Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, and I never will, but Shani, Blaze and the other young lords and ladies at Frieza's training school are mine...err they will be, when they are introduced.
Notes: Now that Frieza has made a move against Vegeta, Napa's loyalties are torn, but what is he going to do about it? Blaze, the Spell Dragon knows what's going to happen, but since she can't directly intervene too much, can she help steer things to a better outcome, or will everything foretold still come to pass? And what will happen when Frieza finds out that Shani's dragon knows the future, including his eventual demise at the hands of a mysterious Saiyan?
Shadows of the Past: Chapter 7
As Vegeta finished off the last of the Saibamen, he turned around to see a strange alien operating the controls of his training session, and even before he saw its evil grin, he knew that something was very wrong… Where was Napa, and who was that? Better question, what had just tapped him on the shoulder? That was the content of his thoughts as he turned back to the main part of the training room to see a huge blob-like creature leering at him. It was disgusting and reminded him of Dodoria. Although it was drooling and Dodoria rarely did that. A persistent sting in his shoulder where the thing had tapped him made him reach up and scratch at it… his glove came away bloody.
Was it poison… or acid? Either way Vegeta knew he had to end this now. The terrible itch in his shoulder persisted, and it was almost maddening not to be able to touch it, but he wasn't stupid, he knew better and he forced the pain from his mind as he charged at the foul opponent chosen for him. His concentration was strong, fortunately training with his father had taught him that pain could be ignored, and used as added fire to drive himself to victory. When the blob made no move to defend itself, Vegeta guessed that it's whole body was poisonous, so he stopped at the last moment and jumped back, as he did, fired a minor Ki blast at it. The blast left a big hole in the creature, but it smoothed its self out only a few seconds later. Was it regenerating, he wondered or was it merely rearranging itself? Well, there was only one way to find out… another thing he had noticed, was that this creature was completely silent, it hadn't made a sound as he had blasted it, or anything. It appeared to have a mouth, but it might be telepathic, instead…
' I am impressed. ' The thing said, into his mind ' Frieza has a fondness for new powers and abilities; he learned that one, from me. But he still has a ways to go before he will be able to match me in it. '
' You're wasting my time; I was born with this power as well. ' Vegeta snapped back at the creature.
' Indeed, we are wasting time, so why don't you attack, your acid guess was excellent, but it is also a poison, you should be feeling its effects any time now. ' The thing gave him a cold chuckle. ' Indeed, the first thing that happens, as you can see, is the acid burns away whatever it touches, and then you will start to feel lightheaded and dizzy. After you find yourself unconscious, you probably won't be waking up. Napa is too stupid to know how to help you. So, Tiny, are you scared yet? Don't tell me the tiny Prince of Saiyans can be beaten so easily, as a tap on the shoulder. '
" Who are you calling tiny? Asshole, I'm about to put you on a diet, while you've been chattering, I've been channeling. " Vegeta said, using his most evil smirk. " If you can't dodge, you are dead. So, fat boy… would you like a moment to pray? "
' N…NO! Please I have the antidote it's in the control room. Please don't kill me, this was Frieza's idea, I didn't want to hurt you… '
Vegeta pretended to consider his plea. " If you can contact Lord Frieza, would you give him a message for me? "
' Anything, just please, don't kill me. '
" Tell him that the next time he interrupts my training with an assassin, at least make it a good one. " Vegeta growled, and his dark eyes glittered dangerously. And that was the last thing the alien saw, before a flash of blue-white light erupted from the outstretched palm of the prince's gloved hand. " On second thought, just do us both a favor, and die. "
Vegeta didn't get to admire his handiwork, because out of the blast, came one huge ball of the orange muck. Had he not been standing so close to the thing he would've been out of its range, and he tried to jump away, but the majority of it still hit him in the gut. Immediately he felt it searing through his armor and his bodysuit, quickly he tried to wipe it off with one of his gloves, but found that it only started to eat them as well. He noticed that the other alien had vacated the control room, but not before putting up the blast door to the room he had been in, and beyond that, the door to the hallway was also blocked. He turned to glance at the dressing room doors and found them to still be sealed with the blast doors as well. Damn… left with no other choice, he concentrated on Napa. The overly large idiot was hard to reach though, and Vegeta knew why, he felt a familiar presence blocking him… Frieza.
He shuddered and fell to his knees as his young body reached the limits of its strength. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he tried to get up, and he made it, but he only got to take a few steps before his vision was started to blur, and he felt lightheaded, as pain lanced through his arm as he fell forward onto it. His stomach and his side felt as if they were on fire and he growled a curse at Frieza, before finally the darkness welcomed him fully.
" Do everything you do, eh Napa? Get yourself in trouble is more like it… " Radditz chuckled at the extremely pissed off elite warrior.
" Shut up, you fucking traitor!! You may like the idea of working for Frieza, but I for one, do NOT! I will serve no one before my prince, and you had better not either! "
" The Prince? That prince of yours is a five year old, in case you haven't noticed. "
" That five year old will be king one day, you bastard, and he is already strong enough to tear you apart one piece at a time, without even powering up. He is also very intelligent, and unforgiving. I am not very forgiving either, don't cross me, you third class pile of shit, or I will kill you myself. Partner or no, NO ONE disrespects the royal house in my presence. "
Radditz rolled his eyes as Napa turned away from him, but he said nothing, and it was just as well, for Napa turned back to him with a dark glare. " One more thing, soldier, take a bath as soon as possible. "
" What?!? "
" I can't very well introduce you to the prince if you stink, can I? "
" Listen you elite jerk, you may be the prince's bodyguard, but this isn't Planet Vegeta, in case you haven't noticed!! "
" I will only say this once, it doesn't matter where we are, we are still Saiyans, and when you became a warrior, you took an oath to defend the royal house! If you would like to take it back, the prince will take your life as forfeit. I for one am proud to serve the prince, he acts twice his age, and in spite of our hopeless situation he has not given up, unlike you. He is cunning, and completely ruthless, Radditz. You had best remember that, and mind your manners when you meet him. "
" I think you are insane, going against Frieza is… "
" I am not going against Frieza, for now it is in the prince's best interests that we do as he says. I know better than you do that going against Frieza is a death sentence, I have lived in the palace my entire life, and I saw the power he held there! Do you think it was easy for me to watch my best friend go from the youngest king we ever had, into a monster? His mate was taken from him, slowly they took his power, and now he has lost his heir. The last time I saw our king I was with the prince aboard this ship as he was taken to an audience with Frieza, and we just talked to the ruler that is still alive. "
" What?! Are you saying the king is dead?! "
" Frieza has no reason to keep him alive any longer, he got what he wanted from the Saiyans, and his taking the prince was a test… and our former king failed it, or so the prince told me… "
" The prince told you that? How could he? "
" He is smart, strong, and possesses a ruthless cunning I have only seen in much older warriors. He will be the next super Saiyan, provided he lives long enough. Frieza will not kill him outright for a few years yet, but he has every intention of seeing just how far and how hard he can be pushed before… "
" Before what? "
Napa said nothing for a moment; he had the strangest feeling that the Prince was trying to reach him…Napa's enormous fist hit the paneled wall of the elevator and continued through it. " Fucking HELL! I knew I should never have let that bastard stay in there unsupervised with the prince! " Napa bellowed, forcing the elevator doors open.
" What is wrong? "
" I don't know how I didn't sense it earlier, but the prince is in trouble. He barely got through to me, and now I don't sense him at all. "
" He couldn't be dead could he? "
" Hell no, but he must be serious trouble, he would never ask for anything if his life didn't depend on it. He would rather die than ask for help, but I keep reminding him that he is too important for that extreme. If he dies, then everything really is lost. Shit! "
" Is there a problem here? " Asked a female officer with a coy smile.
" There will be if someone does not open the door to the training rooms. " Napa growled, picking her up by her throat.
The purple skinned woman paled considerably and managed to nod, showing them the keys, which Radditz took, and Napa dropped her, watching uneasily as she scampered down the hall out of sight.
" Damn. " Radditz muttered, " What key is it? "
" I don't know, try them all if you have to! " Napa snapped. " Hurry up! "
" I'm trying, I've only been on this ship for an hour! "
" Step aside, then gentlemen, and let me. " Said a small sweet voice that could only belong to Shani. Sure enough, the tiny elf squeezed gracefully between them and sauntered up to the electronic lock.
" Who in the hell is that? And what…"
Napa just gave the other Saiyan a sharp glare and shook his head as Shani began humming as she pressed the buttons with her eyes closed. Each key made a slight noise, and each sound was a bit different, only her sharp ears and theirs ever seemed to pick it up, but Napa had never wathed the door being unlocked before, so he had no idea how to guess the correct sequence. Shani, though, had extremely fast hands, and they enabled her to make her guesses faster than anyone else he had ever seen. Napa shook his head wonderingly as a Vegeta- like smirk cross her features, just as the blast doors came down, and the door came open. For a moment, there appeared to be no sign of the prince in the training room, and then Napa got to the control booth and looked straight down… there lay the prince, badly damaged and practically surrounded by a disgusting and slightly crispy orange ooze.
" Oh no! " Shani cried tugging on Napa's arm, " How do we get down there? "
" You are going to stay right here and help Radditz keep a lookout, if the little blue bastard comes back, I want to… talk to him. "
" I want to go with you, please? "
" No, it is possibly dangerous down there, and I am sure the orange stuff down there is responsible for his condition, you aren't getting anywhere near it. "
" You aren't the boss of me…"
" Radditz, keep her up here. "
" I'm a warrior, not a baby-sitter! "
Napa didn't bother to answer, as he took the easy way down and hovered above Vegeta for a moment. From here he got a much better look at the prince's mangled shoulder, the remains of a small orange blob were slowly eating away the skin and muscle tissues. But that wasn't what worried him. Vegeta's breathing was harsh and very shallow, since he had collapsed onto his stomach, Napa was positive that he wasn't going to like what he saw when he rolled him over. Well, he could see that he didn't have any time to waste, so he turned him over as gently as possible, steeling himself for the worst, and wasn't disappointed… He was a mess, a smear of orange was still on the remaining half of his breastplate, and Napa could see that the stuff had eaten its way through, leaving nothing in tact. Whatever it was; this stuff was extremely potent, and it had eaten away most of the skin where most of the orange stuff must have hit him. There was almost no bleeding at the site though, and that was the one thing Napa liked about this. Thanks to his father, Vegeta had survived worse, Napa tried to tell himself, but looking back at the weird orange goop, he wasn't as sure as he sounded to Shani and Radditz, carrying the prince down to medical.
" Are you sure he's alive? " Radditz ventured quietly as the three of them watched a team of white-coated lab techs take him away.
Napa snorted indignantly. " Of course he is, he was breathing when they took him… "
" Mr. Napa, sir… " Shani whispered, " This morning at breakfast Lord Frieza told me that I couldn't play with Vegeta anymore, and when I asked him why, he just smiled and told me that Vegeta was going to be busy for a few days. What did he mean by that? Can't the tank thing make him better? "
" Princess Shannelle, you shouldn't be here, you need to go back to your room. I'll find a way to get word to you when Prince Vegeta is all right. "
" Can't I stay for a little bit, in case he wakes up? " She looked at him through two tear-filled, silvery eyes and an innocence he wasn't prepared for, but Napa still managed to shake his head.
Shani bowed her head sadly and was about to cry some more when Napa gave her a stern look. " You were indispensable help to us getting that door open, princess, but I don't think Frieza would appreciate knowing that you have been breaking into rooms all over his ship. It would be safer for all of us if you just pretend that you don't know he is hurt. For destroying the elevator and assaulting an officer I am certain to get in trouble, I do not want to take the two of you with me… "
" Yeah, not to mention that you've already pissed off Frieza once today, you big moron, you could have gotten us both killed doing that! "
" Hardly, you idiot, now Frieza knows that you are the weak link in the three of us that are here. That is all he was really interested in you and I for. I am certain that this mission he wants us to carry out is a trap, but I don't know why he would bother, he knows that the Prince is the only threat to him, and Vegeta is the one he wants to keep! "
" A trap for us? You're right about one thing, I know I'm pretty far out of my league around here, and you're too stupid to pose a threat, so why bother? "
" Goodness you are a rude one Radditz, if I were Napa I'd have smacked you by now… " Said a small voice coming from Shani's bag, and they both quit fighting as Blaze climbed out and crawled up onto the little elf's shoulder. " Napa, I didn't mean now, we need to go somewhere and talk… "
" Can't be either of our rooms, or Prince Vegeta's either, it would have to be yours… "
" What in the fuck is that thing?? "
" It's a dragon, Radditz and no more swearing in front of the princess. " Napa snarled. " So are you Cereus or… Blaze? "
" I am Blaze… " The tiny dragon said her emerald eyes sparkling with mischief. Then she closed them in concentration, " Shut your eyes, gentlemen. "
Used to obeying orders without question, Napa shut his eyes. While Radditz didn't, and saw the shimmering white pool of light just an instant before it engulfed them all, blinding him and disrupting his sense of balance with a feeling of weightlessness and suspended time. He growled at the idea of being helpless to such a tiny creature, but the sensation passed quickly, replaced by a hard collision with the floor. Radditz got up quickly shaking with fury, but one look at the elite standing between him and the dragon was enough to stop him.
Napa let Radditz stalk off to a different corner of the room and looked down at Shani and Blaze. " What did you want to speak to us about? "
" Frieza's mission for you. "
" Why, "
" In a way, you are right, it is a trap, but Frieza won't be angry if you survive. Part of this is a test of your intelligence, and your power. He wants to see where your loyalties fall if you return, after you see his reward. He will be disappointed if you take his side, after your boldness in his throne room. But Radditz he is undecided upon, for now. Until you can be sure of his loyalty, watch Radditz carefully, he is a bit of a wildcard in the game so far. "
" So it's true, you really know the future? " Napa asked quietly.
" Of course she does! Blaze was with my mother when she was looking into the future all those times. And she even got to see Frieza get his ass kicked by some big blonde guy with spiked hair and some weird orange outfit! "
" Lady Shannelle Silversong! What would your mother or Ellen say if they heard you say something like that?!? " Blaze cried in well simulated disbelief, daring to cast a glance at Radditz, she watched his dark eyes turn from curious to impassive.
" Sorry Blaze… But that's not fair, Vegeta gets to swear all the time and no one gets mad at him! He says worse things than most Orcs!! "
" Young lady, go sit in your room and think about how such language reflects on your mother, Ellen and I. We taught you better than that! And I don't want you playing with your harp or your flutes either! "
" She has displeased you and you aren't even going to hit her? " Napa gasped in shock, as the little girl slammed the door.
" While I can shape change, that isn't the Elven way. When one of ours has done wrong we use our brains to think of something they won't like, and being left without her music hurts her much more than most anything else. Besides, she is very worried about her friend right now, and she realizes that it was Frieza who is ultimately responsible. Shani would not have said something so outrageous if she was not so worried. She is young and afraid, your prince is young as well, but very seldom seems afraid, she likes that, and she needs him. "
" The Prince seems quite fond of her as well. " Napa nodded slowly, he didn't want to think of what would happen when the two were separated, and he knew it would happen eventually…
" Yes, you are right, your Prince doesn't really realize it yet, but they are friends now. It will be very hard on them both when Frieza takes her to one of his other training halls later. "
" When will Frieza separate them? "
" Don't tell either of them, Napa, it will hurt them enough when it is time. To tell them now will only cause him to shut her out, and she will try harder, leaving him to feel guilt when she is gone. "
" I won't tell, but when? "
" Two years. " Blaze said softly.
" So what? " Radditz grunted coming back over quietly.
" Members of the royal house are raised alone, sometimes even separated from their siblings. She is the only person he has ever met that is his age. Being third class, you never really got to find out what loneliness is, did you, Radditz? " Napa sneered.
" Yes, well… " Blaze all but whispered, and yet both of the Saiyans still heard the slight smile in her voice. " My little Shani is hard to resist, isn't she? "
" Well, meeting you has taught me one thing so far, Napa… " Radditz growled. " I'm almost glad I'm not an Elite; I'd rather not be an asshole like you. "
" Don't start with me. All that matters right now is the prince. "
" Napa… " Blaze said thoughtfully. "The prince will be all right, but he will not awaken before you and Radditz have to leave. I think that was their main goal for the time being. If he isn't awake to know about it, he can't object to Frieza using you. And, your loyalty is commendable, but if we don't play nice, we are not going to make it. We land at Frieza's training grounds the day after tomorrow, you know. "
" So why does the Prince of Saiyans matter so much to you? "
" I would hope that it would be obvious, Radditz. Frieza has taken her and I away from our world, just as he has done to you and your prince. Shani and Vegeta have been friends ever since… I also consider him a friend. You don't know how lucky you are to have such strength in such a small child. "
" I wouldn't know, finding him bloody and dying in the training room was the first time I had ever seen him. I don't even know how he got into that condition. "
" I'm not sure either… " Napa said quietly " but I intend to find the little blue freak that does. "
Frieza was studying a hologram of the bright colored world where he was sending the two Saiyans who served their prince… or more specifically the big stupid one, and the discontented Radditz… oh yes this is going to be most, most satisfying. Even the little Elven princess would have her part to play in this…
The knock at the outer chamber door distracted him from his thoughts as Zarbon opened it just enough to address him. " Lord Frieza, everything is proceeding on schedule, although there is one thing… "
" What is it, Zarbon, I am quite busy at the moment. "
" The Fire Ooze you were keeping as a pet… is dead. "
Frieza chuckled slightly. " The prince killed a mature Fire Ooze? Was he alone? "
" Yes sire, Napa and Radditz were confirmed to be on the elevator… well, until Napa broke out of it quite suddenly. It appears he thought it wasn't opening quickly enough; he also assaulted one of your officers. "
Frieza was slightly perplexed as he thought about both the Ooze and the elevator, then he laughed as he said to Zarbon with a smirk. " That elevator, see that it repaired in short order. As for the Ooze… did it do its job? "
" Yes, the prince is injured… quite seriously, I might add. "
" So, it took Vegeta a while to figure out the acid, eh? "
" No, he figured it out instantly. I read the tracks. But the Ooze wasn't very smart; it must have given itself away somehow. Because the Saiyan's first attack was Ki, and he only needed two to destroy it. "
Frieza laughed again.
" What is so funny? Sire. "
" There seems to be an abundance of stupidity in the ranks of my men lately. It makes us look bad to be outdone by a pair of monkeys, does it not? Zarbon. "
Zarbon swallowed hard, hoping that he was dismissed soon. " Yes, and what are your orders for the remains of the Ooze and the officer? "
" Get the training room cleaned up as soon as possible, get rid of the Ooze, and keep Napa and Radditz under close watch. As to the officer, that will be seen to in time. "
" Shall I have Napa brought in for… questioning in regard to the officer? "
" No. We will let them have this little victory for now. It pleases me that Vegeta believes the ooze was meant to kill him? "
" I don't understand. My lord, why would you want that? "
" It is your lack of imagination that keeps you from being a leader, Zarbon, not a question of your skill. " Frieza chuckled dryly. " When I told Vegeta that I wanted him to trust me, I wanted him to know I didn't mean it the way it sounded…. Zarbon, what is the second great rule I taught you? "
" Don't trust anybody, sire. "
" Good, and the first? "
" Trust yourself, and your instincts. "
" Can you think of a way to use those two rules to sort of justify that I told him to trust me? Especially recalling that I might have been trying to kill him. "
" Trust no one… especially you. Because rule three is never give your back to an enemy. "
" Very good. You are dismissed, Zarbon. "
Hehehe… I do sooooooooo love being bad… No, it's not turning into a fantasy epic, but there will be magic in it until we loose Shani and Blaze. All the magic in the previous chapters was as an intro to how I will handle the 'lost art' for the remainder of their presence in the story. I love magic personally, and I don't think that its presence or lack of it can make, break or even define a story, unless it is abused in some way. Thank you though for ALL the reviews I love them all, and I reread them constantly for inspiration, and reassurance too, believe it or not. I hope that at least for the most part everyone appreciates my hard work, because it's partially for my readers that I continue to offer this. Thanks again, and please review.