Awesome! This chapter is dedicated to everyone!!! yeah!!!! ~confetti and
ballons~ Do you know why?!?!?!?! Cuz I got over 100 reviews!!!!! ;)
Mini Nicka- Thanks a bunch! I wish she'd just tell him already too, but i haven't really built up to that yet!
Joelie the Messenger of Death- Thanks!!! ;)
Adbzfan2k03- Yeah, a few more slips, and Vegeta might just piece together the whole thing! Thanks a lot for the review!
Draegon-fire- I hope I can live up to everyone's anticipation!!!! ~majorly pressured now~
Gravidy- LOL Thanks! I'm glad someone picks up on my little humorous moments. ;)
Sorceress Fujin- Here's lots more!! Thanks for your reviews!
Takuma- I got lots of 'whoa's' from that last chapter! Thanks, and I'm glad you like this story!
Aly- Hey, thanks! Don't worry, He'll find out...... Eventually! mu hahahahaha ;)
Wild-child24-7- Thanks for both your reviews!
Hinagiku- Thanks for reviewing!!! ;) I hope you like this end of this chapter, I think it's kind of what you were asking about in your review!
Videlchan313- Awesome!! I made someone's day! thank you so much! I feel so special now. As for your Yamcha question, I'm neutral when it comes to him. Glad you liked this chapter, and here's more for everyone to go 'whoa' over!!! hehehehe
Dopey- Thanks! I'm glad you like Akira, too!
Veema- Thank you very much for your review! Glad you like! ;)
Shades of Crimson- Yeah, you're back!!! I missed your reviews! hahaha. I hope you had a great trip! Thanks for reviewing!!!! ;)
~*~sorry if I have grammer or spelling mistakes, but my word 2000 program is being dumb, so i have to use wordpad...
Chapter 10: A little Confrontation... (I remembered!)
~*~(this chapter starts with a flashback to Akira's little proposal problem with Yamcha again) ;)
The tower that housed her room was directly above the prince's room, and the only entrance to her room was a doorway at the end of the hall that was reseverd for the crown prince's personal use. Akira knew there was no possible way to avoid him forever. She glared at the wall then rolled onto her back to glare at the ceiling above her bed. Vegeta was being a jerk. Why couldn't he be happy about this? Akira thought Yamcha was a decent guy, but both her best friends thought he was no good.
"What can I do to convince them Yamcha's a good guy," she whispered out loud.
~just a change in scene, still in flashback mode here~
Radditz handed Vegeta a leather-bound book, glancing around anxiously. "You did not get that from me, Vegeta. Goddess, if she knew what you were up to and that I helped you do it, she'd have my head."
The saiyan prince smirked and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry, besides, you want your sister to stay here, too, don't you?"
After Radditz walked away mumbling about 'the things he did for his friends', Vegeta glanced down at the book in his hands. He needed some place private to read through this where Akira wouldn't stumble upon him. Radditz wouldn't be the only one without a head if she did.
~*~ (no more flashback)
"There isn't much room on the ship," Goku whispered to Chichi and June. "B is not going to like this at all."
"Well, unless we let the cat out of the bag." Chichi replied. "She's going to have to deal with the arrangments. They are supposed to be married afterall."
June sighed. "She's going to freak out."
They were all so busy whispering, that they didn't notice Bulma sneak up behind them. "Who's gonna freak out?"
Her three friends jumped at the sound of her voice, and Chichi decided now was as good a time as any to let Bulma know. "You do remember there's only three rooms on the ship, right?"
"Uh, yeah. So?"
"June and the boys will share a room, then Goku and I," the raven haired woman paused, glancing up at her friend nervously. "You and-."
"Absolutely not! I'll sleep with June and the boys before I share a room with him."
"There's hardly going to be room in there for you," June argued, and when Bulma opened her mouth to fight it again, June continued. "Sorry, B, but you're gonna have to deal. It's not like he's going to want to touch you anyway!"
Bulma sighed heavily and walked back out of the room in search of her son. If she had to share a room with Vegeta, than she was going to let it be known that she was not at all happy about it. She practically knocked Vegeta over as she made her way out the door. He glared angrily at her, but she ignored him, continuing on her way.
Vegeta turned back to Goku. "We need to check over that ship of yours again, Kakkarot."
"Okay, Vegeta." Goku gave Chichi a quick kiss on the cheek before he followed the prince out of the room. "Um, Vegeta?"
"What?"
"Don't you think you should send a message to Vegetasei and let them know that you're coming?"
"No," he answered harshly. "They would think it was merely an imposter, and then they would never allow us to land." He jumped into the air as they exited the palace. "Besides, I want it to be a surprise."
"But my sister will sense you once we get close enough. It won't be a very good surprise."
"That's why we're leaving no sooner than midday. We'll land in the dead of night when she's aleep so she won't be able to sense us. It will give me time to figure out what to do with the lot of you," Vegeta confessed. "If we go marching in ther in the middle of the day, every saiyan on Vegetasei will know it."
Goku frowned, finally joining his prince in flight. "You don't know how to explain Marron's presence to our people."
Vegeta keep his eyes on the forest below him. "I'll need time alone with Akira before I allow anyone to know that Marron lives."
Goku bit his tongue to keep from letting out Bulma's identity. "What exactly happened that night, Vegeta?"
"I've told you. She cheated on my with Freeza. What else is there to say?"
"It couldn't have been that simple," he argued.
"That bitch really has you snowballed, Kakkarot. She's played you, your mate, and her supposed best friend. Hell, she's even successfully played her own offspring. You should have taken my son back to Vegetasei the second he was born. The boy's been lied to his entire life!"
Stopping in midair, Goku said, "He's had a good life here, Vegeta, and Marron's done her best with him. She's sorry for what she's done, and she's tried to make it up to you through him!" With that off his chest, he turned back toward the palace. "Check the ship over yourself."
The saiyan prince growled, formed a ball of ki in his right hand, and shot it off at a group of trees below. Vegeta watched the smoke clear from the blast and scowled. /the hull of the ship was staring back at him a few feet from his angry attack on the forest. He realized that he really needed to start watching his temper.
~*~
Ansolus struggled to open his eyes, and when he did, he was awarded with the most beautiful sight he had ever laid eyes on. The pain in his side from a ki blast seemed to dull instantly. He smiled up his captor. Akira smiled back weakly at her old friend and took his hand in her own.
"How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Much better now," he rasped. "Has Yamcha contacted you yet?"
A frown marred her features. "Unfortunately," she replied.
"Master Yamcha still loves you very much."
"That's very sad indeed. It's been eight years. He needs to move on as I have."
"He's tried."
Akira raised a thin brow at this. "Is that so? Who's the unlucky woman?"
Ansolus looked away. "I cannot say."
The sorceress released his hand and stood up. "It's of little importance. I am sorry that you must suffer through the healing process, but you know our laws do not permit us to allow criminals access to regeneration tanks."
"Of course, Akira."
She walked over to the door but didn't leave just yet. Glancing over her shoulder, she spoke quietly to him. "I will meet with him secretly and settle terms for your release soon. I hate seeing you suffer like this, Ansolus."
~*~(guess what? flashback time again)~*~
'There's no point in stay on Vegetasei when I can't be with the one I love, so I'll settle on second best. I believe Yamcha truly loves me, so I'm sure that over time I can grow to love him too. I just hope that Vegeta will release me from my duty as his acoulra, though I know I'll miss him terribly.'
The prince paced back and forth, looking at the book that lay on his and recalling the words scrolled acroos the page in Akira's perfect handwriting. He somehow always had the suspicion, and now, he had the proof. Akira was in love with him. Vegeta stopped his pacing and combed his fingers through his hair. The only reason she said yes to Yamcha was to get over him. She honestly thought there was no way they could be together. He had to think of something. He was desperate to keep her by his side, and he would do anything in his power to keep here there. He grabbed Akira's diary from his bed and placed it under his mattress. After he talked to her about Yamcha and set things straight, he could sneak back in a put the book back without her ever knowing it had disappeared.
As he reached for the door, however, he paused. His mind replaying what Arthos had told him earier the previous day. 'He loves her, too,' Vegeta told himself. For a fleeting moment, he felt guilt for what he was about to do, but Vegeta was a person used to getting his own way. Unfortunately for Arthos, that meant getting Akira to dump Yamcha for the prince of Vegetasei, not for the prince of Riessei.
~*~(end of flashback for now)~*~
Merces was really a beautiful planet, but the prince found no comfort in the surrounding beauty of the countryside. No! Instead, Arthos was content to wallow in self pity, alone, in the middle of nowhere. He hadn't been here in a few years, and he wasn't sure why he bothered to come here now. She had loved this place. That's why he came here. A sad smile crept over his lips as he remembered Akira's laughter when they had picniced in the meadow by the lake, and her smile when he went out of his way to cheer her up. That week he spent with here on this planet had been heaven for him, and he owed it all to Vegeta, his best friend. Had the saiyan prince never succeeded in breaking Akira and Yamcha up, Arthos never would have had any of those memories, and Akira would be the wife of a wanted criminal right now, always on the run from someone or another.
Despite all this, he was finished with it. He walked back to the villa that Akira had adored so much when they came across it all those years ago. The prince handed over a rolled up piece of paper to an old man and a young couple. "It's all yours." The couple, obviously newlyweds, were practically bursting from all the love and happiness. It made him sick. He had to get away from them. "I hope you have many years here," he told them, trying to sound sincere.
Not bothering to wait for their reply, he walked away toward his ship. It was too bad that it finally came down to this. He had been so sure they could have been happy here.
~*~
Bulma sat at the foot of the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. This was it! They hadn't spoke the entire first day on the ship, and that was fine in her opinion. But, the time had come for sleep. She had already claimed the bed, but she didn't want any surprises in the middle of the night, so she stayed up to wait for him. Her dazzling blue eyes were drooping with exhaustion. How could he stay up so late? She was just about to succumb to the soft folds of her blankets when the door opened. She jumped slightly, startled from her haze of impending sleep. Vegeta gave her an amused look, eyeing the pillow clutched tightly in her arms.
"Waiting up for me? How precious," he mocked.
"Ha ha," Bulma shot back sarcastically. "The only reason I waited up was to make sure you didn't slim your way into bed with me."
He walked into the room, the door swooshing shut be hind him, and she watched him walk over to the small table that she was using as a vanity. He pulled the stretchy material that was his shirt over his head and deposited it on a neaby stool. Bulma couldn't seem to keep her eyes from roaming over his muscular upper body. Suddenly, she wanted him to just scoop her up and...
'No way, Bulma!' She scolded herself mentally.
Vegeta sensed the eyes burning into his back, and he smirked, turning toward her slightly to get a better look. "You know, woman, it has been an aweful long time since we've-"
"You're sleeping on the floor," she cut in quickly. She tossed the pillow at his feet and then followed it with a large blanket.
He glared down at them. "I don't think so, Marron." He kicked them out of his way and stalked forward.
Bulma rolled evasively to the right and out of his direct path. She couldn't under any circumstance sleep with him. He'd know instantly that she wasn't his wife. Bulma wasn't an idiot. She knew what transpired between a man and a woman, and she was a virgin. She was pretty sure he'd be able to tell. Vegeta faced her again. A look of utter frustration crossed his face.
"Stay away from me, Vegeta," she warned. "I'll yell for go Goku."
He chuckled. "Go ahead. He won't be able to stop me." He continued with his menacing descent upon her.
Bulma took a step back and stumbled over the nightstand. She would have hit her head against the wall, but Vegeta reached forward, wrapping a strong arm around her tiny waist. So distressed over her near fall, she clung to him with relief. Until, she felt his other hand lift her chin. She looked up into his eyes, trapped in their dark gaze.
"Hmm, perhaps Kakkarot is correct," he mused aloud. He leaned forward so that his lips lingered right over hers. "Is he? Have you really changed for the better, or are you still playing your deceitful little games?"
She couldn't think of a good answer. All Bulma wanted was to lean forward that fraction of an inch and press her lips against his, but that ended in one swift moment as he reaffirmed his question.
"Well, have you, Marron?"
She blinked slowly. He called her Marron. How she hated being called by her sisters name! It never bothered her until he came into her life and started throwing it around like it was some kind of curse. She wanted to hear him say her name, for him to call her Bulma, not Marron! She wanted to scream it, but instead, she pushed away from him and wiggled free from his grasp.
"Yes, I have changed," she finally replied. "I'm not who I used to be, and even if I am your wife," she stated evenly. "I'm not going to sit back and simply let you use me for your own purposes. You said it it yourself when we first met a few days ago that there was never any love between us."
He cocked a brow at her. "The first time we met?"
She sidestepped him once again, desperate to cover up her slip of the tongue. "You know what I meant by it. The first time we've seen each other in five years. You're trying to distract me," she accumsed, hoping to shit the heat off of herself.
Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and stood ther in his trademark stance. "Oh? Then enlighten me. What was it you felt the need to say before I so rudely interrupted you?" His voice was drenched with sarcasm.
Bulma sighed. "There wasn't any love between us, Vegeta, and the only way I'm every going to sleep with you is if we can somehow manage to overcome our past problems and love each other. There's no way out of this marriage, and we owe that much to Trunks."
"Love?" He growled the word out through gritted teeth. "Do you have any idea the things that have happened because of what you did?" This time he wasn't going to play around with her. He fazed out of sight and reappeared right in front of her. Bulma couldn't believe how quickly he moved. His hands moved just as fast, and she winced when she felt him latch onto her upper arms and give her a rough shake.
"Stop, please," she begged, tears forming in her eyes. "You're hurting me," she whispered.
"Hurting you? You act like you're the victim here. Let me just fill you in on everything that's happened because of you, shall I?" He ignored her frantic shaking and pushed her back up against the wall. "I spent five years in a damp and dirty cell being beaten nearly to death at least once a week. I had my tail ripped from my body and sent back to my people--the ultimate dishonor for a saiyan warrior, and something I can never get back," he growled in her face. "My four year old brother was forced into my shoes the very day I was put into the ground by my people, and from what I've heard, he's not exactly holding up. But then how could he, after both my parents were also taken away from him!"
Bulma couldn't stop the sob that escaped her lips. The soft moan seemed to drive him a little further over the edge he was teetering on. absolute fury flashed in his eyes as he glared down at her with disgust. "Don't you shed a damn tear over Arro! You always detested my younger siblings so I don't believe that you feel guilty over this now!"
He pushed away from her when the door burst open to reveal Goku. Vegeta glared at his once good friend and that back at his wife. "Get her the hell out of here, Kakkarot. I don't care if the whore has to sleep in the hallway."
"Vegeta, this is ridiculous," Goku started.
"No," Bulma whispered brokenly. "I'd much rather sleep in the hall."
She walked over to Goku, hugging herself and crying uncontrollably. He ushered her out into the hall where she promptly sunk to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Chichi stood outside the door to her and her mate's room and frowned miserably. She moved forward to help the blue haired woman to her feet, but Bulma smacked her arm away and stood up on her own. The saiyan couple watched the as their friend walked toward the control room and followed after several seconds. They found her curled up in the captain's chair, staring out the viewport into the endless void of space. She looked completely lost. Chichi sat down next to her.
"What happened, B?" She asked softly.
"Was my sister really such a horrible person?" Bulma whispered.
"I can't really say. I was just a cook in the palace kitchens," Chichi answered. "Marron was snobby most of the time. I simply wrote it off as her being royalty and thinking she was better than others."
"He said that she hated his younger siblings. Is that true? I can't imagine her hating a mere child."
Goku sighed. He wished they had all sat down years ago and talked through some of this stuff, but whenever the topic of Marron came up, they all pushed it aside, not wanting to dredge up the painful feelings for Bulma. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I know you thought that Marron was a good person deep down, but the truth is she wasn't as angelic as you think. She didn't sleep with Freeza to save Vegeta's life, not from all that I've gathered anyhow," he told her. "And although I never saw it personally, I heard my brothers and sister talking about how Marron acted around Vegeta's family. She thought she was better than all of them. I just didn't want to believe it I guess."
"That's because you see only the good," Chichi commented with a smile.
"I wanted to tell him so badly in there," Bulma confided. "But things are so complicated. I can't risk anyone's lives. I have to continue living my sister's life and pray that one day Vegeta will forgive all that was done. Otherwise, I can't trust him with this secret."
~*~
Ah! Another chapter down! yeah! So, what do you guys think?! Please let me know!!!
Review, review, review!!! ;)
~*~
PANDORA ;)
Mini Nicka- Thanks a bunch! I wish she'd just tell him already too, but i haven't really built up to that yet!
Joelie the Messenger of Death- Thanks!!! ;)
Adbzfan2k03- Yeah, a few more slips, and Vegeta might just piece together the whole thing! Thanks a lot for the review!
Draegon-fire- I hope I can live up to everyone's anticipation!!!! ~majorly pressured now~
Gravidy- LOL Thanks! I'm glad someone picks up on my little humorous moments. ;)
Sorceress Fujin- Here's lots more!! Thanks for your reviews!
Takuma- I got lots of 'whoa's' from that last chapter! Thanks, and I'm glad you like this story!
Aly- Hey, thanks! Don't worry, He'll find out...... Eventually! mu hahahahaha ;)
Wild-child24-7- Thanks for both your reviews!
Hinagiku- Thanks for reviewing!!! ;) I hope you like this end of this chapter, I think it's kind of what you were asking about in your review!
Videlchan313- Awesome!! I made someone's day! thank you so much! I feel so special now. As for your Yamcha question, I'm neutral when it comes to him. Glad you liked this chapter, and here's more for everyone to go 'whoa' over!!! hehehehe
Dopey- Thanks! I'm glad you like Akira, too!
Veema- Thank you very much for your review! Glad you like! ;)
Shades of Crimson- Yeah, you're back!!! I missed your reviews! hahaha. I hope you had a great trip! Thanks for reviewing!!!! ;)
~*~sorry if I have grammer or spelling mistakes, but my word 2000 program is being dumb, so i have to use wordpad...
Chapter 10: A little Confrontation... (I remembered!)
~*~(this chapter starts with a flashback to Akira's little proposal problem with Yamcha again) ;)
The tower that housed her room was directly above the prince's room, and the only entrance to her room was a doorway at the end of the hall that was reseverd for the crown prince's personal use. Akira knew there was no possible way to avoid him forever. She glared at the wall then rolled onto her back to glare at the ceiling above her bed. Vegeta was being a jerk. Why couldn't he be happy about this? Akira thought Yamcha was a decent guy, but both her best friends thought he was no good.
"What can I do to convince them Yamcha's a good guy," she whispered out loud.
~just a change in scene, still in flashback mode here~
Radditz handed Vegeta a leather-bound book, glancing around anxiously. "You did not get that from me, Vegeta. Goddess, if she knew what you were up to and that I helped you do it, she'd have my head."
The saiyan prince smirked and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry, besides, you want your sister to stay here, too, don't you?"
After Radditz walked away mumbling about 'the things he did for his friends', Vegeta glanced down at the book in his hands. He needed some place private to read through this where Akira wouldn't stumble upon him. Radditz wouldn't be the only one without a head if she did.
~*~ (no more flashback)
"There isn't much room on the ship," Goku whispered to Chichi and June. "B is not going to like this at all."
"Well, unless we let the cat out of the bag." Chichi replied. "She's going to have to deal with the arrangments. They are supposed to be married afterall."
June sighed. "She's going to freak out."
They were all so busy whispering, that they didn't notice Bulma sneak up behind them. "Who's gonna freak out?"
Her three friends jumped at the sound of her voice, and Chichi decided now was as good a time as any to let Bulma know. "You do remember there's only three rooms on the ship, right?"
"Uh, yeah. So?"
"June and the boys will share a room, then Goku and I," the raven haired woman paused, glancing up at her friend nervously. "You and-."
"Absolutely not! I'll sleep with June and the boys before I share a room with him."
"There's hardly going to be room in there for you," June argued, and when Bulma opened her mouth to fight it again, June continued. "Sorry, B, but you're gonna have to deal. It's not like he's going to want to touch you anyway!"
Bulma sighed heavily and walked back out of the room in search of her son. If she had to share a room with Vegeta, than she was going to let it be known that she was not at all happy about it. She practically knocked Vegeta over as she made her way out the door. He glared angrily at her, but she ignored him, continuing on her way.
Vegeta turned back to Goku. "We need to check over that ship of yours again, Kakkarot."
"Okay, Vegeta." Goku gave Chichi a quick kiss on the cheek before he followed the prince out of the room. "Um, Vegeta?"
"What?"
"Don't you think you should send a message to Vegetasei and let them know that you're coming?"
"No," he answered harshly. "They would think it was merely an imposter, and then they would never allow us to land." He jumped into the air as they exited the palace. "Besides, I want it to be a surprise."
"But my sister will sense you once we get close enough. It won't be a very good surprise."
"That's why we're leaving no sooner than midday. We'll land in the dead of night when she's aleep so she won't be able to sense us. It will give me time to figure out what to do with the lot of you," Vegeta confessed. "If we go marching in ther in the middle of the day, every saiyan on Vegetasei will know it."
Goku frowned, finally joining his prince in flight. "You don't know how to explain Marron's presence to our people."
Vegeta keep his eyes on the forest below him. "I'll need time alone with Akira before I allow anyone to know that Marron lives."
Goku bit his tongue to keep from letting out Bulma's identity. "What exactly happened that night, Vegeta?"
"I've told you. She cheated on my with Freeza. What else is there to say?"
"It couldn't have been that simple," he argued.
"That bitch really has you snowballed, Kakkarot. She's played you, your mate, and her supposed best friend. Hell, she's even successfully played her own offspring. You should have taken my son back to Vegetasei the second he was born. The boy's been lied to his entire life!"
Stopping in midair, Goku said, "He's had a good life here, Vegeta, and Marron's done her best with him. She's sorry for what she's done, and she's tried to make it up to you through him!" With that off his chest, he turned back toward the palace. "Check the ship over yourself."
The saiyan prince growled, formed a ball of ki in his right hand, and shot it off at a group of trees below. Vegeta watched the smoke clear from the blast and scowled. /the hull of the ship was staring back at him a few feet from his angry attack on the forest. He realized that he really needed to start watching his temper.
~*~
Ansolus struggled to open his eyes, and when he did, he was awarded with the most beautiful sight he had ever laid eyes on. The pain in his side from a ki blast seemed to dull instantly. He smiled up his captor. Akira smiled back weakly at her old friend and took his hand in her own.
"How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Much better now," he rasped. "Has Yamcha contacted you yet?"
A frown marred her features. "Unfortunately," she replied.
"Master Yamcha still loves you very much."
"That's very sad indeed. It's been eight years. He needs to move on as I have."
"He's tried."
Akira raised a thin brow at this. "Is that so? Who's the unlucky woman?"
Ansolus looked away. "I cannot say."
The sorceress released his hand and stood up. "It's of little importance. I am sorry that you must suffer through the healing process, but you know our laws do not permit us to allow criminals access to regeneration tanks."
"Of course, Akira."
She walked over to the door but didn't leave just yet. Glancing over her shoulder, she spoke quietly to him. "I will meet with him secretly and settle terms for your release soon. I hate seeing you suffer like this, Ansolus."
~*~(guess what? flashback time again)~*~
'There's no point in stay on Vegetasei when I can't be with the one I love, so I'll settle on second best. I believe Yamcha truly loves me, so I'm sure that over time I can grow to love him too. I just hope that Vegeta will release me from my duty as his acoulra, though I know I'll miss him terribly.'
The prince paced back and forth, looking at the book that lay on his and recalling the words scrolled acroos the page in Akira's perfect handwriting. He somehow always had the suspicion, and now, he had the proof. Akira was in love with him. Vegeta stopped his pacing and combed his fingers through his hair. The only reason she said yes to Yamcha was to get over him. She honestly thought there was no way they could be together. He had to think of something. He was desperate to keep her by his side, and he would do anything in his power to keep here there. He grabbed Akira's diary from his bed and placed it under his mattress. After he talked to her about Yamcha and set things straight, he could sneak back in a put the book back without her ever knowing it had disappeared.
As he reached for the door, however, he paused. His mind replaying what Arthos had told him earier the previous day. 'He loves her, too,' Vegeta told himself. For a fleeting moment, he felt guilt for what he was about to do, but Vegeta was a person used to getting his own way. Unfortunately for Arthos, that meant getting Akira to dump Yamcha for the prince of Vegetasei, not for the prince of Riessei.
~*~(end of flashback for now)~*~
Merces was really a beautiful planet, but the prince found no comfort in the surrounding beauty of the countryside. No! Instead, Arthos was content to wallow in self pity, alone, in the middle of nowhere. He hadn't been here in a few years, and he wasn't sure why he bothered to come here now. She had loved this place. That's why he came here. A sad smile crept over his lips as he remembered Akira's laughter when they had picniced in the meadow by the lake, and her smile when he went out of his way to cheer her up. That week he spent with here on this planet had been heaven for him, and he owed it all to Vegeta, his best friend. Had the saiyan prince never succeeded in breaking Akira and Yamcha up, Arthos never would have had any of those memories, and Akira would be the wife of a wanted criminal right now, always on the run from someone or another.
Despite all this, he was finished with it. He walked back to the villa that Akira had adored so much when they came across it all those years ago. The prince handed over a rolled up piece of paper to an old man and a young couple. "It's all yours." The couple, obviously newlyweds, were practically bursting from all the love and happiness. It made him sick. He had to get away from them. "I hope you have many years here," he told them, trying to sound sincere.
Not bothering to wait for their reply, he walked away toward his ship. It was too bad that it finally came down to this. He had been so sure they could have been happy here.
~*~
Bulma sat at the foot of the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. This was it! They hadn't spoke the entire first day on the ship, and that was fine in her opinion. But, the time had come for sleep. She had already claimed the bed, but she didn't want any surprises in the middle of the night, so she stayed up to wait for him. Her dazzling blue eyes were drooping with exhaustion. How could he stay up so late? She was just about to succumb to the soft folds of her blankets when the door opened. She jumped slightly, startled from her haze of impending sleep. Vegeta gave her an amused look, eyeing the pillow clutched tightly in her arms.
"Waiting up for me? How precious," he mocked.
"Ha ha," Bulma shot back sarcastically. "The only reason I waited up was to make sure you didn't slim your way into bed with me."
He walked into the room, the door swooshing shut be hind him, and she watched him walk over to the small table that she was using as a vanity. He pulled the stretchy material that was his shirt over his head and deposited it on a neaby stool. Bulma couldn't seem to keep her eyes from roaming over his muscular upper body. Suddenly, she wanted him to just scoop her up and...
'No way, Bulma!' She scolded herself mentally.
Vegeta sensed the eyes burning into his back, and he smirked, turning toward her slightly to get a better look. "You know, woman, it has been an aweful long time since we've-"
"You're sleeping on the floor," she cut in quickly. She tossed the pillow at his feet and then followed it with a large blanket.
He glared down at them. "I don't think so, Marron." He kicked them out of his way and stalked forward.
Bulma rolled evasively to the right and out of his direct path. She couldn't under any circumstance sleep with him. He'd know instantly that she wasn't his wife. Bulma wasn't an idiot. She knew what transpired between a man and a woman, and she was a virgin. She was pretty sure he'd be able to tell. Vegeta faced her again. A look of utter frustration crossed his face.
"Stay away from me, Vegeta," she warned. "I'll yell for go Goku."
He chuckled. "Go ahead. He won't be able to stop me." He continued with his menacing descent upon her.
Bulma took a step back and stumbled over the nightstand. She would have hit her head against the wall, but Vegeta reached forward, wrapping a strong arm around her tiny waist. So distressed over her near fall, she clung to him with relief. Until, she felt his other hand lift her chin. She looked up into his eyes, trapped in their dark gaze.
"Hmm, perhaps Kakkarot is correct," he mused aloud. He leaned forward so that his lips lingered right over hers. "Is he? Have you really changed for the better, or are you still playing your deceitful little games?"
She couldn't think of a good answer. All Bulma wanted was to lean forward that fraction of an inch and press her lips against his, but that ended in one swift moment as he reaffirmed his question.
"Well, have you, Marron?"
She blinked slowly. He called her Marron. How she hated being called by her sisters name! It never bothered her until he came into her life and started throwing it around like it was some kind of curse. She wanted to hear him say her name, for him to call her Bulma, not Marron! She wanted to scream it, but instead, she pushed away from him and wiggled free from his grasp.
"Yes, I have changed," she finally replied. "I'm not who I used to be, and even if I am your wife," she stated evenly. "I'm not going to sit back and simply let you use me for your own purposes. You said it it yourself when we first met a few days ago that there was never any love between us."
He cocked a brow at her. "The first time we met?"
She sidestepped him once again, desperate to cover up her slip of the tongue. "You know what I meant by it. The first time we've seen each other in five years. You're trying to distract me," she accumsed, hoping to shit the heat off of herself.
Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and stood ther in his trademark stance. "Oh? Then enlighten me. What was it you felt the need to say before I so rudely interrupted you?" His voice was drenched with sarcasm.
Bulma sighed. "There wasn't any love between us, Vegeta, and the only way I'm every going to sleep with you is if we can somehow manage to overcome our past problems and love each other. There's no way out of this marriage, and we owe that much to Trunks."
"Love?" He growled the word out through gritted teeth. "Do you have any idea the things that have happened because of what you did?" This time he wasn't going to play around with her. He fazed out of sight and reappeared right in front of her. Bulma couldn't believe how quickly he moved. His hands moved just as fast, and she winced when she felt him latch onto her upper arms and give her a rough shake.
"Stop, please," she begged, tears forming in her eyes. "You're hurting me," she whispered.
"Hurting you? You act like you're the victim here. Let me just fill you in on everything that's happened because of you, shall I?" He ignored her frantic shaking and pushed her back up against the wall. "I spent five years in a damp and dirty cell being beaten nearly to death at least once a week. I had my tail ripped from my body and sent back to my people--the ultimate dishonor for a saiyan warrior, and something I can never get back," he growled in her face. "My four year old brother was forced into my shoes the very day I was put into the ground by my people, and from what I've heard, he's not exactly holding up. But then how could he, after both my parents were also taken away from him!"
Bulma couldn't stop the sob that escaped her lips. The soft moan seemed to drive him a little further over the edge he was teetering on. absolute fury flashed in his eyes as he glared down at her with disgust. "Don't you shed a damn tear over Arro! You always detested my younger siblings so I don't believe that you feel guilty over this now!"
He pushed away from her when the door burst open to reveal Goku. Vegeta glared at his once good friend and that back at his wife. "Get her the hell out of here, Kakkarot. I don't care if the whore has to sleep in the hallway."
"Vegeta, this is ridiculous," Goku started.
"No," Bulma whispered brokenly. "I'd much rather sleep in the hall."
She walked over to Goku, hugging herself and crying uncontrollably. He ushered her out into the hall where she promptly sunk to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Chichi stood outside the door to her and her mate's room and frowned miserably. She moved forward to help the blue haired woman to her feet, but Bulma smacked her arm away and stood up on her own. The saiyan couple watched the as their friend walked toward the control room and followed after several seconds. They found her curled up in the captain's chair, staring out the viewport into the endless void of space. She looked completely lost. Chichi sat down next to her.
"What happened, B?" She asked softly.
"Was my sister really such a horrible person?" Bulma whispered.
"I can't really say. I was just a cook in the palace kitchens," Chichi answered. "Marron was snobby most of the time. I simply wrote it off as her being royalty and thinking she was better than others."
"He said that she hated his younger siblings. Is that true? I can't imagine her hating a mere child."
Goku sighed. He wished they had all sat down years ago and talked through some of this stuff, but whenever the topic of Marron came up, they all pushed it aside, not wanting to dredge up the painful feelings for Bulma. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I know you thought that Marron was a good person deep down, but the truth is she wasn't as angelic as you think. She didn't sleep with Freeza to save Vegeta's life, not from all that I've gathered anyhow," he told her. "And although I never saw it personally, I heard my brothers and sister talking about how Marron acted around Vegeta's family. She thought she was better than all of them. I just didn't want to believe it I guess."
"That's because you see only the good," Chichi commented with a smile.
"I wanted to tell him so badly in there," Bulma confided. "But things are so complicated. I can't risk anyone's lives. I have to continue living my sister's life and pray that one day Vegeta will forgive all that was done. Otherwise, I can't trust him with this secret."
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Ah! Another chapter down! yeah! So, what do you guys think?! Please let me know!!!
Review, review, review!!! ;)
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PANDORA ;)