Chapter 4
About a month later…
Vegeta's eyes fluttered open as the pod's computer informed him that they were about to arrive on Planet Frieza. He attempted to stretch out his stiff muscles, only to hiss when he felt a sharp pain go through his body. However, it wasn't as bad as it had been on Earth. The month long rest had done him a bit of good and the aid from his little captive had also helped slightly. But he needed the isolation chamber to get back to full health.
Speaking of his captive…
He opened the line to Nappa's ship and radioed in. "Woman. Woman, wake up."
Bulma opened her eyes at the sound of Vegeta's voice, feeling groggy and disoriented.
"Mm, Vegeta?" She rubbed her eyes and stretched, working out the kinks in her back.
"Get up. We're almost at Planet Frieza."
"Oh, okay." She yawned and lightly slapped her cheeks to try and chase away her fatigue. "How long have we been travelling?"
"Just over a month."
'What did he just say?'
If she wasn't fully awake before, his words made sure she was now. The heiress' eyes widened in shock when she fully took in his words.
"Just over a month?! But it feels like we left just yesterday!" She exclaimed, still trying to wrap her head around what she heard.
"That's the beauty of the stasis gas. Time passes in the blink of an eye, no matter how far you travel."
"Whoa. Unreal." She whispered, fascinated beyond belief at this new concept of space travel.
"Woman." He said sternly, catching her attention.
Bulma frowned at the air, really getting annoyed at his name for her. "My name is Bulma!"
"Whatever. In any case, your name doesn't matter for what's about to happen."
"What do you mean?"
"Listen up and make sure you follow along. I need you to act like you're my slave, more specifically, my pleasure slave."
"What? Why?"
"Maybe if you didn't interrupt me, I'd have told you why." Bulma rolled her eyes but said nothing.
"When we arrive on the planet, you'll probably come across some of Frieza's soldiers. When you do, make sure you don't make direct eye contact with any of them, don't speak with them unless I give you permission to and, for the love of all the Gods, do NOT argue with me in front of them. You need to act as meek as possible. A big ask for you but I'm sure you can do it." He said mockingly.
Bulma ignored his mocking statement. "Why do you need me to act like a...pleasure slave? Why can't I just act like your scientific slave? It just seems like it makes more sense since I am a genius and all."
"Because if anyone was to find out that you were a 'genius', you would be taken away and would be forced to work for Frieza in his science department. And that's only IF you're lucky enough to be taken there."
What does that mean?
She was about to ask him to explain when she felt the ship lurch forward before coming to a standstill.
"We're here. I'm coming over to your pod. Get out of it and wait for me." He commanded.
"Would it kill you to say please for once?"
Silence.
"Typical." She shook her head at his attitude. Really, for a prince, he acted like such a prick. Bulma encapsulated her backpack, put it in her pocket and stepped out of the ship.
"What...the…"
They were surrounded by the dark blanket of space and millions of winking stars. The sky looked like it had been splashed with black paint and then decorated with glitter and tiny diamonds, covering it the whole way. Her lips parted as she took in the breathtaking scene, utterly mesmerized at the gorgeous sight.
"Well, what do we have here?"
The heiress froze at the unfamiliar voice and slowly turned around to face the source. Before her were a handful of people that she could only assume were Frieza's soldiers. A few humanoids and a green reptilian being were gazing at her curiously. She felt her heart start to beat faster when their curious looks were exchanged for more intense gazes.
Suddenly remembering Vegeta's words, she quickly dropped her eyes to the ground and held her hands in front of her, trying to seem as harmless as possible. Which wasn't hard since she was genuinely nervous about her situation. Five of them against one of her? It was a miracle her body wasn't shaking harder than it was at the moment.
"Unless you all intend on being emasculated for drooling over my slave, I suggest you take a step back right now. Or don't. I'm in a hell of a bad mood and I really need an outlet." Vegeta said, his tone gentle yet deadly.
Never had Bulma been so glad to hear anyone's voice as much as his at that moment.
The soldiers quickly stood ramrod straight and stepped to the side, making room for Vegeta to walk through them, his head held high and his body language screaming arrogance despite his injuries.
He reached the woman and stopped in front of her, lifting her chin so she could face him directly. He saw the relief in her eyes at his appearance. He could also smell her fear, it permeated the air around them the way it was so strong. Vegeta could feel the eyes of the other soldiers behind him, watching carefully to see what he would do next. Well if it was a display they wanted, then he would give it to them.
For what better way to make sure they all keep to themselves than a visual demonstration?
The Prince wrapped his arm around Bulma's waist and pulled her up to him, ignoring the pain going through his body. He put his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply, taking in her scent. He felt her stiffen in his embrace, the scent of her fear becoming stronger.
There was something else beneath her fear though. It was faint but it was there. A sweet, alluring smell. Vegeta took another deep breath, trying to get another whiff of that captivating scent again, and exhaled against her neck, smirking at the resulting shudder.
He leaned back and looked in her eyes again, his smirk widening when he saw her dilated pupils and flushed cheeks. There was also a renewed angry fire in her eyes, their flames scorching him where he stood. He felt his body respond, his tail unwinding and swaying softly. This woman, Bulma, could prove to be far more intriguing that he had originally thought.
Vegeta grabbed her upper arm, not enough to hurt, and started walking towards the building. He made sure the deadly promise in his gaze was still present as he walked past the soldiers, hoping for their sake that they got the picture. Once they were out of sight and earshot, he decided to drop the act and address the woman.
"So, you DO know how to follow orders. I'm impressed Woman." He said, still holding on to her arm.
"Yeah yeah whatever. I just have one question for you." He looked over at her. "What the hell was that about earlier? That wasn't a part of the plan!" Bulma said loudly.
"Keep your voice down." He growled, narrowing his eyes at her. "I had to do it so that your role would be understood by the others. And believe me when I say that they got the message."
"There you go again, talking about my role as your sex toy. Explain to me why, out of all the things you could have come up with, you had to go with that?"
Vegeta smirked mockingly at her like she was a naive child. "The universe isn't as pretty as you foolishly believe Woman", he gestured to the space around them, "In this world, there's no such thing as equality or trust. Because of your exotic looks alone, you'd be worth a fortune in the sex slave market. Your genius would mean absolutely nothing to those people."
He held a hand up to stop her from speaking. "It's the bitter truth. Your brain wouldn't be enough to save you if you found yourself in such a situation. In Frieza's domain, it's kill or be killed. Only the strongest survive while the weak fall."
'In Frieza's domain…'
"I remember you speaking about Frieza before we left Earth. At first I assumed it was just the name of the planet. You're obviously speaking about an actual being. So, who is Frieza?"
They stopped in front of a door and the Prince turned to face her, his face cold and expressionless. "Frieza is the emperor of the universe. A tyrant known across the galaxies. And a creature you better hope you never cross paths with." With that, Vegeta led them inside the room, his words leaving Bulma feeling less than uneasy.
"Prince Vegeta! I wasn't expecting to see you here." Bulma looked over to see a short, bird-like man with an orange mohawk speaking to Vegeta. He wore armour similar to the one Vegeta wore on Earth, except it had white material flowing from the shoulders down to the floor. She looked around the room and spotted medical equipment lying around the room.
'He must be the doctor.'
"And I wasn't expecting to be back here anytime soon, but we can't always have it our way can we, Malaka?" He asked, his tone oddly...lenient. Almost pleasant.
"Of course not your Highness. So, I take it you need to use the isolation chamber?" Bird-dude asked.
At his answering nod, Malaka bowed. "I'll have it set up immediately."
The heiress looked on in silence at their interaction. She was surprised that Vegeta had the ability to actually be decent when he wanted to. It was strange seeing this side of him. That's not to say he was being completely friendly towards the doctor but she could see that he respected the man. Curious.
Bulma decided to take advantage of the moment and think about her own predicament. Up until now, she had yet to come up with a plan to acquire the dragon balls for herself after she gets them from Vegeta.
'Steal them from Vegeta is more like it. But it can't be helped. I need the dragon balls so I can wish the others back. My only problem is how I can get them away from him without him noticing until after I made the wish, since a second before I do is a second too long.'
Bulma could feel herself losing hope. With how strong and fast Vegeta is, not to mention very intelligent, she was struggling to see how she could get the job done.
'No! I can't think like that. Vegeta may be smart but I'm sure I can find a way. Everyone's counting on me. Yamcha's counting on me. I can't let them down. I refuse.'
"So, who did you say you were again?"
Bulma snapped back to reality when she heard those words and saw that the doctor was addressing her. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"I asked who you are Miss." Malaka repeated.
"Oh. My name is Bulma." She said softly.
"I see. Though you must have heard the Prince say it, my name is Malaka."
"It's nice to meet you." Bulma said with a small smile on her face. Call her crazy but she couldn't sense any malice or ill intent from this man. She felt...easy around him.
"Likewise. So, what relation do you have with the Prince if you don't mind my asking?"
At that, Bulma felt her smile drop. "I'm his slave. His...pleasure slave to be exact."
Malaka raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Is that so?"
She nodded, feeling her throat get dry the more he stared intently at her. It felt like he was trying to stare deep into her soul, trying to see if she was telling the truth or not.
"You'll have to forgive me Miss…"
"Briefs." She finished for him.
Malaka nodded, "Yes, well, you'll have to forgive me Miss Briefs but I can't bring myself to believe that. If one wants to acquire a slave for themselves, they have to ask Frieza for permission. Prince Vegeta is a proud man who would never bring himself to ask permission for such nonsensical things."
Bulma took in that tidbit of information. It sounded like Frieza was more of a dictator than an emperor. "Can you tell me more about him? Frieza I mean. Vegeta told me that he was the lord and tyrant of the universe but I've never heard of him until now."
The good doctor frowned at that. Just what type of primitive planet did she come from where Frieza was not heard of? More importantly, what was so special about her that Vegeta decided to take her from her planet? This was most unusual.
"If the Prince told you that about Frieza then you best take his word for it since, out of all his soldiers, he is the one who is most acquainted with the Emperor's cruelties. Lord Frieza is the most feared ruler in the universe. His name alone is enough to spread fear through the hearts of countless people.
He's personally responsible for the slaughter of billions across the galaxies, destroying planets at a whim, pillaging them of their resources. Frieza rules the universe with an iron fist. All those who dare to oppose him are always granted a slow, painful death."
"And Vegeta works for this monster?!" Bulma asked, horrified at what she'd heard. How could a being like that exist?! How has no one stopped him yet?!
"Not willingly." Malaka gazed at her intently, making sure she understood his next words. "You must understand my dear, that out of all of Frieza's soldiers, ninety five percent of them don't work for him because they want to. They do it because they have to."
"They have no choice?" She whispered.
"See, that's the thing. They do have a choice. Either you work for Frieza...or you die."
Bulma shook her head minutely, her heart heavy with dread.
"Many of his soldiers have tried to rebel against him, oppose him. All of them never lived to see another day. Well...all except one." Malaka directed his gaze towards the chamber. Bulma saw this and followed, her eyes widening when she realised he was talking about Vegeta. Her mind went back to his words from earlier on.
"In Frieza's domain, it's kill or be killed."
When he said those words, his expression had been vacant, his tone flat. But she could feel the contempt coming off of him in waves even though he tried to hide it.
"He's defied Frieza multiple times, yet he's the only one who survives." Malaka said, reading the shock on the woman's face. "He's Frieza's personal favourite, the only one allowed to defy him in that manner. However, his deeds never went unpunished."
'The scars on his back.' Bulma thought to herself. He must have gotten those when he went against Frieza.
"What do you mean he's Frieza's favourite? You mean like his favourite soldier?"
The good doctor hesitated for a second. "Something along those lines."
"Why does he favour Vegeta so much?"
Malaka shook his head. "I can't tell you that."
"But-"
He raised his hand to stop her. "I've already told you too much as it is. If Vegeta decides to tell you about his time under Frieza then that's his choice. I've said enough."
"Okay fine. But...one more question?" He looked reluctant to allow it. "Please?" She asked sweetly.
At his tentative nod, she shot her last question. "The way Vegeta's been going on about this place and its people, I'd been preparing myself to encounter some...unpleasant people. And I have, just outside. But you...you've been cordial since we got here, especially to Vegeta. How come?"
Malaka smiled minutely, his gaze far away as he spoke. "I've been with the Saiyans since before their planet was destroyed by that meteor." Bulma's eyes widened for the millionth time at those words. "I've taken care of the Prince since he was a young boy. In this world, it's extremely hard to find a constant. When you do find it, you tend to keep it close, even if you don't realise it."
They stood in silence after that, Bulma taking in his words. She needed to process it all.
"Um, I don't suppose there's a room where I can change my clothes?"
The doctor looked around, not seeing anything that looked like a bag lying around. "Change into what? You didn't bring any luggage with you."
Bulma smiled widely, pulling out one of her capsules. "As a matter of fact, I did." She pressed the button and threw it to the floor.
POOF!
Malaka's eyes widened when he saw a pink backpack materialize out of thin air. "How...did you do that?"
"It's called encapsulation. My-" She stopped herself before she gave away too much. "My planet's best scientists came up with this concept. It's a really handy thing to have. You can encapsulate anything of any size in these and carry them around you in your pocket."
"I see." He said, still amazed at what he saw. "Alright. I'll step out for a few minutes to give you some space."
"Doctor?" Bulma called before he walked out. He turned to face her. "Thank you."
Malaka knew she wasn't thanking him for giving her privacy. He nodded minutely and stepped out.
The heiress sighed heavily and retrieved some wipes from her bag to clean her grimy skin as much as possible before getting out her yellow jumpsuit, black shirt and leggings and her brown boots. As she changed, she went over everything she heard.
'Boy, that was a lot to take in.'
If everything he said about Frieza was true, then it was obvious that he was stronger than Vegeta. Way stronger it seemed. She couldn't understand how that was possible. He was easily the strongest adversary they had ever faced. To think there was someone who was worse than him…
She shuddered, trying to chase away the thought. "I really hope I never cross paths with this guy. He sounds like a monster, the true boogeyman under your bed."
As she zipped up her jumpsuit, she looked over at Vegeta floating in the healing liquid. 'A monster you apparently had to unwillingly work for. Is that why you want the dragon balls? So you can...I don't even know what. What exactly is your plan for them?'
Bulma put on her pink headband, completing her outfit. 'As much as I want to know, I can't take that chance. I need that wish to bring my friends back.'
She put her old clothes in her bag and encapsulated it again, just as the door slid open. Not a moment later, a beeping sound was heard in the room.
"Ah. It appears he's completely healed." Malaka said as he walked in the room. He drained the liquid and the chamber's seal let out a hissing sound as it opened.
Bulma watched as Vegeta stepped out of the machine, looking much better than before...and was as naked as the day he was born. She felt her cheeks burn and she whipped around quickly to face the wall.
'You'd think he'd remember that there is a lady in the room!'
"Unlike you modest Earthlings, Saiyans have no qualms with the concept of nudity." Vegeta said teasingly.
But of course she said that out loud! Apparently her brain to mouth filter needed a few adjustments.
When she heard the two men conversing, she deemed it safe enough to turn around and see how his injuries had fared. Luckily, he had put some pants on so she inspected the top half of his body. Minus the old scars, he looked good as new. His bruises were gone, his burns had healed and he was breathing normally, which told her his ribs were healed as well.
'Man, I need to figure out how to build a machine like this. It would really come in handy for when the guys are hurt from a fight.'
"I'm pretty sure it's rude for a lady to stare so unashamedly Woman."
Too late Bulma realised that they had stopped talking and looked up to see Vegeta smirking at her deviously, his onyx eyes alight with mischief. She felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment and she glared at him intensely, thinking of many ways to wipe that smirk off his face. Eventually, she huffed and looked away from him.
'Arrogant ass.'
Vegeta chuckled at her silly behaviour and donned the rest of his armour. As he was slipping on his boot, Malaka came into view, holding a scouter in his hand. "Thanks but no thanks Doc. I won't be needing that little gizmo."
"What? How come?" He asked, confused at the Prince's words.
"Let's just say I learnt a few new tricks while I was away." Vegeta said, his tone rich with smug satisfaction.
"I see." Malaka said nothing after that, scrutinizing the Prince a bit more. He noticed a change in his demeanor. Vegeta was confident, much more confident than he'd seen in years, when he was still a young boy. He wondered what could be the cause of such a change.
"We're finished here. It's time to head out." Vegeta turned to face his little captive. "Let's go."
Bulma quickly followed Vegeta out the door, turning to face the good doctor. "Goodbye Doctor Malaka. Take care! Thanks again!"
"Goodbye Miss Briefs." He said as she walked out the room. Malaka narrowed his eyes in thought before chuckling to himself. "Pleasure slave indeed."
Vegeta may be able to fool other people but he knew the Prince too well. Not to mention, that young lady was the farthest thing from a slave he'd ever seen. She was lively, spirited and kind. Intelligent as well, if the look in her eyes when she materialized her bag was anything to go by.
When she explained how those capsules work, her expression was radiant with pride, the type of pride that comes from creating a revolutionary invention. He had a feeling that the scientists she was referring to were actually herself and some other people.
Malaka sighed before turning to clean up the equipment. He still had no idea what Miss Briefs meant to Vegeta, but he just hoped that she heeded his and Vegeta's words and kept out of Frieza's line of sight. A person full of life such as herself doesn't deserve to have it extinguished in such a horrible manner.
As they were walking down the hallway, Vegeta thought about the next step in his plan.
He wasn't kidding when he said he didn't need the scouter anymore. Somehow, he'd managed to learn how to detect ki the same way his Earth adversaries could without the help of a device. This would prove to be very useful when he eventually arrived on Namek and began his search for the dragon balls.
"Well, well. If it isn't Prince Vegeta. Long time, no see."
Vegeta looked up to see Cui standing in the middle of the hallway, arms akimbo and a smirk on his fish face. He felt the woman stiffen next to him and he tightened the hold on her arm. "Yes well, clearly it wasn't long enough."
Cui 'tsked' in mock reprimand. "So rude. You shouldn't talk like that to your superiors Vegeta." His gaze fell to the woman. "And who's this weak little thing? You know you aren't allowed a slave without permission Vegeta. Just what would Frieza say, hm?"
"Like I care what he thinks. Now, out of my way. I have more important matters to worry about." Vegeta walked past Cui, his grip still firm on Bulma's arm.
"Important matters like Namek, am I right?"
The two of them stopped in their tracks when they heard that word exit his mouth. "Come again?" Vegeta asked, his back still towards Cui.
"You're on your way to collect the dragon balls on Namek, aren't you?"
"How the hell did you know?!" Vegeta turned to face his foe, his anger increasing tenfold.
"How else? With the scouters, dear Prince." Cui spat out the word like it was cursed. "It's too late though. Frieza is already there and is collecting them as we speak. So sorry Vegeta." He laughed cruelly.
No.
No.
NO!
No way was he going to let Frieza steal his wish! He'd die before he let that lizard take this from him!
Without a second thought, he quickly tossed Bulma over his shoulder and dashed for his pod, snagging the scouter from Malaka's hand as he passed him. Ignoring the woman's protests, he carried on as fast as he could go. When he made it to his ship, he placed Bulma on her feet and climbed in, pulling her in with his tail.
"Hey! I may not be made of glass but I'm not as resilient as you are, you big lummox!" Bulma yelled.
"Quiet female!" Vegeta barked, quickly setting the coordinates for Namek. He barely saw Cui running towards them when the ship lifted up and blasted off for Namek. He was about to press the stasis button when Bulma stopped him.
"Hold up buddy boy! I want answers! Why do you want the dragon balls so badly?!"
"That's none of your-!"
"You're going to be using my radar to find them! So I'd say I deserve some answers as to why you want them so badly!"
He snatched his hand away from hers. "It's not a want you clueless woman! I need those balls so I can obtain my wish for immortality!"
"What?!" She yelled, unable to believe what she just heard. "Immortality? Why would you want to wish for something as asinine as that?!"
Silence.
"Asinine?" The heiress shivered a little, the cold anger in his deceptively soft tone setting her on edge.
"Vegeta, I-"
"You don't even know the meaning of the word. Asinine is being told that your planet was destroyed by a meteor, along with its entire population. Asinine is when you realise that you and three others are the only ones left in the entire universe. Asinine is when you're ripped away from your planet and forced to serve a disgusting lizard for more than twenty years!"
Holy shit!
Bulma felt her heart lurch when she heard that last statement. More than twenty years? But that would mean...that he was just a little boy when he started working for Frieza. Her mind went back to what the doctor said.
"If the Prince told you that about Frieza then you best take his word for it since, out of all his soldiers, he is the one who is most acquainted with the Emperor's cruelties."
What kind of monster would do that to a small boy?! Ripping his childhood, his life away from him before it had barely even started?!
"Vegeta-"
"I suggest you stop talking right now." He said, interrupting her.
"But-"
"I am hanging on to my control by a thread and you're really not helping matters. I suggest you stop talking before I do something I probably won't regret until it's too late. Do you understand me, Bulma?" He whispered in a deadly gentle tone.
The heiress' lips parted in shock at hearing him say her name for the first time. She nodded silently, deciding to keep her mouth shut.
The Prince narrowed his eyes in annoyance and pressed the stasis button. He couldn't believe he had just blurted that out to her! The damned woman was going to be the death of him!
He shook his head at that, deciding it didn't matter. He had more important things to worry about.
'Frieza's probably collected a few balls by now. I just need to get one for myself and then after that, I'll figure out a way to get the rest.'
Vegeta closed his eyes, feeling a smirk form on his lips as he envisioned the horrified look on the lizard lord's face when he realises his precious hoard is gone.
'By then it'll be too late. I would've already made my wish for immortality and then...then I can watch as Frieza bows in fear before I watch the life leave his eyes as I give him an end befitting of a coward. An end at the hands of the true ruler of the universe.'
That was the last thought that crossed his mind before he fell asleep, his dreams filled with his victory against the tyrant of the universe.
Author's Note: And so, we get a little bit of insight as to how Vegeta lived under Frieza. This is just the tip of the iceberg ladies and gents.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I really had a lot of fun with this one. As usual, I wanna thank Rosise, RoyalBlueRoses, Becky L. Sly and arag7 for your reviews on the last chapter. You guys rock!
As always, stay healthy and happy everyone! Please review! Peace, love and good vibes to you all! Until next time!
RR18
