Reality

Chapter 5: Trust

Bulma sat on the hill, pieces of her long aqua hair fluttering in the wind. She frowned and pushed them back, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be able to get them to stick back into her upswept mound of hair. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the man she had just met paced behind her. She knew that he was becoming frustrated with her. Since she had found the two guard’s bodies almost an hour earlier, she had plopped her butt down and refused to move or speak to him. To tell the truth, she wasn’t entirely sure what to think. He had seemed abrasive and rude while she was speaking to him, but to actually find out that he had murdered two men that she had personally known sent a permanent shiver down her spine. She had spent the better part of the previous hour trying to figure out just what to do. Even knowing that he was a murderer, she still felt a sort of compassion towards him and a want to help him. Along with those feelings were contradicting ones of disgust and dislike. Bulma was torn. She had told him that she would bring him back to the palace with her and she didn’t want to go back on her word, but she knew it would be her position and freedom on the line if he were to murder any of the royal court.

“My patience is wearing thin,” Vegeta seethed in his rough voice.

Bulma shot him a dirty look over her shoulder but didn’t say a word. Was this man possibly worth the risk that she was to undertake if she brought him back with her? But, on the other hand, would he even let her leave if she decided against taking him?

“Woman,” he spoke again, walking to stand next to her lowered form, “are you listening to me?”

Bulma growled and in as dangerous a voice as she could muster said, “I told you before, it’s not ‘woman’.” She narrowed her eyes up at him before looking out at the landscape again.

“I don’t much care what you prefer to be called, and I won’t have to deal with you anymore as soon as you bring me to the Saiyan,” Vegeta stated.

“It figures that you’d be a Saiyan,” Bulma said with a roll of her eyes. “I heard of you guys, a planet of bloodthirsty warriors. If this was your planet and you all got wiped out, maybe you got what you deserved.” Bulma didn’t have a moment to blink before she found herself hauled to her feet by the large hand around her bicep and starring eye to eye with her strange new acquaintance.

“You will not speak of my race that way, you pathetic wench,” he snarled in her face as Bulma tried her best to stand tall. “Maybe you’d like to see what it’s like to have your planet purged of all living beings. I’ll let you be the last I kill just so that you can feel what it’s like to stand on ground once stood on by your race.”

Bulma tried to keep her face free of the fear she was feeling. She would not let this brute think that he could intimidate her. After all, he was probably nothing more than a third class warrior on his planet, while she happened to be the advisor to the Queen. “Are you done?” She asked quietly, ignoring the pain his tightening hand was inflicting on her arm.

“Disrespectful bitch,” he spat at her before letting go of her arm. “Take me to the Saiyan or I find him myself, and I promise there will be more blood on my hands by the end of the day if the latter happens.”

Bulma glared at him but nodded anyway.

Vegeta smirked and inclined his head, “smart choice.” He levitated off the ground a couple feet as he watched her roll her eyes and start off down the hill to where she had parked her ship.

--

Bulma had managed to slip Vegeta into the servants’ door in the back of the palace. The security on that door left a lot to be desired and she had entered with no problem. The issue would be getting him from the servants’ wing to the councils’ wing where Goku and his wife resided. Bulma knew that if the Queen got word of her going to find Vegeta after she had given orders not to, she would be in trouble. She wanted to avoid the headache of explaining herself to Juu.

Bulma led him down a long passageway and stopped in front of a wooden door. She knocked once, hoping that Launch, the blond servant, would be in her room. Bulma planned to leave him there with Launch while she went to track down Goku. Unfortunately, her knock was met with no answer. Bulma cursed under her breath as Vegeta tapped his foot impatiently.

“There is no Saiyan in there,” Vegeta stated, making sure his tone clearly depicted his waning patience.

“Oh, shush. I know that,” Bulma replied, waving her hand to dismiss it. “Could you at least try to be civil? I’m risking my butt here for you, the least you could do is be a little grateful.”

Vegeta just narrowed his eyes at her, deciding not to grace her with an answer.

Bulma bit her bottom lip as she tried to think of what would be the best course of action. She wasn’t friendly enough with any of the other servants to trust them with her current grouchy problem. “We’re going to have to try to slip you into the councils’ quarters, unless by some stroke of luck we can track down Goku…” She trailed off.

Vegeta huffed and crossed his arms, “I tire of your games. I’ll track down this ‘Goku’ myself.”

Bulma watched with wide eyes as Vegeta stalked off down the passageway. She stood stunned for a moment before running after him. Oddly enough, he seemed to have a good handle on where he was headed, which to Bulma’s relief, was away from the councils’ wing. He led her to the outside of the throne room, where Goku was positioned as a guard. She saw the look of utter confusion on Goku’s face as he watched the shorter man with the tall hair approach him.

“Kakarot,” Vegeta spat, stopping in front of him, “of course it had to be you.”

“Huh?” Goku replied with a chuckle, “Bulma, what’s he talked about?” He threw the question over Vegeta’s shoulder to where Bulma stood.

Bulma restlessly moved her balance from foot to foot, hoping the Juu wasn’t in the throne room and had no plans to enter it any time in the near future. “Goku, this is Vegeta. He claims to be a part of the race this planet belonged to before us.” She shrugged, “he wanted to meet you.”

“I see, I think,” Goku replied and stuck out his hand, “well, nice to meet you, friend.”

Vegeta swatted his hand away with a swift motion, “I am no friend of yours.”

Goku’s smile faltered slightly, “Bulma says that you belong to race that was here before, but you hadn’t been out there for that long.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes, “did you figure that out all on your own?”

“Come on, what have I done to deserve such hostility?” Goku asked as his expression drooped.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the taller man, “you always were the dumb one.”

“You wanted to see him so bad, so why are you insulting him now?” Bulma piped up, walking up to the pair.

Vegeta didn’t even glance at her, “I have what I want, you are of no further use to me.”

“Excuse me?” Bulma replied, her voice starting to get a high pitched tone to it, “who do you think you are? I can’t just be dismissed like a servant.”

Vegeta growled and turned to her, “you are below me as you are a woman. You will do what I say.”

“You jerk,” Bulma screeched, “I may be a woman, but I am not in any way below you, buddy. That may have been how things worked where you’re from, but around here, women are treated with respect.”

Goku chuckled nervously, “so, uh, if you know who I am, you knew me before I lost my memory, right?”

Vegeta turned his attention from the fuming female back to the other man. He nodded at him and crossed his arms.

Goku just nodded and smiled, “that’s great. I won’t feel so lost anymore with you around. Are you going to be staying in the palace?”

Bulma’s mouth hung open for a moment before she composed herself enough to speak, “Goku! Are you nuts? You’re inviting this monster to stay here? Juu is going to have a fit.”

“Aw, come on, Bulma,” Goku replied, his voice had a tinge of hurt, “it’s not like he has anywhere to go. And he can really help me learn about myself.”

Bulma crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her friend, “it’s not up to me.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes, “what makes you two think that I actually want to stay on this planet? I have more important things to do.”

“Such as?” Bulma asked, turning from Goku.

Vegeta smirked, “vengeance.”

Bulma was about to open her mouth to chide him when she heard soft footsteps coming towards the throne room. Two pairs of heavier footsteps flanked the softer ones. “Shit!” Bulma exclaimed and grabbed Vegeta’s forearm, pulling it. “Come with me, we have to make ourselves scarce.”

Vegeta merely shook her off his arm, “you can leave. I already dismissed you.”

“Come on,” Bulma pleaded, “I’ll be in so much trouble if the queen finds you here.”

“Not my concern,” Vegeta sneered.

“You are such a jerk!” Bulma yelled and smacked his arm, which he didn’t even register.

At that moment, Juu, followed by two palace guards, turned the corner. She frowned and walked up to the group standing outside her throne room. She had known that Bulma wouldn’t follow her orders. The girl was too headstrong for her own good. “What is the meaning of this?”

Bulma yeeped and jumped back, “I found him wandering around the palace.”

Juu gave Bulma a look that she knew the aqua haired girl would translate into a ‘liar’ accusation. She didn’t call Bulma on it as she didn’t want it reaching the council that she had disregarded the queen’s orders. They weren’t all that fond of Bulma as it was, and she didn’t want to give them any reason to demote her. Instead, she focused her attention on Vegeta. “What is your business here?”

Vegeta looked at her with narrowed eyes, “I suppose you’re the one who runs things around here.”

“Correct,” Juu answered, “but since you are the one who dropped in on us, I think you should be the one to answer questions, not ask them.” She waited a beat, and when he didn’t say anything, she continued, “who are you, where are you from, and how did you manage to heal so fast?”

“My first question would have been, ‘do you pose a threat to us’.” Vegeta smirked at the blonde woman.

“Maybe, but you still aren’t in peak condition. You may have recovered somewhat, but you still had a hole through your abdomen,” Juu replied, easily keeping calm, “I am not stupid enough to believe that you could do us as a population any serious harm.”

Vegeta took a step forward, “is that a challenge?” he growled.

Bulma jumped in front of Vegeta. “Juu, his name is Vegeta, he was an inhabitant of this planet before we were here, and he heals quickly because he’s a Saiyan.” She blurted it all out in one breath.

Juu cocked an eyebrow at Bulma, “you know an awful lot for someone who just encountered him ‘wandering around’.”

Bulma chuckled nervously and lowered her head.

Juu looked over Bulma’s shoulder, “is this all true?”

“Mostly,” Vegeta shrugged, “except I prefer Prince Vegeta.”

Bulma snorted, “I’m sure.”

Juu nodded as she thought over the information provided. She was curious as to what had happened to him and where he had come from. She also guessed that he could be a valuable ally if he were to stay on the planet. She looked past Bulma to him, “I wish to speak with you in private. You can wash up in one of the spare rooms of the palace, then meet me in the council room in an hour. Bulma will show you to where you need to go.”

Bulma narrowed her eyes at Juu, “are you sure that’s wise?”

Juu nodded. She was not scared of the man in front of her. She was an accomplished fighter herself, having taken lessons and had many fights as a youth. “Bring him to me in an hour Bulma,” she said before moving past them and into the throne room with her two guards still flanking her.

Bulma turned to Vegeta, “Prince?” She repeated in a disbelieving tone.

Vegeta smirked, “about time you learned your place,” he told her and started walking off without her.

“Arrogant…” Bulma started under her breath but trailed off as she hurried to catch up to him. “So why didn’t you mention that to me before?”

“You weren’t important enough to know,” he replied, “now, where am I going?” He stopped and turned to look at her.

Bulma pointed down a passageway, “that way. I’ll take you, since Juu’s decided to punish me as such.” She started to lead him down the passage, thankful for his silence as she lead him into spare quarters that weren’t too far from hers. She sat down on a wooden stool to the side of the room and pointed to an open doorway. “You can wash up in there, you know, get rid of some of that dried blood. I’ll see if I can find any suitable clothing.”

He gave her a curt nod and headed through the doorway.

Bulma rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall. She didn’t know quite what to make of the dark haired man that had seemed to enter into her life. She didn’t trust him in the least, and would think herself crazy if she did. She was wary of what came out of his mouth, and didn’t know whether she believed him to be royalty or not. She had to admit to herself that he did seem to carry himself and conduct himself in a manner befitting royalty. From what she had observed, she had deduced that whatever connection she had to him was one-sided. He seemed to know nothing of her, which she was grateful for.

--

Juu sat in the council room by herself as she awaited the presence of her guest. The room was rather small, with a large wooden table in the center and several chairs surrounding it. Several tapestries hung on the walls, but nothing too lavish. She had come down early to give herself some time to think. She knew of the Saiyans and of their ways. As royalty she was subjected to special instruction in her teen years as to different cultures and species. The Saiyan race was not one that she ever wanted to come face to face with. She was told stories of their cruelty, and their bloodshed. She knew they were a race of warriors and not one to be taken lightly, either in a group or by themselves. She believed the stranger in the palace to be the Prince, as she could vaguely recall seeing pictures of the Saiyan king, who bore a strong resemblance to her new acquaintance. She knew that if he were to recover to full strength she would not stand a chance against him, and she was one of the best fighters that the planet had. They would be doomed. As she saw it, she had two choices; she could either get him on their side, or destroy him now while she had the chance. She glanced toward the doorway when it opened. Expecting to see the short man, she was surprised when Caistina entered.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything, my Queen,” Caistina stated as she entered and closed the door behind her.

“Not as of yet,” Juu replied, “but I’m expecting someone.”

“I know, I heard from one of the guards that Bulma had come across him,” Caistina said, “and I just wanted to offer my advice, as she’s too busy with him to pay you any heed.”

“I don’t require advice, Caistina,” Juu told her, “I am fully aware of what I’m doing.”

“You are so trusting and good, my Queen, I just don’t wish to see anyone take advantage of you,” Caistina told her, her voice smooth, “you shouldn’t believe this man. My sources have told me that he is a traitor, and cannot be trusted.”

“I am wary of him, but I am not going to condemn him without proof or reason,” Juu told her. She hated the formal way in which she was expected to address people.

“My Queen, I hope you don’t think I’m speaking out of turn, but my sources, they-“

“Caistina!” Juu interrupted her, “I have made my choice and honestly, unless you can provide these ‘sources’ you speak of, I don’t care to hear anything more that ‘they’ have to say.”

Caistina’s lips curled up in anger as she turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her. She was not used to being disrespected so. She was a respected member of the court and was supposed to be treated as such. Everyone listened to her opinion. She stopped in the passageway and watched as the aqua haired wench led the despicable Saiyan to the council room. She seemed to be happily ranting away about something, while the Saiyan nodded at the proper intervals, probably oblivious to everything she was saying.

He was supposed to be dead. He wasn’t supposed to be found until he had long since passed onto the other side. But here he was, breathing, walking, talking, and making deals with Bangou royalty. Lord Frieza’s plan had failed. He had set it up to look like Vegeta had died with the other Saiyans on the planet and that his body had been missed on the clean-up of the purged planet. Killing royalty was not something that was looked upon nicely. The lord had charged her with making sure the Prince didn’t recover, and she had failed. She would clean up her mess and make amends with Lord Frieza. She would take care of the Prince herself.