Author: Becky L. Sly
Title: What If: Namek
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Rating: T (there will be cusswords, violence and some non-explicit sexual situation that might not be appropriated for all readers)
I just own the plot. All characters belong to Funimation, Toei Animation, and Akira Toriyama.
Chapter 2 – The Namekian Village
Being kidnaped by Vegeta certainly wasn't part of her plan. Bulma was still being carried away by Vegeta while they were flying at full speed. She had no idea where he was taking her, and with his flying speed at maximum, it only made it even more difficult for her to clearly see the path they were following.
Several times, Bulma had tried to glance up at the sky, but the blurry sight of the ground rushing past only made her dizzy. And the fact that she was upside down with her stomach firmly pressed against Vegeta's shoulder only aggravated it more. She was gripping his armor as hard as she could to keep her nausea down, but she was beginning to feel that it was a lost battle.
"Ve-Vegeta… I'm gonna throw up," she moaned, but her voice was muffled by the pressure on her abdomen.
She had no idea if Vegeta had listened to her words, but suddenly, she sensed his speed lowering, the wind not whipping at her skin so abruptly. She tried to glance up, and noticed that they were flying downwards.
In a blink of an eye, they reached the ground. Bulma couldn't tell where they were, and Vegeta hadn't taken her down yet. He kept walking with her over his shoulder and she noticed their surroundings getting darker, with the dawning realization that they were entering a cave.
Being on the ground made her nausea cease a little, but before she could take a proper look around on Vegeta's shoulder, he quickly grabbed her waist and tossed her to the ground in front of him.
"Ouch!" She exclaimed, rolling over the ground, still dizzy. Bulma massaged her hip with one hand while the other was placed over her forehead, trying to calm her dizziness.
She finally glanced up, taking a deep breath while looking around her. They were indeed inside a cave, which was smaller than the one she and her friends had settled a camp in. Her gaze met the Saiyan in front of her, finding Vegeta glaring at her, with his arms crossed against his chest and a frown set upon his face.
"Woman, you're pathetically weak," he murmured, taking a step closer to her. His husky voice startled her slightly. She quickly sat on the ground, crawling her way away from the intimidating Saiyan.
"Now, it's time to get to business…" he said, with a malicious smirk upon his lips, eliciting a shiver down her spine. She swallowed hard, still crawling away from him while her gaze was fixed on his.
Vegeta kept walking slowly toward her, and Bulma widened her eyes, noticing the distance between them closing in. His dark, obsidian eyes were so penetrating that her legs started to tremble. She hit her back against the wall, with no more space to run away. Shit! Shit! Shit! She shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself, feeling her blood pressure throbbing in her throat.
Vegeta ceased his current pace, staring at the woman in front of him. She was against the wall, curled up in a ball. He gazed at her hands holding her legs tightly, noticing that they were trembling uncontrollably. He snorted at the scene. Although the feeling of being feared was one of his favorites, he knew that she wouldn't do shit if she feared him that much.
"Stop shivering like a mouse, woman!" He demanded, his voice echoing through the rocky walls of the cave. Bulma startles, opening her eyes all in a sudden, her gaze catching the man right in front of her.
Vegeta kneeled, bringing his face down to the same level as hers. With the proximity between their faces; Bulma held her breath in an impulse. Vegeta grinned as she stopped whimpering.
He gazed deeply into her big, blue eyes. She was so weak that he almost couldn't sense her ki. And yet, she had managed to get his attention and defy him earlier. Now, even noticeably afraid of him, she was staring straight into his eyes.
The Earth woman intrigued him.
He snorted again, rising from the ground and giving his back to her. "Fear not, while you're useful to me, I won't kill you," he murmured huskily. Bulma followed his movements with her eyes. When he was a fair distance away from her, he glanced over his shoulder at her, his expression still bitter.
"You are the only person on this damn planet that can say that. Don't make me regret it."
Bulma stared at him, bewildered. She swallowed hard, wondering if she could take his words seriously. She looked deeply into his dark eyes, searching for reassurance. He gazed back seriously, almost without blinking.
"Stop staring at me with your stupid eyes, woman!" he exclaimed, turning his back to her. "Now, you should start fixing the damn radar before I change my mind."
Bulma jumped at the remark, remembering why she was there. She had promised to help him with the radar if he left Gohan alone. Well, at least he had left the poor kid behind, deciding that capturing her would be more efficient. She sighed heavily. Bulma, what have you gotten yourself into?
She straightened her posture, sitting properly against the rock wall. She rummaged her fingers through her vest's front pocket, finding the capsule she had used earlier. Without paying much attention, she absently clicked the capsule's lip, tossing it to the ground, away from her. Seconds later, the capsule cracked open, the steam slowly dissipated from the air, revealing the broken radar and its components on the bare ground.
"What the fuck was that!?" Vegeta screamed, startling Bulma. She turned to look at him, noticing his perplexed expression. He was staring at the place where she had tossed the capsule.
"Do you mean… this?" she murmured, picking up another capsule from her front pocket. Vegeta peered at her suspiciously, his narrowed eyes following her every move as she tossed the capsule again to the ground, revealing a set of tools seconds later. She grinned at the puzzled expression on his face.
"It's a capsule that can contain pretty much anything," she murmured. Vegeta crossed his arms against his chest, watching her closely, with wary eyes.
"How could you possibly acquire such technology?"
Bulma huffed at the condescending remark. "My father invented it!" She hissed at him, mimicking him by crossing her arms angrily. "You should know, sir, I'm pretty important on Earth as well!"
Vegeta snickered. "Sure… why would a weakling like you be so important on that pathetic mudball you called a planet?"
Bulma raised from the ground, now peeved, growling at the Saiyan. "I'm a genius!" She hissed, stomping on the ground. "I've invented and improved several things that improved life on Earth, including the Dragon Ball radar that you desperately want!"
Vegeta growled at her, closing the distance between them in a second. His nose nearly touching her nose, Bulma attempting to stifle her rapid breaths.
"Watch your tone, woman," he whispered to her, his voice evoking fear with it's deadly hiss. "I may not kill you, but that doesn't mean I won't hurt you."
Bulma swallowed hard, nodding steadily at his words.
"Now, make yourself useful," Vegeta demanded, tearing himself away from her. She sighed in relief once he was a good distance away from her. She kneeled on the ground again, pulling the broken radar back over to herself.
She gave it a proper inspection; carefully scanning over all the damages she had caused with a practiced eye. She grabbed one of her multi-use tools and started to unscrew the radar's back cover, so that she could see all its internal electrical systems.
Bulma took a deep breath, her hands working on the radar while in her mind she was distracted, trying to process everything that had happened that day. She knew she was walking a tight line with Vegeta. While he had said he wasn't going to kill her, she knew it was only a matter of time until she would become useless to him. Once the radar was repaired, he would realize how easy it was to use it, and no longer require her assistance.
Fortunately for her, she had seriously damaged her favorite invention. It would take her hours to fix it, especially since she didn't have all her tools with her. Luckily, it would be enough time for Krillin to arrive with the Dragon Ball. She wondered how Gohan was, and if he was okay after the injuries Vegeta had inflicted on him.
She stabbed at the electrical wire with her screwdriver angrily; the worries eating away inside her mind souring her mood. If it weren't for Vegeta, their plan would have worked. They would only have needed to wait until Goku's arrival. She would have been back to Earth in less than a week! And now, she was alone in a dark, creepy cave with the last person in the universe she wanted to spend time with! In fact, if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have needed to be on Namek in the first place!
"Stupid Bulma," she cursed under her breath, her gaze fixed on the device on her hand. She glanced up to see what Vegeta was doing, then noticed that he must have left the cave. She looked around, trying to see where he was.
Bulma considered running away for a moment, but he would surely find her. It would only make him angrier. She sighed, glancing back at the device resting on her lap. Then, a thought came to her mind.
She could still make their plan work. She only needed to drag it out for as much time as she could. If she kept working, but not working enough on it, Vegeta wouldn't notice her plan.
Bulma smiled to herself, but she quickly hid her smile when Vegeta returned to the cave. She glanced down; noticing from her peripheral that he had grabbed something to eat. She heard her stomach growling, but she tried to not pay much attention to it. She needed to concentrate on acting out her little ruse.
Soon you'll be home, Bulma, she thought to herself.
One hour had passed, and the Earth woman was still working on that blasted radar. Vegeta leaned against the rocky wall, staring at her while she was working on the device. He didn't know it would take hours to get that damn thing sorted out. He was both angry and impatient, and had been watching her work for the entirety of the last hour.
At least she wasn't talking anymore, Vegeta thought to himself. The woman's voice was very loud and noisy. She had dared to defy him twice that day, an action he hoped she had learned not to repeat. She didn't seem to be bothered by his staring though. A few minutes ago, he could swear he had listened to her whistling some odd melody while working. She seemed pretty calm, almost just too calm.
He frowned at that thought, narrowing his eyes to take a better look at her. She grabbed the tool nearest her and poked at the back of the open device. She wrenched the tiny screw two times before she grabbed a component on the ground and placed it onto the radar. Then she grabbed her screwdriver again, and returned to the same screw she had been working at, and unscrewed it one more time. She turned the device, clicking on the button over it. No result. Then, she grabbed the screwdriver again and screwed that very same screw again.
The realization hit Vegeta. She was toying with him!
"Woman, what are you doing?" He snapped, surprising her with his voice. She looked up at him while he stepped closer to her.
"I'm working on the device," she stated bluntly, gesturing back to the radar on her lap.
"Really?" He asked ironically, stopping at her side. "And why is it taking all this time?"
"It's taking the usual time it takes to get this thing fixed..."
"You don't fool me, woman!" Vegeta growled, making Bulma's eyes widen. "You are taking more time than necessary to fix it! You're toying with me!"
"I am not!" She shouted. "If you think you can work faster, why don't you try?"
Bulma could hear the growl rumbling inside his chest. He was glowering at her with his fists clenched. She tried to hold his gaze unflinchingly; hoping the deception wouldn't show in her eyes.
"That's it!" he hissed angrily, grabbing her by her arm roughly and pulling her up from the ground.
"Wh-what are you doing?" She whimpered, feeling her skin burning where he was holding her arm so tightly.
"We are going to look for that Dragon Ball," he growled, pulling her body against his. Bulma shut her eyes in impulse as her cheek hit his harshly; her hand resting on his chest armor. One second he was holding her body firmly against his, and by the next second, he blasted into the air at full speed.
"Vegeta!" She cried out, unable to move since he was holding her tightly against his torso. "Why are you taking me?!" Her voice was muffled by the breeze that was whipping into her skin again.
"Because, you must know what your unwise stubbornness will cause," he stated coldly, before speeding up.
Bulma swallowed hard against his shoulder. She had crossed the line with him and now she was doomed. She glanced up at the sky, finding the blurred vision of the ground again. Afraid of falling out of his grasp, she managed to slide her arms around his neck, holding him firmly. She buried her face against his shoulder, trying to quell her dizziness.
Vegeta didn't expect that move, but it didn't stop him. He continued flying, trying to concentrate his mind and instincts again on searching for any kind of energy. After a few minutes, he had managed to track a powerful energy coming from the northeast. He flew towards that direction, and as he approached the target, he realized it was actually several beings radiating energy. He smirked, concluding that it was probably a village of Namekians.
"Let's ask the locals, shall we?" he hissed at Bulma while he continued his flight toward the village. He felt her tensing up under his grasp, making his smirk grow larger.
After a while, they finally arrived at the Namekian village. Vegeta landed on the ground heavily, tossing Bulma onto the ground.
Bulma glanced around, noticing several weird-shaped houses all around them. There were all kinds of Namekians surrounding them, even children that looked just like Dende. They all were frightened, staring back at the two visitors. She widened her eyes at Vegeta, wondering what he was about to do. Before she could think any further, Vegeta broke the silence.
"Which one of you is the Elder Namekian?" Vegeta hissed, staring at the alien group in front of him. "I'm looking for the Dragon Ball. If you have it, hand it over to me now!"
All Namekians quivered at his demand. One of them stepped ahead and faced Vegeta while clenching his fists, however, an old-looking Namekian placed his hand over his shoulder, making the young green man stop.
"I'm the oldest one," said the aged looking alien. "I must ask you, why are you searching for the Dragon Balls?"
Vegeta snorted at the question. "It's my business, old man. Where is it?"
The old Namekian frowned at Vegeta. He glanced at Bulma on the ground, a quizzical look upon his old face. Bulma felt her heart beating rapidly inside her chest. She knew bad things were about to come.
"I'm sorry," the old man faced Vegeta again. "I can not give you what you're seeking."
Vegeta sighed heavily.
"Wrong answer."
The following events happened incredibly fast. All Bulma was able to see was Vegeta raising his right arm, his index finger pointed out at the old Namekian in front of him. The next second, a blast was cast into the air, hitting straight at the young man next to the older Namekian, then his body dropped down to the ground, lifeless.
Bulma gasped from where she lay on the ground; horrified by what had just happened. She glanced up at Vegeta, noticing the hardened expression on his face.
All the Namekians were slack-jawed, facing the dead body before them. A dead silence hung in the atmosphere. Some Namekians clenched their teeth at the Saiyan Prince, and in the next second, Vegeta was attacked by a group of them.
Bulma rolled across the ground, avoiding getting hit in the commotion. She tried to cover her head with her hands, muffling the deafening blast sounds and bones cracking in the distance. She curled herself up in a ball, shivering and whimpering in the realization of what was happening.
She glanced up, only to find that Vegeta was firing lasers towards a couple of young Namekians that were running away from him. Their bodies slammed abruptly against the wall of an oddly shaped house before toppling to the ground.
"This is bad… This is very bad," Bulma whispered in panic, crawling away from the fighting area, her gaze fixed on Vegeta. The Namekians hurled energy blasts at the Saiyan, making the Earth beneath them tremble from the force. Bulma cried out in fear, being tossed away again by the earthshaking blasts.
Once the black smoke had disappeared, she saw Vegeta still standing there, completely unharmed.
The Namekians gawked at the Saiyan in front of them. One of them hurtled a huge blast of energy at him, but Vegeta managed to suppress its power, sending straight back at the green man who had attacked him.
Vegeta smirked maliciously at them.
"That's all you got?"
The remaining Namekians growled at him, and instantaneously, they all dove in to attack the intruder. Bulma was tossed in the air one more time, due to the blasting explosions. She collapsed on the blue grass so roughly, that her teeth rattled inside her mouth.
Bulma tried to look up, though her head was spinning. She took in the battle scene in front of her, noticing with horror the piles of bodies on the ground. She needed to stop him, but how? She kneeled on the ground; her breath coming out in harsh shudders. Vegeta was defeating more Namekians, adding to the already steep body count.
"VEGETA, STOP!" She screamed at him, getting up and running towards him. However, her scream was muffled by the next explosion blast that hit the field near her, dashing her body meters away from where she was with its reverberation. With the impact sustained by the brutal fall, she fainted on the ground.
Vegeta looked around him, realizing that he had managed to defeat every single one of the Namekians that attacked him, with the exception of the oldest one of them.
"You… you killed them all!" The elder Namekian cried out to the Saiyan, holding in his arms the body of a young green-skinned man.
Vegeta stepped closer to the old man, cleaning the blood off his sore lower lip with his white-gloved thumb.
"Are you ready to tell me where the Dragon Ball is?" Vegeta asked, huskily.
The old man frowned. "No! I won't do it!" He snapped, backing away from the warrior. "You will never find it!"
Vegeta smirked. "Oh, you think I won't, right?" He murmured somberly. "We'll see."
With a final blast, Vegeta aimed for the old man, who had no time to defend himself from the attack. Just like the others, the oldest Namekian slumped to the ground, dead.
The Saiyan Prince glanced at his surroundings. "This does put a smile on my face". He searched for the Earth woman, and for a moment, he wondered if she had been hit by one of the attacks. He finally located her, noticing her unconscious body resting on the ground.
He walked towards her direction, only getting close enough to sense her energy. She was still alive. Vegeta huffed, choosing to deal with her later. He turned on his heel and headed toward the village houses, certain that the Dragon Ball would be hidden there.
After a few minutes, Bulma managed to open her eyes. Still laying on the ground, she moaned in pain at the realization that her entire body was painfully sore. She tried to move her arms and legs slightly, making sure that nothing was broken.
She managed to seat up wearily, placing her hand over her head, trying to ease her headache. She glanced around, the dirty smoke slowly dissipated, leaving the horrifying sight of the previous events.
Bulma choked back a gasp, seeing the pile of corpses just mere meters away from her. Her heart was pounding inside her chest and she could feel her eyes watering.
"No… no…" she whimpered, while she stood up from the ground, her legs trembling. "Vegeta… he killed them all."
She looked around searching for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Bulma's heart beat even faster inside her chest.
"Where is he?" She murmured to herself, creating a distance between her and the gruesome scene. Still feeling her limbs aching, she tried to run. If Vegeta wasn't there, it was now her chance to run away from him. He had told her that her energy was weak. Maybe she could find a place to hide from him.
However, before she could plot any further, Vegeta suddenly appeared right in front of her, making her instantly stop running.
Bulma screamed as she saw him, abruptly stepping back a few paces to keep herself as far away as she could from him. She glanced at him, noticing that he was carrying under his left arm, a huge Dragon Ball.
"Where do you think you are going, woman?" Vegeta smirked at her, taking a step closer to the Earth woman.
Bulma's heart skipped a beat. She quickly did the math, and seeing that he had found a Dragon Ball all on his own, she wasn't necessary anymore. Now he wouldn't keep his so-called promise of not killing her.
A strength she didn't know she had boiled inside her heart. If she was going to die, at least she would die fighting. She stepped closer to him, and with all her anger, she cracked the palm of her hand hard across his cheek with a rage-fueled slap.
She didn't know if the slap had hurt him, or if he was taken off guard. The surprising fact was that actually Vegeta tipped back from her startling action. The Saiyan placed his right palm over his reddened cheek. He growled at her and with his right arm, he hit her on her shoulder, tossing her away from him.
Bulma fell on the grass again, her shoulder hurting from the thump. She turned face up and found Vegeta standing next to her. He roughly grabbed her wrist, pulling her up from the ground. Bulma squeezed her eyes with the pain.
"Do you think I'm fucking kidding?" He growled at her, while Bulma tried unsuccessfully to get out of his grasp.
"Ve-Vegeta stop… You're hurting me!" She whimpered, but he didn't listen.
"Did you see what happened there?" He hissed, holding her waist even harder, eliciting a pained yowl from the girl. "That wouldn't have happened if they had cooperated."
She eyed him, bewildered, her vision blurring as the tears filled up her eyes.
"No more jiggery-pokery," he murmured huskily, bringing her face very close to his. "Or else, the next time, you'll be seeing your friends die instead."
Bulma swallowed hard, capturing the intensity of his words. She nodded hesitantly at him, receiving a devilish grin in return.
"Good," he said, releasing her wrist. "Now, let's get back to the cave."
She widened her eyes at him. She didn't want him touching her anymore, much less carrying her away. But, her protesting kicks were all in vain. He grabbed her by her waist and pulled her closer to his body. Vegeta flew away, carrying the Dragon Ball under his left arm, and Bulma on his right arm, trying to ignore her constant punches and kicks. He tightened his grip, making it impossible for her to move from his grasp. Smirking viciously, he sped up his path towards the cave.
A/N: Thanks so much for everyone that reviewed, followed, favorited and read the fic! You make me really happy! I hope you are all well and safe during this crazy period that we are all going through.
Be Safe!
This chapter was beta'd by RoyalBlueRoses! She also writes DBZ fics! You should check her work out!
Reviews are always welcome and much appreciated! Thank you so much in advance to anyone who takes the time to write one!