"I hate to tell you this boy, but as very financially capable as Uub is, he wouldn't have the power to have had her brainwashed."
"Why?"
Vegeta shrugged. "I've never heard of him doing that to his escorts. His trade is part of mine, and I would be aware if these girls had been mentally puppeteered into it."
"So you buy into this? This is what you're doing out here?"
"Watch it." He snapped. "I'm not informing you of my activities here in Space for a pep talk. It's just a hint that obviously something else is going on with her."
"I don't understand, what could it be that's preventing her from knowing who she is?"
"Well, she was already cocooning on Earth. My guess is she's split."
"Split..?" Goten asked, his voice feeling far away.
"Yes. The sudden impact in her environment was too much to process, so she created an alter ego to adjust and accommodate while protecting herself. It'll take a while to jog her memory."
Goten sighed. "Wonderful. It's like Earth all over again."
"However her Saiyan status changes things. I doubt he is in the position to compromise his dealings with me for someone who could easily kill him. He isn't the strongest fighter and usually pays off offenders."
"I don't care, no amount of money will keep me from getting her out of there. And I hope you would feel the same." Goten added begrudgingly. Vegeta smirked.
"We shall see."
And they walked into the spacious ship.
Uub greeted him, his nerves clearly displayed on his blanched face. "Hello, gentleman. Prince, finally we can meet in person-"
"Shut up and tell us where she is."
Uub looked away in confusion, "I-I don't know who you're referring to."
"Sure you do. Let's go!" Goten snarled at him.
"Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be. You're already in deep shit for evading our conferences to discuss your lack of imports."
"Ah! There is quite the explanation for that, Prince Vegeta. It turns out I am retiring."
Vegeta's face twisted into an annoyed confusion. "What?!"
Uub calmly looked at both of them, his face brightening. "Yes, hence the no imports. I have ceased scouting for the imports because I have finally found one for keeps."
"Oh, you better not mean..." Goten growled, tensing up.
"I would have asked you sooner, Vegeta had I known you were her father, but alas I have proceeded to request Malika's hand in marriage."
A pair of turquoise orbs appeared from behind Uub, a precocious gleam in them as she beamed enthusiastically, "And I accepted!"
Vegeta and Goten froze.
"You did.. what?!" Vegeta roared suddenly.
Uub jumped, "Do you mean her, or me-"
"Idiot. You have to be the most asinine creature from that wretched planet to not clearly see who her mother is." Vegeta quipped. Uub whipped around to stare at Malika, who stared back just as quizzically.
"Oh.. Wow. This is that little girl you guys had with you before I left...?"
"Yeah and she's been through a lot so guess what? This shit isn't happening." Goten declared, stepping forward with a clenched fist. Vegeta raised a hand.
"While I find your age gap disturbing, I trust that this isn't part of your profession..."
Uub shook his head. "No, she's going to be... my wife."
Malika looked up at him with a starry smile. Goten felt his insides lurched with repulsion, a jealous rage that he had never felt before. He wanted nothing more than to snatch her away from this guy forever, but it was her decision to stay there. It tore him apart.
"I'm sorry.. I don't recognize you two," Malika said to Vegeta.
"Not yet." He replied.
She blinked, "Well.. Where is my mother?"
Vegeta paused, already regretting going through with trying to find her. "She's on Earth."
"Why isn't she with you?" She asked, her eyebrows sewn together in a perturbed fashion.
He narrowed his eyes at his daughter's nosy nature. "Whatever happened to you hasn't changed a damn thing has it?"
"Stop avoiding the question. Why did you leave her?"
"Look in the mirror, girl."
She looked down, not quite knowing what that meant but it still stung somehow.
Goten rolled his eyes at Vegeta, who turned his back on Malika. "Was that necessary? She's still traumatized right now-"
"Then you deal with her 20 questions! I'm done with the probing from you two. As for you, Uub, I'll be watching you. I still need imports obviously and you're going to comply with our agreement to assure I acquire them. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Congrats to you both-"
"Wait, what?! You're not serious, Vegeta?" Goten yelled, halting Vegeta from promptly exiting.
His obsidian orbs reflecting his diminishing interest in the situation,"I am."
Goten tried another tactic, "Doesn't taint your bloodline even more? Uub isn't a Saiyan nor a human."
"Hey, watch it. I may not be as strong as you but I could buy and sell this entire system five times over if I wanted to. Malika is going to benefit from this, as will I."
"Oh how romantic," Goten remarked sarcastically at him.
"My bloodline is of no concern to you. As far as I'M concerned, it ceases to be mine as well."
With that, Vegeta flew off. Goten flying off behind him after one last look of anguish at Malika.
"Phew. I'm alive."
"Why does my father hate me?" She asked Uub, who turned around with a soft look on his face.
"He doesn't. I think he hates anything reminding him of Earth. He's kind of different now, Malika."
"So I'm from Earth?"
"Yes. But why? Are you planning on going there?"
"No, but I have someone of interest to speak to who lives there. Can I call them?"
"Sure, but.. who?"
"My mother."
"What the HELL was that, Vegeta? You just let her marry whoever the hell she wants who traffics sex slaves in Space?!"
"Oh hush. I am doing nothing of the sort. If he keeps her safe and is telling the truth, then what can I do? She is obviously accepting of the situation."
"Yeah because she has no idea what's about to happen to her AGAIN-"
"He may be involved in less than moral activities here, but he isn't one to be violent. You have to understand, they don't tolerate disobedience so there is nothing for him to do to her as long as she follows their code. However if they're to be married, I doubt that is what she will be doing."
"Then what does it mean?"
"I don't know anymore with that girl, but rest assured my bloodline is safe."
Goten paused in confusion. "How do you figure?"
Vegeta smirked, his eyes gleaming. "Just something I can count on."
"Bra? Is that you?!" Bulma shrieked, causing Malika to wench from the volume.
"Yes.. Sort of."
"Huh? Sort of?"
"My name is Malika, now."
There was a long silence on the phone. "...Oh."
She sighed, "I.. just don't remember a whole lot."
"Baby, did something happen to you? Did you hit your head on something-?"
"No, no. Nothing like that. How long have I been out here, in Space?"
"Oh gosh, I guess a week or more. Why?"
She took in a breath and closed her eyes, not knowing if she wanted to know the truth or not. "Was there anything in my system.. before I left Earth?"
"Um.." Bulma thought about it for a second before returning with, "Oh! I believe your brother's potion got on you somehow. Your ki was detectable according to Goten. You were very violent."
"Violent..?"
"Yeah you went through a lot, Bra- Sorry. Malika?"
She laughed, "Yes. Malika. Well thank you for your information. That's about all I can absorb right now. I'm sure I'm remember something eventually."
"Okay... If you need something, let me know. I'm still your mother, honey. After everything."
"Thank you," Was all she could think to say. They hung up and Malika stared off, trying to exercise what she had just been told.
Unfortunately, she was too focused on their conversation to become aware of the eavesdropping figure behind the door.
"Well, what now?" Goten asked after pacing Vegeta's control room of his ship fifty times, giving the Prince a growing migraine. He glared at the demi-Saiyan.
"Go occupy yourself elsewhere. I have shit to do."
He sneered over at Vegeta, "What, transport more kidnapped hookers?"
"What do you take me for, half-breed? I simply provide entertainment to the highest bidder. It's all I can do for now until I find a planet to indulge with."
"Indulge, huh?"
"Destroy. Incinerate. Implode. Purge. There are too many names for it to choose from and indulge just sounds.. exciting."
Goten shook his head. "Vegeta, aren't you a little old for this?"
"No one asked you. Don't start harping like your mother."
"Don't talk about my family. I've suffered enough as it is."
"Oh, that's right." Vegeta's lips curled into a maniacal grin. "You hid in a cave with your niece for ten years. That must have been a blast.."
"Yes, enthralling. But I never gave up on her. Not until I had no choice."
"So it's permissible for my daughter to inadvertently kill your niece, deranged as she was, but I cannot kill off meaningless wastes of Space?"
"Quit acting like you're Majin again. Did he brainwash you too?"
Vegeta chuckled darkly. "Even when he tried, I was still in control. Soon you'll learn too, the importance of not letting those trivial emotions impede your path to your true potential, your fate."
"So, it's your fate to sell Space vagina in a world of loneliness?"
"Heh. Solitude is preferable to chasing a now engaged and practically comatose woman who can't even recognize you."
"She will. Count on that."
Goten left the Prince, who walked over to the large window outlooking the passing universe and sighed, trying to stifle anything conjured by those intrusive questions.
"Malika? Are you okay?" The enigmatic Uub asked from behind her. Without her awareness, she had been lost in thought, looking off into the dim distance of the bedroom the next day. Seeing that look of immense torment in that man's eyes had set her off into a deep trance somehow.
"Oh, yeah," She snapped out of it to save face. "I'm fine. Thank you."
He took in her forced smile but with a skeptical glance. "Okay. Well if you need anything let me know. Lunch is about to be served soon, and.. I want to show you something after. It's a... treat."
She nodded, not even knowing what to expect with that one. When he left the room, she returned to her inner thoughts, trying to conjure something about what was really going on in her head. There was nothing for her to turn to for a reference to this Bra she had heard about. No pictures, video, nothing. Frowning, she tried to push it away. Her father was so indifferent to her that she didn't even feel any pang of familiarity towards him either.
Then it occurred to her that she must have had something on her when she was captured by Uub. She decided to look around since the guards were already made aware of their sudden engagement and wouldn't bother to question her. And if they did, she'd give them a piece of her mind, if she could muster enough of it as foggy as it felt.
After peeking into some corridors and dark rooms, she opened a large door into what looked like a closet of some sort. There were dozens of different artifacts from what must have been other girls involved with Uub. Necklaces, identification cards, and clothing were strewn about. After shuffling she came across a necklace that flashed in the bright light of the closet and it crossed her teal, searching eyes instantly.
She knew this necklace.
What struck her was that it didn't feel as if it came from the man who had the inital outburst. She felt like it was from someone else, a long time ago..
"What are you doing in here, Malika?"
She jumped. It was just a guard. She swallowed and composed her expression from being startled to humored. "Oh, I just couldn't find Uub and so I looked in here and this necklace caught my eye-"
"Well, the master is looking for you. Please join him in the dining area."
She nodded curtly, her eyes lowering to a scowl after he left. Snatching the necklace, she shoved it in the pocket of her newly pressed slacks which were not as prisoner-looking as the clothes she saw on the floor in Uub's bedroom. When she approached the entrance, she overheard his voice in a frustrated growl.
"I told you, she IS already stronger than me even IF there was something hindering her ki before... Yes, I detected it but not until last night when she went cavewoman on me! .. Alright, just send it and I will report back to you soon. Okay, she's coming so I must go... Yes, she's fine. Alright, bye."
She heard a beep, signalling the end of what must have been a call. She had a good feeling he had been talking about her and couldn't ignore the suspicious pang inside of her that something else was transpiring without her knowledge. Tucking the tidbit of the conversation in the corner of her fast-paced mind, she walked through the entrance and greeted her new fiance with a sweet smile.
"You rang?" She asked coyly.
"Yes. Dinner." He held a firm grin on his face as if the conversation she overheard had never happened. Without a word, she sat down on the opposite end of the table and was served a foreign delicacy of an assortment of meats and other things she couldn't even identify.
"So.. About this surprise?" She began.
"Oh.." He smirked at her, his chocolate eyes flashing with a hint of malice. "That is for AFTER dinner."
"Will you be having me as dessert again?" She asked matter-of-factly, almost causing him to choke on his food.
"Um.. Not exactly, but it will be fun. Hopefully for both of us."
His reply added another layer of dread to her already forming suspicion. Could she really trust him?
"Do not fret, dear Malika. It will not be anything torturous." Then he added after momentarily pausing, "At least not painfully."
Taking in a big breath, she decided she was no longer appetized. The servant took her half-eaten plate as she felt a wave of butterflies swarm the pit of her stomach. Her brain felt fried from all the information she had attempted to absorb, as well as all the questions revolving around the information that eluded her.
Uub finished his meal soon after her and stood when the servant took his plate. After nodding curtly at the servant, his eyes reached hers in a mysterious gaze that she couldn't read. He led her to a room far from his that was padlocked with a code that he punched in with his tan fingers. Trepidation filled her as she walked in, her eyes widening at what she saw.
"Welcome.. To my playground."
Bwahaha. Kind of short but I only got one review last time and I want to update soon or I'll put it off and get scrambled eggs with my daily life. Please feel free to voice any confusion or feedback. Very appreciated!
Oh and I did change my nickname. I've been Jckash03 since 2004 so I grew tired of it. Thank you all for reading!
~Nicolesque