*Author's Notes: Well, this will be the last chapter for a while. I've
gotten a few reviews where people are eager for me to get to the point
where Bulma and Vegita like each other, but I'm sorry to say that is going
to happen as soon as many of you would like. Frankly, I dislike fanfiction
that gets to the Bulma loves Vegita and vice-versa quickly; the best ones
I've read took their time, and the time taken was good. So, gomen to those
who can't wait. In the end I have to write like I like to write, or I
won't write at all. I had to rewrite much of this chapter and chapter
nine's not quite finished (and needs more rewriting), so it will be a while
before an update. Bulma gets injured in this chapter, for good reason...so
Vegita realizes hurting Bulma is not possible... Well, enjoy. ^_^
Chapter 8
Radditsu whipped his head around as several Saiyajin ran past him in a panic as if the castle were attacked. Gokuu stood behind him with a face of wonder, but didn't ask his brother what was going on, getting the impression that he didn't know either. The older Saiyajin grabbed a guard as he tried to run past him.
"What's going on??" Radditsu demanded. It wasn't normal to enter the castle and see such a thing.
"The Princess has escaped again and Vegita-Ouji's ordered that everyone look for her."
"How'd she get away?"
"She used some high-pitched sound to distract the guards at her door and ran off." The guard left it at that and ran off to the left hall. Gokuu watched him go, lowering his brows.
"What does he mean that Bulma's 'escaped?'" he asked his scowling brother. "She's not a prisoner, is she?"
Radditsu ignored his question and turned his scowl on him. "Kakarotto, I'm going to help the others--don't go anywhere," he commanded. He left before Gokuu could consent to that.
Gokuu frowned and looked around the stone walls, lightly decorated with blue tapestries and a seal he guessed to be the royal emblem. Other Saiyajins passed him without much notice of him, sometimes shouting things to other Saiyajins ahead of them. He thought about listening to what his brother had told him since he hadn't a clue where anything was in the castle, but as he stood there uncomfortably for two minutes, he decided that he didn't really need to listen to him because he hadn't promised that he would stay there. Gokuu figured he could find his way back before his brother returned. Somehow, he had a feeling he could find his friend before any of the other Saiyajins did. Somehow, he knew that he needed to.
***
Bulma had been more clever in her hiding this time. She had set off one of her dolls in a room and made it look like she had left the room while the Saiyajin guarding it was down. When someone came in and smashed the doll, the two assumed that the Princess was gone and went to search other rooms. The only bad part was that she heard them talking about guarding the halls so that she couldn't get into a room they had all ready checked. Now Bulma was stuck there, and she didn't exactly have a plan on how she would find Gokuu. She wasn't even sure if he was there yet. Bulma sighed and carefully shifted under the bed she was hiding. It was good that the covers were long enough that none of the guards could see her under there, but that was also good because she could peek underneath it and see if anyone was approaching her.
She tried not to think of how angry Vegita would be with her and how he would make her pay for what she'd done. The last time she had "escaped" Vegita promised to kill her. Now he'd probably go through with it without waiting to let her see her friend die. Bulma had to remind herself that she had to give it a try instead of sitting around in her room like a mute dummy. She had the brains, though she lacked any physical power that could stand up against a Saiyajin. If she was going to die--she was going to die fighting in some way. At least she had a one-in-a-million chance to find Gokuu. If the guards decided to leave, she could slip out of the room and try to find him. However, it sounded as if Vegita had all the guards looking for her again. She wondered if any of them would try to kill her themselves if they found her. Bulma quickly answered that, knowing Vegita would want the pleasure to be all his.
Bulma could hear the guards in the hall talking about something and sounding surprised. They seemed to be arguing with someone who didn't say very much. It seemed that the quieter Saiyajin won the argument, and she heard the sound of retreating feet. She decided that wasn't very important since the steps were distant from her location. Bulma mouthed something about why things like this had to happen to her.
She jumped a little when she heard the door of the room creaking open further. Soft footsteps came closer and closer to the bed. Bulma said a silent curse. She wondered if she could crawl out the room before the Saiyajin found her. She was about to make her way from under the bed just as the covers hiding the side of the bed were lifted up. Bulma mentally screamed and closed her eyes. A gentle laugh filled her ears.
*Hmm?* Bulma thought, slowly opening her eyes. She indeed viewed a pair of Saiyajin eyes.
"I'm glad I found you first," Gokuu said, smiling at her from the side of the bed.
Bulma was so glad to see someone friendly that she scrambled from under the bed and locked Gokuu in a tight hug. He laughed again and pulled her to her feet, gently letting her give him some room to breath. She started moving her mouth rapidly, forgetting that she wasn't able to speak.
"What's wrong?" Gokuu said, looking at her sideways. "How come you're not saying anything?"
Bulma pointed to her throat and started making weird gestures that Gokuu had no idea of what they meant. She sighed and calmed herself down; this wasn't the time to be getting overly excited. Bulma pointed to her lips and began to talk slowly and carefully so that Gokuu would be able to recognize her lips' movements. Gokuu had to watch her several times at first, unsure of what she was doing before he figured out that he was supposed to read her lips.
*Vegita did something to me to make my voice go away,* Gokuu determined Bulma was trying to say.
"Why'd he do that?" Gokuu asked.
*Because he didn't want me to warn you about his plan to publicly kill you,* Bulma mouthed.
Gokuu didn't look that surprised. "At least I was right about them planning to kill me," he said thoughtfully.
*You knew??* Bulma began balling up her fists as if she were going to smack some sense into her friend. *Why are you here then?? What about Chichi and Gohan??*
"I've never run away from anything in my life, and I'm about to start now. Besides, I won't die easily--I'll fight the Prince if I have to."
*No!* Bulma waved her hands frantically in front of her. *He's too strong... He's inhumane!*
"Just trust me, Bulma," Gokuu said, flashing her his trademark smile. "I'm not planning to die just yet, but if I do… I've all ready asked Kuririn and Yamcha to look over my family."
*Son-kun...* Bulma mouthed, giving up on her agitated gestures. She bit her bottom lip and nodded. She knew once he had made up his mind, there was no changing it.
"So, what should we do now?"
Bulma shrugged, only planning to somehow find Gokuu and warn him. She hadn't thought what to do after she had accomplished it. Gokuu shrugged too and grasped her hand. Bulma looked at him with a smile, despite all the terrible things that were likely to occur in the future. Gokuu had that effect on her; whenever everything looked shot to hell, he came along and made it look like a walk through the clouds. His "daijoubu" smile didn't hurt either. Gokuu started leading her toward the door, unsure where they were going to go, but knowing that staying there wouldn't be any good.
However, Vegita was doing a good job of following Bulma's scent again and was going to an open room. He was stopped by a Saiyajin who he thought was Bardaku, but without the scars. He then realized it was Kakarotto.
"Kakarotto, what are you--" Vegita stopped as he saw the blue hair behind him. "You little bitch!!"
Gokuu raised his arm, blocking Vegita's passage to Bulma who was holding onto his back. "Who are you?"
Vegita smacked his arm out of his way, making Gokuu blink. "Kisama!" he roared. He glared at Bulma pressing herself into Gokuu protectively. "Who do you think you are?? You have a lot of nerve getting in the way of the Saiyajin no Ouji!"
As Vegita tried to grab Bulma, Gokuu turned and moved away from the door into the hall, keeping Bulma behind him. "My propriety is to protect Bulma," he said, lowering his brows. "So, you're Vegita, huh?"
Vegita decided that he would later repay Kakarotto for addressing him so informally, but presently he was distracted by Gokuu's use of the name "Bulma." "Bulma?" he repeated more to himself than Gokuu.
"That's the Princess's name. Didn't you know?" Gokuu frowned, finding that awfully suspicious of one who claimed he was going to marry her.
A grin slipped on Vegita's face. "And I thought Kakarotto was a ridiculous name…" he said, forgetting for the moment that he was outraged by the younger Saiyajin.
Bulma poked her head from behind Gokuu and said, though no sound came out, *As if "Vegita" is a better name! It sounds like "vegetable!"*
Vegita's eyes were more than enough skilled to read lips and deciphering what the Princess were trying to say was easy for the Prince. "Onore!!" he said, the grin quickly disappearing. He made another grab for Bulma, but was once again denied a hold on the Princess. Gokuu easily moved back with Bulma.
"Kakarotto, if you don't get out of my way…!!"
"I won't let you hurt Bulma," Gokuu nearly growled. "I don't care who you are."
Vegita didn't loose the scowl on his face, but decided that getting past the fool wasn't going to be as easy he thought. "Hmph," he said, considering forgetting about publicly killing Gokuu, "you think that you could stand up against me?"
*Son-kun…* Bulma silently said to his back. She tightened her grip on his shirt.
Gokuu grinned as he did when he was about to fight an interesting opponent. "I'm not sure," he said. "Demo, I'm willing to find out if it gives me the chance to protect Bulma."
Vegita didn't know which annoyed him more about Kakarotto: his audacity to challenge him, the Saiyajin no Ouji, or his relentless declaration of going to protect "Bulma." When he thought more of the latter, the latter angered him more. Even if there was a slight possibility that Vegita would take the woman for his mate, Vegita certainly didn't want a low-class (insane, low-class at that) addressing her more intimately than he did himself. To Vegita it was irrelevant that Gokuu came from a kingdom where such things might be a common practice; Kakarotto as well as himself stood on the ground of the Vegita Kingdom. He wouldn't have foreigners contradicting the customs that were well-rooted in his own kingdom.
"I suppose you're eager to die, Kakarotto," Vegita said, his hands unconsciously rolling into fists.
Gokuu's brows lowered, and he prepared himself for whatever the Saiyajin no Ouji would throw his way. However, just as Vegita were about to teach Gokuu a lesson about testing the Saiyajin no Ouji, the Prince caught sight of Radditsu rushing toward them. He supposed it was the sight of another Saiyajin that reminded Vegita of the gains of killing Gokuu later. Vegita relaxed his hands, but kept a steady glare on the man who made a wall between himself and the woman that dared to slip through his fingers a second time. Gokuu hadn't relaxed at all, hardly trusting that the Prince wouldn't try something eventually.
"Kakarotto!" Radditsu said, wondering if his brother simply attracted trouble. "What the hell are you doing??"
"I'm protecting my Princess," Gokuu said, not bothering to move his eyes on his brother. Vegita narrowed his eyes at Kakarotto, noticing his unwavering attitude.
"Your Highness, please forgive me," Radditsu said, bowing. "I shouldn't have left this fool by himself."
"You'd do well to teach your little brother the Saiyajin lifestyle…" Vegita said. "It seems he's horribly clueless about the way things are here."
"Ha…hai, Ouji-sama…" Radditsu said, glancing between Vegita and Gokuu. The way the two were staring at each other suggested that both needed just one excuse to jump into a fight.
"King Briefs sent me here to protect Bulma," Gokuu said. "I didn't come here to be a Saiyajin."
"What do you think you are, Kakarotto??" Radditsu demanded. He finally was able to distract Gokuu's gaze from the Prince. "You might consider yourself a subject of Capsule, but it's impossible to deny your Saiyajin background."
Gokuu diverted his gaze again, but his eyes had the appearance that he understood what his brother was saying. Vegita grinned to himself, glad that Radditsu could talk a little sense into him. However, the Prince realized that the only way to make it easier to get to Bulma was to assure Gokuu that she wasn't in any danger. He knew that the success of his charade would depend on Gokuu's idiocy, but he was willing to take the chance that Gokuu was as stupid as he seemed.
"Kakarotto, there's no need for you to protect your Princess," Vegita said evenly. "She's not in any danger."
Gokuu met eyes with Vegita again, a frown setting into place in his features in addition. "Forgive me if I find that a little hard to believe," he said. After all, Vegita's actions weren't the only reason he were doubtful; he could still feel Bulma holding onto his back as if her life depended on it.
"Hmph, I bet you found it hard to believe that you were a Saiyajin, am I right?" Vegita said, grin widening at the confirmation suggested in Gokuu's eyes. "So, if that was hard for you to accept as true, it would be hard for you accept that the woman is safe in my hands."
Gokuu didn't move, feeling Bulma poke her head from behind his back again. Seeing the wily look on Vegita's wicked face, Bulma was incredibly grateful that she had Gokuu in her corner now and had him to prevent Vegita from getting to her for at least a few minutes. Radditsu, though a bit slow to catch on, did his best to appear supportive of what the Prince claimed to be true. Whatever it took, Radditsu had to make sure that the Prince killed Gokuu in front of everyone. Then and only then would he be satisfied with the riddance of his brother as he had before. If Kakarotto were killed right now, it would reduce his satisfaction of proving his dead mother wrong. He had had this satisfaction before Kakarotto had resurfaced- -he would go to great lengths to return the satisfaction to himself once again.
"The Princess is the Prince's 'mate,'" Radditsu said, he and the Prince the only ones aware of its quotation marks. "He is merely upset because he didn't know where she was. You can understand that, right?"
"Why did you silence Bulma?" Gokuu demanded of the Prince.
"Silence her?" Vegita laughed. Now he was having fun with his deception. "The woman developed a throat infection. I was examing her neck to try to help her and she kept screaming, making the infection worse. That is how she lost her voice, but she claims it is my fault."
Radditsu couldn't help but grin at his prince's craftiness. It sounded logical, for a normal person anyway. However, Kakarotto didn't lose his look that wasn't uncommon to Bardaku.
Bulma frowned and shook her head furiously, hoping that Gokuu wouldn't fall for it. *Damn Vegita!* she thought. *What a lying bastard! God! If I could speak I would tell His Shortness a thing or two!*
"Even if you were worried, I don't think there would ever be a need for you to call Bulma a 'bitch,'" Gokuu said, folding his arms over his chest.
*Hmph, she is a bitch,* Vegita thought, nearly laughing at his silent words. "How well-mannered would you expect a Saiyajin to be, Kakarotto?" he asked. "As much I am…concerned for the woman, it's impossible for me to change habits I've have since I could speak."
*Ha!* Bulma thought, tempted to attack Vegita herself. *Concerned my foot! The only thing he's concerned about is killing people!*
Gokuu suddenly lightened his expression. "I guess that's true," he admitted. He made a short bow. "I'm sorry, Your Highness; I didn't mean to cause trouble."
Vegita smirked as did Radditsu once Bulma removed herself from Gokuu and began frantically pleading him in silence not to fall for their act. Gokuu smiled at her--his "daijoubu" smile--and put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
"Let me take the Princess back to her room," Gokuu suggested, "and then I can do whatever else you have planned for me, Your Highness."
*This Kakarotto really is dumb,* Vegita thought as he looked to his confused brother. *Hmph, I can deal with the woman later... I'll just have Sukuwa and Pikaru take everything from her room in the mean time.*
"Fine, Kakarotto," Vegita said. "Your brother will show you the way. Radditsu."
"Hai, Vegita-Ouji." Vegita beckoned him with a finger and he stepped closer to the Prince.
"Inform Sukuwa and Pikaru to remove everything in her room except for her clothing," Vegita said lowly. "Then bring Kakarotto to the throne room-- I will receive him there." Radditsu nodded.
Vegita gave Bulma an evil look. "I will rest easier when you are safely back in your room," he said. He went down the hall and disappeared in a minute.
Bulma cursed him over and over in her mind, but Gokuu remained placid as if he hadn't noticed the look he had given the Princess. Gokuu gasped her hand and smiled at her.
"Let's go," Gokuu said, looking to his brother then.
Radditsu snorted. "You're dumber than I thought…" he muttered.
***
"Understood," Sukuwa and Pikaru said after Radditsu told them of their orders. Radditsu nodded and looked to the closed door, wondering when his brother would come out of the room.
"How is Kakarotto?" Pikaru asked, smirking. "Is he as crazy as the rumors say?"
"Even worse," Radditsu said. "Surely he will be killed upon terms of insanity."
"I'm not surprised," Sukuwa muttered. "Bardaku should have known that one of his brats would be insane after choosing the mate he did."
"Heh, his mate even had some of the Elites interested," Pikaru said. Radditsu snorted.
"Her unusual beauty only shadowed her insanity," Radditsu said bitterly. "Had she been tried for insanity, she'd been dead before Kakarotto was conceived."
"Maybe you too," Pikaru said. Radditsu merely narrowed his eyes.
***
"Bulma, trust me," Gokuu said, waving his hands to calm his silently agitated friend. "I need to avoid upsetting Vegita as long as I can. I'm going to act like I'm in the dark, so nothing changes Vegita's plans, see?"
Bulma went into one of her chests and pulled out some paper and a writing utensil. *What if your plan doesn't work?* she wrote.
"I have a good feeling it will," Gokuu said. He looked behind. "I better leave before my brother gets suspicious."
*Son-kun...* Bulma mouthed. She ran to embrace him.
"Bulma, the only way you will get hurt is if I lose my life," Gokuu said, rubbing her back. "Trust me; I've never let you down before." He let her go and gave her his largest smile.
Tears edged on her eyelids. She looked at Gokuu as if he were going straight to his death. Her knight was calm and almost joyfully. He waved to her and went out the door, leaving her alone in the room. Bulma sighed and sat down on the floor, unaware of when she would see her friend again.
***
Vegita was standing by the throne where his father was sitting when Gokuu and Radditsu entered the throne room. There was a line of Saiyajin officials, including Nappa, present who were curious to see what the insane Saiyajin looked like. During later Vegita reigns, occurrences of "insanity" were more frequent and more feared. There had been no such cases when the last Vegita had descended the throne; the Vegita before him had done most of the dirty work to ensure that the Saiyajin code was followed closely. King Vegita had become so confident in his ruling that the thought of an insane Saiyajin during his reign actually amused him. He could see that his son were equally amused which was a good sign. All the Saiyajins needed to share that feeling; why would a Saiyajin have any reason to be inferior?
Gokuu walked impassively down the long red carpet, avoiding eye contact with the Saiyajins on both sides who scowled and whispered about him. He concentrated on the two Vegitas at the end of the carpet who were at least smiling even though it seemed to be for dire reasons. He stopped a few feet from the King's throne and bowed on one knee.
"Thank you for allowing me to come to your kingdom, Your Majesty," Gokuu said, looking down at the floor he were so close to.
King Vegita chuckled and folded his hands in his lap. "So you are the 'Lost Saiyajin,' hmm?" he said. "How do you like the Saiyajin kingdom so far?"
Gokuu lifted his head and scratched it. "Well, it's a lot bigger than Capsule."
The King was shared in his laughter by some of the other members in the room. Radditsu, near the door, frowned at his brother's simple comment. He found it a bit suspicious the way his brother were acting. Wasn't he minutes ago defying the Prince to save his insignificant Princess? Radditsu had a good feeling he was up to something and wasn't as stupid as he seemed to be.
"Tell us, Kakarotto, exactly what you have been doing in Capsule during your absence," King Vegita said, grinning at his son from the corner of his mouth.
"I lived with my grandfather, Son Gohan, who started my training and inspired me to be a great knight," Gokuu said, forgetting where he was for a moment. "After he died, I seemed to get into battle after battle, increasing my strength and skills each time I did. I became one of King Briefs's knights and have defended my kingdom and the royal family with my life. That's my life in a nutshell." He smiled after his summary of his existence.
King Vegita's grin became wider and Vegita let out a loud, contemptible laugh. The rest of the Saiyajins in the room were silent with disbelief. How a Saiyajin could have lived a life such as Gokuu not only sounded insane, but was slightly insulting. Saiyajins, even those of low ranks, were much better than being a pathetic knight for some small, weak kingdom. Gokuu watched with wonder as Vegita continued to laugh at his story, taking no heed of how loud his voice seemed in the absence of any other sound.
"I hope you will be up for the test Ouji has planned for you," King Vegita went on, not waiting for his son to stop his laughter. "Since you are one of the greatest knights of Capsule, we would like to see how you'd fare against some of our greatest warriors."
"Ee?" Gokuu said, his eyes growing wide. "Hontou?? That sounds fun!"
Vegita's chuckling broke off right there. "Oh, it will be fun," he said, nodding. "It surely will be one of the most intense moments of your life."
"Yoshi!" Gokuu said, standing up. He smiled brightly. "When do I get tested?"
"Two days," Vegita said, holding up two fingers. "I'm gracious enough to let you train in the guard's training hall in the meantime. We want it to be entertaining, at least."
"I thank you, Ouji-sama," Gokuu said, bowing. "This is really going to be great! I can't wait!"
"You're not the only one..." Vegita said, starting up a great chuckle again. His father joined him this time.
"Baka..." Radditsu murmured, glaring at his brother across the room. "You haven't a clue of what's in store for you..."
***
*Saiyajins!* Bulma mouthed, wanting to scream her lungs out. She was outraged that all of her possessions, save her clothes, had been taken forcefully away. To make matters worse Pikaru and Sukuwa enjoyed every moment of taking her things. Obviously they were still upset about her recent escape and rendering them to be incompetent again. Bulma were a bit pleased about that, knowing that she had outsmarted the Saiyajins, making that her second time doing so. However, this did not compensate for another violation of her rights as a princess. How much more could Bulma take? She slumped down next to her bed and let out a great sigh. What waited for her in the future was the death of her best friend, the destruction of her kingdom, and her own death. Gokuu had given her a tiny glimpse of hope, but that hope were too small for her to hold on to. Had Vegita not given her the impression that he were some kind of indestructible monster, she might have had more faith in her best knight.
*Son-kun...* Bulma thought, staring down at the floor. *You may never see your wife or son again and it will be all my fault! If only I could get away from these abominable Saiyajins... My life would be so great if I did.*
Bulma turned as her door opened and prepared to frown, believing it to be Pikaru and/or Sukuwa. However, she was not so fortunate; it were exactly who she would have least wanted a "visit" from. She jumped to her feet and backed against a wall. Vegita were smiling at her, but that didn't tell her much about what the purpose of his appearance in her room was.
"Doushita?" Vegita said rather affably. His smile became less affable as Bulma bared her teeth at him. "I just wanted to check up on you, that's all."
*I hate you!* Bulma mouthed. She was given a loud laugh in reply.
"I suggest you enjoy the last two days you will have with Kakarotto," Vegita went on. "The tournament will be his death place."
*Tour...tournament?* Bulma mouthed.
Vegita stepped closer to her, and Bulma decided to hold her ground to feign bravery again. As he stood about six inches from her, staring like he had when they were in the bath, she tried to move sideways. Vegita slammed his hands on both sides of her, blocking her path. Bulma eyed him, trembling and wondering what the grinning snake wanted with her.
"You'll be next," Vegita said quietly. "The night of the tournament you will die. Wakatta yo?"
Bulma slowly moved her lips so that Vegita could read them. *Gokuu will not be killed by the likes of you. If I were you I would pray that Gokuu doesn't kill you!*
"Kakarotto kill me?" Vegita laughed. "Woman, you must have a bit of that insanity that he has." Bulma glared at him. "Too bad I won't be able to hear your screams as you watch your friend die. That would be the highlight of killing him."
Bulma's cheeks flushed as Vegita let out yet another laugh. Her hands clenched at her side and shook with anger. For a brief moment she forgot completely of Vegita's position, power, and lack of compassion. In those three seconds she swung at Vegita's laughing face as hard as she was able to in that situation. In his amusement Vegita neither expected her hand to come in contact with his face nor expected it to actually cause slight discomfort. It was a bit like getting hit with a ball in the face; even if it didn't hurt you too much, it were still embarrassing because it happened while your guard were down.
Vegita slowly touched his cheek where he had been slapped. Bulma's reality came back to view, and her eyes grew wide as the shock melted from Vegita's face and anger over took it. The Princess had a short flashback of when the Prince had nearly choked her to death when she had told him exactly what she had thought of him. Now it seemed she would get something equally as unpleasant in return.
"O...no...re!!" The hand touching his cheek curled into a fist.
*Oh, boy...* Bulma thought her eyes growing wide.
"How dare you touch me like that!" Vegita's fist slammed into the wall, nearly hitting her left ear.
Bulma made a silent scream and buried her face into her hands as if that would protect her from another of Vegita's attacks. The Prince drew in heavy breathes and slowly recoiled his fist. He had left a large dent in the wall and made the skin on his knuckles a bit red.
"You little bitch!" Vegita said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Who do you think you are??" Bulma immediately dropped her arms, startled by the way he grabbed her like she weighed nothing.
*Let go of me!* Bulma mouthed, struggling in his stationary grip.
"Grr!" Vegita said, pulling her off the ground until she were above his head. "I am going to break you in half!"
Bulma kicked and twisted, but that only made Vegita hold her tighter. Vegita, forgetting that Bulma weren't like any one else in his kingdom, abruptly threw her against the wall. It happened so quickly that Bulma didn't even realize the moment when she made contact with the hard surface, and everything turned black. When he saw the way she hit the wall, more helpless than anyone the Prince had ever seen, he realized that he easily could have killed her in that action. Bulma slid to the floor, motionless and eyes closed. Vegita felt an immediate fear¾an emotion he had never witnessed before. What was he afraid of?
Vegita forced a scowl to counter the look of shock that had somehow seeped into his expression. He walked over to Bulma and stared down at her to see any signs of movement. Upon closer inspection he noticed the large bruise forming on her forehead.
*Damn,* Vegita thought, bending down next to her. *If she's dead now, it'll ruin all of my fun...* He placed two fingers to her neck, feeling around for a pulse. *Hmph, she's alive.*
Vegita stared at Bulma, contemplating what he wanted to do. The reasonable thing he thought to do was to leave her on the floor and teach her a lesson about testing Vegita's authority. However, as much as his anger and pride beckoned him to do such a thing, something held him back. It was much like the time he had went into Bulma's room to kill her while she slept, but the sight of her in the moonlight prevented him from doing so. Now she was pitifully lying on the ground unconscious, having the same effect on him. Vegita let out a growl in confusion and forced himself to stand and turn his back on the sight. Why didn't her miserable condition cause him amusement as it did when he had put several others in the same or greater predicament?
*What the hell is she doing to me?* Vegita wondered, rubbing his temples.
The door knocked from the outside and Vegita looked toward it. "Ouji- sama," Pikaru's voice said from the other side, "is everything all right? We heard things being slammed against the wall."
"Everything is fine," Vegita said, reluctantly looking in Bulma's direction again. "Do you think the woman is that dangerous?"
"Iie, Ouji-sama!" Pikaru said quickly. "Sorry, sir!"
Vegita folded his arms over his chest and concentrated on the knocked out woman on his floor. *Why have I been plagued with this bitch?* he asked himself. *I'll be lenient on her this time, just to appease this damned feeling like some eternal wound I experience every time I think about leaving her in this position. I guess it's better that way; I want her to be completely well when she witnesses the death of her little knight.*
Vegita smirked and carefully picked Bulma up, experiencing a slight jabbing within his gut upon noticing how lifeless she were in his arms. He fought the sensation off with a frown and carried the Princess over to her bed. Though he felt the foreign feeling dissipate when he placed Bulma comfortably on the bed, he was angry that he didn't get to exactly end their conversation as he intended. Vegita had wanted to goat the woman until she broke down and begged him to have mercy on her friend. No, the Saiyajin Prince had been met with little fear by the impertinent Princess, and even slapped. Yes, he had thrown her against and wall and showed her who truly had the power, but he had a good feeling when she awoke, she'd be more angry at him than afraid. He didn't understand that; did the Princess not see that Vegita could kill her at any moment he chose? Why was it that she was able to say such impudent things to him, knowing that it could possibly end her life?
Vegita examined her face, noticing how the bruise was well developing. Suddenly he realized that if the "Lost Saiyajin" saw the mark on her forehead, he would surely question it. Though Bulma couldn't speak at the moment, he knew that somehow she'd get it across that he had done it. If Gokuu got upset and tested Vegita again like he had before, the Prince would surely kill him for his insolence before the tournament. Though that would still upset Bulma, he wanted to do it publicly to show everyone his might. Vegita scowled and exited the room.
Pikaru and Sukuwa saluted him as he left the room and gave Vegita their full attention when they noticed he intended to tell them something. "Get the woman some ice," Vegita said as casually as he could. "She was stupid enough to ram her head into a wall and is now forming a bruise. I don't want Kakarotto to see it because it could ruin the main event of the tournament. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Hai, Ouji-sama! the guards said together. "We understand!"
"I know of something that will get rid of the bruise in no time, Denka," Sukuwa said. "Shall I use it?"
"Yes, whatever," Vegita said, waving a hand. "I just need her to look well enough to keep that crazy Saiyajin from getting suspicious."
"Hai!"
Vegita quickly distanced himself from the Princess's room in desperate need of something to take his mind off what had just happened. Either he were going to go crazy remembering how he felt when he saw her, or he were going to explode from thinking about how she spoiled his fun and dared to slap him. Vegita stopped at the nearest wall and leaned his head against it. His anger was overruling his second option, and rising each second.
"That woman… Wait until she wakes up!" Vegita said to the wall.
Chapter 8
Radditsu whipped his head around as several Saiyajin ran past him in a panic as if the castle were attacked. Gokuu stood behind him with a face of wonder, but didn't ask his brother what was going on, getting the impression that he didn't know either. The older Saiyajin grabbed a guard as he tried to run past him.
"What's going on??" Radditsu demanded. It wasn't normal to enter the castle and see such a thing.
"The Princess has escaped again and Vegita-Ouji's ordered that everyone look for her."
"How'd she get away?"
"She used some high-pitched sound to distract the guards at her door and ran off." The guard left it at that and ran off to the left hall. Gokuu watched him go, lowering his brows.
"What does he mean that Bulma's 'escaped?'" he asked his scowling brother. "She's not a prisoner, is she?"
Radditsu ignored his question and turned his scowl on him. "Kakarotto, I'm going to help the others--don't go anywhere," he commanded. He left before Gokuu could consent to that.
Gokuu frowned and looked around the stone walls, lightly decorated with blue tapestries and a seal he guessed to be the royal emblem. Other Saiyajins passed him without much notice of him, sometimes shouting things to other Saiyajins ahead of them. He thought about listening to what his brother had told him since he hadn't a clue where anything was in the castle, but as he stood there uncomfortably for two minutes, he decided that he didn't really need to listen to him because he hadn't promised that he would stay there. Gokuu figured he could find his way back before his brother returned. Somehow, he had a feeling he could find his friend before any of the other Saiyajins did. Somehow, he knew that he needed to.
***
Bulma had been more clever in her hiding this time. She had set off one of her dolls in a room and made it look like she had left the room while the Saiyajin guarding it was down. When someone came in and smashed the doll, the two assumed that the Princess was gone and went to search other rooms. The only bad part was that she heard them talking about guarding the halls so that she couldn't get into a room they had all ready checked. Now Bulma was stuck there, and she didn't exactly have a plan on how she would find Gokuu. She wasn't even sure if he was there yet. Bulma sighed and carefully shifted under the bed she was hiding. It was good that the covers were long enough that none of the guards could see her under there, but that was also good because she could peek underneath it and see if anyone was approaching her.
She tried not to think of how angry Vegita would be with her and how he would make her pay for what she'd done. The last time she had "escaped" Vegita promised to kill her. Now he'd probably go through with it without waiting to let her see her friend die. Bulma had to remind herself that she had to give it a try instead of sitting around in her room like a mute dummy. She had the brains, though she lacked any physical power that could stand up against a Saiyajin. If she was going to die--she was going to die fighting in some way. At least she had a one-in-a-million chance to find Gokuu. If the guards decided to leave, she could slip out of the room and try to find him. However, it sounded as if Vegita had all the guards looking for her again. She wondered if any of them would try to kill her themselves if they found her. Bulma quickly answered that, knowing Vegita would want the pleasure to be all his.
Bulma could hear the guards in the hall talking about something and sounding surprised. They seemed to be arguing with someone who didn't say very much. It seemed that the quieter Saiyajin won the argument, and she heard the sound of retreating feet. She decided that wasn't very important since the steps were distant from her location. Bulma mouthed something about why things like this had to happen to her.
She jumped a little when she heard the door of the room creaking open further. Soft footsteps came closer and closer to the bed. Bulma said a silent curse. She wondered if she could crawl out the room before the Saiyajin found her. She was about to make her way from under the bed just as the covers hiding the side of the bed were lifted up. Bulma mentally screamed and closed her eyes. A gentle laugh filled her ears.
*Hmm?* Bulma thought, slowly opening her eyes. She indeed viewed a pair of Saiyajin eyes.
"I'm glad I found you first," Gokuu said, smiling at her from the side of the bed.
Bulma was so glad to see someone friendly that she scrambled from under the bed and locked Gokuu in a tight hug. He laughed again and pulled her to her feet, gently letting her give him some room to breath. She started moving her mouth rapidly, forgetting that she wasn't able to speak.
"What's wrong?" Gokuu said, looking at her sideways. "How come you're not saying anything?"
Bulma pointed to her throat and started making weird gestures that Gokuu had no idea of what they meant. She sighed and calmed herself down; this wasn't the time to be getting overly excited. Bulma pointed to her lips and began to talk slowly and carefully so that Gokuu would be able to recognize her lips' movements. Gokuu had to watch her several times at first, unsure of what she was doing before he figured out that he was supposed to read her lips.
*Vegita did something to me to make my voice go away,* Gokuu determined Bulma was trying to say.
"Why'd he do that?" Gokuu asked.
*Because he didn't want me to warn you about his plan to publicly kill you,* Bulma mouthed.
Gokuu didn't look that surprised. "At least I was right about them planning to kill me," he said thoughtfully.
*You knew??* Bulma began balling up her fists as if she were going to smack some sense into her friend. *Why are you here then?? What about Chichi and Gohan??*
"I've never run away from anything in my life, and I'm about to start now. Besides, I won't die easily--I'll fight the Prince if I have to."
*No!* Bulma waved her hands frantically in front of her. *He's too strong... He's inhumane!*
"Just trust me, Bulma," Gokuu said, flashing her his trademark smile. "I'm not planning to die just yet, but if I do… I've all ready asked Kuririn and Yamcha to look over my family."
*Son-kun...* Bulma mouthed, giving up on her agitated gestures. She bit her bottom lip and nodded. She knew once he had made up his mind, there was no changing it.
"So, what should we do now?"
Bulma shrugged, only planning to somehow find Gokuu and warn him. She hadn't thought what to do after she had accomplished it. Gokuu shrugged too and grasped her hand. Bulma looked at him with a smile, despite all the terrible things that were likely to occur in the future. Gokuu had that effect on her; whenever everything looked shot to hell, he came along and made it look like a walk through the clouds. His "daijoubu" smile didn't hurt either. Gokuu started leading her toward the door, unsure where they were going to go, but knowing that staying there wouldn't be any good.
However, Vegita was doing a good job of following Bulma's scent again and was going to an open room. He was stopped by a Saiyajin who he thought was Bardaku, but without the scars. He then realized it was Kakarotto.
"Kakarotto, what are you--" Vegita stopped as he saw the blue hair behind him. "You little bitch!!"
Gokuu raised his arm, blocking Vegita's passage to Bulma who was holding onto his back. "Who are you?"
Vegita smacked his arm out of his way, making Gokuu blink. "Kisama!" he roared. He glared at Bulma pressing herself into Gokuu protectively. "Who do you think you are?? You have a lot of nerve getting in the way of the Saiyajin no Ouji!"
As Vegita tried to grab Bulma, Gokuu turned and moved away from the door into the hall, keeping Bulma behind him. "My propriety is to protect Bulma," he said, lowering his brows. "So, you're Vegita, huh?"
Vegita decided that he would later repay Kakarotto for addressing him so informally, but presently he was distracted by Gokuu's use of the name "Bulma." "Bulma?" he repeated more to himself than Gokuu.
"That's the Princess's name. Didn't you know?" Gokuu frowned, finding that awfully suspicious of one who claimed he was going to marry her.
A grin slipped on Vegita's face. "And I thought Kakarotto was a ridiculous name…" he said, forgetting for the moment that he was outraged by the younger Saiyajin.
Bulma poked her head from behind Gokuu and said, though no sound came out, *As if "Vegita" is a better name! It sounds like "vegetable!"*
Vegita's eyes were more than enough skilled to read lips and deciphering what the Princess were trying to say was easy for the Prince. "Onore!!" he said, the grin quickly disappearing. He made another grab for Bulma, but was once again denied a hold on the Princess. Gokuu easily moved back with Bulma.
"Kakarotto, if you don't get out of my way…!!"
"I won't let you hurt Bulma," Gokuu nearly growled. "I don't care who you are."
Vegita didn't loose the scowl on his face, but decided that getting past the fool wasn't going to be as easy he thought. "Hmph," he said, considering forgetting about publicly killing Gokuu, "you think that you could stand up against me?"
*Son-kun…* Bulma silently said to his back. She tightened her grip on his shirt.
Gokuu grinned as he did when he was about to fight an interesting opponent. "I'm not sure," he said. "Demo, I'm willing to find out if it gives me the chance to protect Bulma."
Vegita didn't know which annoyed him more about Kakarotto: his audacity to challenge him, the Saiyajin no Ouji, or his relentless declaration of going to protect "Bulma." When he thought more of the latter, the latter angered him more. Even if there was a slight possibility that Vegita would take the woman for his mate, Vegita certainly didn't want a low-class (insane, low-class at that) addressing her more intimately than he did himself. To Vegita it was irrelevant that Gokuu came from a kingdom where such things might be a common practice; Kakarotto as well as himself stood on the ground of the Vegita Kingdom. He wouldn't have foreigners contradicting the customs that were well-rooted in his own kingdom.
"I suppose you're eager to die, Kakarotto," Vegita said, his hands unconsciously rolling into fists.
Gokuu's brows lowered, and he prepared himself for whatever the Saiyajin no Ouji would throw his way. However, just as Vegita were about to teach Gokuu a lesson about testing the Saiyajin no Ouji, the Prince caught sight of Radditsu rushing toward them. He supposed it was the sight of another Saiyajin that reminded Vegita of the gains of killing Gokuu later. Vegita relaxed his hands, but kept a steady glare on the man who made a wall between himself and the woman that dared to slip through his fingers a second time. Gokuu hadn't relaxed at all, hardly trusting that the Prince wouldn't try something eventually.
"Kakarotto!" Radditsu said, wondering if his brother simply attracted trouble. "What the hell are you doing??"
"I'm protecting my Princess," Gokuu said, not bothering to move his eyes on his brother. Vegita narrowed his eyes at Kakarotto, noticing his unwavering attitude.
"Your Highness, please forgive me," Radditsu said, bowing. "I shouldn't have left this fool by himself."
"You'd do well to teach your little brother the Saiyajin lifestyle…" Vegita said. "It seems he's horribly clueless about the way things are here."
"Ha…hai, Ouji-sama…" Radditsu said, glancing between Vegita and Gokuu. The way the two were staring at each other suggested that both needed just one excuse to jump into a fight.
"King Briefs sent me here to protect Bulma," Gokuu said. "I didn't come here to be a Saiyajin."
"What do you think you are, Kakarotto??" Radditsu demanded. He finally was able to distract Gokuu's gaze from the Prince. "You might consider yourself a subject of Capsule, but it's impossible to deny your Saiyajin background."
Gokuu diverted his gaze again, but his eyes had the appearance that he understood what his brother was saying. Vegita grinned to himself, glad that Radditsu could talk a little sense into him. However, the Prince realized that the only way to make it easier to get to Bulma was to assure Gokuu that she wasn't in any danger. He knew that the success of his charade would depend on Gokuu's idiocy, but he was willing to take the chance that Gokuu was as stupid as he seemed.
"Kakarotto, there's no need for you to protect your Princess," Vegita said evenly. "She's not in any danger."
Gokuu met eyes with Vegita again, a frown setting into place in his features in addition. "Forgive me if I find that a little hard to believe," he said. After all, Vegita's actions weren't the only reason he were doubtful; he could still feel Bulma holding onto his back as if her life depended on it.
"Hmph, I bet you found it hard to believe that you were a Saiyajin, am I right?" Vegita said, grin widening at the confirmation suggested in Gokuu's eyes. "So, if that was hard for you to accept as true, it would be hard for you accept that the woman is safe in my hands."
Gokuu didn't move, feeling Bulma poke her head from behind his back again. Seeing the wily look on Vegita's wicked face, Bulma was incredibly grateful that she had Gokuu in her corner now and had him to prevent Vegita from getting to her for at least a few minutes. Radditsu, though a bit slow to catch on, did his best to appear supportive of what the Prince claimed to be true. Whatever it took, Radditsu had to make sure that the Prince killed Gokuu in front of everyone. Then and only then would he be satisfied with the riddance of his brother as he had before. If Kakarotto were killed right now, it would reduce his satisfaction of proving his dead mother wrong. He had had this satisfaction before Kakarotto had resurfaced- -he would go to great lengths to return the satisfaction to himself once again.
"The Princess is the Prince's 'mate,'" Radditsu said, he and the Prince the only ones aware of its quotation marks. "He is merely upset because he didn't know where she was. You can understand that, right?"
"Why did you silence Bulma?" Gokuu demanded of the Prince.
"Silence her?" Vegita laughed. Now he was having fun with his deception. "The woman developed a throat infection. I was examing her neck to try to help her and she kept screaming, making the infection worse. That is how she lost her voice, but she claims it is my fault."
Radditsu couldn't help but grin at his prince's craftiness. It sounded logical, for a normal person anyway. However, Kakarotto didn't lose his look that wasn't uncommon to Bardaku.
Bulma frowned and shook her head furiously, hoping that Gokuu wouldn't fall for it. *Damn Vegita!* she thought. *What a lying bastard! God! If I could speak I would tell His Shortness a thing or two!*
"Even if you were worried, I don't think there would ever be a need for you to call Bulma a 'bitch,'" Gokuu said, folding his arms over his chest.
*Hmph, she is a bitch,* Vegita thought, nearly laughing at his silent words. "How well-mannered would you expect a Saiyajin to be, Kakarotto?" he asked. "As much I am…concerned for the woman, it's impossible for me to change habits I've have since I could speak."
*Ha!* Bulma thought, tempted to attack Vegita herself. *Concerned my foot! The only thing he's concerned about is killing people!*
Gokuu suddenly lightened his expression. "I guess that's true," he admitted. He made a short bow. "I'm sorry, Your Highness; I didn't mean to cause trouble."
Vegita smirked as did Radditsu once Bulma removed herself from Gokuu and began frantically pleading him in silence not to fall for their act. Gokuu smiled at her--his "daijoubu" smile--and put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
"Let me take the Princess back to her room," Gokuu suggested, "and then I can do whatever else you have planned for me, Your Highness."
*This Kakarotto really is dumb,* Vegita thought as he looked to his confused brother. *Hmph, I can deal with the woman later... I'll just have Sukuwa and Pikaru take everything from her room in the mean time.*
"Fine, Kakarotto," Vegita said. "Your brother will show you the way. Radditsu."
"Hai, Vegita-Ouji." Vegita beckoned him with a finger and he stepped closer to the Prince.
"Inform Sukuwa and Pikaru to remove everything in her room except for her clothing," Vegita said lowly. "Then bring Kakarotto to the throne room-- I will receive him there." Radditsu nodded.
Vegita gave Bulma an evil look. "I will rest easier when you are safely back in your room," he said. He went down the hall and disappeared in a minute.
Bulma cursed him over and over in her mind, but Gokuu remained placid as if he hadn't noticed the look he had given the Princess. Gokuu gasped her hand and smiled at her.
"Let's go," Gokuu said, looking to his brother then.
Radditsu snorted. "You're dumber than I thought…" he muttered.
***
"Understood," Sukuwa and Pikaru said after Radditsu told them of their orders. Radditsu nodded and looked to the closed door, wondering when his brother would come out of the room.
"How is Kakarotto?" Pikaru asked, smirking. "Is he as crazy as the rumors say?"
"Even worse," Radditsu said. "Surely he will be killed upon terms of insanity."
"I'm not surprised," Sukuwa muttered. "Bardaku should have known that one of his brats would be insane after choosing the mate he did."
"Heh, his mate even had some of the Elites interested," Pikaru said. Radditsu snorted.
"Her unusual beauty only shadowed her insanity," Radditsu said bitterly. "Had she been tried for insanity, she'd been dead before Kakarotto was conceived."
"Maybe you too," Pikaru said. Radditsu merely narrowed his eyes.
***
"Bulma, trust me," Gokuu said, waving his hands to calm his silently agitated friend. "I need to avoid upsetting Vegita as long as I can. I'm going to act like I'm in the dark, so nothing changes Vegita's plans, see?"
Bulma went into one of her chests and pulled out some paper and a writing utensil. *What if your plan doesn't work?* she wrote.
"I have a good feeling it will," Gokuu said. He looked behind. "I better leave before my brother gets suspicious."
*Son-kun...* Bulma mouthed. She ran to embrace him.
"Bulma, the only way you will get hurt is if I lose my life," Gokuu said, rubbing her back. "Trust me; I've never let you down before." He let her go and gave her his largest smile.
Tears edged on her eyelids. She looked at Gokuu as if he were going straight to his death. Her knight was calm and almost joyfully. He waved to her and went out the door, leaving her alone in the room. Bulma sighed and sat down on the floor, unaware of when she would see her friend again.
***
Vegita was standing by the throne where his father was sitting when Gokuu and Radditsu entered the throne room. There was a line of Saiyajin officials, including Nappa, present who were curious to see what the insane Saiyajin looked like. During later Vegita reigns, occurrences of "insanity" were more frequent and more feared. There had been no such cases when the last Vegita had descended the throne; the Vegita before him had done most of the dirty work to ensure that the Saiyajin code was followed closely. King Vegita had become so confident in his ruling that the thought of an insane Saiyajin during his reign actually amused him. He could see that his son were equally amused which was a good sign. All the Saiyajins needed to share that feeling; why would a Saiyajin have any reason to be inferior?
Gokuu walked impassively down the long red carpet, avoiding eye contact with the Saiyajins on both sides who scowled and whispered about him. He concentrated on the two Vegitas at the end of the carpet who were at least smiling even though it seemed to be for dire reasons. He stopped a few feet from the King's throne and bowed on one knee.
"Thank you for allowing me to come to your kingdom, Your Majesty," Gokuu said, looking down at the floor he were so close to.
King Vegita chuckled and folded his hands in his lap. "So you are the 'Lost Saiyajin,' hmm?" he said. "How do you like the Saiyajin kingdom so far?"
Gokuu lifted his head and scratched it. "Well, it's a lot bigger than Capsule."
The King was shared in his laughter by some of the other members in the room. Radditsu, near the door, frowned at his brother's simple comment. He found it a bit suspicious the way his brother were acting. Wasn't he minutes ago defying the Prince to save his insignificant Princess? Radditsu had a good feeling he was up to something and wasn't as stupid as he seemed to be.
"Tell us, Kakarotto, exactly what you have been doing in Capsule during your absence," King Vegita said, grinning at his son from the corner of his mouth.
"I lived with my grandfather, Son Gohan, who started my training and inspired me to be a great knight," Gokuu said, forgetting where he was for a moment. "After he died, I seemed to get into battle after battle, increasing my strength and skills each time I did. I became one of King Briefs's knights and have defended my kingdom and the royal family with my life. That's my life in a nutshell." He smiled after his summary of his existence.
King Vegita's grin became wider and Vegita let out a loud, contemptible laugh. The rest of the Saiyajins in the room were silent with disbelief. How a Saiyajin could have lived a life such as Gokuu not only sounded insane, but was slightly insulting. Saiyajins, even those of low ranks, were much better than being a pathetic knight for some small, weak kingdom. Gokuu watched with wonder as Vegita continued to laugh at his story, taking no heed of how loud his voice seemed in the absence of any other sound.
"I hope you will be up for the test Ouji has planned for you," King Vegita went on, not waiting for his son to stop his laughter. "Since you are one of the greatest knights of Capsule, we would like to see how you'd fare against some of our greatest warriors."
"Ee?" Gokuu said, his eyes growing wide. "Hontou?? That sounds fun!"
Vegita's chuckling broke off right there. "Oh, it will be fun," he said, nodding. "It surely will be one of the most intense moments of your life."
"Yoshi!" Gokuu said, standing up. He smiled brightly. "When do I get tested?"
"Two days," Vegita said, holding up two fingers. "I'm gracious enough to let you train in the guard's training hall in the meantime. We want it to be entertaining, at least."
"I thank you, Ouji-sama," Gokuu said, bowing. "This is really going to be great! I can't wait!"
"You're not the only one..." Vegita said, starting up a great chuckle again. His father joined him this time.
"Baka..." Radditsu murmured, glaring at his brother across the room. "You haven't a clue of what's in store for you..."
***
*Saiyajins!* Bulma mouthed, wanting to scream her lungs out. She was outraged that all of her possessions, save her clothes, had been taken forcefully away. To make matters worse Pikaru and Sukuwa enjoyed every moment of taking her things. Obviously they were still upset about her recent escape and rendering them to be incompetent again. Bulma were a bit pleased about that, knowing that she had outsmarted the Saiyajins, making that her second time doing so. However, this did not compensate for another violation of her rights as a princess. How much more could Bulma take? She slumped down next to her bed and let out a great sigh. What waited for her in the future was the death of her best friend, the destruction of her kingdom, and her own death. Gokuu had given her a tiny glimpse of hope, but that hope were too small for her to hold on to. Had Vegita not given her the impression that he were some kind of indestructible monster, she might have had more faith in her best knight.
*Son-kun...* Bulma thought, staring down at the floor. *You may never see your wife or son again and it will be all my fault! If only I could get away from these abominable Saiyajins... My life would be so great if I did.*
Bulma turned as her door opened and prepared to frown, believing it to be Pikaru and/or Sukuwa. However, she was not so fortunate; it were exactly who she would have least wanted a "visit" from. She jumped to her feet and backed against a wall. Vegita were smiling at her, but that didn't tell her much about what the purpose of his appearance in her room was.
"Doushita?" Vegita said rather affably. His smile became less affable as Bulma bared her teeth at him. "I just wanted to check up on you, that's all."
*I hate you!* Bulma mouthed. She was given a loud laugh in reply.
"I suggest you enjoy the last two days you will have with Kakarotto," Vegita went on. "The tournament will be his death place."
*Tour...tournament?* Bulma mouthed.
Vegita stepped closer to her, and Bulma decided to hold her ground to feign bravery again. As he stood about six inches from her, staring like he had when they were in the bath, she tried to move sideways. Vegita slammed his hands on both sides of her, blocking her path. Bulma eyed him, trembling and wondering what the grinning snake wanted with her.
"You'll be next," Vegita said quietly. "The night of the tournament you will die. Wakatta yo?"
Bulma slowly moved her lips so that Vegita could read them. *Gokuu will not be killed by the likes of you. If I were you I would pray that Gokuu doesn't kill you!*
"Kakarotto kill me?" Vegita laughed. "Woman, you must have a bit of that insanity that he has." Bulma glared at him. "Too bad I won't be able to hear your screams as you watch your friend die. That would be the highlight of killing him."
Bulma's cheeks flushed as Vegita let out yet another laugh. Her hands clenched at her side and shook with anger. For a brief moment she forgot completely of Vegita's position, power, and lack of compassion. In those three seconds she swung at Vegita's laughing face as hard as she was able to in that situation. In his amusement Vegita neither expected her hand to come in contact with his face nor expected it to actually cause slight discomfort. It was a bit like getting hit with a ball in the face; even if it didn't hurt you too much, it were still embarrassing because it happened while your guard were down.
Vegita slowly touched his cheek where he had been slapped. Bulma's reality came back to view, and her eyes grew wide as the shock melted from Vegita's face and anger over took it. The Princess had a short flashback of when the Prince had nearly choked her to death when she had told him exactly what she had thought of him. Now it seemed she would get something equally as unpleasant in return.
"O...no...re!!" The hand touching his cheek curled into a fist.
*Oh, boy...* Bulma thought her eyes growing wide.
"How dare you touch me like that!" Vegita's fist slammed into the wall, nearly hitting her left ear.
Bulma made a silent scream and buried her face into her hands as if that would protect her from another of Vegita's attacks. The Prince drew in heavy breathes and slowly recoiled his fist. He had left a large dent in the wall and made the skin on his knuckles a bit red.
"You little bitch!" Vegita said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Who do you think you are??" Bulma immediately dropped her arms, startled by the way he grabbed her like she weighed nothing.
*Let go of me!* Bulma mouthed, struggling in his stationary grip.
"Grr!" Vegita said, pulling her off the ground until she were above his head. "I am going to break you in half!"
Bulma kicked and twisted, but that only made Vegita hold her tighter. Vegita, forgetting that Bulma weren't like any one else in his kingdom, abruptly threw her against the wall. It happened so quickly that Bulma didn't even realize the moment when she made contact with the hard surface, and everything turned black. When he saw the way she hit the wall, more helpless than anyone the Prince had ever seen, he realized that he easily could have killed her in that action. Bulma slid to the floor, motionless and eyes closed. Vegita felt an immediate fear¾an emotion he had never witnessed before. What was he afraid of?
Vegita forced a scowl to counter the look of shock that had somehow seeped into his expression. He walked over to Bulma and stared down at her to see any signs of movement. Upon closer inspection he noticed the large bruise forming on her forehead.
*Damn,* Vegita thought, bending down next to her. *If she's dead now, it'll ruin all of my fun...* He placed two fingers to her neck, feeling around for a pulse. *Hmph, she's alive.*
Vegita stared at Bulma, contemplating what he wanted to do. The reasonable thing he thought to do was to leave her on the floor and teach her a lesson about testing Vegita's authority. However, as much as his anger and pride beckoned him to do such a thing, something held him back. It was much like the time he had went into Bulma's room to kill her while she slept, but the sight of her in the moonlight prevented him from doing so. Now she was pitifully lying on the ground unconscious, having the same effect on him. Vegita let out a growl in confusion and forced himself to stand and turn his back on the sight. Why didn't her miserable condition cause him amusement as it did when he had put several others in the same or greater predicament?
*What the hell is she doing to me?* Vegita wondered, rubbing his temples.
The door knocked from the outside and Vegita looked toward it. "Ouji- sama," Pikaru's voice said from the other side, "is everything all right? We heard things being slammed against the wall."
"Everything is fine," Vegita said, reluctantly looking in Bulma's direction again. "Do you think the woman is that dangerous?"
"Iie, Ouji-sama!" Pikaru said quickly. "Sorry, sir!"
Vegita folded his arms over his chest and concentrated on the knocked out woman on his floor. *Why have I been plagued with this bitch?* he asked himself. *I'll be lenient on her this time, just to appease this damned feeling like some eternal wound I experience every time I think about leaving her in this position. I guess it's better that way; I want her to be completely well when she witnesses the death of her little knight.*
Vegita smirked and carefully picked Bulma up, experiencing a slight jabbing within his gut upon noticing how lifeless she were in his arms. He fought the sensation off with a frown and carried the Princess over to her bed. Though he felt the foreign feeling dissipate when he placed Bulma comfortably on the bed, he was angry that he didn't get to exactly end their conversation as he intended. Vegita had wanted to goat the woman until she broke down and begged him to have mercy on her friend. No, the Saiyajin Prince had been met with little fear by the impertinent Princess, and even slapped. Yes, he had thrown her against and wall and showed her who truly had the power, but he had a good feeling when she awoke, she'd be more angry at him than afraid. He didn't understand that; did the Princess not see that Vegita could kill her at any moment he chose? Why was it that she was able to say such impudent things to him, knowing that it could possibly end her life?
Vegita examined her face, noticing how the bruise was well developing. Suddenly he realized that if the "Lost Saiyajin" saw the mark on her forehead, he would surely question it. Though Bulma couldn't speak at the moment, he knew that somehow she'd get it across that he had done it. If Gokuu got upset and tested Vegita again like he had before, the Prince would surely kill him for his insolence before the tournament. Though that would still upset Bulma, he wanted to do it publicly to show everyone his might. Vegita scowled and exited the room.
Pikaru and Sukuwa saluted him as he left the room and gave Vegita their full attention when they noticed he intended to tell them something. "Get the woman some ice," Vegita said as casually as he could. "She was stupid enough to ram her head into a wall and is now forming a bruise. I don't want Kakarotto to see it because it could ruin the main event of the tournament. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Hai, Ouji-sama! the guards said together. "We understand!"
"I know of something that will get rid of the bruise in no time, Denka," Sukuwa said. "Shall I use it?"
"Yes, whatever," Vegita said, waving a hand. "I just need her to look well enough to keep that crazy Saiyajin from getting suspicious."
"Hai!"
Vegita quickly distanced himself from the Princess's room in desperate need of something to take his mind off what had just happened. Either he were going to go crazy remembering how he felt when he saw her, or he were going to explode from thinking about how she spoiled his fun and dared to slap him. Vegita stopped at the nearest wall and leaned his head against it. His anger was overruling his second option, and rising each second.
"That woman… Wait until she wakes up!" Vegita said to the wall.