"Then it's settled!" Bulma proclaimed, raising her voice above the chatter of the room. Everyone looked up in surprise. She smiled. "We'll go to Adria!" They looked at her in confusion.
"Adria?" Goku asked.
"Yes, Adria," Bulma confirmed. "It's a small trading planet. There's a little bar there I visited once, I think that it would suit you all. They serve Earth food." At that, the others smiled eagerly.
"All right then!" Goten put in. "Let's go NOW!" As if to assert this outburst, his stomach growled noisily. Bulma laughed and nodded.
"Very well," she said. "All you have to do is touch Chimera! Now, everyone come over here!" The Zed warriors shuffled over slowly, not liking the prospect of having to come in contact with the dangerous animal. Bulma rolled her eyes. "If he wanted to bite you he would, now hurry up!" They sprung to comply, putting shaky hands on Chimera's back. Vegeta snarled, but also followed suit.
'I feel suffocated!' Chimera thought, irritation thick in his argument. Bulma huffed and looked down at him. Putting a hand on his brow she smiled.
"Get used to it, Chimera. Now, take us to that bar we visited a few days ago." Chimera bowed his head in submission and began to transport.
The Saiyans felt queasy as they locked their palms more firmly upon Chimera's hide. Even Vegeta leaned forward a bit. The room began to spin and they tingled all over. Suddenly, there was no room, but instead a blue spiral of images. Goku looked to Bulma in distress and saw that her head was bent down to Chimera. It seemed that they were engaged in conversation. Goku thought he was going to pass out and couldn't understand how Bulma could be so stable.
Then they jolted back to reality. Goku looked down and saw his feet were planted on solid ground. He heaved out a sigh of relief and released Chimera quickly. The others did the same.
Once they had adjusted to their new environment, they studied their surroundings. Gohan was the first to gasp.
The "little trade planet" was bright as Vegas. Far as the eye could see there were stores, trade posts, and glorious light. Even Vegeta's eyes widened at the sight. It was something he obviously hadn't seen in his own space traveling days.
"Wow!" Goten exclaimed, turning around slowly. Bulma smiled at him. Chimera had transported them to a small side street off of the main road. Air cars whizzed by at the speed of sound, causing loud booms to be emitted.
"It's quite busy here," Bulma admitted, allowing a speculative gaze. She shrugged her shoulders and then turned back to them. "Well, who's hungry?" She was replied by exuberant nods.
Without a word she was off, striding down the alley way like she owned it. Her great black cloak billowed out behind her impressively, as her red boots impacted the ground with a threatening ring. Chimera trailed her in a wary swaggering gait as his giant head absorbed the area. The Saiyans stared upon the couple with unspoken respect and then followed quietly behind.
****
The satin sheets sunk around her limbs, caressing her nude flesh. Saliya sighed and turned over. When she did finally rotate herself, she suppressed a gasp of wonder at what lay in front of her.
There he was, in all of his succulent glory. Saliya traced the contours of his face with her eyes and felt tears of joy spring forth. How had she managed to attract him? This perfect man that bedded her now, how had she done it?
Was she that alluring? She'd never thought so. For most of her life, Saliya had believed she was destined to fail. Her parents had been of low birth and so she had accepted her fate.
Then she had ascended, rung by rung, the impossible ladder of the castes. Luck had bonded to her in ways she'd never have imagined until now she was here. Lying beside him, nothing else could have completed her more.
Unless he made love to her again.
He stirred and she shifted slightly, to allow him to waken to her affectionate smile. Soon, his eyes slid open, revealing brilliant blue pupils. He turned his head to her and his eyes widened in surprise. Saliya grinned.
"Did you forget about me already, Galvan?" She asked teasingly. Galvan Marquish looked at her in true astonishment. His reply was frank.
"Yes, just who are you?" Saliya's smile fell as he said the words. She frowned deeply, her shapely white eyebrows furrowing at the nose.
"You really forgot about me?" She asked, hoping he was trying to jest. Galvan sat up and looked around in confusion.
"Yes, I really did." He sighed and ran a hand through his short white hair. "So," he began. "I'm guessing I fucked you." Saliya hadn't realized her nudity until now. At the bluntness of his words, she unconsciously pulled the sheets up to cover her chest. Galvan turned to her and laughed gruffly at her unhappy face. "Was it bad?" He asked.
"No," she managed. He nodded his approval and stood up, shaking the sheets off.
"It never is!" He asserted, turning around to stand in front of her. He cocked his head to the side and appraised her mildly. "I must have been very drunk!" Galvan finally stated after some time of contemplation. Saliya looked down sadly.
"I did not please my Lord and Emperior?" She asked softly.
"I guess not, seeing as how it wasn't worth remembering!" He exclaimed.
Saliya was silent as she stared down at the sheets. She wouldn't cry, she couldn't cry. He'd been so dear last night, so utterly tender. She had given him everything. Her love. Her devotion. Her virginity. Now he had left her with nothing.
When the silence thickened into an awkward measure, Saliya realized Galvan must be waiting for her to say something. Slowly she looked up and dreaded having to face him. When she finally did, however, he was gone. Saliya sat somberly on his big bed, in his big room, and allowed herself to fall off the pedestal she had built for herself. The pedestal that had been fashioned of his endearments. It crumbled easily, but she fell hard.
****
Honto looked up as the bar doors swung open. The smile he had plastered on his face fell abruptly. Bulma strode in, followed by Chimera. Honto gasped and turned to Botts. The big bouncer looked to him in dismay and shrugged his uncertainty. Honto sighed and turned back to his unexpected guests. This time, she was accompanied by five others. They were bulky and imposing as each entered of his own accord. Honto soon found he was gripping on to the glass he had been drying.
When Bulma saw the bar owner, she walked up to him and smiled.
"I'm back!" She said brightly, smiling as she came. Honto looked from her to the others nervously. Then he grinned, realizing his superstitions were silly. The woman wasn't going to kill him, just his customers. He suppressed a shudder.
"Ah ha!" He replied with mock enthusiasm. "My highest paying customer, and she brings me business!" He added, nodding to her comrades. "How generous of you, Bulma!" She smiled and he mentally patted himself on the back. He had remembered her name. Then again, how could he ever have forgotten it.
"I brought five hungry customers," she said, assuming a seat on the bar. The men stood behind her and looked around the place uneasily. Out of the five, only one looked truly threatening. He was a bit smaller in stature, but his might was enormous. Muscles tense, the man's hawk eyes encumbered the room with their awe inspiring authority. Suddenly, the man moved his eyes to him. Honto involuntarily gulped and then forced himself to look back to Bulma.
"Well! As long as you promise not to kill anybody again," he said. "I'll fix them right up!"
"What's good here?" This came from the tallest one. He ambled up to the bar, and allowed his innocent eyes to scan the contents of the back counters. "I don't want to just drink, I need some food!" He whined, looking to Honto in distress. Honto smiled and nodded.
"Food we have!" He asserted, much to the taller man's relief. "Come over here my friends, and I'll introduce you to our menu choices!" He directed the five to follow him over to the side bar where a long list awaited their selection.
Bulma leaned forward on the bar and smiled at Botts. The bouncer grinned back slightly, his fear writ plainly on his features. Bulma nodded to him to come over. He obeyed and stepped behind the bar.
"What can I do for ya?" He asked. Bulma leaned back and looked down to Chimera.
"Bowl of water," she said. "And Kryo, here's your money." She handed it to him, and the bouncer nodded, eager to be away from the dangerous woman. Soon he was back, bowl and glass in hand.
"Here ya go!" He said, handing the drinks over to her. She nodded her thanks and watched him shuffle away. Instead of consuming her Kryo, she amused herself by swirling it around in its glass. She watched as the liquid slid easily upon the glass.
"So," he said. She startled at his voice but did not turn around. Vegeta occupied the seat beside her and leaned in. "I thought of you as one to drink Kryo." She grinned darkly and nodded.
"Me neither." With that she brought the glass to her lips. A quick flick of her wrist and she downed it completely.
"That shit's expensive. I guess there's quite a demand for assassins these days." She nodded and turned to him.
"There are a lot of awful people out there." With this she smiled wryly. "I guess I thought I should help them out." Vegeta nodded his understanding.
"You like killing?" He questioned. Bulma didn't understand why he was conversing with her now, but didn't mind that he was.
"No," she admitted. "I like the hunt. I like confrontations. I like fighting. I don't like to kill though." Vegeta smirked.
"Still sympathetic aren't you woman?" She smirked back at him, matching his own.
"I guess some things never change," she replied.
"Oh yes they do," he said. Suddenly, Bulma was painfully aware of how close she was to him. His face, so dark and handsome was inches away. Bulma wanted to scream her outrage. How could she be kept away from this beautiful man? But his eyes betrayed the hurt. His eyes shone with hidden anger and the stubbornness of his heredity. He would never forgive her. Never. The finality was heart wrenching and it rendered her breathless. He looked to her with a distant familiarity and Bulma sighed.
So they could be friends. Or perhaps less then friends. At least they wouldn't be enemies. A small ray of sunlight fought into the bleak recesses of her dismal world.
"You're right," she said finally. "The only thing that's constant anymore, is change."
****
Author's Note: Well!! Back from Busch Gardens, and here's your chapter!!! Hope ya like!! Heheh... Saliya and Galvan are going to be incorporated in this story from now on, so I hope y'all don't mind!! Saliya plays an important part later on! =) I thought this was of a nice length!
Special Note: Hidden_Angel... I don't care if you're the new mod or not, if I don't see some more Power of Love, I'm gonna whip out my Moderator Blaster 2001 and attack! Be scared, :: Smirks evilly :: Be VERY scared!
Much luv to everyone, especially those who like orange juice!
That is all
~JZero