known about this for quite some time. He tried to put off telling Bulma anything about it to try and convince both the King of Vegeta-sei and his wife that the union was uneccessary. But his persuation skills were just not convincing enough.

"But, daddy... why?" She had broken down into tears now. "This isn't fair."

King Briefs took a few steps forward to comfort her but she shrugged him off.

"I don't care what you say. If the Prince wants me he can try and find me. He won't succeed. I know this planet better than anyone. You can't force me to marry him."

"That's fine, dear, I wouldn't run too far though." The Queen replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, I'm going far. I won't be back."

King Briefs blocked her path. "He's here Bulma. Waiting in the Throne Room."

She whirled to face her mother. "And you decided to tell me at the very last possible moment?"

"I knew your reaction." Mrs. Briefs calmly smoothed the skirt of her dress. "He expects you in one hour. He won't wait."

Bulma just stared at her. How can she possibly do this to her own daughter? She knows how I feel about arranged marriges. She hates me. She has to.

The Queen's face softened. "Bulma, honey, I didn't know what else to do. The King of that wretched planet was going to kill everything and everyone on our little planet. We couldn't allow that."

The realazition hit her a little too late. She said we. Her father was involved in this insane act. Her own father. The one she loved best.

A long silence stretched across the room. Accompanied by Princess Bulma's sniffling and King Brief's shuffling of the feet.

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Mrs. Briefs shouted. "He's a Prince! And he's very good-looking Bulma, if I do say so myself."

This did nothing to help convince Bulma. After all, her mother had had a choice in marriage. And she married King Briefs. Bulma loved her father, but he wasn't exactly a handsome man. He was short, vision poor, and was alomst twice her mother's age. He was constantly in his confounded laboratory and rarely had time for the real world.

"But," and at this Bulma turned to her father. "I don't love him. Father, should not I love the man I marry?"

King Briefs had to look away from her. "I'm sorry Bulma. Your mother did go behind my back," here he glanced at his wife. "And at first I was... unsure. But, she makes an excellent point. I would rather have you treated as a Princess and a future ruler, than a slave." He looked up at her now. "And if there is any possible way of preventing that, I will gladly take it."

Queen Briefs smiled a triumphant smile. "There will be someone here soon to prepare you."

Bulma had had enough. "Stop referring to me like that!"

Mrs. Briefs faned shock. "As wha-"

"As something of a prize! A present to him." She interupted. "I am a Princess, a human being if nothing else. This... this 'Prince' will wait on me as long as it takes, as should be proper. I will not be ordered around like some child."

"Don't be foolish Bulma, you don't want to anger this one."

"I've said my peace, and if this monkey can't wait, then tell him 'To bad' from the Princess of Earth." She glanced back and forth between her parents. Baring her teeth she continued. "Now, if you please, both of you, get out of my room."

Queen Briefs looked as if she would say more, but the King stopped her by reaching out and clasping her arm. "As you wish dear." And with that they departed, Mrs. Briefs gaping at her husband.

As the door slammed shut, the lock slid to home. A voice, muffled, came through the door. Bulma recognized it as the voice of her mother. "Then the Prince will come to you."

Bulma's eyes widened. 'No,' she thought. 'They can't do this to me!' And then all the stories that were told to her as a young girl and the legends that had seeped up from downstairs in the servants quarters came to life right before her eyes. Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyans, was coming to her room to collect her. The savage who kills for pleasure was coming. What if she did anger him? Is someone like that really a patient, caring and understanding individual?

"Great, Bulma, you idiot. Think once in a while." To refuse an invitation to the Prince of the Universe was likely not very 'honorable.' And the Saiyan people prized honor above all else. She was in trouble.

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Vegeta was waiting semi-patiently in the Palace's Throne Room. Aparently this was the 'grandest' of all the luxurious rooms in the 'palace.'

'Pathetic,' thought the Prince. 'My bedroom is twice this size.'

He moved his head a little to the side to see what his 'advisors' were up to. Nappa, the overly large one, was sitting, relaxed on one of the smaller thrones. The size contrast was apparently funny, because, Vegeta's right-hand-man, Kakkarot found it hilarious. Kakkarot found everything hilarious, Vegeta realized this a long time ago, and stopped attempting to correct him. He was still a strong warrior, even though, most of the foes he went up against laughed at him. It was always short-lived though. Stranger still was the fact that Kakkarot wouldn't kill unless he absolutely had too. The Prince had long since givin up on telling Kakkarot to carry out a mission of mass destruction.

"Stop goofing off you idiots! We are Saiyans! Not a bunch of circus people." The man standing off to the side said. His tone slowing to a harsh whisper.

Vegeta's glance shifted over a few degrees. Raditz. Kakkarot's older brother. There was scarcely a difference in looks between the two. Excepting the hair. Raditz never cut his. A superstition. Kakkarot's hair was weird and everywhere, about like him. Nappa, on the other hand, was completely bald. You'd think Raditz was aeons older than his brother by the way he acted. Raditz was by far the most up tight. And being a giant didn't help either. If his contenance wasn't enough, his height was intimidating.

"Lighten up,Radish." Kakkarot teased.

'Here we go.' Thought Vegeta, secretly chuckling to himself. Nappa looked on the brink of hysterics as well.

Raditz' face turned as red as a Vegeta-sei sunrise.

'Better avert the problems the embarassing trio will cause if there's a scuffle.' The Prince concluded.

"Alright, alright, you three. Cool it. We'll have a duel when we get back to Vegeta-sei. Just pipe down for a little while longer."

Kakkarot frowned. "Exactly how much longer are we to wait on this Chickyuu girl?"

"I am getting a little tired of my surroundings, sir." Nappa agreed. "Honestly, how much longer will she keep us waiting?"

"Maybe we should raid the palace and scare her along." Raditz suggested. Nappa chuckled at this. Kakkarot frowned.

Vegeta could feel Raditz' ki rising. The Saiyan was getting impatient. He shook his head. "That's really the last thing I need. An histerical girl on my ship."

Raditz huffed. "Seriously. Maybe-"

Just then the doors opened and in walked the King and Queen. Raditz stood at attention, with a stonely glare, expecting the Princess. Kakkarot looked over with interest and Nappa never moved.

"Well?" Vegeta questioned after seeing that obviously the King and Queen were alone.

"My Lord, I must apologize. There is nothing I can possibley do. My daughter is quite stubborn. She will not come."

"What!?" shouted the Prince.

The couple shrank back a bit.

"Out of your control? She's a child. Force her. I'm on a time limit here. I've got a dead-line back on my home planet." He jerked his head back.

Kakkarot looked uneasy. He could sense Vegeta was getting a little aggravated... and that was never good.

"There is simply nothing that I can do, my Lord."

"We'll retrieve her, sir." Nappa suggested getting to his feet.

"No. I will." Vegeta's stonely glare was enough to silence everyone's protests. "Where is she?"

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Bulma looked around her now-too-small quarters. Being 'locked' inside her own room wasn't exactly the farewell she had been hoping for. How could her parents be so cruel?

bang bang bang

That was the door. 'I knew they wouldn't be long. They're probably going to say, "Oh, it was all a big joke. Hahaha!"'

"I knew it!" she shouted. "I knew you wouldn't keep me waiting," as she flung the door open.

"No, dear Princess, it seems that I have been the one kept waiting," said the Prince.

With a small shriek Bulma jumped back and attempted to shut the door.

"Now, now, girl, don't make this difficult." Vegeta said as he stopped the door with the toe of his boot, with absolutly no harm done to him, even considering the door was slammed rather forcefully and weighed a ton when sent flying.

Bulma ran to the other side of the room. "Get away from me!" she hollered.

Vegeta heaved a sigh. 'What is wrong with this wench? This has been arranged for some time.'

"Think of your duty and responsibility. I honestly don't want this anymore than you do. But, you and I are under orders. Period." Bulma grimaced at him from the other side of the room, poised at the window, as if preparing to jump if necessary. "Now," he continued. "If you please, I'd rather not cause a scene if it can be helped." He moved slowly towards her with an outreached, gloved hand.

"No." The Princess said plantively.

The Prince stopped dead in his tracks and a few emotions flickered across his dark, almost black eyes. Shock, from her being so childish and resistant. A small spark of admiration, because no one had ever said 'No' to him. And then finally, the most overpowing emotion for the Prince, anger at being refused, when he so obviously was making pain-staking efforts to be nice.

"Girl, I'll give you one more-"

"I said no." She interupted.

Vegeta dropped his hand and replied, very calmly, "Very well."

Then suddenly he crouched into a fighting stance, one that looked as if he would pounce. And then it occured to Bulma that that's exactly what the barbaric savage would do. He was in front of her in a flash, before she could make any move to escape. Nevertheless, she stumbled back, but didn't get far, for the Prince had her by the back of her long turqouis hair. He jerked her so close she could feel his breath against her ear.

He visiously hissed, "What do you say now?" And then everything went dark as he none-too-gently knocked her unconscious.