A/N: Here again! Miss me? Wanna hug me? Fast update I know that what makes me feel so damn smug, self-conceited and selfish bitch! And Ilove it! Yes I am hyper! Blame the Coke and candy and chocolate! ONWARDS! I love your reviews! Wouldn't you like to make this poor lil author happy and review?( even though my policy is that I will update regardless of review amount... hypocrite, I know)
Disclaimer: Look at every other damned story in FF net and you have your answer!
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Chapter XI – Reflections and Confrontation
ChiChi fidgeted and wrung her hands nervously. The med bay was unusually empty and ChiChi was feeling insecure about everything. When she had arrived there had been this alien doctor and then lizard had just taken Bulma without a second glance and put her into regeneration tank and left in hurry and she was left alone.
Now the genius was floating in the green healing substance, looking peaceful and calm as her serious internal damage was healed caused by the falling rocks and debris. But what if something went wrong and an emergency occurred? She knew didn't know a shit about rescuing people's lives. The healing room was also the same where Kakarotto had brought her in and watched as she healed. Had he actually felt something like this; anxiety and worry. When you save someone's life your automatically for some sort of friendship with the person and all the trouble you saw to ensure that unknown persons safety you'd rather the person stayed alive...
When Bulma would get out of the tank she'd have her answer why this mess was happening. Everything and everybody screamed betrayal in the corridors of the palace and the cities streets were covered in rumours of what the high commander had done to cause such an uproar.
ChiChi shook her head. That man wouldn't betray anyone, not really. Just look at how devoted he's to Lady Piela! Had it been any other male of the upper class society ChiChi knew she would have gained the grand title of bedwarmer and probably passed around like a prize among the elite men of the monarchy. The simple thought made her shiver in disgust. She remembered those horrible situations when her precious chastity had almost been taken and she wished never to relive those memories.
High commander Kakarotto was many things, but he wasn't traitor that she knew for sure. Just a man of many secrets that couldn't quite handle daylight.
Yet.
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" ...and you won't guess what old Nasha (Nashi: Japanese for pear) did after that? Now that Ringo was mightily pissed off, well Nasha was more, but anyway, she pushed him into the fucking mud puddle that left an imprint of him on there for weeks!" Raditz narrated with glee as the family roared with laughter, the others remembering clearly and Kakarotto laughing at the things he had missed.
They were sitting on the wooden plank floor on rugged and worn pillows that were still comfortable enough, around a small table, cups of fruit pieces in their hands meant as dessert. Kakarotto knew many other delicatessens from the palace's grand kitchen that almost numbed you with the culinary pleasure, but in a way, he reflected, the simple pieces of different fruits, fresh from the tree tasted better than nothing. One thing he missed at the palace were fresh fruits. There were of course plenty of fruits but they were always few days old from the transportation from the plantations and for a man who was used to fresh fruits straight from a tree, they were bad quality.
The night was settling in, the twin suns setting and leaving the village in pitch black, but the temperature stayed high. The nightly jungle sounds filled the air as cricket chirped and some night birds sang. And occasional roar of the mighty beast of Vegetasei echoed in the night from unseen source.
" You sure have had interesting events here," Kakarotto remarked, and munched on his fruits quite happily.
" Oh please, bro! You probably have much more excitement in one hour of your friggin' life that we have in a week!" Turles pointed out with a roll of his eyes and they chuckled again.
" Not really," the high commander shrugged and the family's little small talk continued. Stressful was the more describing word but things were pretty hectic and definitely interesting at the moment. Just what he was going to do with ChiChi? The silence between them was unbearable even if she was a bitch. An attractive bitch. Kakarotto admitted that he was physically attracted to her, but not emotionally, like he was to Piela. When he'd get to see Piela again? He was starting to severely miss her.
" What's this? Lil' bro hasn't got anything to say?" Raditz asked mockingly as he noticed Kakarotto's unusual silence.
" Hush, Rad. He's obviously thinking and we shouldn't interrupt this process or his processor just might screw up," Turles jeered quietly and smirking like a chesire cat. It was always such fun times when his little brother came to visit them and he got the pester him. He hardly admitted it to himself but he missed his younger brother's presence.
" So whatcha thinking, Ka? I bet it's a girl!" The oldest sibling declared triumphantly and challenging Kakarotto to disagree.
Bardock and Tannipu rolled their eyes, but smiled, snuggling to each other. Their boys were all home and fighting and bickering like good Saiyajin children should and the all time topic of females and teasing each other about them was just for young men of their age.
" Betcha he is! NOW LOOK AT THAT FACE! IT SCREAMS GUILTY!" the long-maned Saiyajin pointed at Kakarotto's surprised looking expression at the topic again.
" Hey! I wasn't thinking of a woman I---"
" Of course you weren't! You were thinking of women! In plural! Just thinking in which one's neck to sink you little teeth in!"
" No! I was just---"
" ---thinking of fucking them! And feeling to urge to bite...!"
" LISTEN TO ME! I FUCKING DON'T PLA---"
" Uh-oh...! Little Kakarotto is feeling hungry and horny tonight! I don't wanna sleep in the same room with you, bro! No offense! You little teeth might want something to bite on!"
" NOW THAT BROKE THE FUCKING CAMEL'S BACK! SARUYAN!" Kakarotto screamed and tackled Raditz ruthlessly to the floor and they began wrestling, violently Kakarotto clearly winning. "Take this you asshole! And this!"
The trio left watching the brawl sighed. Raditz always loved messing with Kakarotto's head, who still let himself become angry enough to attack. Curse word and taunts filled the air the family listened with interest just how much Kakarotto's taunting abilities had grown. (Whaddya expect? He spars with Vegeta after all...)
" You sissy, motherfucking faq whore..."
" So it speaks! OWW!"
The fight settled after Raditz had gained few bruises and was grinning widely. To be able to mess with his mind was worth this all pain
" So, son? When do we get to see, the poor unfortunate lady like me?" Tannipu smirked.
" MOTHER!" the high commander groaned desperately and fell backwards onto his back. Sadly the answer to that was 'never' as much as he wanted it to be 'soon'. Everyone laughed then Bardock stopped abrutply as he realized what sh said.
" Poor unfortunate lady?" Bardock sputtered and glared down at his mate.
" Why... yes."
" Excuse me boys but she's practically begging it!" the head of the family growled and suddenly kissed Tannipu, who gasped in surprise, hard while their sons hooted and whistled. With that he rose and carried her to their sideroom pulling the curtain in front of the door. The brothers laughed in mirth; their mother had baited their father and he had willingly accepted it.
" Okay, let's hit the sack too," Turles suggested and with a show of acrobatics climbed upstairs.
" ...and jerk off!" Raditz finished pervertedly and Kakarotto and Turles groaned in disgust.
" Now that'd be fucking pathetic!" Kakarotto mumbled and the elder brothers were about to say something awfully funny when he told them to shut up and go to sleep. The noises of pleasure filled the small house, but it wasn't like they hadn't heard them before and were quite accustomed to the noise and fell soundly asleep in their hammocks.
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Vegeta had flown off and taken up his own personal search for his missing and traitorous high commander. Not a trace of the Saiyajin in the northern hemisphere. The night had fallen and the prince had slipped into his room unnoticed by the guards and becoming disgusted with them as he realized how easy it was to sneak around the palace.
The flame-haired Saiyajin royalty had calmed down much in his rampant flight around the northern Vegetasei and was able to think rationally for exchange. He had in his hissy fit of anger blasted those women to oblivion. The genius that saved his life and the slave who played Piela was also gone now. The brilliant plan blown to hell in a second by his own hand.
Unfamilar feeling of guilt gnawed his insides. The women were trying to rationalize with him and think through it. Now the whole planet was in move and the rebellion suddenly had one obstacle less to remove because of his rash actions. Things would look better if he had gone announcing all around world he had just been betrayed by the man everyone seemed to envy and look up to.
Well, not anymore.
He had had people licking his ass whole day long and that was seriously pissing him off. Everybody wanted to be the new high commander.
And this all seemed to add up only more proof for Kakarotto's guiltiness. The man knew his temper and when it would blow the fuse like it had earlier in the day done. Finding out a betrayal of his most trusted man was sure to work. But the nagging doubt still remained.
Was Kakarotto really that clever, cold and calculating? To put everything to the fact that he'd kill the women himself? His high commander was a mystery to everyone and his background information was lacking. No family nor relatives. No trainer's name. No schooling diploma from any of Vegetasei's military academies nor any training centers or lower education schools. No birthplace listed. Not even birthday! If Vegeta remembered correctly the man didn't even have a rank when he took him as his personal assistant in every field and had given him the status of an elite personally. Everything his personal file contained was a picture of him as little younger, name and rank.
He had only taken this mysterious and small male guard as his assistant to piss of his old man, but Kakarotto had shockingly proved to be damn good sparring partner, though at first weak, he had proved to have potential that exceeded even his! Prince Vegeta's! And that strategic mind! Saved them on many occasions! He even pledged a royal oath to him secretly few years before the King died...!
"Saruyan! I don't even know Kakarotto's real age!" Vegeta realized suddenly. He had never considered asking him. How old he was? He didn't know? Older than him? Younger? Vegeta was 23 soon filling 24. Vegeta knew he was not tall by any standards and Kakarotto was neither, but he had grown in the years Vegeta had known him so he guessed the must be fairly young. There was actually very little he knew about the man after four years of knowing him.
But that didn't sweep away what he had done! The search would be continued tomorrow and Henki help when he got his hands son that man!
And he wondered how in hell he'd be able to survive the next week without his high commander and more less run a planet without him and realized how dependent he had become on Kakarotto, hating the damned Saiyain even more after that.
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The morning came and Vegeta was up and right ready to start his search. It had just occurred to him that no one else on the whole friggin' planet could bring Kakarotto back! No one else was strong enough and not many people despite the interview knew how he looked! So he was putting on his most simple armour and royal blue spandex, pulling his white gloves viciously on before the sunrise which was considered extremely early time.
Vegeta decided to search the southern hemisphere today. Kakarotto must be there. No one was suicidal enough to hide in equator's latitudes which was only deathly jungle and certain trouble. There was this green ring around Vegetasei on equator: the jungles and flying over the Circle was always unpleasant and dangerous to some extent. Vegetasei didn't have seas, only large and extremely deep, fifty kilometers in depth, lakes that made up for the lacking sea mass in ecosystem.
A peculiar thought entered his focused mind. Some of the rarest and best food came from the Circle area and it was purposefully grown there and he had heard some third classes tended the fields and lived there but how anyone could ever live there was beyond him. This was one of the things the late King didn't leave any document on or tell his son about. There was always something fishy about the Circle anyway.
He shot though his window and blasted with burst of pure blue-white chi flew towards southern hemisphere.
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Kakarotto changed into his armour and pulled on his fighting gloves as his bleary eyes family looked with sleepy eyes; Bardock and Tannipu especially looked like they could fall asleep on their feet. They said bid each other farewells and the spiky-haired youth promised to come back in a month or so. With a wave the young high commander jogged into jungle and farther away form the village took flying. He was feeling lot better and he really was ready to apologize to ChiChi. He if someone knew how cruel raping a woman could be and hitting someone weaker than you was just so despicable.
Though he still couldn't figure out what brought forwards his darker side.
He hadn't had an attack for a day now and predicted one would soon come. So much confusing stuff was going on with himself he didn't know and it was making him angry.
He briefly wondered about how palace life was going on and jetted forwards; he'd need to get back at his tasks soon as possible, before people really would start to notice his absence.
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Vegeta's face was scrunched up in its customary scoff. The Circle was right ahead of him and he was about to steer to right to fly over the vegetation where it was thinnest when his scouter picked up a high powerlevel nearby and he stopped with a screech in the air.
" Whatta...? Who the hell...!" he mumbled and fixated on the mysterious power, his eyes widening. Kakarotto! He had found him! The powerlevel matched perfectly! The almost-legal-ruler sped forwards toward Kakarotto. He's scouter inclined the traitorous Saiyajin was not far away.
Vegeta stopped over the thick jungle, nothing but green for nearly fifty kilometers which ever way you looked. He inspected the surroundings and was surprised that the powerlevel was in the jungle almost underneath him. What the hell was the man doing there? It was friggin' hot in the cool air and no sane person would go down there...! But alas, the signal was coming from there.
Further away a blurry figure jumped out of the jungle's foliage emitting a blue aura and began flying towards the capital city. It was Kakarotto. Vegeta started following him fast and realized the high commander had not noticed his presence yet as he was not wearing his scouter. With a feral and evil smirk he charged forward. This would be settled now!
Kakarotto had just time to turn to look at his surprise attacker his sixth sense warned about and yelp in pain and shock as Vegeta's foot came smashing down on his back, sending him hurtling down. He managed to catch himself in mid air, cringing in pain, and duck a deadly punch that would have taken off his head had he not moved.
" Your highness?" the younger Saiyajin's voice was incredulous.
Vegeta turned sneering to face his adversary's confused and slightly fearful looking face.
" I- I can explain, prince Vegeta! I was just---" Vegeta cut him off with sharp hand signal and he fell silent. The way he next spoke chilled Kakarotto to the bone and he was having bad suspicions about what was to come.
" Save it! Just tell me why did you do it! Why would you betray the monarchy?"
Kakarotto stared at Vegeta like he had just said he loved peace and flowers. " B-betray! Never! What are you talking about!" he yelled back, ticked that his prince would even accuse him of such thing. Even if the prince didn't know it Kakarotto considered him as his best friend and those bonds of loyalty were much firmer than anything else, expect a bond between mates.
" Stop the fucking acting and just admit it!" Vegeta bellowed, his aura flaring and tail slashing behind him in agitated manner. The man dared to lie to him after getting caught and deny it all! He was going to pay.
" Admit what, sir?" the spiky-haired high commander asked desperately. What he had done? Nothing to betray the crown that was for sure!
" Shut up, you filthy fucker!" Kakarotto was unprepared for the punch that landed on his chest and he felt few of his ribs fracturing. Another blow contacted with his stomach making him double over in pain and spat blood and saliva. This really wasn't their usual spar, but Vegeta really wanted to kill him and his rage was giving him more power than Kakarotto could handle at the moment.
" Shit!" He cursed as he was slammed on the back and thrown down on the jungle, crashing painfully through tree branches, creating a small crater when he hit the ground. He groaned in pain and got up swiftly to block the oncoming chi wave. With a yell he deflected it, even though his ribcage protested furiously. Panting and waiting for the dust to clear he saw prince Vegeta floating in the air, above him, smirking coldly.
" If you won't admit it I'll just have to beat it out of you! And I'm going to fucking enjoy it!" the monarch growled dangerously with such sadistic glint in his eyes and Kakarotto was eerily reminded of all those damn authorities in his childhood with their whips and asshole attitudes when he hadn't been strong or able to fight back and they had exploited that fact cruelly.
The thought he was going to get beaten by prince Vegeta, a man he trusted would never do that to him without a reason, and it hurt. He had thought Vegeta would be different from his father... but guess he was wrong. He was again reduced to a mere third class to be beaten around with no care if he died or lived.
He didn't even attempt to dodge or block the next kick which implanted him on the ground again, sending new waves of pain through him. More blood was spilt as Vegeta kept beating him in his rage the blows raining down on him and he coughed up more of the crimson liquid. He accepted them without a sound, closing his eyes.
" Do you feel better now?" he inquired quietly and calmly and braced himself for the blow he knew would come. And it came. This little speech only made Vegeta madder and he hauled the Saiyajin up to his nose level, snarling.
" Why won't you just admit it, damnit! Why did you poison me, Kakarotto? Was it because the rebellion told you to do it and what you could gain from felling the whole rule of this planet!" he screamed at his face which was now bloody and marred with bruises and he was barely conscious, but after hearing the words his eyes snapped open wide.
Kakarotto didn't utter a word; just stared into Vegeta's cold and furious eyes. Vegeta watched almost amazed the emotions and feelings running in those eyes of his poisoner. Confusion, total disbelief and anger.' The prince had been poisoned!' The realization why the prince was angry with him. Finally, worry that fell into disappointment and his gaze seemed to scream at him: 'you really think I'd poison you?'. The sadness and betrayal radiating from that gaze seemed to burn his hand and he dropped the high commander and he fell with a thud and stayed unmoving on the bloody crater. Kakarotto knew nothing of his poisoning, it dawned on Vegeta. Absolutely nothing.
" ...shit..." escaped his lips and quickly knelt to inspect the damage he had dealt upon his first subordinate. Shit shit shit! The damage was much worse than he had realized. Fucking shit!
First time in his life Vegeta felt like seriously crying. He had killed three people that he had ever trusted or even considered somewhat as friends...
" Kakarotto... don't you dare to die on me... not now... I- I didn't mean it.." he stuttered weakly at his seemingly unconscious and dying form.
" A village..." Kakarotto suddenly rasped, and his face twisted with pain.
" What?"
" A village... not far away... play along... go south..." the younger Saiyajin male managed to gasp out before completely lapsing into consciousness. The prince stared astonished only for a second before lifting his weight easily and sprinting south, not bothering to ponder all the questions that rose in his mind and ignoring the dehydrating heat and sweat it caused. How did Kakarotto know there was a village? How there even can be a village there? Where did the high commander always disappear to? Why was he dressed in common soldiers' clothes? What did he mean play along?
But he knew Kakarotto would die before he'd get into some of the big cities and into regeneration tank. The village better be there!"
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ChiChi gaped at Bulma, who quickly shared the story why their ruler was throwing a hissy fit, while drying her hair and getting dressed after healing almost the whole night and day in the tank. It was now only morning.
" YOU MEAN PRINCE THOUGHT THE JERK POISONED HIM?" ChiChi, still looking battered and bruised and dog-tired, asked incredulously and Bulma nodded grimly, while buttoning her new lab coat.
" AND NOW HE'S FLYING AROUND ON A RAMPAGE TRYING TO FIND AND KILL HIM AND THAT'S WHY WE ALMOST DIED?"
" Yes ChiChi that was about it all," the blue-haired female agreed, and fixed her glasses serenely, " Stop yelling. We have to find the stupid bastard before he kills the high commander and this rule and planet will fall into the hand of that bastard Ya- uh, rebellion!"
" But how are we going to find the prince? This plane is---"
" That's why I installed the tracking device on that man. Just in case," Bulma smirked deviously as ChiChi mouth formed an 'o', " Now come on! You're coming with me! Can't leave Lady Piela here alone! We'll take my land and air speeder. Go go!"
" Uh... right!" Did this genius woman always think of everything?
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A/N: Wee! Next chapter is gonna tell about--- I won't tell! Review, kudasai!I know you want to! Ja ne!