Starting this chapter off on a bit of a deep note but it's about damn time!
Also sorry for the wait my lovely readers, my computer decided not to play nice for a while and I had to send it in for repairs. All's good now, so we hope but so far so good.
Chapter 25.
Kakarot shifted off the hospital bed. He hadn't been badly hurt, just surprised and a bit winded but Bulma had insisted. She wouldn't let the matter drop which was fine, Kakarot didn't mind the fussing. Their medical methods were highly outdated though.
Prince Vegeta watched from his spot by the far wall. Kakarot had been told to strip so that he could have a full examination, leaving him in nothing more than the spandex pants. Prince Vegeta was drinking in the sight of muscles tensing and rippling as Kakarot moved, liquid grace just under pale skin.
He moved across the room to stand behind Kakarot before he'd even realised that he had moved at all. Kakarot had stopped moving, stopped fidgeting. He held perfectly still as the Prince stood behind him. Slowly, Prince Vegeta raised a hand and placed it on Kakarot's heated skin. Home. Kakarot was home.
"I don't like talking about the Sayians." Prince Vegeta whispered.
"I know." Kakarot replied leaning backwards slightly, closer to the Prince's warmth.
"It makes me feel things I don't like."
Kakarot turned then, the Prince's hand trailing over his body as he moved. Those wide eyes were serious, yet comforting as they looked at the Prince. "Hurt. You feel hurt." Kakarot identified for him, knowing that it was something the Prince would not be able to understand alone.
Kakarot lifted his own hand to place it on the Prince's chest. He could almost feel the heartbeat through the armour, almost.
Instead he shifted his hand upwards, watching his hand instead of the Prince's face. His hand smoothed over the armour and onto the Prince's neck and this time he could feel that steady ba-bump as the blood pulsed through his body.
But Kakarot didn't stop. His hand continued until it was at the back of the Prince's neck, fingers threading into the soft hairs there. That was when Kakarot raised his eyes to look at the Prince. There were questions there, in that unblinking gaze but it was the controlled excitement that dominated those dark eyes.
Kakarot tugged, very gently, but the Prince moved forwards all the same. Kakarot leaned up to close the distance, brushing his lips against the Prince's. It was the first time he'd ever instigated this kind of contact, the first time he'd allowed himself to be so close to the Prince, feel such intimacy.
Prince Vegeta's own hand moved to Kakarot's shoulder, resting there for only a moment as the Prince pressed closer to Kakarot. Fingers twisted together in an almost desperate need to feel anything other than that blackening sadness.
Kakarot's tongue flicked against the Prince's lips and they parted on a slight gasp. Kakarot was standing now, allowing the Prince to take control in this situation. Somewhere he'd closed his eyes but he didn't really mind. He was feeling right now, just feeling.
Prince Vegeta's other arm pulled Kakarot closer to him, deepening the kiss. Fingers tightened in his hair as a small moan escaped the younger Sayian.
Prince Vegeta broke away slowly, before he crossed the line where he'd do something he might regret. Kakarot was still far too innocent in such things. He might have an understanding and know what happened when Sayians coupled but he had probably never experienced just how intense it could be.
"Stay." The Prince whispered still holding Kakarot close. Don't leave me . . .
"Always." Kakarot breathed back.
"Remember, stick to the plan. I know you guys are insanely powerful but we're not." Bulma said firmly, looking at the two Sayians. Both of them had become really quiet, subdued rather than withdrawn since the day at Roshi's island. But they were focused on this task with every fibre of their being. It was amazing really. Their military mind set was made apparent in their ability to receive and carry out orders without question unless to give a better idea.
The fact that the arrogant Prince was so calm about being ordered around surprised them all but Bulma suspected it had something to do with the younger Sayian that never left his side.
Kakarot tapped the Prince's shoulder once before disappearing from sight. The Prince wasn't far behind. Where they were going was somewhere only they knew. Bulma scowled at them, tempted to yell that it wasn't a part of the plan but that would give away their position on top of the roof.
Just before she could get completely mad at them however they reappeared, four unconscious men now lying at her feet. "Scouts." Prince Vegeta stated blandly.
Bulma nodded weakly, trying to figure out how to close her gaping mouth when Krillen hissed that he could hear something. They had set up a device that would allow them to hear the meeting, they needed only to find the right frequency and apparently Krillen had.
"–uiet you weakling scum!" Came a gruff snarl.
"How dare you! I am the Emperor of this world!"
"Now, now gentlemen let's be civil for a moment. As I understand it there are many interesting things to discuss." This voice was cool and collected.
Bulma held up one finger to indicate the first voice and then mouth King Piccolo. The second finger and voice was Emperor Pilaf and the third was the current leader of the Red Ribbon Army.
"So, who shot down the spaceship?" The Red Ribbon Army spokesman. Apparently it was never the actually leader, or so they would have the others believe. According to Bulma the man down there was in fact the leader he just wanted the other two to think he wasn't.
"That would be I." King Piccolo bellowed with a laugh.
"Has anyone found anything? I sent teams to comb the area, but found nothing." Emperor Pilaf asked, a definite pout involved just by his tone.
"Ah, yes. My men managed to uncover a hidden cave that showed evidence of people, or things, living inside. The beings were not found but some other interesting things were." Red Ribbon army leader. Kakarot tightened his hold on the Prince's upper arm, but otherwise said nothing.
"And what did you find? It better be something useful." King Piccolo grunted.
"I was thinking they could be used as bait. Those resistance members after all are becoming a pain and it will also help us show our man power."
"What are you getting at Blue?" Emperor Pilaf crackled his interest peaked.
"I was thinking a tournament. All the greatest fighters of the world will flock to it to win the prize. It might flush out the aliens as well as the resistance and anyone who signs up that isn't a part of the resistance or one of our armies will be forced to join if they manage to survive the tournament. It will give us a tighter control over these misguided weaklings."
"I like the way you think, Blue. But what is it that you found?"
"Silver, bring in the prize."
There was silence as they waited. Then there was a faint clatter and murmurs of appreciation. So the swords were there. Right underneath them.
Kakarot looked at the Prince. Kakarot really did not like tournaments since Frieza's always meant death and the Prince saw the younger Sayian's decision in his eyes only a second before he acted.
Prince Vegeta clamped his arms around Kakarot before he could crash into the building below them. "Wait Kakarot." He hissed, "This tournament is something we could use."
"How. Exactly. Is. This. Something. We. Could. Use." Kakarot asked slowly, his teeth clenched together in anger.
"Training. These humans might not be strong but their fighting styles might prove to be effective. You yourself said that the Sayian fighting style was greatly lacking and besides any surprise advantage we can gain over Frieza is enough of a reason for me." Prince Vegeta hissed so that only he could hear.
Kakarot went limp in his hold and Prince Vegeta loosened his grip. He knew that Kakarot would obey, he'd need only order it but he wanted the other to agree with him, make the decision for himself.
"Alright. I see your point but I still don't like it. Especially not when our goal is so close. We could be letting an easy win slip through our fingers." Kakarot sighed.
"Trust me, hunting these idiots down won't be hard." Prince Vegeta deadpanned. He obviously didn't think much of their strength and neither did Kakarot, who was usually quite ready to look for the good in everything.
So the tournament it is then.
"This is sooo weird. There's too much wind." Kakarot whined as he twisted about, stretching and testing his movements in the bright orange Gi he now wore.
They had decided that Kakarot was going to enter with Krillen and Yamcha as one of Master Roshi's students since he knew the Kamehameha technique.
Prince Vegeta grunted his consent as he shifted in his own chosen clothing. He was wearing dark jeans and an even darker tight long sleeved shirt. He was going to be entering as Gohan's student even though he hardly looked the part but not even Kakarot could persuade him to wear something a little more warrior like in the human definition. In truth they both really, really, really . . . . really really wanted their armour back.
"Hay, arrogant Sayian bastard." Bulma called from the doorway. She'd taken to calling the Prince that, refusing to acknowledge his title since he really was arrogant.
Prince Vegeta turned to her with a scowl with only deepened at her smile. Her blue eyes sparkled mischievously and her voice became mocking. "And here I was, coming to you in your most uncomfortable hour bearing gifts." She giggled, unable to keep up the pretence any longer before tossing a dark piece of fabric at the Prince.
He caught it on reflex and held it away at arm's length. He first noticed royal blue and deep blood red. He stretched it out a bit and saw that it was in fact what the human's referred to as a jacket and on the back was the Royal crest, down to the last block and curve.
"It's just something small, since I noticed that symbol seemed to be important to you." Bulma said softly looking at the floor with a blush.
The Prince's "Hn." Was translated as a thank-you by Kakarot.
"And I made these for you guys as well." Bulma said quickly changing the topic so that the seeming tense atmosphere would dissolve.
She held up two bracelets which neither Sayian moved to touch. "They're gravity bracelets." She explained. She didn't know that usually a bracelet to the Sayians meant Ki restrainers.
Kakarot was the first one to pick up one of the bracelets when he noticed Bulma's cheerful smile beginning to fade. "What do they do?"
"Well they'll change the effect of the Earth's gravity on the person wearing them. You mentioned something about your home planet having a denser gravity and I thought this might help you guys blend in at the tournament." Bulma explained, "I don't recommend going over five times Earth's natural gravity though. I take no responsibility for you two becoming pancakes."
Prince Vegeta laughed arrogantly and snatched up the remaining bracelet. "Woman, our planet's natural gravity is ten times that of this puny mud ball."
"Prince, a thank-you would have been nicer." Kakarot chided while he himself bowed to Bulma.
The two clipped the bracelets into place and fiddled with the settlings until they were at ten times earth's normal gravity. They both waited with the strain settled over their bodies gradually. It was a comfortable weight even if it was one they would have to take an hour, maybe two, to get used to.
"Ah, you two are moving much better now." Gohan chirped from the doorway.
The two Sayians looked at the old man questioningly. He was also perhaps the only human besides Bulma, not that the Prince would tell her that, that they respected. Kakarot was ohkay with Krillen though.
"You two unconsciously move very fast and it was a bit worrisome since our goal was stealth but now I see that it won't be much of a problem unless you use your Ki to move at faster speeds." Gohan explained with a smile.
"Oh." Kakarot replied with a sheepish smile ducking his head as his hand automatically went to the back of his head.
"It's nothing to be apologetic for. If you're used to a much denser gravity then I'd say you two were doing well." Bulma chided playfully.
"Hay Prince, these can be used for training. Like weights, only they'll be everywhere." Kakarot said happily with a wide smile at Bulma and an excited tail flick at the Prince. The Prince only smirked in reply but Kakarot knew he was just as excited.
"Orange looks good on you, Kakarot." Krillen announced happily as he walked into the room followed by a disgruntled Yamcha.
"Oh, I'm glad you guys are here. Would you mind just sparring a bit so that I can get a general idea of Master Roshi's style?" Kakarot asked, his attention zipping immediately to the two.
"Since Gohan was taught by Master Roshi I can then teach the Prince, and it'll be similar but not the same." Kakarot continued, his attention completely on that of the two orange clad warriors who were also absorbed in what Kakarot was saying. The Prince simply watched, enjoying the scene since it wasn't every day that Kakarot was practically barking orders.
"I never expected so many people to come." Kakarot mused as he looked around. The Prince grunted in agreement, sticking close to the other Sayian even though they were representing different masters. The way he figured it was that since Gohan had been taught by Master Roshi then he himself was representing the old pervert by extension.
They were all headed over to the registration booth where the humans would take care of things. The Sayians were cautious since there was a clear separation between all the humans. Everyone seemed to be representing one of the three super powers of Earth and this created obvious tension.
"Which leader do we represent?" Prince Vegeta asked Bulma.
"Neither and all of them. Since my company is Capsule Corp, they need me to remain impartial so that it remains fair." Bulma replied with a grin.
"Isn't it slightly suspicious that you're here with a bunch of fighters that don't represent anyone?" Prince Vegeta asked in a toneless voice. Since he was raised to be a King, this kind of situation would be seen as suspicious to him.
"Not when I'm dating one of them." Bulma smirked, eyes travelling in adoration to Yamcha making the two Sayians roll their eyes.
While neither of the Sayians knew quite how smart Bulma was nor how important she was on this planet, they couldn't deny that she was a very valuable asset in any situation. However her temper and choice in best friend (A one hot tempered Chi Chi) made it really hard to be around her longer than what was absolutely necessary and both whole heartedly agreed that Yamcha deserved what he got.
"Alright boys, listen up." Gohan started clearing his throat. All of them had gathered in an out of the way spot and had waited for the two older men to came back with their instructions.
"There are going to be elimination rounds before the actual tournament. After which, in the tournament you'll be paired up against fighters from all three sectors. However you won't know who these fighters are since they will not be in the elimination rounds. We can guess who they'll be. Piccolo junior, Mai, and those Red Ribbon androids." Master Roshi explained. Every one of the humans grit their teeth in controlled anger while the Sayians looked just a little lost.
"Don't forget the crane bastards." The usually silent (except when he's complaining and being negative) fat human pointed out, making Krillen go pale.
"Tien Shinhan, and that little freak Chiaotzu. That Master Shen just might fight as well." Yamcha muttered darkly.
"I'm more concerned about the Red Ribbon Generals. I sure which Chi Chi's dad were here." Krillen muttered looking down.
"Chi Chi's dad?" Kakarot asked in curiosity.
"Yeah, the Ox King. Man that guy was powerful, but they all agreed to make an example of him and lock him away. Most of us think that's why Chi Chi has such a temper." Krillen informed Kakarot slyly, giving cautious glances at Chi Chi.
Kakarot said nothing but he tucked this information away from later examination. After all, no one deserved that fate.
The people fighting in the tournament for the resistance were Krillen, Yamcha (Much to Prince Vegeta and Kakarot's amusement) Chi Chi, Kakarot and Prince Vegeta. They didn't want to put the fat guy in since he whined about having to do so much work. Prince Vegeta didn't even bother to remember his name. Chi Chi was with the Prince in representing Gohan, not that either were very happy about that.
Bulma was just pleased to see Prince Vegeta wearing the jacket she'd given him. It really did suit him even if he did complain about flimsy human clothing. Kakarot had to say that he agreed on that one.
"We should get going." Gohan mused, heading towards a building where a lot of tension was seeping from. Prince Vegeta and Kakarot knew that tension well, had grown up in it. It was the tension of too many fighters in one place, all trying to prove silently that they were the best. Too bad for them the minute the Sayians stepped into the room they all became insignificant by comparison.
All glares turned to them as they entered the room. Bulma had gone with the other none fighters to procure a good spot in the stands. She blew a kiss to a very embarrassed Yamcha, which everyone saw, only further adding to the amusement of the Sayians.
"Well, well, well. You fools came back again. I suppose someone has to come in last." An arrogant voice behind them sneered. Prince Vegeta merely raised an eyebrow, not really interested in the weak power level behind him.
"What do you want Tien Shinhan?" Yamcha growled. This human really needed to learn when it was simply better to keep him mouth shut. Arrogance, after all, hated to be ignored.
"Just checking out the competition, or lack thereof. I got a free pass into the tournament. Guess you morons should have chosen sides when you had the chance." Tien smirked.
"Oh, and who do you recommend we choose, you?" Prince Vegeta asked pretending to be considering the idea.
"You know what they say, you can't beat the best, join them."
At this the Prince laughed, letting his own arrogance leak through into that chuckle. Unlike Tien Shinhan though, this was the arrogance of a born Prince. The human stood no chance. "Where I came from, if you can't beat the best, then you just beat the shit out of them till you are the best."
"I never knew Gohan to take on such barbaric students." A smaller, more stoic voice stated from behind the taller crane student.
"What can I say, I'm a work in progress. The only man has his work cut out for him. When you got talent, you got talent." Prince Vegeta said mockingly, waving a hand in the air in a mockery of portraying a regal air.
"What you boys say we leave the fighting for the ring?" Chi Chi stated sweetly. Her face a picture of polite friendliness. Kakarot subtly brushed his hand against the Prince's back, letting him know that he agreed with this statement.
A whistle was blown somewhere and every fighter in the room, most of them wearing something that stated their loyalties, looked to see a small nervous monk holding a clip board. In fact there appeared to be a whole group of them.
That appeared to be the signal to begin. They were called up at random, several fights taking place at once. Kakarot and Prince Vegeta were actually having a conversation the whole time. It wasn't one that was out loud, it was a more subtle one with movements and body language.
Most of the fighters were poor, even in human standards so it wasn't a surprise when all the resistance fighters made it to the actual tournament. There were some others but Kakarot and the Prince decided that they wouldn't be a problem. However they did note that the humans with them just might face a few problems.
"The first match is between Krillen and Man-wolf." One of the little monks announced.
Krillen rose an eyebrow at his opponent but entered the ring. It appeared that Man-Wolf was in fact representing Emperor Pilaf.
Prince Vegeta and Kakarot had great fun laughing hysterically as the match progressed. It wasn't that Krillen was a bad fighter, it was more that Man-Wolf was a terrible fighter. And there was the laughable speed that they both moved at. Apparently it was considered fast by the humans, which only made the Sayians laugh more.
"You should show some respect. That's your teammate down there." Both the Sayians had taken residence atop the roof of the tournament building so they didn't have to listen to Yamcha whine.
They both turned to see a being profoundly different from the humans below them. He wasn't looking at them. He was watching the match.
"Oh, we weren't laughing at Krillen. We were laughing at the other guy." Kakarot chuckled.
"He's made progress since the last tournament, but then you would not know that. You're not from around here."
"Well, I hate to be the one to call the kettle black, you're not exactly native either, Namek." Prince Vegeta scoffed.
"I was born here, but my father was not. You two are not human and were not born here. I'd say you are the ones my father is looking for. However I won't turn you in. I've been itching for a good fight and I hope to face one of you." The Namek replied, his voice almost bored.
"You might have bitten off more than you can chew." Prince Vegeta warned, but not in a threatening way. More like he was stating a fact. "We just want what was taken from us, but we're not below simply taking it by force. We've decided to play by your rules, for now."
"The swords."
"Yes. You are Piccolo Junior, I presume." Kakarot replied at the Namek's guess. Kakarot's reply was an inclination of the head.
"Don't look now, but baldy just might lose." Prince Vegeta muttered.
"Krillen! If you lose I'm not helping you with your technique!" Kakarot yelled. It appeared that whatever agreement the two had made before hand was very important to the bald human since he won his match in a speedy fashion with a level of skill he had not previously displayed.
"What the hell did you promise him?" Prince Vegeta asked blinking at Kakarot.
"He's trying to perfect a technique and I said I'd help him out after the tournament. He must be very eager." Kakarot replied with a grin.
The next match was Piccolo Junior against someone called Tambourine. Piccolo Junior frowned but went to the ring. A winged-scaled creature entered the ring as well before spitting on the floor in disgust and surrendering.
"What was that all about?" Kakarot asked Piccolo Junior when he returned without even blinking at the other.
"He's my older brother but we don't get along."
Brother? They looked nothing alike, not to mention that the other didn't even look like a Namek.
Kakarot perked up in surprise when his name was called and hopped down to the ring. His opponent was someone called General White.
"Hay! Kakarot, end this quickly, I just heard something about free food." Prince Vegeta yelled before the match could even begin.
"Be right there!" Kakarot yelled in excitement before turning to his annoyed opponent. The announcer started the match and Kakarot threw one punch, eager to end this match quickly. He grinned when the other went flying straight out the ring and fell onto the floor. Kakarot bowed to the announcer before heading back to the Prince. "What was that about free food?"
And there was free food. There was a whole hall of it. The two were cautious though. Their names could have been called at any time, especially the Prince.
"I thought we were supposed to be watching their techniques and learning how to fight?" Kakarot grumbled around the food in his mouth.
"Hn. Like there's anything to learn. Did you see how slowly they gather their energy and the idiots still manage to get hit. The way I see it, we already have the best fighters from this planet in front of us." Prince Vegeta replied with a huff.
At that moment they heard the announcement. Prince Vegeta was to fight against Tien Shinhan. It seemed the Gods had a sense of humour after all.
The Prince smirked as he walked towards the ring where Tien Shinhan was already waiting. This was going to be fun.
As he stepped into the ring, he froze. Something wasn't right. Kakarot shit over to him, stepping into the ring as well. His face was pale as his eyes searched the sky.
"How did I miss this, how did we miss this?" Kakarot asked, his voice bordering on panic.
Kakarot and the Prince walked further into the ring, trying to get a sense of the Ki just teasing the edges of their senses. They both ignored the humans around them, trying to get their attention. They hardly heard the annoyed tones that were quickly becoming angry.
They heard it though when everything went deathly quiet.
Kakarot's face paled and their tails instinctively tightened but other than that, neither of them showed signs of their surprise.
Instead, as carefully and as casually as they could, the two turned around to face the five or so new comers in the tournament.
"I thought you were dead . . . father." Prince Vegeta said, his voice and face completely void of any emotion.