Chapter Twenty-One:

Bulma slowly managed to open one eye. Both of them felt as if they'd been glued shut, and she raised her hand to pull on her eyelashes. It didn't do much though, as when she opened both her eyes, everything around her was pitch black. It smelled damp, and there was the sound of running water off in the distance, like a large sink. It sounded like water splashing on metal.

After about a minute, her eyes began to adjust, and she could see faint lights in the distance, and a little bit of the room around her. She was in some kind of a holding cell... much like the one she'd been in with Yamcha. Was she back on Planet Vegeta? But how did she get here?

The sound of low conversation hit her ears and she made herself quiet. Even her breathing slowed and she lowered herself closer to the floor... but not before feeling the presence beside her. She didn't know how she knew—maybe it was the warmth or the familiar smell—but the prince was beside her, lying on the cold ground in the same cell. They'd been taken prisoner…? Although, she was worried for everyone in here once the prince woke up. Vegeta wasn't going to take being a prisoner very well. Especially after what happened in that bar. He thought he'd made a deal, and they did this... She wondered if he would really kill them.

Bulma realized that she'd never actually seen the prince kill, besides that one occasion. Saiyans were known to be ruthless killers with no morals and no regard for life, but she supposed there were a lot of things people said about Saiyans that weren't true… She'd seem him harm people and threaten people, sure... but the only people he'd actually taken life from were the guards who'd been holding her hostage back home... "Home"—she was back to calling Planet Vegeta her home. It seemed fitting, but she also took a mental moment whenever she thought of the savage planet that way.

The prince groaned a bit beside her and shuffled. His arms were around her waist and his head in her lap. She was on her side, but slowly sat up, shuffling with him.

"Vegeta?" she whispered, lightly brushing her hand through his hair, hoping to wake him a bit. "Vegeta... I don't know where we are... those drinks must have knocked us out and we were brought here... I think we're prisoners." She tried to see through more of the darkness, but all she could make out was the small distance between her and the metal bars ahead of them. The prince was also far from awake, and definitely not responding. But his grip on her tightened ever so slightly when she shuffled again. She took a moment to breathe, and she ran her hand through his hair again.

"...doesn't seem to care, as long as we don't touch the girl..." Bulma heard an unfamiliar voice say, coming closer from the dim light down the hall outside the bars.

"...like some subconscious thing?"

"Who the fuck knows with these Saiyan scumbags."

The two voices got closer, and Bulma managed to make out the silhouettes of three large people, most likely all males. They were a bit fat, too, like the men from the bar. She heard one of them grab one of the metal bars outside when they were close enough.

"Hey, Firo, hit the lights, will ya? I can't see." And in the next second, another dim light came on inside the holding cell, and Bulma could see around her. The floor was wet, and even growing some green sticky stuff in the cracks. The prince was on his side, head stuffed into her stomach and arms still wrapped around her. She didn't stop brushing through his hair, and his breathing was quite slow and steady, almost as if he was just sleeping.

One of the men opened the bars and stepped inside, and Bulma's body tightened when she saw him holding a needle in one hand. The other two men watched him carefully.

"What are you doing?" she quickly asked, aware that there was obvious panic in her voice. "Who are you people and why are we locked in here?" Vegeta's body tightened a little as she spoke. "What is that for?" she quickly asked, pointing to the needle. "What is that?!" she shouted at the man, feeling helpless and ignored. Vegeta's body tightened a bit more when she raised her voice.

"Shut up, or you'll be getting the next dose, dumb slut," the man sneered. He was reaching for the prince...

"Stop it!" Bulma shouted, trying to stand and stop the man. Vegeta grunted when his head rolled off her lap and into her hands before she lowered him to the floor as best she could with her weak Earthling strength. "What are you trying to do—"

"Don't touch the girl!" one of the men shouted from the bars again, and Bulma glared over at him.

"Excuse me?" she asked. What were they talking about? Her? "Answer me!"

"I thought I told you to shut up, whore."

"And I thought I made myself clear, that you're not putting that needle anywhere near Vegeta! Now, tell me what's going on! Why are we here?!"

The man just laughed, shook his head a few times as if brushing off a child, and grabbed the prince's arm, lifting it like a deadweight and positioning the needle.

"I said no!" Bulma shouted, reaching for the man, but he turned to her and slapped her away, the back of his hand hitting the side of her face, and she flailed away for a moment with a sharp gasp.

"Fuck!" one of the other men shouted, and she heard them slam the metal bars closed and lock them inside again, including the man with the needle. Bulma looked over at them in confusion, but jumped when the needle-man beside her grunted. She turned back to the prince, who was half upright, eyes half-closed, and a broken needle was in his hand. Then all of a sudden, his body fell limp again. His arm dropped, the needle skidding across the floor, and his body sank as his eyes closed again.

"Vegeta!" she shouted, reaching for him. He wobbled once, as if he made some futile attempt to stay upright, and yet fell to his side. She caught his head before it slammed into the concrete floor, but looked over at the other man, motionless beside them. Was he...?

"Fuck me! I told him not to touch the girl! The fuck is wrong with servants these days?"

"I'll go get another dose... and another servant."

"Make sure the next one is competent. If we don't give the prince another dose within the next few hours, he'll be awake for sure. And the boss won't like that."

"Why not the female, too?"

There was a pause, as if they suddenly realized that their conversation wasn't private, and they mumbled something else to one another before hurrying off, back down the hall to the dim light at the end. Thankfully, they left the meek light on inside the holding cell. Bulma just sat back against the farthest wall from the metal bars and went back to brushing her hand through the prince's hair. Somehow, she didn't feel very afraid at all, knowing that he was here with her. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, listening to his shallow breathes, ignoring the lifeless man on the concrete floor beside them.

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She wasn't getting much sleep. And the little bit of eye-rest she did manage to force on herself was always short lived. Creaking sounds and flickering lights disturbed her to no end, and soft sobs and cries echoed within the stone walls, making her jump at nearly every sound.

The prince was supposed to be given another dose of whatever injection they'd given him in order to make sure he stayed docile and weak, but Bulma didn't know how to stop them, or even how to wake him up. He remained lying down, head in her lap, and she continued to brush her fingers through his hair. At the very least, it seemed to calm his breathing down a little.

Bulma was starting to understand what their captors meant when they were instructed not to touch her. The prince, even unconscious, would stir if she needed protection, so the guards were told not to touch her. It was quite odd, because the first time, she was sure that Vegeta hadn't even been awake when he killed the man. The body of the last guard had been removed from their holding cell, dragged off about an hour ago. There was no blood or any notion that someone had been killed there at all. She only remembered the slight sound of snapping bone.

Bulma looked down at the prince and sighed. It was a strange sensation to be in this unknown place and yet feel safe with him lying unconscious in her lap. It was so much different than when she'd been in the dungeon with Yamcha back home… Home. Again, calling the Saiyan planet her home felt strange in her mind. But Earth no longer existed, so Vegeta's planet was the closest thing to a home that she had.

"Stand up," a voice suddenly called from outside the bars, and Bulma looked up at another chubby guard in dark armor, just like the last one. "Back away from the Saiyan male. He's getting another dose."

"Why are we here?" she slowly asked, staying where she was. There was no way they were getting that needle anywhere near the prince.

"Comply," the man ordered, "Or there will be consequences."

"Why have we been brought here?" she asked again, slowing her voice even more. She knew she was trying to sound angry and threatening, but her voice was soft and weak.

"That's none of your concern, female," the man patronized. Another man stepped into view and crossed his arms over his chest. He wore red armor and was much leaner than the other man.

"Let me make this clear, little girl," the man said. And his voice was truly angry and threatening. Bulma gulped. "You are only here because you have been marked by this Saiyan. I'm sure you know what that means, but do not mistake our intentions. Your disobedience will result in… complications for you."

"You can't hurt me," she said, not exactly sure how true her own words were, or even what it meant to be marked by a Saiyan, but she needed to say something. "Or he'll kill you." She looked down at the prince for a moment before locking eyes with the guard again. Goku had mentioned that Vegeta had her marked, but also something about it being weak since they'd never been together… in that way. But she knew how protective Goku was of her black-haired best friend, and she prayed that Vegeta had the same bizarre tendencies towards her.

"I suppose we'll find out…"

"Find out what?" Bulma asked. "One of your men is already dead. I'd say it's clear what will happen to the rest of you." She paused, but no one replied to her. They just continued staring in the dim light. She wondered how bad she looked. She already knew her hair was a mess. "I mean, what did you think would happen? You just trapped the prince of all Saiyans in this basement of yours, and you keep him sedated because you know what happens when he wakes up… don't you?"

"Then I'd say it's a good thing we brought you along, wouldn't you?" the chubby man sneered. "After all, he seems quite attached to you. I wonder what he would do to keep you alive."

"Is that your plan?" Bulma raised her chin, wondering how much of her own feigned arrogance she could muster. She was scared, but she refused to show it. "To threaten one of the most powerful men in the universe?"

Both men just chuckled, as if there was some unknown joke going around. The thinner man just laughed again, shook his head and started walking away. The chubby man took one last look at her before taking one step to follow.

"You haven't seen true power, little girl," he smirked.

"Prepare the little monkey prince his next dose!" the other man shouted, and she heard more footsteps in the distance coming closer. As soon as she saw the needle in the third man's hand again, Bulma narrowed her eyes.

The three men stood outside the cage and watched as the needle-man unlocked the bars and took one step inside. Bulma instinctively wrapped her arms around Vegeta and tried to position herself between the prince and the guard.

"No," she growled, squeezing the prince tighter. The only way out of the prison was if Vegeta woke up, and these people were doing whatever they could to keep him from waking. But she knew he reacted before, when she was struck by the other man. The other man who was now dead.

"Move, girl," the man said, holding out the needle and taking another step towards them. Bulma steeled herself and held her ground, slowly shaking her head at the man. She wasn't going to allow this. Vegeta needed to wake up now, before something terrible happened. She wasn't interested in figuring out what these people were waiting for. And this vacation wasn't amounting to what she thought it would be like now.

"I won't let you touch him." She frowned, wondering what the consequences of her disobedience would be.

Vegeta was still in her lap, and when the man stepped forward again and her breath caught in her throat, she felt the Saiyan prince twitch ever so slightly. She just held him tighter and continued frowning at the man. He rolled his eyes in the next moment and held out a hand towards the bars behind him.

"Someone want to hold the girl while I give him this shot? Seems she's being defiant again."

"I got it," another of the men said, stepping through the bars and walking straight for her. Bulma's eyes went wide.

"Don't you dare touch me," she panicked, holding up a hand, as if it would stop them from approaching. It didn't, of course, and the man with the needle reached for the prince's arm first. Bulma slapped his hand away and the man just rolled his eyes.

"Hold her, please. No pain, or the Saiyan will wake."

The other man nodded and grabbed Bulma's arm, yanking her to the side. She yelped and gathered a handful of the prince's shirt in her hand, trying to keep him with her, but the other man pulled him away.

"No!" she screamed. "Don't touch him!"

"Give him the damn shot," the man growled, but Bulma whipped around and tried to kick him from the floor. He grabbed her leg and dragged her further away and Bulma shouted. She reached around and dug her nails into his arm, into whatever skin she could get ahold of, and the man barked, gathering up her hair in a handful and lifting her up. Bulma cried out in pain when she was lifted off the ground.

"I said don't—"

Vegeta was behind Bulma in a flash, and she was dropped to the floor with another scream. She turned around to find him as before—eyes half-lidded, he looked like he was barely conscious. And yet the man was hanging lifeless, his neck in the prince's outstretched hand.

"What do we have here…" a new voice suddenly said, and Bulma's eyes widened as she looked back over by the cage's bars. She stood up quickly and pushed herself into Vegeta.

"Stay awake," she begged, holding onto him. "Please, stay with me." But in the next moment, he dropped the new corpse to the floor and his body slumped a bit into her. "Vegeta," she whispered, as his head dropped onto her shoulder and his breathing slowed. "Please…"

"That's two of my men dead," that other voice spoke again. "And that was some pretty strong shit we gave him, too." Bulma turned and saw a massive silhouette behind the bars. The large man cracked a sly smirk. "I had the Colds make it for me… It's impressive, no? Not that an Earthling like yourself would have much interest in such things, but the Colds' technology is extremely extensive. Especially now that it's been weaponized against my people. Not even the prince or the king could stand against a united front like the one I've created. With myself, the Colds and the people of this world, there's nothing anyone on Planet Vegeta could do to stop me now… Not even my old king."

"W… What are you even talking about?" Bulma asked. Vegeta was slumping further now, and she had to slide to the floor with him. "Who are you and why are you doing this to us?"

"I know what you are," the man continued. "I know that you are an Earthling and I know what your pathetic people can do to mine… Which is why I went and killed a lot of them. You make my people weak… just as you make the prince weak. Your species will be extinct soon enough."

"What do you want?" Bulma asked slowly. The prince was out cold again, and she instinctively went back to brushing through his hair and holding tightly onto him.

"What I want…" the man said, and paused for a few moments, "Is for you and Prince Vegeta to go back to that putrid planet of yours. Leave this one, as now I rule these people, and I have promised them protection in exchange for cooperation. No one likes the business the Saiyans run in this universe, and soon they will be stopped. Simply leave here. Tell my old king that his demise is rapidly approaching, and his enemies are already at his doorstep. In fact, he's already kindly let them into his home. And there is no stopping it, now."

Bulma didn't understand much of what was going on, but she clearly understood that she needed to get out of here, and that this man was dangerous. "So… you're just going to let us leave?"

"I hope you'll do your best to convince the little prince to run back home. There's no telling what's already happened back on his dear planet. I'm afraid it's already begun… Make sure he goes home."

She wasn't sure she could convince Vegeta to do anything, but she nodded.

"Good. Then I'll have you both let out… but if I ever see your faces again, I hope that they are the faces of corpses… or you'll wish you were."

"Wait… you're Broly…? —"

A thick gas suddenly started spraying out from the ceiling and Bulma screeched as it descended onto her and Vegeta. But in less than a few seconds, her world uncontrollably spun, and she collapsed on top of the prince.

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Bulma woke up to a bump. Her head smacked into the ground and she gasped herself awake. Her mouth tasted like blood and muddy water and she reached out her arms as she felt her body get dragged along a rough, wet ground. She groaned and clawed at nothing, trying to stop herself from moving, but something was pulling her. She tilted her head to look up and saw Vegeta… unmoving on the ground ahead of her, and she was being dragged away from him.

"Vegeta!" she shouted, but quickly redirected her attention to her legs.

Nails dug into her ankles and she yelped. A man in a hooded outfit was dragging her. She immediately tried to kick him off, repeatedly hitting the man's hands and arms with her feet. The man jumped and released her, and then ran away without a word. Bulma panted and pushed herself up onto all fours. She gasped and looked up towards the sky. She was outside. And it was cloudy, damp and raining.

"Vegeta…" she whispered, forcing herself to stand and drag her feet over to him. Everything felt so weak. Her eyes were so heavy and her body felt apart from her mind. Everything was blurry and her head spun. She fell to her knees and reached out her arms until she felt him. What was happening…?

Her body fell to the side and she pulled herself closer to him, and latched on, hoping he would be there when she woke up.

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The second her mind had a thought, Bulma knew she was safe. She could smell him. She could feel his warmth and his strength and she didn't even have to open her eyes to know he was there.

"I was so scared," she whispered slowly, barely able to hear her own voice. But then she remembered what she was told and bolted upright. "Vegeta, we have to leave this planet and go back—" She paused and looked around her to find the inside of their space shuttle. "This is…"

"We're not going back."

"But that man…" She looked around again. She was on a small bed with the prince. He lay beside her, his head under his arms as he stared up at the ceiling of the space shuttle. His eyes were dark and hazed. "That was Broly… in those dungeons."

"That doesn't concern us right now."

"What do you mean? We have to do something. He said the Colds were—"

"It doesn't matter."

"How can you say that? They just drugged you with something and you were completely out and that man—Broly—he said I needed to tell you to go home or—"

"We're not going back!" Vegeta shouted, sitting up for a moment before swinging his legs off the small bed and standing.

"What do you mean, we aren't going back?" Bulma stared at the back of his head. "Where are we going then? How did we get off that planet?"

"Shut up, woman. You're so noisy."

"Excuse me?" Bulma gawked. "What happened? Where are we going?"

"I don't know!" the prince shouted, whirling on her. "My father is dead!"

Bulma blinked a few times. "Wh… What do you mean…"

"You've been unconscious for over a day. I received word that once we left, the Colds mounted an attack on my planet, starting in the castle, and the king is dead. They have control of the planet. Broly and the leader of the Colds have control of my planet…"

"How is that… possible?"

Vegeta started pacing. "All the technology they were giving us… How amazed and grateful we were… Those healing machines and that serum for the Earthling matings… I should've known they were up to something…"

"What happened…" Bulma paused, fearing the answer to her next question. "To the castle? And the people in it?" What happened to Chichi…

"It was burned to the ground, along with everything else they attacked."

"H-How do you know all this?" she stammered. "There must have been survivors…"

"Yes, a few escaped in pods. They landed on an unknown planet a day or two from here. That's where we're going. To see how many of my people are left…"

"Do you… Do you think my friends…"

Vegeta turned and looked at her, almost as if her question seemed irrelevant to him. But he turned away and answered her anyway. "The majority of the pods were from the castle. Other than that, only the wealthy owned them elsewhere. I assume the survivors were the ones who first noticed the attack, from the castle, and escaped from there."

So, there was still hope… But this happened so suddenly. And it felt like a dream.

"Vegeta… I'm so sorry."

"For what? My father was a bastard."

She lowered her eyes to her hands resting above the sheets and remained silent and still for a short while. The prince walked up to the front console and hit a few buttons. She felt the shuttle move slightly—maybe he changed the direction of the flight. She was going to try and talk to him, but he sat in one of the control chairs and faced away from her, staring out into the dark of space and dim stars. There was really nothing she could say. He'd just lost his home and his people, and she knew exactly what that felt like. There was nothing she could say to bring them back.

But it felt like a dream. They were just on that strange planet, having a good time together. She'd been getting closer to Vegeta and feeling closer to him than ever before. She'd just started to feel like he cared… And then all of this, so suddenly… Planet Vegeta was overrun while she'd been unconscious. She had no idea if she would ever see Chichi or Maron or Launch ever again. The castle was burned to the ground. She would never be with Vegeta in his chambers ever again. Never see the throne room. The king… was dead. And that meant that Vegeta just inherited the title of King. He now ruled Planet Vegeta… or whatever was left of it and its people.

She laid back on the soft sheets and just breathed. She felt the first tear fall down the side of her face. She'd just started to call that wretched place home. It had just started to feel like home, and now, for the second time… she lost everything, in the blink of an eye. She took one last look at Vegeta, his back to her in the front chair. He wasn't going to move or come to her. So, she curled herself into a ball and let the tears come.