A.N. - Time to cheer for me! Yay I got off my lazy butt and updated this fic! Amazing, ne? This summer proves to be quite promising. I've had this fic up since my freshman year.and it's kinda neat if I think about it. I graduate from high school today and that means that this fic is officially4 years old! Yay! Okay, and I promise, this is THE LAST time I'm re-posting this chapter. THE LAST! It just needed some tweaking and editing here and there. Hope you don't mind!
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Kaibun: Good luck in Japan! I know that we will all miss you terribly! I hope that you return to us quickly and safely! I wrote this chapter with you in mind, so I hope that you enjoy every tidbit! Think of this chapter as a welcome-home present! Much love! Oh! And before I forget, "Beelzebub" is the Hebrew word for "Lord of the Flies" a.k.a. the devil. That help? XD
Dark Hope Assassin: It has been so cool to be able to talk to you! You have been such a blessing and inspiration to me and I cannot thank you enough for chatting with me! Best of luck on that test of yours! I know that it must be a pain, but I have confidence in you! You will make it! Here is a chapter that will cheer you on!
PANDORA001: Gosh, has it been forever, or what? I can never say how much I miss you girl! I hope that everything is okay in your corner of the world! I will always have you to thank for inspiring this fic four long years ago! You have increased my writing skills and brainstorming ability (O.o) Without you, I don't think that this fic would even be here. You are such a blessing to my life and I can NEVER thank you enough. I hope that we can talk again VERY soon!
And all of my lovely, faithful reviewers: You all should know how I feel about you! You guys always keep me motivated with your encouragement and faithfulness. If it weren't for you, this fic probably would not be as big a hit as it is. I love each and every one of you, and I thank every single one of you for reading this now.
BIG HUGS TO ALL! THIS ONE'S FOR YOU!
The icy winds blew hard against the ship as the storm relentlessly pummeled their ship, but all of this noise was not half the turmoil that she felt inside. Bulma knew that she shouldn't give up hope just yet, but there was something about Caspian that nearly sucked all of the life and hope from her.
'Oh, Vejita. Please hurry...'
Caspian kept her chained like Vejita had, but he secluded her in his chambers. It was very uncomfortable and nerve-wracking. Lately the uneasiness would drive the young woman to become ill and lose whatever food she had in her stomach. It was extremely tiring on her nerves, and she received very little sympathy from anyone. Now, more than ever, she dreamed she was with the dark captain. Engulfed in his warm embrace and lounging in the comfort of his kisses. Some nights that was all she could think about to go to sleep. Her swashbuckling pirate...the one who captured her heart.
When had she fallen in love with him? She had no idea. But she was, and right now she would give anything to see him again. She hoped to God that he was all right and on his way.
"How is my princess this morning?"
Wearily opening her eyes, the fiery heiress glared daggers at the demon in front of her.
"We're nearing London."
"Good. The sooner I have you hanged!"
"Heh. Not likely. It is more likely that your little pirate friend will be the one hung. His ship has set a course for London as well."
"You...you're leading him into a trap!"
"Precisely. The sooner that I have that pointy-haired buffoon out of the way, the sooner I can acquire those stones."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'd NEVER help you!"
"Oh, but my dear, you already have." the demon grabbed her chin and held it in his gloved hands, holding her eyes to his. "I've got them right here in my hands."
"What are you talking about, you insane creature..."
"What color are your eyes, princess?"
The young female narrowed her eyes once more at the pirate. "What kind of question is that?"
"Blue, right? The name of the jewels is the Sapphirine Orbs. Put two and two together."
Bulma stared for a moment, puzzled, then laughed riotously.
"You truly are an imbecile! You think that just because I have blue eyes that that means I have the jewels? How foolish! Do you really think that I am the only woman on earth with blue eyes? If that is the extent of your theory, then you should double check all of the other women with blue eyes to make sure they don't have them as well, oh ingenious one!"
The demon jerked his hand away and smacked the back of his hand hard across her cheek.
"Silence! This is not a laughing matter! Do you truly know nothing of the prophecy? Nothing at all?"
"I have no time for fairytales." Bulma spat venomously.
"Ah, well then. This would be the perfect time for me to educate you." The demon pulled a luxurious chair from his desk and sat in front of Bulma. The kneeling girl had no choice but to stay put and listen to this absurdity.
" Long ago, there was a brilliant scientist who knew everything thing there was to know about the universe, but he wanted to know more. So, he turned to the dark arts for answers, hoping that supernatural beings could satiate his thirst. During this time, it was unlawful to explore the dark arts, but this scientist broke every law to gain the knowledge he craved. Soon he discovered something incredible. Something so earth-shatteringly explosive that he could not contain this knowledge within himself; it was the secret to life. The secret that could make men gods. So, using his magic, he created two orbs that contained this secret within them. His apprentices spread the word of his discovery, and the king of England demanded the orbs for himself. The scientist knew that this treasure was far too great for any one man to hold, so he hid the orbs away. Because of his obstinance, he was tortured until he gave them a clue to where the orbs were hidden. The only clue he gave was this poem. The very last copy left after 300 years. He was, eventually put to death after writing the poem, and the king set out a reward to whomever deciphered the clue. To this day, after being scrutinized by scholars and monks alike, no one has been able to uncover the truth. That is, until today."
"So you've think you've cracked it, eh? You think that you hold the secret to the universe?"
"Indeed, I do."
"So, the secret would be, me?"
"The scientist sealed them within a young orphaned boy that was an apprentice to him. He then secretly sent him away to Italy with his wealth to increase his knowledge, but made him promise never to seek him out. He also sent his only son on the voyage with him to protect him. His son and his son's lineage would be in charge of protecting the orbs. Can you guess the orphan boy's name?"
"Mine, right?"
"Precisely."
"How can you believe this crock? How do you even know that it is true? What if all these years you've been chasing a lie?"
"And I'll let you in on something else as well, princess. The name of the scientist? His name was De Barlow. Josef De Barlow."
De Barlow...why did that name ring bells?
"Great great great grandfather of Sir James De Barlow."
James De Barlow? Oh my god! James? Her James?
"Sir James De Barlow! His grandfather is the one who..."
"Created the orbs."
"So what does all this have to do with me?"
" Do you wonder why he insisted on being with you? Protecting you to the death? It wasn't out of love, my girl. It was because he has a promise to uphold. He had to keep you from falling into the wrong hands."
"To protect me..."
"Yes. But lucky for me, Vejita ended that rather quickly. After that, it was only a matter of time before I was given a Letter of Marque to kill my rival and bring you to England. Too easy."
"So, you've had this planned out from the beginning? You knew all of this was going to happen?"
"All of it."
"Why didn't you just capture me from the beginning, you bastard! Why did you make me wait and be with Vejita this whole time! You could've saved everyone a lot of trouble if you'd just..."
"Because...you are his weakness."
"I...what?"
"He lets his guard down when around you. I must commend you on a job well done. Wooing the dragon was surely not an easy task."
"You waited for him to fall for me."
"It was only a matter of time. Vejita isn't as stone cold as he makes himself out to be. But I guess you already know that, don't you?" The Demon leaned forward and rested his arms against his knees, staring Bulma in the face.
Bulma held back tears. So this was all a game? Just...a game? She was a pawn this whole time, playing into his hands? She'd killed Vejita and James?
"You...you monster! How could you do this? You heartless son of a bitch! Release me, you coward! I want my vengeance!" the heiress struggled against her bindings, but it was of little use. The demon just smirked at her struggles.
"You're gorgeous when you're angry."
"You twisted, perverted monster! I'll never forgive you for this! Never!"
"Perhaps I could help you with that..."
The demon stood up and undid her chains, quickly grasping her wrists in his thick hands. He carried her over to his bed and threw her upon it.
"What do you think you're doing you... AHHH!"
The demon pressed himself against her and bound her wrists once more with his fingers, eliminating any struggle she might give.
"Come now, princess. You let the dragon do this to you and you enjoyed it. Now why don't I show you how it's really done?"
"No! Let me go! Release me this instant! Help! Help me!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. She felt utterly helpless and sick to her stomach with fear.
"What a beautiful woman. It is a shame that you were wasted on him. It has been so long since I last bedded a woman. Hold still now and I will show you the true meaning of passion."
One hand slid up her thigh, pulling her clothes up with it. She tried kicking him, but the weight of his body held her still.
His hand then went to explore her most intimate of places. Her face flooded with tears, and now she knew she could do nothing but endure. Why was he doing this to her? Didn't she hold the secrets of the universe? Oh, how she wished that she could unlock that power now!
Vejita ignored the ringing in his ears and he tried to guide his ship through the fog. The one who would normally steer the ship had been murdered in the raid, so Vejita took the position upon himself. The wound on his arms stung fiercely, but he had been injured worse before.
The fog had become more intense, and that was seriously dangerous. Narrowing his eyes, Vejita had to rely on what was left of his crew to aid him in his navigation throughout the fog.
'Do not think that you can escape so easily from me, Caspian.'
Vejita had hoped that his life-long rivalry had ended when he had killed Lord Frieza and his faithful followers nearly 10 years ago. He had assumed that Caspian was among the men who died with their former captain, but obviously he had assumed wrong. Caspian hated Vejita because before Vejita, Caspian had been the favorite of Frieza. But, after the Spanish duke traded his son for the safety of his kingdom, then Vejita became the instant favorite. The lord taught him everything and gave him everything, then Vejita stabbed him in the back by handing him over to the British authorities. Vejita narrowly escaped the capture, and watched with glee as Frieza and his men hung. He swore he watched Caspian die with them. He supposed that his 'miraculous' return to life is how he assumed the name "the Demon". Not that any of this mattered presently.
He needed to get that woman back. Caspian was sure to have unlocked the secret by now. Time was not on his side.
As lightheadedness struck Vejita once more, he shook his head lightly, and concentrated on the path ahead. But it wasn't until too late that he saw them.
Red coats. British red coats. The Queen's Imperial Navy had surrounded his ship.
"Damn this all to hell." he muttered, reaching for his cutlass.
"Halt there!"
If Vejita had had his gun, he would have instantly shot himself. He had never been captured so easily before in his life! Now he was out numbered and out-armed. The illustrious dragon had been caught. Any means of escape would only lead to death, and even if he surrendered it would be death. It was a game of catch 22. Fate was such a bitch, but he wasn't going down without a fight.
"You bastards lay one finger on me and I'll slice you in two."
"Come now, Dragon. Don't you think that it is a bit foolish to be making such statements?" A tall, white-wigged man was aboard his ship. He had many medals pinned to his blue coat and a long sword attached to his side. He held his hands behind his back and looked smugly at the Dragon. Vejita wondered how long it would take him to sink to the bottom of the ocean with all of those medals he wore.
Vejita's crew was held at gunpoint and when they tried to retaliate, Vejita motioned for them to back down. He didn't need to lose any more men than he had already lost.
"I don't care what you prissy pigs have to say. I have a mission and you're in my way."
"Is that so? Well, you'll have to excuse us, then. We had hoped that we wouldn't interfere, but alas, no such luck. But the queen would be delighted to see you. She requests the return of Lady Bulma and your presence in the town square tomorrow at dawn."
"Bulma isn't here. She was kidnapped again."
"Likely story. I'm sure she's somewhere aboard here."
"Sir!" a British soldier called the attention of the man in the wig. "There are no prisoners aboard this ship!"
"None at all? Are you sure you've searched everywhere?"
"There is evidence of a woman being her before, but there are none to be found presently, sir."
The man in the wig looked at Vejita, and Vejita just scowled smugly at him.
"Humph. Very well then. I suppose that that means that Caspian has her. Very well. She will arrive in England in no time so proceed with the arrest."
Red soldiers danced between the crew and cuffed them all. Vejita was the last to go, but before he was led away, he stopped in front of the man in the wig.
" This is not over."
"Humph. Get this filth out of my sight!"
After Vejita's crew was led away, the British burned The Dragon and sailed away to England. The sooner that this was over, the better. But, as Vejita had stated, this adventure was far from over.
As soon as the tears stopped rolling down her cheeks, Bulma pulled herself out of the fetal positions and sat up, drying her eyes. A sick feeling rolled in her stomach again, and she lay back down. Once more, fighting tears, she closed her eyes. Her thighs still throbbed from what he had done to her. And it wasn't just once, he had taken her multiple times. As much as this hurt her and killed her will inside, it also fueled her anger and will to survive. She was not about to let this bastard be her downfall.
"I'm so close to unlocking them. It is almost time."
Hearing his voice made Bulma's skin crawl. She went to pull his covers closer, but after smelling his scent, she repelled them from her. She stood quickly and frantically searched for her dress.
"Princess," he called from a corner of the room. She could see his smoke rings and blood red eyes glow through the darkness. "What ails you now?"
She did not answer. Instead, she pulled a blanket from his bed, it didn't matter that it smelled of him, and she ran to the watercloset.
'I need a bath.' she thought. 'I've got to wash him from me...I've got to wash him away from me...'
Tears welled in her eyes as she saw a barrel full of water, most likely warm, for a bath. She plopped the lid off, and the tip of her blanket into it . Using the tip as a rag, she washed herself clean of him.
"Ah. I see." he murmured.
Furiously washing herself, Bulma began to tear up again. This was all a nightmare. One gigantic, huge nightmare. She wanted to go home, she wanted to be with ChiChi, Goku, and her parents. She wanted her bed and her old clothes. She wanted to go home.
Bulma fell to her knees against the barrel, sobbing. It all seemed hopeless anymore. There was no one to save her. No big hero to come to her rescue. No knights in shining armor. Just death, torture, and torment. She couldn't seem to gather her wits about her. She just kept sobbing and sobbing until she'd been drained of all her bodily fluids. She became ill once more and covered her mouth to keep the contents of her stomach from emptying all over the floor of the watercloset.
"No need for tears, love." a smooth voice came from outside the door.
"You, stay away from me!" she seethed through hiccups, backing to the farthest side of the room.
"Now now, is that any way to treat your lover? Heh heh heh..."
"You're nothing of the sort! You just wait until Vejita gets his hands on you! I'll make sure that he rams his sword through your skull and throws you into the ocean like the dog you are! Now go away!"
"Really now. You're hurting my feelings." The door to her hideout opened, and she stood to her feet. No more quivering in the corner like a scared lamb. As soon as she saw his face, she swiped one of her fingernails across his flesh, tearing open a wound in his eye.
The pirate hissed, and grabbed the injury with his left hand, and reached for her with his right.
"Now you've pissed me off, wench!" He dove for her, but she ran out of the way and out of the closet. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew that she had to leave where she was.
'Okay Bulma, think! Now what?'
Suddenly, a furry figure tackled her from behind and slammed her to the floor. She went down with a sharp cry, and felt the weight of the animal's claws against her flesh.
"Heh, Good boy." Caspian whispered to his pet. Bulma growled, refusing to be prey. Struggling underneath the cat was no use.
"I suppose I can forgive you for this," the demon said colloquially. "but what exactly did you intend to do once you incapacitated me? Hmm? Scratch up the rest of my crew as well, you minx? Heh."
"My father will hear of this! Just you wait! I'll make sure your neck is wrung so hard that your eyeballs pop out!"
"Amusing. Cerberus, let our guest up."
The cat backed off of her and Bulma rose to her knees, gasping for air. Once she regained her aplomb, she stood to her feet, not caring if she was in her birthday suit or not.
"I'm not afraid of you."
"I don't want you to be. I just want you to give me my reward..." Pinning Bulma against the wall of his ship, he softly chanted something, and then held a finger in front of her face. At first, Bulma felt tingly, then warm. It started at her toes, and worked it's way up. A soft glow emanated from her body, and Bulma felt like she was floating. Then, a searing pain engulfed her eyes and felt as if someone where pulling something from her skull. She cried in pain, but quickly lost her voice.
"Finally! Yes!" she heard him cry, and then thankfully,everything went black.
Sitting solemnly in his cell, Vejita awaited his fate. He knew that he was to be hung in a few hours, but it just seemed like a dream. He felt as if he were still in the fog.
It was half-past midnight and he couldn't sleep. He tried everything in his willpower to be set free, but nothing thus far had worked. It seemed futile. It was rare that the Dragon was ever fatalistic, but his battle did not seem to be going anywhere.
He had done nothing to reclaim his family's honor, had not found his lifetime obsession, practically handed the jewels over to his rival, and was captured by the Royal British Navy. He deserved to be hanged, he thought. Nothing or no one was capable of redeeming him now.
"Vejita!" was someone calling his name?
"Vejita!" he recognized that voice...
"Vejita! Get up!"
Looking into the darkness, Vejita saw a figure in front of his dank prison. It was hooded and hunched over.
"Who are you?"
"That is of little importance now. Come with me, there is no time."
"He pulled out a ring full of keys, and unlocked his cell. Vejita did not budge even when the figure opened the door.
"Answer my question."
"Now is not the time, Vejita."
"How do you know me?" Vejita stood there stubbornly and crossed his arms, glaring at the man in front of him. He less that trusted this fool.
"I am a friend of Bulma's."
Vejita's suspicious sneer turned into a smirk. "De Barlow."
A.N. - James is alive! Caspian has the Sapphirine Orbs! Will Vejita be able to find her in time? Will Bulma be able to escape the claws of Caspian? Tune in next time for the next exciting installment of "Of Devils and Dragons"! (cue cheesy music)
