Uh…okay, I don't know where this one came from…and I'm not entirely sure if this is worth continuing. But, depending on how well this is received, I may.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or Dragon Ball GT in any way, shape, or form. It belongs to Akira Toriyama.
Blood, violence, possible OOCness in some characters present in this, so proceed with caution~ (so, should this be rated T or M?)
He cautiously and slowly removed his hand from his side, and he winced when he saw a coat of scarlet painting his tawny hand, the strokes thick and sticky. His dark eyes fell to his left side, noticing blood well from a deep gash that crossed to his mid abdomen, and he hissed in attempts to ignore the sharp pain tearing through his body.
He was sure the some of his ribs were broken, possibly even his left arm fractured.
Groaning in pain, the man took another tentative step forward, shifting his weight carefully so he would not inflict more injury upon himself, and moved sluggishly towards the spot where his sword lay. Teeth bit down on his lower lip when he stooped down, growling when a prickling sensation wrought his side, to pick up his bloodied blade. The prince rose back up, straightening his back and breathing out a pained breath to relax his nerves. Calming himself, he examined his weapon with morbid fascination amid the disarray of battle and decay, turning it in the dusky light. Oddly, the lifeblood the covered his sword was not red, but blue, the cool colored liquid falling in thick drops to the ragged ground. His onyx eyes blinked, transfixed.
"Vegeta!"
Surprised by the sound of his name, the prince turned toward the direction of the sound, spying another young man running to him sloppily, in nearly the same condition as he was, but less severe.
"K…Kakarot…" Vegeta croaked out, his voice hoarse.
The said male stopped in front of his lifelong friend and rival, panting. The wild-haired individual shook his head wildly, as if trying to rid his vision of blotches, and raised it to view his superior. "More damage…received, sir," said Kakarot, coughing, "and more men down—I don't know how many."
Vegeta nodded, his eyes growing tired. "Alright…"
"That blast really did a number on us," the younger mumbled bitterly, disgusted by the fact that his forces were dwindling rapidly from the shadow queen's onslaught. Kakarot then blinked, finally noticing how severe the prince's wounds were. "Vegeta, you're…you're really hurt!" he cried. "You need to get to Tarble! He can—"
The other scoffed with an indignant scowl, his brow furrowing. "I'm fine, Kakarot." His left eye twitched when another wave of pain shot through his veins when he tried to move his left arm.
Kakarot frowned, unconvinced. "Vegeta…"
"Never mind that, Kakarot!" Vegeta interrupted. "This battle isn't over yet!" His gaze hardened icily as it swept like cold wind over the enemy forces mixing in with another wave of his army, their shadowy forms sticking out like sore thumbs. His nostrils flaring in anger, he ignored the pain and blood and prepared to spring back into the fray.
"Vegeta, wait! There's something else I—"
"Later!" the prince shouted and he charged.
Another Shadow Creature was about to murder another troop, but a sharp, silvery blade plunged into its neck, a nasty croak rising from its bleeding throat. Vegeta carelessly yanked the sword out, causing a stream of blood to gush from the fresh wound and the demon to collapse to the ground, lifeless. Its shadowy body suddenly dissolved into thin air, the life energy completely wasted.
The soldier gaped incredulously at the decaying creature, his soft black eyes wide with shock. He gradually shook his head and looked to Vegeta with a disbelieving gaze. "V-Vegeta-sama…"
Vegeta nodded, his breaths ragged. He shot a quick glance at his side, the heavy flow of blood staining the remains of his shirt and pants. He wouldn't last much longer, he mused resentfully.
All of a sudden, a shrill scream ripped through the air, sending a dreadful chill down the prince's spine. The sound rang in his ears.
He knew that voice—he knew that scream…
Vegeta's skin paled considerably, his complexion as white as a ghost, and a faint whisper escaped past his lips: "Bulma…"
He whipped around, his eyes wild, and he spotted her from afar, her back pressed against a broken stone wall—what was left of the city wall. And what's more, he saw himself.
His feet acted before his brain could register, and Vegeta went barreling towards them, leaving a sparse trail of his blood behind. Sweat accumulated on his brow and trickled down his temple, only for the droplets to be flung off his skin from his speed. His feet pounded on the dry earth, his breathing coming out in short, sharp gasps, his energy draining from him fast.
He screamed out, "BULMA!"
Her blue eyes flickered in his direction, recognition flashing in the beautiful orbs. His lookalike heard him as well, a sneer curling his lips back.
"Tch," Shadow Vegeta grunted, taking his own sword in hand.
Vegeta ran faster, his heart pounding, blood roaring in his ears. No, no, no, no!
Bulma's gaze returned to her lover's shadow counterpart, her slender form trembling in both terror and anger. Oh, how she hated this shadow's guts! And to think…
"BULMA!"
The woman wanted to shrink back when Shadow Vegeta grabbed her chin, forcing her to look directly into his yellow eyes. They gleamed sinisterly. "Well, dearest," the shadow being's silky voice tickled her ear, "it seems your time has, unfortunately, run out. Goodbye."
Vegeta was nearly there—he was almost there!
The blade plunged directly into Bulma's torso, causing the girl to lurch forward from the sudden, forceful stab. Vegeta's heart stopped.
Shadow Vegeta tore the sword from her abdomen and watched emotionlessly as her body toppled over, hitting the dusty ground. Bulma's form shuddered violently, warm lifeblood spilling over the crusty, dry earth, the dirt absorbing the liquid like water. Before the light faded from Bulma's eyes, they glared up at the demon, the orbs icy chips of pure hatred.
An enraged howl ripped from Vegeta's throat, and with one final push, he sped towards his woman's murderer. He bowled into his shadowy twin before it could even attempt to move, pinning him to the ground. A slew of profanities towards the shadow poured from Vegeta's mouth.
"YOU KILLED HER!" Vegeta snarled. His eyes were no longer cool and calculating, like they normally were, but wild like an enraged animal, bloodlust filling the orbs.
Shadow Vegeta stared at him plainly, the yellow eyes uncaring. "Clearly," he replied. He then scowled. "She deserved it anyways…look what she did to my face!" Shadow Vegeta complained caustically. A dark, purple bruise had formed on the shadow's cheek bone, evidently the work of Vegeta's lover.
"Oh, I'm going to do much worse," Vegeta hissed, raising his fist. Nothing would satisfy him more than beating the life out of this worm with his fists.
"Oh, really?" Shadow Vegeta inquired jadedly, his yellow eyes flickering with disinterest. "Frankly…" he began to drawl out, "in the state you are currently in…" Something moved beneath him faintly. "…I doubt your efforts will make much a difference."
A shadowy blade drove itself in Vegeta's already open wound, and the warrior forcibly swallowed back a scream of agony. His shadow counterpart smirked at his pain, flashing him with pristine pearly whites, and the creature then proceeded to knee him in the gut. Vegeta gasped in pain, a gurgling sound rising from the back of his throat. "Hn," Shadow Vegeta grunted and shoved the broken soldier off.
Vegeta flopped helplessly onto his side, blood spurting from his mouth as he choked on his own lifeblood. The man's vision was failing him; each splotch of color of the burning world around him was but a blur, melded together in horrid, distasteful symphony of grotesque hues. He wondered how a person could even see such a thing. How much blood had he really lost?
Speaking of which, that was all that stood out to him in the muddled shades—red.
That blade of dark energy from the ground morphed into a black tentacle, and it slithered towards the dark creature's sword, wrapping around its handle. Bringing it up, it carried the bloodied sword over to its master, a tarnished glove gripping that cool handle as it was passed off. "Well, Vegeta," the shadowy Vegeta said icily, sweeping his deathly gaze over the dying warrior's body, "it's been fun—really it has. However…" He neared the fallen man. "All good things must come to an end, hm?"
His response was a low groan. Shadow Vegeta rolled his eyes. "It seems I'll actually be doing you a favor—if all you can utter is that."
The shadow's counterpart remained silent, amid his ragged breathing and coughing. He couldn't believe it all had come to this…
Vegeta's eyelids sluggishly fluttered shut as he attempted to focus on his breathing. His mind was swimming profusely, not a clear thought could be picked out from the indescribable mess, and he could sense a foreboding darkness seeping through the cracks. He felt so…sleepy…
That would be nice, he mused in his haze. Just to sleep…forever…in a cool, welcoming slumber of black. He wouldn't have to fight anymore…just sleep…
He opened his eyes. His Shadow was taking his sweet time, obviously basking in the glory of his soon-to-be kill. Good for him, Vegeta thought in disdain. His glassy orbs flickered over the landscape that he was capable of seeing. Broken walls…blood—
Blood?
Whose blood was it again?
Vegeta struggled to remember, blinking rapidly as his eyes swept across the plane. He couldn't remember exactly where it was coming from; his gut feeling was screaming at him that it wasn't just his. He knew that, but—
B-Bulma?
Through his dizziness, Vegeta came to the realization of the source of all the blood, and not just his. His onyx orbs shifted frantically to view her body sprawled over the dry, crusty earth. Her ivory gown was dyed that warm red color, along with her soft blue hair, sticky with the substance. The wound in her abdomen was still leaking blood, though less profusely now, and it reached her arms, licking at her pale skin.
There was so much red.
Hissing in frustration and hurt, Vegeta rolled over onto her back, biting back a strangled cry when he moved, his body on fire. He moved his hand to reach for something hidden in a small sheath.
"How about you make this easier on yourself and stop moving around?" Shadow Vegeta suggested mockingly, taking up his sword.
Vegeta's fingers curled around a hilt. "No…" he said as he spit out some blood, his eyes hardened with determination. "I'm…not done yet…!"
"Cute," Shadow Vegeta deadpanned. He raised it higher, aiming its dirtied blade down at Vegeta's heart. "Fare thee well."
A low, gurgling growl came from the back of Vegeta's throat, mustering up his remaining strength. He had to make his mark, or else, he'd fail her. With a strangled roar, using the last of his strength, the bleeding warrior flew up from his sitting position, wielding a silver dagger in his right hand, and drove his weapon's blade deep into his counterpart's chest. The latter's golden eyes widened in disbelief. "Wh…"
"You let your guard down…" Vegeta pointed out, panting, his energy seeping away more quickly this time.
The shadow's eyes turned a sinister red, his features contorting into a hateful snarl, blue blood beading at the corner of his lip. "You…you—"
Vegeta released a bitter chuckle. "Oh, come now. Don't let your last words be cussing." A hiss was his answer, and as Vegeta's grip slid from the dagger, Shadow Vegeta's form began to slowly disintegrate, black-and-purple wisps fluttered about from his body. The Shadow Creature trembled uncontrollably. "See you in hell," Vegeta whispered.
The monster's final act of defiance was a dying shriek, and his body dispersed, showering the bloodied land with purple dust, sparkling. All that was left was the silver knife.
The prince's head flopped back, and he hacked up clots of blood, feeling his life draining faster with the outflow of blood. Groaning, Vegeta rolled onto his left side, crying out in pain when he did so. He dragged himself over to Bulma's body weakly, choking. Once he reached her, Vegeta placed himself in front of her, facing her motionless form. She looked like she was merely asleep…
Yes, sleep…
Vegeta smiled weakly when a warm feeling bloomed in his chest, and the warrior feebly threw his aching left arm over her. Most people would say this "feeling" did not suit him at all, being that he was a cold and harsh man to begin with. But, he didn't care anymore; all he wanted to do was sleep…
Prince Vegeta closed his eyes, still smiling, and after a soft and hoarse "Goodnight, Bulma," his world was gone.
Okeeyyyyy, I'm morbid. So, review, and tell me if this deserves a continuation ^^U