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Enjoy chapter 3 of The Unwanted Bride.

Chapter 3: New beginnings

Flashback: Before really realizing, she's already tumbling out of the window, wind rushing through her long aqua-colored locks and a shrill scream echoing into nothingness.

'Good things happen to those who do good things my dear, please do your best to remember that'.

The tall and slender dark haired woman looks at the boy standing in front of her. Her emerald eyes staring in his pitch black ones while letting her elegant but strong hand rest on his shoulder. Confusion is written all over the boy's face.

'But…his majesty says that being ''good'' is nothing more but a weakness and weaknesses prevents true Saiyans from reaching their goal, which is to be powerful…'

The dark haired woman stares at him in silence, almost like she's trying to look into his soul, a thoughtful expression on her face and then she just slowly shakes her head and smiles a very sad smile. She crouches down on her heels and grabs the boy by his waist to pull him closer. Her face now inches near his own, watching him intensely through slightly narrowed eyes.

'You listen to me boy and you listen carefully for I am only going to tell you this once.'

The boy looks at her, nodding, his eyes wide open while staring straight at her.

'Don't listen to him. His words are no more than foolish lies. Life has so much more to offer than darkness. If you let darkness take its place in your heart, you will end up being very lonely and very bitter…'

She sighs while watching him, tilting her head ever so slightly. A small smile gracing her rose colored lips as she softly touches the sun kissed skin of his cheek with the tips of her fingers.

'You are still young, but you're a smart boy. Maybe you'll won't realize this now, but I hope that some day you'll do realize that being strong and powerful doesn't mean anything if you don't know what it means to love and to be loved.'

Her emerald orbs are burning with fire and then suddenly she pulls him closer, her arms around him as she holds him tightly and gently kisses his head. The young boy still feels confused, not knowing what to do with what she just told him, but her strong arms feel secure and so he allows himself to relax and enjoy the comfortable warmth. She just smiles that same sad smile again as she holds him closely.

'I know that you will make me proud my son. I love you…don't ever forget that'

Vegeta opens his eyes. The room he's in is completely covered in darkness, except for the pale green light shining of the regeneration tank. In there, she is. Her fragile body broken from her fall out the window. Several deep cuts in her flesh as silent reminders from the shattered glass of the window that she fell through. She probably doesn't know, doesn't even realized what exactly happened. Her slim body floating in the healing green liquid.

He's been in this room for hours. Sitting against the cold wall with his arms crossed while observing her, noticing every small detail of her body. Even with all of her wounds she is still amazingly beautiful. Frail, but beautiful.

'Idiot woman.'

He looks at her naked body with its unpleasant looking cuts and shakes his head. 'You could have easily died, although I don't think you would have mind death very much…'

He mumbles, the last sentence with nothing more but pure sarcasm reflecting through his voice while touching the cool thick glass of the regeneration tank with his bare strong hand. Her eyes are closed and her face almost looks calm and peaceful, but the constant frown between her eyebrows tells him differently, as well as the dark circles under her eyes and her very hollow cheeks. Vegeta sighs as he turns around to the computer to check her status.

'Hmpf…not only is she an idiot woman, she a damn weak idiot woman'.

Vegeta turns his head to look at Bulma again. He knows that the fact that she's human makes her heal slower, but her healing progress is almost pathetic. He knew humans where weak, but this weak? They even put her inside a regeneration tank for fuck sake! He never met someone as weak as her and it gives him a very uncomfortable feeling. Suddenly he feels annoyed and angry, what is he actually doing here in this room? Let the damn doctors handle it. She was the one who fell through the window, not him! Why would this be his problem?

He lets his hand run through his thick ebony hair and frowns angrily. He's already wasted too much precious time by spending it here with this ridiculous woman while he could have been training, so he turns around to stalk out of the door, but suddenly he stops.

She shouldn't have fallen through that glass. Somewhere, deep inside, he knows that there's more behind this ''accident''. He sighs and looks back at the regeneration tank again. His eyes narrowed as he watches the unconscious woman floating inside the tank. Somebody tampered with that window, there is no way in hell she fell through that window on purpose. Death may be a release, but the woman has a certain fire burning inside her. He smirks. A fire that will never allow her to take her own life. His arms crossed while his almost black eyes roam over her frail and naked body.

'You're too goddamn proud woman.'

He then turns around and walks out of the room. Determined to find out who did this. Knowing that whoever is responsible, fucked with the wrong person.

Vegeta grins, he's going to enjoy this.

'Bulma…'

A soft whisper from somewhere far away slowly wakes her up from her deep slumber. Tiredly she opens her eyes, immediately squinting them due to the brightness, she closes her eyes before opening them again, forcing them to get used to the brightness. She then looks around, taking in her surroundings with a curious look. She notices that there's not much to see, for all around her is nothing more but a thick white fog. Surprisingly enough however, she doesn't think of it to be anything strange, she just has this longing feeling to hear that voice that she heard before whisper her name again.

'Bulma…'

The soft whisper repeats itself and Bulma looks around, searching for its source.

'Yes? Who are you? Where are you?'

She turns around and around until she realizes that she's turning in circles, searching desperately for the source of the whispering voice, trying to see through the thick fog, but it's no use, she only sees the white fog that seems to have gotten even thicker.

'Please tell me that you're still there…'

Her soft and almost desperate voice echoes into the nothingness. Tears are starting to burn behind her eyes she balls her fists and starts to wildly circle around like a ballerina who doesn't know how to stop. But then, all of a sudden, she feels a firm hand resting on her shoulder that promptly makes her stop. A warm and deep voice near her ear.

'It is going to be okay Bulma, I promise'

Bulma just stands there, the hand still resting on her shoulder and her eyes wide open. Her back turned against to whomever just said those words, but she knows that she doesn't have to turn around to know who's standing behind her; she already exactly knows who's behind her. As the hand gently squeezes her shoulder she gasps and feels the tears coming back again. She can almost feel his sad smile as his lips place a soft kiss on her aqua colored locks.

'You can't give up Bulma, you're the only one who can do this'.

The voice sounds soft and gentle, like a light feather caressing her skin. Comforting her, making her feel whole and safe again. Her throat feels dry and her voice sounds raspy and raw.

'I don't want to leave…'

His arms circle around her waist, pushing her back against him after she said those words. She closes her eyes as she feels his warm breath against the skin of her neck. The feeling of his strong arms surrounding her making her want to turn around. However, something tells her that she can't. She hates it.

'You have to go back Bulma, everyone is counting on you'.

Hot tears are streaming down her face, she shakes her head and sniffs while wiping the tears away with the back of her hand, it's no use and they just keep on falling.

'But I'm scared…'

Gentle lips suddenly gently touch the soft skin of her cheek.

'It's okay to be scared Bulma, but I know you can do this, you're strong'

She sighs. Knowing that she, indeed, has to go back. Hating the fact that she has to push this longing feeling away.

'I know that I have to go back…I just don't want to miss you again…'

She feels a smile against her cheek while he pulls her a bit more close for just a couple of seconds.

'I'm proud of you Bulma, very proud. I'm always going to be there for you, no matter what, just close your eyes and I'll be there…'

She swallows and slowly nods. Feeling broken and somehow happy at the same time.

'Now, my beautiful girl, you should go and wake up, they're waiting for you'

Bulma bites her lip and nods again, one last tear slowly falls down her cheek as his arms let her go, a sudden coldness behind her and she slowly starts to walk away.

'I love you Yamcha…I'll always love you…'

As Bulma walks deeper and deeper into the thick white fog she hears his last whisper from somewhere far away.

'I love you too…'

Bulma opens her eyes and almost closes them again immediately because of the painful bright white light shining into them.

'Ah, so, her majesty has finally decided to wake up, it's about time'.

The sarcasm in the doctor's voice is quite obvious and by just looking at his face she sees that he doesn't even try to hide his contempt for her. Bulma just looks at him as she lets him ramble away about responsibilities towards the Saiyans, but all she can hear is foolish rambling. She suddenly just doesn't care anymore. So what if they hate her? Why should she care? It's not as if they can do anything to her because if anyone dares to, Vegeta would certainly kill them. That man lives on his pride and on his pride alone, he would never let anyone take that away from him and hurting his ''mate'' would be taking his pride away. Oh no, not because he loves her, but because Vegeta always wants to be right. So Bulma leans up on one elbow, narrowing her eyes while looking at the doctor whose acting like he's a whole lot better than she will ever be. Suddenly Bulma just smiles as she feels how an old fire slowly sets off inside of her.

Thank you Yamcha, thank you so much…

Bulma closes her eyes for just a bit and when she opens them she just looks at the doctor in front her

'Shut your mouth old man. If I wanted your opinion I would have asked for your opinion, but since I haven't I expect you to keep your mouth shut. I will not be treated like I'm nothing, not by you or anyone else for that matter!'

Bulma smirks as she watches the doctor's staggered face. His mouth wide open and his eyes practically rolling out of its sockets. Bulma suddenly feels quite satisfied and leans back into her pillow as she hears the doctor mumble some incoherent things and walk away. She may not be fully herself yet, but this certainly is a start.