A/N: Takes place in the present. There will be no more chapters in the past...
Ex-Capabilities
It was the night of the ball, and many upstanding guests on invitation flocked to the grand ballroom of the Saiyan Palace. There was a little scuffle as to where the ball should take place, but again since it was traditional for the Saiyans, the tuffles conceded, seeing it would also be a headache to move all the saiyan necessities to another location. However, they were allowed many of their own personal invites, and Lady Bulma made sure to invite all the governors and family, meaning she was expecting a certain someone.
Since she had to decline all invitations to dance with males and limit her conversation with them, all she did was greet in the early part of the night as she made her way around. But upon seeing her special friend, she lit up inside as he approached her with a handsome smile.
"Yamcha." She smiled, stepping one foot forward to meet him.
"Bulma." He greeted back and kept walking the distance with the intent to give her a hug, but his attempt at the friendly gesture was cut off by Chi-Chi. She was specifically following the orders of the prince.
"What's with her?" Yamcha frowned as Bulma cut in front of Chi-Chi and allowed him the pleasure.
"Nothing…" She said and quickly pulled away, spotting her betrothed from the corner of her eye. Fortunately, he was not looking in her direction as he was engrossed in conversation with his saiyan comrades. "I thought you would not accept the invitation, Yamcha." She continued with a smile.
"Well, I thought about it and I came to support you…I also wanted to see just who the fortunate guy is that stole your hand from me." He began searching the ballroom with eyes only. "Where is this Prince of Saiyans?"
"He's standing right over there." She pointed discreetly.
"Which one?" Yamcha asked in a low voice.
"The one with the hair that points upwards…" Lady Bulma whispered back, still pointing.
"They all have hair that points upwards." He frowned. It was a fact since Prince Vegeta was also standing near Kakarrot, and his brother, Prince Tarble.
"The short one."
"Way to narrow it down."
"Wait!" Lady Bulma panicked when Prince Vegeta's eyes suddenly met hers. She immediately looked away and raised a brow at Yamcha"…he's looking over here!" She mumbled in a poor attempt keep her lips from moving.
Prince Vegeta's gaze shifted to the male standing near Lady Bulma, and he abruptly started in their direction, not bothering to excuse himself from his previous conversation.
"Don't look, but now he's coming this way." She whispered and turned her head to see Prince Vegeta already standing beside her.
"And who might you be?" The Saiyan Prince inquired of the male, who interestingly managed to hold his fiancé's attention for more than thirty seconds.
"I'm Yamcha…" Yamcha greeted sternly and held out a hand. "Bulma's-"
"Friend." Bulma cut him off in a hurry. "He's my friend."
"It's no use hiding it, Bulma…" Yamcha frowned and dropped his hand that was still extended to no avail. "I'm the ex."
"Ex as in…" Prince Vegeta gave a haughty smile. He knew this male was clearly the owner of the scent that disgusted him almost two years ago. There was no mistake about it.
"We were to be married until the rather sudden arrangement with you Saiyans." Yamcha clarified in his own tone of arrogance.
"Oh really? And what is your opinion of this arrangement?" Prince Vegeta suddenly caught him off guard with the question. His purpose was to boost his own ego by pointing out a flaw in this weakling's speech since Yamcha was turning the heads of many females around the ballroom with his attractive physical features.
Yamcha searched his head for a brief moment for the appropriate response.
"Honestly? I think Bulma should not be forced in to some marriage to resolve the childish fighting of two races." He then said.
"Is that so?" Prince Vegeta pinched his chin and glanced over to Lady Bulma.
"That's right. But…" Yamcha paused to take a moment to admire Lady Bulma's enchanting beauty. "…but Bulma is the kind of person that would choose the happiness of others rather than her own. She is to be commended. I could not have done it."
Prince Vegeta raised a brow at Yamcha's words as Bulma gave a nervous laugh. Little did that tuffle gentleman know that it was he who first benefited from the ideological statement.
"Very well said." The prince of saiyans chuckled and then waved a hand as he started to walk off. "Carry on."
"Yamcha…that…that was very noble of you." Bulma hesitated as she commended Yamcha, who blushed heavily at her words.
"Yeah, well, I still don't like the idea. But now I'm a little relieved." He sighed. "That Prince isn't half as bad as they say. I thought for sure he'd say something offensive."
"Right…" She let out a small puff. She figured Prince Vegeta had just weighed, measured, and found Yamcha wanting in that short conversation. She knew the more intense, up close and personal Prince Vegeta. And while he wasn't nearly as terrible as the rumors say, he was no angel.
But to think, he had been with other females all along and blew up when he first learned of Yamcha. Yamcha was just one guy that just kissed her a few times, and those kisses were just little pecks here and there. He did try to slip the tongue more than once, but she immediately pulled away. Yamcha's kisses and touches did not drive her to almost do something naughty like her first kiss. That one very special kiss with Prince Vegeta was the one that plagued her dreams every night and made her wish he'd did more than just kiss her.
She frowned at the thought while she locked on her target, who was now across the ballroom talking with a couple of saiyan females.
Of course his kiss would make her feel that way, he was experienced and good at what he did, wasn't he!
"Are you okay, Bulma?" Yamcha asked with the utmost concern as he almost reached out to touch her. Chi-Chi shot him a glare and he stepped back, catching the hint.
"I'm fine." She growled, seeing those females move in closer and Prince Vegeta did nothing to drive them off. How could it be okay for him have some skanky-looking females feel all over him in the presence of everyone and not for her to even hug her dear friend? How unfair was that?
Her patience was running thin, and she excused herself from Yamcha's presence and headed in the direction of the exit with Chi-Chi following. There was no way she could stand to watch Prince Vegeta's flirty behavior the whole night.
Prince Vegeta looked across the ballroom to find that his fiancé was no longer there and neither was her 'ex'. He invisibly developed a case of anxiety and pushed one of the females aside to get a better look around the room. He then sighed in a bit of relief with some assurance that the 'bodyguard' was nowhere to be found and that meant she most likely left with her lady. Lady Bulma had left their parents to mingle with the guests, though, and he was not too happy about that.
"You haven't had any since that night, right?" the female he pushed to the side moved to block his view again. "Your father ordered us to pay a visit to your chambers after the gathering as an early wedding present, Princey-Poo."
Prince Vegeta snarled in disgust at her very disclosure. There was no need for his father to order whores for him. He didn't take to kindly to their advances the night of his initiation, and now that he was healed and in good health he would not show them mercy. They would feel his wrath from that night, and he would take his anger out on them for having missed Lady Bulma's departure.
"You sure you want to do that? I'm not so vulnerable this time." He said with grin.
"It doesn't matter whether it's a good fight or good…" She licked her lips in slow motion in an attempt to look desirable and to stress what her last word should have been. "…we'll be there."
"It's your choice but I'm warning you that it won't be either. Now if you'll excuse me." He said and shoved past them as he headed back in Kakarrot's direction.
Lady Bulma returned to her quarters only to find that her things were gone, strengthening the pain she felt in her head. No one had informed her of any changes to her accommodations, and it seems that Chi-Chi was just as oblivious as she.
A maidservant just happened to be passing by, and Lady Bulma reached a hand out to stop her.
"Excuse me." She smiled politely. "Have you knowledge of the location of my personal possessions?"
"Of Course, my lady." The maid returned the kind gesture. "The queen had your things moved to the chambers connected to the prince's. May I show you the way?"
"Yes…please do."
The young maid led Lady Bulma and Chi-Chi to nearly the other side of the palace and through double doors that opened up to another long walkway. There was no doubt that she would stay in great shape walking this same passage each day.
It seemed that rather tiring walk had proven its worth when they entered the room fit for a princess, far more luxurious and spacious than her apparent 'guest' accommodations. However, there was one characteristic that Lady Bulma was not too thrilled to see at the moment. The door leading to the prince's quarters could not stand out any better.
She sighed and massaged her temple a bit before Chi-Chi guided her to sit down.
"I think a nice hot bath should soothe your uneasiness." Chi-Chi said. "I will draw one for you"
Lady Bulma enjoyed the comfort of the bath for almost an hour before exiting and discovered Chi-Chi had conveniently set out her sleeping clothes before retiring to the small servant's room designated for her within the new accommodations. She donned her gown and then began to explore the rest of the room since her headache had subsided quite a bit.
She enjoyed the lovely view from her personal balcony for a while until she heard a disturbing rumble inside. The noise did not originate on her side and was apparently coming from next door in the prince's room. She heard the sound of glass crashing, and without a second thought, she swung open the connecting door.
She gasped and her face turned bright red in anger and embarrassment upon seeing the site.
There he was, half naked in only his navy blue pants, as one of the females she saw swooning over him tonight was pounced on his back as he stood, and she was fully in the nude. The other female was also naked lying across his bed.
"Hello, my lady…" the whore smirked as she sat up in the bed. Prince Vegeta, who apparently was not facing the doorway, swung around at the greeting as the other female went flying off his back. Before he could get a glimpse of the person that stood at that entrance, she was gone with the door slamming behind her.
It only took him about ten minutes to break a few bones on both indecent women and throw them off the balcony, tossing their things with them, and he headed straight for Lady Bulma's quarters afterwards, pounding on her door.
"My lady is resting as she is not feeling well." Chi-Chi's muzzled voice called through the closed door.
It was obvious to Prince Vegeta that he was just being lied to because of what just took place in his quarters, so he broke the lock on the door and pushed his way in as Chi-Chi jumped backwards.
He searched the room to discover that Lady Bulma was not present at all.
"Where is she?" He asked Chi-Chi as he quickly headed back in her direction. Chi-Chi stepped back as he came closer. "I said, where is she?" He raged as he grabbed the tuffle female by the shoulders and shook her. Her feet were literally off the ground.
"Sh-She decided to return home to the mansion!" Chi-Chi blurted in fear and he dropped her.
"Do not worry…" He immediately started towards the exit. "You will not be dismissed for following orders." He said as the door slammed behind him.