Author's note: Hi, I'm really sorry this is soooooo late. I was grounded
from the computer for a week, just finished up all of my finals, and you
should know by now how much I procrastinate. (ducks and avoids flying
objects from readers) Well, here's the chapter.
(Disclaimer: For those of you who haven't figured it out: I don't own anything except for a little figurine of Goku that my little brother got in a happy meal... which means that I don't actually own it...wait... I have exactly... 37 cents if you want it)
Lost
Chapter Six- The Ball
Bulma and Chi chi approached the doors of the ballroom, each of them nervous and reluctant to walk though those gigantic doors where most of Vegetasei's elite members of society were enjoying themselves. They stood at the door for about two minutes before another guest glanced curiously at them, and then opened the doors and entered the ballroom. They looked at each other and realized how incredibly ridiculous they looked, and followed the guest.
Bulma and Chi chi gasped as walked into the ballroom. There were refreshment tables lining every wall, covered with all sorts of delicious foods that were replenished by the minute. There were five wine fountains in the room and an ice sculpture of King Vegeta at every table. Most of the men present were wearing their standard uniforms ( spandex and armor- how fun :)) but the women were wearing the most expensive-looking , elegant dresses that either Bulma or Chi chi had ever seen. The men distinguished themselves by their armor and what rank they were while the women scrutinized each other by how expensive their dresses were, how pretty they were, who their families and mates were, how they knew the King, and about every other sign of wealth ever imagined! The ceiling was so high that it looked as if it was trying to reach the heavens and had several diamond chandeliers hanging from it.
Bulma felt very out of place. The other women in the room were so elegant and there she was, an orphan that was only here because the King had pity on her. As she looked over at Chi chi, she knew that the same thought must have been running through her head. Smiling, she turned to her.
"Well, it seems as if the King spared no expenses for this ball." Bulma stated, attempting to break the silence. Her only response was a nervous smile from Chi chi. "You and I both know that we're going to make fools out of ourselves, so why don't we do it with style?"
"What do you mean?" Chi chi asked, knowing that Bulma was trying to make her feel comfortable.
"Well, since we're surrounded by a bunch of upper class snobs, we might as well get a few laughs from it. You know the saying..."
Chi chi cut her off, knowing exactly what she was going to say, " When in Rome, do as the Romans." Chi chi let out a laugh, " So, you're proposing that we TRY to act all elegant and fit in?"
"Not fit in, more like 'refine our social skills'." Bulma replied, saying the last part with an attempted elegant but totally phony accent.
"Well then," Chi chi said, with an equally phony accent, " let's have at it." And with that, the girls turned and headed for the nearest table.
As it turned out, Bulma and Chi chi were less social outcasts than they believed. They actually seemed as if they belonged there. Soon after they began talking to the other guests, the orchestra began to play some sort of salsa and both Bulma and Chi chi were asked to dance.
***********
Kakkarot walked in and immediately headed for the food tables. ( Oh come on, where else would he go?) Before he reached the food, he saw his brother, Radditz, dancing with Chi chi, and stopped in his tracks. He felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched his brother twirl Chi chi around. It seemed as if Chi chi was flying rather than dancing; her dress flared and twirled with every step she took, her waist-length hair was halfway down and slightly curled on the ends, swinging to counter her movements, her face was in an expression of pure delight, and... his thoughts were interrupted by Chi chi's voice.
"Oh, hi Kakkarot." She said. The dance had just ended and, even though she loved dancing with Radditz, she declined his offer to dance with her again because she'd seen his charming brother enter the room.
"Hi Chi chi. Wow, you look really beautiful tonight." He said, looking at her dress; the way it looked on Chi chi and made him feel as if he was not worthy to be graced with the presence of such a goddess.
Kakkarot's compliment was rewarded by a smile from Chi chi and a blush that crept up her cheeks. "Thank you Kakkarot." she replied. They stood there in an awkward silence, Chi chi hoping that he would ask her to dance and Kakkarot praying for the courage to do just that.
***********
Meanwhile, Bulma was dancing with a young solider named Toji. He was a very good dancer and Bulma warmed up to him quickly. He was very polite and good- looking, but it seemed to Bulma that he lacked some confidence when he was around women. Her reason for thinking this was that, the whole time when they were dancing, he had avoided eye contact with her, seeming content and not wanting to dominate the dance. Actually, he was extremely shy; he looked almost everywhere else in the whole damned ballroom other than at Bulma's face. Bulma ended up praying that the dance would end, not that she didn't like Toji, it was just that, even when dancing, she needed a challenge. When the dance finally came to a close, Bulma immediately excused herself and went over to where Chi chi and Kakkarot were having their little staredown.
"Hi Kakkarot."
"Hi Bulma." Kakkarot answered, seeming a little distracted.
Bulma, being the intelligent person that we all know she is, immediately caught on to what was happening, and went over to a wine fountain to get a drink.
*************
The ball had been going on for about half of an hour now, and as if on cue, the moment that the clock struck the hour, the National Anthem of Vegetasei began to play. As soon as it did, the crowd parted and a clear path was formed. Then, everyone turned they eyes to the doorway. After waiting a minute, for that regal effect, the doors opened to reveal King Vegeta of Vegetasei, followed by the Prince and then the King's elite guards.
The King looked as he always did, his gravity-defying brownish-reddish hair and goatee making him unmistakable. He was wearing a black spandex bodysuit with all gold armor, and a gold crown adorned his head. He also wore a long, red cape that dragged onto the floor and numerous medallions. The Prince, looking much like his father, was wearing a navy blue bodysuit with white armor that was tipped with gold, a long red cape like his father, and only one medallion, the one symbolizing the royal house of Vegetasei.
As soon as the procession reached the throne and the King turned around, the entire assembly bowed. As soon as he was seated, the King motioned for the orchestra to resume playing and for his son to "mingle."
The Prince, as far as Bulma could tell from his frimly clenched jaw and cold glares, was not enjoying the festivities. Sadly, he didn't have time to scowl before a man introduced his rather plump daughter to him and she asked Vegeta if he wanted to dance.
************
Meanwhile...
Kakkarot had finally gotten the guts to ask Chi chi to dance, which she was happy to accept. It was obvious to Chi chi that Kakkarot didn't know the first thing about dancing, so decided to try to make it seem as simple as possible to him.
"OK Kakkarot, dancing's easy. Just counter my movements as if I was an opponent." Chi chi instructed, happy to see that, by incorporating fighting, he was able to match her movements and she showed him how to do a simple waltz.
Kakkarot's mind, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit focused on dancing. Chi chi was radiant that night and his eyes seemed to be glued to her. It wasn't until a slower song started playing, and Chi chi nestled closer to his body, that he was able to relax and stop gawking at her. She seemed to mold into his side and he marveled at the way she fit perfectly into his arms. Chi chi gave a little squeak of suprise as she felt a brown, furry appendage wrap itself protectively around her waist. She looked up at Kakkarot, who looked like he was on cloud nine, lost in an ocean of bliss. Chi chi sighed contentedly as she leaned back into his muscular chest, her tail following the same suit as his.
********************
Bulma wasn't having nearly as good of a time as Chi chi and Kakkarot were, but she could definitely say that she was having a better time than Vegeta was. After twenty minutes he had danced with ten different women, none of them providing even a speck of enjoyment to him. At first, Bulma got some enjoyment from seeing Vegeta suffer, even she had to admit that being tortured like that was uncalled for. Fortunately, for Vegeta, dinner was announced at that very moment.
*******************
All of the guests were ushered into the banquet hall, where there were several long, large tables set up. At first, Bulma thought that she was going to have to eat at the last table, seeing that the tables were separated by class, but was called over by the King to sit with the upper class.
"Ah, Bulma my dear, you look radiant tonight. Come, have a seat." King Vegeta motioned to a chair three place settings away from his own and commanded for a guard to be a gentleman and pull out her seat for her.
As Bulma sat down she was greeted with a grunt from her right. She turned to see none other than Prince Vegeta sitting next to her, looking as distant as ever.
"Well, hello to you too. You're looking like you're having fun." Bulma said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Shut up onna." Was the only response that she got. Bulma shrugged it off, it was the typical Vegeta, and began to eat, totally unaware that he could barely take his eyes off her during dinner.
Vegeta wasn't the only one admiring Bulma though, there were several pairs of eyes in the room that were plotting their own ways of seducing her. One pair in particular, gleamed in the darkness. (Evil , dark music plays in the background.)
****************
When he deemed that his guests had finished dinner, the King cleared his throught and glared at Vegeta, signaling to him that he was supposed to re- open the ball with a dance. Vegeta looked around the table at the various women who paid their way to be near him. He had to sit through the whole damn dinner while being pestered by these annoying little girls. They, no doubt, were all expecting him to ask them to dance, it was considered a "great honor" to be the one chosen for the opening dance. Frankly, he was sick of them all. There was only one woman in the whole room that he could stand and he wasn't going to suffer through the whole night without one minute of pleasure.
(I really was considering ending the chapter here, but since I procrastinate too damn much I've decided to be nice for a change.)
Taking a deep breath, knowing that the everyone in the room was watching him, Vegeta rose from his seat and turned to his left. He was greeted with two cerulean orbs staring at him, curiously. Those eyes captured his entire soul. After a few moments, Vegeta found his voice.
"Would you like to dance?"
( I considered ending it here too, but I'm in a good mood 'cause I finished my finals, so you all had better be thankful.---hint hint-review!!!!!)
Bulma slowly rose out of her chair. She couldn't believe it, Vegeta was asking her to dance. She didn't know anything about aristocracy, but she knew that this was a bold move. Feeling all of the eyes in the room on her, Bulma glided over to where Vegeta was waiting and took his arm after he offered it.
They walked to the middle of the empty dance floor, never breaking that gaze, fearing that if either of them did, they'd somehow loose the other. The music started and, although neither of them realized it, they started dancing some sort of elegant waltz.
Bulma was still confused over what was happening; weren't there tons of girls who had paid for him to dance with them? Why did he choose her? She shivered slightly at his touch as she felt one of his arms on her waist while the other grasped her left hand. His hands were so soft, so unlike the personality that he showed the world. She leaned in closer to him and to her surprise heard a soft purr come from his throught.
Vegeta was completely lost in the moment. This little minx had no idea what she was doing to him. He felt the alien expression of a smile creep onto his face as he felt a shiver pulse through her body. Since Bulma had never formally danced before that night, and that she was in the spotlight, she seemed a little unsure of what she should be doing, so she fell completely under Vegeta's control during the dance.
The song soon ended, much to the couple's displeasure. Bulma slowly pulled away from Vegeta, standing a few feet away from him, looking into those dark windows to his soul, before she curtsied and walked back to her seat. Vegeta was only able to take a few steps before the orchestra struck up another tune and he was surrounded by a swarm of women.
*********
Kakkarot and Chi chi smiled at each other, exchanging a knowing glance when they saw Vegeta and Bulma's little tete-a-tete. They couldn't wait to see how this turned out.
********
Next Time: I'm thinking that the next day will be a little awkward for Bulma and Vegeta, and Vegeta's daddy wants to have a little talk with him. ( laughs maliciousely in the background- I love being evil)
Author's Note: Ok, well I know it took me sooooo long to get this out, but I will try to get the next chapter out before Saturday, when I leav for camp. If not, I'll have the next eight chapters written by the time I get back. I'll also be working on my next fic. It's an A/U B/V where Bulma is the one working for Freeza, I'm not going to say any more. :) Oh, and I'm sorry if this is like Saturday or something, I crashed my computer ( I'm writing this on a 95) so all I have in my posession is the monitor and the only way I can get into fanfiction is by my dad's laptop, which he doesn't want to let me use 'cause he doesn't want me to crash it too. On my behalf, I have to point out that the computer I crashed was a piece of crap and we need a new one anyways. The worst thing is that my dad came really close to blocking fanfiction.net 'cause he thinks that's what caused my computer to crash. So, mow that you know what I had to go theough to update this stupid story, will you PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!! Oh, and thanks to Kokoro for being a pain in the ass, j/k, but she DID give me some stories to read since I couldn't get online.
(Disclaimer: For those of you who haven't figured it out: I don't own anything except for a little figurine of Goku that my little brother got in a happy meal... which means that I don't actually own it...wait... I have exactly... 37 cents if you want it)
Lost
Chapter Six- The Ball
Bulma and Chi chi approached the doors of the ballroom, each of them nervous and reluctant to walk though those gigantic doors where most of Vegetasei's elite members of society were enjoying themselves. They stood at the door for about two minutes before another guest glanced curiously at them, and then opened the doors and entered the ballroom. They looked at each other and realized how incredibly ridiculous they looked, and followed the guest.
Bulma and Chi chi gasped as walked into the ballroom. There were refreshment tables lining every wall, covered with all sorts of delicious foods that were replenished by the minute. There were five wine fountains in the room and an ice sculpture of King Vegeta at every table. Most of the men present were wearing their standard uniforms ( spandex and armor- how fun :)) but the women were wearing the most expensive-looking , elegant dresses that either Bulma or Chi chi had ever seen. The men distinguished themselves by their armor and what rank they were while the women scrutinized each other by how expensive their dresses were, how pretty they were, who their families and mates were, how they knew the King, and about every other sign of wealth ever imagined! The ceiling was so high that it looked as if it was trying to reach the heavens and had several diamond chandeliers hanging from it.
Bulma felt very out of place. The other women in the room were so elegant and there she was, an orphan that was only here because the King had pity on her. As she looked over at Chi chi, she knew that the same thought must have been running through her head. Smiling, she turned to her.
"Well, it seems as if the King spared no expenses for this ball." Bulma stated, attempting to break the silence. Her only response was a nervous smile from Chi chi. "You and I both know that we're going to make fools out of ourselves, so why don't we do it with style?"
"What do you mean?" Chi chi asked, knowing that Bulma was trying to make her feel comfortable.
"Well, since we're surrounded by a bunch of upper class snobs, we might as well get a few laughs from it. You know the saying..."
Chi chi cut her off, knowing exactly what she was going to say, " When in Rome, do as the Romans." Chi chi let out a laugh, " So, you're proposing that we TRY to act all elegant and fit in?"
"Not fit in, more like 'refine our social skills'." Bulma replied, saying the last part with an attempted elegant but totally phony accent.
"Well then," Chi chi said, with an equally phony accent, " let's have at it." And with that, the girls turned and headed for the nearest table.
As it turned out, Bulma and Chi chi were less social outcasts than they believed. They actually seemed as if they belonged there. Soon after they began talking to the other guests, the orchestra began to play some sort of salsa and both Bulma and Chi chi were asked to dance.
***********
Kakkarot walked in and immediately headed for the food tables. ( Oh come on, where else would he go?) Before he reached the food, he saw his brother, Radditz, dancing with Chi chi, and stopped in his tracks. He felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched his brother twirl Chi chi around. It seemed as if Chi chi was flying rather than dancing; her dress flared and twirled with every step she took, her waist-length hair was halfway down and slightly curled on the ends, swinging to counter her movements, her face was in an expression of pure delight, and... his thoughts were interrupted by Chi chi's voice.
"Oh, hi Kakkarot." She said. The dance had just ended and, even though she loved dancing with Radditz, she declined his offer to dance with her again because she'd seen his charming brother enter the room.
"Hi Chi chi. Wow, you look really beautiful tonight." He said, looking at her dress; the way it looked on Chi chi and made him feel as if he was not worthy to be graced with the presence of such a goddess.
Kakkarot's compliment was rewarded by a smile from Chi chi and a blush that crept up her cheeks. "Thank you Kakkarot." she replied. They stood there in an awkward silence, Chi chi hoping that he would ask her to dance and Kakkarot praying for the courage to do just that.
***********
Meanwhile, Bulma was dancing with a young solider named Toji. He was a very good dancer and Bulma warmed up to him quickly. He was very polite and good- looking, but it seemed to Bulma that he lacked some confidence when he was around women. Her reason for thinking this was that, the whole time when they were dancing, he had avoided eye contact with her, seeming content and not wanting to dominate the dance. Actually, he was extremely shy; he looked almost everywhere else in the whole damned ballroom other than at Bulma's face. Bulma ended up praying that the dance would end, not that she didn't like Toji, it was just that, even when dancing, she needed a challenge. When the dance finally came to a close, Bulma immediately excused herself and went over to where Chi chi and Kakkarot were having their little staredown.
"Hi Kakkarot."
"Hi Bulma." Kakkarot answered, seeming a little distracted.
Bulma, being the intelligent person that we all know she is, immediately caught on to what was happening, and went over to a wine fountain to get a drink.
*************
The ball had been going on for about half of an hour now, and as if on cue, the moment that the clock struck the hour, the National Anthem of Vegetasei began to play. As soon as it did, the crowd parted and a clear path was formed. Then, everyone turned they eyes to the doorway. After waiting a minute, for that regal effect, the doors opened to reveal King Vegeta of Vegetasei, followed by the Prince and then the King's elite guards.
The King looked as he always did, his gravity-defying brownish-reddish hair and goatee making him unmistakable. He was wearing a black spandex bodysuit with all gold armor, and a gold crown adorned his head. He also wore a long, red cape that dragged onto the floor and numerous medallions. The Prince, looking much like his father, was wearing a navy blue bodysuit with white armor that was tipped with gold, a long red cape like his father, and only one medallion, the one symbolizing the royal house of Vegetasei.
As soon as the procession reached the throne and the King turned around, the entire assembly bowed. As soon as he was seated, the King motioned for the orchestra to resume playing and for his son to "mingle."
The Prince, as far as Bulma could tell from his frimly clenched jaw and cold glares, was not enjoying the festivities. Sadly, he didn't have time to scowl before a man introduced his rather plump daughter to him and she asked Vegeta if he wanted to dance.
************
Meanwhile...
Kakkarot had finally gotten the guts to ask Chi chi to dance, which she was happy to accept. It was obvious to Chi chi that Kakkarot didn't know the first thing about dancing, so decided to try to make it seem as simple as possible to him.
"OK Kakkarot, dancing's easy. Just counter my movements as if I was an opponent." Chi chi instructed, happy to see that, by incorporating fighting, he was able to match her movements and she showed him how to do a simple waltz.
Kakkarot's mind, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit focused on dancing. Chi chi was radiant that night and his eyes seemed to be glued to her. It wasn't until a slower song started playing, and Chi chi nestled closer to his body, that he was able to relax and stop gawking at her. She seemed to mold into his side and he marveled at the way she fit perfectly into his arms. Chi chi gave a little squeak of suprise as she felt a brown, furry appendage wrap itself protectively around her waist. She looked up at Kakkarot, who looked like he was on cloud nine, lost in an ocean of bliss. Chi chi sighed contentedly as she leaned back into his muscular chest, her tail following the same suit as his.
********************
Bulma wasn't having nearly as good of a time as Chi chi and Kakkarot were, but she could definitely say that she was having a better time than Vegeta was. After twenty minutes he had danced with ten different women, none of them providing even a speck of enjoyment to him. At first, Bulma got some enjoyment from seeing Vegeta suffer, even she had to admit that being tortured like that was uncalled for. Fortunately, for Vegeta, dinner was announced at that very moment.
*******************
All of the guests were ushered into the banquet hall, where there were several long, large tables set up. At first, Bulma thought that she was going to have to eat at the last table, seeing that the tables were separated by class, but was called over by the King to sit with the upper class.
"Ah, Bulma my dear, you look radiant tonight. Come, have a seat." King Vegeta motioned to a chair three place settings away from his own and commanded for a guard to be a gentleman and pull out her seat for her.
As Bulma sat down she was greeted with a grunt from her right. She turned to see none other than Prince Vegeta sitting next to her, looking as distant as ever.
"Well, hello to you too. You're looking like you're having fun." Bulma said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Shut up onna." Was the only response that she got. Bulma shrugged it off, it was the typical Vegeta, and began to eat, totally unaware that he could barely take his eyes off her during dinner.
Vegeta wasn't the only one admiring Bulma though, there were several pairs of eyes in the room that were plotting their own ways of seducing her. One pair in particular, gleamed in the darkness. (Evil , dark music plays in the background.)
****************
When he deemed that his guests had finished dinner, the King cleared his throught and glared at Vegeta, signaling to him that he was supposed to re- open the ball with a dance. Vegeta looked around the table at the various women who paid their way to be near him. He had to sit through the whole damn dinner while being pestered by these annoying little girls. They, no doubt, were all expecting him to ask them to dance, it was considered a "great honor" to be the one chosen for the opening dance. Frankly, he was sick of them all. There was only one woman in the whole room that he could stand and he wasn't going to suffer through the whole night without one minute of pleasure.
(I really was considering ending the chapter here, but since I procrastinate too damn much I've decided to be nice for a change.)
Taking a deep breath, knowing that the everyone in the room was watching him, Vegeta rose from his seat and turned to his left. He was greeted with two cerulean orbs staring at him, curiously. Those eyes captured his entire soul. After a few moments, Vegeta found his voice.
"Would you like to dance?"
( I considered ending it here too, but I'm in a good mood 'cause I finished my finals, so you all had better be thankful.---hint hint-review!!!!!)
Bulma slowly rose out of her chair. She couldn't believe it, Vegeta was asking her to dance. She didn't know anything about aristocracy, but she knew that this was a bold move. Feeling all of the eyes in the room on her, Bulma glided over to where Vegeta was waiting and took his arm after he offered it.
They walked to the middle of the empty dance floor, never breaking that gaze, fearing that if either of them did, they'd somehow loose the other. The music started and, although neither of them realized it, they started dancing some sort of elegant waltz.
Bulma was still confused over what was happening; weren't there tons of girls who had paid for him to dance with them? Why did he choose her? She shivered slightly at his touch as she felt one of his arms on her waist while the other grasped her left hand. His hands were so soft, so unlike the personality that he showed the world. She leaned in closer to him and to her surprise heard a soft purr come from his throught.
Vegeta was completely lost in the moment. This little minx had no idea what she was doing to him. He felt the alien expression of a smile creep onto his face as he felt a shiver pulse through her body. Since Bulma had never formally danced before that night, and that she was in the spotlight, she seemed a little unsure of what she should be doing, so she fell completely under Vegeta's control during the dance.
The song soon ended, much to the couple's displeasure. Bulma slowly pulled away from Vegeta, standing a few feet away from him, looking into those dark windows to his soul, before she curtsied and walked back to her seat. Vegeta was only able to take a few steps before the orchestra struck up another tune and he was surrounded by a swarm of women.
*********
Kakkarot and Chi chi smiled at each other, exchanging a knowing glance when they saw Vegeta and Bulma's little tete-a-tete. They couldn't wait to see how this turned out.
********
Next Time: I'm thinking that the next day will be a little awkward for Bulma and Vegeta, and Vegeta's daddy wants to have a little talk with him. ( laughs maliciousely in the background- I love being evil)
Author's Note: Ok, well I know it took me sooooo long to get this out, but I will try to get the next chapter out before Saturday, when I leav for camp. If not, I'll have the next eight chapters written by the time I get back. I'll also be working on my next fic. It's an A/U B/V where Bulma is the one working for Freeza, I'm not going to say any more. :) Oh, and I'm sorry if this is like Saturday or something, I crashed my computer ( I'm writing this on a 95) so all I have in my posession is the monitor and the only way I can get into fanfiction is by my dad's laptop, which he doesn't want to let me use 'cause he doesn't want me to crash it too. On my behalf, I have to point out that the computer I crashed was a piece of crap and we need a new one anyways. The worst thing is that my dad came really close to blocking fanfiction.net 'cause he thinks that's what caused my computer to crash. So, mow that you know what I had to go theough to update this stupid story, will you PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!! Oh, and thanks to Kokoro for being a pain in the ass, j/k, but she DID give me some stories to read since I couldn't get online.