Disclaimer: Yes I am aware that I do not own these characters. And yes I am
aware that I have kinda changed their personalities. But wait, there's a
big turning point starting in this chapter so hold on to those rotten
tomatoes!
~Tru~
Ps. I don't own DBZ
Strange Beauty
Chapter Five
By Tru~colors
~~~"Sedative... a dirty trick." he mumbled, before blacking out. ~~~ ***
Bulma stalked down the hall in the temporary base. The Sayajin invaders were staking out in one of the largest chickyuu buildings they could find. Footsteps reverberating off the tiles loudly, she made her way to the make-shift head quarters. The soldiers guarding the door stepped aside as she blew past them. "Freeza," she began, her voice shaking in anger, "I am sorry to interrupt you—" He cut her off tersely. "There is talk of scandal among the troops my dear." He spoke without turning from his maps, getting right to the point. "And you think I don't notice?" Bulma was extremely on edge about something. She had noticed immediately, but brushed it off as easily as one would smash a fly. But she could not ignore the talk spreading quickly through the squads. Freeza's tail lashed out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her close enough to feel his breath on her neck. "You would be wise not to be fresh with me." Every instinct in the rogue princess's body shot sky high. Her fingers tingled with the will to blast herself free, only problem was... her father would... ~~~ The 12 year old princess gasped for air as the king held her up from the hospital bed. His fist was clenched around her throat. "You would dare attack him? He can order the destruction of this ENTIRE planet with the flick of a hand! You threatened all of our lives today! What kind of ruler willingly endangers her warriors?" Bulma uttered some faint inaudible words that seemed to satisfy him. He dropped her back onto the bed. "Always remember the consequences." With a stern look and a low growl he left her to the medics. ~~~ Bulma forced out the words "My deepest apologies Freeza" and he paused to stroke her neck before releasing her. Though reluctant, Bulma adhered to the foreboding words echoing in her ears. "On with my point, my beauty." Bulma fought not to sneer at this pet name. "I would like to inspect this boy we have stumbled upon, so I may verify or disprove this possible royalty." Bulma ground her teeth in anger. 'I am the true heir to the throne, not those sorry excuses for Sayajins!' She wouldn't know what to do if this were proven false and she was tossed out of the castle. 'But then,' she reassured herself, 'there was no way they would let the two of them live. They would be found lame and be put down for sure! How could they let a pair of soft, improperly reared heirs take the throne? I am surely more fit than they.' Bulma had noticed it, of course, at first glance. The boy had a remarkable resemblance to her father Vegeta, king of Vegeta-sei. If this mere captive truly was the son of the king, then her entire life would have been a lie! What low class scum could have birthed her? "Hold your temper." Freeza's voice cut through her thoughts in preemptive discipline. The monotonous sound of bustling squads, slaves and officers surrounded them. "We wouldn't want anything to happen before our return, now would we?" By now the two were just around the corner from the holding cell. Bulma was about to make a curt reply when she saw something missing at the door. "Where are the guards?" "Oh no," she began sarcastically, "he's loose in the building." She dramatically drew a finger to her chin in pretense of puzzlement. "He must have put up a fight when they tried to shift his position." Freeza remarked. Medical studies had shown that a body would shut down if not moved once in a while. This explained the slow and painful death by crucifixion. They needed to keep the two insubordinates alive to bring back to her father. "How adorable, he must be looking for his sister." She yawned audibly. "Ah well I haven't had a good chase in a while. Could be mildly entertaining." "You find him and bring him back girl! I'll take care of these incompetent fools." He made a gesture towards the soldiers. "I could use some target practice." Bulma turned the corner just when Freeza was lifting one of the failed Saiya-jins up by the throat. *** Stealthily creeping down the hallway, Vegeta made his way to the largest room in the building. Having been there for a CC banquet last year, he knew how to get there. A mirage of flowing gowns, soft waltzes and drinks all around played in his memory. 'This must be where they're holding the... the slaves...' Peering around the corner he caught a glimpse of the guards at the door. 'No good, they'll see me for sure... ah-ha! The kitchen door, it leads to a back hall-way!' He fumbled through the dark, following a crack of light at the edge of the shadows. The glow coming from the ballroom pierced his eyes as Vegeta ventured a glimpse inside. The hole, that would be an open doorway, was closed off by a set of bars that hummed with electric activity. Through these bars was an endless sea of heads. Hundreds of his fellow Chickyuu-jins were crammed into a room that was meant to hold only a third of their number. Quickly scanning the room, he grunted in frustration. 'Where is she?' He looked around the room once, then twice more and furrowed his brow in defeat. 'What if he killed her?' He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the idea of life with his other half, his sister. "Chi-Chi... Where are you?" he murmured. "Vegeta? Briefs-Kun, is that you?" His eyes snapped open. That voice was so familiar. "Lunch?" "Oh Veggie, it is you!" The blue haired female rushed up to the gate which separated him from the rest of West City's diminishing populace. Carefully avoiding a shock from the bars, she reached a bandaged hand through to grip his. It was warm. "You're alive? But... when they attacked Master Roshi... I though you would have... they could have..." "I was out... shopping... when they came for him," She winced, "Oh Vegeta! I should have been there! He was unable to... I was... I could have-" "Stop it. You and I both know there would have been nothing you could have done." She released his hand. "You've got to get out of here, find whoever you can get free a-" Her eyes suddenly widened and her beautiful tan skin went very pale. Vegeta's body tensed up as he sensed someone standing behind him. He turned slowly to see a beam of light fly past his face. He gasped in horror as it impacted with the woman behind the bars. "No..." He watched her fall. Her eyes looking strait at him and yet... not seeing... Her breath cut to short gasps, and there was a distinct hole through her chest. "NO!" He reached through the bars towards her, winced as a shock jolted through him. She was out of his reach. "Oh boo hoo," Vegeta's stomach dropped. Turning once more he saw her. Black hair sprawled over her face and bruises covering her body, Chi-Chi lay unconscious at the feet of the Saiyajin-no-Ojo. The princess was standing with a finger pointed as a gun. "Looking for this?" She smirked at him and kicked Chi-Chi forward. "Well, it seems we have ourselves a little run-away!" She crouched into fighting position. "Let's see what they've taught you about fighting... or should I call it self defense?" Vegeta was stunned. 'Remember, brains before brawn.' His late teacher's words resonated in is head. He too readied himself for battle. *** Mrs. Briefs' shaking, overworked hands were poised over the keyboard of an outdated computer in the separate holding cell. The business office of the Tenco production building was equipped with a windows 95 and a slow dial up internet connection. She and her husband had been put to work, immediately, at cracking a code in the UN's main database. The captive suddenly felt the sensation of being watched. Slowly turning she found herself face to face with one of her tall, broad shouldered Saiya- jin guards. "Well wench? Have you finished with the code yet? Freeza does not like to be kept waiting." The frail woman shuddered at the mention of that name. Her hand reached up to lightly touch her badly bruised shoulder in remembrance of Freeza's wrath. Despite herself, she reached over to eject the floppy. Her arm took on a life of its own, despite how many chilling thoughts of what these aliens could do with such power. She handed it over. "That's a good girl." The warrior beckoned to someone at the door. A kitchen slave entered timidly carrying hot soup, a loaf of bread and a plate of an acrid smelling meat. She looked at Mrs. Briefs through her sad, fishlike eyes as the Chickyuu native shakily grasped the tray and set it down on the desk. "Thank you Bardock-san." It was sincere thanks. Mrs. Briefs pulled off a piece of bread and stumbled weakly over to the cot on which Mr. Briefs had passed out earlier. 'Food deprivation, definitely something to motivate a person.' "Wake up dearest, I have food for you." Mr. Briefs' eyes fluttered open to the sound of her voice. Sitting up, he smiled at her as she helped him to nourish his already heavily weakened body. Bardock scowled at the scene before him. 'Petty Chickyuu emotions, they're such a waste of time.' He crossed his arms, left the room and joined his fellow sentry at the door. "Now that we have the key to the whole planet we won't be needing those two anymore. The poison should start to work within the hour..." *** "Well boy," Bulma's cold stare bore into him with an amused and disturbing expression on her face. "You seem to be holding out well... for a pathetic weakling such as yourself." Vegeta was on his back, breathing hard and trying desperately to stop his blood from flowing freely out of his chest wound. The princess chuckled lightly. "Too bad your master didn't hold out so well." The flash of anger in his eyes was exactly what she wanted to see. She continued to taunt him. "Yes, I finished him off pretty quickly. Though it is reasonable for you to be surviving our little spat," There was a unique irony to that word that Vegeta couldn't quite put his finger on. "After all, you are a full blooded Saiya-jin, and what doesn't kill one, will make him stronger." She paused here and locked eyes with Vegeta. "You've been cooped up for a rather long time, haven't you?" She smiled wryly and as his blood began to boil he leapt at her once again, ignoring the searing pain coming from the gash. Bulma easily stepped aside, allowing the ill-balanced Vegeta to fly right past her into a chair. He looked up in time to see her wink at him before she had swiftly pinned his arms behind his back. The touch of her harsh skilled hands roughly pulling him from the ground and into her control sent a strange sensation through his body. Bulma froze with shock, was that what she thought it was? She couldn't be sure. She had also felt the foreign sensation run through her. She growled loudly and with one swift movement, she whacked Vegeta in the back of the head, knocking him out. Stopping his open wound with her hand, she dragged the unconscious rebel down the hallway back towards the confines of the makeshift prison. *** Well then, there's chapter five! I wonder where all this is going? And what about the rumors of scandal among the troops? We'll have to wait and see, PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Remember to review! I need some responses to my little ficcy or I'm going to burst! I want to know what you think. ~Tru~
Strange Beauty
Chapter Five
By Tru~colors
~~~"Sedative... a dirty trick." he mumbled, before blacking out. ~~~ ***
Bulma stalked down the hall in the temporary base. The Sayajin invaders were staking out in one of the largest chickyuu buildings they could find. Footsteps reverberating off the tiles loudly, she made her way to the make-shift head quarters. The soldiers guarding the door stepped aside as she blew past them. "Freeza," she began, her voice shaking in anger, "I am sorry to interrupt you—" He cut her off tersely. "There is talk of scandal among the troops my dear." He spoke without turning from his maps, getting right to the point. "And you think I don't notice?" Bulma was extremely on edge about something. She had noticed immediately, but brushed it off as easily as one would smash a fly. But she could not ignore the talk spreading quickly through the squads. Freeza's tail lashed out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her close enough to feel his breath on her neck. "You would be wise not to be fresh with me." Every instinct in the rogue princess's body shot sky high. Her fingers tingled with the will to blast herself free, only problem was... her father would... ~~~ The 12 year old princess gasped for air as the king held her up from the hospital bed. His fist was clenched around her throat. "You would dare attack him? He can order the destruction of this ENTIRE planet with the flick of a hand! You threatened all of our lives today! What kind of ruler willingly endangers her warriors?" Bulma uttered some faint inaudible words that seemed to satisfy him. He dropped her back onto the bed. "Always remember the consequences." With a stern look and a low growl he left her to the medics. ~~~ Bulma forced out the words "My deepest apologies Freeza" and he paused to stroke her neck before releasing her. Though reluctant, Bulma adhered to the foreboding words echoing in her ears. "On with my point, my beauty." Bulma fought not to sneer at this pet name. "I would like to inspect this boy we have stumbled upon, so I may verify or disprove this possible royalty." Bulma ground her teeth in anger. 'I am the true heir to the throne, not those sorry excuses for Sayajins!' She wouldn't know what to do if this were proven false and she was tossed out of the castle. 'But then,' she reassured herself, 'there was no way they would let the two of them live. They would be found lame and be put down for sure! How could they let a pair of soft, improperly reared heirs take the throne? I am surely more fit than they.' Bulma had noticed it, of course, at first glance. The boy had a remarkable resemblance to her father Vegeta, king of Vegeta-sei. If this mere captive truly was the son of the king, then her entire life would have been a lie! What low class scum could have birthed her? "Hold your temper." Freeza's voice cut through her thoughts in preemptive discipline. The monotonous sound of bustling squads, slaves and officers surrounded them. "We wouldn't want anything to happen before our return, now would we?" By now the two were just around the corner from the holding cell. Bulma was about to make a curt reply when she saw something missing at the door. "Where are the guards?" "Oh no," she began sarcastically, "he's loose in the building." She dramatically drew a finger to her chin in pretense of puzzlement. "He must have put up a fight when they tried to shift his position." Freeza remarked. Medical studies had shown that a body would shut down if not moved once in a while. This explained the slow and painful death by crucifixion. They needed to keep the two insubordinates alive to bring back to her father. "How adorable, he must be looking for his sister." She yawned audibly. "Ah well I haven't had a good chase in a while. Could be mildly entertaining." "You find him and bring him back girl! I'll take care of these incompetent fools." He made a gesture towards the soldiers. "I could use some target practice." Bulma turned the corner just when Freeza was lifting one of the failed Saiya-jins up by the throat. *** Stealthily creeping down the hallway, Vegeta made his way to the largest room in the building. Having been there for a CC banquet last year, he knew how to get there. A mirage of flowing gowns, soft waltzes and drinks all around played in his memory. 'This must be where they're holding the... the slaves...' Peering around the corner he caught a glimpse of the guards at the door. 'No good, they'll see me for sure... ah-ha! The kitchen door, it leads to a back hall-way!' He fumbled through the dark, following a crack of light at the edge of the shadows. The glow coming from the ballroom pierced his eyes as Vegeta ventured a glimpse inside. The hole, that would be an open doorway, was closed off by a set of bars that hummed with electric activity. Through these bars was an endless sea of heads. Hundreds of his fellow Chickyuu-jins were crammed into a room that was meant to hold only a third of their number. Quickly scanning the room, he grunted in frustration. 'Where is she?' He looked around the room once, then twice more and furrowed his brow in defeat. 'What if he killed her?' He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the idea of life with his other half, his sister. "Chi-Chi... Where are you?" he murmured. "Vegeta? Briefs-Kun, is that you?" His eyes snapped open. That voice was so familiar. "Lunch?" "Oh Veggie, it is you!" The blue haired female rushed up to the gate which separated him from the rest of West City's diminishing populace. Carefully avoiding a shock from the bars, she reached a bandaged hand through to grip his. It was warm. "You're alive? But... when they attacked Master Roshi... I though you would have... they could have..." "I was out... shopping... when they came for him," She winced, "Oh Vegeta! I should have been there! He was unable to... I was... I could have-" "Stop it. You and I both know there would have been nothing you could have done." She released his hand. "You've got to get out of here, find whoever you can get free a-" Her eyes suddenly widened and her beautiful tan skin went very pale. Vegeta's body tensed up as he sensed someone standing behind him. He turned slowly to see a beam of light fly past his face. He gasped in horror as it impacted with the woman behind the bars. "No..." He watched her fall. Her eyes looking strait at him and yet... not seeing... Her breath cut to short gasps, and there was a distinct hole through her chest. "NO!" He reached through the bars towards her, winced as a shock jolted through him. She was out of his reach. "Oh boo hoo," Vegeta's stomach dropped. Turning once more he saw her. Black hair sprawled over her face and bruises covering her body, Chi-Chi lay unconscious at the feet of the Saiyajin-no-Ojo. The princess was standing with a finger pointed as a gun. "Looking for this?" She smirked at him and kicked Chi-Chi forward. "Well, it seems we have ourselves a little run-away!" She crouched into fighting position. "Let's see what they've taught you about fighting... or should I call it self defense?" Vegeta was stunned. 'Remember, brains before brawn.' His late teacher's words resonated in is head. He too readied himself for battle. *** Mrs. Briefs' shaking, overworked hands were poised over the keyboard of an outdated computer in the separate holding cell. The business office of the Tenco production building was equipped with a windows 95 and a slow dial up internet connection. She and her husband had been put to work, immediately, at cracking a code in the UN's main database. The captive suddenly felt the sensation of being watched. Slowly turning she found herself face to face with one of her tall, broad shouldered Saiya- jin guards. "Well wench? Have you finished with the code yet? Freeza does not like to be kept waiting." The frail woman shuddered at the mention of that name. Her hand reached up to lightly touch her badly bruised shoulder in remembrance of Freeza's wrath. Despite herself, she reached over to eject the floppy. Her arm took on a life of its own, despite how many chilling thoughts of what these aliens could do with such power. She handed it over. "That's a good girl." The warrior beckoned to someone at the door. A kitchen slave entered timidly carrying hot soup, a loaf of bread and a plate of an acrid smelling meat. She looked at Mrs. Briefs through her sad, fishlike eyes as the Chickyuu native shakily grasped the tray and set it down on the desk. "Thank you Bardock-san." It was sincere thanks. Mrs. Briefs pulled off a piece of bread and stumbled weakly over to the cot on which Mr. Briefs had passed out earlier. 'Food deprivation, definitely something to motivate a person.' "Wake up dearest, I have food for you." Mr. Briefs' eyes fluttered open to the sound of her voice. Sitting up, he smiled at her as she helped him to nourish his already heavily weakened body. Bardock scowled at the scene before him. 'Petty Chickyuu emotions, they're such a waste of time.' He crossed his arms, left the room and joined his fellow sentry at the door. "Now that we have the key to the whole planet we won't be needing those two anymore. The poison should start to work within the hour..." *** "Well boy," Bulma's cold stare bore into him with an amused and disturbing expression on her face. "You seem to be holding out well... for a pathetic weakling such as yourself." Vegeta was on his back, breathing hard and trying desperately to stop his blood from flowing freely out of his chest wound. The princess chuckled lightly. "Too bad your master didn't hold out so well." The flash of anger in his eyes was exactly what she wanted to see. She continued to taunt him. "Yes, I finished him off pretty quickly. Though it is reasonable for you to be surviving our little spat," There was a unique irony to that word that Vegeta couldn't quite put his finger on. "After all, you are a full blooded Saiya-jin, and what doesn't kill one, will make him stronger." She paused here and locked eyes with Vegeta. "You've been cooped up for a rather long time, haven't you?" She smiled wryly and as his blood began to boil he leapt at her once again, ignoring the searing pain coming from the gash. Bulma easily stepped aside, allowing the ill-balanced Vegeta to fly right past her into a chair. He looked up in time to see her wink at him before she had swiftly pinned his arms behind his back. The touch of her harsh skilled hands roughly pulling him from the ground and into her control sent a strange sensation through his body. Bulma froze with shock, was that what she thought it was? She couldn't be sure. She had also felt the foreign sensation run through her. She growled loudly and with one swift movement, she whacked Vegeta in the back of the head, knocking him out. Stopping his open wound with her hand, she dragged the unconscious rebel down the hallway back towards the confines of the makeshift prison. *** Well then, there's chapter five! I wonder where all this is going? And what about the rumors of scandal among the troops? We'll have to wait and see, PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Remember to review! I need some responses to my little ficcy or I'm going to burst! I want to know what you think. ~Tru~