The Last Page

Chapter Seven

"Catch a falling star and, put it in your pocket….yah dadada da da da." Her arms extended as she spun around, her honey-colored hair flowing just moments behind her. She closed her eyes, feeling the air sweeping under her dress as it rose.

When she'd been asked if she'd wanted the rug replaced in the royal room, she'd realized it looked much nicer with the wood floor. She'd also realized she could slide across it in her nylons. One of the many things that made her even more homesick; though don't misunderstand…she really did enjoy it.

Her spinning continued until she finally realized she was about to hit the dresser. She stopped herself mid-spin, almost falling back in the process. She laughed lightly, shaking her head at her own behavior. It was mid-afternoon and this was what the Queen of Planet Vegeta was doing:

Spinning

Of course, she had every right today. All her appointments had been cancelled. Apparently, the generals of Astoria had run into a little problem with their enemies, and were delayed. Not that Serenity minded. Today was a beautiful day, and she was enjoying every bit of it. Serenity pranced over to the bed, crawling across it as she opened the windows, taking in the fresh air, and staring out at the sea.

It was then she realized she wasn't really enjoying it. She was here, inside her room. She also noted that she'd never been outside the walls of this palace. Serenity fell on her bottom, being truly frustrated with this. She was calling herself queen of a kingdom she hadn't even seen! So, with that concluded, she hopped off the bed and made her way out of the room. She knew if she tried any of the main exists that she'd be caught.

It occurred to her that the reason she hadn't been given an escort to show her the city may be because she wasn't allowed to see the city. If that were the case, then they'd watch her like a hawk to make sure she didn't sneak out. And she wasn't about to risk that. She had noted that as of lately, she'd been thinking 'out of the box', so to speak. She'd spent so much time with Vegeta she was picking up those little traits. She'd always been an over-analyzer, but now she'd put that to good use.

She snuck around the corner, checking to see if there was anyone in this wing. When she spotted no one, she bolted down the hall. She could only think of one door that wouldn't be swarming with guards or associates: The Stables exit.

She exited the hall, stepping out onto the gazebo. She crawled under the walk-way fence, and crossed the yard out to the barn. The doors were large, but Serenity had opened them before. She clasped her fingers around the door handles, and with one giant pull, swung the doors up. She winced as they slammed against the walls, and shook violently. "Whoopsie." She whispered, inching her way into the hangar.

She stepped lightly over the brick with her heals clicking. She smiled at the horses as they neighed, acknowledging her presence. Light flooded in through the high windows, glowing brilliantly against the wood. She rounded a corner, still in search of the back door. Yet, she stopped. Her eyes landed on a young man, leaning far over the rails to pet one of the horses. Strong, shapely arms kept him propped up as he spoke softly to the large beast.

Serenity's hand rose to graze her cheek, feeling the blush that tainted her skin. The boy smiled as he spoke. His large ebony eyes were wide with delight. She was surprised she even could see his eyes through his wild spiky hair. That appeared to make him all the more seemingly though. He wore no armor, but a dirty shirt rolled up to the elbows. His gloves were worker gloves that had more than likely seen better days. The boots were no different. His pants were tucked into the boots, and quite shapely around his hips, Serenity did note.

She felt her chest rise and fall with a sigh, in turn, gaining his attention. She nearly gasped when he peered over at her, blinking for a moment before hopping down to the ground. He tossed a harness over his shoulder before approaching her,

"Something I can do for you milady?" he asked, grinning widely. Serenity smiled softly, nodding,

"You work in here?" She asked. Her voice was softer than ever. The boy nodded, leaning an arm against the wall and putting all his weight on it.

"Yea, I do." He said, tipping his head to take in her full appearance, "But what are you doing down here? Ordinary Royals never come un-escorted." Serenity laughed at the comment, shrugging in half agreement,

"Well I'm no ordinary Royal." She retorted. The boy raised his brow at that, but smiled, quite pleased.

"What can I help you with then?" He asked. Serenity leaned over, looking past him at the horse shuffling in its pen. Slowly she looked back up at him, smirking ever so slightly,

"A ride?"

Serenity shrieked as the boy kicked the horse's sides, setting him off on a wild run. She heard him laugh, and he peered back at her as she clung to him for dear life,

"You want me to slow down?" he asked. Serenity opened her eyes, biting down on her lip before shaking her head,

"No," she said, "Go faster." The boy grinned from ear to ear.

"As you wish!" He exclaimed, pulling at the reigns and forcing the horse to speed up. Serenity gripped the boy's shirt tightly, peeking over his shoulder as a smile spread across her face. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as the air rushed over her. As they reached the top of the hill, the boy stopped. Serenity turned her head, looking out at the city, and a gasp escaped her lips.

It was bustling with people, dojos and markets, restaurants, pubs and commerce; everyone so diverse. The land was green, with lush planets of all different colors. The sun shined over the city, then over the homes lined in the hills.

"It's beautiful." Serenity whispered, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly. The boy peeked over his shoulder again, nodding.

"I live," he began, pointing off to a field way in the distance, "Over that-a-way." He said. Serenity tipped her head, gazing over the orchards,

"On a farm?" she inquired. He nodded again,

"We grow grape vines, for wine." He said, "I live out on a villa, with my dad." Serenity's brows furrowed with thought. That sounded awfully familiar to her. And now that she though about, he seemed vaguely familiar as well. He noticed her staring at him, but when he questioned it, she hushed him. A Villa, Grape Farm….his father.

"You're Radditz's brother!" She exclaimed, the site of their small family in the crowd at the wedding flashing in her mind. The boy blinked in surprised,

"You know my brother?" He asked. Serenity nodded, explaining that he'd been very helpful to her since her arrival on Planet Vegeta. The boy seemed a little taken by that, but shrugged it off. "Nice to know he talks about me." The boy joked. He turned a bit, extended a hand to shake, "I'm Kakarotto." He said. Serenity accepted the gesture gracefully,

"My name's Serenity." Kakarotto blinked a few times, as if tossing the name around his head. She hadn't told him she was King Vegeta's wife, and if she didn't have to, she wouldn't. She hated how weird people were around her because of it. They were never like that on the moon. But, in the end, Kakarotto didn't seem to figure it out, and accepted it with a genuine smile.

"You want to keep going?" he asked, looking over the hills. Serenity laced her arms around his waist once more, nodding against his back and murmuring her approval. Kakarotto pulled the reigns, kicking the horse once again as they set off.

Hours upon hours passed, but not all of it was spent on the horse. It grew weary after a while, and they were lucky enough to stumble on a lake were it replenished itself. Serenity petted the horse delicately, watching as Kakarotto leaned down, washing off his hands in the water. They were quite calloused as well, more so than Vegeta's even. Somehow, she just didn't believe that it was from his work in the stables. When she'd questioned it, he'd said it was from his training. He'd also stated that he'd beaten his brother in a spar last week. When she questioned why he didn't try for an elite position, he'd simply said he didn't want to.

Serenity gazed into the water, watching the fish swim about in the depths of the blue. She furrowed her brow as one headed their way. 'Odd…' Serenity thought to herself. It continued its path toward them, and without any signs of warning, leapt into the air and back again into the water, right under the horse's nose. Serenity didn't take much care to it, for is swam away immediately, but it sure startled the hoarse. Serenity yelped as the old beast stood on its hind legs, neighing in fright. She reached out to stag the reins, pulling at them in some hopes of calming him as soothing words spilled from her lips. Kakarotto quickly took note, running over to aide. He took hold of the leather harness, pulling the hoarse down. It seemed to calm, shaking its head with a neigh.

"Good boy." Kakarotto soothed. Yet, as if in retaliation, the hoarse leapt up one more time. Kakarotto hurriedly took a step back, as to not be struck by one of the hooves, but this forced Serenity to as well, and before a scream even left her lips, she fell backward into the water. Kakarotto looked over his shoulder as the splash hit him, his brows furrowing in confusion. When Serenity resurfaced, spitting out water and struggling to stay afloat, he quickly decided it was time to give up on the hoarse.

He removed his shirt, tossing it to the ground as he dove in after her. Serenity squinted her eyes, seeing his shadow approaching her in front of the glaring sun. She extended her arms as he wrapped his along her waist, pulling her up to the surface as she clung to him for dear life. She panted as he swam to shore, coughing and hacking up water. She planted her palms firmly on the ground as she sat on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Kakarotto sat up next to her, not showing any signs of being worn in the slightest. Serenity looked up at him from the corner of her eyes, a little piqued that he wasn't tired in the least. Yet, the pendant around his neck caught her eye.

Serenity reached forward, grasping the cross in her hands. Her fingers grazed it softly as she studied it; Dark black metal, tinted in silver designs, with a red jewel in the center. The string it was on wasn't anything marvelous, but the leather strand seemed to fulfill its duty.

"My mother gave it to me." Kakarotto informed, staying perfectly still as she examined it, "I don't exactly go to church every Sunday…" he began, taking it from her fingers and looking at it himself, "But I'd like to think that God understands." Serenity felt herself smile at that, and soon found herself engulfed in Kakarotto's words as he spoke of his mother: how she'd read all sorts of versus from the Bible to him and his brother, and the usual once a week trips to the church. Of course, after she'd died, he was only left with the memories of those stories. They'd stopped going to the church as well.

His father had known how to read, but he'd refused to read to them, or even teach them to do it themselves. Radditz had resented his father for it, but Kakarotto had much more sympathetic; though, more than likely because he was too young to understand his mother's death in the first place.

"You know," Serenity began, tightening Kakarotto's dry shirt around her cold shoulders. She stopped, looking up at him from beside him as he guided the hoarse along. "I really think he gets it." She assured, referring to the topic of "Him". Kakarotto smiled brightly, now much giddier as he put the hoarse back in its pen. He removed the harness, hanging it on the wall, and giving the beast one more pat. They'd wasted a sufficient amount of time searching for that hoarse after Kakarotto had let him go. And when they had found him, he wasn't so easy to catch either. Serenity glared at the animal as she walked away, sticking her tongue out at the last moment.

"Shall I escort you milady?" Kakarotto teased, holding out his arm. Serenity cocked a smile, taking it and holding her head high,

"Onward!" She directed, failing miserably at holding back her giggles.

"Honestly, how do you just lose her?" Vegeta bellowed. He leaned his elbow on the arm of his thrown, massaging his temple as he glared through gloved fingers. Nappa shuttered under his stare, gulping as he saw at his own petrified reflection in Vegeta's stone cold eyes.

"S-She's was just….Gone sire!" he stammered. Vegeta could literally feel the growl bubbling in his throat. He bit his tongue in some attempt to repress the anger, but he knew it was of no avail. Yet, the sound of a slamming door and light laughter immediately set him off guard. His hand feel, and he arched his neck to look up.

Two familiar blonde ondages appeared first as Serenity rounded the corner, her dress wrinkled and slightly wet, with a stained and a little dirty shirt wrapped around her. Right behind her was a man, hair wild in all directions, his arm looped over her shoulder as he held his stomach, roaring with laughter. The shirt must have been his, for he was obviously of a lower class by his appearance, and lacking a shirt.

Vegeta stood, stomping down from his seat, dismissing his associates as they bowed hurriedly. 'The Nerve…' Vegeta cursed mentally, hands fisted as he approached them, 'Letting him hang on her like that. That imbecile of a man…what an embarrassment…' Vegeta didn't even acknowledge Kakarotto though as he snagged Serenity roughly by the wrist, pulling his in his direction, "Insolent Wench!" he hollered, bringing her face to face with him, "You are Queen! You cannot just-", But Kakarotto cut him off as if the King hadn't pushed him completely out of the picture. He snatched Serenity from Vegeta's hold, standing in front of her protectively.

"You can't just treat her like…l-like…" but Kakarotto's sentence trailed as his eyes went wide with realization. He turned away from Vegeta, giving Serenity an incredulous look. "Did he just say…" he began, looking at the king once more, then back to Serenity, "Queen!?!" The poor boy was dumbfounded as Serenity nodded wearily. He gulped loudly doing a full 360 looking between the two, running a hand through his messy hair as he collected his thoughts.

"She is, so I suggest you dismiss yourself, ingrate." Vegeta began again, crossing his arms as he sneered down at the boy from the third step to the thrown. "These are matter you know nothing of." It seemed to take Kakarotto a moment to process the words, but when he did, he stood his ground.

"No one should be treated the way you treated her." He stated, ignoring Vegeta's smoldering glare. The King stepped down, tilting his head up at Kakarotto's height, though it didn't seem to intimidate the king in the slightest.

"You will address her properly you fool." He spat, though not above a whisper. "Or, you may give your life for it," he mused, his voice giving a hit of amusement at this. "Whatever you prefer." He smirked.

"She gave me her permission." Kakarotto announced firmly, crossing his arms and putting a little distance between their faces, "Do her words mean nothing to you?" The two young men stared down one another, muscles tense and teeth gritted. Though Kakarotto's questioned pertained to Serenity, it was really a challenge. If Vegeta didn't comply too it, it would be as if he were telling Kakarotto 'no, I don't want to fight you'. And that would be an embarrassment.

"No," Vegeta hissed coldly. Though the question and answer were really only the medium that served for a challenge, the words meant a lot more to Serenity. They stung at her heart. She drew back, watching as Vegeta and Kakarotto rose to the air in a furry of punches and kicks, many too fast for her to see. Her eyes blurred in her struggle to locate them, but it was futile. Her world was spinning, and all she could think about were Vegeta's words not but seconds ago. Did he care, even in the slightest, how she felt about all this?

Above her, the boys pounded recklessly at one another, scaring the delegates out of the room. Vegeta would have never guessed such strength out of this boy, but it was obvious to him how much he'd underestimated the country bumpkin. Kakarotto raised an arm, swinging around to deliver a massive blow to Vegeta's abdomen. The King pummeled to the ground, gathering up dirt and leaving sufficient cracks in the marble. After he slid to a stop, he quickly regained himself, pushing up on one arm, and lifting his head to spit some blood aside. He arched his head to the air in search of his foe, but the younger boy wasn't in sight. He gasped hoarsely when he felt a boot against his back, though hardly putting on any pressure. His peered over his shoulder, staring up with bewilderment into Kakarotto's narrowed eyes.

"I hope you realize what brutes you've made yourselves out to be!" The high pitched squeal made them both jump with surprise as they snapped to attention. But all they saw was Serenity's retreating form as she made a dash for the royal chambers, a trail of tears behind her. 'Damn it all…' Vegeta cursed to himself, still listening to her soft cries fading in the distance as the echo's slowly died. He snarled, rising to pounce at Kakarotto with a series of attacks, but discovering the boy was no where to be found.

Serenity could barely contain herself from throwing curses to the walls, Kakarotto's shirt gone victim to her clutch. She stomped around the bedroom, leaving scuffs on the wooden floor that the maids would no doubt spend all of tomorrow buffing. 'What nerve!' She fumed, 'Who does he this he is?' her mind reeled. As if on cue, the bedroom door swung open, only to be slammed shut tightly as Vegeta stepped in, dirty and bleeding from his earlier brawl.

"Bastard!" she screamed, yanking her shoe off her foot and aiming directly at his head. He evaded it, ducking as it hit the door.

"What right do you think you have to be mad at me, woman!" he hollered, catching the next shoe she threw at him, and tossing it against he dresser. It shook violently, nearly knocking off yet another vase, but it managed to stay sturdy.

"Every Right!" Serenity bellowed, tossing her arms out in the air with exasperation. Her mouth hung open as she slouched a bit, looking around as if the furniture would somehow give an answer to this. She cringed a bit in defeat as she shoed him off, turning toward the closet.

"You have duties to oblige to," Vegeta informed, plucking Kakarotto's shirt from her fingers. She turned swiftly, attempting to get it back, but to no avail. "And yet you parade around with this infidel all day." He yelled, referring to Kakarotto's with a bitter distaste. He looked at the shirt in his hands with disgust, and tossed it to the floor as if it were a plague.

"What does it matter?" Serenity said, her voice low and challenging, almost sinister if Vegeta didn't know better. She glared up through her bangs, for they shielded her from looking into his eyes, which were blazed with anger. "After all, what I think doesn't mean anything to you." She said as he recalled his earlier words. He sighed in annoyance at this, shaking his head quickly with disapproval,

"No!" he exclaimed, frowning, "I was distracted, the idiot-" he began, but Serenity cut him off. This time though, it wasn't with words.

Her palm open, Serenity's eyes went wide when she realized what she had done. Vegeta's face was completely turned to the side where her hand had swung. His cheek was red, showing signs of finger marks. Serenity stepped back, clasping both hands over her mouth in some attempts to muffle her gasp. She breathed heavy as she waited for some kind of reaction from him,

"I'm sorry." She blurted, though it was barely audible through her fingers, "I didn't mean…" she stammered as he turned to look at her, but quickly changed his mind, casting eyes to the ground,

"You prefer that fool then do you?" he questioned, though didn't wait for an answer, "Go then. Go to him if that," he sneered, emphasizing on how the idea truly disgusted him, his voice rising in anger, "if that is what you truly desire!" He bellowed, eyes ablaze with fire as he looked up at her.

"I don't-" she insisted, palms open as she persisted. But he cut her off, pointing a finger and waving it at her,

"No!" he yelled, "If you want to be with ….him…then…' he slurred with his words, forcing out things he'd never find himself saying so unseemly.

"If I wanted to be with him I would be gone!" Serenity announced, taking his finger in her hands and drawing it away from her face. She cupped his hand tightly between both of hers, for they were quite tiny compared to his. Vegeta gulped as he felt her heavy breaths on his cheeks, and searched her panic-stricken face. His eyes darted around frantically, as if searching for some way to better understand what she was saying.

"But he-"

"Is nothing more than a friend," she said. She watched as he thought this over. Though, she now wondered what this was really about: her obligations, or his jealously. Its ironic the things jealously can do to a person. You're blinded by it, and it's all you seem to understand. It inspires sadness, hate and revenge. But yet, as Serenity stared up at Vegeta, his features stone with confusion, and anger still lingering in his darkened eyes, she suddenly realized this jealousy's significance to her now.

For once, there was an emotion in those merciless orbs. He was completely readable and wore his heart on his sleeve. That wasn't all though. Serenity found herself already forgiving him for the insult he made earlier. He cared enough about her to be jealous over Kakarotto after all. No, he wouldn't admit it, and no, it wasn't like Serenity would promote jealously, but at least this was progress.

Vegeta, on the other hand, twitched at this awkward silence. Serenity had dropped her head once she spoke, her forehead just mere inches away from resting on his chest. What was going on with him? The site of that boy had simply made him furious. He hated it. She was his wife…'That boy shouldn't have….he just…' The young king argued. But he knew how wrong he was. He also knew how possessive he'd become without even knowing it. He hadn't tried to, it just happened.

Vegeta looked down at her, though found himself staring at a head of blonde.

"Serenity?" he inquired, his voice now rich and calm. She looked up curiously, but when he didn't continue, choked out a few word.

"Yes highness?" she asked, though her voice a bit raspy from holding back tears.

"You don't have to call me that." He stated simply, as if it were obvious to everyone but her. It took Serenity a moment to understand, and when she did, she blushed.

"Vegeta…" She corrected. Vegeta smirked, his brows raised a bit with interest. Serenity couldn't hold back her soft laugh. "It's getting late." She said, stepping back. That's when they realized though, their hands were still intertwined. They both pulled away abruptly, turning swiftly and spiting out nonsense before hurrying to their nightly errands before bed.

Serenity was already curled up in bed when Vegeta crawled in, him being second to the bathroom that night. It was so cold tonight, but the maids obviously had yet to switch the bed sheets for thicker ones. She shivered violently, lifting her knees to her chest in hopes of concealing some of her warmth. She didn't think much of it when the bed shifted, and he pulled the covers up to his shoulder. It was when she began to hear his quiet breathing she suddenly became very uncomfortable.

Her memory quickly traced back to the night she'd spent in his arms. Oh how heavenly it was to be held in such a way. She deliberated it to be the girlish sensation of being held by a boy that made it so miraculous, but when she put more thought into it, Radditz had held her no differently, and it just wasn't the same feeling. As another shiver ran down her spine, she felt herself seriously considering turning to indulge in his warmth. But that could easy be a death warrant in itself.

Vegeta hadn't wasted anytime scurrying from the humid bathroom to the bed. Not that the bed was any warmer. His side was just as cold as the tonight's chilly air actually. He crossed his arms over his chest, gripping the blanket tightly. 'Damn fools… seasons changes like they have for years…can't trust those ingrates. Might as well do it myself…' After another minute, he began to realize it was just babble running through his head, and he frowned to himself. He'd no doubt be wearing thicker armor tomorrow. He wondered why his ancestors would build their palace here. Why not in a nice, comfortably warm climate that doesn't change on you all the time?

Change

He hated change. Yes, it was a close-minded trait, but at least he wasn't denying it. He looked up at the door, staring over the cherubs as they smiled at him. 'Oh yes, mock me then you little brats…' he cursed, '…"oh I can't feel anything because I'm not real and fuck fuckity fuck…"…bah….' The mental image of a squeaky voice played through his thoughts and he snickered. Stupid as it was, it helped him release a little tension.

Still, his heated temper wasn't doing a very good job of keeping him 'heated'. He shuttered, gripping the sheets tighter. Why in the name of God was it so cold? His eyes darted around, looking for another blanket perhaps, but nothing was found. Nothing accept….

He almost swore there and then for even contemplating the idea of sharing another…."hug" with the woman beside him. Still, it was awfully cold tonight, maybe if he just…

'NO!' A voice inside his head screamed, 'It was too…just too…weird!' That had been one of the strangest events in his life. All night he'd unintentionally cuddled with the girl, and in the morning, was content in knowing she was still there, and wasn't going anywhere. It had occurred to him that she was completely victim to him. She was in the most defenseless, vulnerable and deadly state she could possibly be in; at least to the universe maybe. Serenity, on the other hand, seemed as though she were at peace where she was; more so than normal.

Vegeta had laid them down once she'd fallen asleep in his arms, and fell asleep soon after as well. He'd found in easier to breath, with her calm chest guiding him. The scent of her had been everywhere; her foreign shampoo, feminine laundry wash and the hints of vanilla given off by her skin. There was one smell that was very distinct to him though, more than likely because he'd grown so accustom to it lately. Though it was very faint, the keener of nose could pick it up, his especially. It was the scent of lilacs.

His arms ached, from the cold or from the yearning to feel Serenity's warmth, he wasn't sure. 'Oh for god sakes if you're not going to let it go than just do it!...' his mind cursed at him, snarling in defeat. Vegeta sighed to himself, knowing he wasn't going to ignore this. It was much too strong a feeling, and much to cold a night to withstand it much longer.

He groaned to himself, turning swiftly to face her. Yet, he felt her hair softly swish across his face, and before he realized it, she had turned to face him.

They stared at one another with wide eyes. Serenity's lips parting ajar with shock.

"Hi" she blurted out; blushing when realized the idiocy of it. Vegeta bit down on his tongue, brows furrowing.

"You cold?" he inquired, feeling a little more secure about himself now that she was too flustered to resister his embarrassment. She looked up again, her blue eyes shimmering with an unseen light. She smiled softly, in a way Vegeta had never seen before. He paused a moment after her response, studying her face. She was so tiny; a small girl in a world of large people.

Her make-up was washed, leaving creamy skin, now tainted from blush of embarrassment and the hue of the darkness. The moon shined in from the window, spilling over her. He followed it as he flowed around her body. The sheets were so thin that they shaped to her frame, cuddled up from the cold. Her hair spilled out everywhere. He quickly considered that it could easily be used as another blanket, but dismissed the thoughts quickly.

He breathed in deeply, the familiar scent of the room holding a special significance to him. It was only once in awhile he could get a smell of that fragrance that made his heart think of his younger years. It was a comforting feeling.

Serenity made him think of it, but in a much different light. He reached out, drawing her closer to him as she accepted it willingly. She stared at his chest, arms lacing around his sides. That face of hers, so young and naive. She wasn't stained by the blood of war or the intensity of training. In all reality, that was what truly set them apart. She was, like she said, a true pacifist. He liked her that way though. Thank the gods she turned down his father's training. True, it was instinctively much more appealing when a woman knew how to defend and protect herself, but in all truth, Serenity simply practiced those ideas in a different way. And personally, he liked it.

Vegeta lifted her a little, letting her head rest on his arm as it reached around, both grazing her shoulder and getting tangled in her hair. He wove his other arm around to her back, occasionally rubbing in a soothing fashion. Serenity had been doing that unconsciously the entire time. Her soft breaths against the crook of his neck made it easier for him to breathe as well. He buried his cheek in her hair, inhaling deeply as he fell into a slumber.

The pounding on the bedroom door sent Serenity springing into action. She sat up hurriedly, her hair falling over her face and her brain struggling to place the noise. More pounding brought Vegeta to sit up as well, though much more groggily. He rubbed his eyes, stretching out his arms, and squinting hard to adjust to the light.

"What is it?" Vegeta blurted, dark orbs still half lidded as Serenity turned to look at him. She was silent though, for another bang on the door would find their answer. "Come in!" Vegeta hollered, too annoyed with the intruder already to even bother answering the door.

Serenity shivered, reaching over to snag the blanket kicked to Vegeta's feet. Vegeta shifted at the same time, causing them both to slide. Serenity yelped as they pummeled to the floor, Vegeta giving off a soft grunt both by impact and when the small blonde fell atop him.

The door opened with a loud creaking sound, though it went unnoticed under the two royals moaning and groaning from pain. Radditz raised a brow at this as he stepped in, and a wicked smirk played over his face.

"Oh really?" he questioned. Serenity looked up at that, causing Vegeta too as well. She blushed profusely once she understood what he was suggesting.

"Radditz!" She scolded. Spotting her shoe on the floor next to the dresser, she picked it up, tossing it at him.

"You do that a lot I take it?" Vegeta's rich voice asked from beneath her. She blinked a couple times, processing the words before grinning,

"Only when I have shoes on." She said, being reminded of her day in the training hall, without any shoes at all. Vegeta blinked, surprised that she responded for once, but then smirked wider with amusement.

"Should I, um, come back later milady?" Radditz questioned, thumbing out the door, a little blush staining HIS cheeks now. Serenity gasped, kicking her feet away, and scooting herself back on top of the bed, leaving Vegeta sprawled on the floor. Vegeta flipped over, catching himself with both hands as he sprung to his feet with expertise.

"Something you need solider?" he asked, succeeding in holding his dignity and superiority. Radditz recognized this manor, and quickly regained his composer.

"Lady Serenity, Sire. I've been asked to escort her to the main hall since the meeting of the council was cancelled." He announced, standing straight. Vegeta frowned deeply, approaching the older boy.

"Cancelled? Why?" He demanded. Radditz raised a brow at this.

"Well sire, it'd be over by now anyways." Again, Vegeta furrowed a brow, but then turned, peering out the window and the high noon sun. Serenity followed in suit, gasping.

"We slept in!" she announced, eyes wide. As she turned to look at them though, she found herself taken aback by Vegeta's incredulously stare at her. She gave back a questioning look, being truly confused.

"You think?" he yelled out in exasperation. Serenity rolled her eyes, hopping off the bed and making a dash for the bathroom. Vegeta's eyes went wide at this. "No! You're not the one late!" he exclaimed, but he just didn't run fast enough, for behind the slammed door was a series of victorious giggles.

"Damn woman 'n stupid make-up….mother of hell…" Serenity shook her head silently as Vegeta stomped past her and into the bathroom, having had to wait a good half an hour before she finally finished in there. She turned to Radditz as the door slammed, smiling brightly.

"Now, what's all this about?" she questioned, approaching him as he sighed once the King has dismissed himself. He'd heard the king rant and rave before, but actually having to sit there and listen to it made it seem like an eternity. Besides, it was usually politics going on about, not his problems with his wife's bathroom habits. Radditz cleared his throat, letting his shoulders slump only slightly,

"Some foreigners have arrived to see you." He said simply. Serenity frowned thoughtfully. Who in these parts could possibly know her? There weren't too many people who requested to see her.

"Do you know them?" she asked. Radditz shrugged with a shake of the head,

"Like I said: foreigners. Weird ones too." He added. Serenity raised a brow to that. "I was just asked to escort you down once you were ready." He added. Serenity crossed her arms, a less than amused look crossing her features.

"And how would you know that I wasn't already prepared for the day?" She asked. Radditz stammered a bit, laughing ever so lightly,

"Well, we hadn't seen hide nor hair of you, or his Highness…and well…" he blurted, patting his legs. He took a peek at her frowning face, and sighed in defeat, "Come on! Look what I walked in on!" he exclaimed, signaling to the bed. Serenity groaned with irritation.

"You presume far too much!" she snapped. He opened his mouth to retort, but she held a finger up to hush him. "Don't even." She warned, "Let's just get going." Before she took her first step though, the bathroom door opened with a bang, Vegeta immerging.

"See that!" he yelled, "5 minutes! All it takes is 5 minutes!" Though his hair was still a bit wet and he had yet to slip on this second glove, he looked quite prepared for the day. Serenity huffed still,

"Oh yes? Well let's see you tame this then." She said, holding out one of her pigtails.

"Speaking of which." He began, waltzing up and plucking one of Serenity's blonde hairs off of Radditz's shoulder, "Its everywhere." He said, holding the lock up for her plain view. Serenity sighed, shaking her head,

"I have to go now, I have visitors!" she announced, guiding Radditz along as she headed to the door. Vegeta queered a brow, following after them and taking his spot next to Serenity.

"Who?" he inquired, securing his glove on his hand. Serenity shrugged, looking ahead of her,

"Radditz said they were foreigners." Vegeta's eyes seemed to darken a bit, and he stood tall.

"I'll escort you then as well." He said, meaning for Radditz to hear this too. The solider nodded ahead of them, acknowledging it. Serenity didn't understand though,

"But why?" she questioned. Vegeta snarled slightly, as if he were upset he had to explain the obvious,

"Foreigners," he spat, "Can't trust them. You should know that, girl." He sneered. Serenity's eyes went wide for a moment, taken utterly aback by his hostility.

"I can handle them just fine on my own!" She screeched, causing Radditz to practically jump out of his boots as he clung to the wall. Serenity paid no mind though, and quickened her pace, making way for the throne room. Vegeta growled loudly, stomping off after her,

"I'd prefer it." He said, running up to stop in front of her. Serenity opened her mouth, equipped with protests, but she stopped herself. It occurred to her that he was, at least, concerned enough to go long. Though, she wasn't about to let him off the hook completely,

"I'm not just some girl you know." She said. Though his only response was a sarcastic huff before Radditz joined them and they headed through the halls. The rest of their journey passed in silence, Serenity had totally tuned out from the task at hand though. She was much too focused on Vegeta's words. She wasn't just some 'girl'….what she thought did matter…and she was well on her way to womanhood. Or at least she liked to think so.

As they entered the throne room, Radditz went in before them, announcing their presence. Though it seemed whoever was there to see her had abandoned the throne room to conjugate in the foyer. The moment her voice was called though, an immediate stomping off feet was heard. Serenity's eyes went wide as a brunette, clad in familiar green attire came racing into the room, a dead set on Vegeta,

"You bastard!" she cried, arm already pulled back, ready to swing. Serenity screamed, running in front of Vegeta with arms holding out in a 'stop' motion.

"Lita, don't! Its okay!" she insisted a the top of her lungs

"Move it Serenity." She called, "He'll have to learn the hard way you can't just posses people. We're taking you home!" she snapped. Serenity yelled her objections, but was only saved when Haruka appeared behind Lita, restraining her.

"You better start talking now Ondago." The warrior began, half smiling at her princess as she winked, "Because I had the same idea in mind." Serenity sighed with relief, approaching the two and blurting out a summed up version of that was going on.

"You see, King Vegeta, or the late King Vegeta, he's dead now, was the one that stole me! He kept me on his ship and stuff, but he wasn't really that bad! And when he died, I made a promise to protect his Kingdom and…help his son!" she said. Lita calmed down, easing out of Haruka's arms. She stared down at Serenity, her eyes wide with horror.

"So you married him?" she exclaimed, just as Haruka brought a hand to her head in dismay. As Serenity went on to explain herself, Vegeta listened intently.

"Did he force this on you?" Haruka had demanded. Serenity shook her head, 'no, it was of my own free will.' She had insisted, 'I'm not harmed at all, nor have I ever been'. She had defended him and his people, in every aspect the two could possibly bring to attention. "He's a good guy." She said. Vegeta gulped slightly, forbidding himself to blush at that. Of coarse, what she said next would easily make any thoughts of blushing wash away, "Despite his age. He's a strong boy." All her words drowned out after that.

Boy? A Boy?

"You heathen!" Vegeta immediately snapped out of his thoughts, but obviously not in time. He hollered as he was slammed into the floor by a blur of blonde. He felt tiny hands clamp over his neck, as he stared up into blue eyes. His lack of air must have gotten to him quicker than he expected, because she almost looked like Serenity!

He focused as hard as he could, and soon came to note the darker skin, red ribbon in her shorter hair, and vividly different glint to her eyes.

"Mina!" Now that scream was familiar. Serenity took hold of the blonde's hair, yanking her off of Vegeta and the two girls fell to the ground with a thud.

"Stop trying to kill him!" Serenity screamed, as loud as she could. Vegeta sat up, a hand to his neck, as if checking to make sure it was still intact. It wasn't a moment later though that the click of a heel was heard behind him, and he turned slowly. He followed long tanned legs up to a rather short crimson skirt. Long groomed fingernails tapped against her hip, which were grazed by dark ebony hair. Violet eyes, burning with anger, glared down at him as she hissed out some sort of Sutra chant.

Vegeta yelped, leaping to his feet with a string of curses, and backing away from the priestess. If there was one thing he absolutely couldn't stand, it was prophets and priests and such. He'd never been comfortable with the kind of people that say they can tell you your future. "Damn Voodoo …" Vegeta mumbled under his breath.

She crossed her arms over her bosom, eyes fixated on him. She looked him over, as if sizing him up, but by the time her eyes connected again with his face, it was obvious her point of view on him had changed,

"And you're complaining?" she inquired, leaning to the side to cast a stare at Serenity.

"Who ever said I was complaining!" the queen exclaimed, "You, Reipan, were the ones who came charging in here, trying to kill him!" Serenity had approached the ravenous beauty by now, gesturing to the others every now and again. Rei sneered slightly, sighing heavily as she took Serenity in an embrace,

"It doesn't matter." She said, though her voice much calmer now, "Let's just get you home." The other girls nodded, smiling in agreement, but Serenity said nothing. The room fell into a dead quiet that was so nerve racking, it had Vegeta on edge.

"An annulment perhaps?" a voice intervened. All eyes turned to the two blue-haired beauties entering the room. Michiru smiled warmed, placing a hand on Serenity's shoulder, "For the marriage problem I mean." She added on.

"What problem?" Vegeta bellowed. He'd put up with this nonsense for quiet awhile now, though partially because he was utterly confused. But now that he was catching on, he didn't exactly like the sounds of it. "She married willingly!" he exclaimed, approaching the gorgeous woman. Michiru sighed heavily, turning to Serenity,

"Such kindness" She said, touching Serenity's cheek tenderly, and calming the frazzled queen down. "But that is why we are here. To make sure she cares for herself as well."

"We can't very well let this leek to the public. The Earthian nation would blow a gasket." Ami added, joining Rei's side. Rei huffed a bit, balancing her weight from one leg to the other,

"Does this place even have an annulment system?" She questioned, eyes casting around the interior of the castle, pretending to herself it was as disgusting as she wanted to make it seem.

"Even if it doesn't, we do, and we have more authority." Haruka pointed out, walking their way with her hands on her hips, Lita following close behind,

"But she's married to the Guy." The brunette said, addressing only the other Senshi, though both Serenity and Vegeta were in the room, "If we call it off then we're going to have a lot of undesirables on our backsides."

"That doesn't matter! We'll just have to deal with it." Rei snapped, giving Lita a glare.

"Does that mean we'll have to go all the way back to Lunaria for the rights to this?" Ami asked, tapping furiously at her computer, "You were Rei, annulments aren't in the Saiyan-jin system, and a divorce would simply be uncanny for us." She said, her face displaying a horrified look as she read over the divorce requirements.

"Seems so" Michiru said. Mina turned away from the group as quietly as she could, facing Serenity with a smile. It fell as soon as it came though, for the site of her made Mina's heart bleed. Serenity was almost trembling with anger as the girl's discussion went on. Vegeta was very stand-offish, though he did seem to have a lot of things circling through his head. 'Best I take care of this before he decides to step in.' she thought grimly, the idea alone racking at her nerves.

"You're not leaving with us, are you?" Mina asked softly. Serenity's head snapped up, a gasp almost escaping her lips. Her eyes were watery with unshed tears, and her lips were quivering. Mina sighed heavily, reaching out and holding Serenity close. "They won't take it well," She whispered, a little laughter in her voice, "But we understand." Serenity was hesitant to return the hug for a moment as she gathered her senses enough to keep from crying, but she did.

"Alright, Ondago, we-" Haruka stopped though, her boyish features expressing their confusion as she watched Serenity and Mina. Everyone turned to look, trying to understand why they were holding one another so tightly, and why Serenity's rosy cheeks were stained with tears. Lita turned fully around as the two blondes released one another.

Mina stepped aside as she let the others process what was happening. Michiru hung her head, a soft sigh escaping her lips. She cast a glance up at Haruka, who already adverted her eyes. Ami's brow's furrowed with worry as she approached her princess, taking swift steps. Serenity's caught the blue-haired genius's hands, but Ami pressed on, resting her palms against Serenity's shoulders, and shaking her head as if begging her not to do this. She flung herself forward into Serenity's arms for a powerful hug.

"You're not really..." Lita slurred. The girls looked up as her as Ami pulled away and Lita launched herself at Serenity, pulling the small blonde into her powerful arms. "This is bull, you know that?" The Oak Princess said, muffling her sniffles into Serenity's hair. Serenity smiled softly, nodding. She inhaled slowly, releasing a tension-less breath. But that didn't last.

Serenity stiffened as a explosion shook the walls of the palace. She pulled out of Lita's arms turning to look at Vegeta as he came to her side,

"What was that?" She asked. Vegeta frowned deeply, narrowing ebony eyes.

"Sounds like someone docked without permission." He said, though is voice was hushed. "I suggest staying here." And with that, he sped out of the room, leaving a trail of dust behind him. The girls blinked with surprise as the air cleared.

"You really have to hire better cleaners." Mina said, coughing a bit as she waved some dirt away from her nose.

'Thank you God, Thank you GOD' Vegeta must have repeated that 10 times as he bolted down the halls to the docking area. The tension in that room had been positively sickening. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that what he thought didn't mean a damn thing to those women, or simply all the girly sentiments.

He stopped after rounding the corner, hearing a series of voices not far away. They weren't audible, for a man's scream drowned out their words. Vegeta gritted his teeth, running off the tips of his boots as he turn the corner.

Icers

Vegeta growled with rage. 'Freeza…damn him.' This was more than likely just to remind Vegeta of the power the lizard had over him. Blindly, Vegeta charged at a few of the warriors, recklessly pounding the life out of whomever he could get his hands on.

A brave lot of them leapt forward, underestimating the young king, and finding themselves being nothing more than ashes. Vegeta hissed sharply after being backhanded. He turned around, only to receive the same blow, this time sending him into the ground. One of the creatures nearby his landing spot jumped on him, figuring his own bulky weight would hold the king down. He was in for a surprise when Vegeta rose from the ashes and dirt, flinging the creature off of him.

"Get him!" Someone hollered. Vegeta growled, sending a large blast at his opponents before taking to the air, and attacking them in their confusion. He whipped his mouth as silence fell throughout the corridor, but he could hear chaos caused by those that had run ahead, escaping his wrath.

"For now anyways…" Vegeta said, in almost a sing-song tone as he smirked devilishly, flying down the hall at top speed.

"Lita. It's. So. Gross!" Mina screamed, leaping up onto another bookcase as a large, grimy, jelly-creature chased after the goddess of love and beauty. Lita peered at her from the corner of her eye, frowning deeply,

"I'm a little busy here!" she called out. She closed her eyes, concentrating all her powers and pushing the man before her down to the ground, crushing his bones beneath her hold. She stood back up, looking around as Ami snatched Serenity by the wrist, guiding her down a random hall in some attempts to get her out of the heat of battle. "Shit!" Lita yelled out in fright as a body fell before her, Haruka landing swiftly soon after.

"Stop day-dreaming!" The Wind Warrior hollered, urging Lita onward. Lita nodded, just barely spotting Rei in the entrance of the room, casting a spell and diminishing 4 warriors into oblivion. Rei sighed with relief as she stopped to take a breath, scanning the room for her next foes.

"Not bad girl." A sultry voice cooed amusingly. Rei spun on her heal, a sutra in hand, but she drew back after recognizing the spiky hair and cocky smirk. She rolled her eyes at Vegeta, facing the other way,

"Well watch and learn boy." She said as a smirk of her own crossed her lips. Rei held out her arms in the direction of 3 very unaware men not too far from them. She closed her eyes momentarily, murmuring something in her ancestor's language. A red aura shone brightly around her, and in the blink of an eye, the three warriors were set on fire. Their screams didn't last too long before the men were in ashes, compliments of Rei's accuracy and strength.

She turned to face Vegeta, arms crossed triumphantly. "I'm the daughter of the God of War, Aries." She announced with pride. His eyes were lowered just enough to shield then from her, though a wild smirk played over his lips and his brows creased with approval. Pleased with that, Rei turned swiftly, winking as her ebony hair followed just seconds behind her movements and then went back to the task at hand. Vegeta watched her retreated form, shaking his head as she went,

"Now why couldn't I have married her?" he asked aloud. But with a deep sigh, dismissed the thought and followed after her.

A large grunt was followed by a thud as the brawny solider collapsed under Ami's Aqua Illusion.

"Nice shot!" Serenity exclaimed. Cheering and hugging her friend's arm happily. Ami sighed, not able to refrain from smiling.

"Hurry now." The blue-haired genius urged, directing her down the hall, "There will be more where he came from-"

"Nice deduction Mercurian." The voice jolted Serenity and Ami to look up, staring with wide eyes at the reptile looming over their heads. Serenity whimpered, gripping righter to Ami. The lizard like creature smirked softly, holding out a hand as he fired an energy blast. The girls screeched as they narrowly escaped it, and without another thought, set off on a dead run.

Serenity screamed when he fired again. They were re-entering the room they'd just exited, and caught everyone attention. The Senshi screamed out insanities and they tried to reach their princess.

"Deep Submerge!" A delicate voice rang through the room, and Serenity and Ami did a nose dive into the ground as the onslaught of water pummeled into their attacker and took many of his own comrades with him.

"Don't you have your own soldiers?" Michiru demanded, swinging her head to face Vegeta after aided Serenity and Ami to their feet.

"They're wing is cut off." He replied gruffly, landing beside her, "We're fucked." He blurted, taking note to yet another fleet coming in. He heard Mina gasp at his language, which, hadn't they been in such a dire situation, he would have found amusing.

"Not quite." Michiru argued. Vegeta watched in confusion as the Senshi cleared the way for Michiru to enter their space ship.

"What are they doing?" he inquired on Ami and Serenity, but neither replied. Michiru emerged, cradling a girl, whom clutched tightly to a blanket and buried her head against the Water Warrior's chest. She set the pre-teen down gently, facing her before the men.

"Do your stuff Hotaru." She said softly, and with that, jumped back behind the ship.

"Hit the deck!" Lita hollered abruptly. Almost instantly, each of the Senshi fell to the floor, but Vegeta remained standing. 'What the hell are they thinking?' He wondered incredulously, watching the small, pale child as she trembled before the warriors.

"Get down you idiot!" Vegeta had barely caught the flame in Rei's eyes as she tackled him into the ground. He stared in shock as a wave of lavender energy rushed just above their heads. He breathed heavily as its glow washed through the room, and after it died, all that was left was pure silence. He peeked past Rei's head, gazing at the small girl now surrounded by a field of slaughtered men.

"Michiru…" she whimpered softly. Her violet eyes clamped shut with tears as she dove into Michiru's awaiting arms. She petted the girl's head, comforting her in quite whispers. Vegeta leapt to his feet, nearly knocking Rei to the floor. He caught her, though just barely,

"What is that?" he demanded, pointing to the child as he approached her. Haruka stepped up almost immediately, her tall form towering over Vegeta.

"That's none of your concern." She stated firmly, crossing her arms and glaring threateningly. Vegeta growled, his teeth gritted and barring his fangs. They quickly realized they didn't have time for a brawl though when a piercing scream echoed through the room. All heads snapped to attention as Serenity struggled against one of the wounded Icer warriors whom held her firmly round the waist and neck. Ami reached out in some attempts to save her, but before they knew it, the warrior was making a dive out of the window, Serenity in tow.

"Ondago!" Haruka cried, bolting off the balls of her feet in pursuit of Serenity's capturer. Lita was soon to follow, Mina and Rei right behind her, though Michiru beckoned Ami to stay back. Vegeta sneered, knowing full at well they wouldn't catch them in time. Instead, Vegeta backtracked, bolting down the stairs of the palace, and swiftly rounding corners. His body jerked as he came to a halt, and he scoped out the scene. Lita didn't dare fire her thunder blots; or Rei her flames, in fear of striking Serenity. But Mina was firing love shots for all she was worth. Growing irritated with this, the man fired back at her, sending the blonde haired beauty crashing through a window.

Mina groaned with agony as she tried to lift herself up, but the sounds of a battle were quickly reaching her ears. She turned her upper body, gasping at the marvel before her. A young man, no older than her really, fired a rather deadly attack at a group of Icers, who were now joining a large number of comrades on the floor.

The boy turned to look at her, swiping his glove past his brow as he sighed with relief. His messy ebony hair was tossed this way and that, though his wide eyes held heavy amusement,

"Think you missed a few." He said, thumbing in the direction of the dead soldiers. Mina, ever so slowly, cracked a smile. But before she could say anything, she quickly remembered the predicament that her princess was in. She leapt to her feet, hands gripping the sides of the broken window as she peered down.

Lita, Rei and Haruka were right behind the man with Serenity struggling in his arms.

"They're not going to get him in time!" She whined, biting down on her tongue as her brain raced for some sort of solution.

"They who?" The young man asked, peering over as well. Mina sighed heavily as tears formed at the brim of her eyes,

"My fellow Senshi. By the time they land, that heathen will be long gone with Serenity." She spat, a hand reached to grasp her breast where her heart lay nervously as she prayed against all odds.

"Actually, I think the King there has got this handled just fine." The boy said, ever-so nonchalantly. Mina blinked in confusion, first give the strange boy a quizzing stare, then peered down at the ground, where Vegeta already was, aiming to fire. A wide smile spread across Mina's lips as she jumped for joy.

"Hey ugly" Vegeta called out, determining the Icer solider was just within a few feet of him. The man turned, just enough for Vegeta to get a glance at Serenity, and he fired. The attack shot across his back, skidding past his shoulder blades. Serenity screamed as the man released her mouth, and they fell apart. She clamped her eyes shut, hugging her body tightly as she came in impact with the water below her. Vegeta disregarded it though, and bounced off his feet, an attack already prepared for the hurt warrior.

"Oh God…" Mina murmured eyes tide with terror the moment Serenity hit water. "Vegeta!" she cried out, screaming at the top of her lungs. The boy seemed to panic as well, screaming out insanities along with her. By the time the other Senshi hit ground, Vegeta had taken note to Mina and the boy up in the palace, which he grimly noted as Kakarotto. He sneered, but his dismal thoughts of the boy were pushed aside. 'Water' he heard them cry, and 'Serenity'. He cast them a funny look, signaling he had no idea what they were talking about. Both sighed heavily, and then opened their mouths wide,

"Serenity Can't Swim!" They shouted in unison. If Vegeta had stayed to see the two exchange incredulous looks of confusion, he probably would have been slightly amused. But as they laughed at one another, he set a dead path for the open water, where Serenity had already sunken under. It wasn't until he'd already dove in, and reached out for Serenity, unconscious and tangled in water planets, that he realized the Icer solider had followed him.

The beast of a man snagged Vegeta by the leg, attempting to pull the young King away from his Queen. Vegeta growled with furry, turning swiftly in the water to strike the warrior. Hadn't it been for the man's earlier weariness, Vegeta would have more than likely missed due to his slow movements in the water. But he hit the man dead on, and quickly returned to his original task. He yanked Serenity out of the weeds with ease, holding her by the waist as he kicked his way up to the surface.

He breathed in deeply the moment air reached him, but didn't take time to rest as he brought Serenity to shore. Vegeta dragged himself out, pulling Serenity along. He heard Lita yelling this at that to him, though all that he really picked up on was getting out of the water. So, he dropped to his knees on the cement trail of the gardens, though both drenched, they were clear of the water.

He laid her down flat, checking her neck for any sort of pulse. "Serenity?" He blurted through gasps of air. He never noticed Lita step into the water, firing off her electricity as she fried the Icer warrior to death. "Serenity!" He said, a little louder this time as his bare fingers grazed her cheek for some sort of reaction. Vegeta gulped, his chest rising and falling heavier now, though due to panic.

"Move it." A gruff voice ordered. He didn't respond as Haruka butted her way in, palms pressing downward against Serenity's breasts, pumping against her heart. Over and over the girl did this, her muscles straining and working their hardest, but it was of no use.

"She's not waking up!" Rei screamed into Haruka's ear, though her rage was half worry as she bit fiercely on her lip.

"You think I don't know that?" Haruka yelled back, leaning over and pressing her lips to Serenity's giving her some air, then returning to the pumping. Still, there was nothing. Vegeta looked around worriedly as Lita approached. By the looks of it, Kakarotto and Mina were taking care of any soldiers left that hadn't scampered away at Michiru's and Ami's threats of using the little demon child's powers. "It's not working!" Haruka snapped, grinding her teeth together, both irritated and frustrated, fear stricken in her body.

"Let me try." Vegeta said sternly. Haruka looked up at him with narrowed eyes, contemplating this. Vegeta moved her aside, shaping his hands the way Haruka had, "What do I do?" He asked. The Wind warrior placed her hand over his once, pressing down,

"Match it with your heart beat." She said. That was easy enough. Vegeta could hear his heart so well at it thundered noisily in his ears, and thumped against his chest. His arms, heavy with muscles, moved with ease as they did the absolute best possible to restore Serenity's heart beat.

Again and again and again he tried, never stopping, never pausing. Water on his brow formed to sweat. 'What if she doesn't wake up?' he suddenly wondered, 'What'll I do?' the fear overwhelmed him. How in the name of God could he get through this without her? 'I can't, I won't…'

"Damn it woman, wake up!" he exclaimed, his frustration being the cause of the outburst, and for a last and final pump with all his might. The sounds of a gagging and a dainty cough forced his eyes open, though he hadn't even realized how hard he'd clamped them shut. A soft sigh fell over the group of women as they fell to their knees, resisting the urge to fling themselves at their princess. Serenity shuttered violently, her hand reaching out drowsily. Vegeta snatched it, pulling her up into a sitting position as she reached out, gripping his shoulders for balance.

"Hnnn-na." she slurred, and forced her eyes to open. Vegeta swallowed the lump that formed in his through and sighed with relief as Serenity smiled at him. "Hey there handsome." She whispered softly with a lop-sided grin, her eyes half lidded as she breathed heaved.

"She's falling asleep again." Haruka stated confidently as she wobbled to her feet. Vegeta didn't get up quite yet, taking his time as he took Serenity's into his arms. He bit down on his bottom lip, gnawed viciously at it. His ears and cheeks were burning red with blush, and his bangs could do nothing to hide it. So with a lowered head, he hurried back into the palace; the Senshi making their way inside at their own paces.

"Serenity…Serenity darling?"

Ribbons, bows and confetti went flying through the air, scattering over the marble floors.

"Here I am mommy!" The tiny blonde cried in her up-most chipper tone. She giggled as she dashed out from under the piles of boxes carrying tons of little trinkets that had kept Serenity occupied the past hour or so. Queen Selenity smiled warmly, laughing softly as she held out her arms for her daughter to fly into.

"Careful now my dear" She said after grunting softly from the impact. "You'll hurt yourself if you run around like that." She said. Serenity merely giggled in response, running out of her mother's arms and circling her twice before returning to her ribbons.

"Look at this mommy!" she exclaimed, holding out a brilliantly bright blue ribbon. Her mother nodded softly, smiling with her whole heart at her daughter as Serenity grinned back with glee.

"I love you muffin." Her mother said. "I love you."

Serenity moaned deep in her throat, feeling isn't rumble against her chest. She winced slightly, the sound of her mother's voice fading away in her head. She struggled to open her eyes, the light from her memory being replaced by the overly bright lamp swinging above her head.

"You seem to spend a lot of time in here don't you milady?" Serenity turned to her right, squinting to see the old doctor smile as he scribbled a few things on his clipboard. He looked away from her, bowing slightly, "I'll be going now Sire." He said, sniffling from a runny nose, and leaving the room with only the soft click of the door. Serenity inhaled deeply, turning her head away from the blinding light. She looked to her right, eyes focusing on a dark figure seated beside her.

She felt a hand squeeze hers, and she returned the gesture in response. His elbows were planted firmly on her bedside as he leaned over, practically at the edge of his chair. Serenity was a little surprised to see his here, now dry and looking quite solemn. The last thing she remembered was seeing his outline in front of the bright sun. He was drenched from head to toe, and panting heavily, those ebony eyes fixated on her.

Serenity, after remembering this, reflexively arched her neck, eyes wide as she looked up into his once more. She knew if by chance he were in a bad mood, she couldn't expect a eulogy and a sooner-than-planned funeral. But still, she honestly wasn't too worried. She looked up at him, those ebony eyes transfixed with wonder.

"How are you feeling?" he asked so very lightly. Serenity offered a half-hearted smile, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm alright." She stated. Vegeta nodded a bit, casting his eyes down as he leaned his nose against their joined hands.

"You should really learn to swim." He said with brows raised. Serenity, after blinking, let out a short laugh, not sure if he was serious or amused. She was happy to realize he was speaking of this lightly when he smirked. They remained quite for a moment as Serenity studied her surroundings. She glanced out the window, spotting mid-day.

"What time is it?" She asked. Vegeta thought about it for a second, half shrugging,

"About noon I think." He said. Serenity nodded a bit. Again, the silence. Though this one was much more uncomfortable than the first. "Your Senshi." Vegeta began, clearing his throat as he sat up, "They're leaving today." He watched as Serenity sighed deeply with dismay, eyes doing their best to hide her sorrow. Vegeta couldn't help but smirk, chewing on his inner-lip a bit.

"What?" Serenity inquired, taking note to this, and after a moment, nearly readying herself to be insulted. Vegeta leaned in, looking at her directly,

"The palace isn't quite safe right now, with the attack and all." He said, matter-of-factly. Serenity queered a brow, pressing him to continue, "So, what do you say we take a little leisure trip?" He asked. Serenity sat up abruptly, staring at his incredulously.

"But what about your-"

"My father handled his business in space. I don't see why I can't do the same." He said. Serenity shook her head, still confused,

"Where are we going?" She asked. Vegeta lowered his eyes, standing now as he smirked almost sinisterly,

"Where else? Lunaria." He said, as if it were obvious, "With all our advancements in technology thanks to the doors you opened, it should only take a good 4 or 5 months to get there." He stated, standing straight and tall, "Your Senshi will be joining us as well, for both your protection and pleasure-" He'd barely spit out the words before he felt Serenity's tiny hand left his, and she flung herself at him, arms latching around his next as she attacked with him with a hug.

Vegeta suppressed a yelp as he struggled to stay standing. He leaned against a far table holding her firmly round the waist, though it didn't seem required, for she had a rather good grip on him. He said nothing when he felt tear drops against fall onto his shoulder, soaking through the material.

"Thank you so much." Her muffled voice whispered through soft cries, her body shaking only slightly. After many moments, he helped her ease to her feet. Her forehead rested against his shoulder, willing away anymore tears. His hands lay delicately on her back as he waited patiently for her recover herself. Yet, he didn't have the time to wait it seemed. The door swung open and Vegeta spun her around to stand beside him and releasing her completely. He stood straight, folding his arms as Radditz entered.

Vegeta approached him, but as they fell into discussion, their words went deaf to Serenity's ears. It was then she realized that over the past month, Vegeta had, rather quickly, grown to show her affection. Three whole times he'd held her, both for one another's comfort, and "just because". He'd confided in her, gotten jealous over her, and saved her life.

Serenity smiled softly as Radditz left and Vegeta hesitated in turning to face her again. She grinned to herself, approaching him as he crossed his arms.

"What do you want now girl?" He snapped, giving her a rather bored glare from the side. Serenity laughed lightly, leaning on tip-toe and pressing her lips to his cheek, ever so tenderly.

"Thank you"

Vegeta was silent as she left, turning at the door to smile at him. The sun shined in off her hair, and literally glittered over her skin, reflecting in her tired eyes. The clicks of her heals were quickly fading as she headed further down the hallway, and once silence fell, he released the breath he'd mistakenly been holding. A torn gloved hand, which now revealed three fingertips, reached up to graze the skin of his cheek. He blinked, though it lasted longer than he would like to admit.

"Damn girl…" he sneered, heading to the door. He cast one last glance back down the hall she'd exited down, and smirked to himself.

A whole 15 pages! I am SO sorry about this. I figured that since I took so long though, I might as well have made this a "Super Chapter". I hope I accomplished this to meet everyone's delight!

Next time, off to Lunaria. Vegeta's going to meet the mother of the bride…yikes…

Not to mention a certain Earthian Prince….