Chapter 1: Empty Promises

Author's Note September 2021: Wow it's been over a decade since I first published this fic. So many followers have reviewed (and I have read and re-read each review) and all I can say is THANK YOU! I have tried to continue this story a couple times and release a sequel but before I continue with new content I am rewriting this fic as there are typos and other things I missed years ago. The story is BACK TO LIFE! I will take it down and release it chapter by chapter. Thank you so much and I hope to have your support as I improve and continue this story. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated! Can't wait to hear from you guys! xXxLadyColdxXx

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBall Z nor anything related to it.

Chapter 1

It was another typical day at Vegeta-sei so slaves would wake up as dawn would break, work nonstop till sun would set while the King would take care of the planet's affairs. The red planet was home to the strongest warriors in the galaxy and they were well aware of that, always using that fact to their advantage. Everyone that set foot on that planet had their own mission, their own role to perform. Slaves, warriors, the royal family, each and every one of them had to accomplish something at the end of the day. Life wasn't easy, that was true for every breathing being living on the red planet.

As always, king Vegeta would be keeping watch and being ready for possible attacks from foes, while his son – Prince Vegeta, who was five at the time would train hard, sometimes passing out from exhaustion only to please his father who wouldn't stop saying 'You will be a Super Saiyan, you ought to be, it's your duty. I refuse to have a weakling as a son.' Then Vegeta wouldn't stop thinking about achieving this goal, his father's goal, even if he had to sacrifice his own wishes. From such a tender age he had so many expectations to deal with. He was King Vegeta's firstborn and as the sole heir of Vegeta-sei he was bound to be the strongest saiyan ever to exist. He was bound to surpass his father and be the legendary super-saiyan.

'My only wish is to become a Super Saiyan.'

The royal palace was a huge castle-like construction consisting of several floors and rooms. Its rock walls and beautiful decoration exhaled luxury in every inch. The endless construction held many rooms, even torture rooms for those who went against any of Vegeta-sei's laws, so of course they needed to have several servants working to keep that whole place functioning. As a warrior race, Saiyans spent a great deal of their time fighting...and also eating. Eating LOTS. They were incredibly proud, they were a race that would not spend their hours cleaning cooking or organizing. Even the saiyan women had other tasks and training to do, and so they virtually had no time to spend playing house. Of course they wouldn't pay for services provided. When saiyans purged or robbed galaxies and other countries oftentimes they would bring inhabitants to be servants. The "aliens" of Vegeta-se were to be exploited in various ways, not only as servants, but as bait, as intelligence, guinea-pigs or whatever saiyans would see fit. That's why saiyans would go to other planets to purge them , then retrieve people and make them their slaves. Why spend time or money if they could have 'weaklings' doing that job for them.

Slaves didn't have any rights, apart from a room and some food to eat during the day. They wouldn't be able to mate sayans let alone have their children; slaves were considered dirty people, worse than animals, even though life could be especially harsh, some managed to escape from these harsher laws, some people such as Bulma, Bulma Briefs.

Castle workers were handpicked, often brought as children so they would be less likely to cause trouble. Women would often clean and cook while men would take care of general maintenance and whatever other tasks that were needed around. The huge draped walls and beautiful flooring had to be cleaned to the point they would resemble mirrors. For the whole palace to work as smoothly as it should it took dozens of slaves.

Bulma was a young girl who came from planet Earth, together with her friend Chichi, both were almost the same age as Prince Vegeta himself; sometimes Bulma would sneak out and try and make Vegeta play with her, a thing she never did achieve. As both girls were brought to the red planet as young children they knew nothing of what their lives could have been like. Young and pretty earthlings were a rare finding those days and so they made superb cooks and servants.

As a young girl, shortly after being brought to the red planet, Bulma would always be on the toes of Nana, an older woman that functioned as the sitter of the younger children, including the new found slaves that were to be taken care of until they could start working in the castle. They did cost more than older slaves, but they also provided better results in the long run. As Vegeta was barely out of his saiyan diapers he was also to be fed and informed about the news of the castle. Nana was also to take care of his torn clothes and when he was an infant, even help the queen with changing his dirty diapers.

Bulma and Chichi were common slaves, the ones who would stay at the kitchen to cook, or at the laundry to wash saiyan's clothing, or do whichever work was required around the castle. The two earth girls were pretty much the last ones to be taken as young children. The castle had enough slaves around that they needn't have to worry about getting more. Slaves could also be a nuisance, especially the older ones.

Bulma that had a thing for Vegeta would always volunteer herself to try and help Nana regarding his affairs, if she had to tell him something she would jump up and run to his room so she could tell him, Nana on toe, and no matter what would happen, she would never forget the once great relationship she had with him when both were still small children; she would never forget Chichi and herself watching little Goku (who was a low class saiyan guard) train with Vegeta; she would cheer them up and after their little battle try and make Vegeta play with them as normal children did, but to no use since Vegeta had too much pride to do 'stupid things' with them as he so commonly put it, back then.

The girls would only have access to such views of the young prince as they were being taught saiyan culture and manners by Nana. They imagined it was only the childhood normal children had to have and that they were equal to those strange kids with tails. Little did they know life would be nothing like child's play.

As they grew up they broke their once great relations. Slaves were obviously not to mingle with higher saiyans or even outsiders, so now only Goku would go and train with Prince Vegeta, and the more Bulma tried to be near him the colder he would become towards her. As a young 12 year old, she was still understanding what life was going to be like for her and Chichi. It was a huge shock once she finally noticed that she was not to play anymore. Her place was at the kitchen, at the servant's quarters and not going to the rooms and learning more about the castle. Those days were long gone, she was to work now that she was 12.

King Vegeta wouldn't allow Vegeta near slaves, and as time went by, Vegeta himself would only become more and more spiteful, just like his father wanted him to be. Not even Nana herself could believe the kind of child her once little Vegeta was becoming. He was soon reaching his birthday and soon he would be sent away to train with the strongest warriors available in the galaxy. He was growing up way too fast and his already muscular frame made him look nothing like a child. Nana was also getting farther and farther from him, as he no longer needed her motherly help. He was becoming just another one of them.

The sun wasn't even up yet as the slaves were already doing chores in the castle, Bulma was requested to go into Vegeta's room and retrieve some dirty unitards and put clean ones in his wardrobe. She knocked, no answer, she knocked again, still no answer, so she decided to enter his room, even without permission. She was a 12 year old and so not all the slave boundaries have been put in place. Having her learn how she should behave around royalty was important for her to serve them better in the future.

"Vegeta?", she just wouldn't call him prince or any other title, after all she still remembered watching him spar with Goku and other saiyans while growing up. They were never friends per say, but her child mind couldn't wrap around all the rules of that world she was growing up to serve.

As she heard no reply coming from the other side of the door she went to accomplish her chores since he seemed to be taking a shower. She then took some of his dirty clothing, that by the way were scattered everywhere, then put on some new unitards on top of his drawers, followed by some new fluffy royal blue towels, not even paying attention to the fact that the running water sounds were gone.

She was there humming to herself while organizing his drawers when she suddenly felt a presence beside her. She quickly turned and looked up only to find an angry looking naked Vegeta observing her every move. As slaves couldn't hold eye contact with saiyans let alone their prince unless they wanted to be slapped hard on the face - or worse - Bulma decided to look down – not a wise choice since her eyes were exactly in front of a male part that wasn't the one she expected to see right now as a pre-teen. Bulma then, not to blush any further, decided to break the rules Nana and everyone else so often drilled into her young brain, and looked directly at the prince's onyx orbs (not that it was the first time she did that, since she was a hot-head girl since the day she stepped foot at Vegeta-sei and thought those laws were just a bunch of crap...oh to be a child).

"What are you doing here, girl?", he looked at her coldly.

"I was only going to put these things away and retrieve your dirty laundry, so I could...", she started to stutter a little, all the while getting more and more embarrassed.

"Enough!", Vegeta commanded. Although he was barely 13 he already knew his place in the world.

Bulma then took a fast bow and went straight out of his room, only to blush even further as she remembered what she did see. After all, her first and only crush was far, far away from being finished. Although she was so far away from home she was still a pre-teen, no matter where she was or what she was supposed to be doing.

Ever since Bulma was a small girl she would daydream about Vegeta and about being a princess herself. It was Prince Vegeta this, King Vegeta that, she often wondered what it would be like to be royalty herself. The beautiful carved walls, luxurious draped windows and amazing rooms made her daydream while a simple servant. When she still managed to make him hold a decent conversation and still could talk him into playing some girly game with her (anything besides train was a girly thing for small Vegeta), she would only make the feeling grow bigger and bigger. She couldn't even remember the last time they ever did anything children did. It had probably been years and years back.

One day they were laying on the grass looking at the red skies of Vegeta-sei in a rare moment when Vegeta wouldn't be training nor complaining about any random thing. Bulma on the other hand was always her touchy self as a dreamy small girl, who reached out and touched Vegeta's hand. To her surprise he didn't flinch away. They were maybe what, 6-7 years old. Bulma still didn't know what her life was going to be.

"Vegeta.", Bulma said softly.

"What?", he spat back.

"Promise me one day, when we grow up, you will make me your princess.", she asked innocently.

"Hmph", was his only reply.

From that day on Bulma just couldn't forget that promise of eternal love. Little did she know that the small promise wasn't even supposed to be done, let alone ever happen. Was that a promise at all?