Chapter 33- Defying orders

"Frieza wants to have a meeting"

"Of course he does"

"Your not coming are you" It was a fact, not a question. I prised my eyes away from Vegeta's naked torso for just a moment.

"Hell would have to freeze over first"

"Don't say that. I'm sure Frieza has that namesake for a reason"

"Really? I figured it was something to do with that block of ice he uses for a heart" Zarbon smiled just a little.

"You'll be here later?"

"More than likely" He nodded, satisfied. Turning on his heel and marching miserably to his 'Lord' If I didn't know Frieza better I would tell Zarbon to show him where to go. He told me he only worked for the living, but it was a more literal meaning to living than what most would deduce from the saying.

He was a funny one Zarbon was. I counted three days since I met him. An awfully short time to make friendships. It was a lesson in life. Make and break conditions produced the relationships of the best kind. Things did seem to move a lot quicker out here than did on earth. I imagined that a couple here would be married within the week.

"Your breakfast miss" The kid alien had been back ever since. The only person other than Zarbon to make sure I was eating enough during my twenty-four hour vigil over Vegeta. He stood nervously at the edge of the room at almost all hours, jumping to my aid if I was to move so much as a muscle.

It was guilt that fueled it. It had stumped me as to what over until I recognized him as the person who had delivered me to Frieza's chambers. I wanted to be angry, to blame my horrors on him but I could not. Not with those sad puppy-dog eyes. He was bending himself over backwards to appease me and only a person with the heart of Frieza could stay mad at him.

He shivered as he placed the platter of browned toast and drowned egg into my hands. I forced a smile, for I didn't want to upset him. His eyes were much more hollow than before and I was sure he wasn't sleeping. The slightest thing might set him of.

"Please take a break" I said mournfully, dragging the first lump of toast between my forefinger and thumb, breaking the burnt corner of and grating it into my teeth. The smile threatened dangerously to slip as the crumbs scraped against my throat lining.

"For my sake if not for yours" I tried again. He said nothing, staring placidly at my face to gauge if the toast was okay. It wasn't, but he didn't need to know that. I pushed the milky egg around with the fork I had found sitting on the table, watching the buttery milk running in rivulets around the toast. Scooping a mouseful of it onto the fork, he seemed satisfied.

"I will be back in half an hour" He promised. Glancing around at me three more times before he finally made it around the corner of the door. I suddenly realized how silent it was. He had been the only person left in here, the doctors long ago abandoning their watch when I refused to budge from the leather seat opposite his pod.

"Thank god, I thought he'd never leave" The fork slipped out of my fingers and clattered to the floor in shock. Vegeta was awake, ruefully glaring at me as he carefully cracked a chunk out of the pod's glass, healing juice gushing out all over the tiled flooring.

"We need to make a plan"

It had taken me five minutes to regain my composure. Seeing him standing there proud when naked had been the final straw, bringing me out in hysterical laughter. In all seriousness, he had huffed. Evidently offended I found his pride laughable.

It was a shame he had been so quick to drag on his clothes really.

'Who would you rather have the dragonballs" Was his odd choice of the opening one-liner.

"Should I really answer that.." Because neither would have been a better answer.

"Right, me of course. Frieza has five dragonballs stashed here still doesn't he?"

"Yes.." I didn't like where this was going.

"And I have one hidden away- so if I can steal Frieza's balls and then find the other one, immortality will be mine"

"Your plan has a very big flaw" I dumped the plate of soggy toast onto the medical cabinet, trying not to retch at it's in-edibleness.

"And what's that"

"Frieza practically sits on those balls like a mother hen, how are you gonna steal them from right under his nose"

"Easy, your going to distract him"

Easy for him, yes. Easy for me, no. I was going into the belly of the beast so as to speak. The belly being the dratted viewing room again. I had to distract Frieza long enough for Vegeta to cause a diversion elsewhere then escape with the dragonballs. I would be the one facing his wrath on the other side of it.

Once again, the not-so hushed voices of Zarbon and Frieza were drifting out from the other side of the door. I heaved a sigh, then pressed on through the door which slid open to a greeting of fear and hostility.

"So you decided to turn up at last did you?" Frieza beared no grin of amusement on the recently touched up lips. He probably ate purple lipstick for lunch.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak out a clever retort a massive explosion rocked the ship, fire belching through the corridor outside.

Frieza wasn't phased.

"Who did you leave to guard Vegeta" He was calm, and very very cold. Oddly, his question was directed at Zarbon.

"Appule sir" The purple alien doctor guy. Who hadn't actually been there for hours. God knows why Zarbon was covering my back.

"Idiot. Appule couldn't handle Vegeta if he tried" Frieza spluttered, thrashing his tail on the dented tile before dashing out of the gaping doorframe. He was incredibly quick for someone with a t-rex tail. Zarbon threw me an odd-looking before following.

I stayed. Waiting for the chaos to descend when Frieza returned. Vegeta would most likely be executing phase two of the plan now.

Probably throwing dragonballs out of Frieza's vacant sitting room window at this particular second.

It wasn't long before the thunderous footsteps returned.

Frieza had the look of a fat person who had just lost their bounty pack of twix's.

Zarbon panted as he shuffled into the room.

Fiery eyes lashed out at me as it took him a moment to find words.

"Zarbon"

"Yes my lord" Zarbon garbled quickly.

"Get out there and fix this mistake right now. Or should I call in the ginyu force if you can't handle it?" His voice had a sweetened honey lilt to it, but by now I knew it was everything short of goodness.

"Yes my lord" He gulped.

"Either come back with the dragonballs or don't come back at all" Zarbon almost tripped over his own feet and he chucked himself out of the room.

"Lessa"

"Yes Frieza?"

"Your coming with me"