Yay, another update!
First off, thank you to those who have been favoriting and leaving comments. I would have posted this story regardless of how much attention it got, but knowing that there's even one person reading one of my stories is absolutely insane. I have a couple other ideas for stories that I might do as side-projects to this, so be on the look out for those in the next couple months. Thanksgiving break in the US is in a couple weeks and we have Christmas after that, so hopefully I'll have more time to work on stuff.
This is probably one of my favorite chapters I've written, yet. I know things are kind of moving fast, but after the next two chapters, the pace does slow down a little bit, after this. I have nothing against slower-paced fics, but I don't like using more time than I have to, with my stories. I try to abide by the Law of Conservation of Detail as much as I can.
But enough about boring semantics, let's get on with the show! Enjoy!
Bulma woke up the next morning with the sun shining in her face. She squinted as she tried to sit up. Another day, another long shift at the repair shop. She shook her head to get herself awake, and slowly climbed out of bed.
She paused for a moment before she put her foot on the floor; she didn't fall asleep in her bed. She very clearly remembered falling asleep in the chair. As she looked around, her neck grew sore; it certainly felt like she'd been in the chair for a while. Well, this is really odd, she thought. I guess I could have gotten here in the middle of the night, but I would have at least remembered that.
Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps. Vegeta was putting on his white gloves as he was stepping out of the bathroom. "I was wondering if you planned on sleeping all day. At least don't have to pour a bucket of cold water on you, anymore."
Suddenly, she remembered everything, and buried her head in her hands. She let out a loud sigh. "Vegeta, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kick you out of bed. Go ahead and shout at me; I deserve it."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? You didn't kick me out."
"Then how did I wake up here?"
"I let you sleep there, idiot." She gawked at him. "What? You didn't look comfortable in that chair. I didn't want to hear you complain about it in the morning. I slept on the roof while you were down here."
"YOU SLEPT ON THE ROOF?!"
He flinched, covering his ears, slightly. "Gods, woman! You don't have to screech!"
"How was that even possible? Wouldn't you have trouble climbing up and down?"
He chuckled. "I forgot you were from Earth. Flight is one of the most basic skills taught to us, along with walking and talking."
It was then that Bulma noticed a brown tail wrap around his waist. She felt like smacking her head against the wall. "You're a Saiyan. Of course."
"For a genius, you can be quite an imbecile, woman."
After shooting him a glare, she sighed and walked over to the dresser. She grabbed a clean shirt and the first pair of pants her hand touched and quickly put them on, after slipping off her pajamas. Vegeta was taken aback by her slight lack of modesty, but turned away until she finished dressing.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"Quarter to 10."
"DAMMIT!" She slipped on her shoes without putting on socks and started taking off out the door. Before she could make it out, Vegeta grabbed her firmly on the shoulder. "Let me go. Yesterday was fun, but I really have to go back to work."
"You seem to be in a hurry to go somewhere you hate being."
"Only because I could get into trouble if I don't. Please let go."
"What's one day of truancy going to cost you?"
"A lot, actually! Let me go, Vegeta."
He smirked as his tail unwound from his waist and wrapped around hers, instead. She yelped as the furry appendage tightened around her hips, making him chuckle.
"Let me go, you dwarf jerk!" She tried to punch him in the face, but he effortlessly dodged every blow she tried to make. "You're not being fair! Let me hit you!" He let out a loud laugh, in response. Getting frustrated, she tried to hit him with both fists at the same time, but he caught them without even trying. He lowered her arms down, not breaking eye contact. Bulma could feel her face begin to flush under his intense gaze.
"I looked over your schedule while you were asleep. You seem to have a desire to work yourself to death. I was always taught not to work myself to exhaustion; it isn't healthy for a warrior and especially not healthy for someone as weak as you. Now, allow me to ask again; what's one day of truancy going to cost you?"
She sighed, in resignation. The look on his face practically screamed 'I don't want to argue with you about this'. "Alright. I'll stay home another day."
His eyes lit up and the corner of his mouth twitched. He nodded and let go of her arms, removing his tail as well. He still wasn't sure why he felt concerned for this woman or why he felt protective of her. He decided to ignore it, for now; why question something that doesn't feel unpleasant or wrong? If Raditz or Nappa found out about this, they'd never let him hear the end of it.
Nappa entered the king's throne room. The king looked down at him, slightly impatient. "Do you have news of my son?"
"No, your majesty. I talked with all the soldiers who garrison the city, and almost none of them have seen any sign of him."
"Almost?"
"There was one; one of the men Frieza brought in. Apparently, Vegeta stepped in whenever he was getting too close with an unwilling girl. He scared him pretty bad."
The king rubbed his chin between his finger and thumb. "That doesn't sound much like my son, but alright. At least it sounds like he hasn't been causing trouble."
"Your majesty, can I speak freely?"
"Of course."
"I meant to talk with you about giving Vegeta a day outside of the palace. Just the other afternoon, he went on a rant about how much he hates being cooped up in here. I'm not saying that he should have run away: but I get why he did it. I say we give him until tomorrow. If he's not back by then, we'll search again. Just a couple of days away from all this stress and nonsense might make him a bit less moody."
The king thought, for a moment. Nappa was speaking reasonably. He knew that the stress of the suitors was getting to his son; perhaps some time outside of the palace would do him some good. "I agree with you. Tell your men to rest, for the day. However, if someone reports seeing him, tell them to come to me. I'll deal with my son personally, when the time comes. You're dismissed."
Nappa saluted, as he exited the throne room. He couldn't help but sigh in relief. At least King Vegeta was being understanding. He really didn't think Vegeta could handle being dragged back to the castle, like that. Maybe their relationship as father and son wasn't as broken as he thought.
Deep within the basement of the palace laid every single bit of literature in the planet. They were all backed-up digitally, but if one wanted the most accurate and reliable records, then one would have to look through the hard copies. Far within the bowels of the archives, Frieza sat in solitude, reading over every bit of information he could reach. He had one simple task; find someone to search the planet. He needed someone clever, someone resourceful, and (most importantly) someone who wouldn't be missed.
As he flipped through the pages, someone caught his attention. As he read over their information, a smirk curled on his lips. He committed every bit of their information to memory, and put away the file.
Once he reached the ground level of the palace, he began looking for his men. Luckily, one of his soldiers was standing not too far away.
The soldier quickly stood at attention, as Frieza approached him. "Sir!"
"Find Dodoria and have him report me immediately. Tell him to bring four men with him. There's a job I need him to do." He nodded, and marched away. The lizard chuckled to himself. He could hardly stand still from the anticipation.
Soon, the Dragon Ball would finally be his.
Bulma and Vegeta spent the entire day locked away in her shack. She sat at her desk and fixed some broken capsules. He loomed over her, and occasionally asked what something was. He knew Bulma was intelligent, but her knowledge of science and engineering rivaled even the best scientists at the palace. If he ever went back, perhaps he could convince his father to hire her. He definitely wouldn't mind seeing her, more often.
As for Bulma, she was the most relaxed she had been since she left Earth. Even far away from her home, Kami seemed to be watching over her. Someone like Vegeta was exactly what the doctor order. Despite his teasing, he respected her intelligence, and wasn't feigning interest just for a favor. He was also to the point with everything, not sugar coating anything. She loved her parents dearly, but she always felt like she was buttered up too much, as a kid. Vegeta wasn't like that; if he thought something was stupid, he'd flat out say so. Honesty was always something she really valued. Plus, she had to admit that he was very handsome. Even though she knew him for less than a day, she didn't want to be apart from him, again. Of course, she wouldn't say that out loud; he'd think she was being ridiculous.
"Your talents are being wasted here," he said.
"You talk like I'm here by choice. If I had it my way, I'd be on the next ship off of this planet."
He snorted. Bulma's situation was a lot like his: feeling absolutely trapped. At least he was trapped in luxury. She deserved better; they both did.
Then, an idea popped into his head.
"What's stopping us?"
She stopped what she was doing and turned around to face Vegeta. "What are you talking about?"
He shrugged. "Getting a pod isn't difficult. There are ones with room enough for two. We take it and just fly to wherever it takes us."
She gaped at him, feeling her cheeks getting warmer. "You… you can't be serious… We can't just… What about my debt?"
"Who cares? People leave with unpaid debt all the time. Besides, with your inventions, you could make enough money to pay it off in no time."
"But… you have family and friends and a life here. Why would you want to leave that?"
"Some will understand; I don't care about what anyone else would say, in the opposite. Besides, my life isn't worth that kind of sentimentality."
"Where would we even go?"
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter, to me. The universe is a big place, after all. Between the two of us, we can make it."
Bulma's head began to spin. This couldn't have been as simple as it sounded. There had to be a catch. Yet no matter what scenarios played out in her head, every single one of them ended with her freedom. It was so close in her grasp. She refused to believe that it was true.
She didn't respond for several moments, still deep in thought. The blank, wide-eyed expression on her face concerned Vegeta. He crouched down and snapped his fingers a few times, in her face. "Hey, you still in there?"
She flinched and looked back at him. She paused, trying to find the right way to phrase her next question. "You would really do that? You would really help me get off of this planet?"
Vegeta was taken aback by her question. He had mostly just suggested that on an impulse, but she was taking it seriously. He was close to telling her that, but the hopeful gleam in her bright blue eyes stopped him. He was planning on leaving the planet, eventually; what was one more passenger going to hurt?
"I would."
Her eyes grew very wide and she blinked several times. "Why?"
He didn't have a great answer for her, so he went with the obvious. "I'd need someone to fix the pod, if it broke. You're adequately versed in that field."
Nothing in his tone or expression indicated that he was lying: he truly wanted her to join him in his travels. Bulma still couldn't believe that this was as easy as it sounded, but she no longer cared. Freedom was within her grasp, thanks to a kind stranger.
"What do you say?"
A smile grew on her face and her eyes sparkled with unshed tears of joy. "Yes. Of course I will. Thank you so much."
Vegeta felt his chest clench. Her expression was filled with so much admiration and trust. Even if he didn't want to leave, he couldn't stand to go against her wishes, now. "We'll leave at dawn, tomorrow."
It was just after midnight. Bulma was asleep on the bed, while Vegeta was still awake, on the chair. It was nothing short of a miracle to get her to sleep, that evening. She was too excited to finally be leaving this prison. She had spent hours prattling on about sights she wanted to see throughout the galaxy. She didn't even care where they ended up; as long as she was with Vegeta, she knew she'd be safe and happy.
Vegeta, on the other hand, still felt a small bit of doubt in his stomach. He was uncomfortable with how she trusted him. Throughout his whole life, he had copious amounts of pressure put on him, whether it was to act a certain way or look a certain way; yet all of them seemed minuscule to the pressure he felt when it came to Bulma. She was so weak; if he breathed on her wrong, he could probably break her neck. There was no way she'd survive a day out in the wilderness of space, alone. He glanced over at her sleeping form. A feeling of protectiveness came over him as he watched her chest rise and fall. He briefly considered leaving her on some backwater planet while he went off to do whatever he wanted; the thought alone made him feel absolutely disgusted with himself. He couldn't betray her trust. He would keep her out of harm's way no matter what.
Vegeta's musings were suddenly interrupted. He felt a large ki coming towards the shack – five distinct powers. When he recognized who one of them belonged to, he immediately got up and donned his outer armor. Once he did so, he ran to Bulma and shook her lightly.
Bulma grimaced, and looked up at Vegeta with half-open eyes. "Vegeta…" she groaned. "What is it?"
"Get dressed. We're leaving right now."
Hearing the urgency in his voice, she didn't need to be told twice. She hopped out of bed and grabbed the plain black outfit she had lying out. "What's going on?"
"Some very strong people are coming towards here. I don't know what they want, but I'm not taking chances." He grabbed the case of capsules lying on the kitchen table. As soon as Bulma was dressed, he scooped her into his arms. "Stay quiet. We don't want to attract any more attention than we have to. The port isn't too far from here, but I'll have to go on foot. Just hang on and we'll be out of here soon. Understand?" She nodded.
Quietly, Vegeta slipped out the door, looking around. Keeping his steps light, he walked to the other side of the shack. The ki was coming from the opposite direction of the port, thankfully. Tightening his grip on Bulma, he began running. His father must have sent them after him. He wouldn't let himself get caught - for his sake and for Bulma's sake. There was no way she was going to get away easily if they found him with her. He tried to ignore how tense and scared she was, but it was getting difficult. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he had to focus on keeping his power down to avoid showing up on the scouters.
The ki was getting very close. Worried that they might have been found, he halted and hid in an alleyway, lowering his power to zero.
A loud dash rang throughout the empty streets and suddenly came to a sudden stop, as the five men landed on the ground.
"Alright, this is where that blip of power was. It couldn't have gotten far. Start looking."
"What do you think he wants with her, anyways?"
"I've learned to stop asking questions about that."
"She's just an Earthling. Aside from the looks, what else does she have?"
"Hey, maybe that's what he wants. I know I'd like a few rounds with her, myself."
"Will you idiots stop yapping? We have a job to do. Remember – Lord Frieza wanted her alive and in one piece."
Bulma froze. They were talking about her. Her eyes began to water, in fear. What did they want with her? What were they going to do once they had her? She clutched the shoulders of Vegeta's armor tighter.
Vegeta clenched his teeth. It was worse than he thought. He knew how sadistic Dodoria and his men were. Of all of the men Frieza hired, he was the worst: an absolute brute, with an unquenchable bloodlust. Whatever they wanted with Bulma, they certainly weren't going to do it gently. He didn't even want to think about what Frieza would do with her. And he wasn't strong enough to take on all five of them at once; especially if they had a few ki-restrictors on them. He had to get her out of there.
His grip on her tightened. "Hang on," he whispered.
One of the soldiers got a blip on his scouter. Without alerting the others, he went to investigate. Before he could even make it into the alleyway, he was blasted into oblivion. Hearing the explosion, the other men ran after him before a loud and bright ki burst from between the buildings and into the sky.
"Follow the trail!" With that order, Dodoria and his remaining men sped off after them.
Bulma held onto Vegeta for dear life, with her eyes closed tightly. The harsh winds blew her hair back, faster than any car she had driven. She tried to hold back her tears, but she was too overwhelmed. She just wanted to be off this planet so this nightmare would be over.
Vegeta landed a few feet from the entrance to the port, and took off running inside. Once he was far enough inside, he set Bulma down, and held her by her shoulders. "Run to Gate C, get in the unmarked pod, and set the coordinates for Planet Namek. The Namekians are peaceful and welcoming to outsiders. You should be there by the end of the week. I'll come for you as soon as I can."
Bulma gave him a tight hug, tears still rolling down her face. She wasn't ready to lose Vegeta, yet. "Promise me you'll make it," she whispered.
"I have no intentions not to. Now go."
Without thinking clearly, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and ran away. Vegeta froze as he watched her retreating figure. He lifted a hand to his cheek, now feeling very hot and dry.
The large ki brought him back to his senses. He masked his own and hid. He hoped that Bulma was far enough away that they didn't see or hear her.
Dodoria landed in front of the building, with his three underlings following swiftly. Even though their numbers were reduced, they were still too powerful to take on, at once.
One of the soldiers checked his scouter, but the results came up blank. "You sure this is where that power level went?"
"Are you questioning me?" Dodoria snapped.
"No! Of course not, Dodoria sir!"
"That's what I thought. If we find that high power level, we find the girl. Move out. And report every spike in power that you see." With a salute, the soldiers separated.
Amidst her small panic attack, Bulma managed to make it to the unmarked pod. She immediately jumped in. Unfortunately, all of the instructions were listed in Saiyago, which she could only read the basics of. Trying to keep herself calm, she breathed in deeply and looked through the destination list until she finally found Namek. She continued clicking through menus and options until it appeared that she was ready for launch. She hit the final button, and prepared for the ascent. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out. She prayed to Kami, Yemma, and whoever else that might have been listening to her for Vegeta to make it out, safely.
However, before the pod could leave, it was recalled. Her breathing quickened, as the pod door was forced open by someone's bare hands. She was face to face with Dodoria. She couldn't stop the tears from coming back.
He laughed. "I knew you would have tried to escape." He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down the terminal.
"Please!" she begged, uselessly hitting his arm. "Let me go!"
"I always love it when they beg. Sorry, girly, but someone paid a hefty price for your presence."
She continued hitting and begging, turning into a sobbing mess. When she didn't calm down when he ordered, Dodoria slapped her hard across the face. She nearly blacked out for a few seconds. Bulma had a few nasty run-ins with thugs on Earth, due to her family's wealth and publicity, but it was nothing she couldn't fend off easily; this was a completely different ballpark. She wept quietly, as she was dragged along.
Dodoria entered the lobby, grateful that the Earth girl's screeching stopped. His men looked at him with excited eyes. However, there was one less than he remembered. "What are you so happy about?"
"You remember that high power level we tracked here, right?"
"Yeah. And?"
The missing soldier came out, dragging a battered Vegeta behind him, wearing a ki-restraining neck brace. Bulma's heart sank to see her friend like that. She felt her eyes water, again, but gulped and blinked to keep the tears at bay. It was her fault that he was like this.
Dodoria laughed and roughly tossed Bulma in the arms of one of his soldiers. He walked over to Vegeta. "Well, if it ain't the missing prince. Good day, your highness."
Bulma gasped. The one person she ever connected with on this planet and the one person who ever showed her kindness was the prince. If her heart wasn't already broken at seeing him so beaten, it certainly was now.
"This is a bit unlike you. Risking your hide to protect a piece of Earthling trash? Careful, Vegeta; I'm starting to think you're getting soft."
Vegeta looked up at Bulma, seeing the fear and sadness in her eyes; he growled when he saw the bruise forming on her cheek. He swore to himself that he'd protect her, and he failed. He could feel his pride and honor being torn to shreds inside of him. He exhaled to keep his anger at bay; if he lashed out, they could threaten or hurt her in retaliation.
"You have me. My father will give you plenty for bringing me to the palace. Let the woman go, and I'll go with you willingly."
Dodoria scoffed. "Sorry, prince. My orders come from Lord Frieza. If you want her so desperately, you'll have to take it up with him."
"Sir, what should we do with him?" asked one of the soldiers.
"Leave him. Have Raspberry or someone come after him. Let's get out of here."
Bulma was dragged out of the port, too tired to fight against them, anymore. As she was carried over one of her captor's shoulders, her brain went through every worst case scenario of what this Frieza character wanted with her. She wanted to cry and scream, but she had nothing left in her to let out.
