CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:

Breakfast was a silent affair as everyone stared morosely at his or her relatively untouched meals. No one had exactly heard the goddess’ voice. It had been a one-sided affair as Ayeka’s gamut of emotions - ranging from anguish to elation to silent moroseness, made every one else slightly uncomfortable. None more so than Sasami, whose normally cheerful face was as long as ever. She felt guilty. She felt like she had been the one who had caused her sister’s pain and she wanted nothing more to do than to rid herself of this seeming ‘curse’.

Stirring her now congealed bowl of cereal, she stole another glance at the purple-haired girl. Ayeka had been staring blindly at her placemat, as if fascinated with the intricate designs on it. She had not spoken a word to her after the ‘incident.’ Rather, walking around like an automaton, she had accepted Chi-chi’s call for breakfast and had even ignored the curt greeting from Bulma. Even after Goku and Gohan had come back down, freshly clothed and had greeted her jovially, she had ignored them as well, her eyes holding a look of pure emptiness. Unbeknownst to the future empress, her attitude had begun to rub off on the others, hence the tense silence surrounding the sitting occupants around her. Even Goku had found it hard to be his usual gluttonous self and had chosen to chew carefully on his food.

“Could someone please pass me the sugar?” Yamcha finally asked, with an exasperated snort. He would be damned before he let the sullen atmosphere get to him.

Bulma willing complied, as she kept her eyes pinned on the silent royal. Unable to hold her curiosity to herself any longer, she asked a bit too loudly. “So, where’s Vegeta?”

All eyes turned to face Ayeka. Hoping that she would say something, anything. For a moment, Ayeka blinked slowly as if trying to gather her thoughts and wits around her before raising up her head to pin rose-colored depths upon the questioning blue ones. She said nothing for several minutes, as a frown of consternation came unto her visage. Abruptly getting to her feet, she bowed slightly and replied.

“I do not know.” Turning to Chi-chi, she continued in the same flat voice. “Thank you for a wonderful breakfast. You really outdid yourself this time.”

And without looking back, she walked out of the kitchen, leaving her audience in stupefied silence. Chi-Chi blinked and stared at the untouched plate of food before the now empty seat. And speaking for everyone else there, she whispered out in confusion.

“She didn’t even eat anything. And how did she know about my cooking??”

The only reply that she received was the sound of someone leaping out of a chair and going after the elusive princess.

~&~&~&~&~

The barkeeper eyed the strangely dressed figure that sat hunched over the counter top at the far end of his bar. Hiding in the shadows, the figure had barely moved, he or she’s only movement being to signal for a drink. He snorted to himself and kept on wiping the glass in his hands carefully. He was used to the occasional straggler every once in a while, some bum or another that tended to covert his precious bar into a refuge. And being the professional that he was, he was apt to kick them out if they overstayed their welcome.

He had also had his share of bad company and burly ugly bastards who walked in there just to pick a fight or to settle a score with some other fellow. Those had become a bit rare lately, and he was always a sucker for a good fight, even if it did end up wrecking the place.

Well, as luck would have it, it seemed like he was in for a free brawl today and it had started with the silent figure in the corner of the bar. Not that he/she had instigated it, but rather three unwelcome guests had come in, already clearly drunk from an earlier escapade someplace else. With their usual boisterous comments, they had begun to harass the occupants of the bar. Naturally, people had scurried away or given in to the ruffians’ demands that is, until they approached the silent figure. The biggest thug out of the trio swaggered over to the table and launched himself over the sitting person, before finding himself flying across the room and into the large display case filled with treasured artifacts and memorabilia.

For a moment, the entire room was in a state of shock as disbelief coursed through it. No one had ever stood up to these barbarians before, much less spoken of actually beating them up. His companions suddenly snapped out of their daze and made a mad dash towards the unmoving figure. Just like their partner earlier, they too found themselves staring at the ceiling in slight confusion. Growls of anger and humiliation were emitted from their throats as they rose to their feet, now brandishing pocketknives in their hands. Their assailant was not fazed in the least. Instead, he/she rose up quietly and whipped out a wicked-looking sword, which sent everyone in the room, including the three fools, into a state of panic.

A cold, almost empty voice was soon heard. “You will take your lousy, pathetic selves out of here, before I kill you all. Do I make myself clear?”

The drunkards nodded numbly and quickly stumbled their way out of the room, causing the remaining occupants to break out into an enthusiastic cheer towards their rescuer. The figure ignored the heartfelt gratitude from everyone that was thrown his/her direction, as it motioned for something that looked like a cat to come.

The bar keeper only had a chance to notice the unusual shape of the blue hair and the dark cloak before making a grab for the money that was flung his way. He watched with faint amusement after the disappearing figure. Whoever it was had left quite the generous tip and he could only shake his head in bewildered wonder.

Hmm…stranger things had happened…

~*~*~*~*~

Ignoring the looks that were thrown her way, the tall woman continued to make her way down the narrow street, sharp eyes taking notice of each door and its assigned number. Bringing out the folded piece of paper from within her cloak, she read through the jotted address:

Kashohito Yosho

123 West City

Apartment 104

Tucking it back into the folds of her cloak, she petted the agitated cabbit and crooned softly. “Almost there, Ken-Oki. We are almost there.”

And with a final pat, she made her way towards the door that led to her new conquest.

~*~*~*~*~

He wasn’t really sure of how long he had been sitting by the window staring at nothing in particular. Now dressed in only comfortable black sweatpants, the Saiyan no Ouji drew his knees up to his chin and stared a bit morosely out into the city skyline. He couldn’t understand it, and it annoyed him to no end. He hated feeling confused. Hated having to let his emotions come in the way of rational thinking and judgment. He wanted to gain control over his life again. He wanted to go back to being the uncaring, selfish bastard that he always was. He didn’t need this kind of complication. If only things had been different. If only he had never gone to that stupid planet. If only he had never…

~ Fallen in love with a woman I have no right to know or even speak to. Hn, how ironic. ~

He groaned and buried his face between his knees, his heart and mind in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. They had mated now. He knew he had done the unthinkable. To mate with a Jurian. A Saiyan and a Jurian and not just any one, but the future ruler of that kingdom. He had sown his seed within her and if his intuition was correct, she would be with child very soon.

His child.

He should have been happy. Should have been gloating at finally getting even with the Jurai Empire in such a way. They would have to contend with the birth of a saiyan child in their midst. But then again, she could be banished and treated like an outcast in her own society. Did Vegeta really want that for her? Did he really want that for his child?

“You would have been a prince or a princess.” He muttered out slowly. “But what happens now?”

His head snapped back up sharply as a sudden thought rushed through his mind. What if they took her away from him? What if the baby was denied the access to know his father? Kami, forbid! What if they made her abort the child?!

~ Kuso! Over my dead body! ~

He jumped down from the window seat and reached for a shirt to put over his head. With quick steps, almost running now, he made his way towards the dining area and unceremoniously barked out sharply at the stunned faces that greeted his hurried entry.

“Where is she?!”

Goku blinked and asked slowly. “Where is…who?”

“Baka!! Where is the princess?! Where is Ayeka?!”

Bulma snorted and sipped her coffee with a bored expression on her face. “If you must really know, your precious princess has been acting pretty strangely all morning. Geez, she has some kind of attitude…”

Vegeta was about to rip someone’s head off. “Is it too much to ask a simple question?!”

Gohan smiled and quipped up helpfully. “I think she must have gone to the gardens. Sasami was with her, too.”

With a curt nod, he stormed out of the kitchen and out into the late morning sunshine, his bare feet leading him towards the area he assumed the princesses would be staying at. Growling in growing frustration as his eyes picked up nothing, he was just about to take off into the air, when the towering figure of the Namek blocked his path.

“Get out of my way, Namek.” Came the low growl.

Piccolo ignored him and kept his stance, his eyes narrowed in slight disapproval. “I suggest you stay where you are, Vegeta. Getting in the princesses way at this time is not the best thing.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Since when did you become her protector or guardian?! Now get the hell away from me before I blast you into oblivion!”

Piccolo still refused to move. “I think you will understand what I mean. Look over there.”

Vegeta followed the pointing finger and noticed those two pesky logs standing in front of four women. He could recognize Ayeka and her sister but the other two…

“Those are officers from the Galaxy Police,” Piccolo explained quietly. “They are here to see the princess…”

~ No. ~ Vegeta’s mind cried out. ~ They have come to take her away. ~

“No…”

Piccolo raised an eyebrow at the pained whisper, not failing to notice the vulnerable expression on the normally scowling face. He didn’t need glasses to figure out that the stoic prince had somehow begun to have strong feelings for the future empress. He was, however, stunned at the vehement request that came his way.

“You must tell me what is going on!” Vegeta demanded as he grabbed a fistful of the purple gi on the green-skinned man’s body. “You must tell me what they are saying! You have special ears or something, right?”

Piccolo tried hard to pry the fingers off his cloth and sighed. “I cannot do that, Vegeta. I would be betraying their trust. And besides, I don’t think you need to know what they are saying anyway.”

“How dare you!!”

“I advise you to go back now. All I can tell you to do is to be patient and let things pan out the way they are supposed to be.”

Vegeta snorted in derision and stood his ground. “I am not leaving here until they are through. Fine, I won’t bother them…for now. But be rest assured, I will get to the bottom of this.”

The wise Namek shrugged and spun away to lean against a tree. “As you wish, Vegeta. I will just stay here and watch over you, in case you decide to do anything stupid.”

He almost chuckled at the indignant sputter of anger that erupted out of the shorter man’s mouth, before closing his eyes. His face never showed the expression of worry and concern that he felt inside. Piccolo had a feeling that things were about to get very interesting from here on out.

~*~*~*~*~

Ayeka bit her lower lip and stared at the floor in thought. The words from the Galaxy Police officer’s mouth seemed to form a jumbled chaos of thoughts inside her mind. Something about her father and mother coming down to Earth very soon.

She stole a quick glance at the laughing Sasami, who was currently playing with the one named Mihoshi’s weapon. Too distraught to stop the little girl from playing with such a thing, she could only sigh and clasp nervous hands in front of her still flat stomach. A nervous, protective gesture that was not lost on the sharp-minded teal-haired woman standing beside her.

~ Could she be…? No. She cannot be. ~

“So…so they will be here, tomorrow, you say?” Ayeka asked softly, her eyes now pinned back on the floor again.

Kiyone nodded gravely. “Yes, Princess Ayeka. Your father sent the message himself. I am sure that he has good reason to want to come here all by himself. He must really miss you a lot.”

She wasn’t expecting the sharp bark of bitter laughter that erupted from the graceful woman’s lips or the look of exasperation that came unto her visage either.

“Oh, give me a break, Miss. Kiyone. A man who owns an entire empire, miss his own daughter? How foolish of you. The only reason my father is coming down here is because of his precious title and crown. He doesn’t want his little Ayeka to fall into the wrong crowd. Precious, fragile, princess Ayeka, does not deserve to have a life or a mind of her own. Little Miss. Ayeka ought to be a lady, all the time. It is not fitting for her to have friends outside of the royal household. She has no right to think! She has no right to fight! She has no right to love! And she has no right to be free!! Tell me, Miss. Kiyone, is that what you meant by him missing me a lot?!”

By this time, Kiyone found herself pressed against a tree, the angry face of the future empress inches away from hers. Swallowing tightly, she shook her head and answered a bit shakily. “I guess not, Princess Aye…”

“You guessed right! Now, I will be here tomorrow for my wonderful parent’s arrival, but be rest assured, I have no intentions of following them back home, do you understand?!”

“But…Princess…”

“No, buts!! That is my decision and that is final!!”

Kiyone nodded again and saluted smartly. “I understand, Princess Ayeka. However, I must insist that you do not leave the premises for the next twenty-four hours. We are keeping you under close surveillance, especially since we have the notorious space pirate Ryoko around.”

Ayeka closed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. Ryoko. Yosho. Yosho who wasn’t dead. So, where was he? And where were Ryoko and Washuu by the way? A slight tug on her shirt caused her to open up her eyes.

“What is it, Sasami?”

“We heard you shouting. Is everything all right? Are you still mad at me for…for…”

Ayeka shook her head and stooped down to her level to brush aside the bangs on her forehead. “I could never be upset with you for doing something you had no control over. In fact, I am glad you told me everything, Sasami. Without you, I don’t know how I could have managed.”

Hugging the little body to herself, she got to her feet and spun around to face the waiting women. “Fine. We will stay in the compound as you suggested.”

Kiyone gave a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you, Princess. Let’s go, Mihoshi.”

“Bye bye now!” The blonde-haired women said happily as she waved. “We will be here tomorrow!”

Sasami waved back. “Bye! It was nice meeting you, too!”

The two sisters watched the women make their way into their vehicle, before the older one gave a heavy sigh.

“Is everything alright, Princess Ayeka?”

“Yes, Azaka.” Came the flat reply. “Everything is just fine. I think I am going to take a walk now.”

“Do you want us to come with you?”

“No, you can stay with Sasami. I need to do this…alone.”

“As you wish, Princess Ayeka.”

Noticing Sasami’s worried expression, she smiled softly again and patted her head. “I will be back soon. I just need to think some things over, okay?”

The younger girl nodded and smiled in return. “Okay, but hurry back! I am making lunch today.”

Ayeka chuckled. “Yes. I am sure it will be delicious as usual. See you at lunch time then.”

She watched the little girl run towards the house, only to bump into Gohan, which sent them into giggling fits. A small wistful smile came unto her face as she watched them run off together. If things could have been like that for her.

“You keep sighing like that and I would have to throttle you myself.”

“Vegeta!” she gasped in shock, as she spun around to stare at the smirking Saiyan. “How dare you sneak up on me like that?! You could have given me a heart attack!”

“And I would be doing the world a favor, wouldn’t I?” he taunted lightly, as he suddenly lifted her over his shoulders.

The young woman was too stunned to speak for several seconds as he began to lead them somewhere. Opening and shutting her mouth for several more seconds, she finally regained control of her vocal cords and began to thrash and struggle in his hold. “Put me down, you barbarian!! Put me down, this instant!! That is an order…..arrrrrgggggghhhhhh!!!”

His deep chuckle was all she received, as she suddenly found herself flying in the air. She shut her eyes and reopened them again, as everything seemed to become smaller and smaller. He wasn’t flying really fast, that is, compared to the last time they had been fleeing from the Galaxy Police, but that didn’t stop the wind from tearing away the flimsy ribbon that had held her hair in a ponytail. Now, the long purple tresses fluttered in the breeze, making it quite impossible to see anything.

“Vegeta no baka!! Put me down!!”

“Are you sure you want me to do that, princess?” he asked lazily.

“Yes!! I want you to put me down right now!!”

“Okay…you asked for it!”

“Argh!!!!” She was flippantly dropped from his shoulders and soon found herself falling at an alarming fast rate.

~ Oh, god! I am going to die! I am going to…No! Wait! I can do this! I can fly on my own! I have to! ~

And squeezing her eyes shut, she concentrated her entire energy into the center of her being. Her forehead breaking out in sweat as she tried to will it to work for her. Vegeta followed slowly after her, his mind begging for her to pull it off.

~ Come on, Ayeka. You can do it. You are not a princess for nothing. You are much stronger than you let on. Come on! ~

~ I. Can. Do. It! ~

“Grrrr…” her teeth clenched together tightly, she could make out the ground now several feet away. “Come. ON!!”

~ Oh, Tsunami…I can’t disappoint Vegeta…not now…~

“I need to fly!!” she screamed out, before finding herself stopping just inches away from the grass below her. She blinked for a moment, wondering if she had actually done it or not. She looked below her again and saw that she was indeed floating. A bubble of happy hysteria rose out of her throat and a bright beam of accomplishment and relief lighted her entire face. She raised her head up to grin, almost stupidly, at the Saiyan floating several feet above her.

“I did it!! I did it!! I can fly!! Whoa…”

Vegeta chuckled and lowered himself as she almost fell. “You need to keep your concentration, Ayeka. Nice going, by the way.”

She managed to keep her equilibrium and then glared angrily at him. “Nice going?! Is that all you can say?! You could have gotten me killed out there and that’s all you have to say to me?! How dare you…oompff!!”

Warm lips that begged silently for an entrance into her mouth quickly cut off her tirade. Moaning softly in acceptance, she wrapped her arms around his neck and willingly opened up for him. Like a rose flower in bloom, she glowed for him and only him, and as their kiss deepened, each lost in a world where no one else mattered, a strange green glow began to emanate from her chest, enveloping them in a warm cocoon as they floated higher into the air. Finally releasing each other for air, Vegeta placed a strong hand against her flat stomach, caressing the slow warmth that filled it. He stared into the flushed and breathtaking face before him, his own heart racing a mile a minute now.

“Ayeka…,” he begged softly. “Look at me.”

She opened up glazed rose-colored orbs to stare into obsidian depths that longed for an answer. “Yes…Vegeta…”

“Promise me, you will take good care of the baby. Of our baby.”

Her eyes widened a bit at the sad tone in his voice, before she shook her head furiously. “What do you mean by that, Vegeta? I am staying right here with you! We are going to look after this child together.”

He smiled bitterly and caressed her cheek. “They are coming for you tomorrow, Ayeka. They will take you away from me. You know as well as I do that I have no power to stop them now. I am the last of my kind left. I have no kingdom to call my own, or by God, I would have…would have…”

Ayeka’s face paled. “You can’t give up like this!! I want to stay here with you!! Don’t you understand?! I love you!! I…I need you!!”

“Ayeka be reasonable!” He scolded harshly. “The best thing for us to do would be for you to go with them. That way the baby would at least be raised in a good family…”

“NO!!! I AM NOT LEAVING YOU!!

“Ayeka…” his voice broke as he noticed the tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks. He clenched his hands into tight fists and turned away from that sorrowful look. He couldn’t afford to lose his resolve now. He was doing the best thing. For both of them.

Gathering his composure, he spat out coldly and emotionlessly. “Stop being so foolish, Ayeka. You know as well as I do that this was never going to work in the first place. Would you rather stay here and be shunned by your people…”

“YES!! I DON’T CARE ABOUT MY PEOPLE!!”

“Shut up!!” He bellowed angrily. “Listen to yourself!! You have a kingdom and a people that love and adore you!! You have a family and a home to call your own!! What do I have?! Nothing, Ayeka!! I have been reduced to nothing but a shadow of my former self!! I have no kingdom! I was supposed to be a King! To be the ruler of the greatest race that ever lived and what happened?! It got destroyed!! And all for naught!! I refuse to let my offspring be raised like this!! Let him become a Jurian if need be! As long as I know that he is alive and well, that is all that matters to me!! Do you understand?!”

She could only clutch a hand to her aching heart and nod mutely, the tears now falling even faster. Vegeta didn’t need her here. He hadn’t even acknowledged her declaration of love. She had been used, basically. She had been used as a tool to bring revenge onto the Jurian empire. She would be carrying a Saiyan child and he would become the new ruler of the Jurian empire.

She lowered her lashes and choked back a pained sob, her heart breaking into a million pieces that could never be healed.

“Hai, Vegeta. I understand. I will leave with them tomorrow…as you wish.”