Despite Frieza and himself getting along swimmingly for the time being, Yamcha was of the opinion that the reason for that for the most part was due to the fact that the tyrant had not yet done anything of a horrible nature in his presence. This included blowing up planets or destroying his own soldiers because he grew annoyed with them. The human had yet to see this behavior, either because Frieza simply didn't feel like it at the moment, or his leash from Beerus was lorded over him more than he liked, or he simply realised that he did not have as many under his rule as he once did. Maybe he was merely conserving lives because it was to his benefit.
But Yamcha knew that, even if they were friends, it didn't change the fact that at his core, Frieza was an evil being with very twisted preferences on what he enjoyed. The human was no fool, and he knew that eventually, there would be clashes between himself and the tyrant.
He thought he was prepared for it, he really did, but nothing could've prepared him for when it really did happen, nor the lengths he would need to go to protect his own life.
He really should've seen it coming…
A slip in the hallway started it all.
The soldier hadn't meant to, of course. He had simply been taking some important documents somewhere, and down he fell. But in the process, he had shattered one of the datapads containing some information, which pissed Frieza off instantly. Yamcha knew that his type hated incompetence… but the mere idea of the soldier being killed off just for a fall had not sat well with him.
And so, they argued.
"You shouldn't just kill someone over a trivial mistake like that!" Yamcha had protested.
"Don't tell me how to run my empire, human," Frieza had all but hissed back.
Said human knew he was in trouble, but if there was anything he had gained from this trip… it had been his lingering self confidence. Frieza had unconsciously boosted him up, and he wasn't going to change that just because the icejin was now angry.
"I'm not, but I am telling you to show your soldiers some mercy,"
The tyrant growled, "I'm not the merciful type, Yamcha. Surely you knew that about me by now."
"Maybe so, but there's such thing as being merciful for your own benefit, and I think this is one of those times," he tried to reason, "think about it - how many men do you have working for you now? Twenty? Thirty? Can you really afford to just kill one over a trivial mistake?"
"So what if I do?" the icejin thrust his hand out from his side, "I didn't bring you on here to question how I run things!"
"Yeah, so why did you bring me here?" Yamcha folded his arms defiantly. Inwardly he was shaking, but he knew he had to stick to his guns. "You know that eventually, I wouldn't have liked this."
"Maybe, but I wouldn't have thought you'd have the guts to question it," Frieza huffed, a smirk on his face. The soldiers took the opportunity to back away from the two arguing.
"So you saw me as a coward?!"
"You were practically quaking in your boots the night we met - how could I not think of you as a coward?"
Yamcha supposed he had a point, but that didn't deter him, "then if I'm so cowardly, why am I here?"
He asked it again, and it made Frieza pause. Why was he here? He couldn't just say it was because he liked the company. It was unbefitting of him… but it was the actual truth. Not to mention… the metal of the necklace around his neck glittered in the corner of his eye.
But Yamcha couldn't know about that. Not yet.
"You're here because I let you come," the tyrant all but snarled, "and I can easily kill you just as easily as I could kill them!"
"Of course you can," Yamcha had never denied it, "but before you even think about it? I'll message King Kai, who will message Lord Beerus, who will then come and kill you before you so much as raise your hand."
It was a strong threat, and yet, a true one. He had since learned how to use Telekinesis, and he already knew how to get in touch with King Kai from his time with the Kai on his world. He also knew that King Kai wouldn't hesitate to let Lord Beerus know (who made no secret of not liking Frieza at all) and he knew that it wouldn't be long before the feline killed Frieza just because he could.
Frieza looked pissed at the remark, but he couldn't deny it was fact. Yamcha was terrified, but he kept his face straight, and stared straight at the other beings angry red eyes. He had probably stepped way out of line, he had probably signed a death warrant.
"You dare to threaten me?"
"You threatened me first," he was quick to point out.
With that, the icejin merely snarled and whipped around, his tail smacking Yamcha hard across the face. Whether it was on purpose or not didn't matter, as the human yelped in pain from the blow. He rubbed his cheek as the icejin stalked away, but what mattered was that he was alive.
And he stood up for himself.
Yamcha mostly stuck to his room after that. He may have stood up for himself, but he was still on Frieza's ship in the middle of space. He knew if he really wanted to, he could have Goku fetch him and take him straight home, and he knew that the kind saiyan would understand why he wanted to at least try to be friends with the space Emperor. He knew that Goku had given him chances too, after all.
The human sighed as he fixed up the nasty cut on his cheek. That was going to bruise and he knew it, but he wondered if he had gone too far to protect a soldier. Yamcha knew that he had done the right thing, but had he permanently screwed up his friendship? He really didn't know. The human was only beginning to understand the icejin's body language and his overall personality.
He knew that Frieza was not a good person.
He also knew that Frieza had helped save the entire Universe.
But he also knew that Frieza wanted to become a god and rule over said Universe he saved. He was ambitious, and wanted what he saw as his rightful place at the very top of the ladder.
So then, where did he come into this? It was clear to him that his friendship meant something to the tyrant, but what exactly did that really mean? Was he just an entertaining plaything for now?
Yamcha sighed as he flopped on his bed. Dealing with this alone was hard, but contacting anyone else wasn't something he thought he could do. They would all blast him, or blame him, for trusting Frieza in the first place.
Did he trust him? Not really, truth be told.
He trusted Frieza not to kill him if he continued to deliver praise to the tyrant, but he didn't trust Frieza to keep him alive. He was not a fool.
He wasn't sure what to do, and it was with that thought that he got ready to sleep, and drift into an uneasy slumber.
Yamcha woke up with a start to something pinching his nose.
The human yelped and slapped away whatever was doing that and turned the light on to find Frieza sitting on the side of his bed, his hand in the air from where he had clearly pinched Yamcha's nose. He figured it was to wake him, but really?
"You can shake my shoulder next time, you know!" he almost whined as he rubbed his face, the argument from the previous day not on his mind for the moment as he chased the cobwebs out of his mind, but the icejin's cold expression and soft growl brought it right back to mind.
"Uuuuuhh…" what exactly did he say.
"You do realise the only reason you continue to breathe is that I find you entertaining, right?" Frieza offered, his tone icy.
Yamcha figured that was probably the case, but even so… "that… doesn't add up."
"Pardon me?"
"Look," the human rubbed his forehead as he sat up to talk better, "you came to Earth in secret specifically to invite me on a space trip, and then turn around to just threaten to kill me the second I piss you off? I might not be the smartest person in this room, but I know for a fact that that is strange. Not to mention a waste of your time."
Yamcha had a point, and a compliment. How annoying. Frieza folded his arms with a huff, "so you're not so mundane as I might've thought, hm."
The unspoken words in the room, though, begged to be said, and it was clear that the tyrant was still agitated. His tail was completely still, whereas Yamcha had noticed he usually slammed it on the ground and went still whenever he was mad.
"You had a point," Frieza sighed, "however," his sharp gaze pierced holes through his head, and Yamcha had the gall to look scared for a moment, "I'm not so keen on such things happening again. I don't particularly fancy an army that thinks they can revolt the second they hear Beerus's name."
That… was a good point, but on the other hand, "truthfully, Frieza… I think Lord Beerus would only ever respond to someone from Earth, or one who fought for him in the tournament, rather than just one of your soldiers…"
That was how it seemed to him, anyway.
"Hm. Good point," the icejin swished his tail, and then moved closer. Yamcha moved backwards a little on impulse, but soon stopped as Frieza reached up to touch the mark he had left there from his tail.
"Looks like you had a disagreement with my tail," he offered with a smirk.
"U-um…" Frieza was awfully close - he could detect a faint hint of his scent. It was a slight flowery smell of soap, but also something spicy and smokey… "maybe we could… make amends?"
"Hmmmm~" the tyrant had to smirk a little, "I think I would like that. How do you propose we do that?"
Said tail was curling as it flicked a little - looks like the Emperor felt better, "don't kill any soldiers for minor mistakes, and I won't say anything about Lord Beerus in front of your men?"
"I think that sounds like an even trade," Frieza let him go and leaned back with a satisfied smirk, "though, I must admit… it's been some time since someone has had the guts to stand up to me, knowing they were outclassed in power…"
"Well, that's what friends do," he offered with a shaky smile.
"Hm, I see~" the icejin stood up and went to leave without a further word. Yamcha had to stare at the door as he left, feeling like he had been through a hurricane and somehow survived with only minor damage.
There were many things puzzling him about not only their interaction just then, but also the fact that Frieza had even let him live.
What exactly was keeping him alive? It felt like more than a simple friendship. Frieza wasn't the kind of person to treasure such things.
So, why? The question burned him up, but he doubted he'd get any answers anytime soon.
All he could do was wait.
