The Price of Power 9
By: Kichi
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (sigh) especially Vegeta.
"THAT FUCKING BASTARD CHEATED!!!!!!" Prince Vegeta bellowed in rage. He'd jolted awake a few minutes after the match and lurched to his feet, screaming curses and swearing vengeance. He took off in a dead run as soon as he spotted the green alien near Frieza.
"The way you ended that match was not to my satisfaction, Zarbon." Zarbon was about to reply when he noticed Frieza's gaze switch to something just behind him. He quickly jerked his head back only to have it come in contact with a foot. He crashed into the seat that had been occupied by Frieza a half-second ago, groaning as he slammed into the cold stone. He shook his head a bit and leapt to his feet.
"Zarbon! Vegeta!" Frieza snapped. "Stop!!" Zarbon stiffened as he was about to leap into the air, but Vegeta in his fury, heard nothing. Frieza growled and sprung into the air, quickly punching Vegeta in the stomach. "You dare to disobey me?" he hissed as Vegeta groaned, slumping forward. The only thing that kept him in the air was Frieza's fist in his gut. "I will deal with you later." Frieza whispered, tossing the prince to the ground.
Zarbon watched uneasily. He knew he was to be "dealt with" next. He glanced at Vegeta who was hacking up blood on the arena floor, then gazed into Frieza's expressionless façade. An icy fear gripped him, why was Frieza angry with him? He'd won the fight just like Frieza had told him to. And so what if he grabbed Vegeta's tail? The boy was supposed to be desensitized already.. unless it was an impossible task.
"My Lord!" Zarbon pleaded. "I thought Vegeta's tail would be desensitized by now! I just wanted to distract him!" Frieza's icy eyes narrowed.
"Lies." Frieza hissed. "That is not what I saw. You acted like a weak coward. I will tolerate neither of those traits in my men." Before Zarbon could utter a protest, Frieza back-handed him and sent him flying.
Vegeta groaned and staggered to his feet. Before he could reach his full height, Zarbon flew into him. They crashed to the ground and Vegeta, once again, sank into darkness.
Vegeta lay, curled on the small, hard mattress in his quarters. His face was drawn in harsh lines of pain. His entire body throbbed in agony, Frieza's "lesson" had been harsh indeed. He'd beaten the young saiyan to the brink of unconsciousness, and then waited until Vegeta regained his senses only to beat him again. Vegeta bit his lip as the pain increased, his head was aching, his left eye was swollen shut, and his shoulder was dislocated. Frieza had made it clear that anyone giving Vegeta and Zarbon medical attention would die instantly. Vegeta could care less what happened to Zarbon, he hoped the green alien would die as painfully as possible. His back and abdomen were on fire from Frieza's fists and even his poor tail was writhing in agony, almost bald in a few places from being yanked by Frieza.
As far as Frieza was concerned, if Vegeta survived, he would become truly strong. He hoped to desensitize his tail as well, as Zarbon had obviously failed. He wanted to just yank the damn thing off altogether, then he wouldn't have to listen to Vegeta's piercing screams when it was grabbed.
And as far as Vegeta was concerned, this was one of the worst moments of his life. He couldn't sleep, the pain was too intense as were the thoughts that raced through his fevered mind. For the first time in his life he thought that death would be preferable to this existence. He shuddered at the thought, his stomach turning, and without warning he felt his mouth water uncontrollably. He crawled to the bathroom and began to gag as soon as he spotted the toilet. Drool ran down his chin and he rested his sweating forehead against the cold rim. His body jerked in spasms as he tried to expel whatever soured his stomach, but nothing but rivers of bloody saliva came out. He sobbed in agony and bit his lip, trying to hold his cries in. Frieza's taunting words echoed throughout his head. ::Pathetic...weak.. worthless..:: Vegeta felt hot tears trying to force their way out, but he stubbornly refused to let them go. He knew that there was no one there to hear him if he did cry, but he refused to give in. He couldn't bear to prove that Frieza was right, that he was weak. A strange pain filled his heart and he felt a lump in his throat that was making breathing difficult. :: Just don't think about it...:: a voice in his mind snapped. ::Think of something else, anything else but this...::
He clutched the toilet, trying to pull himself to his feet, but his legs refused to move. Despair clenched his heart and he felt himself losing the battle with his pride. Tears spilled down his smooth cheeks and he bit his lip again to hold back his cries, tasting blood as his teeth re-opened his split lip. He collapsed on the cold tiled floor, his body shaking with silent sobs. Everything he'd been raised to believe felt like a lie. The fact that he was a prince meant nothing to anyone, his power was constantly challenged and when he was put to the test, he was crushed.
The only thing that gave him a flicker of hope was his saiyan strength, which seemed to be growing daily. And then everything clicked. ::Power.. it's all I have, all I need, nothing else matters. My only goal is to grow stronger. To be the strongest warrior in the universe! I am the strongest saiyan in the universe yet it his nothing compared to Frieza! Nothing at all!! The only way I can destroy that bastard is to become a super saiyan! Then nothing will be out of my reach!:: his cries died to a soft, hoarse chuckle.
"I will destroy you Frieza, it is only a matter of time.."
Vegeta sank into unconsciousness and remained in dreams for a full day. When he woke next, he felt much stronger then he'd been during the match with Zarbon. He decided to test his strength.
Nappa flew into the far wall with a grunt. He collapsed in a heap on the floor. Vegeta frowned, ::That was too easy. I have to fight someone stronger..:: he left the training hall.
Vegeta scanned the mess hall with his scouter. There were a few people with a ki high above his and some whose were just a few hundred above. At least he thought they were a hundred or so above him. He hadn't gone all-out on Nappa so he didn't know what his ki really measured at. He marched up to a tall, orange fellow and kicked his chair out from under him. The man growled in rage as his lunch toppled down on him. The mess hall was suddenly filled with laughter. Vegeta himself tried to stifle his laughter, but he was failing miserably.
"You little bastard!" the orange alien shrieked. He leapt to his feet and threw a punch at Vegeta only to have it caught in the saiyan's small hand. He strained to pull his hand free but couldn't budge it an inch. Vegeta didn't say a word, he merely swept the alien's legs out from under him and began to drag him out the door. A few soldiers leapt to their feet, one advanced, his long, black hair trailing behind him.
"Where do you think your taking Ido?" he said as he fazed in front of Vegeta.
"I want to fight him. I want to fight you too." Ido jumped to his feet and again tried to pry himself from Vegeta's iron grip.
"Let go brat!" Ido yelled. "Bijan! Help me out!" he yelled to the alien with black hair. Vegeta turned and frowned.
"Perhaps my scouter is broken. You will be no challenge." He flung Ido away with a quick flick of his wrist. Bijan gaped in silence. "You however," Vegeta turned his gaze to Bijan, "Are stronger. You will fight me." Bijan frowned. He had no problem with that proposal, but he had the sinking feeling that the match wouldn't end how he hoped.
"Very well, Saiyan." He spat and followed Vegeta to the training hall.
Bijan hissed. The scouter had to be wrong! The boy before him was not even an adult by any race's standard, except perhaps his own. In the first minute of the fight Bijan realized that he had no hope of winning. The Saiyan was far too strong, and he was using every ounce of his brute strength to pummel Bijan into the far wall. He couldn't even raise himself. In a moment of pure panic, thousands of tiny needles shot out of Bijan's flesh and sank into Vegeta's.
Vegeta gasped as he saw the tiny missiles and quickly recoiled. But a few managed to hit him, but he ignored the pain. His ki flared, shoving Bijan to the ground. He then grabbed Bijan by the throat and tore out the creature's windpipe, ignoring the gurgling croaks the alien made as it died. Vegeta snarled, plopped down on the ground, and began to remove the tiny needles from his flesh.
A few hours later Frieza summoned Vegeta. He'd heard about the prince's latest exploit and sighed. Punishment seemed ineffective, so Frieza was going to take a different approach. Vegeta stormed in and Frieza smirked as the saiyan drew near.
"Why Vegeta, is something the matter?" Vegeta scowled, his face was pink and flushed. He did not speak, but merely shook his head. "Well then," he said, coldly smiling. "I'm sending you on a purging mission tomorrow morning. Be ready at 0600." Vegeta nodded mutely. And Frieza scowled. What was that saiyan up to? Why wasn't he talking? The pale alien didn't like the way the saiyan prince was acting. He abruptly turned but remained silent. Vegeta assumed he had nothing more to say, and turned, stalking out the door.
He would never tell anyone in a million years, but the reason he'd said nothing to Frieza was because he couldn't. Apparently he was having some sort of allergic reaction to the venom on Bijan's needles. Why else would his tongue be swollen? He hadn't bit it or anything. He headed to his rooms feeling suddenly exhausted. By the time he got there he was panting in exertion. It took all his strength to make it to his bed before passing into oblivion.
The next day Vegeta jumped into his pod and took off. His destination was all ready programmed into the pod's computer. Vegeta didn't find it odd that he was going alone, he figured either the natives were pathetically weak, or brutally strong. If they were the latter, he could only assume that Frieza wanted him to fail his mission and be killed. He felt uneasy as the stasis mechanism kicked on. Something was not right, and he would not find out until it was too late...
To Be Continued...
Sorry this took so damn long but I haven't been able to get on because I somehow deleted the application for my modem! I only added a sentence or two to this chapter but I believe that I am going to have to totally re-write the next few chapters cause they SUCK!! So please be patient.
If you don't feel like reviewing but still have questions or comments, e-mail me at Gattakka700@aol.com. ^.^ Later!!
By: Kichi
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (sigh) especially Vegeta.
"THAT FUCKING BASTARD CHEATED!!!!!!" Prince Vegeta bellowed in rage. He'd jolted awake a few minutes after the match and lurched to his feet, screaming curses and swearing vengeance. He took off in a dead run as soon as he spotted the green alien near Frieza.
"The way you ended that match was not to my satisfaction, Zarbon." Zarbon was about to reply when he noticed Frieza's gaze switch to something just behind him. He quickly jerked his head back only to have it come in contact with a foot. He crashed into the seat that had been occupied by Frieza a half-second ago, groaning as he slammed into the cold stone. He shook his head a bit and leapt to his feet.
"Zarbon! Vegeta!" Frieza snapped. "Stop!!" Zarbon stiffened as he was about to leap into the air, but Vegeta in his fury, heard nothing. Frieza growled and sprung into the air, quickly punching Vegeta in the stomach. "You dare to disobey me?" he hissed as Vegeta groaned, slumping forward. The only thing that kept him in the air was Frieza's fist in his gut. "I will deal with you later." Frieza whispered, tossing the prince to the ground.
Zarbon watched uneasily. He knew he was to be "dealt with" next. He glanced at Vegeta who was hacking up blood on the arena floor, then gazed into Frieza's expressionless façade. An icy fear gripped him, why was Frieza angry with him? He'd won the fight just like Frieza had told him to. And so what if he grabbed Vegeta's tail? The boy was supposed to be desensitized already.. unless it was an impossible task.
"My Lord!" Zarbon pleaded. "I thought Vegeta's tail would be desensitized by now! I just wanted to distract him!" Frieza's icy eyes narrowed.
"Lies." Frieza hissed. "That is not what I saw. You acted like a weak coward. I will tolerate neither of those traits in my men." Before Zarbon could utter a protest, Frieza back-handed him and sent him flying.
Vegeta groaned and staggered to his feet. Before he could reach his full height, Zarbon flew into him. They crashed to the ground and Vegeta, once again, sank into darkness.
Vegeta lay, curled on the small, hard mattress in his quarters. His face was drawn in harsh lines of pain. His entire body throbbed in agony, Frieza's "lesson" had been harsh indeed. He'd beaten the young saiyan to the brink of unconsciousness, and then waited until Vegeta regained his senses only to beat him again. Vegeta bit his lip as the pain increased, his head was aching, his left eye was swollen shut, and his shoulder was dislocated. Frieza had made it clear that anyone giving Vegeta and Zarbon medical attention would die instantly. Vegeta could care less what happened to Zarbon, he hoped the green alien would die as painfully as possible. His back and abdomen were on fire from Frieza's fists and even his poor tail was writhing in agony, almost bald in a few places from being yanked by Frieza.
As far as Frieza was concerned, if Vegeta survived, he would become truly strong. He hoped to desensitize his tail as well, as Zarbon had obviously failed. He wanted to just yank the damn thing off altogether, then he wouldn't have to listen to Vegeta's piercing screams when it was grabbed.
And as far as Vegeta was concerned, this was one of the worst moments of his life. He couldn't sleep, the pain was too intense as were the thoughts that raced through his fevered mind. For the first time in his life he thought that death would be preferable to this existence. He shuddered at the thought, his stomach turning, and without warning he felt his mouth water uncontrollably. He crawled to the bathroom and began to gag as soon as he spotted the toilet. Drool ran down his chin and he rested his sweating forehead against the cold rim. His body jerked in spasms as he tried to expel whatever soured his stomach, but nothing but rivers of bloody saliva came out. He sobbed in agony and bit his lip, trying to hold his cries in. Frieza's taunting words echoed throughout his head. ::Pathetic...weak.. worthless..:: Vegeta felt hot tears trying to force their way out, but he stubbornly refused to let them go. He knew that there was no one there to hear him if he did cry, but he refused to give in. He couldn't bear to prove that Frieza was right, that he was weak. A strange pain filled his heart and he felt a lump in his throat that was making breathing difficult. :: Just don't think about it...:: a voice in his mind snapped. ::Think of something else, anything else but this...::
He clutched the toilet, trying to pull himself to his feet, but his legs refused to move. Despair clenched his heart and he felt himself losing the battle with his pride. Tears spilled down his smooth cheeks and he bit his lip again to hold back his cries, tasting blood as his teeth re-opened his split lip. He collapsed on the cold tiled floor, his body shaking with silent sobs. Everything he'd been raised to believe felt like a lie. The fact that he was a prince meant nothing to anyone, his power was constantly challenged and when he was put to the test, he was crushed.
The only thing that gave him a flicker of hope was his saiyan strength, which seemed to be growing daily. And then everything clicked. ::Power.. it's all I have, all I need, nothing else matters. My only goal is to grow stronger. To be the strongest warrior in the universe! I am the strongest saiyan in the universe yet it his nothing compared to Frieza! Nothing at all!! The only way I can destroy that bastard is to become a super saiyan! Then nothing will be out of my reach!:: his cries died to a soft, hoarse chuckle.
"I will destroy you Frieza, it is only a matter of time.."
Vegeta sank into unconsciousness and remained in dreams for a full day. When he woke next, he felt much stronger then he'd been during the match with Zarbon. He decided to test his strength.
Nappa flew into the far wall with a grunt. He collapsed in a heap on the floor. Vegeta frowned, ::That was too easy. I have to fight someone stronger..:: he left the training hall.
Vegeta scanned the mess hall with his scouter. There were a few people with a ki high above his and some whose were just a few hundred above. At least he thought they were a hundred or so above him. He hadn't gone all-out on Nappa so he didn't know what his ki really measured at. He marched up to a tall, orange fellow and kicked his chair out from under him. The man growled in rage as his lunch toppled down on him. The mess hall was suddenly filled with laughter. Vegeta himself tried to stifle his laughter, but he was failing miserably.
"You little bastard!" the orange alien shrieked. He leapt to his feet and threw a punch at Vegeta only to have it caught in the saiyan's small hand. He strained to pull his hand free but couldn't budge it an inch. Vegeta didn't say a word, he merely swept the alien's legs out from under him and began to drag him out the door. A few soldiers leapt to their feet, one advanced, his long, black hair trailing behind him.
"Where do you think your taking Ido?" he said as he fazed in front of Vegeta.
"I want to fight him. I want to fight you too." Ido jumped to his feet and again tried to pry himself from Vegeta's iron grip.
"Let go brat!" Ido yelled. "Bijan! Help me out!" he yelled to the alien with black hair. Vegeta turned and frowned.
"Perhaps my scouter is broken. You will be no challenge." He flung Ido away with a quick flick of his wrist. Bijan gaped in silence. "You however," Vegeta turned his gaze to Bijan, "Are stronger. You will fight me." Bijan frowned. He had no problem with that proposal, but he had the sinking feeling that the match wouldn't end how he hoped.
"Very well, Saiyan." He spat and followed Vegeta to the training hall.
Bijan hissed. The scouter had to be wrong! The boy before him was not even an adult by any race's standard, except perhaps his own. In the first minute of the fight Bijan realized that he had no hope of winning. The Saiyan was far too strong, and he was using every ounce of his brute strength to pummel Bijan into the far wall. He couldn't even raise himself. In a moment of pure panic, thousands of tiny needles shot out of Bijan's flesh and sank into Vegeta's.
Vegeta gasped as he saw the tiny missiles and quickly recoiled. But a few managed to hit him, but he ignored the pain. His ki flared, shoving Bijan to the ground. He then grabbed Bijan by the throat and tore out the creature's windpipe, ignoring the gurgling croaks the alien made as it died. Vegeta snarled, plopped down on the ground, and began to remove the tiny needles from his flesh.
A few hours later Frieza summoned Vegeta. He'd heard about the prince's latest exploit and sighed. Punishment seemed ineffective, so Frieza was going to take a different approach. Vegeta stormed in and Frieza smirked as the saiyan drew near.
"Why Vegeta, is something the matter?" Vegeta scowled, his face was pink and flushed. He did not speak, but merely shook his head. "Well then," he said, coldly smiling. "I'm sending you on a purging mission tomorrow morning. Be ready at 0600." Vegeta nodded mutely. And Frieza scowled. What was that saiyan up to? Why wasn't he talking? The pale alien didn't like the way the saiyan prince was acting. He abruptly turned but remained silent. Vegeta assumed he had nothing more to say, and turned, stalking out the door.
He would never tell anyone in a million years, but the reason he'd said nothing to Frieza was because he couldn't. Apparently he was having some sort of allergic reaction to the venom on Bijan's needles. Why else would his tongue be swollen? He hadn't bit it or anything. He headed to his rooms feeling suddenly exhausted. By the time he got there he was panting in exertion. It took all his strength to make it to his bed before passing into oblivion.
The next day Vegeta jumped into his pod and took off. His destination was all ready programmed into the pod's computer. Vegeta didn't find it odd that he was going alone, he figured either the natives were pathetically weak, or brutally strong. If they were the latter, he could only assume that Frieza wanted him to fail his mission and be killed. He felt uneasy as the stasis mechanism kicked on. Something was not right, and he would not find out until it was too late...
To Be Continued...
Sorry this took so damn long but I haven't been able to get on because I somehow deleted the application for my modem! I only added a sentence or two to this chapter but I believe that I am going to have to totally re-write the next few chapters cause they SUCK!! So please be patient.
If you don't feel like reviewing but still have questions or comments, e-mail me at Gattakka700@aol.com. ^.^ Later!!