Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait! I hope you enjoy.

Set Me Free

Chapter 3


It was a beautiful day on Vegetasei. The two suns were high in the sky, accompanied by big white clouds that floated across. It was slightly hot outside, which was typical for Planet Vegetasei and Bulma loved it. Clad in a white summer dress, she made her way out to the gardens, a book in her right hand. Her blue hair blew in the wind and her pale skin glistened in the sunlight. She was the definition of beauty.

Bulma sauntered over towards a tall tree, which was located in the middle of a vast green field. She took shelter underneath, in the shade where it was cooler. Leaning against the tree, she took off her sandals and proceeded to get comfortable.

Before she opened her book, Bulma looked across the field towards the palace and recalled the past few weeks. The prince and her had their little encounters throughout that time and occasionally, a small conversation but nothing too exciting. She was merely intrigued by him and nothing more, Bulma decided. He was the only one who was able to "keep up" with her in their little battle of wits, this is what surprised her the most. He was more than just a snobbish prince and she had to admit, he was quite brilliant.

"And not bad on the eyes, either" She chuckled to herself. Pulling a blue lock of hair behind her ear, she remembered his perfect ass and how she would stare at it as they departed from each other. The blued-haired woman also recalled a specific time they "stumbled upon" each other the week before. She was walking around the palace, completely immersed within her book when she failed to see that the servants were busy cleaning the marble floors. The next thing she knew, she slipped and was falling towards the staircase. Bulma braced herself for the impact but discovered it never came. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Vegeta holding her around the waist with his left arm.

She smirked as she remembered his smart-ass comments following that moment and how that sparked their little bickering "fights". Now, she actually looked forward to bumping into him.

Finally, Bulma shook herself from her daze about the prince and turned her attention towards her book. She began to read and was immediately oblivious to her surroundings.


The prince stared out onto the grounds of the palace, taking in the scenery. He was currently leaning against the doorway, arms folded over his chest and his eyes settling on something in particular. A smirk made its way across his handsome features as he stared at the image of the young woman, who was immersed in her book. That sharp-tongued woman certainly did keep him on his toes when it came to their verbal sparring matches. Looking at his watch, he frowned and pushed himself away from the doorframe, continuing on with his busy day. However, he was unable to tame his wandering thoughts for the rest of the day.


Days passed and Bulma noticed that she had not seen the prince in quite some time. She asked around casually, wondering if any of the servants had seen their prince within the past week. Unfortunately, they all responded with a no. She sighed and decided to ask Kakarott at dinner tonight.

Chi Chi and Bulma made their way to the dinning hall after getting ready for dinner. They met up with Kakarott and the queen but no sign of either King Vegeta or Prince Vegeta. Bulma frowned slightly but brightened when she saw Kakarott. The two of them have also become close throughout the past few weeks. He had met her in the gardens and they shared long conversations with each other. She smiled; he was a good friend to her and kept her company when Chi Chi was busy with "royalty matters".

Dinner was delightful and was full of good conversations by everyone. The queen was especially engaged and was overjoyed at the chance of communicating with other women, specifically with Bulma and Chi Chi who were young and vibrant in spirit.

Suddenly, Bulma changed the subject. She had to ask her burning question that was eating at her all night, even though she would never admit it. "Where is the prince?" She questioned, looking back and forth between Kakarott and the queen.

The queen sipped at her white wine and shook her head. "I have no idea, my dear."

Kakarott thought for moment before remembering the small conversation he had with Vegeta the last time they spoke. "I believe he's on a small mission. I think he will be back sometime tomorrow." He trailed off, shoving a piece of steak into his mouth.

Bulma nodded as she finished her dinner while the conversation once again picked up and they all were excitedly shouting and laughing until dinner was finished and they said their goodbyes.


A soft thud awoke Bulma from her sleep. She turned towards the clock. 3:26 AM. Bulma sighed and was about to go back to sleep when she heard it again. Another soft thud was once again forced against her double wooden doors. Confused, Bulma suspiciously leapt out of bed and inched towards the doors. She nervously turned the handle and slid her head out the door.

No one was there. Confused, she poked her head out and looked left then right. The hallways of the palace were dark but she squinted and could see a dark figure leaning against the wall to her right. It was paused, back to her, but then began moving very slowly away from her until it faltered and slumped against the wall once more.

Bulma hesitated and then decided to check out the situation and see if anything was wrong. Throwing on a robe on, she quickly ran over towards the figure.

Bulma finally caught up to the person, who was currently sitting, slumped over, against the wall. She stooped down and lowered herself slowly till she was sitting on her knees. The blue-haired woman reached out a hand and attempted to "wake" the man.

"Sir, are you alright?" She jerked his shoulder. No movement. "Sir?" Again, she shook his shoulder harder this time until the man slowly lifted his head to look at her.

Bulma gasped when she recognized the man. "V-Vegeta?"

He continued his blank stare without saying a word. The prince could barely keep his eyes open as he looked into Bulma's face. He was exhausted, to say the least, and was quite weak.

Bulma broke the stare and examined the prince's body. The dark hallway and dim lighting was making it difficult for her to inspect the Saiyan prince and she saw nothing but a few scratches and bruises scattered throughout his body and silently ruled that nothing serious was apparent. That was until her eyes landed on his right side. Squinting her eyes to adjust to the dark, she could barely make out his tattered shirt on his right side, which seemed wet and coated with a dark liquid which she could only guess to be blood.

"Your highness, what happened?" She asked, scooting closer to take a look at his right side.

Again, Vegeta said nothing.

"Vegeta, it looks like you need to see a doctor or something…" She trailed off, reaching out towards him.

He pulled away. "No" He snapped as he struggled to get up. Soon, he was on his feet and was beginning his journey yet again towards his quarters.

Bulma got to her feet with him and followed the prince to his room, offering her help along the way while he refused.

Finally, they reached his room. He fumbled with the door handle, all the while slipping in and out of consciousness. Vegeta was about to collapse onto his feet again when Bulma pushed her way underneath his left side, supporting his body as she guided him to his bed. He released a deep growl but secretly welcomed the help.

Bulma gently helped him settle onto his bed. She flipped on the light in order to take a closer look at his wounds. He hissed and threw his hands over his eyes. "Damnit woman!"

"I'm sorry Vegeta, but I really need to take a look at your injuries…" murmured as she began to carefully strip off his jacket and shirt. At first, he batted her hands away but eventually gave in due to the lack of energy.

Bulma held in a gasp as she exposed his right side. His flesh was covered in fresh blood and accompanied by caked on dried, old blood. The skin was shredded and ripped, while blood oozed slowly out of the new lacerations.

The young woman glanced at the Saiyan prince and watched him as he slowly slipped in and out of consciousness. "Vegeta, we need to get you to a doctor…" She mumbled, trailing off as she turned her attention back to his wounds.

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone." He stated, irritated by the woman and her pestering commands. Doesn't she understand? He just wants to get some sleep!

She shook her head and glanced around the prince's room, looking for anything that may be of use to her. Finally, her eyes landed on her silky robe. She quickly removed the article and began tearing it into strips of cloth.

"Here. Its not a lot, but it'll do for now." She grabbed his right arm first, wrapping the appendage tightly in the makeshift bandages. Vegeta released a hiss as pain shot throughout his entire body. He flinched and tried to snatch the arm away but Bulma held tightly and glared at the prince below. "Stop. This will help you!"

The prince gave in to her command and allowed her to finish wrapping his arm and the wounded parts on his chest and abdomen.

"Alright, I'm finished. I'm going to go get some help." She quickly stood up and rushed towards the door, throwing it open and calling out for anybody who was around and could hear her plea for help.

A young boy appeared out of the darkness of the hallway and bowed before addressing the blue-haired woman. "Yes, milady?"

"Hurry and fetch a doctor! The prince needs medical attention!"

The boys expression turned frantic and he quickly bounded off into the direction of the medical wing. Bulma sighed and shut the door. She pulled a chair next to Vegeta's bed and gazed at him. He seemed to be unconscious at this point, both from blood loss and extreme exhaustion. The prince looked so… peaceful? The scowl was barely noticeable upon his harsh features and his muscles were no longer clenched but relaxed. Vegeta's rhythmic breathing – the movements of his chest up and down – seemed to mesmerize the young woman and began to lull her to drift away.

Suddenly, a small knock echoed throughout the darkened room. Her head swung around and she saw a meek man peer through the crack in the door before he revealed the rest of his body, along with 2 assistants.

He bowed swiftly then made eye contact with Bulma. "I'm the on-call physician, Dr. Gigitti." He extended his hand and Bulma took it eagerly. "What happened?" He asked, sneaking a peek at his patient.

Bulma shrugged. "I have no idea. I just found him like this in the hallway" She gestured towards the prince, who was still unconscious at this point.

The doctor nodded and mumbled an "I see" as he stepped closer to Vegeta, setting down his equipment bag while his two assistants followed suit.

The physician slipped on a pair of glasses and examined the prince closely, poking and prodding at the right side of his body. The poorly constructed bandages were beginning to dampen and streaks of blood appeared on the white silk. Dr. Gigitti shook his head, mumbling to himself as he slowly unwrap the prince's appendage and side, exposing the tattered flesh. Finally, he turned to his assistants. "His highness will need some sutures."

The assistants rushed to the physician's side, equipped with the medical supplies.

As the medical team was busy at work repairing the battered prince, Bulma peered over their shoulders. "Will he be alright?"

Dr. Gigitti glanced at the young woman and nodded. "Yes, but as his future wife, you must make sure he takes it easy for a little while." And he was right back to work, fixing the prince up.

Bulma went to correct the man, realizing that he must have not gotten word that she was not the future queen. "But, I'm not-"

"You may go. Everything is fine and under control. Thank you…" The doctor ignored her past statement and was oblivious as the blue-haired woman quietly slipped out the room and down the dark hallway.


The following morning, Bulma was awakened by a sudden knock. She groaned, ignoring the intruder and hoping they would take the message and leave. Unfortunately, she was wrong. It came again, accompanied by a middle-age solider who announced the maiden's dearest friend and future queen.

Chi Chi bounded over towards the luxurious bed and settled herself next to her closest companion. "Morning" She said, brushing away a blue lock out of Bulma's face as she sat, facing her.

Bulma groaned again and frowned. She had gotten no sleep since the incident that took place the night before. For a moment, she almost forgot it happened and passed it off as a weird dream. Almost.

"Hey Chi, did you hear what happened to Veg- I mean, the prince?" Bulma asked the princess, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

The young princess sat puzzled, giving her friend a confused look. "What?"

Bulma was shocked. She was sure that Chi Chi would have been informed last night, or at least first thing this morning. She sighed and began telling her best friend the entire story about her future husband.


Bulma licked her finger and flipped the page of her romance novel that she was currently burying herself in. She was once again seated under the tree in the middle of the field. The young woman decided it was now one of her most favorite places to be due to the solitude and beauty.

It had been a couple days since the incident that happened to Vegeta. She had not seen the prince since but dismissed the thought. She also had no idea where he received such wounds but figured it was from his latest mission on another planet.

Bulma glanced up from her book and looked across the field, towards the palace where she spotted a figure making it's way to her. She slowly closed her book and awaited the arrival of the visitor. To her lovely surprise, it was her good friend Kakarott.

When he reached her, Kakarott made himself comfortable by settling down on the ground next to her, his back leaning against the tree. He smirked, looking down at the young woman.

"What?" She questioned, quirking an eyebrow at his "mischievous" grin. "What's with that smile?"

"Well, I heard about your adventures with his highness the other night…" He glanced away for a moment, then returned to her eye contact.

"Oh? Where did you hear that from?"

"From the horses mouth, of course." His smile widened. "Vegeta."

For some strange reason, Bulma was dying to hear what he had to say about her. After realizing this feeling, she scowled and cursed to herself for caring what this man had to say about her. Still, her expression she gave to Kakarott prodded him to continue his story.

"Well, I guess the prince was impressed, to say the least, about your actions."

"He said that?" She quickly clutched her friend's arm, nearly begging him to continue.

"Well, no. But just the way he was talking about it. Let's just say, he did not complain about your actions."

Bulma leaned back and a small smile crossed her beautiful lips. She was flattered and excited to know that she impressed the prince. But why? The question still disturbed her thoughts as she pondered why she even cared what he thought about her. He was Chi Chi's future husband, after all. And yet, she could not stop thinking about this man! She mentally decided she must try her hardest to stop seeing him and avoid him. Yes, this will help with those awful emotions and thoughts. She grinned at her new plan until Kakarott made one more announcement that made her smile slip off her face.

"I believe he wishes to see your presence at dinner tonight."


Author's Note: Did you like it? I had to revise it around 3 times, which is why it took so long. Please review! I love to hear from all of you!