OMG! How long has it been? Toooo long, I'd say. Please forgive me!
"Talking" :Thinking: *BEGGING!* hehe
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To Me Chapter 10: Subject~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And it's good that I'm not angry
I just need to get over
I'm not angry
It's dragging me under
I'm not angry
I'm not angry it's never been enough
It gets inside and it tears you up
I'm not angry but I've never been above it
You see through me don't you."
(Angry – Matchbox Twenty)
"Champion? I don't…"
Vegeta cut her off. The red-eyed one said you had chosen your champion poorly. Don't even think of lying to me." He grit his teeth. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to hear her response. If it was meant the way he thought it was… well, he wasn't going to concern himself with the woman's affairs. Anysis glanced worriedly at the door of her meditation room and then back at him.
"You'd never make it."
"I might." She sighed, looking defeated. "Didand has something of mine and I need it back. It's what has caused the 'imbalance' you have witnessed and…" Her eyes fell to the floor. "It leaves me unable to fight him. Well, it's supposed to, anyway." The woman sighed again.
Vegeta was becoming frustrated. "What does that mean? And what does that have to do with me?"
Anysis looked up at him with a serious face. "If any of my kind hurt him, I feel his pain. If I hurt him, I feel his pain twofold. This doesn't apply to other species, so if I were to find a champion to fight for me, I might have a chance to defeat him."
"And?"
"And, well, it seems that some facet of me would like you to be that champion."
While part of him respected the courage it must have taken to admit such a thing, the greater part of him was wondering about the possible perks of taking on the role.
"What would I get out of it?" He sounded mildly curious, but rather blasé.
If she was surprised by his interest, she hid it well.
"You'll get nothing. I don't intend on being anywhere near here when the time comes. I'm not risking your life – or anyone else's – for my own."
Speaking softly to herself, she rose to her feet. She must have forgotten about the sensitivity of his ears because he heard every word. "No. I won't kill anyone else."
Vegeta was stunned. :Won't risk my life? Won't kill anyone else? Who is she?:
There were too many unanswered questions in his mind for his liking. He growled. "Where do you think you're going, woman?"
Anysis glared at him, clearly annoyed at his choice of tone. "I'm going to fully recuperate before I pass out again."
His eyes narrowed. "You're going to answer all of my questions, and you're going to answer them RIGHT NOW."
"No." Her voice was like ice. He could swear the room just got colder. "This discussion is over."
The vein in Vegeta's forehead bulged out and his ki began to soar along with his anger, while his voice remained eerily calm.
"No-one takes that tone with me and lives."
She snorted. "I won't be the last."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Anysis shook her head dismissively. "It doesn't matter."
"You…" He raised his hand to strike her.
"Don't."
Vegeta smirked as he breathed in a familiar scent. "You're afraid of me. I can smell it."
She looked at him strangely for a moment, before turning her back to him and proceeding to walk away. "I am afraid of hurting you. I am afraid that I'll run out of time before I achieve what I came here to do, and I am afraid that Didand will succeed in his plans. But no, I'm not afraid of you."
Her words hurt where he was sure they were supposed to – his pride. Screaming with rage, he phased over in front of the retreating woman, murderous intent clearly written in his features.
She did not seem surprised.
"You just don't listen, do you Vegeta?"
His blood boiled. :She has the nerve to scold me! The Prince of all Saiyans!:
"I don't have the time or the energy to argue with you. Step aside."
:Does she think she's getting away so easily?:
"I'll only ask once."
"No." He spat through gritted teeth.
"Fine."
With an irritated look on her face, she raised her right hand and pointed a finger at him. Then, with a flick of her wrist, he was thrown into the whiteness by some unknown force. Skidding to a stop far from the living quarters, he raised his head in time to hear her door slam shut. Vegeta was on his feet and outside her room in a heartbeat.
"You can't run from me, woman!" He bellowed through the door. "Do you really think this flimsy piece of wood is going to stop me?!"
"Actually, yes."
The Prince's head whipped around to glare daggers at the speaker. The pixie computer frowned at his expression and crossed her tiny arms.
"Anysis sent me to warn you about trying to open said 'flimsy piece of wood'. But I don't know why she bothered. You're going to try anyway. It's the only way you'll learn."
In reply, there was a brilliant flash of light as Vegeta's ki exploded around his body.
Elra shrugged. "Have a nice unconsciousness, Vegeta." She disappeared, leaving him to his endeavour.
He turned back to the door with only one thought on his mind – giving the woman a reason to fear him. Swinging a powered up fist, he smirked. :This is going to be fun.:
His hand inches from the door, time stopped. Darkness filled his vision, and he thought no more.
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"…remember when this was my life…"°
Vegeta was annoyed. He'd dealt with stupid and irritating people all day and his patience was wearing extremely thin. This was not a good time to cross him.
:Now I know why I'm not a people person.:
The urge to kill something rang through his veins and beat mercilessly at his waning hold on his self control. His hands made fists at his side as he fought to remain stoic.
:This would be intolerable if they weren't grovelling at my feet.:
Vegeta and his men had landed here to check the progress of weapons being constructed for Frieza. The pitiful planet was full of equally pitiful inhabitants, who rubbed Vegeta the wrong way. They were blue-skinned, the females being a considerably lighter shade than the males, with pure white hair and sapphire coloured eyes. All of them were fairly slender and moved with an innate sense of grace, like they were flowing around him. There were great minds among them, but he had not met a single one with a high level of intelligence yet. This just served to irritate him more.
He grit his teeth as a hooded figure headed his way. The slight structure and pale blue colouring marked it as a female, but it walked towards him with the purpose and surety of a male. Vegeta frowned. She didn't fear him.
The man at his side, obviously a nobleman used to being in complete control, feared for his life. Vegeta could smell it, and it thrilled him.
"Lord Vegeta, this is Denia. She will be your serving girl for the duration of your stay."
The girl curtsied as one accustomed to doing so and stood with her head bowed, waiting.
"Why does she not show her face?" Vegeta's eyes never left her as he spoke to the man next to him.
"She has an… irregularity, Lord Vegeta. She keeps her face covered so as not to offend anyone."
He turned and glared at the man.
"You have given me a faulty servant?"
The man flinched. "No, no, my Lord. Denia may be…" He trailed off as he looked up at the girl and then back at Vegeta. "But she is our best serving girl. She can be replaced, if you wish."
He thought about this as he watched the girl. She had never moved, never flinched as they talked about her as thought she wasn't present. He was mildly impressed with her restraint. :She will be interesting.:
The man mistakenly took his silence as affirmation. "Denia, you are dismissed. Please send Clarindi as your replacement."
She curtsied again and turned to leave, but Vegeta's pride would not allow him to have less that the best.
"You had better keep in mind your health when you next try to think for me." He rose from his chair and glowered at the terrified man next to him. "I won't be nearly as lenient."
With that, the man fainted, drawing frightened gasps from the crowd. Vegeta looked down at him and sneered. :Disgusting.:
He turned to leave when he saw the girl standing with her back to him, waiting. Again, she didn't move. She didn't rush to the fallen nobleman's side. She just waited.
He walked up so that he stood behind her, a little on her left. She turned her head slightly and spoke with a low, clear voice. "Your chambers are ready, should you wish to retire to them before the feast, my Lord."
"Very well."
She nodded her head slightly and strode out of the hall, Vegeta close behind her. The crowd parted for them but, it occurred to Vegeta, it seemed to be to avoid being near the girl, than to make way for himself. He frowned again. :What is she?:
He stared at her back as they walked through the maze of hallways that was the palace. With every step he took, he grew more determined to unmask this strange girl and discover the truth about her so called 'irregularity'. He smirked. :This planet may be more entertaining than I thought.:
The girl stopped in front of a large ornately carved door with a strange symbol in it. She motioned to it.
"Our symbol for 'Tyn', meaning 'honour'. Should you need direction, or to send someone other than myself to fetch something, just name the symbol."
He nodded in understanding. :A room called honour. Fascinating.:
She produced a small key from her cloak and opened the door, holding it so that Vegeta could step inside. The furnishings and interior of the room were elegant but simple. There was a large bed on his left, an open fireplace on his right, and beyond this room was a private bathing area. He heard the door shut behind him as girl moved to tend the fire.
"I have the only key to this room, so only I will have access to it, should you keep it locked at all times." She replaced the poker onto its hook and turned to face him. "Is everything acceptable to you, my Lord?"
"Almost everything." He strode up to her and folded his arms. "Remove your hood."
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, which served only to interest Vegeta further. :I have to know.:
"Well?"
When she finally pushed back the hood of her cloak, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. She wasn't hideous or deformed, in fact, she was very plain looking. She had the pale blue skin, small nose and full pink lips of her species, and her long snowy hair was loose with a small leather braid on one side.
"I can't see anything abnormal. What's so different about you?"
He reached up and lifted her chin. As soon as he touched her, the eyes she had kept firmly on the ground flew upwards and he realised what she had been hiding. Instead of a deep sapphire colour, like the rest of her race, her eyes were bright purple.
Purple.
Vegeta's eyes flicked open and he frowned. :The woman has the same eyes as the girl in my dream. Could they be one and the same? But that would mean…:
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What?! 'It would mean' what?! Find out in the next - long anticipated - installment of:
To Me
Chapter 11: Push° 'A Life Of My Own – 3 Doors Down'