Bulma and the Beast

by What Lurks In Shadows

A tale of finding the beauty within. An unlikely couple comes together in a story inspired by the classic disney film Beauty and the Beast. [COMPLETED]

7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Authors note:

(Wow, were do I start. Well firstly I'd like to say I am SO sorry to anyone who has been waiting for me to update and well finish this fic. Did you know it's been almost a year since I last up-dated and I was usually so reliable. Basically a whole bunch of stuff happened to prevent me completing this fic. First my younger brother crashed our computer and we had to have the whole hard drive reconfigured, in other words bye bye fic! Thank god I'd saved it to a disk, the next problem was I had misplaced the disk. By the time I found it we were halfway through the year and I was closing in on the important end of my final year at school. So once again fic had to go on hold while I studied my ass off, all for the benefits of my future of course. Due to the stress of exams and what not I completely forgot about my poor lost, unfinished fic. It wasn't until yesterday when I went to fanfiction.net to see about posting a new fic I'm working on (I'm free from school so I thought I'd get some of my thoughts onto the screen) when I remembered my old fic. I thought about deleting it and never finishing but I then went to read the reviews kind people had left and I felt SO bad about not updating and even WORSE about not finishing it. I'm the kind of person who cannot leave things unfinished so I sat down and finished it. If anyone is still interested in reading it I hope you enjoy having it finally finish, even though you know how the story ends. Once again I am VERY VERY sorry for this very delayed update. Also thank you to everyone who took the time to review this story as it progressed, it was your reviews that inspired me to finish this off. Well for the last time, hope you enjoy!)

Inside the little cottage Bulma has put Dr. Briefs to bed. He lies under a pile of blankets and propped up against a number of pillows. His eyes slowly flutter open and he is greeted by a somewhat blurred vision of Bulma leaning over him. He blinks several times to clear his vision and then rubs his eyes to be sure he isn't dreaming.
"Bulma?"
"It's all right dad. I'm home."
"I thought I'd never see you again." Dr. Briefs says, reaching a hand up to cup his daughters face.
"I missed you so much." She says as she puts her hand over his.
"But the beast. How did you escape?" He asks with wide eyes.
"I didn't escape. He let me go." Bulma says, smiling softly.
"That horrible beast?" He says in disbelief.
"But he's different now. He's changed somehow."
Suddenly the door bursts open and then slams shut. Both Bulma and Dr. Briefs look towards the door. Gohan leans against the door panting. He slowly sinks to the ground and wipes an arm across his forehead
"Phew! I've never done so much flying in all my life." He smiles at them from his seated position on the floor.
"Oh, guess I've been followed huh?" Bulma asks him with a playful smirk.
"Why, hello there, little fellow. Didn't think I'd ever see you again." Dr. Briefs says grinning.
"Bulma, why'd you go away? Don't you like us anymore?" Gohan pleads to Bulma.
"Oh, Gohan. Of course I do. It's just that…" A knocking at the door cuts off Bulma. She looks puzzled but walks over to open it anyway. Gohan scoots out of the way as Bulma opens the door. Before her stands Dr. Gero, creepy as ever in the fading evening light.
"May I help you?" Bulma questions him, still looking puzzled.
 "I've come to collect your father." He says cynically. He then steps aside and waves a hand at his wagon, which is sitting in front of Bulma's house. The two horses that pull it chew lazily on grass as they await the Dr's return. On the side of the hooded wagon is written 'Dr. Gero's Mental Asylum'. Bulma steps back in shock when she sees it.
"My father?"
"Don't worry mademoiselle. We'll take good care of him."
"My father's not crazy!"
Krillin emerges from the crowd to stand at the bottom of the stone steps leading up to the cottage.
"He was raving like a lunatic. We all heard him, didn't we!" He says, seeking support from the crowd.
"Yeah!" The crowd roars out in agreement.
"No, I won't let you." Bulma stands in the doorway in a protective gesture. Dr. Briefs has meanwhile got out of bed and made his way to the door. He pokes his head out from behind Bulma.
"Bulma?" He says with a worried voice.
"Ah, Dr. Briefs. Tell us again, old man, just how big was the beast?" Krillin jests. Dr. Briefs gently pushes past Bulma till he's standing out on the landing that joins the stairs to the house. He then pauses to collect his thoughts before explaining
"Well, he was...that is...enormous. I'd say at least eight, no more like ten feet." Dr. Briefs demonstrates Vegeta's approximate height by holding his hand above his head and standing on his toes. (let's remember it was dark when he came across him for the first time, lol) The crowd bursts into mocking laughter.
"Well, you don't get much crazier than that." Krillin says as he shrugs his shoulders.
"It's true, I tell you!" Dr. Briefs pleads. Dr. Gero calls over two orderlies who pick Dr. Briefs up and carry him off towards the asylum's wagon. "Let go of me!"
"No, you can't do this!" Bulma yells at Dr. Gero as she grasps his arm. He shakes her off and walks away. Yumcha, who has been standing near by, moves to stand in front of Bulma, blocking her path to her father.
"Poor Bulma. It's a shame about your father." Yumcha says, doing his best to sound sympathetic.
"You know he's not crazy, Yumcha." She says, almost pleading.
"I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding, if..." He looks at her suggestively.
"If what?" She asks, worried.
"If you marry me." He finishes with a smirk.
"What?" A look of pure disgust crosses Bulma's face.
"One little word, Bulma. That's all it takes." He drapes an arm around her shoulders.
"Never!" She says in disgust as she removes his arm sharply from her shoulder.
"Have it your way" He says gruffly as he slowly walks off, playing hard to get.
"Bulma!" Dr. Briefs calls out to his daughter as he is thrown into the back of the wagon. She quickly disappears back into the house. "Let go of me!" He complains as the orderlies tighten their grip on his arms.
"Wait!" Bulma calls out as she runs from the house holding the magic mirror Vegeta gave her. "My father's not crazy and I can prove it!" She yells out to the crowd. Holding the mirror aloft she calls out "Show me the beast!" The mirror comes to life in a flash of light. The tiny green electric sparks flow round its edge and an image of Vegeta roaring in anguish is revealed. His bloodshot eyes wide. He tilts his head back and roars with furry and hurt, baring his impressive teeth. The crowd all gasp and step back from the blazing mirror and the fierce beast that can be seen in it. One woman in the crowd yell out in a panicked voice.
"Is it dangerous?"
Bulma is quick to reassure them all.
"Oh, no. He'd never hurt anyone. Please, I know he looks vicious, but he's really kind and gentle. He's my friend." She holds the mirror closer to her and smiles at the image of Vegeta. Yumcha pushes his way to the front of the crowd to stand before Bulma.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you had feelings for this monster." Yumcha's voice is spiked with jealousy.
"He's no monster, Yumcha. You are!" She spits the words in his face with furry.
"She's as crazy as the old man." Yumcha informs the crowd as he snatches the magic mirror from Bulma's hand. He leaps into the crowd, mirror in hand as he begins to tell the villages his version of what the beast is like. "The beast will make off with your children! He'll come after them in the night." He says to the faces of two woman who clutch their children to them.
"No!" Bulma calls out. Angered that Yumcha would say such things when he does not know what he's talking about.
"We're not safe 'til his head is mounted on my wall! I say we kill the beast!" He continues as he jumps up onto a wagon full of hay. The crowd cheers him and then begins to chant 'kill him'.
"We're not safe until he's dead!" One man calls out.
"He'll come stalking us at night!" Another man yells.
"Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite!" A worried woman cries while clutching her baby to her protectively.
"He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free!" A third man says as he picks up a pitchfork and waves it about.
"So it's time to take some action, boys it's time to follow me!"  Yumcha leaps off the wagon and throws a lit match into the hay. It flames erupt and engulf it, creating an instant bonfire. He then begins to prance around it warning the villagers of the terrible danger they are in while this beast is still alive.
"Through the mist, through the woods. Through the darkness and the shadows. It's a nightmare but it's one exciting ride. Say a prayer, then we're there. At the drawbridge of a castle, and there's something truly terrible inside." Yumcha sneaks up behind an unsuspecting Krillin and frightens him. He then proceeds to chase Krillin around, pretending to be a monster. "It's a beast, he's got fangs, razor sharp ones. Massive paws, killer claws for the feast" Yumcha shows Krillin the image of Vegeta visible in the magic mirror and Yumcha acts like he has fangs and claws to try and scare him. "Hear him roar, see him foam, but we're not coming home, 'til he's dead, good and dead, kill the beast!" Yumcha finishes by thrusting his arm into the air, holding the magic mirror high above his head.
"No, I won't let you do this." Bulma objects as she grabs Yumcha's arm.
"If you're not with us, you're against us. Bring the old man." He grabs Bulma's hand and pulls it from his arm. He then drags her to the opening to the basement of the cottage and throws her in there. A group of men takes Dr. Briefs by both arms and drags him over to join her.
"Get your hands off me!" He complains as they drag him towards the basement. They throw him in with Bulma.
"We can't have them running off to warn the creature!" Yumcha yells as he slams the doors to the basement shut and clamps a padlock on the clasp, locking them inside.
"Let us out!" Bulma cries from inside while she bangs on the locked doors.
"We'll rid the village of this beast. Who's with me?" Yumcha yells to the crowd. There is a chorus of 'I am's' from the crowd. The crowd then all says in unison.
"Light your torch, mount your horse" Yumcha hoists himself up onto the back of a black stallion with red eyes, after he thrusts the magic mirror through his belt. The villagers all arm themselves with whatever they can find and flaming torches to light their way.
"Screw your courage to the sticking place" Yumcha quotes as he tugs on his horse's reins and urges it forward. (anyone know where that quote comes form? I do ^_~)
"We're counting on Yumcha to lead the way!" The vast group of able men yells as the follow Yumcha out of the village as the woman, children and the elderly wave them goodbye.
"Through a mist, to a wood, where within a haunted castle, something's lurking that you don't see every day!" The crowd continues to chant as Yumcha leads them into the dense forest. There a group of the villagers fells a huge tree and rips the branches from it. With men on either side they heave it up and carry it upon their shoulders. "It's a beast, one as tall as a mountain! We won't rest 'til he's good and deceased! Sally forth, tally ho, grab your sword, grab your bow. Praise the Lord and here we go!"
"We'll lay siege to his castle and bring back his head!" Yumcha yells to his followers as they continue their march towards Vegeta's castle, which can be seen in the distance. A dark omen at the edge of a cliff. Fork lighting cracks the sky around it and illuminates the castle.

Back in Dr. Briefs basement/laboratory Bulma is franticly prying at the window with a stick.
"I have to warn Vegeta. This is all my fault. Oh, dad. What are we going to do?" She tosses the stick aside and leans against the windowpane. Dr. Briefs puts a comforting arm around Bulma.
"Now, now. We'll think of something."
Outside Gohan creeps out of the cottages front door and wanders round to the side of the house where the basement entrance is. He bends down and peers through the dusty window and sees Dr. Briefs comforting a grieving Bulma. He then wanders over to the basements doors. His brow furrows when he sees there is a heavy padlock sealing the doors. He then sits down on the slanted basement doors, which are virtually parallel to the ground. He is lost in deep thought till his gaze falls upon Dr. Brief's wood chopping invention. It is still standing in the field where Bulma left it after she unhitched Tien from it. Gohan's eyes light up and he dashes across the field to the machine.

Through the forest the mob, lead by Yumcha, marches through the forest yelling at the top of their lungs.
"We don't like, what we don't understand, it frankly scares us and this monster is mysterious at least! Bring your guns, bring your knives, save your children and your wives, we'll save our village and our lives, we'll kill the beast!"
They grow ever closer to the castle and as they do the weather gets worse. Lightning streaks through the sky and is followed by claps of thunder. Rain is imminent but has not yet begun to fall.

In one of the second level rooms the servants idle round, more depressed than ever before.
"I knew it, I knew it was foolish to get our hopes up." Piccolo grumbles.
"Maybe it would have been better if she had never come at all." Juunanagou adds.
All of the servants turn towards the window as they hear approaching footsteps. They then all look at each other before jumping up and running towards the window.
"Could it be?" Goku says excitedly as he dashes towards the window.
"Is it she?" Juuhachigou asks as they all reach the window and peer through the glass. All eyes widen as what they see is not Bulma walking up the path to the castle but in fact the mob led by Yumcha.
"Invaders!" They all cry out in alarm and surprise.
"Encroachers!" Juunanagou adds.
"And they have the mirror!" ChiChi says in alarm as she spots the magic mirror thrust through Yumcha's belt. Piccolo begins issuing orders out to the other servants.
"Warn the master. If it's a fight they want, we'll be ready for them. Who's with me!?" He turns from the window to see the last of the servants disappear out the door. Frowning he follows them.

Just as the mob reaches the bridge to the castle a clap of thunder sounds and the heavens open up. Torrents of rain lash them as they stride up to the castle doors carrying the huge tree to be used as a battering ram.

"Take whatever booty you can find, but remember, the beast is mine!" Yumcha orders as they reach the door. The battering ram is raised and they prepare to knock the doors down.

Within the castle the servants all make their way down stairs to the main hall before the door. Having put little though into a plan they wait at the door wondering what they can possibly do to defend the castle. A loud bang sounds on the door and they know it cannot take much more.

"Raise the flag, sing the song, here we come, we're fifty strong and fifty Frenchmen can't be wrong, let's kill the beast!" The mob ends their chant with a second ram of their bartering ram into the door. The door still does not budge but it shows signs of weakening under the onslaught.

Hidden away up in his quarters Vegeta sits silently on his own, head hung and eyes closed. His breathing is even but other than that he shows little signs of life. Nothing of his former dinner suit remains but a torn white shirt and ripped blue pants, having torn everything else off in a fit of rage and defeat. With a slight creek the door to his chambers is pushed open and ChiChi slips in.

"Pardon me master"

"Leave me in peace" Vegeta murmurs, his voice devoid of all emotion.

"But sir, the castle is under attack!" She says in disbelief. "What shall we do master?"

"It doesn't matter now. Just let them come." His voice carries a hint of sadness. He looks away from where she is standing as if to dismiss the entire conversation. ChiChi looks at him in horror and disbelief. Their once harsh and hot-tempered master reduced to the point where he has given up. She decides it best not to push the matter and slips out of his room to join the others in an attempt to protect the castle.

Meanwhile the servants, having devised a plan of attack are all posed as various gargoyles lining the main hall. With tails, wings and teeth on display in the dark it's hard to tell the difference. Two more loud bangs sound as the battering ram hits the doors a third and fourth time. On the fifth attempt the doors swing open and clang against the wall on either side. The mob slowly enters the enormous hallway. Suspicious of the silence they glance timidly from side to side but see nothing unusual. Once every last member of the vengeful mob has passed through the doors Goku cries out.

"Now!!!!" Having little to no fighting power due to the spell they are under the servants are forced to use other means of attack. On the word they all spring from their hiding places with roars in the hopes they can frighten most of their uninvited guests away. This trick works successfully to remove half the mob who run shrieking from the castle, not stopping till they are safely back at home. Those who remain try in vain to fight off their attackers Piccolo successfully tackles two to the ground and bites down hard one of their arms and the others leg. Both scream and flee as quickly as their legs can carry them.

Goku and Piccolo then team up against a group of 6 or so attacks. Each grabs the end of a piece of rope and they run circles round the small group, tying them up in the process. Goku then picks up the squirming bundle of people and heaves them out the door.

"And don't come back!" He exchanges a high five with Piccolo before racing off to take on more baddies.

Juuhachigou successfully lures a small group of men up the stairs only to be met by her brother holding a lance, which he had stolen from one of the many suits of armor about the place. With an evil smirk he swings the lance and knocks all 8 men down the stairs.

"Take that!" Juuhachigou proclaims resting her arm on her brother's shoulder. The men tumble right the way down the stairs, scramble to their feet and bolt for the door.

Three men follow ChiChi into the kitchen where they find her armed with an array of sharp knives.

"Now we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way," she says while sharpening a knife. The men all look at each other before screaming and running out the door.

As the last of the men scatter before them the servants stride confidently to the door.

"And stay out!" Piccolo yells at the disappearing mob. Goku grabs him and kisses him on each cheek. Piccolo makes a disgusted face and wipes his cheeks. However, unnoticed to them Yumcha was able to slip away and advance further into the castle in search of Vegeta.

 Back at Bulma's house Gohan's managed to get Dr. Briefs' invention up and running. He then turns the end with the axe in the direction of the door to the basement in which Bulma and Dr. Briefs are trapped.

"Here we go!" Gohan calls out as he starts up the machine and it whirs into action. Axe chopping away it advances towards the basement door.

Having heard odd noises outside Dr. Briefs stands with his eye pressed against the crack between the doors. He stops the advancing machine and stars in confusion.

"What the devil?" He then realizes what's happening and grabs Bulma's arm and pulls her away from the door. "Bulma, look out!"

The invention crashes into the door and chops it to pieces. A puff of red smoke erupts from the basement and Bulma and Dr. Briefs emerge from the wreckage. They look around and soon spot Gohan hanging from a spring that's hooked through his pants. He grins at them.

"You guys gotta try this thing." Bulma and Dr. Briefs exchange amused looks before going over to help Gohan down.

Yumcha makes his way down the castles many halls, kicking doors to every room in and quickly scanning them before moving on. Before long he kicks open the door to Vegeta's quarters and finds the Prince in the same position ChiChi left him. He draws his bow and takes aim at Vegeta. He glances up at Yumcha before once again hanging his head. Yumcha wastes no more time and releases the arrow from his bow. It buries itself in Vegeta's shoulder and the Prince leaps up bellowing in pain. Yumcha tackles him round the waist and the two smash through the window leading to the balcony. Yumcha cackles manically but Vegeta looks away in despair, refusing to fight.

"Get up! Get up! What's the matter, Beast? Too kind and gentle to fight back?" Yumcha says, giving Vegeta a couple of kicks to the ribs. He still does nothing to defend himself. Frustrated Yumcha picks him up and heaves him over the balcony. Vegeta tumbles down the roof and lands on flat part of the roof that juts out over the cliff face on which the castle is perched. Vegeta once again chooses to look at the ground instead of fight back. Yumcha, infuriated leaps over the balcony's edge and slides down the roof to where Vegeta lies. He breaks a piece of stone from the roof and raises it above his head, preparing to strike. Suddenly, from nowhere a familiar female voice cries out

"No!" The voice reaches the two upon the roof. Yumcha stops to glance down at Bulma, who is seated upon Tien's back looking up at them from the castles bridge. Vegeta casts his gaze down and sees her too. Her voice and presence gives him new life and he can feel his old strength rising up inside of him. A fire lights within his eyes and quietly he whispers

"Bulma"

"Yumcha, don't!" She cries out again. Hoping to stop him. Yumcha takes no notice and swings the piece of rock down. Vegeta catches it in one hand and stands up, forcing Yumcha to take a step back. He then roars in his face and throws him across the roof. Yumcha quickly recovers and leaps to his feet, chasing Vegeta across the rooftop.

Bulma meanwhile realizes she'll have to intervene or the fight would end in bloodshed. She races Tien to the castle entrance where she dismounts and runs through the door. She then heads up to Vegeta's quarters.

Yumcha rounds a corner of the roof in pursuit of Vegeta but can see no sign of him, the Prince having cleverly hidden himself amongst the gargoyles on the roof.

"Come on out and fight! Were you in love with her, beast? Did you honestly think she'd want you when she had someone like me?" Yumcha yells in the hopes to draw Vegeta out. Once again the Prince's pride gets the better of him and he leaps from his hiding place, tackling Yumcha to the ground.

"It's over beast! Bulma's mine!" Yumcha yells as he gets to his feet. Vegeta, enraged, grabs Yumcha round the neck, picks him up and holds him out over the edge of the roof. Yumcha's eyes widen in fear as he glances down at the dizzying drop beneath him. He then grasps Vegeta's arms and pleads desperately for his life.

"Put me down. Put me down. Please, don't hurt me! I'll do anything! Anything!" His lip quivers as he stares into Vegeta's hate filled eyes. Anger radiates from Vegeta as he hold Yumcha out, his eyes narrow and the wonderful feeling of bloodwrath flows through his veins. Every feature set he prepares to release the pathetic babbling human but for some reason he can't. It's not that he doesn't want to, he's love to see him plummet to the rocks far bellow, he just can't bring himself to let go. The look of fierce anger slowly slips from his face and he pulls Yumcha back in and drops him onto the roof.

"Get out" He grows in his face.

"Vegeta." Bulma's voice sounds behind him. He turns, trying to hide the joy that's welling up inside of him.

"Bulma" He whispers to her as he climbs up the roof to the balcony "You came back" He looks almost confused as she reaches her hand out for his. He takes her hand and grips the balcony's edge with the other. He then releases her hand and reaches up to run his fingers through her hair. Suddenly Yumcha, who's crept up behind Vegeta thrusts a knife into his side. Vegeta roars in pain while Bulma watches on helpless to do anything. Yumcha smiles maliciously and pulls the knife from Vegeta's side. Blood pours from the wound and Vegeta sways slightly. Yumcha raises the knife and prepares to stab him again. Just as he's about to drive the knife once again into Vegeta's side the prince loses his grip on the balcony's edge and starts to fall, knocking Yumcha off balance. Bulma reaches forward and grasps Vegeta's rain soaked shirt and pulls him back. No such luck for Yumcha as he loses his footing and tumbles into the ravine below, never to be seen again.

Bulma helps the injured Vegeta to climb over the balcony rail, where he lies down on the floor and closes his eyes. His breathing is labored and blood is beginning to soak his shirt. The servants, having fought off the intruders, appear at the broken window leading out onto the balcony. None of them enter, all too stunned to move beyond the broken pane. Vegeta slowly opens his eyes and gazes up at Bulma who is knelt beside him.

"You came back" he repeats his earlier statement as he reaches a hand up to run his fingers through Bulma's wet hair.

"Of course I came back. I couldn't let them... Oh this is all my fault. If only I'd gotten here sooner." She places her hand over his and leans her cheek against his hand. 

"Maybe…it's better this way," He gasps out.

"Don't talk like that. You'll be all right. We're together now. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see." Bulma says smiling hopefully.

"At least I got to see you one... last...time." He breathes before his eyelids fall. The hand Vegeta held against Bulma's cheek falls limply to his side. Bulma raises her hands to her mouth in disbelief and chocks back tears. She falls onto his chest and weeps.

"No, no! Please! Please! Please don't leave me! I love you!" She cries, clutching at his torn shirt.

The servants watch solemnly as the last rose petal falls. They all look sadly at the floor. Goku puts his arms around ChiChi to comfort her.

Bulma weeps softly as the rain continues to fall around her. A single beam of yellow light, like a shooting star, strikes the ground nearby. A green one soon follows, then a red, a blue, Bulma notices what's happening and stops crying as she looks up. She gasps in shock and quickly gets to her feet. Eyes wide she begins to back away from Vegeta's body. A mist begins to enshroud Vegeta. The servants look on in anticipation as Vegeta rises up into the air magically and begins to turn. He is enveloped in a cloud of light that causes his whole body to glow. The beams of coloured light continue to fall and his body twists and turns as if transforming. A furred arm and hand break free and the brown coloured the fur melts into skin. Beams of brilliant white light are then emitted from each of his fingers. A furred leg and foot then stretch out, the brown fur once again disappearing to reveal skin and lights beams are emitted from each of his toes. Finally wind rushes across it his face and it begins to change. The once unruly hair that flowed to his shoulders now replaced with the perfect kept flame of black hair we all know Vegeta for. His once beastly look replaced with the fine features of the prince he is. His form is slowly lowered to the ground and the fog that surrounded him disappears. Bulma slowly walks over to him and carefully reaches out a hand. She pulls it back quickly as Vegeta begins to stir. He slowly gets to his feet, with his back to Bulma and the servants. He looks down at his hands in amazement, turning them over and over. The fur that once covered the majority of his body now gone. He then turns to face Bulma, his eyes the same dark coals of the beast she had come to know and love. He takes an excited step towards her but she returns his look with one of confusion and steps back. He too then looks at her confused.

"Bulma. It's me" She walks slowly over to him and looks deep into his eyes. She then reaches a hand out to run it through his hair. He follows her hand before they lock eyes again. A smile plays across her face as she realizes the prince before her is Vegeta.

"It is you." She whispers. He then wraps an arm round her waist and pulls her to him. He runs his other hand across her cheek and into her hair she smiles. He then leans in and kisses her deeply, she accepts his kiss and wraps her arms around his neck as she kisses back.

From nowhere fireworks burst in the sky, filling the gloom with colour and light. The dark and rain melt away as if by magic and the whole castle begins to transform. It's dark décor brightened in an instant. Vicious gargoyles replaced by beautiful sculptures. All shadows are chased away and replaced with light. The castle is returned to its former beauty in a matter of moments.

As the servants watch the amazing transformations taking place before their eyes each one steps out onto the balcony in turn. Goku is first, his fur and tail disappearing to a reveal a very happy man. ChiChi follows, her tail too disappears and she is returned to normal. Their son Gohan, who arrived with Bulma and her father, is also returned to normal. Juunanagou is next to step out and both his wings and tail are gone, as if they were never there. His sister follows and she too finds her once demonic look to be no more. She hugs her brother in sheer joy. Piccolo is last to emerge, his tail and red spikes fading away till they are no more. He grins at the other servants and they all smile back.

"Oh my goodness!" ChiChi exclaims, hugging Goku.

"It's a miracle!" Goku yells, grinning like the fool he is. Even Vegeta has to smile at the joyous occasion.

"Yes. It sure is nice to be back to normal" The prince states "And we owe it all to you, Bulma" He then takes her hands in his "Stay with us"

"Of course I will" Bulma says smiling. "I could dream of spending my life no other way"

The next day celebrations are in full swing with the whole town invited to the wedding of Prince Vegeta and Bulma. The wedding now over the two share their first dance in the same ballroom they danced in before, they are even dressed in the same attire. However this time, as Vegeta sweeps Bulma around the room, servants and townsfolk line the edge of the ballroom, all smiling happily and enjoying themselves.

To one side of the dance floor Goku and Juunanagou stand watching the pair dance.

"Isn't it wonderful" Goku muses. ChiChi then walks by carrying a steaming pie, bound for the snack table. Goku becomes temporarily distracted. "PIE!!!!" He yells out and starts to run after it only to find he can't move. He looks back to see what's preventing him from getting to the pie and sees Piccolo holding his arm.

"Well, Goku, old friend. Shall we let bygones be bygones?" Piccolo says smiling. Goku shakes his head as if to clear it.

"I'm sorry Piccolo did you say something about bon bons?"

Juunanagou rolls his eyes at Goku's inability to stop thinking about food.

"No!" Piccolo starts, trying to remain calm "I was referring to Bulma breaking the spell"

"Oh yeah. Didn't I tell you she'd be the one." Goku grins, obviously pleased with himself.

"I beg your pardon, old friend, but I believe I told you." Piccolo relies, chuckling lightly.

"No you did!" Goku whines childishly "I told you!"

"You most certainly did not, you pompous paraffin-headed pea-brain!" Piccolo says, lunging for Goku. Goku sidesteps him before whining some more.

"I don't even know what you just called me!"

"He called you stupid." Juunanagou adds.

"I'm not stupid Piccolo! That wasn't very nice!" Goku pouts and turns away from Piccolo. Piccolo grunts in frustration before storming off.

"Something things never change" Juuhachigou says as she walks over to stand beside her brother. She then glances about the changed atmosphere of the castle "Then again, some things do change."

ChiChi, having placed the pie she was carrying on the table, walks over to stand beside Dr. Briefs. The two exchange a smile and a tear of pure joy slips from his eye before Gohan rushed over. The boy leaps into his mother's arms.

"Mum! Are they gonna live happily ever after?" He smiles at his mother expectantly.

"Of course, my dear. Of course." ChiChi smiles at the happily dancing couple and knows that her words will ring true forever after.

*Song*

Certain as the sun
Rising in the east
Tale as old as time,
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the beast!

Tale as old as time,
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the beast!

The End

(Well, there you have it. It's finally finished and I can sleep better at night knowing it's done. I apologize once again for being such a bad, bad person and not finishing it when I should have but forces I could not control were working against me. Hope you liked the DBZ version of 'Beauty and the Beast'. My next fic is an original piece but it does not, however, have anything to do with DBZ. It's a Lord of the Rings fic and is something that's been at the back of my mind for a while. Anyway you don't really care about that and I'm babbling again so I'll just leave it at hope you like my first fic and please review as it makes me feel special.)