Disclaimer: DragonBall and DragonBall Z were created by Akira Toriyama and is copyright © Toei Animation and FUNImation. No infringement is intended.
Chapter 14
Second Class Citizen
Piccolo watched quietly as the female Namek ran from the room. He didn't understand why she had flushed at his comment about the sleeves. It had been obvious she was nervous. If she had a habit of ruining her robes like that, there was no reason she should waste time repairing or wearing the cloth. A simple solution was to go sleeveless.
He mentally shrugged off the thought. He was more concerned over the fear that had sprung up at the end of Dende's explanation. The woman had already known the bare facts. It didn't make sense for the details to suddenly spook her. And she had shown she could react violently when afraid. His skin itched a little in memory of the scratches she had left him with. He had no idea how she would react if he tried to fly her back to Capsule Corp. It annoyed him that she might cause more trouble.
He also had that Saiyan friend of hers to deal with, too.
Piccolo turned his head towards Dende. He kept his voice low, in case the female Mai might still be close enough to overhear, "So, is she what she claims to be?"
Dende nodded slowly. He frowned now, "I wasn't sure how she would react to a full probing, but I think the little I did was enough. She's either a pure Namek or close enough for me not to tell a difference."
"Hm." Piccolo strode away from the door, heading back to the table. He stood by the chair he had used in but didn't sit down. He thought for a moment, then continued, "I don't think we can trust her. She seems to get upset over nothing and has enough power to hurt someone."
Dende stroked his chin as he considered that. He tilted his head a bit to one side. "I don't know, Piccolo. I'd say what we know that she has gone through could be upsetting enough... But you're right about her hurting someone. I think she should stay here for a few days, until I can learn more about her past."
Piccolo looked at Dende, questioning a little harshly, "And if she goes on a rampage here?"
Dende shrugged slightly. He tried to look unconcerned. "I think Popo and I can deal with it. Once I know more, I might be able to figure out how to help her."
Piccolo growled low in his throat and said, "Dende, you can't take the chance she'll attack you."
An expression reminiscent of the old Kami settled on his young replacement's face. The sort of look that silently and blandly asked if his wisdom and authority in a matter was being questioned. Piccolo hated that look. He'd seen it often enough from his sire's other half. He wondered if Popo was responsible for teaching Dende to do that.
Instinct and habit pushed him to say, "I don't think you understand, Dende, so I'll be sticking around in case she does."
Dende blinked, appearing startled. He said, "But don't you see, Piccolo? She's afraid of you."
Piccolo's mouth twisted a bit. He was used to people being afraid of him, that she was a Namek herself didn't really matter. But he supposed Dende was right in one sense. The more agitated Mai was, the more likely she would turn on one of them. "Hmph. Fine, I'll stay out of sight."
Dende didn't argue, realizing he wasn't going to convince Piccolo to change his mind. Instead, he hoped he could get a small compromise. "Piccolo, I think maybe you should return to Capsule Corp. Just to reassure Mai's friend."
Piccolo grunted at that. He was certain the Saiyan woman wouldn't be happy when he came back without Mai. It would also mean leaving Dende and Popo alone with the female Namek. His mind would have been eased a great deal if Goku had shown up, but he hadn't and Piccolo wasn't sure where the warrior was.
He raised his head up a notch, searching out Mai with his ki sense. She was barely detectable now. He thought she seemed less agitated, though not anywhere near calm. He shifted his gaze to Dende and made his decision.
"All right," he agreed gruffly. "I'm going back. I want to find Goku. We should be on guard in case anyone else decides to crash on the planet."
Dende smiled again. "Don't worry, Popo and I will be fine."
Piccolo didn't respond to that, he turned and headed out of the room. It wasn't long before he was outside again. He strode about halfway across the platform, then pushed off into the air. He let his ki rise high and used it to speed his journey back. He needed to do this as quickly as possible.
It still took nearly a half hour for him to get back to West City. He tried to contact Goku telepathically a few times, but the fighter wasn't active enough for Piccolo to track his ki. Piccolo abandoned the task as he approached Capsule Corp.
The Saiyan woman was standing in the middle of the lawn. Neither Bulma or Vegeta was with her. She was busy scanning the sky, waiting for his return. When she caught sight of him, she raised a bandaged fist and started yelling at him. Piccolo didn't understand most of what Brussi screamed, but he figured it wasn't meant to be nice. He landed a few feet in front of the enraged woman.
Brussi didn't give him a chance to speak. She launched herself at him, her good fist aimed for his stomach.
"You green bastard," she bellowed, "Where is Mai?"
Piccolo caught her fist easily. She sent a swift kick into his side. He grunted and backhanded her, releasing her hand at the same time so he wouldn't hurt her more than necessary. Brussi's head snapped to the side. She stumbled away a little, falling to her knees. Raising a hand to her bruised cheek, she turned back to face Piccolo and growled.
He tensed at the expression on her face. Her eyes were wild and furious. She pushed to her feet, then switched to an attack stance. Brussi came at him again, this time using both fists to strike out. Piccolo dodged the punches. When she tried to kick at him, he moved before her foot could land on its target. He scowled at her. This was becoming annoying very quickly.
"Stop attacking," he demanded.
Brussi didn't obey. She increased the speed of her strikes, trying to get a hit. Anger caused her face to flush. A fist aimed for his chin barely missed. She followed with a knee off center into his stomach. That one connected.
Piccolo grunted again. This woman wasn't about to stop, so he struck back. He sent his closed fist hard into her solar plexus. Brussi gagged and dropped to her knees. Piccolo stepped back in case the woman retched. She certainly looked like she might. Her mouth was hanging open, pain contorting her features.
Brussi gasped for breath. She crossed her arms over her bruised stomach. Disbelief was crawling through her thoughts. She had figured the Namek for a warrior, he certainly had the defined bulk of one. The blast he had sent at her weapon earlier had caused it to explode. But it hadn't done more than singe her hand. She could have dodged it if she had known he could use ki. Her estimate had placed him higher than herself, though not so high that she didn't stand a chance against him.
Anger at her weakness burned inside her heart. Brussi had fought two battles and won them, her arrogance had convinced her that meant she hadn't lost her fighting ability. Brussi barely lifted her gaze when Piccolo began to speak again. She feared he would see her self-loathing and the tears that misted her vision.
"Your friend Mai is safe," he bit out. A growl seemed to edge his words. "She's with another Namek named Dende, who is the Guardian of this planet. She'll be staying with him-"
Brussi's head snapped up at that. She glared at him and bared her teeth. Her voice was thick with the pain she felt, both from her body and her mind, "Why? Why are you holding her prisoner? If you don't free her immediately, I'll use my bare hands to rip this planet apart!"
The boast caused the Namek warrior to glower at Brussi, but a part of her was grateful he didn't laugh. His voice was rough and impatient when he answered. "Dende will help her with her past and teach her about the Namek history she's missed."
Piccolo kept to himself the fact that Dende had made the decision initially because of Mai's attack. She would be too dangerous if she ended up among humans. The Namek female might also get hurt, either by a human or one of the protectors of the planet. Brussi he didn't worry about. She was brash but in control. Besides, Vegeta would probably relish the chance to mold her into a real Saiyan warrior.
Brussi still frowned at him. She rubbed a hand under her ribs. The armor was cracked a bit where he had hit. Even though the punch had been solid, there hadn't been enough force behind it to cause real damage to her body. She suspected, though, that he had held back.
Brussi pushed herself up off the ground. Her legs were shaky but she forced them to stand. Crossing her arms, she tried to appear unconcerned over her loss in the fight. "I suppose I'll trust you, Namek... if you take me to Mai. I want to see for myself this Dende who wants to help her."
Piccolo scowled at her. Turning his back to her, he said, "I'm not a taxi service. If you want to see her, borrow a plane or learn to fly yourself."
He pushed off into the air, flying away quickly. Brussi sent a few swears up at him. "You bastard! Get your green ass back here! Grrrrrrrr... Coward! KuRas fakkun!"
"Don't waste your breath," said a rough voice from behind her. Brussi turned and saw Vegeta lounging against the outer wall of the main Capsule Corp. building. He didn't appear to be very pleased. His arms were folded over his chest.
Brussi straightened to her full height. She resisted mimicking his stance, he would probably take it as an offense. So she placed her hands on her hip guards. Trying not to sound too demanding, she said, "If I could have one of your fliers, Prince Vegeta, I could see if he is lying to me."
"Hmph. He's not lying, woman," Vegeta replied. "He has no reason to. What does it matter if that female Namek stays with the brat Dende? A Saiyan warrior has more important things to attend to."
Brussi clenched her jaw, fighting the retort that wanted to spring to her lips. She suddenly saw her behavior in a different light. It was laughable for a fighter to become so emotional over an ally. She should have been planning her next move, deciding whether to stay here and serve her Prince or leave to seek glory for herself. Having petty arguments with others wouldn't help either case.
A thin sort of guilt tried to wriggle into her thoughts, but she suppressed it. They had both known that when they found their people their paths would split. The Namek had been taken to someone who could connect her with her race in some way. And Prince Vegeta was her link to the Saiyans.
"What things should I be attending to, Your Highness?" she asked, hoping he might suggest something worthwhile. She didn't have much knowledge of this planet or any other that might offer a decent goal.
"Training!" Vegeta said without hesitation. His voice took on a disgusted air. "I saw your fight with Piccolo. That was pathetic. Your ki was so low I could hardly detect it over his."
Brussi nearly flinched at the statement. She had known she fought poorly. The discovery that Prince Vegeta had witnessed her disgrace made it worse. Swallowing her pride, she admitted, "I was taken from my parents at the age of four. There wasn't much time for training during my slave days."
Vegeta glared at her as if such a paltry thing wouldn't have kept a true Saiyan from learning, or escaping from imprisonment. Brussi didn't let herself look away, instead she met his steady gaze. The Prince finally smirked and said, "Then let's see what you can do. If it's promising enough, I just might teach you myself."
Brussi grinned wide. She had been hoping Vegeta would agree to a fight. At the very least, she could observe some of his techniques. She hopped backwards until she was in the middle of the lawn. They would need some space to do this properly.
Vegeta smirked again, amused. He let his arms drop to his sides and walked with casual grace to a spot not too far away from his opponent. He waited as she chose her starting position, not bothering to take a stance himself. When she didn't move, he raised his hand palm up and flexed his fingers in a silent command for her to attack.
Brussi had learned from her defeat. She didn't rush in this time. She didn't know Vegeta's strength or his favored strategies. The fact that he hadn't bothered to assume any sort of stance was both insulting and disconcerting. Chiding herself for letting his arrogance get to her, she decided and struck.
Brussi aimed her right hand at his heart. It was an easy move to dodge, but to do so he would have to twist his torso. That was when she planned to drive her left fist into his kidney.
She never got close. Vegeta moved his hand to a palm out position, quickly gathered his ki and shot the blast into Brussi's midsection. She flew back, skidding along the ground. She came to a stop after a few feet. Gasping in pain, she clutched at her stomach. Bits of the armor broke away.
Vegeta lowered his hand. He strode over to her and looked down. His mouth was pinched tight with dissatisfaction. "That was a pitiful attack. You should have led with ki strikes until you learned some of my moves. If this is your best, it's no wonder you were a slave for so long."
The bitter taste of humiliation mixed with the metallic tang of blood in Brussi's mouth. Her breathing hitched from the throbbing in her gut. She didn't think she was critically injured. Vegeta had intended to test her... not kill her. She suspected he had calculated the force of his attack to emphasize his lesson without causing permanent damage. The two blows from each of her opponents that day was enough to keep her from fighting for a while.
She'd be left with plenty of time to dwell on her mistakes.
"If you can crawl your way into the building, have Bulma show you to the infirmary," Vegeta sneered. "Maybe I'll be in a good enough mood by the time you heal to try this again."
"Y-yes, Prince Vegeta," Brussi managed to hiss. He didn't acknowledge her response. He strode away, out of her field of vision. The thump thump of his boots on dirt and grass faded along with her consciousness.