Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Friends, Bonds, and Family ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Many, many years ago . . . aboard Frieza's ship:

A young Prince Vegeta sat in his quarters aboard Frieza's ship, anxious to receive another mission as soon as possible. Having just returned from one, his guards, Nappa and Radditz were in their own rooms resting, but he was just aching to kill something, anything, to keep his mind from wandering to his dead race of people, and to make sure that he would become the strongest in the universe.

Vegeta had just called for food to be brought up, knowing that the slaves didn't like visiting him, for they didn't always return. Pacing would have been a waste of energy so the mighty prince was seated on the floor, cross-legged, and in a meditative state, attempting to train his mind.

The buzzer at the door rang throughout the room, causing the Saiyan to open his eyes and scowl at the interruption, even though he knew it was forthcoming. Rising from his position, he approached the door and hit the panel to the left, causing the door to slide open. Outside, there stood a small girl, several years his junior, looking at the floor, as was proper for any slave facing anyone of rank.

Vegeta stepped back farther into the room and walked to sit at the small table. The girl walked in and placed the tray of food before him, stepping back to stand near the wall, and making herself as small as she could.

The prince began eating the meager portions, though it was much larger than what most received, and let his eyes roam. He studied the girl in the corner, playing a sort of game in his mind where he attempted to figure out her race in a small amount of time.

He noticed her long, blonde hair, though it was a little tangled and dirty, it still shone through the filth. She had on a ragged dress that reached to just below her knees with the same dirt on it that appeared in her hair, though he thought it must have once been a dark blue. Beneath her dress, there appeared a small tail, which startled the mighty prince on the inside, not daring himself to show any reaction on the outside. At first, he thought it looked like a Saiyan tail and that he would have to have a talk with his guards, but then he noticed the coloring was a little off. It was more an orange color with black stripes and he was for once stumped as to what this girl was.

Prince Vegeta had met numerous races in his short time, being that he was only fifteen at the moment, and he prided himself on knowing them and their weaknesses. This small girl was a mystery to him and it caused him to scowl in annoyance at not being able to name her species.

"What are you?" he asked the girl once he had finished his meal and pushed the tray back.

The girl flinched and cowered away from him, but she knew that to not answer would be even worse. "I am a Cattan," she practically whispered, saved only by the fact that Saiyan hearing was better than others.

She wore a banded collar around her neck that showed all that she was not to me played with. Frieza had a thing about virgins and required that all sex slaves to be had to be of a certain age before they lost their innocents. He, of course, took it upon himself to break in all new slaves. Once in a while, when someone pleased him, he would present them with a slave needing to be "broken in", so to speak. This girl's collar said that she still had several years to go.

Vegeta thought about anything he knew of a race called "Cattan," but he couldn't seem to come up with anything, which annoyed him greatly. "Where are these 'Cattan'?" he sneered.

"They're gone."

Vegeta was startled for a moment and then scowled. This girl seemed to be making him feel sorry for her. Like himself, she had no others like her, although he did still have those two fumblers that called themselves his guards. "How did you survive?" he asked, startling himself with the question that seemed to just pop out.

The girl actually looked up at this, surprise evident on her face that someone would be interested in knowing about a lowly slave like her. Her bravery was short lived as she suddenly remembered her station and bowed her head again. "I was on this ship when my planet was destroyed," she said in a small voice that Vegeta could hear tears behind.

"What is your name?" he questioned, again surprising himself that he would care anything about this girl.

"Sam," she said simply and then blushed slightly. Vegeta heard a small growling sound that came from the girl's direction and recognized it almost immediately as her stomach. The slaves on this ship were only fed enough to survive.

Vegeta looked at his tray and then back at the girl and said, "I'm still hungry, go get me more."

Sam picked up the tray and made her way back to the kitchens, which surprised several of the slaves that she passed. They knew where she had been and were surprised that she had survived, but upon seeing her about to return, they didn't believe she would make it back.

The door's buzzer rang and Vegeta led the girl inside once again. She set the tray in the same spot as before and retreated to the shadows. Vegeta took his seat and picked at the food, before finally getting frustrated and demanding, "Sit there," and pointing at the only other chair at the table. "I don't like people standing around while I eat," he explained.

None of this was true of course, as a Saiyan could eat just about anything, anywhere, no matter what the circumstances. There was something almost familiar about this little girl, but he knew they had never met. It was almost like something deep inside of him was fighting for him to befriend this girl; that she would be something great in the future.

Vegeta ate about half of what Sam had brought on her return, and pushed the tray back, which placed it in front of her. She turned her head away from where she had been staring at the table top, to stare at the floor, not wanting to look at the food that tempted her.

"I'm done," Vegeta stated, and just as Sam was about to get up and take the tray back, he said, "I didn't give you permission to stand."

She returned to her seat promptly, tears threatening to fall at what she thought would be a severe punishment. To her, and Vegeta's, surprise, he gestured to the food and said, "You can finish it."

Her station forgotten, she once again looked up at him in surprise and something else he couldn't identify. A little twitch of her lips threatened a smile to break out, but she kept it in check and glanced at the food. Reaching tentatively for the tray, she took a small piece from it, keeping one eye on the prince, and brought it to her lips. She ate it slowly, and after the first bit, she became a little braver and dug into the rest of the meal.

Vegeta almost laughed at the sight she made, shoveling food into her mouth with a speed to rival a Saiyan. Once she had finished, she sighed contentedly and sat back in her chair. She looked up at him and asked, "Why?"

The question startled the prince for a moment, though he wouldn't let it show on the outside. His insides were in turmoil. Why was he being so nice to her when she was nothing more than a slave? He had killed several slaves for doing less than she had done, but he couldn't do anything to her, and he didn't want to.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. His mouth seemed to have a mind of its own today and he didn't know or understand why he was acting this way, but he wanted to protect the girl somehow.

"You can go now," he said, and watched her lower her head and take the tray out with her, making sure nothing showed that she had been eating, or someone would stop her and make sure she knew never to do it again.

Over the next several years, Vegeta saw Sam walking through the halls. He wouldn't acknowledge her in any way that others could see, but Sam noticed the slight nod of his head or the small gesture of his hand.

Whenever he called for food, she would bring it because the other slaves were afraid of the prince, but somehow, in a way that they couldn't understand, she always returned unharmed. During these visits, not much talking would take place, but Vegeta would get information out of her or he would tell her little things about himself.

Once, when he found out how old she had been when she became alone, he searched through several computer records to find anything he could about her people. She had been ecstatic to learn about herself and she even braved a hug which caused the prince to scowl on the outside and push her away, but on the inside, he was blushing, if only a little bit.

Vegeta had just returned from a very productive mission when he was called to appear before Frieza. As he marched through the halls, everyone got out of his way when they saw the deadly scowl on his face that promised death to the first person to get in his way.

Upon entering the 'throne room,' Vegeta glanced around briefly to get a layout of the place before kneeling in front of the lord. Dodoria was no where to be seen, but Zarbon stood beside the throne like the good little lap dog he was. The room was dark, but several spotlights seemed to lead up to Frieza, who sat in direct light from somewhere.

"Ah, Vegeta," the white monster drawled, "I heard you did a very good job on your latest mission. I would like to give you a reward."

Vegeta stood from his bowed position and looked up at the lord, "No reward is necessary my lord. Working for you is reward enough." Vegeta hated saying these things, but he needed Frieza to think he was a willing servant to the tyrant, until the time came that he was stronger than this monster.

"True, but I have a special reward anyway. Dodoria, bring out his reward," he called to somewhere in the shadows.

Dodoria, who somehow had managed to hide his great bulk, stalked forwards. Vegeta noticed that he carried the end of a small chain, and attached to that chain was Sam. Showing no outward surprise, he noticed that he collar had been replaced with a thin, leather one with a look through which the fine chain had been threaded. She had been cleaned and her clothes had been replaced. Everything she wore revealed a lot more skin than her original dress. It was a light blue coloring material that matched her eyes, and only covered the essential areas.

Her head remained bowed as she approached and kneeled before Vegeta, not once looking at him in the face. "You will have the pleasure of 'breaking in' the newest slave."

Not wanting to raise suspicion, he replied, with a smirk, "I would be honored Lord Frieza." He then took the chain from Dodoria and led the girl out of the room and into his private rooms.

Upon entrance, he released the chain and left her in the outer room while he went through the bedroom and into his bathroom to shower. His thoughts were in turmoil as he couldn't decide what he should do. If she left here still a virgin, Frieza would know something is up, but if he took it from her . . . he couldn't do that. She was his friend, which is something he would never admit to anyone, but she was a slave and would be used and abused and he could do nothing to stop that.

Vegeta exited the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist after drying himself off. While drying his hair, he stepped out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, making his way to the closet. He stopped abruptly as a pair of small feet appeared in his line of sight. He raised his head, moving the towel to around his shoulders, and looked into a pair of sad blue eyes that threatened to release a flood of tears.