Hello!
I am not sure how long it has been since I posted an update to this story - so sorry! If you follow my tumblr (surelysaiyangood) you may have seen me posting hints about my personal life being crazy. I know, I know, that's basically the "norm" for me. Not wanting to share too much of my business, for the sake of remaining fairly anonymous, I don't feel like I can explain too much of what's been going on. I have just had a very full schedule as of late, and I'm going to be incredibly busy until the end of the year. That being said, I'm still writing as much as I can during my free time! I just hate it because I'm not able to post as regularly as I'd like to. :(
Still, I hope you enjoy this one. This one is somewhat short and hopefully sweet - just like I like 'em. :)
Stoney pavement lined the street that Vegeta and Bulma strolled through, and they were surrounded by trolleys every which way she looked. Just as the Bluehead had seen from the view of from her bathroom window, the infrastructure of this city had all been built with different architectural styles. It made the whole town appear as if it had been jerry-rigged together in an unorganized manner, and by some unqualified engineer.
They'd been getting a lot of looks as they walked, and Vegeta had to remind Bulma several times to pay attention to where she was going. Astounded, the Bluehead was too amazed by it all, and she was constantly glancing over her shoulder to make sure she didn't miss a thing. This led to her tripping over her own feet more than twice, and she would stumble to keep up with Vegeta as he held his head high.
"Sir Vegeta, long time no ssss-see," A raspy voice breathed, and Bulma looked to see the source of the words. What she saw wasn't a man, but instead resembled more of an overgrown lizard. Clad in a pair of loose tan slacks as it leaned against the doorframe of a store, the scaly creature waved a hand full of spiking nails as they breezed past.
"That is PRINCE Vegeta, to YOU!" The saiyan shot back, his eyes locked straight ahead as he continued his march. He didn't even nod towards the reptile as he went, but the Bluehead couldn't peel her eyes away from it. The lizard, a long ominous tongue hanging from its mouth, didn't say anything more as they disappeared into the distance.
"Who was that?" Bulma whispered when she thought they wouldn't be in earshot.
"Hell, if I know!" Vegeta growled back through clenched teeth, trying to be inconspicuous as he spoke. "I get that you're curious, Bulma, but try to be less open about it would you? Disguise the shock on your face - don't just wear it like on open book."
"Says the man who was appalled that I wasn't talking about jewelry when I joked about a pearl necklace a few months ago!"
"That was different, you vulgar girl! Uh – I – uh, we're not discussing that right now! I have a reputation to maintain, you know! Unless you like the idea of a hundred cocky would-be dictators showing up on Earth every few years to try and kill us all and usurp my authority as the strongest living warrior, you will act fearless and demanding while we're here!"
"I'm not being fearful to begin with!" She hissed, but a blush was creeping up on her cheeks anyway. "...You really think things would be that bad?"
"Of course, they would. A lot of people hate me, most of them cowards. Know that if anyone decides to see you as a victim, I will not think twice about making a show of slaughtering them. It would compromise too much for anyone to assume I've grown soft."
'But, you are soft,' Bulma wanted to say. Had they been on Earth, she would have leaned forward to playfully stroke his arm. She wanted to nuzzle her forehead against his shoulder as she teased him, but this time she held back from doing such a thing. It was starting to feel as if every wall on this planet had ears, and anything she mused could potentially come back to haunt her at a later time. So, instead of cracking a joke, Bulma just gulped and continued following his lead. "Where are we going, by the way?"
"Hm..." Vegeta grunted, waving a dismissive hand at a merchant who was calling her sales-pitch as they trudged by. "After all of that traveling, it seems suiting we eat a warm meal."
"Dinner?" The Bluehead grinned. She hadn't thought about it since they'd arrived, but just the mention of food was making her stomach rumble.
"Of course..." Vegeta smirked, turning to glance at his Woman. "I know how much you cherish the act of shopping, and we'll need a full stomach to do that."
"Wait – dinner, and shopping?! Who are you?!"
"Haven't you heard it enough times by now? I am Prince Vegeta, ruler of-"
"Right, right! I know! You're the ruler of the almighty warrior race!"
.
… After walking across what seemed like the entire town, the couple came to a stop in front of a clunky steel door. Bulma looked up to read the sign, noting that it was written in a script that looked similar to hieroglyphics. "This was the regular stop with Raditz." Vegeta grunted. "They'll know exactly what I want. It'll be good."
What exactly did food on a foreign planet look like? Images of raw meat and discolored bugs on a platter flashed through Bulma's head. She gulped, her gums going dry at the thought. "Think they'll have anything I'd like?"
"Sure." The saiyan put his hand to her back and gave a light push as he beckoned them inside. "I'll request something special for you..."
.
...Loud.
It was so loud, and the amount of people that were jammed into this entryway was preposterous. As soon as they walked in, Bulma was immediately hit in the face with a cloud of humidity, the evidence of so many bodies crammed so tightly together. Her lips were parted as took it all in. There were so many voices, and in so many languages. Yelling, laughing, growling, and shouting, the sounds alone were enough to make her feel dizzy. Vegeta acted as if none of this was out of the ordinary and immediately began barging his way through everyone, and Bulma tried her best to follow close behind.
Not only was the volume overwhelming, but there were so many scents and colors, as well. The Bluehead could make out the aroma of food cooking from the kitchen, which was nearly nauseating when combined with the strange perfumes wafting off these many characters. At one point she and Vegeta stepped through a cloud of cigar smoke so strong that it left her eyes watering, and her cheeks puffed when she fought back the instinct to profusely cough. Trying not to appear too flustered, Bulma attempted to act casual, but it was incredibly trying to be so calm. Short and tall, large and wide, square and round, hairy and bare. There was such an assortment of people here, and she was beside herself with fascination to see so many cultures combined!
There was one plump woman, in particular, that caught the Bluehead's eye. Her skin was illuminated in a soft orange glow as she laughed heartily at something her friend said. She appeared to be middle aged, with a shadow of wrinkles that were barely visible under her gleeful eyes. Her long hair waved into the shape of a tree, a deep emerald as it branched out above her head. Bulma paused when she saw this woman, taken aback from the light glistening off her mane. Suddenly she was thinking of Christmas, and how much this woman reminded her of an impressive tree that was wrapped with tinsel and ornaments.
The Bluehead couldn't help but wonder, as her thoughts trailed, if the people on this planet had a holiday similar to Christmas? In fact, out here in space, did the concept of holidays exist at all? What kind of events did they celebrate? What were their traditions? She knew there must be some that were celebrated, but what-
"GHuŚa Kalym BŒtle." A voice suddenly said in her ear.
"What?" Bulma turned, blinking out of her trance. She expected to see Vegeta standing by her side and looking irritated at her for getting sidetracked. Her eyes widened when what she saw was a gruff strange male staring back at her instead. Compared to some of the amazing aliens on this planet, this man's appearance was a lot more similar to a saiyan or an Earthling. His tanned skin was a color that Bulma was more accustomed to, unlike the pastels that seemed much more prominent here. His face was blanketed with a short and wiry beard, his plump lips grinning at Bulma from behind the brown facial hair. The irises of his eyes were a shade of blue so pale that it was almost translucent. She couldn't help but stare, and at this point she had given up on trying to mask her surprise.
"GHuŚa Kalym BŒtle." The man repeated, looking somewhat amused at her reaction. Holding her breath, the Bluehead looked around for help, but she just couldn't see Vegeta anywhere. He had long ago disappeared through the ocean of mingling aliens, and now she was completely alone. Turning back to the stranger, she shrugged, unsure of how to communicate with him that there was a language barrier.
"English?" He asked then, his eyes crinkling as if trying not to laugh.
"Yeah! You speak English?!" She called out over the noise. How was it that so many people here knew her native language? She wondered this, but then again, Vegeta had been fluent in English when she'd met him. She'd never thought to ask how he'd known, so perhaps she shouldn't be so surprised...
"What brings you here?" The man asked, and in such a strange accent. His intentions were starting to become clear, and Bulma would have taken a step away from him if she'd had the room. "I'm just looking for my boyfriend." She hoped she'd get her point across with her tone.
"You looking for a boyfriend?" The man replied, obviously misunderstanding what she'd meant. "You don't need to look far, girl."
"Girl?" Bulma's face fell even more than it already had. This man had the nerve to refer to her as girl? She got called "Woman" a lot, sure, but never something as condescending as girl…
"Look." The man said then. Bulma's irritable eyes trailed to an item that he was holding out to her, and her jaw locked. In his hand was some type of flower, though it looked withered and dead. Sandy yellow colored its dry petals, the thick stem weak and drooping. The Bluehead was visibly cringing now, and he thrust the plant towards her with urgency. "Take. Girl." It was becoming clear that the English he knew was quite broken, and he wasn't fluent at all. Realizing there still was a language barrier was making her feel even more uncomfortable. How could she tell him to buzz off when she was fairly certain he wouldn't understand? She'd already made faces and spoken to him flatly - what more could she do to communicate her displeasure with him?
Kami, where had Vegeta disappeared to? She had been right behind him one second, and he was completely gone the next! All she'd done was analyze her surroundings, and now she was alone on a foreign planet, trying to awkwardly reject some guy that she could barely communicate with! She knew that the saiyan would be coming back for her, but he was taking forever!
"Take. Girl" The man repeated, and Bulma sighed as she rolled her eyes. "No, I don't want that."
"No?" The man replied, before simply thrusting the flower towards her again. "Take."
Would this man not take a fucking hint? Kami, he was persistent! The Bluehead sighed again – this time much louder than before. She couldn't tell if this man was stubbornly ignoring her rejections, or if he really just couldn't understand. Deciding it was easier to just take the damned thing while she waited for Vegeta to find her, Bulma reached out to receive the ugly plant. Her fingers were just about to graze the rough looking stem when the flower disappeared altogether.
What? Bulma's eyes moved up to the man, and now she was realizing that he had also disappeared...
… Wait - disappeared?
It wasn't long before a loud scream broke through the room, and Bulma looked up with parted lips. Up above her head was the strange man, screaming maniacally as he dangled in the clutches of the saiyan prince. Vegeta had him in a chokehold as he hovered what must have been three meters in the air. "Pulling something like that with my Woman?" He snarled, and the man was clawing at his arm to try and break free from the hold. Eyes bulging, he was obviously terrified to see it was Vegeta who had him! "Ghēt! GHĒT!" He managed to choke out.
All of the loud chatter of the pub had fallen silent, everyone watching in fearful anticipation. His eyes mad with rage, Vegeta called out to his audience. "EVERYONE! LET MY MESSAGE BE CLEAR! Havihst Plysn Ünthyrie!"
The crowd now broke into a wave of gasps and whispers, a hushed reaction at whatever it was Vegeta had just announced. After being absent for so long during his time on Earth, the appearance of the saiyan prince definitely worked to strike fearful awe with the onlookers.
"See that Woman there?" Vegeta continued, before repeating his words in the alien language. He pointed down at Bulma as he ranted, before gesturing back at the gagging man he was still holding by the throat. The Bluehead could feel all eyes on her, but she hardly cared. Taken by just how powerful and grand the saiyan was as he so powerfully floated about her head, she was getting hit with a wave of memories dating back to when they'd first met. How mysteriously intimidating he had been the first time they'd locked eyes, and how much he had eased up since then... Now he was back in his element of demanding respect, and he looked so damned comfortable while he did so. All she could do was stand there and watch, as he floated so high in defense of her honor.
"SHE is MY Woman, my chosen mate, and my kin. Assault on her is punishable by death! Let this be a warning to all of you! Understand?!"
Not a word was uttered from the onlooking crowd, who were all watching expectantly. Bulma could feel the energy in the room shift as everyone backed away from her. Still, her eyes were glued to the saiyan prince... Kami, somehow his muscles seemed even more prominent from this angle...
The gruff man was saying something in his native language, repeating himself over and over again. He was still clawing at the saiyan's hand as he desperately tried to release himself. Vegeta replied in English, and Bulma knew he was doing this so she would understand. "I don't care if you didn't know who she was. You tried to trick her with Ghro, did you not?! Only a pathetic piece of scum would need something like that to snag a female! Don't you think that's worthy of punishment?"
His voice booming, his eyes so black. As Bulma watched, a hand to her mouth, Vegeta raised his own hand in the air. A blast of light shot from his palm, and no longer was the man choking and , a second later, the newly limp stranger was falling to the ground. He landed in the center of the room with a thud, and Bulma was only able to see him because the group of aliens had all cleared the way.
There was a hole in his shoulder, and he was unmoving. Frowning, the Bluehead felt when Vegeta landed beside her and growled in her ear. "Let's find a table. NOW."
"What is Ghro?" She replied, her gaze moving to the saiyan as he grabbed her by the forearm and began to pull her away. "Is that the flower he was trying to give me? I told him I didn't want it, you know. He insisted, though, and-"
"We'll talk about it when we're seated." He cut in. Bulma was surprised that everyone seemed to have recovered from the event rather fast, for the tavern was once again filled with loud chaos of chatter from all directions. In fact, she could hardly hear herself speaking at all, and it wasn't until she was sliding into a wooden booth that she tried again. "What is...?"
"A ghro is a tainted plant, Woman." Vegeta spat before she had the chance to get her question out. "You outed yourself as a foreigner with your openly naive behavior, and he was taking advantage of that."
"I wasn't trying to." She was frowning, still processing all that had just occurred. "…You're the one that disappeared on me, you know."
"You fell back, and I've already warned you about doing that." The saiyan was glaring as he spoke, leaning across the table to make sure she could hear what he said. "I have made my point clear by using that fiend as an example, but from now on you must stay near me, Bulma. Do you see now that it is for your own protection?"
"Honestly, not really." She blinked. "What the hell was that? How did that ugly flower justify-"
"There are razor sharp fibers that grow from that plant's stem. If you had touched it, then it would have sliced your hand open. Your blood would have been absorbed into the plant, and its poison would have infiltrated your system. All that man would have needed to do was ingest the ghro to achieve absolute control of your mind - and consequently, your body."
"What?!" All too suddenly the shock had worn away. She screamed, falling back into her seat. "Wait - that guy wanted to EAT my blood?!"
"It would have linked the two of you, obviously against your will..." Vegeta was still glaring, but it was clear that she wasn't the one he was mad at. His upper lip twitching, the saiyan growled under his breath. Just thinking of what could have happened to her if he'd been a second too late was making him want to kill somebody all over again. "Hasn't anyone told you not to accept gifts from strangers, Woman?!"
"It was just an ugly flower! I didn't think it would be that big of a deal!" Bulma squawked, but she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't relieved that Vegeta had shown up when he did. The thought of that disgusting man trying something like that, and what he would have done with that type of power, left her feeling extremely violated. She was still wrapping her head around the idea of something like that even being possible, and flashbacks to previous encounters with unpleasant men was souring her mood even more than it already had.
"You can't take things at face value." Vegeta shook his head. "Do you see why I told you to dress more conservatively now? Imagine how aggressive the males would be if you were walking around flaunting your midriff and bare legs."
Once again humbled by the realization that she wasn't as knowledgeable or assured on this planet as she was used to, Bulma didn't even bother with a response. Feeling dumb, she frowned as her eyes moved down to the table. She was waiting for him to continue, now that she had accepted that he was right, but Vegeta didn't say anything else about the matter.
Her bottom lip puffed out with frustration and hurt, the Bluehead slowly found the nerve to turn and look towards the body of the man, still sprawled at the front of the cavern. Nobody had bothered to move him away, and she wondered how long it would be that he was laying there... It was true that he had tried to take control of her, but had he deserved that? And how could everyone else just go back to their nightly celebrations, as whole-heartedly as ever? Did nobody care at all? This was just too much to process, and the distress was clear on her face.
"Come here..." Vegeta said then, breaking her from her thoughts.
"What?"
"You don't want to sit next to me, then?" He scooted to one side of his booth to emphasize his offer, patting the seat for effect. "Come on, there's room..."
... A second later, Bulma had climbed into his seat and was being pulled into the saiyan's body. One of his large arms was wrapped protectively around her as he squeezed her deeper into him. She felt as he nuzzled his mouth into her hair and planted a strong kiss on her scalp. "You didn't know." He offered in her ear, as if to apologize for what had just happened.
"Nope." She replied stiffly, still feeling distraught, and he kissed her again. Vegeta wasn't one for public displays of affection, and the fact that he was doing this at all meant a lot. Still, it was hard for her to return the embrace. Not when she was actively warding off memories of altercations with men on Earth. She obviously wasn't as resilient as the aliens she was surrounded by, and that made her feel incredibly weak.
"Don't act so put down..." He muttered, a calloused finger stroking her shoulder.
"Well, apparently I can't be alone for even a few seconds without some guy deciding to-"
"I said, don't act so put down. You didn't know, and it isn't your fault that people choose to be filth."
"Even if he was a jerk, watching some guy getting killed is not my idea of a good time." Bulma bit her lip. "Honestly, it's pretty stressful..."
"Hm..." The saiyan grumbled… He had done his part in warning Bulma that something like this might happen, but he still wasn't surprised that she was unnerved by the whole thing. That Bluehead had seen her share of physical conflicts, and yet she never seemed to grow used to it. Acting like a frightened animal each time she was subjected to such a thing, the saiyan wasn't sure how her nerves could be so fragile, and yet he understood completely. Vegeta actually found it endearing that she could remain so soft despite it all.
Still, this was not the mood he'd been wanting her to be in tonight – this was far from it. "We'll eat soon." He offered, and she simply shrugged. "Good..." She muttered. "...I'm starved."
.
Dinner went by without another event, with the two eating in relative silence. Whatever it was that Vegeta had ordered for Bulma, it reminded her of a plate of pasta. The sauce was colorless and odorless, but it tasted creamy on her tongue and made her feel warm as she chewed. Many of the patrons of the venue stared as the couple ate, with Vegeta maintain his protective hold with one arm, as he shoveled food into his mouth with the other. Since when did the dreadful Prince Vegeta act so affectionate towards anyone? Word was spreading quickly that the female with the merciless Prince did, indeed, seem to be his mate, and the news was met with breathless amazement.
"Ready to go?" Vegeta asked when they both finished their meals. He'd been listening to the whispers of the civilians throughout their entire dinner, and he was glad that such an impression was being made.
"If I can walk without some asshole trying to kill me, sure." Bulma bitterly dropped her fork onto her plate. "Seriously, I thought this place would be better than Earth with that kind of stuff! I should be able to do whatever I want without having to be on the defense all the time!"
"Perhaps, but I've never kept in a secret that this universe is full of scum, and that the beings on Earth are weak and naive in comparison."
"That's true..." She flipped her hair as she stood, and the saiyan was by her side in an instant. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he planted one last kiss in her hair before turning away from their table. "At least that incident was a good ice breaker, don't you think? Now it is clear that you are not to be messed with, Bulma. Everyone knows that we are together, and they find it quite charming that you have my affections."
"Gee, what an optimistic point of view..." Bulma rolled her eyes, but she smiled as she placed a hand on Vegeta's. She thought the saiyan was being sarcastic – little did she know that he was truthfully sharing with her what everyone had said.
"Try not to fall back?" He reminded, and they began to make their way back to the crowd that was blocking the doorway.
"I don't think I can with you holding me like this..." She replied. "I like it…"
The outdoors was a relief from the claustrophobic eatery, and Bulma let go of a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as her feet stepped onto the stone road. "Ready to keep walking?" Vegeta offered, nodding towards a center of shops that was just down the street. His voice, no longer stifled from the ruckus of the pub, was a lot less harsh than it'd been hours earlier. Before, when they'd been walking to the pub, he'd been stern and cold in his demeanor. Now he had nearly lost that mask, and instead was looking at her with assuring eyes. The Bluehead recognized his tone as an attempt to be coaxing, and she smiled at this. Despite how tough he'd been determined to present himself as to the rest of this world, he couldn't maintain it when she had become so hurt. Vegeta really was considerate of her emotions, wasn't he? Whether he wanted to show it or not, he just couldn't stop himself from softening when he thought she might be sad.
Up until this point, Bulma had been ready to ask that they return to the hotel for the night. But now, looking into the saiyan's eyes as he smirked at her, she began to smile back. "Alright," She said, taking his arm again. He began to lead her towards the shops, and this time she didn't care to look over her shoulder and study her surroundings as they made their way. The making of this planet didn't feel nearly as exhilarating as it had a few hours earlier. After all, she was walking with the Prince Vegeta...
… That was exciting enough.
Over 500 reviews - I never saw that coming!
As a writer, I don't think any others would disagree when I say that reviews and feedback is something that keeps us going. It really does feel like the best reward for the energy we put into writing. I have loved reading every single piece of feedback - whether positive or negative - and I'll always be thankful for you guys!
