For the first time in recent memory, Princess Bura had a full, uninterrupted night of sleep; she had slept so well, she couldn't motivate herself even to open her eyes even though her senses told her it was well past morning. She just needed a few more minutes, she thought to herself; her body was oddly sore, and her chest had a peculiar ache in it, and she wanted nothing more than to drift back to sleep curling further into the wonderful source of heat that enveloped her. What was that smell? It smelled so lovely, something earthy with a hint of some kind of spice...
Wait a minute...
She could feel soft, warm puffs of air dancing across the top of her head, and her heart began to beat erratically in her chest. Slowly she peeked one eye open and then the other.
Thump.
The sight of a broad white chest-plate greeted her.
Thump.
Slowly her eyes drifted up to see the slumbering face of Goten, his features relaxed into an expression of unmitigated tranquility, unmoving except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest.
Thump
At some point in the night, they had somehow ended up in a very compromising position. She could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks; one of her legs was tucked snugly between his, one of her hands grasped his chest armor while the other was clutching at his ribcage. He had one heavily muscled arm wrapped securely around her waist, the other cushioning both of their heads against the cold, stony ground. She was horrified to discover she had wound her tail around one of his brawny thighs.
Thump
Was that his heartbeat that sounded so loudly in her ears or hers? She couldn't say. Okay, Bura, take a deep breath, just slowly, roll away from him- It was at that precise moment that he stirred, and his eyes dozily fluttered open.
Thump
Time slowed down to a crawl and they both stared, wide-eyed at one another in abject terror, when Bura abruptly sprang away from him, plastering herself to the other side of the cave.
Goten groggily sat up from his place on the ground looking from the Princess and back to the spot she had previously been occupying, and Bura could swear his face looked slightly more flushed than usual. "Um, Morning."
How awkward, Bura could have died on the spot from sheer embarrassment, and all he had to say was 'Morning' as if she wasn't just wrapped around him like some many-tentacled alien creature she'd once heard her brother and father speak of.
The Princess knew her cheeks must have been the most unflattering shade of red, her tail swishing antsily from side to side, "...good morning."
He got to his feet, his gaze drifting toward the cave entrance; their fire had died during the night, just a few smoldering embers remained flickering among the pile of ashes.
"I think we've lingered here long enough."
Bura perked up at that, "Oh, you have a new plan?"
"Well, we aren't going to accomplish anything by staying in one spot. We may as well pick a direction and get moving, we're bound to find something useful. A small village or city, and get a better idea of where we are and what our next move should be."
Bura sighed; who knew how long it would be before they came across anything. It's not like we have any other choice, she thought bitterly. "What about shelter?"
"We'll just have to figure it out as we go, and between the two of us, if we come across any combatants, I think we should be fine."
She nodded, and then her stomach let out a thunderous growl, much to her embarrassment.
He let out a small laugh at that, "I'm hungry too, hopefully, we'll be able to catch some breakfast."
"What do you mean she's missing?!" Queen Bulma choked, knuckles turning white as she gripped the control panel of her comm unit. Hot tears stung her eyes as she looked upon her husband's face on the comm unit, his features twisted in anguish.
"We have to find her!"
"Mother, we can't do that; if Bura's missing, that means our mission is more vital than ever." The Prince shook his head, "we don't know for sure how much information they have, but you can bet they'll be looking for us as well, if we go after her and by some miracle happen to find her, there's a good chance the Imperials would be right behind us."
"Trunks is right." The King crossed his arms over his chest.
"So we do nothing?!" The Queen boomed, "our daughter is out there, more than likely alone and probably scared, and we can't do anything?!"
"The girl is stronger than you think," The King said quietly.
"I don't doubt that, but she has never even been away from Vegeta-sei before, she doesn't know what it's like out there, and our enemies far outnumber our allies, and I'm not just talking about Imperials-"
"Bulma, you have to complete your mission; if you don't or Freiza gets to them before we do, this will all be pointless." The King's forehead creased, and his mouth twitched, "Don't you think I would be out there looking for her myself if I could, woman?"
"Mother, we will find Bura, but we have to do this first, and even if we're to turn the ship around now... I don't even know where we'd start looking."
The Queen's stomach quivered, and she felt as though she could be sick then and there. This was what she had feared the most; losing one of her children. Her daughter could be dead for all she knew; what if they never found her? What if she never saw her baby again?
"Where was their ship intercepted?"
"The Hyperion Space Station." The King replied.
"And Captain Maize?"
"He was killed with the rest of the unit as far as I know."
Her heart sunk into her stomach, it might have given her some comfort to know Captain Maize had survived and had perhaps smuggled her daughter away to safety.
Angry tears slid down her pale cheek, "How could they possibly have known...?"
"Clearly, someone in our camp is feeding the imperial's information," The Prince spat, "They better pray I never find out who."
"Does King Ramses know that Bura's ship was intercepted?"
"Not yet."
"How did Tarble even come by this information?" The Queen asked tentatively, "Maybe he was wrong."
"He didn't say, all attempts to contact their ship have failed, I don't know where he got his information."
"Do you think... is he with them?"
"He doesn't have the stomach nor the skill in battle to be aligned with the Empire." The King snorted derisively. "He implored with me to flee as if I'd ever stoop to his level of cowardice."
"How many have pledged to join our cause?" The Prince inquired. The time for battle may be closing in on them sooner than they'd anticipated.
"Not as many as we'd hoped; it seems our reputations precede us." The King replied bitterly. "And to make matters worse, Freiza has ordered all of our men in the field to return home."
"What better way to wipe us all out than to gather us all in one place." The Prince spat bitterly.
"Maybe..." The Queen began, her gaze tentative, "We should at least consider a plan for a retreat... for the people... just in case..."
"I'm not going to run from that lizard." King Vegeta scowled, and she could see his fists shaking as he clenched them at his sides, "Focus on your mission, I'll be meeting up with you soon."
Gohan sat scrolling through the notes on his holo-pad while his father paced restlessly in front of the labs' large window. Kakarot rolled his neck from side to side, trying to relieve some of his nervous energy as he took in the vast green globe they would soon land on. "That's Namek, I can't wait to land, and finally get a chance to stretch my legs! I hate these long voyages."
"We'll be there soon enough, I can't wait for this to all be over." Gohan sighed, "I miss Videl."
"I know what you mean, I never liked leaving your mother for long periods, but when we get home, it'll be like you never left."
"Assuming we make it home."
His father stopped his pacing, leveling a severe look the younger Saiyan's way. "We will, I'll make sure of it, Gohan."
As much as he admired his father's courage and determination, he wasn't so sure he believed him, even though he dearly wanted to. After losing his mother and grandfather, he knew better than to allow himself to fall into a false sense of security. "I hope you're right Dad."
"I am; everything's going to be fine, we'll find these orb things, and then we'll finally be free of that monster once and for all." A smile broke across the older Saiyan's face, "aren't you even a little excited to fight the empire? To test your strength against them?"
"I don't know if 'excited' is the word I'd use. But I'll do whatever I have to do to keep our family safe."
It was then that the doors to the lab parted, and the Queen's elegant form appeared. Despite her stoic expression, her glossy blue eyes were red-rimmed, and her cheeks were puffy.
"Your Highness?" The dark-haired Saiyan all but jumped to his feet as the Queen entered the lab looking pale, dark circles lining her eyes, which appeared somewhat bloodshot.
"I need to have a word with you and your father."
They searched for several days, and still there had been no sign of civilization, much to Goten's frustration and the Princess's barely suppressed vexation. Finding a proper shelter had been equally as unsuccessful, so they'd had no choice but to settle for sleeping outside in the elements. Although ever since they'd left the cave, she had insisted from that point on that when they slept, they were back to back.
He had been just as surprised as she when he'd woken up to find her embracing him in such a way that morning. The way one might embrace a lover, he shook the thought off. Not wanting to embarrass her further or make the Princess uncomfortable, he opted to pretend it hadn't happened. Just like he'd pretended what happened at the hot springs hadn't happened.
The wind whipped through his inky spikes as they soared across the endless white terrain. Over the whistling gusts, he heard a distinct "Kaff!" and glanced back to notice that his aqua haired companion had somewhat begun to lag behind him, something that had been happening with increased frequency for the past few days.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" She hacked, her voice sounded strained and hoarse, "it's just the dry air." White energy burst out around her as she sped up to join him.
He studied her for a moment; she looked much paler than she had previously, her forehead beaded with sweat and her eyes seemed much less focused.
"We can rest for a bit."
"I don't need to rest." She scowled, and the look was frighteningly reminiscent of their King's signature expression, however, he was hardly intimidated when she sounded so pitiful.
"Well, maybe I'd like to stop and rest."
"The more ground we cover, the sooner we can leave this place."
"The sun is nearly set, we may as well find a place to rest for the night, and we can get back at it at dawn."
She rolled her eyes and nodded reluctantly; the dark-haired decreased his speed; before making his descent, she followed, and he couldn't help but notice the slight stumble in her landing.
The most feasible campsite they were able to find was a large, moderately elevated rock formation that was relatively free of snow and surrounded by several tall trees.
"This will have to do," Goten sighed as he set to work dismantling a tree for that night's fire. The Princess moved to help him gather the fire-wood when she suddenly threw a hand over her mouth as she was suddenly overwhelmed with another coughing fit. "Sit down; I can handle the fire on my own."
"I told you, I'm fine!" She glared at him.
"No, you're not, and I don't need you collapsing if we come under attack." He said gently with a hint of sternness.
She begrudgingly took a seat on the ground as he set to work building a fire.
She couldn't sleep, or rather she was afraid to. Despite her earlier protests, she knew something was wrong with her. Her chest felt as though it were covered in bruises; each inhale and exhale seemed to take every bit of effort she had. The only comfort she had was the warm rise and fall of her companions back pressed up against hers through their layers.
"Are you still awake?" She asked softly.
"No." He grumbled back, "and you shouldn't be either."
"Right," She shivered before asking, "have you been in many battles?"
"More than I care to remember," he sleepily replied.
"I kaff! haven't, not really." She felt him shift behind her, "I used to spar with my brother and father... and Captain Maize."
"That will probably change soon." She peeked back to see he was laying on his back now, looking at her, a somewhat perturbed look on his face despite his calm tone.
"Perhaps we can have a spar before we get to Solaria, and you can show me a demonstration of your Kaff! -battle prowess."
"Is that a formal challenge, Princess?" His lips curved into a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Bura," she shifted to face him, rolling her eyes.
"Fine, Bura."
"And yes, it was; I haven't had a proper spar since we left home." She sniffled, "so hopefully, you won't disappoint me."
"I can hold my own."
"I'll be the," She wheezed, "judge of that."
"I wonder if they're still holding the Tournament back home." He mused allowed.
"I doubt it."
"This will be the first I've missed since I was a child."
"Oh?" She had attended every year; she couldn't recall seeing him, if she had, surely she would have recognized him. The Royal family never competed. It gave the lower class warriors a chance to show off their skill and allowed them to ascend to a higher status should they emerge victoriously. "I don't remember seeing you."
"Well, there are two fighters I've yet to beat, my older brother and father." His expression flickered for a moment; the Princess could have sworn she detected a flash of sadness in his eyes.
"Are they back home?"
"No, they accompanied the Queen and the Prince to Namek." He moved to toss an extra log on their fire for what little good it did. "we were going to compete again this year... my Grandfather was looking forward to watching us as well, before..."
The dark-haired Saiyan scowled into the fire, she knew what he'd been about to say, and she couldn't help but wonder if he blamed her, or rather her family. If he did, she couldn't blame him.
"I'm sorry about what happened to your grandfather."
The lines of his shoulders stiffened, and dark onyx eyes flickered in her direction.
"It's not lost on me, the cruelty and the injustice that our people live in," Her shoulders shook with a barely repressed string of coughs. "I grew up behind the safety of the palace walls, you were right about that, but the monsters that plagued the city streets and the battlefields prowled those halls as well." She stifled a cough, "when the Emperor murdered your grandfather... that wasn't the only death I witnessed in that room."
She drew a deep breath, the action made her head feel fuzzy, and her vision blurred momentarily.
"I was there that night, Me, My brother and our parents, it was storming, it was the worst storm I'd ever been through. My grandfather had tried to rebel against the Emperor. We lost every battle one by one, and he'd come to punish us for our disobedience. He slew the household guard first... one minute they were on their feet, the next they were nothing but a pile of blood and body parts scattered across the floor..." Her eyes suddenly felt heavy, "My Grandfather ran at him, the Emperor made quick work of him though, all it took was one shot, it wasn't a battle to him it was a game."
"but for what it's worth, I'm sorry, and I wish it hadn't happened." Her shoulders shook, and her eyes watered with another fit of coughs, she waited for it to pass, but this one seemed worse than the others; she clutched at her stomach as her muscles spasmed uncontrollably as she struggled for breath.
Something warm enveloped her, and she looked up to see the older Saiyan had pulled her into a sitting position, cradling her to his chest in his thickly muscled arms; his lips were moving, but she couldn't quite make out his words as the world around her blurred into nothing.
He tried not to panic as he held the shivering Princess in his arms; she was ill, more ill than he'd previously suspected, she needed medical attention. He could bandage and treat minor wounds, but this was outside the scope of his abilities.
He had to do something though, he gathered her small form into his arms, when his scouter started beeping suddenly.
Goten didn't have time to glance at the reading when an orb of green, eery glowing light materialized in the night sky overhead. And then, with a pop! A curious figure appeared.
A tiny, decrepit old woman with short pink hair swathed in black robes and a pointed black hat with a red ribbon perched on a floating crystal ball.
"Well, don't just stand there! I've been expecting you, there is a warm bed and food waiting." She gave their attire a beady-eyed once over, "and perhaps some fresh clothes."
Goten didn't move a muscle, his mouth agape.
"Shall we get going then? I don't have to tell you that it's freezing out here."
He scowled at the stranger. "Who are you?"
"Come with me, and all will be explained."
"We're not going anywhere with you."
"Do you have any other options?"
The small pink-haired woman peered up at him from under the brim of her pointed black hat. "Surely a great warrior such as yourself isn't afraid of little old me?"
Goten's expression hardened. "Tch. I'm not afraid of you."
"Suit yourself," And she began to float away. "I wish you and your companion good fortune! Although that may not be what the future has in store for you if you stay here he-he-he!" She sniggered, peering back over her shoulder, a smug sort of look on her wrinkled face. "Your lady doesn't appear to be doing too well!"
Goten looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms, her forehead slick with sweat; cheeks flushed from fever, if he didn't do something, she may not make it through the night, his stomach sank at the very notion.
"Are you coming or not?" A cloud of swirling green energy gathered in the sky above.
He glared furiously up at the strange woman, "If you try anything..."
"He-he-he If I wanted you dead, I'd just leave you here."
The dark-haired Saiyan gave a deep sigh before ascending into the cold night air.
"That's more like it. Come along! I don't have all day!"