A.N. I know you wanna kick my ass, right? Well I don't have a viable excuse as to why I haven't updated yet (coughcoughSCHOOLcoughcough) but I knew that I would owe all of you an extra big update! So here it is, in color! (Not really, I've just always wanted to say that! P)

And a big thanks to:

The Odd Little Turtle – Thank you soo much for reviewing! I totally appreciate backup, especially from someone like you! (she's got an awesome website!) And, I know about the modern jargon, it's way complicated seeing as how I've never lived back then, but I try to get it as close to accurate as I can get! Thank again for the feedback, and I'll try to keep it historically accurate!

RodeoStar – I try to keep them as humorous as possible! ) thanks for the insight, I am so glad that you are enjoying it, and I hope that this chapter keeps you as entertained as all the others have!

SilverWing145 – Now I know that your version of 'update soon' and mine are different, but please accept this chapter as an apology! I feel like I've been lax in updating, but you know how school gets! There will be lots more with the Dragon, soon to come! Thanks a lot for the review!

Re-o-ko – Are you a new reviewer? I'm sorry if I haven't seen you before, but thanks so much for the review! I'm so glad that I'm attracting new people! ) It makes me happy, and here is my happy update! Thanks!

maz2 - Thanks! Want to know where I got the idea for Caspian? I actually got it from Pegasus off of Yu-Gi-Oh (yes, I do watch Yu-Gi-Oh.) and I was trying to describe him, with a little differences here and there. ) Characters that smoke also give off a mysterious effect, so I had to put that in there too. ) Plus his panther-kitty just gives him a powerful appearance, and I'm glad I pulled it off! Thanks so much!

Moonfire Thunderstorm – LOVE the name! It sounds uber cool! ;) Anyhow, thanks for the feedback on the summary! I'm really really bad at advertising, especially summing up stories, so it really makes me happy when someone compliments it! I appreciate it!

Shades of Crimson – Hehe, I aim to please! That's okay, I enjoy rambling! :) It makes for long reviews! And yeah, I hope you like the parts where she's his prisoner! I was really really trying to go for a long update, and I hope I don't disappoint! Thanks for reviewing!

ShadyBlondeGurl – Yup! I thought that making him a pirate would please a lot of people! It just fits him, doesn't it? Just in that pirate uniform with the duster and leather boots and those tight pants and…(ahem) gomen! I was daydreaming again, but thanks for the review! I much appreciate it!

Princess Bulma – Thanks soo much! I do the best I can with these chappies and pleasing an audience is my goal! :) So glad to hear that you love them and the encouragement really helps! Here is your chapter, now enjoy!

Onnimo – Sorry if I got the name wrong! My baka comp won't let me lowercase the 'o'! Anyhow, please don't send the dogs on me! Please! Here's your update! Now please call them off!!! ;)

Chiku – Cute name! Thanks for leaving the review, even though it was short, I still appreciate it! I feel the love! :)

PunkOnna – Bad, Yamcha, bad! No cookie for you! Yes, that is what you get when you cross the Dragon, muahahaha! (I'm okay…) Anyway, everyone really seems excited about this tying up part! I must say, I sure do know how to leave a cliffhanger on you guys! Sorry to keep you waiting so long! Please enjoy my extra big update!

PANDORA001 – Wah! I don't catch you online anymore! I surely do miss ya, girl and I hope you get to read my update soon! I love reading what you write in my reviews and I love the encouragement! Good luck with your move and job – hunting! And good luck updating, we all can't wait to hear from you! I hope we get to chat soon! I lurves ya, girl!

Now…without further ado…here is the much awaited for…CHAPTER 11!!!


The bright orange ball beyond the sea had barely begun to peek its head above the horizon of the vast blue ocean when Bulma slowly started coming to from her unsteady slumber. The ever-gracious pirate captain had been nice enough to give her her previous quarters back, despite the fact that she was in a dress that cost more than this entire ship and his bounty put together. The skittering noise of the rats and nauseating rock of the boat had done little for her irritating insomnia, not to mention her fear of being gnawed by the rats or drowning from a leak that could spring at any given second. She just knew that this ship was older than her grandfather.

'This damned crusty old boat! I'm so sick of it! I swear, if I have to spend one more second on this ship, I'm just going to throw myself overboard!'

Languidly, she rose to her feet, steadying herself on the barrels nearby. She had learned not to stand up to fast; otherwise you'd lose your footing and fall.

"I swear this is the cruelest thing you could do to somebody, locking them in the bilges of a smelly old ship. Ugh, I swear if I ever live through this I will NEVER get on another boat as long as I live." She swore to herself as she tried to fix her hair in some sort of presentable style. It was quite dark and very disorienting in the basement of the ship, so she just decided to let it be.

" Ugh, I wonder when we will hit land. I can't wait to shower and have some fresh clothes again. I really miss Son Kun and Chichi. I hope that everyone is okay…" Bulma quietly mused to herself as she ran her hand blindly along the wall to try and make it to the outline of the door. But she stopped a few inches short when the door was flung open and she was grabbed viciously by the wrists.

"Hey!"

The lady knew that it was one of Vejita's goons that had grabbed her so harshly, and then she remembered.

"B…be bound to you? How do you mean?"

"How else? By a rope. You will be bound by your wrists and to follow me wherever I choose to go."

"Everywhere?!"

"Everywhere."

'Oh, dammit!' She thought. How would she ever survive being led around like a dog?

"You unhand me you beastly brigands!" the duchess growled as she fought and tugged against their grip on her arms.

"Don't you worry none, poppet. We're jus followin' orders'." One tall lanky one with a patch over his eye replied.

"Well, can't you be a rebel? Break free! Can't you see that Vejita's just using you? He's just a…" she was instantly cut off when the back of a hand met across her cheek.

"Don't you ever speak ill of our cap'n again in my presence, you bitch! I don't care who you are, you'll show some respect around Vejita or next time I'll…"

"Farim! That will be quite enough." A deep, ordering voice spoke from behind the both of them. The Indian looking man turned around with a look of a child caught stealing sweets on his face. Even though Farim was considerably taller than his captain was, Vejita had obviously put the fear of God into him to make him immediately obey like that.

" B…b…but cap'n sir. I's just…." Farim fumbled for words, but Vejita just arched a regal brow at him, his obsidian gaze burning holes right through the poor man.

"You were just following my orders, right?" he offered, walking towards the trio. "Tell me I did not just see you slap that woman."

Farim still stuttered, visibly shaken by Vejita's the intimidation tactics. If Bulma didn't know any better, she thought Farim would fall to his knees and start crying like a baby. Then Vejita moved his gaze to Farim's comrade, and Bulma felt his hand jump.

"And you all heard my orders, right? I wasn't talking above your literacy level again, was I? I really hate it when I do that."

"No, cap'n Vejita sir. We…uh…I…uh…understood just fine, uh…sir." The man finished.

"So tell me then, why isn't the woman bound up?"

"She...uh…"

"Sir, she spoke ill of you and we could not allow her to say such immodest things about our captain, sir!"

Vejita arched his eyebrow once more.

"Oh she did, did she?" he cast a glance in her direction and she just gave him the iciest glare she could muster.

"But then again Jones, its not like you have never been guilty of the same penalty either, now have you?" Vejita spoke with an air of importance and arrogance in his voice that made it impossible to challenge his words. The feral look in his eyes just dared you to try.

Needless to say, both men had suddenly gone mute and stark stiff. Bulma tried to wriggle her way free whether Vejita was standing there or not. She wanted to go, but both men held her in a very firm grip.

"Besides, you should know by now that women never think while they speak." The black captain said casting a devilish smirk her direction but Bulma just growled at him.

"Now, be good little pirate minions and tie her up like I ordered you to." Vejita stepped back and waved his hand at them dismissively. "I want her brought to me at Boone's Point in an thirty minutes."

"Aye, aye, sir!" and at that, Vejita turned elegantly on his heel and walked towards the docking bay. He had some things he needed to do in town before she joined him. The whole thing dumbfounded Bulma, the way that he could intimidate two men like that with just a look, and they treated him like they were in the presence of a god. If she wasn't so baffled, she'd probably be a little bit scared now herself.

If he could do that to two 6-foot high muscle-bound men, what was he going to do with a delicate lady like her?

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It felt good to step on familiar soil once more. This place was not a home to him, nowhere ever was, but it just as comfortable and convenient. New Providence was the town of scalawags and bandits, a town of sin and effete. His kind of town. Here, he could get away with murder and actually be congratulated for it. Which is probably what earned the town its second name, Satan's City.

This was the only town where Vejita could stay for a longer period of time without being concerned about the lawmen tracking him down. It's not like they could catch him if they found him any way. He wasn't called the Dragon for nothing.

But Vejita was not going to stay here for long anyway. All he needed here was a few supplies for his ship and to speak to Demona about an important matter, and then he was gone. The land was not his favorite place to be at and he would never abide there very long. No, his soul was bound to the sea. Only his desire for the Sapphirine Orbs was greater.

He stood on the edge of the pier cast his obsidian gaze out across the vast ocean. The new orange sun was languidly pulling itself away from Earth's breast to settle in the heavens for it's morning routine. The soft waves lapped up to the shores and the gulls cried out in their search for food. Behind him, he heard the town slowly pulling to life as the markets opening up and ships setting sail or making berth. All of this was routine sound and noise he had grown up on since boyhood, always waking up to the rushing roar of the ocean and the chanted songs of sailors. Standing on this pier always sent him back to his past.

The dark pirate closed his eyes as his mind wandered back in time, a time before his life was thrown into chaos. A time when everything he wanted was within his reach. 'But that time is gone' he thought to himself. 'No time to concentrate on that. Now I must concentrate on getting those orbs before Caspian does. It is what I must do, there is no choice in the matter.'

And bringing his eyes open once more, he rested his hand into his pocket and it rested on a piece of folded paper. 'This is all I need. This paper, and that woman.'

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By the time that Lady Bulma was brought to Boone's Point, she was bound and gagged for good measure. But even then she didn't go easy, she came them fighting tooth and nail. These filthy pirates weren't going to drag her around like a dog, and she did everything in her power to deny them that.

"Well, well boys." Vejita turned around impatiently to his two men. "Have you brought me a lady or a rabid animal?" Bulma's mouth may have been gagged, but the message she was sending with her eyes told him to go to hell.

"We had to gag her, cap'n. That mouth o' hers was 'bout ready to drive us insane." His lackey explained causing Vejita to chuckle.

"It's just as good. Women are only meant to be seen and not heard."

She bit off a curse into the bandana as she lunged forward at him, only being held back by the pirate thugs. This scene greatly amused Vejita. He had brought royalty down to it's most primitive form.

" My, my you're an intimidating woman." He admitted sarcastically, taking two fearless steps forward toward her. "But I have no problem taming wild beasts." Bulma just let out a feral growl.

"And I promise you, woman. Before this little escapade is through, you will learn more respect than the Queen herself could teach you."

He snatched the reigns from the bumbling pirate's hand and held them in a firm grip.

"Now we can't waste anymore time on idle chit chat. We have a schedule to keep, and time is something I do not waste. Come along."

The pirate captain stepped forward a few feet before the length of the rope finally jerked on her wrists, causing her to jump forward and nearly fall. She muttered curses on him in Italian like she was a witch as he yanked on her rope to follow him.

And the day only got more embarrassing as she continued to be drug about the town, looking as if she were a slave or a savage. She pulled and tugged against the ropes, and gaped at random passerby's hoping they would help her. But she should have known that in a town of brigands, there is no safety or help. She didn't want to be rescued from this danger only to fall into a new one. Her options were running low and so was her energy.

And the warm summery sun that beat down on her wasn't helping either especially with the dress she was wearing. The normally pampered royal lady was desperate for some water, and the bandana in her mouth was starting to taste funny. There had to be something she could do, after all she wasn't just a princess. She had inherited some of her father's genius IQ. But without her ability to talk or move freely, what more could she do?

'Pirata stupido! How dare he do this to me! What on earth does he want me for? Why is he keeping me this long?'

Following Vejita around the marketplace finally took its toll on the poor woman. They'd been practically everywhere you could go in town, and the sun was nearly set. There wasn't a part of her body that wasn't aching, and she longed for a nice comfy bed to lay in. Actually, she'd settle just to lay down somewhere, anywhere to rest her poor feet. But the merciless pirate pressed on, as if the days exercise had no effect on him at all.

Then, Vejita began to walk into a dark alleyway. And that was unusual because the sun wasn't totally set yet. It was a gothic and creepy atmosphere that chilled her to the bone and she begun to feel very uneasy. She spared a glance at her captor, and his just face remained stoic and apathetic as usual.

'Oh great. He took me to this wicked place just to kill me! Oh perfect! My beautiful life has been put to an end so quickly by this monster! I cannot believe it! I'm gonna die, and in these hideous clothes.'

He lead her down the seemingly endless ally, until he stopped in front of an old shack-like house with red tapestries hanging from the windows. The windows had no glass, and the only light that shone from inside the house was eerie candlelight.

'What? Where is he taking me?'

He extended his gloved hand and slowly opened the creaky door. Inside, the room looked like that of a witch's lair. It had glass baubles and long beaded strings that hung from the ceiling. In the center of the room, there was a small round table covered by a red velvet sheet and was seated by three chairs all across from each other.

"Come on in, stranger, and have a seat." A scratchy old woman's voice came from somewhere in the room. Vejita smirked and pulled the rope on Bulma's wrists to grab her attention away from the enchanting things that decorated the room.

"You will be a good little girl and wait right here." He commanded as he wrapped the end of her rope tightly around a wooden post that stuck up from the ground. "I'll be right back."

Bulma fervently protested as she tugged and kicked against the pole, but Vejita just walked away ignoring her pleas. Just like he always did. Oh well, this might just give her the distraction she needed to plan her escape.

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"It's been a long time, Vejita." The old woman stepped out from behind a purple curtain with the aid of her tall wooden cane. Her clothes were rustic and spoke of her origin from an old world village. Her hair was as white as a ghost, and her glazed milky eyes revealed her blindness. Her voice was scratched from her age, but her dialect was thick with Russian. She took a seat at the round table, keeping her cane in front of her and putting both hands over it.

"I've been busy, Demona." Vejita replied, seating himself in the chair across from her.

"I'm sure pillaging and kidnapping Italian royalty would keep you quite tied up."

"So, you know about the girl."

"I know many things, Vejita."

"Then tell me what I want to know."

"What you want to know, and what you need to know are two separate things entirely."

The pirate prince arched his eyebrow.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that, eh?" The old witch just chuckled.

"Indeed." She straightened up in her chair. " So, tell me, what is it you want to know?"

"Tell me about the Sapphirine Orbs."

"I will only tell you things that you already know. Pull out that poem in your pocket. That I can help you with."

Vejita reached into his pocket and removed the small sheet of paper that baffled him. He laid it on the table and unfolded it. Even without her vision, Demona picked up the sheet of paper and held it in front of her as if she were reading it.

"Heh." She finally said after awhile. "So he's finally put his plan into play, has he?"

Vejita, once more, raised his eyebrow. "Who's he?"

Demona placed the paper on the table.

" The heir of the orbs. The guardian of all that holds the universe together."

This did little to remedy Vejita's confusion.

"Heir to the orbs? Who is that?"

"He is not important now. But what you must know is that the location of the orbs is where the poem says they are."

"It says they are within. Within what?"

" The cave that the devils and dragons guard."

' If I wanted this information, I could have just stayed on my ship.'

" Well, this has been an informative session." Vejita commented with thick sarcasm in his voice as he rose to his feet.

"I told you, I can only tell you things about which you already know."

"Humph. So I see. Well, this was a waste of time." He began to walk away.

"You are too pushy, Vejita. Too impatient. You're father's traits really shine through."

"Ugh, to hell with my father." He snapped viciously. " I'm nothing like him."

"Heh, and quick to anger as well. Tell me again, why you have abandoned your father's name?" the old witch inquired, standing up with the pirate.

"It's nothing you couldn't probe my mind about Demona. But let's just say that he abandoned me first." And with that, the pirate swooshed out of the room as if he had never been there.

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Bulma thought that being Vejita's slave was a bad thing, but she never imagined he'd do something like this.

She was on the ship with him.

Alone on the ship with him.

Alone in his room with him.

Alone, and he was nearly naked.

'It can't possibly get any worse, can it?' she pondered to herself. She tried to sit as far away from him as she could possibly get, which at the moment was in his windowsill with her knees against her chest. Vejita, on the other hand, lay supine on his bed, examining the stupid sheet of paper he found on James' ship. She really hated this arrangement, despite how extremely sinew and masculine he looked laying on his bed.

"Remind me again why I have to sleep in here?" she asked for the 3rd time. Vejita sighed in annoyance at being disturbed from his thoughts.

"Because, woman, there is no one abroad this ship to watch you in your cell and I do not feel like putting forth the time nor the effort to keep guard over you when I could simply keep you in here and kill two birds with one stone."

"Is that so? Well what's to keep me from escaping while you're asleep? Hmm, wise guy?"

He turned his head toward her, and his lips curved into a devilish smirk.

"Well, then I'll just have to forfeit my sleep to keep watch over you, love."

"Grr! Don't call me that! Besides, where would I go? New Providence is probably the most horrid town to get lost in."

Vejita chuckled, turning his attention back to the paper.

"Well then milady, you'll just have to get used to sleeping in here."

Bulma softly began to grumble under her breath at the unfairness of it all.

" What is the matter with you now, woman? What kind of manners did they raise you with? You should learn to be grateful for what I've done for you." He set the bait, now it was time to lure her in. She got on her soapbox, just like he'd wanted.

"What you've done for me? Just let me tell you exactly what you've done for me, you pitiful excuse for a pirate! First of all, you interrupted my romantic evening with one of the most influential men in England, which, might I add, I had worked FOREVER to finally have an evening alone with him, then you blew up his ship and killed him and took me hostage. Then you so graciously made me work my fingers to the bone cleaning this creaking tub, all the while keeping me in the most disgusting, filthy, unholy place you call bilges. AND not only that, but you also ruined my means of escape by rescuing me, and then tied me up like a dog and drug me around town right in tow to you! HAVE I LEFT ANYTHING OUT?!"

Vejita rose up to his feet, and walked over to where the woman now stood near the window.

"There, now don't you feel better now that you've gotten all that off of your chest?" he crossed his arms across his chest.

"No." she reared back her arm, and connected her fist to his cheek with as much force behind it as she could muster. "Now, I feel better."

Vejita turned his head to the side, a look of surprise written all over his face. Then when he turned back to her, it contorted into anger.

"Why you little whelp!" he yelled as his fist connected to the wall beside her head. "How dare you punch me?!"

"What's the matter, Vejita? This your first time getting hit by a lady? Now you know what manners they teach me."

"Grrrr! I swear woman, if you weren't so valuable to me, I'd show you why they give me the name Dragon."

"Oh really? I'm so afraid!"

Vejita brought his hot red face close to hers, his ebony eyebrows meeting above his nose. A low growl emanated from his throat, his fist still balled up beside her face then he put his other hand on the other side of her head, trapping her between him and the wall.

"You have no idea who you're messing with, woman." He said lowly.

"Oh, I think I do." Bulma retorted, trying not to show that she was just maybe a little scared. But then a new feeling arose from her. A feeling that came from being in such close proximity to the dark pirate that sent shivers down her spine, and reminded her of the passionate kiss they shared once before. All of those feelings she had then melted together again and tied a burning knot in her stomach. Their closeness obviously had an effect on him too, because there again was the eternal flame of passion burning wildly within his ebony orbs.

"Woman…" he whispered huskily. " You vile female…you vex me to no end." And on an impulse neither of the lovers had control over, he leaned his face down to caress the sensitive flesh on her neck with his lips, softly nipping at the pulse point on her neck. Bulma tipped her head back, and softly moaned in response to his sensual touch.

"Vejita…voi bastardi (you bastard)…" she whispered as she tried to keep her wits while his mouth on her neck slowly pulled her into a world of ecstasy. His face floated back up to her and leaned in close so his warm breath grazed against her rosy lips.

"That's Mr. Bastard to you, woman." And time slowed down as he finally captured her lips in his in one honey-sweet moment of time. Letting her blue eyes drift shut, she deeply relished the moment and let his honeysuckle mouth ravish hers. And she felt as if she were floating on air, lost in a mystical, magical fog with only the dark pirate prince to guide her.

Briefly forgetting her hatred for this man, she let his hands curl around the curves of her hips and up her back to nestle in her aquamarine hair. She had no idea what had happened between a few seconds ago and now, but whatever it was, it was somewhere she'd never been before, and she felt that he would be the only one that could guide her and reveal to her the secrets of this new world.

The fire he was slowly building up inside her burned her to the core until she couldn't stand it. It scared her to death. She had never been kissed or touched like this before. She had never seen a man look at her with that sort of passion before, and she was very afraid of what this interlude might lead to.

So reluctantly, she pulled herself away.

"Vejita…I…I can't." she whispered breathlessly. His obsidian eyes burned questioningly at her. He wanted more from her, more that she couldn't give.

"What are you talking about woman?"

"I…I…I've never done this before." She admitted with a slight flush to her cheeks.

"Done what?" his reply was still as smooth as his gloved hands, and she felt so weak and helpless against him, she knew her voice would give it away. Could she really admit to the pirate captain her chastity?

"I've never…been with a man before…I couldn't do this…"

Vejita pulled back from her, a look of astonishment and surprise on his face. His muscled arms fell limply to his sides as he gazed at her as if she were a beautiful china doll.

"You…you are a virgin?" he almost stuttered. And it was slightly humorous to see this strong man take on a look of such shock. Why was he so surprised? Her cheeks flushed as she slowly nodded her head.

Standing there, as if he had been frozen, he gazed at her. He looked at her with almost a sensitive look. His coal black eyes staring into her ocean blue ones as if he looked for a soul in this gorgeous creature. Did she have any idea what this did to a man? Gaping at this untouched creature let loose wild feelings inside him that almost felt dangerous. He would be her first, if she intended on bedding with him that is. He would never force a woman into his bed, no matter how hungry he was passionate night. Pirate though he was, that was a level he would never stoop too, but for some reason, he wanted this creature. He wanted her like the crops needed rain, a need to let her feel the heat of the night, the passion of an untamed fire. No woman had ever stirred him up like this. No women ever vexed him more, got him angrier or more passionate before in his life. What was so special about her? Was it her ocean blue eyes? Her snowy white skin? Her aquamarine hair that flowed down her back like a cloud? Never before in his life has anyone made him feel this way.

He took a step closer to her, and tipped her chin up to face him. As he gazed into her eyes once more, they seemed to come to an unvoiced mutual agreement that this night would be theirs.

So, leaning down once more, he captured her lips in a passionate kiss.


So, whatcha think, huh? Do you like?! I've been working my arse off trying to get this chapter good, and I hope it worked! (crosses fingers) Please review and let me know!

Ja ne!

gRiFfyn