Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A tiny twist in time ❯ Unexpected Assassin ( Chapter 12 )

        Brolli looked around curiously. It was his first time out of Zarbon’s quarters since he had gone to the tanks so very long ago. This section of the ship was colder, and somehow more… like his father’s wing of his old home. A sudden shiver raised the fur on his tail, and he wrapped it a bit more firmly around his waist. That was not a good thought. It was a very worrying thought. He had known that he was going to see Zarbon’s Lord Frieza today, but he hadn’t really thought about it.         The idea that Frieza might be like his father…. No, he couldn’t be. Father had hated Frieza, had cursed his name. Brolli fully expected to like the lord he’d never seen just because of that, but now these similarities…. Could it be the two were more alike than he had expected? That Frieza was like his father?         He didn’t realize he’d stopped until the chain fastened to the collar on his neck snapped taut and jerked him forward once more. Zarbon cast him an annoyed glare that he shrank from even as he hurried to resume his proper place behind the taller male. His master was counting on him to show well before his lord, to prove how well trained he was. Already he was failing! He had to do better, or Zarbon would ignore him again. He couldn’t bear that, not again.         A huge door whooshed open in front of them. He blinked, shivering with the sudden rush of cold and too-bright light, kneeling a moment or two later than he should have at his master’s feet. “My lord,” the beloved voice intoned, “my pet is ready for inspection.”           Brolli woke disorientated, confused, and yet certain he had failed his master somehow. Why else would he be seeing the world through the muted green glow of the goop in a rejuvenation tank? A soft whine made its way past the mask as he tried to remember what he had done to result in needing tanked. What he had done to fail his master, to earn the punishment that would follow when he was returned to his master’s quarters.         His tail lashed through the goop as he forced his mind to tell him what had happened, and came up with nothing. Nothing, beyond his master saying he was ready for inspection. What had he done? Had he been so disobedient that he’d been beaten unconscious? Zarbon had told him he would be displaying his training, nothing that would have resulted in needing a tank.         Slowly he became aware of the figures beyond the green. One so tall, one shorter, puffier. His master, and Jeice. The little man couldn’t do anything with that shock of white hair, and it always made him look puffy – though Brolli had only told him so once. He’d learned very quickly the only thing worse than Zarbon ignoring him was Jeice bent on tickling him until he was sick.         He couldn’t see them very well. Brolli closed his eyes, opened them. So, he’d been so bad he’d had his eyes damaged as well. He slumped as much as the tank allowed, his wavering gaze fixed as firmly as he could manage on the silhouette of his master, tail drifting limply.           “Zarbon? I think he might be awake this time.”         Zarbon looked up at Jeice’s hesitant remark, to find his pet’s eyes open again. He approached the tank slowly, noting with some irritation that the Saiyan had obvious difficulty focusing on him. Still, there did appear to be intelligence in those dark eyes this time, so perhaps his pet was close to being healed?         He pressed one hand to the tank, waited. It took almost a minute before the Saiyan raised a hand and slowly reached to cover his. A relief he wouldn’t admit to sent his head sinking to lean against the tank, face angled to look at the material separating their hands. “Stupid monkey,” he murmured at last, looking back up as a gentle fondness entered his tone, “you’d better heal quickly.”         The boy’s hand fell away, his entire body slumping and cringing away. Zarbon cursed himself for having momentarily forgotten how the Saiyan reacted when called stupid. The loosely swaying tail wrapped tightly around his waist, and Zarbon winced as a shrill buzz emanated from the tank.         “What happened?” Jeice demanded.         “He’s broken his tail again,” Zarbon complained. “I should just remove the entire thing so it can be properly regrown. It’s far too fragile.”         “We can do that,” a technician informed him. “If you’d step aside so I can shut off the alarm?”         Zarbon stepped back beside Jeice. “How long to regrow the boy’s tail?”         “That I can’t say,” the tech replied. “Saiyan physiology varies. Occasionally, even being tanked doesn’t regrow a tail, but they always regenerate eventually.”         Zarbon looked at the boy. His pet. He considered the state of the young man’s tail when he’d first gained him, and the state it was in after several rejuvenations. “Remove his tail.” He turned away, taking Jeice with him.           Brolli felt the drugs take effect. His world became disorientating flashes of sound and light, brought together by a shrill blaze that he vaguely recognized as pain before everything went completely black and silent. He thought it a dream when he woke up on his mat in Zarbon’s quarters, covered with one of his master’s discarded cloaks, a soft hum of conversation in his ears.         Sitting up proved difficult, but he managed to finally lean back against the wall. He reached for his tail, intending to check whether he was awake or dreaming. Then he remembered his master had ordered it taken, and instead dug long nails into his forearms.         “Stop that!” accompanied the stinging pain. Zarbon was suddenly next to him, pulling his hands away from his arms, bending to lick away the welling blood. He stared at the soft flow of green uncomprehendingly until Zarbon captured his mouth with his own. That, he knew how to respond to, and began kissing back. Zarbon allowed it for only two gasping breaths, then pushed him hard against the wall.         He whimpered, head dropping so he would not have to see the anger and disgust in his master’s eyes. “Tell me your name.”         Huh? He licked his lips, swallowed hard, and finally managed to whisper, “Brolli, Master Zarbon.”         “Good, you remember who I am.” A small relief for the boy, knowing he had pleased his master. “Who are my guests?”         He had to look up, past the slight smile on his master’s face, to focus on the two guests. “One is Jeice,” he replied softly. “The other I… I do not know?”         “Oh, dear…” Zarbon stood, returning to his guests to speak quietly with the one he hadn’t been able to identify. Brolli bit his lower lip nervously, working it as he tried to place a name to the man. Beast? Lizard? Brolli cocked his head slightly, trying to figure out what the creature was, as well as who it was. He cringed instinctively when the male – he was able to smell the sex, at least – approached him, bending to cup his face with pointed nails.         “Poor little Saiyan,” the thing said, his voice chilling Brolli, “you’ve forgotten your lesson? Then you must have another, and this time, you mustn’t forget, monkey.”         “Go with Lord Frieza, Brolli.”         He rose obediently, casting one last look at his master before following the tiny lord out the door. Something bad was going to happen to him, something his master knew was going to happen and couldn’t do anything to stop. He remembered the expression on his master’s face, though he’d never seen Zarbon like that before. It had been his father, and he had been very young. Barely a year, certainly less than two years. And then the sword, and the pain, and the explosion, all one right after another.         He mustn’t forget who this was, or the lesson. Not this time.           “At least he doesn’t have his tail this time.”         “That is little consolation, Jeice.” Zarbon moved carefully, mindful of the welts on his back and the rawness of his ass. “He forgot everything, if he could not even name Lord Frieza.”         “Here, lay down. I’ll get something for that, since you can’t use a tank.” Jeice vacated the couch, heading for the bathroom where Zarbon kept supplies for such events.         Zarbon lay down gratefully, allowing Jeice to pull his hair around for him. “Ah, man, some of it’s caught in the wounds. I thought he did a number on the kid, but you’re pretty rough yourself.”         “It isn’t the first time.” Unspoken was the idea it was unlikely to be the last.         “Yeah, I know.” Jeice sponged carefully at the hair matted into the wounds, moving it aside as he freed it. “It’s not the worst I’ve seen on ya, either.” He worked in silence for several minutes. “The kid… you think he’ll be okay?”         Zarbon sighed. “He’s a Saiyan. It does not matter if he does everything perfectly. Our lord will punish him for having lived when he purged their world.”         “No, huh?”         “No.” Zarbon hissed as Jeice hit one of the more tender areas. “I had not anticipated him looking to me for confirmation of our lord’s orders.”         “He what? He don’t do that when you have him play with me! What’s the deal?”         “I am not sure,” Zarbon admitted. “He grew restless and reluctant as I was taking him to Lord Frieza, but I do not know why. He was eager enough to go, and just as eager when he greeted our lord.”         “Well, he knew he was going to be put through his paces, right?”         “I did explain that to him,” Zarbon returned dryly.         “Hmm. Oh, hang on. This one’s pretty deep.” Zarbon’s hissed expletive got a slight laugh. “Hey, maybe it was stage fright. I mean, he’s never fucked anywhere but here, after all, and not in front of guards or anything. Maybe he was just checking to be sure he was doing good, not to be sure he was supposed to do something?”         “Ah!” Zarbon grabbed for his diadem, fingers scrabbling across it. “Ah, gods, not again!”         “What is it? What’s wrong?”         Zarbon wrenched the jewel free of the diadem, throwing it across the room, and following it with the jewels he ripped hastily from his ears. Jeice tended the two smaller wounds quickly, and the burn on Zarbon’s forehead before returning to the damage Frieza had caused. “You gonna explain that?”         “I… I just….” Zarbon stared in the direction of the glowing jewels. All three suddenly shattered. “I believe I just arranged Frieza’s long-awaited assassination.”         “What?” Jeice dodged out of the way as Zarbon rolled from the couch. He blinked as the taller man dressed with haste and no care, and then fled the room. Utter confusion gave way to curiosity. Jeice followed Zarbon.           “Brolli?” Brolli threw himself into his master’s arms, shuddering and crying. “There, pet, I’m here. Now, where is Lord Frieza?”         Gold eyes followed a pointing, shaking finger, and widened. “Lord Frieza?”         “Kill that Saiyan bastard,” Frieza rasped.         Zarbon stared at the remains of his about-to-be-former lord and master. “Pet, will you do something for me?” He took the mumble for agreement. “Finish killing Frieza for me?”         “Zarbon! I’ll destroy you for that!”         Finding out Frieza was still capable of gathering enough energy to destroy a planet? Very bad. Watching it come for him? Terrifying. Seeing his face as Brolli screamed and powered up? That was priceless, and Zarbon hoped the cameras were still working as his red-furred pet used the captured energy to crush the lizard’s head into a mushy pulp. Brolli continued with his mashing of Frieza until Jeice showed up.         “Damn!”         Brolli spun, energy forming in one hand.         “Enough, Brolli. Come, you deserve a treat.” Zarbon smiled at the snarling Saiyan as the younger man turned his attention from Jeice. “Would you like a bubble bath by candlelight? Followed by handfeeding, hmm?” Two things he’d learned early on that the young Saiyan adored. He refused to allow himself to show how much Brolli’s astounding power terrified him, meeting the red-rimmed eyes with the affection he no longer needed to hide. “Come, my Brolli.” He held out his hand.           Brolli stared at the inviting man, one hand still glowing with gathered energy. The glowing ball faltered as he looked down at the gory mess he stood in, and remembered that this man was the one he had killed for. His hand dropped, the energy dissipating. The orange man sighed with relief, and Brolli’s attention snapped back to him.         This time, though, he recognized Jeice, remembering the fun he had often had with the smaller male. He kicked a lump of something that might have once been part of an arm out of his way, and went to kneel at Zarbon’s feet. Long fingers tangled in his hair and scratched just the way he liked it. He butted his head against the man’s stomach, tail wrapping around Zarbon’s wrist, purring when Zarbon laughed and scratched him behind the ears.         “You are safe now, Brolli,” Zarbon assured the younger man. “But do tell me, whatever did Frieza do to make you tear him in half to start with?”         The purr changed to a growl even as Brolli gave up his power and relaxed into his usual form. “He threatened to kill you, Master, so he could keep me for himself.”         “Gods, could he be any more stupid?” Jeice demanded, dropping to his knees next to the boy. “Are you hurt, Brolli?”         “I….” The boy licked his lips. “I really want that bath? Please?”         “Of course.” Zarbon scooped him up, giving Jeice a look that sent him running ahead to run the bath. He paused long enough to look at one of the guards. “I’ll be taking charge when I’ve settled my pet.”         It amused him no end when that guard wet his pants.