Book II: Fate's Repose
Chapter 9
Both men paced back and forth, lifting their heads to look at the sky every few minutes. Dende stood off to the side, waiting patiently beside the seven dragonballs.
They were on an uninhabited island, not too far from the old sage, Guru. The dragonballs had been moved almost two hours ago, in anticipation for the King to make his wish.
Except he wasn't there.
Kakkarot lifted his head, his eyes roaming the sky for any sign of the man. He wandered for a moment, if his King was even going to use them. Thoughts of how Vegeta acted earlier was still fresh in his mind, the seeming doubts the man had suddenly acquired a little discerning.
Raditz had suggested going ahead and summoning the dragon, and making the damn wish. Kakkarot had firmly refused, quickly dispelling the idea. They couldn't do this without their King.
They wouldn't do this without the King.
A frustrated sigh left him, and he was just about to blast off and look for the man, when he felt the familiar ki finally heading their way.
He heard Raditz mutter "Finally!" under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest. Dende noticed their change in stance, looking between them.
"So he's coming?" the namekian healer asked softly, his mood lifting a little. He had been afraid, with the saiyans' attitudes the past few hours, that their King had changed his mind.
They all watched the man in question come into view, landing a few minutes later, his brows furrowed, a slight frown marring his face. He eyed his comrades, before looking over at the little namekian, slowly walking forward. Vegeta stopped a few feet away, his eyes unreadable.
"Go ahead and summon the dragon," the King commanded softly, eying the seven balls as his eyes narrowed.
No one said a word as Dende turned towards the dragonballs, lifting his hands and shouting the commanding words of his race. Total silence descended around them as they waited, Raditz slowly moving towards his brother, watching the magical orbs intensely. He swallowed when the things started glowing, pulsing with light from within. Both him and his brother stumbled back as something abruptly shot up into the sky, their eyes widening at the appearance of the massive dragon above them.
Vegeta didn't move a muscle, his brows furrowing further as he slowly looked up, studying the eternal dragon. A muscle started twitching in his jaw.
"YOU HAVE AWAKENED ME FROM MY SLUMBER. SPEAK NOW YOUR FIRST WISH."
"First," Kakkarot whispered, a breath leaving him at the enormity of the presence before him. He swallowed, finally looking down at Dende. "What does he mean," he asked quietly, "our first wish?"
Dende glanced over his shoulder, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Porunga is able to grant three wishes," he explained softly, letting out a short laugh.
Kakkarot grunted as he looked back up, studying the majestic dragon before glancing over at his King.
Vegeta was studying the dragon as well, but he seemed...troubled.
"Dende," the King finally said, not looking down as he spoke. "Can you ask him something for me?" he asked quietly.
Kakkarot and Raditz watched as Vegeta swallowed hard, waiting for the small namekians' response.
"I can try," Dende said, "there is no guarantee he will be able to answer though."
Vegeta slowly nodded, his eyes never moving from the dragon. They all watched him hesitate for a moment, before his tail unraveled, swinging in agitation behind him.
"Ask him," the King paused, pressing his lips together for a moment. "Ask him if she even wants to come back," Vegeta finally whispered, not meeting any of their eyes.
"Sire-"
Raditz cut off as Vegeta's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. The large saiyan took a step back, not saying another word. Kakkarot could see his brother literally biting his tongue, a little surprised himself that Vegeta would even ask that. Why wouldn't the woman want to come back? Why was his King delaying this?
They all kept silent as Dende spoke loudly in namekian, only recognizing one word: "Gena".
Vegeta seemed to be holding his breath, his tail quivering slightly behind him. If Kakkarot hadn't been watching, he would have missed it. His King was frightened of the answer. He stayed silent, confusion coursing through him. Why was Vegeta doubting himself now? Why now, when they were so close to getting the woman back?
The glowing red eyes caught his attention, bringing it back to the dragon floating in the sky. The dragons' eyes returned to normal after several minutes, a small growl coming out of him.
"THE ONE YOU CALL GENA IS IN AGREEMENT WITH THAT REQUEST."
Dende let out an elated laugh, turning towards Vegeta in time to see him close his eyes, his throat working as he swallowed. The others saw it as well, small smiles of sadness mixed with relief appearing on their faces.
"Do it," Vegeta whispered, his eyes not opening as he made the request.
Kakkarot kept his gaze on his King as the small boy shouted in his foreign language, a little surprised that Vegeta thought that...that Gena would wish to remain dead. His gaze moved to the ground beneath his feet, his brows furrowing.
"Hey you guys," Dende said from somewhere in front of him. "Were you wanting to wish Gena here? Or back on Planet Vegetasei?"
Kakkarot lifted his head slightly, quickly looking over at his King. He heard Raditz suck in a breath, air hissing passed his teeth. They all waited in silence for Vegeta's response.
"Here," Vegeta stated firmly, his eyes still closed, his head lowered.
Dende studied the King for a moment, before turning towards Porunga, making the request.
The dragons eyes glowed a second time, seeming to take longer than the first time. His eyes finally returned to normal, the dragons' shoulders lowering a little.
"SHE HAS DENIED THE REQUEST," the dragon stated, a small growl coming out of him.
Vegeta's eyes popped open, and his head snapped up. They all stared wide-eyed at the eternal dragon.
"THE WOMAN HAS ASKED FOR THE QUICK ARRIVAL OF THE ONE CALLED VEGETA. SHE IS ON HIS HOME PLANET."
Kakkarot swallowed as Vegeta abruptly turned, stalking over to him. He winced a little as his King gripped his shoulder, his eyes narrowed in intent.
"Take us there. Now!" Vegeta demanded, a muscle clenching in his jaw.
"I don't know if I can sire," Kakkarot stated softly, biting back a groan when the man tightened his grip. He could hear his collar bone grinding under the pressure.
"Do it!" the King snarled, the desperation in his voice apparent as he spoke. Kakkarot swallowed, glancing up. He could see the worry and trepidation in the man's eyes, finally looking away.
"Something's wrong," Vegeta whispered softly. Kakkarot lifted his head, meeting the man's eyes. "I know it," the older man stated, his other hand curling into a fist at his side.
Kakkarot studied his King for a second, before giving a brief nod. He sighed, closing his eyes. His brows furrowed in concentration, trying to scan through all the familiar energy that was rushing at him. He quickly shuffled and discarded, trying to find that familiar ki. A spark lit up, a lot more powerful than he would have thought. He put two fingers to his forehead, meeting his Kings' eyes for a moment before they disappeared.
"Hey!" Raditz shouted, a growl coming out of him. "What about me dammit!?"
He scoffed in disgust, glaring at the spot his brother was at moments before. He looked over at Dende, narrowing his eyes before letting out another snarl, stomping to a small hill and flinging himself against it. He muttered under his breath, kicking at the dirt underneath his feet.
"Do you know if they'll be back?" Dende asked softly, a little apprehensive at the surly saiyans' attitude.
Raditz was quiet for a moment, glaring at nothing. "I don't know," he finally muttered, a frown deepening on his face.
"But when I do see Kakkarot again," he stated softly, "I'm gonna bash his face in."
Dende swallowed, moving to the other side of the dragonballs.
A/N: Hey! If ya'll are enjoying this story so far, let me know kay! Love you guys!
