Chapter 5: Freedom

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Dragon Ball Z or any of its characters.

WARNING: This story contains strong language, murder, and adult situations. Reader's discretion is advised.

Hey guys I'm back. Hoping I can start writing these chapters in a more timely manner, but life is just that way sometimes. Thanks to everyone that continues to come back and read these. Without further delay, let's go!

I have made a stupid mistake. I gave in to this insane woman once again. My need to make sure she's safe will be the death of me. But there isn't much that can be done about it now. We're almost there now. In a matter of minutes, Planet Namek will be coming into view. With any hope, everything has long since come to an end and Frieza will either be gone or in a good enough that perhaps I can reason with him. I highly doubt he can be reasoned with. I honestly don't care to. I am tired of giving all I am to that maniac. Nonica was right about him. I have given him my life in servitude and an order for execution is how he chooses to repay me. To hell with Frieza. I hope one of those monkeys does kill him. I hope Nonica and I can truly be free. I hope that we will both live long enough to enjoy that freedom.

This ship was fast! At the rate it was going, they would reach their destination any minute. The only thing was what would be waiting for them when they arrived? Nonica was worried about running into Vegeta and what he would think about Zarbon being with her. He believed that Zarbon was dead. Nonica had staged his murder after all. She knew her brother would not be happy with either of them. Zarbon, on the other hand, was worried about running into Frieza. That power-hungry tyrant had issued their death warrants and here they were flying rapidly towards him when they should have been rapidly flying anywhere else in the opposite direction. Onward they continued though, zooming pasts planets and entire solar systems. The two warriors had barely even spoken to one another since they had left on this fool-hearted endeavor.

Zarbon looked over to the princess sitting next to him. She was staring out the window, watching it all flash by them. Her feet were in her chair, her knees up to her chest, and her chin resting in her hand. She was as beautiful as always. It didn't matter that she would never feel the same for him that he did for her, she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on. Time seemed to slow down and Zarbon thought back to the days when he believed she was his. Back before the assignment that changed everything. Back before Nonica had left with Nappa and Vegeta. Back when he and the princess lived together in Zarbon's chambers. Zarbon couldn't but long for those days. There was a large bay window in the living quarters of their chambers and he would always find her there at the end of the day sitting there the same way she was now. She would be so lost in her thoughts that she wouldn't even notice Zarbon come in. He never knew where she was when she was so deep in her thoughts, although now he knew it was never there with him. But then she'd see him standing there, smile sweetly, then get up to greet him with a hug and a soft kiss. Most nights they would make love but some nights he would just hold her as she slept. The lovemaking had been amazing. Zarbon had always had a reputation for being a sadist and extremely rough with the women he would choose to take to bed, even causing the deaths of a few of them. They had mostly been sex slaves that they'd take from the planets they had conquered, "playmates" to keep the men of Frieza's army happy. Nonica was a Saiyan though and Zarbon could be as rough as he wanted and not kill her. Even though the princess was much more durable than the girls he usually bedded, Zarbon over time had stopped. The more his feelings for her grew the more tender and loving he began to be with her. He would handle her as if she were delicate, fragile, and easily broken. She was precious to him. Despite being Frieza's right hand and most trusted minion, Zarbon truly had nothing, nothing that held any real value to him. Nothing until Nonica. Sex had been the main reason Zarbon had wanted her so badly. Nonica would rage against Zarbon. Fight him. The sadist in him loved it. But then she came to live with him, time had passed, and sometimes Zarbon wouldn't be in the mood so he would hold her. Some nights they would lay in bed and they would talk. Nonica would get lost in her own head, her number one survival tactic, and she would almost forget who she was talking to. She would talk with him about all kinds of things. Zarbon began to truly know her and truly love her. Nonica would only do it so that she wouldn't lose her mind. She knew that realistically she couldn't live with him and not speak to him. It was just her going through the motions. So she thought. She had no idea that Zarbon was evolving into a man that could love her. She still hadn't fully figured it out.

Back in the ship, the former right hand of Frieza stared on at the woman he so deeply loved and cared for. As he looked on at her and thought back to the year they had lived together a question began to rattle around in his brain. Before he could stop himself he blurted out, "How could you do it?"

"Hmm?" Nonica replied, looking over at her companion.

Zarbon sighed and repeated, "How could you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Come to live with. Smile at me, kiss me, make love to me, allow me to hold you at night? Every night? For a year? You never felt anything for me?"

A stunned silence fell upon the cockpit of that small ship. Nonica just sat there and looked at Zarbon, taken aback by his question. Is he serious? Does he really want to get into this here? Now?

For a moment Nonica believed that Zarbon was becoming more of a masochist than a sadist. She could see in his eyes that he was, in fact, serious. If this was really the kind of travel conversation he wanted to have then fine, she would oblige him. She gave a small, sympathetic shrug and began, "I had to be convincing. You needed to think that I loved you. I knew that if you thought I was lying you'd kill me and then kill my brother."

"It wasn't always easy. And you kept me locked away in those chambers. I hated it there and I hated you for not letting me out. All I could do was train and go on assignments. Then the assignments were so super easy just so I would come back faster to be with you. I was so irritated. I'm a Saiyan, I need a challenge. When I heard about that mission with Nappa and Vegeta I could barely hide my excitement. Getting to see my brother, getting to be challenged for a change, and getting a break away from you. I'm sorry but it was the most perfect that could have happened. I jumped at the chance to go and I jumped at the chance to go to Earth because it meant being away longer. I never gave a damn about those fucking dragon balls. I didn't want immortality. I didn't want anything but to be free. As far as having sex with you, well, that was just a matter of letting my brain wander off somewhere else. I would think about other things and even other men I had been with. Anytime that I spent in your presence my mind was being sent millions of miles away.

Her words stung. He wasn't angry though. He had asked and she had only been honest. "That sounds like hell," Zarbon said after a few awkward moments, "I'm sorry that you had to endure that."

Nonica shrugged, "I did it to myself. I made the deal. I could have allowed Vegeta to face the consequences of his own actions. I could have gone to my chambers and taken the girl myself and given her back. There were plenty of things that I could have done."

The two fell silent. The only sound that could be heard was the roar of the ship's engine. Out of nowhere, a huge shockwave rocked the ship. Zarbon and Nonica were almost knocked out of their chairs. The ship rumbled and shook aggressively and alerts were blaring from the control panel. Once the ship once again stabilized, Nonica started pressing buttons. "What the hell was that?" Zarbon asked.

"That was the blast wave from an explosion."

"What?"

Nonica stopped pressing buttons. "Oh my god," she said pressing a hand over her mouth, "It's gone."

"What?!"

Nonica looked over to Zarbon. There was a look of pure shock and fear on her face, the color had drained away. "Namek," she softly said, "it's gone."

The last few minutes of their trip were tense. They had arrived at Namek or at least they had arrived at the spot where Namek was supposed to be. In its place was nothing but rubble and debris. Nonica's heart was pounding in her chest. The planet was gone. What the hell had happened here? Where was Frieza? Where was Vegeta? Zarbon could see the panic and fear in her eyes. He knew that she was worried about her brother and though he was the bain of Zarbon's existence, he knew that she needed to have the reassurance that Vegeta was safe. He slowed the ship until they had come to a stop and were floating there in the vastness of space. They looked on out the window as the debris floated by them. "Well," Zarbon began, "I suppose we could get out and have a look around. There are some suits we can wear." Nonica nodded and Zarbon lead her to where the space suits were stored.

Once in their suits, Nonica and Zarbon exited the ship and began to search the area. They really didn't know what they were looking for. Anyone on that planet would have died from the blast or they would have died from lack of oxygen. The princess knew this but she had to look and had to know. She continued to float among the rubble and search. A big piece of rock came floating toward her she pushed out of her path and let out a gasp. Zarbon spun around to look at her, "What's wrong?" he asked. Nonica only pointed. Zarbon floated to his companion's side and looked to where she was pointing. There in the distance was the lifeless body of Frieza. Only half of him anyway. He was in rough shape. He was missing his entire bottom, one of his, and half of his face.

Nonica looked on at the display before her. What had happened to him? Who had done this? Kakarot? Vegeta? A smile slowly made its way across her face as tears began to well up in her eyes. As the tears spilled over and slid down her cheeks, Nonica began to laugh. Softly at first and then gradually she began to laugh loudly almost hysterically. Zarbon looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "It's over," she cheered, "It's OVER!" She was so happy. She was finally truly free. Frieza was gone and her father and planet and people were avenged. Before she could stop herself, Nonica threw her arms around Zarbon's neck and hugged him. Zarbon was stunned but put his arms around her loosely. "We are truly free, Zarbon! The monster is dead and we are free!"

If he could, Zarbon would have stopped time then and there. Nonica was in his arms and she was happy. The realizations of the past few days still made everything too raw and it cut him deeply for her to hug him because he knew it was only platonically. It hurt him, even more, to pull away from her but that is what he did. "Yes, we are free. But we really should get out of here, Nonica. I'm sorry but I really don't think Vegeta is here. Maybe he got off the planet before it blew."

Nonica nodded in agreement. She honestly had no way of knowing for sure what had happened after she and Zarbon left Namek or what had become of her brother. She could only take solace in the fact that Frieza was gone and that she didn't have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life and that was worth it all for now. She looked at Zarbon, "You're right. Let's go."

They floated back toward their ship, got back aboard it, and left.

Frieza is gone. I really don't know how I feel about all of this. I have been a soldier in his army for so many years. So much of my life has been spent doing his bidding. I cannot believe that a Saiyan could defeat him. He had been so worried about them rising up against him. He had been right all along. I do find it difficult to care. Frieza had threatened Nonica and then he had threatened me and then he decided he wanted me killed. Maybe this is all for the best. I can finally have a life that is mine. The only thing to do now is to figure out where Nonica and I can go to figure out what our next move will be. At least we can do that without having to worry about Frieza finding us.

Hours after the departure of Zarbon and Nonica another small spacecraft arrived at the sight where the planet once floated. The craft slowly and carefully made its way through the wreckage and debris that floated in the void of space. The pilot, a woman with short bright red hair, hot pink-colored skin, dark eyes, small horns protruding from her forehead, and wearing armor similar to the armor that Frieza's soldiers wore, stopped when they got to where Frieza's lifeless body was floating. "Well, there he is, Nova." she to the companion sitting next to her. Nova was a woman with long dark hair that was braided in two loose pigtails, pink eyes, and pale purple skin.

"Yep. We just didn't get here in time, Tora. How tragic." They looked at each for a few seconds before they both burst into a fit of giggles. "I guess we better let her know."

Tora nodded and began to push some buttons on the control panel. A voice came through the speakers, "Yes, ladies?'

"The planet is gone, mistress, it looks as though Frieza is dead, but we also are picking up on the radar that the king is on his way. Should we wait and assist or come back?"

A slight giggle came from the voice at the other end of the transmission. "Come back, girls, let the king deal with his son."

"Yes, Lady Winter." the two said. Tora then entered the information into the computer and flew the craft from the wreckage and headed back home.

Zarbon and Nonica have confirmed the end of the tyrant, Frieza. They are now free. Free to live their life as they please...or so they believe. Who is this Lady Winter and what might she have in mind for the two abandoners of Frieza's regime? Tune in next time and find out.

Thanks so much for reading. I hope you like it! Please come back for the next chapter and if you want more of Nonica, I have another story that is about what her life would be like if she hadn't stayed in Frieza's army. Feel free to check those out as well. I love writing these stories and I love seeing the reviews. I hope you will continue to follow this journey with me. Thanks again and see you next time!