A/N: Okay, guys, it's the holidays, which means, more time to write! I swear, I'm not trying to rush this story along, but it feels to me like it's been stuck where it is for FAR too long. So… you guys ready for action, and a chance to get closer to that long-awaited time skip? Then let's get this thing moving….
The Ox King slowly opened his eyes, groaning, and slowly felt the liquid surrounding his body drain down to the floor. The man was tall and lean, with scars of various shapes and sizes riddling his body, and a small brown circle where his tail had been cut off. Wearily, he pulled the oxygen mask off and stepped out of the regeneration tank, accepting the towel he was handed by -
"Kakarot?!" he demanded, scowling.
Turles rolled his eyes. "No need to be insulting, brat. It's Turles. Saiyan genetics don't vary all that much, Kakarot's my nephew. But you… if I wasn't looking directly at your DNA, I'd never believe it. You're Gohan," he said, smirking. "I don't suppose you've been spending time in the Guardians' little time room?" he asked.
The Ox King scowled. "No. I've come from the future. The King, is he still-"
"King Vegeta is still alive, thanks to you, it seems," a voice said from behind him. It was Saru, and standing beside him was a young girl with feathers braided into her hair, and Baga. Quickly, the Ox King covered himself with the towel, blushing slightly. "Sadala has been watching you since you arrived, it was your presence here that prompted her to seek out the real Kakarot," he said, glancing down at the girl. The girl gave a single nod, fixing the Ox King with those strange, silver eyes.
"The… real Kakarot?" the Ox King asked, confused, his embarrassment temporarily forgotten.
Saru nodded. "The one you faced, was actually an enemy named Captain Ginyu. He's been dealt with, of course… once we extracted his soul from your father's body, your father made rather quick work of him," he said.
The Ox King frowned as he tried to absorb this new information. "So… Kakarot never tried to assassinate King Vegeta… it was this Captain Ginyu, in his body?" he asked in disbelief. He had hated Kakarot for so long… the idea that he was never guilty to begin with was something he couldn't really accept.
"Kakarot try to assassinate King Vegeta?" Turles scoffed, rolling his eyes. "He'd rather take his own life," he said, shaking his head wryly. "Cub's nothing if not idealistic."
"I told him as much," Baga said, shrugging as he retrieved the Ox King's armor. "Sometimes a cub's just gotta get his ass kicked to learn anything," he said, as if he weren't far younger than the man he was talking about.
The Ox King put on his armor, careful to put the regeneration tank between himself and his visitors. "As long as King Vegeta is still alive, then maybe we have a chance," he said, trying to focus on what was most important. "Now I just need to warn him about Dodoria," he said, now fully dressed, helmet covering his scarred face.
"Dodoria," another voice said, and Saru and Sadala stepped aside to allow Kakarot to enter. His hair was wet, and he was wearing different armor than he had been when he'd fought the Ox King. His eyes were like steel, and they were focused on the Ox King. "My father had a vision about him, before he died. He told me I had to stop Dodoria. Is that why you came here? To warn us?" he asked, starting to put the pieces together.
The Ox King narrowed his eyes at the man. "Are you sure you want to stop him?" he asked, still not trusting this man, regardless of who was possessing whom.
Kakarot scowled. "I'm not Ginyu, Gohan. Keep that hatred if you need it, just aim it somewhere else," he growled, arms crossed.
"My name, is Ox King," the Ox King replied, eyes still narrowed. "I refuse to take any name you gave me," he hissed.
Suddenly, his helmet was gone, and he had a giant whelp on the side of his head, where his father had struck him with his tail. "Your mother gave you that name, before she died… to remind me to keep a gentle spirit. You aren't lashing out at me this way, you're lashing out at her memory," Kakarot said, the Ox King's helmet tucked under his arm as his tail wrapped itself around his waist. "I don't know what you've been through, Gohan, but I know you're better than this. So check your attitude. We're going to see King Vegeta. Behave," he said darkly, handing him the helmet.
The Ox King glared at him, but took the helmet in silence. Once he had put it back on, the two left the infirmary. "Kaka's gonna have his hands full with that one," Baga said, rolling his eyes. Turles smirked in response, and Saru left. Sadala made to leave as well, but glanced back at Turles, giving him a strange look.
"Stay outta my head," Turles grumbled at her, causing the girl to smile softly and then leave. The medic turned his eyes to Baga. "Doesn't Matou need you somewhere, cub?" he asked, and instantly Baga scampered out the door, having completely forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. Turles sighed. "Finally," he muttered, going back to his work station. "A living self-charging battery… I can do that..."
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Saki finished tightening the last screw, and the small metallic globe began to hover in the air. "Yes! Hey, there, little guy! Yes, that's a good boy..." she cooed, as she typed a few commands into her computer, then looked back at the robot.
"Ready for verbal input," the robot said, as Prince Vegeta entered that room in the cavern.
Saki smiled. "Scan me, and scan Prince Vegeta over there," she commanded. Soon she was bathed in a red light. Once the robot finished with her, it floated over to where Prince Vegeta stood.
"I take it you finished the book," the lavender-haired prince said as the robot scanned him. It was uncanny how much like Saki's robots from the future the thing looked. He turned his glance to the girl in pigtails.
"Yup! Some of the mathematical concepts are… really hard, but most of the math is done, it's really just a matter of following directions. I have another robot taking intricate scans of your ship, I'll be able to tell how long the repairs will take once I have all the data," she said in response. Just then, the robot finished scanning Prince Vegeta, and came back to her. She smiled. "Good boy," she cooed. "Now, go monitor the area immediately outside the entrance. If you see anyone other than me or Prince Vegeta, record an image and alert us immediately," she said. With that, the robot left through the entrance. Saki stretched as she regarded Prince Vegeta. "So, Bulma was your mom, then, huh?" she asked, nudging her head towards the book. "She talks about you in her notes."
Prince Vegeta's eyes widened. "What? What did she say about me?" he asked, blushing slightly.
Saki shrugged. "Just that you were a cute baby, but you would throw the worst temper-tantrums. She was thinking about designing a bassinet that would absorb your energy, but couldn't bring herself to do it," she said, smirking.
Prince Vegeta shrugged. He had expected something much, much worse. "Saiyan cubs are a pain in the ass, just ask anyone," he said nonchalantly, looking over his ship, where another small robot was hovering.
"Yeah… then there was the part where you threw poop at an alien..." Saki said, picking up the book to find the spot where she'd read about it.
Prince Vegeta went beet red, and snatched the book from her hands. "What? Where is that? I'll tear that page out..." he said, embarrassed. His mom had loved telling that story, to anyone at all, it had been the bane of his existence.
Saki shrugged. "Don't worry, Your Highness, I won't tell anyone," she said demurely. At his mistrusting glance, she smirked. "As long as you agree to go out with me," she said.
Prince Vegeta seemed to relax somewhat. "Fine. Once you've finished the time capsule, I'll go with you, wherever you want. For now, though, I need you to get back to work," he said. Just then, a spot on his wrist guard began to glow, and he grinned. "I'll be back," he said, then, pressing two fingers to his forehead, disappeared.
Saki blinked. "That…. that's not what going out means!" she protested, then blushed. A floating robot nudged her shoulder, and she looked up. "Finished with the scans of the time capsule? Okay, let's see what we're working with..." she said, as she hooked the robot up to the computer, her earlier embarrassment nearly forgotten.
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Launch had left with her new cub, deciding she'd seen quite enough action for one day. Tanmen was busy mopping up the last of the blood from when Kakarot executed Captain Ginyu, when Kakarot returned. He was wearing armor this time, and was followed immediately by a strange man in red armor. Kakarot gave Tanmen a nod, which she returned, then went back to cleaning. He came then to stand behind King Vegeta, looking out at the fighting in the arena. "Sire," he began, but was quickly interrupted.
"King Vegeta!" a gruff voice said from behind them, and the king turned to see an older Saiyan with a flat-top kneeling, having appeared out of nowhere.
"Engie," King Vegeta said, frowning. "What's taken you so long? Have you found anything of interest?" he demanded.
Engie looked down and away. "Nothing you want to hear, Sire, but you must," he said. At Vegeta's impatient look, he stood, and met his eyes. "There are more dragonballs, sire. Apparently, our scavenger mission was a ruse, to collect them, but someone else beat us to them. So someone out there has the dragonballs, someone who didn't think twice about wishing away a planet's gravity," he said.
"Dodoria," the Ox King said, scowling as he stepped forward. "That's how he became so powerful, he made a wish on the dragonballs, then destroyed the planet they came from, so no one could ever stop him," he said.
King Vegeta blinked at the Ox King. "Dodoria?" he asked incredulously. He glanced at Kakarot, then back at the Ox King. "What makes you think it's that waste of flesh?" he asked warily.
The Ox King removed his helmet, fixing the king with his gaze. "I am the Ox King, the current Ox King's grandson, from the future," he said darkly. "In my time, Dodoria has taken over most of the known galaxy, and has ravaged Earth. He has hunted down and killed almost every Saiyan… only Prince Vegeta and I have survived, along with a handful of the EDS. We used a time machine the Queen had designed before she was killed, to come here," he said, his expression grim. "Dodoria has powers unlike any we have ever seen, and the way he uses them..." he trailed off, receiving a knowing look from King Vegeta.
"Frieza had a habit of seeking out the most depraved to be in his personal guard… that way they wouldn't flinch at any of his orders," the king said, casting a glance at Kakarot. "You remember when Nappa and I came to kill you and Turles? This was why. An honorable death in battle would be better than any fate at Dodoria's hands," he said, turning back to the Ox King, regarding him warily. "I want to know everything you can tell me about Dodoria's new abilities," he said, scowling. "But first..." he said, turning back to Engie, "I want to know what you had planned to do with these dragonballs," he said, stepping dangerously close to the mechanic.
Engie's eyes widened. "I swear, sire, I found out there were more of those things no more than five minutes ago," he replied.
"Beet wanted to wish back West City," Kakarot said, stepping forward, earning a glare from King Vegeta.
"What?!" Vegeta asked, turning to his royal guard.
Kakarot met his eyes. "The Earth's Guardians had approached Beet, and told him about the existence of more dragonballs. They made him promise not to tell you about their existence," he said.
"And how did you hear of it? More importantly, why didn't YOU tell me?" Vegeta demanded, eyes narrowed.
Kakarot looked down. "He confided in me, because he was torn. He didn't want to do anything that could be seen as treason, but he wanted to make up for what he did wrong. I convinced him to go ahead and do it, that any fate for doing the right thing would be worth it," he said. He lifted his eyes to Vegeta. "I knew you would prefer to fight with your own strength, that you wouldn't want the dragonballs, except to destroy them," he said.
"And this is WHY, Kakarot! The humans nearly wiped us out completely with those blasted things, and now, they've given ultimate power to the likes of DODORIA! You failed in your duty, Kakarot. I've come to expect far better from you over the years, you know this works better when you leave the long-term thinking to me," he said, his face inches away from Kakarot's. He then turned to face Engie. "Beet, he's Raditz's son, isn't he? Where is he?" he demanded.
"Doragastu is bringing him back to Earth in the ship," Engie replied. "I came ahead to warn you."
Vegeta nodded. "Get to the flagship, start making preparations. I want to battle Dodoria as far away from here as we can get," he said, then turned to Kakarot. "And, Kakarot… for your failure, when Beet arrives… you will take his tail."
Kakarot's eyes went wide. "But, sire… he's just a boy, he didn't mean to-"
"He found out about a threat to his people, and instead of warning me about it, he chose to use it for his own gain. He chose humans over us. So he can be one of them," he said darkly.
Kakarot scowled. "So did I. I made the same decision… I should be the one who's banished," he argued.
Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "I told you once, Kakarot… this is a lifetime position. You don't make decisions on your own, because you don't face the repercussions of your decisions – I do. Your penance is to clean up your own damned mess. Maybe, in the future, you won't be so quick to teach your family members to betray me," he hissed, then turned to the Ox King. "You, come with me," he commanded, and left the room. The Ox King cast an unreadable glance at Kakarot, before following King Vegeta.
Kakarot felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Had… had he done that? Had he taught Beet to betray Vegeta? After all the things his parents had taught him?
And, Raditz… now he had to tell Raditz and Launch…
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King Vegeta led the Ox King towards his throne room, but stopped in the corridor, wheeling around to face him. "Grandson of the Ox King?" he demanded, eyes narrowed warily. "That would make you Kakarot's son, would it not?" he asked.
"I… do not claim him," the Ox King replied, his eyes hooded.
"Then how do I know where your allegiances lie, 'Ox King'?" King Vegeta asked, regarding him coldly. "Your appearance here is very convenient, and you wouldn't be the first convenient visitor of Kakarot's to try to trick me," he accused.
The Ox King's jaw clenched. "Sire… in our timeline, my father died in an attempt to assassinate you during the Tournament. We didn't know it was actually Captain Ginyu. I… still don't quite believe it, to tell the truth. I cut off any ties to my father, to my heritage, that I could, because of it," he said, his expression a stony one. "That event… it caused great dissension between our people. You, and the rest of the Saiyans, left Earth, and I was raised by my grandfather. For most of my life, I have ruled the Ox Kingdom; my allegiance, my life, was dedicated to them alone," he said. "Then, your son saved my people… and restored my faith in an alliance between your people and mine. I swore to him that I and my people would serve to protect him, as they now serve you. And now we are here, and there's a sliver of hope that we might be able to kill that bastard once and for all," the Ox King said. "My allegiance is to Prince Vegeta, above all else. If you don't trust me… then perhaps I should bring him," he said, eyebrow raised.
King Vegeta regarded him for a long moment, then stepped back, giving a nod, his arms crossed. The Ox King tapped his wrist, causing a small portion of it to glow for a moment. Suddenly, a boy with lavender hair and distinctive armor appeared, holding two fingers to his forehead. Prince Vegeta's glance went from the Ox King, to King Vegeta, and a smile crossed his face. "Father!" he said joyfully, then quickly scowled at the Ox King. "I take it you stopped Kakarot," he said, getting down to business. "Is he still alive?"
The Ox King gave a single nod. "But King Vegeta is still deciding whether or not to trust me," he said. Prince Vegeta glanced back at King Vegeta, frowning.
"I don't care if you trust us," the prince said to him, causing the Ox King to wince and King Vegeta to scowl. Prince Vegeta continued. "Dodoria killed you last time, father. He keeps your head on that stupid stick of his, to remind us all that he did. If you do nothing to prepare, that's what you have to look forward to… your head on a stick. You always told me that a true leader uses every weapon available to him. We gave you a weapon that you didn't have the last time – Kakarot. Maybe that will be enough, but I doubt it. We have some ideas, but if you'd rather be stupid and ignore them, then maybe you deserve your fate," he said, scowling.
Prince Vegeta was soon pushed into the wall of the corridor so hard, the obsidian cracked all around him. King Vegeta's face was inches away from his, but the boy didn't flinch, he met his father's eyes directly. "Who the hell do you think you are, to talk to me like that?!" the king hissed dangerously.
Prince Vegeta returned his glare. "I'm the Vegeta who survived," he said, just as dangerously, eyes narrowed. "I will stop at nothing to avenge my people, my family," he said, and suddenly, King Vegeta felt himself being pushed back, by power he couldn't imagine could be coming from the boy in his grip. "If I have to go through you to do it, then so be it," he said, and cracks began to appear in the wall behind King Vegeta, so great was the force pushing him back.
King Vegeta held his gaze for a long moment. That look, it was so familiar. For all of his victory, for all of his success… and his son was fated to become just like he had been. A weapon… aimed at the one who forged him…
He grunted, then released the boy. "Tell me everything," he told them.