Excuse Me?

Disclaimer: I am Akira Toriyama! Hahaha! (sweats and looks sideways) No, no! I was just kidding, Mr. Policeman…(grins apologetically) hehehe.

a/n: Many hearty thanks to the reviewers! Err, I've nearly forgotten everything I know about this anime, you know; it's been almost 11 years since I watched its episodes everyday. No, really; I was 7 or 8 at the time. Hehehe. Anyway, 2 days ago I watched again, for the first time in countless years, one of DBZ movies and I think that I'm falling head over heels again. It kinda makes me feel nostalgic of my childhood. Again, I want to thank everyone who bothered to read and review.

Chapter III

'Will you marry me?' Bulma repeats the words, tearfully and almost unwillingly. It's impressing that she has what it takes to gather what's left of her shattered dignity only to lose it again to Vegeta. Vegeta's eyes widen, in horror or in incredulity or in suspicion, as he looks at her.

'Do you know what you're getting into?' is all the swarthy prince could come up with.

'No, I don't; I don't know what'll happen to me once we're married and I don't think I'll ever want to know. But,' the girl pauses as if thinking what she's going to say next. 'But I do know that I'm better off with you than I will ever be with your father.'

'Tell me, princess, how can you be so sure that I'll offer more comfort to you than what my Lord could? You hardly know me, we just met…'

'I just met Frieza as well. And why do you speak as if I DO want you as my husband, sir? I'm proposing to you because I have no choice left, because I can't even bear to look at the creature you call your father, and because…because you are human-like.' Bulma finishes without an apparent effort to sound convincing. Regal pride.

'And just because I'm more human-like in the face you think I am better in all aspects?' Vegeta frowns.

'Of course not; I think you're both mass murdering bastards…'

'Then why choose me? If I'm being honest here, my dear, the privileges you could gain by marrying Lord Frieza are as limitless as what you are entitled to as a princess of this kingdom. I see no point in asking for anything less, namely by marrying me, than being the wife of the most powerful man in the universe. I can't protect you any more than your people can defend your family and this kingdom from us, and please don't think that the Lord will let you get away from the humiliation you just caused him.' Vegeta says.

'Great. Congratulations, Prince; you just made me feel worse than shit.'

'I didn't say I wanted to comfort you, Bulma.' Vegeta shakes his head and turns to the window.

'Look here, Prince; I don't give a crap about privileges and everything, you can make me a goddamn lowdown slave for all I fucking care, but I WON'T marry the monstrous lizard, not even over my dead pretty body. All my life I wanted to walk down the aisle looking beautiful beyond any words and just because your monster horde came here that dream melted away in impossibility, not to mention the most hideous one forced me to marry him. I'm not going to let Frieza complete that ruination so at least I should be entitled to marry someone who's not of another breed of the universe, even if that someone HAS to be you. And you're going to wed me whether you like it or not.' Bulma folds her arms and shoots a look of authority over the dark prince.

'Why do you give so much importance to physical appearance, for Pete's sake!' Vegeta almost yells which makes the princess jump up a little from her seat and unfold her arm to clutch the armrest. 'If I have known better, my dear, you are attracted to me.' Vegeta changes his furious expression into a rather mischievous grin.

'What? Why should I be when I have only known you for the shortest time?'

'So you're not?' Vegeta teases, looking as if he were loving it, even if it's called flirting.

'Uh-huh.' The blue-haired girl nods absentmindedly.

'Alright then, we have no further business to settle. We can part from here.' Vegeta says dismissively.

'Wait, so you're actually rejecting me? What if I tell you that I am attracted to you?' Bulma asks with the tone of arrant hopelessness in her words. She needs his approval, very badly.

'So?' Vegeta releases his infamous monotone.

'Well?'

'What?'

'Yes or no?' Bulma seethes irritably.

'Yes or no, what?'

'If I tell you that yes, I'm attracted to you, will you accept my proposal?' The princess says, this time letting go of her meager patience.

'Uh,' Vegeta pauses for effect and slowly gives the tormenting cruncher Bulma has been preventing to hear; 'No.' His words ring protracted that it needs no repetition for the young lady to make clear. Her eyes lose their color as she withholds her exhalation.

'But why? Here is the most eligible woman wanting your hand in marriage and you refuse her? Are you out of your wits, prince?' She says in disbelief.

'Are you paying court to me now?' Vegeta says irritably. His sentence reveals the ugly reality of the scene and much as the lady hates to admit it, she is closer to defeat than ever.

'Yeah, I am, as ironically absurd as it sounds. What else does it look like when a girl practically asks a young man to marry her?' Bulma says, releasing the power of her forte; sarcasm.

'Well then stop it.' He says and follows his command with an I'm-so-fed-up-with-you tsk.

'Why?'

'Because everybody's been doing it as far as I can remember.' Vegeta says with the haughtiest note imaginable.

'…' Bulma finds no word to reply and screws up her hands again. Was Frieza telling her the truth when he said that Vegeta has rejected many a princess on each of the planets they visited or ravaged?

'You're all like that, shallow royals of petty worlds; you slut around with my Lord father so you can find the means to get to my bed. I've been there.' He says as if talking to himself.

'Excuse me? In the first place, I don't make a whore of myself to your dear dad. And more importantly, I'm not doing it or not gonna do it just to sleep with you. I'm only trampling on my dignity at such a degree because I'd rather do anything else than to be an animal's possession; I've told you that a hundred times already. Do me a favor and separate me from the bitches you've met in the outer space.' The girl snaps.

'You're only different from them because you're bold enough to show disgust to my father's appearance in his face, because others beat around the bush while you told him outright that you want me and not him!' Vegeta shrieks.

'Certainly not! I am NOT attracted to you, goddamit! Why do you keep on insisting on it anyway? Just because you claim everyone else has desired you? Please, I most surely DON'T! And besides, I promised myself to love only one person.' She says proudly.

'And who is that?'

'ME. Who the hell else?'

'Brat. You broke your promise to yourself a long time ago. Figures.' Vegeta mocks.

'What promise?'

'That one you said walking down the aisle to look beautiful; no one's ever going to marry you with that kind of attitude, even if it's true that you're the prettiest girl anyone has seen.' Vegeta says.

'Do you mean it, then?'

'What?'

'That I'm the most beautiful girl you've seen.'

'What does it matter? Surely everyone has told you that?' Vegeta says and frowns at the shallow exchange of words they're having. At this note, he notices that the conversation tends to end up in nonsense after being strained at one particular point, mostly when it becomes overtly personal.

'Yes, people say that around here except Yamcha, you know.' Bulma stretches up, looks at herself in the mirror and runs a finger through her long blue tresses. Vegeta stares at her intently as she attends to the needs of her vanity. Her white medieval style gown rustles softly on the floor.

'Who's Yamcha?'

'The arrogant Duke of Novgrod. He's my father's cousin and he rules the southern part of the continent.' She says, seeming uninterested in the curious fact she just gave. Her look emits a certain kind of bitterness that lies in the past, her past.

'And your relationship with him is…?' Vegeta asks.

'I wanted to marry him when I was young but he, er, I think he didn't deem me worthy of him. He's stronger than the king my father himself, and he's led the country to many victories in the war; I think, without him, this world would've long ago wasted in subordination. We owe that much to him. He used to stay in this palace prior to his ascent to greatness, when he was still under my dad's protection, and…' she stammers at this part. 'And I think I kind of fell in love with him. When I couldn't hide my feelings any longer I immediately told Chichi, the head maid, and she told my parents who wished me luck because they said it was a very good choice. Anyway, I learned that Lord Yamcha was in love with someone else and I just gave up on that point. Rest is ancient history. Damn, he broke my heart.' Bulma takes in a deep breath and collapses on the chair again as though retelling the tale exhausted her.

'Uh huh.' Vegeta nods. 'So this isn't the first time that you've been refused? This shouldn't be that hard to take if that's the case.' He concludes.

'Then don't make it the second one. I've only been ditched once and it feels as if I've been thrown out all my life. I mean, it's a bitch, really, especially if being rejected seems so preposterous because everybody's telling you that you certainly can snatch every guy you want whether he's a king, a general or a commoner.' She says and doesn't seem to feel like she's giving away much of what's she's not supposed to.

'I know what you mean.' Vegeta pauses.

FLASHBACK

'Vegeta, you know I love you but you don't deserve me.' the fair woman was saying.

'What the hell do you mean by that?'

'You know too well what, dear. I am the Queen of Eredon and I can't be content being a ruler of a puny planet. I want the universe to take over and I can only have that if I marry your father.' The woman said and droops over her golden head. She seemed to be stricken with guilt by her own words.

'So that's it? You'll give me up for my father because you want power?'

'It isn't as bad as it sounds, my love. We can still continue…' but the woman was cut short.

'What? Have an affair and make a wimpy cuckold out of my father!'

'But that's the only way we could survive through it all.' The woman said lowly.

'Damn it! I've been in love with you since childhood, woman. I waited, persevered through hell trainings under Frieza, turned my back on every woman that came to me so that when I meet you again I'll be qualified to make love to you, and this is what you tell me? Shit!'

'Listen, I am in massive debt to your father; he saved this planet against many foes. When I was 10, he himself bought my freedom and that of the whole planet so I could retain my right and sovereign over it and because of this we have nurtured an alliance that runs older than you are. It's only fair that I accept his offer to be his spouse, in which my debt shall be repaid.' The woman said in a hushed voice. A clear pool of liquid welled under her lids.

'Do you love him?'

'Nay, I can't love anyone else but you.' The woman told him and let fall two drops from her eyes.

She reached out an arm to him which he took swiftly. He had held her tightly before closing the gap between their passionate lips…

'Vegeta? You alright?' Vegeta jumps out of reverie as Bulma's voice penetrates his ears.

'Yes.' He says and moves closer to the open window. He lifts a leg on the ledge to prepare to take off.

'Where are you heading?' The girl asks, sniping a stealthy look at him.

'I need fresh air.' And he's right; he really needs fresh air for this sudden necessity to reminisce.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

'Sire, a saiyan warrior has infiltrated the complex. According to reports, he is an aristocrat native of the land.' A pink, stout creature bows to Frieza who is now taking pleasure in resting on the King's throne.

'What makes you say he's a saiyan, Dodoria?'

'Golden hair and sea green pupils.' Dodoria says.

'Immense strength?'

'Aye, Lord. He has already killed twenty-seven of our men, discounting those who were destroyed by his companions.'

'He has companions? What of them?'

'There are more or less six of them, one of which appears to be a Namek; all could be said to have possessed extraordinary powers.' Dodoria sighs. 'Shall I send Lord Vegeta to take them on?'

'Nay, he's taking care of something else. Go tell Ginew and his troop.'

'Yes, your majesty.' Dodoria walks out from the chamber.

TBC

a/n: That's all for the time, folks. I'll continue this if I have the time but it seems that it'll take long since I have to go away for 2 weeks sometime in the first week of April.