Chapter Two: The Test

"Vegeta!" Siyaka exclaimed, shaking the young prince. He growled in his sleep and swatted her hand away. She, already a little disgruntled at having to wake up before 10 in the morning, would not take no for an answer and shook harder. "VEGETA!!! You've GOT to wake UP!!"

Slowly, Vegeta's eyes opened and he rolled over to face his waker, an angry glare in his eyes. "What is it, girl?" He growled in deep agitation, scratching his head of black hair.

"The examinations start in ten minutes, or did you forget?!" Siyaka exclaimed and continued her panic preparations, running around the room and gathering her fighting suit. She did not pause to see that Vegeta sprang from his bed, a curse on his lips as he hastened to get ready, his flame-like hair blowing about with his speed.

"Hurry up girl! We'll be late, and I'm not going to be punished for your tardiness!!" Vegeta growled as he pulled on his spandex and grabbed his breastplate.

"You were the one sleeping in!" Siyaka cried indignantly, eyes becoming fiery at once. She ran to the door and opened it, ready to sprint down the hallway once Vegeta was ready. "Besides, I'm the one waiting for you!" She didn't wait long enough to hear his huff of agitation, and only knew he was following her because of the padding of his footsteps down the hall. Siyaka looked over her shoulder, a smile on her face. "I'll race ya!" And before he could even respond, she sprinted away leaving him in her large cloud of imaginary dust.

~*~*~*~

The two young saiyans arrived at the training ground already a little sweaty and breathless. Siyaka could not believe how fast Vegeta was. He had caught up to her five seconds into their race and stayed a few steps ahead until the finish. As the two caught their breath, they walked into the examinations, unsure what to expect.

"So, you two finally decided to show up, did you?" Zarbon – the blue lizard guy from before – drawled lazily, lifting his clipboard and writing a few notes down. Siyaka saw Vegeta's jaw clench in agitation and fist ball up. "Well, let's get started."

"Excuse me," Vegeta interrupted, much to the dislike of Zarbon. "What is this test about?"

Zarbon lifted an eyebrow, a frown on his face. Then he smiled dangerously, "Next time, dear Prince, do not interrupt. You will be tested on how well you fight, fly, and use your energy. If you do not pass any of the three tests, well let's just say it won't be pretty." He turned away from the young saiyans, who looked at each other with a little surprise on their faces. He walked to the other side of the examination room, opened the door, and closed it behind him. Siyaka couldn't see, but she knew that he had walked behind the one-way glass on the other side of the room.

The lights dimmed and Vegeta and Siyaka readied themselves for a fight. The ground seemed to shift in places, and small holes were created, green clawed hands sticking up out of them. Out crawled green plant creatures, all staring at the two saiyans with their red, glowing eyes. They smiled, exposing their fangs.

"Saibamen…" Vegeta hissed, glaring at the green vegetable creatures that were now surrounding them. Siyaka and Vegeta shifted so they were back to back with each other and had no blind spots. "These guys shouldn't be terribly hard," he whispered over his shoulder to her. She nodded in response and swallowed. Simultaneously, Vegeta and Siyaka launched away from each other and toward the surrounding saibamen, fists raised and ready to fight. Siyaka reached the nearest enemy and punched, knocking the creature's head clean off its shoulders. She spun around to a few others who had approached, lifted her hands and fired an energy blast. The light plowed through several creatures, disintegrating them. Then she jumped into the air, summoning that energy in the pit of her stomach once again to hold her body in the air while she drew out more to wipe out the other saibamen. She landed on the ground once more, beside the Prince, both of them breathing a little harder than before.

However, the lights did not go back to normal, so Vegeta and Siyaka readied themselves for a fight again. This time, there was a scratching on the ceiling. The two young saiyans looked up, but it was too dark to see anything. Siyaka could feel her heart hammering in her chest from adrenalin and a little fear. She clenched her jaw shut as she concentrated on her hearing. The scratching moved quickly around the ceiling, as if something were crawling around on it. When it was right above her, she looked up, focusing on seeing this time. There was a large, bat-like creature holding onto the ceiling. It looked down at her and Vegeta – who had also noticed it – and licked his chops. It dropped from the ceiling towards the two saiyans, who leapt out of the way. Screeching, it swerved away from the approaching floor and back into the air, chasing Siyaka. Vegeta turned to follow, but was tackled by another bat-like creature and slammed to the ground.

Siyaka heard Vegeta's grunt as he hit the ground and spun around quickly, allowing the monster following her to blow by her as she sped back to Vegeta. Before she could reach him, however, Vegeta fired an energy blast right through the monster on top of him. It screeched and fell to the side with a loud thud. Siyaka smiled at Vegeta's victory, but was broadsided from behind. She yelped in surprise and before she hit the ground, she sped out from under the creature and went around to its back. Before it could correct itself, she through her hands out in front of her palms facing the falling creature and fired an energy blast, propelling it to the ground. Vegeta fired his own energy at the fallen creature with a frown etched into his features, making sure it didn't get up again.

Siyaka landed beside him, out of breath. "Good job, Vegeta."

Vegeta smirked, "it was nothing. These guys were easy."

At that moment, the lights came back on again. Siyaka's pupils dilated painfully quickly so she held up a hand to shield her eyes so they could get used to the light. The door by the one-way glass opened and Zarbon strolled out of it and towards the two saiyans, who stood up straight and faced the blue lizard man. He looked a little disappointed as he eyed his clipboard, a frown distorting his mouth and his eyebrows furrowed. Siyaka began to get nervous, hoping that neither of them failed the test.

"Hn. You both passed," Zarbon started. His frown started to turn up into a smirk that Siyaka did not like. "However, you, Siyaka, were very near failing in your fighting. I suppose that warrants a retest. Vegeta, you are done, leave." Vegeta glared shortly at Zarbon, frowning. Siyaka knew he probably did not like this anymore than she did. He glanced at her before he turned to leave, arms folded and frowning deeply. When the door clicked shut behind him, Zarbon smiled, exposing pearly white fangs and incisors. Siyaka stared at the floor, anxiety twisting her stomach into knots. "Well then, let's get started."

~*~*~*~

Vegeta leaned against the wall outside the testing room, arms folded tightly across his armored chest. He closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowed so deeply they connected in the middle. His stomach churned slightly as worry seeped deep into his bones. He couldn't hear sounds within the chamber and that bothered the young prince greatly. What was worse was that he had no idea why he was so worried about that low class girl! She certainly could take care of herself and if she couldn't, well then good riddance! It vexed him to no end, but he hoped that she would step through that door with her limbs still intact and join him on their way back to the room.

Also, why would Zarbon want to hold her back? She did perfectly fine on that stupid test, he would know! He watched her fight while he dispatched those disgusting saibamen and bat-like things. Her movement was much more graceful than any saiyan he'd watched fight before, and her instinct on when to blast the enemy was almost as flawless as his was.

Oh man, what was he thinking?! Was he actually complimenting that scrawny girl? That was totally unlike him in every way, no one was good enough to compare to him, let alone compliment! Vegeta growled in agitation, folding his arms closer to his chest and squeezing his biceps with his gloved fingers. He opened his eyes and glanced at the door. Still no sound from the inside and she wasn't coming out. His instinct was telling him that something was not right about this; Siyaka should be out here with him and not taking that stupid retest. Normally his instinct was right. Most likely, Zarbon just wanted something to beat to a pulp and he – Vegeta – did too well on the test to keep behind. His every fiber was telling him to bust back in that room and get Siyaka out, but he knew it would only make things worse for the both of them.

Vegeta sighed and slid down the wall, folding his legs Indian style and leaning his head against the wall, gazing up at the ceiling through obsidian eyes. He would have to wait for Siyaka to come out, whether of her own volition or carried out. He hoped it would be the former.

He sat out in that dimly lit hallway for what seemed like hours, but he knew it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. He ignored every passerby who threw strange looks at him. He didn't need their curiosity or cruel jibes right now, not when he was so worried about a friend.

Friend? Was that what Siyaka was to him? HA! The notion of friendship in a place like this was laughable! Besides, friends are for the weak, for the people that don't fight for power. What greater motivation is there? But then, why was he still sitting here?

Suddenly, the door opened and a person stumbled through it before collapsing on the ground. Vegeta jumped away from the wall and toward the body on the ground. It was her. Several strands of her hair had fallen from her braid and clung to her bloody face. One arm stuck out at a very odd angle from the rest of her body and her black spandex was wet with blood. One eye was turning nasty shades of black and blue and was swollen shut. Blood dripped down from her forehead to her chin from various cuts lining her face. Vegeta grimaced at her appearance as he knelt beside her and lifted her up. He looked down both ways of the corridor and growled to himself. Where in hell were the medical quarters?! Growling again to himself, Vegeta took off down the hallway and away from the doors, hoping the direction he chose was the right one.

Eventually, the smells of a hospital wing buffeted his nose so he followed the aroma of sterilizer and blood for several minutes. He sprinted down hallways and around corners hoping the smell would lead him to right place, all the while hoping he wasn't hurting Siyaka too much. He followed the smell to a door labeled 'Medical Quarters,' and kicked it open.

Immediately, a doctor rushed over to him, seeing the unconscious child in his small arms. The doctor had dark green skin and a strange beak-like mouth. Orange hair sprouted at the top of his head.

"We just took the test—" Vegeta began to explain as the doctor took Siyaka from him.

"Goddamn that Zarbon. Always has to leave one behind so he can have his own twisted fun," the doctor growled in anger as he looked over his patient. He took a clean towel and began to clean as much blood off of Siyaka's skin as he could before he lifted her into a healing tank. Then he turned back to Vegeta. "My name is Dr. Herlan. She will be alright with a little time in the healing tank. Thank you very much for bringing her in Prince Vegeta."

"Just make sure she gets better," Vegeta replied, unsure how to deal with a 'thank you.' However, he looked at the other healing tanks and saw two saiyans that looked vaguely familiar to him. "Are they…?"

"Lanya and Burlis, Siyaka's parents. They were brought in yesterday in pretty rough shape. I'd say they have another day in there before they'll be fully healed again. Terrible, what happened to them…" Dr. Herlan sighed, gazing at the two unconscious saiyans before turning away.

Lanya was pretty, by Vegeta's standards. She had long locks of black hair, like her daughter, but she let it go in semi curls. Her face was heart-shaped and her lips plump. She had healthy sized biceps and a small waist. Her spandex was ripped in a few places where nasty cuts were beginning to heal and scar a little. In the tank to her left was her mate and Siyaka's father, Burlis. He was rough looking with short messy black hair, a small goatee, and a scar down his cheek. His body was of large build. By 'large,' Vegeta thought larger than his own father, King Vegeta, but not as large as Nappa. His biceps and pectorals bulged, showing off scars effectively. His body was littered with cuts and bruises, like his mate, that were healing slowly.

Vegeta scowled, not liking the condition of his fellow saiyans. He did not know what had caused Frieza to beat them so badly… but then again, when had he ever needed a reason?

~*~*~*~

Dr. Herlan watched the young prince carefully inspect Siyaka's parents. That poor young boy had no idea the extent to which Frieza was capable of being cruel. This was only the tip of the very large iceberg. Sadness and pity welled inside his chest as the boy turned away from the two in the tanks, still scowling. The good doctor knew that boy and the young girl he had brought in would have a terribly violent childhood, and were only just beginning to experience it.

"Sir, Miss Siyaka should be healed tomorrow morning. Would you like to come get her or should I bring her to your quarters?" he asked the boy, who broke out of his mental train of thought and looked up at the doctor with minimal surprise.

"Ummm… I guess I can come get her then," Vegeta replied, eyebrows furrowed in what looked like… confusion?

Before the doctor could ask, the young prince swept out of the room, his red cape flapping behind him. Dr. Herlan stared at the door that just slid shut. It was definitely confusion… but why?

~*~*~*~

Vegeta arrived back at his and Siyaka's room, alone. Normally he liked solitude, but he just felt so lonely now. He had realized when he said he'd be the one to bring Siyaka back that he considered her a friend. It was weird. They'd only known each other for a day! Besides, he couldn't afford friends, not here. Here, all a friend means is a weakness to be exploited by the enemy, blackmail. But, Siyaka was so different than anyone else he knew. She was fiery, which was something no one dared to be around the young prince, who was famous for his short fuse. She also wasn't easily afraid of anything. Like yesterday, she stood strong in front of Frieza after seeing the damage he had done to her parents! And she was only five! Vegeta frowned. However, she could also be really annoying. He hated having his station challenged; it really grated on his nerves. So how could he consider calling Siyaka a friend? He knew they shouldn't be friends, but strangely the thought of not being a friend to her was not ideal for Vegeta. He wanted to laugh and play with her, which is something he had never desired to do with anyone.

Frustrated, the young prince flopped on his bed. He needed to stop thinking about it, just ignore everything for now. He closed his eyes to rest, but his stomach suddenly growled, and loudly. Well, he couldn't ignore that.

Begrudgingly, Vegeta lifted his body off the bed and walked to the mess hall. Just standing in the room made him miss his home with its fancy dining and delicious, extravagant food. He sighed. It was this or nothing at all, and he preferred to have a full stomach. As he sat at a table in a far corner, the loneliness hit him again, and he just couldn't get Siyaka out of his mind.

And that's when his intense hatred of Zarbon and Frieza began.