"Wicked Game" Ch. 8

By Shawna

Katsu ran her hand gently down the finely muscled chest she was pressed against. The skin was smooth beneath her fingers, cool despite the warmth of the night. The hand on her back trailed up and down her spine slowly, relaxing her, making her drowsy. She pulled the blanket up around her chin with her free hand.

"Are you going to fall asleep on me again?" Shiro asked softly, playfully. Katsu was snuggled next to him on his cot, unfazed by the fact that there was barely room for her. She grinned when Shiro spoke.

"If that's okay with you," she whispered, taking her hand off Shiro's bare chest and draping it lazily in the curve of his waist. "Just don't forget to take me to my own cot when you decide to go to sleep, or you know that I'll probably kick you right onto the floor in my sleep."

Shiro laughed softly. "I won't forget."

Katsu had been falling asleep wrapped in Shiro's arms every night for the past nine days, always careful to remind him to take her to her own cot before he went to sleep. It had crossed her mind to wonder what he might do while she slept beside him, but she was a light sleeper and could scarcely be touched without awakening, so she was not very worried. During these nine days Katsu had done as Vegeta had commanded and avoided ever crossing his path. She had also scoped out the castle's defenses and found them far too heavy for any escape attempt that did not have extremely careful planning behind it. She did not abandon her idea, but it would have to go on hold for awhile. In the meantime, she had been expecting Vegeta to begin summoning her as soon as a week had passed, but he had not and she wondered what he was waiting for.

She had become still, buried in her thoughts, and Shiro apparently thought that she had gone to sleep, because he sighed and brought his hand up to very softly stroke her hair. She wondered what he was thinking about, if anything. A few minutes later he sat up beside her, one of his arms staying around her back and the other slipping under her knees. He lifted her with a slight grunt and some obvious effort, and Katsu found herself feeling self-conscious of her less-than-svelte body. She wondered if it was a natural trait of her race to be more rounded than sleek. She was not what would be called overweight, but the shape of her body was slightly stockier than what she knew to be the conventional idea of feminine beauty. These Saiyan women were much the same though, being almost as muscular as the men. But Katsu was still different from them and for the first time she was wondering how her body compared to those of the women around her.

While she had engrossed herself in these thoughts, Shiro had placed her on her cot and thrown the blanket over her legs, leaving her upper body uncovered on this warm night. When she was sure he had gone back to his own cot she shifted to a more comfortable position and relaxed her body fully. There was a heaviness behind her eyes and it was not long before she had drifted off.

"Vegeta," she was speaking into a heavy mist, through which she could not see more than five or six feet in front of her. She was stepping slowly forward and Vegeta was definitely ahead of her.

"Vegeta," she said again. "Tell me what I am."

Vegeta did not speak, but he raised his hand and pointed off into the mist. She obeyed his guidance without question, heading the way he had indicated. There was another figure in the mist and upon reaching it she found it to be Shiro. He came up to her, his ears perked and forward, his tail bristled behind him.

"I think I know what you are," he said eagerly. "But I'm not sure." He pointed off into the mist, in the same direction she had been going. She obeyed him as well, walking into the mist in the direction Shiro's finger pointed. It seemed she walked forever before seeing a figure up ahead. She got closer to it, closer and closer, and then it suddenly turned, running at her. She gasped, taking a step back, and managed only a glimpse of the figure: purple hair, amber eyes with elliptical pupils, and long claws reaching toward her face.

A second later Katsu was awake on her cot, skin clammy with sweat and chest tight. She stared into the darkness of the servants' sleeping quarters for some time, assuring herself that she was okay now, relaxing her tensed muscles. At some point she had drawn the blanket up all the way to her chin and now she pushed it back down around her waist, glad for the feel of air moving over her heated upper body. She had not had any dreams since she had been on this planet, and of course she could not remember any dreams she might have had before arriving her. Memories trickled back to her every once and while now but they were for the most part trivial, small parts of her life. She still had not remembered the name of her planet or species and what had happened that had sent her into space in an escape pod. She wondered if she had had nightmares about demons before, when she was back on her home planet. The thing she had seen seemed vaguely familiar, like she had seen it and feared it before; but what was it? This she could not remember. She kept seeing those eyes, large, fully amber, slit with black pupils. What could it be? She wondered at this until her mind fogged over and she fell back to sleep. This time she slept peacefully, undisturbed by nightmares.

"You've got to come with me today," Shiro said the next morning, exasperated. "He said he didn't want to see you for one week. But now its been, what, ten days?"

"Nine," Katsu said, finishing lacing up her dress. "Today would be ten."

Shiro made a face. "Whatever," he said. "But you're coming with me today." He handed Katsu a polishing cloth for the sconces. She took it daintily.

"I never said I wasn't going to go today," she said softly, making for the stairs ahead of Shiro. She heard him sigh and then he followed her quickly.

Katsu was quiet as they went through their usual duties on the third floor of the castle. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Shiro glancing at her repeatedly and seeming as if he was about to speak, and then suddenly changing his mind. She wondered what he was thinking about.

She was almost done polishing all the sconces when the door to Vegeta's room opened slowly. She glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes met Vegeta's. He stood in the doorway to his room, shirtless, staring at her. She looked for a few seconds and then turned back to what she was doing. She heard him come out of his room, closing the door, approaching her. She tensed as he neared. He breezed by easily, smacking her on the backside as he did so. Her eyes went wide and she almost gasped audibly, whirling around to face him. He did not look back as he walked the length of the hall and exited by the main staircase.

She stared down the hall for a while, wondering why he had done that and what it might have meant. Shiro was eyeing her quizzically; he had not seen what Vegeta had done. She shrugged at Shiro and went back to finishing the sconce.

That night Vegeta did what Katsu had been expecting for three days now - he rang her on her wristcuff to bring him his dinner. She stared at the small flashing light, wondering what Vegeta might do when he saw her again. One part of her mind imagined him getting angry, hitting her, with that quiet rage burning in his eyes. The other part saw him acting as he had immediately after their fight, pinning her against the wall in his room and taking her violently. She blushed, embarrassed at the image that suddenly dominated her thoughts, but letting it stay in her mind.

"Hey, are you going to go?" Shiro poked Katsu in the ribs, having come over after he heard her wristcuff sound. "I knew he'd start calling you soon. You'd better go so you don't piss him off again."

"Yeah," she muttered, her blush deepening, as if Shiro would know what she had been thinking about. She went through the kitchen and scooped up the silver platter that she knew from experience was Vegeta's. She whisked up the stairs, feeling a strange lightness in her stomach, a result of her mixed apprehension and anticipation about how Vegeta was going to act when she arrived at his room.

She went through the customary actions: knocking, receiving silence, and entering. The window was open, as it so often was, and Vegeta was seated in the usual chair in front of it. He was resting his chin on his knuckles and his eyes were closed. She approached quietly, placing the tray silently on the small table beside the chair. She clasped her hands and stood beside Vegeta, waiting to be dismissed, her chest still tight with nervousness.

"Sit down," Vegeta said suddenly, pointing to the ground in front of his chair. Katsu obeyed with surprising alacrity, seating herself where he indicated.

His eyes opened, shining in the moonlight as he looked down at her. She did not drop her gaze or look away; she stared right back at him. For some time he did not speak, and then he reached down and gripped her chin gently, raising her head.

"You aren't a bad fighter, for a non-Saiyan female," he said. Katsu blinked, a look of mild surprise crossing her face. Of all the ways she had thought he would act, this had not been one of them.

"Don't seem so shocked," he said, releasing her and putting his hand back on the chair's armrest. "I recognize fighting talent where fighting talent exists. Tell me what you are."

"Wh-what I am?"

He snorted. "You're not deaf, are you? Tell me what species you are, what planet you come from."

Katsu looked down. "I... I don't remember."

He huffed impatiently. "What do you mean, you don't remember?"

She grew a bit irritated. "I mean, I do not remember. I woke up in the escape pod I crashed here in with no memory of where I came from or how I got there. All I could remember was my name is Katsu. I've had some memories return since then, but nothing major. Not the name of my planet or species."

Vegeta was silent for some time upon hearing this, and Katsu did not look up to see his face at all during this time. She wondered if he would believe her, and what she would do if he did not. Would he get angry with her? Would he strike her again for lying to him?

"That must be difficult. Not knowing who you are or where you come from."

Katsu looked up, even more surprised to hear words that were almost compassionate coming from the prince. "Yes," she said softly. "Yes, its very difficult. I... Sometimes I don't know how to deal with it."

"I know how it is to feel helpless, to feel like there is nothing you can do," Vegeta replied, not making eye contact with her anymore. "I know how it feels to be unable to deal with a problem when you should be able to." His fist clenched tight as he said this and frustration burned in his eyes.

Katsu's compulsion took over and she placed her hand gently on his knee. His eyes widened and he stared at her, apparently startled that she was touching him tenderly. She smiled faintly at him.

"So, we're not all that different," she said. "Only... Only you're the cause of my suffering. I don't know the cause of yours."

Katsu expected Vegeta to get angry when said this, and though his fists stayed tightly clenched, his face softened ever so slightly.

"You're actually lucky, then," he said, the sadness in his voice thinly veiled despite his obvious effort. "You have the opportunity to fight back against what causes you pain and the ability to hurt it, albeit not very much."

"But I can't get away from it."

"Neither can I."

"You can't get away from yourself? Or from what hurts you?"

"Both."

Katsu placed her other hand on Vegeta's other knee, looked up at him earnestly. "You're so powerful, I know that," she said, a smile touching the corners of her lips because she knew all too well how strong he was. "I can't imagine something or someone that could control you like this."

He pounded his fist on the arm of the chair, startling Katsu, causing her to draw back from him. "No one can control me," he said through gritted teeth, his head down. "I won't let him control me."

"But you do," Katsu blurted without thinking. Vegeta's head snapped up to stare at her, his eyes burning. She recoiled against the wall beside the window, very much afraid at the look that had come into his eyes. He rose in a rapid, fluid motion and stood over her before she could move away.

"How dare you say that I let him control me," he said, voice wavering, his whole body quivering with rage. "I don't have a choice. If I could stop him I would. I would do it in a heartbeat."

Katsu turned her face away from him. "Then do it."

His hand shot out, wrapping in her hair, and he dragged her to her feet, pressing her hard against the wall. "You know nothing of this situation," he breathed harshly against her face. "You know nothing about me. You're just a servant."

"You confided in me," she whispered. "I thought I knew you... You confided in me." She closed her eyes, feeling tears slipping out from them as she did so. The hand in her hair loosened and then she was shoved to the side. She turned to see Vegeta pressing his forehead against the wall, his hands over his face. His breath came heavy.

Katsu turned to leave, her instinctive reaction being to flee. Vegeta's hand caught her wrist and whirled her around.

"Don't go yet," he said.

She wrenched out of his grasp. "Please don't touch me," she said, taking a step back from him.

Vegeta took a step forward, driving Katsu back another step. "You're trying to tell me what to do again," he said, but without his usual cockiness. He took another step; so did Katsu.

"Just let me leave now," she said desperately, afraid. "Please don't do anything to me. I'm sorry for what I said, you're right, I don't know anything about you. Just let me leave."

Vegeta seemed almost taken aback by her words. "Suddenly you're cowering before me? Suddenly you're begging for my mercy? I thought you were above that."

"I was," she said, going back another step as he came forward. "But I'm tired now, I'm scared, I'm sick of pain. I just want you to leave me alone now."

The backs of her legs hit the bed after her next step and she could retreat no further. Vegeta stopped a few steps away from her, though, seeming hesitant to touch her now.

"You want me to leave you alone? You want to be like all the other servants skulking around this castle?"

She turned her head away from him, wanting to give one of her usual defiant answers but feeling too weak to deal with the consequences she would undoubtedly face. However, she could not, would not, agree to wanting to be a faithful servant to him.

"No," she whispered faintly.

He came forward now. "I didn't think so," he said, standing close to her, almost close enough for their bodies to touch. Katsu bent backwards, pulling her face away from him. He grinned without humor, the expression seeming more sad than anything else. His foot hooked around her ankle and tripped her, sending her falling backwards onto the bed. She gasped, fear clouding her mind, thinking he was going to rape her.

He placed his hands on her thighs, spreading her legs, but just so he could stand between her knees, which hung over the edge of the bed.

"I wouldn't say I confided in you, Katsu," he said. "But I did tell you things I would never have considered telling a servant before. You're different from all the others, because you're undefeated. Your dignity and spirit are still intact. I still can't decide if I should break you or not."

She stared up at him and everything seemed to go into slow motion. He was leaning over her slightly, one of his arms slipping under back and lifting her upper body. His other hand went to the back of her head, raising it. His chest pressed against hers; his warm breath fanned across her lips. He leaned his head in close to her, so close that all she could see was the darkness of his eyes. He tilted his head slightly to one side, then to the other. His breath was warm on her face again. He brushed his lips across hers, sending a pleasant tingle through her body. Her fear had melted away, she had forgotten that she had ever been afraid, about all the other things that had happened and about how she hated the prince. There was only that moment, where he was warm against her, soft and hard at the same time. His lips brushed hers again, and then he did what she had been waiting for, and it seemed like she had been waiting forever. He kissed her, pressing his lips to hers first gently and then with more force and she wrapped her arms around him despite herself. His tongue traced the line between her closed lips and she opened to him willingly, thrilling in the way he kissed her, reveling in the burst of pent up passion that came from both of them. She melted into the kiss, responding, kissing him back, clinging to him as though her life depended on it. Her hands gripped his back, memorizing the feel, the curves of the hard muscles. The muscles of his thighs were tensed between her knees, and she brought her legs closer together, wrapping her lower legs around his calves, wanting to be in as much contact with him as was physically possible. All of her senses exalted in him: the way he smelled, felt, and tasted, all heightened her experience and she felt as though she could kiss him forever. Vegeta seemed no less excited than she; his arm around her back clung to her tightly, possessively, his kiss was on fire.

To her own surprise, it was Katsu who broke away first. Even she was not sure why she did it, but there was suddenly something in her that did not want Vegeta in this way, did not want him to be kissing her, taking pleasure in her body, seducing her. She could not let him take her this way.

His eyes questioned her actions. "I'm sorry," she said falteringly. "But I can't... I just don't want..."

He released her and she fell back onto the bed. He stood up straight, staring down at her, and she knew he would become angry; indeed, anger already crept in his eyes. She braced for him to hit her, but he did not, he merely stared down at her.

"Fine," he said, to Katsu's great surprise. "Fine. If you don't want this, you can go. I won't force you, despite what I know you like to think. I don't have to force you. The day will come when you'll be begging me to do it."

She sat up fast. "Never," she said indignantly. "I'll never beg you to take pleasure in my body. I'd rather cut my throat."

He laughed, his good mood obviously returned after his pre-kiss melancholy. "Fine," he said again, turning away. "Whatever you say. You can go now."

She vaulted off the bed, her face hot with anger. He had turned her rejection of him around as if he had planned the whole thing out, and this was enough to make her blood boil. She stalked from the room, biting her tongue to keep from saying anything more. Her defiance had returned along with Vegeta's usual attitude, and they would inevitably clash again.

Still, she could not help but think on her way down the stairs. That was one hell of a kiss.

**To Be Continued…**