CHAPTER FOUR:

Ayeka blinked in confusion. “What do you mean we are going to Earth?”

Vegeta strapped the seatbelt on and spoke curtly, deliberately ignoring her question. “Buckle up, now.”

Sitting down automatically and doing as she was told, which was a rarity; Ayeka stared at the stoic faced prince again, her mind racing a mile a minute.

“I do not understand.” She said, her voice rising in growing hysteria. This man was going to take her to someplace that she didn’t want to go to. “Why are we going to Earth?!”

“I live there!” Vegeta snapped. “That’s why!”

“But I don’t want to go to Earth! I want to go back to Jurai!! I want you to take me…us to the nearest Galaxy Police headquarters, you do not have to take us to Earth!”

“No.” Vegeta replied, and turning to Sasami, who had been quiet the entire time, he said softly. “Are you ready to go, little girl?”

“Yes, I am. It’s going to be fun!” Sasami chirped happily.

“Sasami!” Ayeka said sharply. “Don’t you want to go back home?!”

“Yes, I do but…this might be fun.”

“Fun?!” Ayeka gasped out in disbelief. Turning back to Vegeta, she said hastily, “Listen, is it money you want? Don’t worry, you will get plenty of it once we get back to my planet. I promise you that. You don’t have to…”

“Shut up.”

Ayeka’s mouth worked soundlessly for several seconds. Had he actually…?

“What did you say to me?!”

“I SAID ‘CAN IT!! SHUT UP!!’ DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?” Vegeta roared in anger and not waiting to see her reaction, he began to send the spacecraft into orbit.

Ayeka’s face was now a bright red and she had to dig her fingers into her palms to stop herself from scratching Vegeta’s eyes out. Counting and breathing in deeply, she stared out of the small window, watching the slowly disappearing planet beneath them. She was so angry; she could have wept. The light tinkling laughter of Sasami beside her, listening to some joke that Vegeta had made, made her even more upset and she wanted to kill something….namely the…

“What is your name, anyway?” she asked abruptly, startling the two of them.

“What’s it to you?” Vegeta replied lazily, his eyes still pinned on the screen in front of him.

“Well, I would like to know who I am flying with, so that when you are reported to the Galaxy Police about this…this…abduction, I will like to give them a name. So what is it?”

The prince of the Saiyan race smirked at the threat and turning around slowly, he stared with glittering eyes at Ayeka. “My name is Vegeta.”

“Well, Mr. Vegeta, I hope you have a good story to tell the Galaxy Police, because…” she stopped suddenly as the name sunk into her brain. “Did you just say that your name was Vegeta?”

“Yes, I did.” He replied, his eyes now filling with amusement at the look of confusion on the Princess’ face.

Ayeka frowned slightly, her lips going into a small pout. Vegeta found himself staring helplessly at the slight movement and he gripped the edge of the control panel in a death grip, cursing himself for the sudden heat that was beginning to flow through him. Ayeka raised her eyes and felt her cheeks begin to flush as she saw the look in Vegeta’s eyes. Feeling her lips grow dry, she darted out a pink tongue to lick at it, growing even more uncomfortable as Vegeta’s eyes darkened with growing desire. Ayeka felt hot. She could barely breathe and it was taking all of her energy not to just jump into his arms.

~ What?! ~

Shaking her head angrily, she swallowed tightly and tearing her eyes away from the hypnotizing ones before her, she turned back to stare out of the window.

“You wanted to ask me a question, Princess?” Vegeta asked, his voice now a low rumble that sent Ayeka’s pulses racing. Trying to get her frazzled psyche to work perfectly, she attempted to string together a coherent sentence.

“Umm…I…umm…it’s just that your name is the same as a planet that I know.” She mumbled out quickly.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. “Really? What a coincidence. I guess my parents were very…perceptive.”

Ayeka gave a light, nervous laugh, still keeping her eyes pinned on the wide expanse of space outside her window. “Yes…yes…I guess so.”

It wasn’t until she heard the sound of Vegeta’s low chuckle and movement, as he turned his attention back to what he was doing, did she finally get her tense body to relax.

~*~*~*~*~

“What is earth like?” Sasami asked, sucking lightly on the popsicle Vegeta had given to her. She had moved away from her sitting position next to Ayeka, who was now fast asleep, and had now made herself comfortable beside the passive looking prince.

“You do not want to know.” Came the quick reply.

“Sure I do. We have never been to earth before. Is it like Jurai…oh yeah, you haven’t been to Jurai.”

“Well, why don’t you tell me what Jurai looks like and then maybe I can tell you what earth looks like.”

“Okay! Umm…well, we do have a lot of trees…”

“I kind of figured that out.” Vegeta said lightly.

“Oh…and we have a really big house, you know, we live in the palace. And we have lots of guards and maids and servants and a really awesome garden that Ayeka loves and…”

Vegeta found himself getting agitated as Sasami continued with her descriptions of palace life on Jurai. A dull ache filled his chest as memories of his own home came to mind. For years, he had blocked out all thoughts of his former home planet, but now with Sasami telling him about all the luxuries and pleasures of being in a royal house, he could barely contain the surge of emotion that threatened to spill out of his mouth. He wanted to scream out in frustration and anger. It wasn’t fair! They might have been a ruthless and dangerous group of people, but they were his people! It had been his planet! It had been his…life! And all of that had been taken away from him in one fell swoop!

“It just isn’t fair!” He muttered out aloud, startling Sasami, who quickly stopped her tale.

Staring at the upset looking man in front of her, she asked softly, “Should I stop telling you about Jurai then?’

“Huh?” Vegeta asked, shaking his head. “I am sorry. I was thinking about something else. Do go on. But before you do, you must tell me something.”

“Okay…”

“Where were you and your sister going to? I mean, why weren’t you both on your planet?”

“Oh. Ayeka wanted to go on a vacation, you know, to get away from all the pressures and stuff in the palace.”

Vegeta glanced at Sasami with raised eyebrows. What did she know about pressure? “What pressures?”

“Well, father says that she has to marry someone on her birthday, so that she can continue the royal line and Ayeka doesn’t really like the idea, so she decided to take a vacation to get away from it all. She says that she would rather walk on hot coals than choose any of those weak men as her husband…oops!”

Sasami slapped a hand over her mouth as she realized that she had given out way more information than necessary. Vegeta smirked at the reaction. Oh, he had received a whole lot more than he had bargained for.

“Well, Sasami.” He said, placing a charming smile on his face. “That was a lot.”

Sasami looked stricken and giving a worried glance at the sleeping princess, she raised pleading eyes to the shining obsidian eyes before her. “You have to promise me that you won’t tell her, okay?”

“Don’t worry.” Vegeta replied. “Your secret is safe with me.”

~*~*~*~*~

Ayeka walked down the dark hallway. Where was Sasami? Where was this place?

“Sasami? Sasami?” she called out. Her voice sounded eerily empty and hollow and she suddenly felt very, very lonely and cold.

“Ayeka!! Help me!!”

“Sasami!! I am coming!!” Ayeka began to run, now aware of how flimsy her nightgown was. She seemed to be running slowly, even though she was clearly out of breath. Sasami sounded like she was in trouble and she was determined to help her. The wailing scream was heard again and Ayeka sped up her pace, her chest now hurting with the intense effort she was putting in.

She could see Sasami now, and the sight before her was horrifying. “NO!! STOP IT!! LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!!”

The dark figure crouching over a bleeding Sasami laughed sinisterly as twin red flashes lit up the face. “Well, well. If it isn’t Princess Ayeka coming to rescue her little sister.”

“I AM WARNING YOU, DEMON! LET HER BE!!” Ayeka bellowed angrily, as the female demon laughed at her in jest.

“With all my pleasure!!” And with a sickening thud, Ayeka watched helplessly as Sasami was flung away, like a rag doll.

“SASAMI!!”

“And now it’s your turn, Princess!”

Ayeka felt herself being lifted off the ground and her clothes ripped away from her. Screaming in both indignation and humiliation, she tried to free herself from the death grip on her hair.

“LET ME GO, RYOKO! THAT IS AN ORDER!”

“And since when did I start taking orders from a Jurian?!” The demon, Ryoko, spoke up spitefully.

Ayeka screamed in pain as she felt the slashes cut through her sensitive skin. The energy blade that had been formed by Ryoko created deep gashes that began bleeding profusely. Gritting her teeth, she tried to release herself, but to no avail. In this place, she was powerless, she was weak, and she was going to die. Using every ounce of strength left in her and with no conscious thought of why she was doing this, she opened up her mouth and yelled out.

“NOOOO!! VEGETA, PLEASE HELP ME!!!”

Ryoko laughed out loud, as she heard the princess’s plea. “You really are pathetic, Ayeka. You are calling on that worthless….AHHHHH!!!” she screamed in shock as she felt an energy wave knock her several feet into the air.

Ayeka collapsed to the floor, watching through blood-streaked eyes at the most welcome sight. It was Vegeta. And he looked…different. He was…golden?

“Nobody calls me worthless!” The Saiyan prince bellowed angrily. And not waiting for the staggering Ryoko to get up, he flew after her. Ayeka watched helplessly as the two powers collided in a heated battle. She tried to speak and was surprised to find that her voice was no longer as loud as it was supposed to be.

“Come back, Vegeta.” She pleaded in a croaky voice. She stretched out an arm towards the disappearing figures. “Please, come back. She will kill you. Just like she killed my brother. Please, Vegeta. Come back. I…I…need you……”

~*~*~*~*~

“Come back…please, come back….”

“Ayeka? Ayeka? Wake up! You are having a nightmare! Get up!”

Ayeka snapped her eyes open and grabbed the shirt of whoever was in front of her in a death grip. A slight ‘oomph’ sound was heard as she stared blankly at the face of the man she had thought lost.

“Ve…Ve…Vegeta?” she asked feverishly, her lips inches away from the full sensual lips of the now bewildered looking prince.

Vegeta couldn’t trust himself to speak. He had been dozing off in his chair, Sasami having fallen asleep a while back, when he had heard the quiet struggle from the princess behind him. Straining his ears, he had heard his name being called out. Not really sure on what he had to do, he had walked silently to the tossing purple-haired girl and was a bit surprised to see the amount of sweat and pain on her face. To his growing shock, tears had begun cascading down her cheeks and his name had been called out again. So he had done the best thing he could come up with…waking her up.

Ayeka looked desperately into the confused looking eyes before her. A part of her mind screamed out for her to snap out of it and realize whom she was clutching onto, while another side of her wanted so much to feel those…amazing looking lips that begged to be kissed…

“Vegeta…” she murmured huskily, raising herself slowly upwards to place a feather-light kiss on the soft warmth. “Vegeta…I…”

Vegeta groaned thickly, as he inhaled the sweet jasmine fragrance of the princess. His whole body sprang to life as he felt the pressure of her sensuous body press against his. Raising his now trembling hands up, he cupped behind her neck, allowing the silkiness of her hair to brush through his fingers. With another moan, he stared deeply into the hooded rose-colored eyes and throwing all caution out the window, he lowered his lips to claim the parted ones before him.

Ayeka gasped at the jolt of electricity that rushed through her and clutching Vegeta’s shirt even tighter, she responded to the kiss with an intensity that would later frighten her. She whimpered softly as she felt Vegeta’s tongue seek its entrance into her mouth and without thinking she welcomed it in, feeling like she was going to explode as the two appendages met in a dance as old as time. Vegeta was pure heat. His body sizzling against her now writhing body. She had never been kissed like this before, with such abandon, such passion, such intensity and she was doing it with a man she had just met…

~ What am I doing?! Oh, my God! ~

Tearing her lips away from Vegeta’s, she sucked in precious air, as she stared in horror at the flushed look on the man’s face, realizing that she too must look the same way. Pushing him away, she drew the blanket she had been sleeping with up to her neck in a defensive motion and scuttled backwards, pressing herself against the window. Bowing her head in shame at her wanton behavior, she licked her swollen lips and mumbled softly, “I am sorry…that should not have happened.”

Vegeta blinked at the statement, trying to catch his own breath and will his now throbbing arousal into co-operating with him. Great! He was as hard as a rock and she suddenly wanted to stop. He growled in frustration, watching her cringe at the sound. Smirking lightly, he considered taking her with or without her permission, after all on Vegetasei that would have been common. But, no, he had little Sasami to worry about.

“Alright, princess.” He said casually, standing up and grinning wickedly, “I will leave you…for now. But trust me, if you come on to me like that again, I would have no other choice but to take you up on your offer, got it?”

Ayeka stared at him with a scowl on her face. “Trust me, Vegeta. It will never happen again.”

“Oh, I doubt it, my dear Princess.” Came the confident reply, as he walked back to his chair. “I doubt it very much.”