Fates way

CHAPTER FIVE

"Radditz, is that you?" Vegeta called out as he strolled calmly into the room holding the wooden door open for Bulma on his way, she crawled through nervously, still spooked from the encounter with Freeza earlier.

The room was much darker than the first, the lights were switched off, the only other glow was coming from behind some wooden shutters attached to the large windows. The floor was made of a hard cold stone and the ceiling was so high it reminded Bulma of a cathedral from her planet, although she seriously doubted the Sayans had a god or religion.

It was just a big long room, with some wooden chairs stacked at the far end, as if to answer what Bulma was thinking Vegeta spoke aloud.

"It's the old conference room. We don't use it anymore,"

"Oh… it's very cold." She replied quietly hugging herself, the lack of light in the chamber gave it a ghostly feeling; the air was musky and stale. It was like something out of a nightmare, in Bulma's castle all the rooms were occupied and cleaned regularly although it was much smaller than Vegeta's home; turning around she thought she heard a movement behind them.

"Radditz I know your here so stop fucking about you fool." Vegeta growled, as he opened the palm of his hand forming a small blue ki to help light the room up.

"Are you sure it's Radditz?" Bulma whispered as she stepped closer to Vegeta, he smirked as he smelt her passionflower perfume, he'd only known the woman an hour or so and she was already arousing him, not that he was going to let her know that; it could never happen, he was a Sayan and she was a weakling race sure he could sleep with her he wasn't exactly a virgin, but never could he take her as his actual mate. He'd be a mockery to the entire solar system.

Shaking his head violently he realised what he was thinking in the first place, and then he answered her question.

"Yes I know its Radditz." Vegeta whispered. "NOW GET YOUR LAZY ASS HERE NOW YOU PLEB!" he shouted cupping his hands to make his voice even louder, it echoed around the cold empty room, no reply.

"Is he… okay you think?"

"Yes im sure he's just sleeping around as usual, and if best he's got a woman about again or he'll pay the price." Vegeta snapped he was beginning to get angry; his friend was making a mockery of him in front of the newcomer.

"Woman around?" Bulma said to herself confused, and then chose to ignore it as a sound muffled from behind some chairs in the darkest corner.

Vegeta perked up as he heard the faint sound, his sensitive ears picking it up before Bulma, keeping her behind him he swiftly made the ki ball bigger in his palm ready to attack if needed, he was sure it was Radditz but he couldn't be sure with Freeza's troops storming about the place.

With super speed he hovered forwards and blasted the chairs with a blue flash attack; the sound thundered throughout the room and echoed in the dark corridors surrounding them, the glass in the windows shook with the impact.

"ArrrrrrkkkK!" screamed Bulma as she ducked into a braced position with her hands covering her ears, she wasn't expecting that; if her year was going to be like this she was going to have some kind of nervous breakdown or stress disorder. Back on Krystallis nobody threw ki balls or energy without warning; they had guns and bombs but this was just nuts. Waiting for another explosion of some sort she remained in the cowering position, the silence was deadly.

The musky dust reached her nose as it began to settle giving her the urge to sneeze, shyly looking up she made out the figure of Vegeta and a much taller person, they were shouting about something, what remained of the chairs and flooring were charred black.

"What was that…"? Bulma stuttered before realising whoever threw the blast would most probably be angry with her for interrupting; quickly she ducked back down again so not to be seen.

Vegeta turned around to find where the new girl had gone, she'd been behind him just a few seconds ago, grunting he looked about the room until he noticed her blue hair sticking out from behind a set of chairs on the other side of the room that he hadn't blown up.

"Why are you hiding behind there woman?" Vegeta growled in annoyance, he didn't realise that Bulma was such a girl, she seemed brave and strong earlier.

"Who's woman?" a new deep voice said, they seemed very interested in Bulma, she whimpered, before realising it was obviously safe if Vegeta had just shouted out her hiding place.

"Come out and stop being pathetic, it was me that blasted the chairs." Vegeta said with a tone of annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah and nearly annihilated me with them, thanks for that by the way." The other males voice echoed in a sarcastic tone.

"Pleasure." Vegeta replied, as he tapped his foot impatiently on the stone floor,

Shakily Bulma stood to her feet, and squinted into the dark dusty vicinity, her new skirt had been ruined, the dust and dirt clearly visible, feeling her hair she calmed down when she realised it was still straight and soft; it couldn't look that bad.

"At last, she appears." Vegeta growled, folding his arms but with a hint of a smirk across his features, was he really that fearful? The blast he had conjured was miniature he wasn't trying to cause major damage.

"Wow." The other guy said simply, squinting Bulma carefully walked forward being vigilant not to fall over the rubble and loose stone tiles Vegeta had just moved.

The other man was indeed much taller than the prince, he had very long spiky hair and looked to Bulma like an oversized mutant hedgehog; a deep scar was on one side of his face but she had to admit he did look pretty hot. The scar reminded her of her forced upon fiancé Yamcha back on her home planet; anger began filling her blood just thinking about the slime ball.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance Miss." The huge guy said stepping towards Bulma and performing a strange kind of bow, Bulma liked this man already, not just because he had a hot body he seemed to know how to treat a woman. He was wearing just a pair of dark trousers, showing off his chest and overly large muscles, also he was defiantly a Sayan a long brown furry tail was wound around his waist acting as a belt.

"Hi… I'm Bulma," she said shyly holding out her hand; quickly he seized it and kissed it.

"You don't even know who she is do you baka?" Vegeta growled as he appeared behind Radditz, he didn't look amused.

"Of course, she's beautiful that's who she is!" Radditz said winking at his friend, he didn't wait long for the response; Vegeta slammed his fist hard into stomach knocking the wind out of him.

"No. She's princess Bulma of the planet Krystalis, and she does not want you slobbering over her, if I find you make one step out of place with her, I mean it, friend or not, you will end up in the dungeons for many years." Vegeta promised as he retrieved his fist back and looked on to Bulma who was shocked at the sudden bout of violence coming from the Sayan prince.

"Sure…" Radditz wheezed out, before falling onto the floor.

"Vegeta…" Bulma whispered, he seemed so nice earlier on, why had he suddenly changed surely his friend hadn't annoyed him that much.

"Sorry, you just have to make sure he gets it through his thick head sometimes." Vegeta said calmly as Radditz pulled himself up off the stone floor and dusted himself down.

"Man no need to hit so hard."

"Yes there was, just keep your hands off her and leave the princess alone, she doesn't think your in anyway attractive I'm sure." Vegeta growled, turning away from the longhaired man and looking into Bulma's big blue eyes.

"Excuse me. I think I can vouch for myself princey, I can speak you know, and what if I did think him attractive huh." Bulma challenged, stepping closer to him and glaring back into his eyes angrily.

"Whatever." The Sayan prince shrugged as he wandered over to a wooden table and sat on the top of it, his legs dangling below him, the metal dog chain falling loosely.

'Stupid prince he's so arrogant.' Bulma thought to herself, scorning, then she realised he hadn't even properly introduced her to the other guy, surely this was Radditz? or maybe it was somebody else.

As if to answer her question the longhaired guy raised his eyebrows at Vegeta then to Bulma, he had gotten up off the floor.

"I'm Radditz by the way, sorry about earlier princess."

"That's okay… I suppose I've got to get used to it, this planets different to home… a lot."

"That's good or bad?" Radditz said curiously,

"I don't know, good I suppose, bad in a way… whatever."

"So how long you hear for? Month, two?" he said quickly changing the subject, looking over to Vegeta who seemed to be either deep in thought or sulking.

"A year I think… I'm here with my father." Bulma said quietly, she was already beginning to feel home sick, it wasn't just due to the really hot climate of Vegetasei or the long trip they had in space, she was starting to miss her little castle and her horses, of course her mother and friends as well.

Jay was probably already on his way to the pleasure planet, he was going to have all those months to party and have fun, as much as he annoyed Bulma he was one of her best friends as well as her protector she was missing him also; it had only been a couple of hours they'd said the very informal goodbye.

"Where's everybody else gone?" Vegeta said suddenly disturbing the awkward silence developing between the pair.

Radditz half glided over to Vegeta who was still sitting atop the high table once used to place ice sculptures and champagne for the conferences.

"Freeza sent them all to purge." Radditz said grimly, "all of them."

Another silence began this was even colder,

"Purge as in… clear planets." Bulma whispered, she'd heard terrifying stories about Freeza and his men killing all the occupants women, children, anything then taking the planets resources and selling the planet to a rich buyer.

Both the Sayans nodded their heads.

"It's good training." Vegeta said his tail flickered next to him, Radditz leaned on the table and examined his nails, he stood much taller than Vegeta even whilst the prince was sitting on the wooden slab.

"You mean… you've both… both space pirates…" she gulped, deciding to change the sentence, her two new friends were mass murderers if that was the case they were planet purgers; she knew Sayans were bloodthirsty and lived to fight but she never thought they would stoop that low. After all they were in a secret alliance with Krystalis to wipe Freeza out and destroy his evil dictatorship. According to these two they were part of his working force.

"Yeah spose, space pirates that sounds pretty cool." Radditz muttered to Vegeta, both didn't seem to notice the horrified tone in Bulma's voice.

"Hey Vegeta, remember that Planet Venial, the big green place with the swamps and gold pits?" Radditz grinned as he jumped atop the bench also.

"Yeah, you got stung by the giant scorpion." Vegeta laughed,

"Stupid insect, that was excruciatingly painful, no I'm on about the colossal Amazonian women that inhabited the world, you know the ones with the huge boo boos."

"Yes I do recall, now can we change the subject I'm sure little princess Bulma doesn't want to hear your past tales." Vegeta said wanting to get off the subject quickly, finally looking back to Bulma.

Something was up with him and he didn't like it, for some reason he couldn't take his eyes off the new blue haired girl, sure she was good looking and strangely exotic; maybe it was the blue hair or the bright sapphire blue eyes. For some reason just looking at her made him slightly aroused. Shrugging off the thoughts to the back of his mind he went back to reality before she caught him checking her out with his wandering eyes.

Like he had told himself earlier, never could he become attached to her they could never be mates only bed partners if that, he didn't exactly feel in the mood to be humiliated and his father would never condone to such behaviour, more than likely he would have his right to the throne taken away from him.

Thinking about the confrontation they had with Freeza a few minutes before made his blood suddenly begin to run cold, to say he was scared of what Freeza could do was an exaggeration. If Bulma had been walking alone she would have more than likely ended up bruised, fragile and alone somewhere on one of Freeza's spaceships.

Vegeta earlier had the urge to fight to his death for the girl he hardly even knew, usually he would turn a blind eye and not get involved, but then to turn around and claim Bulma as his own in front of the one person he feared… it scared him in a way. Cursing to himself he suddenly realised what he had just done.

"Wake up princey, your scouter's going off." Radditz nudged as the Sayan forced all the thoughts and fears aside. He was so engaged in thinking he hadn't noticed the device he had slipped back into his pocket bleeping endlessly away; reluctantly he looked away from Bulma whom he had been staring at the entire time and onto the tiny computer in his right hand.

Pressing one of the large buttons on the side a large blue section flipped down, hooking it onto his ear he answered the incoming call.

"Prince Vegeta is that you?"

Groaning in irritation at answering the stupid device, he unwillingly responded to the familiar deep voice.

"Yes father, what do you wish to interrupt me for?"

"Less than that from you brat, stop speaking to me in that ridiculous juvenile tone, talk like the prince you are." Growled the unmistakeable voice of the great King Vegeta, he didn't sound amused.

Vegeta ignored his father leaving him in a cold silence, pressing an icon on the touch screen, the king's voice suddenly boomed into the chilly dark stone room.

"Are you getting prepared for the special gathering this evening? Just to ensure you have not forgotten, I was going to get Nappa to contact you but I suspected you wouldn't answer your communications device."

"Yes I shall be attending the stupid merrymaking ball tonight is that all." Prince Vegeta growled in irritation, Bulma grinned realising he had dared put his father on loudspeaker; if he ever found out all hell would break loose.

"Can I go too pwetty pweze." Radditz whispered in a mocking tone, very quietly so not to be picked up by the scouter. He was wrong.

"Who is that in your presence?"

"Radditz, problem?"

"Oh Radditz, that good for nothing boy I employ, the worst guard I think I could have possibly chosen; a Tsuful could do a better job."

"Father stop going on you sound senile why not go and make Freeza feel at home."

"HOW DARE-" Bleep.

"You just cancelled your fathers link…" Radditz said aghast, his mouth gaping slightly open.

"So, he doesn't shut up he's wasting the battery. I bet both your fathers are the same." Vegeta growled in defence, it wouldn't have been the first time he'd shut his father off from him; he was one of the only people on the planet that dared answer back or show any kind of opinion to the King. Maybe it was to do with the stubborn part of the prince; or possibly because the young heir was sometimes feared even more than his father he'd already proven he was stronger, and his dad was apparently the strongest being on the world. Either way Prince Vegeta would never back down from a conflict with his estranged father usually coming out on top with the verbal battling and sometimes fights.

"I must say… I can vouch for that, my father can be a right twat at times." Bulma said suddenly becoming slightly more confident in the presence of the two half naked men.

"Well, my fathers not around much, he's always busy in space, still I wouldn't dare divert his com's." Radditz said, then added. " Let alone divert his majesty, he'd have me executed or fed to the dragons without fail."

"Are you saying you're scared of my father?"

"Well… yes…. He is pretty terrifying, you know I think I'd rather match up to the Ginyu force than him."

Vegeta just shook his head in sympathy for Radditz, he certainly hadn't inherited his father's brains that were for sure, he acted more like his younger dim wit brother. The Ginyu force were the most mysterious and apparently strongest army in the universe, they were Freeza's private defence force working only for him.

Freeza laughed as he looked down at the once lively village that was now destroyed, the huge blast he had formed had actually managed to miss its intended target, but had caused just as much destruction. The group of peasants he was aiming for had somehow deflected the gigantic purple orb but straight into their village destroying their entire community in the process.

Now they were crouched down looking at the crater of what remained of the little hamlet.

"Pathetic monkeys, I should put them all out of their misery… only that would be a nasty thing to do…. Hehe… they're more stupid than I thought, they knock the blast straight into their wooden huts… hmm Zarbon do you think we should spare those midgets or send them to meet their families in the next dimension?" Freeza laughed coldly as he remained levitated,

"Lord Freeza, I thought we were keeping a low profile." Zarbon pointed out, and then shrugging his shoulders at the last question he really couldn't care less about the handful of monkeys on the ground.

"Yes, yes, quite true. I just had to get all that out of my system I did have a long journey, I feel much better now I assure you, it was either that, or perhaps blow up the palace which does sound appealing if I say so. I just cannot believe that little Sayan brat has kept the blue haired girl for himself, really he should be taught how to share." Freeza said coldly with a taint of humour in his voice, he still found the scene before him comical. The smell of fresh blood was wafting into his nose, licking his lips he drifted below to the scene of devastation and to the few peasants who survived, Zarbon soon followed begrudgingly like a dog chasing its master.

'I can't believe their planet purgers…' Bulma thought to herself, it kept running through her mind over and over again; planets very close to her homeworld had recently been 'cleared' the occupants wiped out entirely. Most had been weak defenceless aliens with no means of protecting their worlds from invasion; she had always believed Freeza's men to be heartless cold and strangely pictured them to be repulsive. Yet here she was on a different planet standing next to one of the leaders, both were laughing about the missions as if they were in a playground at school, the death of all those people didn't seem to be playing on their minds at all.

"You've gone awkwardly quiet." Vegeta muttered after laughing at something Radditz said, looking forwards he glared over to Bulma who seemed delved in thoughts.

Who… me?" she stuttered,

"Who else dummy."

"Excuse me… just because I am a guest to your planet doesn't mean to say I have to take childish insults like that."

"What dummy?" Radditz said confused butting in to the exchange.

"Now you're calling me a dummy!" Bulma pouted angrily.

Vegeta grinned as she began to change colour in the face, Bulma looked even more attractive when she was angry, shaking his head he couldn't believe he had just had that thought go through his head again. She didn't even have Sayan blood, but was one of the weakest in the galaxy he was the strongest; even if she did have good looks it certainly wouldn't work between the two his father would never allow it. What was happening, he must be tired from the hard training and lack of sleep lately.

"No, no! I was just wandering what dummy?… like as in, where is the dummy? A use of the ancient Sayan vocabulary I believe." Radditz stated biting his lip in thought.

"Stop trying to be clever, it doesn't fit your image you look too stupid." Vegeta declared jumping off the table, his feet landed with a thud onto the hard stone floor.

Bulma hadn't bothered listening she was to busy arguing with Radditz.

"Hey!" Radditz called out, as Vegeta calmly strolled across the room back to the way he and Bulma had come leaving the two quarrelling.

"Problem?" Vegeta called back without turning around, Bulma growled in frustration. Why was Vegeta acting like a total dick all of a sudden? Perhaps this was the real deal. Now by the looks of things he was going to leave her in the middle of the strange castle alone, with this huge guy she had just met.

"No, no problem my prince, I was wondering am I invited to the ball?" Radditz smirked, giving Vegeta a thumbs up sign and a wink as he turned around.

"If you wish you can come along, it's in aid of our delightful guest his lord of gayness." Vegeta turned back around and walked slowly to the door.

"So… continuing on from the question ages ago, answer me god damnit, what do I wear to the banquet?" Bulma called out, as she began to stroll quickly to catch up with the young prince. She could just make out his figure in the dim light from the training room they had came through before meeting Radditz the shutters were doing a less than impressive job of letting in sunlight.

"I told you earlier. Where what your wearing now." Vegeta called back without turning around; if Bulma wished she could catch him up but he wasn't that concerned.

"Hey! I thought it was a ball not a formal dinner party." Radditz whined, quickly he flew over past Bulma landing at Vegeta's side.

"It's a banquet if you have to know Radditz and yes your more than welcome to come, I'm sure my father will be overjoyed to see you off work again." Vegeta replied sarcastically, adding, "Bulma I shall not be taking you to the beach today, I need a lay down my headache seems to be getting worse."

"Sure… if your not feeling well, I'll walk you back." Offered Bulma, raising an eyebrow in concern at Vegeta; he was acting really weird unless he was always like that, she had been looking forward to checking out the coast but there was no rush she could do that anytime.

She needed some time on her own anyway, the journey was long and stressful and being in her father's presence for all those days was taking its toll. Also she wanted to gather her thoughts together about her two new friends.

Vegeta seemed to be quite genuine even though he was an apparent space pirate, Radditz although like Vegeta had a hot body, slightly creeped her out.

"I'm fine, I don't need to be walked back I'm big enough to look after myself."

"Yes, but I'm not - and I don't know the way back"

Rolling his eyes, he looked at Radditz on his right. "I'll send you a com later when I go down to the banquet, I suggest you go back to your guard duties before my father hunts you down."

Nodding his head in agreement the much taller Sayan flew out of the training room and disappeared from sight leaving just the two royal heirs alone again with just each other for company.

Disclaimer: Hi there people! I want to apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to update (about a month) I have just been really busy lately and I have not had much time to sit on my precious pc working on my fanfictions. Next update will hopefully (not be), as long I will try my hardest!

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