DBZ-fan-JESS- Long time, huh? Thanks for reviewing this story. I'm glad you're liking it so far. I'm glad you picked up on all the small things I've put in. I think it adds a little depth to the future of the relationship.
KarineD- Hi! Thanks for reviewing.
Fiby- Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm glad the last chapter was hit.
MANGA DEVIL- Oh yeah! There's definitely going to be some Bulma and Vegeta! Thanks for reviewing!
Seruleyan-Wings- Wow! It's been such a long time. I hope things are going well for you! I miss talking to you a lot, too. I've been so busy lately. I hope you update soon, and I can't wait until you post that story. I hope you do! Much love, girl!
Angelgurl079- I'm really glad my fight scenes weren't too crappy. Thanks so much! I appreciated the feedback. I was iffy about it. That's kind of the first major one I've done, not that it was really detailed, but I tried. Thanks again!
TIFFANI- Thanks! I'm glad you like all the characters. I know there are a lot of people to keep track of. I hope I don't end up confusing anyone!
Moonfire Thunderstorm- Hi! Thanks for reviewing. Yep, Akira and Arthos will get together, and Vegeta and Bulma, of course. Plus some other couples. You'll see soon! Thanks again!
"This is so hard to understand.
If I could turn back time, I would stay with you to the end.
The last time I saw your face, I cried so hard.
Holding the stars in my hands.
Father, you will always be here, with me." – The Last Cry, by Bloodjinn
Chapter 10: Thanks, Friend
Once they found the ship and blasted off Riessei, Vegeta started clipping out orders. "We didn't get the other half of the money from Gero, so we need to take another job," he told them.
Nor frowned, slipping into the co-pilot's seat. "No offense, Vegeta, but no one's going to give you any kind of job in the shape you're in. You need to get in the regen-tank."
Kakkarot walked into the cockpit. "There aren't enough beds for everyone. Should we take shifts?"
Vegeta nodded, painfully. "Fine. Nor and Radditz will search the underground networks for any jobs while I'm in the regeneration tank, and make sure we're not being followed by the Riessian prince."
Akira finally piped in from the corner. "I don't think we have to worry about him right now. Let's get you to the med-wing before you bleed to death."
"Alright," Vegeta snapped irritably. He was always his most grouchy when he was injured. He struggled to limp toward the door. "Nor is in charge while I'm out," was all he said as he disappeared out of the room with Akira following close behind incase he passed out of something.
Nor sighed. "He's extremely pissed about something."
"Probably because he was saved by a woman," Kakkarot joked.
Radditz found himself chuckling as well. "The princess certainly surprised us all. I wasn't expecting her to do anything like that."
Down the hall, Bulma was prepping the tank so Vegeta could get healed properly. Her wrist still hurt her, but Chichi had helped her wrap it up tightly. Sighing, she sat down heavily in a nearby chair. She wished she could find out something about her father, but they had no way to contact anyone. Well, that wasn't true, she corrected herself. Vegeta seemed to have all kinds of connections, but it wasn't safe for them to try contacting anyone who would know anything about her father. Plus, she couldn't ask that of him. He'd practically taken her in, though she guessed it had more to do with some sort of obligation to Akira and getting his throne back.
"Is that all he cares about?" She wondered aloud. People's lives were in danger. Both their races could face extinction at the hands of the Icejins. He couldn't be just doing this for his own selfish reasons. He was cold and temperamental at times, but he wasn't altogether heartless.
The door swooshed open, and she glanced up sharply to see Vegeta hobbling into the room. Akira was standing behind him in the doorway. She looked over at Bulma and nodded her head slightly. Vegeta ignored both of them and went into the tank on his own. He'd done it so many times before. He pushed several buttons from inside and placed the breathing mask over his nose and mouth.
It was then that he looked up and caught Bulma staring at him. Her bright eyes were brimming with unshed tears. He narrowed his eyes slightly. Humans were too openly emotional. Movement from the doorway caught his attention before he could hit the close button. It was Juuhachigou. She was looking at him expectantly.
"What's to become of me and my brother now?" She asked him.
Vegeta shrugged and turned to Akira. "Make sure Nor picks a decent job." With that said, he hit the close button, and the tank began to fill.
(Change scene)
"Too bad the water's too cold for swimming," Cass stated sadly.
Arro looked out across the endless blue and sighed. "Sister loved the ocean."
The younger boy nodded. "And the beach. Remember when she use to sneak us out when Rall was in a meeting to have picnics."
Arro ran a shaky hand through his unruly, jet-black hair. Yes, he remembered. Indara had tried so hard to let them have some freedom from their older brother's tyranny. He gazed up at the cliffs above and spotted two of the king's loyal henchmen staring down at them, watching. He bent down and picked up an orangish-red conch, while he was bent down, he slipped a small chip inside the shell.
Cass glanced at him, confused, and Arro smiled at his brother. "A gift for the Priestess. It's been a while since we've had the chance to visit her properly, and we really should thank her for the ceremony she preformed for Indara."
(Change scene)
Akira stood, leaning against the thick glass that separated the inside of the ship from the vastness of space. A strange little smile spread across her lips when she felt Bulma's ki signature come into the room. She turned, still smiling, to greet the princess. Bulma almost gasped out loud. She didn't think she'd ever seen a genuine smile on Akira's face outside of some sort of fight. The Saiyan woman motioned toward the table in the middle of the room, and Bulma sat down slowly. Akira remained by the window.
"I'm probably the only one who is going to say this to you, but I assure you the others feel the same way," she started. "Thank you."
Bulma swallowed hard. "F-for what?"
"You could very well have saved Vegeta's life today. I couldn't read his attacker's intent, so it was a very real possibility. Prince Arthos is much stronger than me."
Looking down at her feet, Bulma frowned. "I don't get it."
Akira walked over to the table and sat down across from her. "Get what?"
"Why you're suddenly so open with me. I've known you for five years. You've guarded me, saved me countless times, and now that you're here you're different. You smile and joke around. You were never like that with me before."
"Bulma, these are my people, my brothers, my friends," Akira explained. "I've carried around a great deal of sadness at being parted from them. We were a close group growing up."
"But didn't you ever consider us friends?" Bulma inquired desperately.
Akira sighed. "Honestly? I don't know. You were a job to me at first." She noticed the tears in Bulma's eyes. "Don't think I haven't noticed how alone you were. I was going through the same thing."
"I don't have any friends, at least you do," Bulma told her.
"It seems like you've been doing a good job with Chichi and Princess Juuhachigou," Akira offered.
This topic was getting nowhere, so Bulma decided to change the subject. "How'd you get away from Prince Arthos?"
A faint sudden blush spread across the older woman's cheeks, and she turned her face away. "Don't worry about it," she mumbled.
Bulma giggled. "You're turning red. Tell me!"
"No!"
(Change scene)
Kakkarot placed a large cup of water next to his eldest brother and glanced down at all the listings from over Nor's shoulder. "Anything close?"
"Not yet." Nor grabbed the water and took a gulp. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." He was down and propped his feet up on one of the other chairs. "I don't know about Aunt Ava's plan," he confessed. "It's not right sending Akira in there. Leophin's a powerful guy."
"I know. I hate the idea of that moron being in the same room as our little sister, but it's our only option at the moment. You know how impenetrable Vegetasei's defenses are. Father helped program them." He paused, his eyes skimming over an interesting prospect.
Recognizing his brother's sudden interest in the list, Kakkarot leaned forward propping his elbows up on the console. "What'd you find?"
Nor quickly finished reading the entry and grinned. "It's perfect. They need a small group to sneak onto an Icejin military base and smuggle out food and medical supplies."
"Sticking it to the Icejins? I'm sure Vegeta won't mind a bit," he replied with lopsided grin.
"Definitely, and it might provide the princess with some news. I'm sure she's curious." Nor tapped at the keyboard, typing in a quick response. "Vegeta might be able to get some info, too."
(Change scene)
Bulma pulled back the freshly cleaned sheets and frowned. "Are you sure this is okay?"
Akira glanced up as she stripped her bed of everything except the thin top sheet. "It's fine. He won't even know we were in here because we'll be out of the room before he gets out of the regeneration tank," she explained for the seemingly hundredth time. The princess was being extremely paranoid tonight. "Now, please," Akira begged tiredly. "Get some rest."
Sighing, Bulma sat down on the soft bed. She stifled a yawn with her hand and slipped her bare legs beneath the covers. "Fine. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
(Change scene)
He watched the thick liquid swirl around him as the drains opened up beneath his feet. He must have looked much worse than his wounds let on. It had only been four hours since the healing process had begun. Pulling off the mask, he hit the small, green button in front of him and the door hissed open.
Vegeta sneered down at the wet footprints he tracked across the room on his way to the bathroom. He was definitely not in the mood to clean up after himself, so he decided to just let them dry up naturally. The only thing he could think of was taking a hot shower and then a sleeping for the next five or six hours. That should bring him back to his full health!
The fresh water cleaned away all the fluid from the tank, and the heat soothed his aching muscles. The former prince raised a hand to his neck and massaged it while a scowl marred his handsome face. His throat was still sore, and it was almost as if the Riessian's hand was still crushing his windpipe! 'Prince Arthos,' he mused. They'd never met back when Vegeta was still a prince, but he'd heard about him. The Saiyan Empire and the Riessian Empire seldom negotiated. Both seemed more than content to stay out of each other's way.
What concerned Vegeta was why the prince had wanted to kill him so badly? He'd seen it in the man's eyes, and he knew that look well. But Vegeta hadn't done anything to provoke him that he could think of. He was still a little confused as to why they'd been arrested in the first place. It couldn't be because of Prince Juunana or Princess Juuhachigou. Their home planet was under the direct rule of the Riessian Dynasty. Surely, Prince Arthos would have recognized them upon seeing them.
Turning off the water, Vegeta continued to scowl. He didn't like being confused. He quickly dried himself off and spotted a fresh pair of his training attire folded neatly on the stool in the corner. 'Akira must have left it,' he figured, grabbing them and getting dressed.
As he stepped out into the hallway, he paused momentarily to reveal in the quietness. Everyone on the ship must have retired for the night. He started toward the end of the hall, but he heard hushed voices from the control room. It was Nor and Radditz. He decided he would stop in and see what had transpired while he was in the tank.
"No, no, no," Radditz said, not noticing Vegeta standing in the doorway. "That mission we did for Cartan was the hardest."
"For you maybe," Nor taunted with a grin on his face. He turned to acknowledge Vegeta with a nod. "Out already?"
Radditz turned in his seat. "That was quicker than I thought it'd be."
Vegeta simply shrugged. "It must have just seemed worse because of the ki suppressors," he replied thoughtfully. "What have we got?" He nodded toward the main computer screen.
"I think you'll like this one. They need someone crazy enough to sneak onto an Icejin base and steal supplies."
Radditz grinned. "Sounds like fun to me."
"Have we gotten confirmation yet?" Vegeta asked them.
Nor shook his head. "No, but it's still early."
"Perfect. I can't wait. Perhaps we'll learn something of interest while we're there." He turned back toward the hall. "Agree to meet with them to set terms."
"You got it," Radditz called after him.
Vegeta stumbled down the hall toward his room. He was far too tired to think straight. Squinting, he glanced around the dark confines. He sensed Akira was in the room and, also, the Earth princess. 'Figures they'd take over my room,' he mused, snorting lightly. Slowly, he made his way over to his bed. Akira's dirty clothes were lying on the floor next to it, and he kicked them gently aside.
He didn't want to wake either of them, nor kick them out. He was sure they were both equally tired, so he simply lifted the covers and slipped into his large bed. It wasn't long before he was settled comfortably, and he closed his eyes, succumbing to a peaceful sleep.
(End Chapter)
Okay! There you have it. I know it was a little short and whatnot, but I have my reasons. I got in everything I wanted to get in for this chapter. PLEASE! REVIEW! I've got to know what everyone thinks. And I didn't proofread. I'm being lazy.
Next time: Everyone's awake, and they're still waiting to here about their next job! Juunana and Juuhachigou talk, and we'll learn a little more about them. Vegeta embarrasses Bulma. ;-) We'll check in on Vegetasei, and what's this! The Cold's make an appearance!
"I claim India for Britian!'
'You can't us! We live here! There's 500 million of us.'
'Do you have a flag?'
(Blank stare)
'No flag, no country! Those are the rules that I have just made up…" –'The cunning use of Flags in History'- Eddie Izzard
PANDORA ;-)