CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

“This is so stupid. I cannot believe I am going to this stupid thing dressed as this.”

“Oh, come on. You look great! Doesn’t he, Gohan?”

“Sure you do, Piccolo-san! You look awesome!”

“I think he looks ridiculous.”

“Ryoko!!”

“What?! He does! I mean, what the hell is he supposed to be? A unicorn? Never seen a green unicorn before…”

“That’s it! I am not going anymore!”

“Aww, come on, Piccolo! Ryoko is just saying that to annoy you. I thought you would be used to that by now.”

“I will NEVER be used to whatever that demon woman says!”

“Hmph! Speak for yourself, Namek! The last time I heard, you were a demon thing yourself too!”

“Umm…guys…”

“What the hell are you supposed to be anyway? A CAT? HA! Don’t make me laugh!!”

“This costume took me hours to do! And yes, I am a cat, so what?! At least I am not a UNICORN!!”

“GUYS!! CUT IT OUT!!”

Piccolo and Ryoko froze at the loud command as they stared blankly at the red-faced vampire-dressed Goku. Complete with a black cape and matching fangs, the outfit did look a little ridiculous on the good-natured Saiyan, but it was no worse than what Piccolo had been forced to wear. Gohan had been kind enough to provide the stupendous idea for the green-skinned man as being the one to dress in the white horse-like outfit, complete with a horn attached to his forehead. Piccolo had hated the idea from the get-go, but the long face that Gohan had worn had crumpled his resolve. And so with the greatest reluctance, he had worn the outfit, only to face the mirth and amusement of the annoying space pirate. He grit his teeth as he took in the skin-tight black leather bodysuit. The two pointy cat ears and black whiskers completed the picture and her furry black tail gave her an added air of mystery and danger. Piccolo wanted to smack that smug grin right off her face.

“Why don’t you tell her to quit it first.” He mumbled to himself. “I look ridiculous.”

“No, you don’t.” Goku sighed for the umpteenth time, giving another glare towards Ryoko, as she was just about to open up her mouth for another retort. “I am sure there will be others there that look much more…umm…weirder.”

Ryoko clamped her hands over her mouth to stop her guffaw, and she barely had the time to dodge the blow that was headed towards her direction. Phasing out quickly, she appeared behind Goku and sniggered at the furious Namek. “Didn’t your mother teach you never to hit a lady?” she crooned delightedly, as she wrapped her arms around the now blushing warrior.

Goku felt his body go hot at the touch and then cold again as the icy, clipped words of his mate drifted across the room. “Let go of my husband, Ryoko, or you will be on the next spaceship to wherever the hell you came from!”

Goku gulped guilty and watched as Ryoko smiled devilishly. “What’s the matter, Chi-Chi? Afraid he might find me more attractive?”

“Whoa! Would you look at the time?! I think we better leave right now! Don’t you think, guys?!” Goku gushed out, as he noticed the rising ki from his irate wife. “Come on Chi-Chi. We don’t wanna miss the appetizers!”

And before Ryoko could even blink, Goku had grabbed his wife and son into the air car. “You guys coming or not?”

“I will fly there.” Piccolo said sagely, as he smirked inwardly at the put down of the blue-haired woman.

“Ryoko?”

The pirate pursed her lips and tried to hide the dull ache of pain that had flared through her at the cold reception. Straightening herself, she plastered a bright grin and waved her hands nonchalantly about. “I think I will fly with the Namek here. I need to explore this planet further anyways.”

“Okay.” Goku replied softly, his eyes darkening as he tried to soothe over the clearly hurt female. “Just be careful, okay?”

“Hey! I am a space pirate! I can take care of myself! Now go on, we will meet you guys there. Right, Piccolo?”

Her only reply was a grunt of displeasure from the tall being. Waving and grinning at the family, she waited until the dust had cleared from the air car before floating slowly up into the early evening air. Placing her hands on her hips, she stared towards the direction of the disappearing car. A frown highlighted her beautiful features as she got lost in thought. It wasn’t until she felt the light movement beside her, did she finally snap out of it.

“What are you thinking about?” Piccolo asked quietly. He hovered in the air beside her, his arms folded and with the perpetual scowl on his face.

Ryoko grinned again and tried to ignore the question. “Don’t you ever smile? Sheesh, it could get rid of those wrinkles, you know. Come on! Let’s go!”

And in a burst of energy, she took off for Capsule Cooperation, somehow aware that this evening was going to be far from ordinary.

~*~*~*~*~

Kiyone straightened her top hat upon her bunched up hair. She smoothed out the mustache across her upper lip again and nervously twiddled with the cuffs of her dark brown jacket. Tonight, she was dressed as a young debonair, and she had found herself getting embarrassed at all the looks she had been receiving from other young women and even some older ones. She slipped her hands into her waist-pocket and carefully brought out the tracker. She watched as the blip on the screen signaled their closeness to their target.

~ So far, so good. I just hope Mihoshi doesn’t mess this up for us. ~

Patting her trusty old laser gun in her other pocket, she straightened her posture and taking a deep breath, she stepped towards the large and boisterous building.

~*~*~*~*~*~

On any other day, one would have stared at the buildings that made up the Capsule Corporation with silent awe. The large yellow dome-shaped buildings were easily the most recognizable and most distinctive in the otherwise bustling city of the West. Owned by the gifted professor Briefs, CC was now officially the worldwide conglomerate responsible for the ingenious invention. The capsules. These tiny bottles had the ability to contain anything. From houses to foods to cars…whatever you wanted basically. Needless to say, the Briefs were more than billionaires.

And of course, as the rich tend to do, parties were of no consequence to them. Whenever the Briefs threw a party…they threw a party. They were the most talked about events in the entire city. People from far and wide sought for ways to get into their exclusive get-togethers and only the very daring actually made it in there. There was, naturally, a party for every holiday. There was the annual New Year gala, the Easter Bunny party and of course the annual Christmas Banquet. But out of all of these events, the one that most people looked forward to, with eager anticipation, was the Annual Costume Ball. The brainchild of Mrs. Briefs, it had gradually become the best thing to ever happen to the city.

The entire city seemed to shut down on that night, everyone hob nobbin around the large buildings. Colorful lights and streamers blazoned across the night sky. Helium balloon rides and skylights signaled the beginning of the event. The streets were lined with people dressed up to the nines in their best outfits, all hoping to get a chance to be invited into the main shin dig.

Getting into the main house itself, one would be completely stunned into speechlessness at the elaborate decorations and abundant refreshments that adorned the exquisite interiors. Aware that the Briefs had made friends with certain Saiyans, the amount of food laid out for the event was quite enough to feed an entire country. The elite guests mingled around the indoor gardens and lounge areas. There were cowboys and cowgirls, princes and princesses, vampires and demons, clowns and jesters. Some who were too lazy to get actual outfits had to make do with the elaborately decorated masks provided at the door. Everyone was in high spirits. Some a bit too high.

“And so I says to the stupid asshole…why don’t you come over here and get some?! I know how much you want it!!”

Yamcha burst out into guffaws of laughter before giving a loud ‘Hey!’ as he felt the blow at the back of his head. “What did you do that for?” he asked with a pout, as he glared at the furious female behind him.

“Stop being such a crude blockhead!!” Bulma yelled in irritation. “You are supposed to be with me tonight! Remember?!”

“Why should I be with you?” Yamcha snapped back, aware that his audience was now watching the argument with acute interest. “I thought you had the hots for that bastard, Vegeta. Why don’t you go pick on him?”

“For you information, Yamcha! That bastard has not shown his face yet or believe you me, I wouldn’t be wasting my time with you…you…pig!”

“Ha! Pig?! Is that the best you can do?”

“Why, I outta…”

“Hiya, Bulma! Hey, Yamcha!”

“Goku!”

And just like that, the spat between the two adults ended. Bulma clung unto her best friend’s neck like a vise, ignoring the glares that were being shot at her from Chi-Chi. Finally acknowledging the dark-haired woman, she grinned widely and crooned. “Wow, Chi-Chi, you look awesome in that cook outfit!”

Chi-Chi counted slowly to ten before answering. “This is NOT a cooking outfit. This is supposed to be the bride of Frankenstein, right, Goku?”

Goku scratched the back of his head nervously. “Ah, sure Chi-Chi! You look fantastic in it! So do you, Bulma. What are you supposed to be?”

Bulma smiled and curtsied before twirling around in her billowing icy-blue ball gown. “Do you really like it? I am supposed to be Cinderella.” She fixed her crystal crown upon her now straight blue locks and in a mock twirl, she waved her silver wand towards the couple. “Bibidi, babidi, boo! Now you are all my slaves, too!”

Light laughter followed her banter, as the tense atmosphere was quickly subdued. Goku suddenly made a grab for a passing glass of…

“That’s alcohol, honey.” Chi-Chi said softly.

“Oops!”

“Not to worry, Goku. There’s lots of milk and water for ya.” Yamcha joked lightly.

Goku nodded absentmindedly as his gaze flew across the crowded courtyard. “Hey…where are the princesses?

Bulma snorted and grabbed a passing glass of wine, downing it quickly in an unladylike gulp. “Who knows and cares? They are just a bunch of freeloaders hanging around here until they can go back to their amazing castle in space.”

“I think I saw the little one with Gohan a few minutes ago.” Chi-Chi said quietly. “Where is that sulky guy?”

“You mean the ‘Prince of all Saiyans?’, came the bitter reply from the blue-haired female. Grabbing another passing glass, she gulped it down again and answered. “Probably still moping around like the jerk he is!”

Her audience looked at her in faint alarm. Bulma was beginning to drink too much and they all knew what happened whenever she got drunk. It was not going to be pretty at all.

“Umm…Bulma…don’t you think you have had enough?” Goku asked, his brows knitting in worry.

“Do you think I am drunk? Well, let me tell you, I am just fine! You hear me! I am having a blast and no one can stop me! Come on, Yamcha! Let’s dance!”

And with a fierce yank, she pulled the startled man by his arms and began to drag him towards the ballroom. Goku and Chi-Chi exchanged bemused glances before shrugging it off. Those two were a weird couple as it was.

“I wonder when Piccolo and Ryoko are gonna get here?”

“Come on, Goku. Let’s forget about those two. Let’s try to have some fun tonight, okay? Come, let’s dance…”

“Can we eat first?” Goku pleaded. “I am getting kinda hungry.”

Chi-Chi mumbled something that sounded eerily like ‘barbarian’, before she led them both towards the large buffet.

~*~*~*~*~*~

She stared at her outfit in the mirror for the umpteenth time and sighed wearily. What had that woman been thinking? She couldn’t wear this…this…bunny costume! She eyed the way the strapless black swimsuit hugged her body and way the fishnet leggings highlighted her long legs. The ridiculous puff stuck at the back of the suit was supposed to be a bunny tail and the stupid long rabbit ears made her feel…

“Argh! I am not wearing this stupid outfit!!”

Pouting angrily, she plopped back on her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. The laughter and music from the party below brought back memories of similar galas that had occurred on her home planet, although the Jurians did tend to have their parties a little bit more dignified and…

~ Boring. ~

Rolling onto her stomach, she stared morosely at the fireworks that were now being displayed outside. A pang of longing filled her heart as she watched the bright sparks. Closing her eyes, she tried to recreate the glowing embers of the passion that had been shared with the sullen prince over a week ago. His touch, his kiss, his hands on her skin. Moaning softly, she curled herself into a fetal position. One week. He had practically cooped himself up in his gravity room or whatever that contraption was. One week of absolute torture. The one or two times she had caught a glimpse of him she had desperately tried to make conversation. But all she had received were non-committal replies or simple grunts. Where was the smile he had shown her on that day? What happened to the passionate prince she had almost given her purity to?

“What happened to us, Vegeta?” she whispered into the soft sheets.

Maybe it was Washu’s fault. Ever since the genius scientist had made her presence known, she had been a constant pest in their daily routines. Not surprisingly, Washu and the Professor had hit it off on the spot. She had practically invaded the poor man’s lab and had now converted the relatively plain room into a world of mind-boggling creations. Bulma, on the other hand, had not liked the intrusion. It seemed like accepting new competition did not settle with the blue-haired female. Washu had made it a point of duty to refute whatever Bulma had to say. Some days had been spent arguing over the littlest of details that never ceased to irritate Ayeka. Needless to say, the two females hated each other’s guts. Washu had even confided in her that she would have loved to transform the shrieking girl into a lab rat. Ayeka sniggered at the thought.

~ She would make a very fine lab rat. ~

Maybe that was what made the Prince so cold. The constant bickering and shouting matches must have taken a toll on him. But she didn’t understand it. She knew that Vegeta was capable of yelling and had been a witness to one particularly heated argument between he and Bulma. So why was he shutting her out again? Maybe he was regretting ever touching her now. Maybe he was comparing her to Bulma and had seen her lacking in some department. Maybe…

“Ugh…my head…”

She sat back up and winced. Clutching trembling hands to her forehead, she shut her eyes and tried to will away the pain.

~ Ryoko! I can sense her! She is here! Oh, Tsunami, what do I do? ~

She had tried so hard to ignore that cold feeling of dread, but it seemed like the more she tried, the worse the dreams became. It was always the same thing. She would always be caught in a life and death situation. She gripped her hands into a tight fist as the pain and horror she had felt upon hearing the news of her brother’s death at the demon’s hands flowed through her taut body. She had vowed to seek revenge in some way or another, but that small tingle of fear always crept up to her. Her brother had been strong. The most powerful warrior in the galaxy. The entire power of Jurai within his grasp and yet he had been defeated by Ryoko. If he could lose his life, why would she be any different? She knew she could hold her own in any battle, but against such a force? She wouldn’t last a minute.

A sudden knock on the door jerked her around sharply. “Who is it?”

When no answer was forthcoming, she gingerly got to her feet and walked to the door. Opening it slowly, she blinked at the empty hallway in front of her. She stepped out and frowned slightly. Who could have knocked on her door and then…

“What in the world?”

Her eyes had finally fallen to the large black box that had been placed beside her doorway. It was a simple black box with a large silver bow. A small note card with the word ‘Ayeka’ printed neatly on it was the only semblance of identification. She frowned again and stared down the empty hall.

~ This could be a trap. I could be in some sort of trouble, after all the Galaxy Police are after me. ~

But her curiosity was slowly beginning to eat at her. She bit her lower lip in thought for several seconds before giving in to the temptation. With a shrug, she lifted up the box and walked back into her bedroom, making sure that her door remained shut behind her.

~*~*~*~*~

Vegeta downed the dark liquid in one gulp, his dark eyes roaming the crowd beneath him. From his perch on the top balcony, he could see every one that mingled around the courtyards. This was a safe spot for him. There were only two other couples in this area and since it was barely lighted, he was hidden quite well in the shadows. He had noticed the Son family walk in and had nearly burst into laughter at their ridiculous ensemble. Why these ningens wasted their times on such stupid things, he would never know. But it was turning out to be quite pleasant. Or perhaps it was the wine talking…

Shrugging lightly, his eyes scanned the crowd again. There was that harpy, Bulma and her boyfriend from hell, Yamcha. They were making a pathetic attempt at dancing, which wasn’t working out quite well, for Bulma kept complaining about Yamcha stepping on her feet. Shaking his head, his mind wandered back to their earlier conversation…sometime before the guests had begun arriving.

~*~*Flashback ~*~*~

He had just come back from the gravity room and had been making his way back to his room for a shower, when Bulma had frozen him in his tracks. He had taken in the billowing gown she was dressed in and had tried hard not to laugh.

“What are you supposed to be, onna?” He had asked, not really wanting to know.

“I am supposed to be a princess!” She had snapped. “What are you going to be?”

“What else? Me!”

“That is just so typical, Vegeta! Yeah, why don’t you go wear a monkey suit and then you would really be you!”

He had had to restrain himself from choking her, but all he had done was grit his teeth and to mutter harshly. “I will ignore that comment, onna. You are just lucky I am worn out from my training or you would not have been unable to show that ugly face of yours to the public this evening!”

And not waiting to hear her indignant tirade, he had slammed the door to his bedroom in her face, effectively shutting her out.

~*~* Flashback end ~*~*~

He sighed wearily and rubbed his hands over his eyes. Lifting them back up again, he was unable to stop the smile that crept unto his visage as he watched Sasami and Gohan take to the dance floor. Gohan was in a midget replica of his father’s vampire ensemble and Sasami had wanted to dress up like a cowgirl…something she had read about in earth books. He wondered what Ayeka was going to be dressed as.

~ Ayeka… ~

He had been avoiding her. There was no doubt about that and he had noticed the way his behavior had taken a toll on the purple-haired woman. He couldn’t understand it himself. His feelings and emotions seemed so jumbled up whenever he was around her. On one hand, he wanted to grab onto her and never let her go. Wanted to protect her with every fiber of his being. Wanted to be with her every single minute of every waking hour and yet…here he was pushing her away. The unsure, naïve and yes…scared little part of him, wanted to push her away. To stop this growing need before it became too late. He couldn’t allow anyone into his heart in that way. He had sworn never to allow himself to become that vulnerable. It had taken years of humiliation and pain to build up the walls that protected him from such petty emotions and it would take more than a few kisses to make them crumble down.

Or so he thought.

His senses picked up sharply as the strong energy surge was felt. For a moment, his eyes took in the white clad being before realizing that it was actually the Namek…

~ As a unicorn? ~

And then they finally settled on the cat-woman next to him. That strong energy had been coming from her. She was obviously not human…

~ Kami! Is that a tail?! ~

She was most definitely not human, but neither was she Saiyan. And what was she doing here with Piccolo? Unaware that his hands had been gripping the iron balustrades in a death grip, he cringed back slightly as those cat-like eyes suddenly turned towards his direction. He felt his mouth go dry as he watched the sly grin that crossed the female’s face.

This was no ordinary female.

~*~*~*~*~

Kiyone tapped her foot impatiently. She hadn’t even gotten to the main doors yet. Where in the world was her partner?! The line seemed to be forever and she doubted she was ever going to get in at this rate. Their plan had been simple. They had put the Galaxy Police patrolling the solar system on high alert. Once they had apprehended the kidnapper and the princesses, they were to move in immediately. She prayed and hoped that everything went to plan. They couldn’t afford to botch this up.

“Would you like to be my escort for the evening, kind sir?”

She jerked her head around sharply and stared with bemusement at the expensively dressed woman beside her.

~ Oh, my god. I am being hit on by an old lady. ~

But she needed to get in and it looked like the woman had her tickets ready to go.

“Why, I would love to.” She crooned in her manly voice for the evening.

She almost gagged at the sight of the woman blushing and giggling like a schoolgirl and she had to remind herself that she was only doing this to get in. “Shall we go in, my lady?”

“Oh, you young men these days, you sure know how to make us feel special.”

Kiyone aka Mr. Masaki faked a bright smile and wrapping her arms within the crook of the old lady’s, she led them towards the entrance.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Before he could stop, he found himself making his way down the stairs and towards the odd couple. That nasty feeling was still lodged somewhere in his throat and he felt as if he was going to be choked by it, if it wasn’t stopped soon. He had to find out what she was, although something at the back of his mind told him that he was going to be in for a nasty surprise.

“Vegeta! Sweetie!”

He almost gagged as the weight of the clearly tipsy female made him stagger. The strong smell of alcohol was laced in Bulma’s breath and he tried desperately to wrench her arms away from his neck. “What do you think you are doing, onna?!” he spat out coldly. “Let go of me!”

“But I want you to kiss me, Vegeta! Just one time…”

A low growl of disgust was emitted from his mouth, before the flash of white froze him in his movements. Spinning around sharply, as that now familiar scent kicked in, he sucked in a harsh breath as the picture of pure perfection drifted down the grandeur staircase.

It seemed like the entire room had slowed down in response to the amazing apparition. Most of the guests had stopped their conversations as they had all spun around to take in the sight. A well-shaped figure dressed in a shimmering spaghetti strapped evening gown which made no effort to hide the smooth and creamy skin, made its way slowly down the red carpeted stairs. Long, purple locks framed the unseen face (which had conveniently been hidden behind an elaborately designed mask), a small mysterious smile forming with the rose colored lips. She finally stopped as she reached the last stair, the dainty head roaming around the room before clashing with blazing obsidian depths that burned right through the fake plastic and into her soul.

Time stood still as recognition and unwilling desire flared across the room. She clenched and unclenched her fists tightly, her stomach churning with butterflies and slow dread as she took in the sight of the clinging Bulma. Tossing her head lightly, she fixed a small grin on her face, effectively ignoring the gut-wrenching sight. She was determined to have fun, no matter what happened. Even if it killed her to know that the couple was practically making out in front of her.

Vegeta saw it and realized with a pang on what Ayeka must have thought. Growling again, he unceremoniously dropped Bulma to the floor and rapidly made his way towards the princess. He had to talk to her as soon as…

“There you are!”

“What do you want now?!” He snapped angrily, as he stared at the red-haired woman.

“Is that the way you thank me? After all I have done for you?”

“Grr…”

“Can’t you see that she is having fun tonight? Let her be. I am sure you and I can…”

The sudden loud shriek and subsequent sound of glass breaking stunned the entire room into dead silence.

For several tense filled moments, not a word was said as everyone spun around to stare at the cause for the commotion.

The only thing that finally succeeded in slicing the tense silence, was one coldly spoken word.

“Ryoko.”