The fluid drained quickly from the tank, a soft wave of the water tucking his hair up, and in the same motion down as it drain

Hello It's me Again@! Finally! J) well, there we go. I finally stole the comp away for a few hours so I could do this. I hope ya'all appreciate the effort, and stealth, this required.

Anyway! I do not own DBZ, and here 's the story.

Oh, read, rev and enjoy, my friends and comrades in arms,.. Cartoon network just stopped sending out new episodes of DBZ, just before the androids show up too, without any warning at all, but I'm not gonna let this inequity ruin my weekend or life! No way~ (sniff)

The fluid drained quickly from the tank, a soft wave of the water tucking his hair up, and in the same motion down as it drained away. As the water passed his waist the oxygen mask fell away, and with a puff the glass window opened to a door.

Vegeta stood frowning to the outside of the chamber, looking in on a messy laboratory, empty and half-dark.

Odd, that.

He was pretty sure he'd died.

"Maybe you could get out yourself?"

Snapping his head to the direction of the sound, the prince crouched down instinctively. There were some rummaging sounds, like a box being dropped on the floor, and the low female voice continued.

"Yeah, I do think I've outdone myself this time. A celebration should be in order."

Vegeta started cautiously moving forward, out of the pod, looking for the creature that was obviously addressing him.

"But, like I said before. Our good lord and master -Sheeesh!- he seems to think I celebrate too much. But!"

And Vegeta finally passed the table, coming on to a very furry, and rather badly kept cat-like creature, as big as a grown Saiyi-jin.

"BUT! As soon as you've left my lab, I'm sure Dork - (cough) excuse me, hairball!- Lord Freeza will return to his usual, uncaring self. Do you not agree, little prince?"

The cat put down the wrench she had been holding, turning a bright –and happy- smile on Vegeta.

Vegeta looked back at the cat, his expression blank. The blue-furred woman looked ridiculous to him. She was covered head to toe with thick blue fur, some black stripes showing on her arms and legs. But for some odd reason, she still wore the top piece of Freeza's standard armour AND, covering that, a white long-sleeved lab-coat.

They stared at each other a moment longer -in which Vegeta decided he really hadn't died- the woman's smile unwavering.

Until Vegeta remembered the right way to answer such stupidity.

He scowled at her angrily. It didn't have quite the desired effect though; she gave him a frown before straightening to look down on him.

"Well, go get dressed or something."

Deciding that that might actually be a sensible idea, he turned back to the pod's opening –the usual place to put down a clean body suit for the occupant.

But he hadn't so much as turned his back to the woman, as that she started off again.

"You might be interested to know, I had quite a few close calls on you, you know. Well, we're ok now. Hey,...? You know where I put down my wrench?"

The cat started rummaging through boxes again.

Vegeta ignored her though.

His bodysuit wasn't were it was supposed to be, but he'd spotted it on a bench two steps away, and after pulling himself up on it, he started to dress.

"Ah! There it is!" the annoying creature called. "Hey, I remember! I just had that thing,.."

She turned to stare at Vegeta accusingly. "Well, a lot of help you are."

He just gave her a shrug.

"Do you know what?" she continued, giving him a look. "You were actually better company when you were in that tank. To think of the long hours I worked on you with shaking hands, never even a pause for a nerve-calmer."

He gave her a sceptical look.

"Oh, but yes, young man! The other doctors were ready to give you up,.. but Freeza insisted. And when our great, wonderful and loving master wants something, we scientists provide!"

She smiled again, taking into account the little Saiyi-jin's sneer.

"Sarcasm really is completely lost on children, isn't it?"

Dismissing her again with a shake of his head, prince Vegeta sat and studied his hands. Something was wrong. Different. Changed.

He closed them into fists, wondering what it was he felt.

"Well, anyway, it was me that worked my magic on you. Though I did have a few worries I wouldn't be able to sow those vocal cords back together again –you can talk, can't you?"


Looking up angrily, the Saiyi-jin finally spoke up.

"Yes, cat. I can speak." –than chocked at the sound of his own voice. He sounded like he'd been swallowing down glass-shards!

Shooting up a hand, he quickly found the reason.

A deep scar ran down his throat, all the way from one ear to the other. Vegeta looked up at the woman accusingly. She thankfully stopped congratulating herself on the fact that he could talk.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, mister! You're still young, and a Saiyi-jin at that; you won't be able to tell that was ever there in a year or so."

Vegeta supposed it was true. All the same, it would show long enough. It wasn't the scar that bothered him; it was the story behind it.

He just knew it was all over the ship by now 'the monkey prince' had only escaped his own execution by being rescued – rescued!- at the last possible moment.

Now, it didn't look like anyone was going to forget about it soon either.

The Saiyi-jin was pulled from his rather depressing trail of thought as the cat harrumphed.

"Well now, let's try to do this right. Hello, Vegeta! I'm Chesire. How are you feeling?"

Smirking, he decided to humour her, "I'm fine."

But then his eyes widened at the realisation.

"Actually, I'm feeling great."

***

Vegeta was frowning at his hands as the cat-like woman – a Bengaal, he knew- kept talking as she meddled with the isolation-chamber he had just vacated. He closed his hands to fists, and then stretched them open again.

So much power. Where had it all come from?

Sure, he had always been strong. Sure, the training here on Freeza's ship was supposed to make him stronger –though all of the actual fighting lessons had seemed rather dull to him. And, true again, with the constant fatigue or physical beatings he hadn't really felt up to full strength since he had got here.

He should feel stronger; it was to be expected. But not this much; this was,.. felt amazing.

Hands open, hands closed.

"Well, everything in here checks out fine, and I can't tell anything wrong with you either, so I guess I'd better send you out to Freeza. Apparently, you're to go straight to him now that I have released you. "

Hands open, hands closed.

He had to test it. He had to try it out. Scanning around, he focussed on the blue-furred cat. And smirked, raising a finger at her.

To his surprise –and great annoyance, she frowned at him before turning around to rummage through some boxes.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

He growled at her. "And why not."

-"Well, for starters, you might live to regret it."

The little prince smirked at her back. "But! You wouldn't live to regret anything."

-"Which just proves the point that you would be worse off then I."

The Bengaal turned back to him, leaning back against a table. Her thick blue tail waving behind slowly was his only clue to his un-ease.

"Wouldn't you want to hear why you'd be sorry?"

Bearing his teeth at her in a parody of a smile, he rasped: "Humour me."

Chesire smiled back, though Vegeta thought he saw the hair on her tail puff up a little.

It was good to get some respect again. Finally.

"First reason, you might find I'm quite useful. I'm a real great scientist, but beyond that!"

-She quickly continued as she realised this fact would not get her any points on Vegeta's list.-

"I have spent seven years of my live on Freeza's ship now. My power level is 17. Now, you should know, the average live-span of a worker –or scientist, or even soldier for that matter- on Freeza's flagship is three months. Now" -and Chesire smiled broadly now.-

"How do you think I managed to survive that long?"

Vegeta gave her a quizzical look. "You convinced everyone of how useful you are?"

Her eyes narrowed a fraction, and Vegeta was about to laugh at her and decide to blast her anyway.

"Second point! I am the closest to a Saiyi-jin you're likely to see around in a long, long time."

Vegeta frowned at her, then quickly scowled. "You're nothing like a Saiyi-jin, you baka cat."

-"Oh, I'm a Bengaal, I told you! And as much as that's true, I am a mammal and a humanoid. Let's be fair. That's the closest you've seen so far, isn't it?"

The little prince set his teeth, annoyed that she had a point, still. "My bodyguard's on this ship."

-"Oh? And you've seen him?"

Chesire smirked at his silence. "You see? And you won't be seeing him very soon either."

She raised her hands for dramatic effect. "The Freezer works in hysterical ways!" then barked a laugh at her own wit.

Giving her a frown he looked down on his hands again.

Open, closed.

Then grinned, hopping down the bench.

"Never mind. I've got a better idea, anyway."

Striding out of the lab resolutely, he ignored the cat, as it stuttered about 'Freeza', 'appointments', and 'not liking the sound of that one bit'.

Freeza was looking out his window, his wineglass next to him on the table, ignored and forgotten.

To any ignorant bystander, the pink little tyrant might have looked as if it was daydreaming, sloughed in his chair like that.

But Zarbon knew better. There was trouble brewing, and the Lord of the universe as worried.

And, when the Lord of the universe was worried, he was pissed.

Zarbon wanted to know what was up; he was curious as hell. But he didn't have a death wish either, so he kept quiet, and as still as was possible.

Freeza kept still as well, staring at the great red planet that shone out there, out side the great window.

Vegeta-sei.

Suddenly, Freeza turned to holler: "What's keeping the boy!?"

Zarbon didn't answer, nor did any of the soldiers present. He didn't know how, and neither did anyone else.

The little tyrant sneered at him, before bellowing a command.

"Darken my window. Darken all the windows. I don't want him to see."

The blue warrior stirred, regretting before he'd said the words, but it was too late.

"Sir, may I ask, why? You can't really think to keep our bearing a secret to him very long, do you?"

-"I can and I will!" snarled the tyrant, jumping out of his chair.

"In fact, anyone responsible to him finding out will be put to death by me, personally."

Zarbon flinched as Freeza's tail demolished his own chair behind him.

The creature seemed oblivious, but somewhat calmed as it turned back to the window, the glass slowly turning black.

"They're up to something, those monkeys. I can feel it, Zarbon. I can feel it on the tip of my tongue."

Ahh, there you go. Well, what did you think? Opinions go below ;) I love opinions.