Author's Note: Hello all! I'm sorry I am beginning yet another story. I got the inspiration for this one from my favorite book The Count of Monte Cristo – if you have not read it yet, I highly suggest you do. I will really try to update more often and I have not given up on my other story Set Me Free; just in a bit of a rough patch.
Enjoy!
Paradise Lost
Prologue
A young woman, approximately teenage years, casually hummed to herself as her eyes moved rhythmically across the pages of her romance novel. One hand rested to her chin, her pointer finger tracing her bottom lip. The other hand rested calmly on her significant other's thigh. His arm draped across her shoulders, pulling her closer to him as he nestled his nose into her neck, breathing her perfume scent. She paused, giving him a playful look before planting a kiss upon his forehead. They had been dating for about a year at this time. Young love. She smiled at the man next to her then continued her reading.
Moving her finger to her hair, she twirled the blue locks subconsciously, continuing to hum. This was a typical day for her on the Planet Vegetasei. She began her morning strolling through the gardens, enjoying the hot winds kissed her features. Then her man planned a special lunch, which included picnic by the pond, transported by horseback.
Now here they were, enjoying each other's company, wrapped in one another. He nuzzled closer, nipping at her ear lobe. She giggled "Yamcha! Stop that!" She squealed, giving a playful slap on his leg.
The Saiyan soldier looked up at her gorgeous blue eyes, smiling. "Did you have fun today?" He asked, referring to the picnic earlier.
Bulma leaned forward, placing a peck on his lips in acceptance and nodding her head. "It was wonderful, Yamcha."
A clear of the throat interrupted the young couple. "Yes my prince?" Yamcha sighed, not bothering to look behind him as he continued to face his love.
"The arrival of King Xenu is upon us. We must prepare for the banquet and security. Father is gathering all the palace soldiers." The prince gruffly spoke, a hint of annoyance in his tone. With that, he turned and headed towards the direction of his father, the king.
Yamcha shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I guess I gotta go," he said, giving a quick peck on Bulma's cheek.
Bulma giggled, "Oh c'mon, he's not that bad."
Yamcha cast a glance back at the blue haired girl, giving a shout. "You're never around him." And he was out of her sight.
Bulma gasped for air, as she broke free of the rough, passionate kiss. Her heart was pounding and she felt her legs go weak, but this was her paradise. This moment. Here. With the Prince of Vegetasei.
A nip at her neck brought her back to reality. She smirked, giving a quick tap on the prince's buttocks while her hand grasped the other cheek. "Vegeta!" She hissed, softly giggling.
The prince smirked, looking at her, his dark eyes swallowing her up. His calloused hand grabbed at her chin and once again clashed his lips upon hers. She moaned against him as he caressed her face, the other hand trailing her arm and resting upon her hip.
A crowd was suddenly approaching, voices becoming louder and louder, filling the hallway where they were stationed with laughter and chatter. Normally this hallway is barren and often not used for months on end. But with the presence and welcoming ceremony of King Xenu, things were getting crazier by the minute.
Vegeta released a growl in the back of his throat as he grabbed at Bulma's wrist and hauled her off with him, swiftly dodging any passer-by and finally ending their journey in a linen closet.
They both let out a sigh of relief, smiling at each other. Bulma reached out towards the young prince, brushing some hair back into place in the usual flame-like style that was so characteristic.
He leaned forward. "Now, where were we?" He flashed his pearly-whites at her, leaning closer and closer attempting to taste her lips.
"Where's the prince? Has anyone seen the prince?"
A boisterous voice could be heard outside the doorway of the closet, now growing distant as the person echoed the same sentence down the hallway.
The prince pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, hissing a few curses before mumbling a quick goodbye to the woman before him. Within seconds, he was gone and she was left with just the linens.
Bulma nearly stomped back to her suite, a foul mood brewing after the interruption with the prince. On her way back, her mind drifted to the past events of her adventurous life – especially stringing along two handsome men.
Her thoughts wandered back to her home planet, Earth, in which her father was a high lord. There was no king of Earth; many different lords and rulers of different lands would come together and make decisions for the planet. She was able to spend much of her childhood and early teenage years, running around the palaces they owned and horseback riding through the fields of wild flowers.
A sincere smile graced her features as she remembered the fond memories. She missed her father dearly. Never knowing her mother, who died during childbirth, and her being the only child, was so close to the one relative she had in life. Her father would take off every afternoon to spend with her, whether that was swimming in the local pond, eating sweets by the fountains, or taking small trips to the nearby cities and villages for shopping. Oh how she missed those days.
She never dreamed of leaving until a handsome Saiyan soldier had shown up on their planet, discussing plans and protection strategies with the Earth leaders. Bulma's eyes planted on the young man who was seated across from her father and the other elders, proposing a deal. Her heart swooned.
Soon, the young soldier noticed her as well and was smitten. He proposed to her father to take her back with him to his home planet of Vegetasei and begged for her marriage. Bulma's father was nervous at first, stating she was too young for such thought but Bulma was already fond of the young man and insisted this proposition as well. Her father reluctantly agreed, only asking the man wait 5 years before the official joining of the two in matrimony. It was agreed upon and soon Bulma was whisked away to a whole different adventure.
After six months of bliss, the young woman's eye caught onto another man, enticed by his dark character and fierce figure. A young man, no more than a few years older than she, was also the prince of the strongest race in the known universe.
He too, had apparently taken notice of the blue-haired teen.
Bulma opened her suite door, grinning at the last memory of the prince. The shy, rough-around-the-edges man she had broken down. But it wasn't so easy…
Their first encounters were brief, basic introductions by Yamcha to the prince, who could care less at the moment. After several more times of interaction, his feelings began to change.
The prince had a reputation of hauling several women off to bed with him most nights. However, not one caught his eye like Bulma.
The young woman sighed at her predicament. Having two men in her corner is not a blessing. Quite the opposite. Bulma has considered several times, several different occasions of bringing up the matter to Yamcha and breaking it off with him. However, reason gets in the way…
King Vegeta would never allow his son to marry Bulma. True, she is no commoner, but not worthy to be the queen of the Saiyan race. Well, she would beg to differ.
And if she truly broke it off with Yamcha, her place on Planet Vegetasei would be no longer, and she would be shipped back to her home planet Earth, where she would die alone.
Ok, maybe I wouldn't die alone She huffed, as she flopped onto her bed, facing the ceiling. But she certainly wouldn't be having as much fun as she is having here on Planet Vegetasei. And she certainly would never see the prince again…
So the plan for now: to live in the moment.
I'm young. No need to fret about it now. She thought, a triumphant smile on her lips. In the meantime, she'll think of a better solution to her problem. With that, she hurried to her closet, throwing open the doors and immersing herself into the hoards of dresses, preparing for the feast and ball to be thrown in King Xenu's honor.
The great marble hall was filled with people from all over Vegetasei. Some traveled from different planets, hoping to meet the infamous King Xenu. The king sat amongst the royal family. He was a tubby man, short in stature, who was also boisterous, loud, and jolly. His arrival to Planet Vegetasei was to repair a lost relationship the two planets had shared years and years ago, before the prince's time. So far, the celebration was a success and the king was feverishly stuffing his face, laughing loudly at the conversation between himself and King Vegeta.
The prince stood in a dark corner, observing the crowd, which was now dancing madly to the Saiyan music that was played by the enormous orchestra at the far end of the hall. He growled in the back of his throat, not wanting to be here any minute longer than he had to.
He cast a glance to his right, examining his younger brother Tarble, who was the spitting image of his older sibling. Tarble was in a better mood and loved celebrations. He gleefully clapped his hands along to the beat of the music, eager to get onto the dance floor. A group of ladies hurried by, but paused for a moment to take a bow of respect for the royals in the corner. They giggled; one in particular giving Tarble a slow wave, encouraging him to follow her to dance.
Excitedly, he took off in the direction but quickly turned back towards his older brother. Vegeta was only two years older, but acted ten years older by nature.
Tarble quickly elbowed Vegeta in the ribs. "You can have the one on the right." Tarble winked, chuckling. Vegeta glanced in the direction of the entourage of ladies, spotting the one his brother mentioned. He nearly choked on his vomit and gave his brother a glare. Tarble laughed. "Hey suit yourself. You're never gonna find anyone with that attitude." And took off towards the lady in waiting.
Vegeta smirked, his mind drifting back to his blue-hair beauty. His eyes immediately scanned the dance floor, looking for her. Inwardly sighing relief, he saw her on the opposite side of the hall, amongst a group of woman, giggling.
"Excuse me ladies, I am parched." The young woman bid goodbye as she headed towards the refreshment table arrangement. She hummed along to the music, completely oblivious to the prince who came up behind her, clasping her wrist and quickly dragging her behind a marble column.
"Vegeta! Not here, we'll be caught." She hissed, the sound of the music drowning out their words.
The prince rolled his eyes at her ignorance. "No you fool. Meet me later. By the west staircase, second floor. Eleven."
Bulma blushed and nodded, as the prince rushed out of her sight and back to his resumed dark corner at the other end of the great hall. She quickly counted down the minutes until she could see him again.
She released a sigh of relief as she returned to her group of friends, no one noticing where she went off to (which was clearly not the refreshment table.) The meeting between the prince and her went once again unseen. Or so she thought…
The next morning, the dark prince was awakened by an unusual, forceful knock. He released a groan, picking up his pocket watch that was thrown carelessly on the side of the bed on the floor. 8:07
The knock continued. "Your highness. This is an urgent matter. Open up." The prince threw a palm to his eyes, wiping the sleep from them as he quickly got out of bed and covered himself with a robe. He was slightly confused by the urgency (and rudeness) of this messenger. Without saying a word, he calmly opened the doors.
A cluster of soldiers filed into his room without waiting for invitation, their hands poised on their sword handles. Another soldier of higher rank stepped forward, facing the prince, whose features had turned from confusion to outright anger.
"What the fuck is going on here?" He bellowed, turning around to face the other men in his room.
"Prince Vegeta of the Planet Vegetasei, you are under arrest for the murder of King Xenu."
Author's Note: AH! Didn't see that coming, right? I hope you like it – please review, I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on this.
