Wicked Game Ch. 1

By Shawna

A/N: Whoohoo I am so high on Skittles. Yeah, so I'm a relatively new DBZ fan, so if anything I say in this fic contradicts anything that has been said in the actual series, please do point it out to me. Thanks. Reviews make me happy, BTW. ^_^

It was the little red light on the console that woke her up, or at least, that was her first thought. That didn't make any sense, though; small lights that were not even blinking did not just wake a person up. Something had roused her, though, and she was definitely fully awake now.

Space. That was her second thought. When she finally tore her eyes from the red light she looked out a large window, seeing, beyond the reflection of her big green eyes and long strawberry blonde hair, blackness and stars. She was in an escape pod, and she was drifting in space. How had she gotten here? She sorted through her brain but found she could remember nothing about what might have driven her to escape her planet like this. Her planet. What planet was that? She had no recollection of its name, though she could remember that it had been covered in forests of evergreen trees and crisscrossed with pure blue rivers. She slapped her fist into her palm and concentrated on its name, trying to ignore the dull throb at the base of her skull, telltale sign of a head injury, perhaps a concussion.

Nothing came. It was several minutes before she was suddenly panic-stricken, wondering if she could remember her own name. Katsu. That was her name, wasn't it? Yes, yes it was. Katsu. Katsu what? From where? These things she could not remember, and she wondered how long she had been drifting out here. She checked the console, but there seemed to be nothing that would control the little vessel. How ridiculous. What was the point of escaping in this pod if you could not control where you ended up? She slapped her hand on the console in frustration and for the first time noted the singe marks on the cloth covering her outstretched arm. She stared at it for a moment before rushing to check all of her clothing, finding there to be several burn marks and rips in the cloth. Evidently there had been some kind of disaster on her planet, something horrible, and she had either gotten herself into this pod and then sustained her head injury or someone had put her in this pod afterwards. In either case, why was she alone? Shouldn't there be someone with her? Anyone at all? There should have been, but there was not. She was definitely alone and she was at the mercy of space.

Her head throbbed with more pain than it had before and she clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut. The pain made her feel drowsy, despite the fact that she had just woken up from what had most likely been a very long nap. Her eyes did not seem to want to open again, and so she let them stay closed, and it wasn't long before she felt sleep claiming her again. I hope I don't crash into a star or something, she thought as she drifted off. Maybe I'll hit a planet...

* * *

She was roused again some time later, but it was definitely not by that little red light on the console this time. The pod jerked hard to one side and she smacked her head on the inner wall with a yelp. The turbulence had awoken her and a quick glance out the window revealed that she was entering a planet's atmosphere. She, of course, could not tell what planet and fear stabbed into her at thought of what might be waiting in store for her here. She could only hope that this planet would be civilized and friendly, and that she could get her memories back and radio her planet for help.

On the ground, several beings looked up as Katsu's escape pod streaked across the sky. Their eyes gleamed and there was an immediate bustle of activity among them.

Katsu braced herself for the impact as she saw the ground rushing rapidly up to meet her. The pod smashed into the ground with a jarring force, tossing Katsu about inside and sending up a huge plume of dust and dirt. Katsu lay where she had been thrown, staring at the dirt falling around outside the pod, thinking that it would be best to wait until the thick dust had settled before opening the hatch.

The dust had barely begun to drift back to the ground when a figure suddenly loomed outside the pod, and before Katsu could react, tore the door open and grabbed her. She screamed and fought as she was easily lifted out of the pod by her arm. She was met by a pair of dark eyes that belonged to a massive man with long black hair that fell in spiky waves down his back. She screamed again, seeing the bulging muscles in his arms and legs, and tried to strike him with her fists. She landed one or two of what she thought were fairly good punches for her current position. The man began to laugh as she beat her fist against his chest.

"This one's feisty!" He said with a grin. "Maybe we should just destroy her now. She won't be much use in the castle."

Several other large men emerged from the dust, grinning and laughing themselves.

"She's just scared," one said. "She might calm down if things are explained to her."

Katsu stared in horror. She could certainly scratch the idea that this planet might be friendly. But who were these men? What did they want with her? And what castle?

The man holding her spoke. "You chose a good time to crash here, girl," he said bruskly. "One of the servants in the castle just died, and if you agree to behave we'll spare your life and put you to work. If you'd rather not cooperate, you can try to fight us." Here all the men laughed loudly and Katsu grimaced. It went through her mind that she did know how to fight, she had learned, but there was no way she could beat even just one of these enormous men, let alone several of them.

"I-I'll behave," she said falteringly, cursing herself for giving up but seeing it as her only option at the time. She could always take her time to come up with a plan and perhaps escape later. She would definitely try. She didn't know what kind of planet this was, that enslaved newcomers, but she could learn more about it in safety if she was cooperative.

"Of course you will," the man holding her said as he pulled a pair of wristcuffs from his belt and cuffed her hands together in front of her.

"What are you putting these on for?" She asked, testing the bonds and chafing her wrists.

The man punched her in the face, and it was enough to send her reeling even though he had not drawn back his fist at all and had used only a very small amount of his full strength.

"First lesson," he said harshly. "Don't speak unless you're asked a question."

She stared at him and nodded silently, feeling her nose beginning to throb and bleed where he had struck her. He grunted and grinned before picking her up easily and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She went stiff at first, opened her mouth to protest, and then shut it resolutely and relaxed her body, resigning herself to her fate. She relaxed, allowing her head to go down, and then her eyes widened as she spotted the thin brown tail that the man carrying her possessed. They all had tails! What sort of race could they be? Katsu was at a loss; they certainly looked like normal men, but they were at least a hundred times as strong, and they all had those simian tails.

The man threw her in the back of some sort of transport and then got into the driver's seat and took off. It was a short trip back to civilization. She had crashed not far outside of what must have been their capital city, because resting on a hill above it was a castle - a castle of exquisite size and beauty, that put Katsu in awe despite her current predicament. They approached it rapidly, arriving at the gates just as Katsu's back was beginning to ache from her awkward position.

"We've found the king a new servant!" The man called up to the guard at the gate. The guard was a woman, but her eyes were dark and hard just like the men who had captured Katsu and, of course, she had a tail. She grinned down at them and went inside the small tower and a second later the gate slid open.

They entered the castle courtyard. The front entrance was large and grand, but Katsu was picked up out of the back of the transport and carried around to the side of the castle, to a small dingy-looking door that creaked as the man carrying her threw it open. Several beings of various different species looked up as the door opened, and then quickly looked down again as they saw who it was. Some of them cast pitying looks at Katsu as the man carried her across the room and tossed her down onto a hard cot.

"This is where you sleep," he said gruffly. "The other servants will tell you your duties and the rules. I suggest you pay careful attention and don't make any mistakes. The king is not a patient man." He turned and walked away from where he had dropped Katsu, and the other servants worked feverishly at whatever task they were performing.

"Shiro," the man said as he reached the door, "Show the new girl about and tell her her duties. The rest of you... get back to work!" He shouted this last part, despite the fact that no one had ceased to work, and then slammed the door behind him. The servants breathed an audible sigh of relief and slowed their working pace. Several of them were at a sink washing dishes, while two others were polishing armour. A few were fixing some type of small machine, while in the room just off of this one, there were the noises of people bustling about what sounded to be a kitchen.

Katsu gingerly touched her nose and groaned. It was a bit swollen now, and still oozing a steady trickle of blood.

"We'd better do something about that," came a soft, even voice from above Katsu. She looked up to see a young man gazing down at her. His eyes were intent upon her face, and were a deep and pure violet in color. His hair was silvery blue and tied back in a low, loose ponytail, but she could see that it went down to his waist. His features were sharp and clear, and he would have been very handsome but for two very strange attributes to his person: a pair of large, triangular ears that burst from his hair on top of his head, and a long, thick, bushy tale falling behind him.

Katsu stared in surprise; she'd never seen a person like this before. The young man smiled softly.

"I'm Shiro," he said, in that same gentle, even tone. "I'm supposed to help you get adjusted and to work, but first..." He offered Katsu his hand, and pulled her into a sitting position when she took it. "We need to do something about that nose. Tilt your head back and I'll get you a rag and some ice."

He moved off and Katsu tilted her head back as she had been told to do. Her head throbbed with pain as she did so and she gritted her teeth. Shiro returned with a piece of somewhat clean cloth and some ice wrapped in a rag. She took these gratefully, dabbing away the blood and pressing the ice tenderly against her swollen and painful nose.

"Thanks," she said simply, and Shiro merely smiled before leaving her alone.

He came back less than an hour later to take back the cloth and the rag, which was now wet from the melted ice. Katsu gave these up hesitantly, still being in pain, and Shiro took them to a large bin on the other side of the room that was full of, she presumed, dirty clothes and linens and things.

"Ready to work?" Shiro asked cheerfully upon his return, helping Katsu to her feet.

"Work?" She said miserably, feeling her nose throb again.

Shiro looked at her with sympathy. "Yes, I'm afraid we don't get any breaks around here, not even for injuries, especially ones caused by the Saiyans."

"Saiyans?" Katsu asked, having never heard the name before.

Shiro sat her back down on her cot and took a seat next to her. "I guess I have enough time to tell you a little about whats happening here before we need to get back to work," he said. Katsu looked at him expectantly. "This is the planet Vegeta, and its run by these... beasts called Saiyans. They're the ones with the tails. They're a violent, hateful race, and they make their living by wiping out all the lifeforms on a planet and then selling it in the Planet Trade. They love to fight and eat and thats pretty much it. They have the technology to build androids to serve them, but they delight in taking those who try to surrender and enslaving them." He stopped here, passing a hand over his face.

"You surrendered?" Katsu asked softly.

"No," he said firmly. "My mother did. I don't blame her. I was just a child, she was trying to protect my life. Well, they killed her anyway, but took me here and I've been their slave ever since. What about you? Did you surrender?"

Katsu shook her head. "I woke up in an escape pod with no memory of how I got there," she said. "Then I crash landed here. I was captured..."

"And then you surrendered." Shiro said softly. Katsu looked away in shame. He placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"Hey! Break it up! There's no time for tender moments!" A woman at the door to the kitchen was shrieking at Katsu and Shiro. "Get that girl properly dressed, and hurry! You've got to take out the dinner in five minutes! The prince arrived home tonight and they're having a feast. The king will have us all whipped if everything isn't perfect." WIth this she scurried away, looking harried and stressed.

Shiro stood up and pointed to a large, undecorated chest in the corner. "Find a dress in there that fits, and hurry. Be in the kitchen in three minutes." He left, heading for the kitchen himself.

Katsu felt harried herself now. She rushed over to the chest and threw it open, finding it full of plain black dresses that laced up the front, as well as the black tunic shirts and pants that must be for the men, as that was what Shiro had been wearing. The first two dresses she tried were too big, but the third fit comfortably enough and she finished lacing it on her way to the kitchen.

Shiro was standing in the middle, balancing four platters on his arms. When he saw Katsu, he immediately passed two of them to her. She promptly lost the balance and one of the platters of food went crashing to the ground. For a few seconds, all action in the kitched ceased as everyone stared at her.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I-"

"No time for apologies," a woman said, cutting Katsu off briskly. "Just take that food that you didn't drop out into the dining hall before its late and you cause even more trouble."

Katsu felt herself beginning to blush furiously, but Shiro nudged her and motioned for her to follow him and so she hurriedly did.

"Thats not going to make you very popular with the kitchen maids," Shiro said as they climbed a flight of stairs. "But don't worry about it. You're a house servant. You'll only have to see them at mealtimes and at night, when everyone is too busy sleeping to give anyone a hard time. Besides, it was really my fault. I guess I forgot that you're new. What's your number?"

"Number?" Katsu asked, confused.

"At the top of your left arm," Shiro said.

Katsu looked at the sleeve of her black dress and saw a number 88 stitched in white on the black cloth. "Eighty-eight."

Shiro nodded. "Double numbers are lucky," he said jokingly, as if anything could possibly be lucky about being a slave.

Shiro pushed open a door at the top of the stairs and held it open for Katsu with his foot. Passing through this door was like passing through a dimension warp. The servant's quarters and the kitchen were bare, dingy, dank, cold, and poorly lit. On the other side of that door, there was splendor. Katsu gasped audibly on beholding the lavish corridor, lit by exquisite chandeliers and furnished in deep, rich colors and textures.

"Yes, its impressive," Shiro said dryly. "Slaves built this place for the Saiyans. Now come on, this way. Once we get inside the dining hall, don't say a word. Keep your eyes downcast and your face neutral. There will be four cleared areas. Place your platter in one of those."

"Won't there be one missing?" Katsu asked.

Shiro shot her a worried glance, but then they entered the dining hall and he immediately assumed the expression he had told her to take, and she followed his lead. He walked quickly and quietly to the long table, around which sat nearly fifty of these Saiyans, all of them huge and muscle-bound, with their tails hanging over the sides of their chairs. Katsu silently placed her platter at an empty spot and then turned to go, Shiro not far behind her.

"Stop!"

Katsu frove, as did Shiro. One of the Saiyans had risen out of his seat, and the cleared space before him was still just that: clear. He looked more than a little upset about this fact.

"Where's the platter that goes here?" He demanded of the two servants.

Shiro's gaze remained on the floor, but his tail was stiff and bristled behind him. His voice was soft and submissive when he spoke. "Another platter will be up in a few short moments."

"Why isn't it here now?" The Saiyan demanded.

Shiro's tail twitched. "Well, there was-"

Katsu cut him off. "It was my fault," she said, keeping her eyes down but her chin up. "I dropped the platter, but I'm sure another one is ready to be brought up by now."

Shiro's eyes were no longer on the floor. They were on her, and they were wide and fearful.

The Saiyan growled, and seemed ready to approach her when another voice was raised, this one being lower, rougher, and far more regal. Katsu's eyes went to the head of the table, where the voice had come from. The Saiyan that had spoken was standing, and his place was on the right hand side of the king. He was young, younger than most of the assembled Saiyans, and shorter as well. His black hair nearly compensated for his lack of height by being tall and spiky, drawing back a bit on his forehead, forming a shallow widow's peak that would certainly get deeper as he got older. His eyes were dark, and at the moment, they were flashing with anger.

"I'll handle this," he said, addressing the other standing Saiyan, who slowly took his seat. "Woman!" The still standing Saiyan called to Katsu. "Come here!"

She walked swiftly down the length of the table, stopping about five feet from the Saiyan.

"Closer," he commanded her, and she took another step. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the chin, bringing her face up until her eyes met his. "I haven't seen you before," he said, turning to face those at the table. "Where did this woman come from?"

The Saiyan who had first carried Katsu out of her escape pod stood. "She crash landed on the planet just this afternoon, your Highness."

Your Highness! As Katsu had been thinking, this must be the prince that the woman in the kitchen had spoken of. His dark eyes came back to hers and he scowled. Katsu unconsciously braced herself, expecting him to strike her like the Saiyan earlier today, but he did not. His grip abruptly tightened, though, and with a single swift motion of his arm, he threw her to the ground. A small squeak escaped her lips, and this seemed to anger him, and he gave her a kick in the shin.

"I'm going to spare you a punishment," he said sternly. "But don't screw up again, or you will be whipped. Now get out of here, and don't return this meal."

He returned to his seat, and the Saiyans went back to their talking. Katsu scurried to her feet, and fled the room quickly. Shiro was waiting for her outside the door.

"Why did you do that?" He asked angrily as they walked back down the corridor. "Do you know what could have happened to you? When I saw Prince Vegeta get up, I thought they might even put you to death, or at least whip you! Prince Vegeta orders servants whipped if they so much as look at him in a way he doesn't like! You got really lucky!"

Katsu was deeply shaken, but her voice was remarkably calm for how unnerved she felt inside. "You would have gotten whipped for sure, then," she said. "I spared you punishment."

"And you almost got it yourself!" He fumed.

"This planet is called Vegeta, and so is the prince?" Katsu asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Yes," Shiro brushed her question aside. "Look, Katsu, of course I'm glad I didn't get punished, and I do have you to thank for that, but how do you think I would feel if they whipped you? It would have been my fault."

"I dropped the platter," she said. "Any punishment I might have received would have been my own fault."

Shiro was still fussing about what she had done when they went back into the kitchen, and all the kitchen maids looked up, seeming surprised to see Katsu still intact.

"Katsu's been ordered not to return to the dining hall tonight," Shiro told them. "She's going to go to bed now."

Katsu sent Shiro a look, but he glared sternly and she went quickly back into the sleeping quarters.

There were only thin blankets that were full of holes to cover up with. Katsu changed back into the clothes she had arrived in, these being more worn and comfortable than the stiff black dress she wore now. She slipped under the inadequate blanket and curled up, trying to get warm.

It took her some time, but she had fallen into a deep sleep by the time the other servants began coming into the quarters and going to sleep themselves. Shiro was the last to come in, and he passed by Katsu's cot on his way to his own. He stopped, looked down at her and saw that she was shivering in her sleep. His face softened, and he went to his own cot and came back with his blanket and threw it over her. She stirred a bit and he stood over her until her shivering stopped. He leaned down and whispered, "Thank you," in her ear, because he had not said it before, and then went to his own cot, fluffing up his tail and covering as much of himself as he could with it before falling asleep, shivering.

To Be Continued...

(A/N:) I know the focus was a lot more on the original characters in this chapter, but Vegeta will be in the story more from now on! ^_^