Vegeta stepped down from the throne and walked to the one end of the line. He then began to slowly look at the female saiyan warriors in front of them. Even though he looked like he was scrutinizing them and determining whether they'd be good mates or not, truth was, he didn't give a flying fuck. He ignored each and every one of them, mind on the woman ahead. And even though he looked cool and calm, inside, his heart was thumping madly away. During some times, he was tempted to just choose the next woman he lay his eyes on, but the reminder of not spending eternity with Goku kept him strong against going his father's will. Finally, after passing over the last one, he took one glimpse back at his father, making it look like he was glimpsing back down the line of women.
Gomen nasai, father. He apologized. But I'm in love.
Goku had her head down low, afraid of what she was going to see. She knew she was going to see Vegeta pick the prettiest woman of the lot. Then, she was going to see them do the Tsukino Rei. She knew she was going to see the woman totally fuck it up. Oh well, she thought, trying desperately to console herself. I can always watched 'Geta… There was sudden gasp in the hall that made Goku cringe. He's probably chosen his mate. She thought sourly. Deciding that she'd had to face this woman sometime, she lifted her head. But, to her surprise, Vegeta was walking over…to her! Goku felt her breath quicken with anticipation, heart thumping madly against her chest in hope. In her mind, she was berating herself and trying to squash that hope that said he might love her as well, by telling her he didn't want their practice go to waste. But Goku's heart was stronger, and she kept that hope strong. As Vegeta made his way towards her, he kept direct eye contact with her. She, too, looked to him, eyes fixed on him. To both, there was no one left in the room. It was just them, just the two of them that existed in that huge hall. Vegeta stopped right in front of her. There was a few seconds of silence, as they looked deep into each other's eyes, searching for the faintest glint that said they felt the same. Then, he reached out his hand, palm up, inviting Goku to join him. She looked down at his hand, almost hesitant. It was then that she realised what he was doing. The women in the line were for him to choose from. Each had a high rank and status, and each were one of the best in the army. Goku was neither. She was a slave, and she had never the chance to prove her worth in battle, apart from a friendly spar with Vegeta, but that was different.
And yet…he wanted her. She slowly lifted her hand up and placed it in his. He wrapped his fingers around and she did the same, a gesture that sent comforting shivers up their spines. Vegeta gave her arm a little tug as he pulled her to the centre of the hall. Goku silently complied, enchanted by the sparkle in his eyes.
King Vegeta stood stock still as he watched this. He was unable to tell what was going on, as he had never heard of a royal dancing with a slave. The Tsukino Rei no less. But he was curious to see what was to happen. Hmph! Vegeta's going to make a fool out of himself and that slave of his. Only saiyans are fast and agile enough to do the Tsukino Rei! But he didn't know that Goku really was a saiyan. He watched as Vegeta led her to the centre of the hall, looking at the two. He was quite fascinated when he saw her glide gracefully and with the air of a royal. Something inside of him then told him that maybe…just maybe…she could do it.
Goku and Vegeta stood across from each other, looking right into each other eyes. The silence in the hall seemed to thicken as everyone stared on, unsure and confused on what was going. They could see that Vegeta had walked away from the line of, now confused, saiyan women and went instead to the woman standing near the front. But no one, except for a few others, knew that Goku was Vegeta's slave, as she was far too beautiful to be like the other slaves around the palace.
"Bubbles," Vegeta whispered low, so that only Goku could hear her name. She stared back at him with huge, sparkling eyes.
"Hai, Vegeta?" she asked in the same whisper. Vegeta looked into her eyes. His exterior may have been calm, but she could see that his eyes were frantically searching for something in her own deep pools of liquid onyx. Finally, his searched ended, and he took a step back from her. Goku's eyes cast down a little in worry, hoping that he wasn't backing down on her. But he didn't.
Instead, he lifted his chin a bit, eyes still locked with her own, and asked loudly so that everyone in the hall could hear him, "Will you do me the honor of dancing with you, Son Goku?" Goku almost gasped out loud. He…he knows my name! He…he listened to what my friends called me! Goku knew that she had never told Vegeta her real name…well, her earth name, so she presumed he didn't know. But here, he was asking her in front of everybody, using her real name. She knew it wasn't much, but the fact that he paid attention to everything about her made her tingle all over.
She smiled sweetly at her as she took a step towards him. He extended his hand and she placed her hand in his palm.
"Hai, Ouji-sama." She said, her fingers trembling with nervousness and joy at the same time. Vegeta wrapped his own nimble fingers over her own, giving them a gentle squeeze along with a smile to reassure her. She smiled in return.
King Vegeta stood on the throne, looking on in disbelief. This did not look good. This did not look good at all. His son wasn't supposed to fall for that slave! He wasn't! He knew they hadn't had sex yet, if at all! And yet, he somehow had developed feelings for her? But his eyes widened in horror as he realised they were going to dance, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.
Suddenly, the two saiyans put their one-foot back, sending their billowing cloaks and robes flowing along with it. It was a sign. A sign that the music was about to begin. The music began slowly, as did their movements. They still moved with grace, each move flowing into the other. But as the music began to speed up, so did they until they became nothing but figures dancing side by side. Their silk and velvet robes and armor glinting in the moonlight from outside shimmered, giving them a magical aura, making them look like they were made of liquid Mercury, glinting in the moonlight as well as flowing like smooth liquid. To everyone else, this was all they could see. But for those who could actually see and follow the movements, it was very difficult to tell which movements they were doing as they just flowed together, melding together. Backs arced and heads were tossed back, feet and toes barely touched the ground as hands and arms entwined and snaked around slim waists, giving the dance a more intimate feeling.
Goku and Vegeta danced together, completely oblivious to the world around them. Minds and heart linked together; bound as one. They moved as one, they thought as one, lived, breathed and were one. In fact, their moves were exactly the way it should be for the Tsukino Rei. Their minds were so focused on one another; their bodies just did what came naturally.
The perfect Tsukino Rei.
As the music came to a climax, so did the dance. Hands gripped hands roughly and insistently, legs tensed in an effort to remain off of the ground, bodies moved even faster yet retained their liquid Mercury like resemblance. All this done while eyes were locked, hungry and dilated, lips curled into smirks to reveal razor sharp and extra long canines.
Finally, with the last of the music, Goku and Vegeta closed their dance. When the music was done, it revealed two saiyans, face to face, arms entwined and staring deep into each other's eyes.
Vegeta gazed deep into his loves eyes. They had practiced the Tsukino Rei many times before to get the movements perfect, but now, he wondered if all that practice was really worth it. He didn't really want to worry, in fact, he didn't really care. All that mattered to him was that he had the one woman he could ever want in his arms. Maybe she was beautiful on the outside, for now, but it was the beauty within that he fell in love with.
He was just about to close the small space between them when he heard a roaring. Both he and Goku snapped out of their trance to see everyone in the Great Hall cheering and applauding loudly. Especially Chichi, Krillin, Bulma, Yamcha, Meijin Roshi, Raditz, Mochi, Ryokucha and Kinmoku. Everyone in the Great Hall was shouting bravos and encores, causing both saiyans to blush a bit. Finally, the applause died down, leaving everyone to mingle once again. Goku's friends immediately rushed up to her and congratulated her.
"Well done, Goku!"
"That was just brilliant!"
"I couldn't see you half the time, but what I saw was fantastic!"
"So that's what you meant by you had a surprise, ne?"
"That was the most complicated dance ever in the universe, Goku! How did you do it?"
"I bet you were really concentrating up there!"
"Impressive, Goku."
"You guys were gliding around like you had wings, or something!"
"You really amazed me!"
Goku blushed at the sudden rush of compliments, not really knowing where to begin. But she didn't have to, as Vegeta just spotted a bunch of councilmen and his father…and they looked pretty pissed! Vegeta didn't know why, but it felt so good to rebel against his father's wishes and orders, and he couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction. But that didn't mean he wanted to be caught in the middle of the hall by them. By the looks of it, they hadn't spotted him yet, and he'd like to keep it like that.
Grinning mischievously, he grabbed Goku by her wrist and without a word, dragged her out of the Great Hall. Because of the thick crowds, she and her friends were instantly separated. Not that she minded, though. This was her prince that was pulling her outside and, in fact, she ran willingly alongside him.
They ran through the corridors, not looking back to see if anyone was following them. But quite frankly, they didn't care. To Goku, it was just she and Vegeta, and she couldn't wish for anything more. She was in love, and she knew it. All she wanted to do now was to let Vegeta know it. She had felt it, during their dance. She had felt all the love radiating off his being, from his very core, his very soul. And all that love was aimed at her. He couldn't deny it unless he was a cold-hearted prince, which she knew he was anything but. And she'd have to be an utter fool to deny her love for the kakkoii ouji. She had been in love with him since day one.
Vegeta sped on to his wing. The halls were empty, so he needn't worry about his father being able to track him down. It was a good thing the corridors in his wing of the palace were empty, as he wanted some privacy. Tonight, it was just he and Goku. Just the two of them. Vegeta could feel a swelling in his chest but paid no attention to it, as he knew it was just his heart swelling with happiness. He knew this was love. And he wanted to make it his.
They slowed down to a trot when they reached his door. Grinning mischievously, he pushed the door open and pushed her in, following and locking the door behind him. Goku could feel her heart quicken as millions of thoughts ran through her head.
What does this mean? What's going to happen? Are we going to…? I wonder what my friends are thinking of right now? I'm glad Nappa and Raditz aren't here… Vegeta smiled and walked towards her. Both of their heartbeats had increased tenfold, and their senses were heightened. Vegeta stopped right in front of her and looked deep into her eyes. Goku could see thousands of emotions swimming in his eyes; those huge pools of deep ink that seemed to sparkle and shimmer with life and beauty of the divine soul within. But the one she could see with the most clarity was love. Yes, she could see that Vegeta was in love with her. And he, too, could see in her eyes that she was in love with him.
Both just wanted to take each other as they were; fulfil their needs both being screamed from their body and soul. But Vegeta wanted to do this right. He wasn't going to take Goku until he was sure that she did love him. He wanted to banish all the doubt and negative feelings he had. And he only of one way how.
"Bubbles," he whispered.
"Hai, 'Geta?" she asked, looking deep into his eyes.
"Come, sit with me." He said as he led her to the red plush velvet couch. "I want to…ask something of you." Goku sat right next to him, eyes never leaving his to look away. For a few moments, they sat in silence, just marveling in the companionable presence of one another.
"'Geta," Goku finally spoke.
"Hmm?"
"You said you had something to ask of me."
"Oh…right." Vegeta cleared his throat as he prepared to speak. "Uh…Bubbles…"
"Hai?" Vegeta stared into her eyes and suddenly felt very nervous. He had never been with a woman before, and therefore wasn't too confident of himself. What if she says no? What if she just tells me there is someone else? Vegeta shuddered at the last thought, thinking of how unbearable it would be if his true love were in love with someone else. But he had seen the love in her eyes, so he quickly dismissed those pestering thoughts.
"Umm…tell me, do you know about the…umm…well…" Goku watched in absolute fascination as the kakkoii ouji got tongue-tied. "Ways in which…er…saiyans get…uhh…" Vegeta was doing his damndest to say the word, but he found that he just couldn't!
"'Geta?" she asked again. Vegeta stared even deeper, and soon found a way to show her what he meant and what he wanted.
From under her armour, around his neck, he produced two necklaces. Both were chains with a medallion crafted from the purest gold. The medallions had a frame of deep ruby and in the centre, in the inkiest black, Vegeta's royal family crest. Goku watched in wonder as he took off one and held it in his hand, fiddling nervously with the medallion.
"You see, Bubbles," he started. "In every Saiyan family, they have a crest. This one," he pointed to. "Is my royal crest. And in every family, each males, depending on how many offspring they have, has a necklace like this with their own family crest." Goku nodded, showing she understood.
"Are all the necklaces made of gold and rubies?"
"Uhh…no, not all. Most are either made of platinum or pewter, depending on what the family buys. Because I am royalty, they are in my colours. My father's is silver and sapphire…but that's not my point." He quickly said, getting back to his task at hand. "The thing…the thing is, when a male is interested in a female…uh, when he holds certain feelings for her…he…"
"Hai?"
"He…he gives her one of his necklaces." Breaking the gaze for just a moment, he looked down at the necklace in his hands, debating whether he really wanted to go through with this. But deep down, he knew this is what he's been waiting for his whole life. Vegeta moved his hands to Goku's, necklace still held therein, and laced his fingers with hers. Goku's mind was spinning. Does he mean what I think he means? Is he…does he…? Vegeta drew in a deep breath, letting it out along with the words he had teetering on the tip of his tongue. "Son Goku…will you…you be my mate?"
At those words, Goku's breath was instantly hitched in her throat. She knew he didn't mean mate as in 'friend'. He meant mate as in martial partner. My God, She thought. He's asking me to…to…marry him!! Billions of happy emotions swarmed through Goku's heart, and blossomed in her eyes as she gave him the biggest and happiest smile he had ever seen.
"Hai!! I will!!" she cried, launching herself at him and nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck. Vegeta was stunned for a moment, but then wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close as though someone was out to steal her. He gently pushed her back as he put the gold necklace around her neck. She looked down at it, a happy smile on her face.
"Vegeta," she whispered. "May I…may I ask you something?"
"Hai," he nodded, bringing his fingers up to gently hold her chin.
"I…I just wanted to know, of all the beautiful women out there, why did you pick me? And, I am a slave, after all." Vegeta chuckled as he drew her in close, wrapping her securely in his arms.
"Because," he whispered, his hot breathe tickling the back of her neck, making her shiver. "You've always been true to me. Not once did you ever put on an act for me or throw yourself at me. You've always been true, ever since I first met you…" He nipped playfully at her neck and she gasped out. He pushed her back and smiled. She smiled back and relished in his warmth, smiling happily at his flushed cheeks. "You know, for as long as I can remember, love is all I've ever wanted. And I thank God for bringing me it in it's most beautiful form, that being you, Son Goku."
Goku could feel tears of happiness slip down the sides of her face, the cool of the crystal drop chilling her heated face.
"You know," she whispered. "After spending that one day with you, this is all I ever wanted. To be with you, to love and cherish you. But, I'm afraid."
"Afraid?"
"I'm afraid that this is all a dream, and when I wake up, things will be just as they were before." She closed her eyes, allowing more tears to slip down her face.
Goku felt strong hands gently cup her cheek, thumbs massaging her cheeks and wiping away the tears.
"Don't be afraid," he whispered, lips barely a centimetre apart from her own. "This is for real. I love you…" Uttering those last words, those three words drawn from the very core of his soul, he closed the gap between them and kissed Goku. Goku didn't fight; on the contrary, she kissed him back; soft petal lips caressing lips equally as soft. Neither really knew how to kiss, but it didn't matter, as they just went along with what felt right. And when tongues gliding across lips and battled with each other, causing huge bolts of electricity to course through their bodies, it felt so damn good.
Goku wrapped her arms around his neck, hands intertwining with the ouji's silky smooth and soft locks while Vegeta encircled his arms around her waist, bringing her even closer. For a brief second, their lips parted, only to be brought back together, melding into one another. Like two pieces of a puzzle, finally put together to become one whole. When lips parted for a second time, Vegeta took the opportunity to sweep Goku off her feet. Picking her up, he carried her to his room while she gently kissed his cheeks in an affectionate, yet eager, way. He kicked to door open with is foot, and shut it again with the same foot, stalking over to the bed. For the rest of the night, neither ouji not slave were seen at the Full Moon Ball.
And, quite frankly, they didn't give a flying fuck.
Red: Yay! Chapter nine is done! But stay right where you are! As of now, I've got ideas broiling inside of my head! Hope you enjoyed this long awaited for chapter!