DISCLAIMER: DBZ I do not own.
A/N – I’m trying to write faster! Honestly I am! This chapter is
going to be short, but important.
~*~
~*~ For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, ~*~
~*~ The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, ~*~
~*~ The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, ~*~
~*~ The insolence of office, and the spurns ~*~
~*~ That patient merit of the unworthy takes, ~*~
-
Hamlet
from ‘Hamlet’
-
~*~
Frieza
watched Bulma through glowing red eyes. His tail flicked back and forth as he
watched the small blue haired woman gently rock her child, making soft soothing
noises in the back of her throat.
“Does
it bother Goku that Raven is not his child?” Frieza asked politely, resting his
chin on his hand and looking expectantly at Bulma. When she pointedly ignored
him Frieza repeated his questions, this time his tone demanding to be answered.
“No,
Goku doesn’t care.” Bulma murmured gently, risking a quick glance at Frieza who
was watching her with the intensity of a scientist studying a laboratory rat.
“Do you
think that Raven will care, when she grows up that is? Do you think that when
she finds out that her uncle killed her father and married her mother, she will
still look upon Goku as a father?” Frieza looked around the bridge of his ship
as he spoke. It had been two days since they had departed from the space
station and already Frieza was feeling the usual sense of boredom that he
always felt whist he was travelling through space. Talking to the women,
scaring her, was one of the few ways to distract himself.
“When I
tell Raven what happened, I’ll tell her the truth about everything and I’ll let her decide what to believe.” Bulma’s voice
shook slightly as she smoothed back some of Ravens unruly hair. “I have to hope
that Goku’s love will be enough for her.”
Frieza
tilted his head slightly. “Doesn’t it annoy you that you’re ruled by your
emotions? If I were to find out that my father had been killed by uncle, merely
to marry my mother I would be angry. I would avenge my father and kill my
uncle. The fact that I grew up with him would not matter.” Frieza shifted his
weight on his steel grey throne and continued talking in a menacing voice.
“Emotions are for the weak and your daughter is not weak. She would make a fine
warrior if she could suppress her emotions.”
“She’s
just a little girl.” Bulma hugged Raven protectively to her chest; not liking
the direction of Frieza’s little talk. “And emotions are not for the weak.
Emotions are what keep us going.” Bulma’s bright blue eyes clashed with
Frieza’s blood red ones and she shivered with fear. “Whata are you going to do
with us on your planet?” Bulma’s voice cracked and she looked away, not wanting
to see that diabolic light in Frieza’s eyes.
“I’m
going to use you for bait.” Frieza chuckled. “I’m going to use the two of you
to split up Vegeta and Goku.” He stood up and began to pace the room as he
spoke, his tail swinging behind him. “I’m going to put you in danger so that
Goku comes to your rescue while Vegeta and I can have out little fight. No
doubt Nappa was a little over enthusiastic about his prince’s new strength – I
have no doubt that I will defeat Vegeta.” Frieza grinned contentedly to
himself, his smooth drawl indicating his belief in his superiority.
“What
are you going to do with Goku?” Bulma tried to shrink into her chair as Frieza
began to walk over to her. “Are you going to kill him?”
“Oh no,
I have plans for Goku.” Frieza chuckled sadistically. “If I wanted to kill your
big strong mate I would just kill you.”
Frieza chuckled at her look. “No, I plan on using Goku’s strength to my
advantage. You see according to Nappa, Vegeta is far stronger then Goku and
that means that once Vegeta is out of the way, I should be able to talk Goku
around to seeing things my way.”
“What…what
do you mean?” Bulma’s voice shook and she tried to breathe normally as Frieza
reached her chair and crouched down until he was at eye level with her.
“I want
your mate to work with me. You see
because he’s weaker then Vegeta, I shall be able to control him. And if he does
try to defy me, I shall simply threaten him with your death.” Frieza lent close
and Bulma pulled back as far as she could go. “You are Goku’s weakness, my
dear. And I intend to exploit you…”
~*~
Goku
was frantic. He could sense that Bulma was no longer on the space station and
it was scaring the hell out of him. Every time he tried to open the bond
between them Bulma would shy away and give him a mental impression that it was
dangerous for him to try to contact her. He had arrived back at the space
station an hour ago and since then he had looked for any clues as to where
Frieza would have taken Bulma and Raven. His room had been a mess as though a
struggle had gone on, and with every minute that Goku searched and found
nothing the future seemed to look bleaker. He couldn’t lose Bulma! He couldn’t!
Not after everything that had happened to him already. He’d lost his wife, his
son and every single one of his friends except for Bulma. She was everything to
him, she was his whole world.
“Kakarot!”
Vegeta’s voice rang out and Goku turned around to see that Vegeta had finally
landed at the space station. The saiyan prince standing in the doorway, tense
with worry. “Where’s Raven? Where’s the woman?”
“I don’t know.” Goku took a deep
calming breath and willed his voice to sound normal. “I’ve looked everywhere
for a sign of where she might be, but there’s nothing.” Goku’s voice cracked on
the last word and he soundlessly dropped into a chair as a feeling of pure
panic shocked through him.
He knew it was Bulma’s emotions he
was feeling, he could feel that she was afraid of something…afraid for Raven
and afraid for him…Goku tried to centre his thoughts on Bulma to try to make
contact but once again Bulma’s mind shrank away from him. It was almost as if
she didn’t know that she was broadcasting her emotions to him, and maybe she
didn’t. Maybe she was so frightened that she had no control over how loud her
mental screams were.
“Kakarot! Listen to me!” Vegeta’s
voice snapped him back to reality and Goku realised that he had been clutching
as his head and was bent over in the chair. “You have to stay focused!” Vegeta’s
voice was urgent and Goku nodded as he tried to block out Bulma’s fear.
“I’m sorry, but…but I can feel her
in my head.” Goku focused on Vegeta and swallowed. “I can’t block her out.”
Vegeta looked at him almost
sympathetically. “We’re going to get her back. I promise you that we’re going
to get her back! There is one way we can find out where Frieza has taken her.”
Goku leapt to his feet, his eyes
wide and his voice shaking. “How? I have to find her Vegeta. She’s so afraid…”
“Kakarot! Get a hold of yourself.”
Vegeta snapped at him. “All you have to do is ask Bulma where he’s taking her.”
He glared at Goku, unable to comprehend why he looked so downcast at his
suggestion. “Kakarot? What’s wrong?”
“She won’t do it. She doesn’t want
to communicate with me telepathically for some reason…” Vegeta cut Goku off mid
sentence with a silencing gesture.
“Just do it!” Vegeta roared. “I’m
not going to lose my future mate because you’re too afraid to ask your mate
where Frieza is taking her!”
Goku stared
at Vegeta with wide eyes. “And what if asking her to do this simple thing gets
her killed?” Goku realised he was shaking and he closed his eyes with a sigh.
“I’ll ask her Vegeta, but if Bulma dies I’m going to kill you before I go mad.”
He ran a hand through his unruly hair and focused on the dim spark of Bulma
which dwelt in the back of his head.
[Bulma? I know you can’t speak to me,
but Vegeta and I need to know where Frieza is taking you…]
~*~
Bulma
heard Goku’s voice float through the back of her head and she held Raven close
to her. Dare she answer him? Frieza was still watching her through those cold
eyes of his…studying her. Bulma closed her eyes and buried her face in her
daughter and prayed that Zarbon wouldn’t feel her communicating with Frieza. She
hadn’t seen hide or hair of the blue skinned man since they had dragged her on
board the ship, and while it was comforting not to have his presence around,
Bulma couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to.
[He’s taking us to planet Frost.]
Bulma’s
psychic voice was a bare whisper, but she knew Goku would hear her, and maybe –
just maybe, he would be able to
rescue her in time. She pulled her face away form her sleeping daughter and
sent one more psychic wave at Goku, lining it with urgency and a red flash of
worry.
[Be
careful!]
~*~
A/N – I’m
moving to Brisbane this Saturday, and that means that I’m not going to have a
computer for at least a week. Please be patient in regards to the next chapter
coming out. Thanks!