Things of the Past
Chapter 10
~*~*~*~*~
Disclaimer: Whatever it is, I don't own it. ^^;
~*~*~*~*~
Bulma ran her fingers through her blue tresses as she nervously awaited the starting of the ceremony. ChiChi was fussing over the ties of her dresses and Juuhachigou was dabbing gloss over her pink lipstick.
She knew that it should have been the happiest day of her life, but somehow it wasn't. It could have been the fact that she was falling in love with a man other than her fiancee. Gee, she mused, yes, that must be it. She rolled her eyes, but her friend and sister failed to notice.
"There," ChiChi declared. "Done."
"You look simply stunning, Bulma," Juuhachigou sighed happily. She hugged her friend before she left the room.
"Knock 'em dead, sweetie," ChiChi said as she, too, left the room. Now it was only Bulma left alone to keep herself from crying.
~*~
Zarbon ran his hands over his tuxedo as he waited for his soon-to-be wife to walk down the aisle. As he saw ChiChi and Juuhachigou sit down in the front aisle, he knew it was time. He looked to the back of the room.
Sure enough, Bulma stepped into view, looking lovelier than ever all decked out in cream as was custom on Aisusei. Zarbon glanced at Frieza who was also staring back at his daughter from the front row. In fact, all of the Four Rule planet royalty was present except for Vegetasei's royalty. Kakkarot and Yamucha were also present, however. Bulma slowly approached the altar, one rare, cream rose in her hands to match her dress.
As Bulma reached the altar, Zarbon took the rose from her hands and placed it in her hair, smiling gently. She forced a returned smile before they both faced the priest.
"We join today to bring together as mates, Zarbon of Zarbasei and Bulma of Aisusei." he began. Bulma raised her eyes to meet her fiancee's and he briefly noticed that they weren't as bright as they usually were.
"Zarbon, do you take Bulma as your mate for all eternity?" the priest asked, looking directly at Zarbon. The green-haired man nodded.
"I do."
The priest turned his unnerving gaze on Bulma and she repressed the urge to shudder. "And do you, Bulma, take Zarbon as your mate for all eternity?"
Bulma inhaled. "I d-" Something caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head ever so slightly towards the back of the room. Her eyes widened and she felt her stomach lurch in pleasant surprise as she caught sight of the Saiyajin prince.
His head was bent down, yet he was looking at her from underneath hooded eyes. Her heart pained her at the look of sadness in his eyes. Zarbon followed her gaze and scowled. She noticed this and looked back at him.
"I d-" She found herself looking back at Vegeta again. She berated herself viciously for the act. "I... I..."
"Bulma," Zarbon hissed under his breath and she forced herself to look him in the eyes. The questioning nervousness in his depths was almost unbearable. She looked back at Vegeta who's head was now raised and inspecting her even more. Some of the crowd had begun to turn around to see what had caught the princess's eye.
"I..." she continued, unable to bring herself to put in the last word.
"I... I-I can't do this," she whispered and dropped Zarbon's hands. She tore off the headband of cream roses and threw them to the ground as she fled the ceremony room. Surprised whispers and murmurs arose in the room and once Zarbon composed himself from the shock, he fled down the steps, as well.
As he reached the doors, an arm flew out to stop him. He growled. "What have you done, Vegeta?"
Vegeta feigned shock. "I was way back here and you two were way up there. It isn't my fault she left you at the altar."
Zarbon became especially angry at hearing an 'Ouch, that stung' from someone in the crowd. He slapped Vegeta's arm down effortlessly. Vegeta smirked and proceeded to leave the ceremony room.
~*~
Vegeta slid open the garden room door and wasn't surprised to see Bulma sitting at the foot of the indoor pond. He leisurely walked down the steps and manuevered his way through the shrubbery and beautiful flowers from all around the universe. Many diplomats would bring greenery from their homeplanet when they visited Aisusei and as such, the collection had grown extremely large. Frieza didn't see the purpose of all of the plants, but his youngest daughter loved them. Bulma had insisted that they all be moved into an indoor greenhouse, so she could look at them all together whenever she wanted.
Vegeta sat down next to Bulma near the pond silently. He picked a flower and stared at for a few moments. He threw it into the pond and looked at Bulma who was currently busy staring at her scrunched-up knees.
"Didn't realize you were that infatuated with me," Vegeta joked quietly. He mentally slapped himself when Bulma started to cry, however. He simply wasn't good at uncomfortable silences.
"I betrayed the one man who would ever love me," she sobbed, shaking slightly. Vegeta cringed; it was that 'love' thing again. What was it all about? He knew that he cared about his parents--was that love? Was this feeling in the pit of his stomach about Bulma considered love? He didn't know, but he knew that thinking about her made him excited and happy.
"Did you ever think that maybe you two just love each other as siblings?" he asked, trying to make conversation to get her to stop crying. It worked somewhat. She looked up at him thoughtfully.
"Well, I don't know..."
"I mean, what if you loved... someone else... or something?" he continued, picking another red flower from beside him. He placed it in her hair like he used to do when they were children.
"Who?" she prodded, smiling as he put the flower in her aquamarine locks. He paused, then shrugged slowly.
"Like... me...?" he trailed off uncertainly. He looked away quickly, missing the smile widen on Bulma's face. She gently turned his face to look back at her. His eyebrows creased in confusion. She slowly leant in towards him, closing her eyes in the process. He leaned close to her and they shared their first kiss. They both missed the blue-skinned man creeping out of the gardens, his head hung in sadness.
~*~
Frieza rubbed his face, shaking his horned head. What a scandal. Vegeta and Bulma? Under everyone's nose? What a scandal indeed.
"Father, do you believe it?" ChiChi asked quickly as she rushed into Frieza's chambers. He looked up at her exasperatedly.
"Knock first, girl!"
She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.
"And no, I don't believe it," he continued.
ChiChi smirked and uncrossed her arms. She laughed a little. "We were only kidding when we said that she should leave Zarbon for Vegeta."
Frieza looked up sharply. "Who is 'we?'" He narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, come now, father. Just Juuhachigou and I," she responded, waving her hand at him in a nonsense matter. She sat down in a chair beside him. He shook his head again for the umpteenth time.
"With the Saiyajin out of the Four Rule Order now, do you realize what damage could come of this?" he asked seriously. She snorted.
"Please. If anything, this should make the Saiyajin come back to the Order!"
It was Frieza's turn to snort now and he told her, "You don't really believe that King Vegeta will just sit down and take this, do you?" She frowned in thought.
~*~*~*~*~
Mmm... I am not very happy with this chapter. Not happy at all. Oh, well... this story is coming to an end very soon. Possibly the next chapter or the chapter after it. We'll see.
Chapter 10
~*~*~*~*~
Disclaimer: Whatever it is, I don't own it. ^^;
~*~*~*~*~
Bulma ran her fingers through her blue tresses as she nervously awaited the starting of the ceremony. ChiChi was fussing over the ties of her dresses and Juuhachigou was dabbing gloss over her pink lipstick.
She knew that it should have been the happiest day of her life, but somehow it wasn't. It could have been the fact that she was falling in love with a man other than her fiancee. Gee, she mused, yes, that must be it. She rolled her eyes, but her friend and sister failed to notice.
"There," ChiChi declared. "Done."
"You look simply stunning, Bulma," Juuhachigou sighed happily. She hugged her friend before she left the room.
"Knock 'em dead, sweetie," ChiChi said as she, too, left the room. Now it was only Bulma left alone to keep herself from crying.
~*~
Zarbon ran his hands over his tuxedo as he waited for his soon-to-be wife to walk down the aisle. As he saw ChiChi and Juuhachigou sit down in the front aisle, he knew it was time. He looked to the back of the room.
Sure enough, Bulma stepped into view, looking lovelier than ever all decked out in cream as was custom on Aisusei. Zarbon glanced at Frieza who was also staring back at his daughter from the front row. In fact, all of the Four Rule planet royalty was present except for Vegetasei's royalty. Kakkarot and Yamucha were also present, however. Bulma slowly approached the altar, one rare, cream rose in her hands to match her dress.
As Bulma reached the altar, Zarbon took the rose from her hands and placed it in her hair, smiling gently. She forced a returned smile before they both faced the priest.
"We join today to bring together as mates, Zarbon of Zarbasei and Bulma of Aisusei." he began. Bulma raised her eyes to meet her fiancee's and he briefly noticed that they weren't as bright as they usually were.
"Zarbon, do you take Bulma as your mate for all eternity?" the priest asked, looking directly at Zarbon. The green-haired man nodded.
"I do."
The priest turned his unnerving gaze on Bulma and she repressed the urge to shudder. "And do you, Bulma, take Zarbon as your mate for all eternity?"
Bulma inhaled. "I d-" Something caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head ever so slightly towards the back of the room. Her eyes widened and she felt her stomach lurch in pleasant surprise as she caught sight of the Saiyajin prince.
His head was bent down, yet he was looking at her from underneath hooded eyes. Her heart pained her at the look of sadness in his eyes. Zarbon followed her gaze and scowled. She noticed this and looked back at him.
"I d-" She found herself looking back at Vegeta again. She berated herself viciously for the act. "I... I..."
"Bulma," Zarbon hissed under his breath and she forced herself to look him in the eyes. The questioning nervousness in his depths was almost unbearable. She looked back at Vegeta who's head was now raised and inspecting her even more. Some of the crowd had begun to turn around to see what had caught the princess's eye.
"I..." she continued, unable to bring herself to put in the last word.
"I... I-I can't do this," she whispered and dropped Zarbon's hands. She tore off the headband of cream roses and threw them to the ground as she fled the ceremony room. Surprised whispers and murmurs arose in the room and once Zarbon composed himself from the shock, he fled down the steps, as well.
As he reached the doors, an arm flew out to stop him. He growled. "What have you done, Vegeta?"
Vegeta feigned shock. "I was way back here and you two were way up there. It isn't my fault she left you at the altar."
Zarbon became especially angry at hearing an 'Ouch, that stung' from someone in the crowd. He slapped Vegeta's arm down effortlessly. Vegeta smirked and proceeded to leave the ceremony room.
~*~
Vegeta slid open the garden room door and wasn't surprised to see Bulma sitting at the foot of the indoor pond. He leisurely walked down the steps and manuevered his way through the shrubbery and beautiful flowers from all around the universe. Many diplomats would bring greenery from their homeplanet when they visited Aisusei and as such, the collection had grown extremely large. Frieza didn't see the purpose of all of the plants, but his youngest daughter loved them. Bulma had insisted that they all be moved into an indoor greenhouse, so she could look at them all together whenever she wanted.
Vegeta sat down next to Bulma near the pond silently. He picked a flower and stared at for a few moments. He threw it into the pond and looked at Bulma who was currently busy staring at her scrunched-up knees.
"Didn't realize you were that infatuated with me," Vegeta joked quietly. He mentally slapped himself when Bulma started to cry, however. He simply wasn't good at uncomfortable silences.
"I betrayed the one man who would ever love me," she sobbed, shaking slightly. Vegeta cringed; it was that 'love' thing again. What was it all about? He knew that he cared about his parents--was that love? Was this feeling in the pit of his stomach about Bulma considered love? He didn't know, but he knew that thinking about her made him excited and happy.
"Did you ever think that maybe you two just love each other as siblings?" he asked, trying to make conversation to get her to stop crying. It worked somewhat. She looked up at him thoughtfully.
"Well, I don't know..."
"I mean, what if you loved... someone else... or something?" he continued, picking another red flower from beside him. He placed it in her hair like he used to do when they were children.
"Who?" she prodded, smiling as he put the flower in her aquamarine locks. He paused, then shrugged slowly.
"Like... me...?" he trailed off uncertainly. He looked away quickly, missing the smile widen on Bulma's face. She gently turned his face to look back at her. His eyebrows creased in confusion. She slowly leant in towards him, closing her eyes in the process. He leaned close to her and they shared their first kiss. They both missed the blue-skinned man creeping out of the gardens, his head hung in sadness.
~*~
Frieza rubbed his face, shaking his horned head. What a scandal. Vegeta and Bulma? Under everyone's nose? What a scandal indeed.
"Father, do you believe it?" ChiChi asked quickly as she rushed into Frieza's chambers. He looked up at her exasperatedly.
"Knock first, girl!"
She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.
"And no, I don't believe it," he continued.
ChiChi smirked and uncrossed her arms. She laughed a little. "We were only kidding when we said that she should leave Zarbon for Vegeta."
Frieza looked up sharply. "Who is 'we?'" He narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, come now, father. Just Juuhachigou and I," she responded, waving her hand at him in a nonsense matter. She sat down in a chair beside him. He shook his head again for the umpteenth time.
"With the Saiyajin out of the Four Rule Order now, do you realize what damage could come of this?" he asked seriously. She snorted.
"Please. If anything, this should make the Saiyajin come back to the Order!"
It was Frieza's turn to snort now and he told her, "You don't really believe that King Vegeta will just sit down and take this, do you?" She frowned in thought.
~*~*~*~*~
Mmm... I am not very happy with this chapter. Not happy at all. Oh, well... this story is coming to an end very soon. Possibly the next chapter or the chapter after it. We'll see.