The ground she awoke on was hard and cool against her cheek, the atmosphere eerily quiet and still. Bulma blinked a few times, vision slowly becoming acclimated to the dim room. On the wall were several torches, each flame glowing and undulating between orange and blue. Everything around her was stone; the walls, the ceiling, the floor. The room was completely empty save for a single, ancient looking wooden chair in the corner.
It felt like she was in a cave. She could remember going on cave tours with her dad many years ago looking to create store houses in a few of them, in order to store some of their more secret projects. Why the hell was she in a cave?
"Hey pretty girl!" A voice called from behind the door.
Bulma hadn't noticed it right away, but the barred window in it caught her attention very quickly. Grinning just beyond them was Raditz, scratching the back of his head and looking shame faced, "Listen, sorry for the rude introduction earlier. I was just carrying out some business. You understand right?"
"You stupid, son-of-a-bitch!" Bulma snarled, launching herself at the door, grabbing the bars, "you tricked me! Let me out of here now or so help me you'll be sorry!"
Raditz was still smiling, completely unfazed, "Can't so that. Sorry. Our Master would be pretty upset if I let you out. On account you're getting married and all."
Bulma froze, the feeling of ice trickling down her spine, "What?"
"You are now betrothed to become Queen to Lord Vegeta, ruler of the Underworld."
"Who the fuck is that?!"
Raditz laughed, "Oh dear, I can already tell this isn't going to go well-"
"Raditz, if that is your real name please let me out! Take me home! What do you want? Money? I have more than I can spend in one hundred lifetimes-"
"It is my name," he nodded, "but orders are orders. Your worldly possessions have no value here."
"Please," Bulma choked out, throat tightning, "please... you can't just leave me in here."
The happy face her abductor wore suddenly looked strained, his black eyes averted to the floor, "I'll be back in a bit to fetch you." And then he was gone.
Vanished right before her eyes; just like in the parking garage.
What in the hell was going on?
Had her fingers not been white knuckling the bars, Bulma's knees would have given out completely. She was trapped, caged. Betrothed to some hideous devil man from story books. This couldn't be right. This had to be an act; maybe from a rival company? Lords of the Underworld didn't exist...
A sob escaped her, hot tears running down her cheeks. She wanted to go home and be comfortable, basking in the glory of her triumphant conference. No doubt everyone would be out drinking and having fun tonight.
Surely someone would notice she was missing.
She was Bulma Briefs.
The unwillingly betrothed Bulma Briefs...
Her fingers loosened and she sunk to her bottom, wrapping her arms around her knees. Someone had to rescue her. They just had too...
How long had she been gone already? Were the police already notified? If they didn't come soon...
She hung her head and finally allowed herself to cry.
Time was different here she decided. Sometimes it felt like days she'd been trapped in this dark room; and sometimes the hours felt like seconds. Time was seemingly irrelevant, and it caused a lot of unnecessary thinking.
Raditz hadn't yet returned for her. Once again, she didn't know quite how long it had been. But it was a small comfort she had yet to meet the man who'd given the order to bring her here. No doubt by now she'd cried all of her makeup off. If she was going to meet her immediate doom she would have at least liked to have a fresh face. And what kind of stupid name was Vegeta anyways? Maybe it was a code name. Or a last name perhaps? It was so alien sounding that maybe this was a different world.
The door handle jiggled, the sound of a key turning and then it opened wide.
Bulma immediately jumped to her feet and ran straight for the open door to freedom-
"Whoa! Hold on there!"
-Only to be scooped up and thrown over the large shoulder of Raditz.
"Put me down you brute!" She screamed, hands and feet simultaneously flailing .
"Sorry," he said, "he's requested you. And you've got to go."
Her captor turned down the hallway and began walking, all the while Bulma trying to wiggle free, "Come on!" She whined, "you could just keep walking me right out of here. I saw the look you gave me earlier, I know you don't really want to do this,"
Raditz stopped, grip tightening around her waist, "I may like you, but I meant what I said about snapping your neck."
His voice was light, but Bulma knew he wasn't lying. She resigned herself to just be still, propping her chin up with her hand on his huge shoulder and sulked. The caverns seemed endless, and all around her was nothing but the sound of quiet.
"Where is everyone?" She asked, "is it only you and I here?"
"Oh, they're around." Raditz said, his voice not carrying its usual lilt, "you... well. You'll see."
"You don't like it here, it's obvious." Bulma tried to look back at his face but he only adjusted her farther back onto his shoulder, "Hey! Watch out you big monkey, or you'll drop me!"
He chuckled, "I won't drop you. Unless you give me reason too."
"You didn't answer my question."
"Didn't sound like a question to me."
Bulma groaned, "Dear God you're worse than my ex boyfriend."
"Let's just say there's a reason I'm here, and leave it at that. I'm more used to surface living that any of the others." His fingers tightened around her waist, and despite everything happening around her, for a brief moment Bulma felt safe.
They continued walking for a time longer, until suddenly the tunnel seemed to open up, "Here we are." Raditz said, and placed her back on her two feet in front of him. She stared up at him, suddenly realizing he wasn't dressed in his clothes from before. He was now wearing a black tunic, tied with a gold sash around his waist. Raditz smiled, "Behave yourself." He warned, gently pushing her towards the cavern opening.
No, this was not a cavern.
It was a throne room.
Multiple torches were lit on every wall, casting unusual shadows on the ceiling and floors. The stone this room was carved from were black as was the enormous throne against the wall, also seemingly carved out of the rock itself. Beside the throne was another man, taller even than Raditz with a bald head and black robes. He regarded her with stony indifference, his lips pulled into a tight line beneath the mustache of his goatee. And sitting on the throne was another man, slighter in build. But with the way he held himself Bulma was sure this was the one who had her ordered here.
The man on the throne stood up, his rounded black shoulder armor and chest plate glistening in the torch light. The hair on top of his head was wild and just as black as the rocks behind it and spiked upwards, as if in attempt to look menacing all in itself. Across his left shoulder was draped a black cloak which wrapped around his middle and was tied with a large, silver broach. His abdomen was bare, and Bulma could see the hint of rippling abdominal muscles peering just behind the black material wrapped around him. The man began to stride towards her, his muscular legs clad in some kind of stretchier black material that clung to him like a second skin. The thing that stood out the most though?
His face.
It was a handsome face by any standards. Sharp jawline, thick black brows set against surprisingly tan skin. But his eyes were what was drawing Bulma in. The irises were blacker than anything she'd ever seen, a piercing, hot black that seemed to cut right into her and want to peel her from the inside out. His lips were carved into a smirk, and it screamed dangerous. Had she seen this man anywhere else, she would have been all over him. But, as it stood...
"Human female," the goateed man spoke, "you will kneel and show respect to Lord Vegeta, ruler of the underworld, steward of souls and your betrothed."
Lord Vegeta stopped in front of her, smirk still plastered on his handsome face as he crossed his arms over his chest, "That's right, you will kneel," he murmured, voice deep and gravely, "You have been chosen, by myself to become my wife. You will be obedient and loyal to my whims. Kneel for your husband."
Bulma's hand rose and smacked him as hard as she could right across her betrothed's smart mouth.
The sound of the slap reverberated throughout the caves, echoing for a good five seconds before it finally ceased.
Lord Vegeta's head had turned minimally with the impact, eyes now stony and still staring right at her. His smirk was gone, replaced instead with a sneer. The man beside the throne had his mouth agape and looked like some kind of fish, and though Bulma couldn't see Raditz behind her, she knew he must look much the same.
"Listen here buddy," Bulma snarled, "I bow to NO ONE, especially some spoiled rotten self-appointed ruler of whatever. You can take your phony proposal and shove it up your ass! Who sent you huh? Was it Clark who put you up to kidnapping me? Damn idiot was always jealous, even in college he tried sabotaging me! Well?!" She put both hands on her hips and stood straight and tall, "I'm waiting for an answer bucko!"
The man in front of her slowly turned his face to look straight at her, and wrapped his hand around her throat. Bulma let out a gasp as he pulled her closer to him, "Woman," he hissed, "I could snap you in two with my thumb and ring finger, and you dare threaten me? I don't know who this Clark is, but it seems you need to be shown whom exactly you are speaking with. Nappa,"
"Y-yes my Lord." The goateed man stammered.
Vegeta smiled at Bulma, and for the first time since meeting him she felt afraid, "Get the boats."
