I have absolutely no idea why this chapter isn't editing correctly... kicks If it's showing up all whacked out on your computer too, then head over to h t t p : w w w . f f u m p . n e t and check it out over there. Just click the fanfiction link on the left hand side of the page, and you can either find the story under recently added, or use the search engine to find me. My name's Vegetas-Princess there as well. Again, I apologize for the really jacked up formatting, but it's not my fault :-D
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Mark of Destiny
Chapter Seven: And then will come one
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"Please try to understand, Raditz... I would never hurt you... Not in a million years..."
"Then why?" He asked, his voice low and solemn.
"Because while I could never hurt you, I could also never watch you hurt yourself."
"Is that what you think I'm doing?" He snarled, his eyes flashing brightly.
"I didn't come here to argue with you, Raditz. But, I see now that I shouldn't have come at all. I won't make that mistake again. Take care..." She whispered, before turning around and walking back down the long corridor.
Raditz gave a slight growl, before taking a step backwards, into the shadows.
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Bulma awoke the next morning, feeling more than a little drained.
To be more than honest, running away from her captives, saving Raditz, and narrowly avoiding.. whatever Vegeta had saved her from... had done more than drain her.
It had sucked every bit of life out of her.
Perhaps that was why she tossed her alarm clock across the room, completely forgetting about her new found room mate.
It wasn't until she heard a dull thunk, followed by a shrill shriek and a smack to the back of her head that she realized she had probably caused Kyra at least a small amount of brain damage.
"Jesus, kid.. You could at least warn me next time you're going to hurtle a foreign object across the room at me." The other woman mumbled as she headed to the bathroom, rubbing gingerly at the back of her now throbbing head.
Bulma gave a sheepish grin, before rolling back over onto her back and giving a deep sigh.
"Raditz..." She mumbled softly, before rolling her eyes and crawling quickly out of bed. "Kami, Bulma, use your head for once," She berated, her face burning a deep red color, "You're the one that left him, remember?"
She hadn't even realized that she'd been speaking aloud, until she noticed that Kyra had emerged from the bathroom, and was currently staring at the younger girl as if she'd completely lost her mind.
"Sweetheart, if you're regretting the fact that you left Raditz, then go back to him, I'm sure you'd get no objections on his part." She replied, before beginning to rummage through her closet, a determined look settling over her features.
"It's not that.." Bulma began, but quickly thought better of it. How in Kami's name was she supposed to explain herself to someone, when she wasn't even sure what the hell was going on in her head in the first place.
"I know it's not, Bulma, that's why I didn't question it. I can't say I'm happy about you leaving his protection though. You realize that means I'll have to put you back on the roster tonight, right? And after all the commotion you caused when you left Prince Vegeta yesterday, I daresay there'll be quite the crowd searching for you tonight." Kyra answered quietly, her determined look quickly melting into one of unease. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try to make sure you go somewhere good tonight, I promise."
"This is what I decided on, Kyra. I already knew what would happen to me if I left Raditz.. I knew, and I did it anyway." The younger girl spoke, her head lowered slightly to hide the unease that she was almost positive could be easily seen in her blue eyes. As much as she tried to make it seem so, this hadn't been an easy decision for her to make. Not in the least bit. And the more she thought about it, the harder it actually seemed to get.
Kyra, however, understood perfectly what the younger girl was going through, and refused to let the situation die, no matter how much it seemed that Bulma just wanted to forget what was happening. She opened her mouth to speak then, still unsure as to what, if anything, she could say to comfort the girl that she had come to look upon as a daughter.
She never got the chance to speak, however, her reply having been suddenly cut off by a shrill metallic voice.
"All hands report immediately to B deck, Prince Vegeta will begin the debriefing and landing procedures shortly. Repeat, all hands report immediately to B deck. That is all."
Bulma's eyes widened a bit. "Are we really on Namek already?"
Kyra merely chuckled. "Not too likely. We should still have another day or two before we breach Namekian atmosphere. It's more likely that we're stopping somewhere along the way to pick up the rest of the supplies for the trip.
Upon catching sight of Bulma's arched eyebrow, Kyra decided to continue, a slight hint of amusement still left on her face. "I'm sure you've noticed how much a single Saiyan can eat, yes?" She waited for Bulma to nod that she understood, before continuing, "Well then, imagine how much a ship full of Saiyans eats. Now imagine how much fuel it would waste if they carried all of that food with them. The sheer weight of if would be mind boggling. So, they generally wait until the last possible second to gather the last of the supplies. I guess they figure that any speed that they can prevent losing is worth it, or something to that effect."
Bulma's eyes widened some more, before a devious smirk crossed her lips. "Kyra.. how would I go about getting an audience with the Prince?"
Kyra merely looked confused for a moment, before shrugging and rolling her eyes. "I still don't get you two. But, whatever suits your fancy, I suppose. I can call his quarters, if you like, but I doubt if he's still there, not with the debriefing and what not going on. We're permitted to attend the meeting though, so if you don't mind your words being spoken on a more public level, you can talk to him about it there."
Bulma looked more than a tad bit spooked. Speaking in front of the same group of Saiyans that had just spent a good few hours of their lives in a tank because of her didn't really strike her as too smart of an idea. Not at all.
But those that know Bulma Briefs, both now, and then, could tell you that she never has been a person to do the logical thing. Besides, if this worked, then there was a VERY good possibility that she wouldn't have to follow through with her original duties aboard the ship. And that, as nearly anyone could tell you, was enough of an idea to make anyone smile.
"I don't see why what I need to talk to Vegeta about can't be said in front of the others.. though even I have to admit that I'm kind of nervous about giving a speech as important as this one, in the same room that I KNOW Raditz is going to be in."
"Raditz has had a hard life, Bulma.. Well, ok, that's probably not the best comparison, considering what you've gone through as well.. but try to hear me out. Raditz lost someone very important to him, to both of us, actually, several years ago. He hasn't been the same since. I think he clings so tightly to you, because he doesn't want to have to go through that again."
Bulma sat there for a moment, obviously letting the new information set in, before turning eyes that were much too wise for her age back to her surrogate mother. "Was.. was she Raditz' mate?"
Kyra gave a quick nod, before raising a hand to stop the barrage of questions that she was sure would follow this new turn of events. "The rest is for Raditz and Raditz alone to tell you. I've treaded where I didn't belong enough, for now at least. My advice to you would be to seek him out and ask him, however. Getting even a tiny bit of what he's kept pent up for so long off of his chest might make life at least a tad easier on him."
Bulma sat there for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, I think you're right. There's never any hope of there ever being anything more between us than friends.. but I think I at least owe him the opportunity to explain.. whatever it is that he needs to explain. I'll go speak to him after I talk to Prince Vegeta." She nodded then, as if to confirm it, more to herself than the room's other occupant.
"I'd say, Miss Briefs, that that is a marvelous idea." Kyra agreed, before giving a small laugh, and gesturing to the other girl's clothing, or t-shirt and boxers, whichever you prefer. "Though, I do think that, just perhaps, you should wear something a bit more appropriate when addressing the prince."
Bulma merely blushed a deep scarlet color, before scampering off to the bathroom to change.
Kyra's eyes deepened then, and her smile faded. Fate had dealt that one such a cruel hand.
It was too bad that Kyra, and a Saiyan known as Bardock were the only ones that knew what was to come.
And they both knew far too well that it was something that was never to be spoken of.
Not if they wanted what was best for their people.
Not if they wanted the prophecy to be fulfilled.
It was just such a shame that that girl would have to lose so much, for the happiness of a race that she could care less about.
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She had pretty much already guessed that most of the Saiyans would still be more than a tad bit miffed about what had happened the day before.
Miffed would be an understatement.
She could feel every pair of eyes fall on her as she entered the room, and it was all she could do not to shiver under their intense glares.
So.. they were all here then.
Some stood straight and tall, their bodies never leaving their position as they saluted the Saiyan Prince, even if their eyes did have the tendency to wander in her direction when no one was paying attention.
Some were glaring.
Some were ogling.
Some were.. bleeding?
Still?
Oh Kami.. they were going to kill her.
She was going to die.
She audibly gulped.
It was then that she noticed a familiar head in the distance.
So, all eyes weren't on her then.
Raditz wouldn't even turn to face her as she entered. Not that she had actually expected him to, or anything..
But still, that didn't make the sharp pain that traveled up her spine lessen any.
She thought quickly back to her conversation with Kyra. Raditz had lost someone important to him once.
Judging from the way that Raditz was turned away from her, his back rigid, it was slightly more than obvious that the same thing had happened to him for a second time. But, she'd have to worry about that later, when they were alone, and she could find out what it was that had caused him so much grief in the past.
Now was most definitely not the time to speak to an ex love about the skeletons in their closet.
Now was more the time to attempt to appease the angry Saiyan prince that was glaring at you like you'd grown an extra head.
"Begging your pardon, your highness.. but I think I might just have a way that I can be useful.. not to mention save my own ass in the process." She began, before wincing slightly at her wording.
Talking about your ass when you were in a room full of sex crazed Saiyans was probably not the way to go.
"And...?" Vegeta's voice reverberated off of the steel walls of the room, causing Bulma to jump slightly. Somehow, he seemed a lot more frightening now that her clothes were back on.
Whatever sense THAT made.
She waited for a few moments before realizing that that was all the clearance she would get.
She cleared her throat before continuing. "Before I was taken from Earth.." She began, fighting back the tears that sprang unbidden to her eyes at the memory, "Before I was taken, I lived at the Capsule Corporation. We specialized in a unique form of packaging, called capsule technology."
"I'm not seeing what this has to do with us, Miss Briefs." Vegeta began, before sending her a slight smirk. "Or with your ass, for that matter."
"Capsule technology's development is complicated and irrelevant, so I'll spare you the details on that... But what I CAN do is show you." She pulled a small pill shaped object from her bra, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.
She noticed briefly that even Raditz had turned to see what it was that she was rambling on about. She gave a small smile then.
She'd be sure to give them a good show then. She depressed the small button atop the capsule, and tossed it into an empty spot on the floor. There was a great puff of smoke, and a small hissing sound, and then all was silent. With the exception of several confused murmurs and shocked gasps from those that had just experienced her father's wondrous invention for the first time.
It wasn't some great ship.. It wasn't even a motorbike. It was merely a suitcase.
An empty one at that.
But judging from their shocked gasps, and the looks plastered on their faces, they couldn't have been more impressed anyway.
Not surprisingly, it was Prince Vegeta who spoke first, his voice not belying any of the trace amounts of curiosity that you could see rather plainly on his face.
"Quite impressive, Miss Briefs.. Though I'm STILL not gathering what this has to do with us."
It was all the blue haired Earthling could do to keep from rolling her eyes. "You can't transport enough food for an entire mission, right?"
Vegeta merely nodded.
"Well then, the first thing that comes to mind for its use would be to store food, weapons, things like that in. Currently there aren't any refrigerated capsules.. But if you'll give me some time with it, I think I can probably come up with something. In the very least, you could store dried goods, and other non perishables in there for the time being."
Vegeta didn't move a muscle for at least a full minute, his eyes locked firmly on the face of the blue haired scientist in front of him.
He had never heard such a ridiculous claim in his entire life.
It REALLY, REALLY made him want to listen to her.
If for no other reason than the fact that he was positive that there would be hell to pay when he got home and his father caught wind of this.
Vegeta loved commotion, you see.
Especially when he got the upper-hand in causing it.
Fine. I'll give you a month, wench. One month to impress me with your.. talents." He cast a knowing smirk then. He could almost feel Raditz' eyes drilling white hot holes in the back of his head.
This was going to be even more fun that he thought.
"If, after one month, I'm not entirely pleased with your progress, or if I'm bored, then I'll have you sent back to the harem's, and you can take up your fate with the first idiot that decides to take you home for the evening. Do I make myself clear?"
Bulma nodded hastily in reply, the breath that she hadn't even been aware she was holding rushing out in one swift "woosh".
"Now, is there anything else I can do for you, or would it be ok for me to get back to the urgent business my men and I were discussing before you decided to interrupt?" That was a lie, and everyone in the room knew it. They hadn't been discussing anything when Bulma had entered. Vegeta himself had only been in the chamber for about thirty seconds before her, after all. The most interesting conversation that had been taking place was the rumor that the blue haired girl was to become the royal concubine, serving both the prince, AND the King of Vegeta-sei.
Raditz had been quick to correct that one.
With a few well placed punches to a few rather unlucky noses.
It was then that the Prince had entered, raising an eyebrow in question at the three men with blood gushing out of their noses. Though, he did have to give them credit. They were still doing everything in their ability to salute the prince, and act as though nothing in the world was out of the ordinary.
Judging from the smug look that Raditz was shooting in his direction when he entered, he was more than a bit positive that the third class bastard had been responsible for the bloodied elites.
Shaking his head a bit to bring himself back to the present, he was more than a bit shocked to find that when his mind had wandered, evidently his eyes had as well.
At least, that's all he could assume happened, considering that he had been look Bulma Briefs squarely in the eye a few minutes ago, and now, for some odd reason or another, he couldn't see anything but breast.
He could, however, still hear.
The distinct murmur of the Saiyan elites as they gossiped about why in the world their prince would attempt something as low as to stare, quite openly mind you, down the shirt of the very woman that had caused so many problems barely a day ago
The distinct growling of a rather angry Third Class Saiyan that didn't seem to think that Bulma's breats were anything to stare at.
And the distinct heartbeat of a rather flustered Bulma briefs.
It was this one that made Vegeta's smirk return.
If the way her heart was racing was any indication, then the little minx was MORE than enjoying the attention she was recieving from him.
Allowing his eyes to linger just a few moments longer than he knew he should have, he brought his gaze slowly back up to her face, noting with a great degree of amusement that her face greatly resembled a cherry.
She didn't, however, look pleased.
If Vegeta couldn't still hear the racing of her heart, then he might've been able to convince himself that he had merely been hallucinating before, that she had never actually shown any signs of wanting him at all.
But even now, as she struggled to maintain the infuriated glare that she was currently sporting, he could hear her heart racing, and see the quick but steady rise and fall of her chest as she attempted to catch her breath.
Like she knew she shouldn't have been involved in this staring contest with someone like him.
Hmm.. Interesting indeed.
He smirked at her for a moment more, before giving a slight nod of his head. This small movement seemed to have broken the spell that had been woven over her, and she blinked a few times to clear her vision, before turning on her heel and stalking from the room.
Anyone who had seen her from the back would have assumed that she was merely pissed at the world.
Anyone who saw her from the front, however, would have seen the most confused, bewlidered, and frightened face that Bulma Briefs had ever worn.
"Just what in Seven Hells was THAT?" She asked aloud once she was sure she was out of earshot of the Saiyan Prince.
Why was it that nearly everytime she was around the man, she felt like she couldn't control herself anymore?
Or even more frighteningly so, why in Kami's name was she beginning to question whether she'd control herself around him, even if she had been able to?
It was all she could do to repress a shudder.
Maybe Kyra would know what was going on.
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It shouldn't have shocked anyone when Raditz opted to stay behind after the other Saiyans had cleared out. His eyes were locked firmly on the profile of the Saiyan No Ouji.
Again he found himself wishing that he had laser vision.
That would have been so very, very helpful at this juncture in time.
"Tell me, will you ever stop staring? I know I'm pretty, but I hardly feel that you're my type, Raditz." A voice spoke, startling out of the day dream he'd been having about chasing Vegeta around the room, bright purple lasers erupting on contact with the walls, floor, and ceiling, just barely missing the desired target, Raditz cackling maniacally in the background... It was a good dream.
"I could ask you the same thing about Bulma." The third class warrior replied after a moment, clearly having taken a momeny to choose his words. He remembered quite well the last time he had been too hasty in the comments he made.
Oh yes, he remembered it QUITE well, thank you very much.
"Hmm.. correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the little one remove herself from your protection?"
"That doesn't mean that I'll let anything happen to her. Just because she doesn't want my protection doesn't mean that I'll stop giving it." Raditz shot back, a look of pure defiance plastered across his features.
"You know, you're not being entirely fair to her." Vegeta began, only to be cut off again by a warning growl from the other man. This amused the Saiyan Prince to no end. "You think this a game, Saiyan? I could rip your head off before you even had the time to process that I had moved, do you understand me?"
Raditz merely nodded. He knew without a doubt that the Saiyan No Ouji wasn't bluffing.
Raditz made a move to exit the room then, obviously deciding that staying in the room with what was looking more and more to be his rival, might not be the best idea in the world if he wanted to live past his twenty-sixth birthday.
He had made it nearly out the door when a voice from behind him stopped him.
"Can you honestly tell me that she doesn't remind you of Maria?"
If Raditz hadn't been so sure he would lose, he would have lunged himself at the Saiyan Prince just then. Instead, he did the smartest thing he had done all morning.
He kept walking.
Vegeta merely smirked. So it was true then.
Well now, wasn't this just delicious.
Suddenly he found himself wondering if Bulma had any idea who Maria was.
Or why Raditz seemed to have taken such a shine to her in such a short span of time.
His smirk widened then, into an all out devilish smile.
If the blue haired minx had been confused about Raditz before, he couldn't wait to see what this latest tidbit of information would bring to their already dying relationship.
And of course, as the Saiyan No Ouji, it would be his responsibility to step in and help her to pick up the pieces.
Ok, so maybe it wouldn't be his responsibility, per se... But that didn't mean that he wouldn't do it anyway.
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Raditz knew he should have seen that one coming.
After all, with the circumstances that had surrounded her disappearance, anyone would have been curious.
But even if he should have been expecting it, he wasn't.
Sure, she reminded him of her a bit...
Only in the way that she always put others before herself.
And in her smile.
And her laugh.
The way they kissed.
And the way they threw their heads back when he entered them.
The way his name rolled off their tongues as they climaxed.
And in the way that..
Oh.
Bloody.
Hell.
Had it really gotten that bad?
Had it gotten as far as that without him ever noticing or acknowledging it?
When had he stopped distinguinshing between the two?
When had Bulma, and Maria ceased to be Bulma and Maria?
And simply become the same person.
This was fucked.
Perhaps it was time to have a long conversation with Bulma concerning a certain past relationship? Yes, that seemed like the wisest thing he could do at the moment.
But first.. perhaps a short prayer was in order?
After all, he was fairly certain that no girl in the world would ever enjoy hearing that her lover.. or ex lover.. or whatever, was having problems distinguishing her from his wife.
Perhaps a long prayer would be wiser.
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A knock on Bulma's door at 2:00 called her attention from the blueprints she had been looking at.
In all honesty, she had been grateful for the distraction.
It was quickly becoming fairly obvious that her father had been a much greater genius than Bulma had ever remotely given him credit for. The plans she had been able to work up for the refrigerated capsules were more difficult that she ever could have imagined them being.
She rubbed her eyes to refocus them, before lying her pencil back down on the table and heading for the door, a slight small formed on her lips.
It didn't matter who it was, being able to talk to anyone would have to be better than being alone, talking nonsensically to herself.
She pulled open the door and quickly changed her mind.
Once she figured out who it was standing outside the door, Her eyes narrowed slightly, her lips changed instantly from a small smile, to a straight line.
"What?" She snapped, her expression never changing.
"We need to talk." Was the only reply she recieved before the man on the other side of the door muscled his way through the door, leaving a bewildered Bulma to close the door in his wake. She shook her head slightly before turning back to the room behind her.
Oddly enough, the only thought she had as his lips crushed against hers was that he wasn't really as tall as she remembered him being.
After a moment though, that thought faded away, leaving Bulma with two much more complicated questions.
How long would it take her to get his clothes off?
And what was Raditz going to say when he found out?
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From her place on the other side of the door, Kyra couldn't help but smile.
So far, so good. Everything was going exactly as Bardock had prophecized.
Her heart fell again, however, when she heard the fall of footsteps on the cold metal floor of the hallway. So it was true. The beginning of the end was starting now.
Raditz would inevitably put into motion the events that would either mean the ultimate destruction, or the ultimate survival of the Saiyan people.
The only part that made her nervous was the fact that for everything to go smoothly, Raditz would have to be completely honest with the poor girl inside the room in front of her.
He rounded the corner just then, his eyebrows arching up a bit in suprise when he saw her standing there in front of her own door, obviously spying at whatever was going on inside.
She didn't give any indication that she knew what was happening within the room, however. She merely steeled her resolve and pushed her key into the lock. She pushed the door open with a shaking hand.
And did the best she could to ignore the strangled gasp that sounded from behind her.
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Ok.. so, yeah. I'll give a cookie to the first one that figures out who it was that she was kissing :-p Sorry to all you Rad/Bulma fans.. but sadly enough, it just has to happen.. sniffles
And special hugs to Maria. Long time no see :-D
Hope everyone enjoys! And erm.. well.. it's actually starting to look like the plots going to be picking up rather quickly after this one. Actually, if everything goes according to plan, then there should be exactly 12 chapters left, for a grand total of 19. There may be less though, depending on how fast the plot starts moving.
Thanks for reading!
Vegetas-Princess