A.N: Happy Halloween! Serradragon and I thought we'd give all of you a treat tonight!

The door to the bedroom cracked open and a tall male slipped inside. Turles could not believe his luck that this wing was totally deserted. For a royal's bedroom he was honestly expecting…well more. The room had a rather sterile feel to it. He had been casually glancing around the empty room when he spotted an ornate box resting on the carved table in the room. Curious the pirate checked and was surprised to find the box was not locked and looked inside to see a large circular golden amulet with a large cut ruby in the center laying inside.

"What's a little beauty like you doing in a place like this?" He whispered to the jewel as he picked it up off the table. The delicate gold chain twinkled in the low light as the saiyan examined the amulet. "Especially with someone like Cooler. I didn't know he wore jewelry."

His scouter alerted him to someone coming his way, and he cursed under his breath. Turles shoved the amulet under his armor as he quickly ducked out of the room and headed back to the rest of the saiyans in Cooler's palace.

He grinned as he finally made his way back without his little excursion being noticed.

"The hell you've been, pirate?" A voice hissed in his ear.

Ok, almost without being noticed.

"Oh, just looking around." Turles lowly responded. "Don't get your tail jerked in a knot, Raditz. I was only curious."

The long haired saiyan growled over the nonchalant tone Turles used before silencing himself when Prince Vegeta's eyes cut to him.

"Just stay out of trouble, Turles. The prince owed you a favor and now you're here. Don't screw up these negotiations with your lust for shiny things."

"Kinda hard to do that when there aren't exactly an shiny things about." Turles muttered under his breath. "Relax, the only thing I picked up was a small trinket. I doubt it will even be missed even after we're gone."

+++TK+++

Negotiations were boring as hell Turles decided once he returned to his ship and went his own way from the royals. All in all it was rather disappointing that he wasted his favor with the prince for a look inside one of the Cold's palaces and there wasn't anything worth going back to steal.

Shedding his armor he was reminded of the ruby amulet. Taking a closer look he noticed it was old. But the jewel was flawless, no scratches to mar its surface or natural imperfections. Turning it in his hands he checked the back for any inscriptions and found nothing.

He moved to set the necklace aside when he caught a flash of some thing from the ruby in the corner of his eye. Turles rubbed his eyes. He could have sworn he saw eyes staring at him. Picking the necklace up again he brushed his thumb over the jewel before convincing himself it was a trick of the light and his tired brain at work. A pulse of warmth shot through his hand as the ruby lit up with a rose colored glow. The pirate dropped the necklace and immediately stood to destroy the thing when a trail of fire spun for a second and vanished leaving behind a…..woman. Her head was bowed in submission to him.

"You summoned me, Master."

Turles blinked a couple of times as he looked at the woman. She wore a black sleeveless shirt that stopped along her midriff. Black matching bottoms that ended halfway between her knees and calves had oval shaped pieces cut off in the outside of her thighs. A long pink sash was tied around her waist, and golden cuffs around her wrists and ankles gleamed in the light of the pirate's quarters.

She looked saiyan if the black, spiky hair and the black tail were any indication, but since she…came out of the amulet, Turles wasn't completely sure what she was. When he remained silent, the woman looked up in his direction with a slightly puzzled expression on her face.

"You are not Lord Cooler." She said in a soft and matter of fact tone. "Am I correct that you now possess the amulet?"

"Uh…" Turles could not think of anything to say. He took a look around the room. He hadn't been drinking so this wasn't a whiskey induced dream. "Who are you, and where did you come from?"

"I am your servant, my master." She bowed her head a bit. "I came from the amulet. What do you desire, master?"

"Master?" Surely his crew knew better than to pay a street walker for him! "Did one of my crew put you up to this? I swear Almond knows better than to find someone of your profession to help me relax."

The woman tilted her head to the side in confusion. The pirate had to admit that the woman looked adorable and beautiful.

"You've met another arzu before, master?"

"A what?" The alpha asked as he blinked in shock once more. Arzu or in his native tongue, wish granter. "Everyone knows those things are just make believe. If there were such a thing, I'd wish for a pile of those rainbow colored jewels from Apollo V. Those things would make me-!"

A clinking sound interrupted his train of thought, and when he looked down, his eyes nearly fell out of his skull.

"Holy shit!"

A glittering pile of multicolored stones about as high as his waist was sitting there in front of him. He shakily reached out with a hand to pick up one of the gems. It was solid and had a significant weight to it before he dropped it back in the pile.

"What else do you wish for, master?" The tone of her words sounded amused, but when Turles looked back up at her, her face was blank.

"I…who….how…what ARE you!?" The woman frowned softly.

"Are you displeased?" she asked as her hand hovered hesitantly. "I can provide you more jewels if that is your wish."

"Forget the jewels! What are you?" Turles snapped.

"I am an arzu, servant to whom ever possesses the amulet." With a click of her fingers the jewels vanished before she bowed her head to him. "Forgive me if I've displeased you, master."

"Ok just….just stop with the bowing." The pirate said sitting on his bed and rubbing his face to settle his thoughts. "Ok so you are an…arzu. Ha…I've got a magical wish granting woman in my bedroom. What the hell am I saying! This is not normal!" Turles growled pulling at his hair.

"Alright, one thing at a time. What- what do I call you?" Turles asked the woman.

"Whatever you wish to call me, master."

"Well what did Cooler call you?"

"Slave." The pirate flinched a bit. There was no way in hell he was calling her 'slave'. Figures the bastard called her that.

"And the one before him?"

"Slave." He was seeing a pattern here.

"Has anyone ever called you by your name?"

"I do not know." She said not meeting his gaze. "My name is one of a handful of restrictions I must abide by."

"So there's rules to this wish thing." That made sense actually. "What are they?"

"There are certain wishes beyond my powers to grant. I can not kill anyone, or make someone feel emotions they don't already possess. I can not grant immortality or remove a person's free will. I must obey any order given by the owner of the amulet unless it is outside of my powers. I may not harm my master in anyway, nor may I touch the amulet. If my master wishes to use magic to divine answers to a question, I am unable to provide an answer if the knowledge is unknown."

"You didn't say anything about how many wishes I get. Is there no limit?"

"I am at your service as long as you possess the amulet."

Turles picked up the amulet and gathered his thoughts. He had no limits on his number of wishes. True he couldn't kill someone with a wish, but he was willing to bet with some creative wording it would be within the rules to create a scenario that ultimately killed someone. It hadn't occurred to him to even ask for immortality, but why would some one even want that? He could wish for anything! Any treasure, any item, hell he could probably make himself a paradise on a world only he and the crew knew about. An actual treasure planet with the best of everything from any world he'd seen or heard of!

"What would you prefer I call you?" He asked carefully wording his question.

"I will be fine with whatever you wish, Master." Ok, so questions could be given an indirect answer. She couldn't tell him her real name for some reason and asking her was just getting more of this…..

"Tell me an actual name I may call you by." Her eyes narrowed and he could have sworn she was staring into his soul.

"Ara."

It was a pretty name, and it made something in the back of his mind itch for a distracting moment before it vanished. Turles pushed it away as he took in the woman before him.

"Very well, Ara. My name is Turles." A smirk started to grow on his face as the fact that he could now wish for anything he could ever want was now sinking into his brain. "I do believe this will be the beginning of an interesting and very profitable partnership."

++time skip+++

Turles was sitting in a large oversized chair with a large book in his lap when Ara emerged from the amulet the saiyan constantly kept around his neck ever since she revealed herself to him several weeks ago. They were currently in one of several lush sitting rooms in her master's mansion on the paradise world he asked her to create for him and his followers. This particular room lead out to a balcony with sheer white curtains serving as a sort of privacy barrier.

The arzu studied her master for a few long moments in silence as his eyes flickered over the words in the tome. He was an unusual master to be sure. While he had used her power like the majority of her previous masters, he treated her differently.

He would be courteous when he requested something, and he had this strange habit of asking her thoughts and opinions whenever they spoke. Her master treated her more like a person than a slave or a tool to be used, and Ara didn't quite know how to react to that. In her many centuries of life, she couldn't remember a time a previous master had similar behaviors.

"Ara," Turles' voice drew her from her thoughts. He was still looking at the book with an intense expression on his face, but one of his hands was beckoning to her. "Come here for a moment, please."

She walked over to stand in front of him, and glanced at the book the alpha was reading. Her heart gave an unexpected ache at the sight of the moonflower on the page he was reading. The picture also made a sharp pain flare up briefly in her head, but it was gone before she could even react to it.

"I was reading up on an old saiyan myth, and I wondered if you could answer some questions for me."

"I will do my best, Master Turles." The pirate glanced up at her with a slight scowl on his face that made Ara want to smile.

"I've told you that you don't have to call me that." He muttered as he pulled her down to sit on his lap once he moved his book to the armrest of the chair.

This was another thing that made Turles different. Her previous masters would often use her body in a sexual manner, but the most Turles would do was hold her or make her sit on his lap while he did other things. She wanted to tense up, to flee the foreign sensations, but her body refused to listen to her. She could not disobey orders given to her no matter how long ago it may have been.

"I remember, but I was ordered by a previous master to always show respect to the one who owns me." Her tone had gone flat making the man frown. "I can not do as you request."

"We will be discussing that at a later date, but if you must call me something like that, call me captain. Master makes me feel weird. Especially if my partner calls me that."

Ara couldn't help but smile softly over his words. He still was doing things that made her confused as to how to view him, but slowly, she was growing to like this master. She tested the word in her mind and found the command allowed it in place of master.

"As you desire, Captain Turles." Amusement colored her tone making the alpha roll his eyes. "What would you like me to answer?"

"I've been reading about the myth of Kaosaren." He pulled the book over so that they both could see the vague image of a saiyan woman surrounded by a reddish aura of power on the yellowing pages. " I know that some myths and legends are based on fact, is Kaosaren one of those?"

"I'm unfamiliar with the name." she said looking over the image in the text. "What happens in the myth? If you tell me the story, perhaps I can give you an answer?" Turles could feel how nervous she was to admit that and had a feeling other masters had punished her for such admissions. Who's to say she didn't know the myth by a different name though.

"The legend goes that Kaosaren was the child Tarro, one of her divine children, blessed by Kalious as well for her fierce spirit and love of combat. She was beautiful, and shone like a magnificent star so great was her power. It was said that she was too powerful however. The other gods grew concerned and even jealous of her. Other's still feared what would happen if she ever strayed from Tarro's teachings. Kaosaren learned of the whispers and the desires to take from her part of what she was and became enraged when they would not listen to reason and tried to bind her without the consent of Tarro or Kalious. Consumed by their betrayal her full power was unleashed for the first time ever. Her anger shook the planet itself and her power shone in the air like a crimson star. All could feel her powers as they grew to be limitless, an unending well of hate that lashed out and created the vast wastes of Vegetasei. Saddened by her child's lack of control Tarro and Kalious appeared and with heavy hearts bound Kaosaren and her powers so she could never wreak such destruction again. And to punish those who played a part in betraying Kaosaren and bringing their worst fears to pass, Tarro and Kalious stripped the other gods of all but a single domain each forever condemning them to remain minor gods." Turles watched as Ara's hand gently brushed the image in the book as he finished the tale.

"That is not how I remember things happening." She said a strange hardness in her eyes as she stared at the ancient drawing. "Tarro and Kalious, the other gods…if they had a part in what happened it was beyond my knowledge. "

"You remember this happening?" Turles said surprised. "It was real?"

"I can hardly forget my birth." Ara said softly before looking away from the book. "They named me Star of Chaos…I had no idea mortals knew the story, however inaccurate this version is."

"Hold on…back up." The alpha said standing in front of Ara after sliding her from his lap. "You mean to say you are Kaosaren?"

"I've never heard that name used before now, but yes I believe this myth is referring to myself. I remember very clearly rending the earth and turning it to crystal sands in my wrath."

"So what really happened? Are you really the child of Tarro?"

"I can not say if I am or not, Captain Turles, it is beyond my knowledge." She said softly. "The only 'gods' that I saw that day were the Kais. They are the ones that bound me to the amulet, that made me what I am now." One look at her was all Turles needed to see how much anger she had for the described celestial beings. Her form, while submissive, was trembling with rage and the pirate could almost see the crimson fire in her eyes. He could not blame her in the least. Ara was forced into this eternal servitude, unable to even exercise free will if who ever possessed the amulet wished otherwise. There was one thing he wanted to know though and he had a feeling he needed to order her to tell him.

"Tell me why they bound you."

"I don't remember." She answered in a tone that more than hinted at her pain. "I remember the rage I felt, the power to crush worlds with a mere thought. I remember the pain as these appeared and my powers bottling up inside me to the point I thought I was drowning." She said holding out her wrists showing her wristbands. For the first time, Turles realized they were not merely part of her outfit. Symbols were etched deep into the metal and began to glow with the same ruby light the amulet had when he first summoned Ara forth.

"I can't read what they say."

"I would be surprised and impressed if you could, Captain Turles." Ara said in her dry wit. "It is the Kai's holy language, it serves as the contract I am bound by."

"Is there a way to break it?" Ara's eyes widened in shock before staring up at her master unsure she heard him correctly.

"What?"

"Is there a way to free you from the binding?" Still in shock she nodded.

"Yes…but…"

"Tell me how to free you." Turles was angry. These 'gods' had forced this woman into slavery for centuries. He wasn't sure why but whatever reason she was punished couldn't merit all but destroying her free will, and he refused to allow it to continue. Not on his watch.

"My master must use a wish, using my actual name."

"That's it?" Turles asked surprised. "It can't be that simple. Surely there is a catch?" Ara nodded.

"Should my master do this and use the wrong name, the amulet will vanish and any wishes I have granted my master will also be undone."

Turles cringed at that information. It was clear that was done to discourage someone from helping Ara, and that made him angrier than before. Who gave those beings the right to decide a living person's life like that!

"Tell me your real name." He ordered with his arms crossed. "I'm ending this now."

"I can't." Ara replied softly. The pirate cursed under his breath. Of course she couldn't, that would make setting her free too easy. His gaze fell on the amulet as it sparkled in the sunlight. Just because she didn't know didn't mean no one else did.

"I wish to possess the knowledge of your actual name." Ara's eyes slid closed as the familiar red aura outlined her body where she sat, the sign she used her magic to search for answers. After several moments, the glow vanished, and Ara shook her head before opening her eyes.

"I can not grant your wish, Captain."

"Damn it." The pirate growled as he turned away from her to get his temper under control. He didn't want Ara to think he was angry with her; this wasn't her fault. Ara was the victim in all of this. He ran a hand through his hair before turning back to her.

"It's obvious we will need more information in order to set you free, Ara. I wonder if some of the other myths in this book are about you before you were bound…" He picked up the book and started to flip through the pages mumbling the titles under his breath.

The woman just watched him feeling shocked that the pirate wanted to free her so badly. It made no sense to her. Her master was angry he couldn't free her? Why would he even want to when she could give him almost anything he could ever want? No other master had even considered releasing her.

"…Navat and Ara…"

"Yes, Captain?" The sounds of her name pulled her back to the present once more.

"Sorry, it's the name of a myth. The Tale of Navat and Ara. It's a Tuffle legend?" Turles looked confused for a moment. "How did that get in a saiyan book? Kinda funny that you share a name…hang on a minute!" He started to read out loud.

"Many eons ago, there was a beautiful saiyan woman named Ara. She was kind and gentle and took joy in tending the gardens given to her care by the moon goddess. Ara fell in love and was betrothed to a soldier called Navat, whom she found injured in her garden and nursed him back to health. They were very happy with each other and were often seen walking the lush gardens by the Crystal Rivers. Navat in the saiyan tradition gave to Ara a pendant of crystal and diamond one pleasant night when the moon was bright. They mated and wished to start a family soon, but their happiness was not meant to last.

"Unfortunately, a demon had seen Ara's beauty and kind heart, and wanted to take her for his own bride. One day, he rose up from the jungles while Navat was hunting. Ara tried to fend the demon off, but she was not strong enough. Before the demon could steal her away, Navat returned was enraged. He attacked the demon intent on destroying the creature. Sadly, the demon was too strong, and bathed in the green light of his powers, he killed Navat in front of Ara. Her heart wrenching cry of mourning pierced the air as she clung to her mate's body. The demon snatched the pendant from Ara's neck, shattering it into a fine sand intent on making Ara his wife with Navat out of the way. However, the saiyan gods had heard the gentle woman's cries and were furious with the demon, he was struck down by the gods for trying to defy the sanctity of a mating bond. Ara was left alone to weep for her murdered alpha in what would be known as the Wastes of Vegetasei with her tears becoming diamonds hidden among the crystal sands…"

Turles trailed off with a frown before closing the book for a moment while keeping a finger between the pages to mark his place.

"Well, that was depressing." A glance at Ara made him wonder if she recognized anything. The stories were completely different except for them including the wastes. Ara had said she created them, and he had no reason not to believe her.

"I feel like I've heard this story before." Turles said tiredly rubbing his eyes. "But it was a saiyan myth."

"The tuffles and saiyans share a world do they not?" Ara asked hesitantly. It made Turles smile as he gestured for her to continue. "Is it possible the saiyans have a similar story with different names?"

"Its been so long since that was the case, most saiyans forget that fact. The tuffles and saiyans haven't shared Vegetasei for over 800 years. The tuffles died as the planet became harsh and ill-suited for them while the saiyans thrived." His eyes widened a bit. "Thank you, Ara, I think I remember the saiyan myth."

He flipped a few pages and found the story he was more familiar with.

"The tale of Brassic and Karoti. I'd never been all that fond of it when I was younger because it's a love story of sorts."

"Brassic was a mighty warrior, skilled in combat and regarded by his fellow warriors for his prowess in battle. One day, he and his men were ambushed by a troop of tuffle soldiers in a dispute over territory near a river. Brassic fought bravely, but he was badly wounded, knocking him into the river. A fever set in and he was nearly lost. The alpha woke to find himself in a lush garden along the river, an area he had never been before.

"In that moment he first laid eyes on Karoti. She was the most beautiful woman the alpha had ever seen, delicate and slender wearing robes of grey and blue. For her weak appearance, she was strong, and had been the one to pull him from the water. Karoti nursed him back to health using some of the many plants in what Brassic learned was her home, for Karoti had lost her family to war as a young child. With no alpha to protect her, Tarro took pity on the girl and lead her to the garden and gave it into Karoti's care. For weeks, Brassic lived with Karoti, learning about her and from her. She was gentle and pure hearted, and above all kind and generous. On the eve of his planned departure, Brassic took Karoti and under the moon wove a moonflower into her hair and gave her a pendant he fashioned from a crystal pulled from the river. The alpha was a warrior for the King, and he was honor bound to return to his lord to beg for release from his position. Brassic swore by the moonlight he would return for Karoti with an appropriate bond token, and when he did they would be mated, he would live with her in the gardens.

"Months passed and Brassic was finally able to return to Karoti, free of all obligations. When he arrived to the gardens, so over joyed was Karoti that flowers burst into bloom through out the garden and spread even into the river. They mated that very evening by Tarro's light, and Brassic gave to his mate a beautiful moonstone to wear, carved in the likeness of a lotus. For a time they were happy, deeply in love and together in all that they did.

"Then came the day another entered the gardens. They were a traveler weak from hunger by the name of Caul. Karoti was quick to help him, as was her kind nature. Once the man was rested, Brassic bade the man to leave, not trusting him around his mate. Karoti, kind as she was, prepared for the stranger food and water for his journey and with that the man left them. Weeks later while Brassic was out of the gardens hunting, Caul returned and approached Karoti while she tended plants near the river. Afraid, Karoti asked him to leave, for she could see the darkness now within the stranger she had helped. The ground blackened under the alpha as he entered the garden intent on making Karoti his, desiring her for her pure heart and beauty. Sensing his mate's fear, Brassic left his kill and returned home as fast as he could. He found Karoti fighting desperately to escape the stranger. Enraged, Brassic attacked the other alpha driving him away from his mate. Rather than make sure the stranger was gone, Brassic immediately went to Karoti wanting to make sure his mate was unharmed.

"Satisfied his mate was safe, Brassic held her close and kissed her deeply. He only realized his mistake as the stranger struck him down from behind. Karoti begged him to stay with her, but it was for naught; and Brassic passed from life. The stranger then took Karoti from her home, the gardens withering to nothing as her grief destroyed them. He took her to the temple of the dark god, Nasu, for whom the stranger was a follower of. Caul shoved Karoti before the alter and pleaded for Nasu to rid Karoti of her bond to Brassic so he might take her as his own, shattering the lotus Brassic had given to her as an offering to the dark god. Hearing his plea, Karoti found her grief pushed aside as rage filled her for this stranger to dare think he could take her beloved's place. In her anger, a well of power she had never used was opened, and in a blaze of light the woman destroyed him and the temple itself. Her mate's killer gone, Karoti fell to her knees weeping for her lost mate and screamed her lost to the sky mourning her lost love. Nasu however took notice of the distraught woman who destroyed their temple and would not let such an action go unanswered. The god's servants, demons of purple skin and white hair appeared, prepared to kill Karoti. With sorrowful eyes, Karoti embraced their attacks welcoming her death so she might be reunited with her beloved Brassic. With a flash of red light, both Karoti and the demons vanished never to be seen again."

"That is a sad story." Ara said quietly after Turles finished reading it.

"Could it be about you? It's similar enough to the tuffle myth with the name Ara in it that it could be the same story." Ara sadly shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know, Captain Turles. It does not strike me as familiar, nor do I remember anything." She seemed pensive for a moment. "There was one thing…"

"Yes?"

"The demon, they were purple skinned with white hair…that is how the Kai appeared."

"Well, that does seem to suggest that it might be related to your past." The alpha squeezed the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. He fell into another chair close to where Ara was sitting as he leaned back with a sigh. "I'll keep looking to see what else I can find. I do have a large collection of mythology books that I've acquired over the years."

Already the arzu could see that the man was thinking about the other books in his collection, and it made something in her chest twist at the effort he was putting into all this research. It made her feel warm in a way she couldn't remember feeling before, and that scared her.

She was use to having cold and cruel masters that only cared for themselves. Those that were not, became callous and filled with greed until it destroyed them. What made this man so much different than the others? Why was he doing things like this?

From what she found out about his past in the weeks she had been with the pirate, Ara knew that Turles was not a nice person. He was selfish, sadistic, and always looking for an opportunity that would some way better himself. He did have certain morals that he abided by, but those virtues didn't outweigh his sins.

She seemed to shrink in on herself before she took a deep breath visibly gathering her courage. Ara hoped that her master wouldn't take offense to her questions.

"Captain?" Turles looked up surprised Ara addressed him first. She was very hesitant he could see, meaning she was likely doing something other masters had not wanted her to do but had not forbid her.

"Yes?"

"I…..I don't understand." Turles frowned.

"What don't you understand?"

"Why are you….what is so important about setting me free?" Ara bit her lower lip as her eyes fell to the floor. She couldn't understand Turles' motivation for trying to free her.

"Because it's wrong to take away someone's freedom."

His words made her head jerk up so fast that Turles was surprised that she didn't get whiplash. He couldn't help but smile at the adorably confused expression on her face.

"I'm sure you know by now that I'm no saint." The captain's smile turned humorless for a second. "I lie, cheat, steal, and kill if it benefits me in some fashion, but there are some things that I just can't stand. Slavery is one of them if there is no good reason. From what I've found out so far about your situation, you should not have been bound like this. Even I can admit that it's wrong and cruel…and I want to help. Something happened to make the Kais step in and I don't think it was your fault. Ara, you are just a casualty from whatever happened. Even if you aren't a victim and you did something to merit a punishment, I think your binding for 800 years at least is more than enough punishment."

"I still don't understand." She said softly. "You are as you described. I do not see how you benefit from setting me free."

"You will one day I think." Turles said fingering the red stone around his neck. "The fact you accept your servitude to assholes like Cooler as the way things are, and you don't understand why I'm doing this…..It's wrong. And trust me when I say that if I have an issue with it, so will a vast majority of the universe. Have you been punished for asking questions like just now?" He asked with a sinking suspicion.

"Yes." Ara admit looking down anxiously. She was obviously afraid he was displeased.

"I order you to ask me if you have questions or are confused by something whether it is an order I give you or anything in general."

"Captain?" He could see from her face she didn't understand.

"It won't do to have my partner uneducated." He said picking up his book. "If you don't understand something, how will you be able to best help me and do as I ask?" He didn't like putting it into how to best help 'him' but it was the easiest way to make her understand his motives. Ara had given him things he'd never even been able to dream of before he stole that amulet. Maybe it was only fair he do the same for her.

++TK++

"Ara, would you come here." Turles asked setting down the package. They hadn't been successful in finding anything else about what happened to Ara in weeks. He'd poured through tomes and certainly put her to work seeking information and conjuring obscure texts for him, but nothing.

"You called for me, Captain." The arzu asked appearing in a small spiral of flame. She was much less timid now he noticed. It also lead to him realizing something else. He handed her the package he picked up on his recent market trip.

"This is for you." She smiled shyly but stared at the parcel briefly before looking back at him with the adorable confused look on her face.

"What do you wish me to do with it?" He couldn't contain the chuckle that escaped him.

"It's a gift, for you." He explained with a grin. Seeing she wasn't grasping the meaning of a gift he tried something else. "A reward for having pleased me with your service." Ara's smile lit up her face then, and it was infectious. "Go ahead and open it."

Inside was a beautiful dress of blue silk. He was actually quite proud at having picking it out and gotten the sizing close. He assumed she could fix that with magic if need be. The look on her face confused him though.

"Have….have I displeased you, Captain?" Her tone was soft and she was genuinely confused by his gift, possibly even upset.

"What? No, this is a gift remember. You haven't displeased me." He held back a frown over her reaction. Just seeing that told him Ara had never been given anything out of kindness, and that made Turles upset. He pushed the feelings away to focus on her in the present.

"But you have given me clothing, do you not like my appearance? I can change my attire if you wish?"

"Are you telling me you even wear what your master tells you to? You can't just change your clothes because you want to?" She nodded fingering the luxurious silk of the dress.

"I had wondered why I appeared wearing this the first time you summoned me. L- Cooler." She corrected herself mindful of Turles' order to stop calling the bastard that. "This is not what he commanded I wear. Occasionally he would change it. I assumed you found this pleasing and never thought to try other garb."

"Oh…" Turles felt like an ass now. "I just noticed you never wore anything else and thought you might like something different. Just out of curiosity, what did Cooler make you wear?" He wasn't expecting her clothes to softly glow white and morph into something obviously designed for a pleasure slave with a long white fabric skirt that really only covered her front and back paired with a white and gold bralet that did nothing to hide the ample cleavage her fitted, black top most certainly did.

"Is this more to your liking?" Shaking himself out of his stupor, he looked away.

"It's nice, but you can wear what you like." He was trying so hard to not blush and keep his head. Damn it now he knew what was under those clothes of hers. He had to be the responsible one because she couldn't consent to anything he did, and while he was many things a rapist was not one of them. A quick flash later, and she was in her regular outfit.

"Cooler was angry I could not change my cuffs to silver." She said quietly. "After punishing me, he made me turn the metals on the outfit gold to match."

"Bastard." Turles spat. "Gold looks much better on you anyways. You don't have to wear the dress if you don't like it. Its yours, you can do whatever you wish with it." He watched Ara stare at the dress a moment and hold it out in front of her.

With a wave of her hand it suddenly appeared on her body. It fit her perfectly and had an ancient air about it with the chiton style it was based on. The royal blue silk shimmered and flowed around her curves like water. Turles quickly found his mouth dry and knew right then no matter what Ara wore, even if it was a burlap sack, she would always look beautiful. She looked like a princess. The arzu was admiring the dress with a pensive look on her face before a quick flick of her finger added a silver grey sash around her waist that knotted at her side and trailed nearly to the ground.

"I like this dress very much, Captain." Ara said with a smile. The image she presented couldn't help but remind him of a scene that played in his dreams often enough these past few weeks.

Flashback

His head felt like it was splitting open. Light was blinding, and he groaned closing his eyes. A cool touch to his forehead was instantly soothing, and he couldn't help but move into the gentle touch that eased the burning he could feel under is skin.

The soft touch disappeared, and he could hear some one moving about. He could tell something dimmed the light wherever he was at. When touch returned, he opened his eyes again. In front of him was a goddess surrounded by golden light. Her skin was pale and fair in away that no mortal's could be, with ebony locks of hair that framed her heart shaped face. Her smile was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"I'm so glad you're awake." She said with relief in her voice. She leaned back to get something letting the soldier see more of where he was. He was in a strange mix of a tent and house? There was a soft pallet beneath him. He noticed bandages on his bare chest, his armor lying in a corner on the other side of the room. When the woman returned her attention, he noticed her sleeveless blue dress was a rough looking fabric and she smelled of lavender as she pressed a small clay cup to his lips and slid her other hand under his neck to help him drink.

"Its some tea for the fever." She told him. Gratefully he drank until she took the cup from him.

"Where am I?" His voice was rough and talking hurt despite the liquid he had just drank. He wanted to lift a hand to his head, but his limbs felt like they were made of stone with how heavy they seemed.

"My home." She said in her usual quiet tone. "I found you in the river. You were badly hurt."

"Is it safe for you to take a soldier into your home?" He didn't want to cause this woman trouble this close to the boarder lands. He assumed that's where he was if she pulled him from the river. Her village could cause problems if she lived in tuffle controlled territory.

"There's no fighting here." She answered getting something from another jug. "Tarro doesn't allow it and even the tuffles know that. You'll be safe while you heal." This time she gave him water, and he loved her for it as he felt it cool his parched throat.

"But your village…"

"You need to rest." She said placing a finger on his lips to silence him. He nodded slightly as fatigue began to set in from the tea she gave him.

"Brassic…my name…." He told her. He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious, but she at least deserved a name to call him. "Your's…?" She smiled at him before placing a cool, damp cloth on his forehead.

"My name's-"

Flashback End

He always woke up before he could hear the name. Ara was always the woman in his dreams, but she looked…different. She carried herself more confidently, more carefree. The smile on her face as she wore the dress he gave her it was like seeing his dream brought to life.

"Then wear it when ever you like. If you would like others, let me know; and we can get you some in other styles and colors. As long as you enjoy it I don't have a preference for what you wear." That was a lie if he ever told one. A little voice in his head was telling him he could have her in something more tasteful than Cooler's little uniform, and that she wouldn't object if he wanted to personally 'investigate' her attire. He ruthlessly crushed it. Temptation aside, he refused to act on it. It reality Ara was a slave, even if she said yes to his attentions he still couldn't convince himself to act on it because he owned her. It just left a sour taste in his mouth.

"I could have other dresses if I continue to please you?" Ara asked with a look of surprise. It was clear she only expected the one dress. The idea of a master giving her something, even for her pleasing them was so foreign to her; and he felt saddened by that.

"If you want them, of course. You're my partner, if we ever invite guests over you should have clothes of your own. I was thinking we could set you up with a room beside mine."

"I don't require a room, Captain." Ara said almost appalled at the suggestion. "I could not use it, please do not squander such a thing on me, Captain."

"Surely you sleep." Turles asked. "You have my permission to remain out of the amulet as long as you respond to my calls."

"I do not sleep, Captain." Ara said clasping her hands together in her usual submissive pose. "And I can not remain out of the amulet indefinitely, not unless my master is present or I receive physical contact regularly." Thinking back, Turles realized he only ever saw her out of the amulet when he called for her; and unless he engaged her in a talk or for her powers, she vanished as soon as he was done with her.

"And what happens if you remain out of the amulet otherwise?" She looked very uncertain as she fidgeted with the skirt and her sash.

"I….the amulet compels me to return. I've only experienced the effects of not returning twice. One of my former masters commanded me to remain in their room, but he left his home while wearing the amulet. When he finally returned home in the evening, I had no choice but to return to the stone. I felt stretched too far. The second time was a punishment. I was forbidden from returning to the amulet and denied the required touch several days. It was painful and drained my magic both from keeping my physical form and stopping me from returning to the amulet in addition to my magic naturally seeking to return there."

Turles winced, to be forced to fight the natural order of returning to the amulet was a serious punishment and if Ara said it was painful…it must have hurt.

"I see. What do you do if you don't sleep?" He asked curiously as he sat in one of the chairs in his room gesturing for Ara to sit if she pleased.

"It is hard to describe." The arzu said sliding gracefully to sit on the plush carpet, tucking her bare feet under the pool of silk fabric. "It is not sleep, but my mind is only dimly aware of what happens outside of the amulet. There is no sensation of time passing, not like you would think of time passing I think." She was hesitant and slightly unsure of her words. "I know time passes, if it is days or years even, but I do not feel it. It feels the same if I spend an hour or a year in the amulet."

"What was the longest you ever went between masters?" Turles asked curiously. Now that he wasn't continually wishing for things, it was interesting to learn more about Ara. And it was slowly sinking in that she had lived through a significant chunk of history, even myths that he read about as a child were about her, and there was no knowledge of when those stories originated from.

"I think it was 200 years?" She said crossing her arms and tapping her cheek with one of her delicate fingers. "I was owned by the emperor of the Mistari Empire at the time. Like you, he would wear the amulet and from my impression of what I observed with others present when summoned it was seen as one of his royal symbols. I believe it was placed in his tomb by members of his family so he could have his favorite possession in the afterlife." She smiled a bit before looking at him. "I was then owned by the thief who broke into his tomb centuries later. He reacted about as well as you did for the first summoning, although he actually fainted thinking I was a vengeful spirit."

"Do you often find yourself with rulers and thieves?" He asked catching onto her amusement.

"Surprisingly yes. If they are not, many owners, like you, have wished for wealth, which in most societies equates to power. Those with power tend to strive for more power or to ensure they keep it."

"Are you the reason the Cold's rose to power in the universe?" The question had bugged him ever since he stole the amulet. The Cold empire was massive and only the fact the that the saiyans were strong enough that most of the universe wanted no business fighting either them or the Ice Demons was what kept things from boiling down to a civil war spanning the stars.

The saiyan race honestly just wanted to fight each other or strong opponents for enjoyment. They were happy to work as enforcers for their allies in exchange to supplies not readily available on their home world as a result by dealing with criminal or dangerous beasts. They honestly were more like freelance patrol officers. They didn't work for the Colds simply because they wanted warriors to take planets for them and kill anyone that didn't agree with their rule or to profit from selling a world to another race for one reason or another. Killing which included noncombatants, the elderly, women and children. Very few saiyans were willing to defy the gods tenets and hurt barers, and even fewer still cubs.

"No." Ara answered. "I'm uncertain how Cooler came to possess the amulet. It was a few years after the master before him. He could have found it or purchased the amulet not knowing what it was. Someone may have given it to him as an offering of sorts. I'm more inclined to believe that option given the box he kept the amulet in."

"Hmm…" The pirate rubbed his chin in thought. It seemed odd to him that Cooler wouldn't use Ara's power to help further his grasp on power. "So Cooler didn't order you to help the Colds gain power in any way?"

"Not that I'm aware of, no," the arzu shook her head as she answered. "I feel like he used me more for his amusement more than anything. He would ask questions about some star systems every now and then, but most of what I told him was easily accessible information."

"Strange…" The alpha huffed under his breath, but he decided not to worry about at the moment especially since Ara couldn't tell him for sure. "I'd have used your power in some way to help gain more power, but perhaps he wanted to keep you a secret."

Turles wasn't sure about the relationship between Cooler and the rest of his family, but if they were like him in any way, Ara would be worked to exhaustion doing their bidding. His eyes fell down on the ruby colored stone on the amulet as he thought.

"What's it like in your amulet?" He almost blurted out to distract his thoughts from the woman's possible suffering she could have experienced if Cooler had done things differently.

His question had Ara blinking in surprise and confusion. She tilted her head to the side.

"What do you mean, Captain?" Her question had the pirate holding back an embarrassed wince, but he managed to keep it from showing.

"Do you have a room in your amulet or something like that when you're in there, or do you just become one with it?" He watched her brow furrow in thought.

"It's like…being in hibernation I guess would be the best way to describe it." Her fingers tapped her bottom lip as she tried to put it into words. "There's not a room or anything I go into when I return to the amulet. It's more like I go into a pod, and I get flashes of what happens in the outside world. When I'm in the stone while you wear it, I can perceive more clearly what happens around me. It's like I watch everything through a mirror when I'm with my master while he wears the amulet. When I was with Cooler, I could only get flashes."

"So there was no way for you to do anything to help pass the time. Like a hobby or anything." Turles moved to rest his head against his hand as he watched Ara.

"Hobby? What's a hobby?"

"Uh…" The alpha was speechless for a moment at the sight of those large, pretty eyes blinking at him. "A hobby is something you enjoy doing in your free time. For example, I like to read when I'm not working on anything."

"I'm not sure I have a…hobby, Captain." She bowed her head as she placed her hands on her lap once more. "I don't remember if I ever had one, and none of my previous masters allowed free time."

Turles frowned once more not really surprised at her response, but he had been vaguely hoping that there had been something she would have enjoyed doing in her past. It made him realize that he was going to have to almost educate her in how to be a regular person once he freed her from her imprisonment. Ara needed to rediscover just what and who she could be, and they were going to start by finding her a hobby.

"Well, we can explore. Discover what you like to do." He scratched his head in thought before an idea came to him. A slow, soft smile grew on his face making the arzu tilt her head as she waited for him to talk. "Ara, how would you like to try gardening?"

"Gardening?"