Chapter 25

Nappa stood in the King's office, handcuffed to two guards, waiting for the king to arrive, god knows what he was going to say. He knew he could escape if he wanted to, but it would be useless running now, he had no idea where Vegeta was or if he was even alive. Finally, the door swung open and king Vegeta strode in, a worried expression on his face, Radditz close behind him looking equally perturbed.

"Please, king Vegeta, just tell me that he's ok?" Nappa blurted as soon as he saw the king

"Yes, I think so"

"Oh thank god" Nappa breathed a sigh of relief, he didn't care about anything else now, he didn't care what happened to himself or the king, all he cared about was Vegeta. The king didn't seem in the mood for small talk, he sat behind his desk and got straight to business

"Nappa, you are lucky that I like you, and that for some reason you are the only one who can get through to my fuckwit of a son, or I'd have had you killed by now for this defiance"

"in my defence, your majesty, I was just doing my job, keeping him safe"

"Safe? Is that what you call this? My son is currently miles away, in a scummy little house with potentially the strongest Saiyan on the planet. The boy's restrictors are failing, he took out eight guards today, only one survived to tell the tale. That boy could kill Vegeta in a heartbeat, do you really call that safe?"

"No, your majesty, but it's safer than them being here"

"What are you blathering on about?"

"The prince and Kakarot may not have completed the mating ritual, but they have a strong bond already. I believe your decision to kill Kakarot would have destroyed Vegeta, he has finally found the one. I am keeping Vegeta safe by keeping Kakarot safe"

"But I forbade it, if anything happens to my son I will hold you personally accountable for it Nappa"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, your majesty" the kings scowl disappeared, he knew in his heart that Nappa would always have his son's best interests at heart, even if this was a major fuck up on his part.

"What do you mean they have a strong bond? Vegeta refused to learn the ritual, and I doubt the third class was taught it. How have they managed to bond at all?" the king asked angrily. Nappa smiled

"They performed the first three steps of the ritual instinctively, neither of them knew the ritual. I saw them dance, and it was…. stunning. Vegeta displayed strength and beauty, Trust and passion, were he my son I would be proud of him, and I would let him mate with Kakarot"

"But has not your son, he's mine, I just can't take that risk"

"But your majesty, if you let them complete the ritual, Kakarot will be Vegeta's submissive, Vegeta already won that fight so it doesn't matter how strong Kakarot is unrestricted. He will do as he is told; he will never hurt Vegeta. Who ever heard of a submissive hurting their dominant, that would be like you hurting Radditz, it just wouldn't happen"

The king looked at Radditz, who shook his head

"true, the boy won't hurt Vegeta, but what about you? I can't protect you from that kind of power. It's bad enough having Vegeta strutting around the place with his ridiculous power-level. I don't want the third class anywhere near you" Radditz said with finality

Nappa realised his mistake, he was busy trying to convince the king that Kakarot was safe when it was Radditz who was calling the shots on this one. His mind wouldn't be as easily swayed, he knew Kakarot was a danger to his mate, a danger that he couldn't beat. He was not going to allow Kakarot near his submissive. Nappa's shoulders slumped in defeat, there was no point continuing this conversation, Radditz would put king Vegeta first, no matter who suffered because of it.

"So what now? Vegeta, are you going to have me executed?"

"I'm sorry Nappa, I really am" the king looked at the ground to hide the unshed tears in his eyes. Apart from Radditz, Nappa was his oldest and closest friend, but he could never trust him after this.

"Can I have a couple of requests before I'm killed please, I think I've earned some leeway"

"What are your requests?"

"Firstly, can Kakarot be brought back here to be killed and not cut down in the street like common filth, he is the princes chosen mate after all, surely he deserves a little respect?"

"Fair enough"

"Secondly, when your soldiers take Kakarot away from Vegeta, they may as well be ripping his heart out, please can I be there with him, god knows he's going to need me, he has no one else"

"He has me"

"With all due respect your majesty, Vegeta will have nothing to do with you after this. I will be very surprised if he doesn't try to kill you. Just let me be there to comfort him, please" both Nappa and the king tried to ignore the low growl rumbling in radditz's chest, the threat to his mate was making him automatically defensive

"Well you had better get there quick then, the house he is in is surrounded, they are just waiting for Vegeta to leave the third classes side long enough for them to grab him safely. I will give the order for them to bring him here instead of kill him"

"Thank you, can I go to Vegeta now?"

"Yes, go" Radditz snarled, obviously realising that he was going to need Nappa around if he had any chance of calming prince Vegeta down

Nappa was given the coordinates of the house Vegeta was staying in, he only hoped he could get there in time. As he legged it down the corridor, wondering what the fastest way to get to his prince was he heard his name being yelled out. He turned to see two figures running behind him. Mayze crashed into him like a freight train and threw her arms around him

"I thought I was never gonna see you again" she said quietly

"I know, I can't stop though I need to go to him"

"What can we do to help?" Mell asked from behind Mayze

"We are coming with you" Mayze stated, leaving no room for argument

"Are you sure you wanna do this Mell? This could get really messy; we could all end up dead" Mell took a deep breath before holding her fist over her heart and bowing her head

"For prince Vegeta" she said with determination, the other two mirrored her gesture before they all took off in the direction of the parking lot.

Nappa knew most of what was kept down here, he used to guard the parking lot when he had first started here, the cars had been updated a lot since then but he knew they must still have a selection of bikes. That would be the quickest way to get through the traffic, he just had to pray they would get there in time. Nappa had no intention of comforting the prince, he hadn't given up hope yet. If he could just get them to complete the ritual the king, and Radditz would have to reconsider. Surely they wouldn't kill Vegeta? Would they?

The bikes were not hard to find, there were about twenty of them stood in a long neat row, all jet black and gleaming

"This will be our fastest option, can you two ride one of these?" Nappa asked

"I was born to ride one of these" Mayze declared throwing her leg over one of the bikes and smiling at Nappa, he suddenly remembered why he liked her so much

"Can you ride one Mell?"

"Yes, it's been a while but I'm sure I can keep up" Ever efficient Mell also got onto her bike, a little more delicately that Mayze her high heeled boots just reaching the ground. Nappa observed the two women willing to risk their lives for Vegeta, they were a strange pair, but Nappa would be forever grateful that they were here with him.

Outside the orphanage a group of twenty soldiers, all wearing camouflage armour had spread themselves out, under the cover of bushes and trees so that every exit was fully covered, no-one could enter or leave the property without them knowing about it.

General Arti was leading the team, with corporal Tayta at his side as always. He was pleased to hear the new orders, they were no longer to kill Kakarot on sight, now their orders were to bring him back to the palace. Arti was aware he could lose some soldiers today. Prince Vegeta was capable of taking down a whole army, and if the rumours that he and Kakarot wanted to mate were true, he would.

Arti's plan was a simple one, as soon as Kakarot was not in Vegeta's sight they would grab him, get him into a car quickly and quietly so as not to alert Vegeta. Hopefully by the time the prince noticed that his friend was gone they would already be far away. That was the plan anyway, if it went wrong he didn't have much of a plan b, just keep as many alive as possible really. He wished he didn't have to do all this. Kakarot was such an innocent soul.

"you ok General, you look nervous" Tayta placed her hand gently on his shoulder

"No, just sad, Kakarot is a good kid, he doesn't deserve all this"

"You're not pussying out on me are you Arti?"

"Certainly not, an order is an order and we will bring him in for execution, I'm just saying it's a shame. From what I hear through the grapevine the prince wants to mate with Kakarot, that's what started all this"

"Really, shit, the king must have been pissed. Imagine the prince mating a third class. Why would he even want to? I mean Kakarot is a cutie but I didn't think he was Vegeta's type". Arti couldn't be definite but he thought he sensed a little jealousy in Tayta's tone.

"I imagine it's the power level. You know Prince Vegeta, he's a sucker for strength"

"Yeah, probably just that. Do you think we are going to be able to pull this off?"

"Honestly, I don't know. But if anyone can it's us. The lights are all turning off now, I don't think we will be making our move till they wake up, Vegeta won't leave his side now, tell the others to stay put and stay vigilant. We will get him in the morning"