If I Dreamed - Michika Tenshi - 0.4.15-0.8.11

¥: An Athame is a knife for those of you who don't know

Prologue

Capsule Corporation stood as an empty shell on the land that was once filled with bustling activity. The lawn had become slightly overgrown but nothing too alarming. The only manufacturing plant for the capsules stood empty and silent, nothing moved save for the green blades of grass swaying in the wind. In the main building that used to be inhabited by the Briefs family sat their only daughter. She sat in the dust on the floor with various capsules laid out in front of her. She reached out with spidery fingers and chipped nails, in one simple motion she brought all her capsules together into a large pile. Nimbly she plucked out some of the more worn ones and placed them in a special leather belt she wore designed for carrying capsules. She stood up and rummaged through her pocket, her hand emerged clutching a futuristic looking capsule. The plunger like trigger mechanism had been replaced by a small square black panel on the side, its silver skin was shiny and reflective unlike earlier models. The usual labels displaying the capsules’ contents had been converted to a small strip that ran down its side from top to bottom, stating a 10 digit long number. With her new capsule in hand she pressed her thumb to the black square; it beeped and she tossed a couple of feet from her. When the dust had cleared a black box stood at attention like a soldier waiting for battle. The woman's footsteps echoed loudly in the empty lab, everything was gone. The young president had taken or disposed of everything that could give away the secret to the encapsulation process. All the plans to Capsule Corporation sat at the scientist's feet along with other important items. With longing in her blue eyes she placed the pile in the black box and returned the ebony object to its place. She tucked the capsule in her bra since she had no other place to store it at the current time.

Her watch beeped and she pulled her long coat off the floor and looked once more around the room. A single hot tear splattered on the floor as her retreating footsteps could be heard down the empty hall. With tear blurred eyes she checked her watch again; the digits displayed the letters plainly, detonation in 5:20 min. Her pace quickened and she forced herself into a run, in her chest her heart thumped in pain and anguish, yet also with courage.

She stood on a hillside on the edge of the Capsule Corporation property where well-manicured lawn met with the untamed beauty of the forest. The device on her arm counted down the seconds until it emitted a signal that brought forth the demolition of her childhood forever. Clouds of fire mushroomed over her property; pieces of the telltale buildings jumped into the sky as the flames below nipped at them, the fires then disappearing into the atmosphere. The shockwave was unable to reach the woman but the regret still could, Bulma wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes and told herself fiercely it had to be done. With a heavy heart she turned and set out into the forest.

-II- New Face, Strange Place

The smells of twilight and burning wood drifted in the air; trickling water could be heard faintly echoing off the walls. Consciousness had just returned to Bulma. She could feel the heat from a fire on her skin and quite the opposite feeling from cold bandages on various parts of her anatomy. The confused woman turned her head around to study her dank surroundings. The walls had small trickles of water dripping down from the ceiling and pooling on the floor away from Bulma. The fire painted the small room with firelight, creating shadows and sending the woman's mind to thinking about her earlier encounter with the vicious Sayian.

Cautiously testing the extent of the damage, she raised her left arm into her range of vision. Her watch had suffered some damage. The rotating piece around the face had been bent out of place but nothing she couldn't fix. Her arms had dozens of dime-sized bruises and cuts pattering her skin. She flexed her arm, not too serious, nothing that a senzu couldn't heal. Her hand went down to her waist and pulled out a capsule marked with a green x. Half a senzu made her feel entirely better, even though she still felt grimy and dirty from her fall.

Sitting up, she made a mental checklist of what she needed to do. Then it struck her; someone had brought her into the cave, started the fire and bandaged her wounds. "I'm glad to see that you are feeling better." came a feminine voice. The owner advanced in the firelight, revealing herself. She had bronze skin and dark green hair with blue streaks cropped short just above her chin. Green eyes sparkled unnaturally in the dim light.

Bulma studied her saviour closer, "Thank you!" she smiled. There was a long pause before one of them broke the silence. "You’re lucky to have escaped alive. He usually doesn't leave anyone alive, unless he can think of a better method of torture to get his kicks from." the strange woman spoke the words with distaste in her eyes, burning with a luminescent green light. Frightened, Bulma back-pedalled a couple of steps into the damp wall. The woman gasped and she closed her eyes, "I'm sorry, that only happens when I let my feelings get the best of me." Bulma was still frightened of this strange woman, "You’re...you’re not from around her here are you?" she stuttered tripping over half formed words.

"No, you’re right. I came with them. They visited my world once. It was a massacre; only two of us survived. The Prince keeps us as pets, he takes us everywhere with him." she shuttered visibly when she told the other woman the fate of her planet. "How did you get away?" the Chikyuu native questioned. "I tricked one of the royal guards into taking me outside. When the dumb fool turned his back I took off. When I was sure I'd lost him I broke my collar and found this place. I've been here hiding ever since." She pointed to two crescent shaped pieces of glinting metal. Without a second thought, Bulma reached down and scratched her upper thigh. Taking a couple steps towards the discarded collar she stopped as images flashed through her mind. A strange room where hot water rushed down from above. The flash lasted only an instant but it damaged her ability to function normally for a second. She blinked the strange experience away.

"How long have you been here?" The alien woman shrugged, "The moon's been full once and it will be again soon." The scientist made the mental calculation. "That’s almost two months, how is that possible? They should have destroyed the planet by now." The freed captive scratched her head, "They're looking for something, or they were. Something called caps...caps....uls something." The green haired woman struggled to remember. "Was it Capsule Corporation? What do they want with C.C.?" Bulma raised an eyebrow. "They're after the technology it has, they want to use it to make what they already have better. They've put off selling the planet until they get what they want, it’s the King's orders."

Bulma ran her hands through her unbound hair. "This is ridiculous. What are they going to do if they don't get it?" she sighed, "Capsule Corps is destroyed, it no longer exists." When the alien made a confused face Bulma continued. "It was blown up and everything inside of it was destroyed." the earthling elaborated. The alien shook her head, "They believe that the creator escaped with plans and such stuff, they're searching for her right now." Bulma swallowed her surprise and cautiously formed her next sentence; not quite sure if this new woman was friend or foe. "Why do they think that?" The green haired woman shrugged, becoming defensive. "They just do."

With her chipped nails Bulma scratched her left thigh again and continued cautiously, "What are you going to do when they leave?" The woman raised a blue eyebrow. "They aren't going to leave until they have what they want, besides I'll be dead by that time." It was Bulma's turn to be confused; it didn't last long as the alien woman continued. "The Sayians may seem dumb but they are rather cunning. When they captured us their scientists created a virus and injected us with it. The virus eats away at the barrier between our powers and ourselves. We have to be loyal to them or we'll kill ourselves with our own gifts." She cast her eyes downward in defeat.

"If...if I can cure you will you tell me everything you know about the Sayian?" She felt pity for this lonely creature and dispensed with the caution and her own urge for self-survival. The woman's head shot up upwards and her mouth hung open, she stuttered and gasped when the fire went out. The Chikyuu native's eyes failed to adjust to the loss of light, impenetrable blackness closed in around her setting off her claustrophobia.

Something grabbed Bulma around the waist while a hand clamped over her mouth, stifling the growing scream. The woman she met earlier whispered in her ear, "He's here. When I tell you, run straight ahead. When you feel a fork in the road, take the right path. Don't look back, Bulma Briefs. You're the light in darkness. Destroy what they want!"

Sounds of a foreign language drifted down into the room. The alien woman answered back in Bulma's language. "It won't work this time. I'm free from you and I intend to stay this way." There was a pause and the Sayian answered back in the same language. "S'Rys, you know you can't escape me; your mine!"

S'Rys gave Bulma a shove and turned back to the impending fight. Bulma walked blindly with her hands out in front to stop herself from running headfirst into a wall. She found the fork and took the proper path that led out to a precipitous cliff. A thin ledge ran from the cave exit up and around to the top where the cliff melted back into the forest. The blue haired human struggled up the path, skidding on loose rocks and clinging to the rock face precariously.

Her fingers found small handholds to help pull herself along. Her foot slipped a few times sending her heart up to her throat. She stopped, gasping to pull in live-giving air for her lungs. Something brushed the top of her head making her turn her eyes skywards. Screams escaped her mouth as she saw what had disturbed her hair. One of S'Rys' limp hands swung in the breeze, her body over a Sayian's armoured shoulder. Her feet lost their balance and she clawed the air, grabbing frantically for something to break gravity's hold on her body. Her fingers passed through nothing as she began to tumble down towards her inevitable death. She closed her eyes and prayed to Kami.

Her body never contacted the ground. She cracked open a sapphire eye and a girlish giggle escaped her lips when she realised that she'd cheated death once again. Her happiness and emotions had momentarily cut off all the rational thoughts from her brain. When the idea surfaced, that if she'd hadn't died from the fall, her scientific mind wondered how she'd survived. Opening both her eyes she screamed again, a high pitched wail of fright. That dirty sayian had caught her. Her tiny fists pounded ineffectively upon his armour while she screeched "Put me down!" repeatedly in her native language. Her captor glared down at her through dark slanted eyes.

Several thoughts ran into her head flooding it with possible reasons for why this war-obsessed warrior had saved her doomed life. Hormone induced thoughts made a small appearance before being banished with a blush. Her brilliant mind eventually came up with the simple idea to jump from his arms. Needless to say the plan lost its effectiveness when she realised exactly how high up they were.

The wind blew over the Chikyuu native’s face becoming progressively cooler and more violent. She studied the man's face; it was darkly tanned with a chiselled chin, a sharp nose that seemed permanently turned upwards in disgust, high cheekbones accented the shapely face and dark eyes that glared with unjustified anger. His lips were full and soft though pulled back into a perpetual scowl. Bulma's fingers tingled and her leg itched when she studied his profile in the dim outdoor light, her hands formed tight fists clenching and unclenching to rid herself of the foreign feeling.

"What happened to S'Rys?" Bulma’s rising anger flashed in her eyes as she glared upwards at him. No response came. "Well? Tell me already, you overgrown beast!" she whined. Her annoyed pleas fell of deft ears, almost, a muscle just below his left eye twitched. "Tell me, you baka!" she insisted, letting her voice become shriller. The muscle twitched rapidly, she was sure he was on the edge of cracking. "You know..." He cut her off, roaring at her, "S'Rys is dead, are you happy now? Shut the hell up already!" Bulma whimpered and nodded, realising how frightened of this man she really was.

The captured woman remained silent for the remainder of the trip. Feeling rather nostalgic, she didn't even bother to make a move when Satan City came into view on the horizon. No reaction came when her captor flew directly over the city in the direction of the Sayian camp. The scientist's mind barely registered being set down the on the ground and prodded towards one of the ships. Bulma didn't even fight when her captor spoke to two guards then left her in their care. She was too lost in her own self-pity.

The burly guards were the same ones she'd seen on TV destroying the metropolis. One had thick dark brown hair that brushed against the back of his knees with every step. The other was the complete opposite, bald with a well-groomed moustache. They were verbally sparring, it seemed, in another language. The Guards pulled the passive captive along, growling at her slow speed.

-III- If You Only Knew

The captive female's nose sent the smells of food up to her non-responding brain. The messages being sent were getting through but they just weren't being responded to. Images flashed again in her head, this time they weren't just pictures, they had sounds and pain entwined with the surreal experience. She stopped walking and had clutched her head, sinking to her knees and repeating the words she'd heard in her head over and over. The guards assigned to her panicked momentarily, the bald one talked rapidly into his scouter while the other one tried to talk to her.

The pain began to lessen, replaced by a painful throbbing in her temples, her thigh itched and her fingertips tingled. Another flash consumed her vision; it felt like she was invading someone's body. She focused her mind, she could hear the other's thoughts faintly,"...Stupid...Why now....Can't wait....Urge to destroy....Better off without it...Can survive with out it." The person raised a blood soaked fist and clenched it tight, watching the crimson liquid ooze out between the fingers. There was a new voice, "....Collapsed in the corridor...Muttering in OUR native language." Bulma's sluggish mind pieced the conversations together and her sudden experience; they where talking about her. She struggled to free herself from this strange mind; unconsciousness did the job for her.

It felt like she was swimming, constantly fighting to break away from the ebony tinted place that held her prisoner. She came close to surfacing out of the void twice. The first time she could feel her body being moved and shuffled around then the feeling of weightlessness returned. The second time she didn't have the sensation of floating, everything felt impossible heavy. Something seemingly pressed heavy on her chest forcing the air out of her frail lungs making it painful to draw each breath. The darkness began to pull her in again. There were sounds around her, people conversing in that strange language and a vaguely familiar voice mixed in with the stressed exchanges of words. The conversation wavered in Bulma's ears and she faded into sleep once more.

Under closed eyelids, blue eyes twitched rapidly from side to side in a terrifying nightmare. Bulma was once again clinging to the path on the cliff. She looked up and saw S'Rys. The ground gave way under her feet and she tumbled through the sky, watching rock walls rush past her. The ground rushed up to kiss her fatally. The impact was painless, she just landed face down like a feather that had drifted harmlessly to the ground. Pushing her hands under herself she got to her feet and looked around in wide-eyed astonishment. The rock walls had changed shape, the dirt beneath her feet shifted and became smooth and shiny, reflecting her every movement.

"Welcome my child." A soft voice whispered in the air. The dreamer spun on her heals, searching for the source. "Don't be alarmed, I'm here because you called me." Confusion passed over her face as she whirled around, searching for the voice's origin. "I didn't call you. Who are you?" The room began to fade and shift, an unseen wind gathered and pulled her blue hair in all directions, stray pieces snapped at her face, obscuring her view. Her eyes snatched glimpses of a barren field covered in dead flowers through the sea of hair. The Dream world twisted and turned, changing and growing darker. The black sky rumbled out a war cry before letting its liquid troops begin their assault.

Stinging droplets pelted Bulma, plastering her hair to her body and soaking her clothes. Rivulets ran off her fingers and hair, some clung to her eyelashes, blurring her vision. A scream jumped from her throat but it vanished in the sound of the rain, never to be heard. The solid ground had turned into a runny, semi-viscous mixture. The liquid swallowed her up to her hips in a smooth motion. She struggled to get free, pulling her hands through the mud to search for solid ground.

Her hands were covered in blood, the mud had turned into the crimson liquid, pulling her down farther. The pooling red closed in, filling her mouth and nose, cutting off her breathing. In vain she struggled to breathe, with every movement more of the red liquid filled her throat. From the red-tinged liquid S'Rys' face emerged, bruised and broken, green eyes open and staring accusingly. Bulma screamed and tried to push the body away.

Faintly she felt something shake her. It didn't feel like anything that was part of this strange place. Her mind searched for then focused on the sensation of being shaken. The nightmare world vanished and Bulma opened her eyes to the real world, navy blue eyes stared down at her with concern for a brief moment before the Chikyuu woman's eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed once more into a fitful sleep.

Awake at last, but still not refreshed, the captive lay looking up into the shadows. Something stirred in front of her, a small sound, not unlike that of a chair scrapping across the floor. The covers that'd been placed over her tumbled around her as the newly awoken woman sat up and looked around the room. A strange glowing orb that rested in a bronze dish next to the bed dimly lighted the room. Since the golden light didn't touch any of the walls it was assumed that the room was rather large and lavish. Why was she in here? She was no dignitary or anyone important, her place was with the others from Earth, all captured by the Sayians.

The scrapping sound came again, echoing in the vast room. Her eyes and ears searching she pinpointed the sound to be emanating form the foot of the bed. On her hands and knees she carefully advanced to the shadowed edge. Her eyes strained in the darkness, searching. She jumped when she focussed on a pair of eyes shining, barely there but glinting enough in the void for her weak eyes to discern. Fixated on the glow she exhaled slowly, unsure of what laid in the distance between the eyes and her. Blasts of golden light burst around the room, temporarily stealing Bulma's vision. The haze and dancing spots disappeared and she found exactly what she'd been looking at in the dark. The Sayian that'd chased her and killed S'Rys sat on a heaving looking chair, arms crossed and scowling as if the world were out to get him.

His eyes moved up and down, watching if not studying her. The woman's eyes followed the gaze of her assailant. Eyes wide in shock, she scampered back to the middle of the bed and dove under the covers, pulling them up to her chin. The man smirked and leaned back farther in the chair.

"You find this funny, asshole?" Bulma’s fiery temper flared, it would ensure that if she ever found who'd left her sleeping here in her bra and underwear it would not find a pleasant ending. The scowl returned and he held up her belt in one hand, ignoring her insult. "What's this?" His voice was gruff and sharp, making her flinch. She closed her mouth and locked her jaw defiantly, the belt was hers and she wasn't about to tell him its secrets. Under the concealing covers she searched her bra; even after all the event that had occurred the space age capsule was still tucked firmly in her bra.

Her captor stood in front of his chair, "Tell me." He growled softer with a deadly tone. Scared he was going to hit her she pulled the blankets tighter around her body. She closed her eyes tightly waiting for the inevitable blow but none came. "Pathetic creature, frail and weak, won't even fight for her miserable existence." He levitated until he looked down on Bulma with flames of anger in his eyes.

Bulma bared her teeth in disgust, 'What an ego' she though with pity. Suddenly her attacker's face was pressed up against her own, his fingers threaded in her hair, forcing her head back. She struggled against his grip. "Struggle all you want. You will never escape; mine, mine forever is what you are." He flicked his wrist releasing her and sending her sprawling onto the cold floor, the blankets trailing with her. Another quick movement and the blankets were gone, leaving Bulma half laying half sitting on the ice cold floor. Her head turned quickly around, searching for escape. A door, what luck. Legs churning on the slippery floor, she made a mad dash for the door. The Sayian was too quick for her and caught her ankle, pulling her along the floor back to the bed. "I told you you'd never escape, you’re mine and this proves it. You can run all you want, my little one, but I will ALWAYS find you." The words seethed in the air and sent shivers down her spine.

"I'll never be yours." she spat at him, watching her spittle splatter his cheek. He suppressed the urge to slap the arrogant woman but decided against it, he could have more fun with her alive. He grabbed her chin and pulled her face close to his. "Learn your manners well, your Prince does not take kindly to uprisings." With all the energy in her body she wanted to resist him, but at the same time her thigh demanded to be scratched and her fingers burned with the disgusting urge to touch his royal features. "I bow to no one." She would die before she was forced into being someone’s slave. "But you already have. You've bonded with me, you low class wench." His voice was seductive and deadly, purring in her ear. With his free hand he pulled her next to him and tapped the rash on her leg.

The brief contact with her leg send her mind spinning with surreal emotions. The world spun and she felt waves of alien feeling come over her: isolation, loneliness, anger, vengeance, hatred and spite. She was in his mind and it was a dark place, consuming everything into the negativity that dwelt in its endless depths. She knew he'd felt it too, his mind was there on the edge of hers, softly prodding methodically, deciding what she was. Walking through the darkness she felt something or rather saw it, a sphere of golden light. She reached out with a shaky hand to touch it but was met by a sharp stinging pain in her own mind, he'd built a mental wall around whatever the gold sphere was, it was deep and thick impossible to reach.

They came out of their transfixed states and glared at each other, neither happy about this arrangement. Bonding meant they were fused together for life and all of eternity. Set on breaking this bond, Bulma resolved nothing was permanent and neither was this. "I refuse to 'bond' with you." Dark eyes glared at her. "You cannot refuse a bond, baka! It is already happening, it’s unstoppable." Angered but ready to accept what he said for the time being she tentatively formed her first query, "What's you um name?" It was the wrong question to ask, he turned on her, "How can you NOT know who I am? I'm the royal Prince of Vejiitasei, Vegeta; treat me as such and halt your questions." He sneered with royal indignation, this was not what he was told bonding was, it was far from it.

-IV- Broken, Inside and Out

Days past slow in angry hazes for Bulma. She been confined in a small room for what she assumed to be about a week, give or take a day or two. Her meals were brought and left on a small table by a pale looking woman who adamantly refused to talk. Eventually her arrogant captor would visit her and their encounters would always be the same; they'd fight and it usually ended as a draw, both fuming over their hatred for the other. Over the course of the week she'd been imprisoned in her room Bulma had began to show signs of cabin fever. She began to talk to her food, telling of her scientific observations to what looked like bread. She'd sit at the table and pick at the meat, pulling the fat away from the bone and separating it into neat piles. On one occasion the female slave had entered to collect her dishes to find that the Chikyuu native had created plate sized model of a plant cell with her uneaten food. After the poor slave's traumatising experience of seeing Bulma like that she ran for the open door, screaming in a guttural language. The poor woman didn't know what hit her, slumping to the ground soundlessly as Bulma ran for her freedom.

Her bare feel slapped noisily against the hard metallic floor of the corridors. Her choice of clothing turned heads as she pounded down the long hall pushing past those in her way. The surroundings were a blur to her eyes; nothing mattered by her freedom. Slap slap, slap slap, the bare soles of her feet echoed in the empty passageway. She'd left all the people behind her in her urge to leave. Slap slap, slap slap, she rounded a bend, feeling the adrenaline pump through her body, making her feel invincible.

In the blurry darkness her weak eyes could barely make out a door. Skidding to a stop she leaned against a wall, panting hard. Still wheezing slightly she strained her eyes trying to see the inscription on the door. Mentally slapping herself for not being able to read Saiyan, she began to pull on the lever to open the door. It resisted the pull of her weak human muscles adamantly and barred her entrance to the strange room. Intentions firmly set on getting past the obstacle she braced one of her legs against the wall and tugged once more. The door handle squealed in protest and its rusty handle turned from its well-worn place. The fine hairs on the back of her neck began to prickle and bother her; something was up. The bristling hairs on her neck urged her forward; she had to open that door.

Heat played on her back and her legs, making her whirl around the passage she just came from. A bolt of shock winged across her bony features; she'd be caught. She stood with one leg still braced against the wall, limp hand resting on the handle, chest heaving in fright of the vision before her. He stood arrogantly in front of her, muscled arms resting over his torso with a rather choleric expression on his chiselled face. One side of his lips turned up in a ferocious snarl. "I told you, you are mine." Bulma cowered in true horror of the alien man. He reached for her and ensnared her in one of his arms, gathering her around her waist he began to drag her back towards her prison.

Bulma spent days sulking in her room, angry that her escapade had failed and more so at herself for being stuck in the situation she was now. That bastard no longer trusted her, not like he had before but that still wasn't the point. Guards watched her every moment, save for at night when she slept in the same bed as the Prince. The Chikyuu captive was disgusted by the idea of sleeping in the same bed as Vegita but then again she did really have a choice. At night she'd huddle in a corner as far from him as she could. She knew he wasn't interested in her the way most men where interested in women, but it still frightened her to be near him. Something deep down told her that she should be cautious around him; he wasn't all that he seemed to be.

The days following her little breakout attempt were dominated by guards watching her constantly, giving her little, if any privacy. She wore clothing provided to her in the mornings since all her earth clothes had been in her belt. Shoes though were another problem; eventually someone had returned her scuffed up work boots. She'd occupied herself by venturing out of her room and into the rest of the ship, studying the Sayians and taking mental notes. One morning against the protests of her guard she wandered into a hall marked with red lines painted midway up the wall. The Guard wouldn't stop her, she had them all wrapped around her finger, save for that ass Vegita. The lack of female presence on the ship did have its advantages, seeing that the only two Sayian females onboard happened to be lesbians. Curious, she followed the red line to a set of sliding metal doors, boots thudding loudly as she approached.

With a hiss the doors slid open and Bulma's blue eyes played on what seemed to a bridge of some sort. Sayian men were scattered all around the room with Vegita standing in the center. Various screens displayed the Sayian language and directions while a large monitor in front of the prince showed a picture of the earth from orbit. The Chikyuu native gasped audibly; they were in space! When had they taken off? Had she slept right through it? Her sudden intake of breath had pulled the attention of the males to her, along with that of the Prince. In two quick strides he was face to face with her guard, rasping at him in their native language. The Guard bowed his head in shame as Vegita cut him down to size verbally with the rest of the crew looking on. Ki gathered in the Prince’s gloved palm and in an instant was streaking towards the poor man who knelt before his Prince. He was gone in a flash, burnt body smoking on the ground, never to return again. The woman's eyes closed too late to protect her from the sight of death.

Vegita turned back to looking at the screen and began calling out commands viciously. The men snapped back to work, ignoring the charred remains on the floor. Sickened, the Chikyuu native turned and vomited in the floor, though nothing came up. Her stomach heaved and her throat constricted in the attempt to ride herself of her morning meal. Carefully standing up she realised slowly exactly what the Sayian Prince was up to; he was preparing to destroy her Home World. "Nooo!!! Please don't!" She ran to the man in command. "I have no use for this pathetic planet, what I need is not here." He spoke evenly and calmly, like this was an everyday task for him.

"What is it you want? I can get it for you. I can get anything" she pleaded. "What I want has been destroyed already. You can't get that." Bulma's mind whirled, "I can get you what you want from Capsule Corporation." The business mode clicked in, "A trade for a trade. I'll give you what you want and you let my people go." It was a risky chance but it was all she could do. "Do not play with me, woman. You can't possibly have what I want." He snarled, his temper rising. She put her hand down her shirt and pulled out the capsule she'd been concealing for weeks in her bra. "You want this? Let my people go and you can have it." He snatched the shiny object out of her fingers and studied it carefully. "Prove to me it is what you say it is and you have a deal." He had a trump card up his sleeve and he was about to lay it on the table.

Bulma pressed her thumb to the black square and tossed the capsule to the ground. Smoke in the shape of a mushroom cloud dissipated and she pointed to the pile of capsules. "There; it’s all right there. A deal is a deal, let my people go." She knew well enough that it would take the Saiyans years to crack the security codes on some of the objects, it was a risk she was willing to take to save Chikyuu. The Prince's dark eyes studied the pile of capsules at his feet, "Fine, a deal is a deal. Set a course for home." He turned back to the large monitor.

The ship began to turn away from earth; the stars became blurry as they sped up. "What about me?! I want to go home!" Bulma squealed angrily. The prince turned to her once more, this time with a smile on his cruel features. "I told you your people could go, not you. You are mine." Angry Bulma fumed, questions to his motives jumped in her head.

Her questions peppered his mind, muddling his ability to think straight. The taste of her hatred was in the air, his head fed his senses the flavor of human hatred and incomprehension; it was her doing. He spat on the floor and turned on his heel. She stood in the door, lips set in a grimly firm line with her fingers tightened into fists at her sides. Cyan eyes flashing with hatred and contempt towards him, she wasn't about to let him do this. Ki flaring around him in a blazing flame he stomped towards her, she defiantly stood her ground. He reached out a gloved hand and latched it into her upper arm. Unceremoniously he dragged her from the bridge with astonished soldiers looking on. The Prince dragged her down the corridors to their quarters, ignoring her cries of pain and insults she let loose. With a mere fraction of his strength he tossed her ahead of him. "How dare you! Insolent bitch, I should have known you were to blame for this." Poor Bulma, she didn't see it coming. His hand connected fully on with her cheek. The sound echoed in the empty chamber followed by her body flying across the slippery floor, stopping in a darkened corner. Vegeta snorted and left feeling better that he'd regained his dominance over this spiteful woman.

She sat on the floor, eyes staring blankly ahead, rocking gently back and forth. Arms holding her bruised knees up to her chin with her aqua hair clinging to her as if trying to protect her hurt soul within. Salt laden tears gathered on the floor, they slid down her bruised cheek, tumbling and splattering on the marble under the broken woman. The shivers of fright and emotional hurt worked their way onto Bulma's body; the tears had long since stopped falling but the hurtful mark of the slap remained. Her hands trembled with every movement, eyes darting frantically around the room. Her loud sounding footsteps caused paranoia to well up in her throat. Her feet moved faster, propelling her to her destination.

Steamy water sprung down from the shower, pelting the woman who sat on the bottom of the stall. The heated liquid did nothing to resolve her aching heart, but it did take the shivers and some of the fear from betting assaulted away. Down the drain they flowed, never to be seen or felt again. The control panel beeped its warning; the hot water was running out. Hurting inside, she stumbled out of the shower; cold was the last thing she wanted to be feeling now. Clad in her favorite pyjamas she left the bedroom and entered her precious lab from a side door. Trembling fingers keyed in the security code, knowing full well it couldn't keep him out it. Still, it made her feel a bit better. Blindly fumbling around in the darkness she found what she was searching for, the small cot she'd constructed from her days in the forest. She fell into it and pulled the worn sleeping bag around her for protection.

Sleep that night was different then any of the previous nights aboard the spaceship, Bulma dreamed once more. She was back in the strange dome shaped room, faint white mist drifted around, making her eyes rather useless. "It was not done out of hatred, it was frustration and pain." The voice was back, whispering like the wind in Bulma's ear. "I don't understand." Her blue eyes were rimmed with tears shining in the luminescent light that filled the room. "It’s not his way to be as you are...." The voice began to fade as more mist billowed up in the room. The white clouds began to grow darker sending the dreamer off to oblivious sleep.

-V- Flashes of the Past

Bulma did all she could to stay asleep the following morning, battling the urge to wake up and face the dreary world. Her fingers were white from clenching the sleeping bag so close to her and were beginning to cramp up. Her body hurt both emotionally and physically, her cheek was tender to the touch and her shoulder where she'd slid on the ground ached with every movement. Bruised face relaxed, Bulma inhaled deeply, searching her soul for the courage to face another day here.

Bulma's eyes fell on her computer; it always helped take away the pain before. The chair protested when she sat on it wrapped in the worn camping gear. The computer whirled to life and Bulma began to slowly relax, fingers flying over the keyboard to the familiar file hidden deep in its circuits. The file came up and she initiated the decoding process, and waited for the slow Sayian technology to comply. Opening a familar page she slowly and deliberately read over the title and what she'd written so far. She thought for a long moment before choosing how to start the entry into this project of hers. The beginning was usually the best way to start so she did just that. She reread what she'd already written making sure it was accurate.

'The Project'

The Prince has posted guards outside of my room, two men; they both look a lot like Son Goku, well built with angled faces and dark hair. They both have tails they keep wrapped tightly around their waists, hands behind their backs, never saying a word. I couldn't handle being trapped in a room or being followed. I was beginning to develop cabin fever again. I spent a lot of time alone in my room and finally I found out how the orbs work. Their glass balls filled with a metal like element that’s warm and malleable to the touch it glows when it comes in contact with oxygene. I've recorded the schematics for the orbs and hidden them in a spare capsule I have.

The two burly male guards where replaced by two female ones. These ones were more talkative and help rid me of my growing insanity. One was taller then the other with a jagged red scar down her right arm, from shoulder to wrist. The shorter one was unmarked save for a circular shaped birthmark on her neck; she was referred to as Potatirs and was more open with me then her companion. Corais was more tight-lipped and had more of a violent streak than Potatirs. She was always advising Potatris that it was inappropriate to fraternise with prisoners and suchN. The shorter one would laugh and tell Corais that Bulma was hardly a prisoner if she was staying in the Prince's quarters. Over the next week I tested out my limits with my new Guards and found them to be quite lenient. I could roam the ship as I please, while they watched on, ensuring that I staying within eyesight at all times.

Overall the ship was rather boring to the Saiyans. It had a circular design and 3 separate decks. The lower one was where the escape pods where kept, along with the labs. There were no Sayian scientists in the laboratories; apparently their weren't intelligent enough. Corais and Potatirs followed Bulma carefully, watching her every action. Between the two of them they had their own suspicions to why Bulma stayed in the Prince's rooms, but it wasn't for them to speculate upon in public. The second deck was the mess hall where all the soldiers, save for the Prince, ate, the cramped crew quarters and the bridge. Bulma was fascinated with everything technological aboard the ship. The two guards could not begin to come to grips with her fascination with the ship; they just accepted that it must be a 'Chikyuu thing' and continued on. The top deck was devoted entirely to the Prince; no one entered the deck unless called directly by Prince Vegeta himself.

The Chikyuu native began to spend hours on the bottom deck, playing and tinkering with everything she could get her hands on. Her constant interventions became a complaint of other workers until the Prince became so angry he forbid her from playing with anything on the lower deck. So as retribution for cutting her off from what she loved to do, Bulma played with the gadgets in her room. She'd play with the shower controls and reverse them just before Vegeta would stalk in and take a shower or she'd be rather destructive with the security codes on the doors. The Prince was so angered he finally had his men build a lab for her on the upper level to stop her from making him look like an ass in front of his people. The lab wasn't as big as the one she'd occupied on Chikyuu in Capsule Corporation, but it was good enough to satisfy her fetish to invent things.

On one of her tours with her guards she's struck up a conversation about Vejiitasei. Her mind craved and desired to know everything about the planet and its customs. Potatirs, who was usually talkative one, fell strangely silent; she wasn't sure how to respond to the question. "I'll tell you all you want to know tomorrow." She looked over at Corais and nodded before leaving the duo alone. Bulma felt like she'd offended the woman in some way and kept quiet for the remainder of the day.

Potatris entered the bridge and waited patiently for the Prince to acknowledge her presence. He turned and signalled for her to speak. She crouched on one knee, showing her loyalty, and spoke what was on her mind. "The Chikyuu Woman is asking about Vejiitasei. I wish to know what you would like me to tell her." Her eyes trained on the floor, studying the panelling. "How dare you make demands from me." he hissed at her then strangely calmed down fast. "Tell her whatever she wishes to know. Now leave!" He turned and the woman scrambled out of the room. Potatirs returned to Corais and Bulma. She whispered their new orders in Corais' ear and then turned to the ever-inquisitive Bulma. "What is it you want to know about Vejiitasei?" Her friendly manner had returned and Corais seemed more at ease.

"I wanna know EVERYTHING!" She smiled and turned her brain into Miss Scientist mode, her blue eyes shinning in anticipation. Corais exchanged a strange glance with her companion and took the story into her own hands. "We are Sayians; we live to fight and conquer the weak. We are ruled by a long line of Royal Men…" Bulma cut in, "Men?" Corais nodded, "All the Royal family is from the gene banks, they don't bond like the rest of us. The population is divided into 4 ranks: Super Elite, Elite, 2nd class and 3rd class depending upon out power ratings when we are born." Bulma was doing her little 'I have a question’ dance again so Corais stopped and waited for to ask. "Why don't they bond?"

"It’s not in their genes. They don't bond to keep the line pure of any flaws like the rest of us. The rest of us all carry genetic flaws in someway that could hinder the coming of the Super Sayian." She began to elaborate to avoid more questions. "A Super Sayian is an invincible warrior with unlimited strength and power. Prince Vegeta has been prophesised to become the legendary Super Sayian..." An attack of dumb blond syndrome hit Bulma just then. "Is that why he's so anal?" The two guards exchanged horrified glances and looked back at their charge in absolute shock.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" The Chikyuu woman was confused; the dumb blond syndrome was hitting her hard. Potatirs slapped Corais on the back, the scarred Saiyan in the mists of becoming sick on the floor. "You shouldn't talk about the Prince in such a manner, if you value your life." The short guard's eyes still showed shock to Bulma's inherent mistake.

Eventually the Guards took Bulma back to her room and continued their conversation out of the view of the ship's crew. "What exactly is bonding?" The blue haired woman pulled the word from her head. "Bonding is the link between two Sayians, it keeps them together for life. You humans call it love I think. When you bond you have the mark of the stronger partner appear on your body, see." Potatirs leaned towards Bulma and tapped her neck. "This is a bonding mark." The alien studied the mark closely, "Who's mark is it?" she scrutinised over the interesting shaped tattoo. "Its mine." Corais spoke up, causing Bulma to whip her head up and look at the two. "You mean you’re...you’re..." The word latched on to the tip of her tongue refusing to let loose. "Yes" they both replied. Bulma just nodded, settling in with the idea of having two lesbian bodyguards. She absently reached her hand down and scratched the stubborn rash on her thigh.

"What...what if the Prince were to bond, is that bad?" Her fingers worked at scratching the annoying rash through her pants. "Yes and no, it is bad because then the Prince will be emotionally attached to his mate for life. No because it's nearly impossible for someone of the royal line to bond. Besides if the unthinkable were to happen they would not be allowed to produce a heir, therefor the line would remain pure of any flaws his mate might have." Bulma nodded, understanding the simple explanation while her mind was working hard on other details. A double blip from the guards’ communicators ended their discussion; they'd been signalled to leave. They approached the door when Vegeta entered, the arrogant look on his face as usual. The female Saiyajin bowed and continued out.

Bulma warily watched the Prince as he completely ignored her, going about his usual routine. He called for his meal with his scouter then left to take a shower, leaving a pile of sweaty clothing in his wake. At first Bulma watched him as he walked towards the shower then she turned her attention to the ideas that were forming in her scientific mind. 'Am I bonded to him? But I thought they said it was impossible, correction, NEARLY impossible.' She mentally ran over everything the Guards had told her about bonding; she did present most of the symptoms. Cautiously, she peeled down one side of her pants and studied her left thigh, the rash was still there. It was slightly red with dry flakes of skin peeling off at the center. She squinted and looked at it closer, was that lines she saw under the dead layer of skin? With a long nail she began to pick at the flakes, pulling them off trying to see what was hidden underneath. Faintly she heard the water in the bathroom shut off so to avoid being caught in a compromising position she pulled her pants back up and sat on the bed, one hand resting over her leg.

Vegeta came out in new clothing just as someone knocked on the door with his meal. Five gruff looking men entered the room each caring two massively huge plates of food. She sighed quietly, 'Not even polite enough to order me some, Arrogant Ass!' she thought sharply. The 'Arrogant Ass' looked at her sideways from his meal with his coal coloured eyes. "I'm not deaf, Woman!" he sneered at her while devouring some indistinguishable beast. "I didn't say anything." She hissed through tightly clenched teeth. "When you’re bonded you hear each others’ thoughts when emotions run high." The Prince bluntly stated before turning back to his partially finished meal. She glared at him one last time before stalking off to take a shower to calm her nerves and the sudden urge to cause fatal bodily harm to that annoying man.

She turned on the shower with the electronic keypad in the stall, warm water sputtered out of the nozzle and landed on Bulma's body. Feeling content to just let the water wash away everything she'd been through she sat down and leaned against the wall. 'I'll just close my eyes for a second. This feels so good' Her pale eyelids dipped lower and lower until she'd fallen asleep with the warm liquid soothing her into a pleasant state of oblivion. After a couple of hours the water had began to run chilly, disturbing the dreamer from her rest. Bulma stood up, wondering how long she'd been asleep. She turned off the water and reached out of the stall for a towel. With two towels firmly wrapped around her body and on her head she stepped out into the steamy room. The towel holding her hair was coming loose so she stood in front of the mirror to fix it, the fabric dropped to the ground as her eyes focused on the mirror.

Someone had written on the steamy mirror while she was in the shower, she screamed, not having full reign over her emotions. She spun around with the fear that whoever had written the note on the mirror was still in the tiny room with her. There was a crash to her left and she tightened the grip on her remaining towel, the vapour parted and Vegeta stood in front of her, a mixture of anger and concern painted on his face. All she could do was point to the mirror as she felt her legs being to give out from under her. The Prince caught her with ease and looked over at what she pointed, the inscription on the mirror was clear as he read it to himself out loud.

Sleeping body at rest you stay

I forbid you to move, you may not play

Death to all, Death you will see

All by the hands that is me

Dancing, twisting fire's burning

Watch the world, feel its turning

Winds Abound, Fire Ablaze

Water Around, Earth Upraised

He shifted the collapsed woman in his arms and called for guards with his scouter. They arrived immediately and assembled swiftly. "Find whoever wrote this and bring me their head!" He growled, still holding the woman. The guards one by one looked at the mirror then disappeared out of the Royal Chambers, not quite sure what to think of their Prince holding the exotic woman. Vegeta realised he'd compromised his composure when he felt Bulma shift in his arms. Angry at himself, he handed her to the nearest guard, who happened to be Corais, before storming off.

Unsure of what to do with the scantily clad human Corais laid her on the bed and called for Potatirs, she'd was more inclined to handle this type of situation. The other female guard appeared shortly after the call went through. Through her haze Bulma could make out voices. She fought to regain consciousness against the blackness that threatened to engulf her. She triumphantly emerged and saw her two guards squabbling silently at the foot of the bed. Thankful that the towel had stayed firmly with her body, she slid off the bed to get dressed. Clothes in her arms she was about to head for the bathroom but opted against ever going back in that room again. She did a quick change into a long t-shit before politely interrupting the small fight. She limped over to the guards, her left leg burning. "You’re limping, you should sit down!" Potatirs said, somewhat afraid that the Prince would think they'd damaged her. The burning sensation was beginning to lessen in other parts of her leg but it continued to get stronger exactly where the rash should be.

Bulma couldn't take it anymore; she began furiously scrapping the rash that'd become an oozing cut. She got some relief from scratching but not enough to stop it from driving her crazy. The two others looked on curiously before Potatirs pulled Bulma's hands away to stop her from causing any more damage to herself. "Let me scratch it, it hurts... it hurts" she whimpered, struggling to calm the itch in her leg. "Nothing will cure it, it's a bonding mark, Bulma-san." Corais said evenly in her unfazed tone. "What do you mean?" She stopped her struggles briefly to ask. "You've bonded with someone, or more specifically, the Prince." The Chikyuu stopped fighting the shorter woman's grasp all together. "NANI?? That’s IMPOSSIBLE, I don't feel anything for that arrogant son of a bitch!" The curses were flying out of Bulma's mouth in multiple Earth languages, cursing the Prince and anything associated with him. She stood up on the bed, yelling down angrily at the Saiyajin that stood before her. Potatirs leaned over and whispered to her mate casually then resumed listening to Bulma screech at them for letting the impossible occur to her. In her burst of hatred for her newly laid fate the Chikyuu woman lost her balance on the soft mattress, her arms flailed helplessly in the air before she unceremoniously fell down on her guards. Potatirs caught her effortlessly while Corais absently scratched her scar; she'd obviously taken this kind of verbal abuse before.

It was at that unfortunate time that Vegeta chose to enter the room. He blinked once, taking in the scene in front of him before flying off the handle. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? PUT HER DOWN!" His hand began to glow and Potatirs instantly set Bulma on the floor and kneeled on the ground. Shock sent Bulma's mind spinning, ‘what was he thinking or better yet what was he doing?’ The aura around his fist faded and he yelled at them to get out. He looked over at Bulma once more before sitting down on the bed and yawning, something she'd never see him do.

She heard him lay down on the bed and call for the lights to be turned out. Slightly annoyed that he hadn't warned her, Bulma was left to find her way in the dark. She crawled into bed and laid her head down to rest. She was too agitated to sleep. It slowly dawned on her that Vegeta had never gone to bed when she was still awake. She shrugged it off and pulled the blankets closer to her and forced herself to sleep. Midway through the night an unfamiliar sound roused her. It took her a long moment to figure out what the sound was. Muffling a giggle she listened to Vegeta snore, 'How ironic, the Prince snores! Their perfect Prince snores!' The laugher was beginning to overtake her and she had to bury her face in a pillow to keep from being heard.

The blue haired woman woke up and was surprised to still find Vegeta sleeping next to her; he was usually long gone before she was ever up. Forfeiting her usual shower she pulled on a pair of pants after examining the extent of the damage her scratching had done. It was minor, a few small abrasions from her nails was about the limit, but the dark lines she'd seen before were even more pronounced. Checking once more that Vegeta was still soundly sleeping, she pulled on her bra under night shirt, the night shirt landed on the ground in a pile as she sat on the bed in a pair of jeans and a blue bra. Vegeta and his impossibly bad timing opened one dark eye and focused on the half naked woman sitting on his bed. Bulma was meanwhile reaching for a clean shirt when she spotted the newly awoken prince staring at her. She tugged the shirt over her head slowly as not to catch her earrings on the hem. 'Great, now this probably looks like I'm trying to seduce him with this. Well done, Bulma' she mentally hit herself multiple times.

Breakfast arrived as usual in large quantities for Vegeta and one small bowl of oatmeal for Bulma. She ate quickly and then got up heading for the door. Out in the hallway she expected to see Corias and Potatirs, but one large looking brute had taken their place. He was twice as big as any Saiyajin she'd seen yet.

'End Project'

Bulma leaned back in her chair feeling somewhat better that she'd immersed herself in work. The sleeping bag lay discarded on the floor along with empty breakfast dishes. Sitting idly for so long just staring at the computer was making her eyes blur and water. She stood up and stretched, hearing the sounds of joints popping and shifting. For some reason she recalled the dream she had the previous night and the strange writing on the bathroom mirror.

She searched her mind for a possible answer to what the mirror incident was about but nothing came to mind. There was a soft knock on her door and Bulma jumped about three feet into the air. Potatirs stood in the door. "I have news about the incident from two nights ago." Shakily, Bulma stood up straight and walked towards her former guard, "What is it?"

"We believe it’s a spell, an incantation. We caught the one who placed it, S'Imer; she was a slave. We don't know much, although what we do know is that anyone who read the incantation out loud is affected, but only if they were bonded. S'Imer died trying to escape this morning so we can't reverse it unless someone onboard is a magic user. We've decoded the spell the best we can; it’s meant to entrance a pair of bonded people, then stronger one is meant to kill the weaker one then kill themselves." Bulma gasped and made the connection between the spell, her dream and Vegeta slapping her.

-VI- Frightmares & Reprocussions

Bulma leaned on the doorframe of her lab, eyes staring blankly ahead while her mind slowly went over the spell. As she came to the last line she stopped thinking and looked up at Potatirs, "What do you mean by magic-user?" "A magic-user is...well was S'Imer, she and the other slave girl are the only ones we've ever encountered. They were the last ones left, now they are no more." She bowed her head, letting her black hair tumble over her shoulders. "Where can we find more of these magic-users? I want to reverse this spell before any bad things happen." Her mind pulled flashes from Vegeta's assault to her inner vision. "Like I said, there are no more Magic-users." Her flawless face was grim as her Saiyajin mind thought of the effects of the incantation. "I don't believe you!" Bulma set her jaw in a determined line and stated firmly, "There has to be more."

 

Potatirs opened her mouth to respond but stopped as she felt the Prince's ki rapidly approaching. He burst into the room and glared at Potatirs and Bulma, "What is the meaning of this??" He stalked over to the Chikyuu woman and pulled her out into the open. "You lied to me!" He held up Bulma's belt, stocked with capsules, to her face and brought his face inches from hers. Hot breath tickled her nose in a seductively deadly dance, keeping her paralysed, unable to move away. "I did not lie." she whispered faintly the words barely audible to his Saiyajin ears.

Bulma was really frightened now, more so then she'd ever been of anyone and it wasn't helping that the spell's incantation was playing over and over in her head. As suddenly as Vegeta had grabbed her he released her and let her fall to the ground then turned away and lay down on the perfectly made bed. Potatirs was absolutely confused and looked back and forth between the royal couple, unsure of what to do. Vegeta lay on the bed and closed his eyes, in a fraction of a second he was in a deep sleep, breathing deeply and evenly. From the floor, Bulma exchange a frightened glance from the Saiya-jin no Ouji to Portatirs. She slowly stood up, her precious belt in hand, and whispered to the female guard, "We need to find a magic-user soon, I think it’s getting worse." The guard nodded and slowly began to slink out of the room; this had just gotten a little too strange for her tastes.

Out in the hallway Bulma and Potatirs broke into a run, this situation had just become far too serious for them to handle alone. They skidded onto the bridge with Bulma panting hard, "I need... need... computer..." The female Saiyajin ushered her over to a console and a matching keyboard, covered in Sayian characters. "I can't read Sayian." A man who was a few steps away reached out a hand and pushed a button on the touch-screen keyboard and the characters instantly became English. The Chikyuu scientist was in her element now and her fingers danced their own dance over the familiar keys, pulling up files from everywhere, creating a file on possible species to help their dilemma. The search came up with two possibilities; one was the N'yosta, S'Imer's dead race, and something called the Rychaiyuu with little to no available information. She pulled up the file, impatient that it was taking so long to load onto her console. Other officers on the bridge had gathered around her in a small crowd, watching her work. Realising she was being watched, Bulma began to feel self-conscious.

The file loaded slowly, it displayed the place that the scouting party had first encountered the Rychaiyuu. It was on...she read the caption over twice, Chikyuu. An alien race on her planet and she wasn't aware of it, impossible. Her eyes quickly scanned the rest of the file, catching on brief words, "...slaughtered...green haired woman...goddess intervention". Her fingers tapped on the plexiglass-like keyboard screen and the sound file of the scouting party's encounter played loudly into the bridge, while the pictures blossomed on the screen in front the woman.

"We've got all we need, everyone regroup." The voice was soft yet commandingly and belonged to a female warrior with close-cropped short black hair. "Hai, Sergeant Leaka." came a louder, more gruff male voice and he walked closer to the woman. Sergeant Leaka then looked over into the night darkened city street as if something had disturbed her. There was a flash of a fist and Leaka's scouter was on the ground, looking upwards at the attacker. A woman, no older than twenty, stood with green hair fluttering in the wind around her, clad in a pair of tall boots and dark pants with a long leather coat sitting sharply on her small frame. Leaka sunk into a battle stance and thrust her fist forward into the stranger's stomach. The stranger doubled over briefly then resumed her upright position. "I want back what is mine, you cannot have the vile." She lunged forward at the Sergeant and in mid air she changed, her lips curled back and revealed sharp canines that glinted in the moonlight. Her eyes took on a predatory look as she landed atop the Saiyajin.

The other guard came bounding onto the scene and attacked the woman with all his force. He brought his hand up and let loose a magenta beam of ki at her. The blast snaked towards its prey but never connected, the laser stopped in its assault and dissipated into the air. The frightened guard looked around as the surrounding phased and changed into a cavern that Bulma knew all too well. "STOP!" It was the voice from Bulma's dreams. The fighting woman who was struggling on the ground stopped and looked up at the ceiling where the fallen scouter couldn't see. The male guard looked up and was met by a blinding light and his scouter transmission ended. "You have been warned about this once before, return what is theirs and you shall go free." The green haired woman had gotten off the Saiyajin and knelt on the ground, her coat around her like a robe. Leaka lay on the ground, panting as she reached into her uniform and pulled out a vial of crimson liquid.

In a flash the vial was gone and it lay before the kneeling woman. She looked upwards at the ceiling again and nodded towards the entity concealed from the scouter’s view. She clutched the vial in her hand then slid it into the top of one of her boots before walking over to Leaka. She pressed a foot down on the Saiyajin’s neck until Leaka began wheezing for air, the soldier fought against the foot but to no avail. She began to hack and cough, then she launched her final attack with all the energy she had left. She tossed the woman off and stood up, still slightly wheezing but preparing of an attack. The energy gathered in her palm and she began to call out her attack when something grappled her from behind and sent her falling to the ground. There was another of them, a man this time. He had on a long black coat and silvery white hair tied at the nape of his neck. Leaka rolled on the ground in pain; the green haired woman took her chance and discarded her coat on the ground. She sauntered over to the downed soldier in a sleeveless black shirt. In a simple and swift movement she plunged her hand through the Saiyajin armor and into the Sergeant’s chest. Leaka's face convulsed in one last silent battle cry before she lay still. Her black eyes were glassy and dead, staring straight ahead in a stare. Blood pooled out of the wound in her chest and dripped down the sides of her empty body, her gloved hand had dropped a few inches from her scouter. It twitched once then was flattened against the weight of her heart; the green haired woman had plucked her heart from her chest then dropped it in her hand in a sadistic final act of battle. The two turned and began walking away. At the same time as the walls began to disintegrate back to the street they'd been on before.

Bulma, who'd looked away during the gory death, turned her eyes back slowly. Seeing that the death was over she peered closer at the screen, trying to read the street signs. She almost made out a few of the letters when the transmission was suddenly cut short. "Is that it?" She questioned to no one in particular. The whole crowd was silent; they all seem stunned at the death they'd seen. Even with all the death they'd caused themselves, what they had just seen on the screen shocked them.

The doors hissed open from the other side of the room and the Chikyuu native tensed up. 'Please don't let it be him' she prayed silently. Two men pushed through the solemn crowd, demanding what was going on and fixing all the crew with deadly stares. Potatirs and Corais, who'd been standing directly behind Bulma, refused to move when the two men tried to push past the couple. Bulma watched the scene in the reflection of the monitor.

"Move you two." The bald one demanded. "Bite me, Nappa, you over grown bowling ball!" spat Potatirs, somewhat childishly. Nappa stopped and looked down, towering over her. "Runt! Move before I send you on your way to hell." Potatirs shrugged indifferently then spoke up. "I doubt the Prince would be too happy to learn that you've killed one his personal toys." She stepped aside and turned the chair that Bulma sat on to face Nappa and the other man. Like a frightened child, the Chikyuu woman looked up, almost guiltily, and met the eyes of the other man. He had hair that tumbled down all the way to the back of his calves. Nappa exchanged glances and a few words with the other man. "We should check this out with the Prince." The one with the mane of hair put his hand up to his scouter when Corais jumped into the verbal fray. "The Prince is sleeping, it would not be wise if you woke him." "They are obviously lying. The Prince does not sleep during the day." The other man jumped into the conversation. 'He can't wake up, I need more time to find a magic-user.' Bulma thought as she slid out of the chair and took a step towards Nappa. Hands on her hips, she gave him her best don't-mess-with-me look. Nappa was obviously going over the possibility of his losing his life if they were right. Flustered, he turned and left the crowd while yelling for them all to get back to work.

The human turned back to the computer and began to type at it once more, calculating how long it would take to get back to earth; 12.6 standard day flashed on the screen. "Shit" she muttered and turned to her guards. "What now? He'll kill me before we make it to Earth." Bulma's shoulders slumped in defeat. Corais remained staring at the screen while Potatirs put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Bulma stood up and turned, pushing her way through the crowd, her mind frantic with ideas of her own survival.

Vegeta-ouji was trapped in his own personal hell while he slept. The world was dark and foreboding; it was like limbo. He floated helplessly, unable to do anything to save himself. Green flames licked at his soul, making him arch his back from the torment the flames induced upon him; they bit at him on more then the physical plane. The green gluttonous flames squirmed upwards, covering half of his body. He groaned but refused to cry out, his pride was too strong.

"I can make it stop if you wish." The voice echoed in the vast emptiness of the abyss. Through clenched teeth the Prince called out, "Then do it!" The flames faded and he lay panting on a marble floor, his head whipped around looking for the source of the voice. He was rewarded with an eyeful of a petite woman. She wore black pants, cropped just above her knees, and a strange looking bodice with an alien looking tattoo on her right bicep. Long purple hair fell down her back between two large white-feathered wings. To Vegeta, her face was blurred and he could not make out any facial features of this strange creature. "It hurts, doesn't it? S'Imer was a strong one; she did a good job of messing up my plans." Her voice was light, almost like she was toying with him. "What do you mean?" he grunted out, forcing his body to his knees. "This," she gestured to him then herself, "Was never supposed to have happened. I was just supposed to make sure things went smoothly for the bonding then leave." She was almost chiding him. "I will make you a deal." She watched him, making sure he wasn't feeling any after effects of the spell. "I wish for a favor from you, to be redeemed at any time for any purpose." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the winged creature. "No, I have no use for anything you can offer me." He crouched in a fighting stance. "Oh, but you do, Saiya-jin no Ouji. Things haven't been really going your way, have they?" She put her palm outward in front of her, in the center was a miniature moving image of the prince struggling against the green flames.

The Prince tensed his muscles and prepared to jump at the strange taunting creature. "I would not advise you doing that, especially if you ever wish to be free of the spell cast on you. Now let’s not fight, besides, you have no chance of beating an immortal. Do you accept my deal?" The angel-like creature opened her wings to their full wing span and small little blue sparks of light began to gather around her and Vegeta. "Then I will return you to the clutches of the spell." They both began to fade out and the Prince found himself alone again in his room, the words of the winged woman echoed in his mind, "Do we have a deal?" He sat up and pondered over the aspects of the spell. Every time he neared the Chikyuu woman a thick fog would envelope him and he would wake up later in his own bed.

Bulma was getting desperate and afraid; her mind wasn't working properly as it usually did under pressure. Sparks of pain erupted in her chest, forcing her to her knees. She squeezed her eyes closed, forcing tears of pain out. The guards sounded so far away. She felt like she was dying, it hurt so badly, the ebony ink of darkness was closing in on her rapidly. The last thing she heard was Potatirs yelling at her before she let the pain take her away.

The pain was back, though this time it didn't hurt as much as before. It was as if there was a barrier between the pain and her. Her eyes refused to open, there was a soft hand brushing down the side of her face then a voice, gentle and soothing. "I can make the pain go away, just promise me you'll help me in return." The voice was almost desperate in its plea. Bulma forced herself to nod; the pain was slowly beginning to lessen to a bearable level. "You need to get this in the Saiya-jin no Ouji's system. Hurry, I'm not strong enough to keep the spell from overtaking him for long." The voice was fading quickly, along with the cool hand on her face. More sounds began to overtake the voice, "...Stable...Unsure of the cause..." A new voice. "Her ki was off the charts, almost as high as the Prince's..." Fluorescent light glared down into Bulma's half closed eyelids and it took a moment to move her head to avoid the blinding luminescence of it. A mental check of her body reassured her that nothing was broken. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up slowly. A man instantly tried to shove her back down, but she resisted. "I have it, the cure for the spell." She held up her hand and unfurled her fingers. There in her palm sat the vial of red liquid, she could swear it was the same vial from Chikyuu and the fight with Leaka.

"I need to..." "You need to nothing." It was the Prince. He leaned on the doorframe of the room glaring sinisterly at Bulma with a strange color to his eyes. "Out, I wish to be alone with her." The room was vacated quickly without a word. Bulma pulled her legs up to her chest and whimpered as he advanced towards her, clutching the vial tightly until it broke. Small pieces of glass were imbedded in her hand, letting blood mix with the red liquid. He reached out a hand towards her and hesitated, like something was holding him back. She seized her chance and pressed her hand to the side of his face. Brilliant sparks of emerald green blazed from the connection of her hand with his cheek. Tears flowed down her face as a thousand emotions rushed through her. She watched teary-eyed as the color from his eyes faded and he slumped down on the bed. Her hand came away from his face, her palm facing towards her, all traces of the liquid were gone.

She sat on the bed with her legs pulled up to her tightly; she rested her chin on her knees and watched the fallen Prince. "Well done, he is cured." It was the Voice again, Bulma wiped her eyes on the blanket that covered her and looked around the room. Something pulled her vision upwards and she spotted the Voice for the very first time. She was no more than five inches tall, with beautiful white-feathered wings and flowing purple hair. The Voice had an ageless face of perfect smoothness, with brightly colored blue eyes and smiling lips. She floated down softly as came to stand on Bulma's open palm. "You've done well. I've held up my end of the bargain, now it’s your turn to hold up yours. Wake him." She nodded in the sleeping man's direction, "He's cured but exhausted. Vegeta won't harm you." Bulma's, free hand shaking, gently shook his shoulder just above where the shoulder guards started. Instantly Vegeta was on his feet in a fighting stance glaring at any possible intruders. The fairy woman turned lightly on Bulma's palm, a smile tug at her lips. "Saiya-jin no Ouji, it is your turn to fulfil your share of our deal." Vegeta glared death upon the tiny figurine. "I have made no deal with you, Immortal. Leave me be." The woman sat down on the edge of Bulma's palm. "Oh, but you have. Now call the fight and leave us be. I have preparations to make."

Vegeta was being increasingly stubborn and the fairy woman had been forewarned of this and made a subtle change in her approach. She jumped off the Chikyuu woman's hands and floated to the floor, away from the reach of Vegeta's feet should he get any ideas. Surprised and completely confused, Bulma looked over the edge of the bed, not sure what to expect. On the floor, the fairy woman sat concentrating, gathering energy and growing in size. Soon she stood life size and a few inches taller than Vegeta. She smiled once and fluttered her wings, letting a soft breeze flow through the air. The sudden updraft seemed to have a paralysing effect on the other two occupants in the room. She slowly put a hand forward and pulled the scouter off of Vegeta's face and attached it on to her own ear. Her long bony fingers began to manipulate the single button on the ear-piece until she found what she wanted. "Nappa, I'm ordering a mating battle." the fairy woman imitated the Prince's voice perfectly before pulling the scouter off her own ear with a giggle. With a twitch of one wing, the breeze flew over Bulma and she was able to move once more, but chose not to. "Who are you?" Bulma stuttered out. "My name is Stataris. I'm sorta your impromptu guardian angel for the moment." She grinned and stepped up closer to Vegeta while reattaching the scouter to his ear. "Something you might want to remember for the future is that he has sensitive ears." Stataris patted the side of the Prince's face and her grin spread a little wider. "I'll collect my share of the bargain from you later, Bulma-san." And with that the quirky angel left, leaving a sole white feather on the ground.

Vegeta roared as he regained possession of his body; that bitch had made a fool of him, touching him no less. He took one look at the Chikyuu woman and turned stomping out of the medical room having no recollection of coming down there in the first place.

-VII- Broken Dreams and Fantasies

Bulma was unsure of what to do, so she opted just to stay put and think things over. Besides, she really was beginning to feel unwell. She pulled the thin blanket closer around her, trying to force herself to come up with a plan. The doors slid open once more and her breath was held captive in her throat. It escaped its prison in a low hiss as the captor realised that the entrant was not who she thought it was. A man, or what she assumed to be a man, approached her, eyeing her warily. "The Prince demands that you be returned to your quarters." From behind him Bulma's guards appeared; both with unreadable expressions on their faces. The Chikyuu woman was shaky and it took time for her to return to her quarters, she fought against going back the entire way there. The room was empty and sullen when she entered; the orb on the table next to the bed left shadows for her imagination demons to hide in. Potatirs, being ever so helpful, ushered her to the bed and gently pressed her to it. "You should sleep." They waited at the door until they were sure that their charge was not about to try anything. Corias spied the belt on the floor and silently walked over to it, studying it as it lay on the ground. It was nothing important, so she turned and left, not giving it another thought.

Sleep came surprisingly easy, possible due to exhaustion or just the urge to leave reality far behind. She was dreaming again, a pleasant dream, strange but still pleasant. She had a family, a husband and two children; together they sat under the cool shade of an oak tree in a lush field. Bulma sighed and revelled in the feeling of her perfect life. "Buuuulllllmmmaaaa....... Buullllmmaaa...." that retched voice was back, in her dreams again, but it was different somehow, strained almost in anguish. Frantically she looked around, her hair swishing around her head. The ground below her opened up and swallowed her whole, like she was Alice falling down the rabbit hole. As she fell she saw everyone, Goku, Chi Chi, Gohan; they all reached out hands to help her. Her hands reached out and grabbed onto Yamcha as she fell past him. He grasped her hand tightly, trying to pull her up with a frantic look in his dark eyes. In the end, he couldn't do it and she slipped and fell downwards again. She fell until she no longer passed anyone in her decent, darkness pressed close and the feeling of free falling was gone. "Stop playing these games with me!" She screamed into oblivion. There was no answer. "I know you can hear me, let me out of his horror land." There was nothing, no response from anything. Silence laid claim to everything, muting even the screams that emerged from Bulma's hoarse throat. It began to get cold; she shivered and pulled her arms up around her. It was useless; nothing warded off the cold. The colorless world vanished in a flash and the captive was lying in her own bed, balled up in a fetal position.

It was so cold, she could see her breath as it froze in the air. Her body shivered and convulsed, unable to move, still clutched in the unbreakable grasp of sleep. First the cold then the pain, it flared up, slowly tricking her mind. It was like something was in her body, trying to beat its way out. In an unspoken combination of their force, the cold and the pain took over Bulma's body, leaving her to shiver and bite her lower lip.

On the bridge, the crew worked frantically to rectify the problem at hand. They'd run into a meteor shower and had taken severe damage from it. The internal heating systems had been destroyed, letting the cold of space seep in and slowly take control of the ship. To the Sayians, cold was nothing. They increased their power levels, letting their ki keep them warm, though the ship was another problem. Systems were freezing up and shutting down, not being able to cope with the sudden temperature drop. All crewmembers where requested on deck, sending the ship into a frenzied chaos. Sayians swarmed about, checking systems and hardware, working at a numbing pace to get the heaters back online. Potatirs and Corais attempted to reach their charge but were intercepted by Nappa, who was still burning to lay into the female couple. "I don't care what your orders are! You will do as I command. You have no authority to disobey a direct command from me, unless of course you wish to grant me the pleasure of sending you two bitches off to where you should be." He glared at them, challenging them to cross his words. Reluctantly, they worked as the brute watched over them, taking every opportunity to criticise them brutally.

In her own room, Bulma was incapacitated and knew nothing of what had happened on the ship, all she knew was the pain hurt and it was cold. She lay with the blankets pulled as close around her as possible, trying to conserve heat. From his seat on the bridge, the Prince let his ki surround him, but still the cold nipped at him. He frowned deeper and upped his ki again, nothing seemed to be getting rid of this infernal cold. Something tugged on the edge of his consciousness, that Chickyuu woman, his only liability. She plagued his mind, driving him insane with everything she did. He got up gracefully and stalked out of the room, knowing full well that he should have never had trusted his only weakness to a pair of female guards.

Thin sheets of ice had begun to form on the bulkheads and the outer walls of the ship, causing the metal to groan and wheeze. The Prince's boots clicked on the floor as he stalked up to his quarters, the outside doors where uninhabited, no guards like there should be. The door took their time in opening, angering the Prince. He surveyed the room quickly and realised his possibly fatal mistake. She was where he'd left her, sleeping in the bed, shivering against the cold. Vegeta did a very unprincely thing and licked his lips, he was unsure of what to do around her. She muttered something in her sleep and shivered violently. 'You shit! She can't keep herself warm! Do something already!" It was that angel-woman's voice in his head again, invading his thoughts. He put out and hand over the sleeping woman and began to charge it with ki energy. "Idiot! That’s not going to work!" The voice mocked him, "Hold her, she needs to share your ki with you." He grumbled, not putting up a fight for once in his life and gathered the Chikyuu woman in his arms, letting her feed off his energy. The feeling was; he couldn't place it so therefor he instantly disliked it, being so close to her. In his eyes, women were good for two things, sexual pleasure and fighting, nothing more. This woman tested his limits though, she couldn't fight and she was too frail by his standards for the former. In his arms she moved towards the warmth, letting it take away the pain and the cold.

In the hazy dream world, Bulma somehow put a distinct smell and a name to the warmth. Though with her brain not functioning at its usual capacity, she stored the information for later use. Everything was stiff and cramped up, it hurt to move and the warm feeling that chases away the cold was too comforting to make her care. The warm object moved, jarring her slightly from her contented sleep. Free of the duties thrust upon them by Nappa, the two guards ran to the room only to find something they weren't quite ever expecting to bear witness too. The Prince was there, holding her in his arms like she was a child. He was so wrapped up in her that he never felt or heard their entrance or exit from the royal chambers. A hand fell on Vegeta's shoulder guard, bringing him back to his usual stubborn self. "WHAT?" The hand’s owner took a few steps backwards and let out a giggle. "You two are soo cute together!" Vegeta turned around and glared at the angel in contempt, "Piss off!" She cocked her head to one side in amusement, "Is that anyway to talk to your guardian angel? Not to mention that I'm the fourth one to take the job and probably the last." He narrowed his eyes at her, 'Conniving bitch, can't she just leave me alone?' he thought. "No I can't, I have a job to do, then I'm out of here for good, I promise. Of course that’s AFTER I get what I need." She crossed her arms and looked at him and his mate. "I do not tolerate this type of insolence from ANYONE!" The Prince roared at her, getting up and advancing menacingly towards the winged-woman. She rolled her eyes and smiled sweetly at him, "I still think you make a cute couple! You can leave now, she no longer needs your help." She nodded to the woman on the bed, he didn't move. "Typical man!" She twitched her wings and he was gone, transported back to the bridge. "He's gone...I knew you where awake the whole time."

Vegeta stood on the bridge and took his chair ignoring the stares from his crew, 'what is she doing to me?' He rubbed his temples and tryied to push her out of his mind. It wasn't working, when he'd held her for that brief moment it felt like something in his dark soul has changed. The feeling of change was not something he welcomed, he enjoyed the darkness that his life brought to him, the screams in his ears and the blood under his boots. Battle was his purpose and that woman was changing it. She had to go one way or another.

Bulma yawned and stretched from her nest of blankets, "I just woke up...what do you want?" the angel grinned and tossed something at the other woman. The scientist caught it easily and grinned as she learned what is was. "A quick suggestion? You might want to take something before that pain kicks in again, it’s a real bitch!" The blue haired woman nodded and headed off to the bathroom to get cleaned up the best she could. When she emerged from the bathroom, she found the other woman had shed her wings and was sitting on the bed like it was her own. "This will be quick, I don't have a lot of time so this will be my last visit for awhile. I just need to explain a few key things to you before I run out of time here." "Wait, before you go on I want to know something, your name and why are you helping me?" The angel nodded and smiled slowly. "My name is Stataris, I'm from a world called Rychaiyuu, the Angel's Dream. I'm here to make sure that the past doesn't not repeat itself with new characters." Bulma was puzzled. "Long before I became like you see me now, I was like you: young, full of life and craving freedom." She sighed and looked winsomely into nothing. "I left on a journey and met up with four friends, one of those became my lover or would-be lover. We spent our nights under the stars and our days searching out a way home. I remember running from hunters, and them capturing me. My lover came to my rescue, only to be..." She sobbed and let a tear roll down her face. She swallowed hard and kept on with her story, "They captured them all, and kept us as pets. Their King wanted entertainment from us, so one by one we were used as toys in his twisted games. Two of them would be let loose into the forest to be chased and hunted as beasts. So for days my lover and I sat in our prison, waiting for death to come and take us. The King demanded for a live fight, to show to a visiting tribe. They pulled him out of the cage and dropped him into an arena to fight against the tribe's warriors. He fought bravely...." The immortal broke down in front of the mortal woman, letting silent tears tell her tale of loss.

"...And there are the bottom of the crater he lay. No movement at all, save for the slow trickle of blood emptying from his broken body; his hair dyed crimson in his own life's essence. I watched from the edge, fighting my captors until I broke free. I remember scrambling down and placing his head on my lap. I ran my hands over his face, willing him to live. Time was running out and I knew it, I could feet it. The ache in my heart grew as I let sullen teardrops splatter on his lifeless face, so calm and peaceful. I screamed as they pulled me from his body, I fought to hold on to something I'd never really had. I was covered in blood, from head to toe, his blood. None of mine, that should have been rightfully spilt on that battle ground. They pulled me from his body and forced me to watch as they carried him away, arms hanging lifeless trailing along in the dirt, his hair dripping blood as it flowed freely from his body. Alone again as I always have been, I buried my face in my hands and wept for what would or could never be. I still crave for his gentle touch and the whisper of his voice in my ear. All things lost, none that will return. I am alone and this is how I'll stay." She still stared straight ahead, rocking slowly, drowning in her own past. "I'm telling you this because fate wants to repeat this event over, using you and Vegeta as its players of choice. This is no way to live a life, especially one like yours. I went against all set rules to prevent this from happening again. No one deserves to suffer in torment such as this." She closed her eyes, letting her hand absently tug at a gray and purple braid hidden in her hair. Two crystal beads fastened to each end and clinked together as she touched it. Stataris composed herself and looked Bulma straight in the eye. "Trust the path I have laid before you, it will bring you what you dreamed of. I promise." She faded with one last forlorn look into Bulma's eyes.

-VIII- Inclinations and Sweet Remembrance

Bulma sat on the bed, somewhat disturbed by seeing an immortal angel cry. The story Stataris told her was sad and heart wrenching, frightening to think that she told her to prevent it from happening again. The room echoed with every movement she made as she padded towards the bathroom. She stopped at the entrance, having second thoughts about entering the room. 'Suck it up!' she told herself and walked into the room, showing no fear.

On the bridge, looking every so proud, sat the Prince in a fowl mood. He had touched the Chikyuu woman and it was causing an unfamiliar reaction in his body and mind. It was like she'd burned him, without leaving any physical marks. He hissed and stalked off to the training rooms, bringing along the first two unfortunate guards he happened to cross, Potatirs and Corais. The couple followed behind him, exchanging glances of uncertainty and battle readiness. Corais saw it was a great honor to spar with the Prince while Potatirs saw it as punishment for leaving their charge alone during a crisis.

The three stretched briefly before starting the unfair match, the guards together versus the Prince, no ki attacks allowed. Being the weaker of the bunch, Potatirs cringed inwardly; she really had no desire to spend the rest of the trip back to Vejiitasei in a regeneration tank or, much worse, dead. She hung back as the match started, darting in quickly to exchange single blows with the man. Corais, on the other hand, took the fight in great stride, giving it her everything. She threw combinations at him and a few even penetrated his strong defences. Vegeta found this game entertaining for awhile but grew tired of it quickly; they were no match for him, no one was. Although he did think that the one with the scar had some potential, the other was a waste of Sayian blood.

The tables turned and Potatirs quickly found herself fending off near fatal hits from her Prince. Finally, she began to tire and become cranky, she hurt everywhere and it was becoming increasingly hard to move out of the way. In one last desperate attempt to stop the onslaught of attacks, she pulled her legs under her and pushed off the ground, floating high in the air. Vegeta was finding this one less and less amusing; she was expendable. In a smooth graceful motion, he phased in front of the weaker woman and let loose a quick uppercut to her stomach. Potatirs' armor was shattered as she felt his fist connecting with her then begin to pass through her. Gravity latched onto her body and pulled her downwards until she was caught by Corais.

The final scream she failed to emit died gurgling in her throat. The world phased in and out, colors and textures flashed in front of her increasingly blurry vision. The pain was intense; it burned her from the inside out, pulling her into oblivion with sharp stinging fingers. In one final burst of strength, she opened her eyes once more and pulled her numb and bloody hand up to Corais’ face. She traced the pad of her fingertip down her companion’s cheek and smiled once and felt the life leaving her own body. There was the soft press of her lover's warm lips on her forehead then sweet oblivion.

The room was hot and filled with sensuous steam; it spilled over the top of the shower and into the floor. The Chikyuu woman leaned into the shower's hot spray, letting it take her away into her own world. She reflected on everything that had happened since she'd intercepted that fateful message one day in her lab at Capsule Corporation. Pictures of S'Rys floated in her head mixed with those of Corais and Potatirs, her failed escape attempt thwarted by the Prince. Who was the Prince? The water beat relentlessly down on her, plastering her hair to her back.

He was dark and complex, with his own motives. Nothing he ever said made her feel less on edge and she was supposed to live with this man for life? Though they shared the same bed, it meant nothing to her. It was like having a roommate that you never really knew or saw. She saw indications of him when she woke in the morning, but never actually saw him. There were vague remembrances of him in her sleep, but nothing else. She exhaled loudly and leaned into the spray of water, hoping for resolution.

The water supply was running out and quickly losing its massaging touch. Wishing vaguely to spend all of eternity in blissful ignorance, she stepped out and grabbed a towel. Goosebumps formed on her skin as she entered the main room, searching for clean clothes to put on. She kicked the comforter away from the bed. Her clothes were gone, probably taken to be cleaned and not returned. It was cold in the room without the heating feel of the steam on her skin. She turned looking at the door, feeling a presence but no one was there, though the door slid open silently.

Curious, she strode silently into the hall, clutching her towel to her closely. The hall was quiet and undisturbed, only she stirred in its long passage. She turned to go back to her room, but stopped as she heard a quiet sob. Her bare feet padded over the cool floor looking for the sound. Bulma stopped as she passed a window. Her blue eyes transfixed on the stars outside. They didn't move; they just danced in their own light and that of the overhanging crescent moon. It had an ethereal glow to it, entrapping her gaze and bringing forth feelings from the pit of her soul. Where was she going from here? She had nothing left to go home to, not even a home itself. Yamcha and her had broken up permanently; she had no social life to speak of, maybe this is for the best. She sighed and looked out the window from her tiptoes.

Blood dripped off the body's shattered armour, leaving a crimson trail down the metallic hall. She burst through the doors of the med-lab into the tank room and began to push the buttons on the control panel frantically, while keeping Potatirs in her arms. The semi-viscous liquid filled the tank slowly as Corais set her mate in its healing waters. She slid down next to the tank, her hand leaving a trail of blood on the glass viewing panel.

The Prince, increditably angry that someone would leave his presence without his expressed permission, flew down the corridor after the delinquent soldier. He found her in the tank room next to a full tank. His face contorted to a look of utter distaste and hatred as he grabbed the back of her chest plate and dragged her back off to the training room, intending to force her to show the proper respect to royalty.

In the hall, Bulma looked up from the pacifying window as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. A meek looking pale girl with pointed ears approached her. She gulped once, "Umm....I...I have your clothes...." She mumbled, obviously afraid of the older woman. Bulma took the pile from the girl and thanked her. The young one turned and took off, barely being able to stop herself from running. Bulma just ignored the girl's reaction to her and took off down the hall to get dressed.

She could only watch as the knee advanced towards her in slow motion before connecting with her face, causing her to black out on contact. The Saiyajin Prince touched down on the ground of the training room and snorted at the fallen body of the ilrespecting guard. "Get her out of my sight!" He snarled to Nappa, who'd come to watch the match. The lug obediently pulled the body away from Vegeta's sight.

Bulma pulled on the new clothing she was given; it was very Sayian. The clothing was tight, a little too tight in places for her tastes, but it couldn't be helped. She tugged at her rapidly drying hair as it tumbled into her vision, causing her impossible amounts of frustration. "URRRGGG" she moaned in annoyance and began searching the room for something to tie her hair back with. She spotted her belt lying on the back of the chair. With ease, she snatched it from its place and let her fingers play over the familiar capsules as she sighed with contentment. The familiar click and explosion was heard as she opened one of the well-worn capsules. Her face spread into a smile as she dove her hands into the pile of make-up and other assorted toiletries.

She pulled herself up off the floor after having sat on its cold surface for over half and hour, applying make-up and doing other various beauty routines. Bulma stretched and let the feeling of outward beauty wash over her in contentment. She turned her head from side to side, getting used to the feeling of having her hair piled on top of her head again. Satisfied that the bun would hold, she put her precious belt on and left the room in search of breakfast.

Vegeta sat on the bridge waiting for the officer in front of him to stop his incessant ramblings about news from Vejiitasei. He perked up at the sound of the words mating battle. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" He roared holding back the urge to blast his informant. The humbled guard slouched farther away from the Prince, "You...you...ordered a battle..." His dark eye brows forked together as he got off his throne and advanced towards his underling. "I DID NOT CALL FOR ANY BATTLE!! THERE WILL BE NO BATTLE!!!" He yelled after the fleeing guard, no longer tempted to blast him; he had other problems. He left the bridge with his new problem seething around in his head.

Bulma padded softly down the corridors, trying to find her way to the mess hall in search of food. She fell into step behind two burly men decked out in armor, "...I still don't understand. It just swept the ship, eating everything. I even had to get one of those Chikyuu beds, they're to soft and feathery." The other nodded to the first, "I know, everything here is changed, that anomaly gutted the ship without even touching anything else; kinda like it was forcing us to change the look of our ship." He chuckled as the patrolling guards turned down another hallway, leaving Bulma to walk alone.

She mussed over the conversation she'd overheard in the hall as she reached the mess room. People where inside talking, arm wrestling and sharing war stories. In an attempt to be inconspicuous, she slunk over to the food generator and pushed the buttons as she'd seen Corais do on earlier occasions. Nothing happened. She rolled her eyes and left, not wanting to draw attention to herself, seeing how most of the Sayians had an acute dislike for her, yet didn't outright voice it, she knew it was there. Her stomach rumbling, she walked out of the mess hall depressed. She was hungry, she was lonely and she wanted her own clothes back! As she walked up the empty halls, one piece of wet blue hair came loose from her perfect bun and fell down to slap her in the back. "Ack...baka!" She muttered to herself and smoothed the offending piece back into place. A few steps later the fallen piece had returned to reek revenge on her. Disgusted that her hair was misbehaving so badly, she changed her plans, heading back to her room and not the lower levels. As she neared her room, more pieces began to fall out of her bun until she was thoroughly pissed off. She stalked into the room, sat on the bed and began taking her hair out of its meticulously placed bun.

His royal highness chose that moment to walk into his room, face in a perpetual frown of displeasure. He watched her for a moment, taking in the scent of her freshly washed hair before clearing his throat. She looked up through the sapphire strands that tumbled in front of her face, he pointed to the door. Bulma raised a now perfectly shaped eyebrow and snapped at him, "Not a chance!" She got cocky, using her feelings of loneliness and depression as a springboard to launch her attack. He levelled his deadly glare at her. "Leave." She flicked her hair over her shoulder and hissed at him, "NO! I'm staying right here, you self-absorbed asshole!" He snorted and took a menacing step towards the weak woman. "I am the crowned Prince of Vejiitasei and you will do as I tell you, whore!" Bulma held her ground even though her mind fed her thoughts and fears of him hitting her again. He looked down on her from his three-inch advantage and scrutinised her with dark eyes. In a complete contradiction to his usual character he turned and walked off to the shower.

The adrenaline was still pumping furiously through her veins as she sat down on the bed and took a brush to her hair furiously. She looked down at her clothes and snorted, then pulled out one of her capsules and pushed the triggering mechanism. The explosion cleared and the Chikyuu woman began to root through the box that stood in front of her, finding a pair of faded jeans, a green shirt and a pair of heavy black boots. She looked around the room and decided that 'he' wasn't coming back for another couple of minutes. She pulled off the Sayian garb and started to pull on her own familiar clothing (picture). She pulled on the jeans and did them up, relishing the feeling of the familiar pants. She began to pull the shirt over her head but stopped and struggled as it caught on to one of her earrings. Carefully, she pulled her shirt free of her earrings, grasping and pulled it down over her black bra. She looked up and felt a flush come to her cheeks. 'He' was standing there watching her dress, the pervert, not to mention he was only in pair of tight shorts that made her blush even deeper. "Do you always watch women change, ecchi?" He smirked back at her. "Only when they feel the inclination to do so on my bed." 'Such a complex bastard!' Bulma thought. She snorted and stood up, pulling her boots on quickly. She stood up and began advancing towards the door.

In the blink of an eye he was standing in front of him, the blood lust showing in his bottomless eyes. "You DO not walk away from me! Unless you are wanting to end up like those bitches of yours!" He sneered at her as she shied away from him, the fire rose up and exploded from Bulma, "WHAT DID YOU DO YOU THEM, YOU MONSTER!?!" She took a step at him threateningly. In a smooth and invisible motion to Bulma, he picked her up and slung her over his bare shoulder and stalked out the door, ignoring her beating fists on his back. The Saiya-jin no Ouji smiled slightly to himself as he walked down the hall, he knew exactly how to deal with this problem. He arrived at a pair of red metallic doors guarded by 4 brutes standing at attention. The doors slid open and Bulma craned her neck around his broad shoulders to see her eyes opened wide as she realised where she was. He stepped inside and walk over to a glass-like cell in the corner, he set her down and pushed her inside none to gently, "Maybe after this you'll learn your lesson." He pushed a keypad and the glass cell walls buzzed with electricity before leaving her alone in the dark cell.

The first thing she noticed was that it was dark and damp in the cell, she couldn't see into the far corners and had to rely on her hearing not wanting to touch anything like the walls. For a moment Bulma though she heard a rustling in the cell with her, but brushed the thought off when she made out the dim outline of a loose panel. Her fingers tugged and the loose panelling until it came free in her hands. She snorted at the Sayians and their overconfidence in their abilities. The panel revealed intricate wiring and circuitry glowing dimly in the faint light. The Chikyuu woman cracked her knuckles and got down to work; she was going to leave a nasty surprise for Vegeta-ouji when he came back down here like she knew he would. If she'd profited at all from the psyc classes she took when she was younger she knew he was going to come back and gloat over his own domination of her. In the darkness she smiled and leaned back against an inside wall and fell into a light sleep.

Just as she'd predicted, Vegeta-ouji came back some hours later. Bulma's stomach was growling as she waited for him to touch the keypad. He just stood on the other side of the barrier, watching her intently for a moment before raising his hand to push the buttons to release her. A devilish grin spread over her face as he hissed and held his smoking hand. "Have you learned YOUR lesson?" she teased him cynically. The outside wall stopped buzzing as she stood up defiantly and glared at him. He snorted and slammed his other hand back on the keypad bracing himself for the shock. Nothing happened, everything was silent. "And what are you going to do now? Kill me? Oh wait, you can't kill me." She mocked him from her place. In blind rage he jumped at her, instantly pinning her to the ground under his weight, "Listen to me, bitch! I will not hesitate to kill you, you are of no worth to me." He snarled then pulled himself off of her. She said nothing and kept her face turned away from him. "Get up!" She did as she was told and followed him out of the prison. He lead her to a part of the ship she'd never been to, it was a long hallway filled with doors, she assumed it was the crew quarters. He pointed once with his good hand to a door then turned on his heel and left. Cautiously, she pushed open the door and looked inside, it was a completely gutted room, nothing in there. She took a step in, hearing her footsteps echo in the emptiness.

She turned to leave closing the door silently behind her, unsure of what to draw from this experience. She stalked down the hallway unsure of where to go when a flat voice from a loud speaker began to fill the air, "...planetfall in six and a half minutes minutes, all personal to their posts." She turned and began heading towards her room. Bulma took off running down the hall as the ship began to rumble and shake under her feet. Her balance became nil as the floor bucked and trembled under her feet. Her hands searched for something to hold on to but they found nothing of use. Bulma pushed on until she could see a set of double doors ahead of her; they open antagonisingly slow letting her into her room. She dove for the bed and laid down, feeling the tremors vibrate the ship. Slowly the motions stopped and Bulma let out a breath or relief. She slowly ventured out into the corridor when she was sure it was safe. She found the window she'd stared out earlier and gazed out in amazement. She stood looking at a red-tinted planet with buildings jutting out in massive cities, while people in armor milled about. It was amazing and frightening at the same time. Everything bore witness to their fighting spirits and urges. There was very little beauty in it all; everything reflected war.

-IX- Behind the Mirror

I looked out the glassy bubble of a window as we touched down onto the surface. The whole planet looked red tinted. All the buildings were plain yet meticulously maintained. Everything was segregated by what I could only guess was by purpose. From what I could see, the buildings in front of me were something of a launch deck. More buildings stood off in the distance similar to the ones near me. There were no sharp or discerning edges on any of the buildings. I squinted my eyes to see farther into the distance, faintly making out what looked like a huge building that differed from the rest. I could barely make out its form. It wasn't round like the others; it was created with sharp corners and bright textured material.

The door behind Bulma hissed opened and she jumped at the sound turning to see who it was. It was the two burly guards she remembered from when she was first dragged onto this ship. The bald one, Nappa and his smarter companion, Radditzu with the hair, stood in the doorway. She turned to them and eyed them warily before Radditzu spoke up. "This way." The Chikyuu woman looked at them then demanded for Potatirs and Corais. Nappa snorted and turned to his partner, grinning. "They won't be coming." Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?" Neither responded. The smarter one stepped forward and grabbed her by her upper arm and began pulling her towards the door.

Bulma squirmed in his grasp and fought against being moved against her will but it was futile. Annoyed, she followed them unwillingly down the now familiar corridors and onto the bridge. From there she was pointed towards a small anti-room. She entered cautiously, not sure of what to expect from this strange race of creatures. The room was immersed in darkness, save for one of those glowing golden spheres on a desk of some sort. She took another step into the room and gave a small jump as the door hissed shut behind her. She was about to turn and try to leave the enclosed area when she heard something shift in the darkness behind her. "Sit!" She knew the deadly voice as soon as she heard it. She blinked in the darkness, hoping for her pupils to adjust to the lack of lighting. The golden orb didn't cast enough luminosity for her to see him, though she knew he was there.

He sat leaning back into the chair with his feet up on the desk. He reflected briefly on his plan for this inconvenient problem. His dark eyes watched, reading her actions and the scent she gave off. The woman had her arms pulled around her closely for safety, the aroma she let spread through the room proved her fear to his heightened senses.

Bulma wasn't sure how to respond to his command, so she held her ground and stayed silent. The Prince watched his 'problem'. By Saiyan standards she was exotic, with her blue colored hair and eyes. He studied her body for a moment, noting she was amply endowed though she lacked the characterising Saiyan tail and fighting ability. Though she was fragile, she could be an asset to him. He'd wandered through the room she called a lab, it was a complete mystery to him. The improvements she'd made to some of the machinery onboard had caused an admiring stir amongst the slaves and the scientists onboard; this proved that she could be useful to him in one way.

She swallowed and scratched her cheek in the darkness, wondering if she'd imagined that he'd said something to her or if he was actually there. There was the telltale sound of movement as the golden globe flared brighter, casting its light on the small room. "Sit," he repeated the command and she did as she was told. She sat on the edge of the desk, not seeing anywhere else to sit. His cruel eyes flashed over her face before settling on her own eyes. Bulma broke the stare. His gaze unsettled her as she scratched the dry rash on her leg.

"Did that worthless bitch explain to you what she has started?" he asked, referring to Stataris. The woman shook her head, no. The Prince leaned back farther in his chair before starting again. "The mating battle is a series of four competitions to win a mate." He paused to collect himself, he wasn't used to having to explain things to others. "In this case it's different, females will fight each other until thirteen are left then they will battle against the top Super Elites. Those who survive will test their skills against my personal guards in a time trial. She who remains longest without having blood drawn will become my mate." He snorted at his own words and stood up briskly and strode to the door before turning to her.

Bulma followed him silently down to her room, or was it his? As soon as the door slid back into the closed position his armor fell to the floor, followed by his shirt. Bulma almost became livid when she thought of his intentions. Vegeta turned to her as if waiting for something. "Take them off." The woman's eyes widened. "What?" She wasn't sure if her ears had heard correctly. He pointed to her jeans. Seeing no way to escape her current predicament, she kicked her boots off and slid her jeans down.

He strode over to her and knelt down, studying the rash on her thigh before raising up his right arm revealing a similar rash on his floating rub. His rash was more pronounced, with dark lines under the flaky top skin. A grunt escaped him as he stood up and began to redress. Still not completely sure of his motives, she broke the silence. "What?" He glanced at her before pulling his armor over his spiky hair. "Well?" She was becoming impatient as she pulled her jeans back on. He didn't answer but turned and strode over to the door intending to leave.

The sudden airborne projectile aimed at his head stopped him. He caught the shoe easily and snarled at her though she retorted, "Well? Are you going to tell me? Or am I going to have to throw another shoe at you, or fight in this 'mating battle'. I know what the mark is, you pompous ass. So what am I supposed to do? Die?" She knew it had come out of her mouth before she could stop herself from flying off the handle. One of her hands clamped over her mouth too late to stop the words from signing her own death warrant.

In a moment he was in her face, his temper matching hers easily. "Do you think I don't know what this means? Stupid bitch, your meddling will kill us both." She jumped at the chance to let her viper tongue fly. "MY fault? MY FAULT? You’re the bastard that chased me through the forest and brought me to this fucked up place!" His nose crinkled at the bridge in response to her shrill voice that his ears disliked immensely.

Bulma began to freak out when she realised that there was not sound coming from her throat. A few fired synapses later she furiously realised he was covering her mouth with his hand. "Silence!" The offending hand vanished. "You do NOT address me in such a manner!" Blue eyes narrowed at him, this was far from over. "You have to fight in the battle, but you'll never survive." He mused more to himself then her. "Can't you call it off or something?" She knew she was grasping at straws. "No, it’s tradition. Unless you win, you’re dead." His words hung heavily in the air, pressing against her senses. Fate was drawing near and her guardian angel was no where to be found. Bulma watched with hazy vision as he left the room, her alone to think about her life.

A few moments alone was all she could stand. The pressure and stress was beginning to take its toll on her. Bulma stared blankly forward as she took a seat on the bed, her hands feeling the soft fabric, letting it be her anchor to reality. She heard somebody enter the room, them talking to her and her own voice responding. Then it just all blacked out from there.

She woke up in a new room; it was vastly different from the one on the ship. Was she still on the ship? She climbed out of the strange feeling bed and padded over to the door. She stood in front of it and expected it to open like the ones on the ship had; nothing happened. She then spotted a keypad in the shape of a hand next to the doorframe. Thinking that there was nothing to loose in trying, she pressed her palm to the magnetic screen. A mechanical sounding voice was piped into the room from an invisible source filled the room, "Not authorised." Bulma sighed and peered to look closer at the keypad. "Child's play!" She grinned, feeling more like herself then she ever had since she'd left earth. It took but a matter of moments to get out of the room using her mechanical know how. She stepped out into what she assumed was going to be the ship’s hallway. Bulma's blue eyes stared blankly at the corridor in front of her; this wasn't the ship.

The hallway was long and straight, with small screens of unknown characters on them; a wild guess told her it was the Saiyans’ language. The lights over head were implanted into the walls at the edges, where the wall connected to the ceiling. There were a few doors every so often with large panels next to them over the palm pads. More prisoners? After deciding that she was officially lost, she stopped to try to get her bearings; is everything the Sayians build this maze-like? There was another panel on the wall sporting the wonderful drawings of a map. Bulma looked upwards, someone must really like me! It took a few moments but she finally got a general idea of which way to go. After a few more minutes of trudging down the empty corridors, she came across two large burly male guards with their arms crossed over their broad chests. 'Seems to be a popular stance' she thought. The guards stood before two larger doors made of metal with more of the strange language imbedded into it by engraving.

A few moments later the doors swung open into the room. Prince Vegeta strode out proudly with his head up in the air. He immediately turned and began to come towards Bulma and she began to panic. 'He's gonna kill me for being out here!' Her thoughts were frantic and unordered as she failed to come up with a plan. He turned the corner and walked straight up to her. "Going somewhere?" She swallowed loudly, "The battle commenced is 3 days; you'd better be ready!" He threatened and walked off leaving her alone in the corridor. "Wait!!" She screeched and took off after him forgetting that she was afraid of the Saiyan man. "What am I supposed to do? I'll never win! I'm weak! They'll slaughter me!" She whimpered. "Find something!"

Bulma reminisced on her plan. Vegeta had escorted her back to her room and made it quite clear that she was under no uncertain terms to leave. She'd long ago pulled out her palm top computer and was busy trying to find a weakness from all the data she'd collected on the Sayians. "I've got it!" She smiled to herself and began to rapidly barrage the keys with her fingers. She saved the file and shut the computer off just as the door opened; the same meek looking girl that had brought her the clothes the other day had a tray of food in hand. "I...I'm suppppp...supposed to tell you to clean up...and be ready..." She placed the food on a small counter that jutted out from the wall across from the bed. Bulma nodded and began to type at her computer again, only half-paying attention to what the smaller girl said to her. Without another word, she left Bulma alone with her computer and her new-found plan.

A few more minutes of typing and she way done laying the foundation for her plan to win the battle. It was quite simple in context, though getting it to work was a whole other ball game. For the first time she looked around the small room she was assigned to. It had a single bed tucked away in one corner opposite from the small ledge that her food sat on with a small space age looking stool to sit on. A door to the left of the counter led to what she assumed was a bathroom, though it wasn't like any she'd ever seen before. The shower, or what she assumed was, consisted of a cylindrical space and jets that lined the walls up and down.

Bulma munched on her food, trying to place the taste. It was something vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn't think of it. "I guess they like meat!" She muttered to herself, seeing the plate was 3/4 meat with something potato like as a side-dish. She shoved the empty plate aside and began to pull up schematics and diagrams on the glowing screen. The door silently slid open behind her unbeknownst by the scientist who intently watched the computer screen. Bulma screamed bloody murder and send the empty plate crashing to the ground before whirring around to confront her attacker. Needless to say she wasn't impressed when she found Vegeta standing behind her, trademark smirk on his impassive face. "Asshole!" He shrugged and stared passed her at the computer screen. Bulma followed his gaze and made a face. "It’s my plan to stay alive." "Will it work?" He questioned. "I'm not sure, I need to get some things first, then I will know. Though the statistics dictate that there is a 98% success rate." Scientific jargon found its way into her mouth.

He watched the screen intently, "How does it work?" She sucked in a deep breath and began, "I take blood from the strongest, the average and the weakest Saiya-jin...." she went on with her plan. At the end of her lengthy explanation he nodded. "You’re sure it will work?" She nodded with more confidence, "It should. Though if I want to be done in time, I have to start now." He looked her over with this calculating eyes, "Fine, follow me and we will get what you need." T hey left the room to prepare for Bulma's secret weapon.

As it turned out, no Sayian had ever seen a needle, much less been sick ever. This information made Bulma's life a little harder and much less pleasant. A busty woman with short-cropped black hair sat in front of Bulma trying to understand exactly what was being told to her. "You understand?" The blue haired woman asked. "I think so." She said and held out her arm. Bulma took it and gathered the blood from the two of the three key elements. "I need the strongest warrior now." She said without turning to face Vegeta. He'd stood, leaning on the wall behind her all night and she'd grown used to his presence. There was no comment from him and she turned to see if he'd fallen asleep on her. He wasn't there so she turned back and almost dropped the bag of blood on the floor. Vegeta was standing in front of her with his arm held out.

He eyed the needle, as she called it, carefully, he didn't quite understand exactly what she was doing, but he let her do it anyway. It was a strange feeling to have a small piece of metal pushed into his skin and to watch the blood drain out of his body into a bag she held in her thin hands. He'd never seen blood spilt without pain, and it was a new experience to add to his growing list.

With the three bags full and sitting in front of her, Bulma began to do the simple things such as set up the equipment she needed. The capsules popped open and she pulled and set the three machines into position on a bare counter top. Vegeta had pulled Bulma into the room a couple hours ago and gave her free use of it to create her weapon. With the machines purring softly, she began to adjust each one to the proper settings.

Vegeta stayed leaning against the wall all night and into the next day without a change. Though Bulma, on the other hand, wasn't faring so well without her usual caffeine and favorite music. Sleep pulled on her eyelids but she forced them to stay open. The machine beeped and she punched in a complex set of numbers and pushed start. It whirled to life, humming softly, lulling Bulma into a quiet slumber. Vegeta watched from his vantage point along the wall. She's been standing there for a long time, with her head on her arms starring at the machine.

The last day past quickly for Bulma. Since she finished her diabolical little weapon she'd slunk off to bed, barely able to keep her eyes open. She'd had Vegeta place guards on her temporary lab; she didn't want any of the red liquid that filled a glass beaker on the desk to escape. Sleep pulled at her and tried to keep her down in its grasp, but she fought against it, regaining consciousness with a sickening thought; there was nothing to protect the observers from her little weapon. The scientific mind began to churn until it produced the perfect answer to her problem. She scrabbled out of bed and grabbed her belt, the capsule felt heavy in her hand as she pushed the triggering mechanism. When the smoke cleared small fist sized boxes sat in front of her, well at least the ones that she hadn't left in the cave on earth.

She quickly put the boxes back into the capsule and made mental notes of what she needed to do to adjust them. She rapped her fist on the door loudly, cursing the Prince if she had to wait for another second in the confined room. The door slid open and he was standing there, like he knew she was going to ask to be let out.

The lab was exactly as she'd left it the night before. The beaker stood tall and foreboding on its counter, asking to be let free. Bulma pulled out the boxes again and set to work on them immediately, though this time the Prince left, giving the guards outside the door strict orders in his native language. Bulma sighed happily she was done, all she wanted to do was take a long hot shower and relax, though those two things weren't possible. The battle was set to start at sunset; that didn't give her much time to set her trap. She knocked politely on the door and asked for Vegeta. The guards replied politely in their own gruff manner that they were given orders not to disturb him. They would take her out to the battlefield so she could survey the terrain. Bulma nodded, taking in the lie and pulling the four boxes closer to her.

The ring was circular and marked by a low rock wall, there were seats surrounding the arena for others to watch on. As inconspicuously as she could she buried the four boxes at the cardinal points on the circle and returned inside with the guards. Back in her lab, she emptied the beaker into a thin glass test tube that would break if she let it fall. She tucked it into the space in her belt that used to contain the other capsule, it fit well, though she'd have to be careful not to jar it. The guards escorted her to her room where new clothing had been lain out for her. Bulma questioned the guards and one responded. "They are mandatory, so that the fighters are easily recognisable." She nodded and changed. Discontentedly, she discarded the belt and set the vile in her boot hoping it wouldn't break before the time came.

Bulma stood in a room packed with many other female Sayians, all teeming with the urge for battle. Some glared at her and gave her strange looks, making threats and laughing about how she'd never win. The Chikyuu woman just smiled to herself and waiting in the shadows. She watched the others in their shiny battle armour, making threats against the others and promises they wouldn't keep. Everyone in that room wanted the Prince for a mate, except the earthling. She almost laughed out loud when she realised how such an advanced race of fighters could become a pack of boy-crazy women.

-X- Reality: Illusion

Illusions are what they appear to be only in the context called reality. - Michika Tenshi 00/06/18

The small room quickly became hot and stuffy. The fighters had calmed down, no longer boasting their skills, but had either sat down to meditate or exchange low comments with fellow soldiers. Bulma sat alone, leaning against the wall, not knowing anyone. She felt quite alienated and began to think over her plan. Was it right for her to try and claim the prize she didn't want? She didn't know the Prince and she certainly wasn't dying to get her hands on him like the others were. Was it wrong for her to be here? She was supposed to be back on Earth in Yamcha's strong arms with nothing more to think about besides her next project. Why is it that she was stranded here, on some alien planet, bonded to their next monarch?

Bonded? She though the term over in her mind, rolling it around the inside of her mouth. She leaned her head back on the wall and thought through the conversation with her former guards; the weaker one gets the mark. Then why does he have it too? Speaking of guards, where were they? She hadn't seen them in; she counted on her fingers, eight days. 'Bulma!' she mentally swatted herself for running astray with her own thoughts.

There was bustling in the room that caught the Chikyuu native's attention. "The games are beginning." she heard someone say. Bulma waited patiently at the back on the line to exit the room. 'No reason to hurry to you death.' she though solemnly, somewhat losing faith in her meticulously thought out plan. She trudged out, following the others who'd all seemed to have perked up at the thought of battle.

They were led out into the battlefield where they all stood facing the Prince and an older man who Bulma assumed to be the king. The distinguished man stood and made a brief speech in his native tongue, the fighters bowed on one knee, showing their respect for him. Bulma followed suit, not wanting to draw attention to herself. As if on cue, all the fighters found a place on the low ledge surrounding the battlefield, it was just large enough for them all to fit. The King jumped down from his seat to float just above the center of the ring. With his left hand he raised a short dagger and drew its sharp blade across his palm. Blood welled up and spilled onto the ground. The field erupted in cries of bloodlust and war. Bulma stayed pressed to the side of the wall, paralysed by fear.

The fight reflected in her eyes for a brief moment before she regained her senses. She slid the watch out from under the sleeve of her shirt and turned the faceplate. The small screen flashed 'READY'. Bulma swallowed hard once and sent a silent prayer to whoever directed her fate. Her hands where shaking as she pulled the vile out of her boot and let it fall to the ground where it shattered into thousands of pieces. The liquid pooled out on the hard packed soil before changing states into a thick creamy white gas. The cloud of fumes began to widen and spread filling the arena, but it was unable to cross the boundary of the ring. The gas was thick and Bulma became confused, where was the wall? It should have been right in front of her. She stood a few steps forward in the white world.

A few of the fighters stopped when they were engulfed and began to cough and sputter, others jumped out of the ring being disqualified immediately. A few were so immersed in battle that they didn't notice the fumes until it was too late. Minutes after the vile had shattered at her feet everyone in the ring lay unconscious on the blood-splattered earth. The gas began to disperse harmlessly as Bulma stood, her fingers crossed and her eyes clenched shut in a silent plea. Silence. Nothing moved or broke the sound barrier. The blue-haired woman cracked opened an eye to look around. The other slowly opened in shock; all the spectators in the stands stood watching her. Suddenly she didn't feel so good, it was just too much, the silence and the staring. Her watch beeped, making her jump. She turned the dial to the off position and stood where she was. Somehow she'd ended up in the middle of the ring, completely untouched and utterly alone.

From his seat the King watched; he was intrigued at this sudden and rather disturbing development. Some blue-haired woman, obviously an off-worlder, had decimated what he thought was going to be a glorious battle. He stood, an air of displeasure surrounding him thicker than before. "The battle is over!" He spoke to the crowd. They bowed and began to shout at Bulma, who stood rather frightened in the field. The Prince stood and glared out over the crowd, they fell silent and watched. The Saiyan heir jumped down from his place and stood on the outside of the wall, not sure if the 'weapon' had faded. Bulma caught his eye and nodded slightly. He jumped over the wall with ease and came to stand next to her.

She turned to face him, not sure of what was to come next. The man beside her began to speak in English or what he called 'Standard' to the crowd. 'Such a alien planet, with such alien ways,' she thought, not quiet paying attention to him as he spoke. Suddenly he turned to her and grasped her by her frail shoulders. Blue eyes met dark pools of ink; she was afraid. He leaned in closer to her then he'd ever been. Her eyes darted over his face, trying to read the stony features covered in olive skin.

It was the strangest feeling that had ever come over her; it was like she was an observer in her own body without control over herself. She saw through her own eyes as Vegeta's face came closer to hers, she blinked. Then she felt it, a searing pain flashing through her, emanating from her neck. He'd bitten her, another of the strange rules of this planet. It hurt at first but then is changed, it crossed the line and blurred from pain to pleasure, then it was over. She looked up at him, unsure of what would happen next. A small trickle of her blood trailed from the side of his mouth for a second before he wiped it away with his gloved hand. Bulma swallowed hard. The crowd erupted in noise, though not the usual cries of pleasure from a well-fought battle. They screamed for blood and the death of the off-worlder. They wanted for one of their own to take her place as rightful mate to Vejiitasei's throne.

After the battle, Vegeta had personally escorted her back to her room. He was silent the whole way, nothing new, though his facial expression had taken on some subtle changes. The lines around his eyes had deepened and his mouth was set firmer than usual with his jaw slightly clenched. What bothered her the most was his stride, it was usually so proud and arrogant, now it seemed like it took an effort to look so aloof from everyone else. She'd glance at him out of the corner of her eye every few steps. "What?" he questioned without the usual hatred for life behind it. "...Nothing..." She mumbled and turned her gaze straight ahead.

Her room gave her tingles up and down her spine, like she wasn't alone in the chamber. "Stataris?" she half whispered, half spoken. No response came. Bulma shuttered as her imagination took the idea of there being less friendly creatures similar in kind to Stataris and ran away into the dark. The curt knock on her door scared her into thinking it wasn't her imagination that was playing with her mind. The door slid opened slow and in stepped a pair of cloaked people. "Come with us." one spoke. Bulma hesitated to leave, but gave in; there wasn't much she could do if she resisted. The Earthling followed the two down more hallways until they arrived at a single wooden door. Come to think of it, she'd never seen wood on Vejiitasei before; it must be rare. The door creaked open and the threesome stepped inside.

Steam swirled around in the air; it floated off pools of water situated in the floor. More of the cloaked people came to Bulma and began to pull and tug at her clothes. They shoved her towards one of the glistening pools of steaming water and she didn't resist. The water swirled around her as she tumbled into its heated depths; it closed around her giving her a slight tinge of hydrophobia. She kicked her legs to stay on the surface and looked down, there was no bottom to this pool. The vague thought of just letting it all go, sink to the bottom and never to resurface again crossed her mind.

Nothing was the same anymore, or what it should be. She'd beaten the most powerful fighting race in the universe. The mean spirited Prince was gracious towards her. 'Illusions are what they appear to be only in the context called reality.' The phrase jumped into her head making it spin with confusion. She just let herself float in the dark warm water, her eyes closed as she heard the robed figures retreating. The water lapped against the sides in quiet slaps when she moved in the water letting her mind drift into its own private prison. What had she gotten herself into? Her body drifted to the edge and she bumped against a ledge in the water. Bulma sat on the ledge, head bowed down looking at her own reflection in the water.

Cerulean eyes searched for a reason to go on. The usual love of live had changed to a deep survival instinct, blocking out most of her emotions and making her numb. The water pushed against her as she let it force her back into the ledge. Bulma's bare skin felt the caress of cool tile, a contrast of the warm and soothing water.

He stood at the door, watching. Her hair was wet and it had tumbled over her face, the tips hung in the water, swaying back and forth with the subtle current. The two robed figures on either side of the Prince began to walk forwards towards the edge of the central pool. They turned and waited for him where the water met tile. He took a step forward and immediately regretted it, his dirty boot in combination with the wet floor ground into the shiny tile, making a loud unsettling sound in the empty room.

Her head jerked up and a wildfire of panic spread over her face. Bulma wisely held her tongue; at this stage of the game a word could mean life or death and she knew it. The two cloaked beings reached out with their hands and tugged on Vegeta's armour. He shrugged them off and pulled his own clothing off while Bulma turned her head away. The robed creatures took the clothing, bowed deeply and left. The Chikyuu woman kept her eyes averted, not exactly comfortable with this situation.

He entered the water without a sound. Silently, he approached his mate and reached out a hand from the water. He caught her chin in his callused palm and turned her face to his. She'd been crying, her eyes were outlined in red and streaks of dried tears left salty paths on her cheeks. Bulma tried to pull away but failed and sobbed once, heart-wrenchingly. The Prince who'd never been confronted with something like this was at a loss of what to do. The dishevelled woman became conscious of herself and pulled her arms out of the dark water and pulled them around herself as not to expose anything. Her fingers found the bite mark on her right shoulder and fingered the tender skin. The Vejiitasei heir let his hand drop into the water and propelled himself away from her.

From the depths of the pool bubbles began to rise and cause a stir on the surface. Bulma turned and grasped onto the wall, unsure of what was happening. The Prince, who had a vague idea of what was happening, treaded in the churning water, knowing he was never in any danger from this cleansing ceremony, though the woman was something else. The water frothed and began to create its own whirlpool, the current picked up and Bulma began to pull herself out of the water. The hydro twister grabbed on to her legs and sucked her into its depths with her. Vegeta watched as she vanished beneath the surface for a fraction of a second before diving down after her.

He pushed himself deeper into the bottomless pool after her retreating form. The Prince could clearly see her face, frightened and full of the knowledge that she was going to die. Her lungs screamed for air and she made of last fight against the impossible. Eyelids heavy, she looked up once more at the surface. There was the faint feeling of something pulling on her arm, she forced herself to look up; the Prince, her prince was trying to save her. He got a good hold on her around her waist and powered up, blasting towards the surface.

They broke the surface and bobbed on top of the water. Bulma pulled in life giving breaths gratefully. She gave up; her walls of self-preservation crumbled and fell. She leaned into his warmth and cried, all the tears and frustrations she'd been holding back came free, spilling forward over her cheeks and down onto his chest then rolling off and tumbling into the now quiet water. Vegeta just let her cry on his chest, revelling in how well her small and fragile body fit against his. He sharply reprimanded himself; emotions and feelings are for the weak. He looked around the room, avoiding thinking about his mate crying in his arms. It was useless to try and escape this room, he knew that it would do him no good; it would be a waste of energy to try. So they stayed in the warm water. He floated in the water with his queen who had been lulled into a catatonic state by his heartbeat.

Elsewhere in the medical ward, Corais watched as Potatirs floated in the spherical rejuvenation tank. Her short hair floated around her face in a dark halo, perhaps a foreshadowing to fate's will. Something twinged deep down in her heart as she watched her mate float listlessly in peaceful slumber. A scientist approached her from behind and handed her a scouter. "Radditzu wishes to talk with you." She took the scouter silently and affixed it to her earlobe. "Yes?" Radditzu's face appeared in the scouter's eyepiece, "You are to report to the cleansing hall immediately." Corais nodded and gave one last look at Potatirs before leaving the Med ward.

If I Dreamed -XI- Threats & Promises

Corais followed the map in the eye-piece of her scouter down to the Cleansing hall. Her mind was not on the task at hand. She just kept thinking about her lover. The sight of her so vulnerable in the tank was frightening to her, almost like it was dictating that they could die and anytime. Corais swallowed her feelings and brushed her long hair over her shoulder; this was going to be a long day.

The wooden doors came into view; both tall and foreboding with the ancient language carved into its thick faces. Radditzu and a few other high ranking guards stood waiting for her; she nodded in Radditzu's direction. They were all dressed in formal battle attire, armor cleaned to a shine. They all stood facing the doors as Radditzu took a step forward and knocked once. There wasn't a noise in the corridor save for the breathing of the guards. Silently, Corais looked around and realised that she didn't quite fit into this group of people. There were five others besides herself. She recognised Radditzu and a couple others as the Prince's royal guards. The other two were Super Elites, how was she in this? She was a second class off-planet warrior, nothing more. Why was she here?

The Prince continued to float on the top of the water, using a small fraction of his power. He watched his queen to be in his arms. 'Weak.' he thought. 'What am I going to do? She will be my downfall if anything.' There was the sound of clothing swishing in the air and he looked up surprised. The robed figures had returned, yet what was more disturbing was that he hadn't sensed their approach.

The four robbed figured separated into even groups, one pair stepped up to the edge of the pool and reached their arms forward; they wanted the Chikyuu woman. He lifted her up easily but she tightened her grip around his neck. It didn't take much to break the grasp and hand the problematic woman over to the figures. They took her and left while he turned his attention to the other two. One held out a towel for him, knowing that he would refuse their help; it was his nature to do so.

Vegeta snatched the towel and snarled at the figures. This was improper by his standards, it would be the first thing to go when he was king. He floated out of the water and put the towel on before landing on the cool tiling. The same robed figure that held out the towel bowed then turned and he and his companion left the room through a guarded entrance with the Prince in tow.

Back on earth, the Z senshi had regrouped on Kami's lookout. The Sayians had left the planet suddenly with no reason. The people that had been loaded onto their ships were set begrudgingly freed and then the Sayians just vanished. Kami looked over the edge of his palace, down onto the scared Earth's surface. He could feel the bewilderment and sense of loss from his planet. His counterpart stood unaffected, blocking out all the emotions that surged up from the scattered people. The old god finally turned to face his planet's protectors, their faces were downcast and guilty. The Z senshi had failed in their task and it weighted heavily on their hearts.

Down on the planet, Dr. Briefs and his wife emerged from their hiding place during the deep fall of night. After three weeks in hiding, Mrs. Briefs could only think about her only child. The elderly couple had last talked to their daughter the day she had received the transmission from the ships in orbit. They formulated a plan, having a vague idea why the Saiyans had come to Chikyuu. Bulma would gather all she could from Capsule Corps; then it fell upon her shoulders to destroy any physical indication that the large company had ever existed. The Briefs had waited for two long weeks in their hastily made underground shelter and now they were finally free to venture out into the sun's warming gaze and inhale the sweet scents of life. Mrs. Briefs waited patiently in the Capsule car while her husband gathered the last of their possessions from the hid-a-way.

For some inexplicable reason, there was a lady who looked quiet out of place approaching the car. Her hair was clean and shiny, though that was all Mrs. Briefs could make out in the night. Her clothes were dark, probably black, consisting of a long form fitting jacket and a pair of tall leather boots that clicked loudly on the cracked pavement. Her face was well hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. "Mrs Briefs?" She asked, her voice was smooth and light, it showed to traces of having been scared by the recent events. Dr. Briefs approached the car noticing the strange lady. "Can I help you miss?" he asked; his voice gravely from years of smoking. "Actually, I think it is I who can help you." She smiled behind her glasses and placed a gloved hand on the car. By this time Dr. Briefs had gotten into the car and was ready to gun the engine, the stranger was giving him a strange sort of vibe.

The elderly couple remembered nothing in the space of time that it took for them and their car to move from the planet to Kami's lookout. Both Chikyuu natives blinked, not quiet sure what had just transpired. They appeared to be on a platform surrounded by dark blue clouds to match the night-time sky. They both stepped out of the car, backing away from the strange woman that still stood with her hand on the engine of the car. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to save you, so you can see your daughter one more time." She could barely whisper the words as flashes of her own past played over in her mind. "Wha...what did you say?" Mrs. Briefs uttered. More lost time for the couple; the woman was gone.

Kami turned away from the warriors before him and began taking steps towards the other side of his palace. He came upon Mrs. and Dr. Briefs, both in a faint state of shock, "Hello..." Kami's voice was soft and calming to the shocked elders. Dr. Briefs turned and gasped. Gokou had followed Kami, wanting to see what made him walk off from a conversation. Gokou wasn't sure what to make of it; he could feel it in the air, vibrant and sharp to the senses, like electricity but more powerful yet still more playful. "...Fate..." he heard Kami hiss under his breath.

The two figures that had taken charge of the catatonic Bulma wrapped her in a large towel and sat her down on a seat. One rummaged in a shelf cut deep into the tilled walls and pulled out a pile of fabric and gestured for the blue-haired woman to take it. Quite unaware of what she was doing, she submissively took the clothing offered and waited for the two figures to leave. When they returned a few moments later Bulma had discarded the towel and was now dressed in the Sayian clothing. She was dressed in a short, form hugging halter0top with a short skirt complete with a slit up the left side showing off her bonding mark. The two figures brought out two boxes and set them before Bulma, the first one contained a pair of knee high boots in black, the second was filled to the brim with glittering jewellery.

She pulled the boots on and wiggled her toes in the end, wondering slightly how they knew her size. One of the figures reached out and pushed her gently back into the seat while the other approached her carrying the second box. Gentle hands began affixing jewellery to her body; they stopped when they reached her ears. "Wha..?" Bulma barely formed the words in her dismembered state. The figure held up her hand, signalling Bulma to stop talking. She fingered Bulma's pierced lobes once more before abandoning whatever she was thinking; the other figure began to search through the shelves of pots and intricately carved dishes. It took the one figure a long time to get an armlet on Bulma's arm. It appeared that her arms were thinner and more delicate then the average Saiyan and it was causing problems. She finally succeed and Bulma looked at the armlet. It started at her elbow and worked its way downward to stop a few inches shy of her wrist with another piece that slid over her pointer and pinky finger, securing the armlet in place.

The first woman, obviously the elder of the two, turned Bulma's face in her hand. From the left to the right then back again. The confused woman in the chair sat perfectly still, unsure of what to do. She sat quietly as the woman worked with her hair, making faint clucking sounds as she pulled her fingers through its lengths. The second in command seemed to study Bulma with a critical eye, even though her face was shrouded in the darkness of the burgundy cloak she wore. She pulled and straightened a few of the pieces of jewellery from around her neck, straightening them to perfection.

Butterflies began to dance in Bulma's stomach as she watched the pair advance on her with another box in both their hands. It seemed to be quite important though not heavy and it was rather disturbing to the woman to why they both needed to carry it. The robed figures placed one hand under the box each while they worked the other free of the folds in their clothing. They both pressed down on the box lid with translucent skinned hands. The lid clicked once then popped open a fraction of an inch at the seams. Both withdrew their hands back into the robes before opening the box. Together they pulled out a simple golden crown, it was a straight band of gold that mounted into a rounded of peak at the front. Even though it wasn't extravagant it was beautiful in the room's dim light.

Once they'd affixed the crown to her head, the one resumed turning Bulma's head from side to side. The other stood behind the first, sombrely with two pots in hand. The first pulled free the paintbrush that stood in the first dish. Her hand was quick as it drew a line over the top of the Chikyuu's eyes. The liquid was cold against her warm skin, making her flinch. They outlined her eyes with kohl and touched a faint rose color to her lips. The foreign substances tickled her skin, teasingly with the feeling of indulgence.

It'd taken ChiChi and the rest of the Z gang a few moments to calm down the Briefs' when Gokou had brought them over to the rest of the gang. Dr. Briefs kept removing his glasses, cleaning them then putting them back on for a few minutes before restarting the process. Kami and Mr. Popo had vanished into the palace to consult between themselves and the earlier guardians of earth.

Piccolo floated meditating; he had a faint inkling of what it was that his counterpart had sensed. He knew what those creatures were though he'd never encountered one, or met anyone who'd had. He floated in silent reflection within his mind. What was that creature doing here? What did it want with the Briefs? He gave up and sunk deeper into his meditation.

The two cloaked women pulled Bulma to her feet, the boots felt strange under her as she stood on the tiled floor. Both women took the Chikyuu woman by the upper arm and began to walk with her to a new door, one Bulma hadn't seen before. They stood at the door waiting as if they weren't allowed to enter it. The Earth woman looked down at her arms. Her left one had on the armlet with its smooth and unmarked face, while the other had a simple bracelet dangling off her frail wrist.

The door slowly began to creak open, antagonisingly slow in Bulma's eyes. She peered inside before the robed figures nudged her into the large room. Large braziers lighted the corners of the square room in a palette of oranges and yellows. The ceiling was so high up into the heavens that she couldn't see where the walls met the sky. The ground wasn't tiled like all the other rooms but was one continuos onyx marble slab. It reflected Bulma's reflection perfectly down to the last strand of hair. Her eyes followed on the marble floor to see another pair of sandal clad feet. She followed the feet to a pair of toned legs and upwards to a perfectly sculpted torso. Arrogant as ever, the Prince stood glaring in all his untouchable presence. He had the same armlet as she did on his forearm, but nothing else, no jewellery. He had a wrap on that made the Chikyuu woman want to laugh; the Prince was wearing a skirt. She suppressed a smile as on of the robed figures lead her into the center of the room where her Prince stood waiting unhappily.

-XII- Fate of the Damned

'Beauty isn't always the first thing you see' Miel Mitsue from Eternal Wish

Piccolo was lost in his own mind; meditation could do that to a person. Sucks you in so deep that you could no longer decipher how to get back. He'd been pondering events and people in his catatonic state. His senses could pick out Kami quickly and get a vague fix on his line of though. His counterpart was intrigued, if not a bit frightened. Events such as this where out of his reach; not something earth's guardian was accustomed to.

The feeling of the woman's presence still vaguely lingered in the air, the sharp electrical feel was still present enough to annoy the guardian's sensitive senses. Kami and Mr. Popo had returned from their conversation with the earlier guardians with no more knowledge of what it was then what they'd started with.

The Briefs sat alone apart from the rest of the group; they were still in a mild state of shock. Dr. Briefs played with an invention while Mrs. Briefs made small talk with an unresponsive Chichi.

Bluma stepped into the room, her boots echoing loudly on the reflective floor. Her reflection glared up at her, barely distorted giving her an almost perfect view of herself. She swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping that it would crush the fluttering butterflies in her stomach. The two escorts on either side of her led her in front of the Prince so she was facing him head on. They bowed deeply and left the room.

Bulma's eyes flickered around the room quickly and unsure; the room had emptied out rather quickly, now there was only herself, Vegeta and another new figure. She assumed it was a man by his build, his face and body was concealed under a long thick black robe that met the floor; he held an athame in one hand and a goblet in another. He took a step forward with the knife’s tip slightly raised. The room fell into a hush as the soldiers that stood outside were led into the room and placed strategically near the braziers.

All the soldiers were all in formal attire, though their battle suits had changed and would stay that way. They all wore crimson suits with polished gold trimmed armor. They all had the royal symbol of the house of Vejiitasei drawn on their faces, under the right eye, in kohl.

The dark robed figure watched the prince, who nodded for him to continue with the ritual. The figure raised the athame and spoke out into the room in a deep and guttural language, the Saiyan language. The soldiers all bent down on one knee with their arms outstretched ahead of them in an offering. The man called out one last phrase and let it echo and die in the large room. Vegeta no Oiji outstretched his own wrist with the arm guard on it and his soon-to-be mate followed suit.

Elsewhere, Stataris sat watching fate unfold, staring deep into a bowl of clear water. Her hair was pinned atop her head as she readied for the next part of her plan. The feel of the room changed sharply, it was filled with a darkened sense. She whirled around to face the body of her lover inhabited by something so fierce and evil, it sent shivers down her immortal spine. The body snatcher sneered at her, "You know the rules, the universe forbids that you play with mortals." She paid him no heed and turned back to the bowl of water. Everything was falling into place, she needed to collect the last elements for her final spell and her work would be done.

The inhabited body's face twitched once as if it was losing control, "Ssstatarissss, you know that you can't interfere with the work of the othersss." The voice began to hiss like a serpent’s as he placed his hand on her shoulder, his face twitched again more frantically, he was losing control over Jespher's body. For a moment the darkness in the room lightened and the woman turned around, Jespher’s soul was in his own body again for a brief moment. "Stataris, you must hurry, he knows" he grunted with the effort to talk, "keep them alive...I..I...I lo..." His body trembled violently as the spirit inside of him took control once again. The darkness returned to the room. "You bastard" he hissed as he lunged at her too quickly for her to dodge. He pinned her successfully on the floor under him while he used the few powers he wrestled away from Jespher on the woman. She was pinned too tightly for her to use her own powers without hurting herself or causing irreparable damage to her lover's body. The spirit reached his hand up and grasped the edge of the bowl. He lifted it up and poured the water down on his captive before shattering the bowl down on the floor next to her head.

Jespher's body grasped a large jagged fragment in his hand and sneered down at Stataris. "See what you've done, Jespher? You told her my secret. I will teach you to hold your tongue!" He brought the jagged piece of pottery down across Stataris' face, slicing through her skin easily. Blood poured out or the open wounds down onto the marble as she screamed to the heavens. When the body snatcher was done he laughed, "This is your punishment for talking, Jespher. Do you see?" Blood dripped down from her face as she pulled herself to her knees, one of her wings was broken; feathers fell down into the blood, never to be used again.

The pain burned up and down her face, her vision was gone, he'd cut it away with his feral and hatred fuelled slashes. She bit her lip as she blindly searched for something to bind the gushing wounds on her face.

On Vejiitasei, the black robed figure pulled the sharp blade across the Prince's wrist, the crimson blood dripped down into the goblet he held. He raised the knife once more and let the blade cut into Bulma's wrist so her blood too dripped into the goblet. The man nodded and Vegeta raised his still bleeding wrist and caught Bulma's hand in his. The wrist guards pulled themselves together with a power of their own. The two horizontal cuts fused together to let the blood from each body flow into the other. The emotions and feelings that the contact made was astonishing.

It was beautiful; Bulma closed her eyes and let the feelings pull her in. Her stomach was in her throat with the feeling like she'd been dropped from heaven never to touch the ground. In Vegeta's eyes, he could feel the echo of what his mate felt, the emotions, things he'd never experienced or encountered in all his existence. He too closed his eyes to pull in the full essence of this moment; it was one experience he'd never feel again. Their fingers entwined and her nails dug into the back of his hand as she arched her back against him. It was like an exquisite lovemaking session where there was no actual sex, just the pleasured emotions involved.

The robed figure passed around the room and gathered blood from each of the warriors into the goblet. He returned to his stop in front of the bonding couple and pulled out a vile from the folds of his robe. The contents of the vial added to the goblet, he waited patiently for the couple to finish with the exchange. Beneath their closed eyelids, the royal couple could see the universe; in one last trembling exchange they pulled their hands apart and opened their eyes. Bulma was still reeling from the power and feelings that came out of the exchange of blood.

The man held out the full goblet to the couple and ushered them to drink. The thought of drinking someone else’s blood was disturbing to Bulma as she watched Vegeta take three large gulps of the liquid before passing the goblet on to her. She stared down into the cup at the reflective surface of the blood. It seemed to shimmer under its own power. She looked closer as it shimmered again and began to drain from some unknown source. The well-known voice whispered in her mind, "...Pretend..." Bulma did as she was told.

The ceremony seemed to be over, the guards stood and left the room leaving the royal couple to their own thoughts. Vegeta-ouji gave her a sideways glance before walking proudly to the large doors they'd entered from, waiting at the threshold for her. The Chikyuu native walked somberly to her prince, sorting out the events in her mind.

-XIII- Weaving Fate

As Bulma followed the Prince diligently through the maze of embellished corridors, she reflected on how in the space of two months her life had changed. From playing hide and seek with the Sayians to sleeping in the same bed as their Prince. The walls were beginning to change and return slowly to the dull metal alloy in the palace. Her steps seemed to dwarf everything as the sounds bounced off the walls. She wanted to reach out turn the proud prince around and slap him until he talked to her like a normal person. She disliked the cold feeling she got when she was in his domineering presence, the uneasiness she felt from his stemmed from her fear of being battered again.

The hallways seemed to drag on endlessly, although he knew where he was going. It didn't take a conscious effort to lead his new Queen to their chambers, although he was distracted and had chosen the wrong corridor more then once. He doubted she even suspected that they'd been through that same passage-way more then he'd care to count. He stole glimpses of his bride as they turned corners; she was in, Sayian terms, weak. Though in his own mind he though her to be rather exotic and quite his match in temperament. Her technology would be quite useful to him and his people, after all she was supposed to be the most brilliant of the Chikyuu natives.

The maze of halls finally came to an end at a set of double metal doors. The symbol of Vejiitasei was engraved into the panels and imprinted into the tile in front of the door. The Prince stood on the imprinted tile and waited for a moment, the doors swung open inwards. The room was exquisite as far as Bulma could see in. It had its own anti-chamber decorated in the royal colors, crimson and black. The inner sanctum was quite alike, flourishing in the same colors and style on a whole new level. Bulma was curious at first and poked around at some of the displays or tables and such. 'So very home like' she thought. Her face broadened into a smile as she spotted the bed. It took far more self-control than she thought she possessed not to just fall into it and snuggle down into the depths of the warm sheets. She was just dying to sit alone for a few minutes and figure out what it meant to be 'mated' to the Prince. She stared out into space, hoping for a few moments to herself; unfortunately her 'guardian' didn't see it as such.

"I bow to you Queen Bulma." The new queen looked up for the source of the voice. She found it, but was somewhat disturbed; Stataris had dawned a heavy black cloak and now carried with her a tall staff. "I have come to collect you end of the bargain." Bulma looked at her for a moment, "You have already had you share, I fought in the battle." The guardian licked her dry lips; this part of her plan required perfect timing, not only on her part but on that of the couple before her. "I do not have the time or energy to waste on you. I will collect what I need from you, willingly or not; it is your choice." Vegeta, who'd been silent, spoke up sternly. "What do you want bitch?" The guardian hissed back at him, losing her control. "If that is your choice I will take what I need now then from another source." She rapped her staff on the floor three times and held out her free hand. On the third knock something red and slimy appeared in her palm. She held out her hand to Bulma, "All I needed to compleat the spell was the love of one being for another. So I have taken the heart of someone you loved, Bulma, and who loves you in return." Her control was lost and the hood of the cloak fell backwards.

On Chikyuu, Yamacha fell to the ground, grunting with incredible pain. The other Z warriors gathered around him, unable to determine the problem. As suddenly as it started, he tumbled to the ground his last breath seeping from his lips. "...Bulma..." Goku knelt down next to his comrade and placed a hand over his heart and gasped. "...His heart was removed..." Piccolo and Kami both stopped in mid-movement, that feeling was in the air again, though sharper and more distinct. The Namekian's eyes locked, the silent conversation exchanged, it was her, she'd done this.

Bulma covered her mouth to push down the bile that threatened to overcome her. The once unmarked guardian had been mutilated. Her eyes were wrapped with white gauze that had long ago soaked through with blood and dried. Her hair had been cropped off at uneven lengths in some places, while one of her wings was bandaged tightly in more bloody rags. The dishevelled guardian tossed the heart onto the floor where it slid to the Queen's feet, "Remember what promises you make, for that is what you are judged on when you time comes." She hissed and vanished with another quick sound of her staff on the floor. Bulma stared at the bloody mess and trail on the floor, she blinked and the heart and its crimson trail vanished. She turned her blue eyes to where Vegeta was but a second ago, he was gone. 'Was it my imagination?' she questioned and looked down to the floor again but stopped. In her hand was a goblet, it was filled with a dark purple liquid that threatened to slosh over the edge of the cup if her hand didn't stop trembling.

"Ve..Ve...Vegeta?" Her voice wavered slightly as her overactive imagination played tricks on her. There was a grunt from behind her. Her Prince was on the other side of the bed giving her the strangest un-Vegeta like stare. "What?" She asked not losing her composure. "Drink it..." he told her in his gruff voice, "What is it?" she asked peering at the cup. "What the Chikyuu-jin call wine, though slightly more potent. Bulma sniffed it and found it to smell quite like the red wine of earth. She took a tentative sip, then drowned the cup in a single sitting, "It’s like wine...but it isn't..." She trailed off as it burnt its way down her throat. He grunted and laid down on the bed, "You’re too weak to mate with, I'd probably kill you in the act," the blunt statement was seemingly out of place in all the events that had just transpired.

The wine in the goblet was affecting her mind; it coated her throat and mouth with a sweet and tangy flavor. When she rolled her tongue around in her mouth it made her head spin. Bulma took a moment to weigh her options with the help of that unique wine. She could spend a sexless life with a Prince with the perfect body, or go out in a big bang, no puns intended.

The to-be Queen turned away for a moment and smiled ever so evilly as the cup's contents fully took hold of her. Lust, desire and pure temptation coated her mind, letting her body take over. In one quick and fluent motion she turned around and took a step to onto the bed. She took another step before pouncing on her Prince. She sat straddling his hips with a deliciously seductive smile on her rouged lips. He just looked up at her, expression unchanging. She smiled and leaned down on his chest. "Then kill me..."she whispered into his ear and smiled into his neck as she leaned in closer to kiss down his strong jaw line. Something flickered in his obsidian eyes for a brief moment before he changed the tables on his mate; he liked having the upper hand. He grinned down from his lofty position, there was something feral about his new Queen, and he liked it.

Bulma grinned, her hands wove themselves up around his neck, cold delicate fingers traced patterns down his back and over his broad chest. His facial expression stayed the same, if not more calculating then before, her eyes followed his fingers as they worked off her clothes slowly under his torturous ministrations. She tossed back her head, exposing her neck to him and withered under his well built body. The Saiyajin no Ouji's hands roamed free, enjoying what they found and more. Bulma grinned up at him as she started her own torture with her tongue and lips, nipping and tasting everything she could find.

Vegeta's tail withered around his waist until it spawned a mind of its own and chased after one of the woman's hands. The Chikyuu woman caught the limb in her palm and tickled the tip with her thumb, watching the fine hairs raise and bristle. She grinned and giggled as she heard her lover purred in her ear.

From within the Medlab, workers quickly helped a newly healed Potatirs out from a healing tank. From her groggy point of view she could have swore that the technicians were afraid of her. Her eyes blurred and burned when she tried to focus on the form she knew was her mate. "Corais? How long was I in for?" The newly healed fighter stretched her senses to help her cope with her loss of eyesight. Corais cleared her throat in signal for the technicians to leave, they cleared out quickly. "Po-chan, you were only there for a few days, but something...happened..." The blind warrior had found her way to the other and gently traced her face with once wet hand. "While you where in there, your power level spiked ten fold, Vegeta no Ouji has taken a mate and we were both promoted to Queen's Guards." Corais watched Potatirs' face intently as she digested the information.

"Doesn't, don't I have to be present to be a Queen's Guard at the bonding ceremony?" She pushed out of her closing throat. "They took a blood sample from you when you were in the tank, the Prince ordered it. The techs are still freakin' out over your power level, and mine too."

"Yours? I don't understand Corais, how did you get so powerful?"

"I don't know Po-chan, all I remeber is having a fucked up dream about some freaking angel telling me that I had a job to do." Corais' foul mouth was beginning to get worked up.

"Seriously Corais, I had the exact same dream, you’re not screwing with my head are you?"

"No Po, though we don't have time to be idle, we have to get you a new uniform and move our quarters."

"Move quarters? I can't even see yet, much less find my way to new quarters." She snorted as she let her mate lead her out of the medlab.

Bulma smiled to herself as she shifted positions on the bed, the wine was beginning to wear off and take its aphrodisiac feel with it, though she didn't really mind. She could swear she was never going to be able to walk right again. Though that was far from her mind, she'd managed to break through the Saiyan no ouji's shell. It had taken her all of an hour to get him to even taste the rest of the wine that stood in a bottle on the night table. Once he'd tasted the tangy potion he was hooked, she had him wrapped around her finger. Although she'd failed to realise that it took a much shorter period of time for the beverage to burn out of his system.

She stretched her legs out in front of her and curled her toes. It didn't bother her that she hadn't slept for the better part of two days, though the feeling of her mate having his furry appendage wrapped around her waist did. His tail was a unique attributes with its own talents; she wasn't sure what to make of it. Her hand trailed down under the sheets until she found the offending extra limb. She let her fingers run over the fur lightly, feeling it bristle against her skin in response. The formerly sleeping Prince raised his head off the pillow almost looking too exhausted to move.

Bulma grinned as he pulled her closer in his embrace before settling back down into the mattress. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day..." he muttered, meaning she should probably sleep. Softly, she closed her eyes and leaned into a warm embrace.

From on his throne, King Vegeta sat alone in the room, his thoughts left to echo in his head and the vast chamber. His fate would be sealed today, the Prince was mated and far more powerful than him with a taste for the throne. He snorted and called for Nappa and Radditzu, they appeared at once. "I have a task for you, the final one that you must carry out for me." He paused and scratched his goatee. "I want you to destroy the planet the Prince's bitch is from." The two elite soldiers nodded and turned to leave, but were stopped by a cloaked figure that stepped into the light. "King Vegeta, it is not a wise choice you have made. If it pleases you, I have a better solution." Angry that there were eavesdroppers in the shadows, he stood and began to gather his energy into his palm, "Show yourself!" The intruder stepped out into the light. She was battered and bruised and her face partially covered with bloodied bandages. The King still recognised her.

Years ago, she'd come to his court and foretold that once of the Cold Empire would take his son, enslave him and destroy the Saiyan race. Thinking only of the prosperity of his line and the unborn child his mate held, he agreed. When she returned to Vejiita-sei he would turn over another unborn child; it made no difference whose it was, as long as it wasn't his.

"I need you to gather the vessel for me and in exchange, I will free you from the promise you made so long ago." The King fingered his goatee again and demanded what it was again the woman wanted he had forgotten. "I need a soul and body untouched by this world. I need the child conceived by your son and his mate." She spat the words with distaste.

"And how do you wish I do that, Stataris?" He asked levelly, slowly thinking that he'd made a wrong choice when he'd made a pact with Stataris. In his head he slowly began to realise that he'd been foolish as a young ruler.

"All you need to do is bring the woman here and I will take the child." Her voice was slowly changing, to something darker and more venomous. "Your son and mate are both young and fertile, they will create another heir." She stated off-handedly

"Is that all?" The King began to tense as he began to feel the electricity in the air.

"Yes, now bring the woman to me." From beneath her cloak, the woman smiled,;her goal was within reach, even if she did have to step out of bounds to make it happen. She sighed as she felt her life beginning to wind down as everything was beginning to fall into place. The King nodded at the bald one who took off in a run.

"Now our transaction is soon complete. You have what you wanted, the Saiyajin race will survive the wrath for the Cold Empire." The figure paused for a moment to pluck a dead and wet heart out from the folds of her clothes, a quick twitch of her wings and it was returned to its rightful owner. Stataris stood and waited.

On Chikyuu, Yamcha gulped in deep breaths of fresh air as he sat up. The pain in his chest was receding and his vision clearing. He sniffed the air, it smelt like something was burning, but he couldn't quite put his finger on the scent. He placed a hand over his heart grateful to realise that it had only been a daydream. The hand that had come from nowhere, shoved itself deep into his chest cavity and pulled out his beating heart for him to see. The human warrior stood and left the room.

The quick knock on the doors jarred Vegeta from his sleep into his combative mindset, his muscles tensed and his jaw locked in anticipation. "What is it?" He snarled as he made a move to sit up. It was then he realised there was someone in the bed with him. "Vegeta no Ouji, the King wishes to speak with your Queen." Nappa yelled from the other side of the doors. The saiyan no ouji gently moved the sleeping Bulma from his chest and stepped out of the bed, taking an unused sheet to cover himself. "Nappa you ass, leave at once! Tell that bastard of a King that it his no longer his place to call for anyone." He snorted at slammed the door shut.

Woken by the sound of voices, the woman yawned and asked who it was. No response, she opened her eyes as slowly sat up keeping the sheet in place. The room had changed, the ceiling was higher and she was no longer on the plush bed, but the floor with a carpet, stiff and scratchy against her skin. "Hello my dear." Bulma's head snapped up, the voice, it sounded like Vegeta's but deeper. She searched for the source and found it at the end of the room upon a raised platform and a throne. "What do you want?" She asked, gathering the sheets under her and standing up. "It’s not what I want, but it’s what she wants." He sneered at her and pointed to Stataris who stepped out of the shadows next to the King. Bulma gasped and took a step back; the guardian who'd started out like a guiding light had changed. She wasn't sure to trust the winged woman any longer since her motives were still unclear to her.

Stataris stepped forward, "Restrain her" she said. The King stood and in a flash was behind Bulma, pinning her to the floor. Bulma stopped fighting against him as Stataris plucked a feather out of her one good wing. "Remove the sheet." The sheet was gone and she lay naked on the floor trembling in the king's grasp. The guardian used the tip of the feather to trace a circle on the queen's abdomen, "what do you want with me?" Bulma screeched. The perpetrators paid no heed to her words as the feather continued to draw on her unmarked stomach.

Collection of all

I gather you to my palm

From your sanctuary I take thee

In exchange for life anew

for one lost to me

Bulma's eyes flared violently as she began to feel hot pain searing through her body. She threw back her head and screamed. The pain stopped suddenly as she felt droplets splatter on her face. She looked up and gasped, the King, or what had formerly been the king was now a decapitated body laying next to her. Stataris was still kneeled next to her feather in hand. "You know you can't hurt me, Vegeta, I am invincible. Let me have it. It is of no use to you." Bulma wasn't sure what they were taking about. "It is worth nothing to you, it will only cause you to become weaker." Stataris taunted.

"It makes no difference, it is not yours to take."

"Then I wish for the next one. Your father owes me and since he is dead his debts a passed on to you."

"Fine, you may have it, but on my terms. Leave and I will pass it to you later." The new King stated. Stataris nodded and stood, she faced Bulma and dropped the feather from above, "...forget..." The Queen watched the feather float down to her forgetting everything that had occurred in the throne room and falling into a deep sleep. "Take her back to your room, do whatever it is you need to do. I have others to attend to." Stataris was gone as the last word left her lips.

Vegeta stood in the throne room and looked around, rage still burning in his eyes. He watched his Queen, she still slept. The body of his father was beginning to stain the carpet a deeper red. He stepped towards the throne and sat in the chair's embrace relishing the feel of power contained in the chair. He stood and walked away from the dais to stand over his Queen. With her in his arms, he left to return to their quarters.

In their room he watched her sleep, her chest rising rhythmically while her blue eyes flickered under her closed lids. Vegeta closed his eyes and listened to his inner voice, it whispered to him about a new ki. He swallowed once and began to form a plan in his mind. Should he tell her? All first couplings with a non-Saiyajin mate result in a miscarriage. Perhaps it would be best if he destroyed the failed child before its mother knew. In her sleep, Bulma mumbled something about it being cold and rolled closer to Vegeta's warmth. He'd decided, he wouldn't tell her, there was no reason for her to know. He held her close to him and placed a hand over her abdomen and concentrated. In a moment it was gone, no trace of the ki left.

On earth the Z warriors were thrilled that Yamacha was alive, they questioned him extensively on his sudden revival. Kami and Piccolo could still feel the new charge of that woman in the air around Yamcha. While the rest of the group celebrated on the lookout, Yamcha stood off away from the other looking down on Earth. "Bulma..." his mind whispered, missing her. Tomorrow they were going back to Earth to help rebuild and find their lost friend. Yamcha jumped as he felt a presence beside him, he turned to look. It was the woman again. She stood cold and unwavering, looking down on the earth, "Bulma is no longer on Chikyuu. She will return when the time is right, but she is no longer yours."

"Where is she?" he was almost afraid to ask, he looked down on Earth, studying the people as if they were as important as anything.

"She is sleeping, tight in the embrace of her new husband. Her life has started again anew." Yamcha turned to ask her another question but the stranger had vanished. Sadly he turned and returned to the party to tell the others the news.

Bulma awoke to an empty bed, food was on a tray on the nightstand and she could hear what she assumed was a shower. Slowly she stood and pawed her way to the bathroom, rubbing her stomach. The door was slightly ajar and she pressed it open with her fingertips. Steam rolled out and she smiled seeing the form of her husband through the frosted glass. She ran a hand through her hair and found it rather matted with sweat from last night. Cautiously, she pulled the shower door open slightly and stepped in. He felt her as she entered the stall before she put her hands around his waist and laid her head on his chest. They stood there for a long time, just letting the water run over them.

When they were done they dressed and left the room, there was business to attend to. As they neared the throne room, Vegeta pulled out a silk scarf and tied it tightly around her eyes. "This isn't the thing you want to see." he whispered into her ear and led her into the room of delegates. She followed him blindly with only his gloved hand to lead her. Her ears could detect there were others in the room; they seemed agitated, almost frantic. Her prince led her down what felt like a carpeted path till he had her sit on a hard chair, then his warm leading hand was gone. The crowd became quiet and Bulma began to fidget in her seat, something felt off here.

The silence in the room was broken by Vegeta's commanding tone, "I am now King of Vejiitasei, you will swear your oaths of fealty to me to follow in the paths of my father." Unknown to Bulma he pointed to the decapitated body that still lay on the floor from early that morning. The delegates took a long look at the new King sizing him up, choosing their sides. One foolish Ambassador stepped forward, "Who is your mate, we do not bow down to off-worlders!" he asked, forgetting how lethal a Saiyajin could be. In an instant the man was dead, body parts strewed over the carpet. "My mate does not concern you." He nodded to his guards and they advanced from out of the shadows, their red armour glinting in the light. The soldiers knelt on one knee and swore fealty to their King in their own language. Slowly the rest of the delegates followed suit. Vegeta snorted "Have someone clean this mess up. There is business to attend to." Slaves emerged to clean up the bloodied mess and return the room to its former glory. As the last drop of blood vanished the new King pulled the silk scarf away from the eyes of his Queen. He softly whispered into her ear. "Welcome of Vejiitasei, Queen Bulma."

Epilogue -All Things Said and Done-

Eternity has passed and will pass again, although a chance like this to free my lover from the parasite evil that has invaded him might never return. I was so close, it was within my immortal grasp and I failed. Now I have lost my chance to collect the elements of my ultimate spell, another millennium to wait for another attempt. As all things turn in life's wheel so do us Immortals. For one millennium we each receive the power of control over certain parts of the universe. My time has passed but a moment ago, a new millennium has come and with it a new guardian.

In the end I'm not sure what came over me, to turn against those I tried to protect; perhaps the evil in my lover is spreading to me. None the less, I still do have the first element of my spell, an innocent soul. I watch the shining spark shimmer in my palm. This child, though a miscarriage, still holds the essence of life I need to free my soul mate. I've sat here and wondered why it was that the former Prince wouldn't let me take the child in my own way. The conclusion I've drawn is emotional attachment to the unborn infant. Yet I can never be sure of the feelings one has for a child, unborn or not, immortals do not have the privilege of offspring.

In light of the heat of the moment I do regret taking Yamacha's heart and promising the Queen's parents something they cannot have. I can still feel the bloody organ beating in my hand, spraying my clothing with hot life fluid. Perhaps my gruesome choice to take that man's heart pushed the Queen over the edge and into bed with her King. I will never know; even I cannot discern what path I weave. It is only in my instincts that I know what to do, and when there is no knowledge in immortality, just pure instinct.

La fin

FEAR OF REALITY IS THE SEQUAL