AN:

I am uploading this pretty quick, but the fact of the matter is that this segment of the story is very stressful for me! Coupled with everything going on in the world right now, it just doesn't feel right to build the suspense and then leave it. We don't need more stress in our lives right now! Because of that, I want you to be able to read what happens next with minimal waiting… I don't want to drag out Bulma's situation any more than necessary!

... I'd tell you to enjoy this chapter, but that doesn't feel right! Regardless, I hope you can appreciate what I am doing with my story.

"Ah, is it time for our visit, already?" Frieza's raspy voice feigned surprise as Bulma was shoved forcefully towards him.

Jab.

The Bluehead kept her eyes low as she approached. This was all getting to her – the insults, the routine of pain, the fear, always being cold, the homesickness, the tormenting thoughts about Vegeta and his character… The fact that she was being jabbed in the back by whoever it was that was escorting her only added to the tension.

Jab.

"Why so somber?" The reptilian cooed. "One would think you weren't happy to see me…"

Jab.

She had tried her best to be well-behaved at all times while she was near Frieza, for he seemed to look for any excuse to issue punishment. But she was exhausted, and hungry, and any patience she had was completely worn away. Frieza was just going to hurt her, regardless of her conduct, so what was the point of trying anymore? This jerk needed to stop prodding her, as if she were an idiot! "Would you stop prodding me?! I'm walking, aren't I?! I don't need you shoving me like that!" Bulma finally snapped, turning her towards the man pushing her. As soon as the words bounced off her tongue, though, she immediately regretted it.

"Oh-ho-ho!" The delight in Frieza's voice was unexpected, and Bulma's lips parted as she turned back to him. "Well, well, what is this? That's the most I've heard come out of your mouth since we met, fledgling."

Shit.

To say he was delighted by her outburst would have been an understatement, but there was no telling what he would do now. It could be that he found her behavior to be refreshing, but it was just as likely they he was only happy to have an excuse to inflict even greater pain on her than he typically did!

"Well? Don't stop now." Frieza rasped. "Continue."

"A-" Bulma's jaw tightened. Her mind was so foggy with how worn out she was, and it was hard to consider what the best course of action would be. She might be signing her own death warrant in that very moment. Perhaps she should just keep her mouth shut. But – then again, he was ordering her to speak, and it wouldn't be wise to disobey a command…

"WELL?" Frieza snarled, making her shoulders jump. "SPEAK, GIRL! I asked you to continue, didn't I?!"

"Lord Fr-ieza." Bulma bit her lip, lowering her eyes. "I didn't mean to do that… It's just that, I know my place, and your henchman's behavior towards me is unnecessary."

"Henchman?" The reptilian echoed.

"Henchman?" The man behind Bulma cackled. He stepped out from behind her to take position at her side.

"Captain Ginyu, did you hear that?" Frieza grinned. "She called you a henchman, as if your title is irrelevant."

"Brave chick!" He grunted. "Seems she doesn't care about respect."

"Respect?" Bulma replied – amazed that she was capable of showing such spine with how broken she felt inside. Or, perhaps, feeling so defeated was the very reason why she kept forgetting about the repercussions at all. "Respect? I've been nothing but respectful since I got here! How can you have the nerve to talk about me like that, as if I'm not even in the same room!? I've been fulfilling all my expectations, and I'm right here!"

"Well!" Frieza clapped his disgusting hands together. "This is all starting to make more sense, isn't it? I haven't felt this invigorated since the last time I saw the little monkey, himself! How splendid!"

"Sir?" Captain Ginyu inquired, who was obviously taken by surprise at his lord's reaction.

"Hush, Captain. I've decided to change my plans."

"Plans?" Now Bulma was the one to question him.

"There she goes again! Speaking out of line, and with so much authority!" Frieza was grinning – genuinely grinning, which Bulma had never seen before. "Well, this is all so surprising, isn't it? It seems you've just extended your life."

"Why?" Captain Ginyu asked. "But I thought-"

"Ah, ah, quiet." The reptilian interrupted. "Let's not worry the girl, shall we? Take her back to her cell. I can tell she needs her rest."

"But, -"

"Captain, I trust you are not stooping to Zarbon's level, are you? Talking back to me after I've made an order?"

"No, sir, but-"

"Very well. Return her to her quarters, then meet me back here."

What was going on? Bulma turned to Captain Ginyu, and then looked back to the tyrant in front of her. Without another question or word of concern, the captain merely nodded, and he grabbed the Bluehead by the bicep. "You heard him, girly. Let's move it."

And then he yanked her, spinning her back around in an instant. Before she knew it, she was being dragged back from whence she came.

"What is going on?" She hissed, once they were out in the hall. The pace that he was pulling her was hard to keep up with, as feeble as she was, but she did her best to oblige with his movements. "What did he mean, my life has been extended?"

"Not my place to say." The captain replied. "Not your place to ask."

"But-"

"Lord Frieza might have been pleased with your lip, but I don't tolerate lower classes being so casual." His grip around her arm tightened. "I'm not giving you any information that Lord Frieza won't."

"Well, can we at least slow down?!" Bulma griped. It felt so good to be able to express her feelings again, especially now that there seemed to be no direct consequences for it! After keeping quiet for so long, it was hard to reel it in. "I don't have the energy for this!"

The captain ignored her, instead choosing to click his tongue with irritation.

"I haven't eaten in ages, and I can't keep up!" Bulma complained. "It isn't my fault I have no energy when I don't get fed!"

This was enough to bring the captain to a pause. Their walk skidded to a stop, and then he yanked her in front of him so he could look her in the eyes. "What do you mean you haven't eaten?" He growled. "You may have impressed Frieza enough for him to decide to keep you alive, but don't start lying to me now. I'll take you back there right now, and he'll kill you for making things up."

"I'm not lying!" Bulma shot, but the captain's words were leaving her pale in the face.

"Fine then, let's go." Captain Ginyu swirled them around, ushering them back towards Frieza's room.

"I'm not!" Bulma repeated. "It's been forever since someone brought food to my cell!"

"Impossible. The slaves know their responsibilities. Always have, always will."

"I'm not making it up, damnit!" The Bluehead snapped. She dug her feed into the cold tile, attempting to slow their pace. "I got in a fight with one of them, and I haven't received a tray since!"

At hearing this, the captain let out a whole-hearted chuckle, and he began dragging Bulma even faster. "Seriously? Boy, Frieza's gotta hear this! Here he was, so bored with you, and meanwhile you're fighting the slaves? Crazy kid!"

Then, all too quickly, Bulma was being shoved back into the dark lair that Frieza always seemed to be brooding in. The tyrant wasn't expecting the sudden reemergence of his prisoner and employee, but he didn't seem to angry about their return. "Back so soon?" He asked calmly, as he turned away from a large monitor along one of the walls. "What'd she do, Captain?"

"Tell her." Captain Ginyu shoved Bulma, hard enough that she fell to her knees. "Do it. Tell Frieza what you just said."

"Why do you have to keep pushing me?!" She groaned.

"Oh?" Now, Frieza was really intrigued. Had the Bluehead finally spit out something useful regarding the Saiyan prince? This was unexpected, indeed, but he was pleased with the excitement of how this was all turning out! "Let's hear it, girl…"

"I just said… I just said! I just said that I was hungry, because the kitchen girls haven't brought me any food in ages! That's all!"

"No it isn't!" The Captain chimed in. "Tell him the best part! Just do it, kid, it's in your best interest!" There was so much laughter in his voice, even as Bulma stared up at Frieza with absolute fear. Clearly she was about to get beaten in some way. It was obvious that getting into a confrontation with the slaves was prohibited, by the way such a big deal was being made of things. Why was this so funny!?

"The slaves will have to be disciplined if they have been neglecting you of nutrients. They're defying direct orders, if that's true." Frieza announced. "I'll send Zarbon to their quarters shortly. What else do you have to say?"

"They…" Bulma closed her eyes, bracing herself for whatever was about to happen to her. There was no way out of this. She just had to come clean. "They stopped bringing me food after I got in a fight with one of them."

"Ha!" The squeal that escaped Frieza's lips made the Bluehead jump. "A fight? You?! Who would have thought you had it in you?!"

"Huh?" She opened her eyes. He really wasn't mad?

"Interesting, indeed!" The tyrant continued. "I really was starting to think that some mistake had been made, and you weren't the one Vegeta had been protecting. But it seems there is an entirely different side to your personality that you've been hiding, isn't there?"

Bulma noticed that his scaly tail was starting to sway back and forth as he spoke, and her jaw tightened when she looked up at his face and saw just how shiny his yellow eyes were. "Yes… I was wrong to be bored with you… Wrong indeed… Captain Ginyu, take this girl to the kitchen at once. Ensure that she has a full meal before she returns to her quarters. I'll have Zarbon pay the slaves a visit at once. We must get to the bottom of this conflict…"

.

"Yow!" Gohan crowed, hopping from one foot to the other. He held a white cloth over his nose, which was quickly becoming red as it sopped up the copious amount of blood flowing through his nostrils.

"Don't complain." Vegeta grumbled. The two stood facing one another, both panting from the weight that the gravity machine exuded on them. It was set to 450, which was strong enough to even make the prince's yellow flamed hair droop on its ends. "This is our last chance to train and still adequately recover. We must make the best of it."

"I know, I know, but – jeez!" The boy groaned. "The nose?! Really?!"

"You think Frieza is above hitting you there?" It was clear that the Saiyan prince had no sympathy for the objecting child, and he rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. "It will never make sense to me that you have ascended to Super, and yet you complain each and every time we spar!"

"I never said I liked fighting, though!" Gohan groaned. "I only said I'll do it for Mister Piccolo, and my Mom, and Miss Bulma!"

Speaking of which, the half-saiyan had noticed a change in Mr. Vegeta, ever since the moment they'd left Namek. Each and every day, it seemed, the prince was more on edge. Lately he'd passed the barrier into absolute derangement. Gohan was secretly pleased that they would be arriving to their destination soon, for there was no telling how much longer they'd have before Vegeta finally exploded and took their entire spaceship down with him.

"Your stamina has increased greatly, that's to be certain." The Saiyan prince commented. His voice was shaking, as if he were trying his best not to burst into a yell. "But it isn't good enough. There is no way stamina alone will guide you to victory. I'm going to beat you until you're an inch from your life, again, and you will do the same to me. We need the zenkai boosts."

"I hate this!" Gohan complained, but he dropped the bloodied towel and fell into a fighting stance regardless. "I just wanna see Miss Bulma again!"

"Don't get started, boy." Vegeta warned. The mere mention of her name sent shivers through the pit of his stomach. What was most unnerving was that he hadn't experienced a memory with her during his dreams, not in what felt like forever. It was as if she had just stopped having them completely, which couldn't mean anything good.

"Why do you always tell me to stop when I bring her up?" He asked. "I know you can't wait to see her, too. So why-"

"SHUT UP, BOY!" Vegeta barked. Instantaneously a cloud of electricity whipped out from around him, and he started his charge for the half-saiyan.

'Woah!' Gohan thought, dodging a punch that was swung at his head. 'Every time I bring her up, he loses it!'

.

"That woman is so lucky, it just isn't fair." Zarbon commented. He stood beside Captain Ginyu, both men in attendance of Frieza as they stood side-by-side.

"My, Zarbon, as outspoken as ever…" Frieza breathed. He sat on his hovering chair, dancing a finger around his cup of aphids that he always savored. "Don't you think Vegeta's muse has made good progress?"

"I must admit, I'm still unsure." Zarbon replied. "Forgive me, sir, but what is it that we are doing with her?"

"Why, did I forget to update you on her status?" The lizard cooed, crunching gleefully as he slid a wriggling aphid through his drooling teeth. "Ah, that's right, I didn't, did I? Now, where are my manners? I suppose I forgot that my decisions are my own, and I don't need to obtain permission from my employees…"

"I don't mean it like that, but Lord-"

"Ah, ah, Zarbon… I feel you've been growing quite bold as of late. Shall I remind you of your place, as I must do with so many others?"

"Lord Frieza, if I may." Captain Ginyu cut in. "I am confused, too. It isn't that we question your authority, we'd just like to understand your thought process if you'd let us. Zarbon's a good man, and he's my top choice as the first new member of the revised Ginyu Force."

"Ah," Lord Frieza hummed, lifting his cup to his lips. "Well, when you put it like that, I suppose there is no harm in informing you both, is there? I have to say, I'm surprised you even need me to explain this at all. You saw the girl, didn't you, Captain?"

"Of course, Lord, but her behavior typically results in death."

"Ah, yes, but in this case it's different. You see, I may have been planning to end her life when she entered my quarters. With how robotic that girl has gotten, I thought her will was already been destroyed. My little Monkey is taking quite a long time to make his arrival, and I was getting quite bored dragging her death out. It was appealing when I learned that there was more life to her, after all."

Zarbon glanced at Captain Ginyu, his lips turning with distaste. Ever since his first encounter with Bulma, he had despised that cerulean harlot. The idea that she kept managing to evade the fate that so many others suffered was maddening. How many rodents had Frieza executed as consequence for offenses far less severe? Why did she keep getting away with all her wrongdoings?!

"She may be lacking any physical strength, but it is rare when you encounter someone who grows more defiant as their spirit is crushed, rather than giving in. It reminds you of someone else, doesn't it?" Frieza continued. "If this is how her condition will progress, then perhaps she isn't so useless at all. I was starting to wonder if Nappa was wrong, and she wasn't the girl that Vegeta was so protective of. But I see it now, this might be the trait that my deviant monkey found so endearing about her, after all. Perhaps she is the right one…"

"I see." Zarbon nodded, although he resented his boss' resolve. "And what if her defiance only continues to grow, sire? Surely she isn't immune to retribution."

"Of course not, dear boy… But with an attitude like this, I can get quite the entertainment until the monkey arrives… Don't you agree?"

"You're brilliant!" Captain Ginyu cackled. "Impressive as always! I knew you'd love hearing about her feud with the slave girl!"

"Right, and how has that gone? It's been a few sleep cycles since that was brought to my attention."

"We allotted the slaves full access to her, with the promise of no punishment for their actions."

"Good… Good…" Frieza decided then to swig down the remainder of his insect snack. He swallowed the bugs hastily, before grinning to show a few crushed remnants stuck in his teeth. "Oh, I can't wait to see how her condition has progressed by the time my little Monkey gets here… My dear little Vegeta will have quite the welcoming ceremony, won't he?"

Zarbon, although reluctant, flashed a salute alongside Captain Ginyu, signifying their allegiance to Lord Frieza's plan. After all, they were aware of the space vessel that was approaching them. While the ki of the individuals in the ship were irregular, spiking and lowering sporadically at different times, it was clear that it was Vegeta who was finally making his arrival. In just a few more sleeps, the Saiyan prince would be reuniting with his betrayed lord… This meant that his blue-haired minx didn't have much longer to live, either.

And, while Zarbon would have preferred to her to be taken care of immediately, he realized that he could wait a little longer…

AN: Eugh, this was probably my least favorite chapter that I've ever written! So glad to have that over with! In the next chapter, Vegeta finally makes it to Frieza's base…

P.S. Special thanks to guest reviewer, Khloe, for all of the reviews you leave! I appreciate your feedback!