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!
LAST TIME ON 'LOVE BEGINS WITH A KISS':
"Business," was all he said. Giving her another quick kiss on the forehead, he stood up and cleared his throat.
"There is a banquet tonight at 2000 hours [8:00pm]. I expect you to be dressed and ready to go at 1930 hours [7:30pm]." Bulma suddenly felt the anger swelling in her again as his words were spoken. How dare he continue to boss her around like that? However, Vegeta simply just turned and walked out of the room.
Sighing, Bulma rolled out of bed and headed to the shower.
~*~*~*~*~
"Kami DAMMIT Vegeta, where the fuck are you?!" Bulma growled to the empty room. Her words were followed by a crash as she threw the crystal clock against the glass window, which didn't even appear scratched. 'Great, even his GLASS is unbreakable!' Bulma thought dryly. Frustrated, she glanced at her wrist watch, which read 1945 hours - fifteen minutes AFTER Vegeta demanded Bulma be ready by.
"So I must be ready by a certain time, yet he can come alone whenever he so chooses? Stupid arrogant ass," Bulma mumbled to herself as she fell back onto the black silk sheets of their bed. THEIR bed. Bulma felt a shiver run through her spine as those two words sunk in. The same bed on which she had lost her virginity; the same bed which has caused her to betray her love and herself. At that thought, Bulma snorted.
"Ok, so now you're blaming it on the bed? Hmm, logical one there Bulma!" Bulma scooted as far away from the center of the bed as possible without falling off, as if the spot of their lovemaking could contaminate her again. A slim hand reached up to stifle a yawn as she rolled on her back and her eyelids slowly began drooping. 'Guess I'll rest before the royal pain in the ass comes back.' Slowly, Bulma was whisked away from reality as the darkness swept in.
~*~*~*~*~
She stared down into the ballroom as she slowly glided down the deep blood red steps. To onlookers, it looked like a vision of a dream, where a beautiful angel floating down to protect them. All stood in shock and awe as this creature of radiance and beauty slowly floated down to them.
A deep crimson flooded her cheeks as her eyes took in all of her onlookers. Growing increasingly uncomfortable under their persisting stares, her eyes frantically scanned the room until they landed on the one whom she was looking for.
She felt her breath catch in her throat as she laid eyes on him. Good god, he was gorgeous! He was dressed in red and black, Vegetasei's royal colors, but they also happened to be two of the best colors on him. He wore a deep red silk shirt with the top two buttons undone, giving a teaser of his perfect abs, and the sleeves rolled up to a three-quarters length. The shirt tucked into loose black pants, which looked unbelievably sexy on him. A black cape with the crest of Vegetasei stitched in red draped over his shoulders, and crown adorned with jewels sat atop his head.
His ebony onyx orbs seemed to burn into her baby blue eyes as they stood and stared at one another. She felt her heartbeat quicken as he slowly moved towards her, keeping his eyes locked with hers the whole time. Reaching the level that she stood on, he slowly took her hands and his and kissed her cheek, the customary greeting for royals. The once silent crowd erupted into cheers at the sign of affection. However, neither ruler of the planet seemed to hear it as they continued to search the others' soul. As the cheering finally quieted down and normal conversation resumed, the couple finally turned away from each other and made their way back down the stairs.
Halfway across the ballroom, her husband was stopped by a politician to discuss recent events. Not wanting to hear another boring conversation, she untangled herself from her lover's arm and walked towards the punch table. As she reached for a glass, she was startled when a hand reached out to stop hers. Her eyes snapped up to see who had stopped her.
"My my, if it is not the great queen of Vegetasei yourself. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting you, but I have heard about your beauty and striking posture for years, and believe me, none of it was exaggerated!" The dark-haired and dark-eyed stranger smirked when he saw the queen's eyes grow large in shock and confusion.
"I am sorry, but I do not believe we have met," the queen answered as she tried unsuccessfully to pry her hand away.
"Oh believe me, my queen, you will know my name soon enough." With that, the stranger turned and "accidentally" bumped a wine bottle; causing red wine to spill all over the queens dress. She quickly let out a startled yelp and jumped back, gaining the attention of many. Her cheeks flushed red as she tried to excuse herself.
"Um..oh dear, what a mess. If you will all excuse me, I shall go put on a clean dress!" after attempting an unsuccessful laugh, she pushed her way through when she was yet again stopped by a hand on her arm. She turned around, expecting to be greeted by the stranger again, but found herself in the blank stare of her husband.
"What happened?" he demanded. "I-it was an accident! Let me go, I'm going to change then I'll be right back down," she pleaded. Slowly, her husband released her and she escaped the confines of the ballroom. She looked around for her guard; not seeing him, she started down the dark hallway alone.
'Fuck.I've always hated the dark. Fucking idiot who spilled the drink! Who the hell was that anyway?' She shivered as she rounded another corner.
"Almost there," she mumbled in relief to herself.
"Not quite yet, my queen."
She whirled around at the sound of a voice right behind her. Recognizing the face from the ballroom, she opened her mouth to scream; sound never escaped her mouth as the man roughly clamped his hand over hers and shoved her against the wall. As her head smacked the wall, she cried out into his hand, which held her face even tighter in return. Tears streamed down her face as she stared into her attacker's cruel eyes.
"Not a word, not one fucking word, or I will personally slice your tongue out," the voice hissed. "Do you understand me?!" Crying out again, she nodded in agreement. A smirk overcame her attacker's face again.
"Good," was his response as he reached behind her neck and pinched the nerves at the base of her neck; everything instantly went black.
~*~*~*~*~
"My lady? My lady? Queen Bulma?" The guard poked at the queen as she tossed and turned uneasily in her sleep. Clearing his throat, he tried louder.
"MY LADY!" That did the trick as the queen shot up in the bed, now very much awake. She turned to the man who awoke her as fear overcame her eyes.
"Who-who are you?"
The man gave a weak smile. "I am Kakarrot, your guard." Bulma let out a sigh of relief.
"Ok then.." The guard cleared his throat again.
"Uh, milady, I am sorry to have awakened you from your, um, dream, but the king requests your presence now." Bulma glanced at her diamond watching, noticing that the time was now 2010 hours. '1930 hours, yea right! I should have known.' Putting on a dashing smile, Bulma stood up and faced the guard.
"Why yes, of course. Would you be so kind as to show me to the ballroom? I am afraid that I do not know where it is." Laughing uneasily, Kakarrot stammered out,
"Uh, yea, sure, right this way." With that, he zipped out of the room at a pace that caused Bulma to almost have to run to keep up. Panting as she basically ran down the halls, Bulma could not help but notice the feeling of unease that filled her stomach.
~*~*~*~*
'Dammit, where is she?!' Vegeta looked at his watch for the millionth time. 'I sent Kakarrot up to get her fifteen minutes ago!' Growling in frustration, Vegeta turned back to the conversation he was supposedly listening to when the ballroom suddenly got very quiet. Confused, the king turned around only to feel like he had just been knocked off of his feet.
His wife had entered. It was obvious from her slow descent down that stairs that she had been trying to slip in as unnoticed as possible; it became clear that her plan did not work as everyone in the room turned and stared at her.
She was dressed in a deep red, the same color as his shirt. It was a strapless dress that was form fitting down to her waist, where it then flowed out loosely. One side seemed to overlap the other, creating a drastic look. Her hair lay in ringlets with the top half held up by her tiara. Like him, she also wore a black cape with Vegetasei's crest embroidered in red. By the gods, she was absolutely beautiful!
As he continued to take in his wife's appearance, Vegeta noticed the color rise into her cheeks as her eyes searched the room. A smirk tugged on his lips as he realized that she was desperately searching for him. 'Let her search,' he thought before it clicked in that she had found him.
Time seemed to stand still as the two stared at one another. Without even realizing it, his feet moved on their own accord, bringing him closer to her. Vegeta noticed Bulma's quickening of breath as he got closer and closer until he stood right in front of her. Taking her hands into his, he leaned in a kissed her cheek in greeting. The people cheered but he didn't hear. Slowly, Vegeta came back into reality. Looping Bulma's arm through his, he turned them around and descended down the stairs. He started to lead her towards the throne when the politician whom he was talking to earlier stopped him. Feeling Bulma start to shake slightly at his side, Vegeta stole a glance at her, startled to see her eyes wide and face pale. Even though he had absolutely no idea what had scared her, he gave her arm a quick squeeze before going back to talk to the politician.
~*~*~*~*~
Bulma felt as if her blood had run cold and time stood still. She had swallowed the lump in her throat down when she first entered, and brushed off hers and Vegeta's greeting as a mere coinincidence, but when the politician had stopped Vegeta, Bulma felt as if she was going to fall.
'No.this is not happening. Bulma, girl, get a grip!' She realized that she had started to shake when she saw Vegeta throw a worried glance in her direction. She hardly noticed when he squeezed her arm. She untangled herself from Vegeta as she said,
"I'm..I'm going to go get a drink." Bulma found herself wincing at how small and squeaky her voice was. 'You idiot, this is not your dream! Stop panicking!' Somehow, she made it to the drinks table without passing out from fright. She glanced around before taking anything, and, not seeing the face from her dream, she relaxed a bit and reached for the wine bottle. That's when it happened.
"My my, if it is not the great queen of Vegetasei yourself. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting you, but I have heard about your beauty and striking posture for years, and believe me, none of it was exaggerated!" A voice taunted as a hand grabbed hers. Bulma went as taught as a pole as she felt the fear overwhelm her. She spun around, ripping her hand from the strangers. She opened her mouth to reply when Bulma went stumbling back a few steps into the table.
"You!"
The stranger looked confused for a second but quickly recovered.
"Yes, me." Bulma felt herself lose her balance in her desperation of getting away from this insane guy. A delicate hand instinctively reached out to grab something, but it found nothing but the tablecloth. Although her balance was restored, she caused several bottles of wine and punch to topple over and spill all over her dress. Gasps and whispers could be heard as the queen's head snapped up to meet the laughing gaze of her abuser.
Without another word, Bulma turned around and pushed her way through the crowds until she was free. Tearing open the door to the ballroom, she went sprinting down the halls of the ship, oblivious to wherever she was going. Tears streamed down her pale face as she blindly ran. Bulma was running past a darkened corner when an arm from the shadows reached out and captured her.
***::Prepares for the rotten vegetable to start flying her way:: I know that was an evil cliffy, but this chapter is pretty darn long (well, for me anyways!)! I was going to continue it and make it an extra long chapter, but I decided to do two medium size chapters instead. Don't worry, I know what will be in the next chapter, so it shouldn't take quite as long to be out! Thank you all SOOOOOOO much for the wonderful reviews!! I'm glad you guys like it!***
LAST TIME ON 'LOVE BEGINS WITH A KISS':
"Business," was all he said. Giving her another quick kiss on the forehead, he stood up and cleared his throat.
"There is a banquet tonight at 2000 hours [8:00pm]. I expect you to be dressed and ready to go at 1930 hours [7:30pm]." Bulma suddenly felt the anger swelling in her again as his words were spoken. How dare he continue to boss her around like that? However, Vegeta simply just turned and walked out of the room.
Sighing, Bulma rolled out of bed and headed to the shower.
~*~*~*~*~
"Kami DAMMIT Vegeta, where the fuck are you?!" Bulma growled to the empty room. Her words were followed by a crash as she threw the crystal clock against the glass window, which didn't even appear scratched. 'Great, even his GLASS is unbreakable!' Bulma thought dryly. Frustrated, she glanced at her wrist watch, which read 1945 hours - fifteen minutes AFTER Vegeta demanded Bulma be ready by.
"So I must be ready by a certain time, yet he can come alone whenever he so chooses? Stupid arrogant ass," Bulma mumbled to herself as she fell back onto the black silk sheets of their bed. THEIR bed. Bulma felt a shiver run through her spine as those two words sunk in. The same bed on which she had lost her virginity; the same bed which has caused her to betray her love and herself. At that thought, Bulma snorted.
"Ok, so now you're blaming it on the bed? Hmm, logical one there Bulma!" Bulma scooted as far away from the center of the bed as possible without falling off, as if the spot of their lovemaking could contaminate her again. A slim hand reached up to stifle a yawn as she rolled on her back and her eyelids slowly began drooping. 'Guess I'll rest before the royal pain in the ass comes back.' Slowly, Bulma was whisked away from reality as the darkness swept in.
~*~*~*~*~
She stared down into the ballroom as she slowly glided down the deep blood red steps. To onlookers, it looked like a vision of a dream, where a beautiful angel floating down to protect them. All stood in shock and awe as this creature of radiance and beauty slowly floated down to them.
A deep crimson flooded her cheeks as her eyes took in all of her onlookers. Growing increasingly uncomfortable under their persisting stares, her eyes frantically scanned the room until they landed on the one whom she was looking for.
She felt her breath catch in her throat as she laid eyes on him. Good god, he was gorgeous! He was dressed in red and black, Vegetasei's royal colors, but they also happened to be two of the best colors on him. He wore a deep red silk shirt with the top two buttons undone, giving a teaser of his perfect abs, and the sleeves rolled up to a three-quarters length. The shirt tucked into loose black pants, which looked unbelievably sexy on him. A black cape with the crest of Vegetasei stitched in red draped over his shoulders, and crown adorned with jewels sat atop his head.
His ebony onyx orbs seemed to burn into her baby blue eyes as they stood and stared at one another. She felt her heartbeat quicken as he slowly moved towards her, keeping his eyes locked with hers the whole time. Reaching the level that she stood on, he slowly took her hands and his and kissed her cheek, the customary greeting for royals. The once silent crowd erupted into cheers at the sign of affection. However, neither ruler of the planet seemed to hear it as they continued to search the others' soul. As the cheering finally quieted down and normal conversation resumed, the couple finally turned away from each other and made their way back down the stairs.
Halfway across the ballroom, her husband was stopped by a politician to discuss recent events. Not wanting to hear another boring conversation, she untangled herself from her lover's arm and walked towards the punch table. As she reached for a glass, she was startled when a hand reached out to stop hers. Her eyes snapped up to see who had stopped her.
"My my, if it is not the great queen of Vegetasei yourself. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting you, but I have heard about your beauty and striking posture for years, and believe me, none of it was exaggerated!" The dark-haired and dark-eyed stranger smirked when he saw the queen's eyes grow large in shock and confusion.
"I am sorry, but I do not believe we have met," the queen answered as she tried unsuccessfully to pry her hand away.
"Oh believe me, my queen, you will know my name soon enough." With that, the stranger turned and "accidentally" bumped a wine bottle; causing red wine to spill all over the queens dress. She quickly let out a startled yelp and jumped back, gaining the attention of many. Her cheeks flushed red as she tried to excuse herself.
"Um..oh dear, what a mess. If you will all excuse me, I shall go put on a clean dress!" after attempting an unsuccessful laugh, she pushed her way through when she was yet again stopped by a hand on her arm. She turned around, expecting to be greeted by the stranger again, but found herself in the blank stare of her husband.
"What happened?" he demanded. "I-it was an accident! Let me go, I'm going to change then I'll be right back down," she pleaded. Slowly, her husband released her and she escaped the confines of the ballroom. She looked around for her guard; not seeing him, she started down the dark hallway alone.
'Fuck.I've always hated the dark. Fucking idiot who spilled the drink! Who the hell was that anyway?' She shivered as she rounded another corner.
"Almost there," she mumbled in relief to herself.
"Not quite yet, my queen."
She whirled around at the sound of a voice right behind her. Recognizing the face from the ballroom, she opened her mouth to scream; sound never escaped her mouth as the man roughly clamped his hand over hers and shoved her against the wall. As her head smacked the wall, she cried out into his hand, which held her face even tighter in return. Tears streamed down her face as she stared into her attacker's cruel eyes.
"Not a word, not one fucking word, or I will personally slice your tongue out," the voice hissed. "Do you understand me?!" Crying out again, she nodded in agreement. A smirk overcame her attacker's face again.
"Good," was his response as he reached behind her neck and pinched the nerves at the base of her neck; everything instantly went black.
~*~*~*~*~
"My lady? My lady? Queen Bulma?" The guard poked at the queen as she tossed and turned uneasily in her sleep. Clearing his throat, he tried louder.
"MY LADY!" That did the trick as the queen shot up in the bed, now very much awake. She turned to the man who awoke her as fear overcame her eyes.
"Who-who are you?"
The man gave a weak smile. "I am Kakarrot, your guard." Bulma let out a sigh of relief.
"Ok then.." The guard cleared his throat again.
"Uh, milady, I am sorry to have awakened you from your, um, dream, but the king requests your presence now." Bulma glanced at her diamond watching, noticing that the time was now 2010 hours. '1930 hours, yea right! I should have known.' Putting on a dashing smile, Bulma stood up and faced the guard.
"Why yes, of course. Would you be so kind as to show me to the ballroom? I am afraid that I do not know where it is." Laughing uneasily, Kakarrot stammered out,
"Uh, yea, sure, right this way." With that, he zipped out of the room at a pace that caused Bulma to almost have to run to keep up. Panting as she basically ran down the halls, Bulma could not help but notice the feeling of unease that filled her stomach.
~*~*~*~*
'Dammit, where is she?!' Vegeta looked at his watch for the millionth time. 'I sent Kakarrot up to get her fifteen minutes ago!' Growling in frustration, Vegeta turned back to the conversation he was supposedly listening to when the ballroom suddenly got very quiet. Confused, the king turned around only to feel like he had just been knocked off of his feet.
His wife had entered. It was obvious from her slow descent down that stairs that she had been trying to slip in as unnoticed as possible; it became clear that her plan did not work as everyone in the room turned and stared at her.
She was dressed in a deep red, the same color as his shirt. It was a strapless dress that was form fitting down to her waist, where it then flowed out loosely. One side seemed to overlap the other, creating a drastic look. Her hair lay in ringlets with the top half held up by her tiara. Like him, she also wore a black cape with Vegetasei's crest embroidered in red. By the gods, she was absolutely beautiful!
As he continued to take in his wife's appearance, Vegeta noticed the color rise into her cheeks as her eyes searched the room. A smirk tugged on his lips as he realized that she was desperately searching for him. 'Let her search,' he thought before it clicked in that she had found him.
Time seemed to stand still as the two stared at one another. Without even realizing it, his feet moved on their own accord, bringing him closer to her. Vegeta noticed Bulma's quickening of breath as he got closer and closer until he stood right in front of her. Taking her hands into his, he leaned in a kissed her cheek in greeting. The people cheered but he didn't hear. Slowly, Vegeta came back into reality. Looping Bulma's arm through his, he turned them around and descended down the stairs. He started to lead her towards the throne when the politician whom he was talking to earlier stopped him. Feeling Bulma start to shake slightly at his side, Vegeta stole a glance at her, startled to see her eyes wide and face pale. Even though he had absolutely no idea what had scared her, he gave her arm a quick squeeze before going back to talk to the politician.
~*~*~*~*~
Bulma felt as if her blood had run cold and time stood still. She had swallowed the lump in her throat down when she first entered, and brushed off hers and Vegeta's greeting as a mere coinincidence, but when the politician had stopped Vegeta, Bulma felt as if she was going to fall.
'No.this is not happening. Bulma, girl, get a grip!' She realized that she had started to shake when she saw Vegeta throw a worried glance in her direction. She hardly noticed when he squeezed her arm. She untangled herself from Vegeta as she said,
"I'm..I'm going to go get a drink." Bulma found herself wincing at how small and squeaky her voice was. 'You idiot, this is not your dream! Stop panicking!' Somehow, she made it to the drinks table without passing out from fright. She glanced around before taking anything, and, not seeing the face from her dream, she relaxed a bit and reached for the wine bottle. That's when it happened.
"My my, if it is not the great queen of Vegetasei yourself. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting you, but I have heard about your beauty and striking posture for years, and believe me, none of it was exaggerated!" A voice taunted as a hand grabbed hers. Bulma went as taught as a pole as she felt the fear overwhelm her. She spun around, ripping her hand from the strangers. She opened her mouth to reply when Bulma went stumbling back a few steps into the table.
"You!"
The stranger looked confused for a second but quickly recovered.
"Yes, me." Bulma felt herself lose her balance in her desperation of getting away from this insane guy. A delicate hand instinctively reached out to grab something, but it found nothing but the tablecloth. Although her balance was restored, she caused several bottles of wine and punch to topple over and spill all over her dress. Gasps and whispers could be heard as the queen's head snapped up to meet the laughing gaze of her abuser.
Without another word, Bulma turned around and pushed her way through the crowds until she was free. Tearing open the door to the ballroom, she went sprinting down the halls of the ship, oblivious to wherever she was going. Tears streamed down her pale face as she blindly ran. Bulma was running past a darkened corner when an arm from the shadows reached out and captured her.
***::Prepares for the rotten vegetable to start flying her way:: I know that was an evil cliffy, but this chapter is pretty darn long (well, for me anyways!)! I was going to continue it and make it an extra long chapter, but I decided to do two medium size chapters instead. Don't worry, I know what will be in the next chapter, so it shouldn't take quite as long to be out! Thank you all SOOOOOOO much for the wonderful reviews!! I'm glad you guys like it!***
