Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Changing Seasons ❯ Queen Larajin's Pleasure Room ( Chapter 11 )

Neko was surprised that no one else challenged them as they made their way through the giant palace, whose floors were so black and shiney she wondered if they were made of onyx and reflected like mirrors there images back at them. The walls were adorned with all types of artistic beauty; from paintings of many styles to tapestries waving gently in the wake of the breeze they made as they hurried onward.

She saw several pedestals of what looked like ivory, or some form of ivory at least, on which rested elaborate vases and busts of women with serious expressions. Neko noticed, also, that no male busts adorned the halls of the palace, as if they weren't as important as the women. She didn't know how she felt, exactly, about that. She believed that each gender was equally important, each bringing his or her unique traits and abilities to a situation. Perhaps on Jalamir that wasn't the case. Shrugging, she followed her father, who said he could easily find the throne room, or where ever Queen Larajin was, due to his hearing being more acute than her's.

"She's behind this door, Neko." Piccolo stopped at a very tall, slightly rounded door engraved with several shapes that were both beautiful and frightening, he knew his daughter needed to what she came for before her heart will be able to rest. Even if it meant that he may lose her. "Are you sure you are ready?"

"Father," Neko said, "I was a little girl when I saw my friend killed. I could not hope to win against her then. But, I've been training ever since and I feel in my heart that this was meant to be. Ready or not, I have no choice. I must do this."

Without warning, she half ran, half stumbled into his arms and hugged him fiercly, whispering; "I'll always love you, Da."

Piccolo returned her embrace, touched that she would revert back to her childhood name for him, if only for the moment. She knows, He thought to himself as she backed from his arms and prepared to go through the closed door towards whatever fate awaited her beyond, She knows that she may not be coming home with me.

** I'll always love you, Neko ** He touched her mind telepathically, and saw her smile softly, ** Never forget, I'm proud of you. **

She opened the door and he followed her inside.

The room was big, but that's not saying much since the entire place was gigantic in porportion, but this room seemed larger than any other they had seen in the palace. The walls and floor glittered with many different gems set inside the stone and the floor was covered with animal hides dyed rainbow hues. Soft light swayed from the ceiling in the form of crystal, or diamond, chandeliers and several stainglassed windows were set all around the circular room.

She lounged on a curved bed of many colored satin and silk throw pillows, wearing her royal crown with the arched points and the blue jewel in the center perfectly matching the decorative headboard of the furniture she rested upon. Holding her jeweled septor as several scantily clad well-oiled young men of exceptional comliness gathered around her and fawned over her. Soft, strange pipe-filled music flowed all around the room and added a soothing, seductive aura to the area.

"Larajin!" Neko said, her voice echoing in the room, stepping up to the raised dais on which the Queen rested, "I have come to challenge you."

Larajin opened her eyes slowly, the sanguineous drink she'd been holding splashed a few droplets upon her chest and dripped down into her cleavage, struggling to focus on the two intruders. Stupid gaurds! She thought, as she waved away one of the slaves who tried to take a silk napkin to her skin and clean up the mess as another bent to retreive and refill her chalice. Can't they do anything right? I told them I did not wish to be disturbed!

She glared at the newcomers, uncertain who they were or why they were saying they wished to challenge her. Challenge her? To what? To what end? What was this foolishness? She held her septor aloft as she sat up and blinked a few times at the smaller of the pair, a girl who looked no more than a child, she noticed her rounded ears, a human child! No…she saw Neko's swishing tail and took back that thought, she'd remembered seeing people with tails before…She rubbed her eyes, her memory as foggy as her vision after four glasses of rubywine and they way Kalynni made it, it was a wonder she could still function at all. But, she had been celebrating after all, and was to be forgiven her current drunken state.

But the child before her and the tall, rather heavily muscular green-hued alien in the white turban and matching cape behind her obviously did not plan on leaving her pleasure room anytime soon and the look she saw in the child's face unnerved her for some reason.

"What is this?" Larajin cried out, faking outrage to cover up her fear, "Who let you in here? Gaurds! Gaurds!"

Piccolo winced at her shrill screams and stifled the urge to shut her up…permantly. He wouldn't take that privilege from his daughter, no matter how badly he ached to do so. The Queen paled when no one came to her rescue, feeling dizzy from the drink as she came to her feet and made her way down the steps to the floor so as to be level with Neko.

"I know you!" She cried, upon taking a closer look at the pair, "Yes, I remember. You were the ones who houses my darling little sister all those years ago. But, I won that fight, I killed her fairly and gained the crown, what business have you two with the Queen of Jalamir?"

"That fight was unfair and you know it, Larajin!" Neko nearly screamed, forcing herself to stay calm and not show any weakness to her opponite, "Mira was just a child, unskilled in combat, while you'd been training for that fight for centuries!"

Queen Larajin shrugged, seemingly unimpressed with this girl's knowledge of her planets' royal customs and histories, though it was very impressive that an offlander would take the time to learn these things. She yawned behind her bejeweled hand and said; "Fine. You wish to avenge some wrong you believe I committed against Jalamira?" She cocked her head to the side and gazed at Neko as if looking at a particularily ugly type of insect, "Is that pretty much the jist of this little visit to my world?"

Neko nodded, still glaring and still trying to keep her hands from forming fists to pummel into the hateful Queen's face, to wipe that smug look of a face too perfect to be real, too much like the beauty of an ice queen, hard and cold in more than just looks. "I've come to make you pay for what you did to my friend."

"So you've said." Queen Larajin said, having trouble keeping her balance, she giggled and added; "When do you want to do this, child? Right now?"

Neko prepared to take a step forward, wanting to smash the woman's face in as hard as she could, but she felt Piccolo's staying hand on her shoulder and she paused, glancing back at him. He shook his head, and said to Larajin, who still blinked at them, her eyes focusing and unfocusing; "Not when your too drunk to stand up, Queen Larajin." He glared out of ebony eyes at her, looking as disgusted as he felt, "Such an opponite is not only not worthy, they're in insult to fight. Neko, I know, would want the battle to be honorable and it won't be if you're falling down from too much drink."

"Neko…?" Queen Larajin asked, smiling, "Ah, yes. That's your name. Very well, Neko." She clapped her hands twice and two slaves, who looked to be twins, appeared and approached her, "Show my…guests…to a place they can rest and refresh themselves." To the pair she added, "We'll speak again in two days, when we shall finish this."

Piccolo nodded, but the back of his mind was home to several disturbing thoughts, one of which was the constant impression of trepidation that had not been banished from his thoughts at all. For some reason Alaura's lovely countenance appeared behind his mind's eye and his blood ran cold. He knew that he must return to Earth as soon as possible. He only hoped he wasn't too late and something horrid had happened to Alaura in his absence. But, he would not leave Neko to face the bitch-queen alone. He knew that he would be lending his daughter whatever support and encouragement he could.

They followed the bare-backed slave men from the room, Piccolo noticed that all the males they had seen thus far appeared like normal males from Earth, they did not have the long, pointed ears that the Jalamir females all seemed to have. He wondered if this were a result of evolution or if the males actually were taken from Earth or an Earth-like planet and forced into slavery here. He also wondered, breifly, why none of them dared rebel and escape. It wasn't as if they were weaker than their captures, mere females, were they? He shrugged, deciding that what another being does with their lives is no concern of his.

"Within are your rooms, M'Lady." One of the twins bowed deeply at Neko, touching his forhead to the dark, mirror-like floor, "We hope your stay is comfortable." His twin chimed in, kissing the back of her hand. Neko pulled her hand away and bend down to touch the bowing one's head.

"You don't have to genuflect to me." She said to him, as he rose once more, his face red with uncertainy, "I am no one special…"

"Forgive us our error, M'Lady." His twin cried, "We mean no disrespect, it's just the way of things on Jalamir. Men are not allowed to leave a woman's presence without showing her proper respect and gratitude…"

"This is a strange world." Neko shook her head, But deciding to go along with their ways for now, however odd they seemed to her, "What are your names, so that I may call upon you should I need anything?"

The blonde, golden-skinned twins beamed at her and annouced their names proudly; "I am called Ral and this is my twin brother Dal."

"Hmm," Neko said, glancing at Piccolo, "Should be easily to remember. Ral and Dal."

Ral and Dal nodded and Dal added; "They mean "Twin" and "His Brother." Literally."

Neko nodded, "Makes sense." She wondered if all slaves names were so…uncreative. She shrugged, deciding not to care at the moment as all she could think about was besting their queen in the upcoming fight. Perhaps she would even free these pretty boys after she'd wiped the floor with their Queen's face. It was a nice thought.