So! I've been working on this little gem for a few months, and I finally decided that I have enough inspiration to post it! This will be likely be a long fic, honestly, and once I reach a certain point, I may be slow to update because inspiration.

That said, thank you to AnaFrost for the title! I simply couldn't come up with one and she's awesome for sitting with me for a couple minutes and suggesting something perfect after only a little bit of back and forth!

So, there will be more than just this main pairing, and I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to write it, like in parts or something, but I reckon it'll all come together like everything else I write! So R&R yall! Reviews equals inspiration and drive to continue!

Oh! And THIRTY pages + for the first night, people! I'll have the update ready to go by Monday!

"No. Out of the question," Serenity hissed icily. "Your suggested terms are not negotiable, King Vegeta."

"Which part of them, woman?" He growled back softly.

"The part where you throw my daughter into one of your generals' beds!" She shrieked, losing the quiet, frosty note to her voice, only to have it replaced with boiling hot anger. "My daughter is not part of these proceedings, and if you bring it up again I will unleash all of my fury upon your people!"

"And I will retaliate as such," Vegeta rumbled calmly, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Which would only bring us right back to the negotiation table in another six months. I would have offered my son and the crowned prince of Vegeta-sai, but you know as well as I do that he felt the pull during the siege on Mercury."

"For Ami's cousin, yes, tying him to my kingdom. I know… but it doesn't matter if you offer even yourself to sweeten that deal, Vegeta, my little girl is not part of these negotiations. She's barely even twenty, still innocent to the ways of men. I will not send her to Vegeta-sai to have her poorly used by some brutish pig of a warrior!"

Serenity didn't know why the king's face instantly softened for a brief second—he'd never once shown mercy or compassion during the five year war between his people and her kingdom, only calling a cease-fire when he'd realized that they'd wind up at a stalemate—but if she could have seen the panic and the tears in her own eyes, she would have known. But she latched onto that brief flicker of softness in desperation, not above pleading for the only person she'd ever truly loved. "Please," she whispered. "Not my daughter. Anyone but her…"

Serenity wiped at her eyes to keep the tears building up in them from falling, looking down and away from the king, unwilling to see his disapproval at her show of emotion. Saiyans never showed much emotion in public and considered such a display weak, but damn it, she did not, and she was only getting emotional because she knew what she had to do.

The only prize better than her own daughter was herself, and Serenity knew that for Usagi to be taken off the negotiation table, she had to sweeten the pot. "I… if you wish, I offer myself in exchange," she breathed shakily, her hands and lower lip trembling, the queen knowing instinctively that she would not be offered to any general in King Vegeta's Elite guard.

Oh no, such a prize as herself would be herded straight into his bed upon her arrival.

Knowing that she knew this, King Vegeta studied her closely for what seemed like a century, the glitter of very real interest in his eyes unmistakable and setting Serenity's face to burning like a sunset. "You would not be ill-treated," the king promised softly in an obvious attempt to soothe her frayed nerves. "Surely better than your late king treated you, if the stories I've heard are true."

"This is another negotiation?" She whispered nervously.

"No, woman. This is an attempt to get that utterly terrified look off of your face," Vegeta snorted humorlessly. "Despite my reputation and what you've witnessed of me on the battlefield, that same ferocity would never extend towards my mate. Or the bedroom."

Serenity nodded slowly and swallowed her tears before looking back up at the screen in the empty conference room, steeling herself for the response she knew she would have to give to save her precious daughter from the same fate. Even if that fate was beginning to sound not so awful. If the merciless king of the Saiyans could show kindness, perhaps his men were not all bad, either. "Your terms regarding this pairing?" She asked fretfully, trying not to wring her hands in front of him and failing dreadfully.

"Your king died only a few months after you conceived your heir. I would like to know if you can bear more children, and if you're even willing to do so," Vegeta replied carefully, knowing that he was treading on hallowed ground.

"I am fertile, yes. For another several thousand years, in fact," she added, her face burning brightly. "Bearing more children is not something I am opposed to."

While her answer was satisfactory, there was a glint of steel in her eyes that made the king give pause, and he decided for the sake of self-preservation to address the elephant in the room. "Your king died quite violently while you carried the princess," he repeated stonily. "I would know the circumstances of his death."

The king was pleasantly surprised to see that ice return to her stare, and actually cracked the tiniest of smiles when she replied, "two friends can keep a secret if one of them is dead."

"Ah, but I'm not your friend, woman," he chuckled. "I'm a prospective mate, and it is within my rights to ask about your previous mate, especially if his death was… suspicious." King Vegeta waited patiently, and when she looked around to assure herself that she was truly alone, he knew he was going to get an answer to the question that had been burning in everyone's mind for over twenty years.

"You were not misinformed about the king's less than kind treatment," Serenity said evenly, her back going arrow-straight and her eyes hardening. "And when he continued to take out his displeasure upon me while I was carrying his child, I chose my daughter's life over his. Are you satisfied, King Vegeta? Or shall I give you the gory details?"

The king couldn't help but grin a bit and tipped his head. "I'm Saiyan, my lady," he purred as he addressed her respectfully for only the second time in their discussion. "I love the gory details."

"He came at me, so I drew a knife I had hidden in my bodice and I stabbed him in the throat. Setsuna found me covered in his blood and she cleaned up the mess. And I'll warn you now," she added bravely, her brow furrowing with remembered rage, "if you ever raise a hand to me in a similar manner, I won't hesitate to stab you the very first time. I'm no longer a girl of sixteen and I will not tolerate violence in any marriage, even if that marriage is one born of harsh political realities and sacrifice."

"A Saiyan male would never strike his mate outside of sanctioned combat or a spar," Vegeta assured her, that little smile playing over his lips still, communicating that he was actually a bit impressed by the backbone she'd just shown him. "As I've said, you will not be harmed or mistreated in any way, my lady."

There it was again, 'my lady.' Taking a chance on that nuance of respect, Serenity nodded slowly. "You have a deal… my king. I… I will require some time… to pack my things, to say my farewells to my retainers, and for my daughter to learn to use the crystal for the first time so that she may teleport me to Vegeta-sai. I will obviously be leaving my kingdom's greatest weapon with her."

King Vegeta graciously smiled as he caught her eyes flicking over him, studying him in the same manner that he had looked her over when she'd made her offer, and he couldn't help but feel a bit smug when her face colored afresh the moment her gaze lingered just below his waist. "I trust that you will not keep your betrothed waiting for an unnecessary amount of time, Serenity." That smile got even smugger when her cheeks reddened further at the sound of him drawling out her name lazily. "I only ask that you call me daily if whatever you need to do is going to take longer than twenty-four hours."

"Princess Serenity has never handled the crystal before, so I haven't the faintest idea how long it might take her to amass the proper amount of power," the queen admitted. "Not only that, but… I'm positive that she will be a tad hysterical when she learns that I'm leaving. It may take a few days… Vegeta."

"The delightfully shy way you just said my name makes it worth the wait, Serenity."

Dear gods, could she have gotten any fucking redder in the face!? Hell… had he just actually… flirted… with her!?

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"But you CAN'T!"

Fighting down the urge to cover her ears against her daughter's high-pitched scream of defiance, Serenity simply shook her head and sighed, catching the princess when she wrapped her arms around her tightly and began to sob uncontrollably. "Shh… Usa, my little rabbit… it's alright."

"But you can't," Princess Serenity sobbed out helplessly. "You can't, Mother! You can't marry that—that heartless warmonger!"

"It was either you or me, dearest Usagi, and I would not have you married off to one of King Vegeta's generals. Being a queen, I will not be married to anyone but the king himself. And he has already promised that I will not be ill-treated."

"Call him back." The princess couldn't stop crying, couldn't stop the clenching ache in her heart at the thought of losing her mother to the enemy, and simply couldn't allow the queen to be taken when the loss of herself—only a princess—would be a lesser blow to their kingdom. "We need you to rule, Mother! I don't know how to do it! Call him back and tell him that I willingly offer myself in your stead! I'll marry whomever he wants, just please don't let yourself be taken as a captive!"

Serenity guided her daughter to the bed then and gently stroked her fingers through her hair as soothingly as possible, using her light to calm her. "I won't be a captive, Usagi. I'll be the queen of Vegeta-sai." Ok, it was probably a lie, she'd probably be used as nothing more than legitimately acquired breeding stock, a legal consort to produce more heirs to the throne. But maybe, given time, she'd be elevated in status to queen. Ok, probably not, but if a fib calmed her daughter down and brought her back from the edge of hysterics, she'd tell a million of them. "And he has already vowed to treat me kindly. Now, we don't have much time. I need to give you the crystal, and I need you to learn how to use it so that you can teleport me to Vegeta-sai. I won't be taking our greatest weapon into the lions' den."

"I won't send you anywhere," the princess whimpered. "You can't make me."

Serenity sat her up then and looked at her sternly despite the miserable expression on her only child's face and the mess of tears pouring down her perfect face. "You would make your mother a liar and a breaker of oaths? You would tarnish my honor and cast us back into war?"

"But Mother-!"

"No buts, Serenity." The queen deftly removed the crystal from her body then and pushed it into her daughter's chest without any fanfare. "It's yours, now. All of the power of my mother, all of the power that our people look to for guidance and our enemies fear greater than even the Saiyan Armada. Use it wisely and rule them well."

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"You have to do it, Usa."

The princess of the Moon Kingdom shook her head defiantly and buried her face in Rei's hair, her best friend sighing into her own blond locks before gently pushing her away. "Your mother's right, Usagi. You have to do this. A deal's been made and your mother can't go back on it. You know that."

"I wish great-grandaddy was still alive," the princess whispered mournfully for the millionth time in two days. "We would have won the war and Mother wouldn't be forced to marry a man she hates."

"I don't hate anyone," Serenity quickly corrected her despite the fact that her statement was a fib, "and neither should you. Now," she added gently, "teleport me to Vegeta-sai, my darling. Everything will be alright in the end, I swear it. And no more crying and wallowing in sorrow, either. At least not so much. You're the queen now, Usa, and your people will look to you for guidance, so if they see you only mourning me as if I was dead, they'll only do the same. And I am not dead."

"Yes, Mother," her daughter replied with a sniffle, raising her hand to the soft glow in her chest. "I love you," she added as strongly as possible before doing as Serenity had taught her last night, drawing easily on the power of the ginzuishou.

"And I you, my daughter," the queen answered sincerely, trying not to hold her breath out of fear. She'd hoped and prayed to be spared from King Vegeta's bed for at least a few days, if not a week, but no—the Fates had laughed at her request. Usagi, possessing a truly pure heart, had immediately wielded the Silver Crystal with an ease that Serenity had never known. No, my heart was stained the moment Alaric taught me how to hate, and then it became even darker when he forced my hand and I murdered him. Self-defense or not, it changed me.

"Momma, don't cry," Usagi whispered. "Please don't cry… I… I don't think I can send you to him if you start crying."

"It's alright," Serenity assured her. "Just do it."

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Serenity blinked, swaying in place, and was relieved to feel two arms steady her, the hands on her shoulders gentle and a voice rumbling with concern in her ears. She couldn't hear it exactly, though, her ear drums were ringing from the sudden change in gravity, and the queen trembled in reaction to it, her legs quivering beneath her gown as she automatically attempted to tap into the crystal to compensate.

A porcelain hand shook as it tried to raise defensively to her chest when she found herself unable to draw breath, and in a panic she wasted the air in her lungs to speak a single word—"help!"— the syllable coming out of her sounding of pure, unadulterated panic. Oh gods no, I never thought to take anything with me to counteract the gravity! "Help!" She mouthed soundlessly when her blurry eyes showed a figure stepping around her, tall, but obscured to her fading vision, the sensation of the hands on her shoulders shifting to her forearms as the warrior who had steadied her continued to do so as he looked down at her. "Can't breathe!" She added silently.

Serenity sucked in a panicked lungful of air the moment she felt the atmosphere around her lift, gratefully accepting the arms slipping around her waist in a clear offer to take her weight when her legs gave out, her hands trembling against a broad, muscular chest while her heart raced from the effects of fear-induced adrenaline, slowly calming at the scent of fire and snow in her nose.

Sound returned to her in a rush then, and she attempted to steady herself when she heard a low voice in her ear repeating her name, concern heavy in its tone. "I'll… I'll be fine," she managed in a terrified whisper. "T—Thank you. F—f—for whatever you did."

"I created a ki shield and manipulated the gravity inside of it, my lady. You are unharmed? Any broken bones? Do I need to send for a physician?"

The 'my lady' struck her like a sack of rocks, and Serenity turned the color of a sunset when she realized that the strong muscles effortlessly supporting almost all of her weight belonged to the king, that the comforting scent of a fire on a cold night in her nose was his scent. "I… I think I'm unharmed, thank you… my king." She felt a hand between her breasts then and nearly protested the lewd action, but she was filled with a sweet warmth that made her gasp with pleasure, reflecting that she'd never felt so utterly safe in her entire life.

And it remained inside of her as she felt the gravity return to normal, but still somehow managed to maintain her ability to breathe as the warmth flowed through her, into her limbs, giving them a level of physical strength she'd never felt. "What…?"

"I shared my ki with you, Serenity," Vegeta rumbled, checking her over carefully as he circled her, only returning to study her face up close once he was positive that she was uninjured. "Just focus on breathing and standing, woman, take your time to grow accustomed to the extra power. I'll share with you as often as you require, just inform me if you feel weak."

Her vision was clear, and something in his eyes as she bravely dared to look up told her that sharing one's ki was not a common practice among his people. Saiyans revered the strong and left the weak to die, it was a known fact. So for him to share his strength with her… "Thank you, Vegeta," she whispered, cursing her voice for sounding so breathless. "I am deeply grateful for your kindness."

Those black eyes twinkled with amusement at her words, and Vegeta's lips actually twitched despite the throng of Saiyan Elite standing at attention within spitting distance. "I believe that kindness was a part of our terms of agreement," he whispered just low enough for only her to hear.

"Ve'sh m'yo," he added a bit louder, "would you care to rest and let your body adjust to my ki and the gravity of your new home?"

Serenity noted the way that all of the Elite straightened and almost imperceptibly trained their eyes to the side and indirectly at her, studying her discreetly, sizing her up, then just as quickly looking away. Now was not the time to seem meek; she needed to appear brave, unafraid and act as if she could take any one of them on in a real fight and do some damage. "No, my king, but I thank you for your consideration. I would like a quick tour of my new home, though… would that be asking too much?"

"Not at all." Vegeta's tiny smirk told her that he knew exactly what she was doing, and the flicker in his eyes told her that he very much approved of it as he offered her his arm and nodded at a guard. "Take my mate's things to our quarters; we will be heading to them soon." Once they were out of earshot and well down a hallway, the king addressed her out of the corner of his mouth. "If I knew you were this damned physically weak, I would have turned you down and demanded the princess for my strongest warrior, instead."

Serenity bristled immediately at that, and thanks to the ki he'd shared with her, she actually punched his shoulder hard enough to make him wince. "I don't have the crystal anymore, asshole. With it, I was personally invincible, but since I only lost it a little over an hour ago, I'm adjusting to being as weak as a kitten! So I would thank you to keep your big yap shut when insulting a lady and your future queen!"

"You'll be taught to use your ki, then," he replied gruffly. "While I do not mind sharing mine with my mate, I would have that mate capable of defending herself at least long enough for help to arrive. We're a warrior people, as you know, Serenity," he added a bit more gently when she scowled at him. "Anyone could challenge you to a fight just for the hell of it, and my mark on your shoulder will only grant you so much leniency in declining challenge after challenge. Unless, of course…" He grinned a bit and leered at her a little, his hand sliding briefly over her belly. "Women carrying a brat are automatically untouchable."

The queen flushed at that immediately, but didn't dismiss the suggestion right away. "Whatever is your wish, my king," she finally stated.

Vegeta seemed slightly surprised but satisfied by her answer, and he studied her as he offered his arm once more and escorted her towards a palace garden. "I want more brats, woman, but I think it would be wise for us to flesh out our relationship and get comfortable with each other before we start making them. After all, you and I were mortal enemies only yesterday."

He was pleased when she lost the stiffness to her always straight-backed posture, obviously relieved that he wouldn't be expecting her to bear heirs anytime soon. "So, you'll wait, then? To consummate this marriage?" She asked hopefully.

Vegeta snorted and shook his head, but graced her with a tiny, helpless shrug. "Serenity, if I don't mark you and bed you, that leaves a chance that someone else could try to. My apologies, but I would much rather not take that risk." The flicker of sadness that radiated from her eyes to the rest of her body made him sigh, and Vegeta stopped her near a fiery-looking bush with bright red leaves. "If you wish to court, I'll arrange some outings for the both of us. But the biting and bedding needs to happen tonight. Is that acceptable?"

"I suppose it'll have to be," she murmured. "While you're veiling your demand in a polite request, it's still a demand. Though I appreciate the offer to… soften the blow, I suppose." They were walking again, and Serenity only realized that she'd totally not even looked at the garden he'd walked her through, feeling a pang of guilt for being rude. "My mind is not focusing well on this tour," she admitted. "We may as well head to your quarters, my king."

"Our quarters," he corrected her automatically, hearing the slight edge of bitterness to her tone, making him inwardly sigh. "In a hurry to get this out of the way?" He managed wryly, trying his best to lighten the mood.

"I meant no offense," Serenity said quickly, cringing at how she must have sounded. "It's just that I've been nervous since our peace talk," she admitted.

The king caught the way her eyes were flickering over him again, taking in his massive form, her expression hard to read as she seemed to close herself off behind some sort of impenetrable royal wall. He led her up a stairwell nearby though, taking her the back way to their chambers, and Vegeta was pleased to find that everything she'd brought with her—surprisingly little for a woman, in his opinion—was waiting at the foot of the dresser. "I'll call for some food while you arrange your possessions, k'sha m'yo," he offered.

Serenity could only nod, too shaky from the sight of the massive bed in the center of the room for her to even manage the most basic of a thank you, and she tried to busy herself by unpacking a bag full of pictures, arranging them carefully on the top of an empty chest of drawers. "My daughter and her new retainers," she explained when she felt him watching over her shoulder, studying the newest picture she'd placed beside an old snapshot of herself holding a blonde newborn, her own silver hair sweaty and in disarray about her, her mouth curled up in the exhausted, satisfied smile that nearly all mothers wore after their first hard-won fight to bring life into the world.

"The princess looks downright pissed in this picture," Vegeta remarked casually, noting that the four girls flanking her didn't look too happy, either.

"It was taken an hour ago," the queen replied dryly, "just after I handed her the greatest weapon in the universe and told her that her mother would be marrying the enemy, never to return to the moon. I'm amazed that she wasn't bawling her eyes out."

"I never once said you couldn't go home to visit, Serenity," Vegeta growled down at her. "Once we're fully pair-bonded you may do as you wish; the mating bond will allow me to know where you are and that you're safe, should you decide to leave." He sensed her genuine surprise but decided not to comment on it, instead touching the silver frame of the picture after she'd given birth. "You haven't aged a day from this photograph."

"I was seventeen… my people, they age the same as Saiyans, though we live much longer." The queen managed a tiny smile when she felt a hand on her shoulder, remembering her manners. "And I thank you. My little rabbit will be ecstatic to hear that I'll be able to visit her. Usagi was quite… distraught when I told her that I was fairly sure I wouldn't be allowed to leave Vegeta-sai."

"Usagi?" The king asked in confusion.

Serenity turned and blushed when she nearly collided with his chest. "It gets confusing with two Serenities being constantly called for. Usagi means 'rabbit.' Don't you have a name for your son that only you or his close friends use?"

Vegeta snorted at that and actually chuckled at the thought of calling his heir by anything but his name and shook his head. "Closest thing we get to pet names is 'boy' or 'son,' Serenity. Though I assure you, the prince gets called plenty of other things, even by his closest companions. And especially by that blue-haired princess from Mercury," he added with a sputter. "Ye gods, the mouth on that woman. How she's related to a woman like Athena or Ami is beyond me."

Feeling companionable as they both chuckled, Serenity nodded and allowed the king to take her arm and escort her to the bed, where she perched on the end of it with a minimal blush, grateful when he sat beside her but only continued to talk.

"The boy can't even claim the girl," he snickered. "I tried like hell to get him to take an interest in women when he turned fifteen, to convince him that he should produce some brats and get ahead of the game, but even when his first burning hit him like a sack of Saibamen, Vegeta just locked himself in a training room and powered through it. Though I appreciate his dedication to training, I simply can't even begin to understand why the boy remains a virgin."

"Maybe it's his wonderfully sunny personality," Serenity suggested cheekily. "Your son isn't exactly mister charisma, Your Majesty."

Vegeta had to allow a laugh at that and nodded a bit, reflecting that he would have blasted anyone else for such a comment. But this woman was to be his mate, so she would be allowed certain liberties in private. "I hope it'll just all work itself out. Either that, or that woman will run out of firepower to stop freezing his nads with." Sensing that she was relaxing even though his arm was wound loosely about her waist, the king smoothly scooted a bit closer and allowed his tail to free itself, trailing the tip of it down her spine, pleased with the little shiver that immediately ran through her. "Thankfully for you, my queen, my son did not inherit his awkwardness with women from my side of the family."

Serenity had no response to that and Vegeta felt her go rigid, her back growing impossibly straighter. "I'm not going to hurt you, woman," he sputtered in annoyance, tipping her chin up and to the side with his fingertips to make her look at him. His inner beast growled angrily at the sight of pure fear in her eyes, and judging by the way her lower lip began to tremble, his beast's unhappiness had bled through onto his face.

"I do not mean to displease you, my king," she whispered shakily.

Vegeta could only manage a choked sound of frustration and simply released her, stood from the bed, and stripped off his armor to leave himself in his fatigues and a black tank top. "You stay here and rest, woman," he ordered roughly. "I'm going to the ring for a few hours." The confused hope in her eyes made him stop and sputter, and he rubbed at the bridge of his nose as he tried to get his beast under control for the first time in decades. Gods, it was climbing the walls over her already and they hadn't even bitten each other! "I won't take you. Not like this. I want to see desire in your eyes, Serenity, not terror."

While she more than appreciated his kindness, the queen shook her head and met his gaze bravely. "I'm not afraid of you," she admitted. "At least… I don't think I am. I'm… I'm afraid of…" Serenity swallowed, trying like hell to think of how to explain herself, her hands fluttering in her lap like a pair of wounded birds.

"He gave you only pain," the king guessed quietly, his voice bordering on gentle in his genuine sympathy for her. Vegeta was crossing the room again and perching beside her on the bed as she nodded fretfully, and he used his calloused hands to ease her face up again so he could look her in the eye. "If you'd extend a modicum of trust, my lady…?"

Serenity closed her eyes for what seemed like a long time, but she finally nodded wearily, forcing every muscle in her lithe body to relax when she felt a hand on her back slowly drawing down the zipper of her dress, exposing a ribbon of pale flesh and silver silk just above the line of her undergarments. She wasn't sure what she expected next, but it certainly wasn't to feel his large hands deftly removing the pins from her hair to make it tumble around her loosely. "What?" She asked when she looked up to find him staring.

"I was reflecting that your hairstyle is what most makes you look like… you," he remarked. "That without it, you seem almost approachable. Young, even. You are young, yes," he amended, "but the invincible Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom doesn't exactly strike her enemies as young and inexperienced, either."

"The hair is part of my trademark, yes," she agreed, knowing exactly what he meant. "As is yours," she managed at a weak attempt at levity. The joke didn't quite hit home, however, since she was overly aware of the fact that she would be half-naked and exposed in front of the most notorious killer in the universe if she simply stood and let her dress fall.

Giving her a little time to adjust, Vegeta focused on unlacing his boots and removing his socks, and finally set his tank top on top of them all, leaving him in only his tight fatigues. He cracked a tiny smirk when he found the queen's eyes trained on his chest, and fighting the urge to flex and act like a hormonally retarded teenager, he simply let her look. "So…" He finally managed, his lips still twitching upwards when she glanced back up at his face. "Are there any Lunarian traditions for bedding that I should be aware of? Anything strange that I might have to wrap my head around? I don't need to dance like a trained monkey or anything, do I?"

Unable to stop herself, the queen actually giggled at the mental image of King Vegeta doing just that and finally shook her head. "A wedding usually takes place beforehand, but I'm under the assumption that Saiyans don't bother with such things."

"No," he affirmed. "The biting can be made into a public affair, and usually is when a king or a prince is taking a mate, but I thought to spare you from feeling embarrassed before the Elite since I don't know your customs. While the people will clamor for a public ceremony of sorts, I can stave off such a thing until you feel more comfortable with the idea."

"Thank you, the thought of my recent enemies seeing me in excruciating pain was… unsettling," she confessed, only to be surprised by the way his posture shifted to defensive. "I apologize?" She asked softly, unsure what he was offended about. "While I'm sure you would have tried to spare me too much pain, sinking one's teeth into another's shoulder appears to be quite agonizing no matter how gently you do it."

"The mating bite isn't painful," Vegeta snorted, placated by her ignorance, having thought before her explanation that she expected him to hurt her on purpose. "It's ridiculously arousing and feels absolutely amazing." He bent his head to only give her a taste of the pleasure he was speaking of, but she immediately balked and he sighed. "Hold still," he grumped, more exasperated with her than angry.

Serenity instantly froze, but she trembled slightly, her eyes squinted shut… and then gasped when his teeth closed over her shoulder, tightening… tightening… Dear gods, that feels… wonderful…

She was panting from the unfamiliar feeling of warmth growing between her thighs, and when she emitted a soft whimper of pleasure, the queen was disappointed to feel his mouth release her flesh just short of puncturing the skin, leaving a circular bruise.

Pleased with the flicker of desire he found in her eyes and the scent of her arousal, Vegeta just gave her a tiny, smug smile when he looked up at her. "Told you so," he rumbled. "Now, if you're satisfied that I'm not going to harm you…?"

Serenity looked behind her nervously to the great expanse of the rest of bed, but swallowed and nodded slightly, standing on wobbly knees to allow her dress to fall to the floor, thankful that her hair was lying in such a way that she was still mostly covered. "While I appreciate your assurances that you won't harm me, I promise you that I won't make a huge fuss during the most uncomfortable parts of the consummation," she whispered with a dark blush. "I'm no stranger to that kind of discomfort, nor am I a total sissy."

Vegeta was flat-out confused while he watched her climb onto the bed and arrange herself in the center, confused enough that it was overwhelming his arousal at the sight of her breasts just barely covered by a thick curtain of silver. But then he put two and two together and growled softly in anger—not for her, but for the complete and utter jackass that had had her virginity and had beaten her throughout her first marriage.

Running his hand through his upswept mane, the king decided that talk was far too cheap right then, that actions would show her just how wrong she was about how things were supposed to be between mates, and he silently vowed that he was going to make her come at least twice before he finally took her.

Leaving his pants on for the time being, Vegeta joined her in the bed, stretching out beside her, and allowed his beast some control, watching as his tail idly began to stroke the upper hem of her slip. "Is there anything about mating that you do enjoy, k'sha m'yo?" He asked nonchalantly in an attempt to help erase her obvious nervousness and fear.

"Despite it all, I always did enjoy the kissing," she whispered up at him shyly, feeling a little wave of gratitude running through her, appreciating that he hadn't just rolled on top of her and stripped her down to take his pleasure.

Vegeta's face lit up at that and he thought for a moment that this might not be as awkward as he thought it would be. "That's a little fast, but I'll admit that I've always enjoyed kissing as well. Lay back and relax," he purred, his beast thrilled that she was already willing to let him do something to please her.

Serenity did as she was told and let her eyes flutter shut in anticipation, her lips already tingling at the thought of what his beard might feel like as he claimed her mouth. But when a moment passed and she felt the king pushing her half-slip up, she blinked in surprise.

His tongue slipped between her thighs, parting her folds before she could word the question to ask what he was doing, and Serenity yelped and immediately tried to scramble away from such a shock to her ladylike sensibilities, her knees pushing at his shoulders, actually forcing him back.

Vegeta blinked, the action a pure twin of her own initial surprise, and when he looked up to find her staring at him owlishly, he could only lift a questioning brow, silently asking what he'd just done wrong.

Serenity somehow found her voice, though it was shaky from the way her inner thighs tingled where his beard had caressed her skin, not to mention the slight ache she felt where his tongue had slowly stroked her. "I don't think kissing means on Vegeta-sai what it means on the moon," she squeaked.

"Well, I'll bet that was quite the culture shock," he responded dryly without thinking, followed by a rough-sounding laugh at the hilarity of it all and a gentle nibble to one of her thighs.

Overwhelmed by his amusement, Serenity's armor of ladylike reserve actually fractured and she found herself emitting a girlish little giggle, followed by a genuine, belly-shaking laugh when the king only cracked up, laughing so hard that he was forced to rest his head on her stomach. "Can you say, 'awkward!?'" She cackled, part of her reflecting that Vegeta actually had a very nice, sexy laugh. I'll bet no one hears it often, though. That thought sobered her up, but her mouth was still twitching in a smile when the king slid back up and hovered over her.

The way she was growing serious again only made him determined to make her relax afresh, so Vegeta just grinned down at her boyishly. "Any other gaffes I should make, my queen? Does 'necking' on your planet mean something different than petting above the waist? Should I expect you to choke me or behead me instead?"

That made her giggle again and she nodded. "Yes, necking is petting above the waist and—and kissing," she added with another laugh. "But not that kind of kissing!"

"Well, since I've embarrassed myself enough already, it doesn't bother me to ask what in the fuck you were asking me to do," he chuckled. "Care to educate the warrior heathen?"

"Only if you explain what in the hell you were doing," she countered, honestly curious about what he'd been trying to achieve by kissing her in such a private place, even more interested in why it had left her tingling pleasurably.

"I was trying to get you off," he explained bluntly, studying her confused expression curiously. "I was going to make you come a few times to make you see that I'm more than willing to give pleasure as well as receive it," he tried, only to see her eyes grow even more confused and incredulous. "I think I understand now," he said slowly.

"Understand what, exactly?"

Swallowing more disgust for whatever manner of creature she'd been wedded to before, Vegeta simply dropped a peck to the crescent on her forehead and let his beast purr gently for the first time in decades, the sound making him start a bit. Gods, he hadn't made that noise since before Kalera had died in battle. "You'll see, Serenity. For now, I want you to make a huge leap of faith and just lie still and trust me."

"O—Ok," she managed hesitantly. "Did you still want to know what kissing is?" When he tipped his head a bit, Serenity summed up every ounce of her courage and leaned up, gently brushing her lips over his, repeating the action a little more firmly when he made an encouraging, pleased sound in the back of his throat. When he tentatively began to return it, she couldn't help the tiny sigh that came out of her as she instinctively began to relax, her body humming pleasurably from the only kind of pleasurable intimate contact she'd ever known, her lips pressing and moving against his as he grew more confident and began to take control of the gesture of affection.

Vegeta jerked slightly in surprise when he felt his queen's tongue flick over his lower lip, but he adjusted quickly and returned the action, and was struck by how good it felt the moment their tongues touched and she slid hers slowly over his. His beast was enjoying the kissing immensely as well, purring with desire, and it only took a minute before his cock was hard as steel and ready for her.

Serenity was broken out of her haze the moment she felt him pressing into her lower stomach and she pulled back, blushing at his obvious arousal. "I'll hold still, like you said," she whispered. "And… and trust you."

"Good," he breathed, his mouth already descending to her throat, his teeth and his tongue immediately making her squeeze her eyes shut and clutch at the bedspread beneath her. Vegeta sensed that that wasn't a good reaction, though, and guessing that she associated teeth with pain, he was overly cautious not to use them anymore and only pressed slow, open-mouthed kisses to her throat and just beneath the tip of her chin, letting his facial hair tickle her. "You don't have to be so quiet," he informed her, "I'd like to know if what I'm doing pleases you, Serenity. Or bothers you," he added as he slipped his mouth lower, letting his beard tickle the tops of her breasts. He was disappointed when he pushed her hair aside to bare her and slowly kissed a rosy nipple and she only responded with another tiny gasp, but she wasn't protesting, so he followed up with a flick of his tongue.

He didn't look up to see the way her eyelids fluttered and her mouth opened in a silent moan, but he could smell her arousal increase slightly. Taking care not to use his teeth, he took the bit of pink flesh between his lips and began to suckle her gently, the quiet wet sound of it turning him on beyond belief as his hand pushed through the other half of the curtain of hair concealing her to cup its twin, his calloused thumb caressing the nipple.

Vegeta saw the way her hands were flexing against the bedspread when he switched to the other breast and began to bestow it with the same amount of attention. Thinking he was upsetting her, he briefly stopped despite her arousal. But then he felt a nearly imperceptible arch into his mouth when he paused, a silent plea for more, so he continued, taking his time, licking and sucking at each of her nipples alternately until he finally managed to wrangle the softest whimper of pleasure from her mouth.

The queen's arousal was perfuming the air heavily by then, and her king briefly wondered how long he'd spent on that one stage of foreplay, how much time had passed in his efforts just to get her to emit that one quiet sound that let him know she was definitely enjoying his efforts. It was worth it, though, so he continued further south, dipping his tongue briefly into her belly button as he used his tail to slide her slip off of her and toss it to the floor unceremoniously.

"Don't forget to hold still," Vegeta chuckled as he pressed his mouth to the curls shielding her sex. "Squirming's fine, but try not to kick me in the head or anything," he added when he glanced up to find her red-faced, staring down at him in wonder.

Vegeta grinned as he gave her one slow lick, making sure to stroke his tongue from the base of her clit to the tip of it, but when she only gave a soft gasp, he looked back up at her. "My lady isn't pleased?"

"No—I—wha?" She asked incoherently, sounding nothing like a queen and more like a hormonal teenager.

"You're not enjoying this," he stated, wondering if she knew that he was actually teasing her.

"Wha—I… wha!? What gave you that idea?"

Vegeta mused that Serenity's face couldn't get any redder, and he stroked the inside of her thigh with the tip of his tail while she just stared at him in incredulous disbelief. "Because you're not voicing your pleasure. You would voice your pain if I was hurting you."

"Oh… I um… uh…" Serenity gave up and just shrugged in a total non-regal fashion, at a loss for how to answer. "I didn't know if it was ladylike to react as such since… um… I've never felt this sort of thing," she finally whispered in embarrassment.

Vegeta laughed at that, glad to know that his guess was correct, and gave her another slow lick, unsurprised to only hear her gasp. "My beast is taking it as a personal challenge," he informed her. "He wants to see what lengths he'll have to go to in order to hear you moaning my name."

Serenity only swallowed nervously, afraid to ask whether or not he was joking, wondering what he meant by 'moaning his name.' Was it… was it possible for her to actually experience so much pleasure that she'd really be moaning like a wanton hussy? Her hips jerked involuntarily when he answered that question for her by giving her another slow lick, and Serenity's eyes were wide in shock as she felt his purr gently vibrating the wonderful little spot that he was fixated on.

Oh yeah… something told her that such a level of pleasure was definitely possible, and while she briefly wondered why her late king hadn't ever thought to do this for her, she couldn't focus on the question long enough to think up an answer. Hell, she couldn't think of anything with those soft whiskers caressing her sensitive folds, his tongue tracing and flicking lightly over and around that amazing spot between them, and her head simply fell back and she couldn't stop a sweet sigh from passing her lips.

Vegeta heard that sound and was encouraged by it and the feeling of her thighs parting slightly further on their own, giving him much better access to her sex. So he kept up those slow, gentle ministrations, delighting in the taste of her and how his beast was having a field day with what had been his greatest adversary only a day prior. Gods, how sweet it was going to feel to be buried inside of her, to feel his former enemy not only submitting to his pleasure but enjoying him as well, moaning his name in ecstasy as he took her as high as he could and sent her plummeting into climax after climax.

He'd noticed by then that the small hands clutching at the bedspread were her only tell sign, and he watched them from the corners of his eyes on occasion, learning quickly that she liked it best when he lingered at the base of her clit with the tip of his tongue before stroking with the flat of it in an agonizingly slow manner. Vegeta began to repeat that movement, meticulous in every execution of it, and when he heard a soft, high-pitched whimper finally leave her mouth, he groaned with pleasure right into her core and rewarded her with a slow, toe-curling suck.

That single pull of her clit into his mouth and the way his tongue rolled against it made Serenity bite down on her lower lip and arch, her eyes rolling back and her nails digging into the bedspread, another whimper escaping her when he did it again and she felt his fingers clutching at her hips. The only other man that had grabbed her like that had always left painful bruises on her skin, had always hurt her for his own sick enjoyment, but the way that Vegeta was clutching at her to keep her locked to his mouth spoke only of his own desire to give her pleasure rather than himself. So she didn't flinch at the way he was clutching her, and when he smoothed his thumbs firmly over her hipbones, she actually found herself relishing the possessive grip and shivering with pleasure in reaction.

The king felt her jerk a bit when he suddenly moved his mouth to her entrance, his tongue tracing just inside of it, lapping up the tasty results of his handiwork, and he gripped her hips a second time to hold her still, his thumbs caressing just below the bone. He didn't miss the way her hands flexed in response to that, either, and slid his hands up her sides experimentally, firmly drawing them back down her body as he gave another low groan and thrust his tongue into her.

Another whimper graced his ears, this one a bit louder than the last, and when he saw her hands flex and she gasped at the reward he gave her for voicing her pleasure—another slow, lazy suck to her clit—he suddenly wanted to feel those small, fluttering hands buried in his hair. Vegeta's hands snuck from her waist to her arms then, drawing slow circles from her elbows to her wrists, his beast being sneaky about getting what it wanted as it gradually drew her hands from the covers to his mane by way of gentle caressing while he made the same movements with his tongue against her swollen, wet nub.

He couldn't have been more pleased the first time he felt her grip his hair, her hips rolling up slightly as she began to pant heavily, having only let herself breath in short, shallow gasps through her nose before. She was close, he could tell by her scent, but he didn't want it to end just yet, he wanted to hear her moan for him, even if it was only once. But he didn't want to verbally request such a thing, knowing that she would do it only because she felt like he was demanding it from her; oh no, he didn't want to make her sing for him out of demand, he wanted to coax it from her mouth, to know that it was his skill and his patience that had drawn it out of her and nothing else.

It was when a soft whimper became a gasping whine and she bucked against him searchingly that he knew how to get it out of her, and he removed his tongue from her entrance and went back up to her clit, licking it in feather-light movements as he pressed two fingers into her, stretching her as they pushed deep. His beast grinned in reaction when her hands actually pulled at his hair and she made a strangled sound in reply, and he rewarded that almost-moan with one careful, measured suck, hooking his fingers inwards.

What came next was even better than a moan. "Vegeta," she whispered, her voice shaking. "Pl—Please…"

The king could only growl in triumph at the sound of her begging and began to suck at her steadily, his fingers hooking and thrusting gently, making her nails dig slightly into his scalp and her toes curl against his elbows. The sweetest moan he'd ever heard came out of her mouth then, high and beautiful, rising in pitch as he felt her inner muscles beginning to tighten. That wonderful note fell slightly before practically rising an octave when he felt her clamp around his fingers and he began to thrust them deep and hard, sucking steadily on her clit to lengthen the peak of her orgasm, his purr growing louder when she bucked her hips into his mouth in tiny, short jerks.

Her song of pleasure ended with a little whimper, and Vegeta looked up to find her flushed, panting, her eyes cracked open slightly, locked onto his face. "So," he drawled smugly, "how was your first Saiyan kiss?"

"Fuck," she sputtered, huffing for air, only briefly feeling ashamed for uttering such a crude word. Only briefly, though, since that seemed to be the only word that could adequately describe how blown her mind was by such an introduction to female sexual pleasure.

"Mmm… since I don't think I've ever heard you utter such an oath, I'm definitely taking that as a compliment. Would you like me to kiss you again, my queen? The effort was more than worth the result."

WHEW! Like I said, 30 fucking pages of this shit and more to write, and that's JUST the first night! *falls over and dies* So review and I'll update again before Monday if I'm happpeeeee!