--words with * around them are thoughts. *** indicates a break.
The Prince and the Princess
Michi G
Chapter 1
The Princess was flabbergasted at what her parents had just told her. First she had thought it was some kind of sick joke, but when she saw her parents' solemn faces, she knew they were serious. Her face turned red, her fists balled up at her sides, and her blood pressure went sky high. The idea was absurd and seemed a bit cruel.
"I will not consent to that," Bulma said, surprisingly calm in her current state.
"It is already done," King Briefs said. He sighed and shifted in his throne. "We are trying to do what's best for our kingdom."
"Father, this is insanity!" Bulma shouted. Now she began to act more like she was feeling. "Our kingdom will glad defend itself against the Saiyajins!"
Her father shook his head. "The Saiyajins are ruthless killers--they don't take prisoners," King Briefs said. He ran his fingers through his pale hair. "If we tried to fight them, we would lose so many of our people.
Bulma glared down at the white marble floor. "We've encountered countless enemies before, and we've managed to vanquish them all!" she said. As her voice echoed in the empty hall, it sounded weak and futile. "Our kingdom would much rather fight than make a treaty with them! Why should we concede to them?"
"I've already explained why--it's useless to fight them when we can give them something they want to spare lives," King Briefs responded. He looked to his wife in the throne next to him, with a look that suggested he wanted her help.
"Bulma, if you're worried about what your subjects will think about you, then you have nothing to worry about," the Queen said, smiling like always. "They will realize what a great sacrifice you have done for them and will love you for it."
"I'm not worried about that."
"Then what are you worried about?"
"I'm not worried--I'm horrified!" Bulma shot an angry look at her mother. "We are now allied with a cold-blooded nation of people who live to fight! These are the kind of people who welcome death by the sword.... Whereas we are the type of people who fight for justice and to defend.... How could two kingdoms like that come together??"
"You'll find a way," King Briefs said with a dismissive tone. He held up his hand. "As I have already said it is done. Servants have already packed your things and the Saiyajin empire is sending a coach at noon to pick you up. Do not think I am doing this to be cruel; I have thought of your well-being, and we were considering your future for a long time."
"I--" Bulma tried to say.
"Bulma, you have rejected all the suitors that have came your way for two years," the Queen said. "We didn't want to intervene, but you've left us no choice now."
Bulma began stomping out of the room. "I'll die before I go along with this!" she screamed. She stormed out of the room and slammed the huge doors behind her. The Princess ran through the empty halls, knocking over vases over and other objects sitting in the hall. Her intention was to go to her room, but she just threw herself in the nearest room. Bulma fell down on the red carpeted floor and began to beat it furiously.
"Why is this happening to me??" she asked the floor. Her hair was flung over her face in a maniacal fashion and her face looked like a beet. "I have to leave my home, my family, and my friends to..." She couldn't even bring herself to say it yet. The Princess let out an aggravated sigh and dropped her head on the floor.
***
"I can't believe we're allied with the Saiyajins," Kuririn said, running his finger around the mouth of the metal mug in front of him. "They're terrifying, yes, but we still should have tried and stopped them."
"I know," Gokuu said, rocking back in his chair. "I wanted to fight them; they're supposed to be undefeatable."
"You're the only one who would say something like that," Yamcha said. "I feel like a traitor just sitting here not fighting."
"The worst part is," Kuririn said, pausing to take a drink, "Bulma is--"
"Don't say it," Yamcha interjected. He slammed his fist on the table. "We should do something!"
"Now don't anyone of you do anything stupid," Chichi said, refilling their drinks. "Gokuu, don't lean back in the chair; you'll ruin the legs of it."
Gokuu smiled sheepishly and set his chair back on the floor. "I think what we should do is go and see Bulma before she leaves," he said.
"That's a good idea," Kuririn said, thoughtfully. He glanced at Yamcha. "Are you up for it?"
"I guess..." his friend replied, his voice muffled by the table.
"Oh, stop sulking," Chichi said, putting some dishes in the sink. "You and the Princess haven't been romantically interested in each other for over a year."
"Well, I still care about her," Yamcha said, lifting up his head.
"Come on, let's go," Gokuu said, standing up. He scratched his head. "Say, Chichi."
"Yes?"
"Do you mind if I take Gohan with me? I know Bulma would want to see him before she leaves."
"Well...all right," Chichi said, a bit reluctantly. "Just be careful."
"I'm always careful," Gokuu said, waving a hand. "Besides, we're just going to the castle. Gohan!"
Chichi muttered something about him having said the same thing before. Soon a little boy, looking much like Gokuu came into the kitchen, holding onto the round hat on his head. He smiled at his father and jumped up into his open arms.
"You want to come visit the Princess with us?" Gokuu asked.
Gohan nodded and looked pleased at the offer. Gokuu grinned and adjusted the hat on his head. He looked to his friends and motioned for him to follow him.
"I can't remember when she's leaving, but it's probably soon so let's get going," Gokuu said, walking over to his wife. "We'll be back soon."
"I mean it, Gokuu," Chichi said, giving him a peck on the cheek and fixing the collar of Gohan's shirt, "don't get into anything."
"Okay, Chichi," Gokuu said, smiling. He gave her a wave with one hand and left the room with his two friends.
"Okay, Chichi..." Chichi echoed, shaking her head. "I don't know why he still manages to surprise me..."
***
The Great Saiyajin no Ouji was completely disinterested with what his father was babbling about to him. He had paid attention to the part about the woman that would be arriving, and a little indignant about that as well. He calmed when his father told him that the alliance the Saiyajins had made with the Capsule Kingdom was merely for the technology they could gain by not destroying and conquering it. The other part of the alliance was simply up to him. If the Prince didn't like what he say, he could simply dispose of her. The Saiyajins had made no guarantee that there would be a complete merger of the two kingdoms.
"...at noon," the King concluded.
"What?" Vegita asked. The man had been talking for at least an hour now.
"The Capsule Princess," King Vegita said, frowning at his son. The boy had such a small attention span. "She will be arriving some time after noon."
"Whatever..."
"You realize you are betrothed to this woman?"
"If I accept her, that is," Vegita said, tapping his fingers on his arm. "You might as well keep her right where she is. You actually want me to mix the mighty Saiyajin blood with some weak woman's blood?"
"If you were to accept this woman, Prince," the King said, in a slow way as to keep his son's attention, "then it would make it easier to have access to the kingdom's resources. If you decided to reject her, then we would have to force their kingdom to give up what we want."
"So?"
"So," the King reiterated, glaring at him, "we would face too much resistance and most likely end up destroying the place for its insolence. If you accept her, it would benefit the Saiyajin empire greatly."
"Hmph," Vegita said, raising his nose to the ceiling. "Are you quite finished yet?"
"No, brat, I have one more thing to say," the King snapped.
"What?"
"If you do not accept this woman, then you will have to chose from the Saiyajin woman that I had selected for you previously."
"Hmph," Vegita said, getting down from the chair he had been sitting in. "What a waste of time!" He hurriedly left the room before his father could add anything else.
Vegita folded his arms across his chest and glared down the hall as he walked down it. *Why do I have to chose a mate already?* he thought. *I haven't yet reached my full potential... I'm at least two years from being King--Father acts as if he's in a hurry for me to descend the throne. Perhaps, he's sensing his demise.*
The thought of his father's demise put a smile on his face. "Maybe I don't need to wait until I reach my full potential," the young prince commented to himself.
***
Bulma had regained more composure an hour before she were to leave. She had made it to her room and noticed how bare it looked without most of her things. Every ten minutes or so, she would look out the window and gaze down at the view of the garden below. She would remember how she and her friends would play games among the variously shaped shrubs and look at the bench in the middle of it where she had her first kiss. It wasn't the best kiss she had, but it was one of her fondest memories. Bulma truly doubted that she would have many fond memories once she went to the head of the Saiyajin empire, Vegita. Somehow she shouldn't have been surprised that the name of all the royal heads of Vegita were the same as the name of the kingdom.
"Bulma, Queen of the Saiyajins..." Bulma murmured to herself. "That doesn't have even a slight ring to it. I'm not a Saiyajin. How can I be their Queen?"
Bulma jumped when a knock came at her door. She frowned, hoping it wasn't time for her to leave already. The knock came again before she could answer it, and ceased when she said the person could enter. Bulma smiled when she saw who had entered her chamber.
"Gokuu, Kuririn, Yamcha!" the Princess cried happily. She was met by a group of hugs. "I'm so glad you all came by."
"We knew you had to leave, so we had to say good-bye," Gokuu said, holding Gohan's hand by his side. "Didn't we, Gohan?"
Gohan made a little bow and smiled up at Bulma. "Good morning, Your Highness," he said.
"I am going to miss seeing your cute little son, Gokuu," Bulma said, bending down and giving him a hug. "I bet he's going to be a great knight just like you."
Gohan laughed as Bulma tickled him. "Probably not," Gokuu said. "Chichi doesn't want me to teach him to fight; she wants him to be a great scholar or philosopher."
"That's really too bad," Kuririn said. "I bet Gohan would be as great as knight as you."
"Really," Bulma agreed, rising again.
"Bulma, isn't there anyway you can stay?" Yamcha said, walking up to her. He grasped her hands and looked longingly into her blue eyes.
Bulma smiled at him kindly although they hadn't been seeing much of each of other recently. "As of noon today, my future will be in the hands of the Prince of the Saiyajins," she said, sighing. "If I'm lucky, he'll decide to kill me."
"Don't say that," Yamcha said. There was an obvious look of concern in his eyes.
"Yeah, Bulma," Gokuu said nonchalantly. "I'm sure everything will work out fine. I think even the Prince of the Saiyajins would be happy to have you as his wife."
Bulma smiled at that compliment, but the other two knights were less optimistic. "Are you kidding, Gokuu?" Kuririn said. "Saiyajins aren't like normal people--all they care about is fighting, power, and money."
"Thanks, Kuririn," Bulma said, pulling away from Yamcha and walking back over to her window. "That makes me feel much better."
"Oh, sorry," Kuririn said, laughing nervously. "It's not what I meant..."
"Hey, I have an idea," Gokuu said, smiling as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "Let's go out into the garden and play like we used to."
"Aren't we too old to being doing something like that?" Kuririn said, folding his arms over his chest.
"What?" Gokuu said. "I play with Gohan all the time."
"I bet," Yamcha laughed, watching Gohan exploring the room as if he were on an expedition.
"I think it's a great idea," Bulma said enthusiastically. "I bet Saiyajins never play games, so when am I ever going to get another chance to do something like this."
"Yeah," Kuririn said, more like the Princess. "I just hope no one important sees us out there. We might lose our titles."
"Ahem," Bulma said, putting her hands on her hips. "I am someone important."
"Come on, let's not waste any time!" Gokuu said, motioning for Gohan. "Last one out to the garden has to play the bad guy!" He grabbed Gohan's hand and sped off.
"Hey, no fair!" Kuririn said, chasing after Gokuu. A laughing Yamcha and Bulma followed behind him.
***
Nappa arrived promptly at the Capsule Kingdom during the appointed time. He wasn't pleased that he had been sent to pick up his prospect Queen; he would have much rather spent time preparing for the attack on the next profitable kingdom. The King had ordered him personally to take care of the job and deliver her to the Prince. It was something that the commander of the Elite army could not refuse. Even if that meant traveling to a kingdom of foolish weaklings.
The burly Saiyajin stood at the gate of the large castle, waiting for the guards to open the gate for him. He had brought the largest carriage he could get at the time, having a vague knowledge of non-Saiyajin women having a great deal of useless items that they owned. This kingdom was highly unlike the Saiyajin kingdom, so he figured it was a good guess their Princess wouldn't be different from the other feeble type women.
"Welcome to Capsule Kingdom," an attendant said to Nappa as he entered the castle.
Nappa ignored him and followed the attendant who was to lead him to the King's throne room. A smirk came to his lips as he remembered what kind of leader the kingdom had. King Briefs was rumored to be somewhat of a scientist himself; he had even invented a few things, the Saiyajin recalled. While King Vegita wasn't a clueless fool, he wouldn't be catch dead inventing things in his spare time. Besides thinking about the head of the kingdom, there was the castle itself that amused Nappa. The halls were much smaller than the castle in Vegita and decorated gaudily. Constantly there were portraits of the King, Queen, and the Princess along with past royalty. Not only did all the people smile in their pictures, there were also pictures of the women as if they were actually important. It was like a joke to Nappa to see how they esteemed the lesser sex like that.
"Presenting Nappa, Commander of the Saiyajin Elite army," an attendant said upon his arrival to the throne room.
Nappa would have burst out laughing when he saw the frail looking King sitting on his throne next to his Queen who also had a throne. In Vegita, the Queen was rarely seen and when she was, she was never seen on the throne with the King as if she were his equal. Despite his Saiyajin blood, however, he was trained to act with dignity when he needed to.
"King Vegita is most eager to join our two kingdoms in an alliance," Nappa said, making a short bow. "I trust your daughter is ready to depart?"
"We can only hope," King Briefs said, making a motion to one of his attendants. "Please get the Princess."
*Please?* Nappa mentally repeated, coughing to hide a laugh. *He even says "please" to his servants. A Saiyajin would only say that when saying "please die."*
Nappa lost his amusement when he had to wait about fifteen minutes for the attendant to return. The King or Queen didn't seem surprised or impatient about their daughter's tardy arrival, and in fact were just relieved she came at all. When it was announced that the Princess had arrived, Nappa prepared to be disappointed. King Vegita had no idea, like the rest of the Saiyajins, what the Princess actually looked like. The Saiyajin leader had said it didn't really matter as long as she was willing to give the Prince an heir. Nappa had agreed with that, but he doubted the Prince would be pleased with a woman that wasn't Saiyajin.
Bulma entered the throne room slowly, cheeks slightly flushed from running around in the garden and her lavender hair flung around her head in a wild fashion. Her eyes were vibrantly blue and were laced with an distinct defiance. She wore dark green dress that hugged the top of her body and loosened where her waist ended and was contained a few leaves at the end of it. Her arms were at her side, but seemingly so because she did not want to fold her arms and look completely defiant.
"A pleasure to meet you," the Princess said, making a short bow.
Nappa hid another laugh with a cough. *I wonder how the Great Saiyajin no Ouji is going to react to her,* he thought, returning the bow. *She certainly looks feisty, and she's not half bad to look at, but Prince Vegita isn't what you call indiscriminate.*
"Are you ready to go, Princess Bulma?" Nappa asked, eager to leave the place.
Bulma gave an annoyed look to her parents. "I guess so," she said reluctantly
The King and the Queen grasped hands and smiled at their daughter. "Be cooperative, Bulma," King Briefs said.
"We'll miss you, dear," the Queen said. "Don't forget to write us."
"Goodbye, Father, Mother," Bulma replied. She frowned a little at their tone. It was as if she were going on some trip and would be back in a few weeks. Bulma hoped they realized she was going to meet her future husband who possibly could be the single most evil man in creation.
"Let us go, Your Highness," Nappa said, getting bored with the high sentimentality. Bulma gave him a nod and tried her best to convey a regal look instead of an angry, childish brat like she truly felt like inside.
*Author's Note: ...Ano... If there are any major mistakes or concerns you have, please let me know. I haven't gone through my first chapter with a fine-tooth comb...
The Prince and the Princess
Michi G
Chapter 1
The Princess was flabbergasted at what her parents had just told her. First she had thought it was some kind of sick joke, but when she saw her parents' solemn faces, she knew they were serious. Her face turned red, her fists balled up at her sides, and her blood pressure went sky high. The idea was absurd and seemed a bit cruel.
"I will not consent to that," Bulma said, surprisingly calm in her current state.
"It is already done," King Briefs said. He sighed and shifted in his throne. "We are trying to do what's best for our kingdom."
"Father, this is insanity!" Bulma shouted. Now she began to act more like she was feeling. "Our kingdom will glad defend itself against the Saiyajins!"
Her father shook his head. "The Saiyajins are ruthless killers--they don't take prisoners," King Briefs said. He ran his fingers through his pale hair. "If we tried to fight them, we would lose so many of our people.
Bulma glared down at the white marble floor. "We've encountered countless enemies before, and we've managed to vanquish them all!" she said. As her voice echoed in the empty hall, it sounded weak and futile. "Our kingdom would much rather fight than make a treaty with them! Why should we concede to them?"
"I've already explained why--it's useless to fight them when we can give them something they want to spare lives," King Briefs responded. He looked to his wife in the throne next to him, with a look that suggested he wanted her help.
"Bulma, if you're worried about what your subjects will think about you, then you have nothing to worry about," the Queen said, smiling like always. "They will realize what a great sacrifice you have done for them and will love you for it."
"I'm not worried about that."
"Then what are you worried about?"
"I'm not worried--I'm horrified!" Bulma shot an angry look at her mother. "We are now allied with a cold-blooded nation of people who live to fight! These are the kind of people who welcome death by the sword.... Whereas we are the type of people who fight for justice and to defend.... How could two kingdoms like that come together??"
"You'll find a way," King Briefs said with a dismissive tone. He held up his hand. "As I have already said it is done. Servants have already packed your things and the Saiyajin empire is sending a coach at noon to pick you up. Do not think I am doing this to be cruel; I have thought of your well-being, and we were considering your future for a long time."
"I--" Bulma tried to say.
"Bulma, you have rejected all the suitors that have came your way for two years," the Queen said. "We didn't want to intervene, but you've left us no choice now."
Bulma began stomping out of the room. "I'll die before I go along with this!" she screamed. She stormed out of the room and slammed the huge doors behind her. The Princess ran through the empty halls, knocking over vases over and other objects sitting in the hall. Her intention was to go to her room, but she just threw herself in the nearest room. Bulma fell down on the red carpeted floor and began to beat it furiously.
"Why is this happening to me??" she asked the floor. Her hair was flung over her face in a maniacal fashion and her face looked like a beet. "I have to leave my home, my family, and my friends to..." She couldn't even bring herself to say it yet. The Princess let out an aggravated sigh and dropped her head on the floor.
***
"I can't believe we're allied with the Saiyajins," Kuririn said, running his finger around the mouth of the metal mug in front of him. "They're terrifying, yes, but we still should have tried and stopped them."
"I know," Gokuu said, rocking back in his chair. "I wanted to fight them; they're supposed to be undefeatable."
"You're the only one who would say something like that," Yamcha said. "I feel like a traitor just sitting here not fighting."
"The worst part is," Kuririn said, pausing to take a drink, "Bulma is--"
"Don't say it," Yamcha interjected. He slammed his fist on the table. "We should do something!"
"Now don't anyone of you do anything stupid," Chichi said, refilling their drinks. "Gokuu, don't lean back in the chair; you'll ruin the legs of it."
Gokuu smiled sheepishly and set his chair back on the floor. "I think what we should do is go and see Bulma before she leaves," he said.
"That's a good idea," Kuririn said, thoughtfully. He glanced at Yamcha. "Are you up for it?"
"I guess..." his friend replied, his voice muffled by the table.
"Oh, stop sulking," Chichi said, putting some dishes in the sink. "You and the Princess haven't been romantically interested in each other for over a year."
"Well, I still care about her," Yamcha said, lifting up his head.
"Come on, let's go," Gokuu said, standing up. He scratched his head. "Say, Chichi."
"Yes?"
"Do you mind if I take Gohan with me? I know Bulma would want to see him before she leaves."
"Well...all right," Chichi said, a bit reluctantly. "Just be careful."
"I'm always careful," Gokuu said, waving a hand. "Besides, we're just going to the castle. Gohan!"
Chichi muttered something about him having said the same thing before. Soon a little boy, looking much like Gokuu came into the kitchen, holding onto the round hat on his head. He smiled at his father and jumped up into his open arms.
"You want to come visit the Princess with us?" Gokuu asked.
Gohan nodded and looked pleased at the offer. Gokuu grinned and adjusted the hat on his head. He looked to his friends and motioned for him to follow him.
"I can't remember when she's leaving, but it's probably soon so let's get going," Gokuu said, walking over to his wife. "We'll be back soon."
"I mean it, Gokuu," Chichi said, giving him a peck on the cheek and fixing the collar of Gohan's shirt, "don't get into anything."
"Okay, Chichi," Gokuu said, smiling. He gave her a wave with one hand and left the room with his two friends.
"Okay, Chichi..." Chichi echoed, shaking her head. "I don't know why he still manages to surprise me..."
***
The Great Saiyajin no Ouji was completely disinterested with what his father was babbling about to him. He had paid attention to the part about the woman that would be arriving, and a little indignant about that as well. He calmed when his father told him that the alliance the Saiyajins had made with the Capsule Kingdom was merely for the technology they could gain by not destroying and conquering it. The other part of the alliance was simply up to him. If the Prince didn't like what he say, he could simply dispose of her. The Saiyajins had made no guarantee that there would be a complete merger of the two kingdoms.
"...at noon," the King concluded.
"What?" Vegita asked. The man had been talking for at least an hour now.
"The Capsule Princess," King Vegita said, frowning at his son. The boy had such a small attention span. "She will be arriving some time after noon."
"Whatever..."
"You realize you are betrothed to this woman?"
"If I accept her, that is," Vegita said, tapping his fingers on his arm. "You might as well keep her right where she is. You actually want me to mix the mighty Saiyajin blood with some weak woman's blood?"
"If you were to accept this woman, Prince," the King said, in a slow way as to keep his son's attention, "then it would make it easier to have access to the kingdom's resources. If you decided to reject her, then we would have to force their kingdom to give up what we want."
"So?"
"So," the King reiterated, glaring at him, "we would face too much resistance and most likely end up destroying the place for its insolence. If you accept her, it would benefit the Saiyajin empire greatly."
"Hmph," Vegita said, raising his nose to the ceiling. "Are you quite finished yet?"
"No, brat, I have one more thing to say," the King snapped.
"What?"
"If you do not accept this woman, then you will have to chose from the Saiyajin woman that I had selected for you previously."
"Hmph," Vegita said, getting down from the chair he had been sitting in. "What a waste of time!" He hurriedly left the room before his father could add anything else.
Vegita folded his arms across his chest and glared down the hall as he walked down it. *Why do I have to chose a mate already?* he thought. *I haven't yet reached my full potential... I'm at least two years from being King--Father acts as if he's in a hurry for me to descend the throne. Perhaps, he's sensing his demise.*
The thought of his father's demise put a smile on his face. "Maybe I don't need to wait until I reach my full potential," the young prince commented to himself.
***
Bulma had regained more composure an hour before she were to leave. She had made it to her room and noticed how bare it looked without most of her things. Every ten minutes or so, she would look out the window and gaze down at the view of the garden below. She would remember how she and her friends would play games among the variously shaped shrubs and look at the bench in the middle of it where she had her first kiss. It wasn't the best kiss she had, but it was one of her fondest memories. Bulma truly doubted that she would have many fond memories once she went to the head of the Saiyajin empire, Vegita. Somehow she shouldn't have been surprised that the name of all the royal heads of Vegita were the same as the name of the kingdom.
"Bulma, Queen of the Saiyajins..." Bulma murmured to herself. "That doesn't have even a slight ring to it. I'm not a Saiyajin. How can I be their Queen?"
Bulma jumped when a knock came at her door. She frowned, hoping it wasn't time for her to leave already. The knock came again before she could answer it, and ceased when she said the person could enter. Bulma smiled when she saw who had entered her chamber.
"Gokuu, Kuririn, Yamcha!" the Princess cried happily. She was met by a group of hugs. "I'm so glad you all came by."
"We knew you had to leave, so we had to say good-bye," Gokuu said, holding Gohan's hand by his side. "Didn't we, Gohan?"
Gohan made a little bow and smiled up at Bulma. "Good morning, Your Highness," he said.
"I am going to miss seeing your cute little son, Gokuu," Bulma said, bending down and giving him a hug. "I bet he's going to be a great knight just like you."
Gohan laughed as Bulma tickled him. "Probably not," Gokuu said. "Chichi doesn't want me to teach him to fight; she wants him to be a great scholar or philosopher."
"That's really too bad," Kuririn said. "I bet Gohan would be as great as knight as you."
"Really," Bulma agreed, rising again.
"Bulma, isn't there anyway you can stay?" Yamcha said, walking up to her. He grasped her hands and looked longingly into her blue eyes.
Bulma smiled at him kindly although they hadn't been seeing much of each of other recently. "As of noon today, my future will be in the hands of the Prince of the Saiyajins," she said, sighing. "If I'm lucky, he'll decide to kill me."
"Don't say that," Yamcha said. There was an obvious look of concern in his eyes.
"Yeah, Bulma," Gokuu said nonchalantly. "I'm sure everything will work out fine. I think even the Prince of the Saiyajins would be happy to have you as his wife."
Bulma smiled at that compliment, but the other two knights were less optimistic. "Are you kidding, Gokuu?" Kuririn said. "Saiyajins aren't like normal people--all they care about is fighting, power, and money."
"Thanks, Kuririn," Bulma said, pulling away from Yamcha and walking back over to her window. "That makes me feel much better."
"Oh, sorry," Kuririn said, laughing nervously. "It's not what I meant..."
"Hey, I have an idea," Gokuu said, smiling as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "Let's go out into the garden and play like we used to."
"Aren't we too old to being doing something like that?" Kuririn said, folding his arms over his chest.
"What?" Gokuu said. "I play with Gohan all the time."
"I bet," Yamcha laughed, watching Gohan exploring the room as if he were on an expedition.
"I think it's a great idea," Bulma said enthusiastically. "I bet Saiyajins never play games, so when am I ever going to get another chance to do something like this."
"Yeah," Kuririn said, more like the Princess. "I just hope no one important sees us out there. We might lose our titles."
"Ahem," Bulma said, putting her hands on her hips. "I am someone important."
"Come on, let's not waste any time!" Gokuu said, motioning for Gohan. "Last one out to the garden has to play the bad guy!" He grabbed Gohan's hand and sped off.
"Hey, no fair!" Kuririn said, chasing after Gokuu. A laughing Yamcha and Bulma followed behind him.
***
Nappa arrived promptly at the Capsule Kingdom during the appointed time. He wasn't pleased that he had been sent to pick up his prospect Queen; he would have much rather spent time preparing for the attack on the next profitable kingdom. The King had ordered him personally to take care of the job and deliver her to the Prince. It was something that the commander of the Elite army could not refuse. Even if that meant traveling to a kingdom of foolish weaklings.
The burly Saiyajin stood at the gate of the large castle, waiting for the guards to open the gate for him. He had brought the largest carriage he could get at the time, having a vague knowledge of non-Saiyajin women having a great deal of useless items that they owned. This kingdom was highly unlike the Saiyajin kingdom, so he figured it was a good guess their Princess wouldn't be different from the other feeble type women.
"Welcome to Capsule Kingdom," an attendant said to Nappa as he entered the castle.
Nappa ignored him and followed the attendant who was to lead him to the King's throne room. A smirk came to his lips as he remembered what kind of leader the kingdom had. King Briefs was rumored to be somewhat of a scientist himself; he had even invented a few things, the Saiyajin recalled. While King Vegita wasn't a clueless fool, he wouldn't be catch dead inventing things in his spare time. Besides thinking about the head of the kingdom, there was the castle itself that amused Nappa. The halls were much smaller than the castle in Vegita and decorated gaudily. Constantly there were portraits of the King, Queen, and the Princess along with past royalty. Not only did all the people smile in their pictures, there were also pictures of the women as if they were actually important. It was like a joke to Nappa to see how they esteemed the lesser sex like that.
"Presenting Nappa, Commander of the Saiyajin Elite army," an attendant said upon his arrival to the throne room.
Nappa would have burst out laughing when he saw the frail looking King sitting on his throne next to his Queen who also had a throne. In Vegita, the Queen was rarely seen and when she was, she was never seen on the throne with the King as if she were his equal. Despite his Saiyajin blood, however, he was trained to act with dignity when he needed to.
"King Vegita is most eager to join our two kingdoms in an alliance," Nappa said, making a short bow. "I trust your daughter is ready to depart?"
"We can only hope," King Briefs said, making a motion to one of his attendants. "Please get the Princess."
*Please?* Nappa mentally repeated, coughing to hide a laugh. *He even says "please" to his servants. A Saiyajin would only say that when saying "please die."*
Nappa lost his amusement when he had to wait about fifteen minutes for the attendant to return. The King or Queen didn't seem surprised or impatient about their daughter's tardy arrival, and in fact were just relieved she came at all. When it was announced that the Princess had arrived, Nappa prepared to be disappointed. King Vegita had no idea, like the rest of the Saiyajins, what the Princess actually looked like. The Saiyajin leader had said it didn't really matter as long as she was willing to give the Prince an heir. Nappa had agreed with that, but he doubted the Prince would be pleased with a woman that wasn't Saiyajin.
Bulma entered the throne room slowly, cheeks slightly flushed from running around in the garden and her lavender hair flung around her head in a wild fashion. Her eyes were vibrantly blue and were laced with an distinct defiance. She wore dark green dress that hugged the top of her body and loosened where her waist ended and was contained a few leaves at the end of it. Her arms were at her side, but seemingly so because she did not want to fold her arms and look completely defiant.
"A pleasure to meet you," the Princess said, making a short bow.
Nappa hid another laugh with a cough. *I wonder how the Great Saiyajin no Ouji is going to react to her,* he thought, returning the bow. *She certainly looks feisty, and she's not half bad to look at, but Prince Vegita isn't what you call indiscriminate.*
"Are you ready to go, Princess Bulma?" Nappa asked, eager to leave the place.
Bulma gave an annoyed look to her parents. "I guess so," she said reluctantly
The King and the Queen grasped hands and smiled at their daughter. "Be cooperative, Bulma," King Briefs said.
"We'll miss you, dear," the Queen said. "Don't forget to write us."
"Goodbye, Father, Mother," Bulma replied. She frowned a little at their tone. It was as if she were going on some trip and would be back in a few weeks. Bulma hoped they realized she was going to meet her future husband who possibly could be the single most evil man in creation.
"Let us go, Your Highness," Nappa said, getting bored with the high sentimentality. Bulma gave him a nod and tried her best to convey a regal look instead of an angry, childish brat like she truly felt like inside.
*Author's Note: ...Ano... If there are any major mistakes or concerns you have, please let me know. I haven't gone through my first chapter with a fine-tooth comb...