Empire

Chapter 21: I Thought You Hated Me

Vegeta stared blandly at Bulma. She refused to meet his eyes and kept staring down at her hands. The air between them had somehow become thick and suffocating. Bulma heard Vegeta clear his throat and she finally looked up at him. The frozen look in his eyes almost made her shudder in fear of him. His eyes narrowed even further once they latched on to hers.

"That's one problem solved," he whispered tersely so that only she could hear. Bulma's breath caught. Vegeta unfolded his arms and pushed his way past Yamcha and Roshi. Kakarrot and Raditz looked at Mieke. Mieke nodded and the two guards followed after their prince hurriedly.

Bulma watched Vegeta's retreating form with sad eyes. He had never given her such a look of contempt as the one he had just given her. Was he really that angry with her?

More like irate, Bulma mused. She was brought from her thoughts by Yamcha's voice.

"Can we go somewhere and talk, Bulma?" Yamcha asked. Bulma cut her blue eyes at him. She sighed and looked at the queen. She raised an eyebrow when she saw how King Vegeta was eyeing his wife. Mieke had not seemed to notice it yet.

"Queen Mieke, is the lab open?" Bulma asked. Mieke smiled as King Vegeta took her by the arm.

"It is, princess. The rest of your things from the ship have probably been moved." King Vegeta began pulling her off. Mieke tried to slow him down a little. "You'll need to set a pass code. I'm coming. Hold on, husband," she said, whispering the final sentences.

Bulma and the others watched the king drag the queen off. Crenia and the queen's ladies had followed, but they were several steps behind. Crenia was shaking her head. Bulma looked over at Krillyn. The short, young delegate was watching the king and queen act childishly.

"Krillyn, take Roshi around Venova. I'm sure King Vegeta haskept him locked up in the palace since he got here. Keep him busy and out of trouble." Krillyn nodded and walked off with the elderly delegate. Bulma looked at Brolly, Raeni, and Chichi. "Brolly, take Yamcha to the lab. I'll be there momentarily. Chichi and Raeni, come with me," Bulma said. The three all nodded. Yamcha shook his head.

"Bulma, why can't you just talk now?" he asked as he reached for her. Brolly stepped between them. Yamcha stood up straight and glanced up at the taller Saiyan. Bulma stepped around Brolly. She put a hand on his arm for him to relax.

"I'll be right there, Yamcha. Just follow Brolly. He's..." Bulma looked back at Brolly, who was glaring down at Yamcha in a sinister way, "nice," she said. Yamcha nodded slowly, still not taking his eyes off of Brolly and vice versa. The three women went in one direction while the two men went in another.

Vegeta had gone directly to his training room. In his rush, he had knocked over at least ten people. He was so clouded by his fury that he barely noticed the presence of his two shadows. They attempted to sneak in the large room behind him. Vegeta gave them a sideways glare. The two brothers immediately got the message and left the all white room.

Vegeta walked to the center of the room and ripped off his cape. He threw the red cloth to the other side of the room and sat down roughly. He crossed his arms and legs. Vegeta then closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

Affianced? All this time she had a fucking fiancé? Vegeta's frown deepened. He tried to calm down, but found that he could not. All he could feel was anger at what he believed to be betrayal. I feel like such a fucking idiot!

Bulma, Chichi, and Raeni entered Bulma and Chichi's quarters. Chichi and Raeni sat down in the sitting room. Bulma paced back and forth nervously. The other two women watched her, patiently waiting for her to speak. Bulma finally stopped her walking back and forth. She turned and faced Raeni and Chichi.

"Why is he here, Chichi? How is it even possible that he knows where I am?" she exclaimed. Chichi could only shrug timidly. "How did he even get off the damn planet?" Bulma asked the final question more to herself than anyone else; she was looking thoughtfully at the floor when she whispered it.

"Why don't you go ask him that instead of asking us, your highness? It doesn't do you any good to ask us questions we don't know the answers to," Raeni said bluntly. Bulma looked back up at Raeni.

"I don't particularly want to talk to Yamcha at the moment. I want to speak with..."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Chichi said quickly. Bulma looked over at her.

"Why not?"

"Did you see the look he gave you before he left? He's pissed with you! Why he would be such, I have no clue. It's not like he's courting you or anything," Chichi said. Bulma sighed.

Yeah. We're not "courting." We were just having fun. Right? That's all it was. Fun and games...

Raeni was watching the princess have her internal mind conflict. She shook her head stood up. She walked over to Bulma and put a hand to her shoulder. Bulma looked up at her with glassy eyes.

"Perhaps you should go talk to him later, after he's cooled down. But, for now, I think you should go talk to the one you're betrothed to." Raeni walked over to the door and opened it. Bulma followed her. "He is your fiancé, after all."

When Bulma and Raeni got to the lab, Bulma saw Yamcha watching her lab technicians; her female lab technician, Kamala. Rolling her eyes, Bulma approached them. Kamala saw her approaching and bowed her head. Yamcha turned around to see Bulma. He smiled warmly at her. Bulma turned her nose up at him.

"I see much hasn't changed about you," she said dryly. She gave Kamala a sharp look. The female Saiyan moved away from them quickly, taking her work with her. Bulma grabbed a set of clothes and walked behind a screen to change. Yamcha followed her over to the screen.

"I see you've finally got your wish to start a lab. This would've never been allowed on Earth," he said. He could envision Bulma rolling her eyes at his comment. "And don't roll your eyes," he said while smirking.

Bulma threw her dress over the screen. She cursed him for knowing her habits so well. She had never liked Yamcha that much. If she had to choose, he would've probably been her friend more than anything. She would never, ever marry him, though. He had way too many faulty habits. Most of them could never be cured.

When Bulma finished pulling on her black spandex bodysuit, she put on white gloves and boots. She tied her hair up and walked around the screen. Bulma handed Raeni her dress. Yamcha raised an eyebrow at her attire. He leaned up off of the wall and approached her. Bulma turned to look around for one of her technicians.

"Juxto, where is it?" she asked. A skinny Saiyan with dark brown hair handed her a white and black capsule. Bulma smiled at him. "Thank you. Get back to work. I'll be back later to check on the bot prototypes," she said.

"Yes, Bulma," Juxto said. Bulma then faced Yamcha.

"Follow me," she said. Yamcha obeyed.

Bulma led Brolly, Yamcha, and Raeni out of the lab. They went to an open part of the garden. Bulma motioned for them to stand back. Yamcha opened his mouth to ask her something, but the look on her face silenced him for the time being. Bulma pressed the button on the white and black capsule. She threw it forward. Out of the smoke came a large white and black object. There was a door to it. Bulma walked towards it and opened the door. They went inside.

"What's this, princess?" Raeni asked as she looked around the room in wonder. Bulma stood in the center of the room. There was a big grin on her face. She turned and faced the other three.

"My second-greatest invention." She held out her hands. "This is the gravity room!"

"You made this?" Yamcha asked.

"You doubt my capabilities?" Bulma asked, putting her hands on her hips. Yamcha shook his head.

"That's not it. The idea just seems a bit farfetched, that's all. I don't want to talk about your invention, though," he said. Bulma crossed her arms.

"So, what is it?" she asked. She watched Brolly and Raeni go roaming about the room, looking at all the different objects. "I've been here for quite some time, you know. You just now figured out where I was? And how exactly did you get off the planet?"

"Long story. I heard about how you would have to go before the Galactic Council. Apparently, Delegate Roshi and I arrived here shortly after you had already seen them. At least, that's what we were told," Yamcha asked. Bulma stared at him for a moment before walking away. She went to a drawer and pulled out a couple of tools. She handed Yamcha a wrist bracelet and put one on herself.

"Put this on. It'll shield you from the gravity when it rises," she said. Yamcha did so immediately. Bulma looked over at Brolly and Raeni. "I'm turning on the gravity!" she yelled. Brolly and Raeni nodded. Bulma walked over to the object in the middle of the room. She typed a couple of numbers.

"Gravity now fifty times planet's normal gravity," the machine said. Bulma looked over at Raeni and Brolly. They looked over at her and shrugged. Bulma sighed and punched in some more buttons. "Gravity now seventy-five times planet's normal gravity." She looked back at Raeni and Brolly. Raeni made a signal like she could feel it a little and Brolly just shook his head. Bulma turned the machine off.

Well, at least I know it works. Those two are just ridiculously strong. My techs were in here screaming in agony at twenty times the normal gravity, she thought. I wonder how far Vegeta can go.

"So, how did it go?" Yamcha asked. Bulma looked up at him.

"I told them to go fuck themselves and to give me my planet back," she said happily. Yamcha raised an eyebrow. "Well, I told one of them that," Bulma said.

"Very funny, Bulma. Did that little tactic of yours work?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, it did. They gave me two conditions, though. I have to join the Universal Alliance. The second is that I have to be married by the time I'm twenty-five. What do they have against queens, anyway?" Bulma asked. She pulled out the gravity modifier's main chip. She took out a small instrument and put on a magnifying monocle. After fiddling with it for a moment, she slid it back in.

"Max gravity limit five hundred times planet's normal gravity," the machine said. Bulma smirked and faced Yamcha again.

"It's the law on Earth that you can't become queen without getting married first anyway, Bulma. Have you forgotten that?" Yamcha asked.

Bulma's eyes widened. She had indeed forgotten that particular law. It was all a ploy to keep men ruling the Earth. The Royal Delegation had made up that particular law and it had been enforced with an iron fist since the ancient times. Bulma's eyes quickly narrowed at Yamcha.

"Is that why you and that perverted old man are here? To drag me back to Earth in chains and have us married so that you can take the throne?" Bulma asked. Yamcha shrugged.

"Essentially, that's what was supposed to happen," he said. "But, I don't want you to hate me for my duty to the Earth," he said. Bulma's fists clenched together.

Brolly could feel the princess emanating anger from clear across the room. He turned his head to watch her fist fly across the young man's face. Raeni's chuckle turned into a cough when Brolly shot her a glare. Brolly strode over to the two humans. He looked at the princess. She looked satisfied with herself. Yamcha was holding his cheek that was turning darker by the second.

"Is everything okay, princess?" he asked gruffly.

"Everything is FINE, Brolly. Take Yamcha to the infirmary and have that cheek looked at. We wouldn't want to scar that pretty face. Raeni, go with them. I'll be fine out here. I'll make my way back to the lab later on," Bulma said. The two guards nodded.

When they were gone, Bulma sank to the floor of the gravity room. She leaned against the modifier and pulled her knees up to her chest.

This can't be happening to me, she thought. She closed her eyes and put her head back. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

At dinner, Mieke noticed that both the prince and princess were missing from dinner. She looked at her husband, who was calmly eating his food. Chichi was present. She was nervously eating, but was only picking at her food. She kept glancing at Kakarrot. The three other humans were also present. Bulma's fiancé appeared to be in a bit of pain as he ate. Mieke sighed and put her fork down. She sat back in her chair, fed up with the silence.

"Kakarrot, Raditz, where is my son?" she asked while looking between the brothers. The brothers exchanged confused glances.

"Um, we don't know, your majesty. He might still be in the training room," Raditz said.

"He wanted to be alone, your highness," Kakarrot said. Mieke nodded. She then looked at Chichi. Chichi swallowed the food that was in her mouth roughly.

"Where is her majesty, the princess?"

"I have not seen her since she went to speak to Lord Yamcha, Queen Mieke," Chichi said quickly. Mieke nodded and glared next at Yamcha.

"You didn't kill the princess and hide the body, Lord Yamcha?" she asked. Krillyn and Chichi happened to be drinking when this was said. They spit out their drinks and immediately started laughing. Mieke cracked a smile. Yamcha and Roshi looked appalled. "I'm just kidding," Mieke said.

"No, your majesty. We spoke and then I left her. I haven't seen her in hours, either," Yamcha said. "Perhaps she is with the prince," he added. Everyone paused and looked at him.

Bulma walked down the hall from her lab after dropping off the capsule for the gravity room. She had fallen asleep in the gravity room. She had slept for a good four hours. That means that dinner had started. Not wanting to be reprimanded for her tardiness, Bulma just decided to skip it altogether. At the moment, she was looking for somewhere else to hide. Going to her room would only prompt further questioning from her lady, and she did not fell like answering questions. But, she was not tired either.

Bulma turned a corner to come face to face with the one person she was not ready to deal with at the moment: Prince Vegeta. The prince stood in front of her, looking almost equally as shocked as she was. The look was quickly cloaked. Bulma's mouth still hung open as she searched for something to say. Instead, she tried to step around him. Before she could, Vegeta grabbed her by the arm.

"Vegeta, what are you..."

"Shut up," he said in a biting tone. Bulma frowned as he continued to pull her backwards. She heard a door open and she was pushed through it. Bulma stumbled backwards and lost her balance. She fell on her backside and winced.

Ow, she thought. She looked up at Vegeta. He was standing over her in authoritarian way. Jerk. Then she took in their surroundings. They were in a room like the one in Aenire. This must be his training room. She looked back up at him before getting to her feet.

"Why couldn't you just ask me to come along? You didn't have to yank me around like that," Bulma said. Vegeta just stared at her.

"Why aren't you at dinner?" he asked. Bulma sighed.

"I fell asleep while I was working. I didn't feel like walking in late, so I decided to just skip it. I'm not hungry anyway." Bulma turned away from him. "Why aren't you at dinner?"

"That's none of your concern," Vegeta said. Bulma scoffed. She faced him again and crossed her arms.

"And my life is of yours?" she asked. Vegeta took a deep breath. Bulma shook her head and started to walk past him. Before she was completely past him, Vegeta grabbed her arm. Bulma stopped. She stared down at the floor. She had a feeling she knew what he was about to say to her.

"Why did you keep him a secret?" Vegeta asked. Bulma did not answer for what seemed like forever. She did not know how to answer the question.

"I don't know. It just did not seem important," she said quietly. Vegeta released her and rounded on her. He began stalking towards her. Bulma backed up, a little frightened of him.

"Important? Being engaged to another man didn't seem important to you?" Vegeta backed her up into the wall. Bulma hit the white wall with a thud. She tried to get closer to it, but found that she could not. She had never seen Vegeta so angry with her.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta. I didn't realize it would upset you this mu..." Bulma stopped as he grabbed her arms.

"Sorry? You're sorry? I don't want your admission of guilt, woman. I'm not mad at the fact that you are engaged," he said, squeezing her arms. Bulma tried not to show the pain she was in. She stared Vegeta in the eyes.

"Then why are you so angry?" she whispered. Her eyes were watering. She did not know if it was from Vegeta squeezing her arms or from the hurt she knew she had caused him. Vegeta looked down at his hands. Then he looked at her eyes.

I'm hurting her, he thought grimly. He released her quickly. Bulma relaxed a bit. Why didn't she say anything? I could've broken her arms. Vegeta shook his head and got his mind back on track.

"I'm angry because I feel betrayed," he said quietly. Bulma's eyes opened wider.

"Betrayed?" she whispered. Vegeta punched the wall next to her head. Bulma did not flinch. She just stared at him.

"Yes. Betrayed, woman." Vegeta looked down. "You could've told me."

Bulma continued to stare at Vegeta in bewilderment. He did not hate her. He just felt like she had been disloyal to him. In all honesty, she could have told him that she was engaged. After all, it was a forced arrangement that she could have probably weaseled her way out of with Vegeta's help. Before she knew it, the tears began spilling over by the buckets.

"I'm so sorry, Vegeta!" she cried loudly. Vegeta looked up at her as she threw herself at him. He stepped back and looked down at her head. She was soaking his chest with her tears. "I thought you hated me!" she yelled through the tears. Vegeta sighed.

"Woman, dry your eyes. I don't hate you," he said firmly. Bulma stepped back and dried her face with the sleeve of her shirt. She glanced at him, extremely pink in the face. "Do you want to marry that weakling?" Bulma smiled.

"He's not weak, Vegeta," Bulma said.

"If you gave him that shiner, than he's weak," Vegeta sneered. Bulma laughed.

"I managed to catch him a little off guard, that's all. Yamcha would make someone... else a great husband. But, the Royal Delegation just wants him to be king. They only want me as arm candy. I do NOT want to marry him," she said. Vegeta nodded.

"Why does this Royal Delegation have a say in who you marry?" Vegeta asked.

"There is a law that says I cannot become queen unless I am married first. For this reason, Yamcha and Roshi are here," Bulma said. Vegeta released her and walked away from her. Bulma watched him enter into one of his thinking trances.

"Woman, if you never became queen, would that weakling automatically become king?" he asked. Bulma raised an eyebrow.

"According to law, yes. Whoever is affianced to the next in line will become the next ruling monarch upon their death before marriage. I think that is how the law is worded, more or less. But, what does that have to do with anything? You don't think Yamcha would've bet on me dying somewhere along the line, would you?" she asked. Vegeta shook his head.

"Of course not. You're much too hideous to kill. I wouldn't rule it out, though." Vegeta walked back over to her. He backed her into the wall. Bulma looked at him.

"Vegeta, this is highly inappropriate. Not to mention dangerous to my claim on the throne. If I'm caught with you..."

"We've been caught by two people already," he whispered into her neck. Bulma tried to scoot away from him unenthusiastically. She really did not want to leave his grasp. Vegeta just moved her back into place with his left hand.

"Yes, we have. But, they were Saiyans. If we're caught by Yamcha or Roshi, I could be dethroned," she whispered.

"We won't get caught, woman," Vegeta said. Bulma opened her mouth to protest more, but Vegeta shut her up with a kiss. Bulma's mind lost all rational thought for a moment. Vegeta's lips left her for a moment. She moaned in protest. "And why are you dressed like this?" he asked, referring to the black spandex bodysuit.

"Can't remember right now," Bulma mumbled almost incomprehensibly. In truth, she really could not. She grabbed Vegeta by the hair.

Suddenly, the door to the training room opened. Queen Mieke stepped through to see the heated make out session. She watched them with an entertained eye for a moment before clearing her throat loudly. Vegeta and Bulma turned their heads quickly. Vegeta stepped away from the princess. Bulma turned three different shades of red. Mieke just smiled happily at both of them.

"Well, I missed both of you at dinner. But, I see you've been keeping each other company," she said. She looked at Vegeta, who was glaring maliciously at her. "And from the look on your face, I get the feeling you get interrupted a lot." Vegeta just averted his eyes.

"Is my lady looking for me, Mieke?" Bulma asked quickly. Mieke looked at Bulma.

"No. She's with Kakarrot. But, I believe your fiancé is on the prowl. I'd head back to your room if I were you," she said. Bulma nodded. She left the room quickly, leaving mother and son alone.

Vegeta glanced at his mother out of the corner of his eye. Mieke was just smirking lazily at him. He sighed and began to walk away from her.

"Wait," she said in a serious tone. Vegeta stopped at the threshold of the door. Mieke walked up to him. "Do not get her into trouble." Vegeta turned to face his mother.

"Something is wrong with the situation she is in. I intend to find out what it is," he said. Mieke raised an eyebrow.

"Do you now? Be careful and be discreet," she said. Vegeta nodded and turned to leave the room. Mieke leaned against the wall and watched her son leave. Yes, something was definitely wrong with this entire picture. But, what was it?