The Soul and The Flesh~Frieza Saga Part VI Vegeta was flying about looking for the last Dragonball, when he sensed two small Kis. He decided to go play with them, but just as he pulled up to where they were, he felt a Ki that could only be Zarbon, and he wasn't alone. He veered off, leaving Kurilin and Dende, his original targets, in peace. However, as he drew near to Zarbon's location, he heard a rather piercing scream of pain. He paused, and realized that it sounded like Raimi, of all people. He flew quickly to the place and was stunned by what he saw.

Zarbon had Raimi held in one hand, and she looked very bad. He'd been beating on her for a while, it seemed. He was surprised at the anger that swept over him at the way Zarbon had done this to her. He shot over to them and hung before Zarbon, arms crossed casually. Raimi's head hung forward on her chest, and she didn't even seem to be aware that Vegeta was there, as Zarbon held her by one arm.

"Aha! Just the monkey I wanted to see! This little girl wouldn't tell me where you were; in fact she doesn't even seem to speak Standard, just that stupid Saiyan language. Too bad she's going to die, being the last female Saiyan and all... " Zarbon said, squeezing her arm so hard that it snapped. Raimi whimpered and opened her eyes, too groggy from recent pain to really feel this new one. She saw Vegeta and gasped in surprise.

"Vegeta... be careful, he's... he's not... what he seems, he can transform!" She panted softly, speaking in Saiyago. He scowled at this, and asked her what she meant, also speaking Saiyago, but Zarbon tightened his grip on her tail again. Now Raimi bit her lip, trying to not scream in front of Vegeta like a wimp, but she still made a shrill noise in her throat as her head arched back. He stiffened in anger at this abuse to a Saiyans tail. Tails were sacred to all Saiyans, and anyone who touched a Saiyans tail would be killed, no questions asked.

"Well, look at this, what a he-man, picking on girls and being a tail-grabber! Why don't you give me a try, Zarbon! Of course I don't have my tail right now, but that shouldn't be a problem for you, should it?" He snapped. Zarbon dropped Raimi into the water below and laughed. Vegeta made no move to help her as she fell; he didn't want to take his eyes off Zarbon, and besides, she was tough, she'd be fine. And if she wasn't, that was just too bad... He was too eager to destroy Zarbon to worry about a rogue Saiyan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Raimi hit the water with a huge splash, and barely had the strength to get to the surface. She couldn't use her left arm, and her ribs weren't helping much either. Somehow, she made it to the surface and gasped shallow breaths of air, unable to breathe properly. She had to use all her willpower to levitate to the shore, and dropped to her knees once there. Slowly she began to remember that Vegeta and Zarbon were fighting, and she painfully climbed to her feet and looked up.

They hung in the sky, talking about something that had them both getting angry. She caught fragments over the breeze; "Frieza is a changeling, fool... " And "You just can't beat me, Zarbon... " She grimaced as she realized that she was not safe where she was, and couldn't get far enough away in the state she was in. In fact, she was in serious trouble; Goku wasn't due here for five days, and she had a good idea that she wouldn't last too long without medical attention, the kind that her friends just weren't equipped to give her here. She winced as she tried to stand, and then flew instead to a tall outcropping of rock.

She looked up again, and could see Vegeta blur out and reappear in Zarbon's face. Zarbon punched at Vegeta's face, but Vegeta caught the fist in his hand and tossed the much bigger man like a child. Zarbon spun higher into the air and righted himself quickly, only to find Vegeta had blurred out and was right in front of him. Zarbon in turn disappeared and reappeared a short distance away. He powered up very quickly, and holding out his right arm while using his left for support, shot a massive Bakurikimaha bolt at Vegeta. The Prince frowned and then smirked as he leaned forward and "caught" the bolt in his left hand, and then tossed it away like a toy. Of course toys don't explode with the force of ten H-bombs, like this did. Neither man moved to cover his face from the flying debris, but Zarbon did realize that he'd underestimated Vegeta if the Saiyan could bat his Bakurikimaha away so easily.

"You have… improved, Vegeta, that is true!" He said reluctantly. Vegeta laughed and launched himself at the stunned Zarbon. His elbow connected with Zarbon's jaw, stunning him for a few seconds; Zarbon snapped out of his shock and swung back, but missed. He began to kick at Vegeta's face, but the Prince laughed as he moved his head aside from each kick, even though they were coming so fast that the naked eye couldn't see them.
"Could this really be the fearful Zarbon? You look like you are standing still to me!" He sneered. Zarbon paused and growled angrily.
"Why you!" Zarbon hissed and then blinked as the Saiyan disappeared again. This time he re-appeared just above the larger man, and spun around, kicking straight down onto the back of Zarbon's neck. He fell, and landed on all fours, standing quickly so he could try to keep an eye on Vegeta, but he was gone again.

Raimi wasn't pleased by how good Vegeta appeared to be doing; she knew Zarbon's secret. It was too late now, and she wasn't in any shape to help Vegeta either. She watched as he showed up right behind Zarbon. Zarbon must have heard the subtle sound of the air displacement, because he had begun to turn when Vegeta planted a kick square into his back. The blue man was sent hurtling forward on his face, his armor gouging a trail in the ground for several meters. He laid they for a few seconds, and slowly pushed himself up on his hands and knees. Vegeta tossed his head back and laughed.

"And I haven't even broken a sweat!" He called, as Zarbon hissed angrily to himself. The Prince looked around, saw Raimi on her perch, and smiled. "See Kirei, not to worry, I'm the one in control here!" He called in Saiyago. She shook her head, and started to call to him, but Zarbon stood and began to laugh.
"You have hit me hard, Vegeta, that is true. And that has awakened the Power I keep hidden inside me. I don't know how she can know what she seems to be trying to tell you, but, its time for the unveiling… " Vegeta raised one eyebrow at this, but still smiled.
"Unveiling? What powers?" More laughter. "You do keep me entertained, Zarbon!"
"Yes, you see, up until now, you've only seen the beauty of my form… " Vegeta broke in with a laugh.

"Beauty, huh? I say you need a make over!" He chuckled to himself at his clever repartee and Raimi couldn't help but smile at him, even though he was in deep shit. She shrugged and then hissed in pain as her broken bones screamed at her. Vegeta saw it and frowned, reminded that Zarbon was a tail-grabber, and that he needed to kill him so he could find the last uncollected Dragonball. He squared his shoulders as Zarbon spoke again.
"Before you die, I will tell you Why I keep my power hidden. You see, to give full scope to these powers, I must transform, but the form I must take is hideously ugly. And since I am so fond of Beauty, as you know, I am quite reluctant to take this form unless ordered to do so by Frieza… or circumstance."

"You can transform? Like we Saiyans? People will say anything in their desperation!" Vegeta said amusedly.
"I don't become a huge monkey like you do under the moon, but my strength increases overwhelmingly!" Zarbon crowed.
"I look forward to this." Vegeta said smirking.
"If you had any intelligence, Vegeta, you would be shaking in fear!" Zarbon's voice was scornful.

Raimi held her breath and prayed to the dead Kami-sama that Zarbon didn't turn on her again. She watched as he sucked in a deep breath and tensed, his limbs swelling. He stomped first one foot and then another, as his legs gained twice their original mass, and then flung his arms out as they did the same. His chest expanded, making the armor creak in protest, and last his face pushed out, forcing his pretty face into a far more ugly reptilian arrangement. He let out his breath and then sighed with a hideous smile. Vegeta stepped backwards in shock, as he felt Zarbon's Ki spike during the transformation. He understood suddenly that Raimi had been trying to warn him of this and that he should have just killed Zarbon while he was in his weaker state. Now it would be very hard to destroy him… His thoughts were interrupted by a reptilian laugh.

"You saw the Beauty before, so now I introduce you to the Beast!" Zarbon roared. He seemed to materialize right in front of Vegeta, and he buried his knee into the Saiyans belly, before slapping him sideways. Vegeta slammed into the ground and skidded a short distance; before he could even roll to his feet, Zarbon kicked him in the ribs so hard that he flew up into the air. As he shot upwards, Zarbon grabbed Vegeta's ankle, and swung him back down, slamming him into the ground so hard that Raimi felt it through her feet. She winced in sympathy, but was just too hurt to help him.

Vegeta groaned as his head slammed into the ground, his eyes cracked open to see Zarbon bend over him and grab his head by the ears. He yelped as the monster pulled him up slightly and then head-butted him hard. Since Zarbon wore a circlet with a little bangle on it on his forehead, this was even more painful than it needed to be, and his head spun afterward.

Raimi hissed, her right fist clenched in fury at her own helplessness. She didn't even realize that she wanted to help the person who had hurt her friends and herself so badly only one month ago, didn't even think about how he'd tried to kill her only an hour ago; she just wanted to stop Zarbon from hurting him anymore. But her instinct told her that she couldn't possibly face him with a broken arm and shattered ribs. Her thoughts raced, as she tried to think of some way to help the Prince.

Vegeta had recovered enough to try to fight back, but it wasn't going well. He was able to muster up some Ki attacks, and even was able to engage in some in fighting, but he was beaten back each time, with what appeared to be effortless ease on Zarbon's part. He growled in fury as he paused a moment, and shook his head as his eyes blurred.

"What is this?!" He snapped and powered up again, jumping back into it. Zarbon repelled each punch and then slammed the palm of his hand into Vegeta's chest, sending ground ward. Raimi hobbled aside as she saw him headed for the spot where she stood. He hit and shot completely through the cliff at a right angle, so he that came out near the bottom, and slid on his back to another rock, slid up it and ended up on his knees, panting painfully. He looked up slowly, one eye swelling closed. He was helpless, and he knew it, but his pride refused to let him give up.

Raimi looked down at him, her fear and frustration showing on her face. She saw Vegeta's eyes flick behind her, and tried to spin around to face Zarbon as he loomed over her. He grinned, his fangs gleaming in his huge mouth.
"Ah, I almost forgot about you!" He sneered, and raised one hand to finish her off. Raimi didn't flinch, though she raised one hand to try to block the deathblow if at all possible. To her shock, Vegeta yelled below them.

"She knows where my Dragonball is!" He said quickly and then seemed shocked at what he'd said. He realized that he'd just lied to save her, and wondered at it. He shook his head and sneered at himself; he was getting soft! Although, she was also a Saiyan and far more deserving to live than Nappa had been. "Is he telling the truth?" Zarbon said. Raimi looked at Vegeta in shock and wondered at his actions. She saw him nod, and she nodded too. Zarbon roared and slapped her so hard that her overwrought body gave up, and she fell unconscious at Vegeta's feet far below. He almost checked to see if she was alive, but had no time; he had to raise his hands to try to block Zarbon's latest attack.
~~~~~~~~~ Raimi woke slightly and saw Zarbon, pretty once more, over her. She raised herself on her good arm and looked around for Vegeta, but he was nowhere to be seen. She hung her head sadly, though she knew he was still alive. Zarbon picked her up by her waist, making her cry out in pain. He gingerly slung her around until he held her in his arms and grimaced.

"I hate Saiyans, all Saiyans. I'm glad Vegeta's dead, and after you tell Frieza where those last Dragonballs are, you will be too." He said softly into her ear, as if he was whispering an endearment, not a threat. She felt cold terror at the mention of Frieza, and shivered as he laughed and took off.
"See, even if you can't understand Standard, everyone fears the name of Frieza!" Raimi gratefully slid back into the welcoming darkness…
~~~~~~~~~
Raimi hit the ground hard, making her whimper as her ribs hurt. She woke quickly from her exhausted state from the pain and sudden irrational fear that came when Zarbon said "Master"
"Master, look what I found for you!" Zarbon said. She felt footfalls coming closer, and then freezing cold fingers slid under her chin, lifting her face. "A rare beauty indeed. Yes, very rare, the last in all the universe, I'd say… " Raimi opened her eyes, wanting to see the face that housed such an enigmatic voice. She gasped at her first sight of Frieza.

Frieza was far more alien looking than Kiwi or any of his men were. His eyes were huge in his face with tiny strange reddish amber irises. His skin was an unhealthy white, with strange pink stripes running down his face and meeting under his chin. He wore what looked like a helmet with a purple shell on it and had short straight black horns jutting out from either side of his head. His shapely black lips curved into a smile.

"So, what is a female Saiyan doing on Namek? Maybe you're the reason Vegeta went to Chikyu-sei without permission, hmmm?" He said. She just stared at him, and noticed that his cold touch was getting unbearably colder. No wonder his kind were named for all things cold! The thought of his evil father made her gasp in fear, and he smiled wider, thinking that it was he that she feared. She tugged her head away from him and tried to stand on her own. Frieza stood back and watched her struggle.

"And what of my errant pet?" He asked. Zarbon watched Raimi pant and try again to rise.
"Let's just say, we don't need to worry about him anymore." Frieza humphed and nodded to Zarbon, who bent to pick up Raimi. She flinched away from him, but he bore her up easily. She and Frieza were nearly the same height; in fact, she was just a hint taller than he was. She gasped, holding her ribs and trying to move her arm.

"So, is he truly dead, little Saiyan?" He purred, looking her over. She shook her head, and saw Zarbon open his mouth to explain her inability to talk Standard, when she smiled.
"No, he can hold his breath for a long time. He's drying out somewhere I'm sure." Zarbon turned three shades of darker blue as she spoke, and then grabbed her by her broken arm. She shrieked and then held her free hand over her mouth to stop any further sound, eyes squeezed shut as tears of pain trickled down her cheeks.

"Zarbon! Let go of her! What's wrong anyway?" Frieza said, concerned that she'd pass out and not be able to talk without healing. Zarbon growled about her acting like she couldn't understand him, and Frieza laughed briefly. Raimi's breath hissed through her teeth as Zarbon released her, and she sank to one knee, unable to stand by herself anymore. Frieza smiled at her, making her shiver.

"So, you tricked Zarbon, did you? Very clever, and tough too. That's only what I expect from a true Saiyan, despite that hair of yours. You even have a tail… " He reached out and stroked it, his cold touch making her ill. She swallowed heavily.
"I won't tell you where it is. You will just have to kill me, Frieza." He smirked and turned to Zarbon. His face went hard.
"Zarbon, you have better go and pick up Vegeta."
"She's lying, he's dead… "

"Well, you had better hope not! I want him back here alive, you understand me? I want both of these monkeys alive, and if either one of them dies, you will suffer. You should have searched for him and brought him too, but you didn't want to get wet did you? Did you?" Zarbon looked at his feet, acutely humiliated to be scolded in front of Raimi like this. Raimi didn't even smile at his embarrassment; she was too worried about herself. How would she get out of this? She was resigning herself to being wished back soon; she figured that was the only way she was going to see another day.

"Now then, are you sure you don't want to talk?" Frieza said, motioning to Zarbon to lift her once more. Raimi bit her lip and shook her head. To her horror, Frieza bent and kissed her forehead. Zarbon's fingers trembled as he held her up; this must be a bad thing, like the kiss of death or something. "Oh, but I think you will… And if you don't I'll kill Vegeta before your eyes… " Raimi broke into laughter at this.

"So what? I don't care about him! He's an animal, I don't even like him. He tried to kill me once here already. Go ahead and kill him. It doesn't matter to me." She said. Frieza's eyes widened and then narrowed.
"Oh, really? Hmmm, we'll see. Or maybe I'll kill you in front of him… He won't like to see that, I guarantee it. He might even try to save you… Or… or I can send Zarbon out to find those two tiny earthlings… " At the mention of Gohan and Kurilin, Raimi snapped. Her eyes blazed and without thinking, she spat in his face.

"I guess you are still too much of a child, Prince Frieza, if you're willing to kill those who cannot possible defend against you! Even your father has more dignity than that!" Frieza's eyes went solid red for a second, as he raised one finger and pointed it at her. She glared at him defiantly, even though she knew what he was going to do to her.
"Go ahead! I told you I don't care!" She snapped. He growled, and backhanded her instead. Raimi's head jerked to the side, and she hit the floor, head spinning. She tried to stay awake, but everything turned gray, the voices of the monsters above her fading away…
~~~~~~~~~
"Master, please let me kill her for this!" Zarbon pleaded, but Frieza didn't answer right away. He was furious indeed, but knew that he was at a disadvantage here. He wanted the last two Dragonballs, but only Vegeta and this girl seemed to know where they were. He wasn't really sure he could make them talk before they died under the torture he had planned, but having two mouths was better than one. He wiped his face, and looked at her pensively. He had no choice; he had to have her put into the Iso-chamber, and also had to retrieve Vegeta. He grimaced.

"Zarbon, I have had a premonition… " The Cold tyrant said.
"A premonition, sire?"

"I've been thinking it over, and I feel that a powerful Saiyan is developing. This Saiyan might eventually become a genuine threat. King Vegeta was especially bad. And, I've been told that a Saiyan will be my doom. I had thought that it was Vegeta who might be this prophesized creature, but its seems less likely now… Go and get him Zarbon, quickly, and pray that he is alive, for your own sake." Zarbon frowned and gulped at the threat, but waited a moment.

"I can't believe you are worried about Saiyans, sir… "
"I told you, I don't care about Vegeta, it's these Chikyu Saiyans. There is something about that fight that bothers me. How could they beat Vegeta, kill Nappa? No, they are something to be careful about. And are you implying that I am frightened of something Zarbon? No? Good… so go, NOW!"