Knight
By Reiko Narita
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Dragonball Z or any of the characters.
Warnings: YAOI, GokuxVegeta, AU, language, possible OOC, angst
Author's Note: Takes place after Movie 6 (The Return of Cooler).
---
Chapter One
Vegeta walked leisurely through a dense forest, far away from the city. The small Saiyan had just completed a four-hour training session in the gravity room at Capsule Corp. and after taking a shower, thought it would be nice to escape into the wilderness for a little while. In the forest, he felt he could really relax.
The cool days of spring would soon give way to the heat and activity of summer. The prince was going to miss the cool breezes. He could only hope this summer wouldn't be too harsh, although it didn't matter. As long as it would stay like this just a little longer. Even during the nice days, the city was always roaring with activity, giving off the effect of a mild summer's day. Leaving the city was the only way he could continue to enjoy this wonderful weather. This environment felt so much more comfortable to him and he finally realized why he would escape to the forests so much. He just had to get away from the noise, the smell and the crowds. Peace and quiet were what he valued the most, especially since there was hardly anything for him to do. Living on Earth made him feel out of place, sometimes restless, though he found this behavior. Being used to living in a crowded space ship, traveling from planet to planet, a stationary life on this world made him almost wish for the old days and he secretly hated those thoughts. But how was he to deny it? He couldn't help the way he felt. After all, he was no longer Freeza's slave. He was free now. Free to do whatever he wished, to go wherever he desired without having to worry or live in fear. So, why did he feel like his life was going to waste?
He remembered other times when he had similar feelings, but now, it seemed almost aggravating. He had achieved his goal of reaching Super Saiyan, so his training was no longer as intense as it had been. No longer was he pushing himself over the limit and beyond, but only making sure to push himself enough to be satisfied. He still felt he had to keep up with the taller Saiyan; however these days had been awkward for him. He hardly even felt like working out anymore.
The small Saiyan was now lying on his back in the grass in a small clearing near the shade of a large tree. It wasn't terribly hot and the sun shone through the leaves and branches just enough for the sun's rays to cover his body with patches of light. In fact, the feeling was rather pleasant. The grass was unusually soft and made him feel comfortable. The sun warmed him as the rays soaked through his body suit, adding to the residual heat. Clouds continued to drift by, shading the earth and bringing with them a cool, almost tickling breeze. The prince unconsciously smiled and gave a soft sigh as his eyelids became heavy.
'So relaxing…' he thought to himself as the rustle of the trees and plants lulled him into a light slumber. After completing his training, a nap was more than welcomed. While he dozed, a bird was heard singing nearby, though it sounded distant. It wasn't a high pitched tweet or chirp, but was deep, sounding more like someone whistling. Perhaps it was in the higher reaches of the tree to his left or it could have been a few yards away. Either way, the bird's singing aided in making Vegeta fall asleep faster.
It was so peaceful and quiet, totally opposite from his previous location. Never before had he been so relaxed. And why shouldn't he have felt relaxed? He had nothing to fear, nothing to worry about and he was alone, no longer feeling obligated to hold up appearances. His stern and cold façade faded and it was nice to finally be undisturbed. At last, he fell into a deep sleep, letting the shadows of the clouds above blanket his form in shade as they floated by.
Half an hour had gone by, and everything had remained peaceful. Suddenly, Vegeta frowned in his sleep, feeling something odd in the atmosphere. It was quiet now. The wind was no longer blowing and the birds had stopped their singing. Slowly, the prince's eyes fluttered open only to find that he was not alone. Standing over him was a tall dark shadow. With the sun glinting in his eyes, he couldn't quite make the face out, but whoever it was, they would soon learn that Vegeta did not appreciate being stared at while at his most relaxed, nor did he like being disturbed from his sleep. Finally, he could recognize the profile of the man standing over him. Surprised, he struggled to his feet and frantically backed himself away until his back hit the tree's trunk, almost stumbling over the roots.
The taller man emitted a chuckle and stared at Vegeta, arms folded and smirking, similar to the prince's own usual pose. He looked up at the figure in shock and confusion. He was clad in what looked to be Saiyan armor, similar to the ones Radditz and Nappa had worn, but with different colors and over the armor he wore a white cape, covering most of him, with a large ruffled collar encircling his thick neck. To complete the outfit, a pink scouter covered his left eye, as it shone faintly in the sunlight. He just stood, smirking, looking Vegeta up and down with a knowing air.
Vegeta was soon able to regain his calm composure, putting his hands on his hips and looking up at the man, but still obviously more than a little irritated. The sight before him was priceless, so much so that he couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, Kakarotto, I'm not sure what you mean by wearing that outfit. You look ridiculous. Did Bulma make it for you? I have to say she got each detail right. Although, I think the cape and the pink scouter are a bit much. We're both way beyond such devices, after all. But sadly, the clothes don't make the man…or Saiyan in this case." He laughed sarcastically. It really was a silly site. Goku wearing Saiyan armor and a scouter was an out of place spectacle, totally unlike the Earth-raised third class. Goku didn't seem to be affected by Vegeta's critique of his outfit and continued to stare.
"Stop smirking. It isn't funny. It's sad really. It's an insult to all Saiyans," said Vegeta, who was beginning to tire of this 'act'. His hands fell from his hips and formed into fists.
The taller man just kept smirking, not saying a word. Vegeta wasn't impressed. Such an expression from the other was unexpected, defiant and his silence wasn't helping. The only time he had seen Goku smirk was when he was engaged in battle, and even then it was rare.
"Enough of that. You're the one who disturbed me from my rest. So, if you came here to fight me, then let's be about it. " he said taking an offensive pose. He didn't give Goku anymore time for talking, as he had lost his chance. The prince charged Goku, aiming to punch him hard in the face, but his hit was blocked by the other's hand, his fist now in the taller Saiyan's grip.
Vegeta, wide-eyed, punched with his other, which was not an intelligent move. Goku was able to latch on to the other fist and pushed Vegeta to the ground, pinning him against the soft grass, his hold firm on the prince's small wrists. His gaze was intense, but his smirk remained. Shocked and angry, Vegeta was able to break free and get away, finding it almost too easy, as if Goku released him on purpose. Thinking he should retreat just for a moment in order to get a hold on the situation, he soared into the air, high above the trees.
He just needed to get far enough so he could think of a strategy, but he fired a ki blast in the younger Saiyan's direction, just to hold him off a little more. Goku only looked back at him, a sly grin still painted on his features, as he dodged the attack with the greatest of ease; his pose unaltered. The blast collided with some trees, destroying them instantly, making the wildlife in the area flee and scatter.
'What does he think he's doing? Is this some kind of game he's devised? He didn't even try to block my attack!' he thought to himself. 'I know Kakarotto can be unpredictable, but this seems to be something totally different, completely out of his league.'
Goku came charging at him, trying to punch Vegeta in the face, as he had tried to do to him. Luckily Vegeta was quick enough to escape it. Becoming furious, he went Super Saiyan and glared at the taller man through his now sapphire eyes. Goku raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, his smirk getting larger. The prince let out a yell when he saw the smirk grow wider and rained down his attacks at the armor-clad Goku. But Goku was still able to deflect Vegeta's blows and ki blasts, seeming to be enjoying the skirmish.
All the while, questions ran through Vegeta's mind.
'Why hasn't he turned Super Saiyan yet? It isn't possible for him to keep up with me while he's in his normal state, is it? Has he been secretly training?'
His thoughts were interrupted when Goku finally began to retaliate with his own punches. Vegeta succeeded in dodging most of them, but was suddenly caught off guard and was hit across the jaw. Now Goku saw his chance to assault the prince with a storm of punches and kicks. The shorter Saiyan was unable to defend against them and after a few minutes, was sent hurtling down towards the earth. Fortunately he was able to set himself upright before coming in contact with it. He hit the ground with a crouch then took off in a different direction, his main goal being a quick escape as Goku fired a ki blast towards him, making a direct hit. Pain coursed through his body but with each ache, he swore to repay Goku 10 fold. Luckily for Vegeta it wasn't what he would call a harsh, damaging blow, but it certainly wasn't kind to his outfit.
'What's going on? This isn't like Kakarotto at all! Is it me…or has he gotten stronger? He's not even trying hard. Grr. I've been so foolish! Why did I slack off with my training? I know I shouldn't be running away from him, but there's something not right about this.'
He snapped out of his contemplation when Goku appeared in front of him once again. Vegeta gasped, making the man smile even wider. He was taken by the arms and thrown to the ground, causing the earth to quake slightly from the impact.
Vegeta slowly got up, feeling pain in the side that took the whole of the impact as he held his left arm. He cursed silently at his weakness as his golden locks returned to their original raven. How could he have been defeated so easily, so quickly? He was slumped over but he quickly transformed again, his pride motivating him to make Goku pay.
"So, that's the way you want it. You want to play dirty? How unlike you, Kakarotto. But if that's what you want, fine. You don't scare me in that costume!" Vegeta yelled out with his teeth bared, obviously vexed. 'You'll pay for this, Kakarotto. I don't know what has come over you, but this will not continue!' he thought as he tried to invent an attack that would leave Goku in pain, maybe even succeeding in finally besting the younger Saiyan.
He wanted so desperately for Goku to admit that Vegeta was really the more powerful of the two, even if Goku had achieved the level of Super Saiyan before he had. That meant nothing to Vegeta now. His main goal now was to teach Goku never to intrude on him again. To slink up and attack the prince while he was in repose wasn't at all something he thought the taller Saiyan would do or was capable of, but obviously Vegeta was mistaken. 'So…this is it. I'm sure this is the decided continuation of our first battle. It was bound to come up sooner or later. I can't lose to him. I won't. Even if every bone in my body is broken, he will be the one to die.'
Vegeta didn't have time to finish his thought however, as a large fist dug itself deep into his abdomen, hitting a nerve and instantly stunning him. His eyes went wide as he let out a silent cry. His locks once again returned to their original black, the deep blue disappearing from his eyes and immediately they fell shut; he was now unconscious. The taller Saiyan caught him before he fell and laid his limp form down on the ground, as gently as if he were holding an infant. He went down on bended knee, looking over the unconscious body, admiring it. Vegeta was covered in dirt, from head to toe and his bodysuit had been torn here and there, exposing some of his lightly bronzed skin. His expression wasn't pained but just as peaceful as it had been when he was sleeping only 50 minutes ago; no harsh look to be found. The tall Saiyan raked his eyes up and down Vegeta's silent form, inspecting it.
"That calmed you down, didn't it?"
The smirk that he had been wearing the whole time, now faded as he looked at the prince in slight concern. He ran a finger over Vegeta's cheek, seemingly rubbing the dirt off of it, only succeeding in smudging it and making the spot bigger.
"I really hated to do that, but there was no other way to keep you subdued. However, you're not too injured. You should heal nicely, once I get you back to the ship," he said wiping the blood away from Vegeta's bottom lip. He chuckled at the thought of how Vegeta would have protested had he been awake.
With that the stranger picked up Vegeta and cradled him in his arms as he flew off towards the direction of the aforementioned ship, leaving the once scenic area, now almost half ruined.
"I must say, you did put up a good fight. You're just as fiery as I'd imagined you to be. But I wonder…who could this Kakarotto be? He's obviously another Saiyan, though I thought there were only two others besides Vegeta. However that name does sound slightly familiar" The imposter didn't give it anymore thought.
"After such a long time, I've finally found you Vegeta."
Vegeta remained silent and lifeless as he was spirited away by the stranger. He continued to talk, more to himself than to the unconscious royal.
"But I'm sure someone will be coming for you. Well, just let them try to take you away. They won't last long against me," he said with a chuckle.