"And I did not wish to be captured from my kingdom, given to another, and then sold to yours. My heart barely beats, my prince. I am so angry with you. Do not let that anger turn to hatred."
Vegeta opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again, saying nothing. He had been so afraid that she did hate him, but now that that was not the case, he could not press her any further tonight. Some day he would pay his debts to her. For now he would give her much needed space.
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Bulma chuckled softly to herself, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She would wave courteously every now and then, and never did she even glance at her prince to her left. It was the royal procession, the introduction of the new queen to the kingdom. She now knew why it had been postponed for so long; he had only been known as Yukio to her (and Eizo, who knew the name Vegeta as well). What a horrid spectacle it would have been had she found out while perched high upon the carriage beside her husband.
And though her anger had quelled some since the lamentable event, she still believed he deserved her silence for quite a bit longer. What troubled her more than anything was the information, not he manner in which she came upon it. She had known Vegeta as a child, therefore he must know about her family and the kingdom she truly hailed from. But what and how to ask?
Honestly—though she would only admit it to herself and possibly her maid—Bulma was not mad at all. As a matter of fact, she was very pleased to finally have but a small morsel of knowledge. Surely her prince would offer her whatever other information she requested; it was the least he could do after all the pain he had intentionally caused.
"Lord," she said, startling her husband noticeably. He reached over and took her hand; she allowed this, though left her hand limp and unresponsive. "When we return to the palace, we shall have a long discussion. It is not optional."
"Woman—" he began, his voice commanding.
"Lord, I do not believe your king would very much like it if the kingdom should discover my true name and the manner in which I came to be here."
He was silent for the remainder of the procession.
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"I should like to know all information you possess," Bulma said, her slippered feet pacing the width of their grand bed chamber. She had already taken it upon herself to inform the servants that they would receive their dinner in their chambers tonight. And though the questions dangled at the tips of their tongues, no one said a word; the orders would be carried out. She doubted highly, however, that she would have the stomach for food when it did arrive. "You told me last night, after I discovered the truth in such a horrid way, that we knew each other as children. You laid out for me the plan your adoptive father conceived, and there was mention of a vicious Dark Princess, who you informed me is now dead, though you know not by what means. I assume that you suspect foul play on behalf of King Frieza."
Vegeta nodded, giving some gruff noise to show he was in fact listening.
"There were some crucial elements which you left out, my prince."
He looked up, unable for a moment to remember how his life had taken so many awful turns. And of course, his ever-present anger boiled. A prince such as he should not have to endure such humiliation.
"What were my parents' names? Did I have siblings? Suitors in line other than yourself? Why were you denied? Other than your lack of honesty, I see no flaws. And our relationship; how did I come to know you?"
"I know not your parents' common names," Vegeta said, his voice low and monotone. No matter his feelings, he would not show weakness and emotion in front of his queen. His pride prevailed over all, as it always had. Bulma secretly attempted to devise a plan in which to strip him of his pride. If she had been paying attention to anything but her anger at her current situation, she would have seen that her thoughts were as cruel and ego-driven as Akuma's. "Your family name, however, was Briefs. Your true name is Bulma Briefs, the only child of King and Queen Briefs, of the ancient Maruyama Empire."
It took all of Bulma's willpower to remain steady, her cold expression unchanged. Holy Kami! She now knew her full name and the name of her lost empire!
"And yours?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"The Cold—"
"Your true empire, prince."
"The Saiyan Empire." How much lower his voice became as he said those words. Bulma knew not their meaning, and could never know how high of regard they were held in Vegeta's mind. His had been the oldest and most powerful of all empires, taken down at its peak by a raging lunatic tyrant, whose only advantage had been sheer numbers. "And no, princess," he said, taking his eyes off her. How he had missed that luscious aqua mane, "I was not your only suitor. But your father did not believe in suitors, as his before. Your kingdom was the only in history to not be based on marriages arranged for the purpose of power gain. That is what Frieza sought with our marriage; he received that tenfold after incorporating you into the Yon-Han Empire."
"What did my father believe in, Vegeta?"
He cringed noticeably at the mention of his name. He would have much rather been Yukio at this moment, ignorant of this information, and blissful with his new beautiful wife.
"Love…"
He had said it so low that Bulma barely heard.
"I wonder," she mused, taking a seat beside her husband on the bed, "had my father allowed me to know you, would my heart have grown for you the way it had begun to when you were merely Yukio, and not this vessel of knowledge."
"You knew me without his permission. Your…lust for training was fed by me…and by Frieza's selfish plans."
Suddenly his hands were in her lap, and she was slowly massaging his palms. And for the first time in his life he had neither words nor thoughts to accompany such an action. She was by far the most complex and confusing creature he had ever encountered.
"It seems I have a very difficult decision to make, my prince."
Vegeta looked up, but didn't say a word. Decision? What decision?
"It would be very simple for me to remain angry with you, and your father, and all those involved in my demise. It would be too simple, in fact, for me to allow that anger to infest my entire being and morph my soul into a blackened and hollow thing. For, my prince, my life has been on that road to destruction since as long as I can recall. I feared, and embraced, that fact every day of my life. Until…" She dropped Vegeta's hands, grabbing the thick bedpost as if for support. "Until I was forced into a marriage with a complete stranger whom I achieved the highest respect for in only a short while. I know not how this respect formed, or when it decided to change its course and seek the lighted path." She stood, looking into the shadowed depths of the expansive room. "I was on my way to happiness, my prince, when your unknown confession dropped me back into darkness…"
"Then what do you decide?" He knew it was inappropriate. He knew he should be at her side, as any good husband would be, and comfort his queen. He instead sat on their bed, his back straight, his ears perked and ready for any words that would come from her plump and delicious lips.
Paces away, Bulma sighed painfully and placed her hand on the armoire closest to her.
"I have chosen darkness at every turn in my life, Vegeta." Again he cringed. How odd that this moment would remind him of his first encounter with the Princess Bulma. For too long in his youth he had truly believed that exact moment in time was the beginning of something he had not felt since his life in the Saiyan Empire. "Darkness has been the best of friends to me and I embrace it now as surely as I ever have."
"And so you choose the easy road?" Try as he might, he could not keep his vicious tongue at bay.
"I am a warrior," she said, her voice so stern and definite that Vegeta raised his eyes, catching hers immediately. If only he had strength enough in his legs to stand and press her to him. "And I cannot recall a single moment in history when a warrior chose anything but the most difficult of plans, measures, and strategies."
Vegeta was now more confused than he had been at the beginning of the conversation.
"You are a simple and slow-witted prince, my love." She came around and stood before him. Her palms were pressed gently against his face before he was the wiser, her lips entwined with his.
"What is your decision?" he demanded, pulling away, with every cell in his body screaming at him to shut up and accept her wily actions.
"Oh prince," she sighed, easing herself onto his lap. "My most challenging road is one of brilliant light." He still did not understand.
"Don't speak to me in metaphor any longer, princess. You try my—"
"Very well. But I do not believe you have any patience to try." She kissed his lips once more before finally giving her most honest and true answer. "I choose to forgive you for all you have done, intentional and accidental, to bring me to this point in my life."
"It is not honorable to lie to your husband, princess."
"And it is also not honorable to disbelieve your wife when she speaks the truest words she possesses."
Vegeta leaned back and stared deeply into her cool and calm blue eyes. He found not a glimmer of doubt, and, to both their surprise, his lips curled into a full and genuine smile.
"What do you see at the end of your path, princess?"
"One must reach their worst before attempting to become better."
His smiled faded into a deep-set frown.
"Do not look at me in such a way, prince," she laughed, kissing his forehead and eyelids tenderly. "I only mean that we must, together as husband and wife, revenge our fallen families and give the Lord Frieza what he rightly deserves."
Instantly Vegeta's smile returned, curving ever more into an intense grin.
"You are truly amazing, Bulma," he breathed into her neck.
"Amazing enough to love?"
"I do not love, princess."
She dropped her eyes and turned her head away.
"I cannot feel what is not in my nature to feel. Accept me now for who I am, or never accept me at all."
"Surely I have said those same words at some point in my life. I too believed I was too cold and broken to love another. Forgive me when I say that I believe you have the strength and capacity to love. If you can learn to love, and not necessarily myself, then our relationship has accomplished something truly great."
"Woman," he sighed, pulling her tightly against him. "If there were love in my heart, if there was one woman in which I could feel such things for, she would be you."
"Very well, prince." She kissed his lips roughly, her fingers laced behind his head. "You win…for now…"
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A few weeks after the much-anticipated coronation of the new queen of the Cold Empire, another empire made an equally wondrous announcement. Prince Eizo was to marry a courtier by the name of Naomi, and all allied kingdoms in the area were invited. That included, of course, Bulma, Vegeta, and King Frieza. They had yet to R.S.V.P.
Two days after the pronouncement of Prince Eizo's marriage, the Cold Empire was abuzz with the news of an heir to the throne. Princess Nyoko would not be seen outside the palace once she began to show. And to prepare herself for such isolation, she spent countless hours away from the palace with only her husband to accompany her.
This behavior was most strange. The princess was seen many times exiting the palace long before dawn, and not returning again until well into the night. Any and all balls or galas in the area were not attended by the Cold Empire. Even King Frieza was busy, though with what no one could know.
It appeared as if the Cold Empire was a ghost.
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"Did you not hear me when I said the king and I share the same abilities?" Vegeta groaned, his back to Bulma, who seemed frozen in place a foot behind him. "If I can sense you so can he. Now try it again."
"Can't we poison him instead?" Bulma sighed, trudging back into the woods. This was, of course, only out of anger and frustration. Being the most powerful king can have its downfalls. Enemies and paranoia were the two highest on the list. Frieza never ate a morsel of food or took a sip of wine unless his food tester did first. Since his rise to complete power, he had gone through over sixty testers. He was not a well-liked king by many.
As the sun began to set over the cool gray mountains in the distance, Vegeta wondered if Bulma has given up and gone back to the palace without him. More than three hours ago she had gone into the woods, and was supposed to come back out after the length of time she chose and he did not know, so she could attack him. She had failed miserably the first five times, stepping on twigs or moving leaves or breathing too deeply. He had sensed and heard her immediately, pinning her to the ground the first few times to show his devotion to their plan.
So not to waste a moment of their day, Vegeta took to meditating while Bulma waited for the perfect moment to strike. He had thought he heard her several times before, only to see some rodent or bird exit the forest. He was growing increasingly tired of waiting by the second.
And then, faster than he thought possible, he couldn't breathe and his entire body was submerged in the pond he had been meditating in front of. Thin, yet extremely strong, arms encircled his torso, and for a moment he could not get free. His arms were useless at his sides and bound by the arms of his captor. His legs, however powerful, could not bring him to the surface no matter how hard he kicked. He only managed to swim side to side, making his problem ten times worse as they floated into a mass of heavy seaweed.
Soon enough his captor, his wife, would need air, and then they would get air. He relaxed his body and allowed himself to be taken hostage completely. When air was needed, they began to float skyward, only to be tugged back down.
Bulma's neck had somehow become entwined with the seaweed, cutting off her air passages even more. She released her husband, pushing him towards the surface. He would have none of that, however, and swam back towards her, cutting the angry plants with the dagger from his boots.
By the time they reached the top, Bulma had lost consciousness, her body limp and floating on the water. Immediately Vegeta pulled her from the water, shaking her wildly. He was no doctor! He didn't know how to help her, though even if there were a doctor, he would be of no assistance; medical attention was little more than voodoo, and there was no helping a drowned victim.
"Kami is punishing me!" Vegeta yelled at the sky, his wife clutched to his chest. It was not possible, he thought. She could not be dead. His life could not possibly get any worse. "No! You are not gone!" His fists clenched, Vegeta brought them down with angry force on his wife's frail-looking chest. To his complete amazement she shot up, choking out water madly.
"Well," she said, looking over at her stunned husband, "let's hope our attack doesn't involved water." She winced when his fist made hard contact with her arm. "What?"
"That was risky, Bulma! Don't ever do that again!"
Bulma's lips curled into an almost vicious smile. "Were you afraid for me, prince?"
"Quiet, princess."
"Very well," she laughed, standing up. "That water was wonderful." Before Vegeta was the wiser of her intentions, she was in the pond again, wading at the top.
"Woman!" Vegeta shouted, jumping in after her. He almost had her out again, when she was finally able to catch his ear.
"I am perfectly capable of swimming, Vegeta. I do not need you to protect me as if I were a child. Now take your hands off me."
He hesitated a moment, and then released her, climbing out of the pond. But he sat at the edge, watching her intently, as if she would drown again at any moment.
"Tell me, husband," she said, floating on her back, the cool refreshing water circling all around her tired and worn body. "Were you able to anticipate my attack? Or did you allow me to propel you into the water?"
He turned his head away.
"As I thought," she laughed. "I told you I could do it, Vegeta. Please, next time, have some faith in your wife."
"You may be improving, woman," he said, turning back to her, "but you are no where near ready to carry out the tasks necessary for this plan to work. The king will not be at the edge of a pond when we come for him, and he will be able to fend you off. Together we can disable him, but only if you do exactly what I say and make not one mistake. It could cost us our lives, and after our marriage, I refuse to surrender to death."
"You have been with many women," Bulma pointed out. She swam to her husband, allowing him to pull her from the water and into his lap. "Why am I unique?"
"If you do not know the answer to that question, my queen, then you are not as brilliant as you profess to be."
"This moment," she said, hugging Vegeta close to her, "is the single greatest in my entire lifetime. I thank you…Prince Vegeta…"
He did not know how to respond. He never knew how to respond. And so he simply hugged her back and prayed to Kami that their plan would work.
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---Chapter 10!!! Yay! Sorry it took me so long to post a new chapter, but I have been busy, busy, busy. First with finals at school, and then Christmas, and then New Year's, and then catching up with people at home that I haven't seen in a while. But finally I'm done and I hope it was worth the wait :)
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Next time: It's so secret even I don't know! :P
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