Author's Note: Hahaha, I hope people didn't mind too much with me messing around with the Ginyu lore. I decided to take a leaf out of Xenoverse's book and play around with the Change ability. I have… an odd sense of humor at times, so if anyone was weirded out or uncomfortable, I apologize.
Speaking of uncomfortable… we've got a liiiiiittle bit of a frisky scene on our hands, guys. So if you are not 18 or at least of a mature mental age… well, you shouldn't be reading this story to begin with, as this chapter is also going to earn me a bit of that 'M' Rating. And it's also going to be a little… softer at the end. I've been holding onto this chapter for a very long time and have been waiting to share it. It started with some fun fluff pieces that I mainly write for myself to keep me from going overboard… and I certainly hope I didn't go overboard with this chapter because there were moments I liked enough to tame the pieces and adapt them into the real thing. I do hope you find it believable and I want to send a special thanks to Merifaye for proofreading this chapter to help me in that venture! I can't begin to tell you how much your advice is appreciated!
I can't promise my next chapter will be released quickly, but I hope releasing these two in a week will partially make up for that. Unlike THIS chapter, the next set of scenarios are only outlined, so... I'll do my best to get them out when I can!
Chapter Twenty-Six: A Battle on the Inside
~* When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide *~
-Imagine Dragons
As they followed Vegeta up to the top of the ship and through the ceiling entrance, Parseri felt her heart pound. Her bare feet felt the familiar chill of the floor when she landed, and what she saw made her freeze, lagging behind the rest of the group.
She recognized this as the top-most level with the single round corridor that she had avoided because of it always filled with soldiers. Before her eyes swam the images of men garbed in armor, patrolling up and down the hall… dissolving into the crumpled bodies that littered the floor all around them.
She didn't have to ponder long on who was responsible for this carnage, knowing that he was leading the group further down the hall. Taking a few steps forward to follow, Parseri found herself frozen again as she caught a familiar set of stairs out of the corner of her eye. She knew where it would lead her if she dared to follow their path… Somehow, the way was still printed in her mind even after all these years.
As the sounds of footsteps and voices of her friends grew softer and distant, she took a step toward the stairs, descending them carefully as if they would fall apart at the lightest touch. When her foot fell upon the final step to bring her to the floor below, she found herself in that familiar twisting labyrinth.
Her bare feet moving of their own accord, they soon took her to the very door that had been so prominent in her dreams… And without missing a beat, she lifted a finger to punch in a code that she had committed to memory long ago.
.~*~.
When he had finally sealed Kakarrot away in the Healing Chamber, Vegeta decided that he may as well make his unlikely allies less… pathetic. So the Saiyan Prince led the two Earthlings into a small armory connected to the room and began rifling through lockers in search for armor in their size.
After tossing the boys new uniforms and instructing them to change, he turned to search for one that would fit Parseri… which was proving difficult since she was thinner than most warriors, and too tall to fit a uniform designed for a smaller warrior. It was as he was digging out a chest piece that looked to be close in size when he overhead Krillin mumbling.
"Where did Parseri go?" The monk asked, glancing around.
With a frown, Vegeta glanced down the hall, following her energy signature.
Of all the… She couldn't have picked a worse time to go wandering off…
Although… judging by the familiar direction she seemed to be heading, he knew exactly where she was going. Scowling, he growled to Krillin and Gohan as he picked up a jumpsuit and the chest piece before stalking out of the room,
"Stay here. I'll go and get her."
.~*~.
Vegeta found the door to his old bunk in the lower barracks level of the ship unlocked and left open. He held the armor underneath his arm, standing outside the room and peering in with a frown.
It was almost as if he were walking back in time… She was pacing the room just as she used to in the final month of her stay, only at a much slower gait. The prince leaned against the open doorframe and watched her wander around the small living space as if she were sleepwalking, gazing from wall to corner and over to the small cot on the opposite side of the room. He soon found himself smirking with a soft scoff as he shook his head, stepping over the threshold and into the familiar room.
"I knew that you knew the code to the door…" He murmured quietly, stopping a few feet behind her.
With a soft gasp she whirled around, eyes wide in alarm and hands charged with fiery fury. Smirk still on his face, he gave a small shrug in mock defeat, closing his eyes with a chuckle. When Parseri settled her nerves after several long moments, she turned her back to him once more to gaze around the dull room.
"I… I didn't think I'd ever be back on this ship…"
With an amused scoff, he laid the jumpsuit and armor upon the cot as he sneered at her over his shoulder, "And what? Are you telling me that you missed it?"
"Of course not." Parseri snapped, thrusting her hands onto her hips with a scowl, "I just… I just…"
She trailed off for a moment, her tone softening as she gazed around the room again before continuing,
"I guess I just had to come back here… to see how it felt after all this time." She moved, reaching out to place a hand on the smooth metal of the wall, not entirely sure why she was telling him this, "I used to visit this room often in my nightmares when its setting wasn't my village… Funny how it feels much smaller in here than I remember… Like a child growing up."
"Hn." He grinned, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall beside her, "I'd say that's an appropriate analogy. You're no longer the sniveling little crybaby I picked up on that backwater planet of yours, crying for your mother."
Feeling her blood boil, Parseri had to fight with herself to not let him bait her into a spat. It was with great effort that she kept her voice even, but stern when she spoke,
"That may be… but I still fight for all of the people that you and your men killed. And I know that I'm stronger for it."
"How sentimental of you." The prince chortled, turning to pick up the suit and armor from the cot again.
Parseri blinked, leaning to the side to get a better view.
"Are, uh… Are those for me?"
"That's right." He chuckled as he tossed the suit straight into her face. With a scowl, she pulled it away from her to glance at what looked to be a long, black sleeveless jumpsuit.
"Uhm, thanks… Is there somewhere I can change?" She averted her gaze, cheeks flushing irritably, "...Or maybe clean up a bit? There were showers down the hall to the left, right?"
The Saiyan Prince paused for a long moment, looking her up and down before letting out a low chuckle,
"So not only did you learn the code on the door, but the layout of most of the floor, didn't you? How very slippery of you…"
Her cheeks burned brighter at the accusation, keeping her eyes determinately locked onto a spot of the opposite wall.
"Down the hall and to the left." He confirmed with a sly grin as he tossed her the chest armor he was holding before crossing the room to leave and rejoin the others. "Just hurry it up."
"R-right…" She mumbled, catching it and watching him retreat from the room. As she in turn stepped out into the hallway, she gave the tiny room one long last look, it was certainly the last that she would ever see of it. Parseri couldn't help but feel a certain melancholy pride at how far she had come… She really had grown quite a bit. With a sigh, she turned to make her way toward the room with the shower.
As she walked, Parseri looked over the armor she now held. It looked remarkably like Nappa's armor- color, form and all… it even had those odd armor pads at the hips and between where her legs would be. How odd that she would be dressing almost exactly like the man who personally destroyed her village…
.~*~.
As she entered the small room with the shower, she deposited the suit and armor on a bench to the side. Her own clothes were next; pants, shirt and undergarments soon becoming a tattered pile on the floor.
Now standing nude in the privacy of the small bathing room, Parseri stepped into the stall. When turning the knob to start the water, she smiled with a sigh as a fresh spray of cool water assaulted her stiff, grimy body. With a happy hum, she stretched her arms upward as the water began to heat up… until she felt a sharp stab of pain in her right shoulder when she felt the joint slip out of place. It seemed that in the brief scuffle outside the ship, Ginyu had knocked it loose.
"Damn it…" She hissed with a roll of her mechanical arm, "That bastard really had no idea how to work with this arm and now he's shifted the socket. I'm going to have to ask Bulma to take a look at it again..."
Wincing, she felt some of the joints at the shoulder becoming loose enough to shift painfully against flesh. "I hate this thing…"
With a sigh and a few stretches, she was able to shift it somewhat back into place as a temporary fix, but knew that it would desperately need Bulma's attention. She wasn't even sure if it would last another fight with the arm remaining intact.
"She's gonna kill me…"
After scrubbing herself as best she could, Parseri stepped out of the stall. A quick look around revealed the absence of any towels, so she settled on raising her power with a sharp blast. The heat that radiated from her body was enough to dry her completely in a matter of seconds.
As she struggled with the jumpsuit, she felt her arm shift out of position again with a twinge of pain. Unable to do much about the arm at the moment, she continued trying to dress herself, having a hard time pulling the tight suit up all the way one-handed with her arm acting up again.
With another wince, she tugged the fabric up her waist and nearly up to her chest when she heard the door slide open behind her.
With a yelp, she yanked what she could up over her chest with her right arm, her mechanical left dangling uselessly at her side and she whirled around, her face beet red.
There stood Vegeta, leaning against the doorframe wearing a smug grin. In his arms, he carried a pair of white gloves and gold-tipped boots. As he stepped forward into the room, he pressed the button to close the door behind him and tossed the gloves and boots to the side.
"I felt your power-level increase." He spoke with an amused tone, "I just wanted to make sure there weren't any bad guys in here with you."
With an angry growl, she averted her gaze away from his, cheeks burning in humiliation.
"I was just drying off… And you know perfectly well that there isn't anyone left on this ship but the five of us, so that makes you the bad guy!"
"Is that so?" He stepped forward with a predatory chuckle, causing her to stumble backward into the corner by the shower. Vegeta watched how her mechanical arm seemed to hang limp at her side as she moved, his eyes narrowing.
"Trouble with the arm?"
"I told you before, I'm fine!" She shouted, her face turning an even deeper shade of red, whether by her anger or his close proximity, she wasn't sure. "Just let me finish getting dressed!"
"Oh really…" He smirked, reaching forward to give the arm a small tug, earning a wince and squeak of pain from the girl standing before him. With a short laugh, he swatted her arm from her chest, immediately taking over where she had left off.
Surprisingly, he paid no attention to her exposed breasts, but pulled the fabric snugly over them. Parseri shivered under his touch as he guided her good arm through one of the straps, glancing sheepishly up at him. When he helped her gingerly slip her mechanical arm through the other strap, she hissed in pain,
"Wh-why are you…?"
"Just shut up." He snapped quietly, moving to get a better look at her shoulder.
"What's wrong with it?"
"Ahh… it's kind of been knocked a little loose." She winced as he touched her again, causing him to chuckle.
"I'm not going to bite you, you know… unless of course you ask nicely."
"What?!" She squeaked, feeling like she was overheating. Her cheeks grew a deeper shade of crimson as her mind wandered back to their heated encounter in the ravine. "Don't say things like that!"
With a smirk, Vegeta gazed back to her shoulder where flesh met metal. Tilting his head to the side, he noticed a spot that did indeed seem to be loose, leaving her arm slightly dislocated. He was no mechanic, but he figured that a good push would do the trick just like with a normal dislocated shoulder. His gaze snapped to hers, eyes narrowed sharply.
"This might hurt."
"Wha-?!" She began to inquire before he took hold of her arm. With a slight twist, pull and a hard thrust, he forced the mechanical limb further back into its socket, hearing a satisfying clack! She shrieked in pain and alarm, squeezing her eyes shut and trembling until the pain subsided.
"Better?"
Blinking in surprise, she shifted and flexed her shoulder before glancing back up at him.
"Y-yeah… Much better, thank you. I think it'll last another fight, at least."
With another sly grin, Vegeta reached around her waist and behind her back to tug the last bit of her suit into place.
"Well then… best get you dressed for one."
Parseri felt her cheeks flush again with a shiver, feeling his breath on her neck.
"What's wrong, little one?" He chuckled, sliding his hands from her waist up to the wall on either side of her head, keeping her caged between the corner and his body.
"Y-you're a little close…" She murmured, turning her head away. She could feel his breath fanning her cheek accompanied by soft, rumbling laughter before he took hold of her by the chin, turning her back to face him.
"Is that a problem? We did leave things a little unfinished earlier, didn't we?" He smirked down at her, drawing nearer. Parseri froze, feeling paralyzed as she stared into his eyes. As he loomed closer, she could feel his lips hovering over hers while he spoke in a low, gravelly voice.
"Tell me, Parseri," She felt her heart jolt in alarm when he spoke her name, causing her eyes to widen, "you liked it too, didn't you?"
"I-I…" She stammered, feeling pinned to the spot once again by that piercing gaze of his. She swallowed nervously, the flash of her throat catching his attention. He glanced at the flesh of her bare neck for a few moments before his gaze slid back up to hers with a wolfish grin.
"If I recall correctly," The prince spoke in a soft growl, "you seemed to be enjoying yourself enough to reciprocate. Would you like to do more…?" He trailed off, his voice filled with dark promise.
…More?
The flustered hybrid could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she felt his lips ghost over hers. Images began to flash through her mind at a rapid pace; some from their previous encounter... others from dreams she remembered having a long time ago. There was something so very wrong about how much she wanted to feel the way she did less than a day ago... But then another image popped into her mind; the image of his retreating form, sprinting towards Guldo and lopping off his head before any harm could come to her friends. Curiosity rose up within her, squashing down the growing want to make room for the question that had been burning in her head ever since it had happened.
Did he do that for her? Was it ridiculous to assume as much, even after gauging his reaction afterward?
"Why did you save them?" She murmured against his lips suddenly, making him jolt backward like he'd been burnt. The look on his face as she continued to speak looked to be as stunned and angry as if she had slapped him across the face.
"I… I get why you've been keeping me alive…" She frowned, her cheeks tinged a nervous pink, "…But why did you save my friends? You held me back from helping them and then you saved their lives. What did you benefit from it?"
"I didn't save them." Vegeta snapped, his tone abrupt and ferocious as he bared his teeth so wide that she could clearly see the pink of his gums, "All I did was take out that bastard Guldo at the best moment."
Daring to push further, Parseri furrowed her brow and looked him dead in the eye.
"So your perfect moment was before, not after Krillin was killed? I would have thought that him being out of the way would benefit you more than-"
"Shut up!" He snarled, gripping her by the upper arms and giving her a violent shake. His eyes were burning with a livid, defensive rage that surprised her, "What makes you think I give a damn about your pathetic little friends! I could wipe them out and not even bat an eye, so don't delude yourself into thinking that I care!"
She must have had a death wish…
"I never said you cared about them." She kept her gaze even and locked with his. Once again, the Prince of all Saiyans looked as though he'd been slapped. He stared at her for a moment before letting out an animalistic growl, shoving her back into the wall and turning to leave.
"Wait!" She shouted, catching him by the arm and pulling him back.
The prince's eyes were alight with incredulous fury as he raised his free hand, every intention of striking her blazing in a frenzied hiss,
"Don't you-!"
But she caught the offending hand by the wrist with a glare of her own. Vegeta looked fit to burst as she held his hand there, straining under his force, but holding him at bay all the same with that defiant look in her eyes. He couldn't say that he had ever been prepared for her to have the strength or gall to hold him in place… but he was even less prepared for what she did next:
In one swift movement, she held her grip on his wrist while grabbing the neckline of his armor to pull herself against him and press her lips firmly against his left cheek. It was a simple, chaste and very rushed kiss, but it was enough to make the Saiyan Warrior freeze, his eyes wide with shock. When she pulled away from him, she fixed him with a nervous scowl.
"…Thank you." Her tone was mostly even, despite a small tremble in her voice and flush of her cheeks.
He stared at her for the briefest of moments in shock before slamming her up against the wall again with an angry snarl and attacking her mouth with his.
The Prince of all Saiyans wasted no time. She could feel his hands slide down to her waist as she closed her eyes… his body pressing against hers… his head tilting and pushing forward to easily slip his tongue into her mouth.
The kiss was forceful… devouring… demanding… and she could feel her body burning up again just as it had the last time. She squeezed her eyes tighter, letting out a tiny moan against his lips. He seemed to take this timid noise as an invitation for more, and with a growl in his throat, he gripped her more tightly around the waist to hold her possessively against him, deepening the kiss by tilting her head back.
At long last, the poor girl was given a break for air, leaving her gasping as he moved lower to where her neck and shoulder met. Parseri took in a staggered breath as he began to suck hungrily at her neck. Her entire face was flushed, feeling his tongue and teeth against her flesh… it made her dizzy.
His hands roamed her body, one of them finding its way back around to her front and sliding back down to her hip, making her shiver through the thin jumpsuit fabric. The other hand trailed mischievously behind her waist to gently grasp the base of her tail.
Her mouth immediately clamped shut as her eyes shot wide open, preparing herself for the usual pain that went with someone grabbing hold of the sensitive, furry appendage. Thinking of how sore her tail felt for a few minutes after Vegeta had handled it to make Ginyu switch bodies again filled her with dread. This would surely be the punishment for her questions… though the pain never came. As the prince began to gently stroke a gloved thumb along the course fur, he chuckled darkly against her throat as her mouth opened wide, stammering vowels.
Waves of pleasure coursed through her veins, making sounds she had never heard come out of her own mouth. Every stroke of his thumb brushing against her fur sent her body into sensation that started in the pit of her belly and flooded through her. Parseri felt her heart pounding, threatening to break free of her ribcage. With a soft whimper, her knees began to tremble as she felt her back arch against him and her jaw drop in shock. She couldn't think… couldn't move… She could only concentrate on how… on how…
…On how good it felt…
With sharp, gasping moans, she squeezed her eyes shut and slipped her arms around his back as she let every sensation take over… And in a movement that made her head spin with a surprised squeak, he slowly began to push himself fully against her with a slow, rhythmic roll of his hips. Stars popped on the inside of her eyelids as she felt the pressure and friction between them... the cool of the wall at her back... the growing hardness burning beneath his suit and pressing against the part of her that had never been touched by another...
She hadn't ever felt anything like this before… it was almost too much!
"V-Vegeta…" She whimpered, her voice shaking, "D-don't… I…"
She couldn't seem to think straight long enough to form what she had wanted to say. But what did she want to say? Stop? She wasn't entirely sure… It did feel rather… good. Thankfully Vegeta seemed to snap out of his frenzied state at the sound of her voice, pulling away from her with a staggered step backward to put space between them. The next moments that passed were uncomfortable as they stared into each other's eyes, catching their breath.
Parseri stared at him with wide eyes, her body twitching as it recovered from his ministrations. He was looking at her through dark, heated eyes that were clouded in a battle between lust and shock. Despite the pride of witnessing her flushed cheeks and heaving chest, the hardened monster that was the Prince of all Saiyans had undoubtedly been shaken by the turn this encounter had taken.
This was getting far more out of control than he ever could have imagined on the day he took her from her planet. The proud Saiyan Prince felt his blood boil with shame and frustration as he glared at her… the very same blood that she seemed to have poisoned… pumping into his heart and mind. He couldn't let her distract him. Not now when he was so close to achieving his goal!
With a hiss filled with venom, he snapped at her as he turned for the door,
"Finish getting dressed and get back to the medical bay."
Catching her breath, Parseri glanced at the armored chest piece, gloves and boots lying on the floor, glowering at the footwear,
"Do I have to put the boots on, too? It'll cut me off from-"
"Do as I say, woman!" He snarled, fixing her with an irritable glare that made her flinch before he slammed his fist on the door button and stalked angrily from the room.
.~*~.
Seething, the prince stormed through the halls away from the showers and back up the stairs to the top level. He could hear the blood pumping angrily in his ears as he took long, ragged breathes while trying to contain his rage and fight off the exhaustion that was starting to take hold from lack of sleep.
Sure, he had gotten her where he wanted her again… but at a horrible cost.
She knew. She knew! That conniving creature was perfectly aware of the fact that she had managed to worm her way past his defenses, and now she was beginning to call him out on it.
With a roar, he turned and hurled a fist into the wall to his left, leaving a crumbling hole behind as he hissed lowly,
"Damn it…"
.~*~.
With a deep sigh, a fully dressed Parseri turned and stepped out into the hall, making her way back to where she had left her friends. Her life had never been particularly normal… but there was so much about it now that was strange and confusing. Vegeta was definitely one of them.
Was this also what it meant to be a Saiyan? To show no compassion what-so-ever, and deny it to the grave if you actually slipped up in that measure?
Vegeta had saved them for her- she was almost certain of it because it didn't make sense otherwise… Every other reason he would have for keeping them alive seemed as unlikely as the next… which brought her to her next question:
When did what she want enter into the equation?
It most certainly never had before, but there it was. The reason that Krillin and Gohan were still alive and the reason that Vegeta picked that moment to do away with Guldo, was because she wanted them to be safe. She had to admit, she already felt herself beginning to warm up to him since then… hence her rather bold move mere minutes ago.
It was obvious to her that she was attracted… otherwise she wouldn't have responded to him in the ravine. But this new development was making her grow somewhat attached. She was grateful to him for saving her friends, and fighting alongside him against Recoome had been surprisingly refreshing and… fun. It was interesting to see such a different side of him.
As she climbed the stairs back up to the top level and rounded the corner, she came to a stop when she spotted the Prince himself leaned up against the wall beside the door of the infirmary. She also noticed with a frown that Krillin's power level seemed to be gone from the ship, which was rather odd… What also struck her as odd was that Vegeta didn't seem to notice her approach, but rather rubbed at his eyes with a flinch and a low growl.
Moving to approach him, she murmured in a cautious tone,
"Are you… alright?"
His gaze snapped up to hers, tired and livid at someone having to ever ask him that question.
"I'm fine. Butt out of it."
Parseri glowered at him, folding her arms over her armored chest,
"Fine, I will." She snapped in return, "So where did Krillin go? I can't sense him on the ship anymore."
"Hn." He scoffed, placing his arrogant smirk back upon his face. "Your little bald-headed friend flew off to get the password from the Namekians. He'll be back soon enough."
"Oh…" Her tone softened in thought, "Then where's Gohan?"
"Outside." He replied curtly as he turned and walked into the infirmary, Parseri following close behind, "He'll be keeping an eye on those Dragon Balls until Cue Ball gets back."
"Okay…" The hybrid murmured cautiously, "Then why are you in here? Shouldn't you be out there too in case Frieza comes back?"
"Such little faith in those pests you call 'friends…'" He drawled, scanning the area for a moment, "I'm going to take this opportunity to get some well-deserved rest."
"Wait…" She blinked at him as he picked up a small rectangular gadget from a nearby counter, "You're going to take a nap at a time like this?!"
"Hn." The prince chuckled, turning to spare her a glance, "So what if I am."
"Well what if Frieza comes back while you're- Wait, what are you looking at?" Parseri gave him an uneasy frown as she noticed his gaze glued to a spot on her neck.
Wearing a wolfish grin, he stepped forward to take a closer look at the light bruising on her skin. With another chuckle, he gently rubbed a gloved thumb over the love bite he had left.
"Heh… whoops."
She clapped a hand over her neck with a sharp gasp, turning to examine the mark in the nearest reflective surface. Vegeta let out a deep rumble of laughter at her reaction as he turned his attention back to the device in his hands,
"You brought that one on yourself, you know… Don't start something you can't finish, you little fool…"
With a loud click and a clack, he pushed a large button a few times to set an alarm on the sleek, rectangular clock in his hands before his vision began to blur. His smug composure faded for a moment with an exhausted stumble towards the regeneration tank, dropping the clock to the floor.
Parseri lurched forward in shock, gripping him by the upper arm to steady him with panic in her voice,
"Wh-what's wrong?!"
"Get off me!" He snarled, throwing her away from him with a hard shrug as he staggered away from her. "I told you I don't need your help! I can take care of myself, you bothersome whelp!"
Parseri frowned at him as he sank onto the floor into a seated position, sliding against the currently occupied healing tank. He stretched forward to snatch the nearby alarm from the floor as she crouched before the grouchy Saiyan, gazing at him as if seeing him for the first time.
"You really are something else…" She half smiled, tilting her head to the side.
"Huh…?" His eyes snapped up to hers in surprise as he let the clock slip from his fingers again and clatter onto the floor beside him.
Her smile grew as she shifted to hug her knees,
"Well… I mean… For better or worse, you really put everything you've got into what you do, huh…? To the point where you tire yourself out from not sleeping properly for days. That's pretty… admirable in its own way."
He made a soft noise as if he were clearing his throat, turning his face away with a flush of his cheeks. With a giggle, she moved to sit beside him on his right, making him avert his gaze again. Vegeta could feel the anger he felt before beginning to bubble up within him again and was about to turn and shout at her, when she spoke again.
"Tell me about Frieza…" She requested gently, noting the sudden tensing in his shoulders, "When we first met, you worked for him. So what changed? The Dragon Balls?"
He growled lowly through grit teeth for a moment as once again she caught him off his guard, still keeping his gaze elsewhere… this was not his favorite subject.
"I was enlisted into his army as a boy… and only recently found out that because of my talents he made sure I was away from Planet Vegeta before he destroyed it… As it turns out, even as a boy I was an irreplaceable asset." He ended with his trademark smirk and a smugness in his tone.
"…Destroyed?" Parseri furrowed her brows, "But you said the planet was struck by a meteor."
"And until a few days ago, I thought that was true." He snapped, instantly quieting her.
There was a long pause before he spoke again.
"I've been wanting a way out from under his thumb for quite some time… the Dragon Balls are the key to that." He frowned, scowling at a spot ahead of him on the wall, "Before I killed Dodoria a day or so ago, he told me the truth about my planet's fate. Freeza was afraid of what Saiyans are capable of…"
"Dodoria?"
"You'll remember him as that big pink gumball you ran into on this very ship years ago." He spoke lowly, not even looking at her.
Parseri jolted at the memory of Dodoria finding her during one of her many hallway escapades, remembering how Vegeta had saved her and sent her away to Earth.
"You killed him?"
Vegeta grunted with an abrupt nod. Parseri gazed at him for a moment longer before glancing away.
"...Good." She murmured, pausing with a frown for several seconds before adding, "I'm sorry about your planet... It must feel even worse knowing that Frieza was responsible."
He scoffed irritably, folding his arms over his chest as his gaze continued to burn a hole in the wall ahead,
"The only thing that stings is the not knowing and letting myself be used by them for so long. I don't care about my planet or my race."
She turned to look at him again with a light scowl.
"Yes you do..." She spoke, making him finally shoot her a glance out of the corner of his eye, "Otherwise I wouldn't have been so important to keep alive."
He smirked with an abrupt 'Hn.'
"Maybe I just wanted a plaything with a tail, did that ever occur to you?"
"If that was true, you would have made a move on me years ago. And you said it yourself back then that you wanted to repopulate the Saiyan race." She replied, calling his bluff.
"People change." He huffed simply, shifting slightly to sit more comfortably and unfolding his arms to rest at his sides.
"You didn't... Not really... Not about this." Parseri replied, her tone somewhat gentle.
Vegeta was silent for a short while before glancing at her again,
"You've changed."
It was her turn to scowl defensively, averting her gaze from his with a huff of her own,
"Yeah well... Having everything taken away from you can do that to a person." She grumbled bitterly before letting silence consume her.
"Yes... It does." Vegeta replied quietly, making her gaze snap back to him in surprise.
She had never given a thought in the world to the idea that Vegeta himself might have been through a similar situation as hers. It certainly didn't take away the fact that he had put her through some of the worst moments of her life... But she felt as if she could understand a part of him now.
When things were tough on her home-world, she had her friends and family... When she came to Earth she had Bulma, Yamcha, Puar and Mr. and Mrs. Brief. He didn't seem like he ever had anyone- she didn't recall him ever seeming very close to Raditz or Nappa. And to lose so much at such a young age; His family... his home-world... his freedom... That must have been harder on him than he was willing to admit- even to himself.
Vegeta fell silent again as well, sitting in the peace and quiet as his eyelids grew heavy again… It was her touch that made them snap wide open again.
Parseri gingerly slipped her gloved hand into his, intertwining their fingers. He felt his cheeks grow warm again and glanced down at their joined hands before snapping his gaze up to her, intending on snapping at her again, when her expression halted him. She was determinedly looking away, her face as flushed as his.
It was probably the most intimate interaction he ever remembered having… And he noticed that with her so close to him, the scent of her hair filled his nostrils, making his hand twitch into a tighter hold around hers instinctively and seemingly without his permission. He cleared his throat, shifting his hand slightly in discomfort, but she gripped it more tightly as if she were afraid that he would pull away. The Saiyan prince blinked up at her for a long moment before he smirked, his cheeks regaining their natural color, while hers turned a deeper shade of pink.
Glancing down to study their hands again, he let his eyes travel up from their hands to her arm. His smirk faded, gazing at the gleaming metal peeking out from the material of her gloved hand. Letting out a long sigh, he lifted their hands, letting go to pull the glove from her artificial limb. She looked back at him now, watching him as he stared at her thin, cybernetic hand.
"It's a shame…" Vegeta spoke softly, frowning at the hand's pristine craftsmanship. There were very few instances where the Prince of all Saiyans regretted anything... and marring the near perfect form of something or someone that he would claim as his own was one of them. Perhaps he had gone a step too far on Earth...
"Huh…?" It was her turn to be caught off-guard, "Oh… Ahh… It's…"
It was what? Okay? Because it wasn't, really… The whole ordeal concerning her arm had caused her a great deal of pain- both physical and emotional. He seemed to gauge as much from her continued stammering of vowels and cut her off with a scoff.
"Quiet. You don't have to say anything." He slipped the glove back over the metallic fingers, tugging it snugly in place before releasing her hand altogether.
She frowned at him as he folded his arms over his chest, nodding his head in an attempt to drift off into a much needed slumber. For several moments more, Parseri watched the slowing rise and fall of his chest, lifting his crossed arms along with it… the gentle flare of his nostrils as he breathed deep and even.
"Today has been an endless whirling mess…" She thought to herself, resting her head against the cool metal of the rejuvenation tank behind them while she continued to gaze at him. Everything up to this point had continuously taken a turn for the horrible and strange… and…
Her face flushed as her mind travelled back to their previous encounter in the narrow alcove of rock and the more recent encounter that happened downstairs.
…And, well… the unexpected… But perhaps not entirely unwelcome.
Parseri's frown deepened as she heaved a gentle, quiet sigh. She wasn't completely sure how long she sat beside him, and hardly noticed her eyelids growing heavier, but it wasn't long before the hybrid slipped into a dreamless sleep alongside the slumbering Saiyan Prince.
~* Don't wanna let you down
But I am hellbound
Though this is all for you
Don't wanna hide the truth
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come *~
-Imagine Dragons