Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Child of Desire ❯ Asirandha ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: DBZ isn't my property. I do own several Vegeta dolls though and I will probably keep collecting.

 

 

Child of Desire

 

Chapter Six: Asirandha

 

 

The cold surface of the platform shook with force as Vegeta's already battered body hit it for the fourth time in a row. He exhaled deeply and clenched his eyes shut struggling to regain control of his motor functions as quickly as possible. Deep down he knew his efforts would be futile, as already proven during this now extended hand to hand battle. He had better reflexes than even the fastest feline in the universe and a resistance matched by very few. Unfortunately Dodoria happened to a specimen that flew high above his current level, not allowing him time to think or regroup before he was held back down under his forceful blasts.

 

 

He suddenly felt his heavy hand grab him by the back of the collar and hold him up, rendering him a small ragged doll now bloody down the front of his previously immaculate armor. As Dodoria enjoyed his moment of glory holding him high above the ground, Vegeta took the opportunity to swiftly place his feet against his wide belly and kick as strongly as he could, making the beefy warrior's lungs and stomach empty the air they held. The pink monster dropped him and backed off, bracing his midsection. His face grew dark with unfathomed anger, every single muscle in it contorting into a pinnacle of hatred.

 

 

Vegeta fell on his knee, placing a palm against the floor, in a stance that made him look both small and menacing. Blood trails ran down his temple and from the corners of his mouth, his pupils dancing with the adrenaline of rage and violence.

 

 

“You know you are no match for me, little ape” Dodoria snarled. “…so why don't you just save your petty attempts at beating me. You're walking a fine thread” His voice grew gravely into a clear threat.

 

 

Vegeta's chest rumbled before he burst out in a fit of laughter, as loud and drenched in derision as possible. He then lowered his gaze and peered up at Dodoria, a wide malignant grin gracing his features.

 

 

“Low class scum will never carry the privilege of extinguishing my breath.” Vegeta's grin remained frozen in place, bearing his white fangs in a spiteful gesture.

 

 

Dodoria growled before launching at him with such speed that Vegeta barely got a chance to turn his face to the side. In a matter of a second, he was pinned under the pink beast, who now straddled his much smaller figure.

 

 

“Stop laughing, you insufferable little bastard!” Dodoria began punching Vegeta's face from side to side in a sudden spur of blinded fury. “Stop laughing, stop laughing!” His every hit shook Vegeta's face violently, eventually breaking his nose and allowing a stream of scarlet to gush out.

 

 

A moment later the Prince managed to open his eyes to narrow slits and hold Dodoria's wrist in place, impeding his fist from making contact with his bruised face. He held Dodoria's gaze enough to flash another bloody wide grin at him, his alabaster teeth now tainted with red.

 

“Scum” Vegeta's voice carried as much scorn as he could project, the word coming out in a gurgle and sputter of blood.

 

 

Dodoria's venomous mask grimaced into a manic expression, eyes widened and unstable. He then grabbed Vegeta's perky mane and held him by it to finally bring his skull down into the platform with enough force to make an indentation. He proceeded to lay a series of punches to his jaw, all the while screeching and panting in a frenzied display of detestation.

 

 

“Dodoria!” Nappa's scream succeeded in un-clouding the pink blob's head and bringing him back to the present. “Stop right this second!” The Saiyan acquired a warning stance, making his hands into fists and clenching his jaw. His forehead perspired and his breath was uneven, a sudden feeling of panic chilling out his blood.

 

 

“Nappa…” Vegeta's voice seeped out in a whisper. “Don't you dare….interfere” He lay under Dodoria, an eye completely swollen shut while the other one peeked out in agitation. “…or you'll have to pay later”.

 

 

Nappa growled and gritted his teeth audibly. “Vegeta…”

 

 

“You heard your worthless chief Nappa” Came Dodoria's snaky voice. “Now let the boy take a beating like a man” With that Dodoria chuckled deep within his throat and went back to punching Vegeta straight in the face, where he mostly enjoyed it.

 

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“Radditz”

 

The Saiyan's head cocked to the side as he heard Nappa's incoming transmission through the private channel that interconnected their scouter transmitters. He immediately halted in the middle of the hall and pushed the button to allow for communication.

 

“Nappa?”

 

“Fetch the girl” Nappa's tone was sharp and urgent.

 

“The girl? Which girl?” what are you talking about?” He was thoroughly confused at the outlandish command.

 

“You idiot! Stop wasting time and fetch her, the healer!”

 

“Nappa, what the hell…”

 

“Go fetch the damned girl, she should be at the medical unit and meet me at the southeastern landing platform right now!”

 

Radditz winced as Nappa's high pitched order bounced in his ear, but he immediately spun on his heel and headed down to the aisle, unable to stop thinking the worse.

 

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The crates were heavy…so very heavy, or so they felt to Nara as she carried a few towards a pile at the corner of the medical bay. Today the medics and scientists were done with the routinely tests they performed on her, which involved a huge deal of invasive machinery, needles and flashing lights into her eyes. In fact, it seemed like little blotches still danced around in her pupils from the extensive exposure she had undergone a few minutes earlier. She was seldom given time to recover. Her duty was to assist within the unit thus earning her meals and the refuge she was given, both of which she was supposed to be thankful for. But these crates…she panted as she stumbled all the way to the other end of the room. They kept getting heavier. Next time she just wouldn't be able to carry them, she thought, a little trail of panic running down her spine. Was it them or was it her. Was it her bones slowly cracking under the pressure?

 

 

The gate to the door opened wide and both Nara and the doctor that was working the current shift had to glance upwards in order to meet the tall, slender Saiyan's eyes.

 

 

“You” He extended his big hand towards her, making her back off hesitantly. “You, come with me, now!”

 

 

“What, you can't just take the kid away.” The doctor uttered dumbfounded by the warrior barging in unannounced. She dropped the crate and drew her brows together in fear.

 

 

Radditz moved forward in a hurry, pushing the doctor aside with the back of his arm. “I don't have time for this.” He grabbed Nara by her fragile arm and dragged her behind him as fast as he could, out of the bay and into the hallway. She struggled to keep his step as he nearly ran with her in tow. She desperately tried to pull her arm away, but she knew it was a futile attempt.

 

 

“Noooo!!” she screeched at the top of her lungs. “Let me go!!!” Images of death swarm into her mind, making her cry out in agony. “Nooo!!”

 

 

“Shut up!” growled Radditz. “I won't hurt you!”

 

 

“Then why…” Nara whimpered beneath a teary eyed face.

 

 

“Vegeta!” Was all Radditz could say back at her, but thankfully that quieted her instantaneously. She ceased her struggle to break free.

 

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Nappa didn't really want to use the girl, but it was very likely it would probably come to that. He hadn't failed once in protecting his Prince's life for the past seventeen years, and he sure as hell was not going to throw all his efforts away now, right when the boy had succeeded in becoming an adult. Nappa never intended in overprotecting him or shielding him from grueling beatings at the hands of others, for this was the life they needed to live, but he had always been careful to see that shall Vegeta need someone to aid him in dodging death, he be there, no matter what.

 

 

“Dodoria, don't be foolish!” He yelled, now frantically concerned over his ward's precarious state. Dodoria's extensive figure now towered over Vegeta's, who lay unconscious at his feet, his face almost unrecognizable under the heavy flow of blood. But he wasn't dead. Not yet, or so Nappa felt.

 

 

Dodoria kicked the helpless Prince once more in the ribs before stopping cold, a sudden sense of realization dawning on him. His eyes widened and shook, his mouth agape while he backed away from his beaten body. His thoughts went from murky and frenzied to still and worried. Where his mind had been swollen with images of Vegeta, now appeared images of Frieza, angered, uncompassionate and ready to extinguish his life in punishment for the insolence of wrecking one of his most prizes possessions.

 

 

He decided to approach Vegeta's body to check for a pulse, and struggled to find it, until he finally picked it up as faint as the brush of a feather. He then straightened and walked towards Nappa.

 

 

“Bring her out; I know you have been using her so just bring her out at once!” Dodoria demanded hurriedly. He hoped he hadn't crossed the fine boundary that would cost him not only Vegeta's life but his own too. Regen tanks succeeded in repairing badly beaten soldiers by fusing back their bones and regenerating their cells, but even they had their limit. There was such a thing as a point of no return, and Vegeta was way past it. His heart would stop beating any second. “Bring her out!”

 

 

Nappa clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, but he motioned with his hand. Radditz appeared out of the shadows with the girl in hand, quickly shoving her forward. She looked rather pallid, thought Nappa, an unsettling dread sinking at the pit of his stomach. He pushed it aside and decided to act quickly, grabbing her by the shoulder and moving her towards Vegeta. The essence of his power was now so indistinguishable Nappa couldn't even tell if he was alive or dead anymore.

 

 

The wind chilled Nara's bones to the very center, but what bit at her was Vegeta's condition. Her expression grew sorrowful and anguished at the same time, a knot tightening inside her chest and a million thoughts flowing through her hyperactive brain. Her kind was attuned to the subtle sense of life and death and she could almost feel the sweet fragrance of Vegeta's essence vanishing through his pores. It slowly oozed off of him and got mixed with its surroundings, in a steady flow that threatened to extinguish his flame.

 

 

She dropped to her knees and placed her fists against the steely platform, bending over and clenching her eyes shut with as much strength as she could exert. She should have felt powerful and confident, as she usually did under situations like these, but such feelings had steadily decreased with every occasion she had pulled him from under the breath of death. She was young enough that she still didn't possess full knowledge of the form and limitations of her healing abilities. It had been said back in her planet that such powers varied in degree and intensity from individual to individual. In any case, it was now evident to her that at this point she was on the verge of depletion.

 

 

Nappa grew impatient as he saw the tiny girl hunched over his prince, completely unmoving. “Kid, heal him at once!!” He roared at the top of his lungs, only stopping himself from hitting her because he knew he needed her, desperately.

 

 

“I can't…” Nara whispered, almost choking in the middle of her words. She gnashed her teeth and made no effort to avoid the surge of tears that now pooled in her eyes.

 

 

Dodoria clenched his fists tight and began shaking. The possibility of Vegeta lost to the next dimension now clear as the light of day to him. “What do you mean you can't you worthless little piece of Sachia trash!! If you don't do so now I will kill you with my own hands!!”

 

 

Nappa grabbed Nara from her mangled hair and pulled her head back. “If I don't kill you first that is!”

 

Nara opened her mouth in pain and wailed before the gigantic Saiyan threw her head forward with force. “I can't! What you're asking me to do, it isn't healing…it's almost resuscitation. He is dying right this minute. I can't…” she stopped in the middle of her words. “I just…I can't. I don't have enough left in me. I gave him almost my all.” With that she lifted her shaky hands and stared at them, pale and frail as they were. They reminded her of the old woman sages of her village back home. Her skin was almost completely lackluster and she then realized just how much she had already sacrificed. It would take a few more days before her life force was back to normal.

 

 

Nappa took a step back, his mouth partially opened. There was no reason for her to lie. His heart sank at once, a million implications gushing into his head.

 

 

Dodoria felt an instant surge of panic. “Take him to the medical unit at once! A regen tank, it's the only choice!” He had wanted to corner the Saiyans into having to use Nara, but he miscalculated his brute force horribly. Yes, he had wanted to take advantage of the situation and vent his frustration into the little monkey before ratting him out full force on his secretive use of the girl, which was rightful property of Frieza. That would also blame him directly as the killer of the soldiers that had disappeared, but this was not what he had foreseen. Now it was his ass on the line. He hadn't counted on the girl having been rendered useless.

 

 

“You can't move him! The life that faintly remains dissipated through his body would immediately extinguish!” Nara blurted out in response.

 

 

At her words, everyone remained paralyzed, unable to work out any solution whatsoever.

 

 

Nara swallowed hard and opened her eyes wide. She then extended her hand to wipe Vegeta's face clean of the blood that tarnished his lightly bronze skin. It kept seeping, nearly all out, the force that bound him to this world, and she knew matters could not be graver. No, it made everything a near impossibility. She let out a sharp breath of pain. How many times had she pressed her mind against his injuries to infuse them with the force of her will? And how many times had she pried him from physical pain, nestling his every vital pulse of blood with her engulfing power? She had gotten so used to him depending on her, that she was almost equally dependant in return, every part of her body delighted at the purpose he gave her. Her every cell felt swollen with pleasure whenever she saw him, only to be multiplied exponentially whenever he beckoned her. Her heart always warmed when she recognized Temy's print in his brain. Not only did she feel a fierce sense of loyalty to the boy Temy bed, she also felt an unbreakable part of her fellow Sachia as well.

 

 

Nara lifted her eyes to see him and with new found resolution she remembered the teachings she had once received from her mothers back in Sachio. What she pulled back belonged somewhere in the vault of uncommon practices that no one dared to speak of out loud. It was something advised against, that she had picked up from the whispers of old women gathered around a bonfire. It was known to be crippling to whoever performed it, not that many had ever done so. After all, who would doom herself to suffering from a weakened heart for the rest of her life, acquiring an insufficiency that would lead to periodic heart failure and premature death later on?

 

 

Ignoring the chill that froze her spine, she bent over and placed her hands at either side of his head. There was a last breath of life lodged in his throat, ready to be expelled out and forever from his body. Nara regained her resolve and she swiftly lowered her lips to meet his, immediately forcing them apart with her mouth and allowing her to breathe directly into him.

 

Nara narrowed her mind to a single thread of concentration and tensed up her body to squeeze every single drop of energy she could. Some called it the kiss of life, others the kiss of death, in any event, its purpose was to channel the direct forceful power of the healer in a single beam straight into the others lungs, invading them with a punch of energy. It forced itself directly into the heart, kick starting it and relentlessly pushing it to beat, sustaining it for a few seconds before it could work on its own. It wasn't regenerating as much as it was resuscitating. It made her a purveyor of life, the warmest, essential thread of life that had the power to bring someone back to this world. It was forcing herself vengefully amidst the shadows of death, a technique as bitter and sweet as fathomable by any being.

 

 

Nara clenched her eyes shut and concentrated her every fiber on pulling back Vegeta's essence, feeling his lungs bulge with her illuminating power. Her memories of him swelled into her and took over her brain completely: him sitting outside staring endlessly at the starry skies, his eyes gleaming deep with self pleasure every time he felt stronger and confident, him patting his unruly hair into place quickly thinking no one was looking, him smiling unknowingly when feeling her energy fuse into him. The crooked scar over his shoulder that ended two centimeters from his armpit, the curl of his upper lip...

 

 

A few seconds later a heavy feeling of nausea and dizziness hit her powerfully and Nara's ground shook and shattered beneath her. She was vaguely aware of his heart pounding again before she felt a silent black force pull her down. She suddenly released his lips and crumpled to the floor, tears flowing down her face. There was nothing she could do while she succumbed to the cold and darkness that enveloped her, slowly beginning to drift into unconsciousness.

 

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An hour later a huge window panel steamed up as Temy's warm breath pressed upon it. The air seeping out of her was a sharp contrast to the icy stare of her eyes, now fixed upon the girl that lay in a steel bunk at the other side of the glass. Temy's face was a formidable mask of stony features, as immovable as the highest mountains she'd seen during her numerous trips. No trace of life glistened in her darkened gaze and if it weren't for the rhythmic movement of her chest, she would have forgotten she was still a breathing creature.

 

 

She shut her eyes forcefully, for once creating a crease between her brows, infusing expression into her grimace. As soon as it appeared, it was gone, the tiny flexing of the muscles that for one second depicted an ounce of feeling. It was immediately replaced by a cool countenance, guarding the thoughts that she now purposefully vowed to lock and throw away into the remotest parts of her. They were of no use anymore, nothing but stars fallen to ashes, mirrors broken, hazy illusions dissipated into thin air.

 

It was a blaring joke to her that she hadn't even been aware that such things had been harbored within her, the ones that now mocked her as they slowly died away inside her. A sense of shame shot through her body, revolting her immediately, bringing a wave of nausea with it. It repulsed her to realize she had sunken so low as to nestle the tiniest seed of expectation, of hope perhaps, that there was a shard of stability in her life, that there was even a thin thread by which she could control a minute portion of it. The meeting she had been to 15 minutes ago had reminded her of precisely how quintessentially wrong those perceptions were and of how only fools forget who they are.

 

She was supposed to be on a space pod right this minute, traveling across the depths of space into her next mission, something she had expected avidly, but the she had been quick to pick up on the tension that filled her team mates the minute she step forth. Their expression hung awkwardly in their face, nobody able to look her in the eye for more than a second; Everyone except Helu, her team leader, who stood before her with a deeply carved frown, not a muscle moving in his perfectly controlled features.

 

“Temy. Go back. I have nothing to do with you.”

 

 

His words had settled like thick slabs of steamy ice into her gut and she was sure she had probably looked quite the fool as sheer puzzlement clouded her eyes. Helu had ignored the uproarious questioning that had ensured shortly after, Temy trailing behind the large warrior that insisted on turning her back on her literally. She had known better than to persist, as she knew her words held as much value as those of a whore at the cheapest alleys of any planet. Her team walked away through the take-off deck, ready to move on and get the job done, deliberately silencing her off their minds and pressing on to their own survival instead.

 

 

She had shaken violently, a sharp sensation of withdrawal seizing her body uncontrollably, but even through her spasms and dilated pupils, she had managed to drown the sobs before they left her throat. A tight sense of pride surged inside her at that thought. She liked to believe that at the last minute she had known better than to lend herself to the wailing of fools and imbeciles. In reality she was uncertain if her inability to utter a sound had been due to a powerful display of control or if it was due to her essence being slowly suffocated. For all she knew, her convulsions had been a signal of her spirit being crushed to death.

 

 

Her shaken hand had tapped into the feed of her scouter, only to discover the fate that now lay before her, handed down as a heavy sentence.

 

 

“Immediate Relocation, Quadrant 4.”

 

 

Quadrant 4 was headquarter for Cooler's regiment, which erected itself at the other side of the galaxy. She was being handed over to Frieza's brother, transferred irrevocably to the most remote area of the Ice-Jin Empire, permanently.

 

 

“Take off: Port 6, Departure: 30 minutes”.

 

 

Temy had shifted slowly to the floor, knees buckling under the pressure of her body. She knelt in the middle of the hall, thoughts flying around her mind with a blinding force as the pink screen over her left eye flashed the same symbols repeatedly. Her mind had sought desperately for a reason to the sudden turn in events, but she hadn't had to wait very long for an unspoken explanation. A sudden powerful presence had filled the room forcing every particle in the air to move and reorder. She lifted the dull emptiness of her eyes to face the pale visage of the one who held her life in his hand.

 

 

His heart crushing gaze weighed on her like a heavy stone, under which she could do nothing more but bow. Not once had she been able to look him straight in the eye, knowing such insolence would be hardly tolerated. Instead she chose to stare at her knees, bent in a silent expression of utter surrender. What business could he possibly want with her, a being of such inferior caste as her, nothing but a commoner to the king? Had there been a single occasion where he had openly acknowledged her existence? And now all of a sudden, she was a distinct being, a moth nearly sputtering in the presence of a powerful bonfire. His presence only signaled she had done something distinctly important, bad, and punishable, worthy enough of his attention.

 

 

“Soldier, I hear you have done well in my regiment. After all, you are still alive.” Frieza's voice lingered in the air, electrifying it with its dark undertone. “Now, I heard it may be due to your rather fierce character in the battle field…not bad for an otherwise defective race.”

 

Temy raised her eyes slightly, only to see the heavy boots of two others who stood beside her master. They didn't really need an introduction, as she could hear the hissy whispers they shared behind his back. Dodoria and Zarbon.

 

 

“Now I suppose I have to apologize for keeping you waiting for so long after your last mission. I am sure you had nothing else in mind but your eagerness to be sent away for your next assignment. “His tone descended into a dangerous depth, as he spilled the words beneath slightly gritted teeth, “I am sure you didn't appreciate so much downtime, after all, being on your back for so long must have bored you.”

 

 

The way he spat the words “on your back” made her shiver but she didn't dare flinch a muscle. She kept her body totally paralyzed as if kneeling before a snake that could lunge at her with its deadly fangs any minute.

 

 

“I truly believe you could be of use to my brother. Your multiple abilities can come in handy to him and his soldiers. Sneaky little girls like you are best kept occupied doing hard work, outside…in the field, lest they get lazy and whorish.”

 

 

She scraped her nails across the ground before balling her hands into fists against it. This would be the time to raise her head and die honorably after attempting to strike the undefeatable demon. This would be the time to defend the last shred of dignity she so desperately wanted to cling to.

 

 

“Dodoria, see that her pod is ready and set to the appropriate coordinates. An empire isn't run on soft edges, but on the sharpness and precision of a deadly knife.”

 

 

She felt the fat bulky weight of Dodoria reverberate across the floor as he scurried off to set an invariable course to her pod, a trip that would take her 2 years to make, alone throughout the deafening silence of space. This was the time to bite the hand that fed her, that had coolly choked the spirit out of her still thrashing body many years ago.

 

 

“Are you grateful I let you live?” His tone was colored with amusement as he waited on her response.

 

 

“Yes Lord Frieza”, she had whispered, “I am.”

 

 

Now, only a few minutes away from the lonesome trip into the sidereal coldness of space she nailed her immovable gaze in the girl's direction, with the sharpness of a predator and a vacant expression. She pushed the button to the gate and walked in like vermin skulking out of the shadows, with a stiff determination that still glued her together, not allowing her to fall apart.

 

 

The child was pale, her emerald features an almost washed out color that lacked any glow, her brow slightly furrowed and her eyes a little tightened, but she lived and breathed. The machines that sustained her and would more likely than not bring her to a recovery reminded Temy of that precise fact. She had noticed the kid rapidly decay and the reason was as blatant as night and day. But why was she so invariably broken today? Perhaps she had hit rock bottom and her body had shut down in order to commence a steady recovery. After all, the healer could certainly heal herself and regain most of her luster if given the appropriate time. Temy knew Vegeta was smart enough to understand that and not keep pressing, lest he may lose what had come to be a rather valuable creature to him. Perhaps today the feeble child had suffered under a particularly grueling examination performed by Frieza's minions, lovers of invasive and painful prodding. She had witnessed the child walk in countless times still bearing marks through her badly bruised arms and legs. Her skin had been defiled by the knife and the electrodes, and it cried out in the shape of unsightly hematomas.

 

 

Temy eyed the clock on the wall and quickly glanced back down at Nara, a new stronger resolution flickering her eyes on for an instant. What would tomorrow bring, when the brittle creature opened her eyes to a broken world? When she'd come to the sheer realization of her loneliness in the midst of the steely dominion of the Devil Lord, the blood and breathe of a fellow Sachia no longer existing to assuage her nightmare riddled nights?

 

 

What sort of grueling punishment would the child be given to once Frieza's black eye turned in her direction, as it invariably would, as it always did where Vegeta was concerned? Her turn would come, today or tomorrow, sooner of later. It would come, as it had for her, now 5 minutes away and mocking her with the tick of the clock.

 

 

Temy slid her hand surreptitiously up Nara's body and clasped her delicate neck. The girl did not move, except for a jittery sigh that escaped her lips. She continued to sleep peacefully, abandoned to the soothing darkness of unconsciousness. It was at that moment that Temy rekindled her resolve, snapping the life off her body with a single squeeze of her hand. It sounded like a twig cracking in the middle of the forest, her dainty bones breaking and her breath subsiding.

 

 

Temy retreated still fixed in the features of the child that had died in a serene slumber. She slowly turned around, pleased with the outcome of her deliberate plan, the soft sensation of her neck lingering on her clammy hand. She moved forward, resolute, as surely dead inside as she was still breathing, ready to exit into the world.

 

“Asirand'ha”

 

Temy whispered the words “go free” in Sachian; A voice of goodbye after having committed the last single act she had been able to control.