(Author's Notes: Michi, that is very, very, very cool! Well, I know it's a
little late, okay, extremely late, okay, totally late, but happy birthday!
Sorry to keep y'all waiting. Soccer season was nearing an end and
schoolwork was piling up. Well, soccer's over (even though I started pre-
season on the 27th) and school's relaxing- slightly. I hope everyone enjoys
the latest edition of Chances of the Scrolls, brought to you due to several
persistent reviewers' urging. *smiles at Lady Silk* Thanks for the lovely
reviews, despite the fact that nearly everyone was screaming at me about
Bulma's hair. And I promise the next chapter will be longer. Enjoy!)
Chapter Three: Yells, Screams, and Flying Fists
Vegeta clapped his hands to his ears as the high-pitched screaming continued, ringing through his sensitive ears and sending painful tremors through his frame. When the shrieks finally cut off, the lord's son peeled his hands away as a scowl marred his visage. He already knew who had screeched. It was she, the blue-haired bitch. A growl exiting through his scowling mouth, he turned and stormed in the direction the screams had come from.
"I'm going to kill you two!" Bulma raged at the top of her lungs, bolting from her room and glaring at the yawning duo who had staggered from their own bedrooms as she yelled.
"What?" Eighteen managed to look somewhat innocent, whereas Chi-Chi continued to yawn, her dark curls in disarray around her face, which was slightly swollen from her short slumber.
"You know what the hell you did!" Crimson-faced, the furious young woman pointed towards what had once been long locks of azure. The tresses, which had once been halfway down her back, were now cut irregularly; while some of the strands were severed at the base of her neck, others were short enough to barely brush her jaw. "You ruined my beautiful hair!"
"Well, someone's a touch vain, aren't they?" Eighteen commented. She ignored the glare her remark earned her, returning the frown with a smirk. Chi-Chi roused herself enough to giggle, still clutching the scissors protectively to her chest. She had grabbed them when Bulma had woken them with her shrill yells.
"What exactly were you screaming about now, bitch?" a dangerously cold voice questioned from the doorway, and the three girls turned to find an extremely annoyed lord's son glaring at them.
"Déjà vu all over again," Eighteen mumbled under her breath, but this time Chi-Chi didn't giggle, only clutched the scissors tighter.
"Isn't it obvious?" Bulma snapped, turning her glare onto Vegeta. "Those two destroyed my hair!"
It /WAS/ obvious. Vegeta couldn't completely hide the smirk that formed on his lips, so he forced them back into a dark scowl.
"Oh shut up woman. Just cut the uneven parts so that they're all at the same length." The woman looked horrified at the thought, face paling drastically.
"But I'd look like a boy!" Vegeta smirked malevolently. She had set herself up for that one.
"But you already do."
"Excuse me?" Bulma's words were soft and low, dangerously quiet as she fought to keep from strangling the horrid man then and there. "WHAT did you just say?" His smirk widened.
"I said, woman, that you already do."
"Oh, like you're the hottest guy in the world," Bulma snapped, glaring daggers.
"You're right, I am." Ignoring her scornful snort, he continued. "And at least I'm not a freak."
"I AM NOT A FREAK!" Bulma's shrill scream made her friends flinch, but Vegeta never batted an eye. She lowered her voice, clenching her hands in anger as both her words and fists trembled with rage. "For your information, many women who are born in Gully have blue hair!"
"I already know that," was his calm reply, and the blue-haired woman blinked, staring at him in disbelief. "Did you think we Saiyan never researched the cultures of our neighboring lands?"
"You only did to learn how to invade us," Bulma snapped scathingly and Vegeta smirked.
"Perhaps. But I'll bet you I know more about your country than you know of mine." Bulma rolled her eyes in condescension.
"I never learned about the land of Saiya because you all are simply a bunch of savages!" The smirk vanished, replaced by icy fury that carved his face into marble. Within seconds, however, the fury was gone, replaced by indifference.
"All children in Gully are forced to go to school from age six until thirteen. Seven years. How long do Saiyans have to?" Bulma blinked, warmth rushing to her cheeks.
"I-I," she faltered, and then narrowed her eyes. "Why should I care?"
"Only those of the upper-class have to go to school from age three to sixteen. Thirteen years. Commoners, however, don't have to," Vegeta finished smugly, enjoying the look of resentment that flushed the girl's face, coloring the fairness of her flesh. "There are four classes in the Gully rank system. Upper class, middle-class, lower class, and foreigners. How many are there in the Saiya system?"
The loud-mouthed girl stared at him, her bitterness and loathing of him now obvious to everyone in the room.
"I don't know and don't care!" she declared at last, blue eyes flashing with outrage as Vegeta actually chuckled. Not a nice laugh, mind you, but a laugh nonetheless.
"Five. The Elite, first-class, second-class, third-class, and serfs."
"What are you doing, Lord Vegeta?" a curious voice questioned, and everyone in the room turned towards the doorway, where a familiar idiot and a nervous shrimp stood.
"Proving my superior intellect," he drawled, earning an outraged squawk from the blue-haired girl.
"You are NOT smarter than me!" Hands on hips, she glared at him, but Vegeta ignored her for once.
"Krillin, isn't your mother a hair stylist?" When the puzzled Saiyan nodded, Vegeta flicked his fingers in dismissal. "Go get her!"
With a last confused glance in the girls' direction, Krillin nodded, bowed and vanished into the hallway. Hurrying down the hall, he nearly bumped into several captives, all wondering what had happened to cause those terrible screams. The short Saiyan quickly reassured the pale captives that no one had been killed and that no one was going to be slaughtered or sacrificed in some barbaric ritual, and continued on his way.
"Um, Lord Vegeta, what's going on?" Kakarrot repeated once more, eyeing the girl with the scissors warily.
"Kakarrot," snapped Vegeta, noticing his nervous glances, "get those scissors from her." All amusement on the dark-haired girl's face vanished instantly, and she growled. Kakarrot sighed. Why did he have a feeling she was going to bite him? Nevertheless, he stepped towards her. Still growling like a cat with a caught mouse in its jaws, she scuttled away from the Saiyan, eyeing him warily.
"Give me the scissors, please." Kakarrot gave her his most charming grin, which she ignored, scampering even further away from him while the other three in the room watched the scene taking place. Kakarrot sighed once more. "Please?"
"Mine," she hissed dangerously, dark eyes flashing possessively. Rolling his eyes briefly, Kakarrot lunged.
Faster than Chi-Chi could react, the goofy Saiyan pounced. She stumbled backwards and sat down hard on the couch as he attempted to wrestle the scissors from her. Of course, his fingers managed to brush other areas, and she gasped in outrage. Before Chi-Chi realized what she was doing, she released the scissors. Watching him grin in victory for a single moment, she watched her own hand rise to strike him as hard as she could across the face.
"Ow!" Kakarrot yelped, scrambling away from her and dropping the scissors as he grabbed his cheek. The girl immediately bent and picked up the scissors, resuming her clasp of the troublesome object.
"What did you do that for?" he demanded indignantly, rubbing his stinging cheek. For a girl, she sure had a formidable wallop. The girl glared at him.
"You know exactly what you did, you miserable bastard!" she hissed venomously as Kakarrot stared at her blankly. He looked at Vegeta for help, but the lord's son was arguing with the blue-haired woman once more. The young Saiyan sighed and turned back towards Scissors Girl.
"No, actually I don't. What did I do?" The girl continued to glare, and Kakarrot raised his eyes to the unseen skies. He was truly having a bad day.
Chi-Chi was speechless with outrage. He was denying it? Denying that he had been feeling her up? The nerve! She half-wanted to slap him again, but for some reason she also felt like the unhidden confusion on the Saiyan's face was honest. So she simply glared.
"Look, whatever I did, I apologize," Kakarrot said, scratching the back of his head as he watched her hopefully. "Please, will you give me your scissors? I promise I'll return them later, when Lord Vegeta says I'm allowed to." Some unknown emotion flickered in the girl's dark brown eyes, and then she silently handed the scissors to him. He smiled in relief, momentarily forgetting about the stinging of his cheek. She wouldn't leave a bruise. He hoped.
"Thank you," Kakarrot told her sincerely, pocketing the scissors and mentally telling himself to put them in his room for safekeeping. "I swear I'll keep them safe."
"You better," was her reply, but this time the words held no poison.
"Milord, you called for me?" an anxious voice stated softly from the doorway, and Vegeta broke off from his argument with the blue-haired bitch to fix his glower onto the short woman. Krillin's mother trembled briefly, not being the bravest of the Saiyan women, but repeated her quiet question.
"I want you to cut her hair," he snapped, jerking his thumb towards the glowering woman. Krillin's mother blinked, and then caught sight of whom he was thumbing towards. She looked shocked.
"My poor dear, whatever happened to your hair?" she cried, horrified.
"My roommates are both evil," Bulma informed the stylist sullenly, staring at the ground.
"Well, sit down and let me take a look at the damage." Now that she knew what to do, she was all business, brisk and officious. Bulma sat down in the nearest chair, and the stylist moved all around her, assessing the mutilation with soft words under her breath that Bulma couldn't understand. Then, at last, the stylist pulled out a pair of scissors and began to snip.
Kakarrot noticed Scissors Girl staring longingly at the scissors the beautician held, and whispered to her, smiling good-naturedly, "I'll return your pair as soon as possible." She peered at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, and then slowly broke into a delighted grin.
"Thank you," she said melodiously, relaxing on the sofa as she watched the stylist work her magic. Kakarrot once more found himself thinking how much prettier she looked when she smiled. Blushing faintly, he ducked his head and turned to watch as the beautician finished with a crow of delight.
"Finished. Do you like it?" the stylist asked quickly, watching Bulma run a wondering hand through her now-cropped mane.
"Do you have a mirror?" The beautician nodded and handed a small one to her. Bulma stared at herself in the reflection, eyes narrowed slightly.
She didn't look that bad. Her shorter locks, which curled around her chin, accented her delicate bone structure and made her eyes seem larger and more like a blue-eyed doe's.
Smiling slightly, she handed the mirror back to the stylist with a quiet thank-you. Looking pleased, the beautician smiled back and darted off after bowing towards Vegeta.
Vegeta watched as the woman called Bulma smiled with satisfaction, tossing her head back and letting the azure strands bounce against her cheeks. His eyes narrowed.
"You know," he drawled lazily, "you really should thank me also. After all, I am the one who called for her." The woman snorted without looking at him.
"I don't show gratitude to assholes," she replied coldly. Vegeta clenched his fists and was already striding towards her as Kakarrot leapt between the two once more.
Chi-Chi watched as the goofy Saiyan attempted to calm Bulma and the lord's son down, slightly confused about her earlier actions. How could she be civil towards one of the monsters that had destroyed her home and probably killed her entire family? She eyed the inane young man, who was at the moment waving his arms wildly as he said something animatedly. His face was flushed but the mark of her hand was a darker than the rest of his visage. His dark eyes gleamed with conviction as he continued his rather long speech, which Bulma and the lord's son were both obviously ignoring; they were too busy glaring at each other. Kakarrot, the lord's son had called him. What an unusual name.
"Oh give me a break, dimwit. They're not going to stop trying to kill each other," Eighteen snapped, jerking Chi-Chi back to the present. She blinked and watched Kakarrot pout.
"Well, someone's certainly being a chicken, aren't they?" Eighteen glared at the shrimp who stood in the doorway.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, folding her arms against her chest.
"Not you too, Krillin! Why does everyone have to fight?" the stupid Saiyan whined, but everyone ignored him as the arguments flared up in earnest, lord's son against scientist, shortie against student.
Chi-Chi sighed, and heard Kakarrot follow suit. She found herself watching him once more. He was still moping, lower lip jutted out like a disregarded child. A tousled lock of darkest black fell in front of his eyes but he didn't notice, too busy pouting.
"They'll stop fighting sooner or later," she assured him. "At least they're not trying to claw each other's eyes out anymore." Kakarrot briefly grinned.
"Good point." He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully, at a loss for words. What sort of conversation did one have when their friends were screaming at each other? "So. Where did you used to live?"
Wrong, wrong, wrong question. Chi-Chi's face darkened, and another duo joined the fighting group.
"I lived in Solace, capital of Succor until you all burned it to the ground and killed everyone!" she said coldly, her voice rising with each word until she was screaming. Kakarrot cringed, but she continued to rant, the words pouring from her soul. "You and your damn conquests! What the hell did Succor ever do to you! We traded with you, you bloody backstabbers! We were your allies in the Saiya-Frieza War and helped you win the fucking thing!" Her voice was so loud that even Vegeta, Krillin, Bulma, and Eighteen had stopped to listen. "Hundreds of our best fighters helped you push King Frieza away from Saiya, and what do you do only a few years later? You fucking destroy our capital and kill the duke and duchess! You bastards! You mother-fucking sons of bitches! You assholes! You filthy pieces of shit-" Kakarrot clamped a hand over her mouth and she yelled against the warm flesh, only then aware of the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"She's right. You all are assholes!" Eighteen drawled, and almost lazily punched the shrimp in the jaw and sent him flying. He hit a chair and flipped the chair over, landing on the floor with a shocked oomph. Eighteen smiled with satisfaction, and dove in for the kill.
Seeing Krillin go flying and noticing Kakarrot distracted, Chi-Chi bit down- hard. The Saiyan yelped and leapt away from her, grabbing his hand as blood welled from the bite marks. She glared at him and readied herself for further action if he tried to retaliate.
Bulma watched her two friends take the Saiyans down, and turned to attack Vegeta, but found him inches from her, eyes cold.
"Don't even think about it, bitch," he growled. In reply, the scientist kneed him in the sensitive spot and he went down with a look of surprise. Bulma allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction before turning in the hope that she and her friends could bolt. No such luck. Two unfamiliar Saiyans glared at them from the entrance.
"Need any help, Kakarrot? Crown Lord Vegeta? Krillin?" the taller of them asked, a scowl firmly in place.
"Yeah." Krillin wheezed around Eighteen's hands, which were squeezing his neck. "Get her off."
"Will do!" the shorter one replied, and yanked the blonde away from her victim, pushing her roughly onto the couch. The taller Saiyan turned towards Chi-Chi, but the sobbing girl was already on the sofa, head in hands. He raised an eyebrow towards Kakarrot, who shrugged, still holding his injured hand.
Bulma's neck was suddenly yanked painfully backwards as an incensed voice growled in her ear, "You'll live to regret that, woman." The lord's son released her hair and shoved her forcefully towards the couch. She sat down between Chi-Chi and Eighteen and glared at the five Saiyans.
"What happened?" Purslane questioned, staring at the three captives. Kakarrot and Krillin shrugged, while Vegeta merely scowled.
"I think it's the shock." Collard abruptly stated, watching the sobbing girl closely. "We heard her screaming at you, Kakarrot. What did you ask her?"
"I just asked her where she was from." Kakarrot watched the girl in puzzlement, scarcely feeling the twanging pain in his hand. Collard nodded, looking grim.
"I remember the last time they brought girls of age here. About two tried to kill the guards, another screamed for two days straight, and three tried to suicide."
Kakarrot swallowed hard, for the first time experiencing a little guilt. He hadn't realized that they would be making the girls' lives living hells.
"Three tried to suicide?" he repeated, eyes narrowing. All in all, the weeping young woman seemed the most likely candidate for that option. Collard nodded. "Maybe we should post a guard by this room."
"It'll be done," snapped Vegeta brusquely. Ignoring the looks his fellow Saiyans were giving him, he turned and stormed from the room.
Purslane shook his head pityingly. "You three are in trouble now."
Chapter Three: Yells, Screams, and Flying Fists
Vegeta clapped his hands to his ears as the high-pitched screaming continued, ringing through his sensitive ears and sending painful tremors through his frame. When the shrieks finally cut off, the lord's son peeled his hands away as a scowl marred his visage. He already knew who had screeched. It was she, the blue-haired bitch. A growl exiting through his scowling mouth, he turned and stormed in the direction the screams had come from.
"I'm going to kill you two!" Bulma raged at the top of her lungs, bolting from her room and glaring at the yawning duo who had staggered from their own bedrooms as she yelled.
"What?" Eighteen managed to look somewhat innocent, whereas Chi-Chi continued to yawn, her dark curls in disarray around her face, which was slightly swollen from her short slumber.
"You know what the hell you did!" Crimson-faced, the furious young woman pointed towards what had once been long locks of azure. The tresses, which had once been halfway down her back, were now cut irregularly; while some of the strands were severed at the base of her neck, others were short enough to barely brush her jaw. "You ruined my beautiful hair!"
"Well, someone's a touch vain, aren't they?" Eighteen commented. She ignored the glare her remark earned her, returning the frown with a smirk. Chi-Chi roused herself enough to giggle, still clutching the scissors protectively to her chest. She had grabbed them when Bulma had woken them with her shrill yells.
"What exactly were you screaming about now, bitch?" a dangerously cold voice questioned from the doorway, and the three girls turned to find an extremely annoyed lord's son glaring at them.
"Déjà vu all over again," Eighteen mumbled under her breath, but this time Chi-Chi didn't giggle, only clutched the scissors tighter.
"Isn't it obvious?" Bulma snapped, turning her glare onto Vegeta. "Those two destroyed my hair!"
It /WAS/ obvious. Vegeta couldn't completely hide the smirk that formed on his lips, so he forced them back into a dark scowl.
"Oh shut up woman. Just cut the uneven parts so that they're all at the same length." The woman looked horrified at the thought, face paling drastically.
"But I'd look like a boy!" Vegeta smirked malevolently. She had set herself up for that one.
"But you already do."
"Excuse me?" Bulma's words were soft and low, dangerously quiet as she fought to keep from strangling the horrid man then and there. "WHAT did you just say?" His smirk widened.
"I said, woman, that you already do."
"Oh, like you're the hottest guy in the world," Bulma snapped, glaring daggers.
"You're right, I am." Ignoring her scornful snort, he continued. "And at least I'm not a freak."
"I AM NOT A FREAK!" Bulma's shrill scream made her friends flinch, but Vegeta never batted an eye. She lowered her voice, clenching her hands in anger as both her words and fists trembled with rage. "For your information, many women who are born in Gully have blue hair!"
"I already know that," was his calm reply, and the blue-haired woman blinked, staring at him in disbelief. "Did you think we Saiyan never researched the cultures of our neighboring lands?"
"You only did to learn how to invade us," Bulma snapped scathingly and Vegeta smirked.
"Perhaps. But I'll bet you I know more about your country than you know of mine." Bulma rolled her eyes in condescension.
"I never learned about the land of Saiya because you all are simply a bunch of savages!" The smirk vanished, replaced by icy fury that carved his face into marble. Within seconds, however, the fury was gone, replaced by indifference.
"All children in Gully are forced to go to school from age six until thirteen. Seven years. How long do Saiyans have to?" Bulma blinked, warmth rushing to her cheeks.
"I-I," she faltered, and then narrowed her eyes. "Why should I care?"
"Only those of the upper-class have to go to school from age three to sixteen. Thirteen years. Commoners, however, don't have to," Vegeta finished smugly, enjoying the look of resentment that flushed the girl's face, coloring the fairness of her flesh. "There are four classes in the Gully rank system. Upper class, middle-class, lower class, and foreigners. How many are there in the Saiya system?"
The loud-mouthed girl stared at him, her bitterness and loathing of him now obvious to everyone in the room.
"I don't know and don't care!" she declared at last, blue eyes flashing with outrage as Vegeta actually chuckled. Not a nice laugh, mind you, but a laugh nonetheless.
"Five. The Elite, first-class, second-class, third-class, and serfs."
"What are you doing, Lord Vegeta?" a curious voice questioned, and everyone in the room turned towards the doorway, where a familiar idiot and a nervous shrimp stood.
"Proving my superior intellect," he drawled, earning an outraged squawk from the blue-haired girl.
"You are NOT smarter than me!" Hands on hips, she glared at him, but Vegeta ignored her for once.
"Krillin, isn't your mother a hair stylist?" When the puzzled Saiyan nodded, Vegeta flicked his fingers in dismissal. "Go get her!"
With a last confused glance in the girls' direction, Krillin nodded, bowed and vanished into the hallway. Hurrying down the hall, he nearly bumped into several captives, all wondering what had happened to cause those terrible screams. The short Saiyan quickly reassured the pale captives that no one had been killed and that no one was going to be slaughtered or sacrificed in some barbaric ritual, and continued on his way.
"Um, Lord Vegeta, what's going on?" Kakarrot repeated once more, eyeing the girl with the scissors warily.
"Kakarrot," snapped Vegeta, noticing his nervous glances, "get those scissors from her." All amusement on the dark-haired girl's face vanished instantly, and she growled. Kakarrot sighed. Why did he have a feeling she was going to bite him? Nevertheless, he stepped towards her. Still growling like a cat with a caught mouse in its jaws, she scuttled away from the Saiyan, eyeing him warily.
"Give me the scissors, please." Kakarrot gave her his most charming grin, which she ignored, scampering even further away from him while the other three in the room watched the scene taking place. Kakarrot sighed once more. "Please?"
"Mine," she hissed dangerously, dark eyes flashing possessively. Rolling his eyes briefly, Kakarrot lunged.
Faster than Chi-Chi could react, the goofy Saiyan pounced. She stumbled backwards and sat down hard on the couch as he attempted to wrestle the scissors from her. Of course, his fingers managed to brush other areas, and she gasped in outrage. Before Chi-Chi realized what she was doing, she released the scissors. Watching him grin in victory for a single moment, she watched her own hand rise to strike him as hard as she could across the face.
"Ow!" Kakarrot yelped, scrambling away from her and dropping the scissors as he grabbed his cheek. The girl immediately bent and picked up the scissors, resuming her clasp of the troublesome object.
"What did you do that for?" he demanded indignantly, rubbing his stinging cheek. For a girl, she sure had a formidable wallop. The girl glared at him.
"You know exactly what you did, you miserable bastard!" she hissed venomously as Kakarrot stared at her blankly. He looked at Vegeta for help, but the lord's son was arguing with the blue-haired woman once more. The young Saiyan sighed and turned back towards Scissors Girl.
"No, actually I don't. What did I do?" The girl continued to glare, and Kakarrot raised his eyes to the unseen skies. He was truly having a bad day.
Chi-Chi was speechless with outrage. He was denying it? Denying that he had been feeling her up? The nerve! She half-wanted to slap him again, but for some reason she also felt like the unhidden confusion on the Saiyan's face was honest. So she simply glared.
"Look, whatever I did, I apologize," Kakarrot said, scratching the back of his head as he watched her hopefully. "Please, will you give me your scissors? I promise I'll return them later, when Lord Vegeta says I'm allowed to." Some unknown emotion flickered in the girl's dark brown eyes, and then she silently handed the scissors to him. He smiled in relief, momentarily forgetting about the stinging of his cheek. She wouldn't leave a bruise. He hoped.
"Thank you," Kakarrot told her sincerely, pocketing the scissors and mentally telling himself to put them in his room for safekeeping. "I swear I'll keep them safe."
"You better," was her reply, but this time the words held no poison.
"Milord, you called for me?" an anxious voice stated softly from the doorway, and Vegeta broke off from his argument with the blue-haired bitch to fix his glower onto the short woman. Krillin's mother trembled briefly, not being the bravest of the Saiyan women, but repeated her quiet question.
"I want you to cut her hair," he snapped, jerking his thumb towards the glowering woman. Krillin's mother blinked, and then caught sight of whom he was thumbing towards. She looked shocked.
"My poor dear, whatever happened to your hair?" she cried, horrified.
"My roommates are both evil," Bulma informed the stylist sullenly, staring at the ground.
"Well, sit down and let me take a look at the damage." Now that she knew what to do, she was all business, brisk and officious. Bulma sat down in the nearest chair, and the stylist moved all around her, assessing the mutilation with soft words under her breath that Bulma couldn't understand. Then, at last, the stylist pulled out a pair of scissors and began to snip.
Kakarrot noticed Scissors Girl staring longingly at the scissors the beautician held, and whispered to her, smiling good-naturedly, "I'll return your pair as soon as possible." She peered at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, and then slowly broke into a delighted grin.
"Thank you," she said melodiously, relaxing on the sofa as she watched the stylist work her magic. Kakarrot once more found himself thinking how much prettier she looked when she smiled. Blushing faintly, he ducked his head and turned to watch as the beautician finished with a crow of delight.
"Finished. Do you like it?" the stylist asked quickly, watching Bulma run a wondering hand through her now-cropped mane.
"Do you have a mirror?" The beautician nodded and handed a small one to her. Bulma stared at herself in the reflection, eyes narrowed slightly.
She didn't look that bad. Her shorter locks, which curled around her chin, accented her delicate bone structure and made her eyes seem larger and more like a blue-eyed doe's.
Smiling slightly, she handed the mirror back to the stylist with a quiet thank-you. Looking pleased, the beautician smiled back and darted off after bowing towards Vegeta.
Vegeta watched as the woman called Bulma smiled with satisfaction, tossing her head back and letting the azure strands bounce against her cheeks. His eyes narrowed.
"You know," he drawled lazily, "you really should thank me also. After all, I am the one who called for her." The woman snorted without looking at him.
"I don't show gratitude to assholes," she replied coldly. Vegeta clenched his fists and was already striding towards her as Kakarrot leapt between the two once more.
Chi-Chi watched as the goofy Saiyan attempted to calm Bulma and the lord's son down, slightly confused about her earlier actions. How could she be civil towards one of the monsters that had destroyed her home and probably killed her entire family? She eyed the inane young man, who was at the moment waving his arms wildly as he said something animatedly. His face was flushed but the mark of her hand was a darker than the rest of his visage. His dark eyes gleamed with conviction as he continued his rather long speech, which Bulma and the lord's son were both obviously ignoring; they were too busy glaring at each other. Kakarrot, the lord's son had called him. What an unusual name.
"Oh give me a break, dimwit. They're not going to stop trying to kill each other," Eighteen snapped, jerking Chi-Chi back to the present. She blinked and watched Kakarrot pout.
"Well, someone's certainly being a chicken, aren't they?" Eighteen glared at the shrimp who stood in the doorway.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, folding her arms against her chest.
"Not you too, Krillin! Why does everyone have to fight?" the stupid Saiyan whined, but everyone ignored him as the arguments flared up in earnest, lord's son against scientist, shortie against student.
Chi-Chi sighed, and heard Kakarrot follow suit. She found herself watching him once more. He was still moping, lower lip jutted out like a disregarded child. A tousled lock of darkest black fell in front of his eyes but he didn't notice, too busy pouting.
"They'll stop fighting sooner or later," she assured him. "At least they're not trying to claw each other's eyes out anymore." Kakarrot briefly grinned.
"Good point." He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully, at a loss for words. What sort of conversation did one have when their friends were screaming at each other? "So. Where did you used to live?"
Wrong, wrong, wrong question. Chi-Chi's face darkened, and another duo joined the fighting group.
"I lived in Solace, capital of Succor until you all burned it to the ground and killed everyone!" she said coldly, her voice rising with each word until she was screaming. Kakarrot cringed, but she continued to rant, the words pouring from her soul. "You and your damn conquests! What the hell did Succor ever do to you! We traded with you, you bloody backstabbers! We were your allies in the Saiya-Frieza War and helped you win the fucking thing!" Her voice was so loud that even Vegeta, Krillin, Bulma, and Eighteen had stopped to listen. "Hundreds of our best fighters helped you push King Frieza away from Saiya, and what do you do only a few years later? You fucking destroy our capital and kill the duke and duchess! You bastards! You mother-fucking sons of bitches! You assholes! You filthy pieces of shit-" Kakarrot clamped a hand over her mouth and she yelled against the warm flesh, only then aware of the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"She's right. You all are assholes!" Eighteen drawled, and almost lazily punched the shrimp in the jaw and sent him flying. He hit a chair and flipped the chair over, landing on the floor with a shocked oomph. Eighteen smiled with satisfaction, and dove in for the kill.
Seeing Krillin go flying and noticing Kakarrot distracted, Chi-Chi bit down- hard. The Saiyan yelped and leapt away from her, grabbing his hand as blood welled from the bite marks. She glared at him and readied herself for further action if he tried to retaliate.
Bulma watched her two friends take the Saiyans down, and turned to attack Vegeta, but found him inches from her, eyes cold.
"Don't even think about it, bitch," he growled. In reply, the scientist kneed him in the sensitive spot and he went down with a look of surprise. Bulma allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction before turning in the hope that she and her friends could bolt. No such luck. Two unfamiliar Saiyans glared at them from the entrance.
"Need any help, Kakarrot? Crown Lord Vegeta? Krillin?" the taller of them asked, a scowl firmly in place.
"Yeah." Krillin wheezed around Eighteen's hands, which were squeezing his neck. "Get her off."
"Will do!" the shorter one replied, and yanked the blonde away from her victim, pushing her roughly onto the couch. The taller Saiyan turned towards Chi-Chi, but the sobbing girl was already on the sofa, head in hands. He raised an eyebrow towards Kakarrot, who shrugged, still holding his injured hand.
Bulma's neck was suddenly yanked painfully backwards as an incensed voice growled in her ear, "You'll live to regret that, woman." The lord's son released her hair and shoved her forcefully towards the couch. She sat down between Chi-Chi and Eighteen and glared at the five Saiyans.
"What happened?" Purslane questioned, staring at the three captives. Kakarrot and Krillin shrugged, while Vegeta merely scowled.
"I think it's the shock." Collard abruptly stated, watching the sobbing girl closely. "We heard her screaming at you, Kakarrot. What did you ask her?"
"I just asked her where she was from." Kakarrot watched the girl in puzzlement, scarcely feeling the twanging pain in his hand. Collard nodded, looking grim.
"I remember the last time they brought girls of age here. About two tried to kill the guards, another screamed for two days straight, and three tried to suicide."
Kakarrot swallowed hard, for the first time experiencing a little guilt. He hadn't realized that they would be making the girls' lives living hells.
"Three tried to suicide?" he repeated, eyes narrowing. All in all, the weeping young woman seemed the most likely candidate for that option. Collard nodded. "Maybe we should post a guard by this room."
"It'll be done," snapped Vegeta brusquely. Ignoring the looks his fellow Saiyans were giving him, he turned and stormed from the room.
Purslane shook his head pityingly. "You three are in trouble now."
