Chapter Sixteen

Keep Your Eye On The Birdie

v

I was too afraid. Vegeta had left me unconscious and left to go and train more. I couldn't do it. I was too afraid… I… I had to escape. I opened the door after getting dressed and ran down the hallway. It was really late, hour's later and most 'sane' people would be asleep, but, to my surprise, lots were still up and about, patrolling the palace.

I hid in the shadows as I snuck by a couple Saiyans talking and laughing in conversation. I was able to avoid being seen by them with my small, quiet steps and stealth. I was approaching the balcony that overlooked the boarding docks for all the ships to the palace. It was in the heart of the Capitol. The two large balcony doors were closed and locked with a security code. Now, would be the hard part. I had to crack the code, and that could take hours for all I knew, but I was sure I could do it. I've had luck on my side before with codes back on Earth, so how could this be so different. It was very risky, but it was also my only hope on getting home. I reached a small hand up to it to try my first attempt.

"I thought as much."

I nearly screamed at the unexpected voice. Turning around quickly, covering my mouth from screaming, only to see Kakarot standing a short distance away. What was he doing here? Shouldn't he have been sparring or training or whatever with Vegeta or the other Elites? Sighing, Kakarot stepped forward.

"I knew you would try to escape, and after the way my father treated you yesterday…"

He shook his head.

"…and after seeing you coming up from the dungeon…"

My eyes widened remembering what had happened.

"You should go back to the Prince's room before you get in trouble."

I stood up straight, even though my back was in wrenching, twisted pain.

"No, Kakarot; I'm getting out of here, and you can't stop me… Please, Kakarot…"

"I'm not going to try."

Kakarot told me.

"…but if you go through with this, they'll come after you. Letting a slave escape will be seen as an insult. They'll come after you and punish you. I don't want that. I don't want you to be hurt by anyone here anymore…"

Looking at him, I could tell that he was being sincere. I looked down, thinking about the punishment Vegeta had given me, and how I was going to just be receiving even more. I was so scared. I looked back up to Kakarot's eyes. He stepped closer. I stayed where I was.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Kakarot, but I can't stay here. I have to find Nathan, and then we need to get the fuck off this planet…"

"I'm truly sorry, Lady Taylor, but I can't let you do that…"

"I don't care, Kakarot… Do whatever you want, but I'm leaving."

"No, please… don't…"

I sighed heavily,

"I'm sorry, Kakarot, but I have to go…"

"Go?"

A new voice emerged from the darkness.

"…and just where would a slave be going at this time at night?"

v

Both I and Kakarot turned to the speaker. I was horrified to see the brute from dinner walking down the hall followed by another Saiyan with long black, rock-star-like hair. It had been this one that had spoken, and was now looking at Kakarot questioningly.

"Kakarot, what's the meaning of this?"

He demanded. Kakarot grinned.

"Raditz…! Uhh, hey, bro, what's up?"

My eyes widened.

Bro…? That guy is Kakarot's brother?

Kakarot's brother, Raditz, crossed his arms.

"Well, our father and I were on our way to see you and Prince Vegeta spar, but look what we found instead; a slave trying to escape."

Bardock smirked.

"Seems like this slave can't do anything right… She'll have to be punished."

Kakarot glared at his father, who was licking his lips as he stared me down; Kakarot held up his hands in front of me, protectively.

"Whoa, whoa, wait! She wasn't trying to escape. She just got lost and ended up here. I just found her and I was going to take her back to Prince Vegeta's bedchamber."

He glanced at me.

"Right, Lady Taylor? You just got lost…?"

I realized that he was trying to get me out of trouble.

"Um… yeah, I… I just got lost."

"Lost or not…"

Raditz continued,

"Slaves aren't allowed down here."

"…but she didn't know that."

Kakarot tried his best to defend me.

"No one told her that she wasn't allowed down here. She can't be punished for going somewhere she didn't know was forbidden."

Raditz's eyes narrowed.

"Then the one responsible shall be punished for not teaching her how things work around here. I believe it was that supposed to be the other slaves in the lower slave corridors, wasn't it?"

With a smirk, he glanced at Bardock.

"What do you say, Bardock? Shall we go teach them all how to do things properly?"

Bardock grinned.

"Sounds good to me…"

I suddenly realized that all those kind-hearted and gentle people were going to be in serious trouble, all because of me. I hadn't even been down there, yet. I hadn't even met any of them, and they were all going to be punished all because of me.

"No! Don't you dare blame the other slaves! This is my fault. I didn't even talk to anyone else. I decided to come down here on my own accord. I'm the one who deserves to be punished, not them."

Kakarot slapped his forehead as the other two Saiyans grinned.

"Well then…"

Raditz continued,

"It appears that some discipline is in order."

They stepped forward, but Kakarot moved in their path, his arms held up to shield me.

"Stop right there!"

He demanded. The friendly atmosphere he had vanished completely. They did, glaring at Kakarot angrily.

"What do you think you're doing, brother?"

"Yeah…"

Bardock growled.

"You know the rules."

Kakarot didn't back down.

"I found her; I'll decide what her punishment should be."

"Nonsense…!"

Raditz pointed an accusing finger at him.

"You're far too soft, Kakarot; especially on this woman. What will be your idea of punishment, a tickle fight?!"

Kakarot grinned.

"How about sending her to bed with no dinner…?"

Both Raditz and Bardock looked almost horrified, as if such a punishment was worse than death, (probably because Saiyans are bottomless pits when it comes to a meal) but Bardock got over his shock.

"No! She needs proper discipline; physical discipline. I'll make sure she never misbehaves again… and besides, if you want to send her to bed with anything, it should be me…"

He took another step forward, grinning evilly. Kakarot decided that it was time to let out the big guns.

"Do you want to challenge me… father?"

Bardock froze, a furious look crossing his face. It was clear that he wanted nothing more than to beat Kakarot within an inch of his life, but knew that he was too strong for him.

"You try my patience, son…"

With an angry and frustrated growl, Bardock stepped back.

"Fine, do what you want with her, but you'll be sorry if she doesn't learn from her mistake, Kakarot. Come on, Raditz, let's go."

Reluctantly, the two Saiyans left. Once they were gone, Kakarot sighed in relief.

"That was too close. Things could have gotten real ugly."

I glanced at him.

"Kakarot, was that guy really your brother?!"

With a sigh, Kakarot nodded.

"Yeah, but we don't get along, any of us. They're just bullies, just like the rest of them. Raditz's nothing compared to my father, though. That guy's really nasty. Make sure you stay away from him… please…"

I nodded, remembering the Royal dinner. Painful memories started rolling in.

"I will, because I'm leaving now."

"You can't."

Kakarot replied seriously, grabbing me by my arm. He was gentle, but intimidating. I didn't think I'd ever see that.

"Not right now. Not after being caught like that. It'll only end in your death. They'll be watching you now. You'll have to lay low for a while."

He held out his hand for me.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to your room. There still may be a danger from the two of them…"

I looked at his hand. Then, I turned back to the sealed doors, behind which were the Saiyan spaceships. With a sigh, I reluctantly put my hand in Kakarot's and let him lead me back to the prince's room quietly. When I opened the door to the room, Vegeta was sound asleep and didn't even hear me come in or get back into bed that night. He was exhausted.

v

Two days later, I stood in the same spot that I had that evening I tried escaping, lost in my thoughts of going home and finding Nathan, I began walking back towards the hallway that led back the Prince's bed chamber. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and it wasn't until someone spoke that I realized I wasn't alone.

"Not trying to escape again, are you?"

I whirled around to see the tall, rocker-haired Saiyan, Kakarot's brother, Raditz. I gulped, remembering my last encounter with the brute. The guy wasn't friendly. He was coming through the sealed doors that led out to the balcony. He had a dangerous look in his eye.

"I… I was just… admiring the view here. Am I not allowed to do that either?"

He grinned,

"With that tone, maybe you shouldn't be allowed…"

I glared, focusing my eyes on him.

"Even if I wanted to, just how exactly am I supposed to escape anyway?"

"I don't know. For all I know, you could have some 'master plan of escape'."

"That's ridiculous! Why don't you just leave me alone?! You're delusional!"

The Saiyan suddenly looked angry.

"…and you're disrespectful. I knew Kakarot hadn't disciplined you properly the last time you tried to escape, and our Prince is too proud to waste his time on an insignificant nobody like you."

That's a lie; he does it all of the time! Raditz wasn't an Elite soldier like his brother or father, so he wouldn't know.

He moved quickly. The next thing I knew, he was suddenly in front of me. My lip spilt open as he backhanded me, and I went down hard. The Saiyan glared down at me with distaste.

"You forget that no matter what your position is, whether you belong to the Prince, the King, or just some low class, scum-bag warrior, you're still a mere slave."

Feeling dazed, I struggled to get to my feet and ended up toppling right into the Saiyan. Raditz continued to look down at me, now with an amused smirk on his face.

"Oh, please, one light tap and you can't even stand on your own two feet… You pathetic humans are so weak."

Still dizzy, I reached up for some support, and my fingers closed around something soft and furry. There was a sudden cry from Raditz, and she looked up at him in confusion. His face was twisted with pain, his mouth hanging open in an agonized gasp.

"You… You…"

He fell over, collapsing on the ground and twitching painfully. I blinked, having no idea what happened to him.

"What's up with you?"

Through the pain, he struggled to speak.

"My… My t-tail…! Let go of my tail!"

My gaze shifting to my hand, I saw that what I had grabbed in an attempt to stay balanced had indeed been the Saiyan's tail.

Oh, no…

The color drained from my face. I was in trouble now. Putting on a very forced smile, I gave him an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know grabbing your tail hurt you. I didn't even mean to do it."

Eyes rolling around wildly, he shouted at me.

"JUST LET IT GO…!"

"Okay, only if you promise not to get mad. It was an accident."

"Yes, yes!"

He cried out.

"I promise not to get mad! It was an accident! You're forgiven! Now, release me! I-I'm begging you!"

Praying he would remain true to his word, I let go. Faster than I could see, Raditz was suddenly on his feet, his fangs bared and growling deeply. His hand quickly wrapped around my neck, pressing me against the nearby wall, beginning to choke me.

"You lousy wench…! How dare you grab a Saiyan's tail! I should snap your neck!"

Terrified, I gave him a desperate look.

"I said… it was… a… accident. Y-You promised y-you wouldn't… get… m-mad."

His grip around my neck tightened slightly.

"Dounee…! Foolish girl! I am a first class warrior. I do what it takes to win. When you have someone at your mercy, you take advantage of it. You're just too stupid to realize it. Did you really think I would let you get away with hurting me so, you naïve scum? I hope you're ready to die."

He raised his hand, a wicked grin on his face as energy slowly began to gather in his palm, he chuckled under his breath.

"Keep your eye on the birdie."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

With an irritated growl, Raditz turned to his brother.

"Kakarot, what do you want?"

"Well…"

He said as he put his hands ever so casually into his pockets,

"I heard you screaming in pain from the main hall, so I came to see if you needed help, but it looks like you're alright. So, why don't you just let her go now?"

Raditz snarled.

"Not this time, little brother! I'm the one who's dishing out her punishment."

Kakarot sighed.

"Okay then, go ahead."

My eyes widened.

Did Kakarot just said…?

"Of course, you'll have to be the one to answer to Vegeta for killing his personal slave."

Raditz didn't move. He just looked at his brother with a blank expression on his face.

"You wouldn't want to face Vegeta or his father with this, would you?"

Raditz seemed to be having a silent debate with himself. Would it be worth the King's, or worse yet, the Prince's wrath to get even with me? Saiyan warriors like him were a dime a dozen, but he couldn't deny the fact that I was special to the Prince. With an angry snarl, he let me go. I sputtered and coughed, trying to catch my breath as Raditz stared down at me angrily.

"Unfortunately, he's right. You're very lucky, girl, but you still need to watch your attitude. Next time, I might forget just how important you are and finish what I started."

With that said, he turned around and stormed away. Kakarot sighed in relief as his brother walked away. Turning to me, he gave me a crooked smile.

"You okay? That was a close one."

I struggled to find my voice. Unable to talk, I simply nodded.

"I sensed Raditz's distress…"

He continued.

"…so, I came here thinking he was in trouble; should have realized that he was the one causing trouble. What happened anyway?"

"I… I…"

I swallowed.

"I grabbed his tail."

Kakarot's eyes widened.

"You grabbed his tail? Whoa, no wonder he was ticked!"

"It was an accident!"

I insisted.

"I didn't even know grabbing a Saiyan's tail hurt them…"

I lied; Kakarot smiled bashfully, unknowing.

"Yeah, it's our weakness. Grab our tail and all our power is basically drained, leaving us in incredible pain. Some of us have managed to train ourselves to get rid of that weakness, but most, like my brother, haven't been able to."

My fear finally fading, I sighed and got to my feet.

"Yeah… trust me… I already know."

I slipped, just after my little lie, too. He gave me a weird look, but decided not to ask. He hugged me, assuring I was safe with him.

"It looks like I owe you one… again."

Kakarot backed away just waved it off.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it. I know my brother's a brute. Come on, I'll walk you to… wherever you're going."

Not feeling completely safe, I was quick to take him up on his offer. As we headed back down the hallway, I couldn't help, but voice my own thoughts.

"How am I going to survive here?"

Kakarot just chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry about it. You're doing fine. Better than most actually. Regardless of what Raditz or anyone else says, you're no mere slave, at least not to me…"

I smiled at him as we continued walking back towards the Prince's bedchamber.