Inevitability

Chapter Eight: Guardian

The same night, Bulma had gone to bed without having any kind of food enter her mouth. After all the blood she had witnessed she could hardly imagine herself on a table, eating various of beautiful plates she wouldn't even enjoy since she could almost feel the metallic taste in her mouth.

The girl undressed and put on a silky night gown and threw herself on her queen-sized bed, snuggling under the soft blue velvet covers.

Looking up at the high circular ceiling above her, Bulma could almost feel her whole being relax. She had been tense the whole day and she couldn't even get the training she wanted to. The lavender haired girl's thoughts suddenly drifted off to where Radditz was. She had know he had a crush on her for a year now, but she never really told him about her knowledge. It was better this way, since she only could imagine him and his little brother like two brothers of her own. She never really liked Radditz more than that. For her it was more of a brotherly love... Not the woman-man relationship. It just seemed wrong with her.

A moan reached her ears. She didn't know where it came from but she could take a guess. She groaned and threw her feet over the edge of the bed in an irritated manner. When would she get some time for her freaking self, damn that!? She had been over the palace the whole day, and now she was nearly raped by someone she couldn't even recall meeting her whole life. She had to put up with that asshole's fucking attitude and now he was torturing her with his more than strange wounds.

Why did she even bother, you will ask? Well, it was simple, yet again. He had saved her. Uniquely to her, he had pushed that red skinned guy away, in a way she couldn't really understand and probably never would. What scared her more was the fact she had frozen when that guy nearly took her, or broke her neck, or whatever he wanted to do and was so goddamn close to it. It scared her that her power, her spirits have drained off.

The princess assumed that it was because her way of life in the past few years. Ever since she was back from Frieza's spacecraft, which mainly meant she was free from a certain neighboring prince's attitude, she thought she had fun to read all these books, to become smarter, to reach her goal. Namely, being better than him, in at least one aspect. She had picked on fighting to improve her fighting skills so she wouldn't feel so vulnerable in his presence. It just set her off to see the dominance that shone in his eyes whenever she had looked at them before.

Yes, she had been a child back then. Yes, it was childish of her to try to compete with a ruthless killer, more or less, that was what he was. But she had no idea how deep his last words to her had struck her. Here he had been, a boy she never before met, only heard a few rumors of before. There he had stood, pinning her to the wall, thinking he knew everything about her and the way the people around her behaved. And the worst part was he actually did, for not a word he said had been false. It just set her off, upset her deeply, made her heart weep.

Ever since that day, Bulma had become a living corpse. She ate, she read, she walked, she talked, she smiled, she yelled, she cried, she fought, but nothing brought her any kind of gratitude. Nothing. For she had no pleasant memories to hold on to anymore. All of her achievements when she was little, all of them false, she believed. All of them just an illusion to keep the young princess' fragile ego at bay. But they had not even realized how hard it had shattered once the truth was told in her eyes.

Sighing irritated, Bulma forced herself off of the bed to the room of her savior. She wasn't sure she really felt grateful for his deed. No, don't get this wrong, she was thankful that she hadn't been taken forcefully, but being saved from someone that was probably worse than the hulk that had attacked her... It didn't feel right, you know...

Cracking the door to his room open, she saw how the moon light gently stroked the sides of his face, making him glow in a strange aura. The expression the princess had shifted into a light frown. She had been worrying. And for whom? It was not possible, she tried to make herself not give a damn, for he was the one that took away her real innocence, her childhood innocence, her ignorance. She had grown up faster than anyone else.

And then there was the story of Chichi and the tragic loss of her mother... An year after Bulma's arrival on Earth, things began screwing up greatly. Bulma was glad no one could hear her thoughts for they would probably scorn her again. She was glad she was going to be an adult soon and she would have another thing to shut their mouths up with. Chichi's mother had always been the one maid she trusted always with everything - her personal problems, her thoughts, her longings and she had even told the dark haired woman why she was so obsessed with the library her father was making for her now, since she was "too little to handle such an organization". The cerulean eyed girl still remembered how the woman had laughed genuinely at her comments on Vegeta's behavior to her. Her laughter sounded like gentle music tones, stroking one's soul in a way nothing else possibly could.

Chichi's mom had been the most wonderful person Bulma had ever met. For the exception of her parents, of course, but they were that, her parents. They had to be the nicest people to her in the whole wide world, but not too easy on her, like they were. But she was getting off the topic. Chichi's mother was always cheerful, always so... so friendly to everyone. Not once had she turned anyone down. And then... Then she just died out of some illness there was no cure for at this time. Bulma had closed up on everyone from that day on. She did not even want to speak with her parents about anything. She did not want to even meet their eyes, or see their forms roaming happily through the castle. No, don't get it wrong, Chichi's mother had been a friend to them as well, a very good friend at that. She had been with them since the day the had been married, since the day her father, who had been a prince of Earth previously, had been crowned as a King. But they seemed to not take it as hard as she did and that made her blood boil. A strange feeling of loathing had risen in her. She didn't want it to, but the feeling told her that they were betraying her trust, the memory of her by just being happy.

And that was when a new maid had come in the castle. She had replaced the deceased woman, which pretty much set her off beyond belief. How could her parents replace their faithful servant so fast?! How dare they?! But then, the, at the moment, teal haired girl had seen the raven haired kid cry, she'd known she had a hard life too. Probably harder than she could ever imagine. She got interested in her past and then the girl opened up on her, explaining her that the deceased maid was her mother. Ever since then, Bulma shared the same connection with the daughter that she shared with the mother. But to her, she had never told her biggest secret. Something she had grown strangely afraid of to share, something she felt embarrassed about - her obsession. But the princess knew ChiChi was a smart girl, much to her dismay, like her mother the regal missed so dearly.

Bulma shook her lavender haired head. She should stop doing that, really. He said it and he meant it, that she knew. He said he didn't need nor want her help and she knew he was right. But maybe something forced her to just be there, know if he was in pain of some sort or anything like that. She had been deep in thought for the last few minutes, but now she heard it again. A low growl. Just like the ones he liked so much to emit. But when her face snapped in his direction, he seemed peaceful. More than he had ever seemed. Not a trace of pain on his features. Shaking her head yet again, the earth princess made her way out of the room. She must be hearing things.

But then another moan disturbed her closed lids when she had placed herself on her bed again. And then it hit her. It wasn't from around her. The sound came from within her, within her mind. What the hell was happening here? She ran to her ex-bodyguard and closed the door behind herself. That was when she saw the sweat covering his brows and the slight twitching of the sides of his strong lined jaw. He had a nightmare.

If it was so, then why was she the one hearing his pain, feeling it in the depth of her head?! What was going on here?! She heard a shriek in her mind, a child's shriek of pain. She closed her lids tightly, clutching to her ears, knowing it wouldn't achieve anything for the yells came from inside, but she couldn't stop and couldn't even think. The pain. The suffering. She felt it. Ever fiber of her body did. It was as if she was the one that was experiencing them. The whip's hits... No. It wasn't a whip. It was a tail. A long white strong tail. A lizard's tail.

And then, just like it had appeared, the pain and suffering disappeared. Bulma didn't know for how long she had just been standing on the bed, watching as the little drops of sweat trickled down the sides of his handsome face as it hadn't relaxed, but the voice had ceased to scream in her mind. Strange as it was, she stood up by the bed and brushed his head dry with the back of her palm. She frowned at her groundless sudden change in mood to him and went back to her room. She would have to deal with her stupid thoughts in the morning. Right now, all she needed was some sleep. And a peaceful sleep it was going to be.

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Not only had the princess grown in height these few years. She had also grown in heart and in mind. Not to mention how her temper had grown. She was really not the right person to begin an argument with, at least not if you want to have all of your teeth in place by the end of it. The lavender haired woman was famous for she was the most fiery princess the Earth has ever had, and probably would ever have. But, let's set this aside, for no one knows what destiny may serve them.

Well, anyway, because of her character, no one in the Palace, or on the planet, and not even the allies of Earth, dared to stand up against her. At least not for stupid things like the one the princess had decided on the next day.

"Princess, you can't just do that! Your parents need you to be around them! You are soon going to grow up and fly away from the nest they had built for these years. Can't you at least be with them for a little while longer?" Radditz was chasing after the princess as she was forcing his brother to take her desk to the room neighboring hers, which currently belonged to a certain sleeping Saiya-jin Prince. Goku was not quite content with what his friend was ordering him to do and he was pouting up at her. Bulma rolled her eyes as the words of the bigger brother finally registered in her brain, for she was too busy thinking of a way to blackmail Goku to deliver the desk to the room quietly.

"Radditz, I'm not in the mood to have some moral lectures right now. And I will take none of the likes of you either. The only ones that may lecture me about such things are my parents and my parents only." She emphasized, glaring at his stern obsidian eyes for more effect. These eyes reminded her of... She huffed and pushed Goku. "And as for you." The young heiress shifted her glare to her smaller friend. "You better do what I say you should, or I'll let you have no sweets out of the kitchen for months!"

The pout of the boy turned into a challenging frown. "You wouldn't do that." Her cold laugh made his blood freeze.

"Oh, wouldn't I? Just watch me." The princess couldn't continue spitting playful threats at her long-time friend when a girl came to her side and was looking really distressed. Bulma's delicate eye brow rose.

"What is it?" She asked politely the child as she bowed in respect to her.

"My lady... Your parents require your presence. They say they have to speak with you." Bulma's face stiffened and curled into a disgusted expression when she threw a glance at Radditz, who had that I-told-you look. She waved her hand in the air, dismissing the girl with her next words.

"Tell them I'm busy and I'll busy for the rest of the week." She found with utter anticipation that Goku had did what she was trying to make him do for the past five minutes and she grinned wildly. "And let someone dare interfere in my job or the 'commander's' rest, and you will have to bear my wrath!" It sounded worse than it actually was going to be, or so she said, and the servant bowed again as she left the princess' almost heavenly presence. Almost, for she was far too furious for a balanced angel, or a pure hearted goddess. Her temper conquered her beautiful appearance and made her even more tempting than anything else one could ever see. Not one person who had seen her walk, heard her talk, would not admire her for what she showed to be. And that was what bothered her the most. Most people didn't really want to know her. They wanted to know what she would show them. She sighed tiredly at her racing thoughts. She was going to get a headache from all the thinking she did all the time.

The accusing glance didn't go unseen by the tired princess. She was groggy from the almost sleepless night she had. She wasn't hot and she wasn't cold. She wasn't even worried, or so she had managed to convince herself. But something didn't give her the peace she needed to drift off to dream land.

"Princess, I think -" Yet, she didn't let him finish.

"I think you should keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself about now, Radditz." The female snapped haughtily and glared at him. Who did he think he was for trying to lecture her?! Again! "I'll be right here if anyone needs me urgently. And do not disturb my work. I will say it not one more time and you better do what I say. I have grown stronger than you can imagine." She hissed and closed the door lightly behind herself. For some odd and none-understanding reason, she was afraid she might wake the sleeping man on the bed up. And that was something the princess did not want at the moment. Just another presence in the room was fine.

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Goku looked up questioningly at his King. The man had been in thought ever since the girl he had sent to retrieve the princess had come back with his daughter's snappy remark and not very pleasing information she will be spending the week taking care of his new commander and her work. He had been told this boy had even brought her desk in there. She had required not the be disturbed unless urgent need for. And her attitude didn't uphold him, not in the least.

"Dear, maybe it would be good to discuss this when the handsome boy is awake and listening too?" The Queen asked him in hope not to have her husband's pacing form around the room when the servants were dismissed. Goku looked expectantly at the King and what he was about to say. Instead, a huge grin was plastered on his aging features as he muttered,

"Why, what a great idea, my Queen."

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A week had passed by unnoticeable. As said, Bulma hadn't left the room at all. There was a bathroom near by and she used it for water and for the bathroom that it was. Chichi brought her food every day, in the morning, lunch and dinner and all she did was reading, doing some calculations for her newest toy and stealing a glance every once in a while at the evenly breathing form of the man on the comfy bed.

By the end of the week, Bulma had been totally into her work that she didn't see when the Prince's closed lids opened sharply and scanned their surroundings. The penetrating onyx orbs observed as the fragile female form on his left clutched a paper in between her fingers and threw it angrily behind herself to the pile that was formed there with the same looking papers as the last one. His eyes were dragger almost forcefully at the odd coloring of her tresses. Lavender. Beautiful lavender. It eased one's sight as it fell upon her gorgeous waist long lavender hair. The question slipped out of his lips before he could get a grip on it.

"Why is your hair lavender? It was marine before when I remember it."

She didn't even bother to throw him a glance. She continued scribbling something on the next page of paper with an intense glint in her eyes, or what he could see from his place beneath the covers.

"I don't really know. It changed when I made my eleventh year. It seemed strange at first, but then I found myself liking that color better. I don't have the slightest idea why it was blue in the first place though..." The young princess trailed off letting her eyes to roam over the wall in front of her desk, which it was placed against. When it finally hit her. The cerulean eyes jerked at the direction of the standing up young warrior.

"What... But..." She decided to knock it off with the stupid unfinished sentences and finally say something that made some sense. "Since when have you been awake?" She snapped, observing him with her flaming sapphire eyes as he stood up and stretched his stiffened limbs.

"Long enough." He muttered. A strange look crossed the female's features.

"Do you know how long you've slept?" Vegeta's eyes shifted to her sitting form and an eye brow was arched.

"No?" It sounded more like a question than a statement to Bulma. She chuckled and stood up from her place.

"It's been a week." His eyes budged out. "Why have you been knocked out cold for so long? Haven't you slept for the last month?" She giggled again, thinking she was only joking when the frowning guy in front of her brushed past her to the door.

"I haven't slept for what seems like years to me." He said and walked for the kitchen, or at least to the direction where he thought the kitchen was at. By the look on Bulma's face, he was quite wrong in his choice. But what did he care? He felt like a million zen.

"Are you hungry?" Obviously she had shrugged the topic off of her shoulders, which made something relax in Vegeta's chest, though he had no idea as to why it did, but it did nonetheless.

"Do I look like a hungry person?" He snapped, stopping instantly in his tracks, nearly having her bumping in his face as his eyes were narrowed at her, daring her to answer. The heiress cocked an eye brow.

"Uhh... Yes?"

"Good. Because I feel like I can eat a horse." She laughed at his scanning eyes trying to figure out if there was even the slightest hint where the kitchen might be located.

"This way, you highness." She muttered sarcastically having an earned growl from the Saiya-jin. Before he could object, the princess had grabbed his arm and dragged him somewhere down the corridor.

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The cerulean eyes of the girl lit up when she was laughing as they both ran down the hall on their way back from the kitchen.

"I never thought the cook could throw so many of his precious dishes just because some 'brats' stole his food for the royal family." She paused to laugh some, which caused a smirk to appear on the face of her companion. "If he only knew he was about to hit his princess herself with that ladle. Hahaha."

Bulma opened the door to her room only to see her father standing by her night stand with a smile on his face. Wait a minute. What was going on there? Her father never left the throne room unless it was something special he had in mind, or it was urgent. Her face told her it was neither or so it appeared at first glance. She thought she just had to ask to find out.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Her voice slightly cracked when she saw from the corner of her eye Vegeta bowing his head in respect to her father. She could bet her head that he would never do such a thing to her. The old man chuckled and looked around her room interestedly.

"Can't a father come to see his daughter nowadays? You teenagers sure are strange. I'm just a-"

"Drop it, father. You're no ordinary parent, you're a King and kings don't leave their throne rooms for no particular reason." Her unnerved voice took away all of the pleasure he had planned to have out of the situation, but his ever present smile never left him.

"Oh, well, I guess you are right here. Then I should just tell you that Vegeta will be your bodyguard for the rest of his stay for I have heard about the little 'accident' you had in the hallway with some white haired man." He muttered and she could swear she saw his eyes sparking. "And before you will ask, Chichi informed me that she was worried about your well-fare since that moment. I find it quite interesting that you have made such good friends with this girl." He beamed at her and her jaw dropped.

"He's my what?"

"I'm a ...."

The king smiled at both of them happily as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"He's your bodyguard now, dear."

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It's quite symbolic that the first and this chapter are titled the same. I hope you caught on to that fact. -smiles brightly-

So, what do you think? Is Bulma too out of character? What about Vegeta? Or any others? Like Chichi... I think I made her a little out of character as well, but I will have to pay more attention to her before I can say for sure. -wink- Oh, and don't you think Vegeta's thoughts are just far off hand and I don't pay really attention to them? Should I make his mind a little more open for the reader, or you prefer to have the mysterious spark in it, though, I'm sure many of you can guess what he is thinking. Or maybe not. Well, just tell me if I should make him a little more opened up to the reader's eyes.

Anyway, hope you guys review and don't take my fast updates for something granted. -giggle- No, really, I'm serious.

Love you all always and forever.

Hope-Chan