On the last episode of Dragonball Z Bulma was kidnapped in the name of the intergalactic games and the only way Vegeta can keep her safe is to win every battle. Can Vegeta pull out all the stops?
Welcome to the Games
Bulma was slowly pulled out of her unconscious stupor by a chill running down her spine. She tried to move but to no avail, she couldn't even open her eyes.
The nagging coldness on her back began forcing the grogginess from her mind and she was beginning to think clearly.
With a groan she tried to sit up and flee from the cold at her back but she found herself restrained. Forcing her eyes open she tried to look down but her head couldn't move.
Bulma felt the fist of fear clench around her heart as she tried to move every limb but found every single part of her restrained.
Forcing herself to exhale she closed her eyes and forced her brain to comprehend. She could feel the pressure of restraints wrapped around her whole body, from her head to her chest to each wrist to her waist to each knee then each ankle.
Just as the panic in her heart began to subside she realized she was completely naked. The cold eating away at her back was from the table-like structure she was tied to. It seemed to be some sort of metal although it was not completely smooth, it had a texture similar to stone but it was far too cold to be stone.
Soon Bulma became aware of a breathing noise that was not her own and her heart filled with dread.
"Who's there!" She cried out with some difficulty, her teeth were chattering now and her brain was whirling with thoughts of hypothermia.
Instead of answering, the source of the noise walked into her field of vision and peered down at her.
Bulma couldn't help but scream. The creature had a head similar to that of horse but much wider, but not quite as wide as a dairy cow. It had eyes that were red and menacing placed on either side of the head. It's eyes locked on Bulma's and she found herself unable to move, even if she could.
When it opened it's mouth and bellowed Bulma's heart couldn't take anymore, she slipped back into the dark embrace of unconsciousness.
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Somewhere nearby Vegeta's eyes shot open as the sound of Bulma's scream penetrated his mind and vanquished the darkness.
Within moments he was aware that he was still confined in the tube of the spacepod he had left Earth in. As he clenched his fists to release a wave of his kai that would blow his confinement to smithereens, a strange chill emanated from his neck, draining the force of his kai away.
Clenching his jaw he realized he had some sort of device around his neck, a kai inhibitor no doubt.
Closing his eyes his mind swept outward, feeling for the life forces of others. With a growl he confirmed he was in a building containing a multitude of other beings, some mind-bogglingly powerful and others barely noticeable, but only one of them was human.
Reaching out to Bulma he found her once again unconscious but very much alive, and very close by.
Unsure if the kai inhibitor would drain his physical strength he braced his back against the tube and pushed with his arms. With a satisfying snap, the tube split open and fell to the ground.
Vegeta found himself in some sort of lab like room, with monitors lining the walls reporting different readings. Upon closer inspection the monitors were reporting feedback on him. He couldn't help but smirk when he spotted his power levels displayed proudly on one of the larger screens.
Looking back at the wreckage of the tube he realized it was in fact the inside of the space pod but it had been removed from the outer casing and transported here, were numerous colored wires had been attached presumably to record what was now displayed on the monitors.
Vegeta felt the life form before he saw it. Without turning around, he turned his head and locked onto the being out of the corner of his eye. His normally hard exterior cracked and his face contorted in surprise. He turned to face the being, which he now recognized as a Meuhvache.
The Meuhvache had a similar body structure to that of a mythological centaur but the resemblance ended there. Its whole body was covered in a short fur, similar to that of a cow, and was almost all white with the exception of large black spots here and there.
It had large hand-like structures for feet, similar to that of a primate, with four fingers and a thumb. Its legs resembled that of a horse except they were much larger and more muscular. The body held the rough shape of a horse except with something more similar to a rabbits tail instead of the longhaired tail of horse.
The upper body, think that of a centaur but instead of being the human part of the creature it's just a continuation of the rest of the body, had a broad muscular chest and a pair of strong muscular arms jutting out from the shoulders. It had something similar to hands but bulkier and with only three fingers and a thumb.
It had a short, thick neck that supported a head that ranged somewhere between a horse and a cow. Its ears closely resembled that of a moose, with short antler-like structures rising up from its head.
His mind's eye swept back in time; arriving at the intergalactic games he attended as a young boy at the side of Frieza. Vegeta watched the slaughter with a sly smirk, those fools he had thought. Even at a young age the dark prince enjoyed watching the pain of others. All those fools fighting for some loved one, ha I will never be that weak.
But here he was. And they had the only thing in the universe he cared about. As a child he had watched countless warriors, strong and brave warriors, lose their fight. He had always assumed the pain on their face was inflicted from their wounds, but now he recognized it as something far more torturous.
It was the pain of failure. Not just a failure to oneself, but also failure to protect someone you care about. A pain he never understood until now.
As a warrior you are forced to forfeit love and all it's comforts in lieu of power and glory.
After all, who could love a monster that took the lives of millions of innocents and enjoyed doing it? One word rang throughout his whole being, Bulma. He had tried to conquer her planet, but in the end it was her who conquered his heart. He had once thrived in the lonely darkness, but once someone brings a light into that darkness it never goes out. Without Bulma there would still be light, a ghostly reminder of what once was, but there would be no warmth and no comfort.
His mind's eye brought him back to the present, where the Meuhvache was still patiently waiting. Balling his fists and curling his lips into a snarl he growled, "Take me to her."
The Meuhvache said nothing, only turned and walked back through the hallway from which it had come. Vegeta had no choice but to follow, his boots patting softing on the cold stone floor. Blood stone, he recalled. Every pore full of the blood of the fallen, each step decending upon a life cut short.
Vegeta's eyes darted back and forth as they walked through a labyrinth of hallways, which branched into a seemingly endless number of rooms. Glancing into the rooms that had been left open he spotted other rooms similar to the one they had just left, however these were all empty. This must be the loading area. All the competitors arrive here, their vitals and stats recorded for the audience to place their bets.
After what seemed like hours to Vegeta, but could only have been mere minutes, they arrived in a much smaller room than the one they had come from. It's only occupant was a small cot and a door that presumably led to some sort of bathroom.
Vegeta let out a snarl that implied, where the fuck is she. With a nod of understanding the Meuhvache flipped a switch on the wall. The lights dimmed and one of the walls seemed to disappear. On the other side was Bulma, unconscious and strapped to a table.
Vegeta's sharp saiyan eyes took it all in. She was covered from her neck to her ankles in some sort of blanket, but judging from the way it contoured to her body she was probably naked beneath. She was lying on a table, made of an unprocessed metal similar to copper.
There were banks of monitors mounted on the stark white walls that were keeping a close reading of her energy levels. Vegeta's eyes locked onto the monitor displaying her heart rate, and he felt his own heart begin to pound in rhythm with hers.
He strode over to the wall and reached out. Vegeta couldn't contain the growl that ripped from his throat when his fingers encountered a solid material. He recognized it as a material similar to that of one-way mirror on Earth. Vegeta could see her, but Bulma could not see him.
He took a step back, and slammed a fist into the glass with all his might. Surprisingly it help firm, without so much as a sound.
A distant typing sound reminded him that the Meuhvache was still in the room. Glancing over his shoulder he could see the creature at work on a monitor jutting out from the wall beside the door.
Turning his attention back to Bulma he noticed that although she was unconscious, her body was shivering. He tried to extend his kai and share some of his warmth, but the kai inhibitor drained it all away.
Angrily he turned on his heel and marched over to the Meuhvache. Seizing it by the ear he whipped it around and shoved its face into the glass.
"If she freezes to death I will destroy this entire planet" he growled shoving the beast toward the door.
With a stomp of it's foot and a sharp snort the creature left, closing the door behind it. A metallic click seemed to signify that the door was locked.
All the prince could do was sit on his cot, guard Bulma through the glass, and wait.
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Bulma slowly began to regain consciousness. This time her mind was far less groggy, but she was frozen. Bulma felt the tingling sensation that accompanied goose bumps all over her body, her teeth were chattering, and she was shivering uncontrollably.
A soft click and a whoosh marked the entrance of another one of those hellish creatures.
Practically holding her breath, Bulma listened as it typed away on some unseen computer. All she could do was stare at the stark white ceiling and wait for something to happen.
Bulma let out a sigh as she felt the coldness at her back quickly recede and was soon replaced with a warm soothing sensation. The goose bumps smoothed back into her creamy soft skin and her teeth silenced their incessant chattering. But the warmth only lasted a moment. Soon the cold was replaced by a burning and suddenly she felt as if someone had lit a fire beneath the table.
This time the sensation didn't reside just under her back but it ran the entire length of her body. She let out a blood curdling scream as she felt the skin of her backside begin to burn and bubble.
With no way of separating herself from the table she did the only thing she could think to do.
With every inch of her being she screamed out Vegeta's name, begging him to save her from this hellish torture.
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Vegeta and Bulma have arrived at the games and received a unique welcome. Without his kai will Vegeta be able to save Bulma? Will Bulma survive her hellish torture long enough to be saved? Find out next time on Dragonball Z