Chapter Three
Vegeta's eyes snapped open. Trunks ki! It was fluctuating rapidly! It was almost at SS1
only seconds ago, but now he could barely sense it. Searching for his son's aura Vegeta could
feel eight other auras, all foreign, but one was vaguely familiar. Gently slipping out of the bed he
shared with Bulma, Vegeta cursed to himself for letting his guard down. Glancing back to his
wife who slept peacefully in the bed Vegeta unlatched the balcony doors and levitated high into
the air, trying to get a lock on his son's ki. Suddenly he could feel another ki, one recognizable.
It was that brat friend of Trunks, Goten. He could feel the boy go SS1 and let off an enormous
amount of energy. Wasting no time Vegeta powered up slightly and took off to the west, in
Goten's (and therefore, most likely his son's) direction. Breaking the sound barrier in
milliseconds Vegeta's rage was growing by the kilometer. How dare someone come to his planet
and attack his son!
"Death." Vegeta said through grinding teeth, thinking only of the many torturous ways
that these interlopers will find their demise if his son has been harmed. Allowing his rage to fuel
his power Vegeta kicked it into a higher gear, praying that he was not be too late to save his only
son.
* * * *
Rettan sat on a rock polishing her spear's blade. Sitting a ways from the other Hunters
she watched all their movements, making sure they were staying away the boy. She didn't know
why she even cared for the brat. She pledged herself to this mission so she could gain her
freedom, so she may have a chance to someday return to the Monarch's homeworld and rip the
evil Queen apart. What is this boy's life to all the lives she may save in the future, to the hundreds
of worlds she could save from the Monarch's harvest? It was almost instinctive to protect this
boy, like she was trained to. Rettan's eyes widened at the realization she just made. Just as she
was trained throughout her young life to protect her Prince Vegeta, Rettan automatically
responded to this boy with a Protectorant's instinct, keeping the boy safe at any cost. To Rettan's
surprise she was quite content with this realization. She thought that the days of her youth were
lost to her, that her values and morals were stripped from her after years of torture at the hands of
Frieza and his evil mother. Snapping her head to the sky Rettan could feel an extremely powerful
ki coming towards them at an incredible speed, faster and stronger than anything Rettan had ever
felt. As soon as Rettan turned back to the Hunters she knew that their scouters had picked up the
signal and were sounding an alarm. Rettan whistled softly to herself as the scouters began to
explode one by one, each overloading with the amazing power of the approaching being.
"Get the boy! Bring him to me!" The Captain yelled, his voice teetering on the edge of
panic. He knew what was coming for him. It was a Saiyan, and a damn powerful one. Most
likely the one that bested Frieza and the rest of the damned clan. Her instincts taking over Rettan
rushed to the boy's side, who was now awake and fully aware of what was happening. Just as she
was about to grab the boy a sword was placed under her chin, forcing her to stop dead and stay
perfectly still.
"Remember Mongrel. We share the same blood. You got your speed from my sister you
know. I'm am just as fast or faster than you, you filthy Monkey." The Captain said with a cruel
grin on his lips. Tilting the sword he forced Rettan to look into his eyes.
"Don't remind me." Rettan snorted. "It was you who murdered my own mother when
you found out that she 'fraternized' with the enemy. But you see, ultimately, she was weak. She
didn't want to have the blood of her own family on her hands. Lucky you. She would have
ripped your weak little body apart." She snarled, glaring into the Captain's hate-filled eyes. With
a slap of her hand Rettan batted the sword away and grabbed the boy.
"You alright boy?" She asked as she flew into the sky with him in her arms.
"Uh, yeah, My name's Trunks, so don't call me boy, okay?" Trunks said as his lavender
hair blew across his face. Rettan turned to face the Captain who she thought was right behind
her. He wasn't. He still stood on the ground, and he wasn't watching Rettan. The powerful ki
was getting closer.
"Dad!" Trunks yelled excitedly. Rettan held the boy back, not wanting to give the
Hunters a clear shot at him.
"Rettan!" The Captain yelled up to her. Rettan was shocked, none of the Hunters ever
called her by her Saiyan name. It was always monkey, mongrel or half-breed. Always something
degrading. "Rettan! We will let the boy live if you stand by us against this Saiyan! Please!
You're brethren need you!"
Rettan couldn't help but chuckle. Those rats down there would never be her brethren, but
she could not deny this boy a chance at escape.
"Go Trunks. Before your father gets here. Pray that he defeats us quickly. I'm sorry, but
I have to stand against him or I die." Rettan said as she pointed to the collar around her neck. "I
already risked a lot by helping you. Go. I SAID GO!" Rettan yelled at Trunks when he would
not leave her side. Watching Trunks fly away she saw the other boy, the one that looked like a 3rd
class warrior rush up to him. He was watching all along! Rettan smiled at the loyalty these two
had for each other. She knew that kind of loyalty once. Cursing under her breath she landed
beside her hated uncle.
"Take this blasted thing off my neck." Rettan said to him in a quiet, menacing voice.
"Sorry darling, but orders are orders. We cannot take it off." The Captain said with a
wink at one of his soldiers. Rettan rolled her eyes, noticing the obvious wink.
"Whatever. Stay out of this. This Saiyan is mine. Oh, and one other thing. You even
look at those boys and I will rip your heart out of your chest and cram it down your throat."
Rettan said as she readied her spear.
"Forgive me." Rettan prayed to whoever could hear her. With a yell she powered up and
shot into the sky, towards the approaching ki. She was hoping to take this powerhouse by
surprise, by rushing him instead of waiting. As soon as she caught sight of him she came to a
dead stop and went into a fighting 'stance' (if you could call it a stance in midair). Trunks father
stopped just as suddenly. Energy crackled all around him and his eyes were wild with rage.
Rettan's jaw dropped. The man stood maybe 5'3", had extremely spikey black hair and jet black
eyes. He was wearing Saiyan armor and his muscled body twitched with the anticipation of a
fight. It was all there, Rettan could see it. The way his jaw was cut, his widow's peak, the
handsome features of his face. It was Prince Vegeta! Her Prince! Rettan was so surprised that
she nearly dropped her spear. She was even more surprised when a huge ki blast erupted from
Vegeta's outstretched hand and came shooting towards her. Instinctively Rettan shot off a ki
blast of her own, which countered Vegeta's.
"Vegeta!" Rettan screamed. She knew that he could not hear her. He was in a "Saiyan
Rage". Something that was feared across the galaxy. When Saiyans go into such a Rage, they
don't recognize anything but the battle lust. There were stories long ago about how Saiyans in a
Rage have murdered their entire families before coming out of it. Vegeta, Rettan recognized, was
now in that zone. He flew towards her with astonishing speed and slammed his fist into her gut.
She doubled over but recovered quickly enough to dodge his next three jabs. The fourth one,
however, she could not dodge. Vegeta's left fist caught Rettan in the gut again, which stopped
her in her tracks. Leaving a huge opening around her upper body Rettan knew that Vegeta would
go for it. Any Saiyan in a battle Rage lost the ability to think clearly, for if he had, Vegeta would
have noticed the slight angle that Rettan was at. As Vegeta lined up his second punch Rettan
spun in the air, kicking Vegeta in the face with a roundhouse. As Vegeta staggered for that
millisecond Rettan tackled him, catching him off guard. The two plummeted to earth, with
Vegeta underneath Rettan. Dust flew into the air as the two crash landed. Rettan was sitting on
Vegeta's chest, pinning his hands with her feet and his shoulders with her knees. She rested the
tip of her spear at the base of his throat, keeping enough pressure on it to let her Prince know it
was there.
"Prince!" Rettan said urgently trying to shake Vegeta from his rage. Slowly, his eyes
softened, slowly he recognized the form who pinned him.
"R-Rettan?" Vegeta managed to say. He was shocked! How could she have survived
Frieza's attack on their home planet? How did she find him here? A thousand questions raced
through Vegeta's brain as he stared at his old friend. It was Rettan alright. Searching her face he
looked into her eyes and was lost. He could remember the heartbreak he felt when he thought he
lost her, the overwhelming emotion that he soon learnt to lock out of his heart. Seeing the tears
well in her eyes he knew that it was the same for her. Sitting up, Vegeta propped himself on one
elbow and reached towards Rettan's face. Rettan slid down to his midriff, but didn't make any
move to get off of him. Brushing a tear from her cheek Vegeta still couldn't believe that this was
real. She closed her eyes, feeling his hand on her face, with disbelief and unbridled happiness
welling up inside of her. She fell into his arms and began to weep, something she had not done
since Frieza told her Vegeta had died. She clung to him, believing this to be a dream, a dream
that she did not want to wake up from. Stunned, Vegeta wrapped his arms around his friend, not
wanting to let go. They sat like that for several minutes, not wanting to let go of each other, but
knowing they must.
"Your son, Prince Vegeta. It was they who had me attack your son." Rettan said as she
pulled away from him. She did not want to tell Vegeta that she was the one who delivered
Trunks into the Hunters hands but she knew that she had to.
"Who forced you to?" Vegeta said getting to his feet. Rettan remained on her knees,
being careful not to look into her Prince's eyes.
"The Hunters." She said quietly. She was ashamed about that. Hunters were the mortal
enemies of Saiyans, and there was no honor in becoming a prisoner, or even worse, a slave, to
those bastards. A true Saiyan would rather die. Rettan stood up and presented her spear to her
Prince.
"I have betrayed you and brought dishonor to both you and myself. It is your choice as to
what should be done with a traitor." Rettan said, dropping to one knee. Vegeta was shocked.
How could his dearest friend ever expect that kind of thing from him? Shaking his head he
dropped the spear to the ground and knelt down, forcing Rettan to look at him.
"You are not the only one who became a slave. I did the same, knowing I had to do it to
survive. I am not dishonored or ashamed because of it. Not anymore. Besides..." Vegeta said
with a smirk. "Saiyans are great at payback." Rettan eyes brightened instantly.
"So it was you who killed Frieza!" Rettan exclaimed. Vegeta stood up and shook his
head.
"No, it wasn't me. It was another Saiyan. A damned 3rd class warrior named Kakkarott.
After that, when Cold brought his evil little bastard son back to life, it was my son that killed them
both!" Vegeta said with a proud look on his face.
"Your son? How can a child at that age destroy those two?" Rettan asked, her brow
furrowed.
"I'll explain it later. Where is my son right now?" Vegeta asked.
"Right here, papa." Trunks said as he and Goten landed at Vegeta's side. Vegeta smiled
slightly, knowing that his son was all right. When he looked back to his oldest friend the smile
slipped from his face. Rettan's sad eyes searched his.
"Son? That means that... you took a mate, Prince Vegeta?" Rettan asked. Her gaze
dropped to the ground, as she tried to push her disappointment and despair away. What was she
to expect? Why would he wait for her? He probably thought that she was dead. Hell, he would
not even have known that she was taken by Frieza the day after he was. Rettan's brow furrowed
and her thoughts fell inward. Damn that Frieza! Even now, that monster influences her life! She
is reunited with her Prince, but only to find that he has taken a different mate? Rettan's eyes
blazed as she thought of all the things she and Vegeta could have shared. That could be her son
standing there, not some Earth woman's. She could not blame Prince Vegeta for taking another.
She was actually happy that he did. Doing so probably gave him a purpose either than revenge,
which was Rettan's sole purpose ever since Frieza told her that Vegeta was dead. She looked to
the boy who stood beside Vegeta now, and she could feel an immense power within him. Vegeta
laid a hand tenderly on her shoulder, and Rettan looked to him with tears in the corners of her
eyes.
"Your son is worthy of the Saiyan birthright, and I serve him as I serve you." Rettan said
stoically in her and Vegeta's native tongue. With a smile she looked into Vegeta's eyes, eyes that
shone with a father's pride. Vegeta nodded at the declaration and looked to his son who seemed
in awe of the whole exchange. Rettan coughed and pulled away from her Prince.
"Prince Vegeta, there are seven Hunters' here, two injured, one critically. I can't gauge
how powerful they are, but they will be able to match our speed and strength. However, my bet is
if that 3rd class over there..." Rettan nodded towards Goten, "If he can become a legendary Super
Saiyan, I'm sure that you and your son also can."
"However, my power is seriously compromised because of this damned collar around my
neck. If I attempt to take it off, it'll explode. Therefore I can't take stand against Hunters
without facing certain death..." Rettan said as she casually spun her spear in her right hand. Her
brow furrowed as she thought of all of the possible outcomes. "But..." She reasoned, "If I go in
first and take out the Hunters' Captain, you would be able to easily walk into the fray and take
them all down at once! They would be lost without the Captain to guide them."
"No." Vegeta said sternly. Rettan spun around to face him.
"Prince?" Rettan said, not understanding. She was confused. Vegeta knew that this plan
would work. He knew the capabilities that the Hunters' had collectively, he studied their tactics
alongside Rettan.
"I said no Rettan. I am more than capable of destroying these fools. I will not allow you
to commit suicide when I can take care of them myself." Vegeta explained. The look on his face
allowed for no arguments. Rettan could only nod.
"Alright Prince. You are in command here so I must comply. However, if I see that you
are in any kind of trouble it is my duty to assist and protect you, even on my life." Rettan said,
determined to again begin her role as protectorate to the Prince. At least that would not be taken
away from her.
"Fine." Vegeta agreed. He could see the determination in her eyes, and his memories
reminded him that he could never win an argument against Rettan.
"Good. Now, they have no scouters left, so they have no clue that you are coming. For
the next two minutes I'll make three huge explosions, making the Hunters think that we are
fighting here. When the third one registers attack the Captain first." Rettan ordered. Trunks was
amazed when his father nodded his agreement. His proud father was taking orders? Trunks
shook his head as he began to realize what this lady must mean to his father. He watched Rettan
plant her spear in the ground beside her and closed her eyes. The wind whipped her hair around
her face, and only then did he notice that she had a tail. When he glanced up at his father, he saw
that his father noticed too. Vegeta was actually watching it rather intently until he noticed that
Trunks was looking at him. With a cough he quickly changed his gaze back to Rettan's face.
Rettan opened her eyes and screamed to the skies, allowing the power to flow through her
body. She could feel the energy she commanded crackle around her and she smiled as she
focused on a tree a ½ mile away from where she and the others stood. Glancing at Vegeta she
gave him a mischievous smile and pointed towards the tree.
"Double Edge Blade." Rettan whispered, never taking her eyes off of Vegeta. Vegeta
returned her smile instantly, remembering the times that he and Rettan had spent naming every
single energy attack they had made. A small blue light flickered in the palm of Rettan's hand, and
after forming into a small ball of energy it shot towards the tree at an amazing speed. It hit the
tree with a single puff of smoke, and then there was nothing. Rettan allowed the energy she had
gathered to disperse and pulled her spear free from the ground.
"What? Is that it? Choatzu can do better than that!" Goten yelled as Rettan turned her
back and began walking away.
"HE CAN NOT!" Trunks yelled at Goten. For some reason Trunks was beginning to get
very protective of his father's friend.
"Uh-huh!" Goten said defensively.
"Nuh-uh!" Trunks retorted. Vegeta rolled his eyes as he grabbed both Trunks and Goten
by the backs of their shirts and turned away from the tree. As soon as he did there was a flash of
light and a huge explosion. Vegeta and Rettan kept their backs to the explosion as dirt, smoke
and trees flew by them. As the dust cleared Trunks smirked at Goten,
"See? Now can Chaotzu do that?" Trunks said, still hanging by his shirt in Vegeta's
grasp. Goten stuck out his tongue at Trunks only to be answer with a boot to the face. Annoyed
by the boys Vegeta dropped them both to the ground and stepped over their wrestling bodies.
Standing beside Rettan he said quietly,
"I am glad that you are alive." With that he was gone. Trailing behind him was a streak
of light, and Rettan's ears popped as her Prince broke the sound barrier right beside her. With a
smile she choose two more targets to use the Double Edge Blade on.
* * * *
The second explosion ripped through the air behind him, but Vegeta barely even noticed
it. Thousands of questions again flooded his mind. How did Rettan survive so long? More
importantly, why did she ever submit to becoming a puppet of the Hunters? In an instant Vegeta
knew. It was because of him. They could have threatened her life as much as they wanted and
she never would have given in. But, if they threatened his life, she would have done anything. He
could feel an immense anger grow deep inside of him.
Vegeta began thinking of all the things that happened to him under Frieza's rule, of all the
ridicule he had to endure. He knew that it would have been worse for Rettan. He had seen first
hand what Frieza would do to break a woman's spirit. Vegeta's heart grew cold with the
realization. As he came upon the ships he allowed his anger to consume him. He would make
these bastards bleed for what they had done. Coming to a dead stop Vegeta floated high in the
air, in full view of the Hunters. He didn't care anymore if they saw him. The Hunters could have
prepared all they wanted, but he would see the ground littered with their bodies before the sun
set. His attention was drawn to the Captain who was frantically screaming out orders. Vegeta
grinned evilly. The Captain would be the first to die.
* * * *
From atop of Dende's lookout, Piccolo's scowl deepened. He could feel eight
unrecognizable ki's, and one was extremely powerful. Dende stood quietly behind Piccolo,
waiting for an explanation. Finally, he got one.
"Vegeta's ki joined up with these new ones. Goten and Trunks are there too." Piccolo
said over his shoulder. Seven of those ki's were smaller than Vegeta's. Considerably smaller.
Still, Piccolo's intuition was screaming that something wasn't right.
"Stay here, and be ready for some patients." Piccolo growled. He could feel it in the pit
of his stomach. Something very bad was about to happen. He never felt so uneasy in his life.
Jumping off the edge of Dende's lookout Piccolo allowed his body to free fall for a couple of
seconds before kicking into a supersonic flight. He needed to reach Vegeta before anything could
happen.
* * * *
"Lonicer, get the troupes into formation. Sequence 373. Kill that damned Monkey!" The
Captain barked. He looked up to Vegeta and mustered his courage as his Hunters scurried into
position.
"Prince Vegeta! You have been deemed a traitor to the Monarch and are charged with the
murders of King Cold, His High Lord Cooler and His High Lord Frieza. Your sentence is death!"
The Captain managed to say with an air of confidence. However, his confidence was once again
shattered when laughter was his only reply.
"You think that a bunch of snotnosed, pansy-assed punk wusses like you could defeat me?
ME? The Prince of the Saiyans?" Vegeta growled indignantly when his laughter finally subsided.
"So... you managed to kill the half-breed, Prince? As I recall, she was quite fond of you at
one time, was she not? How did it feel when you ripped the soul from that disgusting mongrel's
body?" The Captain chided. He was walking on dangerous ground, but if Vegeta had killed
Rettan without even knowing it was her, maybe it would be enough to push him over the edge.
Perhaps his emotions would get the better of him and leave an opening in his defenses. The
Captain's hopes deflated as Vegeta once again started laughing.
"I killed her with three shots. Oh, and I know that she was stronger than any of you weak
Saeriyans. I..." Vegeta was cut off as the third explosion ripped through the air. He felt like
punching himself in the gut, he was supposed to wait until the third explosion and then attack the
Captain! Vegeta shook his head, feeling as stupid as he thought Kakkorotto was. Growling, he
watched the Captain's face turn from confusion to amusement. He now knew that Rettan was
still alive.
"I almost fell for it! Your mongrel bitch probably thought of this plan, eh? She distracts
us with a pathetic light show and you rush in to kill us. Tell me, did you kiss and make up for
abandoning her to Frieza?" The Captain laughed. Vegeta's eyes glowed with hatred. He hated
being made a fool of, and this time it was his fault.
"Lonicer. Kill the mongrel." The Captain ordered one of his soldiers. Lonicer looked
hesitantly to Vegeta and pulled a small remote control device from a pouch on his belt. Keeping
his eye on Vegeta, Lonicer grinned and moved his finger toward the button. Out of nowhere a
lazer ripped through Lonicer's chest. Gasping for breath the Hunter fell to his knees, staring
straight into Vegeta's cold eyes. The Hunter slumped to the ground, dead, and the remote
control device slipped from his fingers. Confused, Vegeta looked up from the dead Hunter and
saw Piccolo standing over him, with a look that would frighten a dead man etched on his face.
"A Namek? What the hell?" The Captain screamed. His remaining Hunters gathered
behind him, weapons ready. Piccolo glanced at Vegeta, who was actually relieved for once that
the Namek showed his ugly green head. Giving Piccolo a slight nod, which caught even the
Namek off guard, Vegeta turned his attention to the Captain.
"Well, one down Hunters. Six to go." Vegeta smirked. His eyes fell on the Hunter that
Goten had injured earlier. He was laying on the ground, unconscious. Vegeta looked back to the
Captain and grinned. He pointed his finger at the unconscious Hunter and a blinding white light
shot toward the unconscious man. The air shook with the explosion as the Hunter disintegrated.
"Whoops. Make that five." Vegeta sneered. The Captain's eyes widened. His options
were disappearing by the second. He only had one chance left.
"TRANSFORM HUNTERS! NOW!" The Captain screamed at his depleted group.
Without a second thought the Hunters screamed to the sky, and power ripped through the entire
group. Vegeta and Piccolo watched as first the Captain began to change and then one by one, his
remaining began to follow suit, transforming into huge feline beasts. Their screams turned into
roars as each changed, and the two female Hunters transformed into even larger beasts than the
males did. Their size grew until they became as large as Buick's and their ki's doubled, tripled,
and then quadrupled. Piccolo scowled, they were going to have some trouble here. He could feel
the Hunters' ki's rising still. Dammit, Piccolo thought to himself, where the hell was Goku when
you really needed him?
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