Surviving Together - Chapter 1

 

Rolling his tongue across his lips, Zarbon clearly concurred as he took a moment to pace around the clear square chamber the females were imprisoned in. After completing half a pass, his eyes fell upon an injured female lying on the floor. Blood dripped from her head, her clothes were torn, and one of her arms appeared to be broken. She was the only one among the group who was not standing under her own power.

 

“What happened to that one?” Zarbon asked the detention guard before ordering one side of the cage to be opened for his entrance.

 

“She gave us some trouble,” the guard admitted with a hint of irritation in his voice.

 

“Did she?” Zarbon questioned, amusement dancing in his eyes as he watched the frightened Earth women gather around the part of the cell furthest from him. Having exclusive access to the woman lying in the center of the cell, Zarbon reached out and touched her face. He briefly examined her features before dragging his hand down the center of her body, cupping a breast, and then finishing his investigation by groping from her hip down to her thigh. “Very nice,” he whispered more to himself than his audience. “I like some fire in my bed. I believe she will suit me well.” Zarbon stood as he made his declaration. Turning around, he exited the cell the same way he entered it. “Have her brought to my room,” he ordered the guard.  

 

“I believe he means my room.” A voice from the shadows caused the attentions of all who were conscious to snap toward the doorway.

 

Grinding his teeth, Zarbon was surprised to see Vegeta leaning casually against the entrance, one foot flat on the floor, the other propped against the door. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his lips were turned up in a smirk. “My rank is higher than yours, saiya-jin. I pick from the war prizes before you.”

 

“Not today.” Vegeta pushed himself from against the door and slowly walked toward his rival. Uncrossing his arms, he flipped his right hand over to present a small square electronic touch pad. “Freeza has given me the first selection today.”

 

Ripping the pad from the saiya-jin’s hand, Zarbon quickly read through the message on it. “So what? You monkeys purged a planet. That is hardly cause for a reward.”

“It was not just any planet,” Vegeta maintained his casual tone. “Freeza sent six squads to their defeat before sending ‘us monkeys.’ We completed the mission in less than three days, so Freeza felt we deserved a higher pick for our efforts.”

“I could have done it alone in half that amount of time!” Zarbon protested. “I will never understand Lord Freeza’s affection for you!” Ignoring Zarbon’s cursing, Vegeta wasted no time entering the cell to collect his prize. He had never taken a slave before, but Freeza had ordered it. If there was one rule Vegeta was amply clear on, it was that you do not reject a gift from Freeza. It was simply good fortune that this chore would also entail pissing off his superior.

 

Kneeling on the ground, Vegeta slid one hand under the woman’s back and the other beneath her legs. He effortlessly lifted her into the air. Exiting the cell, he paused with his prize in front of Zarbon. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be able to find something among the leftovers,” he chuckled sardonically before turning to leave.

 

“I’ll get you for this, monkey!” Zarbon shouted, and suddenly Vegeta felt a heat upon his back. Twisting his head just in time, he saw an aura of ki engulf his rival before it erupted. The brunt of its force annihilated the women who had been left in the cell, along with the guardsman.

 

“And they say I need to learn to control my temper,” Vegeta chuckled under his breath. After departing from the detention level, it was a few minutes before Vegeta arrived at the common room he shared with the last of his kind. He was greeted by his two allies: Nappa, who was eating, and Radditz, who sat reviewing reports. Both men immediately stopped what they were doing the moment Vegeta entered. “What the hell is that?” Nappa demanded.

 

“She looks saiya-jin.” A lazy grin pulled across Radditz’s lips.

 

“She is an earthling,” Vegeta announced unenthusiastically. “A gift from Freeza.”

 

“You don’t seem very appreciative.” Nappa noted as he eyed the woman. “If you don’t want her, I will certainly take her.”

 

“Or I will,” Radditz quickly added.

 

Glowering at the two men, Vegeta unconsciously pulled the woman he held closer. “If any of us will have her, it is I. Even though the three of us are all that remains of our kind, I am still your prince. I am your superior.”

 

Refusing any further comments, Vegeta proceeded into his bedroom. Laying his cargo on the bed, Vegeta took a moment to finally appraise his acquisition. She had a beautiful figure. Slim, yet with generous feminine curves he found very attractive. Though she lacked nearly any muscularity, her smooth frame was still very appealing. Her skin was a much paler version of his, and her hair was an exotic shade of blue he could not recall ever seeing on another female. Sitting next to her, he pushed a few of those colorful strands of hair from her face. He slid his hand down her cheek, and then her chin before raising his middle finger to outline her soft pink lips. “Very nice indeed,” he echoed Zarbon’s sentiment from earlier.

 

Her head twisted under his touch, and Vegeta suddenly felt her body squirm. She let out a few soft moans before her crystal blue eyes flew open and she sat up next to him. Taking swift, shallow breaths, her eyes darted around the room, and then down to the bed she was seated on. Slowly her eyes rose again to land on her captor. Instinctively she moved away from him, but he grabbed her arm to halt her.

 

The moment he touched her, she cried out, beginning a series of agonizing whimpers as she collapsed against him. It was a moment before Vegeta realized she was in pain. The shoulder of the arm he had grabbed was dislocated, an injury she must have sustained during her capture. “Calm down,” he ordered in a low tone as he looked down to assess her arm. “Remain still, and I will fix this.”

 

He lowered his eyes to meet hers. They were bloodshot, filled with tears and mistrust. She parted her lips as if to say something, but instead they trembled shut. After carefully nodding her unnecessary consent, she closed her eyes and looked away. Vegeta locked his fingers around her arm. The sound of her joint being forced back into place was followed by her scream. Violent sobs ensued as she reeled from the pain. Unconsciously she grasped Vegeta’s shoulder, dropping her head against it as she pulled herself against him for comfort. Though he offered her none, she continued to hold on to him, biting into his shoulder until the pain dulled.

 

As Vegeta looked down at the woman, he felt his eyes slide shut as his nose picked up her faint scent. It had initially been covered by the stench of blood and sweat, but the closer he drew to her, the more clearly the aroma appealed to his senses. Then it suddenly struck him why.

 

Cradling the back of her head, he pulled her face from his shoulder so he could look down into her tear stained eyes. “How old are you?” Her body swayed, as if she was about to lose consciousness, but he shook her soundly before she could. “How old, damn it?” he demanded more forcefully.

 

“Six—sixteen.” Bulma barely voiced the number.

 

“You are chaste,” he made the declaration not a moment before her body fell limp in his arms. “Damn it,” Vegeta hissed before releasing his hold on her, and allowing her body to fall back against the bed. Pushing himself to his feet, he rammed his fist into the nearest wall. He was not certain why he was so angry. He supposed it had more to do with himself than the woman. She was young, too young to be forced into this fate. Though he had seen it happen around him throughout the years, it had not been this close to him before now. It made him recall things he did not want to, specifically his own enslavement. The day he had to age from a five-year old child to a man in a matter of seconds, the day his planet was destroyed, the day he lost everything. It was a day probably very much like this day for the female.  

 

His fist hit the wall again, before he exited his room. He found Nappa was still eating, but Radditz was now doing pushups.