DISCLAIMER: I do not own nor am I associated with Dragonball Z or any of it's franchise. If I was, maybe I would not be as broke as I am. However, I do own this story, the Squalls, King Tidus, Risa, and Isabelle -take them and die! J

LAST TIME ON 'THUD!':

Vegeta was busy outweighing his options. He had never wanted to have a mate, much less a HUMAN mate. Why, then, was it so hard to turn down the offer? As much as he wanted to, Vegeta couldn't bring himself to say no. Painfully and slowly, he drawled out,

"Alright."

King Briefs and Vegeta almost doubled over with his response. 'WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST SAY?!' Vegeta screamed in his head. However, before either of the men could do or say anything they all heard a loud thud on the door, like someone was falling on it.

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 4: Why?

Bulma awoke to something cool being pressed against her forehead. Moaning and cursing, she pushed the thing off of her head and rolled on her side.

"Bulma, leave it on," a voice that the princess identified as Isabelle's demanded. Wanting to be left alone, Bulma replied in a sleepy voice,

"Go away." All she wanted to do was escape back into the world of blackness. Her head hurt so much and she didn't know why.

Isabelle's lips formed a tight, grim line as she grabbed Bulma's shoulder and rolled her over onto her back. It was obvious that the princess had not quite remembered all of the morning's events. 'God help us all when she does.'

"Please princess, leave it be," Isabelle asked while putting the wet cloth back on Bulma's forehead. Bulma sighed, decided that it wasn't worth the fight. Groaning, she asked,

"Why does my head hurt so much?" Isabelle wasn't quite sure how to answer her.

"Umm..you fell and hit your head on the door."

"Fell..head..door.." Bulma mumbled out the words as everything seemed to flow together. Isabelle took a step back as she watched her mistress's eyes as she [Bulma] remembered everything.

"NO!" Bulma shrieked as everything sunk in. No, she had hoped that it was just a nightmare, that it hadn't been real! It COULDN'T have been real, it just couldn't!!

"No!! It's a nightmare, nothing more!"

Isabelle shifted uncomfortably. "Princess Bulma, I'm sorry, but-"

"SHUT UP!!" Bulma shouted as she covered her ears with her hands as a child would do. "Just shut up!! You are wrong!! It is not real! My father wouldn't do that to me! He wouldn't!!! He would NEVER give me over to that..that.that MURDERER to be his bride!"

King Vegeta stood frozen at the entrance to his oldest daughter's room. He had walked in just in time to hear her proclamation of how he would never give her over to Vegeta. His heart thudded against his chest in pain as he heard her pain in her words. 'What have I done?' He questioned himself. He still was not sure how he even came up with the idea of Bulma being wed to Vegeta. Afterall, this was the first day that Vegetasei and Chik-yuu weren't trying to obliviate each other, and he had already given his precious little girl to Vegetasei's king in marriage. 'It needs to be done,' the king tried to convince himself. 'It is the only way to survive against Titus.' Clearing his throat, he stepped into the room.

"Daughter.." King Briefs had to wince at the shakiness and emotion in his voice. Immediately, his daughter looked up at him. As soon as she saw him, Bulma launched herself out of bed and into his arms.

"Oh daddy, I had an AWFUL nightmare!! I dreamt that you handed me over to King Vegeta of Vegetasei in marriage! It was awful!!"

King Briefs had to choke back his tears as he heard his daughter's words. How was he going to tell her that it wasn't a dream, that I was in fact real?

"Umm.Bulma, my darling," The king pulled his daughter away from him so that he was holding her shoulders an arms length away, and cleared his throat. "I, uh.I'm afraid that uhhh.." King Briefs had to stop looking at his daughter as he couldn't stand to see her bright blue eyes illuminated by the unshed tears, nor stand to see the look of desperation in her face.

".Father.?" Bulma urged him on. Once again, the king cleared his throat.

"It was no dream."

It took several long seconds for her father's words to sink in, and when they did, all hell broke loose.

"WHAT?!" Bulma demanded, tearing away from her father's touch. King Briefs was startled to see this much of a change. His mild-mannered daughter, who never raised her voice and who loved everything, now had a face that was flushed red with and anger and eyes that could burn deep into a soul.

"HOW COULD YOU?! I'M YOUR DAUGHTER-YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD!!!!! HOW CAN YOU HAND ME OVER TO A COLD-BLOODED MURDERER LIKE I WAS YESTERDAY'S NEWS?!?!"

"If you don't lower your voice woman, I shall show you what this 'cold-blooded murderer' can do besides murder..in cold blood." Bulma looked over her father's shoulder to see the person that she wanted to see the least standing in her doorway.

Vegeta had followed Bulma's father into the room, but stopped underneath the doorframe when the princess flung herself at her father. He had intended to remain silent until properly introduced, but, damn, one's ears can only take so much torture!

A smirk almost crossed his face as he saw the look of horror transform on Bulma's face when she saw him. She looked like all she wanted to do as rake her nails across his face (which is probably exactly what she wanted to do). Hell, he felt the same way that she did about the marriage. 'Does the baka woman honestly think that I want to marry/bond?' Vegeta thought dryly. 'Hell, I feel the same way she does about this whole thing.'

King Briefs was desperate for a way out of that room. When Bulma's stare locked with Vegeta's, he found his perfect opportunity.

"Well, uh, I think I need to go check up on your mother, Bulma," he stated. When Bulma gave him no reply, the king grabbed Isabelle's arm and all-but ran out of the room.

Vegeta and Bulma stood in her room and gave each other death stares for what seemed like eons. Bulma was vaguely wishing in the back of her mind that he would somehow just die on the spot.

Finally, Vegeta's low patience got the better of him.

"You think that I want this too, woman? Hell, I want it just as much as your do," Vegeta remarked sarcastically. Bulma paused a moment before answering in a low menacing voice.

"Then why the fuck did you agree to it, you dickhead?" Vegeta smirked. 'The woman has fire.'

"It was the only way to unite our worlds without the worry of betrayal." Bulma felt her temper flare, but kept her voice even.

"Oh, so you used me as the bait?"

"Yes," Vegeta replied in an almost-boring tone.

"You bastard." Before he could blink, Bulma was standing in front of him with her hand raised to slap him again. As quick as a flash, Vegeta's hand formed a vice around Bulma's tiny wrist, and Bulma suddenly found herself sandwiched between the wall at her back and Vegeta at her front.

Vegeta smirked as he pinned the blue-haired wonder between the wall and himself. She tried to hide her surprise and fear on her face, but her eyes betrayed her. Just to make her heart pound a little bit more, Vegeta leaned his face closer to hers.

"You see, princess, your father is not a selfish, spoiled little brat like yourself. He looks outside his world and doesn't worry on how things will affect himself."

"I'm not a selfish brat." Bulma spat out as she tried to free herself to no avail.

"Oh yes you are."

"NO I AM NOT!!"

"If you were not selfish, you would not be making this big of a fit about this whole thing."

"I AM TO BE WED TO A-"

"To a monster," Vegeta finished for her, his voice slowly rising. "Yes, I know, you've told me before." Vegeta's voice continued to rise as he continued on. "But if you weren't so SELFISH and SELF-CENTERED, you'd understand your fathers attentions. Sure, you might feel like your father just threw you to the wolves, but someone who isn't blind to anything but themselves would see that his intentions are honest. Both of our planets have a common enemy who is more than our strength. The only way to beat him is to unite. Without this contract, your planet is doomed. Vegetasei can fend for themselves because we are all mainly warriors-Chick-yuu is not and cannot. If you weren't so blind, you'd see that your father is looking out for the well-being of the planet, and this is the only way." His last word seemed to echo through the room.

Bulma was, for once, silent. She didn't know what to say. It was true, she was so caught up in her misery that she didn't think of her father's intentions. Still, she didn't think that it was fair for her father not to consult with her first.

Suddenly, Vegeta was gone. He released her and walked out of her room with barely a whisper. Bulma stayed where she was against the wall for a minute before slowly sliding down the wall. Everything seemed to rush at her at once and she shed the tears that she had been holding back.

'Why?' she asked herself. 'Why me? Why not Risa? She's only a few years younger than me! She would jump at the chance to be queen of one world and a princess of another. She has no attachments.'

Attachments..boyfriends..lovers..

Yamcha.

Bulma bolted up. Yamcha! In the midst of everything, she had forgotten about Yamcha! Her heart thudded in her chest as she thought of her long-time boyfriend. Bulma could almost hear her heart breaking as she realized that she would have to break the news to Yamcha soon. 'Oh my love, I am so sorry!' she cried in her head. Standing up, threw on a sky blue gown that matched her eyes, ran the brush through her hair, and ran out the door. She had almost reached corridor when she heard some of the maids talking.

"Yes, so did you hear about the wedding between King Vegeta and Princess Bulma?"

An older woman answered her. "Yes. So has Yamcha, the poor dear. I thought that he was going to cry when he found out. He just nodded, turned around, and walked outside." Bulma felt her heart thud again. 'He knows.'

"So, when exactly IS this so-called wedding taking place?" Once again, the older woman answered.

"Tomorrow night."

***You guys like? I didn't change much in that chapter. Let me know!***