CHAPTER TEN:

Ayeka yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily, turning her head around to stare at the bedside alarm clock.

~ Oh, Tsunami…it’s five o’clock in the morning. ~

Kicking off the sheets and stumbling off her bed, she staggered weakly into the bathroom. Trying to focus her muddled thoughts together, she quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, idly wondering if Vegeta was already up or not. Walking back into her bedroom, she opened up the large closet debating on what she could possibly wear for her training/flying session. Back on Jurai, she had had to take several sword-fighting classes and she had always worn her loose, but comfortable training gi.

~ Well, there is certainly none of that in here. ~ She thought angrily.

Finally deciding on a pair of black tracksuit pants and a white t-shirt that had the words ‘girl’ written across it, she slipped into her pair of socks and some sneakers that were luckily her size. Humming now, she sat down at the small dressing mirror and picking up the brush, she allowed her mind to wander, going through the automatic motions of straightening out her long purple locks. She was beginning to feel the first tingles of excitement. She wondered how the lesson would go and she hoped that he wouldn’t get her too angry today or she would be forced to do something drastic.

She still wasn’t sure about the location of this ‘Gravity Room’, but she had some time to spare and she could easily find it. It shouldn’t be that difficult. Satisfied at the way her hair looked, she put it into a tight braid and with a final nod at the reflection in the mirror, she walked out of her bedroom and towards the wonderful smell of food that filled her nostrils.

~ Ahh…Sasami is already awake. ~

She stood stock still for several seconds, wondering which way was downstairs. She hadn’t exactly been paying attention to their whereabouts last night and now…

“Good morning, Princess Ayeka.”

Ayeka swiveled around to stare at her guardians. “Good morning, Azaka and Kamadake.”

“It is a beautiful morning, is it not, Princess Ayeka?”

“It sure is.” Ayeka replied, smiling softly. “I just need to find my way down to…”

Her words were quickly cut off as one of doors that graced the long hallway opened up to reveal a half dressed Saiyan, who seemed to have just woken up as well. Her breath caught in her throat, as she took in the well-toned bare chest and the powerful thighs that were currently encased in a gray tracksuit. He was bare foot and coupled with the tousled look of his spiky hair, he looked….cute.

She had to stifle her giggle at the thought of calling Vegeta cute; knowing that he probably would not appreciate the compliment.

The Saiyan no Ouji stretched, raising his arms above his head languidly, before spinning around sharply to stare at the ogling female at the end of the hallway. He had actually been awakened by the smell of the food and his growling stomach had gotten him out of bed in a hurry. He knew for a fact that the food was not being cooked by that blue-haired onna. For one thing, he always woke up before her and secondly, even when she did manage to cook, the food always tasted like burnt rubber. Whoever the cook was for today, he/she certainly knew what they were doing, and he couldn’t wait to pounce on the delicacies.

But Kami…the first person he had to see this morning was the one person that had given him pretty much a fitful night of rest, knowing that their flying lesson was going to begin in just a few hours.

“And here I thought you had actually woken up to make me breakfast.” He drawled lazily, eyeing the tracksuit-clad Ayeka with barely concealed appreciation.

Ayeka turned a bright red at the slow appraisal, unconsciously tucking a stray strand of her hair away from her face. “Why…why would you think that?” she croaked out, willing her thudding heart to stop beating so fast.

“Why, princess…I thought we were becoming…close…”The prince replied, smirking at the look of disbelief on the female’s face. Pushing himself away from his leaning position against his bedroom door, he began to stroll towards her, aware of how uncomfortable he was making her feel and clearly enjoying every minute of it.

Ayeka could barely breathe. It seemed like Vegeta was slowly sucking up the entire air supply in the building and if she didn’t move soon, she would probably pass out in breathlessness. Staggering backwards to avoid him, she eventually bumped into a wall and had to stifle a yelp as Vegeta suddenly had her trapped. Pinning his hands on either side of the trembling female, he leaned forward until their lips were barely inches apart, his dark eyes boring deeply into the wide rose-colored orbs as in a husky drawl, he murmured softly.

“Would the princess find me rude, if I asked for an early morning…kiss?”

She could only whimper as she felt his breath brush against her sensitive skin. She couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t think. “Vegeta…we have to…” she whispered, subconsciously arching her neck as she felt his lips barely trail a light kiss down her skin.

Vegeta placed a finger against her lips to hush her stuttering words, his breath slowly getting ragged. “Not now, Ayeka. Kami, I need…”

“Oh! There you two are!”

The two adults swiveled around guiltily at the happy cry. Sasami stood at the end of the hallway, already dressed in a pair of jeans and t-shirt, smiling at them broadly. Running up to them, she grabbed her sister in a bear hug and without taking a breath, she grabbed Vegeta in a hug as well.

“So, are you two ready for breakfast? I made something called pancakes! They are really good!”

Vegeta blinked. “You cook?”

Sasami nodded. “Uh huh. Come on! Let’s go before it becomes cold!” And grabbing the prince’s hands, she pulled him towards the kitchen, allowing a clearly shaken Ayeka to follow them quietly behind.

~ Oh Tsunami…if Vegeta was going to keep acting like this, how in the world was she to concentrate on her lessons? ~

~*~*~*~*~*~

Piccolo closed his eyes and frowned deeply as he felt the negative energy again. Perched in his usual mid-air position beside his favorite meditation spot, the waterfall, his thoughts of serenity were cut short again as the powerful energy surge seared through him.

Someone or something with an evil mind was on this planet and he somehow knew that whatever it was concerned their Jurain arrivals. Pursing his lips, he made up his mind to tell Goku and the others about it. They didn’t want to be caught off guard.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kiyone looked at the blip on her locator and with a curt nod, she flipped it closed. Getting up from her backbreaking bed, she moved stealthily to the window, careful not to awake her still sleeping partner. Looking out at the early morning sunrise that was beginning to bathe the city skyline with its golden glow, she made up her mind to scout the area first. It would be better this way. With Mihoshi still asleep, she would be able to get some work done at least…

“Mmmmm….aahhh…hi Kiyone! Wow, you are up early!”

Kiyone’s body became as tense as a bowstring and she had to suppress her scream of frustration. So much for scouting alone. Plastering a weak smile on her face, she spun around to face the smiling blonde that was still thankfully perched on her own bed. She couldn’t deal with any bone crushing hugs right now.

“I was just thinking about us going to scout out the area for the princesses.” She said tightly, walking over to the bathroom to get herself ready. The sooner they left, the better.

“Oh?” Mihoshi said, her face going into a blank. “Why do we have to go now? Isn’t it kinda early?”

“No, Mihoshi!” Kiyone spat out, her mouth filled with toothpaste and water. “The sooner we get this done, the faster we can get back to the Galaxy Police headquarters.”

~ And the sooner I get my promotion. ~

“Oh, okay!” The blonde agreed readily, jumping up from her bed and beginning to look for her uniform. “Umm…Kiyone…do you know where my uniform is?”

Kiyone spat out the mixture and glared at Mihoshi in disbelief. “We are not wearing our uniforms, Mihoshi! We are going undercover, so we have to be in our regular clothes. We have to blend in!”

“Ohhhh….why didn’t you say so before?” Mihoshi said, grinning widely. “Right! We have to be undercover. Got it!”

“Thank God, you finally understand something…” Kiyone grumbled to herself, turning her attention back to the mirror. “Okay, Mihoshi. I want you to listen to me. Here is the plan. I want us to split up in two and take each end of the city. I am sure there is someone who might have seen the princesses. According to my radar, it seems that they are at some large location called Capsule Corporation or something. I will go there first and see what that place looks like and then if I find anything, I will call you on your communicator. Did you get all that, Mihoshi?”

Silence.

“Mihoshi?”

Kiyone stuck her head out of the bathroom when a reply was still not heard. She had to grip her hands into her palms or she would have ripped something out, for sure enough her wonderful partner had gone right back to sleep!!

“MIHOSHI…I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

She thought she would have gotten used to his eating habits by now, but it never ceased to amaze her at how fast the food seemed to disappear. And poor Sasami could barely keep up with the increasing demands from the hungry Saiyan. It was as if he hadn’t eaten in years.

About to open up her mouth to admonish him, the air next to her seemed to shift and yelping in surprise and shock, she came face to face with a grinning Goku.

“Hi there!” came the cheerful greeting. “WOW! Is that food?!”

And not waiting for any reply, the earth-raised Saiyan made himself comfortable on the dining table and began digging into some of the extras, earning a scowl of displeasure from Vegeta, who didn’t quite appreciate the interruption.

“What the hell do you think you are doing, Kakkarrot?!” He barked out.

Goku slurped another pancake and grinned at the scowling man. “Eating, Vegeta.”

“What happened to your own house and that screeching woman’s food?”

“Oh…” Goku said, smiling sheepishly. “Well, Chi-chi isn’t feeling too good and I was getting kind of hungry and then I smelt the food and then I came here.”

“How can you smell the food from your house?” Vegeta asked, bemusement now etched in his voice. He was quite aware of how acute a Saiyan’s sense of smell was, but this was ridiculous. “Your house is miles away!”

Goku only shrugged and continued with his meal, ignoring the stunned looks on the others in the room. Finishing his ration in record time and realizing that he had none left, he tried to make a grab for Vegeta’s plate, only to have his hand swatted away and an energy beam inches away from his face.

“Don’t even think about it, Kakkarrot.” Came the low growl.

Goku blinked and then turned around to face the stumped princesses. “Are you going to eat that?” He asked, nodding towards the barely touched food on Ayeka’s plate.

“Ummm….no…you can have….”

“Thanks!!” And before she could even think of saying ‘yes’, the food had vanished within the bowels of the now belching Goku.

“Wow! That was great! I guess I better be coming here to get breakfast…at least until Chi-chi is better.”

“No, Kakkarrot!” Vegeta snapped out. “You are no longer coming here for your breakfast! You will go eat it someplace else! This is not a catering service!”

“You are no better, you know.” Ayeka said curtly, folding her arms across her chest. “You Saiyans eat like pigs! And now if you do not mind…I have a lesson to begin.” She finished, glaring pointedly at Vegeta.

“Lesson? What lesson?” Goku asked, his eyes brightening with interest.

“None of your business.” Vegeta grumbled, getting off his chair and heading out of the kitchen.

“Vegeta has agreed to teach me how to fly.” Ayeka said with a smirk.

“Gosh! That’s really nice of you, Vegeta.” Goku said grinning widely. “See! I knew that beneath all of that tough attitude, you had a heart of gold.”

“You are pushing it, Kakkarrot.” Vegeta growled softly.

“Can I come and watch?” Sasami asked in excitement. “I want to learn too!”

Ayeka stood up and stretched. “Not yet, Sasami. Maybe later when he is through with me.”

Vegeta bit back the retort that was about to spring to his mouth at the sentence. ~When I am through with you, princess, you will never want to let me go. ~

Aloud he said curtly, “Give me a few minutes to get ready. I will meet you at the gravity room in half an hour.” And not waiting for their replies he went back upstairs.

Goku belched and wiped his hands across his mouth, dropping the now empty glass of milk on the dining table. “Well, I guess I better be leaving. Really sorry to barge on you guys like this.”

“No problem!” Sasami replied. “It’s always nice to know that one’s food is greatly appreciated.”

“Where is the gravity room?” Ayeka asked abruptly, as she began to head out of the kitchen.

“Oh! I know where that is!” Goku said loudly, bounding out of his seat. “Come on, I will show you.”

The trio left the warm confines of the house to step out into the early morning dusk. Stepping on the still wet grass, a combination of dew and the sprinklers that always kept the lawns spectacular, Ayeka raised her head and closed her eyes, inhaling the fresh scent of earth. It wasn’t as good or as beautiful as her home planet, but she could get used to it. She gaped in disbelief at the variety of strange creatures that made their way past them. It was as if they had the right to be there. It was like a zoo out here.

Meanwhile, their chaperone was like an incessant chatterbox. Goku kept on talking and talking and talking (and Sasami wasn’t helping much). It was kind of annoying in a nice way.

~ Hn. Never thought I would live to hear myself say that a Saiyan was actually nice. ~

“Here we are!” Goku announced loudly.

The princesses stared at the large sphere that looked eerily like the spaceship that they had landed in with skeptical eyes.

“This…is the gravity room?” Ayeka asked, walking up to the machine and tapping it tentatively.

“That’s right!” Goku enthused. “This is Vegeta’s baby.”

“…”

“Umm…he is really, really protective about it.” Goku explained. “It’s like a…umm…a…umm…a…really important thing to him.”

“Oh.”

“Actually…” Goku whispered. “He is trying to be better than me. He uses it to train so that he can achieve super Saiyan level…”

“Thank you, Kakkarrot! That will be enough information for the day!”

The trio jumped up startled, swiveling around to stare at the very pissed off looking prince.

“Oh hey, Vegeta. Didn’t see you back there.” Goku said sheepishly, trying desperately to diffuse the already tense situation.

“Whoa! Is it that time already?” He continued in a rush, glancing at the sky quickly. “I have to go get Gohan for our training. See ya!”

And before anyone could utter out another word, the tall Saiyan vanished from sight.

Vegeta mumbled something beneath his breath that sounded eerily like ‘bakayaro’, before pressing the button that opened up the room.

“Surely we aren’t going to train in there, are we?” Ayeka asked, eyeing the enclosed space.

“No…WE are not going to be training in there.” Vegeta replied sharply. “I am going to train in there ALONE. Now if you would excuse me. I need about an hour.”

The princess watched with growing anger as the door to the room began its slow ascent.

~ Oh, no you don’t! ~

Gritting her teeth angrily, she dashed into the room seconds before the door finally closed, effectively shutting both of them up.

Vegeta, who by this time had begun to head towards the power switch, swirled around and gaped at the upset looking female next to him. “What the fuck are you doing in here?!!”

“YOU were supposed to teach ME how to fly!!” Ayeka snapped back angrily. “And I am not leaving until you do!”

Vegeta turned away and placed his hands on the control panel, taking in deep breaths to control his irritation. Speaking in as calm a voice as he could manage, he said.

“Listen to me, onna. This is not just any ordinary room. This is called the ‘Gravity’ room for a reason. You will not be able to withstand the pressure if I increase it.”

Ayeka snorted and folded her arms across her chest. “It seems you have forgotten. I AM NOT human. I am a Jurain and I can withstand any kind of pressure. Please do not compare me to these pathetic earthling weaklings.”

Vegeta was unable to stop the small smile of admiration that came unto his visage. She had sounded just like him…

~ And she sure is stubborn. ~

“Fine!” He said out loud. “As you wish. But be warned, I will not be responsible for anything that happens to you in here. Do I make myself clear?”

Ayeka nodded in response and braced herself for whatever it was that was coming. She watched as Vegeta turned on the power button and the dull red haze that began to fill the room. Licking her lips slowly, she tried to put on a face of non-chalance, but that was becoming increasingly difficult, as Vegeta had now made it a point of duty to stare at her reactions in acute interest.

The automated voice of the room came on. “Now approaching 100 times gravity.”

The room seemed to vibrate and Ayeka could feel herself get heavy and nearly bogged down by some unseen force. The air was getting stifling and she had to grit her teeth to control herself from screaming.

“Now approaching 200 times gravity.”

Vegeta watched in reluctant admiration now. She was certainly holding her own. He could see the beads of sweat that were now forming on her brow and the way her face had now scrunched up into one of intense concentration. Her hands were bunched into tight fists and her legs had been spread apart to maintain her balance. As for him, he was still relatively comfortable…that was until it reached 1000 times gravity.

“Had enough yet, Princess?” He asked sneeringly, knowing what her answer would be.

“N…Not…Not yet!” Ayeka spat out through clenched teeth. “You…you…won’t get…get…rid of me that easily!”

Her only response was a wide grin and with a mocking glare, the prince increased the gravity.

“400 times gravity…approaching maximum human limit.”

Ayeka was panting now. It was becoming too hard for her to breathe or concentrate. A drop of sweat slid into her eyes and she had to swipe at it. Unfortunately, the move caused her to loose her balance and she fell flat to the floor, wincing in pain as the gravity pressed her to the ground.

~ I must get up! I cannot allow him to see me in this state. ~

She clenched her hands into fists and gritting her teeth she began to slowly push herself off the floor. It was proving to be an impossible task. Just when she thought she had at least gotten halfway up, she would be knocked down flat again. Tears of humiliation and frustration fell down her eyes and she swiped them away angrily. She was the crown princess of a race of strong warriors and here she was crying over something so stupid.

Eventually giving up, after several other failed attempts, she collapsed to the ground burying her face within her arms, not wanting Vegeta to see her state of weakness. She could hear the power being turned off and the silent footsteps walking up to her.

“Are you alright?” Vegeta asked softly, trying to reach down to help her up.

She sat up quickly and turned her head aside, shifting away from the now crouching prince. Sniffing, she muttered out curtly,

“I am fine. I do not need your pity.”

Vegeta sucked in a harsh breath at the coldness of her words and inwardly cursed himself for giving a hoot about it. Standing up abruptly, he stalked over to the controls and angrily pushed the button that made the door open.

“Much as I would love to say I told you so” he began coldly. “I wouldn’t belittle myself. I did tell you that I would not tolerate any weak efforts and I would not go easy on you; so do not expect me to feel sorry for you either. Got it?!”

Ayeka stood up on shaky legs and tossed her head as haughtily as she could manage. Summoning all of her royal training in the absorption of pain and hurt, she spun around and faced him, a look of blank neutrality on her face.

“I will leave you to train now.” She said flatly, her eyes betraying none of the anguish she felt at the smug look of satisfaction on the Saiyan’s face. “However, I have not given up on my flying lessons. I will be waiting for you…whenever you are ready.”

And spinning around she walked out of the room, never once looking back…for if she had…she would have noticed the similar look of pain that had crossed the proud prince’s face.

A/N: I know it is taking a bit long between parts and some of you are probably wondering when the heck those two are finally going to do it…/sighs/ I am working on it, honest! ^-^

So until then, pleeeease leave a word or two on the chapter so far…thanks!