Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ… don't sue me.
Shadows of the Past
Chapter 20
Since he got to class late, he didn't have a chance to tell Shani about what he had found in her room, so he reluctantly followed her to play practice that night. He couldn't help grumbling as Shani, Wires and the others ran ahead to hurry and get changed. Vegeta and Gunnar weren't in it, but the dwarf usually went to practices to get out of doing homework, and Wires just liked to watch. Unfortunately, as if it weren't bad enough that the play they were doing was unbelievably stupid, it was also the second half of the play's dress rehearsal tonight.
Shani was already the most talented actress in the entire school up to the seventh grade, and yet Gunnar had told him she had sulked for a week when Mrs. Shakespeare had posted the list of who got what parts and she was Jesse. Then, two weeks ago, while Vegeta had still been away on Shadin 5, the part she wanted had opened up, and this time, she had gotten it…
" She's really going to go through with this? " Vegeta grumbled as he and Gunnar found seats a dozen rows back from the stage.
" Do you really need to ask? " The dwarf grunted. " She says her lines constantly these days, Vegeta or hadn't you noticed? "
" What lines?? " Vegeta growled, but he didn't have time to say anything else, because the lights dimmed, and the curtains swept aside, revealing the stage. He could only shake his head wonderingly as Shani hopped lightly onto the stage in costume. He hated that ridiculous outfit on her. She was wearing a yellow and black felt costume that made her look like a fat little rat with rabbit ears, an odd looking tail and impossibly short legs with a disgustingly cute face and big dark eyes. Even more ridiculous was the creature's happy, sensitive nature and while he could see that Shani would definitely like such a creature, he couldn't believe she would ever dress up to look like it!!
She hopped lightly over to a boy from one of the upper classes who was wearing a pair of jeans, a tee-shirt, red jacket and a baseball cap. " Pikachu! " Shani blurted out happily. The boy on stage smiled down at her, patting the head of her costume lightly.
" Yeah! " The boy cried, making a "v" with his fingers, he cast a cocky look across the stage at the three figures who had just arrived. " Now that we have you back there's no way Team Rocket can beat us! They won't be getting any more Pokemon from this village! "
**
" Daddy!! " Bra gasped. " Did they really have Pokemon out there???? "
" Yeah! " Pan scooted up closer to look at him, then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. " Are you sure you aren't making that up? "
" I would die before I would make up something as absurd as allowing Shani to dress up like a stupid yellow rat! " Vegeta snapped. " And, if I had known these humans would ever adapt such a stupid old legend into an anime; I would've tried a lot harder to destroy this place when I first got here! I thought you two were the ones who wanted me to continue? "
" Of course we do! " Bra bounced up and down excitedly. " So Shani got to be Pikachu?? That's so cute!! "
Vegeta grumbled something under his breath but didn't get to continue with the story, because Bulma spoke up. " Vegeta? Did Radditz really betray you, when your planet was destroyed or did it just sound that way? "
He gave her a dark glare, then paused for a moment and looked down. " Radditz told Frieza that my father was going to attack his ship to try to get me back. But even if Frieza hadn't known about it in advance, there was no way they would have succeeded… Frieza was just too strong and I am sure he was hoping my father would do something like that. It gave him an excuse to get rid of the other Saiyans and allowed Frieza to demonstrate his ruthlessness to anyone else that might try something similar. I could have blamed Radditz, but I already knew as I saw my father leave that day that he was going to die. Yes, I was angry, but the past couldn't have been changed. Besides Radditz was only third class, but he was far smarter than Napa. I suppose I liked him, I just couldn't believe he let you beat him. Even together you shouldn't have been able to kill him, if he hadn't been toying with you, things would have been very different on earth by the time I got here. But power levels aren't just a question of physical strength, and Radditz never really understood that, neither did Napa or Frieza… or I. "
" So you knew but you left Radditz alive knowing that he betrayed you? " Gohan asked sounding surprised.
" It was my father that he betrayed. Your uncle was still very young when the order came to rendezvous with my father and his contingent of the royal guards. But Radditz wasn't stupid like Napa or suicidal like my father. He knew that their plan wouldn't succeed... If others had figured it out in time, there would have been more of us still alive to fight Frieza later. Bardock was only a third class squad commander so no one believed him, but I think it's true…I think whatever happened to your grandfather on Meat actually gave him the power to see the future. It's unfortunate that he used it to attack Frieza's ship alone; it would've been useful if he had learned to control it. Then again, knowing my father, he wouldn't have trusted Bardock's visions or he would've found some way to screw things up anyway. "
Trunks sighed, drawing little circles in the sand with a small stick. " You really did hate your father. Didn't you, Dad? "
" He gave me to Frieza. " Vegeta growled. " I understand now why he did it. But it is something I will never forgive. My father gave into Frieza's demands one after another until he found out the hard way that he was only a figurehead on his own throne and suddenly everything rested on my shoulders. By power level I was the strongest Saiyan ever born, the legendary warrior meant to overthrow the bastard and destroy him. I was still a child yet I had to survive among veteran soldiers and mercenaries. My father traded my life for one chance to redeem his honor, and he almost lost both... While I was still a child I was pretty safe from Frieza himself, he knew I wasn't dangerous yet. But, the men in Frieza's army were sometimes more dangerous to each other than the missions we were assigned to carry out. Lies, betrayal, murder, and revenge… I had already seen too much of it by the time I got to earth. Even among Frieza's favorite lieutenants and commanders these rivalries were still part of everyday life; they just weren't as obvious. Zarbon and Ginyue only got along when they were near Frieza. Zarbon and Dodoria weren't exactly friends either and Kiwi took it upon himself constantly to try to get in my way. "
" Who's Kiwi? " Krillin asked. " I don't remember that name. "
" I didn't meet him until I was 17. He was also the first of Frieza's men unfortunate enough to encounter me on Namek, so really our rivalry didn't last very long. " Vegeta purred. " That idiot never could call my bluff, but that last time we fought I really was stronger. "
" That's nothing. " Gohan grunted, " Dr. Gero was an android and he couldn't tell either, remember? Honestly, I don't think I've ever known anyone quite as intimidating as you can be, when you want to, Vegeta."
Vegeta snorted bitterly. " Just one more thing I learned from Frieza and his goons. You couldn't possibly understand how infuriating it was to know that those bastards were stronger than me, and that meant that if they had seen through it I probably would've died during that first year… or any one of a thousand occasions in the 23 years that followed. Even when I arrived here when my power was at 18,000, Kiwi, Dodoria, Zarbon and all of Ginyue's idiots were much stronger than I was. Unless I could've used my transformation, any of them could've killed me. When I left this planet I was very lucky I was right, that Frieza wanted me healed so I could stand trial for betraying him. "
" Yeah I guess so… hey, dad? I've been wondering, exactly what was your power level when Frieza took you? " Trunks asked. " I mean how strong were you? "
" I was born with a power level of 100. By comparison, Kakarrot had a five when he was born. By the time Frieza took me from my father I was consistently ranking at least 3,000 points. After the mission to Calderas, when I found out my planet was destroyed, I had reached 4,000. When I had been at the school for a year, around the time of that stupid play, I was at 5,000. "
" How could you have been that powerful when you were that young? And for Frieza to treat you so badly… " Bulma sighed. " It just doesn't seem right. "
" I was more concerned about Frieza's sudden interest in Shani than I had been in the way he treated me. He had left her alone for almost a year, and suddenly his soldiers were searching her room? She could have fixed the door to her room with her magic, but I didn't think Frieza or Zarbon should know about that, so she and Blaze stayed in my room with me that night but we talked and played Tarchen the whole time anyway. I think Shani knew something was going to happen soon, because I remember Blaze had gone to sleep, but we stayed up. Shani never could sleep when something was really bothering her. I guess during my missions she would always go down to the kitchen and talk to Elda and Alta, since they worked all night anyway. But, until she told me that I never understood how much she meant to me too... "
The next chapter will be longer.