Wow, stupid me just realized I've been signing the other chapters with Nike, my IM screen name. Sorry bout that, but I can be either or. Ok, enough of my talking. Here's the chapter.

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Chapter Two: A Girl Called Joy

I adjusted quickly to life on that God-forsaken hunk of metal. I had to because if I didn't I would be killed. I knew one thing when I stepped out of my cell and that was I had to survive.

Everything was much different from life in the palace or just life on Vegeta-sei. I was treated like actual royalty there. Here...well, I was just another pathetic Saiyan to Frieza's lackies that should have been killed with the rest.

I wasn't the only Saiyan on the ship, on no. There were three others with me, all much older though. There was Raditz, Nappa, and Kaia. All of them were captured when my father tried to seize the ship. Now they were all with me, abandoned and lost.

But I would persevere. I would be the one that outlived the rest of them. I had to be. I was the Prince of All Saiyans, even if there were only four of us left. I would never forget my heritage.

One day I was in the training room pushing myself hard with Nappa watching. This was the local training room so pretty much every other being on the ship came here and today it was packed. I decided to pick a corner in the back, near the wall.

Suddenly I was grabbed roughly and slammed into the wall. I groaned and slumped to the floor, forced myself to see straight. Zarbon was standing before me, arms crossed.

"Come with me." I pushed myself up and glared at the taller being. Everyone in the room was quiet and all eyes were on us.

"Why should I?" With a quick swing of his fist Zarbon hit my jaw and I was on the floor again, pain storming through my head.

Then, before I could blink, I was dragged off the ground to face Zarbon. At that moment he had two heads so his expression didn't scare me that much, but his voice did. It was dangerously low and there was venom in it.

"Look, you little pampered palace brat. I am Frieza's second in command and all you are is a puny piece of Saiyan trash that Frieza just decided to keep. You will obey me and do whatever I tell you with out questions, got it?"

I frowned and looked him in the eye (I could finally see straight). Then I made the stupidest move ever: I spit on him.

Zarbon growled and tossed me into the wall then proceeded to pound me. It was all so fast that I couldn't react. All I knew was it hurt and it hurt badly.

"Zarbon, play nicely." The flying fists stopped at the voice. Zarbon released me and I fell to the ground, world spinning and the familiar coppery taste of blood in my mouth.

I didn't even attempt to move. Everything ached and everything was numb. Then I heard laughter. Coming from all around me. Everyone in the room was laughing...at me! It hurt, stung more than Zarbon's punches. So this is what the Prince of all Saiyans was reduced to? I was going to be beaten until I just curled up and died? Well, you got another thing coming, Zarbon. This 'piece of Saiyan trash' isn't going to let you push me around.

"Your highness!" I felt someone laid a hand on my arm to help pick me up, but I pushed whoever it was away.

"Get off of me, I can get up myself." I did, too. I stumbled to my feet and held my head high, starring at Nappa who was now at my side. Then I turned to a smiling Frieza and the whole room fell silent. Kami, does this guy ever stop smiling?

"You impress me little prince. Here for six months and still fighting back. I'm surprised, most are already broken by now." I didn't say anything. Thought better of it, for once.

"I have nothing more to say to you. Nappa, take your prince to get cleaned up."

Frieza turned around and left the training room. Zarbon stayed a moment longer only to glare at me than left as well.

I was fuming, my hands clenched at my side. Everyone now knew how weak I was. He embarrassed me in front of everyone, showed my weak points. How dare he do that to a prince?

"Come, sire. I'll take you to get healed." I pushed Nappa aside and walked away.

"I don't need to be healed," I told him without looking back.

I left the training room and stormed down the halls. That was the last time they would ever humiliate me. I was pissed, oh yes, to say the least. No one would do that to me ever again. They laughed at me. Me, the Saiyan Prince!

I would train non-stop. I could take it and if I couldn't I would make myself. I would let Frieza beat on me, for a time. Then I would strike, but for now I needed his power, his face to drive me to fight harder. I needed his pain so I would never forget.

I was so wrapped up in my plot that I walked right by a room with talking in it. I got a few steps past the room before I stopped, blinked. That voice was Raditz.

I walked back, slowly, to the room. The door was open just a crack so I could see into the room. It was blank, but I spotted two people standing together: Kaia and Raditz.

Both were smiling widely and Raditz had his arm around Kaia. It made me want to puke, showing such emotions were unheard of. Of course, I knew Kaia and Raditz were mated (they were mates before Vegeta-sei was destroyed). Frieza didn't know though. If he did they both would have been killed to prevent any more Saiyans being born.

Then it occurred to me that Kaia was holding something in her hands. Then I realized what that something was. Kaia was holding a little baby and she was rocking it gently while talking to someone.

I moved a little bit so I could see the other being. It was hunched over and a black cloak was covering its whole body, even its head.

"Are you sure you can't take her, Maeniel? Frieza will kill her if she's here." The being moved forward and took the baby from Kaia's hands. I saw it was a female with brown hair and emerald eyes. A small, brown tail was waving around behind the girl.

Maeniel cradled the child and removed something from his pocket, placing it around her neck. Then he handed her back to Kaia.

"Her name will be Rena. That pendent is royal and will give to her all of her memories and all of her powers."

Kaia accepted her and hugged the girl. "Thank you, Maeniel," Raditz said. "She's beautiful, but we beg you to take her. Frieza will kill her."

I could almost feel a smile from Maeniel. "No, he will not. If she goes through torturous events then so be it. She needs them." His head flicked to me and my eyes went wide as I saw a glimmer of gold. I quickly pulled back and pressed myself against the wall. He saw me.

I evened my breathing and walked away. I could tell Frieza about this, but I wouldn't. He would kill the child and right now she was a Saiyan, even if a small one. Saiyans have to stick together and I wouldn't hurt her. Not yet anyway.

I stopped. Someone was starring at me. I turned around to face a grim Raditz. Slowly, cautiously, he walked towards me.

"Did you...hear that conversation? Sir?" I just stared up at my guard. Should I tell him? Sure, why not?

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Raditz paled and he dropped to his knees and bowed his head. This only made him an inch taller than me (why did I have to be so short?).

"Please, sire, don't tell Frieza. This child means more to Kaia and me than anything in the whole world. Please, don't tell him. He will kill her."

I stared at him, glared. Pathetic; a Saiyan begging to save a child. What was so important about her anyway? She looked like just a weak link to me. One that would just get killed anyway. Yet...

"I won't tell him," I said. "The girl is a Saiyan and we have to stick together."

Raditz lifted his head and smiled. "Thank you, your highness. I will not forget your mercy."

I growled at him and walked away. I never did know what made me spare her. I promised myself I wouldn't be weak and here I was sparing something that wasn't important to me at all.

Little did I know those four simple words would change my life forever, that letting that small child live would have a large impact in history.

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The next nine months I trained and I trained hard. I hardly stopped to eat. I pushed myself day and night, especially during the night when no one was in the training rooms to watch. It was then I did my best work. It was then I let out my anger from the days events, where I could curse Frieza for all of the torture he wrecked on me.

I would concentrate all of my energy into making myself better. I put every last bit of power I had into training. Some night I had to crawl to the regeneration tank on my hands and knees I was so weak. I pushed myself till I couldn't go any further and still a little more. I made myself the best and something like that couldn't go unnoticed in Frieza's ship.

He tried beating me. Did it for four months three times a day thinking I would give in and give up, but I didn't. That only made me train harder.

After that (he still beat, but only once) he tried to have Zarbon intimidate me, but that was even worse. When he found that didn't work, he did the only thing he could think of: he gave me a mission.

This was the one thing I would find peace in. I was to be sent out to a planet and purge it then give it to Frieza. This was what my father did for him and now I would do it. One could almost say like father like son. But unlike my father, the bastard wouldn't kill me.

After my first mission I became dangerously addicted to killing. I found something in it I couldn't describe, almost a freedom. It gave me power and I was power hungry. Somehow I found myself slipping deeper and deeper into Frieza's trap and little did I know this was what he wanted. If he couldn't brake me then he'd let he power do it. Eventually it would consume me and destroy me.

Remember that little girl I saved? Well, her first big part in history came in an encounter with me. I almost killed the little brat the first time, but, once again, I didn't.

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There it is. Hope you enjoyed and please R&R on your way out. Till next time – Mystic (or Nike)