Now that the show has gone behind closed doors to continue with their celebrations and jubilations, Vegeta is getting the feeling that the mood that Yamcha has set up is conspiring against him. Glad that things occurred the way they did so that he does not have to keep an eye on an unstable Washu, the Saiyan stands in the awkward aftermath with the attention of two women fixated on him now that he has left his lair and such a romantic scene has taken place. He can feel their eyes upon him, though Ayeka's are still drifting every now and again to his legs, not that she could see the fracture through his flesh and outfit. Sasami has wandered off outside and Mihoshi and Kiyone have followed her, he is left alone with Ryoko and Ayeka. A soft cooing is blown into his ears as a playful Ryoko feels it is only right to try and take advantage of the romantic atmosphere and sidles up close to Vegeta. Trying his best to dead pan it all whilst weighing in his mind whether he would find sanctuary in his training room or not, he awaits the inevitable. If he gets it over and done with and the air cleared he can carry on training with no further foreseen disruptions. Ayeka's eyes sharpen and she fidgets as Ryoko nuzzles against Vegeta's neck.
"So when can I expect a cute little proposal like that, huh?" Ryoko asks the obvious in this situation and giggles to herself as Vegeta rolls his eyes at her predictability. She wraps her arms possessively around him, smiling slyly, as he counts down in his head for the inevitable.
"Miss Ryoko, I … Lord Vegeta is already spoken for in that regard." Right on cue, an agitated Ayeka interjects to remind Ryoko that Vegeta has a fiancée and it is her. Glowering over to the pirate coiled around her prince, Ayeka tries to look high and mighty about what she says. Ryoko doesn't seem bothered in the slightest. Both she and Vegeta were expecting those words to be said, and so for all purposes Ayeka just blindly let herself be led into the trap. Ryoko's lips curl into a grin as her prey falls for her bait. The Saiyan stays to ensure no violence will occur, and so they don't just follow him to pester him in the training room. It seems that despite his words to them they will always find an opportunity to vent their frustration and jealousy at each other, being the coveted person in question Vegeta umpires their dispute.
"So when did Vegey get down on one knee before you then, I ain't seeing a ring on your finger."
"I am not so petty that I require physical reminders for a promise."
"A promise that he never made and you never asked him to make. Vegeta had no say in the matter, and you know what his answer would have been if he did. It is all just an act set up by your parents, a little game of pretend to keep the trouble child occupied, and the truth is on your own you would never have had the balls to say it. Never."
Ryoko's grin has spread from ear to ear as she sadistically picks apart Ayeka's engagement and revels in its shreds falling around her like confetti. The best part is that Ayeka cannot truthfully argue back with most of what she has said. The Juraian royal knows this as she has known for a while Vegeta's standpoint on it, but that does not mean she will allow someone from such a plebeian background talk down to her like this. Insulting her and making her out to be nothing more than some deluded and fanciful girl, Ayeka won't stand for it. To mock her is one thing, but to mock her feelings for Vegeta is a different matter. Standing strong and firm, Ayeka makes the wise choice of not to rush in with whatever pops into her head and instead takes a few seconds to compose herself and her response. Ryoko's golden and feline eyes stay locked on her target as she waits for her counter, all the while embracing the stock still Vegeta currently half listening to what they are saying and the other half trying to think up creative battle strategies. In a haughty manner, Ayeka closes her eyes and raises her head to deliver her words.
"I think some lowly trash is beginning to sound highly jealous of something she will never-"
"Jealous, of this? Ha. Why the hell would I ever be jealous of such a hollow and empty sham? I'm the one going out with Vegey after all. I've shared several kisses with him, bathed him and cleaned his wounds and I still spent one heavenly night in your fiancée's arms. By any definition I think that makes me Vegeta's lover, and certainly not you." Listing off the major physical things that have occurred between her and Vegeta, Ryoko looks so terribly smug as Ayeka's face falls into an angry scowl at the mention of that night. She licks her lips and glances to Vegeta, who is remaining neutral in this to see which woman will triumph in the verbal battle though he suspects it has already been decided. Smiling in a cheeky manner at the indignant and infuriated princess, Ryoko presses her cheek against Vegeta's. Only at that point does he move slightly to signal that he has a limit to what he will tolerate and she has overstepped it. Tutting to herself, she goes back to resting her head on his shoulder as crimson eyes blaze at her, trying in vain to think of some retort.
"You want more princess? D'ya know that Vegeta here is kind enough to help me face my fear and that he is such a gentleman he lets me watch him sleep for comfort? … He even said the perfect things to comfort me when I needed to hear them." She let's go of Vegeta as she says this, her feet touching the ground again, and just places her hand on the broad warrior's shoulders. Ayeka absolutely hates this belittlement. Being far too concerned about her status and too self conscious to even consider doing those things that Ryoko has with the Saiyan prince, Ayeka does know that he shows his caring side to her and with respect to her unease around intimacy. She can admit Ryoko has the upper hand when it comes to the physical side of courting Vegeta, but there is so much more to it and she will not let that go unsaid.
"You are not the only one that Lord Vegeta has shown kindness to!" She shouts out her anger. This conversation is not something Vegeta is particularly enjoying, but still he stands silently to observe their spoken duel. Ryoko snorts in derision at this attempt to argue back. It is so easy for her to back the prissy and high strung royal into a corner, yet also highly enjoyable. Ayeka fires off her main retaliation."W-whatever Lord Vegeta has done for me it has been done of his own free will and volition, not forceful actions or bargaining."
Ryoko quietly hisses behind her teeth. That is the main point she detests. For most of what has transpired between her and Vegeta it has very much been her pushing these things onto him. Vegeta still had to agree to the deals she made but she would so much prefer him to be the proactive one seeking her and her attention. She could go on and say that Vegeta only does those things because he sees Ayeka as a weakling to be protected, that it was because of his wife he looked after the princess on her sick bed, but she doesn't care enough for those. This argument will come to a close on her terms. Ryoko smiles back at the still scowling purple haired maiden.
"But, I'm not forcing Vegey to go on a date with me, nor for me to sleep practically in his room … and I won't be forcing him when something special happens tomorrow." Her ace played, Ryoko sticks her middle finger up at Ayeka. Hovering up into the air, she blows a kiss to Vegeta and teleports off, claiming her victory as Ayeka impotently seethes.
A very clear win on Ryoko's part, Vegeta looks across to the young woman absolutely boiling in her rage. She had more to say, she had more to argue but she loathes this fact of a date she cannot trump. The pull of the training room grips Vegeta now that all the distractions have been played out to their extent and he plainly says to Ayeka that he is going back to training. A raised voice tells him to stop as he goes to take a step back to his room. He turns his head to face the highly irate royal. Vegeta says again he is going to train.
"That was an order, Lord Vegeta. You promised me that you would spend time with just me everyday and thus I am calling in that promise now." Ayeka has been worked up by Ryoko's teasing into a frightful amount of unsuppressed anger. Normally she would never take such a tone with Vegeta but her patience has left her and her wants concerning him are burning in the forefront of her mind. Without her noticing, Vegeta splits his current multiform down to a much lower level than one that can defeat Yamcha and stands facing her with his arms crossed. He is not one for being yelled at or ordered about, yet he did promise her time and he does understand her massive amount of envy raging within her.
"Have you made plans with her to g-go out with her tomorrow?"
Vegeta nods in response to the princess' straight forward question. She dislikes that answer and her gritted teeth show momentarily. This isn't what she wanted, she does not want him to be going out with Ryoko, and with her not being able to do anything about it. Ayeka feels like she is being left behind, and she is desperate to catch back up again, but she doesn't know how and that only fuels her agitation further. For lack of any other ideas in her head and wanting to drag out her time with Vegeta for the longest possible time and gain all she can from it, she points to the kitchen and makes the demand for him to go and cook her a meal. The Saiyan turns his head to look towards the kitchen and then back to Ayeka, her aggressive side has surfaced again.
"You missed the opportunity yesterday and now you will make it up for me today."
Vegeta looks dead on at Ayeka, and then nods at her and enters the kitchen with her hot on his heels. It is not his secondary multiform that requires food, but his main self, and so he cannot gain much for himself from a trip to the kitchen except for appeasing the offended princess. He pulls out a chair for her and seats her before walking over to the fridge and pantry to find ingredients. As a joke to try and ease the mood he asks whether she wants him to cook the food using his ki, with a stern expression she says yes. Vegeta continues rummaging about the cupboards for fare that might satisfy the princess and her refined tastes. As he thinks to himself what he can cook well that tastes moderately OK, Ayeka tells him that she expects the best from him. Vegeta cracks a self depreciating grin to himself and mutters to himself that he isn't the best, yet. With ki he can only roast, not boil, and so it limits his options but with some thin slices of well seasoned venison wrapped in trimmings and seasonal vegetables he covers this lunch in foil and starts heating it up in his hand.
"I am not keen on being bossed about like some lapdog of yours." Vegeta voices his opinion on her letting out her frustration on him in this way and how it will not earn his favour. She is not in the right mindset at the minute to hear his complaints and with glacial coldness and a sharp tongue she slashes back at his words without thinking.
"You should be used to it."
The Saiyan takes a moment there, he was not expecting such a harsh insult to come from the usually polite and well mannered princess. He sees she is upset by his agreement with Ryoko and that some of those negative feelings are directed at him for accepting her invitation but before whenever she has snapped at him it hasn't been that cold and callous, like he is. It is true he learnt to play the part for most of his life serving Frieza, but his ego and pride will never allow him to be subservient or see anyone as his true superior. With his hand aglow, he sees Ayeka's eyes drop down to the table and her hands. She has realised her snapping at him like that was wrong and uncalled for, yet the expected apology never comes.
"If this is concerning what Ryoko asked of me then calling me in here to cook you food will not change my answer to her."
"Lord Vegeta, how long until my meal is ready?"
"A few minutes. Ryoko's words have upset you, this right here is not a solution to your problem."
Her aversion to discussing her frustration and jealousy is crystal clear. However, that is the reason she is doing this, she called him in here because of it but right now she appears to be just sat there brooding as the first scents of cooking begin to permeate the air. Vegeta stands in silence with a miniscule amount of ki radiating in his hand as he patiently waits, not for the food but for Ayeka to take the action he can see she desperately wants to take. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply. Thinking to himself about the things going on within his life, Vegeta still waits for Ayeka to make the move she wants to. The purple fringe of Ayeka is lifted as she raises her tiara to rub at her temples. She lowers it again and sighs loudly to herself, trying to purge herself of her negativity and compose herself back to her refined demeanour. Several minutes of silence pass between the two.
Ayeka's crimson eyes raise as she notices a plate of food being set down before her. She quietly thanks him for it and inspects this dish made for her by her prince. He was not lying when he said his skill in this area was at a basic level, this meal is nothing special and no effort has been put into its presentation. The chair to her right slides back as Vegeta seats himself in it with a snack of his own to munch on whilst his company is still in demand. She glances at him. With her emotions back in check, she apologises to him for her attitude towards him.
"I let her words get to me too much and lead my mind into dark places, it is not you my anger is towards and so I apologise for what I said. I might not agree with your decision, but I can at least understand it, and not act like some spoilt child about it." She speaks calmly, never liking it when her emotions get the better of her like that. Vegeta is giving both of them an equal chance, he has no reason to play favourites with her, or Ryoko, yet she finds no solace in that thought. She asked him for something yesterday and he agreed to it. Ryoko also asked him for the same thing, time with him. Trying to keep her mind balanced about this and not let her the bitter green eyed monster devour her again she keeps trying to tell herself that it is only fair that Vegeta would accept Ryoko's demands. Her knife and fork lay untouched on the table.
"Playing catch up and forever chasing after the shadow of another is not a life I would recommend to you." Vegeta throws in his penny of thought. Being outdone, feeling impotent, clawing for something unattainable, it is the mortar that he has built his persona with. Picking up her cutlery, Ayeka silently nods at his words and begins eating his cooking. She hazards a small and timid smile at him as she swallows the first mouthful, it is all she can manage at the moment. The food has none of the magic that if would contain if Sasami had cooked it, it is fairly bland with uninteresting flavour combinations. All of this still being tainted by a sour taste that is not leaving Ayeka's mouth. She wishes she weren't in such a bitter mood so she could enjoy Vegeta's cooking to the fullest, she has no complaints about the meal for she herself is a dreadfully dire cook.
Vegeta promptly devours his snack and rocks back in his chair, sitting about doing nothing is an activity he never gained a taste for, and sitting around whilst others are eating food and he is not is tugging against part of his Saiyan nature. The princess half way through this light lunch begins to feel the watchful eyes of the Saiyan on her and it makes her self conscious about her eating, hoping she doesn't have anything on her face. Out of habit she apologises to him again for the insult.
"Everyone enjoys a good laugh at the monkey as he dances in chains to the music of the organ grinder. I can handle one little insult." Ayeka flinches at his snide metaphor and the cold and inured tone he says it all in. Putting it in that way just adds to her guilt at insulting him so. She bows her head and eats a few more bites.
"Lord Vegeta, I did not mean it like that,I … I was just mad and snapped. It was thoughtless and insensitive of me, and I hope you'll forgive me for it and ordering you about like some common serf."
"As long as you don't make a habit out of it, there is no problem here." Vegeta accepts her apology. Her insult might have surprised him but it offended him little. He runs a hand through his spiked hair and scratches before rocking back forward and rising from his seat.
Ayeka places her cutlery parallel to each other on her finished plate and Vegeta quickly whisks it away and deposits it in the sink. He stands by the sink with his arms crossed facing the young woman obviously still waging a debate in her head. She is still delaying it and putting it off. Her eyes are on the Saiyan but she fails to hold his stare for long, looking downwards she remembers a topic she did not finish talking to him about.
"Is your leg in any serious injury, does … does it hurt?" She does truly worry about how much of a brave face he is stubbornly putting on to quell any thoughts he can be hurt. His training is reckless and self destructive and though she knows he has a high pain threshold the thought does not sit well of him voluntarily going through pain whilst she sits in his house doing nothing about it. Vegeta lifts his leg and taps against it with his fist to show there is no immediate danger of him becoming crippled.
"It is only a small fracture in the bone, nothing serious and it is mending itself." He states it as it is, injuries have never stopped him training before and he doesn't plan on letting them in the future either. Vegeta crosses his arms again, Ayeka seems unsatisfied by his blasé attitude to a possible broken leg. She cannot get him to stop his training or even ease up on it but it makes no sense for her why he would not want it healed as soon as possible. Noise from the other room grabs her attention momentarily, hearing her sister and Trunks playing again. She turns her head back to the Saiyan, still stood there waiting. Looking back to that room has reminded her that his argument for not getting the resident genius to heal him has now been dissolved.
"Miss Washu can heal it for you, I give you my word that she will not try anything reckless or dangerous."
"My current training does not require it, at some point I had to spend time on my transformations and so it might as well be now, and I will not become over dependent on Washu."
"... I don't like the thought of you training when injured or pushing yourself through such pain. Can I help you in anyway?"
Ayeka shifts in her seat. Voicing her thoughts like this is uncomfortable for her yet the feeling of failing him in some way by not supporting him as she could be doing eats at her every day when he marathons alone in the training room. She wants to help him, if she can, he has helped her in ways she will be eternally grateful for and it makes her guilty that she has done little for him. It is a distance between her and him she wants to close. Constantly seeing him so close and yet so, so far away messes with her heart.
"A true Saiyan never accepts aid."
"That is hardly fair, Lord Vegeta. You pushed onto me your care and looked after me when I was in need of it so at least let me return the favour and repay this debt to you." Within her bedroom a few days ago she can recall several times requesting him to leave, shouting and raving at him to get out and leave her be, and him refusing. He gave her no option in whether he aided her or not, she is thankful for it now and if he were to bend just a bit maybe he would be thankful for it as well. Bending Vegeta's will though is akin to bending steel, a steel razor that will reward you with only blood for trying. He shakes his head at her.
"You are not indebted to me for your illness, I recall you blaming me partially for it anyway. And, what can you do about a fracture on my shin?" His pertinent question brings pause to Ayeka. She is no doctor, she might be educated but not to the level of a medical practitioner, neither does she have a hoard of Senzu beans secreted away somewhere, what she can do for his leg is limited greatly to what Ryoko has already asked to do or to pray for his recovery. His gloves rustle as he clenches and unclenches his fists out of restlessness. Ayeka lowers her head, facing the table. Though him telling her she is not indebted to him takes one concern from her head, it is a bit of a blow to her when he puts it so bluntly that she can be of no use to him. Vegeta is not saying it to be mean spirited or to spite her for pushing help onto him, he says it as is true and he has no want to discuss his injury.
"I … don't know. … I cannot think of anyway in which I can be of assistance to you or your training."
"Do not take it personally, I would not accept the assistance, the most I concede to is sparring with my son. Bulma aided me by means of my previous training room only, and there is also nothing that Ryoko can do for me."
"Ryoko-" Ayeka suddenly blurts out the name of her rival and then stops the rest of the sentence from following. Vegeta casually unfolds his arms, the time of waiting till the reason she invited him in here is over it seems. Seeming very self conscious all of a sudden, Ayeka covers her mouth as if it can take back what she has said and will stop her want to say the rest. She shakes her head side to side. Resolutely she then closes her eyes and abruptly stands up from her chair. Having danced with the thought for so long in her head she must speak her heart now. Despite it scaring her and bringing an initial slow blooming colouration to her cheeks she cannot stop herself from asking this.
" … I want the same."
Her vivid red eyes remain tightly shut, her slender arms stiffly held by her side and she slightly bows her head to the prince as she makes this most daring of requests for her. Vegeta has been expecting this. If Ryoko is having something so profound as a date alone with him he knows for a fact Ayeka could not let it pass, it would give her the push necessary for her to take action. Nerves are beginning to consume her as the question still hangs in the air. Ever since he agreed yesterday to spend time with her she has felt a tad more confident but asking this question has tested her limits, she is on the verge of shaking with fear, the prospect of rejection or her disgracing herself quelling her passion. She peeks her eyes open to see the Saiyan with a small smirk on his face.
"Is the high princess of Jurai asking me out on a date?" His sadism leaks out in the form of some gentle teasing. Vegeta lets out a small chuckle and walks around the table, watching as Ayeka fidgets at his approaching proximity and her face flushes and burns.
"P-p-please don't tease me like this. … Y-y-ye-yes. Yes I am." Stammering out her words as best as she can against her terrific levels of embarrassment, Ayeka bows her head again.
"A multiform to accompany you is not as costly as one for Ryoko and so it poses a very small problem to me, this will count as my time spent with you for the day. I take it you will also want it the same time and day because of course you don't want Ryoko to have her turn first."
"If … if it is occurring tomorrow, then yes." A very timid and hopeful smile is building itself on the maiden's face. It is slowly infiltrating her brain that she has successfully asked Prince Vegeta for a date and she is going to be getting a day out where it is just her and her fiancée. Her face is still aglow though and some slight trembles have begun in her hands, only half out of nerves now and the other half due to an emotional welling within her.
"The day after tomorrow I will be leaving for a few days I hope you remember."
Vegeta cuts the mood short though. It is only fair that she be fully informed about matters, as there are some extremely pertinent things she should be made aware of before she happily skips off to write all this down in her diary. Ayeka's eyes open wide. Immediately she questions him why and what for. Having only briefly mentioned his biology to her, he sees the worried confusion written on her face. Many conversations he has had with Ryoko about his mating period, not Ayeka though, hence this necessary tangent to bring her up to speed.
"A date tomorrow may not actually be in your best interest. Ryoko is planning on that day for a particular reason, one you I don't think are fully aware of. As I near my time certain aspects of me will change, Ryoko is planning on my increasing base and primal instincts overrunning my mind. She is actively looking forward to my carnal drive growing, something a woman of virtue like yourself might want to avoid." Vegeta dislikes saying and admitting such things and derives no pleasure in ruining Ayeka's moment of triumph like this, she has a right to know even if it is something she would much prefer not to be told.
Ayeka awkwardly stumbles backwards a few steps. She holds her hands together nervously in front of her chest, her face flushed and her mouth silently mouthing her confusion at this sudden revelation again and again. She doesn't know what to do with this knowledge, or what he expects her to do with it, all she knows is that it frightens her. It was considerate of him to inform her of this but at the same time she can't help but feel horribly anxious being in the presence of the Saiyan.
"... What … what does that mean?" Her mind can think of no better reply than to pointlessly question him about it. With eyes large with fear and perturbation she wishes for Vegeta to ease her rising worries and doubts. She wants this date with him more than anything else, yet now she is so scared at this looming prospect hanging over the day. Ayeka does not know if she can take the risk, it is far too dangerous for her she realises if what he says might happen.
"You know what I mean." Vegeta won't play coy with her, she knows the facts now and it is up to her now what she chooses to do about it.
With a nervous squeak to her voice, Ayeka hurriedly excuses herself from the room. It was too much for her to handle and she fled, to go off and think on things in private and not under the eyes of the prince who has just warned her he might become a threat to not only her womanhood but more importantly to her maidenhood. Sasami and Trunks turn to watch her as she rushes through the front room and up the stairs with an unsettled expression on her face. Stood alone in the kitchen, Vegeta figures to himself that his company is no longer wanted and returns this version of himself back to training, if it took her that long to ask one question of him he predicts she will deliberate for a while upon this unwelcome news. She can think on matters and he can train.
He manages half an hour, a whole measly 30 minutes, of uninterrupted training before there is another knocking at his door. An aggravated breath escapes through his teeth. All he wants is some peace and quiet to train and he has already had his day's fill of having to multiform. Vegeta has no mind to open or to answer the brief rapping on the metal door. A grinning Ryoko materialises into his training room anyway and flies up to him holding an outfit in either hand. A super Saiyan 3 with an intense pulsating aura looks over to this distraction and the garments flapping madly due to his ki.
"Since you're just standing there doing your little light show, which dress do you prefer, Vegey?" Hovering as close as she warrants safe to the flaming man engulfed in golden light and hair, Ryoko smiles and shows him the two dresses as best she can. Vegeta does not stop his incessant powering up and charging of ki, he will not allow his training to be disrupted but she is right in the sense he is not physically doing anything and is just stood still. One is black and the other is red, that is all the detail he sees from his brief glance. He tells Ryoko he has no preference and shrugs at her
"Vegey, I really don't like your non committal opinions, can't think why. Stop bullshitting and just tell me which dress you'd prefer me to wear when we go on our date tomorrow. I want it to be special and perfect, hard ask from you I know, but just say either red or black."
Vegeta's blue eyes look over the two dresses again. Both are made of a similar material and seem fairly similar in style, no sleeves, low cut and form fitting. He sees one difference and points towards the red and more conservative dress hoping it will end this distraction and get her to wear more respectable outfits. Ryoko lets go of the red one and it gets taken by the wind emitted from Vegeta. She is not that simple she couldn't see where his eyes were looking on the dresses and can tell why he picked the red one, his tactics in dealing with her don't vary too much. Smiling, she holds the black, and more revealing, dress against herself and grins at Vegeta. She prefers the black anyway.
"Lady Ayeka attempted to ask the same of me." Ryoko is not moving to leave his training room in anyway and he feels anything less than physical force to the extent where she is unable of teleporting back in would stop her. He could use the gravity or a simulation but Vegeta reckons that she would risk it anyway under the thought he would stop it so she would not be harmed. Not currently wanting to injure her that severely, he humours her and states what has occurred after she won her argument with her rival. Ryoko rolls about in the air, seemingly unconcerned by his this, his words alluding to an attempt more than Ayeka actually receiving the same. She doesn't care for what Ayeka tries, but for Vegeta's response to it and she is quite happy that he is even conversing with her in this room, she sees this as a step in the right direction.
"She did huh? And how exactly did that go?"
"How do you think when I told her of my mating season, the thing you should be trying to avoid as well." Ryoko chuckles to herself at that, his implied warning unheeded by her. She thought as much. There is no way that her uptight rival would contemplate putting herself on the line like that before a possibly unchained Vegeta. She lands on the floor and ambles about orbiting the static Saiyan. If he were not flaring up with so much energy she would try for some physical contact. Blue eyes follow her movements.
"Oh no, I am very much looking forward to a bit of rough and tumble from you. Question is though, since you've said yes to it all, does my Vegeta maybe want to lose himself in the moment too?" Ryoko steps closer to Vegeta with an intrigued look on her face, this question having been something she mused on during the night. She watches the predictable disgruntled tsk and his large, bald brows crease. Ryoko leans in closer to him even though the gap between them is still well over a metre, she bats her eyelashes at him to no avail. He stonewalls her and does not give her an answer. His piercing eyes continue to stare at her. She throws him a light hearted smile, waiting for him to say anything to her, which he does not. After a while of silence she lets out a discontented sigh and throws a weak ki blast at the silent man. He catches it and tosses it back to her. She swats it aside leaving it to detonate and destroy a tile. Ryoko puts her hands on her hips and leans back and lifts her feet into the air, her sly eyes keep a watch on the Saiyan but never do his eyes waves to the risqué angle of her dress.
"C'mon, you're hurting my pride as a woman here, least you can do is look interested. You ain't no prude so I know it's on the table, but what are the chances though? How likely are you to finally succumb to my charms tomorrow?" Talking in a testy manner she flips around onto her front and stares at Vegeta. His eyes close and when they reopen his irises have returned back to black as has his now shorter hair, time is up for his super Saiyan 3 form. He stretches his arms and lets out a deep exhale as he begins warming down his body.
"A lot higher than I am comfortable with." His gravelly voice breathes out these words, obviously disliking their implications but acknowledging them nonetheless. He hears the air hiss as he bends down to stretch his legs and as he stands back up two long feminine legs descend over his shoulders and Ryoko seats herself on the back of his neck. She was eagerly waiting both those words and his aura to die down. A very pleased face leans upside down in front of his own, he doesn't seem too impressed with her chosen perch or how her dress is completely unsuitable for such activities and leaves her bare thighs on either side of his face. She playfully pokes his nose as he shakes his head to himself, a sly smile plays across her face.
"Good. … So what's your preference then, how does the prince of Saiyans like it?"
"Female masturbation." Quick on the comeback, he snappily counters her unwanted prying into areas that he will make sure remain untouched. His rapid fire response and dead pan tone gives Ryoko pause for thought for a moment as she processes the fact he actually answered, and then it clicks and she tuts at Vegeta and wags a finger at him. She sees his game, he must have had this prepared for such a question. His joke is apparent now.
"So I get rid of some excess steam and you don't have to bother stopping your training? Ha, no, that's not gonna happen. You and me, you must have a proper answer so give it, or is it something so perverse you don't think I'll be up for it?"
"I will not discuss my sexual preferences. I'm straight, that's all you need."
The one way discussion has ended as far as Vegeta is concerned. He thinks of flying upwards to force Ryoko off of him but he foresees her pressing herself against his head due to that and so instead taps against her forehead with his foot and gives her a push upwards. Ryoko is momentarily impressed by his flexibility to lift his leg like that and sits herself back up as properly as she can when sat on Vegeta in this way. She then looks forward and sees Vegeta stood on the other side of the room and her dress falls back down over her legs.
"I enjoy surprises anyway, it'll be fun to find out first hand." Trying to put a positive spin on him declining her his very personal information, she flies up to him again and lands. He isn't getting rid of her yet, Ryoko can plainly see he is currently resting for his ki to recharge and he has not said a word to her about leaving so until he does she won't. For the hell of it she bounces up onto her tip toes and teasingly sticks her tongue out at the man who she can now almost rest her head on if she dared to. Mockery of his height he cares little for, he casually mentions to her that if he were to transform and buff his muscles up then the size of his chest would begin to rival hers. He takes one foot out of its weighted boot and steps on Ryoko's foot forcing her down onto her heels again. She in turn stands onto his booted foot and presses down, a light of mischievous challenge in her golden eyes. "What do you want from a relationship, Vegey?"
Stood practically as close as she can be to Vegeta without embracing him, she asks this question to his face. He raises an eyebrow. Several thoughts in his mind say to just reply concerning no disrupting his training but that would only serve to draw this out. He simply shrugs, a truthful answer as any he can give at the minute, and then promptly turns the question back to Ryoko. Although there is little thought behind his query it still makes Ryoko happy to hear it.
"What I want? Some nice hunk to love me, fully, and unconditionally, someone I can be with and have fun with, and maybe even what Washu got, who knows." Ryoko speaks with a calm smile on her face and places her right hand over Vegeta's heart. She gives him a light push and takes her foot off of his as he takes his off hers. Vegeta seems in thought for a second.
"You will only be able to be with me when I am not training, the rest of those boxes don't seem too hard to tick. With me you'll be going to bed on your own, and you'll awake in an empty bed and maybe won't get a word out of me till I have to eat. My training regime will not be altered." He looks her straight in the eye and fairly warns her what being committed to him will entail. Life won't magically change, his training will still take up the majority of his time. His wife grew accustomed to this, though anytime she wanted him she would pull the plug on his training room. Ryoko's warm grin does not falter.
"Vegey, I can stay up as late as necessary till you stop training and call it a night and so long as we get to spend the night together then I couldn't care less about the morning, I'll be sleeping through that anyway. If you love me, the rest will sort itself out."
Being a night-bird herself she doesn't see Vegeta's exhaustive sleep schedule as anything bothersome, he said he can please her in every other way she desires and she knows that his training has the capacity to alter after the tournament. He is striving to beat his rival as a final gift to honour his wife and she hopes that he will succeed and then only have to train to stay one step ahead of Goku instead of furiously catching up to him. Vegeta admitted his training lessened after Buu and to her that means the possibility exists for her too. Happy with this line of conversation, Ryoko brings things back to her highly anticipated date with him
"So what is planned for tomorrow then, booked the hotel room yet?" She couldn't let the opportunity of slipping in a cheeky little joke pass. Sidling up to him, Ryoko links arms with Vegeta .
"I thought you liked surprises?"
"Sure, but can I set one tiny, little rule. I don't want to go anywhere you went with your wife." Ryoko states this quite seriously, squeezing Vegeta's arm. He looks at her although he can guess her reason for this request. "I don't want you to be there comparing me to her, thinking 'bout what you've done and not what you're doing. I am not going to be some replacement for Bulma, I am me, Ryoko, and you are going to view me as I am without any stupid comparisons or reminiscences clouding your eyes."
Vegeta agrees to this single rule for the date. Though his knowledge of places to go is quite limited he can make do with this stipulation. Ryoko smiles at his understanding and acceptance and lets go of his arm. She has got what she came for and goes to pick up her discarded red dress. Vegeta has been patiently abiding her presence and so now she feels it's time to make herself scarce before the mood deteriorates and he demands for her to leave.
"Good. Guess I'll get going now before you start going ape shit. Love you, Vegey." With a smirk at her mocking quip, Ryoko disappears as abruptly as she appeared, leaving Vegeta in solitude. His training resumes immediately.
The hours and sunlight while away, Vegeta only stops his training to refuel at dinner. Idle conversation is all that occurs then with Ayeka still being too uncomfortable and awkward to broach any subject and Ryoko content enough to let the royal wallow in her embarrassment and inability to seize Vegeta. Washu and Yamcha never show up to the evening meal, not that they always do but at least with Saiyans in the house their food is never wasted. The two policewomen notice and try to talk to Ayeka about the issues on her mind but she is not willing to open up to them, or listen to Kiyone after what she was tricked into doing. Trunks spends an hour with his father training when Vegeta is recuperating from his inefficient transformation, the Sun sets, his son leaves and still Vegeta remains. Finally in the dead of night he reverts back to his base form for the last time and lumbers out, drawing great panting heaves into his lungs as his body tries to cope with a very drained source of ki. Sweat drips into his eyes and so he strips off his navy top and wipes his face with it. A wolf whistle pierces the night with no care for the many sleeping residents.
Vegeta lowers his top from his face and looks at Ryoko snuggled up on the sofa with a lamp on the table. This is not an item that Vegeta owns but he cares not for petty thievery of a simple electronic appliance. Ryoko reaches across to the table and twists a small dial providing further illumination to the room. She stretches out like a cat and lazily looks up at the Saiyan's topless body and the harsh shadows cast by the lamp.
"So what time tomorrow are you taking me out then?" She sits up properly and crosses her legs. Vegeta shrugs back at her and vaguely answers with sometime mid-afternoon.
"And when are you leaving?"
"When it is no longer safe, I cannot tell for sure but it'll be before the day is out." The room plunges into night as Ryoko shuts off the lamp. Arms encircle Vegeta from behind him, sensual hands taking their time across his bared chest. She wanted a different answer from him and going several hours without contact with Vegeta she wants to make up for the deficit. Ryoko doesn't know what she'll do with herself when he does leave for his mating season, she has no-one here to really talk to or do anything with and there is only so much she can jeer at Ayeka before it gets repetitive.
"So you're gonna cut my date short then, maybe? Even if I say that I kinda want some of that special attention?"
"If you have a death wish then I will stay. With no mental restraints how well do you think you could fare against me, the dragonballs will not be able to wish you back for a long time so don't risk it." Hands grip onto her own slender ones holding tight onto him and pinch her flesh hard as a reminder of his power. Vegeta does not want to show his primal side or unleash it anywhere near this planet. If he goes out of control only Gotenks will be available to step in and stop him. In the time it takes to perform the fusion dance the planet could already be gone. A simple push from him could vaporise her entire torso, one wrong flair of emotions would transform him, the three sexually mature male Saiyans have to take great precaution about their power. He can warn her and withdraw himself from the planet but Vegeta still has concern for Ryoko for she can teleport and no matter the distance he puts between them she can close it and suicidally endanger herself. Ryoko's hands don't budge from him.
"I know that you are strong and might hurt me but I heal faster than most. I want a taste of it Vegeta, let me have just a small sample of what's to come. Do this for me and it'll make Ryoko a very happy girl." She attempts to wed her fingers with his but his gnarled hands remove themselves and he declines her. An idea is forming within Vegeta's head but at the minute he is not satisfied with the recklessness of it. He teleports upstairs into his bedroom and Ryoko appears in the doorway with her own bedding already set up. Ryoko repeats her desire to him. The Saiyan gets ready for bed in silence and says good night to her, turning the other way as she gets herself ready for bed with the door still wide open. She whispers good night back to him as she settles herself down under her covers, a great want for sleep to take her so that she can be closer to her date with him but like a kid on Christmas Eve she tosses and turns restlessly for over an hour before she finally gets tired and falls soundly asleep.
The day might have ended however the night has not for Vegeta. Sunrise is a few hours off still when Vegeta's sensitive hearing and ki sense warn him of motion in the house approaching him. With Ryoko already being at his door and the disturbance originating further down the corridor his sleepy mind starts to ignore it. Soft and quiet footsteps stop themselves before his room and the woman laying before it and after a brief pause they continue from within his room. They shuffle taking small unsure steps. At this point with an intruder in his room the Saiyan rouses himself and sits up and removes the blanket from him. A young girl in light pink pyjamas looks up to him with puffy eyes, her ankle length blue hair loose, a scared and worried expression upon her freckled face. In her hands is the soft toy of Ayeka's that their mother brought. Very simply Vegeta asks Sasami why she has come to him.
"I … I'm scared, I had a bad dream." The Juraian princess looks with wide pink eyes up to the warrior as she quietly and timidly talks. She rubs at her tired eyes. Vegeta fails to see this as his problem and it hurts his pride that not only does he not intimidate her but she openly seeks him out when he is in nothing but underwear for comfort.
"Why are you telling me this and not your sister, Lady Ayeka, instead?"
"I'm scared daddy." Sasami blurts out. The door behind her is quietly closed with telekinesis so that Ryoko will not be awoken by the noise. That is all the Saiyan does for a few seconds as he takes a while to process Sasami's slip of the tongue. Obviously she is tired and not properly awake but she still looks quite embarrassed by accidentally calling him her daddy. There are several similarities between him and Azusa, and he is the only parent in the house, but he doubts either Ayeka or Ryoko would be pleased if he truly was related to Sasami in that way.
He throws his legs over the side of the bed, the darkness concealing the yellowing bruise on his shin and the worst of his scarring from the young girl. It has been several years since he had to deal with Trunks in this way and he thinks back on what Bulma did in the situations when his son had a nightmare. Acting like he did back then would be cruel to this scared girl, insulting her for her cowardice and coldly telling her to get lost and deal with it herself. He pats her on her head and says a few half hearted words of comfort. At least since it is night he is easier on people disturbing him since he cares a lot less for his sleep than he does his training. Several awkward seconds of silence pass between the two as Sasami has her head patted and Vegeta forces himself to think what he is supposed to do next. He possesses no natural paternal or parental skills and this isn't even his own child, he removes his hand from her and asks her if she has calmed down from her dream. She very slightly nods. Vegeta goes on to tell her that she can go back to her room now and sleep. Sasami's fingers grip tighter on the stuffed toy and she now strongly shakes her head.
"I am the most dangerous thing in this house, if I don't scare you then you are safe to go to sleep in your own bed, whatever fantasy you dreamt of is not real and any threat to you I can kill. You are safe, go back to your own bed now." Vegeta talks quietly to her in a calm manner trying to soothe her ill at east mind. A loud and sudden snore comes from the corridor making Sasami jump, she shakes her head again not wishing to be alone. Relinquishing part of her hold on her sister's old toy she grabs out onto Vegeta's wrist and tugs at him for him to get up. Putting up no resistance and not wearing any weighted clothes she is still a small girl and cannot move his muscled body much at all.
"Come with me and stay till I fall asleep."
She still wants comforting. Pulling again at his arm she stumbles when he gently retracts his arm back to himself, his other hand then comes out and delicately picks her up so that she is sat down on his forearm. Sasami wobbles and clutches still to his arm as he lifts her up and stands.
"Lady Ayeka would not appreciate me entering her chambers at night, I cannot do that." Vegeta explains to her how what she wants cannot come to pass. Her older and sleeping sister is unnerved by his mention of his mating season and thus Vegeta will not freak her out by waltzing into her room when not wearing much. Sasami doesn't seem to grasp why he can't stay with her till she falls back to sleep. Neither her dad or her mum ever had an issue with it and she doesn't plan on making a lot of noise so she doesn't think it'll wake Ayeka up.
"But … but you're the adult, you're the parent of the house and I need you to read me a bed time story so I can go back to sleep. It's your job." Pushing onto him the responsibility of fatherhood and guardianship over her and this new task of entertaining her before she sleeps, Sasami dismounts from his arm nimbly and goes to hold his hand so they can go back to her room. Vegeta moves his hand out of her reach by crossing his arms.
"I have no stories fit for someone like you and I am not entering Ayeka's room as she sleeps, or hazarding her waking up and seeing me in there when dressed like this."
"Then I'll sleep in here and you don't have to worry about my sister." The Saiyan has no understanding how she managed that random leap of logic. He was forced into a night with Ryoko and he will not allow himself to share a bed with a pre-pubescent princess. Sasami seemingly has no problem with this thought, being too young and innocent to attribute anything wrong with her proposition. She isn't big and won't take up much room and her mother was always eager for her to sleep in her bed with her. Vegeta rubs the last vestiges of sleep from his eyes and shakes his head to himself.
"You're a bit young for me to share a bed with …. Ok, fine."
Inspiration has struck him, or in other words his mind has fully awoken and the pull of training and power has seized him. If she wants his bed she can have it, but he will not be sharing it with her. Sasami looks happy as he picks her up and places her on his bed and tucks the covers around her. She notices that he isn't in the bed and questions this so Vegeta responds with the truth that he has training to do but he can stay till she sleeps as long as that does not take long. Sasami nods at him, knowing him to be a busy man. As Vegeta starts to think of himself as in the clear she reminds him about a bed time story, he was hoping she would forget that. He is a blood soaked killer with nearly 5 decades of experience and wisdom he could tell her of, all of which would scar and frighten her mind. Never having paid attention to any fiction or novels or films Vegeta has no basis to pull a story from. Stalling for time her clarifies with her what kind of story she wants, a typical fairy tale that is light hearted and has a happy ending.
There is only one story he can vaguely remember his father telling him that comes remotely close to being appropriate to tell Sasami, of course requiring heavy editing and omitting. He thinks for a bit on how to tell this to her and how much it will shame the dead, but not him. Asking her if she is comfortable, Sasami merrily nods and yawns, looking expectantly up at him. Vegeta takes a deep breath and begins his embellished tale.
"Many years ago there lived a strong and brave woman. She was physically attractive and a very skilled and powerful warrior. Wherever she went she was the best. However, her people were stuck in a long battle. They fought because they had no home and wanted some land to make a home, but the bad people did not want to share. This woman had daily adventures and exciting battles where she helped her people who were always outnumbered. Unfortunately though, many years passed and they still did not have a home and fought for land. Then, one day, a very rare thing happened on this planet: a full moon rose. Her people had never seen one since coming to this place and the moon had a magic power for them which made them very strong. In that one night the good guys defeated the evil people and got their home. Consequently though, the power from the moon confused many people and they got drunk from the strength and were not thinking properly. They all began to start fighting amongst themselves, even this woman. Her amplified strength was far greater than that of the rabble, she was victorious from all challengers. Save one. A strange man she could not recognise due to her confusion appeared, and he was not confused at all by the moon. He beat her with little effort and when the morning came she awoke injured and wondering what had happened.
She had never truly been beaten before and it made her angry. Very angry. So she then decided to set off on a quest to find the person who was stronger than her, she wanted a rematch. It took her only a few days to find him. She was shocked when she found out he was the King, but that did not stop her. She was smart and planned an ambush, she sprung it, yet she failed again. For weeks she tried against him, and the King got used to his daily little fight with her and began enjoying them and even looking forward to them. He had never fought someone like this before. Not before long she herself was having fun and began fighting him more for the fight than her own pride. In between matches they began talking and got to know each other.-"
"Did she fall in love with the King? Did she get married and become a Queen?" His near fictitious story is interrupted by eager questioning. Both his parents would be dishonoured and disgraced by the fanciful and tactical truths he is telling but he has no love for them and they already have the shame of death anyway. Though he knows and takes satisfaction that if Washu still had her surveillance up then she would snap out of her joyous bliss with Yamcha instantly and start fuming at his blatant lies about the Tuffles and their extinction. Answering this question from the tired girl in his bed though makes him pause, looks like he will have to add another lie to the tale.
" … Yes … Yes she became the Queen."
"And then? How does it end?"
" It ends very simply. After all that and about a year later she had a child, and that was me."
He gives her a little smile and stands up from his own bed as he sees her getting very tired. That is a story he will never repeat to anyone, or not in that manner. The closest thing he had to a happy ending and only because he prematurely cut the story short of the death of the Saiyans and Frieza. Sasami though seems pleased with this difference, a new manner of story that she isn't used to, even though it was told with no emotion and in a very factual and simplified way.
" Mr. Vegeta, you never said her name. What was your mom's name?" Sasami asks one last question as he goes to leave to train. She was sharp enough to notice the anonymity of the protagonist, a very deliberate and purposeful act on Vegeta's part.
" I did not say it because I do not remember it."
"That's Ok Mr. Vegeta, you have new family now. You have Trunks, and sister and me and my mummy ..."
Sasami's words begin to slur as her heavy head rests on his pillows and sleep's grip on the girl steals her consciousness. Vegeta stands and breathes for a moment. A new family. He had one. He forgot his mother like she was nothing, being very young at the time of her death during child birth to his runt of a brother. A shameful death. One passing thought haunts his mind that he or his son might let Bulma slip from their minds just like he did with the Queen of the Saiyans. Vegeta shakes his head and leaves the room to train, such nonsensical thoughts he will not bother himself with.