Chapter Twelve
" Honor is simply the morality of superior men."
H.L Mencken
Adalina nursed the blossoming cut on her knee, lightly dabbing at the rivulets of blood with a cloth. It hadn't been anyone's fault but her own, and it was a complete accident. Frieza would question it if he saw though.
"How could you be so clumsy woman?" Vegeta barked, his arms crossed and nose upturned.
"I have no idea, maybe it's because someone left this damned grate open." she answered sarcastically. So maybe it had been someone else's fault, if only partially, but she could care less.
She had tripped and sliced her knee open on one of the grated areas of the flooring, eliciting a laugh from Vegeta as they were walking to the mess hall. It had been a bit embarrassing at the time, but now she found the humor in it.
"Let's get going or we'll miss dinner." he commented as he began walking.
Adalina stood and disposed of the cloth in the nearest trash-can, hoping that the superficial wound did not begin to bleed again, as was often the case. She fell into step with the miniature Saiyan, making sure she took shorter strides to compensate for his stature. She knew that when he grew older he would more than likely tower over her measly height, and Frieza's too.
She giggled a bit as she imagined that, Vegeta standing between Frieza and herself, towering over both of them.
"What are you laughing at? Have you finally lost it?" he questioned, a serious expression plastered on his young features.
"Oh nothing, I just thought of something amusing." she answered with a smile.
When they reached the mess hall it was as rowdy as ever. The soldiers generally took advantage of their meal times, as Frieza only very rarely came into the spacious room, and today was not one of those days, certainly.
Someone whistled as she walked by, catching her off guard. She narrowed her eyes at the offender as the entire room went silent. He was sitting at a table with a few others and had red skin and a thick mane of white hair; someone she had never seen before.
"That was a might bit rude." she reprimanded him, "You must be new here."
He smirked in response,
"I might be new here but I can show you a thing or two." he had the oddest accent she had heard in a while.
Adalina placed her hands on her hips, turning completely away from the smirking child at her side and towards the offender. She clicked her scouter, reading his unsuppressed power level, it wasn't nearly as high as hers,
"How about you use that scouter on your head and make better life choices from now on." the Zandonian woman smirked, pushing her power level up a bit.
He clicked his scouter and watched in horror as the numbers continued climbing. At one point he almost looked like he was going to faint, his eyes widening until his irises were mere specks floating in pools of white,
"I-I-I I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything by it, honest!" he rambled as his scouter finally stopped.
A hand clasped on his shoulder from behind,
"Ah, Jeice, it seems you've met Adalina. It would be best to stay on her good side." Zarbon knew full well what had just happened, the tone of his voice giving it away.
"Yes sir! I'll just be going now!" he replied, hurriedly exiting the mess hall.
The entire room was in an uproar of laughter, Adalina barely containing herself. The poor boy nearly wet himself but it was still hilarious. It was a valuable lesson that he would hopefully keep for the rest of his life, he should just be glad she wasn't cruel in any sense of the word.
"What a weakling." Vegeta proudly stated in reference to Jeice, "How he was scared by you, I will never know."
Adalina sighed and patted the young boy's shoulder,
"Go eat, Vegeta." she lightly pushed him in the direction of the door. She wasn't too terribly hungry herself.
He didn't appreciate being told what to do and clearly being pushed out of an 'adult' conversation but begrudgingly did as told. Adalina turned to Zarbon, a serious look on her face as the mess hall became a dull roar of conversation once more,
"Let's talk."
They found a secluded table in a corner of the room and took a seat,
"Is this about Lord Beerus?" Zarbon asked, already knowing that the woman would be curious.
She nodded,
"I've only ever heard rumors of him."
Zarbon tucked a stray strand of emerald hair behind his ear,
"To be honest, I've met him only once, about a year ago. He's suppose to be asleep right now but postponed it until he could talk to our Lord, which does not bode well." he explained slowly, a dark tone to his voice.
"Is he really that short tempered?" she asked resting her head in her hand.
Zarbon nodded solemnly,
"He once destroyed a planet just by sneezing, so I've heard. And it doesn't take much to anger him, the slightest things are capable of setting him off."
Adalina nodded, wondering how Frieza was able to swallow his pride and bow to a higher power level. She knew he did it with his father, but even then his hatred for the man was not masked at all.
She hadn't heard him say one bad thing about Lord Beerus.
Vegeta approached, his tray over-flowing with various food items
"I know you're talking about Lord Beerus, so don't try to play dumb. Just because I'm young does not mean I'm ignorant of such matters."
Zarbon had a bit of a mean streak when it came to the boy, always teasing him,
"Ah, yes, you've met him as well, haven't you Vegeta?" he smirked, knowing the young Saiyan would bristle at the topic.
He sat down beside Adalina, glaring at the green skinned alien all the while,
"That I have." he turned towards the woman sitting beside him, "On this matter I will tell you to listen to Lord Frieza, do not go anywhere near Lord Beerus. He will kill you and no one on this ship will be able to stop him." the young boy's voice had taken on a deadly serious tone, no room for doubt.
"Alright guys I got it, I won't go near him. I don't meddle that much." she laughed, waving her hands a bit.
Zarbon gave her a look, raising an elegant brow,
"Of course you don't." he stood from the table in one graceful movement, "I've got to go brief the other soldiers on their etiquette during Beerus' visit. You two behave yourselves." she noticed he had left the honorific off of the God's name, but didn't comment on it, figuring he was getting tired of 'Lord' this and 'Lord' that.
Vegeta had begun inhaling his food, as he usually did. She was use to his eating habits at this point, knowing from experience that a warrior's metabolism worked quick, and that meant that it also needed a lot of fuel.
She sighed as she picked a spot on the wall to stare at. She had been bored without her training, but it had allowed her time to relax and get back on track. Frieza had also been a bit more lenient as of late, not raising his voice at her. Of course there was still the occasional biting remark, but it wasn't anything she didn't expect. It almost seemed like he understood what she felt and knew that he needed to back off for a bit.
"I need you to come here. Quickly." the tyrant's demanding voice snapped her from her thoughts, his tone slicing through her line of consciousness like a knife. She sighed before clicking her scouter and sitting up straight.
"I'll be right there." she replied over the device, confusing the young Saiyan beside her. She mouthed the word 'Frieza' at his confused stare, as the tyrant could still hear her, and she knew he didn't like any side noise going on when he was speaking over the receptor.
Vegeta glared but nodded in understanding as Adalina stood up and began walking towards the door, sending him a small smile and a wave over her shoulder before exiting.
She wasn't entirely sure what he wanted but knew that he wouldn't be happy if she kept him waiting,
"Quickly entails that you should have been standing in front of me by now!" Frieza yelled over the scouter, the speaker crackling as it strained to handle the high decimals his voice was emitting.
"What, do you want me to run?" she snapped back.
"That would be preferable." her brows raised; what could be so urgent?
She broke into a sprint, pivoting through the halls and to his throne room with ease, leaving confused soldiers in her wake.
Frieza waited impatiently, his tail tapping out a quick rhythm on the floor. How could he have forgotten? He was sure Beerus would take the artifact from him if he knew it was on the ship. To be honest he wasn't sure why he had taken it in the first place, but it had intrigued him. It radiated power and he was sure he could make use of it, and besides, his father had instructed him to take any valuable items when he had destroyed the planet.
He had kept the item from his father, and wasn't until a few moments ago that he had had the horrifying thought that Beerus may have actually spared the planet because of its unique artifact, and not solely because of its cuisine.
The tyrant had been meaning to lock it up, but he had been studying it in his throne room, and knew that there was no way he could have it present during his meeting.
The door hissed open and Adalina came to a halt in front of him, her chest heaving slightly as she released a short breath. She had indeed come as fast as she could, mere seconds going by from the time he had contacted her.
Frieza held the item out, confusing the young woman; why was he giving her a necklace?
He seemed to pick up on her confusion,
"I cannot have Lord Beerus finding this. Take it and get out of here. If you can manage to get off the ship, then do so." he quickly explained, his face set in a scowl as his level of irritation rose.
She had no time to protest as she took the item and turned back around, planning to go to the near-by planet, Nuek and 'hide'.
She didn't get very far before a rush of energy filled the room, accompanied by a blinding white light.
Adalina's back went rigid as she slowly turned around, afraid of what she knew was there.
Frieza's eyes had gone wide, he hadn't accounted for Beerus' arriving whilst his pet was in the room still. He would kill her, just for spite, he knew it. He quickly composed himself as the purple cat-like deity appeared with his attendant, Whis.
The Zandonian had frozen in her spot as she stared at the back of what she knew to be Beerus the Destroyer, only going off of the stories she had heard. She wasn't sure who the blue-skinned man was, however.
"Ah, Lord Beerus, it's good to see you." Frieza's voice was surprisingly pleasant, and a little nervous if she had to make a guess. He peered over at her, a neutral expression plastered onto his face, "Leave us, this is a private matter." she could sense the hint of urgency in his tone.
She nodded, having no qualms about getting away from the unsettling beings. She moved towards the door, having already tucked the necklace into her pocket.
Just as she was about to turn to open the door she was met with a pair of striking yellow eyes. They were perceptive and reminded her of a predator with the way they cataloged every small thing, every move.
"No, you can stay, it's really not that big of a deal, right, Frieza?" the God had something up his sleeve, he just knew it. But he was powerless to defy him, as much as he hated to admit.
The tyrant ground his teeth together, his brows furrowing slightly,
"Come here." he adressed her directly. He had managed to sound somewhat neutral, but she could tell that he was angry.
Adalina nodded, terrified of what might happen if she made a wrong move. Everyone in the room was leagues above her, she knew that. She felt like a child in a room full of adults. She stood beside the tyrant, his presence bringing her a small amount of comfort.
"Now, let's see, why was I here again? Whis?"
Whis sighed and shook his head at his ward's forgetful nature,
"Frieza destroyed Parvis my lord, you were rather upset about it."
The cat-like being seemed to have an epiphany and with that epiphany came a feral snarl,
"That's right! How dare you, you conniving little lizard. I actually liked that planet." he was behaving like a child would, throwing a temper tantrum. Adalina couldn't believe this was the God of Destruction, the most powerful being in the universe (despite Frieza designating himself as such).
"Yes, I understand, but-"
"No buts, maybe I should destroy one of your planets? What's that one you just purged? Zandonia was it?"
Adalina bit her lip, she knew she would most likely die for her actions, but she couldn't just stand there,
"To be fair, sir, his father was the one who instructed him to destroy the planet and if I had to guess, Kold was probably trying to anger you for one reason or another." she could feel Frieza tensing beside her and knew she had done it.
The God stopped his raving and looked at her, his eyes narrowing,
"Is that so? May I ask who you are?" his words were loaded, he was testing her.
"My name is Adalina, I'm a soldier here on the ship." she wasn't sure what he was expecting but she supposed that her answer was sufficient as a grin appeared on his face.
"And where might you be from?" the question hit her like a ton of bricks, she knew what he was trying to do now.
She hesitated, searching for what she wanted to say. There was no way she could lie to him, he probably already knew the answer and was merely toying with her,
"Z-Zandonia, sir." she replied meekly, her voice shaking ever so slightly.
She felt something tap her on the back of the ankle; Frieza's tail. She understood the gesture as, 'be quiet before you get us all killed' but it was too late now, she had already dug her own grave.
"Could it be that you're lying to save your planet from destruction?" he was talking to her as if she were a child, enhancing her feelings of helplessness.
"No, I'm telling you the truth. My people have already been run off planet, it's nothing but an empty shell, I have no use for it." it hurt to say, but she had to undo what she had done.
Beerus tapped his chin, quietly mulling over her words and trying to find a hole in her logic. He was old, though his demeanor may not seem it, and he was a master at seeing through such farces.
But in the end, he had come to the conclusion that it was entirely possible Kold could have been the one to instruct Parvis' demise. He knew the King didn't like him, and he was pretty rough with both of his sons so it really wasn't surprising to hear that the Arcosian would throw Frieza under the bus.
"Is this true Frieza?" he addressed the tyrant, loving that he was capable of making him squirm with nary a sentence.
"Yes." he answered reluctantly. He was going to have a word with his pet after they got out of this alive. She had just made matters much worse.
"I suppose I'll have a chat with him instead then, but do not mistake this for mercy. I'll destroy your empire when the time comes." he lazily waved his hand, covering a yawn with the other.
Adalina chewed on the inside of her lip, she felt like she was going to get Frieza into more trouble if Beerus went to his father so she had to do something,
"Ah, Lord Beerus, sir, if you could tell Kold that I was the one who divulged such information-"
"I planned on it." he interjected with a smirk, "Don't worry, I'll make sure he knows that Frieza isn't keeping his subordinates in line."
The Zandonian was about to argue with that, but a cold tail wrapping around her ankle stopped her, applying just enough pressure to cause mild discomfort.
"Thank you for stopping by." Frieza said politely.
Beerus smiled as he stood next to Whis,
"Until we meet again, in about 30 years." he replied, "Oh, and keep the necklace, it's useless to me."
His attendant tapped the end of his staff on the ground, the same bright light engulfing them. It was an amazing spectacle, watching the two warp into the vastness of space, no doubt in search of King Kold.
Once the two had vanished completely she released a quiet sigh of relief, mildly shocked that he had known she had the artifact, but glad he didn't care too much about it. Frieza relaxed beside her but only slightly. He relinquished his hold on her ankle and she quickly came to stand in front of him.
"I'm sorry. That wasn't good at all." she knew he was mad, mad at her.
He clenched his fists, his face finally slipping back into a scowl,
"You imbecile, you could have gotten all of us killed! And even then, now we have my father to deal with. Where did you even get that information at?" he yelled, his short form instantly becoming imposing as his anger rose.
Adalina raised her hands and backed up a step,
"I really am sorry! I just," her voice lowered to an almost inaudible level as she bowed her head, "I just didn't want anything to happen to you or the ship." she realized what she had said a moment too late, her head snapping up, eyes wide. Frieza's eyes were a little wider as well,"I got the information from you. You were muttering to yourself and I happened to hear." she said when he didn't respond. She had been moving ever so slightly backwards, and was near the door, prepared to make a run for it if he got too angry.
Frieza noticed that she was cowering from him, and for some reason this only served to irritate him further. His tail lashed out, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her forward. She made an attempt to escape, but it was no use, he was stronger.
They were mere inches apart, Adalina leaning back a bit so they weren't in each other's faces. He roughly grabbed her chin in a bruising grip, making sure she looked him in the eye when he spoke,
"You need not concern yourself with me. I am more than capable of handling myself. No doubt Beerus will inform my father of what was said here and there is a chance he will take out his frustrations on you, since you are the one who tattled, so to speak. He wishes to take you from me and I cannot allow that, but because you acted out of line he may have a valid excuse to do so. You have made my and your life much harder than it has to be, congratulations." his words were as cold as ice, sending a shiver down her spine. He released her from his grasp roughly, "Get out of my sight."
Adalina did as told, not even bothering to argue. She had messed up, and she took full blame for it. The door hissed open and she exited it, heading for their shared room.
Frieza crossed his arms and stared into the inky blackness of space. In some ways he was greatful that his pet had prevented Beerus from giving him a lashing, but now he was sure to get one from his father. She would more than likely get it too, and there was nothing he could do,
"Gah, damn woman." he muttered, tapping his tail roughly on the floor.
She had been smart though, he would give her that. Not many could escape Beerus' temper, but she had avoided it with ease, trouncing around her words as if she were walking on glass. Perhaps she would make a good diplomatic leader one day.
If she was still his, and still alive for that matter.
Only time would tell.
A/N: Surprise! I updated early!
Beerus is actually kind of difficult to write for because he's really sporatic and childish, and I don't even know, I just hope it's not too bad. Anyway, time skips begin next chapter, and don't worry, it will pick up where we left off on this chapter, and progress from there. I plan on making these time skips huge chapters so that I can get everyone caught up. And to those of you thinking, 'man isn't this suppose to be a pairing?', it is. I will make sure that any romantic developments are heavily touched upon during the time skips. Anyway, if you guys want something cute or whatever to happen, (since I will need a bit of filler) review and tell me your ideas, and if I like them, I might use them.
Next chapter: Our Journey Begins.
