Chapter 48
She sighed and stretched,
reveling in feeling her bare skin sliding along his, his heavy, slightly rough
hand resting on her naked hip. Rolling over, she sought out his dark eyes,
unreadable as always. The black pools of his irises stared at her unblinkingly,
revealing nothing. She smiled and craned her neck upward to kiss him on the
corner of his mouth, pressing herself to him more tightly to reap more of his
body warmth. The mornings were starting to carry a bit of autumn chill, and in
the thin-walled Capsule house she was grateful for his incredible
heat-generating abilities. Without speaking he brought up the hand that had
rested on her hip and cupped her jaw, closing his burning eyes and kissing her.
She leaned against him more heavily in response, giggling softly when his
brawny arms wrapped around her and held her as closely as possible.
“Good morning, my prince,” she
whispered.
He grunted in detached
amusement. “Yes. Good morning,” he rumbled, running the side of his nose over
the ridge of her ear. “If you can even still call it morning. You humans seem
to sleep nearly all of the day away.”
She smiled and buried her face
in his strong neck, feeling his pulse against her cheek. “Only when we’re kept
up nearly all night,” she said quietly, her face burning.
It had been awkward, him
snatching her away from the party like that, holding her close as they sped
high above the ground. She had once again taken a breathtaking tour of the
skies before he had landed in a remote meadow, tall mountains overshadowing the
site by a little stream. He had set her down and they had stared at each other
for long moments, his face betraying nothing. She had shrugged and opened the
Capsule house, insisting he carry her over the threshold. It took a bit of
convincing, but carry her he did, setting her down and backing away like she
was a poisonous beast the second they were inside. She admitted that she had
liked the shocked awe that had settled in his eyes as she let her wedding gown
slip to the ground, even though the rest of his expression had remained that of
cold, carved stone. It had surprised her that he was a virgin, although that
was remedied soon enough and several times over, to her great delight. Vegeta
was a quick study, that was for certain. The tail definitely had its uses, she
had discovered. What was strange, however, was that she had broken out into
tears after the first time they made love, clinging to him as he panted above
her and wetting his bare, sweaty chest with her weeping. He had said nothing,
just rolled to the side and wrapped his entire body around her, enclosing her
in his arms as well as wrapping his legs and tail around her, as if to keep her
in the cocoon of his body. She had smiled through her tears, and wept not out
of sadness, but out of relief. Being with him was different than with any
other- she could not only feel him inside her body but inside her mind and
soul, and finally, finally she had found what she craved from another living
being. That knowledge was worth more to her than anything in the universe, and
suddenly the threat of really, truly falling in love with him seemed
startlingly real.
“Hmph,” he answered
disdainfully, but didn’t release her.
A feeling of warmth and
adoration blossomed in her chest and washed over her body, causing her to close
her eyes in contentment and brush her lips tenderly against his neck. “Vegeta,”
she whispered.
“What is it, woman?” he asked,
voice just the tiniest bit sharp.
“Why? Why give me this?” she
murmured into his throat.
His body became rigid and he
pushed her away from him. “Give what?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.
She sighed, blinking at him,
missing his warmth against her already. She had never seen such smooth, perfect
skin on a man, and she found she didn’t him to be so far away. “The wedding.
Whatever it is you do to me when we’re making love, where it seems like you’re
inside my head and heart,” she replied softly.
He scooted even farther away
from her in the substantial bed and propped himself up on one elbow, ebony eyes
examining her unblinkingly. “You talk too much. All you Earthlings talk too
much,” he growled. “You’ll get plenty of other weddings once we’re in space,
and plenty of proper wedding nights as well,” he said, the faintest hint of
anticipation flickering momentarily in his eyes.
She smiled and reached for him
but he had moved too far away and her hand encountered only warm sheets. “Why
did you marry me? Do you love me?” she asked, something in her chest aching
with the need to know.
He looked at her levelly, his
face visibly hardening. “I suppose you’ll badger me until you get the truth,”
he grumbled, not taking his eyes from her.
“The truth would be nice,” she
countered a little abruptly, the faintest of scowl touching her brow
momentarily.
“I’ve told you already. We both
know that it’s not what you’ll want to hear,” he warned.
She snorted a laugh. “It never
is, not from you,” she retorted. “Tell me again. I want to be sure.”
“No, I don’t love you. This was
a marriage of necessity to ensure my survival. Why? Do you love me?” he asked,
raising an eyebrow.
“Have you asked me that before?
Well, since the truth seems to have no impact on you, I guess I can say that
no, I don’t love you,” she said, echoing him. “Not yet. But what scares me is
that I could, but not in a way I can even begin to fathom. I’ve loved before,
Vegeta, and this is different...”
“What we share transcends
something as inconstant as love,” he replied sharply. “That is all you need to
know.”
“How can I trust you?” she
asked, her eyes searching his face.
He sighed. “I am not going to
say that trust will never be an issue with us. But, as I've told yo before, a
Saiyan cannot lie to someone during telepathy. What would you have me tell you
that you would need such assurances?” he responded coolly.
The skin around her eyes
tightened and she pressed her lips more closely together in the moments before
she spoke. “You married me for whatever reason, but it wasn’t love. I can
accept that, since I’m sort of guilty of that too. But...” she said, looking uneasily
at the sheets and drawing circles with her index finger.
“What?” he prompted impatiently.
“I couldn’t stand the thought of
living a life without you in it, for whatever reason,” she said haltingly, her
eyes looking everywhere but his face and her voice pitched so low he had to
strain to hear it. “And what I want to know is this: did you want me, on some
sort of level?”
He waited until her eyes finally
wandered up to his. Yes, was all he replied, the words echoing in her
skull, and he moved forward, clasping his hands to her lithe waist. Yes.
It had been a miraculous
week, she decided as she watched Capsule Corporation grow larger within her
sights. His arms held her to him protectively, and she found that she had come
to trust him just enough to be sure that he wouldn’t drop her from such a
height. “Promise me you’ll take me flying whenever you can,” she whispered into
his ear.
A small smile curled the corner
of his mouth. “We’ll see,” he growled, adjusting their position so they would
land softly on the grass.
Bulma glanced around quickly as
her feet touched the ground, and when she saw no one else around she quickly
kissed him. “This will be interesting, at the very least,” she said, releasing
him and standing a pace or two away.
His tail came up and gently
brushed her jawline. “Indeed,” he replied. “Will you be coming to Arlia with us
immediately?”
Her brow furrowed as she heard
doors being thrown open in the building behind her. Her parents would be
descending upon them in minutes. “I don’t know...” she said, looking over her
shoulder, not surprised to see her family haflway across the lawn.
“If you don’t you’d have to make
the entire trip in a pod, and I would think it would be difficult for someone
unaccustomed to space travel,” he said coolly, standing even farther away from
her and casting a wary eye on the people flocking toward them. Zarbon pulled
ahead of the pack and was flying a few inches above the ground to further
increase his speed.
“The flagship would be more
comfortable,” she murmured. “When will you go?”
He glanced at Zarbon closing the
distance. “We will go tomorrow morning. We can wait for you in outer space for
two days. I will send for you at that time,” he replied, and began to step
around her to intercept his aide.
“Wait- won’t I see you tonight?”
she asked, scowling.
He glanced back at her. “I
suppose, wife,” he said with a mocking snort, and turned his attention away
from her, but she could feel a light touch at her mind, almost like the breeze
from a blown kiss.
Zarbon immediately herded Vegeta
away from the Briefs and stared him down. “Well, did you have a nice time?” he
asked coldly.
Vegeta allowed himself an evil
grin. “Actually, I almost enjoyed myself,” he replied.
Zarbon shook his head. That was
Vegeta-ese for he had a mind-blowing wonderful experience. “So, everything
worked out all right in the marriage bed?” he pressed, golden eyes gaging
Vegeta’s reactions.
Vegeta snorted. “And then some,”
he said imperiously. “I found that I am not without...talents...as is to be
expected of a Saiyan prince.”
“Yes, yes. Are you satisfied
now? Do we finally get to leave?” Zarbon asked, unable to resist letting the
eagerness slip into his voice.
“We leave tomorrow, but we’re
giving the Empress two days to say goodbye to her planet. We will wait for her
in space,” Vegeta said, starting to walk off towards the house.
Zarbon breathed a sigh of
relief. “Well, that’s a start. And someday I might even demand the truth from
you,” he grumbled.
Vegeta spun and glared at him.
“What do you mean by that?” he demanded.
Zarbon crossed his arms and
raised an eyebrow. “I mean someday I’m going to know what’s really going on
with you and Bulma. Why you had to marry her, I mean. And those hairline scars
on your wrists. Don’t think I didn’t notice them. Among other things.”
“None of that is your business,”
Vegeta snarled.
Zarbon shrugged. “My business is
making sure you don’t screw up this empire and therefore our chances of
survival. If the task is even possible after all your hijinks with the
natives,” he said calmly.
“You’re one to talk about
hijinks with thte natives,” Vegeta growled, staring at the building they were
nearing.
Zarbon didn’t even bat an
eyelash at the comment. “Mine were temporary and harmless. Do you realize what
might happen once we get back to space?”
“That’s why my wife and I shall
be wed again there,” Vegeta replied impatiently and opened the door.
“Oh dear god,” Zarbon groaned.
“That’s going to take forever.”
“No, it isn’t,” Vegeta snapped
back. “We’ll only do it on Arlia and have delegations from each of the planets
in the Empre attend. Most planets will be won over by the fact they have an
empress.”
“There is no way I can stop you
short of killing you, is there?” Zarbon sighed, his shoulders drooping a
little.
“No,” Vegeta replied with a
sneer. “And even that is something I can do myself.”
“Not fair,” she mumbled as she
felt him slide out of bed. Her eyes fluttered open to watch as he walked around
the room naked, picking up articles of clothing. She smiled as he bent over,
thinking that she would never get over his astounding physique as long as she
lived. “Don’t go. Not yet,” she groaned, reaching out a hand.
He stood and looked at her hand
coldly. “I have things to do. We’re leaving in an hour,” he replied.
“But you didn’t even come in
last night until I was already asleep,” she pouted, fixing the full power of
her blue eyes upon him.
“It’s only two days, woman,” he
growled, and reached down to pick up a glove by her side of the bed. Her hand
snapped out and clasped his tail gently. He froze in midmotion as she knelt on
the bed, smiling devilishly as she took her other hand and placed it at the
base of his tail, running her hand from his back to its tip. His body shuddered
and he tilted his head back, his mouth open as his breathing grew heavier.
She abruptly dropped the tail.
“You’re right. Why bother with this now when I’ll see you in two nights,” she
said nonchalantly, and spread herself out on the bedcovers.
He turned around and blinked at
her. “Yes. Only two nights,” he murmured, his eyes lapping up her bare body. He
stood there for a few moments before dropping the clothes and pouncing on her
with a growl, nipping playfully at her neck. She giggled and reached up for
him, feeling that strange double clarity steal into her mind as it always did
during their lovemaking. Her awareness extended to knowledge of his arousal as
well as her own and she threw back her head as his lips attacked her throat.
His head moved down to her breasts and he pinned her wrists down, making a
little noise deep in his throat, and she thought that if this was his goodbye
she couldn’t wait to see his hello.
Zarbon waited impatiently by the
pods, tapping a foot as he watched Vegeta come out of the building. He waited
as the Saiyan moved briskly across the lawn, the dark eyes refusing to look at
anything but what was straight ahead. Vegeta moved to his pod immediately and
started to climb in, but Zarbon stopped him by clearing his throat. “You are
fifteen minutes late, sire,” he said acidly.
Vegeta turned his head to look
at Zarbon for a moment, but said nothing and continued to climb into his pod.
“Why are you late?” Zarbon demanded
sharply.
Vegeta stopped his movement
again, throwing Zarbon a glance over his shoulder, and Zarbon could see that
his cheeks were flaming red. “Oh, sweet gods,” Zarbon sighed, shaking his head.
“You’re impossible. Go ahead and get in, Radditz. We’ll take off immediately.”
“Yes, sir,” Radditz said
grudgingly.
“You, too,” Zarbon said to
Vegeta angrily.
“I’m in command of this
mission,” Vegeta protested.
Zarbon scowled. “Only when
you’re thinking with the head on your shoulders and not between your legs,” he
spat in response, and went over to his own pod, watching as Vegeta climbed in
and the two Saiyans took off. He gave a short wave to Dr. and Mrs. Briefs, who
had come to stand in the doorway of the house, then climbed into his pod
himself, shut the door, and moved off toward outer space.
Radditz blinked in surprise as
he disembarked from his pod, surprised by the sheer grandeur of the docking
bay. Everything was metal so shiny that he could see his reflection from across
the room, and the place was lined with different spacecraft, although none as
sleek as the pods they had just arrived in. “So Bulma didn’t come wave goodbye
to you,” he heard Zarbon say behind him as the tall man climbed out of his pod.
“No,” was Vegeta’s terse reply.
“How come?” Zarbon pressed.
“She was bathing,” Vegeta said,
coming to stand in front of Radditz.
Radditz felt his heart clench as
he heard them discussing Bulma, but he realized there was nothing he could do.
He understood that there was nothing Vegeta could have done differently either,
but the unfairness of it all still rankled. “What are your orders, sire?”
Radditz ventured, watching his Prince closely.
Vegeta turned slightly, just
enough for him to see Radditz out of the corner of his eye. “That’s right. You
were on Earth this entire time,” Vegeta replied. “Zarbon, see to it that
Radditz is announced to everyone. His orders should be taken as law after the
word of Nappa, you, and myself,” he decreed.
“And what do I tell them his
title is?” Zarbon asked, his politeness obviously a guise for sarcasm.
“I’ll let everyone know when I
think they’re ready,” Vegeta snapped.
Zarbon moved up to stand
alongside Radditz. “He doesn’t know yet,” Zarbon confided to Radditz in a loud
whisper.
“Shut up!” Vegeta snarled. “You
have grown too comfortable during your Earth stay, Zarbon. Remember your place
when we are in my empire.”
Zarbon narrowed his eyes. “Yes,
Vegeta,” he said coolly.
Vegeta turned all the way around
and stared at both of them. His scowl deepend, but after a few moments he
merely grunted and turned away. “I’ll meet you two on the bridge. When you
arrive, Zarbon, have me patched through immediately to Arlia.”
“As you wish,” Zarbon said with
a little bow, poking Radditz in the ribs. Radditz blinked and bowed as well.
Vegeta nodded imperiously and
moved away. “Well, at least now he’s out of our hair,” Zarbon said with a sigh.
Radditz scowled. “You should
show more respect for the Prince,” he said, irritated.
Zarbon’s eyebrows shot up.
“You’re still going on about that after everything he’s done to you?”
Radditz clenched his jaw and
spoke through his teeth. “The Prince did what he had to. It’s partially my
fault.”
Zarbon shook his head. “Well,
you’re being more mature about this than I anticipated. I applaud you. I was
afraid you’d hate him forever.”
“I will,” Radditz replied. “But
I know my place and my duty. You’d do well to remember yours.” With that he
began to walk off in the direction Vegeta had gone.
Zarbon put a hand to his
forehead. “I’m surrounded by Saiyans,” he whispered to himself, nodding
acknowledgement at a passing technician. “I am in hell.”
“So what did you two do for your
honeymoon?” Mrs. Briefs asked as she watched Bulma pick through the
refridgerator.
Bulma blushed. “Nothing much.
Just took a capsule house up into the mountains. He fished a little and I
caught some rays.”
Mrs. Briefs giggled, covering
her mouth with her hand. “Just had lots of sex, eh?” she chortled.
Bulma’s blush spread to her
collarbones and forehead. “Mother!” she admonished.
Mrs. Briefs cleared her throat.
“Well, it’s the truth, isn’t it? The urgent way that poor Vegeta whisked you
away you’d think he’d never done it before.”
“Mom,” Bulma growled, “he
hadn’t.”
Mrs. Briefs blinked. “Oh, I see.
He got better, then as the week wore on?”
Bulma shut the refridgerator
door. “I really don’t want to be talking to you about this,” she grumbled,
glaring at her mother.
Her mother’s shoulders moved as
if she were shaking off dust. “Well, you can tell me the details of your
honeymoon or I can tell you about your father and me,” she cautioned.
Bulma shuddered. “Fine, fine. He
did get better, as a matter of fact. If you’re going to be so damn blunt I will
too. He’s spectacular, Mom. I’ve never felt that way before. It was like he was
in my head, knowing exactly how much I wanted or could take. I couldn’t get
enough of him- he’s so muscular and pretty flexible. There, are you happy?”
“Immensely,” Mrs. Briefs said,
reaching over and picking up a rag off the counter, wiping crumbs into her
palm. “I just was wondering if that was the reason you married him. That’s why
I pressed you about it.”
Bulma’s eyes widened. “What?
What are you talking about? I’m about to go off into space with my new husband
and this is what you ask me?”
“Well, it’s just that you really
seemed to hate him and then all of a sudden you’re getting married. I couldn’t
figure out why you chose him over poor Radditz, so I just supposed that you two
had been sleeping together for a while,” Mrs. Briefs said nonchalantly.
“Mother!” Bulma said,
exasperated. “What do you think I am?”
“I think you’re a responsible
young woman, dear,” her mother replied gently. “I just thought that Vegeta must
have been something else in the sack because you spent years sleeping with
Yamcha and never even thought about marrying him.”
Bulma stood, hands at her sides,
and stared openmouthed at her mother.
“Don’t look at me like that,”
Mrs. Briefs said. “I’m entitled to think what I like.”
“I just can’t believe that you
think I’d marry someone just for sex!” Bulma croaked, her fists starting to
shake.
Mrs. Briefs shrugged. “Not just
sex, dear. You get a free space cruise out of it as well. I know you’ve always
wanted to explore outer space, and that young man has an entire empire. Come to
think of it, you did always want to be a princes...”
“No, no, no!” Bulma protested.
“That’s not it at all!”
Mrs. Briefs turned to her
daughter, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Bulma a level stare.
“Then why did you marry Vegeta, Bulma?” she asked gently. “Do you love him?”
Bulma blinked, silent. “I don’t
know, Mom. We fight all the time and generally abuse one another. But something
deep inside tells me that he’s exactly what I need, and I have to listen to
that,” she replied softly.
Mrs. Briefs sighed. “I just want
you to be happy, darling,” she said, walking over to her daughter and putting
an arm around Bulma’s shoulders. “You’ll be with him in a few days, speeding
through the stars. Until then let’s just spend all the quality time together
that we can, okay?”
“I’m really going to miss you,
Mom,” Bulma whispered, and buried her face in her mother’s shoulder.
47/ Bulma’s Hideout / 49