PLEASE review? *whimper* PLEASE?
"This is hardly fair," Mina snorted in disgust.
"No, it's not," Broly agreed, leashing his anger. "She's only fought five already."
"Can't she decline the challenge?" Mina asked.
"Yeah, but at the expense of looking like a coward, and you know as well as I do that Usa's pride will never let her turn down a fight. Even one she might not win. She has to declare that she's finished for the day before another challenge is issued. Usagi was going to try and train for a bit, and Turles took advantage, which is his right."
"You'd think he was exhausted with getting the shit beaten out of him," she snickered, watching as Usagi stepped into the ring, littered in light bruises and a few cuts from the last opponent, and clearly exhausted, if the bags under her eyes were any indicator.
Broly assessed Usagi's speed as she flew at Turles, fists flying, wrapped in her ki. She was using the new technique she'd figured out a few days prior; Usagi would surround her hands and feet in ki, and reabsorb it at frequent intervals before refreshing the light she was using to pack a serious punch.
Even with this new edge, Broly had been through enough battles to know that Usagi was going to lose unless some sort of miracle occurred.
"Aw, the little princess is flagging," Turles taunted. "Are you tired, woman? Because this is nothing compared to how tired you're going to be after I claim you."
Usagi threw her hands in the air, summoning up a large amount of ki in her rage. "Turles, what I'm feeling right now is nothing compared to what you're going to be feeling in the tank."
"Alright, princess, I didn't want to do this, but you asked for it." He summoned up a massive ball of light and lobbed it at her, just as she screamed and unleashed hell.
Both waves of energy collided, sending Turles and Usagi flying in opposite directions from the recoil. Mina watched Ami dart out into the ring to check the princess, who wasn't moving. "Broly… does this mean she's lost?"
"No," he answered flatly. "Turles will have to go through Nappa and Raditz, now. Likely the king, as well. I don't think he'll be able to win against all three of them, but it'll be close."
"Sweet goddess, no. Isn't there something that—wait a minute."
Broly looked down at her to see her smiling at him sexily. "No, woman, I'm an unmated male, and I'm not sworn to her service. It would be interpreted as a fight over her."
"And if you were mated by this evening?" She asked sweetly. One of her hands moved to his thigh and began to trace a little pattern that he found absolutely intriguing. "I was going to let it be a surprise, but…" She shrugged.
Broly kissed her firmly before giving her a nod. "You drive a hard bargain, woman, but you've got yourself a deal."
Broly flew into the ring just as Turles arrived to claim his prize, moving so fast that no one saw for sure who had come to the princess's defense. The fight went into the air, and with a few choice ki blasts and one finisher, Turles was lying in a crater near the ring, unconscious. He'd be in the tank for at least a week after that.
He floated back down, and held his hands out in a gesture of peace when Ami put herself between him and Usagi, followed by Nappa jerking Ami behind him and taking her place. "I just wanted to make sure she was ok, that's all."
Ami peeked around from behind Nappa and nodded. "The blast just knocked her out. She should be fine."
Broly nodded, satisfied. "Get her inside and up to her rooms, or in the tank if it's necessary." He grinned before looking over at Mina. "I am going to go claim my mate now," he added triumphantly.
Mina squealed a little when Broly dashed over with ridiculous speed and scooped her into his arms before taking off into the air. "But wait, where are we going to go?" She asked in between laughs.
"My bed," he said flatly. "I would have invited you over, but a woman doesn't enter a warrior's room unless she's his mate or she wants sex."
They were there in no time; Broly simply landed on the balcony of a home just outside the city, and carried her into a dark room that smelled absolutely wonderful to her. He laid her down on his bed, but rather than climbing on top of her, he simply laid down beside her and rested his forehead against hers. "Mine," he said simply.
"I'm yours," Mina confirmed, "but I think you're nuts for wanting me at all," she giggled.
"Same to you." Broly kissed her then, slowly, and moaned when she returned it, opening to him the moment he sought entry. That's all they did for a long time, while their hands simply wandered and petted above their clothing.
Mina was the one that finally lost control of her hormones, tugging at his training clothing with impatient hands. He helped her remove them, while he pulled at the shoulder ties of her dress and slid it off of her easily.
She licked her lips in anticipation once both of them were devoid of clothing, and pulled him down on top of her, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Well?" She teased, when he hesitated.
Broly could clearly smell her arousal, and he knew she wasn't a virgin, but he still found himself waiting, debating on whether he should take her immediately or slip into some foreplay. "Don't you want me to…?" He asked hesitantly.
"Broly," Mina said softly, "I was planning on jumping you in the shower tonight." She tugged him to her, and bit down lightly on his shoulder while her hands moved to his tail.
He moaned at the sensation, and with a mind of their own, his hips surged forward and he entered her. Broly collapsed on top of her from the onslaught of pleasure, just as she bit down roughly to validate his claim on her.
"You ok?" Gods, he could hear the smile in her voice; she knew what kind of effect she was having on him. Broly made a noise that sounded an awful lot like a whimper when she squeezed his length with her muscles, and couldn't even protest when she smoothly rolled them so she was on top. "You seem a little overwhelmed," she whispered in his ear, before returning to his bleeding shoulder. "Let me handle this."
Broly couldn't even answer, let alone protest, other than to wrap his tail around her waist as his little lightbender began to ride him with agonizing slowness.
##################
"…she'll be in and out for a while, sire…"
"…concussion…"
"…broken arm…"
Gods, that sounded familiar. Just like the time Nappa had tanked her as a child. At least she was an adult now, and a lot more resilient than she had been as a brat.
"Oh, it's not that bad, girl. You'll live."
Usagi opened her eyes at that, and smiled brightly at a familiar face before throwing her arms around his neck. "Geta!"
"Feh. You're such a girl, Usa." Vegeta patted her back and kissed her chastely before pulling away a little to look at her. "Not too bad, like I said. The doctor's healing you up right now."
"Wait a second." Usagi looked around to see that they were standing in a white void. "This is a dream," she sighed. "For a minute there, I thought this was…"
"No," he said with a smirk. "Not yet, anyway."
"Yet?" Usagi let him pull her back into his arms, and giggled when he breathed in deeply, his face buried in her hair. Some things never changed.
"You don't hear them, girl? Father's sending you with Raditz, to come collect me. So this will be real soon enough. Gods, you never did listen. He's also telling Nappa to inform the warriors that if they don't play fair with you, they'll face an Executioner's Beam."
Usagi laughed at that and shook her head. "Aw, that's almost sweet of him! You'd think he actually liked me a little or something."
"You know, woman, I really am here in a way." He smirked when she just looked at him in disbelief. "It's the middle of the night for me, and that stupid imprinting bond from when we were brats—"
"Wait a minute, I just thought that was a stupid story that Mother used to tell us."
Vegeta chuckled when she wrinkled her nose in disbelief. "No, it's not. It's just a very rare occurrence. So rare, that most of our people think that it's a myth. But sometimes it really does happen, and that gives us a bit of a mental connection."
"So, finishing each other's sentences and stuff…?" She wondered aloud.
"Yeah, pretty much," he grunted. "You know what the best part is, though?" He was grinning again, and she knew that look all too well. It usually meant trouble for her.
"What?" Might as well ask, or he was going to tease her or tickle her until she did.
"You very likely won't even remember this dream. But since I've been having them on and off for years, I will. At least for a little while. I usually forget most of the dream after a few days," he admitted with a grumble. But they gave you something, and you have a concussion, so if you do remember it, I'd be surprised."
"And why is that the best part?" She snorted, rolling her eyes. "I would like to remember talking to you for real."
"It's the best part because I can get away with this." Vegeta kissed her then, and it wasn't one of those chaste little pecks on the mouth that they had exchanged as brats. This was full of need, and longing, and just a little bit of love. He used his arms to pin her to him when she struggled against him weakly, and growled in warning when he felt her powering up.
The kiss didn't stun Usagi into compliance as quickly as that angry noise did. Even when he was fairly annoyed with her, he'd never made such a frustrated sound. "Geta," she protested, balling up her fists against his chest, "you're my brother."
"Not your fucking brother," he snarled. "You're mine, you always have been. I felt the damned pull with you when I was a brat, woman. Didn't you?"
Usagi shook her head little, and gasped when his mouth skimmed over her throat. Damn it if that didn't feel wonderful. "I don't know, Geta," she answered honestly. "We—Saiyans almost never feel the pull before puberty."
"Well, I felt it with you, Usa." He bit down lightly on her shoulder and moaned at the thought of sinking his teeth into her.
"Geta?" Usagi resisted the temptation to bury her fingers in his hair and offer her shoulder to him. She felt a flutter in her stomach when he looked up at her, his eyes glazed with desire. Dear gods, he was right!?
"You just felt it now, didn't you?" When she gave him the barest of nods, obviously stunned by this new development, he kissed her again.
Usagi returned the kiss this time, opening to him when his tongue lined the crease of her mouth, and moaned softly when he began to kiss her in earnest. She was clutching at him then, desperately trying to feel every inch of skin she could get her hands on while he tugged at her training clothes.
Vegeta suddenly froze, gave her one more slow, passionate kiss, and then pulled away. "Sorry. Dreams never last long enough," he grumbled. "You're waking up, Usa." He tugged her back to him for a moment and simply inhaled her scent. Gods, he'd missed that smell.
"But…" Usagi tilted his chin up so she could look at him again, and nipped at his lower lip. "You said I won't remember this, right?"
He sighed and nodded. "That doctor gave you something, so it's unlikely you will. So I guess I'll just have fun seducing the shit out of you when you arrive," he added with a smirk. "Not like it'll be a challenge, though."
"I think you'll find me more difficult prey when I'm awake, Geta. After all, this is just a dream. But your challenge is accepted," she chuckled.
Vegeta frowned when she began to fade from his mind. "Usa, just remember one thing, if you can't remember anything else. When Father offers to send you to find me, don't refuse!" He was shouting now, not even sure if she could hear him.
"Love you, Geta!" Usa shouted back, grinning at his frown.
"Feh. Girl." The corners of his mouth tugged up a bit once she was gone, though, and if anyone had been in the Saiyan prince's bedroom, they would have seen him smiling in his sleep.
##################
Raditz took off for the training ring once all of the food was stored from their shopping trip, leaving Mako to deal with the other stuff. She put the cookware away before dumping her bag on the bed, and pulling out the one purchase she'd snuck while Raditz's back was turned. She laid it on the dryer, on top of Bardock's clothes, and went to work on making a pie to go with dinner.
A large roast with all the trimmings was on the table when Bardock got home, and the pie was cooling on the sill. Mako was so engrossed in a book that she didn't even hear him come in, and nearly jumped out of her skirt when she felt his hand on her shoulder, sending a little jolt through her.
He got a jolt as well, and was quickly learning not to startle a thundershaker. "Gods, girl, you need to learn to pay attention to your surroundings."
"I was reading, sorry." She closed the book and looked up at him, to find him looking at her as well. Gods, it would be too easy to get lost in those expressive dark eyes. "Anyway, dinner's ready. Dig in."
"What were you reading?" He asked, while he filled his plate.
"Saiyan cooking. Raditz bought it for me on the sly. Do you really drink wine with every meal? Gods, I'll be drunk before six."
"Lightweight." Bardock filled his cup from the bottle on the table, and knew instantly that his son had bought it, and not Mako. It was his favorite vineyard. "Have a cup, this is better than what I usually buy."
"Raditz said it was a special occasion," she chuckled, pouring a small amount for herself as she made herself a plate. She grinned when he gave her a questioning look. "He said that you should celebrate the fact that you're not eating that awful fucking instant shit, and that you never will again if he has any say in it."
"My brat needs to keep his mouth shut," Bardock remarked darkly.
"Your brat obviously loves you very much."
"Feh. Saiyan men don't do that word, woman."
Mako was clearly annoyed at that statement. Gods, he was such a jackass! "Whatever you say, monkey man." She ate quickly, and in silence, only glancing up twice to see if he was enjoying the meal. She brought the pie over when she was nearly full, and cracked open a new book, Saiyan Customs.
"That's not the same book."
"Thank you, Captain Obvious. There's dessert if you want it," she added without emotion, turning to a page on male behavior. Mako snorted and tried not to laugh when she got to a part about the lack of Saiyan males' care for cleanliness.
"Why are you even reading that?" He wondered out loud, and wasn't even aware he'd actually said it until she answered.
"Because, Bardock, I'm stuck here. I may not be a captive anymore—Raditz made that pretty clear— but I have no home left to go to."
"The delegation that was sent to Althea will be back tomorrow. You could—"
"No, I can't, Bardock. Don't make me—I don't want to get my hopes up, ok?" She finally looked up at him from her book, fighting the urge to cry. While Mina and Ami had been ecstatic about the possibility of going home, Mako knew in her gut that Althea had been destroyed. The Saiyan armada left no planet that wasn't sellable.
"I didn't mean to upset you." Damn it, why did those tears in her eyes have to make him feel like such an asshole? "I understand, though. If you think you're stuck here, it won't be as hard to accept if it really is the truth."
"Yes," she said softly, pouring herself another cup of wine. Getting drunk suddenly didn't seem like such a bad idea.
The remainder of supper was quiet, as Mako kept to herself, and Bardock let her, lest he say something to further upset her. It was only when he put his dishes in the sink and moved to put his clothes away that he spoke. "What's this, woman?"
She looked up and managed a smirk, despite her depressing train of thought. "The one you wear looks like it's been through hell. I thought you might like a new one. That one matches your armor, too." She set her book down when he glared at her and a little snarl came out of his mouth. "What?"
She didn't know any better. She didn't know any better. That was the mantra Bardock had going through his mind when he set the green bandanna on top of the washer, away from his clothes. "Good night." He took the clean laundry with him, slamming his bedroom door forcefully behind him.
A little hurt at his rejection of such an innocuous gift, but even more concerned that she'd somehow hurt him unintentionally, she decided to clean up the kitchen and head for bed.
Her door swung open while she was changing her clothes, and she let out a yell, followed by a flash of lightning from her hand, that sent Bardock into her wall.
When he came to, he found a very concerned, slightly annoyed, and half-naked Mako examining the burn on his chest, her fingertips sending light little pulses of electricity into him. "Sorry," she said, "it's a conditional reflex. Staying in the palace for several weeks tends to make me react badly when my bedroom door simply opens." She shifted the nightgown she was holding against her chest, in an effort to cover herself better. It didn't really help.
Bardock found himself admiring the lacy, emerald green underwear, and the matching nightie clutched to her breasts. It was a very modest gown by Saiyan standards, but it was still guaranteed to show an awful lot of leg and a fair amount of cleavage. He didn't know why, but he strongly suspected that she'd bought a bra that matched the other two pieces. Bardock quickly pushed away the urge to want to see her wearing it, too, with just the panties. Right before he ripped it off with his teeth.
"Damn it, your heart rate is increasing. We'd better get you to Ami, Bardock. Can you stand?"
"I don't need a physician, woman, I'm fine." He tried not to blush at the fact that seeing her in such a state was what had actually effected his pulse, and not the jolt. "I'll knock from now on," he added dryly, when her hand shifted a little, making his skin tingle.
Gods, he needed to get out of there, and quick. Or at least find a way to make her get dressed and take her hand away.
"No, Bardock," she said firmly, "I'm a thundershaker, I know what I'm talking about. I stopped your heart when I hit you with that bolt, and restarted it when I realized what I'd done. Sorry about that, by the way."
"You've done this often?"
"Stopped someone's heart? Yes. Restarted it? You'd be the first Saiyan. Any other man that's entered my room unbidden has met up with a funeral pyre," she answered seriously. Mako sighed, still watching his chest, watching his breathing while she continued to help his heart work.
"How many retarded men have you put in the ground?"
"Dunno. At least one for every day I've been on Vegeta-sai. There was one day when three of them barged in and tried to pin me down. They had to give me a different room after that."
"Well, at least the quartermaster was smart enough to move you where those idiots' friends couldn't find you."
Mako smiled, but it was an expression laced with cruelty and dark satisfaction. "No, they had to move me because the room was no longer habitable. I electrocuted them so badly that they'll never get that smell out of the wood."
Bardock's interest sharpened at the sight of this vicious side of Mako. She definitely would fit in as a warrior if she stuck around. "Good," he growled with approval. "The little bastards deserved it." The flicker of sadness in her eyes made him growl harder. "And don't you dare feel sorry for a moment. Not for them. Rape is something that's never been tolerated on Vegeta-sai. A smarter man would have seduced you."
Mako blushed at that statement, and at the way he was studying her. That was when she realized that she was still half-naked, and she jerked her hand away from his chest to step into the hallway, shut the door, and shrug her nightgown on over her head.
Bardock's color wasn't too good when she opened the door. "Gods, I really did hit you hard." She kneeled on the floor and resumed her regulation of his heartbeat, relaxing a little when his breathing returned to normal and he didn't look quite so pale. "And what was the lesson we learned today, warrior?" She teased, once she was sure he would probably be alright in the long run.
"Knock?"
"That's part of it, yes."
"Oh?" He snorted, "and what's the rest of it?"
"Don't fuck with a thundershaker," she confided with glee. "And you Saiyans wonder why it took the entire armada to break us," she added with a hint of contempt. "Between my people and the firestarters, you all had one hell of a time."
Bardock knew her words to be true; they'd lost ten Saiyans for every Althean that they'd managed to kill. It had been a grisly war that no one had really won, and had finally required them to bring in moonbeam lanterns. The great apes had effectively wrecked the planet in the end, putting an end to the war. "I think I'm fine now." He needed to get out of that room before he said or did something extremely stupid. Like apologize for a war that he actually had nothing to do with.
"Try and stand. Sit back down if you get dizzy." Mako shook her head and snorted to see a great Saiyan warrior laid low when he stood and abruptly plopped back down. The fall wasn't totally controlled, and Mako could only take half of his weight to keep him from crashing into her dresser. "Ok, that settles it. In the bed, Bardock. Now."
His eyes hardened and he found himself in a staring match with her. "Not a chance, woman."
"Fine then, You'll go to bed in your own room, and you won't wake up. Take your pick, monkey man." Mako raised her eyebrows, clearly waiting for a response when he simply continued to glare daggers at her. "It's either this or the infirmary."
Bardock slowly rose, and snarled in frustration when he found himself starting to black out at the sudden movement. He would have fought Mako off if he could have, when she slipped under his shoulder and hefted him onto his feet, but right then, it was a battle just to remain vertical.
"Slowly," she advised, leading him to the edge of the bed. Once he was settled in the double bed, she placed her hand on the left side of his chest once more and resumed the treatment as she got settled next to him, pulling the covers up around them. "Don't worry, you won't wake up dead."
"I've done that once before, woman. It wasn't pleasant."
"Join the club. We have jackets. Hm," she chuckled, "we should get those made up, you know. Jackets that read, 'I Survived the Saiyan Genocide.'"
Bardock shifted a little closer to her, against his better judgment. He was simply seeking a little warmth; it was awfully cool in this room. "You have a sick fucking sense of humor, woman."
"So they tell me." She felt him shiver. "Cold?" Mako watched his chest with concern, and shook her head. "That's not good. We really should get you to the infirmary, Bardock. Where's your scouter?"
"No, woman, I'm fine." His hand yanked her back down when she sat up. "You've dealt with this sort of thing before, yes?"
"Yeah, but going cold is a bad sign, Bardock."
He noted the worry in her green eyes, and huffed. This entire situation as becoming a huge blow to his pride. "No, I'll be fine."
"Look… I can call Ami. I can have her come out here. She knows what to do for arrhythmia, and she can fix it. Discreetly." Those eyes were pleading with him, begging him to let her make the call and alleviate her concern.
"Fine! Call your friend, damn it!" Bardock dug his scouter out of his pocket and handed it over, swearing in Saiyan about thundershakers with hair-trigger tempers.
Mako immediately donned the scouter and gave it several sharp commands that patched her through to Ami. "I need you here, Ami. Go up to the princess's rooms and find Raditz. Have him bring you to his father's, ok? Don't raise an alarm or anything, or wake Usagi. It's not a dire emergency, but it is urgent."
"I'm already in her rooms, and she's awake, Mako. I'm her personal physician," Ami answered with a touch of pride. "Raditz? Mako needs you to take me to your dad's. It's important."
Mako heard a few quick phrases in Saiyan exchanged between Usagi and Raditz, something too soft for her to hear, before Ami told her they'd be there shortly and she disconnected. The thundershaker took off the scouter and handed it back. "She'll be here shortly. How are you feeling?"
"Like I got electrocuted," Bardock growled.
"I said I was sorry!" She snapped, finally losing her cool with him. She'd tried to be understanding and concerned, and frankly, she still was. But the fact that he was Saiyan—one of the warriors that destroyed her people—only courted her ire. "You could show a little gratitude, Oh High and Mighty Saiyan! I could have left your ass on the floor to rot!"
"Maybe you should have," he snarled.
They both jumped when her hand flew out and she slapped him. Mako hadn't meant to hit him, it had been pure instinct, and while she expected a pounding for the blow, she found herself growling right back at him. "You are such an asshole!" She finally yelled, hoping that the volume was hurting his superior Saiyan hearing. "All's you do is mope around and feel sorry for yourself, damn it! You let your house go to shit, you do nothing but work yourself to death every day in the ring, and then you treat your body as badly as your house by eating nothing but shit! You treat everyone around you like an inconvenience, even when they're clearly trying to help you or show you that you're not alone! And being dead is not going to make your situation any better, damn you!"
Bardock shoved her then, and she landed on the floor in a furious heap, as he climbed out of the bed and stepped out of the room.
He didn't make it far; Mako was cussing a blue streak when she quickly moved to his side and jump-started his heart again, finding it barely beating.
"Did we interrupt something?" Raditz asked, ushering Ami in through the door.
"No, you just missed me screaming my head off at your father for being a total jackass."
Ami knelt on the floor and opened her own subspace pocket, drawing out a mixture of medical items. "Let me guess, Mako? He didn't knock."
"Yeah," she sighed, fluffing her hair in embarrassment. "I managed to get him to lay down after I killed him and brought him back, but then he said something retarded and I went off on him."
Raditz growled at that, clenching his fists in anger. "So you stopped his heart again?"
"No," Mako snorted, "he shoved me off the bed, and stood up. He made it to where he is now. Idiot."
"What did he say that was retarded?" Raditz asked, now more curious than angry.
"He said that I should have left him for dead on my floor," she snarled. "Then I slapped him. Then I yelled. A lot."
"Oh, I heard every word of the yelling. Now it all makes sense. Feh, what a jackass." Bardock's son looked down at his father with a mixture of concern and exasperation. "Is the jackass going to make it?"
"Yes," Ami confirmed. "I'm going to give him something that should fix the problem, but he either needs to go to the infirmary for monitoring or Mako needs to continue doing what she's doing."
"Father hates the infirmary. He'd rather pound sand. Can you forgive my idiot father enough to watch him all night, woman?" Raditz snorted, this time in amusement.
Gods, she was going to regret this. "Get him in the bed," she grumbled. Mako kept her hand in place while Raditz easily lifted his sire and tucked him back under the sheets.
"Alright, Mako. Move your hand when I say to," Ami ordered, pulling a device out of her bag. "You injured his heart, and this should heal the damage." She smirked a little at the double meaning; clearly her friend liked this man if she'd bothered to not only bring him back, but also call Ami to ensure his survival.
The housekeeper moved out of the way when Ami told her to, and breathed a sigh of relief when Bardock's color improved and his breathing eased a little. "That should do it. Keep an eye on his pulse, and if you think for even a moment that he's returning to his previous state, call me immediately."
Mako nodded. "Thank you, Ami. And please, both of you?" She pleaded.
Raditz shrugged. "Don't worry, only we and Usagi know about this, and no one's going to run their mouths to the Elite. I'll tell them he's taking a day off tomorrow, no one will question it."
Nodding, she felt an ache of regret for what she'd just screamed at Bardock. The man was clearly in mourning, and the only thing she was doing was giving him more stress. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's hard enough watching him do this sort of shit to himself; it's not the first time he's nearly gotten himself killed since Mother died. At least that's what I've heard. I can only imagine what living with him must be like when he's acting the idiot. Now you know why I'm paying you so much."
Mako snorted at that. "Yeah, and I'm never going to argue about the wages again. I think I've got this, if you two want to head back and get some sleep." She dug Bardock's scouter out of his pocket and tucked it under her pillow for easy access, just in case. "I'll call in the morning, Ami."
"And if you don't, I'll come hunt for your dead body?" The genius asked with amusement.
"Pretty much."
Raditz and Ami left at that, and Mako sent a jolt of power into the lightswitch to cut it off before settling down next to Bardock for the night. She allowed herself to drift off, but only after settling her hand over his heart and telling her mental alarm clock to wake her at the slightest change in his heartbeat. She'd done this sort of thing before, so she knew she'd wake without fail if something changed.
Sure enough, she woke in the dark, unsure of the time, and sat up in the bed, leaning forward to listen to his breathing. His heart seemed ok, so she wasn't sure what had woken her. Maybe he was running a fever? Mako felt his forehead with the back of her hand, and found his temperature to be fine, so she laid back down, attributing her break in slumber to paranoia.
She woke again, and sat up like before, but this time she knew what had woken her. He was dreaming, and it didn't seem to be a very good dream, judging by his heartbeat and his increase in respirations. "It's alright," she whispered. "It's just a nightmare, Bardock."
Mako soothed his worried brow in the dark with her fingertips, and tried not to fight when he suddenly jerked her down against him, crushing her to his chest like she was going to fly away. "Shh, Bardock. Sleep." She continued to stroke his face, since that seemed to be relaxing him, and settled into the position she was clearly stuck in. Mako had wiggled just a little to get loose, but he'd only tightened his arms and growled at her in warning. She wasn't going anywhere, apparently.
Well, at least she didn't have a problem keeping an eye on his heart; she could clearly feel it beating against her own. "Sleep, monkey man," she snorted. That snort made her weak Althean nose catch a whiff of something wonderful, and she blushed at the realization that she was smelling whatever it was in his room that made her feel so light and happy.
"It wasn't candles," she groaned a little. "Gods help me, no man should smell that damned good." What if she…? No. No, no, a thousand times no. She was not leaning in and sniffing this man's neck. Gods, that was stalker-level, window-licker creepy.
Mako closed her eyes at that, determined to get some damned sleep before the night was through.
###########
Bulma glared at Vegeta a little over her coffee cup when he marched into the kitchen, full of that Saiyan swagger, with just a touch of smugness to his expression. "Another good dream?" She grumbled.
"The best," he replied, almost chipper in his response. He tugged her cup out of her hand and refilled it before fixing himself a large cup of coffee.
Bulma blinked and stared at him like he'd just grown a second head. He'd just made her a cup of coffee. Holy shit. That must've been some dream! Well, at least one of them had gotten some damned sleep; she'd been woken to the sound of him yelling something in Saiyan, and by the sound of it, the message was quite urgent. "What were you yelling?" She grumbled.
"I was telling her to take Father's offer. He's going to send her here," he finished brightly, as he fixed himself a plate of something to break his fast.
Bulma blinked at the sight of him actually smiling, and felt her lips tugging up in response. Damn it, did he realize how gorgeous he was when he really smiled? And not just that little smirk of his either, or that feral grin he wore whenever he was about to rip someone's head off. This was a real, genuine, happy smile. Bulma found herself eager to meet the woman that could make Vegeta, of all people, smile like that. "But wait, it was just a dream… right? Or do you Saiyan warriors sometimes have prophetic dreams?"
"Feh, woman, nothing like that. Usagi and I imprinted on each other at birth. I've been having real dreams about her for years. Usually just little things, like seeing her spar, little flashes of her doing everyday things. I've probably seen more than just those little flashes, but I never remember the dreams for more than a few days before they fade. I'd suspected that they were real dreams, but last night proved it. She got knocked out in a fight."
Bulma stared at him in wonder. "You spoke to her."
Vegeta nodded, and that smile was back. "I did more than speak, but she probably won't remember it. At least I will for a little while," he added with a chuckle. "It was her first real dream of me, I think. Plus she had a concussion, and the doctor had given her something to dull her pain."
"Oh." Bulma giggled at that and shook her head. "Poor girl, being molested by you in her sleep."
"Feh," he grunted. "It's an honor to be molested by the crown prince of Vegeta-sai."
"Pig," she snorted, trying not to laugh. Still, his confidence spoke volumes to her. "She enjoyed it, then?"
Vegeta's face fell a little at that, and he grumbled something in Saiyan before responding. "It was just kissing," he admitted.
"But she liked it?" Aw, this was too cute, Vegeta actually seemed a little nervous! She grinned when he gave a tiny nod. "Well, that's a start, isn't it?"
"She won't remember it," he sighed. "And I'm going to have to work for it. She still considers me to be her fucking brother," he growled. Vegeta looked at her sharply. "And if you tell anyone about this, especially that clown—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," she cut with him off with a dismissive wave. "Pain, torture, next dimension. I've heard this speech before."
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"Father?"
King Vegeta opened his eyes from the light doze he'd been in, and looked down into a pair of cloudy blue orbs. "You had me worried for a few minutes, girl. How's your head?"
"Hurts," she admitted, squinting her eyes against the bright light in the infirmary. "I'll live, though." A flash of memory teased the back of her brain at that, and she heard a gruff voice in her mind, telling her the same thing. You'll live. She felt a flutter in her stomach at that, and knew she was forgetting something.
Something very, very important.
"Usagi?" The king frowned at the far-off look in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I had a dream, but I can't remember it. Remember…" She frowned and closed her eyes at that. "Don't forget, it's important," she whispered.
"Just clear your mind, brat."
Usagi did as she was told, and it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Vegeta," she gasped, opening her eyes.
"Me or my son?" He asked with interest. The king chuckled when she snorted.
"He told me you were sending me to find him. That's all I remember, though. There was something else, but… it's like the harder I try to remember, the more the dream fades." Usagi growled in frustration and tried to sit up, but found herself being pushed back down onto the narrow bed. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not, girl. You took a nasty blow to the head when you crashed into the ring."
Usagi's eyes snapped open wide as she remembered the fight. "Please tell me that I knocked Turles out, too," she whispered in fear.
"Broly did." Vegeta grinned at that. "Then he scooped up his mate after declaring that he was going to go claim her, and took off towards his father's house."
"Good for him," Usagi chuckled, relaxing into the pillows under her head. "And Turles?"
"He'll be tanked for a week or so. Maybe a little less. But he'll think twice before fucking with you again. I've appointed Broly as one of your guards, until I send you to find my son."
"So, you are sending me. When?"
"A couple more weeks, so get in whatever training you need before then. You'll be stuck in a space pod for three months."
"The ink masters, then, while I'm recovering. There's some patterns I wanted to look at, and I'm useless for fighting right now."
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When she woke the third time, it was still dark, but there was a hint of twilight in the air, telling her that it was nearly dawn. Her head was now firmly pillowed against his chest, and they were lying on their sides, facing each other. "Heart sounds good," she sighed with relief. "Thank the gods." Closing her eyes again, she was starting to doze when she felt his chin rest on her hair, and his grip on her tightened slightly. "How do you feel?" She mumbled, knowing he was awake.
Bardock felt a lot of things right then, but mostly, he felt like a jackass. He'd been awake for over twenty minutes, simply holding her and going over the events of the previous night in his head. Romayna wouldn't want him acting like this. It was as simple as that. In fact, if she'd been there, she would have been kicking his ass so hard that he couldn't sit for a week. His late partner would have never tolerated this sort of behavior from anyone, especially him or one of their sons.
He found himself trailing his fingers up and down Mako's back, almost idly, as he thought about what he should and shouldn't say at this stage. Bardock settled on the object that had started all of this mess. "My bandanna… it's not just a fashion choice. It was an armband that one of my men wore. His name was Tora. He and all of my squad were killed by Dodoria's Elite, and that armband was soaked with their blood. I wear it now, whenever I go to train or to fight, so that they'll always be with me."
Mako sighed and couldn't help it when her cheek nuzzled his chest a little. "I'm so sorry, Bardock. I didn't mean any disrespect."
"I know you didn't. Which is why I came in a little later to apologize, after I'd cooled off. That was when you shocked the piss out of me."
"Sorry," she whispered meekly. "And… for what I said… I had no right, Bardock. When I get upset like that, I tend to say things that really hurt people. I'm sorry for that."
"A lot of what you said was true." He bent his head to kiss her brow, and felt her stiffen in shock. Bardock closed his eyes and moved his face to her hair, taking in her scent as he breathed. She was the best thing he'd ever smelled. "Now, go back to sleep, woman. I have a feeling that my brat decided that I should stay home from training for the day."
"Yeah, he did," Mako chuckled. "He's worried about you."
"Sleep," he ordered.
She had to admit to herself that she was ridiculously tired, so she relaxed in his arms again and closed her eyes in perfect trust.
Bardock did a lot of thinking while she dozed, her face buried in his chest, and he smirked a little when she shifted slightly in her sleep to wrap one of her legs around both of his. "Comfortable?" He grunted. He knew for damned sure that she was asleep when she sighed contentedly and slid her arm around him as well, her fingers trailing over his skin as she did so. "Gods, you'd better be asleep, woman," he groaned, once again burying his face in her hair.
He'd learned while courting his first mate that it helped quell the urge to claim a woman if he simply smelled her for several minutes, especially if she was innocent. Fuck it, he was going to have to take her. Yesterday, he was doing a fine job of resisting his Saiyan urges, but the last night had completely changed matters. Now that he knew how good it felt to hold her, how right she felt in his arms, he wasn't going to be able to hold back the flood for much longer.
###########
"Hm?"
Bardock resisted the urge to kiss her as he gazed down into her sleepy green eyes. "I asked if you'd slept enough. You were mumbling in your sleep, I thought you were awake."
"Time's it?" Mako slurred, snuggling against him for warmth. Gods, he felt wonderful, and she was just far enough into slumber to not feel self-conscious about the way they were holding each other.
He chuckled when her eyes slid shut and it seemed like she was about to doze off again. "When was the last time you ever slept in, woman?"
"FuckihIno." That crude, half-asleep statement was punctuated by a yawn as she adjusted the leg trapping him and shifted to get more comfortable. Bardock was a very cozy body pillow. "You?"
"Don't remember," he answered honestly. "I think it's about eight, though."
"Eight?" Her eyes slowly opened as she came back to reality. "Oh, fuck me running."
"What?"
"The delegation. I have to go, Bardock. I should have been there a half-hour ago!" Mako slid backwards, and for a moment, she wasn't sure if he was going to let her go. He did, though, and she blushed when she climbed out from under the covers to find her gown all in disarray. Her straps had slid down her arms, lowering the cloth over her breasts to the point that they were nearly exposed, and the hem was hiked up around her hips, clearly showing off her matching panties. Mako quickly adjusted all of this, but not before Bardock got an eyeful.
Now he wanted a mouthful. "Mako."
She froze like a deer in the headlights at the husky quality of his voice, stopping her search for something to wear to the palace. "Yes?" She jumped when she felt his arms slide around her waist from behind, and he rested his chin on top of her head. "B—Bardock?"
He closed his eyes in an effort to maintain control when he felt her trembling. "Thank you, for not leaving me there to rot."
Hearing her own words out of his mouth, she couldn't help but laugh nervously. "You're very welcome. Now, may I get dressed? I really need to hurry."
"Yeah." He released her reluctantly, and left the room so he could take a cold shower and change clothes. When he came out, he dumped his armor on the couch and started to tug on his shin and arm guards.
"Here, let me help," she offered, coming out of the kitchen. She set the pie from the night before on the table, and knelt gracefully to slide the shin guards into place and hook the straps. "There, just…" Using her quick and nimble fingers, she adjusted the fatigues underneath so they wouldn't chafe his legs. "Arms," she ordered.
Bardock held them out wordlessly, letting a woman help him dress for the first time since his mate had first taken ill. "You know Saiyan armor pretty well."
Mako's hands stopped what they were doing, and she looked away, her mouth settling into a hard line. "Yeah, I do," she answered tonelessly, rising from the floor to let him finish the job.
Shit. Bardock shook his head, mentally cursing himself. He'd just reminded her of the siege, hadn't he? She'd likely stripped bodies of their armor, looking for useful items, or had studied it to better know where to strike for a kill shot.
She finally came back a few minutes later, with her bag slung over her shoulder. "Ready."
"I didn't mean to upset you, Mako. It was meant as a compliment."
"I know, Bardock. I just don't take reminders of the siege very well." She led the way, and wondered if it was just her imagination when he seemed to hold her a little closer than necessary when he scooped her up and took off into the sky.
Yeah, I wanted to make the Broly and Mina scene longer, but I'm TRYING to keep this rated T, lol. And I hate to seem like a review whore, but… well, reviews make me write faster! So if you want another chapter up, just drop me a line, even a couple sentences doesn't take NEARLY as long to write as an eight thousand word chapter! Come on people! Don't make me break out my super-power of Jewish Guilt! (No, I'm not Jewish, I'm Apache, but I loved the movie the Hebrew Hammer, and I regularly refer to my guilt powers as such).
As Ana pointed out, I inadvertently have made Bardock a little awkward with women, just as his sons and grandsons, so I'm very happy with that, even if I didn't do it on purpose! And to all you Vegeta fans, I hope you're happy with the dream! Don't worry, you all now know that she'll be travelling with Raditz soon, so only about… seven more chapters until they meet again!
Next chapter: Mako gets herself into a LOT of trouble. And I mean a LOT. Apparently she's been hiding a very big secret since her capture…
