Author's Notes: I found it rather difficult to write this chapter. I struggled quite a bit to be honest…Maybe because it doesn't have any lime or lemon in it…? XD I guess I tend to write better when it's just smutty stuff…Anyway, here is chapter 9.

Shoutout goes to AlexanderMan for all of his/her (I'm not so sure of your gender but I'm assuming you are male based on your username) wonderful reviews! I really appreciate it.

Shoutout also goes to my followers Oserix, Sharontjuh22, ActandRead. Thank you so much for reading this story and giving it a chance. I am very thankful.

Also, please have a looksie at Kakarotto's Princess forum called Goku and Bra (An Odd Pairing). Please, we would really love it if more GokuBra shippers would join in. We are after all a very small community and it would mean the world if we all banded together and just share your love of GokuBra with us. Thanks!

WARNINGS: Language, threats of rape, etc

Chapter 9 - Bloodless

It felt like a mere blink of an eye had passed but before I knew it, two nights had gone by and every night I spent with Goku felt like I'd been reborn again. Every second I spent with him helped build on my feelings for him and he assured me he too was just as much affected by it. The more time we spent together, the more we got to know one another and not just sexually but intellectually and emotionally as well. There were things I discovered about my mate that I never knew before and every time a layer of his true self was uncovered I almost felt like an excited child unwrapping a birthday present.

I found out that Goku was someone who wasn't just easy going by nature but he was also selfless in his need to please me and take care of me. He would always let me have the softest of pillows when we slept on the bed and he'd make sure I got the bigger helping when our food arrived (though in the end he always was the one who demolished it all because I really wasn't capable of consuming the mountains of food they served us). I found out that he liked to scratch the back of his head when he was particularly embarrassed, an old habit apparently but I was never close enough to him to notice before. That he liked to sniff at his food first before he ate. That he was always asking me if I was full, or comfortable or happy. Goku was always looking out for me and every time he did, I was touched beyond reason and my heart grew even more in love with him.

Every night I had been with him had been a night that we had to be very careful not to look up into the sky for fear of transforming into our oozaru forms. Goku and I discussed about it and we both agreed that it was probably better if we opted to stay in our humanoid forms because I couldn't remember at all when I was in my oozaru state. I told him I would rather stay conscious when we made love because I didn't want to forget not even a minute I had spent with him. Goku was so pleased when I told him this, he had agreed readily.

Needless to say, each night I had been with Goku was a night with a full moon. Well, full moons to be exact because apparently on Vegeta II, there was a total of three moons; one the size of planet Jupiter, another roughly the size of Earth and the third one the same size as our moon. Cumber was the one who had informed us of this little titbit while he was making his rounds to pass us our food again. He had sounded just like his usual smug obnoxious self when he said it too, even going so far as to taunt us about it.

"Heh, no wonder you couldn't resist fucking her, huh, Kakarot? Despite how you begged and pleaded for me to take her away that first night we brought her to you...You fucking hypocrite!" he jeered, smirking at us in twisted amusement.

He had once again laughed at us cruelly while he strolled by our prison. Goku had been fuming in anger when he was present but the minute he'd gone, I slipped my fingers into his and held his hand, squeezing softly and trying my best to make him feel my love for him through our bond. Goku sighed then and stopped looking so fierce after a minute or so. He turned to me and smiled this small genuine smile that told me he was back to his normal self. I liked it when he turned his hard blazing gaze on me because it turned me on like nothing ever could but those deadly glares on other people were scary. I knew he was my mate so it was fine for him to glare at me in that burning desire that he had for me. But when Goku was furious at our captors, he was a different man completely and it scared me in the non-sexy way...

"Let's eat then, Bulla," he smiled at me merrily as we sat to make ourselves comfortable and fed each other our meal.

All our time together was spent with making love, eating, talking and laughing. There was never a dull moment with Goku and I realised by the second day I was with him that I was truly absolutely, head over heels in love with this wonderful man. There was nothing I wouldn't do for him, including killing or sacrificing myself and I knew he would be the same as well when it came to me. We were mated and anyone who stood in our way would be knocked down.

I watched him eat and smile at me and I thought to myself that he was mine followed closely by how beautiful he was...The thought came almost unbidden and I felt this possessiveness that I had never before experienced creep up into the cavity of my chest.

'I won't share him with anyone!' I thought fiercely, 'He's mine! If anyone wanted to stand in our way, I'll kill them! I will not be parted from my mate now that I have him!'

Goku suddenly paused in the middle of shoving food into his mouth and turned to look at me carefully. His grin was wide then and he looked positively delirious with happiness.

"I won shey yu wiv anyvan too!" Goku said through mouthfuls of whatever it was they had fed us. "Yor my bate! Iv vil kil dem if fey taj yoo!"

When he'd finished what he had to say, I couldn't control the laughter that bubbled up inside me and merely exploded in my mirth. My Goku was always known to be a simpleton and a goofy silly man...So whenever he showed shades of his usual silly self I couldn't help but become amused. I loved everything about Goku, from his fierce possessive ways to his sexual lust for me to his goofy side as well. He was my Goku and I could see no flaws.

"Oh, Goku," I sighed sweetly at him, moving in to kiss his cheek, "Why don't you try talking after you've swallowed your food, hm?"

Giggling at his light blush, I leaned in to nuzzle his nose with my mine. He was so adorable at times like these that I loved to be affectionate with him. Always, I'd find excuses to kiss his cheek, link our fingers together, cuddle up to him, snuggle into his chest and my most favourite way to show my affection - sniff his nape. His scent there was especially exquisite...

He chortled at me when I nuzzled him, completely overjoyed with my tender ministrations. Once he'd finished with his meal, he'd pushed me down on his bed and spread my legs apart so he could move in between them. He was inside me in an instant, loving me until I cried out in ecstasy. In the aftermath of our lovemaking, we would always curl about each other to simply soak in the love we had for one another and that day was no different.

That was basically our routine in a day - eat, sex, sleep, laugh and talk.

Later when we were holding onto each other like we'd done so many times the past couple of days, I grew more anxious with what was in store for us. We were mates now and it was a good thing that we were but what if those Saiyans came to take me back to the women's quarters? What if they made me a prize again but Goku wasn't involved in that bout? What if he didn't win and someone else instead won me? What were we to do? How would we survive if another tried to touch me?

Goku could sense my unease through the bond that we shared and his tail came to stroke my back lovingly.

"I worry about that too, princess," he confessed, eyes looking deeply into mine, "I have a feeling they're gonna take you away soon...The twelve bouts last for three months and they can't have us stay together for three months straight...You told me there were only five girls that were chosen to be prizes. That means that you're bound to be chosen more than once. If I was put in all the bouts, then I could win you permanently but they took out Gohan in the first one so I might be excluded as well in the future bouts."

"I know, Goku...," I mumbled, kissing his jaw and neck in soft butterfly like kisses, "I'm so worried about it all...If someone else wins me, I'll fight back as hard as I can but I'm no fighter... I don't know if I can overpower the guy...I think I'd rather die than be taken by someone else!"

Goku's face was suddenly clouded with a very deadly look, eyes narrowing and lips turning into this thin and grim straight line.

"I will kill anyone who dares to lay a hand on my mate," he whispered, his voice like cold steel. I felt a small shiver go through me at his sudden change in demeanour. His hand curled over my shoulder possessively, bringing me closer into his chest.

"What are we gonna do, Goku?" I asked in worried tones, "We can't live like this! As slaves whose sole purpose in life is to amuse these bastards! We need to get out of here..."

"I agree but what can we do?" he stated, grimly, "I am powerless against them if I can't transform...If only there was a way to get rid of the stupid thing they planted in our heads."

"I can't think of a way yet," I muttered, worrying my bottom lip with my teeth, "I mean, if we can find out more about their technology...If I could actually get a hold of a gadget of theirs and fiddle with it...Then maybe I'd be able to understand it more."

"You really are your mother's daughter!" Goku said, smirking at me.

"What?" I cried, a little indignantly, "So I inherited her genius brain, what can I do about it?"

"I know, Bulla. I haven't told you yet how blessed I feel that you're my mate because of your cleverness but I guess now's a good time as any."

I blushed from his confession. He liked that I was smart and that knowledge made my heart jolt a little.

"You're smart too...Just not in a nerdy-science way," I murmured.

Goku grinned at me, swooping down to kiss my forehead. The gentle touch of his lips somehow made my breath caught.

"Oh, trust me, princess, I know I'm not a complete idiot but I'm nowhere near as smart as you...All the same, I'm touched that you're trying to console me by telling me something I already know."

I opened my mouth to retort but he reached down again, this time to kiss me on my mouth. It was another one of his extremely wonderful toe-curling kisses that had me in a daze but I refused to be distracted.

"G-Goku, what should we do though when our time together is up? When they try to take us away from each other...I-I don't think I can cope without you...Just the very idea of being separated, even for just a day, it's terrifying me," I said, tears welling up my eyes.

"I feel the same way too," Goku agreed, "I can feel that my Saiyan instincts are telling me that it's not a good idea to pull us apart...I don't think we can survive the separation."

"Let's think up of something that we can do then," I replied, reaching up to kiss the tip of his nose.

The next couple of days rolled by much like the previous ones except this time we didn't just talk about nothing, this time we ran through our options and tried to come up with plans as to what to do. I even brought up the subject of escaping this place but we agreed that that would require some time and more intricate planning.

All the while, Goku and I felt an odd mixture of dread and elation. We were exceedingly happy that the bond grew stronger every day we were together but we were terrified at what might happen if our captors came to separate us.

I wasn't at all prepared for how they finally did it though - separating us. It was in the very late hours of the night and Goku and I were sleeping soundly, arms wrapped about each other when they decided to pull us apart.

Suddenly as if he just knew instinctively, Goku got up abruptly and his arm held onto my still tired and half asleep form.

"Hmm? Goku dear, what's going on?" I mumbled, groggily, eyes still closed.

Goku stayed silent but I could tell he was on alert. His body sat stiff and his arms were wrapped around me so possessively and protectively, I knew this wasn't just something to be brushed aside and go back to sleep with.

I was just about to finally get up myself when I felt his arms wrenched away from holding me, a harsh cry from Goku tore out from his throat and I felt my own body get manhandled and pulled right off the bed. The scream that came out of me was a panicked, petrified wail and I was nearly out of my mind with worry for Goku whose touch I no longer could feel.

"Gokuuuu!" I screamed, eyes struggling to see in the dark.

"Bulla!" came his call. He sounded stricken with fear for me.

"There, there, Kakarot," drawled out a voice that was by now had grown familiar on us, "Don't fret. We're not gonna hurt your little whore here too much..."

"Fuck you, Cumber!" Goku snarled, I could make out his silhouette as he struggled against the one holding him who I assumed was Cumber. "Don't you dare lay a hand on Bulla! I'll kill you if you touch her!"

"Shhh," another voice joined in and I knew that this one belonged to the other Saiyan guard who had brought me to Goku that night he'd won me. Planten was his name.

"Don't piss yourself, Kakarot," he chuckled, sniffing my hair as he did so, "This is time's up for you both. The next bout is starting in a day so we'll need to get this shit wrapped up. No more fucking for the both of you 'til god knows when."

"No, please!" I cried out in desperation, "You can't do this! You can't!"

More shuffling sounds were heard and Cumber suddenly transformed into a Super Saiyan. From the glow and aura that surrounded him, I could finally see everything and what they were all doing.

Two unknown Saiyan guards were holding onto Goku, each one hanging on each of Goku's arms. Cumber stood a foot away from Goku, his already wild hair glowing gold and stood in stiff spikes. He turned to look at Goku in an eerie glare and winked at me.

Then, faster than my eye could see, Cumber had planted his fist straight into my mate's stomach. I watched in horror as Goku gasped and doubled over but he couldn't even fall down because the other Saiyans were holding onto him. His face contorted in pain and my heart felt like bursting out of my chest just from seeing him suffer.

"Gokuuu!" I screamed, tears falling off of my eyes like a stream. I struggled against the hold that Planten had on me but it was ultimately futile. He didn't budge and laughed instead at how powerless I was.

"I've wanted to beat you since the first night we brought your little whore to you," Cumber stated nonchalantly, "Don't even think about relaxing yet, Kakarot. We're just getting started."

Blow after blow was delivered to Goku and I could do nothing but stand there and weep over the suffering that was administered to my mate. Cumber would punch Goku in his face, his stomach and chest in hard powerful hits that were sure to cause Goku some pretty severe damage. I started sobbing uncontrollably when I saw the blood that came spraying out of his mouth when a particularly hard punch to the jaw was delivered. Some of that blood landed on my face and I cried even harder.

Everything inside me made me want to tear my hair out in a burst of anger and despair. My heart and mind cried out to Goku through the bond that we shared and it was almost like I could feel the pain he was in...Oh, and he was in so much pain! I couldn't even comprehend how he was still conscious in spite of it all. Goku truly was someone not to be trifled with. He had taken multiple blows by a Super Saiyan and still was pretty much awake. That in itself was beyond impressive.

When Cumber finally decided to stop the beating, he told the other guards to drop him and they did so carelessly with one of them even kicking Goku in the back so that he stumbled about on the floor.

Inside, I was completely shattered with how they had treated Goku. I felt like every cell in my body was calling out to him; to run over to him, to hold him in my arms and just help clean up his wounds.

But I couldn't do anything at all.

"You know, I'd really like to fuck your pretty little bitch here, Kakarot," Planten said as he sniffed more of my hair. "But she stinks of you right now...Now normally I don't give a fuck about fucking other people's sloppy seconds but because she's your sloppy seconds, I think I'll pass."

All of them broke out into guffaws at this as if it was the joke of the century. Goku had glared at them even despite the blood that seeped into one of his eyes from a cut in his bleeding forehead. The Saiyans completely ignored him, however. They began to head out of the prison with Planten dragging me away and I called out to Goku in panic stricken shrieks.

"Goku!" I screamed, my voice hoarse from all the crying I had done, "Goku! Please don't do this! Please let me go to him! Please! Gokuuuuuuuu!"

"Shut up, bitch, or I'll fuck you right here and now!" Planten grunted. "I'll do it right in front of Kakarot and have him watch while the others hold him down. I don't care!"

At his cold threat, I instantly fell into quiet sniffles but it didn't stop me from feeling as if thousands of shards of glass were piercing through my whole entire being. That was the amount of pain I felt in my heart and mind at being dragged away further and further from my mate. It was truly incomprehensible to those who had never experienced it but our Saiyan instincts were practically screeching at us to run back and embrace one another. Our bond was too recent, it seemed to tell me, it was too new and fresh and I needed more time to really, truly know my mate. We needed to touch each other more, to make love more, to talk more in order to truly solidify our attachment.

Goku's eyes never left mine as he laid there on the floor, covered in blood, watching me sadly as I was taken away from him.

I was so distraught in the forced split-up that these Saiyans were responsible for that for a moment I forgot that I was completely naked.

I only ever remembered that I was in such a state of undress when Planten flung me into Zatulla's arms once we reached the women's quarters.

"Clean her up and get her ready for the next bout! Get that other Saiyan slave to be ready too. Calabash wants a pairing match this time around so the gifts are gonna be a pair too," Planten barked at Zatulla.

My heart leaped with hope at the chance that perhaps me and Goku would be reunited again and so soon too. I hoped with all my might that he too would be selected once again for this upcoming bout. I didn't really understand what a pairing match was but I knew that I could count on Zatulla to explain everything to me.

Being parted from Goku was a terrible experience for me as I realised that not only did my heart feel as though someone had ran sharpened objects through it but I also could feel the irritating stinging that burned at the bite mark Goku had given me. Intrinsically, I knew it was the physical reaction to us being pulled apart from each other too soon. My psychological reaction was that I was suddenly feeling so very depressed and desolate. I just couldn't stop thinking of Goku and longing for his touch, his laughter, his smile, those eyes...Everything...I just needed him so badly.

All the while as Zatulla washed my back and rubbed my face with some sublime smelling oils, I stayed quiet and crestfallen. Zatulla looked at me sympathetically but chose not to speak until her hands reached my hair to wash it. She suddenly stopped in her work abruptly, hands freezing almost as if in horror. I turned in puzzlement to look at her and was rather astonished to see her look of bewilderment. She didn't even look into my eyes, rather she was eyeing my neck in this deathly silent shock that seemed to bespoke of the thunderstorm to come.

"What...is this?" she breathed out, eyes glued to my bite mark.

"It's...," I was hesitant to say it aloud suddenly but then I gulped and decided to go ahead with it anyway, "It's Goku's bite mark...His claim to me...He bit me and I bit him in return. We're mates now...for life."

I trailed off and Zatulla's face filled with fear as the words sank in.

"You...You and him...You mated?"

"Y-Yes," I stuttered, panic growing in me as well.

If Zatulla had a reason to be fearful then I knew I should too. In the days I had known her she hadn't once shown me such a look of terror before.

"Oh, dear god, I didn't know you Saiyans were even capable of mating for life!" she whispered harshly. "This must be something only the Saiyans from your world can do. The Saiyans here are not known to become bound to one another as mates for life!"

"B-But, Koenigii said the Saiyans from where she's from do it too although it's a very rare occurrence...It's not unheard of," I trailed off, the panic in me doubling as I tried to process what Zatulla was saying. It can't be that these Saiyans don't mate at all...Could it?

"Koenigii isn't a Saiyan from this planet though, is she?" Zatulla said in hushed tones. "Listen to me, child, I have worked here as a slave for fifteen years. I was taken away from my home planet, Murdle, when I was about your age... I have never known these Saiyans to mate for life...Other races, yes, but not Saiyans. They would have warned me too since I have seniority over you newbies."

"Zatulla...I'm mated now...What does it mean for me, as a pleasure slave to be mated to another slave?" I asked tremulously.

"It means you're in deep trouble, little one," she intoned, dark eyes flashing at me in her concern, "It means that you better pray your mate wins all the bouts and gets you as his for life."

I cried again, heart heaving at the thought of being gifted to another gladiator instead of Goku. The very notion made me feel like vomiting and the mark burned at my neck almost like a beacon calling out to Goku.

"I didn't know you were upset because you'd been ripped apart from your mate...," she went on, "I thought the man you were given to had abused you and your first sexual encounter was dreadful."

"No," I shook my head, hating the idea of Goku abusing me. He was anything but abusive. "He was very kind to me. He treated me with...tenderness. I love him, Zatulla."

"Bulla, you mustn't tell the Saiyan guards that he is your mate. You mustn't ever let them know," Zatulla stressed, her tone becoming more hushed. "These Saiyans don't take kindly to the idea of having mated slaves. They don't like it; you see? It's troublesome because the mated pair can't be separated from one another for very long and when they are they lose the will to live and wither away. To these Saiyans, what is the point of keeping slaves who have no will to live? To fight for them in the pit? To be beautiful and ready for a good fucking? They kill you if they know that you're the half of a mated couple."

"Oh, Zatulla!" I wailed softly, tears streaming down my face unashamedly, "What am I going to do? I can't live without Goku! I can't allow myself to be taken by another man! I'd rather kill myself than let that happen!"

"Shh," Zatulla shushed me, "Keep your voice down, little one. We can't have anyone know of this. If they tell the guards about this, you'll be killed in the worst way imaginable. Don't, for one second, doubt how truly sadistic our captors are."

I nodded and wiped at my face, washing it with the heavily scented bath water.

"Listen closely, Bulla," she began, "You are going to pretend like everything is fine in front of everyone for the next couple of days. You can't show them your mark and you can't show them your grief. You don't know who you can trust."

I nodded again, this time staring at her in a determined gaze. I will live through this. I will survive it. I vowed to myself that I would for not only my own sake but my mate's as well.

"I'll help you hide that mark with an elaborate choker," she continued, "The rest, you'll have to pretend. I pray your mate does the same."

After I was done bathing, Zatulla escorted me to my room. She fastened the choker around my neck and bade me good night.

The mark felt itchy and hot underneath the cool gems of the necklace. I sighed at the feeling, focussing on it when I could almost hear Goku inside my head! I looked up alarmed and ran to my window. The male quarters couldn't really be seen but if I pressed myself to the edge and really strained, I could make out just a sliver of the image of their dorms.

Sniffing the air, I smiled broadly when I caught the now all too familiar scent of the sea, earth and woods. It wasn't strong, just a delicate trace of him could be caught in the air but I was so very glad. I closed my eyes and sighed yet again but this time it was in relief. The itching at my neck slowed and nearly disappeared altogether. The sexual desire I hadn't felt since I was so devastated at my loss of contact with Goku returned. I could feel my breathing grow heavier, my breasts tingling and the delicious dull ache thrumming through me from my womb.

I could feel him now inside me, in my blood, and in my thoughts. He was fine albeit a little beaten up but they must have at some point healed him a little for he seemed no longer to be in too much pain. Goku let me know through the bond that he was alright and I tried my best to convey my emotions to him as well. I think it worked because suddenly I felt the bite mark at my neck tingle and this time it was in pleasure. I flushed but smiled again when I could feel through our emotional link that we were suddenly both slightly aroused again.

We continued to share emotions with each other for a while until my body grew so tired that it slid down onto the floor. I fell asleep curled up underneath the window that night.

—

The next day, Koenigii cornered me at the baths and immediately started to ask me what my experience was like being given to Goku.

"So what was it like, getting fucked by the old man?" she joked, brow quirking at me, "Is he any good in bed as he is out there on the pit? I watched him, by the way. He's a beast! And sexy as fuck. Girl, I don't know why you put up so much grief over fucking him. He must've marked you hard, huh?"

I flushed scarlet at her choice of words, my cheeks growing ever so warm at how crude she was being.

"Don't talk about Goku like that," I snorted defensively, shifting my eyes away from her, "He was very nice to me..."

Koenigii wasn't deterred at my standoffish nature though and instead leaned in to nudge me a little.

"Ooooh, so he was 'nice', huh?" she said in a sing song way, "So he was all sweet and tender when you guys had sex or was he anything like that rough wild beast out in the pit?"

I shook my head and rushed to get away from her. Talking about Goku and what we had made me uncomfortable as I felt that all those wonderful moments we shared together only truly belonged to us. It felt like it would be an invasion of privacy if I were to tell Koenigii about it now.

"C'mon, don't be like that, Bulla!" she whined, chasing after me every step of the way, "You have no idea what it's been like here without you. I've been bored out of my mind just getting horny over the spike in pheromones caused by the heat season. And don't lie to me and say you guys didn't have sex either! I can smell you both all the way from here!"

"Koenigii, just lay off, okay?" I protested "I don't feel like talking about it..."

"Girl, I heard that you and me, we're both gonna be the gifts for the next bout of the season which is tomorrow!" she said, exasperatedly. "I wanna know what it was like so that I can at least prepare myself if he wins."

Her words made me snap and I turned on her like a snake about to strike its prey - I was so fast so hostile that Koenigii nearly stumbled backwards.

"If he won again, I would be with him," I hissed at her, lowly, "There is no way in hell Goku is going to even look at you. He's mine and you better get that through your thick skull!"

Koenigii stood there, stunned into silence at my reaction. I was so furious at the mere notion of her being with Goku that all reasoning flew out of my head and all I saw was red. She made me want to smash her head in against the walls repeatedly until her caved and her brains were splattered.

"Whoa...Chill, girl...," Koenigii said carefully, "You know I was just kidding, right?"

I glared at her in response and she shifted under my gaze a bit.

"Sorry, Bulla," she tried to say again, "I really didn't mean it like that. I know that once you're mated it's actually physically impossible for you desire anyone else. Guess I forgot that you were mated there for a second…"

I was still glaring at her but what she said intrigued me enough to break my silence.

"What do you mean?"

"A mated couple can only desire their mate once they've bitten each other and exchanged marks. They won't want anyone else no matter how attractive that other person was. The desire just isn't there."

"But what if someone tried to rape you?" I asked, tentatively, "Can a person who is one half of a mated pair survive being taken against their will?"

Koenigii shook her head and a look of sympathy flashed across her face.

"No," she answered. "They'll usually kill themselves if they were raped by someone other than their mate. Sometimes, if they can't kill themselves, they will just wither away and die depressed and heartbroken."

This new information confirmed my fears of getting raped by someone else. Determined to escape this hellish place, I vowed to myself that I would not become a victim of rape.

Later that night, I asked Zatulla what a pairing match was and she sat down on my bed to elaborate further on what exactly occurred in the pit when there was a pairing match. With every detail that she shared with me, I grew more and more upset. Nothing sounded very optimistic and the only thing that served as the light at the end of the tunnel was the chance that Goku might fight in this bout too. I prayed that he was.