(Author's Notes: Due to numerous reviewers telling me to read Flying Pen's Cruel Fate? I did so. I forgot, being myself, to review it until she published the twenty-first chapter, but I did agree with all of you. It was remarkably similar to mine. But, to tell the truth, I like hers a lot more, and urge everyone who's reading this to read that wonderful story too. Of course, this story's fun to write (especially since I'm experiencing writer's block with the other numerous stories I'm writing on fanfiction.net, and I want to thank everyone who's reviewed so far. I didn't expect over thirty-five! I expected more along the lines of five or so... Oh, and to answer some questions I saw in the reviews, this is supposed to be set in ancient times, but not Earth or Vegeta-sei. I'm not sure yet if there's magic... I usually don't know anything that happens in my stories until they happen. I do, however, know that there won't be much technology. Basically think of the Greek era, since Ancient Greece is so fun to study. Also, this chapter has lots of curse words (especially Vegeta and Eighteen), so be prepared! Even though you all probably don't care... There are arguments galore in this chapter. Well, you all are probably bored by my ramblings, so on with the story! Enjoy!)

Chapter Two: Issues Over Having Fun, Height, and Many Things

Without a word, Chi-Chi sheepishly hid the scissors behind her back and attempted to look innocent. Eighteen merely smirked, imitating the Saiyans' stances. Bulma just looked mortified, her hands still tangled protectively in her hair.

When no one answered, the scowl of the lord's son deepened.

"Well?" he growled, raising a regal eyebrow. At that, Bulma finally found her ability to speak.

"They were going to... cut my hair," she enlightened the Saiyans lamely. The shortest one, who Eighteen recognized as Krillin, snickered, unable to help himself. His mirth was quickly ended by Vegeta's glare, and the undersized Saiyan cringed even as Eighteen rolled her eyes. The lord's son eyed Bulma, his gaze impassive.

"Why?"

"Because it's fun to hear her scream?" Eighteen suggested innocently, sneering as the lord's son- Vegeta, hadn't it been?- ignored her. On the contrary, Bulma didn't.

"Oh yes, it was quite fun for me too," was her cynical reply, and the blonde grinned puckishly.

"It doesn't sound fun," remarked the goofy Saiyan who had brought Chi-Chi to their room, still looking puzzled. Beside him, it was Krillin's turn to rotate his eyes upwards.

"Shut up, Kakarrot," snapped Vegeta, and the inane youthful man sighed.

"Sorry, Lord Vegeta." Even while Kakarrot asked for forgiveness, Bulma's eyes flashed with dangerous ire.

"Do you even know what fun is?" she questioned icily, hands finally jerking from her azure tresses to come to rest huffily on her slender hips.


"I have fun! I do!" Vegeta barked, furious at the girl's impertinence. He was the lord's son after all! "I spar with Kakarrot and Krillin all the time and-" The blue-haired girl's incredulous giggle hushed him momentarily.

"Sparring..." she sneered sarcastically, lifting her eyes heavenward. "What entertainment!" Vegeta's short amount of patience had long since worn thin.

"You will not speak to me with such disrespect, woman!" he roared at her, his eyes narrowed. The woman's eyes flashed impudently, and her hands clenched knuckle-white against her hips.

"You will not call me woman, asshole!" she growled back. Vegeta was lunging towards her before he even knew what he was doing.

"Whoa!" Kakarrot leapt between the two, blockading both from the other. "Calm down!" Meanwhile, the sarcastic blonde had placed an unyielding and constricting hand on the woman's shoulder.

"No one- especially not a woman- is going to disrespect me and get away with it," Vegeta hissed, glowering at the woman and ignoring Kakarrot.

"Well, no one is going to call me a woman with such contempt and get away with it. My name is Bulma!" the woman shouted back, staring angrily at him. "Bulma, you chauvinist swine!"

"I don't give a damn what your name is, woman. Do you even realize who you're talking to?" the lord's son demanded fiercely.

"A pompous jerk?" the girl called Bulma suggested coldly, her pale blue eyes still flashing with temper.

"I," Vegeta stated coldly, "am Crown Lord Vegeta of Eyras, Saiya. I am more important than you will ever be."

"And I am Bulma Briefs, Head Scientist of High Waters City!" she declared haughtily as she tossed her head, "and I'm smarter than you'll ever be!"

"I highly doubt that," the lord's son replied frostily.

"Well, then think again." Blazing blue orbs matched flaring obsidian ones as the two glowered at each other.


"Maybe we should leave," suggested Krillin, eyeing the three women warily. The blonde and the girl with the scissors by now were glaring at Vegeta, and all three looked ready to pounce.

"Scared, short-stuff?" Vegeta sneered, never breaking his staring contest with the blue-haired young woman named Bulma. Krillin frowned. Why did everyone have to tease him about being tiny? It wasn't his fault that shortness ran in the family!

"No, but your father scheduled a meeting with you, and it's almost time for that," the smallest Saiyan informed him. That seemed to snap Vegeta back to reality, since the lord's son blinked and turned away from the staring competition.

"It is?" When Krillin nodded, Vegeta turned back to the girls with a fixed stare.

"In the future," he advised them icily, "remember to be quiet. At all times." Without another word, the lord's son left, Krillin hastening after him.


"He has a point. It's better not to get into trouble," the goofy Saiyan commented, seemingly unaware that his two associates had vanished.

"Looks who's talking. You said you were going to get your ass kicked by him because-"

"Shh!" The Saiyan waved frantically at Eighteen to silence her. "He doesn't know yet!" He looked around, apparently just realizing that both of his friends had gone. "Well, bye!" The silly young man grinned at them a final time, then turned and vanished in the direction the two had gone. Silence reigned in large room until-

"Don't even think about it, Chi-Chi." The lady in question gave Bulma the impression of being shamefaced, and tried, once more unsuccessfully, to hide the scissors behind her back.

"Some other time, Chi." Eighteen commented, and the two conspirators shared a grin as Bulma groaned and raced for the nearest bedroom chamber to hide.


Meanwhile, Vegeta was silently seething. He'd prove to her how important he was. He'd show that insufferable witch how sharp he was. Then that damn woman would have to ask, no, beg for his forgiveness...

"Milord? It's time for the meeting." A quiet voice interrupted his thoughts, and the lord's son looked up to release his glare upon the speaker.

Kakarrot didn't bat an eye, only stared back with a customary annoying grin.

"It's time for the meeting," he said again, with a tone of immense persistence. Shaking his head to clear all thoughts of that intolerable girl from his head, Vegeta stiffly nodded.

"Let's go." Silently, he stalked towards the main room of his palace, his two companions trailing closely behind him. Off to the throne room and his father.


As Vegeta headed to meet with his sire, Bulma fumed mutely in her bedchambers. How dare that horrible man speak to her like that! She didn't care if he was the lord's son. He was just another obnoxious jerk. A horrible swine, that's what he was. And he was probably brainless too.

No, she corrected herself; he was at least smart enough to memorize insults and quotes of noble tone. The azure-haired scientist's eyes narrowed as she sat on her bed, her chin resting in her hands.

She'd show that impossible lordship how smart she was. She'd prove how important /she/ was to society. Then that dreadful man would have to request, no plead, for her pardon...

"Bulma? Can we come in?" a voice called through the door as a crafty smirk formed on her lips. Bulma looked up, and hesitated, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Well... Does Chi-Chi still have the scissors?" she called. A muffled curse met her ears, and her smirk widened slightly.

"Umm... No?" Chi-Chi called sweetly, obviously lying through her teeth.

"Umm... No?" Bulma mimicked, rolling her eyes. "Get lost."

"Damn it..." Eighteen's half-joking second curse met her ears as Bulma threw back her head and laughed.


Eighteen and Chi-Chi stared at each other, wordlessly assessing the other as they also tried to figure out how to get into Bulma's bedroom and get at her soon-to-be imperfect locks.

Eighteen looked the part of a commoner, but definitely not of a feminine one. Her pale blue slacks were beginning to fray at the ankles, and her sandals were worn, varying from dark leather to worn pale as they adorned her feet. Her long-sleeved blouse was a pale yellow that looked fairly new and matched her locks of cream. The only piece of jewelry that she wore was a simple silver necklace that held an oddly engraved silvery talisman of a flying eagle and a strange-looking beast the other recognized as one of the smaller types of monkeys found in foreign lands far away. A chimpanzee, she thought its name was.

Chi-Chi, however, appeared as if she had been captured while attending a ball. Her gown was of darkest garnet, and twirled around her ankles. Golden designs of flowers and exotic birds covered the front part of her dress, while the rest was simply crimson silk. Her shoes were the same color as her dress as they peeked out from under the folds of the gown. Unlike Eighteen, she was practically covered in golden trinkets. Three bracelets decorated each of her slender wrists, and every finger had at least two rings with assorted jewels. Ruby earrings dangled from her ears, and a delicately carved necklace circled around her neck. A tiara, slightly tilted from her misadventures, peeked out from her messy tresses of ebony.

Eighteen raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"How in the world have the Saiyans not figured out that you're royalty yet?" Chi-Chi blinked in confusion, then realization dawned and she grinned awkwardly, a slight blush forming on her cheeks.

"I see what you mean," she commented, her eyes narrowing in contemplation. "I guess I was lucky that they were too busy raiding and celebrating to notice. And that other one probably wouldn't notice if I only wore my undergarments." After a pause, she smiled and slowly nodded to herself. Without further ado, she reached up and ripped the circlet from her mane, tossing it almost casually to the nearest chair. A second later, her bracelets landed next to the tiara. Then all the rings but one, which adorned her left hand and its ring finger. The ring was gold and held a single stone of darkest black. Afterwards Chi-Chi looked up to smile proudly at the other girl, all the jewelry she had left on being the ring, the necklace, and the earrings.

"So now you're just a little rich girl?" Eighteen commented, trying to hide her amusement at the other's smugness. Chi-Chi nodded, looking complacent.

"Precisely." Eighteen couldn't help it: she snickered. Chi-Chi shot her an injured and puzzled look.

"What?" she demanded. Eighteen merely shook her head. "What?"


"You called for me, sire?" Vegeta asked respectfully, bowing towards his father. The lord nodded formally, and waved a hand towards the two men who stood as sentinels beside his throne. The pair of King's Guards bowed once, and hurried from the room to join Kakarrot and Krillin outside. As soon as the enormous door slammed shut behind the retreating duo, the two sovereigns relaxed, and the lord allowed a small smile to form on his handsome if slightly aged face. Vegeta smiled faintly too. He and his father had always been close, but pretended to dislike each other for the court's gossip. After all, someday soon Vegeta would have to kill the lord and ascend the throne. It wouldn't do for them to actually care for each other. At that, Vegeta's smile faded slightly.

"See any girls who interest you, Vegeta?" his father questioned with more than a little laughter in his voice, not noticing his son's grin weaken. Vegeta snorted in response, crossing his arms against his chest.

"No." His reply was flat. "So far they've all been bitches." The lord raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"How so?"

"Well, you saw that daft girl speak up when I was talking to Nappa. And then that stupid girl's friend..." Speaking aloud about that idiotic woman only made him more irritable, and he clenched his fists in annoyed anger. "If I pull her name from the Basket, I'm slitting my throat." The lord chuckled.

"She can't be that bad." His father's tone was dubious.

"She is," growled Vegeta through clenched teeth. "She screams like a banshee, she called me an asshole, and she laughed, /laughed/ at me when I told her I was the crown lord!"

"Laughed at you?" the lord repeated. Vegeta's glare was enough of an answer, and his father looked away, obviously trying to hide a smirk. "She sounds like one of a kind."

"Oh, she is," Vegeta agreed sourly. "That blue-haired bitch is certainly unique. But trust me, that won't be a good thing for her. Ever."

"If you say so." His father still didn't meet his gaze, and Vegeta knew he was struggling to hold back laughter.

"Father?"

"Yes?"

"Do shut up."

The lord's thunderous mirth was his only reply, and Vegeta growled.


"So, did you see any girls you like, Krillin?" Kakarrot asked curiously, leaning against the door and trying to force his curiosity away from the laughter that met his ears from the throne room.

"Well, it doesn't matter, does it?" the shorter Saiyan pointed out. "Whoever we get we have to deal with."

"That's true..." Kakarrot paused, and then asked, ignoring his friend's groan, "So, do you think any of the girls are pretty?" The King's Guards shot each other amused looks, and one of them spoke up.

"Do you, Kakarrot?" The tall Saiyan blinked rather stupidly and the sentinel repeated the question, although more than a little wickedly. Krillin snickered, glad the attention was off him as his friend flushed.

"No... They all seem to hate me." The two guards sniggered.

"Actually, only those three girls do, to my knowledge, and they seem to hate all Saiyans," Krillin reasoned audibly once more. Kakarrot grinned goofily.

"That's true," he agreed, one hand reaching up to support his head away from the large door. "They all seem to dislike us for some odd reason."

"Gee, I wonder why," Krillin drawled. "Could it be because we just burned their cities to the ground and probably killed their entire families?" Kakarrot brightened, his face lighting up.

"That's probably it!" he declared excitedly, and all three companions fell at his feet in hysterics as he looked on in bewilderment. "What's so funny?"


"What?" Chi-Chi repeated doggedly for about the tenth time in the last thirty seconds. "What?"

"Nothing..." Eighteen mumbled, having long since lost all amusement at the girl's previous smugness. Now all Chi-Chi was doing was trying her patience. "You're just a little too royal. I've never met anyone as high-classed as you." Chi-Chi blinked.

"Oh... Well, do you think anyone will notice?" she asked nervously. Eighteen eyed her, noting the regal way she held herself, and aura of royalty that seemed to pulsate around her. The blonde sighed, shaking her head.

"Chi, milady, I think you need a little teaching the area of being a commoner." Chi-Chi looked puzzled.

"I suppose so..." Her reluctant words were scarcely out of her words before Eighteen pounced.

"Lesson Number One," she instructed, sitting the girl in the nearest chair not covered in jewelry, "you need to learn how to slump." Chi-Chi looked horrified.

"But I like my posture the way it is!" she protested. Eighteen rolled her eyes.

"Lesson Number Two is not to use big words." As Chi-Chi sighed, the blonde continued. "Back to the first lesson. Slump your shoulders forward slightly, and tilt your head forward too. Like you're carrying something on the base of your neck." Chi-Chi whimpered but complied, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in her shoulders as she began to learn how to be a "commoner".


"The Ceremony of Marriage is only three months away, Vegeta," his father reminded him. The lord's son grunted in response, back to dark moodiness. "I'm sure you'll pick a lovely girl. Maybe one of the exotic prisoners."

Wrong choice of words, the lord decided as Vegeta's onyx eyes flashed. Even as Vegeta began to growl furiously, his father couldn't help but notice how his attention never strayed far from the blue-haired "bitch".

"Exotic? You call those freaks exotic? She's got fucking blue hair, and her friend has blond hair! What kind of hair color is that? At least their silent companion has normal black locks. But even she's a bit odd. They're all insane. Every one of them, especially that bitch..." He trailed off, muttering dark words under his breath.

"I sincerely pity that girl if you do pick her name," the lord announced, and ignored his offspring's glare, dissolving into strident laughter once more.


Bulma reclined back on her bed, which was incredibly comfortable. Even if they weren't exactly hospitable themselves, the people of Saiya certainly did know how to furnish the quarters of their prisoners. Her room was endowed with a large closet (filled with clothes that only Saiyan women would wear- and of which Bulma would not), a writing desk and chair, an enormous bed with extra soft pillows and silk sheets, and a large loveseat.

The theme of her room seemed to be the color blue, she decided, glancing lazily down at the dark indigo sheets of her bed. Resting her head on the largest and softest pillow, she felt her heavy eyelids begin to close. It had been a long day... And not helped at all by a certain abhorrent figure of a lord's son...

With that final thought, Bulma was fast asleep.


"No," Chi-Chi stated firmly. Eighteen sighed.

"Come on, it's Lesson Number Twelve."

"No! I am not going to curse without a good reason! I'll curse at the Saiyans, but not now!" protested the black-haired girl, crossing her arms against her chest and trying to stay slouching.

"Well, at least you didn't use a big word," Eighteen mumbled, but nevertheless shook her head. "Come on. It's easy, Chi. Listen. Damn. Fuck. Shit. Hell-"

"Be quiet!" Chi-Chi yelled, bolting from the room. After a shocked moment of frozen inactiveness, Eighteen bolted after her, wordlessly wondering if they were even allowed outside their rooms.


The two King's Guards and Krillin had finally picked themselves off the floor. Kakarrot had given up on getting the reason of their laughter in the end, and now stood staring at the door, wondering what Vegeta and his father were talking about.

"Even if they do hate you, do you think any of them are pretty?" the taller guard persisted. Kakarrot blinked once more, then turned red in the face. As the other three watched him, he shrugged and mumbled something under his breath that none could catch.

"What-" Krillin began, snickering, then paused to watch two familiar figures turn the nearest corner and race past them. All four turned and watched the girls run.

"Say, weren't those two of the captives? And the pair that really, really hated you?" Krillin remarked, more than a little surprised. Kakarrot shut his gaping mouth, and nodded, for once at a loss for words. "Maybe we should go take them back to their rooms."

"Yeah." Kakarrot and Krillin shrugged towards the guards, and bolted after the two women, one holding her ears and the other screaming profanities.


The two sentries stared after the four, eyes wide. At last, one of them cleared their throats and spoke.

"That was..."

"Interesting?" the shorter one suggested, and his comrade nodded.

"Extremely interesting..."

"Do you think milord will need us anytime soon?" The laughter could still be heard through the thick door.

"Purslane, don't be an idiot. If he needs us, he'll call for us."

"I'm not an idiot. Kakarrot's an idiot!" Purslane's statement made his friend smile slightly, the stern look on his face easing faintly.

"Whatever you say, Slane. Want to go watch those two chase after the prisoners?"

"Sure!" Purslane agreed, his dark eyes lighting up. "Let's go!" Without another word, he grabbed his companion's arm and dragged him after the vanishing four.

"Get off..." His comrade's growl was low and cold, but Purslane ignored the tone, knowing his friend wouldn't hurt him. Probably...

"Say please, Collard! Pretty please! With sugar on top!"

"You /are/ as stupid as Kakarrot!" the taller man commented.

"I am not... He doesn't get sarcasm," Purslane protested as Collard sighed.

"And of course you do," was his sardonic reply. The other man grinned brightly and nodded.

"Right!" he beamed, and continued to tow Collard away, oblivious to his friend's groan.

"My point is proven..." Collard muttered, shaking his head as he wrenched his arm from Purslane's grasp and followed the four on his own, ignoring the other's injured look.


"You can stop laughing now," Vegeta suggested, face set in a scowl. The lord, who had been laughing heartily for over five minutes, managed to control his mirth. Barely. Every few seconds his lips would twitch uncontrollably, and he'd have to cough to hide a snicker.

And Vegeta glared.

"Sorry," his father managed out, still looking highly amused. "There must be something-" Cough "-in my throat."

"Bull shit," his son muttered, and the lord lost it once more.


"Got you!" Eighteen said triumphantly, having cornered Chi-Chi at the end of a hallway. "Now you'll finish Lesson Number Twelve!"

"I'm not going to-" insisted the young lady stubbornly, glaring at the other girl through her hands, which covered her face.

"Excuse me?" Eighteen turned and sighed. Not those two again. Luckily, that arrogant lord's son wasn't with them.

"What do you two want?" she questioned coldly, glaring at them both. Kakarrot and Krillin exchanged looks, then Krillin spoke.

"You're not supposed to leave your rooms unless told to." Eighteen snorted.

"So? You're not my boss," she stated huffily, hands on hips. Krillin rolled his eyes.

"We're your captors. You abide by our rules now."

"No."

"No?" Krillin raised an eyebrow.

"No."

"You're going to, or else." Eighteen's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I will not be ordered around by a dwarf who doesn't even have a nose!" she snarled, face flushing in anger. She watched with satisfaction as Krillin's face settled into a frown.


"Well, at least I'm not some graceless giant!" he snapped back, knowing all the while he was lying through his teeth. She was elegantly tall, her height fitting her frame perfectly. Furthermore, she most definitely wasn't clumsy. The blonde sucked in her breath quickly, looking outraged.

"I am not graceless!" she growled, striding forward so that they were only inches away from each other, then bending forward to locks gazes, bright blue eyes flashing.

"Sure you are! And you run like a chicken!" Even as she glared ominously at him, the Saiyan couldn't help but snicker at his own words. Like a chicken?

"I do not!" she yelled, her furious words filling his ears.

"Yes you do! You don't bend your legs, and you run like this!" To emphasize his point, Krillin stiffened his legs and moved to hobble backwards. Unfortunately, the line 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall' didn't apply to his situation, and he fell forward, knocking heads with the still crouching blonde.

"Ow!" they both bellowed at the same time, hands jerking towards their foreheads. Simultaneously they looked up to glare at each other.

"Smooth," the blonde sneered. Krillin rolled his eyes in reply.

"You're the one who got in my face, Chicken."


Concurrently, Kakarrot and the black-haired girl snickered behind their hands. The arguers turned to direct their glowers upon their friends.

"Sorry," Kakarrot said with a shrug, still sniggering. "But you have a huge red mark on your forehead."

"And you... you're a chicken!" the girl giggled, ignoring the blonde's glare. Kakarrot laughed louder, then suddenly paused, looking woeful.

"Chicken..." he sighed. "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry, Kakarrot," Krillin commented.

"I'm hungry," he repeated, ignoring his companion.

"Well, we can't help that now can we?" observed the brunette, her tone once more frosty as she apparently realized who she was laughing with. Kakarrot shrugged.

"I'm going to go get something to eat," he mumbled, ignoring his short friend's protests.

"Kakarrot, we have to get them back to their rooms!"

"We'll do that for you," sighed a voice, and Kakarrot turned to grin at the King's Guards, both of whom looked amused.

"Thanks, Collard."

"You're welcome, but he just wants to get out of your way so you can get to some food," Purslane replied, earning a glare from his larger comrade.

"Stop talking, Slane." The Saiyan grinned and ignored him.

"What room are they in?" Kakarrot quickly told them the number, grinning thankfully as he did so. Then with a cheerful wave towards the two miffed-looking women, he dashed off in the direction of the kitchens, a sighing Krillin close behind.


Purslane grinned at the two girls.

"Well, let's go, shall we?" he suggested brightly. The pretty blonde scowled and folded her arms across her chest, the brunette quickly copying her.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No." Seeing the cycle begin once more, Collard rolled his eyes and grabbed the blonde by the arm.

"Let's go, Slane," he directed, ignoring the girl's curses and dragging her in the direction of her room. Blinking for a moment, Purslane beamed.

"Coming!" Cheerfully, he seized the brunette's arm and proceeded to haul her after Collard and her friend.


"Food..." Kakarrot grinned and, ignoring the cooks' horrified looks, tucked into the nearest food-laden table with vigor. Krillin groaned, and hesitantly asked for a bowl of noodle soup. With a grateful look towards him and a terrified one towards Kakarrot, the nearest worker nodded and hurried off. With another sigh, Krillin turned towards his friend.

"Could you at least chew with your mouth closed?" he questioned wearily. Kakarrot paused in his devouring of a large bread roll to look at Krillin in puzzlement.

"Um... Okay," he said inanely, and continued to do the opposite as Krillin shook his head, sending black locks in every direction.


"Assholes," Chi-Chi mumbled as the door locked shut behind the two Saiyans, earning a pleased look from Eighteen.

"We are not!" the one called Slane yelled through the door, his cheerful tone evident in the muffled words. Both girls ignored him, but wondered how he had heard Chi-Chi's statement.

"Let's see if Bulma's door is still locked," Chi-Chi suggested, her eyes straying to the scissors that had been left unattended. Eighteen rolled her eyes, something she seemed to do quite often.

"It probably will be-" She was silenced as the bedroom door opened with a quiet click. Both girls began to grin evilly. Their smiles widened as they noticed Bulma was sleeping soundly and unawares. Chi-Chi fetched the scissors, and together the two slipped quietly into the bedroom.


"Just go," the lord gasped out, waving a helpless hand towards his son. Vegeta scowled and shrugged.

"Very well. Talk to you later, Father." Without another word, he stalked from the throne room, hearing his only living blood relation begin to laugh once more as he closed the door behind him. Turning as he rolled his eyes, Vegeta noticed with some surprise that both his father's guards and his own companions were gone.

"Parents," was mumbled under his breath, and then he was gone, off in search of a familiar naïve idiot and a certain shortie.


Chi-Chi and Eighteen shared a victorious smile as they crept silently from their friend's room, the former still clutching the scissors in her happiness.

"I feel like taking a nap myself," Eighteen commented smugly, earning another stifled giggle from Chi-Chi. "How about you?"

"Same here. Which room do you want?" Eighteen looked at the door on the left of Bulma's and then the door on the right.

"The right one," she finally decided, and headed into the bedroom with a small smirk on her lips.

"Have a nice rest!" Chi-Chi called, then groaned as Eighteen replied.

"You too! Remember, we're still on Lesson Number Twelve!"

Chi-Chi raced into her bedchamber and fastened the door securely, making sure it stayed locked for her. After staring at the bolt suspiciously for a long moment, she finally climbed into bed, dress and all. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.


"Now I'm hungry," Purslane whined, rubbing his stomach sadly. Collard rolled his eyes.

"Should I care?"

"Yes... Let's go to the kitchens?" Collard shot his friend a disbelieving and horrified look.

"You want to go to the kitchens while /Kakarrot/ is eating?" Purslane frowned slightly.

"Good point," he concluded, scratching the back of his neck thoughtfully. "Maybe your wife will have something to eat?"

"Maybe your wife?" Collard shot back. Purslane rolled his eyes, grinning at what he considered a joke.

"C'mon Col, you know my wife can't cook."

"That's true." Collard sighed. "Let's go see if she's up to fixing you anything." Purslane beamed.

"Yes!" Raising his fist in triumph, he began to skip down the hall, ignoring his friend's sigh. "I love your wife's cooking!"

"Everyone does," Collard grumbled, but followed after his friend.

Of course, he didn't skip. Only Purslane did, earning the Saiyan many curious stares, as he did often.


Eighteen peered around her room, deciding her color theme was yellow. Stroking the lemon-colored sheets and marveling at their soft feel, the commoner smiled slightly in bitter amusement.

This was a better room than her old one. Well, her latest old one. After running away from home, as Seventeen had done the year before, she had lived in numerous hideouts, trying to hide from her father's long-reaching fingers.

Of course, everyone thought Scientist Gerald Gero was an honorable fellow. He was brilliant, she'd give him that, but he was also an asshole at home. If anything went wrong at work, he'd come home and blame anyone he could lay his hands on. His wife, his son, his daughter...

Eighteen could admit she hated her father. She supposed she always had, once she had learned that not all fathers came home and hit their children. She hated him for his abuse, and for making Seventeen run away. She had only seen Seventeen once since then, and he had gone off to be a mercenary of some sort.

She smirked, recalling the familiar gleam in her brother's eyes. He'd earn enough money to come and support Mother, he'd told her, and then he'd kill their father for putting them through hell.

Of course, now someone had already done the honors and ended Gerald Gero's life. And most likely Gerri Brown's too. Poor Seventeen would be so disappointed about the former and enraged at the latter. Mildly, she wondered what her brother would do when he discovered that Saiyans had carried her off and destroyed their hometown.

Still smiling, her eyes fluttered close, and Eighteen slept.


When Bulma woke half an hour later, her horror-struck screams could be heard even farther than the first time and effectively waking her "friends" from their slumber.


To be continued... (Bulma and Vegeta: Great Minds Think Alive... he he! And one last thing is that I've noticed that everyone seems to portray Vegeta's dad as a jerk. Well, he gets to be cool in this story! And annoying to Vegeta... But someone else gets to be the bad guy... By the way, Collard and Purslane are mine! I think they're going to be in this chapter only though. They were just for fun mostly. And you'll find out more about Eighteen (the poor dear), Bulma, and Chi-Chi's pasts in later chapters. Please read and review! Thanks!)