Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Fueled by Anger, Driven by Despair ❯ Enslaved Body, Imprisoned Soul, Chained Heart ( Chapter 1 )

Fueled by Anger, Driven by Despair
© Kaz, 2002

Chapter One
Enslaved Body, Imprisoned Soul, Chained Heart

Pain crept down her face, inching deeper and deeper into her skin. She tried to reach out to stop the pain, but found to her dismay that she could not move. As she slowly regained consciousness, she felt excruciating pain on her back, while the rest of her body was as numb as ever. She wanted to move, but found that she did not have the strength to do so. In fact, she did not have enough energy to even open her eyes. It was frustrating, indeed. She wanted to get out of the void she was in as soon as possible, but it seemed... impossible. She felt as if she was tied up in a corner, all alone, and there was no one she could count on.

Well! I see you managed to get yourself out of the mess you were in. But where are you going now, Videl? There's no one else to help you out. Let me tell you what happened in the two years you were locked up in that wretched place. Or do you not want to know?

It was her. The woman she considered her best friend. And yet, she betrayed her. Everyone else betrayed her. All her other friends, the people she considered her family, the man she loved, even her own father. They all betrayed her. They allowed everything to happen. Her imprisonment, her slavery, everything.

Videl felt anger surge through her veins. It was Erasa who started it all. Erasa, the girl she had known since childhood, the girl she had been with ever since they learned how to crawl, the girl she had called her best friend for so long... and yet, she turned her back and betrayed her. And when Erasa managed to put her grand scheme into action, everything else fell into place.

Sharpner kidnapped her so he could use her for his own motives. And once she was used up, once she had nothing more to give --- even if she really had no intention to do so --- he gave her back to Erasa, who in turn set her up for a crime she didn't commit. Her father did not even bother to defend her. He just stood there when she was being dragged away by men she did not know. The people she considered her family did not do anything about it either. Nobody came to visit her in jail.

And to add to her pain during her imprisonment, to add to all the beatings and torture she had to go through, she discovered that right after she was imprisoned, the man she loved --- Gohan by name --- impregnated her best friend and then, married her. Erasa, of course, was wicked enough to let her know about it, for she sent an invitation to her just to show off that she had gotten the man she had always wanted.

Gohan. As she thought of him, she felt angrier than ever. Not only because he married her best friend, but he married Erasa when he promised her that she would be the only woman he'll ever love. A lie, a lie Videl realized at such a late time, and she hated herself for being so dumb, so naive.

Nothing will tear us apart, Videl. Not even fate, destiny, whatever that thing is called. We will be together, forever. When the right time comes, I'm going to take you in front of the altar so we would be joined together officially. With all my heart, Videl, I swear that nothing will stand in our way. I will do everything to make sure that our love will prevail in the end. I love you, Videl, and I always will. You will be the only woman that I will ever love. That I promise to the whole universe, and even to those gods who toy around with mortals with that fate nonsense.

"Liar..." Videl muttered as images of her past continued to flash in her head. "Liar, Gohan... Liar... You lied to me... You used me... You're just like Sharpner... You're just like all other men... You're just like all other men..."

Her eyes snapped open, and once again, it was pain that overcame her. She felt as if her face was burning, as if her face was on fire. She once again tried to put a hand on her face to stop the flame, but found that she was chained tightly against a rocky wall.

And in front of her were three men. One was stout and bald, who was continuously stroking his mustache --- the pimp. The other was a muscled man, who had a whip in his hand. He looked horrifying beyond belief, especially with his dark eyes that were deep and seemingly unpredictable. The third one was a thin yet tall man who was topless, and was unzipping his trousers at that very moment. Not far from him was a tiny tin can, and the metal seemed to be melting from what was inside of it.

"Now, now," the pimp said to the thin man. "She isn't for free, I told you that already. You did catch her and taught her the lesson yourself, but she isn't for free. So you better pay up now. I'll give you a nice room to boot, don't worry about the accommodation."

He laughed. "Nonsense! This is still part of our lesson!" he exclaimed as he smirked. "And you don't need to worry about the accommodation. I can do it here. With her still tied up to that wall. So I don't need to pay you. Oh come on, I won't be long. Just around five minutes. No, make that two. A deal yet?"

"What about me?" the muscled man joined in the conversation. "I want a shot of her too! After all, if it wasn't for me, she would have been long gone! You don't have to be selfish! Besides, with that acid therapy we did just earlier, who would want to do anything with her --- with that disoriented face --- tomorrow? Even her regulars would not want to come in contact with her anymore, so you might as well reward us before you throw her away."

Acid therapy...? Videl asked herself as she continued to listen to their conversation, until it hit her. The burning sensation she was feeling at the very moment, the strange feeling that something was slowly eating away her skin... and she gasped soundlessly at her realization. They poured acid on her face!

"Business is business," the pimp replied as he shrugged. "So there's nothing you can do to convince me. Pay and you get her, do not pay and you'll never get her. For now, I shall be taking her back to my tavern, because I shall sell her to a lower-class merchant tomorrow. I'm afraid I overused her already."

"Let me go," Videl hissed as she squinted an eye open. One of her eyelids was still drenched with acid, she was afraid to open it and lose her vision. She tried her best to glare at her master, but with one eye, it was ineffective.

He smirked. "Well, I see you're awake. This has been your third offense, Adokenai, my innocent one. And I've grown sick and tired of your escapades. The attic is yours tonight, and tomorrow, we shall go to the market. Let's see how much you're worth." Then he turned towards the muscled man. "Let her go, and bring her to my tavern. And you go ahead, I will be right behind you, to make sure you won't do any tricks."

The muscled man obeyed promptly, although he purposely let his grip on her slip so he could run his hand through her legs while still making it appear as an accident. However, she was too weak to resist. There was nothing more she could do to resist his advances, except to keep herself awake. He then rested her over his shoulder so he could still toy around with her lower limbs --- from her waist, down --- without having to look like he did it on purpose. After all, his back was turned against the pimp, so how could the mustached man see what he was up to with what was in front of him?

And the agonizing trip back to her home began. To her dismay, she had once again failed on her attempt to escape. She planned the escape for months, but she failed. And it had been her third failure. As pain continued to play on her back --- a lot more excruciating than usual --- she realized that she had been beaten up far worse than she ever was.

She was mad. They should've just done what they wanted to do with me. Sure, they can have me in bed all night for all I care, but then by dawn, they should kill me. They should've just let me drink that acid instead of merely pouring it on my face. They should've just beaten me up to death. They should've just fed me to those raiding wolves, roaming around in the dead of the night. They should've just left me in the wilderness to die.

And her thoughts went on and on, for the list of how she should've ended up was endless. She was too busy, too caught up in her thoughts that she did not notice that they were back in the tavern --- and the muscled man had already taken advantage of her to the extent of his capability. That is, without being noticed. But she didn't care. She didn't care about herself, or anyone else anymore. She just wanted one thing.

She wanted to die. Because it would be the only way for her to be free from the harshness of life. Because it would be the only way for her to be able to breathe as she used to again. Because death would be the solution to all her problems. Because death... would bring her back her life.

Thin rays of light illuminated the dark attic, but even that amount of light was sufficient enough for her. She had been awake for sometime already, although the pain still lingered in her that she did not want to move. She examined her condition. She could feel the whip marks on her back as the cold wall sent shivers to her spine, and she could also tell that her dress was pretty much torn from behind. She looked down to check her dress. It was soiled, really soiled, and the skirt looked like a rag, uneven and overused. In fact, the skirt had been torn too much, it was too showy already. Too short, and too showy. Then her feet. They were bruised, and with scars to add to the touch.

And she remembered her face. She lifted one hand to touch the part that the acid ate up, and she did not know how she looked like already. She could only feel the skin, although what it felt like, she was uncertain. But she was sure of one thing. She was no longer beautiful. She was no longer who she once was. She was no longer the Videl she once knew.

This is all your fault, Erasa! she thought bitterly. As well as everyone else who used me and hurt me, this is all your fault!

Tears trickled down her face, but quickly as they appeared, she shook them away. Her tears were useless. Her desires were useless. Her pleas were useless. In fact, even her emotions were useless. Too much had happened to her, and it had only been three years. Three years, and yet she had given so much. Three years, and so much was taken away from her. Her heart, her body, her soul, her purity, her faith, her will, her hopes, her dreams...

She felt like a black hole, although she didn't take away the light. Light was taken away from her. Light was stolen from her. She was not like this three years ago. She was a happy young woman, who had everything she would ever need --- and want. In fact, because she had everything, she wanted nothing. But now, it was different. She wanted everything, because now, she had nothing.

The door of the attic opened, and the pimp croaked, "Hurry up and get out of there, Adokenai! It's time for us to leave! Or do you want another round of bea---"

"I'm coming," she shot coldly as she forced herself to rise, but as much as she was determined to, she found it difficult to walk. She was staggering, from all the pain outside and inside. The pimp, however, paid no attention. He continued to lead her into the marketplace, just like a farmer who was about to sell his prized cow. [STOP - EDIT NEXT TIME]

The trip was humiliating, but there wasn't anything that could make Videl feel any worse than what she was feeling at that moment. She could still hear Erasa's triumphant laughter at their last confrontation --- a few minutes before she was taken away by a Temerjin merchant, as Erasa sold her. She could still hear her own cries as Sharpner did what he wasn't supposed to do. She could still see her father's uncaring expression when she was taken away from their home. She could still see the invitation to Gohan and Erasa's wedding. She could still smell the foul stench of blood in prison. She could still smell the disgusting breath of the drunk man she had in bed the first time she was enslaved in Temer-sei. She could still feel the pain brought about by all the beatings she had. She could still feel the acid eating away her skin. And she had never felt anything like that in her entire life. Not ever.

"Good morning," a dark-skinned man greeted her and her master as they arrived on a newly-opened shop in the midst of the marketplace. "You seem early, Iku. Oh, is that Adokenai? What have you done to her?"

"She tried to escape... again. My patience on her has run out. I've come to sell her, and I will not go around in circles. How much will you pay me? I need her out of my tavern, and I need money immediately, so you better not toy around with me as well."

"Temper, temper," the merchant said as he looked at Videl. "You shouldn't have touched her face, Iku. She would've been worth more. With that body of hers, she would've been sufficient to be a prince's personal slave. However, in that condition..." he began pacing back and forth, seemingly analyzing and putting things together, and finally, he turned back at Iku and smiled. "750."

Iku's eyes narrowed noticeably. "750?! You've got to be kidding, Hade! She's worth a lot more than that!" he argued, his attention completely on getting as much money as he could on his sale that he did not notice that Videl was up to something.

"Excuse me, sir," a young man interfered, a man who stood beside the merchant all that time. He was tall, with neat jet-black hair, and he also appeared mysterious because his eyes were hidden under a pair of eyeglasses. "Hade is just---"

"Who are you to interfere?! This is business between Hade and myself, so stay out of this!" Iku snapped at the stranger as he continued to argue with the Temerjin merchant. Tension quickly rose between the two, and soon, they were yelling and bellowing at each other, bringing out every insult they could possibly muster. However, they did not notice that Videl was slowly inching away from them, as she was executing another attempt to get away, and perhaps, be free.

"Excuse me, sir," the young man once again said, but nobody replied. Iku and Hade were still busy arguing. They continued to ramble about such useless matters, while Videl was getting away. The young man tried to interrupt the two again, but to no avail. Finally, he said, "She's getting away."

The two men stopped, and their gazes automatically flew towards the girl. And the moment Videl felt her eyes on them, she ran. She ran for her life. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, as she heard Iku and Hades' desperate screams nearby. Luckily, there were only very few people in the marketplace because it was still very early in the morning, so there was no one to stop her in her endeavor to escape.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her, and she whirled around to see the man who was with Hade earlier. She tried to pull away from him, but his grip was strong. She forced to glare at him, and in a cold voice, she hissed, "Let me go."

"Why are you running away? Why are you trying to escape? Don't you know that effort of yours is futile?" he asked in a low yet deep voice that seemed to make her hunch back in fear a bit. However, as quickly as she lost her composure, she regained it, and the man's eyes were met with a pair of ice-blue ones full of anger and despair.

"Futile? Perhaps. But if there's anything that's useless, it's me. My very existence. So why don't you just do me a favor, and kill me now? I would gladly appreciate that," she blurted out in a dead serious tone. "Or are you too chicken to use that fancy weapon of yours on a woman like me?"

His eyes darted towards the gun he held with his other hand, and with a smirk, he pointed it to the side of her head, just above her ear. "Are you sure this is what you want, m'lady?" he asked as he loaded his gun with a soft click. "Or did you just say that to mock me?"

Videl did not reply. She only averted her eyes to give the man a piercing gaze in utter silence. She merely kept still, although her facial expression betrayed her. "If that is what you wish," he said as he saw the look on her face. He then he unloaded his gun, put it back in its holster, and smiled.

"Where are you taking me?!" she snapped angrily as he dragged her along the marketplace. She once again attempted to break free, but it was useless. The man who caught her was just too strong.

"I'm taking you to where you belong," the man replied as they came upon Hade's shop. Iku was mad beyond belief, and he shot daggers at Videl for once again attempting to escape. He was about to lunge on the helpless female slave when Hade grabbed him from behind.

"Iku, stop it! Don't be foolish, if you want me to buy her, then you better behave yourself and make sure that you don't hurt her! I only purchase live slaves, bear that in mind!" Hade exclaimed as he tried to restrain the furious pimp. "Okay, Iku, I'll give you 1000. Because you're my friend, and so that this will come to an end. I'm tired of arguing, I want this over right now."

Iku stared at Hade, then at the thing he was selling, when Videl's captor moved forward, his grip on her still as strong as ever that it was impossible for Videl to pull away, much more to escape. "5000," he proposed in his most serious tone, a tone that even Hade had never heard before. "Take it, or leave it."