Sporadic thumps echoed from a hilltop. They were the sounds of a six-foot wooden crate being roughly hauled from a carriage by a common hired hand, towards a long-deserted castle known well to the people of the town below the hill.
The enormous, muscular man hauling the crate grunted with exertion as he gave the dense crate another harsh shove towards the immense, Gothic castle. He bared his teeth as he grimaced from the effort of shoving. The early morning sun's heat was already beating down on him from its position just above the horizon. A bead of sweat ran off the man's bald head, down his brow, over his sharp cheekbone, and finally settled in the course hairs of his thin brown mustache as he let out another frustrated groan.
From within the wide open, massive castle doors of ornately carved wood, a shrouded figure emerged to look upon the man and his work. The figure glared hostilely at the approaching hauler, his look so intimidating that it stopped the large and powerful man in his tracks when he sighted the glower of vexation.
"Be careful with that."
At that terse command of the smaller, yet incredibly more imposing master of the castle, the large man stuttered apologetically . "Y-yes, Sir."
"Both of my crates will need to be stored in the basement, in the darkest corner you can find, side by side."
"Yes, Prince Vegeta. Will do." The large man responded as he moved around to pull his load rather than pushing it any further.
Vegeta's head slowly tilted to the side as he observed the larger man's work in silence. With his eyes narrowed and his lips tightly pressed together, he watched as, with every heave of the soil-packed crate, the burly man's large muscles flexed and bunched beneath the loose, gaudy fabrics of his garb, the veins in his neck visibly protruding and throbbing from his exertion.
When the hauler finally made it past the castle doors, Vegeta moved from the shadows to follow inside. The massive doors closed slowly behind him, filling the dusty interior of the castle with a pair of resounding thuds. Vegeta took a moment to absorb his darkly subdued, comfortable surroundings in peace before gracefully and deliberately following the larger man to the stairs. The hauler had Vegeta's precious crate tilted on the first descending steps, and was pushing it down into the basement with slow progress.
"What's in here, anyways?" The large man said through clenched teeth as he strained to do his hauling carefully, as instructed.
His question was one Vegeta was expecting, as he knew humans were often too curious for their own good. The man grunted again as he hauled the crate down another step and another, nearly reaching the landing as the crate thudded against each step.
Vegeta answered the question with a hum of amusement, "my personal belongings. That's all you need to know."
The man took a brief pause to scratch his sweat-drenched bald head and scowl in displeasure at Vegeta's curt answer. "Alright."
The hauler exhaled heavily as he set to work again, while Vegeta remained at the top of the stairs. Vegeta waited there for the hired man to return to retrieve the second crate, the one intended for Vegeta's companion. His visit to this country would be brief. Soon enough, he would claim himself a companion and they would use those crates to return to his homeland together.
When the hauler emerged at the top of the stairs, casting Vegeta a suspicious glance, Vegeta frowned to himself. Out of a need to confirm his own suspicion about the curiosity of the man, because he knew over his many years just how often curiosity led mortals into trouble, Vegeta descended into his basement while the hired man was outside retrieving his other crate from the carriage.
With soundless footsteps, Vegeta smoothly descended the steps until his boots met the hard landing of the stone flooring of the basement. It was incredibly dark down there, with only a solitary candle lit against the wall, not that he needed light.
Before his feet touched the ground, he could smell the soil of his homeland strongly enough to realize his crate had been opened. He rushed to its location, sweeping a hand into the cool soil to make sure it had not been disturbed or possibly desecrated by the hands of the disobedient fool.
Vegeta breathed deeply in relief, closing his eyes at the soothing feel of the soil against his skin as he allowed it to fall between his fingers, back to where it belonged. As he secured the heavy lid back into its proper place, Vegeta heard loud, obnoxious noises indicating the return of the intrusive oaf.
Vegeta glared at the stairs as he awaited the man's reappearance, his lips pressing tightly together in displeasure. "You've seen something you shouldn't have, Mr. Nappa."
Nappa's footsteps immediately halted. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Nappa's blatant lie made Vegeta scowl in displeasure before Nappa descended a few steps again, to meet Vegeta's gaze.
Vegeta growled, causing Nappa to frown and add defensively, "I'm only doing what you paid me to do."
Mortals and their clumsy attempts at deception. Vegeta's lip raised in a furious snarl before he lunged at the larger man with inhuman strength and speed.
Nappa gasped in alarm as his head snapped against the stone stairwell wall behind him, the impact dizzying him as he peered down at the powerful man holding him. As Vegeta bared his teeth furiously at the perpetrator, Nappa grimaced in pain.
"Fool!" Vegeta leaned in closer to breathe down Nappa's thick neck. "Now I can't allow you to live. Your knowledge could interfere with my plans here."
As Vegeta moved to expose his sharp fangs to the man's neck, Nappa jumped, "Wait!"
Vegeta backed off only momentarily at the desperate outcry, before a gleam shone in his eyes and he viciously bit down, sinking his fangs into Nappa's neck.
"Wait..." Nappa groaned as he clenched his teeth in pain and attempted to pull away from the inescapable hold of Vegeta's fangs burrowed into his neck.
Vegeta sucked the seeping blood of his victim, rolling the mild, pleasant flavor over his tongue as he quenched his thirst while ridding himself of his meddlesome servant.
"I can help you." Nappa strained almost inaudibly, "I can do whatever you need...just...let me live."
Vegeta slowly released Nappa, licking the sweet blood from his lips and fangs as his speculative eyes met the terrified gaze of his victim. "What can you possibly do for me that I cannot do for myself?"
Nappa quivered as he looked at Vegeta-really looked at him-and understood what he was. "Well...you-you can't possibly be in two places at once."
When Vegeta looked unimpressed, Nappa clenched his teeth in frustration and placed a hand to cover his bleeding neck. As Vegeta narrowed his eyes menacingly at his victim with the intention of finishing his kill, Nappa stretched his blood-soaked palm in front of his face.
Nappa's eyes widened in alarm at the sight of his blood as his chest heaved with terrified gasps, before he looked to Vegeta. "There must be something I can do for you! I'll keep your secrets! I just don't want to die, Vegeta!"
Vegeta restrained himself from another bite, carefully spending a minute to gauge his victim, before he twisted his lip in decision. "Prince Vegeta."
"...What?"
"You will call me Prince Vegeta. You will do what I say without question. You will worship me as your master."
"Yes! Yes, I will." Nappa said in elation as Vegeta released Nappa from his hold against the wall.
When Nappa sloppily rubbed the blood off his palm, onto his dark pants, Vegeta nodded towards the abandoned, second crate still waiting at the top of the stairs. "First, you'll finish this job. Then you are to keep watch over my castle during the day, while I rest undisturbed."
Nappa nodded mutely, his body trembling from the shock he had just underwent after being so close to death, and now realizing to what he had just committed himself.
"In return for your servitude," Vegeta said, "you will be rewarded with immortality."
As Nappa gawked, but nodded his agreement when words failed him, Vegeta huffed in acceptance of the arrangement. He turned to descend the basement steps, effectively dismissing Nappa as he went down for his rest, to spend his daytime hours as always, hidden safely from the abhorrent sunlight.
The torment of the burning sun against his skin was a feeling Vegeta could never forget, even if it never happened again and he lived for a million more years. Therefore, whenever it set, Vegeta would instantly feel the reprieve of its scorching flames.
After having a day's rest buried in the soothing homeland soil of his crate, Vegeta found himself rising from the dirt, awakening to the beauty of darkness in his basement, to the quiet of his castle. It was not so quiet as to arouse his suspicions, as he could hear a rat scurrying along the outer walls of the basement, some running water within the pipes in the walls, and heavy, pacing footsteps from the floor above. Vegeta raised his chin in approval of his waking conditions as he pushed himself from the crate, loosing the soil that covered him. Nappa was still there, and as Vegeta could tell, still doing as he was told.
If the fool tried to do any different, Vegeta would easily command him to do otherwise, and most importantly, Vegeta would instantly know. Nappa was bound to Vegeta now as an inhuman slave, not vampire like him, yet never to be human again. The change was cemented in Vegeta's words when the man made the foolish oath.
Vegeta's boots hit the stone flooring one by one as he stepped out of his crate, greeting the night that beckoned to him. Now that he was at his best and he no longer had the hindrance of sunrise to distract him, his chance to make an impression on his welcoming neighbors had arrived.
Vegeta trudged up the stairs to find Nappa. He found him in the kitchen. When his eyes landed on his new slave's fearful gaze, Vegeta's lip twitched into a smile. "It's been decades since I've taken a servant such as yourself."
Nappa stared down at Vegeta's imposing form, gripping tightly to the countertop behind him as if it would protect him from Vegeta's ill will. Maybe, if it had been made of silver, sprinkled with holy water or smothered in garlic, it could have saved most humans. But for Nappa, the usual rules no longer applied.
Vegeta smirked in amusement at his slave's mannerisms. "I could get used to this again, I think."
"A message arrived for you while you rested, Prince Vegeta." Nappa responded bluntly.
Vegeta raised his brows as his curiosity was piqued. "From whom?"
"Dr. and Mrs. Brief." Nappa swallowed hard under Vegeta's intense gaze. "An invitation, really, requesting your company at a party they're hosting tomorrow night."
"Hm." Vegeta hummed in satisfaction as his gaze pensively averted from Nappa.
A party the following night would be the perfect opportunity. Vegeta could visit that beautiful, tempting woman alone tonight, with no one around, without having to put on an act for the rest of them, which he would have to do when seeing them all on the following evening.
Vegeta turned from Nappa, sighting with his acute vision some movement near the cobwebbed baseboards against the wall. He knelt down and struck his hand forward rapidly, catching the moving, tiny creature in his hand, before turning to face Nappa again. Vegeta presented his catch to his servant, dangling the wiggling spider by a few of its legs from his fingertips. To his amusement, Nappa subconsciously licked his lips.
"Good work, Nappa." Vegeta extended the insect closer to the mesmerized, yet confused servant's face.
Nappa furrowed his brows, his fixed gaze never leaving the spider. "Wh-what am I supposed to do with that?"
Vegeta smirked. "What do you want to do with it?"
Nappa blinked as Vegeta's question seemed to break his stupor. Then his hand flew forward, seizing the spider before greedily placing it in his mouth. As he closed his eyes and hummed in delight, Vegeta smiled smugly to himself and turned his back to Nappa. Now that his servant had been rewarded, he had somewhere to go. He approached the open kitchen window, taking a moment to appreciate the appearance of the moonless and darkly clouded night sky.
"What do you want me to do now?" Nappa asked, pausing a moment before cautiously adding, "Master?"
"Make sure I have suitable attire for the party ready before tomorrow night, Nappa." Vegeta said before gripping his fingers around the stone framing of an open window of the castle. He pulled himself through forcefully, causing Nappa to gasp as Vegeta flew through the window in a way that seemed as if he'd crash into the rocks surrounding the castle.
Nappa's eyes bulged in shock as Vegeta did not collide as he expected, but rather flew into the air at a rapid speed. The vampire blurred into a streak of black as he disappeared into the night sky, leaving Nappa behind, awestruck.
The next morning, the Briefs residence was bustling with activity. Servants were busy cleaning in preparation for the decorations they would put out for the celebration that night. Mrs. Brief was advising the servants to her likes and dislikes for the party, while Dr. Brief was handling the more practical matters.
"Panchy, Dear," Dr. Brief called, his mustache tickling the rim of his coffee mug as he turned from the breakfast table to address his hurriedly passing wife, "did Prince Vegeta accept our invitation?"
"Hmmm...I don't know, Dear." Mrs. Brief stopped passing through with the team of decorators ahead of her to turn and look at her husband with a finger pressed to her lip, "we only just sent the invitation last night, because he just arrived. I'm sure he'll come, though."
As Mrs. Brief beamed at the satisfied expression crossing her husband's face, Dr. Brief decisively scribbled a note, "Alright, that adds one more."
"Dear, have you seen Bulma this morning?" Mrs. Brief asked curiously.
Dr. Brief raised his brows in alarm at the question. "No. Have you?"
"Hmm," Mrs. Brief hummed, "she must be sleeping in. I should go wake her. I know she'd like plenty of time to get dressed for the party tonight if Prince Vegeta will be in attendance." Mrs. Brief giggled tellingly as she disappeared from the large kitchen, while Dr. Brief frowned in bemusement towards the cast iron stove.
"Bulma fancies the prince?" His frown deepened as he raised his brows curiously. "That's news to me. And here I thought she was going with that Yamcha gentleman."
Dr. Brief turned to finish his dry toast and coffee as servants rushed into the kitchen, already setting to work on the night's feast. Dr. Brief half-turned to face the hefty male servant lazily attending to the stove. "What's that you're working on, Yajirobe?"
"Potatoes." Yajirobe grunted.
"Oh." Dr. Brief replied absently. "Well, that's good. We'll need plenty of food toni-"
A high pitched scream from upstairs abruptly ended the inane conversation as Dr. Brief's eyes widened in alarm. Yajirobe braced himself against the stove and stared towards the ceiling in wide-eyed fear until the scream died off.
Dr. Brief didn't hesitate for long before he jumped from his chair to run out of the kitchen, recognizing the scream as his wife's. He ran across the massive living room, up the stairs, passing his younger guests who had just recently entered into the living room. The two of them exchanged a curious glance over the inarguable drama occurring in the Brief household as Dr. Brief reached the top landing of the stairs.
"Panchy! What is it?" Dr. Brief called fearfully up the stairs, causing the alarmed pair of guests to hurriedly follow.
Dr. Brief slammed the door of Bulma's bedroom open to find Bulma and Panchy together near the door, though Bulma looked extremely pale. Her eyes looked drawn and tired. He did not have to be a doctor to recognize that something was wrong with his daughter. "Bulma!"
"What happened?" A feminine voice asked from the doorway.
The Briefs all turned to recognize the two new guests in Bulma's room, who were staring at the Brief heiress with as much concern as her parents.
"I'm fine," Bulma insisted with a dismissive wave, "I don't know why everyone's acting so concerned." She smiled at Goku and Chi-Chi, who exchanged disbelieving glances from the doorway.
Dr. Brief came forward, reaching a hand to his daughter's to support her as if he expected her to be weak, though she was showing no symptom of that. "Bulma, you look pale. Are you dizzy?"
"No, Father." Bulma snapped in annoyance as she withdrew her hand from her father's. She crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes intently at Chi-Chi. "Are we getting ready for this party together or not?"
Chi-Chi raised a brow at Bulma's impatient question, while Dr. and Mrs. Brief looked at one another with worry.
Goku furrowed his brows for only a moment as he watched everyone in the room, before settling on smiling reassuringly at his fiancé. "Go on, Chi-Chi. Bulma seems fine." His smile widened as his blue-haired friend smiled back at him appreciatively and Chi-Chi seemed to soften. "I'll wait for you downstairs."
Chi-Chi reached to caress Goku's hand, while he gently pressed her towards Bulma, planting a soothing kiss on the top of his fiance's head.
"That's right." Bulma reassured the others, who were not as easily convinced. "A little makeup will make all the difference. I just didn't sleep very well last night. I'm a little tired, that's all."
"Alright, honey." Mrs. Brief responded with a sigh as she stepped forward to gently cup Bulma's chin in her slender hands. "Just take it easy if you get too tired. You want to be attractive when Prince Vegeta sees you at the party tonight."
Mrs. Brief giggled as she left the room and Bulma balked incredulously at her mother's assumption. Goku snickered as well as he followed Mrs. Brief through the doorway.
"Mother! You know I'm going with Yamcha!" Bulma exclaimed as her face turned beet red, causing Chi-Chi to smile knowingly at Bulma.
"Go on, Dr. Brief." Chi-Chi insisted to the older man, who still kept a keen eye on his pale daughter. "I'll call for you if she looks any worse."
Dr. Brief sighed with chagrin, but upon seeing Bulma's insistent glare, he relented with a nod. "Alright. Have fun getting ready for the party, girls."
Bulma giggled as her father shut the door and she excitedly turned her attention to Chi-Chi. Chi-Chi smiled with relief at hearing Bulma's jubilant laughter and seeing her smiling face sparked by anticipation of the party. It appeared nothing was really wrong with Bulma after all.
"So," Chi-Chi prompted sassily as she reached for the powder on Bulma's vanity, "Prince Vegeta, huh?" Chi-Chi laughed as Bulma glared sternly at her. "Moving on from Yamcha already?"
"Oh, shut up, Chi-Chi." As Chi-Chi dabbed the powder across Bulma's pasty cheeks, Bulma rolled her eyes facetiously, "Not all of us are as happily engaged as you and Goku."
"Bulma!" Chi-Chi looked startled as she tilted her head and curiously scrutinized the side of Bulma's face.
"What, Chi-Chi? Can't take the teasing of your perfect engagement?"
Chi-Chi paid no attention to Bulma's teasing as she reached her fingers to two raw, red puncture marks on the side of Bulma's neck, which had been hidden inches below her ear, now revealed by a lock of azure hair sliding down her shoulder. At Chi-Chi's touch, Bulma gasped and pulled away.
Chi-Chi furrowed her brows tightly in concern. "What is that, Bulma?"
"Nothing." Bulma said as she self-consciously lifted a palm to hide the marks on her neck, before glaring at Chi-Chi. "Tell no one about this, Chi-Chi."
Chi-Chi gaped at the request. "Bulma!"
"You must tell no one." Bulma raised her chin and coiffed her hair as her eyes stubbornly fixed on her reflection in the mirror. "It's nothing. I'll wear a gown with a collar tonight to cover the marks. I promise I will have my father take a look after the party." Bulma's gaze shifted pleadingly towards Chi-Chi. "If he sees this now, he may forbid me attending the party tonight, and I do wish to see Prince Vegeta again."
Bulma smiled coyly at her admission, while Chi-Chi frowned, too concerned about her friend's strange injury to be willing to go along with Bulma's request.
"Please, Chi-Chi." Bulma pleaded, "I only wish for a chance to be happily engaged. I don't see that happening anytime soon with Yamcha. Yet, I feel there is a chance for me to find that with this dashing prince who has graced our shores."
Chi-Chi looked into Bulma's blue, hope-filled eyes with a defeated sigh. "Alright."
Relieved that her mysterious injury would be kept a secret, Bulma smiled and began searching through the makeup kit on her vanity.
Chi-Chi watched her friend for a moment before smiling slyly, "Or if no engagement comes of it, there's always something else the prince can offer you."
Chi-Chi and Bulma giggled together as Bulma playfully slapped Chi-Chi's knee. The women laughed more together as they carried on dressing and gossiping about people who would be in attendance at the party, while downstairs, the doctor's luxurious home was transformed for the elegant party to occur later that evening.
The town's guests as well as the hosts would be looking forward to the grand occasion that night, as the Briefs always threw spectacular parties. This one would be all the more spectacular, as it would introduce into their society the mysterious royal from a foreign land.