A/N: Yay! I'm on an insomnia jag. Oh wait, that's a bad thing. *Smacks forhead.* 2:00 in the morning, and man you can tell. Ok, warning this one's going to have a bit more humor in it than the last ones, but then this one will have just about the entire cast. Poor Veggie, I can just see him crashing over from his stool in shock. Lol. This is going to be fun. *rubs hands together*
Chapter 4-The Queen
They were all gathered in the living room. Goku and ChiChi had finally arrived with Gohan and Piccolo in tow. Krillin had arrived a few minutes before them with 18. Master Roshi had been there for over an hour flicking through the channels and looking for porn. Bulma had caught him once, but after that he had found a harmless channel and whenever she got too close he quickly flicked the quick view button so that the pornographic movie quickly changed to the 'Hyena Habits' that was showing on the education channel. Yamcha had come in and sat down with him, but whenever Bulma came anywhere close he would look at her with hunted eyes, and tensing as if ready to bolt. Bulma just smiled enigmatically and didn't answer whenever Oolong and Puar tried to find out what was going on with her and Yamcha. Sitting next to the wall where he could observe the door and everyone in the room, none of them noticed Vegeta's sharp interest in the interaction between the couple. "Great, looks like we're all here. Let's eat," Bulma announced happily after she counted heads.
"Um, actually Bulma, I was just waiting for everyone to show up tonight so I could say hi. I uh, I really can't stay any longer. I'll see all of you guys later okay?" Everyone watched Yamcha back toward the door with a nervous smile at the room in general.
"Yes you can, you silly goose. I called and asked you only a couple of hours ago and you assured me there was nothing on your agenda tonight and that you were looking forward to hanging out with everyone since we hadn't all gotten together like this for a while. Don't feel like you have to leave just because I dumped you. We agreed to stay friends remember Yamcha?"
"Wait a minute! You guys broke up? But why?" a confused Goku asked them.
"You should at least stay for dinner with us," Bulma went on ignoring Goku's enlightened expression when ChiChi whispered something in his ear. He looked upset but after a warning glance from his wife stopped short. "In fact I insist. Just dinner Yamcha and after that you're free to leave if you want. A simple enough request wouldn't you agree?" Yamcha, looking like a deer in headlights, agreed faintly before joining them all for dinner.
The atmosphere was heavy with no one speaking at first, but Gohan asked Krillin how his training was going. And eventually everyone started joining in, except for Yamcha, and Vegeta of course. By the time the last course had been served, everyone was comfortable once more. Even Yamcha hesitantly spoke to Bulma and she responded as if nothing untoward had happened between them, although the slightly panicky look never quiet left his eyes that night.
When everyone had finished Yamcha quickly said his leave and bolted from the house. As soon as the door closed behind him 18 and ChiChi immediately turned to look at Bulma. The guys sensing the movement followed their line of sight to its source. Soon everyone was staring at the blue haired woman who sat fidgeting nervously and trying to avoid all 10 pairs of eyes now focused on her. Eventually her girlfriends got tired off waiting for her to explain what that was all about.
"Bulma," ChiChi prompted.
"What did you do to him?"18 asked curiously.
Bulma's eyes flicked to the guys before she plastered a very bright, very artificial smile on her face and said, "Nothing. I didn't touch him. Why do you ask?" ChiChi and 18 looked at each other before getting up and taking hold of one of her arms each. They tossed a "We'll be a few minutes" over their shoulders at the very confused males as they pulled Bulma who resisted, protesting her innocence the entire way, into the next room. The door slammed behind the females.
"Um okay," Krillin said to the room in general.
"No kidding," Goku agreed staring at the closed door, "they're definitely up to something."
Vegeta said, "Humph," rolling his eyes at this obvious statement from where he stood propped against the wall with his arms crossed. In the other room ChiChi rounded on Bulma, repeating 18's earlier question, "What did you do to him?"
"What do you mean, I didn't do anything to him. If something happens to him it'll be because he did it to himself."
"Oh come on your doing nothing to him had him scrambling out the doo- Wait a minute, you what did you just say?" 18 asked her, catching the significance of Bulma's previous statement.
"I said I haven't done anything to him and if just happens to occur to him it'll be his own fault." Bulma patiently restated herself.
"Mmhhhm, I seeeeeeee. So what was the command in the web?" ChiChi asked, caressing every syllable as she spoke the words with a dripping delight.
"Oh, that… well. Nothing will happen to him as long as he's a good boy from now on, that's all."
"And if he's not a good boy?" 18 asked, getting into the game of making Bulma spill about how she responded to finding out about Yamcha's cheating on her.
In the living room the guys fidgeted nervously. Master Roshi and Oolong went back to the TV although they found an aerobics station instead in consideration of the fact that Gohan was now present. Gohan just scratched his head and, shrugging, went and filled up his plate, which he nearly dropped when a loud screech echoed throughout the house.
"YOU DID WHAT TO HIM!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!" Chichi shrieked.
"OH MY GOD BULMA, VEGETA'S NOT THAT EVIL!!!!!!" 18's laughter joined ChiChi's and it was minutes before the guys worked up the nerve to open the door to the room with the women. When they looked in they saw the blonde android actually on the floor laughing. Chichi was stretched out on the couch, face red from her mirth, pointing at Bulma who sat in a chair, the upper half of her body draped over the arm as she giggled helplessly. ChiChi was the first to notice the guys' hesitant entrance and she pointed at them and started to howl with laughter once more, 18 started to roll on the floor when she saw their anxious expressions. Bulma looked at them then hid her face against the arm of the chair, and joined in with her companions' laughter. As the women continued to indulge in their hysterics Vegeta looked in the room with professional interest and wondered aloud, "Has anyone ever died from laughing?"
Later that evening after everyone had left, Bulma made her rounds checking all the doors and windows and turning out lights in unoccupied rooms. Suddenly she grabbed her head as a shout reverberated throughout her skull, the sheer volume of it driving her to her knees.
*Bulma! *
She instinctively opened her barriers to the vast mind that scrabbled so desperately to reach her own, reaching out with her own strength, a steadying hand on the arm of a stumbling mind. *Jaenelle, what's wrong?! *
*Bulma, you must have it now, tonight! *
*WHAT?! Why? Grandmother what is it? What's wrong?! *
*The one I told you of is here in the Abyss. He plans to destroy the final dreamer tonight and when he does I will no longer be here. My strength will no longer protect you. Hurry child, you must! If you don't have it tonight then you will never have it… Please Bulma, for once in your life do as you are told without questioning me. *
*Your will is my life, my Queen. * Bulma answered, falling back on protocol to indicate that she understood the command beneath the emotion in Jaenelle's voice, despite the fact that the older woman was technically no longer a Queen. She felt a rush of love fill her inner barriers, along with the knowledge of how to use her craft once she had gained her full strength, but the images faded before she could grasp them and Bulma knew that she would be unable to learn anything she had seen until she was ready. Then the little jewels of information would flow to her, as she needed it. Then Jaenelle was gone. Bulma sent a probe down into the Abyss and felt an answering flicker, reassuring her that her grandmother still existed; Witch just had something else now demanding her more immediate attention.
The young Queen stood, knowing what she had to do. She finished locking up the room she was in, lingering over the latches longer than necessary, trying to figure out how she would ask the proud prince to do this favor for her. Slowly she made her way to the kitchen where Vegeta was fixing himself a sandwich before bed. She walked into the kitchen, avoiding looking at the saiyan who had paused what he was doing to look at her with his unreadable eyes, eyes as black as the Ebony jewel she already possessed. Bulma decided to try to start with small talk and work her way around to her real reason for joining him in the kitchen when she normally went directly to bed.
"Interesting night wasn't it?" she said as casually as she could, bending down into the fridge to retrieve the pitcher of orange juice, hoping she didn't look as pale as she felt. She heard Vegeta grumble something in response. When she turned around he was standing there and she took a quick step back, crashing into the door behind her. She froze as he continued to stare at her with annoyed expectation. Finally he growled lightly, shoving the mayonnaise jar into her hand and wrapped his hand around her upper arms. Then he casually lifted her out of the way, retrieved the jar and placed it into the fridge before grabbing his plate and taking it to the table.
Bulma went to the cabinet and grabbed a glass and quickly poured some juice in it, nearly spilling it in the process. Then she placed the glass into the fridge until she realized she was holding the pitcher of juice. Making a fretful sound in her throat she reopened the white door, and recovered the glass and placed the pitcher back in its place. Vegeta watched, finding her weird behavior obscurely entertaining for some reason that he refused to examine too closely, wondering what had the woman so nervous.
She brought her glass to the chair across from Vegeta's and sat down facing him. She watched him eat in silence for a minute. Then she reluctantly decided to just go ahead and explain a bit about being a Blood female and then go ahead and ask him.
"Um, Vegeta, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked him hesitantly.
"I don't see why not. You've never hesitated to talk at me before," he responded, seemingly indifferent. In his head he was reviewing his statement and he realized it was true. Bulma had never before asked him if he would participate in a conversation. She would just start talking and he would respond or not, depending on how annoying he found her at the time. He watched the annoyance flare in her eyes.
"I'm serious, Vegeta!" she informed him coldly.
"So am I. Go ahead and say whatever it is you have to say, since you obviously aren't going to let me sleep tonight until you say your piece." He took another bite of sandwich and stared at her while she squirmed in her seat. He nearly choked when he caught her stray thought. Actually I don't think I'll be able to let you sleep all night even after I've said my piece. Just what was that supposed to mean?
"Um, okay. How do I explain this? Well you see Vegeta, the thing is I'm a… Blood female. Let me explain this real quick," she stated hurriedly when he looked ready to ask a question. She went on, talking more to the table than to him. "Ok Blood Society is very matriarchal. That means that women are really important among us. We're very powerful, but we're also dependent on the males around us for physical protection. There are certain periods of time when we're most vulnerable and the males keep us safe during those periods." She risked a quick glance at him and saw that he had finished his sandwich and was looking at her as if to say, 'Yes? Get on with it Woman'.
"One of those times is when they first become… um…" Crap, what was that phrase Jaenelle used? "Sexually mature. Of course there's an up side and a downside to this, depending on how it's done and the of course the strength of the partner they choose. On the upside, if it's done right they walk away with their minds and powers intact. They are also capable of making the Offering and achieving their full adult strength at this point. On the downside, if it's not done correctly, then they could get pushed into the Twisted Kingdom or their mind could remain intact, but they… their strength would be broken. That's kind of what the last war in Kaeleer was about. There was more to it than that of course, but that was a major consideration. You see these men from Terreille who had been mistreated by women; sometimes they would go around and break young witches when they were too weak to fight back and- "
"Stop rambling at me Woman. Now just what are you trying to tell me?" He was trying to figure out where she was going with this.
Oh my God, I can't do this. This is Vegeta! "Jaenelle, that is, the spirit of my grandmother, told me that there's a presence in the Abyss. It's a threat to me, but one that I can't combat, even with my strength as it is now. I know that I need this tonight or I'll very like get broken before I can achieve my full strength." Bulma took a deep breath and looked the mystified prince directly in the eye. "Vegeta, I'd like you to perform my Virgin Night for me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thanks for Reviews~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
moonsaiyanprincess: I'm sorry Yamcha isn't suffering very much...yet. And he won't unless he's a bad boy. I rather like what Bulma did to him. ^_^ As I told manga, soon. Very soon.
IneiTenshi: Thanks. I have no life with all of my friends out of town, no essays due for English (AP Exams are over, lalala, lol!) and a bad case of insomnia at the moment. I'll probably hit chapter 8 by Monday or something @_@. It's not a problem though, I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Raksha: About your question of Vegeta's response, you're about to find out. Beyond that, I'm glad Jaenelle made that. I think anything that can turn two of the most powerful males in the world into blubbering idiots who walk around trying to shake hands with themselves deserves an award... or something. ... How did that fishy get caught in his laces? Lol.
So, like off hand, what do you guys say? should Yamcha be incrediably stupid in my in my next chapter or so and be a wicked, bad, naughty boy? I have to warn you though, the effect of this tangled web is permanent and not to be activated lightly. You guys are going to decide on this one so please R&R.
