Chapter 3 – But Everyone Knows By Now

Get him… out…

How could…

"Are you crazy?" she hissed, warily keeping her voice down as she looked around them nervously, certain she was about to end up in the same position as he was. "I can't do that!"

If the vendor didn't try to kill her for releasing Vegeta, then surely the saiyan would be the one who actually killed her somewhere down the line? After all, if this was where he landed after his battle with Goku and the others, then that meant they were partly to blame for his current predicament. Surely he was feeling angry about that? Surely he would want revenge, even if she wasn't the one who wronged him?

And what about the fact that he had caused the deaths of her friends? She sure as hell was feeling angry about that.

He had caused the death of Yamcha.

Bulma simmered down into her place and folded her legs beneath herself as she thought about the situation rationally, pushing aside her feelings. Making impulsive decisions, allowing her hatred to consume her, was way too easy to do. At the end of the day, he was stuck and so were they. With the way things were currently going for herself, Chi-Chi and Gohan, then she truly believed deep in her heart that they were going to die in the middle of space, without moving a single step forward in reclaiming their planet or retrieving Goku. It'd been six months so far and the only move they'd taken was a huge step backwards when they found out the planet Namek was destroyed.

With the way things were currently going for him…

She looked him up and down, taking in his tattered uniform and bruised, cut up body. It seemed the vendor was telling the truth in never allowing Vegeta to completely heal and his way of doing that was by adding more injuries to his endless list. There was hardly anything left of his armour, leaving him practically naked.

…And incredibly smelly, Bulma thought and resisted the urge to cover her nose.

"What?" he demanded irritably.

"N-Nothing!"

His eyes narrowed into slits.

Bulma once more glanced around herself, asking thoughtfully, "How would I even go about it? Would I have to buy you like you're some kind of slave?"

The thought obviously pissed him off, due to the way his expression darkened, but he fortunately didn't blow a gasket on her and instead answered gruffly, "You will have to break me out."

Her eyes snapped to his, widening in horror. "B-Break you out?" She shook her head, forcing the shock and horror away. "No way. You'd kill us and steal my ship."

He smirked. "Believe me, the thought is tempting, but I won't do that."

"How can I trust you?"

"Trust?" Again, he barked out a laugh. "Don't say such absurd things, human. There is no trust in a world like this, just like there is no hope."

No hope or trust… Again, Bulma shook her head. There wasn't a chance that she would let him play tricks with her mind. He was wrong. He had to be wrong. It was all that kept them going. They had to have hope.

They both paused at the sound of electricity growing louder momentarily, but for different reasons, she realised belatedly. While she had paused curiously, Vegeta had paused and tensed up, body visibly trembling from what Bulma could only guess as a shock of electricity. It wouldn't be enough to cause significant damage, but it would sure as hell hurt.

"If… you want to be sure I will not betray you… then make it so that I can't."

Why was he making the situation more difficult for himself, rather than easier? He could have assured her that she could trust him, that he wouldn't kill them all and steal her spaceship, but instead he was telling her how to force him into cooperating with her.

"How?" asked Bulma with a frown.

It was almost comical how reluctantly Vegeta gestured to the choker around his neck and then to the two around his wrists. "I am sure you can guess what these are." When she could only nod once, horrified, he muttered, "They are set to a level where my body can just about manage the pain. Anything less and I can tolerate and endure it."

Forcing him into submission. Why was the thought… strangely appealing? After all he'd done to her friends and planet, the thought of holding his life in the palm of her hand, controlling him, was appealing. But Bulma knew that that would make her no better than the vendor outside.

"And as long as you're wearing those and I have the controls, you can't betray us."

He nodded once. "Exactly."

"Why?" she demanded after a moment of thinking about it. "Why would you agree to something like this?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, like the answer was ridiculously obvious. "What choice do I have, little human? Either I rot in this cesspit or I agree to the lesser of two evils and get the hell out of here."

"And Earth?" asked Bulma hopefully. "You'll fight for Earth?"

His upper lip curled. "Hardly. That backwards, primitive planet can burn in hell for all I care. However, I will be the one to defeat Frieza."

Meaning the Earth would then be freed.

Meaning Vegeta was her lesser of two evils.

It was either side with him and go up against Frieza, or stay stuck where they were.

They were using each other, in other words. Vegeta knew he wouldn't be able to escape this God forsaken planet without her ship and she knew they didn't stand a chance in hell of defeating Frieza without him.

Bulma bit her lip before releasing it and taking a deep breath, shortly nodding in response.

It seemed she would have to make a deal with the devil.

"Okay," she eventually found her voice and replied. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll help you escape."

"Terms?"

Of course he'd want the terms and conditions. He seemed like the kind of guy to sit through the crap anybody else would skip through. "You keep those cuffs and the choker on."

"Deal."

"You are not to attack or kill anyone other than Frieza and his loyal soldiers."

His eyes slipped to the side and she could almost hear the murderous and absolutely livid thoughts he was having about the vendor.

She chose to distract him before that anger turned on her. "I'm guessing those things steal your energy too, right?" He nodded once, still glaring holes into the vendor's back. "The more I can trust that you won't murder us, I will gradually give you your energy back."

That was why it was so easy for the vendor to keep him under control, then. Even though he was taller than Vegeta, he was much skinnier and wouldn't last a minute with the saiyan. Even if he was powerful, Vegeta was stronger. She couldn't imagine anyone stronger than the ruthless prince. Not after that battle with Goku. Not after witnessing the destruction he left in his wake.

"There's only two bedrooms on the ship, not including Gohan's lockdown room. If you don't mind staying in there-"

"I don't need a bed."

Wow, was that supposed to be impressive? Any idiot in their right mind would want a decent night of sleep after being injured and tortured for as long as he had been. Rest was the best way to heal, that was what her mother always said whenever Bulma was sick, or like the time she broke her wrist in the lab.

There was always…

No, they needed them for emergencies.

But didn't this count as an emergency? What if they needed Vegeta at full strength? There could be a battle of some kind, one they'd lose if he wasn't strong enough. They needed him at his very best – or in this case, Bulma thought as she eyed him up, his very worst. He was ridiculously powerful, sure, but he was also the worst kind of person out there.

He was the best guy for the job.

He was ten times stronger than Gohan was and both herself and Chi-Chi had noticed the leap in power Gohan gained once he was healed. Would that happen for Vegeta, too? Was it a saiyan thing?

Wait… Gohan!

"You can't fight with Gohan, either," Bulma suddenly added and she pinned him with a serious expression. "I know there's a history there-"

"History or not, I have no quarrel with Kakarot's son." Vegeta even huffed with amusement. "He will be useful if we are going to be facing Frieza."

Her eyes once more moved towards the opening of the tent, hoping and praying that Chi-Chi didn't hear his words. "Just don't be telling Goku's wife that."

The amusement left and was exchanged for annoyance, however, he said nothing.

"So, we just have to break you out, huh?" Bulma leaned forward once more, not daring to get any closer to inspect the chains keeping the prince still. Not without his permission, anyway. She had no doubts that he could still kill her if she made a single wrong move. "Mind if I take a closer look?"

Please don't kill me.

Even after he nodded his consent and folded his arms over his chest, a clear indication that he meant no harm, Bulma still felt a pang of fear in her chest as she shuffled over to him, close enough to feel the heat of his body. His eyes were glued on hers as her hands came up to his neck, hesitantly reaching out for the contraption.

"Don't," he suddenly warned.

She froze, hands hovering over the choker. "W-What is it?"

"You will be electrocuted if you touch the device, stupid woman," Vegeta snapped, narrowing his eyes on her. "It is set to cause me, a saiyan, pain. You are a weak human."

Asshole!

But still, please don't kill me.

Bulma nodded and lowered her hands, hesitating for just a moment as she watched his expression before touching the metal chains wrapped around the lengths his arms. Immobilising, definitely, however… It looked more like barbed wire rather than chains, now that she was taking a closer look. Every move Vegeta made, it cut deeper and deeper into his skin with the spikes that held the chains in place around his arms.

"My ship said that this planet was inhabited by one race, but I've seen at least seventeen different races so far," she stated lightly, trying to fill the silence. "Are they just visitors, or…?"

He caught onto her hidden meaning. "I have been here for months now after my pod crash landed while I was on life support. I had no way of stopping it."

Months. That meant the information her ship's system had was wrong, then, unless the vendors had permits to stay for periods of time.

"They come and go, staying for as long as they please," he answered her unasked question.

The chains were going to be difficult to remove, Bulma noted after a moment of inspecting them. They were embedded deeply into his skin, tugging under the flesh and tearing it up. It was a gruesome sight and it turned her stomach, but lately she'd seen hell and somehow managed to hold down the contents of her stomach.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, she sat up onto her knees, leaning over him as she tried to find what the chains were connected to. If Vegeta found the lack of space between them uncomfortable, then he was silent about it. From the looks of things, Bulma was guessing that they were connected to the ground, since there weren't any chains on view, other than the ones on his body.

"Does it hurt to move?"

"Of course not," he snapped.

Bulma paused, worried about their proximity and whether or not she'd just pissed him off, but then rolled her eyes when nothing more was said or done. Stubborn. That was all he was! Stubborn and proud. There was every possibility that it hurt to even breathe, however, since he was being such a stubborn jerk about it all, he could suck it up and deal with it.

She pulled back slightly, taking in his features and frowning.

"That vendor isn't going to give you to me."

"Use that," Vegeta nodded his head in the direction of a stick.

Turning on her knees, she crawled forward. "This thing?" She picked it up and pulled a face. "You sure this will do any damage?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to see the effects it has when used properly?"

Another threat… or was it? Bulma shivered.

She wasn't against using force in order to get something she wanted and in this case, she wanted Vegeta – well, his strength. They needed it in order to complete their mission in finding Goku and taking the Earth back.

Her eyes narrowed as her hold tightened on the stick, soon glancing over in the direction of the vendor. The man wasn't facing them and seemed to be talking with Gohan, who was looking aggravated with what he was hearing. It didn't surprise her. That boy was his father's son, after all. He wanted everyone to receive fair treatment, even bad guys like Vegeta.

Would Gohan and Chi-Chi agree with her decision?

Biting her lip, Bulma once more shuffled over to Vegeta, watching him suspiciously as she placed the stick behind him so that it was hidden from view. He huffed, seemingly amused by her actions.

"It's Bulma, by the way."

The amusement left, his dark gaze meeting hers. "What?"

"You keep calling me 'human'," she told him with a roll of her eyes, "but my name is 'Bulma' and I would appreciate it if you called me by my name."

"You are pushing your luck," he snarled in response and leaned in as close as he could. "I have already agreed to keeping this contraption on. Do not force me to see you as my equal."

The stench was too much to handle and she had to back away, unfortunately. In any other circumstance, she wouldn't have and would have instead gotten right back in his face, glaring at him hatefully and snarling her own retort, regardless of the fact that he was a psychopathic murderer. She was not inferior or a weakling to be pushed around.

She gritted her teeth. "Fine, but don't expect me to call you by your name, either."

"Oh, please, anything but that," Vegeta spat, a sly smirk pulling at his lips.

"Rotten saiyan."

"Weakling human."

"No, I mean it." Bulma smirked, placing her hands on her hips as she stood up straight, only daring to say such things now that there was distance between them. "You sure do stink, saiyan."

"I wonder why," he remarked coolly.

Oh, he was impossible.

Turning to face the exit, she sighed arrogantly, "Well, I'm going to go and buy you now, so don't go anywhere."

Bulma could hear his angered response, could hear him gritting his teeth and tsking under his breath as he tilted his head in another direction, but she paid him no mind, already channelling her unrivalled confidence to charm the vendor.

"Hey," she called cheerfully, waving once the vendor was facing her curiously. "I need to speak with you a second."

Behind him, she noticed both Chi-Chi and Gohan eyeing her warily, wondering what she could possibly want to speak with him about. There was something in Gohan's eyes, however, that told her he was catching on. For a six-year-old boy, he was incredibly intelligent and observant – she could totally understand why Chi-Chi pushed him so hard in his studies. There was so much potential there.

She simply nodded once to him and his eyes brightened with hope, but somehow, at the same time, darkened with worry. Clearly, he was torn between following in his father's footsteps, or listening to his mother. It didn't matter what Chi-Chi had to say, though. If she disagreed with her decision, then that was tough and she would have to deal with it, because she never backed out of a deal. They needed Vegeta. Even Gohan understood that.

As soon as the light was blocked by the vendor, Bulma stood up straight, settling him with her best business expression. It was the one that let others know that she was serious.

"How much for the saiyan?"

The vendor was much taller than herself and it seemed she hadn't been paying the greatest of attention to him, because he wasn't actually that skinny. No, he was actually kind of muscular (especially when compared to her), his body easily blocking out the light from outside when he stood in front of the opening of the tent. Going off his appearance, however, Bulma was willing to bet that he wasn't exactly swimming in money. Everyone broke at a certain number and she was certain she had enough to break him.

"He ain't for sale," he replied, though was clearly startled. "What you want 'im for, anyways?"

What did she want him for?

Something in the back of her mind was warning Bulma not to mention them taking on Frieza. If he truly was as strong as he was made out to be, then the last thing they needed was the element of surprise being taken from them.

"What do you think?" she retorted and raised an eyebrow. "This jerk has caused a lot of problems on my planet. I can think of a thing or two that he could do to start his road to redemption."

She could have sworn she heard Vegeta scoff, but the sudden laugh the vendor released made it difficult to tell.

"Redemption? Ya must be mad. There ain't no soul or heart to redeem."

Her jaw clenched, much like her fists. "Everyone has a shot at redemption, I'll have you know."

"Yeah, but he ain't anybody, he's a saiyan. The prince of 'em, I'll 'ave you know."

Oh, don't give the bastard an ego boost. Already, it seemed to be stupidly large.

"Have you taken into consideration that there's a full moon tonight?" Bulma questioned haughtily and folded her arms over her ample chest.

"He ain't got no tail."

The reminder had his lip curling, but she ignored him. "True, but that boy outside is also saiyan and we gave up on removing his tail because it keeps growing back. It happens to any saiyan who is under a stressful circumstance." She sat down, leaning closer to Vegeta to try and prove a point, her bravado working to suppress her fear. He did not argue or react. "And like you said: you're looking at the Prince of Saiyans here, buddy." Glancing up at her apparent partner in crime, Bulma raised an eyebrow. "How long do you give it, Vegeta? I'd say as soon as the moon starts to rise and your body senses the blutz waves, your tail will come flying out of your ass in no time."

He huffed. "Crude woman." A second later, however and he was smirking up at the vendor darkly, sending shiver after obvious shiver up and down his spine. "With the tail comes a power up and just so you know, the first thing I will do after breaking out of these confinements is tear you to pieces, but not before I show you how to really torture a person, pitiful fool."

A cold sweat broke across her body and she intervened just as the man reached for a weapon laying across the room. "I'll take him with me. We have a special room we usually use for Gohan during the full moons and he can stay locked in there." Then, a bolt of lightning hit her and she suddenly blurted out, "Frieza will be looking for him, right?"

By her side, Vegeta stiffened and she felt his rage building. It was palpable in the air.

She resisted the urge to move away, despite her instincts screaming at her to run.

"How long will it be before he tracks Vegeta down?" Her eyes narrowed threateningly. "And I bet he won't be happy with you for keeping one of his strongest soldiers locked down here."

"F-Frieza…?"

"Yeah." Bulma winked at the vendor, wagging a finger in the air. "I can take him off your hands and Frieza will never have to know about your involvement with him."

He shook his head stubbornly, his light coloured hair flopping with the motion. "No deal! If he was that important, Frieza would'a come lookin' for 'im by now."

The guy's accent was really beginning to grind on her nerves, though she knew it was only because she wasn't getting her own way. "Listen here." Her hand slid behind the prince, gripping the stick. "You're going to give me Vegeta. He's coming with me whether you like it or not."

When the guy took a threatening step forward, Bulma stood up, revealing her weapon and holding it in front of herself. She merely hoped Gohan and Chi-Chi weren't watching her violence.

"No, you ain't takin' 'im anywhere!"

"Now, Bulma," Vegeta growled.

She took it as her opening to attack.

"I said…" she growled and tightened her hold on the stick, swinging it with all her might. "He's coming with me!"