(Thank you so much to Ie-maru, DragonRaven12, Biku-sensei-sez-meow, Aeroza, SoraMalfoySlytern, ChainzOfThePast, AngelWolf1994, KingCreations, SleepingLlamas, and BlueLagoon for your reviews. I was so happy when I read them! x3 Also a big thanks to all those who favorited, followed, and added the story to their alerts! I apologize for taking so long, but hopefully the double chapters make up for the delay.
BlueLagoon: Thank you! I'm really happy you're enjoying the stories that much! :) The fights and capturing the characters personalities is always something I worry I might not be doing well, so it's always nice to hear someone say that I am. :3
And I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as the others! ^_^)
Walking around the ship and taking in it's massive size, Selena was surprised to discover the spacecraft was much more spacious than even Frieza's main vessel. She figured this was due to most of Frieza's men being scattered around the various planets he had conquered, while the large army under Paragus all seemed to live aboard the ship.
It was actually rather heartwarming knowing Paragus gave all of these former soldiers and victims a new home. At least until they could find a new planet they would be able to call their own; a place where they could truly be free.
I suppose I'm finally free…but it doesn't feel right Selena realized, stopping in front of a large oval window where she gazed somberly out at the vast galaxy. Not until Vegeta is here with me….
She lightly gripped at the crystal necklace she wore, wishing more than ever her brother hadn't been so stubborn to take one of her mother's smaller stones. At least then they would have been able to communicate even at the small risk of Frieza or one of his minions overhearing them.
"Miss?" an exotic, yet delicate voice spoke up. Turning to see who was addressing her, Selena smiled lightly when seeing Marva. "Monsieur Paragus wanted me to inform you dinner is served."
At the mention of food, Selena's stomach let out a small growl of approval, causing the woman's cheeks to turn the same shade as her hair. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until now.
"I-I see. Thank you for telling me," Selena expressed timidly, nodding when Marva offered to lead her to the dining hall and she moved to walk beside the taller female.
Glancing around, Selena was surprised that she hadn't noticed before, but the other females they happened to pass seemed to be from the same species as Marva, and she noticed that most of them appeared to be doing various chores on the ship. She frowned lightly at this, wondering if they had chosen to do these tasks or was Paragus forcing them to do so?
"Is something the matter, miss Selena?" Marva asked confused, seeing the lavender eyed girl having stopped where she looked to be in deep thought.
"Huh? O-oh no. Everything's alright," Selena said, shaking her head before approaching one of the two large doors that Marva had opened.
She couldn't help but chew nervously on the inside of her mouth since she was about to dine alone with two men she barely knew, even if both of them didn't seem like bad people, being around guys like Raditz had made her just a bit wary of the opposite sex.
"Come, miss Selena. I will lead you to your seat," Marva said with a reassuring gaze, causing the pink haired girl to blink from surprise. Had she been that easy to read?
"That's really kind of you, Marva. And um, if it's alright with you…could you just call me Selena? It doesn't feel right having you call me miss…."
The blue haired woman was now the one to wear a look of astonishment, but she smiled faintly and simply nodded, leading the rather shy princess into the large room and toward a brown and white rectangular table that was covered with different varieties of meats and vegetables.
"I'm pleased to see that you've chosen to eat with us. Help yourself to anything that you'd like. I'm sure you must be famished," Paragus voiced after Selena had sat down in the chair Marva had pulled out for her.
The Saiyaness just sent him a sheepish look, but her eyes lit up as she reached for what looked like a turkey leg, having to hold herself back from devouring it in one gulp.
"This is delicious!" Selena couldn't help but praise, trying a little bit of everything.
Paragus chuckled while he wiped at his own greasy hands with a piece of cloth. "You can thank Marva for that. She's in charge of preparing all of the meals along with most of the cleaning that's done on the ship,"
"I used to prepare most of the meals for all of the soldiers myself. I should get some tips from her," Selena mused, gently running a finger along the rim of her wine glass.
"It's a shame you were reduced to performing such minimal tasks. I assure you, dear Selena, that won't be required of you here."
Selena just scratched at her cheek since admittedly she liked cooking even if she wasn't the best, tilting her head when feeling eyes on her and she turned to see Broly watching her. Yet when her orbs met his, he looked down at his plate as if he were ashamed.
"Aren't you hungry, Broly? You've barely touched anything," Selena asked gently, finding his behavior rather cute since he was playing around with the contents on his plate in an almost bashful way.
"I'm afraid Broly isn't used to eating around others, especially women. Most females tend to be…intimidated by his presence," Paragus mentioned with a sigh.
Selena lightly bit at her bottom lip remembering how she had been frightened herself by him for a moment, not able to help but feel guilty from her reaction. True she still didn't know much about him, but watching Broly's actions now, he seemed genuinely gentle; a trait she wasn't used to seeing in the men she had been around. It was honestly surprising someone of his demeanor had taken out all of Frieza's soldiers when he didn't look like he could hurt a fly.
"Well I hope you won't be too awkward eating around me, Broly. Especially if I start sharing meals with you and your father every day like this," Selena said with a giggle. "I mean, if you want me to, that is?"
Broly was the one who was now tilting his head, causing the lavender eyed girl to have to bite at her lip to stop from squealing at his reaction since he looked almost like a young child.
"No…That would be fine," Broly said in his usual quiet tone, a very small smile on his lips.
Paragus rose a brow at the two, yet a more serious expression soon appeared on his older features when Marva approached him to whisper something in his ear.
"Is something the matter?" Selena asked seeing Paragus closing his dark orbs.
"No. I was just informed that we've reached an inhabited planet. If the people will allow it, we need to gather provisions from them," Paragus answered, his attention on Broly, but his son made no sign that he might cause unnecessary trouble. "We have a long journey ahead of us, you see. So if there's anything you require, please tell Marva."
Giving a small shake of her head, Selena stood up. "I think I'll help Marva, then. I wouldn't mind getting some fresh air," She turned to look at Broly, her hands moving to rest behind her back. "Do you want to come too, Broly?"
"It would be best if Broly remained on the ship. He doesn't do well with large crowds. Isn't that right, son?" Paragus spoke up before the long haired half-Saiyan could.
Broly only nodded his head, looking more indifferent than usual as he stared down at his plate. Selena wasn't really sure what to think, but she gave a small nod, staring at the reserved male for a moment; a small sigh leaving her lips before she turned to follow Marva off the ship.
The other females had left to do shopping of their own, talking in an accent Selena didn't know. It made her wonder if Marva was the only one who knew the common language as she told the pink haired girl to stay close by. They didn't know what sort of beings they were dealing with, after all.
"I'll be careful. Though the residents don't seem bad," Selena commented, noticing they had a human quality to them, other than the pointed ears, horns on their heads, and their large one eyes. And they were just going about doing every day normal activities.
"Still, you should always remain cautious. You never know when someone who looks friendly can turn on you, and treat you like nothing more than a mere slave…." Marva claimed, a deep frown on her face while she examined some fruits from a nearby stand that resembled stars.
"Paragus isn't treating you like that, is he…?" Selena asked softly.
"Oh no, no. Nothing like that…Paragus actually saved our planet from another invader who took control of my former home world," Marva explained with a sad smile. "You see, I come from a race of all females known as Rynerans, so I'm afraid it made us easy targets…We believed Paragus would take advantage of the fact that we are not fighters, but he returned our freedom. So some of us chose to go with him to repay our debt."
For some reason, Selena got the feeling Marva wasn't telling her the whole story, but she decided not to question her further, turning her attention instead on a flyer that was attached to a nearby wall.
"Seventh Sanctum fighting competition today. Anyone is welcome to join. Winner will receive one thousand zeni," Selena read with light interest. "Sounds fun!"
"I would never have guessed you were into such activities," Marva said with a hint of amusement.
Selena rubbed at the back of her neck, letting out a small laugh. "Well normally I don't like fighting. Especially when it involves killing…But it is exciting to watch others when its just a simple combat match,"
"And I suppose seeing the sometimes attractive fighters has nothing to do with it?" Marva teased with a knowing smile, giggling at Selena's beat red face and her stutter of how that wasn't true. "Well I suppose it would not hurt to have a quick look."
The arena had been set up a small distance outside of the oddly slanted town in a wide open area, numerous people gathered around it as two people were already up on the large platform engaged in a match.
One of the fighters really stood out as he appeared to be a shiny giant robot with a golden and dark blue body, his eyes also a piercing blue. And he had just sent an icicle from out of his fist at his red haired and one eyed opponent who barely managed to dodge it; the area where he had been standing completely freezing over.
"Is it really fair to let a robot compete?" Selena asked confused, seeing the poor guy badly sweating since he had almost been turned into an ice sculpture.
"You've never heard of the Metalman species?" Marva questioned, smiling lightly when Selena shook her head. "The fighter may look like a robot, but he is not one. He's a living breathing being just like you and me. To be fair, this is my first time seeing one up close, so I can understand how hard it must be to believe."
"I see…Something tells me the Metalman is going to win his match, too…." Selena acknowledged with a small sweat drop, seeing the cyclopean male rolling around on the ground holding his red throbbing hand which he had tried to punch his foe with.
Rubbing at the top of his oval shaped head, the Metalman gave his swearing opponent a chance to stand back on his feet and launch himself once more at him before he delivered a simple punch. And it was enough to send the red haired male flying off high up into the air, only for his screaming form to painfully face plant with the ground outside of the ring.
The audience was quiet for a moment, more than likely from shock or to wait on the proctor to confirm that the guy was only unconscious, soon erupting into loud cheers that caused the robotic being to beat on his chest that let out a series of loud metallic clanks.
"And in a round that barely lasted ten minutes, we have our first winner, Atox!" the announcer proclaimed, jumping up onto the arena. "Is there anyone here brave enough to challenge him?"
Silence seemed to fill the crowd, other than a few murmurings, until one deep voice spoke up, "I will take up that offer."
The voice belonged to an incredibly pale man who had an almost sickly look to him with sharp black hair that pointed outwards. He was garbed in a leather black one piece, wearing no shoes. Yet his most distinct features had to be his golden eyes, incredibly long fingers, and long curved dragon-like tail.
Perhaps it was his gothic appearance or the fact that the challenger gave off an extremely cold attitude, but the announcer was clearly nervous to ask the male his name as he held the microphone in front of him to answer into.
"Zos…."
"Not much of a talker, eh Zos?" the announcer questioned, laughing nervously when he was simply ignored. He cleared his throat before turning to grin at the crowd. "Now for the second match! Atox verses Zos…BEGIN!"
Zos remained where he was, his surprising move making Atox let out a confused sound of mechanical noises before he ran at his opponent with surprising speed for one of his size and weight, trying to hit the dark haired male with a flurry of punches.
"This Zos fellow is certainly light on his feet," Marva complimented since he was dodging every one of Atox's attacks by simply shifting his body from side to side; his arms remaining crossed across his chest the entire time.
"Yeah…." Selena agreed softly, her eyes slightly widening when Zos grabbed the fist that was aimed at his face, shockingly lifting up the robotic-like male and tossing him to the other side of the ring. It was probably just a miracle Atox didn't bounce right off.
Clearly stunned by this action himself, Atox remained where he sat just blinking multiple times. He soon hopped back onto his rectangular feet, his eyes narrowing while a blue aura surrounding his form causing many of the onlookers to shiver from the sudden decrease in temperature.
What looked like lasers shot from Atox's eyes, but it was clear they were more than just simple energy beams as they froze Zos' lower body when they connected. Oddly enough Zos didn't even appear fazed by this strike, even when more of his body started to freeze over.
Is he actually forfeiting the match Selena pondered, her dark brows furrowed. But then, Zos didn't seem like your average fighter. Even if she couldn't read power levels without a scouter, she could sense he was hiding his real power. But just how much is he hiding…?
Gasps or sounds of displeasure left the audience since it looked like this match was already over for Zos' body was nothing but an ice statue now. The proctor moved to examine Zos, leaning his ear against him to make sure he was still alive. However when feeling warmth coming from the ice, he quickly jerked back, and it was a good thing he had for intense flames had burst straight through the ice.
"Clankity?!" Atox cried out, no doubt wondering what in the world was going on, too.
"You do have some unique techniques, but they are useless against me," Zos claimed, the flames dying down. He extended out his arm where a small ball of fire appeared in his palm. "Allow me to demonstrate."
Atox quickly shielded his face to protect himself from the small, yet fast fireballs Zos hurled at him. They may not have looked that powerful from their size, yet they were enough to push Atox backwards where he was getting deadly close to the edge.
"I expected you to be a decent challenge, but it seems you're nothing more than a rusted piece of scrap metal…." Zos stated icily, his words seeming to drain any fight that had remained in Atox away for his body had frozen up. And he fell from the arena when Zos hit his form with a mere kick.
"I-I'm not certain what happened here, ladies and gentleman…But the winner of the second match is the mysterious Zos!"
"I feel a little bad for Atox," Selena expressed with a sad smile seeing tears in his blue eyes while he remained where he lay.
"It seems the Metalmen are a sensitive race. That insult really affected him," Marva voiced with a pitiable look of her own.
Admittedly there did appear to be other strong fighters within the crowd, but after Zos' impressive display, no one was eager to take him on. The winner of the tournament had already been found, or so it appeared….
"No. There's still someone here who may be worth fighting," Zos claimed, stopping the proctor when he was about to declare the winner. His emotionless orbs landed on Selena, much to her surprise. "You."
"H-huh? Me…?" Selena stammered out awkwardly, looking around where she hoped he had made some sort of mistake. It didn't help that the spectators were confirming what she already felt for many had burst out into loud laughter from Zos' clearly bizarre words.
"You may look like a weakling, but I can tell that is not the case," Zos continued with a very small smirk. "I came here to find someone who might be able to challenge me, and so far, you're the only one that's peaked my interest."
Selena just looked down at her feet not certain what to think. It was incredible just to find someone who could apparently read power levels without something to assist him, and not only that, but he possessed abilities that far surpassed her own. She'd be lucky if she lasted a minute against a guy like this….
What should I do…?
Get on that arena and fight him before I throw you up there myself!
"So then, you've decided to fight me?" Zos said, mildly amused when the pink haired woman shakily climbed up onto the platform.
Selena just gave a twitchy smile in response, though she was inwardly crying. Ever since she was little she was used to Vegeta normally making most of her decisions for her. Yet even far away from him, she could still hear her loud brother's commanding tone inside of her head.
I should probably be concerned about that….
"You do not have to do this, Selena! Monsieur Paragus will be very upset if anything were to happen to you!"
"…I'll be okay, Marva. It's not like killing is allowed in this tournament…Erm, right?" Selena spoke up sheepishly while gazing at the announcer.
"That is correct! I will immediately step in and disqualify you if I see either of you taking things too far," he replied sternly. "Then if you are both ready…Zos verses Selena! Let the third match of the tournament begin!"
Expecting Zos to just stand there and let her make the first move the way he did Atox, Selena couldn't help but squeak when he lunged at her; barely managing to raise up her arms to block his relentless punches.
Knowing he'd be able to overcome her defense eventually, she quickly teleported away, gathering a violet Ki blast in her palm that she sent at the dark haired male when he turned around to face her.
"A teleportation technique…I wasn't expecting that," Zos admitted, lowering his arms which he had held in front of his face to block the blast. "But your holding back. If you continue to do so, you will lose."
Selena just chewed at her lower lip knowing he was right, Zos' next words making her deeply frown.
"Perhaps there are reasons for why you choose to hold back against your opponents, but I require no sympathy!" Zos uttered out, letting out a yell as a wall of fire appeared in front of him and shot at Selena.
I suppose he's right…I may not like it, but I don't want to demean him Selena thought, causing the audience to gasp when she flew up into the air to dodge the fire wall. So, I'll put everything I have into this fight!
Selena once again gathered energy into her hands, this time sending a volley of Ki blasts at Zos who was having to dash around the arena to dodge them. It wasn't long before he was up in the air with the Saiyaness, the two of them having a stare down before charging at each other.
"S-shouldn't you be calling that they're both out of bounds?" one man shakily asked since it was rare when he could actually see the two of them, but they were nowhere near the arena anymore.
The announcer was too stunned to reply. They had never had fighters like this competing in the tournament before. He could only hope they didn't get carried away an end up going near the city with any of those crazy attacks of theirs.
Landing back on the arena, Selena lightly panted. She noticed that Zos didn't even look winded when he descended himself, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I wonder how much further you can go? You probably didn't realize this, but I have yet to unleash my full power," Zos revealed, closing his eyes for a moment before they shot open where they seemed to glow, matching the red aura that had surrounded him.
I was actually afraid of that Selena thought with a small smile, standing her ground even though the entire planet was violently shaking. At this rate, there won't be an arena to fight on….
She prepared herself for when Zos would come in for the attack, not expecting the large figure that seemed to come from out of nowhere and land in front of her.
"Broly…?" Selena said softly, lightly startled by his change in appearance. His black hair had changed to a neon blue with a purple tint, but what was most shocking was his body. His form had not only increased in height, but was much more muscular and bulky.
"What sort of being are you…?" Zos questioned with narrowed eyes, a small bead of sweat trailing down the side of his head. He had never felt such an immense power like this in his lifetime, yet it was clearly unstable. Which made this monstrosity all the more dangerous.
A sadistic grin formed on Broly's face while he unleashed a dark laugh. "I am death…And you, you will be my first victim!"
"S-sir! I'm afraid there is a match currently going on…And killing is not allowed in this tournament…!" the commentator spoke up a tad weakly.
Broly simply turned to the blond haired cyclopean male with a twisted smirk, a green Ki blast forming in his hand that he fired. Luckily the announcer and the audience who had been around had managed to flee from the attack that would have easily killed them all.
"What are you doing, Broly?! Stop this!" Selena exclaimed when seeing him readying another energy blast to aim at the panicking crowd, and she grabbed hold of his large arm.
"Your in my way!" Broly growled out, knocking the pink haired girl roughly from the arena where she landed next to Marva.
"Y-you mustn't go near him! He'll kill you!" Marva implored, her entire frame shaking when she moved to help Selena back onto her feet.
Broly had focused his attention back on Zos who he was now engaged in combat with, and it was clear the Saiyan warrior's strength far surpassed Zos'. The attacks Zos did manage to land on the massive alien barely left a mark, and Zos was gritting his teeth when Broly had his large hand pressing against his throat where he slammed him into a nearby cliff.
"I don't understand…What happened to him?" Selena asked softly. She frowned from concern since Marva only shook her head, her arms wrapped around her quivering body. The poor woman was terrified, and seeing Broly's merciless nature, it was understandable why.
"BROLY! STOP THIS AT ONCE!"
Selena turned to see Paragus flying toward them fast, landing on the amazingly still standing arena and holding onto his wrist where the device he had on his right hand started to glow green.
Broly was launching himself at Zos, who was struggling to stand up, soon stopping during mid-attack and gripping at his head where screams of both pain and frustration left his lips.
While it seemed Broly was struggling to fight whatever it was Paragus was doing to him, his form soon went completely limp; his eyes losing any battle lust they had once possessed and showing no emotion at all. His hair had also reverted back to its original black color along with his stature which had returned to its more lean physique.
"Paragus what did you do…?" Selena asked confused, gazing from the golden ring-like bracelet he wore to Broly who was slowly making his way over toward them.
"I understand you must be confused. I'll explain everything once we return to the ship," Paragus replied gruffly, placing his tanned hand on Broly's back and giving him a small push to make him walk in that direction.
Selena ran a hand through her hair unsure what to think, and blinked when the announcer and host of the tournament approached her, practically throwing the bag of money into her hand and asking her to never return to their planet.
A small sigh left the lavender eyed woman's lips after they had ran off, her attention turning on Zos. She made her way over to the pale skinned male who had his eyes closed and seemed to be resting, placing the bag of zeni beside him.
"You deserve this more than I do," she voiced gently, giving a small bow. "I'm so sorry about what happened…."
Zos opened his eyes, watching as Selena started to walk off as the words he spoke made her pause in her pace. "You should distance yourself from that man. His actions are completely unhinged where he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone in his path…That could very well include you…."
Selena felt a small chill run down her spine, but she tried to ignore the sudden fear that was creeping up inside of her and simply smiled as she turned to give Zos a small wave, flying off to catch up with the others.
(A/N: You gotta love Broly when he goes all sadistic, lol! xD But if I remember right, his hair doesn't turn to a greenish yellow until he loses the crown that Paragus is using to control him...At least, that's what wiki said. And wiki's not the most reliable source. :P
Also a lot of you might have guessed it already, but I created Marva to pair with a certain character who always gets the short hand of the deck. He deserves love too. x3)