PrettyStupidGurl- Hiya! Thanks for reading and reviewing. Sorry for the delay!
DBZ-fan-JESS- Thank you very much! I really hope you enjoy the story. I have a lot planned for it. If you like 18, I think you're going to like how her character comes in. I hope it really surprises people. Enjoy!
Fujutsu- Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Daisy31- Yeah, I wanted to make up for the not updating, by giving you guys a long chapter last time. Wish I had been able to do that with this chapter, but the next chapter will be long too! Thanks so much for reviewing!
Kataan- Bulma will get better. I promise, and so will the other characters. I'm glad you thought that part was funny, and that you don't like Rall. I guess that means I'm doing a decent job! ;-) Thanks!
MANGA DEVIL- I'm sorry the romance is coming along so slowly, but think about it. They really don't know each other very well yet. They've got to learn to respect each other first, and they will! I have it all planned out. Thank you so much for reviewing!
Tsume-Hiei luver- Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Sorry this chapter's so short. The next one will be longer. I promise.
Fiby- Thank you so much for the review! I'm happy you didn't think the fight scene was complete crap. You're right. Those guards weren't much of a challenge, so it was a bit boring. The next fight scenes shouldn't be. ;-) Hopefully, I'll get better at writing them. Sorry ahead of time about the length of this chapter. The next chapter will be longer!
Garowyn- Yeah, I desperately need to pay a bit more attention to proofreading… I type way too fast, and forget to go back and correct things. I'm working on replacing all my old chapters and making corrections to them. Thanks for reviewing!
KarineD- I love that you love this story! Haha. Thank you very much! Enjoy, enjoy!
Mela- Sorry about the wait! Thank you for reviewing!
Senator Katrina- I appreciate the reviews. I'm very sorry that I haven't been able to update any of my stories lately, like I used to when I first started writing on this website, but I've got a lot going on in my life right now. I probably won't be able to update again for a few weeks after this chapter either. Just to warn everyone ahead of time. Thank you!
Chapter 7: AftermathThe priestess slowly bowed her head, saying a silent pray, before extinguishing the last of the candles that surrounded the alter. Indara's body had been cremated and buried beside her father's grave earlier that day, marking the final day of mourning for the princess. Ava sighed miserably, and leaned forward against the cool, marble. It was hard to move on after such a horrible thing like Indara's death. She still wasn't over the death of her sister, Jadora, or her brother-in-law, Bardock, and that was years ago! Tragedy seemed to encompass Vegetasei for the past decade.
"Such a beautiful ceremony," a deep voice spoke up from the shadows behind her.
A jolt of ice slide down her back, and Ava stood up straight, whirling around to face the sudden intruder. "Rall?" She whispered, her throat dry. Did he know that she was in league with Indara and Vegeta? Would he really have the gall to kill a priestess in her temple the day his sister was buried? The priestess held her breath, hoping he wouldn't do anything so foolish.
He looked around, taking in the beautiful flowers that adorned the room. Indara's favorites—white roses from Earth and pink lilies that grew wild throughout Vegetasei. He reached over and delicately plucked a long stem rose from a nearby bouquet. Bringing it to his nose, he inhaled the scent and closed his eyes as if it brought him the purest joy. Ava watched him warily.
Rall sighed, looking up at her. "You honored my sister justly," he commended.
"Excuse me?" Ava demanded disgustedly. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot. He was standing in front of her, and he was being sincere! She desperately fought the urge to lunge at him and claw his eyes out.
Her anger seemed to trigger something in him, and he gripped her neck in his hand firmly. "For someone who is scheming behind my back with my traitorous brother, you sure can't take a compliment!" He pushed her back against the alter. "Undeserving bitch!"
Ava glanced to her side, feeling her back collide with the marble, and she choked on a sob. She couldn't die! She had to help Vegeta. She had to help bring the Saiyan Empire back to its former glory and honor! She dug her sharp nails into his wrist, drawing blood easily enough.
Rall backhanded her and shook her like a rag doll. "I should kill you." He glared down at her, moving closer. His hand came back down toward her face, and Ava flinched, expecting another hit. Instead, his hand rested gently against her cheek, and he brushed away her tears.
The woman beneath him trembled in fear as he lifted a lock of her white-gold hair and gazed in to her ice colored eyes. "You look so much like her," he whispered, kissing her lips gently. "I could never harm you," he told her, moving away from her finally so she could escape.
Rall watched longingly as the priestess flee from the room, her hair shinning silver in the pale moonlight. Yes. Ava was a constant reminder to him of the woman he desired, and the likeness that she shared with Akira was the only reason he let her live, for now.
(Change scene)
Goku watched the synthetic slop that was supposed to be passable as some kind of a meat substitute splatter onto the floor. Groaning, he dropped the utensil and picked up a rag with his good hand. His right arm was still in a cast so his ambidexterity was off. Vegeta would allow anyone access to the regeneration tanks except Turlis; their punishment for being stupid and incurring the wrath of the Onbei Gang.
Bending down, he wiped up the mess and tossed the soiled rag into the sink. "That's the third time," he muttered sadly.
"Need some help?"
Goku glanced up from the floor and stared blankly at the beautiful woman on the other side of the counter. "Um."
Chichi smiled slightly and walked around to his side. "I can make you something to eat," she told him. "Think of it as a 'thank-you' for sticking up for me the other day."
Finally recovering his voice, he smiled back. "It wasn't your fault. They threatened you to drug our food."
"I feel horrible it," Chichi admitted. "How's your arm healing?"
"It'll be good as new in another day. We Saiyans heal quick."
(Change scene)
Vegeta stood quietly in the middle of the dimly lit room, watching one of his oldest and most trusted friends float unconsciously in the regeneration tank. His sister was truly dead. There was no doubt in his mind. Clenching his fists tightly at his side, he imagined strangling the life from his own brother, but a tiny voice in his head silenced the thoughts. What would their father think of all this? Even though the king was dead, Vegeta didn't wish to disappoint him or disrespect him, and Saiyans did not kill their own kin.
'But he's defiling our dynasty,' Vegeta spoke mentally to himself. 'He has to be stopped.' He didn't want to say it out loud, but he was worried for his two younger brothers more than ever now.
The life support monitor beeped from the side of the regeneration tank, breaking his train of thought. The prince glanced up into Turlis' open eyes. Without a second thought, Vegeta moved over to the control panel and pressed a four-sequence number into the keypad. The greenish-blue liquid filtered out through a drain in the bottom, and Turlis stood patiently inside for his friend to open the hatch.
Vegeta pulled up the handle and backed away, letting the automatic hydraulics kick in and open the door for him. He handed Turlis a fresh towel and moved aside. The other Saiyan wiped his face off with the cloth and sighed heavily. He felt empty inside, and he didn't think it would ever go away. He could still feel a small part of Indara's soul clinging to his own, but he would never fully be linked to her until his own death—whenever that might be.
"Did I hurt anyone?" Turlis rasped. His throat was extremely sore.
"Kakkarot tried to keep you subdued for most of the time," Vegeta answered. "Plus the drug kept you from doing any real damage."
Turlis nodded slowly. "Where is everyone?"
Soft laughter drifted into the medbay from the hallway, and the two of them glanced toward the noise. Two figures walked past, smiling and talking. Vegeta let his head fall forward slightly.
"Never seen him like that with a woman before," he commented, though secretly he was glad to see Kakkarot finally taking an interest in the opposite sex, even if it was a mere human girl.
"That girl looks familiar," Turlis cut in, frowning thoughtfully.
Vegeta shrugged. "Well, she did drug your food."
"What!"
(Change scene)
"The prime minister?"
Akira rolled sighed heavily. "Too closely watched by Rall."
Bulma rested her head on the table. "Any old friends?"
"All dead, missing, or heavily guarded."
"Cousins? Siblings I don't know about?" Bulma ventured on.
"No, and yes," Akira replied. "But I'm not going to put my little brother and sisters in jeopardy."
Just then, Vegeta walked in. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out who we can contact on Vegetasei," Bulma told him. "Any ideas?"
He glared over at Akira. "Ava."
The silver haired woman stared blankly at him for a while. "I can't believe myself," she muttered. "Where the hell is my head?"
"Obviously, you've been hanging around with that thing far too much."
Bulma's head shot up at Vegeta's insult, and she lunged from her seat. Thankfully, her bodyguard was much quicker than her. Akira caught her around the waist and pulled her back away from Vegeta. The Earth princess kicked her legs and flailed her arms about frantically trying to get at Vegeta, who just stood there with a smirk on his face.
"Why you no good, little bas--." Bulma was cut off before she could finish by Akira's hand being firmly planted over her mouth.
"Calm down, princess."
Vegeta chuckled. "Why spoil my fun, Akira? I wanted to see what she possible thought she could do to me."
Akira gave him a look over Bulma's shoulder that clearly stated 'this might be funny to you, but I'm going to be dealing with her all night thanks to you!'
"You'll contact your aunt when we touch down on Riessei," he told Akira. "Rall may know she was working with Indara."
"Right. If he's monitoring her transmissions, it won't be too suspicious if I'm doing the calling," she agreed, though she was worried about the interest it might cause with Rall. "I'm going to take the princess with me to the cargo bay. I'll need to work on the communications satellite. I don't want him to try tracking me down."
Bulma suddenly stopped struggling so hard against Akira's grasp and glanced down at where Akira's forearm was resting over her right elbow to keep her subdued. Was that a goose bump she felt on the Saiyan woman's arm? Something about Rall freaked Akira out, and that couldn't be a good sign. She was the bravest woman Bulma knew! What had happened?
Vegeta tuned to walk out of the room. "I don't want him tracking you down either."
(End Chapter)
Okay, this was kind of a filler chapter. Nothing major really took place, and it was very short. I did tell you, though, at the beginning of this story that I had things all planned out for each chapter, so please be patient. I'm sorry! However! If it makes everyone happy, I'll fill you in some of things to come!
Next time: The gang gets in contact with Ava, and she has a fail-safe plan. Unfortunately, it causes a lot of uproar amongst the Saiyans. Will they go with this new plan? They have to drop off Dr. Gero's cargo on Riessei, and then they can be on their way. Of course, it's not going to be so simple. I think we may just find out what's inside the crates! ;-) And what's this? The gang's going to get arrested? Oh, no!
Please don't forget to review! Thanks for reading.
PANDORA ;-)