Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Slave ❯ The Return ( Chapter 28 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own DBZ or any of the characters from it.

A/N - THIS IS AN IMPORTANT NOTE!

Firstly, I feel I should apologize for my lack of updates in the recent months. I've never ever posted with such a large gap of time between chapters and I feel terrible at making people wait for the next chapter. Also, I do believe that an explanation of why I've had trouble writing chapters should be given. Needless to say I've been busy with university. Not just a little bit busy, but really REALLY busy - I've barely had time to write my assignments and study for exams let alone write my fics. I also work about 30 hours a week and that on top of university, this has made it difficult for me to write.

The other thing which I should tell people is that I've been suffering from depression in the last few months and sadly its created within me a kind of writers block. I'm frustrated because I have fantastic scenes in my mind but can't adequately put them down into words, I'm upset because my personal life has taken a downward spiral and the one thing I don't want to do is let this influence my writing. I'm lonely, stressed and deeply unhappy for a million different reasons.

I'm sorry to pour my complaints to everyone, but I really do want people to understand that I'm sorry that the quality of my chapters has slipped lately. I'm on 3 months holiday at the moment and although I do work quite a bit I'm still going to have much more time to write. You can expect chapters to come out faster and hopefully of a much higher standard. Thanks to everyone who read this, you guys mean a lot to me and making people happy through my writing is the one thing that still means a lot to me.

- Lena (Vegeta Goddess)

~*~

Perched upon a throne carved of some ebony stone sat the newly ascended king of the Saiyajin people. His coal black eyes were as wild and turbulent as the atmospheric storms that his home world was renowned for. His hair, flame like in stature and shape, was a rich back colour and spiked defiantly into the air.

Seated on the throne as he was, exuding an air of bored antipathy, the Saiyajin king allowed himself the luxury or a moments reprise from the games and pressure of court life. Eyes framed with long black lashes closed, shutting the colorfully dressed Saiyajin nobles away from his gaze. Had his loyal subjects been able, they would have sighed with relief - but alas, they feared their king's wrath more then they feared Lord Frieza himself.

Vegeta, his hard and lean warriors body seated tautly in the chair, was unable to relax himself despite several attempts. His nerves were frayed, understandably, from his constant endeavors to immerse himself in court life as his father had done. With his eyes closed he gained some measure of peace; however even in his mind sanctuary escaped him. His mindscape was a dreary place of dangerous pointed memories and bubbling pits of rage and despair that threatened to bubble over…and always, always, she was there. A bright blue flame that flitted in and out of his thoughts like some exotic faerie; flashes of her skin, the scent of her perfume and the feel of her silken hair tormented him constantly.

No, he would not find solace behind his eyes.

His ebony eyes opened unexpectedly, catching many of then court ladies and lords by surprise. The dull murmur of their conversations, sea-like in it's monotony, faltered but was hastily begun again as the king merely glanced over them disdainfully. He was above such petty things as gossip and courtship, and could neither be bothered nor cared to make much of an impression on the other saiyan nobles. Let them think him strange and mysterious, at least that way he would be able to escape their scandalous tongues - tongues that had wagged far too much when he had first appeared with Bulma.

Vegeta idly toyed with the idea of challenging one of the court followers to a duel but discarded the idea just as quickly. His mood was far too dark for him to trust that he would not destroy his opponent in a duel, and while killing didn't bother him in the least, he was not fool enough to willingly kill off high ranked Saiyajin nobles merely out of boredom.

He sighed and glanced sideways at the royal guards who were always at his sides. Had it been only yesterday that he had confronted Brolly? Only yesterday that his fiancé Zucchini had announced that their impending marriage was to happen sooner then expected? It was strange, but time seemed to have slowed to a sluggish crawl. Indeed, the entire atmosphere of the castle in which he dwelt was one of waiting. It was like the eerie calm before the storm, Vegeta reflected, eyeing his black leather gloves as though they held a much sort after secret.

It escaped him why his royal advisors wanted him to spend time with the other nobility. He had no intention of wasting the empires time and money on superficial gatherings that would serve only to please the upper class Saiyajins and enrage the low-level soldiers. Foolish as he was, and Vegeta freely admitted ignorance of many court procedures, he was not fool enough to anger the soldiers of whom composed the majority of his army. The division and segregation of saiyan classes was necessary to be sure, however the gaps had grown too wide and with the impending war between the Saiyajin and Cold Empire's these gaps had to be bridged and unity achieved.

Vegeta's gaze roamed across the elegant lines of the throne room and trailed over the immense and numerous marble columns that supported graceful arches. The architecture of the room was stunning and the pure white stone from which it was carved produced a soothing atmosphere. It was just a pity that the atmosphere had little effect on his minds troubled musings.

~*~

"Father." Ilandra breathed quietly as her bright crimson eyes caught site of the gleaming monstrosity that was her father's royal battle cruiser - a virtual floating palace that was armed to the teeth. She felt her pulse quicken and her breathing become erratic as it finally struck her that she was free of the Saiyajins. No longer would she be forced to spend time around those she despised, no longer would she have to bed men whom she considered mere animals.

No, she was going to be amongst her own people again and would once more take her place by her fathers side as the heir to the throne. Her chest tightened as she thought about the luxuries that awaited her back on the planet Cold. Hundreds of servants trained to attend to her every whim, a palace that outshone the puny Saiyajin palace in both glorification and size.

And of course there was Bulma. Bulma with her wide blue eyes that could both spark with indignant fury one moment then shine with passion the next. The girl was worth so much more then the life she had been forced to accept. She was intelligent beyond any Ilandra had known, her beauty was such that it almost hurt to think about the horrors she had endured not only with the Prince Vegeta but also endured among her own kind. Her determination and her courage were commendable, especially when one considered that her entire life she had been beaten down and dominated over.

Ilandra gazed out of the window as her future loomed ever closer. With every heartbeat her father's ship drew nearer to her own until it lurked in front of them - a giant silver and black horror that oozed wealth and power. Ilandra couldn't help but smirk as the underside of the huge space cruiser opened and their tiny ship was sucked into the bellow of the beast by means of a tractor beam.

Time seemed to have melted away; it no longer had any value in this place. Things that should have taken hours were taking mere seconds. To Ilandra it was as though she was under the control of some powerful drug that was clouding her mind. She moved as though in a dream to gather what few possessions she had to rouse Bulma from her sleep.

From the porthole windows she walked past on her way to Bulma's room she caught glimpses of the insides of her fathers ship as they were pulled into the docking bay. Despite having spent more years then she cared to count away from her father's people it felt like coming home. She could remember every detail of the rich court life she had led as a child and could remember every last one of her father's relatives by name and rank. A ghost of a smile crept across her features as she relived old memories.

"Ilandra?" The soft whisper of a voice and the questioning tone in which it was conveyed roused Ilandra from her daydream. It was pleasant indeed to blink back to reality and see the slender form of Bulma in front of her, blue eyes wide and questioning as she took in Ilandra's contended face. "Ilandra, what's going on?"

Bulma stepped forward slowly, as though frightened that Ilandra would yell or rant at her. It was hardly surprising to Ilandra that Bulma should act like this, for although she had never personally witnessed Vegeta yell or harm the girl she was certain he must have been exceedingly cruel to her.

"We're home." Ilandra said simply. She reached forward and took Bulma's hand, noting the flash of apprehension creep into the girl's eyes. She wanted to tell Bulma that everything was going to be better for her now, that her father had promised to take very special care of her. Yet as much as she wanted to voice her thoughts out loud, she didn't think Bulma was in the mood to believe her words.

"Home?" Bulma frowned slightly as Ilandra led her back down the hallway. "What do you mean home?" Confusion and fear were evident in her voice as she spoke and her hand trembled in Ilandra's.

"I mean we've docked with my fathers ship. In mere hours we shall return with him to planet Cold." The ice-jin princess could barely restrain the need to laugh out loud; so giddy were her emotions now that she was to be reunited wit her father's family.

Deciding to gather her possessions later she led Bulma down to the main room and stood beside her as they watched their ship dock in one of Frieza's battle cruisers internal ports. The tractor beam gently pulled them into contact with docking platform and the magnetic clamps fastened onto their ship, holding them fast.

Finally, she was home.

~*~

"Lord Frieza."

Zarbon strode into the room with an air of disdain emanating from him, his stride was long and power rippled through the air as he moved. As he sauntered through the royal courtroom a light chatter began amongst the ladies and lords who had seated themselves at every vantage point possible in the room.

Many women would have found Zarbon attractive, and with silky mint-green skin, forest green hair and golden yellow eyes he certain appeared good looking on the surface. However, many women had looked into those golden yellow eyes and had found themselves face to face with an inhuman reptilian glare. Zarbon was an enigma; he was as changeable as the wind and just as unpredictable.

It was for this reason that as he made his way across the throne room he was given such attention from people who would usually have looked straight through him. The ladies of the court regarded him as a challenge to conquer while the lords of the court regarded him with thinly veiled looks of jealousy that betrayed their fear of his womanizing ways.

"Zarbon." Frieza inclined his head, amused with the attention that Zarbon received from his people. He watched his second in command and most trusted advisor make his away across the room before he spoke again. "Has my daughter arrived yet?" He covered a yawn with the back of his hand as he snuggled deeper into his throne. While the return of his daughter and the death of King Vegeta of the Saiyajin empire were both points to celebrate, his real concern at the moment as the human woman who Ilandra was bringing back with her.

Indeed, if what his daughter had told him about this woman's…condition…was accurate then she just might be the tool through which he could bring about the downfall of the Saiyajins.

"Yes, my Lord. Your daughter and the human woman both arrived minutes ago. They are being shown to their rooms and will be joining you as soon as they are presentable." Zarbon's rich voice rolled over Frieza in a soothing manner.

"Very good." Frieza waved Zarbon away, not needing the distraction that Zarbon presented at this moment in time. He needed to think of a tactful manner in which to tell his daughter that he had new plans for her human toy…

~*~

Ilandra chuckled quietly to herself as she posed haughtily in front of the mirror. Her gorgeous lavender tresses were piled high on her head in an elaborate hairstyle that she had had her servants go through great pains to arrange. Her gleaming white skin was all but covered in a high collared purple skintight dress with black rubber trim and corset. The dress itself was composed of something that Bulma had likened to silicone, although Ilandra had no idea what that might be.

Polished black nails traced patterns over her neck as she fastened a black lace collar around her throat, adding to her dramatic image. Finally, Ilandra placed her hands by her side and posed once more, her ruby red eyes skimming over immaculate makeup, clothing and hair that made her seem the princess she was. Pleased with the results of her hard work, the half-breed princess settled herself down on the plush lounge chair that overlooked the scenic view from her room in the battle cruiser.

She was finally ready to make her reappearance into the court. If their was one thing alone about her fathers court that she appreciated above anything the Saiyajins had offered, it was that the Cold Empire was an Empire build on power. They welcomed people of all races so long as they were powerful. The Saiyajins may like to pretend that power only comes with blood and rank but they were only fooling themselves and when the time came they would find out exactly how deluded they really were.

Smirking, Ilandra stood up. She would go and find Bulma and would introduce her to the rest of the Cold royals aboard the ship.

~*~

A/N - A short chapter but I think I'd rather post it now then write more and make everyone wait longer. I don't think I need to spell out what Frieza's plans for Bulma are just yet, I like being subtle so I'll give you clues for a few chapters then have him announce it in some dramatic way.

Also thanks to one special lady who emailed today. Your email gave me a reason to write…and it was also nice to hear from someone else who respects the level of sex in this fic and doesn't whine like a…20 year old virgin. Thanks also to everyone else who reviewed or gave me the strength to write - it's going to be worth it when the story line begins to unravel!

To get emailed alerts for Slave updates, email me at vegeta_goddess@hotmail.com