Yamcha and Bulma sit on the bright deck with a table separating them, food overflowing on their plates. Bulma picks at her food as Yamcha watches her with dark eyes, his expression unreadable. A young maid walks in and stiffly pours the coffee into the empty cups. She turns and leaves the couple to their alone time.
"I had hoped that you would have joined me last night," Yamcha whispered stiffly as he sipped on his coffee.
"I was exhausted," Bulma said as she stared at her food, her cerulean eyes dead. With a click of china Yamcha places his cup on its saucer.
"I am sure that your exertions below deck were no doubt demanding." Bulma looked up, her cerulean eyes flashing. She stiffens her back as she glares in annoyance at him.
"I see that you had that bastard of a manservant follow me." This seems to make Yamcha upset as he stands up and glowers at her.
"You will not behave like that ever again!" he roars. "Do you understand?" This ignites Bulma's short fuse and she stares up at him from her seat, her cerulean eyes cold and hate filled.
"I am not some foreman in your damned mills that you can command! I am your fucking fiancée-" Yamcha explodes, his aura bursting around him like an invisible flame. He sweeps the china off the table in one shocking motion before turning his cold eyes to her. In one second he stands over her, his fingers digging into her pale arms, but she lets out no noise as she stare him down even as her heart thumps in her chest.
"Hai!! Hai, you are!! You are my fiancée, my wife in practice if not yet by law!" Bulma says nothing as he pulls her to him. "So you will honor me, as a wife is required to honor her husband!" He shoves his mouth on her, his tongue invading her warmth. Bulma squirms as she tries to fight off his approach. He pulls back and leaves the room as Felicia enters the room, her face pain in fear as she heads to her mistress's side.
"It's okay," Bulma murmurs as she begins to pick up the broken glass, her hands shaking with fear and frustration.
"Mistress," the young girls says as she takes the shattered pieces away from her. "I will get this." Bulma nods as she stands, some blood streaming from her fingers onto the ground as she leaves the now quiet room.
Bunny's Suite
Light streams in through the open curtains as Bulma stands with her back to her mother, who is angry. Bunny pulls on the strings as she tightens Bulma's corset. Bulma is used to this and stands there quietly.
"You are not to see that street rat," Bunny growls as she pulls again at the strings.
"Oh, mother, you will give yourself a nosebleed." Bunny shoves her knee into Bulma's back roughly as she tightens the corset further. Bulma lets out a gasp as the sudden pain, but straightens as her mother moves to the door and locks it.
"This is not a game!!" Bunny hisses. "Our situation is precarious enough without you spurning your soon to be husband!! The money is gone!!"
"You remind me every day!!" Bulma says as she turns on her mother.
"Your father left us nothing but a legacy of bad debts hidden by a good name and that name is the only card that we have to play!!" Bulma looks away from her mother, her anger gone and replaced with frustration.
"I do not understand you," Bunny mutters in anger. "This match with Yamcha will insure our future, our survival." Bulma frowns.
"How can you put this on my shoulders?" Bunny turns Bulma around and sees something that she has never seen in her mother's eyes… fear.
"Do you want to see me working as a washer woman? Is that what you want? Do you want our belongings sold at auction, our memories given away to others?" Bunny starts to whimper. "How can you be so selfish?" Bulma wants to say more to her mother, but with a sigh she turns from her mother once again.
"This is so unfair," she mutters.
"Of course it is unfair. We are women!! This is our lot in life." Bunny continues to tighten the strings.
First Class Dining Saloon
Captain Smith is leading a group in the hymn "Almighty Father Strong to Save." Bulma and Bunny sing in the middle of the group. Nappa stands in the back watching Bulma until he notices a commotion at the entry doors. Bunny looks out of the corner of her eye and notices Vegeta standing there being halted by two stewards. He is in his third class attire. He looks out of place among the complete splendor, yet he manages to look regal.
"You are not supposed to be here," one says as he stands in front of Vegeta.
"I fucking in here last night! Don't you remember?" Vegeta is obviously frustrated with the pair of males when he sees Nappa walking toward him. "He will tell you!"
"Mr. Yamcha and Mrs. Briefs continue to be most indebted of your aid. They asked me to give you this in appreciation…" He pulls out to fifty dollar bills. Vegeta looked at the bills, something that would make his life so much easier than it was, but without hesitation he shoves Nappa's hand away.
"I don't want money, I—" Nappa holds his hand up.
"I would like to remind you that your presence is not wanted here. You are a third class living in a first class world." Vegeta spots Bulma, but she does not see him.
"I just need to talk to Bulma for—"
"Gentlemen, please see that Mr. Ouji get back to where he belongs." He hands the pair each one of the bills. With a look at the bills they nod.
"Yes, sir." Nappa turns and heads back into the dining hall as the stewards remove Vegeta.
Gymnasium
An Edwardian nautilus room: There are machine that are recognizable and some that we can't. A woman pedals on a stationary bicycle in a long dress. Every so often her dress gets stuck and she has to stop to untangle it. Mr. Krillin leads a small tour group, including Bulma, Bunny, and Yamcha. Yamcha settles down in a stationary rowing machine and begins to row, his strokes well trained.
"Reminds me of my Orange Star days," Yamcha remarks casually. B. J. Finch, the gym instructor, a bouncy man in white flannels approaches them eager to show off his modern equipment. He hits a switch and a machine with a saddle on it starts to undulate. Bulma puts her hand on it, curious.
"The electric horse is very popular. We even have an electric bull." He turns to Bunny. "Care to try your hand at rowing, ma'am?" Bunny looks at him in disgust.
"Don't be retarded. I can't think of a skill that is as useless to me as that." Mr. Krillin steps over to the group.
"The next stop is the bridge." He turns toward the door. "This way, please."
AFT Well Deck, B-Deck and A-Deck
Vegeta walks with determination to the gate that separates the classes, Oolong and Radditz follow close behind him. He doesn't even look around him as he steps over the gate into second class territory.
"She is truly a goddess among the mortals, but is she really worth all this trouble?" Oolong inquires.
"You need to forget her. She has closed the door and is moving on with her life." Vegeta says nothing as he moves secretively to the wall below the A-Deck promenade.
"It was not her that was speaking. It was them." Glancing around him and then turns to Radditz. "Ready… go!" Radditz shakes his head resignedly, puts his hands together and crouches down. Vegeta climbs on his hands and gets boosted up to the next deck, where he manages to scramble nimbly over the railing and onto the First Class deck.
"He is not being logical I tell you," Oolong mutters.
"Amore is not logical," Radditz responds.
A-Deck
A man is playing with his son, a six year old boy, who is spinning a top with a string. The man's black overcoat and hat are sitting on a deck chair nearby. Vegeta rushes over and snags the coat, his hair far too tall to work the hat. Quickly slipping on the coat he walks stiffly down the deck, his appearance almost that of gentleman.
Bridge/ Chartroom
Gohan, the 21 year old Junior Wireless Operator, jostles in and skirts around Krillin's tour group to pass a small document to Captain Smith.
"Another ice warning, sir. This one is from the 'StarFire'."
"Thank you," Smith says as he looks at the warning in his hand. He slips into his pocket as he nods reassuringly to Bulma and the group.
"This is quite normal for this time of year. In fact I have just ordered the last boilers lit." Krillin scowls as he motions the group toward the door.
Boat Deck/ Starboard Side
Krillin leads the group back from the bridge along the boat deck, several life boats litter the deck, but it is obvious that there are a few short.
"I did the sum in my head, Mr. Krillin and it seems that with the numbers you gave me earlier that there are not enough for everyone on board." Krillin smiles sadly.
"About half actually." He points to the deck on the left of them. "I put in these new davits to hold an extra row of boats, but some people thought that the deck would look too cluttered." He sighs sadly. "I was overruled." Yamcha smirks as he slaps a couple of the white and brown boats.
"Waste of space as it is on this unsinkable ship!" Bulma frowns at him before turning to Krillin.
"Sleep soundly, sweet Bulma. I have built you a good ship, strong and true. Everything will be great, I promise this to you." They turn and continue on their tour, but as they pass the gymnasium a man creeps up behind Bulma. He grabs her arm and carries her back into the gymnasium where she gets a good look at him.
"Vegeta?" she questions. Vegeta nods as he looks around the room and then out the glass where the group has disappeared. They are alone in the large room. "Vegeta, this is impossible! I can't see you ever again!" He takes her by her shoulders and pulls her close to him.
"Bulma, you are no party either, you are a spoiled little bitch, but under that you are a strong, pure hearted gir--"
"Vegeta, this is not ri—"
"No wait. Let me try to get this shit out. You are incredible … and I know that I have nothing to present you, but I am involved now. I can't leave you knowing what I desire and knowing that you should be with me." Bulma looks at him in shock and sadness, the tears on the edge of her eyes waiting to fall.
"I'll be fine really. This is the way it--"
"I know that you are not all right. They have you in your coffin right now, the lid is being shut and if you don't run now then that fire that you have will be snuffed out. Bulma, I do not want you to loss that fire, that spirit."
"Vegeta," Bulma says as she cups his face. "It is not up to you to save me." Vegeta nods as he takes her hands in his own.
"You are right. Only you can save yourself." She removes her hands from his stronger ones and turns to leave.
"Please, Vegeta, leave me alone." With that she was gone once again. Vegeta watched the door for a few seconds before he turned and left.
First Class Lounge
The room is done in Louis Quinze Versaille style…
Bulma sits on a diva with a group of older women arrayed around her. She sits there silently as her mother's voice fills her head. She stares out into the room where a mother sits with her four year old daughter who is wearing white gloves to match her frilly white dress. As the girl picks up the tea cup the mother corrects her on her posture and the way that she is handling the cup. Bulma now sees herself when she was younger, her expression serious as she tries to please her mother who is showing her how to eat a small cookie in her own hands. Her cerulean eyes blink as she comes back to reality and then calmly, deliberately she pours her lukewarm cup of tea in her lap. Her mother turns to her, her expression grim
"Oh, look what I've done."
Vegeta stands on the apes of the bow railing, his favorite spot on the large ship. He closes his eyes, letting the chilly wind clear his head, but he can't stop thinking about Bulma, her cerulean eyes filling his vision and her soft voice filling his ears.
"Vegeta," a familiar voice says. Vegeta turns and there she is. He can hardly believe his eyes. "I changed my mind." He smiles at her, drinking her in, almost afraid that she will disappear or that he will wake up to find it all a dream. Her pale cheeks are red from the chilly wind that is blowing her azure hair around her face. "Radditz said that you might be--"
"Come here." Bulma approaches him and he puts his hands on her waist, almost like he is about to kiss her. "Close your eyes," he whispers softly. She does as he asks, his hands turning her away from him to face where he was moments before. He sandwiches her between him and the white railing, her body warm against his own. He runs his finger up her waist making her breath catch as his fingers brush the sides of her breasts. He moves his hands over her arms and down to her small hands before taking them in his own and raises them until she is standing with her arms outstretched on each side. When he lowers his hands, her arms stay up… like wings. "Okay. Open them." Bulma gasps as she opens her eyes to see that there is nothing in her vision but water. It looks like they are soaring above the water, like there is no ship at all.
"I'm flying!" She leans forward and arches her back causing her to wobble a little bit. Vegeta places his hands on her small waist to steady her. Bulma shivers a bit as the feeling of him holding her.
"Come Josephine in my flying machine…" Bulma closes her eyes, feeling herself floating weightless above the endless sea. She smiles dreamily and then leans back, her back leaning against his hard chest. He shifts his hands to touch hers, their fingers intertwine. Moving slowly, their fingers caress through and around each other like the bodies of lovers. Vegeta tips his face forward into her blowing hair, letting the scent of her wash over him. Bulma turns to face him, her lips brushing up against his as the dusk turns to night, the cool air cascading over them yet not touching them. In the crow's nest high above them lookout Fredrick Fleet nudges his mate, Reginald Lee, pointing down at the pair as they
Bulma's Suite
Vegeta looks around the large room filled with elegant curtains and stylish furnishings. He places his sketchbook and drawing materials on one of the nearby marble tables. Bulma comes in after him and locks the door.
"Is this light okay?"
"This is fine," Vegeta says before noticing the paintings that filled the room. "Monet!" He crouches down next to the paintings stacked against the wall. "I saw him once… through a hole in this garden fence in France." She walks past him to the adjoining walk in wardrobe closet. He looks at the ugly green safe in fascination as she starts to work the combination. She notices his look and laughs.
"Yamcha insists on lugging this Kami awful looking thing everywhere." Vegeta scoffs.
"Should we be expecting him any time soon?"
"Not as long as the brandy holds out." With a click the safe unlocks and then removes the large necklace. Turning she hands it to Vegeta. He eyes it nervously.
"What is it?" He asks as he holds it to the light. "Sapphire?" Bulma shakes her head.
"A diamond. A very rare diamond called the Heart of the Ocean." He is still looking at the diamond in amazement. He has never seen something like this, let alone held one in his hands. "I want you to draw me like one of your French girls wearing this." She smiles at him, her smile shy almost. "Only this." He looks up at her in shock.
Vegeta lays out his tools and then positions the couch that he wants her to lay on. Just as he finishes laying out the pillows Bulma enters the room, a powder blue silk robe covering her naked form. She smiles at him her long hair down and wild looking.
"The last thing that I look forward to is another picture of me looking like a damned porcelain doll and as a paying customer I expect to get what I want." She hands him a twenty before stepping back and untying the kimono. Her face turns a light pink as the kimono slides to the floor leaving her exposed to his dark gaze. The blue stone around her neck shimmers in the light of the lamps as it lies between her creamy breasts. Bulma lowers herself onto the couch like a cat getting comfortable in its sunny spot.
"Um… bend your… good. Eyes to me. That's it." Vegeta then begins to sketch. Seconds later he drops his pencil and with a curse picks it up, her laughter filling his ears.
"Are you blushing?" she inquires with a giggle. "I can't imagine Monet blushing." Vegeta scoffs.
"He does landscape." Despite Vegeta's nervousness, he draws with perfect strokes and what emerges is the best thing that he has ever done. Her pose is languid, her hands beautiful, and her eyes radiate energy. Bulma, wearing her kimono, leans on Vegeta's shoulder as he signs his picture.
"Date it please. I want to remember this night forever." Vegeta does as she requests and then hands her the picture. Bulma places the picture in the safe next to the necklace along with a small note. The safe closes with a clunk and the pair hug each other.
First Class Smoking Room
Yamcha hangs out with some of the older fat cats, all of them sitting around a table next to a large fireplace. The talk is loud and the smoke fills the table as some of the men put down their glasses of brandy. Yamcha looks up and notices that Nappa is approaching him. He excuses himself and walks over to Nappa.
"None of the stewards have seen her and her mother recalls that she left from teatime, but has not seen her since." Yamcha growls low in his throat knowing something that he does not want to believe.
"Find her Kami damn it!" he hisses before heading back to the group. Nappa grunts as he leaves the room and heads toward the upper class halls.
We look out onto the Atlantic as Titanic glides across an unnatural sea, black and calm as a pool of oil. The night skies glitter above the doomed ship. A meteor traverses across the black skies leaving a bright line across the heavens. On the bridge Captain Smith and Quartermaster Hitchins stand watching the waters. Hitchins hands him Smith some tea with a lemon before leaving the area. Second officer Lightoller enters the room and joins Smith looking out at the black ice that the Atlantic has become.
"Don't think that I have ever seen such a flat calm in all my years at sea," Lightoller remarks. Smith nods as he takes a sip of his tea.
"Yes, like a mill pond. Not a breath of wind."
"Bergs are going to be harder to see with no water breaking at the base." Smith nods again before turning and leaving the room.
"Maintain speed and heading, Mr. Lightoller. Wake me if anything is wrong."
"Yes sir."
Bulma and Yamcha's Suite
Vegeta waits as Bulma enters the room, now fully dressed in a light pink gown that slide on the ground. Vegeta smirks at her, but frowns as they hear a key in the lock. Bulma grabs his hand and tugs him into her room. They continue on until they get outside the rooms. Nappa enters the sitting room and hearing a door opening runs through Yamcha's room toward hers.
"Miss Bulma?"
Corridor Outside the Suite
Bulma and Vegeta scamper out of her stateroom closing the door behind them. She tugs him down the corridor toward the B deck foyer. They get halfway there when Nappa burst out of the sitting room, his face is flushed in anger as he darts after them. A valet sees the pair and hustles after them.
"Come on!" Bulma urges as Vegeta and her break into a run. Some women gasp and some men stand slack jawed at the mismatched pair. They run past the stairs and into an elevator where a young man stands. Upon seeing the two he is shocked out of his quiet reverie. "Take us down!" Bulma commands.
"Quickly!" Vegeta booms. Vegeta closes the steel doors as the operator scrambles to comply. Nappa makes it there as the elevator starts to descend. With a curse he slams a fist into the gate.
"Damn it!" Bulma smirks as she throws Nappa the bird. Vegeta and the operator gape at her in awe and shock.
F-Deck
The corridors down here are smaller and are just white, no pictures or niceties. Bulma leans against a wall as she and Vegeta catch their breath.
"Pretty tough for a valet, this guy." Bulma shakes her head.
"He is an ex-Pinkerton. Yamcha's father hired him to keep him out of trouble. Seems that Yamcha liked to visit the less reputable parts of town."
"Kind of like what we are doing right no-- uh oh!" Seems that Nappa has spotted them from a corridor nearby. He roars as he charges toward them. Vegeta and Bulma take off around a corner into a blind alley. There is only one door and it marked CREW ONLY. Vegeta looks over his shoulder before he throws the door open. They enter a fan room with no other way out but a ladder going down. Vegeta latches the dead bolt on the door and Nappa runs right into it with a thud and then silence. The laugh as they walk to the ladder. "After you, m'lady."
