So, yup! Still sick! And working on my book(s). Yeah, 2 of them now, I think. I'm seriously considering turning Wanted Man into an original work and publishing it, possibly before the one I was working on to begin with. It's just a GREAT STORY and I have so many big plans for it, so READ IT before I take it down and change names and publish it! …or don't, and then buy it from me so I can get PAID lololol

"Tapa'or au," Nappa groaned into his scouter after donning it and taking the call from someone who definitely wasn't the king. He let his head fall back down onto the pillow again and sighed as he waited for the caller to speak, and damn near dozed off before she did.

"Well… aren't you a bit vulgar in the morning?" Ami mused from her end, grinning when he cracked a single eye open and he blushed.

"Oh gods, Highness!" He babbled out quickly as he rolled out of the bed and started throwing on his clothes in a rush. "Please forgive my language, I'm not exactly a morning person and last night was… well, a long night." Never mind that part of that "long night" involved his inability to sleep because he couldn't stop thinking about that glimpse of her panties; he'd been up relieving himself for several hours after he'd spoken to her. One would think he would have been in a cheerful mood that morning after coming so many times, but no… he'd barely chipped the tip of the iceberg when it came to the raging desire he felt for the blue-haired princess of Mercury.

"Oh gods… last night the queen…" Ami paled a bit at that and looked away in distress. "General, please tell me that my aunt is safe and unharmed?"

Confused, Nappa just stared at her and shrugged. "Why wouldn't she be, Blue—oh… seriously?" He asked with a touch of righteous anger on behalf of his best and only friend and even his people. "Highness, I would think a woman of your intelligence was well-versed in how Saiyans work. A Saiyan is incapable of harming his mate. Your aunt is just fine."

"Oh. No, general, I wasn't aware of that, actually. My apologies if I gave offense," she replied, blushing when his expression softened. Wow, was he aware of how lovely his eyes were? Realizing that she was staring unabashedly at a man that was old enough to be her father—ok, fine, her father was way older than the general, but she knew that Nappa was ten times her age—Ami turned an even brighter shade of crimson as she looked down and fluffed her fingers through her hair nervously. "So… you still needed me to teleport to Vegeta-sai …? I know I said I would come later, but I have things to handle here and I'd assumed that you would be awake. Do you want me to come now? Or no?"

No! Nappa mentally wailed, completely unprepared for her arrival.

YES! His beast replied forcefully as it fought to take over and coerce the princess into teleporting straight to his bedroom.

"Throne room," Nappa managed as he wrestled down his primal side and maintained control. "Ten minutes."

Completely unaware of just how lucky she was that Nappa was winning his internal battle, Ami managed a shy smile and nodded. "I'll go find Usagi right now, then. See you in ten."

###################################

"Alright, brats," Nappa grunted as he strode into the throne room in his full dress armor, complete with the cape that marked him as Vegeta-sai's highest ranking general. He eyed the warriors standing guard, their backs straight against the wall, all standing at parade rest. "The crown princess of Mercury will be arriving at any moment, so no funny business. And if any of you so much as looks at her, I will rip you a brand new asshole."

Thank the gods he'd had time to state that much, because there was a flash of light in the center of the room, and all of the Saiyans present blinked for a moment at the brightness. The light faded to reveal Princess Ami in her royal gown, looking around nervously before she removed her glasses to nervously polish them with a cloth from her subspace. The removal of her spectacles didn't help matters, either; she was lovely with them on, but when she took them off, she revealed a gorgeous heart-shaped face and huge blue eyes that had every Elite guard in the room holding his breath.

"Um… eh, geu." she said shyly as she replaced her glasses, smiling timidly around the room as she wrung her hands. "M'eh Ami. En au'u?"

Nappa quickly approached the tiny blue-haired princess, moving swiftly and protectively placing himself between her and the members of the Elite who were looking her over with interest, every motion of his body language screaming "MINE" for all to hear.

Thankfully, all of them knew better than to fuck with the man that had trained every single one of them, so they all relaxed at their posts, a few of them cracking knowing smiles when he turned to face the princess of Mercury. "Princess Ami."

He thought he'd been prepared for it, but when those wide blue eyes looked up at him through her lashes and her large-lensed glasses, Nappa instantly felt the pull and his beast did something akin to a cartwheel of glee, followed by a snap at the leash so hard and fast that it broke into a million pieces.

And the princess could only stare up at him wide-eyed, her jaw on the floor, but when she felt his fingertips brush over her jawline she balked and began to backpedal.

"NO!" Nappa snapped, snagging her tightly around the waist with his tail. "DON'T. RUN." Scenting her fear, he closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "Don't run," he breathed. "Don't… if I have to chase you…" He opened his eyes then to see the Elite all grinning widely, some of them laughing quietly, and instantly turned his frustration on them. "WHAT ARE ALL YOU LITTLE PUKES LAUGHING AT!? THAT'S DOUBLE GUARD DUTY FOR THE LOT OF YOU!" He roared.

"Worth it just to see the big, bad general brought to his knees by the pull," Turles snorted.

"Triple for you, smartass," Nappa growled. "Highness, you need to come with me right now," he added to Ami, but not unkindly.

"I'm sure she will!" Raditz chimed in. "Loudly!"

"And triple for you as well, Raditz! AND you can clean the head!"

"Head? The only head that'll—"

"Five hundred measured ki blasts to the targets in the ring!" Nappa barked, cutting Raditz off before he could even finish the sentence. "And if you utter one more word, I will drag you out there myself and put you in the tank for a month, boy."

Since the general didn't make empty threats, Raditz shut his mouth but couldn't help but grin boyishly at the blushing princess looking around at them all, her eyes massive behind her glasses. He winked at her then, but his brother and his father both elbowed him towards the door at the same time and he immediately complied out of his sense of self-preservation.

"Please just come along willingly," Nappa finally sighed, nearly whining as he released his hold on her with his tail and offered his hand instead. "Please, princess, don't make me beg," he added under his breath as he leaned in just enough for her to hear the desperation in his voice. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this day."

Ami blinked at that, and the raw emotion in his dark eyes was what decided her. Ever so slowly, she placed her hand in his, trembling the moment his engulfed hers entirely, but she managed to stay by his side as he led her from the throne room, down a corridor, and into what seemed to be a private conference room. "You've waited a day," she whispered once they were alone and behind closed doors.

"I've waited two hundred years, princess," he corrected her seriously, his free hand rising to her jaw to trace it gently. "I refused to mate until I felt the pull, and when I saw you yesterday I knew I'd feel it the moment I saw you in person. Thought I was ready for it," he admitted sheepishly, "but my beast snapped at the line. My apologies if I frightened you."

She'd been too stunned to really react, but when Nappa began to pull her close and dipped his head to kiss her, Ami struggled and somehow managed to escape from his grasp. Now out of range and pressing herself defensively to the far wall, she stared at him owlishly and shook her head in disbelief. "But… but… but I'm only nineteen!" She squeaked. "Oh dear gods, I haven't even finished med school, yet! I've still got a whole year left of that, and then my finals in two years for astrophysics, and then my degree in quantum mechanics! I can't get married!"

Nappa's brain stuttered on all of that, and since he couldn't even begin to wrap his brain around her age, he got stuck on the rest. "Godsdamn, Blue… that many degrees? Bored, or overcompensating?"

"My mother is the goddess of wisdom and strategy," Ami whispered hotly. "My father, among many titles, is the god of wit and literature. If anything, I've fallen behind due to my training as a Senshi and the five year war. I should have finished my doctorate last year."

"Ok, just insanely intelligent, then," Nappa corrected, backing up to make her feel a bit more secure with the added distance, his hands held up in a gesture of peace. "So, a smart woman like you would know what we both just felt and what it means."

"Y—Yes," she stammered. "But… but I can't, I—my parents—oh dear gods, I have cram school tomorrow morning!"

Growling softly in frustration, Nappa raked his fingers through his non-existent hair, scrubbing his rough palm over his scalp as he tried to think of some way to calm her down. "Look, princess, we don't choose who we feel the pull for, and while I hate it for you, I'm too old for my beast to let me properly court you. It's… it's not fair to one as young as you, I know, but…" He shrugged.

"The fact that we felt the pull isn't your fault," she replied, her face the color of a sunset. "I… I should have suspected when I saw you on the com yesterday and immediately…" She swallowed nervously at that, embarrassed to finish the rest of the sentence. "…you see, I've never felt attracted to anyone before and I found myself…"

"Heh… were you having unladylike thoughts about me, Blue?" Nappa chuckled as he began to negotiate with his beast silently.

Ami could only nod slightly, but she was eyeing the door hopefully, glancing back and forth between him and the solid wood keeping her trapped inside the conference room. "General, might we, um… find the queen? And discuss the whole reason I came here?"

"Not the queen," Nappa replied absently, his gaze clouded as he and his beast continued to debate terms regarding the courtship of the gorgeous princess edging closer to the door. "Bardock… but since I put him on double guard duty, we'll have to wait eight more hours for him to be free—and don't run from me, either," he added without looking over at her. "I'm trying to convince my beast to let me properly court you, so I would ask that you don't run."

Oh, could he actually do that…? "But I thought you said that it wouldn't," Ami said nervously, ceasing her movement towards a false sense of safety and an initiated chase.

"Working on it," he grunted absently, his eyes turned inwards as the conversation with his beast got interesting. "Sit down, wait and be patient, princess."

Something about his tone and posture was reassuring, and despite her fear of her entire short life being upheaved by an early, unexpected marriage, Ami did as she was told and sat there silently, mulling over what her parents might say when she called them.

"Alright," Nappa sighed as he came out of his mental vacation with his beast, looking calm and fairly satisfied. "Let me make it clear that anything you're worried about will be taken care of. You want to finish all your degrees? Fine. I have no objections to that at all, and I want my mate happy above all else. Now… my beast has agreed to sort of… go away for a while, and he wants you to set the alarm clock, princess."

"Huh?"

"My beast says that he's going to hibernate. Kinda sorta, anyway. The length of time is your choice, but I have to warn you that the longer he's out, the worse he's going to be when he wakes. If you only need a few days to a week, he should be fairly agreeable. But if you require several months…" Nappa shrugged at that. "Probably a full-scale burning when he wakes."

It went without saying that that full-scale burning would be her initiation to sex as well, and due to his size… Ami swallowed hard at that thought and nodded slowly in understanding as she fidgeted in her seat, unnerved by how much taller he was when she was sitting. Gods, he simply towered over her! "I… I don't know," she whispered after a long silence while she thought it over. "General, I… I really don't know," she added after a moment, her voice choking up on the last two words, her eyes filling with frightened tears. "Please… please don't make me—"

Before she could finish the sentence, Nappa was on his knees in front of her, hugging her tightly with his arms and tail, his head resting in her lap. "Don't cry, zua," he breathed as he nuzzled her thigh. "Please, please, please don't cry! I promise I'll never hurt you; I swear it on my tail! Just please come up with a reasonable timetable and my beast will go to sleep and I'll be able to court you and worship you like the goddess you are!"

The general honestly didn't think that she was going to answer him and was preparing to call the king to have Vegeta put Ami somewhere safe and far away from him and his beast when he heard her reply in a shaky whisper. "A month?" She breathed through her tears. "W—What will your beast be like after a month?" Ami added unsteadily. "Will it hurt me?"

"He'd never hurt you," Nappa replied sincerely, his hand trembling as he wiped at the tears tracking down her face. "Please don't cry," he added in a shaky whisper. "It's… it's breaking my heart, zua. Please don't be afraid of me." Her timid nod and her courage nearly unmanned him when she covered the hand on her cheek with her own, but Nappa managed to keep his shit together and not become a nervous wreck when she turned her face and pressed a comforting kiss to his palm. "My beast says that he can handle one month, that he might be a little overeager to pairbond, but we won't be in any danger of a burning."

"One month, then," Ami sighed with a hint of resignation. "You'd think I'd be used to the "Fate Card" being pulled by now, but this takes the cake. The pull is fate, right?"

"Saiyans aren't much for philosophizing, but yeah," Nappa rumbled thoughtfully. "Some of us say that the pull is fate and that you shouldn't even bother fighting it. I agree with the last part; I've seen what happens when two people try to fight it—it never works, and it's just better for everyone involved if it's immediately accepted and the messy details are worked out afterwards. Hn… my beast is sleeping," he added, his eyes slipping shut as he basked in the sudden freedom of not needing to fight against the urge to throw Ami down on the floor right then and there.

"That's a good thing… right?" She asked nervously, not sure how to react. The general kneeling before her seemed at peace—maybe even a little subdued—but Ami knew that appearances could be deceiving.

"It's very liberating," he replied quietly as he rose up a little and dared to press his lips to hers, emitting a quiet, gentle purr that he'd never heard coming from himself before. To his utter amazement, Ami tentatively returned the kiss, the hand covering his shifting to his jawline and trembling there nervously for several seconds until he pulled back. "Turles told me that Solarian kisses were sloppy, but I actually liked that. It wasn't sloppy at all."

"Oh! I was your first kiss?" Ami asked in genuine surprise. Surely someone as old as Nappa had been kissed before, right?

"Solarian kiss," he chuckled. "I've done a good bit of Saiyan kissing in my day, though," he added with a teasing wink, his chuckle becoming a full-blown laugh when she gawked at him and turned bright red. "Would you care for a demonstration, princess?" Nappa teased, waggling his brows and daring to dip his head, acting like he was going to press his mouth to the junction of her thighs.

The last thing he expected was a slap to the back of the head, and while it only stung a little bit, it still surprised the hell out of him and he stared up at her in shock. "I'm not that kind of girl!" Ami protested, her face bright at the thought of him kissing her there. "Solarian kissing only," she clarified. "At least for the first few dates."

"However you want to do this, k'sha m'yo," Nappa replied in a surprisingly submissive tone, marveling over how willing he was to surrender to her every whim, especially without his beast calling most of the shots. "We'll do whatever you want, however you want it, for the next month."

"Good," she answered with a shy smile, sliding out of the chair and offering him a hand up. "For now, if you would lead me to the king?" Ami asked hopefully as he stood, not oblivious to the adoration in his eyes.

"Of course," Nappa replied, offering his arm to her and beaming when she accepted it. Wow, Vegeta is going to shit his pants when he finds out about this, Nappa mused as he led his intended through some hallways, his lips twitching up happily several times during the short trip despite his efforts to keep his expression stony and devoid of emotion.

He stopped before they even reached the door, though, snorting softly at the sounds of sex coming from the other side. "Well, sounds like the queen's still thoroughly enjoying a Saiyan's ability to go all night long," he snickered, only to blush a bit at Ami's mortified expression when Serenity let out a loud, pleased moan. "Sorry, zua, wasn't my intention to embarrass you; I really thought they'd be done by now, but I guess they hit it off even better than I'd thought they had."

"Well… um, that's something good about it, at least," Ami whispered as she tugged on Nappa's arm, grateful that he took the hint and immediately led her away from the sounds of her aunt/sister moaning the king's name, Saiyan purring, and the king growling out something low and heated in Saiyan that Ami refused to ever translate aloud. "So… Aunt Serenity's happy, then?" She asked carefully once they were clear of all the noise.

"She's happy enough with the king that they're going to fully pairbond this afternoon. Oh shit," he groaned, "I forgot to call the moon to invite the queen's next of kin."

"I can do that," Ami offered as she flipped open the face of her watch and hit a button. A groggy, half-asleep blonde greeted her, and she tried for her best apologetic smile when she realized that Usagi still hadn't slept since her mother had left. "Usa, I'm sorry if I woke you," the princess of Mercury sighed.

"No, s'ok," she replied tiredly, "I had a nightmare, anyway. Rei's coming right now to sleep with me. What's going on?"

"Well… I have some good news!" She replied brightly, hoping that she could cheer her cousin up. "Your mother's going to actually marry the king this afternoon!"

The first expression on Usagi's face was pure horror, but she was clearly weighing the knowledge and eventually gave Ami a shaky little smile. "Wait… so… does that mean she's happy? The king's treating her kindly like he promised? Did you talk to her!? Could you put me on the line with her, Ami!? Please!?"

At that, Ami turned bright red and vigorously shook her head, smacking Nappa's arm offscreen when he barked out a laugh. "You hush, general! Um… Usagi, your mother is a bit indisposed," the blue-haired princess choked out, only to facepalm when the moon queen seemed confused and worried. "Er… um… how do I put this delicately?"

"Your mother and the king are still consummating the half-bond," Nappa interjected carefully, now looking over his future mate's shoulder to watch Usagi's expression change from confusion to a blush as bright as her cousin's.

"Oh… um, ok… alrighty then. That was way too much information," Usa babbled out quickly. "Gods damn it, I need somewhere to hide my face!" She giggled out in embarrassment. "But no, really, I'm thrilled she's happy under the circumstances since I was terrified that she'd be hurt, but waaaaay too much info, Ami! You too, whoever you are!"

"Oh, mah'ni, cha ve'sh," Nappa rumbled. "I'm General Nappa, your cousin's future mate."

"Oh no," Ami sighed, rubbing at her nose when Usagi instantly blanched and stared at them owlishly. "We felt something called 'the pull,' Usagi. I'll explain later, but basically, it means that Nappa and I are fated to be together. The general has been kind enough to suppress his beast for me for a month, so don't worry about me, ok? We're just going to date for a few weeks and get to know each other before we marry."

"Speaking of marriages," Nappa interjected, "the ceremony will take place at two in the afternoon, and yourself and your cousins are all invited to attend to witness the pairbonding. It's completely safe," he added hurriedly when the young queen frowned deeply and seemed to be considering the invitation.

"Having one or two of us in attendance is one thing," Usagi stated carefully, "but to bring every single Solarian royal to Vegeta-sai…? My apologies, general, but I don't think we will all be able to attend on such short notice. I will be there, though," she assured him. Turning her gaze to Ami, she just shook her head a bit in wonder, her expression full of pity, but not for the reason the princess of Mercury immediately assumed. "To quote Mako, your mother is going to flip her shit, Ami. Aunt Athena was already flipping out about Mother… and now you're going to be staying on Vegeta-sai, too? Uncle Hermes, too… dear gods, he's going to be pissed."

"I won't be staying," Ami clarified. "I'll be coming home after the ceremony; after all, I have cram school, remember? I can't miss cram school!"

"But… the pull? Didn't Bulma feel that pull thingy for that short, obnoxious prince? I could have sworn that Mina said you can't fight it or be away from the other person for too long."

"She's right, Blue," Nappa rumbled seriously, only to shake his head moments later. "We'll figure it out. I'll come to you if I have to… with the war ending, Vegeta might not need me here all the time. Besides, Raditz is old enough to lead the Elite, and Broly will actually listen to him." He didn't miss the shiver in reaction to hearing Broly's name and managed a tiny shrug. "He's actually not a bad guy when he's stable, you know. He's about Her Majesty's age," he said with a nod to Usagi, "and he's just a normal kid until his beast gets riled. He's not the monster that everyone makes him out to be."

#########################################

"Broly, we'll need you in the sky this afternoon," Paragus stated carefully as he gave his son's shoulder a little squeeze. "You think you can handle that?"

"Yes, Father."

"How's Kio today?"

Broly grimaced at that and fluffed his hair in annoyance as his beast replied tersely. "He says he's fine, and that he hates having to remind you that he can hear you. He doesn't like it when you make me the middle man, Father."

"Gah, I'm sorry, son. And you too, Kio," Paragus rumbled contritely. "You both know I don't mean it that way."

"Which is why I didn't break your neck," Kio replied as he came through momentarily, making Broly's eyes flash emerald for a moment.

"Stop being a dick, Kio," Broly muttered under his breath.

"Heh, you know as well as I do that that's Kio's way of saying he loves me," Paragus chuckled as he stood on his tiptoes to kiss Broly's forehead. "Now, I'm sure you know that this is just a precaution and all, but since some of the Solarians are coming, your position is very important, even if it's likely only ceremonial. So remember your communicator just in case you see or feel anything suspicious, and call it into Nappa or myself unless you think an attack's imminent."

"Yes, Father," Broly sighed, wishing for the millionth time that Paragus would stop talking to him like he was a small child. Sure, his beast was an unstable, ruthless douchebag, but Broly was an adult, not a little kid. And handling the aerial guard duty for the king's pairbonding ceremony was a piece of cake. "I've got it, there won't be a problem."

"That's my good boy," Paragus said as he gave him a tight hug. "And Kio, I'm speaking to you directly, happy now?" He asked with a smile. "You try your best to be good, ok? I don't care what anyone says, you are not all bad. And no! I don't need you to try and prove it, either!" He added with a little laugh.

I never know whether to be annoyed or touched that the man knows all of my fucking lines, Kio snorted.

Just hush and let's get out of here before he tries to lick his thumb to wipe something off our cheek, Broly retorted with a laugh. "Should I report to the king before I take off?"

"No, the king and queen are sleeping off a very long night of mating," Paragus snickered, only to sigh mournfully when Broly frowned sadly. "Don't worry, son. One day you'll find a woman that accepts you and loves you for who you are, despite what everyone says about you and Kio. And when you find a woman that's actually worthy of you, I'll be the happiest father in the universe."

"Thanks, Dad," Broly replied with a tiny smile.

"Now give me a hug, boy," Paragus chuckled, only to cluck his tongue when Broly hugged him gently. "Boy, I said give me a hug." The arms around him suddenly tightened, and the older of the two felt a rib crack before his son released him. "Now that's a hug, boy! It isn't a good hug unless you break something!"

#####################################

To say that the Elite in the throne room stared would be an understatement when Usagi teleported in, flanked by the queen of Jupiter, the queen of Mars and the princess of Saturn.

"Eh, geu," Rei greeted them all with a tip of her head as Makoto and Hotaru eyed them all suspiciously. "R'es ve'sh?"

"The queen and the king are both dressing," a long-haired warrior offered, stepping forward with a smile as he looked her up and down unabashedly. "You're welcome to wait with me if you like, beautiful."

"I'll pass," she muttered dryly.

"If you would show us to a room in which we might wait?" Usagi asked gently, clearly intimidated by all of the warriors surrounding them, but trying her best to hold her head high and seem brave. To think, only a day before, she'd tried her hardest to kill some of these warriors alongside her sisters in arms, and now they were actually all standing in the same room peaceably. Perhaps… Momma did the right thing. Individually, we're all insignificant in comparison to the greater whole, and her sacrifice will spare countless lives throughout the universe if this peace lasts.

"I don't know," the warrior replied cheekily as he winked at her and then Rei, blatantly disregarding Mako's and Taru's glares. "It would be an awful shame to seclude such unparalleled beauty away from where it can be admired. Raditz," he introduced himself with a bow that was just slightly deeper than necessary, only to scoop up Rei's hand in his own and lay a kiss in her palm. "Save that kiss for later, atti," he chuckled as he closed her hand around it, waggling his eyebrows.

Caught between indignation at his forwardness and genuine flattery at his courageous approach, Rei just blinked, her mouth hanging open for a long moment. "Dork," she managed to choke out, which only earned her a boyish grin and another wink.

"If only I knew what in the hell a dork even was, Majesty."

"It means you're a loser and a joke!" Turles called from his post, snickering when Raditz didn't even seem fazed by the insult.

"Well then, allow your most adoring dork to escort you to a sitting room," he offered along with his arm.

"Come on," Mako ground out, "all of this flirting is going to make me gag." Shooting Raditz a withering look as he opened his mouth to comment, she was pleased when he immediately shut it. "All gagging comments need to be kept to yourself, Saiyan," she ordered sternly. "We're here for the queen, not to listen to your perverted little sidebars."

"Oh, how I love a woman in charge," Raditz purred as he offered her his arm, grinning when her lips twitched up briefly in a little smirk. "You can order me around all you want, beautiful."

Not wanting to be rude, Mako stiffly took his arm but rolled her eyes as he escorted the lot of them down a hall and into a spacious sitting room, where she and all of her fellow rulers exclaimed happily at the sight of Ami sitting on a loveseat, animatedly discussing something with Nappa in his language.

"Ami, you're ok!"

"Usagi said that you felt the pull!"

"He didn't hurt you, did he!?"

With a warm smile, Ami gave Nappa's hand a little squeeze when the bombardment of questions didn't stop. "Yes, I'm ok!" She laughed. "I felt the pull but we're waiting to get married, and no, Rei, Nappa would never hurt me," she finished gently, her cheeks heating up when he began to purr and pressed his lips to her cheek, his tail flexing around her waist in a little squeeze.

"We haven't told your parents yet," Usagi giggled as she came forward and sized Nappa up, managing a smile for him when he lifted a questioning brow but sat still for her assessment. "You'll do. Stay quiet and patient around her parents and I'm sure they'll accept you if you're persistent without being an ass," she advised him. "And fair warning, Uncle Hermes is notorious for trolling, so just sit back and endure it."

"D'in m'yo, ve'sh."

"You're quite welcome. Now… how long until the ceremony? Oh, and just between us in the room, we're going to have to stay overnight so I can replenish my power. Too much teleporting in too short of a timeframe, I'm sure you understand," the moon queen babbled out nervously at the thought of sleeping over on Vegeta-sai.

"Ten minutes until the ceremony, Majesty; we'll be headed out in just a moment. And I'll arrange accommodations for all of you shortly, including nightguards if you—gods damn it, Raditz, put your hand down," Nappa ground out, rolling his eyes at how quickly it had shot into the air at the mention of nightguards. "And for the love of the war god stop jerking your head towards Mars. You're neither cute nor subtle, boy."

Turning to glare at him immediately, Rei only found him smiling innocently at her, batting his eyelashes for effect, and she fought the urge to laugh as she turned back around. "Dork," she huffed.

"I'll be anything you want me to be as long as you let me lick those silky—"

"Raditz!" Nappa barked, standing and cuffing him in the back of the head before pointing towards the door. "Go help with the set-up for the ceremony and send Kakarot in your place."

"Thighs," Raditz finished with a grin and a wink towards a glaring Rei, darting out the door before he could get whacked again.

"Um… my apologies, ladies," Nappa sighed as he offered Ami his hand and helped her to her feet. "Raditz is usually the funny guy and does well with foreign diplomats, but he's also a notorious pervert. If you were offended, I suggest that you take it out on him in the ring as soon as possible… though I'll admit, he'd probably enjoy the punishment. Especially from you," he chuckled down at Rei.

Her lips twitching at the thought of smacking him around, Rei licked her lips and nodded towards the direction the long-haired Elite had headed in. "Assign him as my nightguard," she instructed, winking at her cousins when they gaped at her in astonishment. "Oh, don't worry about me, you know I can handle myself."

"Phhht… whatever you say, Rei, but that boy's got your number," Mako giggled before addressing Nappa. "Assign me someone that's quiet, please."

"Same," Hotaru piped up. "No snoring."

"And you, Majesty?" Nappa asked Usagi, who just shrugged and blushed.

"I've never shared a bed with a man before," she admitted shyly. "Um… I guess I just want someone that doesn't hog the covers? And who won't mind my snoring."

"So… a deaf warrior without arms. Gotcha," Nappa chuckled. "I'll see what I can do, though His Majesty will likely assign Broly to you—he's the strongest warrior," he explained quickly when Usa blanched. "And he'll behave, don't worry. Having him assigned to you is actually an honor; it means that the king holds you in high regard as his most esteemed daughter."

"Oh… alright then," she said slowly. "I wouldn't want to insult him, especially if he's been as kind to my mother as you've said."

"You'll see," Nappa reassured her as Kakarot rushed in, beaming ear to ear, and immediately offered Rei his arm.

"Raditz said you needed an escort, Majesty? He said I'd know which one because she was beautiful even when she frowns," he said happily, only for her to frown even deeper. "Yup! I've got the right one! Come on, I'll show you where to go!" He said as he took her hand and tugged her out the door.

Thrown off by his overwhelming positivity, Rei could only follow, wondering if he would drag her if she didn't, frowning even more over the sound of her fellow queens laughing at her as they came along as well.

They were led out to the front of the palace, and unable to stop herself, Usagi was sprinting wildly the moment she caught sight of her mother's silver hair, flying past Elite guards and throwing herself into Serenity's arms.

The queen caught her daughter out of years of habit without even staggering, smiling down at her gently when she began to cry, and when the she felt the king's concern through the half-bond and he started to approach them, she signaled for him to stop. "Usa," she whispered into her blonde hair, "Usa, sweetheart, now's not the time, alright? We can speak tomorrow morning if you'd like."

"But I was so worried! I thought you'd be hurt!" She sobbed, unaware of the way every Saiyan within earshot stiffened at the insult.

"No Saiyan warrior would ever harm his mate," Serenity explained softly. "Now dry your eyes, daughter, you're insulting your host. And your outburst even brought Broly out of the sky," she added with a chuckle and a nod towards the strongest Elite, who she had met an hour ago and already immensely liked despite the rumors about him and Vegeta's warnings. "Broly, might I introduce my daughter? Usagi, this is Broly. The king and I discussed it, and if you're staying the night, Broly will be assigned as your nightguard."

The queen was pleased when Usagi accepted that without protest or even flinching, and she could feel the king's approval as well when the new moon queen dried her eyes and curtsied politely. "I'm sure they warned you that I snore?" Usa managed at an attempt at levity.

"And I hog the covers," Broly stated flatly, though his eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Ah, I'm sure it will be a battle of legend by morning," she giggled, still wiping at her eyes.

"I advise you to bring an extra blanket, Broly," the king chortled. "Now back in the sky, I'm eager to fully pairbond with my queen," he added with a tiny grin towards Serenity.

Blushing brightly at the images he was showing her through the half-bond, the new queen of the Saiyans nodded and hurried toward the center of the half-circle of guards, giving her daughter a reassuring smile when Nappa led her and the other queens to form part of it. The circle shrank then, tightening until everyone present's shoulders were touching, and when the king stepped forward to take her hands in his, she looked around with a hint of nerves.

"Should I say anything?" She whispered.

"You can if you want, ve'sh m'yo, but Saiyans don't need words, remember?" Vegeta chuckled, his own cheeks flaring red at the knowledge that his men were actually seeing him smile. "Just bite me after I bite you."

The king was shirtless for the ceremony, and Serenity couldn't help but think of how gorgeous he looked in the bright sunlight, his tanned chest practically glowing with good health, and when Nappa gave the order for the Elite to raise a ki shield around them, she licked her lips in anticipation.

"Ready?" Vegeta asked softly.

"Ready," she whispered, sliding down the strap of her gown to bare the bite mark he'd repeatedly sunk his teeth into the night before.

Serenity thought she was ready for the overwhelming pleasure when Vegeta drew her against him tightly and lifted her so that both of their mouths were on the same level with each other's shoulders, but when his teeth sank into the muscle, she couldn't contain the moan that erupted from her and clung to him tightly. Squeezing her thighs together in reaction to the immediate wetness she felt between them, she felt him lower his ki to nothing through the bond, and not wanting him to remain vulnerable to attack for any longer than necessary, she bit him as hard as possible, just as he'd instructed her.

The groan that resonated through her shoulder was echoed immediately by her muffled cry of ecstasy, and she couldn't even think well enough through the powerful orgasm to be embarrassed by the fact that she was coming in front of everyone—in that moment, there was only him and her, the solidifying pairbond, and the potent climax they were sharing due to the simultaneous biting.

The sound of someone clearing his throat brought them both back around, and it was only after a few seconds that they realized that they'd been locked to each other's shoulders for a couple of minutes, both of them so absorbed in each other's thoughts and pleasure that they'd lost any concept of time. "Um… my apologies," King Vegeta rumbled, lowering Serenity to her feet, but keeping her pulled tightly to him. No, don't move! He laughed through the bond when she moved to draw away. Please don't move, k'sha, my pants are soaked through and so is your dress!

"Would you care to raise your ki, Majesty?" Raditz asked from his place beside his father, grinning as broadly as most of the Elite in the circle were at the sight of their king being so overwhelmed by his mate.

"Oh… um… yes, of course," he stammered, doing so quickly. The shield protecting the king and queen from outside attack dropped then, and Vegeta grinned sheepishly before giving them a nod. "Um… we'll be going now."

"Yes, that would probably be best," Nappa replied, barely keeping his urge to roar with laughter in check. The queen's arousal was practically tangible, and more than one guard was at half-mast from the scent of her climax, so when Vegeta lifted them both off the ground and headed straight for the royal quarters, a lot of the men breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Wait… that's it?" Mako asked when the circle broke up into groups of warriors talking amongst themselves.

"And… excuse me for being rude, but… what exactly just happened?" Usagi asked curiously.

"A vulgar public display of affection," a low voice ground out from behind her, making all of the queens turn and frown.

"A vulgar display that you'll soon perform as well," Rei countered coldly, "…if Bulma will ever bother to give you the time of day. Which I doubt, Prince Vegeta."

"Good! I want nothing to do with the wench, anyway!" He huffed as he turned towards Usagi, blowing Rei off as he gave her a formal bow. "I only came to pay my new sister my respects."

"You could start respecting me by respecting my cousin," Usagi chastised him as she returned his bow with a curtsey. "Maybe you should take a lesson from your father? It seems that he knows how to properly address a lady, and I highly doubt he would turn his back on one while she's attempting to engage him in conversation," she added with a nod towards Rei, who grinned briefly and tipped her a wink.

His face flushed at the knowledge that he'd been called out on proper etiquette, Prince Vegeta huffed indignantly before stomping off several feet and shooting into the air towards the palace, and Rei laughed hysterically as she slung a companionable arm around her blonde cousin. "Nicely done! I knew I loved you for a reason!"

"Yes, Usagi, you handled that much better than I would have," Ami added, her voice icy and her fist clenched in anger. "I hope Bulma gives him the cold shoulder for the rest of his life after the way he kidnapped her."

Unable to stifle a chuckle, Nappa smiled down at her, finding her rage downright arousing. "And what exactly would you have done, my mate?"

"I'm not sure, but I've always liked the look of panic on a man's face when he's been frozen from the waist down," she replied, her voice still hard as she looked up at him fearlessly. "And I advise you to keep the prince away from me if you care for his safety."

"Marry me," Nappa purred as he bent and kissed her in front of everyone, melting her ire, her cheeks heating up when he didn't pull away and only continued to move his lips against hers.

"Um… well, I think we should give these lovebirds some privacy and find our rooms," Makoto chuckled, tugging on Hotaru's arm as the princess of Saturn visibly gagged at the romantic display, making a choking sound when Nappa lifted Ami against him and deepened the kiss by parting her lips with his tongue.

"Oh gods, it's so gross!" Taru choked out. "You're damaging my fragile, young mind with your mouth porn!"

"Heh… you'll want a boy to kiss you like that in a few years, trust me," the queen of Jupiter sighed longingly. "It's nice. Really, really nice."

"Don't believe a word she says," Rei teased, "it's all sloppy and nasty. The boy drools in the girl's mouth."

"OH MY GODS THAT'S SO GROSS!" Hotaru exclaimed. "I am NEVER kissing a boy, I swear it here and now on my scythe!"

"Well, Haruka will be pleased with that hastily made vow," Mako snickered. "And Rei, stop trolling her! We all know that the girl drools into the boy's mouth just as much. Especially when he's hot. I know I've done my fair share of drooling just this afternoon," she added under her breath. "I don't much like Saiyans, but I can't help but like the way they look. Mmm… every one of them is carved out of wood. And if they weren't Saiyan, I wouldn't mind tasting a bit of that wood."

"Pervert!" Usagi giggled as Rei gaped and covered Hotaru's ears on the walk back into the palace, oblivious to the lingering looks she was drawing with her beautiful, musical laugh. She did notice, however, that they lacked a guard, but she didn't bring it up as she approached a warrior that was identical to Kakarot except for a scar on his face. "Please, pardon me, but we seem to have lost our escort. Have you seen Kakarot?"

"Bardock," the warrior grunted, pointing at himself. "F'ri Kakarot. Ja'ta Kakarot."

"He thinks that you think he's Kakarot," Rei explained before stepping forward. "Buh'tir, r'es Kakarot?"

With a look of understanding, Bardock closed his eyes, obviously searching for his son's ki, and he pointed towards the courtyard. "I summoned him for you," he told Rei in Saiyan. "He's coming, and I'll make sure he pulls a double shift for leaving you women unguarded," he added with a snort before looking them over. "Though I'm sure you ladies could probably handle yourselves. Especially that one," he directed towards Mako, tipping his head in respect. "I've heard the stories about her. And you, Majesty."

"I'm pleased that my reputation precedes me," Rei replied smugly. "Makoto will be as well."

"Inform Makoto that I'm also her nightguard during her stay," Bardock rumbled, standing still for the appraisal of the green eyes locked onto him. "Ve'sh. M'eh Bardock," he introduced himself formally.

"He's introducing himself," Rei informed her. "He's going to be your nightguard."

"Oh. Well, I guess I could do worse. M'eh Makoto, ge. Tell him to stay on his side of the bed."

"Father will," Kakarot laughed. "He hates sharing a bed to begin with, but the guest beds upstairs are nice and big, so he'll stay to his side!" He then translated that to Bardock, who just grunted and nodded and went back to his work on the wiring panel he'd been concentrating on, giving the queen of Jupiter a brief nod of respect.

#################################

Still highly aroused from the mutual biting, Serenity didn't protest in the slightest when Vegeta immediately grabbed her around the waist and took off from the square, but the moment they were in their chambers with the doors closed, she balked when he immediately pressed her to the polished wood. His intentions to take her right there were crystal clear, his hands shoving her dress up, his hips eagerly grinding his rigid cock up into the silk covering her sex. "G—Geta? W—what are you doing?" She asked breathlessly between long, slow, heated kisses.

"Mmm… Geta… I like that, k'sha… and… I'm claiming you." He broke the kiss then to grin down at her devilishly, waggling his eyebrows as he unfastened his trousers and shoved them down. "I thought you wanted me, Sere? Don't you?" He teased. "Every single Saiyan at that ceremony could smell your arousal, so don't tell me I imagined it?"

"No, I just… the door?" Glancing towards the bed, Serenity could only appear appalled when he chuckled and pushed her panties to the side, immediately pressing his entry just to make her gasp in astonishment. "But—but this isn't exactly proper, Vegeta!"

"And your point…?" He purred in her ear as he savored how wet and tight she was as he began to fill her. "It's not like we're mating right out in front of the Elite, my queen. We're in our chambers—" He gave her a little thrust then and hummed in approval when she flexed around him, a soft moan of pleasure escaping her. "—in total privacy—" Vegeta moved again, bending his mouth to her shoulder to worship the freshly marked skin, drawing a louder noise of ecstasy from his responsive little queen. "—and you're enjoying every second of it."

"Am not," Serenity whimpered defiantly.

"Heh… you're such a shitty liar, Serenity… now come for me."

The queen could only follow orders when he was whispering to her through the bond, telling her how good she felt and how badly he wanted her, surprisingly not setting off any flashbacks on her end as she moaned softly into his mouth and rolled her hips in time with his. I'm going to come, Geta, she whimpered in his mind, already flexing around him and digging her nails into his shoulders.

Groaning and growling and purring when she cried out in ecstasy, Vegeta dared to move a little harder as he shifted his hold on her slightly for a better angle, savoring the way her legs flexed around him along with her core and her silky thighs slid against his hips. You still want the bed, atti? He purred in her thoughts, chuckling because he knew she'd long forgotten about it and was now just savoring the waves of pleasure coursing through her with every thrust inside of her.

Don't stop, she breathed in reply, gripping him by his hair to pull him in for another kiss, daring to roll her own hips against his in a quest for more of that sweet friction.

The force of her movements had Vegeta chuckling through the bond—apparently he'd given her a little too much ki before the ceremony, because he actually needed to raise his a good bit to keep from being bowled over by her enthusiastic movements against him. And the wanton motions and loud, pleased moans that were erupting from her with every thrust were shoving him closer to his own climax despite the fact that he'd just come minutes before, so when Vegeta felt himself teetering on the edge, he suddenly withdrew from her and knelt, ignoring her whine of disappointment to lift her onto his shoulders and shove his face between her thighs.

The possessive grip on her hips that she liked so much made her buck even before his tongue curled around her clit, her chest heaving as she panted for air, one hand lifting her skirts so that the other could tangle in his hair. "V—Vegeta… please…"

Not one to disappoint a lady, the king immediately began to suck, reading her through the bond, giving her exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it, his fingers flexing tightly against her hipbones and his thumbs firmly smoothing over her skin as he punctuated every little suck with a roll of his tongue. She was coming undone after only a minute, keening loudly and stiffening against him, her strength surprising him yet again when the tugging at his hair actually hurt a bit.

"S—sorry," she gasped, loosening her grip as she drifted back down and he carefully lowered her back onto him, his hands still deliciously gripping her hips as he worshipped her mark with his tongue and his teeth, pushing past the tightness her orgasm had created, filling her up once more.

"Heh… did you hear me complaining, my queen?" He rumbled against her mark. "If anything, I'm fighting the temptation to give you even more of my ki—getting beaten up a little during mating is one of my favorite things about being mated to a warrior."

While Serenity wasn't much of a warrior without the ginzuishou in her possession, she couldn't help but giggle at that even as he was taking her up yet again, his movements now slow and easy due to her tightness. "Careful, or I'll accidentally kill you when I drag my nails down your back," she teased, squealing a bit in surprise when Vegeta suddenly spun them and took her to the bed, coming down on top of her and kissing her senseless, a soft warmth filling her through the bond as she felt how much he was already beginning to care for her.

Apparently her teasing had delighted him, and he only broke the kiss long enough to move her hands from his hair to his back and waggle his eyebrows down at her playfully. "Go for it," he purred before kissing her again, gasping and then groaning loudly when she dug her nails in just slightly before doing as he'd asked. "Harder," he breathed between kisses, his thrusts growing forceful when her hips bucked into his roughly, his breaths coming in short, shallow huffs when he felt her break the skin on her second attempt.

Vegeta's beast was rearing up at that, practically squealing with glee at his mate's enthusiasm, and when she came again and her nails really dug deep, he couldn't hold himself back anymore and came hard, gripping her hips tightly as he pounded into her and she cried out so loudly that he was sure they'd been heard several floors below them. "Gods damn," he purred when he finally rolled off of her, laughing as he felt the aching lines make contact with the bed linens. "Well, that's going to stain the sheets."

Remembering herself, Serenity gasped at that and shoved himself up into a sitting position, her hand covering her mouth in shock, tears filling her eyes at the sight of his blood. "Oh gods, Vegeta! I'm so sorry, please forgive me!"

Even though she was crying a little, the king could only laugh as he kissed her and nuzzled her throat. "Sere, trust me, I loved it," he breathed in her ear. "There's nothing more satisfying than getting such a rise out of a woman as quiet and ladylike as you."

As he wiped at her tears, Serenity felt the truth of his words through the bond, followed by a tiny swell of pride at the fact that she'd given him so much indescribable pleasure just because she'd gotten enthusiastic about their coupling. "At least let me heal them?"

"Oh… fine," he chuckled, his purr reaching a new level of relaxation when he felt his mate's hands warm against his back and she used some of her natural healing light to close the wounds, leaving bright pink streaks of new skin in their place. "So… now that they're all healed up, do you feel like giving me some news ones?"

Oh my God that was a long chapter. Next one, Rei and Mako spar in the ring because there's little else to do on Vegeta-sai except kick people's asses. There isn't a limp dick in the stands. And of course, more Nappami fluff because they're my OTP. And Broly hogging the covers. And Mako getting hot and just stripping and sleeping nude. Cue uncomfortable Bardock.