Chapter Text
Upon regaining consciousness, your vision was surrounded by total darkness. Having no idea where you were, you spoke a firm “Hello?”, and the responsive sigh of what sounded like a male made you realize that you were not alone. At the very least, you were glad that you weren’t bound in any way. That would’ve made being stuck in what felt like a wooden box even more uncomfortable. The box also was on the medium side of sizing, so you had a tiny bit of room to stretch your limbs.
You tried to communicate with your captor quite a few times after that, even going as far as beating on the insides of the box to try and gain his attention since he never responded with words. Only sighs and grumbles. Eventually, you just gave up. No point in wasting breath on someone who wouldn’t talk.
The person who kidnapped you would occasionally open the lid of the box to drop in water and food. Apparently they needed you to stay alive. The only glimpse you got of him was the sight of his purple arm, because his face was always out of view when he opened the lid.
After what felt like days, you finally heard the male’s voice for the first time, but it wasn’t directed towards you. A beeping noise sounded through the pod you assumed that you were in, and you heard the tap of a button following this.
“Lord Cooler, I will be arriving momentarily, and request that you open the entrance to the spacecraft.” A low, cold sounding voice came from the male as he spoke into a receiver.
‘Wait. Lord Cooler?’
‘Fuck.’
Panic once again shot through your body. The person you were being taken to was exactly the one that Frieza was on the way to confront right this moment. What was he going to do with you? Torture you? Hold you for ransom? It felt very stressful to think about all the possibilities.
“Very well. The door has been opened. Bring her to me.”
Cooler’s voice was deeper than Frieza’s, but it held the same regal, authoritative tone. The inside of your mouth filled with a bitter taste as you felt disgust towards the alien you were being brought to. It wasn’t a secret that this family was known for being conquerors and tyrants, but with Frieza’s vocalization that royal pets were treated with dignity in order to not disrespect their owners, you did not think about Cooler sinking so low to do something like this.
The call's end brought back silence to the pod, soon replaced by the noise of the craft docking on the ship's designated landing spot. The pod door opened soon after that, and you felt the box lift into the air, being carried by the one who captured you. A few minutes passed by before you felt yourself being set down once again.
“Here she is. As you requested, I kept her fed and hydrated during our travels.”
He unclasped the lock and opened the lid, causing your eyes to squint from the sudden burst of light that hit them. You slowly pulled yourself up, grateful to be freed from the confined spaces of the box, standing still until your eyes adjusted to the sight in front of you.
“Good. Your reward will be promptly delivered to you.”
Cooler looked like the reverse of Frieza. The emperor himself was covered in white, with small areas of his body being a shiny purple. For Cooler, the opposite was said, as the majority of his body was purple and the smaller areas were white. They were similar in build, except Cooler was taller, his eyes appearing slightly less sharp than the one who called you his pet. Perhaps it was your bias, but you also felt that Frieza was more handsome.
“There you are.” Cooler took a few steps forward, circling around you until he came to a standstill in front of you again. Apparently your captor was gone, as you noticed that it was only the two of you in the room, much to your dismay. You wanted to know his appearance just in case. “I’ve heard rumors of my brother becoming soft, and that you were the reason. I cannot say that I am very impressed. Intrigued, perhaps, but really?”
Your expression twisted into one of annoyance as you listened to him insult you. “First of all, how dare you. Come on, I’m really not that terrible looking.” As you rolled your eyes, you noticed the cocky smirk he was sending your way. “Second of all, it’s none of your business what he feels about me. Why did you even kidnap me? You know that he’s going to kill you for this, right?”
Cooler’s booming laugh bounced around the walls of the room you stood in. It appeared to be similar to the control room of the ship you stayed on, and so you assumed that that’s what this one was as well.
“Feisty. Perhaps that is what my brother likes about you.” His face resembled a mixture of a sneer and an expression of triumph as his lips continued to curl upwards.
“I could kill you right now and be done with it, no? No one on Earth would miss you, and Frieza would find some other weakling to tag along with him. And besides.. Do you truly think I would allow him to kill me? That I would do something like this if I did not think that I stood a chance against him?”
The purple alien’s arms crossed against his chest, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at you. “You are only a pawn in the game I play with my brother. I am sure he has already realized your disappearance. He will come for you. That is when I will end him.”
A shiver ran down your spine while you stared into his cruel eyes. He was a sick individual, but from your time spent with Frieza and the others, you knew not to tolerate disrespect from anyone. “You’re wrong.” Your lips twisted into a triumphant smirk as you glared at him. “There are plenty of people who will miss me. You must be jealous, knowing you can’t say the same for yourself.”
Cooler pushed you so fast that you found yourself on the ground before you could even process what happened, feeling a twinge of pain in your chest from where he shoved you. Though it wasn't his full strength, the force was enough to land you on the floor a few steps back from where you originally stood.
“You have absolutely no authority over here, insolent wretch.” The alien snarled at you before walking over to a door, pressing a button to open it, revealing a green, reptilian looking soldier waiting on the other side of it. “Take her out of my sight, and toss her into the dungeons. Keep her alive. I want her to know when I destroy her beloved.”
The soldier nodded, then firmly grasped your arm and guided you toward the entrance, dragging you from one step to the next. There was no use in struggling, as you knew you were greatly overpowered in this situation. As you were led away, your eyes remained fixed on Cooler, determined to watch the cruel smirk wipe off of his face in the future when your “beloved” killed him.
~
“All of us are to blame.” Nappa said with a solemn tone, placing his arms across his chest as he settled into his seat. His eyes trailed around the room, looking at the now familiar dining room. “She slipped through without any of us noticing that she was taken. I know it’s stressful, but try not be so hard on yourself, Vegeta.”
Vegeta’s gaze remained steady on the meal in front of him. He did not feel like touching any of it. “I’m the one who met her first, before any of you did.” He grumbled, using his fork to poke at one of the sides. “If I never approached her, maybe she would have had someone better suited to watch over her.”
“Don’t be like that. It’s extremely unfortunate, and we are all angry at ourselves, knowing that we are to blame..” Raditz hesitantly gave Vegeta a pat on the shoulder, not wanting to set him off. The prince remained still, barely seeming to notice the touch. “But she seems to have a forgiving nature. She won’t hate us, even if we hate ourselves.”
“Well she is not here to tell us that, is she?” Vegeta suddenly stood up, angrily glaring at the two of them with a cold expression on his face. “Who knows what he will do to her. Perhaps she won’t be able to return.”
“Have some faith, Vegeta. We may have our.. disagreements with most others in the force, but I’m sure Frieza will be able to get her back. It’s disappointing that we probably won’t be there to witness him obliterating his relative.”
Vegeta’s eyes focused on Nappa as he considered his words. “Yes, it is unfortunate that we won’t see it..” A sigh flew past his lips, and he shook his head, beginning to walk towards the door. “While you two remain optimistic, I am not convinced.” He felt a deep rooted discomfort, worrying about your safety and the chances of the others being able to rescue you.
Raditz and Nappa looked at the door and then to one another as Vegeta left the room, feeling a mixture of hope for your return, and the burden of guilt that they were the reason you were taken in the first place.
~
Frieza kept his eyes on your coordinates as their craft continued its travels towards your location. The Saiyans checked all over the spaceship in an attempt to find you when you disappeared, assuming you had simply wandered off somewhere, before they checked the cameras and contacted Frieza. This, along with the fact that pods were much smaller than regular spacecrafts and therefore faster, meant that you were about a day ahead of them in terms of travel time.
This means that you would be in Cooler’s clutches for around an entire day before Frieza and his force would arrive. This was unacceptable to the alien emperor, and he spent several minutes shouting at those around him to figure out a way to speed up the travel time, until they finally made him realize that it was not possible.
The frost demon felt an anger like never before. He was out for blood. He knew that he had to be the one to put a stop to his brother, and inflict great pain upon him for daring to take someone that was dear to him. The first one who ever truly deserved his affections.
“With all due respect, My Lord, there is nothing that we can do except wait.” Zarbon glanced uneasily at the people around him, including The Ginyu Force and Berryblue, before returning his focus to the emperor. “Cooler has not moved his ship since taking her. It appears that he is waiting for us.”
“Of course he is. Egotistical bastard.” Frieza’s words came out with a sigh as he shook his head. He had been standing in this very spot for a while, staring at your coordinates while thinking about every way that he would get revenge on his brother. “He has confidence that he can beat me. What a fool. Even if he did somehow manage that, our fleet is far greater than his in both size and strength. He will be destroyed.”
“Absolutely right, Lord Frieza. We will do everything in our power to make sure that ____ returns home safely, and that your treacherous brother is executed, with his soldiers falling under your control.” Captain Ginyu exclaimed with a determined voice, his hand placed over his chest in a display showing his dedication to the mission ahead. He and the rest of the loyal Ginyu Force would do anything for him to show their admiration.
Frieza nodded silently as he continued to watch the coordinate dot slowly get closer. “Good. Now.. Leave me be.” Feeling too tired to say more, he motioned his hand by swaying it a few times, indicating for them to exit the room.
~
Being trapped in a dungeon cell sucked. At least it had a bathroom, and so finally, you could shower after being stuck in a box for days.
‘I seem to not have much luck lately when it comes to being confined to places.’ You thought to yourself, almost chuckling at the fact that before all this, you were technically also trapped in Frieza’s spacecraft. That was completely different, though. It felt like home now. Being here in this dungeon made you realize that you hadn’t felt like a prisoner in Frieza’s ship for a while now.
‘Guess I’ll just have to wait this out. I’ll be home soon.. Just gotta keep reminding myself of that.’
An annoyed grumble left you while you stood in the bathroom, putting on the same clothes that you’d been wearing for days. You thought about using the soap and water in the bathroom to wash them, but then there was the problem of having to wait for them to dry, which there wasn’t time for, because you had no other clothes and you definitely weren’t going to sit naked in this cell. It would make you feel very uncomfortable.
Perhaps they would give you more clothes if you asked for them, but feeling a natural sense of distrust towards everyone on the ship, you didn’t want to risk it. You were especially hesitant to take the food and water they brought you a couple hours ago, but alas, it was necessary for survival.
You walked out of the bathroom and back into the main part of the cell, climbing onto the bed until you felt the firmness causing discomfort to your back. After laying there for what felt like forever, tossing and turning on the gray sheets, you finally drifted into an uncomfortable sleep.
~
The next morning, after a long night of sleeping on the stiff mattress, the sound of footsteps approaching your cell echoed around the cold, dark dungeons. Still half asleep, you sat up halfway, rubbing your eyes as you looked at the cell bars in front of you.
“Eat. You’ve got a big day ahead of you.” The same reptilian soldier from yesterday used his keys to unlock the door and step inside, clearly not threatened by the possibility of you trying to escape. He knew you were no match for anyone here. “Lord Cooler has requested your presence. If our timing is correct, Frieza should be arriving soon.”
“That’s Lord Frieza to you.” You glared at him before taking the meal tray, setting it down on your lap. It didn’t look very appetizing, same as last night's dinner. Very mushy in texture. You poked at it a few times with the fork, feeling annoyed at hearing someone other than yourself refer to him by only his name. That sort of familiarity was reserved only for you.
“I don’t care, miss. He is no lord of mine.” The alien’s tongue made a slight hissing sound as he spoke with a low tone, eyeing you carefully. “Once Lord Cooler is finished with him, it won't matter anyway. Now, eat quickly.”
You made a show of eating slowly to annoy him on purpose, rolling your eyes and picking at your food with your fork. It really was gross. “Yeah yeah, whatever.” The exhaustion in your voice clearly reflected how you felt inside.
After finishing the “meal”, you handed it back to the soldier and took a few minutes to freshen yourself up in the bathroom. Feeling clean wasn’t something you would take for granted anymore. It didn’t take long for you to complete your tasks, and so the two of you exited the cell as he began leading you to the one who ruled over him.
~
Frieza stared at himself in the mirror for a few moments as he finished preparing for the day. Today was when he would finally be able to rescue you, and end his brother once and for all. His original intentions for executing Cooler seemed forgotten at this point, as the only thing he cared about now was your safety, and ending the traitor for daring to take you from where you belonged.
His vision trailed to the purple area atop his head, remembering the countless amount of times he’d catch you looking at it along with the other purple parts of his body, most likely admiring the shininess that they displayed. With a sigh, he left the bathroom and strutted to the deployment area in the back of the ship.
The emperor came to a halt once he stood at the front of a large group of soldiers, gazing around at the many side to side lines they formed. Zarbon and The Ginyu Force stood at the front of the lineup, with Berryblue waiting for her leader near the spot he now remained in.
Frieza calmly cleared his throat with an "ahem," raising a hand to his lips to further emphasize the action. The soldiers, though already focused to begin with, gave him their undivided attention as they stood in formation with their heads held high.
“Whether you've chosen to be here or not, each of you are valued members of the esteemed Frieza Force, called upon to assist me with any tasks or missions that I command of you.” The tyrant began to walk up and down the front of the line as he spoke, the room remaining completely silent as they hung onto his every booming word.
“Cooler has endangered each of your lives by instigating an overthrow of our planetary trading business. I am sure that in his mind, after his plans of defeating me are complete, he would not spare a single one of you, murdering you right where you stand on the battlefield.”
Frieza stopped in his tracks, making a point to look into the eyes of as many soldiers as he could.
“I do not doubt that you all have already heard of the kidnapping of my royal pet. Rescuing her is the number one priority. Executing my brother, along with any of his fleet who refuse to submit to me, is the second.” His lavender lips pursed into a thin line before he continued. “This will not be without reward. Make it out alive, and I will ensure that you all receive compensation for your defense of our fleet and destruction of his rebellion. If anyone succeeds in rescuing ____ before I am able to reach her myself, your reward will be doubled.”
The alien soldiers began turning their heads to one another, quiet whispers traveling throughout the room as they took in his words. It was not often that the emperor bestowed extra payment amongst them. Other than wages to cover other necessities, they were normally only rewarded with being allowed to continue to live, along with a room to stay in and food to eat in the ships. The general consensus among them at this moment was that this mission must be really important to him.
“Choose to serve me faithfully.. Choose the possibility of life.”
Having concluded his speech, he looked at the crowd with determination. Every one of the soldiers stood with their heads held high before giving him a salute, shouts of motivation spreading throughout the room. A bright light poured into the area as the gigantic ship door began to open, followed by soldiers pouring out into the open and the rest joining one another in individual battle space pods.
Frieza began to put one foot in front of the other, carrying himself forward as he exited the ship, preparing for the moment when he would see you again.