Consequences

She lifted her head, closing her eyes. Her chest expanded as she breathed in the slight tangy smell of sweat. The wind rushed over her, lifting her hair away from the nape of her neck, cooling the beads of sweat running from her temple, to pool in the hollow of her throat. The air wrapped around her for a moment before sweeping through the valley, the sound of trees rustling reaching her ears from far below. She stood still, slowly opening her eyes and studying the vast expanse of sky before her, the rocks at her feet falling far below as she stepped closer to the edge. A couple moments past before the crash echoed through the valley. She slid closer, the cliff dropping straight down mere inches from her feet. She sucked in a breath, slowly letting it out as the tension between her shoulder's abated. She breathed in again, enjoying the feeling of freedom, though fleeting, rush through her body. She smiled slightly as her thoughts settled, the images jumbled and erratic a moment before, slowly dissipated, the shouting that had echoed through her mind, slowly giving way to silence. She savored the moment of utter peace, the headache that was constantly pounding pushed to the back of her mind. Standing in perfect stillness, the light of the sun gently beating down on her, she spread her arms, taking in all she could. She watched as the sun deepened, the sky slowly giving way as night descended. She curled her tail around her waist, closing her eyes to get a few more moments of peace. She crossed her arms. She knew it wasn't going to last. As the night sky lit up with stars, she listened, arms folded, her ears picking up a slight whooshing far over the horizon. Moments of peace forgotten, she mentally prepared herself for the onslaught as the noise came closer, the cause of it landing a few feet behind her. Great, she thought, I don't want to deal with this idiot. She could hear his tail swish along the ground in agitation, apparently annoyed that she hadn't acknowledged him yet. Her brows furrowed. A slight smell of apples assaulted her senses. Mother, she thought, frowning. "Your mother wants you back at headquarters, now." She cracked her eyes open, quietly yearning for the peace and tranquility that seemed to stretch over the valley. Pushing the feeling away, she lifted her eyes and looked into the night sky. "You need to return to your duties, NOW!" She closed her eyes, tensing at the force of his voice. The silence was deafening as she felt him step towards her. At the sound of her voice, he stopped. "Duties," she stated, pausing and taking a deep breath. "And what pray tell is so important that my mother had to drag you away to come hunt me down?" She turned, piercing him with cold, hard eyes. Her tail came unraveled, swaying against the ground, bristling as she glared at the man before her. "Mmmm?" Her eyes narrowed, "Oh,you mean Vegeta." She snorted, wrapping her tail once again around her tiny waist. She looked her mother's bodyguard up and down. "You watch him." She turned back around, closing her eyes once more, trying to keep the rage at bay. The warrior behind her took a step closer. "That's an order," she commanded softly, never opening her eyes. He stopped in his tracks, cursing under his breath. She sighed with relief as he blasted off, none too happy to be watching over a little child. She slit her eyes open, keeping them on the horizon that seemed so far off. Watching as the midnight blue of the sky broke, giving way for light to encompass the land, she knew she would never go over that horizon, never see dawn break anywhere else. She closed her eyes once more, imprinting that image into her memory, before turning away and facing reality.

*flash*

"You deliberately disobeyed me! And what's worse! You put the prince in danger! You will stop this nonsense at once, gallivanting around and making everyone else do your job for you!" her mother stalked up to her, coming nose to nose with her. "Well, no more! You will obey me in this or suffer the consequences," she demanded, her voice deadly. Glaring into her mother's eyes, she tried to keep the rage from boiling over. Taking a deep breath, she slowly let it out through clenched teeth. "You will not tell me what to do anymore. You cannot and will not make demands on me that you know I will not do," she stated, her voice trembling with anger. Her mother bared her teeth. "I have put up with as much as I'm going to take!" her mother seethed, "you know the penalties for disobeying." At her mothers' words, her face turned to granite. "Disobeying," she said softly. "I'm not one of your soldiers, I'm your DAUGHTER," she screamed, the pent up rage finally beginning to boil over. Her eyes began to blacken around the edges, her body tensing with a pent up desire to hit. Anything! She kept her arms clenched at her sides, silently wishing that her mother would shut up, fearing that she wouldn't be able to control her actions for long. Her mother took a step back, crossing her arms. "You will obey me in this daughter! You will stop this insolent act and start acting like a member of the royal family. I will not..."

"shut up"

"...have you embarrassing me anymore than you already have. Making one of my elite guards watch over your cousin, when YOU were elected that job. You will stop being a little brat..."

"Shut Up"

"...and start behaving like a princess. If you can't show a little respect to your elders, also your family, and protect the prince like your supposed to than I'm going to have to..."

"SHUT UP," she screamed, rage and power blinding her as she succumbed to everything boiling inside her. She screamed in rage and pain as energy ravaged her body, awareness breaking through for a moment, enough to see her own mothers' look of horror, before everything went black.

*flash*

The roar of the crowd was deafening, the smell of sweat and blood almost taking her breath away. Her boot sank in a puddle of dark red substance, covering her foot and soaking the tip of her tail. She grimaced. "Men are always messy," she thought, stepping around a brown blob that appeared to be a head. Glancing over momentarily, she watched as one of the elite warriors from her uncles' personal guards powered up, energy encompassing him as he clenched his fists, hunkering down and sliding his feet shoulder width apart. He faced off with a warrior from the surrounding planets. A big, hulking thing with muscles as big as boulders, pot marks covering his body, his skin almost a sickly green. He gave a maniacal laugh as he flung his arms out, six-inch razor sharp horns descending from his wrists. Smaller ones ran down his back, stopping at his tailbone. A tail slithered behind him, kicking up dust as he licked his purple lips. She shuddered, turning away as the saiyan warrior screamed a moment later, a cracking sound echoing in her ears. She clenched her jaw. She stopped, scanning the vast crowd before settling on the couple high in the stands. The King and Queen. Her mother sat behind them, apparently none too happy as disapproval marred her face. She quickly glanced over the guards, giving a sigh of relief when she spied her mentor among them, thankful he wasn't participating in this farce. She slowly climbed the steps, listening as the crowd started going wild. She turned halfway up. Momentarily taken aback by everyone staring at her, she quickly jogged the rest of the way up. Listening as the crowd settled down again, she met the eyes of her mentor, Bardock. His eyes twinkled, his face showing amusement, a moment later a grin spread across his face as she glared at him. Lifting her chin, she smirked, before turning her head and meeting the condescending eyes of her mother. She settled herself beside the woman, noticing that her mothers' hands were clenched in her gown. Her mother leaned over. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago!" she whispered, seething. Taking momentary pleasure in her mothers' discomfort, she didn't say anything for a moment. "You know I'm not marrying anyone, right? I don't care how many despicable acts you put together! This is a waste of my time, and yours." she stated, gritting her teeth as another life force was snuffed out. Her mother bared her teeth. "Show some respect!" the woman snapped. She glanced over, looking her mother square in the eye. "I am showing the respect I have for this," she stated, waving her hand toward the arena. "And killing our soldiers just so you can try to best me, or how did you put it? "Control" me, is childish, and a waste of our resources and men!" she finished loudly. The King, her uncle, turned around. "Child, you need to focus on finding a mate, not worrying about the state of this kingdom. That's what I'm here for," he said, flashing a grin before frowning again. "You might be a soldier...for now," his gaze slid towards Bardock, then back to her. "but you will do what's best for our race, and that is to make sure I get me some good, strong grandsons!" he bellowed, reminding her that he had claimed her as a daughter when her own father died, years ago.

"No granddaughters?" she asked, just to be controversial.

The King slapped his knee, barking out a laugh. "My, one of these lucky men are going to have their hands full with you! You got your share of spunk girl!" He grinned again before settling a serious expression on his face. "But you need to stop fighting us on this," he said, his voice lowering an octave. "Because if you don't, your going to regret it girl. We'll be forced to send you away again, and I highly doubt you want that to happen."His wife turned around. "Please," she pleaded gently, "listen to your mother, and at least give these young men a chance." Smiling slightly, she turned back around, The King gazing at her a moment longer before doing the same. She could feel a muscle in her jaw jumping, biting her tongue before she lashed out at those she loved. She heard a cough beside her, and turned to see her mother gazing at her, a small smile on her lips. She faced forward again, a sense of impending doom settling like a weight in her chest. She crossed her arms, reprimanded. A moment later, a heavy hand settled on her shoulder, and she looked up. Bardock gazed down at her, a small smile playing on his lips. She ducked her head, feeling chastised even more so with him than with her relatives. She glanced up again, expecting to see disapproval in his eyes. He winked, patting her shoulder once more before removing his hand and taking his place back up amongst the guards. She gazed back out onto the arena, feeling a little lighter than she had all morning.

Marie slowly opened her eyes as light began to pour into her bedroom, the sun not yet ascending fully into the sky. The dredges of sleep still clouded her mind as she pushed the hair out of her face, sitting up and rolling her shoulders. She paused, rubbing the back of her neck and yawning as she glanced out the window, the city buildings barely visible in the dawn of morning. She sighed, tiredness still with her for some reason, but not really contemplating it as she let herself fall back onto the pillow. Momentarily closing her eyes, she listened to her own breathing in the still room, relaxing a few more minutes before she actually got up and faced the day. She was just nodding off to sleep when something furry rubbed down her arm. What the hell! She groggily raised her head. Instantly becoming awake a moment later, she shot out of bed, looking down in horror. Oh, My God! She gasped, a little cry escaping her lips as the tail wrapped around her waist. She grasped it, feeling around until it stopped, at the small of her back. She put a hand to her mouth, squelching the scream that tried to erupt from her throat. What the hell is going on!? her mind raced, I didn't have...I'd didn't...I...she couldn't think. "This is right," her mind demanded. No! She screeched back. She reached down and grabbed the tail, a squeal of surprise bursting forth as pain vibrated up her back. What am I going to do? She thought hysterically. Vegeta! He'll know what to do! I hope!

"Vegeta?" she whispered, her voice trembling. She gulped. "Vegeta?" she said a little louder,her breathing erratic as she raced towards the door and flung it open. "Vegeta!" she screamed, her voice reverberating off the walls.