"Steady now, Akuma," Bulma ordered the mount as she gracefully slid off the beast’s back. Before her departure she had wisely opted to take her warden’s stallion instead of her own mare. Though Hikari was nearly Akuma’s equal in speed, the latter of the two horses held a distinct advantage during the night hours. Akuma’s vision was far superior, and Bulma needed every lead she could muster if she had any chance of making it to Vegeta in time.

After seeing an armed guard pacing outside of the cave, Bulma quickly realized Juunanagou had accurately guided her to what was very likely her warden’s location. Keeping her herself as hidden in the greenery as possible, the princess retrieved the bow and arrows she had secured before leaving the castle. She was not about to travel blindly into probable danger without a weapon to her name.

Aiming an arrow at the man’s upper thigh, she intended only to shoot to disable, not to kill. Recalling all the training Kakarrot had advised her of during her several lessons, she did not hesitate to fire upon the man as though he was an animal she was shooting for sport. She held no doubt if the situation were reversed this man would only show her less courtesy.

She managed to hit him; though a little too much on target, she quickly realized as the man collapsed immediately to the ground. When he did not move for several moments, guiding Akuma, Bulma carefully advanced on the man. "Oh by the gods," she let out a gasp as she saw the blood spilling around the man’s forehead. It seemed he had been leaning over to grasp an arrow of his own when she hit him. "He must have heard me…" she scolded herself for not being quieter in her preparations. Though it was hard for her to hold any sympathy for killing an associate of Juunanagou, she felt no pleasure in taking a life.

Not wanting to dwell on the act while Vegeta was in only the gods knew what condition, she quickly tied up Akuma and then drew a dagger, not leaving anything to chance as she carefully entered the cave. "Vegeta?" she quietly whispered the man’s name several times, having no idea if there were any other guards detaining him. Fortunately, she was not to find any more resistance, for it did not take her more than a few steps before a huddled figure in the corner of the alcove called her to attention. "Vegeta!" she screamed as she rushed to his side. Dropping the dagger, she fell to her knees, "Oh Vegeta," she cried as she pulled his nearly frozen body into her lap.

Though his eyes had briefly fluttered open and closed when she had called for him, he made no further move to recognize her as she swiftly began to remove the chains that bound his body. Pulling out the clip that bound her hair, she used its thin and straight shape to help her force the lock open. Once she achieved her goal, she carefully unwound his binding, attempting not to mar his skin any more than it already was. As soon as the metal was completely removed, she grasped her warden’s face, bringing him close to her as she cradled his torso in one of her arms.

"You have to wake up, Vegeta," she ordered softly as she stroked his pale cheeks. The milky color of his skin was such a stark contrast to his normally tanned flesh. "Please, I can not lose you." She felt the tears begin to fall. The gods could not be so cruel as to take him now, now that she knew he loved her. Now that she knew she could be with him. "Please," she begged again after raining several tears down his cheeks, "I need you."

Never having been able to deny anything the onna asked of him, it appeared even in near death he did not intend to start. Coughing several times, the king barely managed to open his eyes to gaze upon what he was slowly beginning to believe was not a mirage. "Onna?" his throat was so raw, he barely spoke the word, but it had been received loud and clear.

"Vegeta!" she buried his face in her bosom as she held on to him for dear life. Her tears never ceased as she admitted, "I thought I had lost you."

Though the feeling was mutual, Vegeta did not have the strength to voice it. His joy at seeing his onna was unfortunately overshadowed by his physical needs. After barely coughing up the words ‘water,’ and ‘cold,’ Bulma was quick to act as she gently laid her warden back on the ground, promising him she would only be separated from his side for a few moments as she fetched a cover and drink for the frozen man.

The moment she returned from Akuma, she lifted her warden’s head into her lap and held the container of liquid over his mouth. While he gradually drank its contents, she used her free hand to throw an animal skin blanket over his body. Never had she been more relieved the man kept his mount so well stocked with supplies. Once all the contents of the jug had been emptied into his mouth, Bulma offered to seek out the nearest lake to bring him back more, but he refused to allow her to leave him again, instead, he gently grasped at her body, pulling her down to lay with him under the covering.

"Still… so cold," he stuttered with the shaking of his jaw. Meshing her delicate figure against his, he basked in the feel of her warmth. He had dreamed of this, needed this to keep him alive; him holding the onna he realized very abruptly that he needed more than life supporting sustenance itself. But he greedily still wanted more. Her body was still covered by too many garments. He did not have all of her heat against him; he needed all her warmth. "Remove," he did not hesitate to help her strip all outer garments. Propriety was not in his stream of consciousness, all he was following were his instincts at that moment. And his most basic instinct at that moment was to wrap himself in her body heat. He needed her skin against his.

Bulma was not oblivious to the reasoning behind his demand. As her skin gradually became exposed, she slowly became more intimately familiar with exactly how icy his body was. Once she was left in nothing more than her undergarments, the pair weaved their bodies tightly together under the protection of the heavy bearskin. Rubbing her soft legs against his, caressing the contours of his muscular back, and nestling her head in the crook of her king’s neck, Bulma tried to maintain as much friction between them as possible. She wanted to keep him as warm as his frozen limbs could handle.

"Gods, onna," Vegeta gritted his teeth as he ran his hands down to her lower back to steady her movements. "Are you trying to raise my body temperature or arouse me?"

If her face had not been hidden from his, he would have been charmed to see the blush that had crept across her cheeks. "Aren’t they one and the same?" she whispered with a half smile that he felt against his shoulder. She had become very much aware of stiffness moments ago, but she had dared not comment. She was not brazen enough, not with him. Not yet. "Do you want me to stop?"

"Never," his answer was quick and concise, making her feel desired unlike she could have ever imagined from one simple word. He knew she wanted this, her diary more than spelled it out for him, but was she ready to know how he felt? Was now the time to tell her? Deep inside he knew if he did not voice his deduction he could very possibly burst from the truth. In his arms he held an onna he longed to spend the rest of his existence with. The onna he wanted to mate with, make his true queen and sire children with… He wanted her completely, and gods, he would tell her now. They had waited too long already. "I read your diary."

The admission floated in the air for several minutes before Bulma softly questioned, "Then… you know?" She felt him pull away from her just enough to look into her eyes and sincerely confirm the long denied truth.

"Are you angry?" he knew how important her privacy was, he worried she would be unable to forgive a second dared invasion after her furious reaction last time.

"No," she offered as her eyes fell from his, "I can not condemn you for invading my private chambers when I did the same in yours." She paused as she heard a clearly stunted grumble rise from his throat. "I saw the painting." Just as succinct as Vegeta had made his confession, Bulma alerted her warden that he too no longer held any secrets from her. It seemed for the first time in a very, very long time, nothing but the truth lay between them. But what was to be done about it was now the true question. "So what does this mean for us?"

"What do you want it to mean?" It was of course the most cowardly of rebuffs he could have offered, but he dared not make any more assumptions where his onna was concerned. His misconceptions had already done enough damage to them both.

Several minutes of silence followed, Bulma debating what the correct answer was, and how she could protect herself from voicing anything that could lead her to heartache. But the sudden feel of her warden’s rapid heartbeat against her chest reminded her that it was not only her feelings she needed to protect. He had as much riding on her response as she did. So deciding to break with tradition, the young princess opted to throw caution to the wind, and simply speak from her heart. "I do not know what it should mean. After all, I know you are still married. And I know you are still my guardian. And with all the chaos of recent, I would not begin to imagine where that leaves us, but… But I cannot say I truly care either. All I want is you; it is all I ever wanted. So I’ll take you however I can get you," she paused with a half chuckle as she wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his, "Even if it is in a damp, cold, secluded cave in the middle of the night."

Cupping her face, Vegeta could no longer control the swelling of emotions engorging his soul; crushing her luscious lips to his, he passionately made love to her mouth, hoping the physical show of affection could in some way express how much her honesty meant to him. "I’ll kill Juuhachigou if I have to," he breathed deeply as he rolled onto his back crushing her body to his as he refamiliarized himself with her body. "I will have you as my mate, no matter what the cost."

Running her lips over the nape of his neck, the princess lightly nipped at his flesh, smiling as he made his vow. "Please do not kill in my name; I do not need the title of queen. I will become your mistress, attending to your every pleasure at night. Just give me that, it is enough."

She was making him mad with her passiveness. Gods, she truly did want him desperately, perhaps almost as much as he craved her. "Not for me it is not," he affirmed while running his hands over the thin lacy white garments that were the only remaining impediments to his devouring her body. "You will be my queen, bear our heir, I will settle for no less. I want you exclusively, eternally."

Closing her eyes to dam the tears she felt would inevitably flow, Bulma stopped her desperate attentions to his body just long enough that she could look into his dark lustful eyes. Straddling his pelvis, she leaned forward just far enough to gently grasp his face. "You already have me exclusively, eternally. You have for a long time," the confession brought a smile to both of their faces as she briefly leaned in to place her lips atop his for a kiss. When she pulled away, she placed her hands on the thin linen that had ridden up to her pelvis. Wrapping her fingers around the delicate fabric, she ever so leisurely pulled the garment over her body and tossed it aside. Leaving her naked chest exposed to the elements as she allowed the man beneath her several long seconds to take in her natural beauty.

Vegeta felt his breath catch as he was met by a sight he had never truly believed would ever be consciously revealed to him. Had he the strength, he might have pinched himself to make sure what he was seeing was in fact real, but his hands were soon being otherwise detained. With Bulma gripping his wrists, he felt her glide his digits to her hips, slowly over her waist, and then gently stop after placing one hand atop of each breast. "I do not want to be forward," she breathed heavily as his hands began to slowly knead her delicate treasures, "but I have dreamed of this for so long… I do not think I can wait a minute more."

Her plea was all that he needed to ignite the passionate creature inside him. He had yearned, dreamed, of this for so long as well. He would not disappoint. Using his hold on her to shift their positions, he laid her gently beneath him as he began a tender assault on her chest. Running his lips over her milky skin, Vegeta wrapped one hand around a swollen mound as he temptingly flicked the hardened pebble at its center. Not wanting to unevenly distribute his attentions, his lips arrived at her other breast to taste her more intimately. He was amply satisfied.

Arching her back, Bulma interlaced her fingers throughout her lover’s hair as she gratifyingly moaned in delight. Such sensations were better than in her most wild of fantasies. So engorged in both the physical and emotional liberation he was finally offering her, she felt tears well in her eyes. Never had she believed she would experience this bliss of coupling with the man she loved. She was devastatingly happy to have her assumptions proven wrong.

"Do you want me to stop?" The husky question jolted the young princess from her daze as she looked up to see her king leaning over her, his arms shaky, his lips trembling. She could imagine the strength he needed to offer to back off when he was clearly in painful need, but she could no sooner walk away than he could.

"No," she quickly wiped her eyes, knowing they were the reason he had doubted her intentions. "I just can not believe this is finally happening," she forced a smile as she wrapped her fingers around his neck. "I have waited so long for you, Vegeta." As if the short statement could summarize all the years of anguish and embarrassment she had experienced as a result of her passionate feelings, she opted to say no more on the subject as she slid her hands down the sleek contours of his abdomen to release his pants. Pulling the garment down to unveil his readiness, she smiled as she locked eyes with him. "Be my first, my only."

Grumbling his frantic need, Vegeta pressed his lips against Bulma’s as he savagely finished removing what was left of their clothing until there was nothing left between them but the mutual desire to become one. And by the gods, was the desire potent. He did not know if he could control himself much longer. "Onna," the monarch groused huskily against the princess’s ear as he felt her spread her legs for him, offering him what he had dared never take. "We are not joined yet. I should not take you before such a time. I would not want to ruin you in case—"

"In case you can not annul your marriage to Juuhachigou," she finished his thought in several long breaths. This was not the best of times for him to be having an attack of conscience. "I already told you, I do not care if you are married. I will lie beneath no other man but you. So ruin me, I beg of you…" she nipped at the lobe of his ear as she pleaded for his attentions. She was rewarded with another groan of frustration.

"How I wish I could…" he made the statement in contemplation as opposed to regret. He simply could not ignore his obligations to her. "Damn it, onna, you are my ward! It is my responsibility to see you are protected… All of you…" he skimmed his hand over her sapphire curls that covered the key to his relief. "We should wait until… until I can rightfully have you. My obligation to you demands it."

Nearly screaming in aggravation, Bulma tightly grasped Vegeta’s hips before he could pull away from her. "Damn it, Vegeta!" Her outburst caught his attention with the utmost swiftness. Raising her hold to encompass his chest, she pulled him down atop of her as she breathlessly admitted, "How many times have we been through this?! I am a grown onna, with needs that only a lover can fulfill. So decide now which you want to be. My warden or my lover… You can not be both."

Finally being forced to embrace the stark reality that a chapter of their lives together was truly ending, Vegeta felt a moment of pause overtake him. For so long he had thought of nothing more than to offer his protection to the young female he had taken in those long nine years ago. But with time, feelings and intentions had vastly changed for the king. Warm feelings of affection had gradually turned to passionate desires of lust… and may the gods help him, love; the kind shared only between two mates. As frightening as moving forward seemed, the prospect of sheer bliss that lay waiting for them was too potent to be rejected.

"Your lover," he whispered the two words quietly as he raised his body just slightly, so he could once more prepare himself to enter her forbidden garden of ecstasy. "I want to make love to you." And with those last anxious words, Vegeta plunged into her liquid warmth, solidifying their union by taking her maidenhood. He was her first. He would be her only. "Mine!" he cried out as his body shook with unadulterated euphoria. Clamping his teeth down on her soft flesh, he marked her for all eternity. She was his now, just as much as he was everlastingly hers; his first, his only.

As soon as the initial pain of his invasion subsided, Bulma slowly began to rock her hips in tune with Vegeta’s experimental strokes. Swiftly he plunged into her body, and expertly he dragged his swollenness just to the tip of her entrance before sinking into her again. It was not long the pattern could be maintained, for the pair quickly pushed one another to the brink of sanity. Building inside each of them had been an explosive force that neither could have anticipated the magnitude of as it washed over their bodies. With a simultaneous scream of one another’s names, the pair came together.

Exhausted, Vegeta had collapsed atop of Bulma after spilling his seed deep within her life-giving womb. For a brief moment he worried that he had not in hindsight considered using any form of birth prevention. But as the thought of her carrying his child floated longer in his mind, he felt no further apprehension. In fact, a part of him hoped they had conceived a child together. Nothing he imagined could please him more than to see her swollen belly, knowing inside her was their offspring; a child with her beauty and his strength, what a fantastic brood they would have.

Rolling to the side, so as to lessen the weight atop his new mate, Vegeta gently stroked Bulma’s long flowing azure hair as he watched her eyes slowly flutter open. She seemed to just barely have recovered from their coupling; she had perhaps never looked more beautiful. Lowering his hand to touch her cheeks, he used his thumb to wipe away the few stray tears that had fallen as a result of her penetration. "How do you feel?" he asked with the utmost concern. As much as it ashamed him to admit, he had been so lost in the feel of her tightness around his inflamed length he had barely been rational enough to observe her pleasure.

"I do not think I have ever felt better," she whispered happily as she brushed her lips against his. "What about you?" A deeper rouge colored her already flushed cheeks. "Was I adequate?" Vegeta’s eyes widened slightly. She had to be kidding. Parting his lips to mock her suggestion, he found himself cut off as she continued, "I mean, I am sure you are used to more experienced onnas, but I will learn," kissing his shoulder with a tenderness only she could emit, "I want to be the best you have ever had." Though she had anticipated many reactions to her confession, laughter was not one of them. Lifting her eyes so they were once again meeting his, she demanded, "What is so funny?"

Raising a brow Vegeta emulated an appearance of false affront, "Onna, I am hurt. Do you honestly believe I go around bedding every attractive female I meet? That I have sampled many a lady and have developed a preference for the ‘experienced’ onnas? You make me sound like a man of loose morals."

Halting her jaw just before it could drop too low, Bulma swiftly corrected herself. "I… I did not mean that, of course I do not believe you are a man of loose morals, I only meant that I am not slighted by any other females who have shared your bed. You have been of age much longer than I have. It is only natural that you would have succumbed to your urges sooner. I only hope to have your desires reflected solely upon me from now on. I want to be all that you need." She tried to seal her confession with an impassioned kiss, but Vegeta had stopped her abruptly as he returned her to focus on his eyes. Great consternation lay within them.

"Onna," Vegeta said somewhat uncomfortably as he propped himself up on one of his elbows, eyeing her carefully. "I thought you knew," he said with a partial chuckle. How uncomfortable that he would ever have to admit it. He had thought it fairly public knowledge. "Onna, you know how seriously I take my title, along with how fiercely I would fight to protect and ensure only a proper heir will succeed my throne. Coupling outside of mateship or wedlock would be counter to such an end."

It seemed to take several moments before Bulma finally understood what he was evasively trying to tell her. Covering her lips as if to hide her shock, she barely choked out, "But I always thought… But Juuhachi… But you… But…" she paused, her cheeks reddening even more so. It seemed her assumptions had failed her once again. "Oh by the gods, Vegeta, why did you not stop me!" she faintly slapped him across his chest. "I would never have insisted we mate if it was going to compromise your principles!" She felt somewhat angry with him. Never had she imagined he was like… like her.

"You hardly forced me into anything, onna," he stroked her hair as he quietly admitted, "And as far as my principles are concerned, I do not believe they were breached. You and I will be joined formally, one way or another." He made the promise unspecific; he did not want to set any ground rules as to the lengths he would go to just to ensure such an end. "Besides, all universal formalities aside," he lowered a finger to rest over the fresh bite mark on her neck, "Saiya-jin law only recognizes the female who bears my mark as the true queen. As far as I am concerned, you already are." He leaned in to kiss the spot; he was pleased when she closed her eyes in repressed exaltation.

"But," she wanted to object, to question his reasoning, but she found herself unable to as he continued his assault, moving lower down her firm body. All details could be worked out later. Right now they were basking in their first time experiencing the art of lovemaking. Nothing should be allowed to ruin their edification. "Oh Vegeta," she suddenly choked his name as his lips traced a path down past her breasts, her stomach, her pelvis, only to finally reach the centralization of her heat. When she felt his tongue lapping at her inner thighs, and then he slowly began moving higher… she thought she might wither away in ecstasy. It was still so hard to digest the realization that her polished and proper warden—former warden, was performing such a corporeal act upon her. But she was more than happy to allow him to help prove the reality to her. "Yes…"

Unable to halt the smirk that rose on his lips, Vegeta found satisfaction enough in merely the echoing of her pleasure. Pleasure he was providing. The knowledge alone was enough motivation to further explore his latest acquisition, his mate. Her pure heart, soul, and body was now all his. And right now, he wanted to explore the latter of the three. What had started as an act of soothing, to clean all of the blood that had coated her after his breach, had turned into a desperate need to bring her to that pinnacle of bliss, a place where he could only take her. "Let go, onna," he encouraged her as he removed his lips and replaced his attentions with one, then two, then three fingers as he quickly realized her body was more than suited to handle. He trembled with inappropriate thoughts as he imagined the coming nights they would spend learning all the secrets of what drove one another’s bodies to this demanding need.

"Let go," he encouraged once more as he used his free hand to lift her body flush against his chest. "I will catch you when you fall." And he did, his promise a stronger aphrodisiac than perhaps all of his physical attentions. She cried out his name as she went limp in his grasp, her body awash with the feel of her second orgasm; almost as powerful as the first.

Once she regained her senses, she looked into the dark eyes of her lover with inquisitiveness. "Why didn’t you… You received no pleasure…" she was still too exhausted from her release to form a coherent response. But her lover more than understood her curiosity, her concern only fueling his love for her.

"You will be sore tomorrow; I will not compound the pain by taking you again." He slowly laid her down next to him. Pressing her possessively against his chest, he cradled her head while stroking her damp hair. "Sleep now." His order seemed to be followed even before he finished announcing it. Smiling down at her sleeping form, Vegeta eventually followed her after his body had a chance to relax. Which, of course, had not been easy with her perfect figure meshed so tightly against him, but he was far from ready to complain. The discomfort her beauty invoked within his loins was minimal compared to the warmth her love spread throughout his soul.

He had finally found an onna he loved, who loved him! A concept he had scarcely dared to hope for. But hope was no longer needed. He finally had the one he loved, mind, body and soul, and he was never going to let her go.

* * * * *