AN: ATTENTION! ::clears throat:: Thank you. Now, as many of you know, we are now starting a new saga, the Saiya-jin Saga. This saga starts about five years after the end of the first saga. YES, FIVE years. So, currently, the ages are:
Goku: 17
Chi-Chi: 18
Kuririn: 19
Buruma: 22
Vegeta: 23 (I don't care if these ages are right; these are the ages in here! Got it? Good. ^_^)
Kat's Advertisement Corner!
Read Solar Eclipse, by Doramouse. Thank you so much, Keios Thiori, for pointing it out!! Don't get thrown off by the summary, readers. It's amazing: highly original, and wonderfully written. Check it out! (And not even 100 reviews!)
Enjoy, and REVIEW! Please? You have no idea what joy it brings to me…even if you just say, "cool", I'll appreciate it. (Oh, and Kaz…how DO you do that?! ^^;;)
Through Thick and Thin
Chapter Fourteen: Haunting
"Why are you here…monkey?" His purple lips curved into a malicious smile as his slave trembled uncharacteristically. How he loved emotions. Sentiment gave him the ability to do anything with sentient creatures; pushing the correct buttons one could cause even the most arrogant puppet to bend. There was one, though…one that had, somehow, managed to completely shield his emotions. Actually, no one was really sure he had emotions anymore… "Well, it IS to his advantage," the guards would say. "Master is unable to control him. He's a rebel, that one."
"Of course. It has long been said that the royalty of Vejita-sei were impassive. Cruel, they are. Much like Lord, in fact."
"Ah! Don't let Lord hear you, Kintan. He would certainly kill you."
"True. Well, it's only a matter of time before he does, anyway. What are a few years less?" The guards grew silent at this statement. True though it was, it was a sort of truth that none are to speak of. An unsaid, silent agreement that dare not be spoken aloud, lest Lord dispose of them even earlier for being "weak" and "useless".
"Stop that foolishness, Kintan! Lord would never do such a thing!" The other guards nodded in agreement. Ignorance is bliss, people say. Would you rather live in a happy fantasy or a shocking reality? Many have fallen victim to this temptation. All of the Master's slaves- they called themselves "subjects", and their Master "Lord"- live in their own, shared fantasy. Master made sure of it. Speaking of who…
"Well? Speak up, slave!" the Master put a mocking emphasis on "slave".
"Yes, master…ah, it- it seems that- that…he has escaped." The servant looked at his master, hoping against all hope…
"WHAT?! How?! Ah, those idiotic guards!" Then a thought struck the master, and once again he grinned cruelly.
"Track his pod. I have a sneaking suspicion he has gone to enlist your younger brother, Radditz. Your assignment is to eliminate both... no, wait. Bring them both back to me. I could always use another servant…and that stubborn prince needs to be shown a lesson. Retrieve our little prince, and get your brother also. What was his name? Carrot? Ah, no matter. Oh, and bring Nappa with you, Radditz."
"Yes, master." Radditz bowed.
"And do NOT fail! You know the extent of my power, Radditz…unfortunately, our little escapee does not." The master chuckled, then immediately stopped and fixed a glare on his slave.
"GO!…And remember the consequence of the last failure." Radditz walked out of the ship's control room; a pure white dome perfectly rounded at the corners, contrasting perfectly to who owned it. But, yes…he knew the consequence of his last failure. He was supposed to, like now, bring his brother to the Lord. Kakarott. Yet, the old man (Kakarott's "grandfather"…Ha! What farce.) had interfered and had also invariably been killed due to a misguided ki blast, and Radditz had to flee the scene before any Chikyuu-jins saw him. Now that be thought back, he should've grabbed his younger sibling right then. He was stronger than any native of that planet; what had he to fear? The question had haunted him ever since, much to his chagrin. Why did it disturb him so much?
:::::::::::::On Chikyuu::::::::::::
"Ha! Chi, I'm starting to think that we're not even anymore!"
"Goku!! I'll get you for that!!" Chi-Chi wrestled her friend to the ground, smirking as he gasped.
"Damnit, Chi! No fair!" Then Goku put on a matching smirk as he brought his wrists together behind him.
"KAAA…" To his surprise, Chi-Chi mirrored his action and brought her wrists together.
"KAAA…" Goku stopped. Since when did Chi- Chi know the Kamehameha Wave?
'Oh, I taught it to myself weeks ago. I was waiting until the right moment to test it.' Goku grinned. It had taken years for the two to get used to the psychic bond they shared (especially with Kuririn's teasing), but now it was natural. He had no idea how it was possible, but Chi-Chi and him had accepted it. For the first few months, the bond caused quite a few embarrassing moments. Neither knew how to block the other's mind from theirs, or stop their own mind from prying. After years of practice (forced practice, but nevertheless practice), the two had complete control. It was a weakness, turned into strength.
'Miss Botouku would be proud,' Goku remarked silently.
'Huh? Who's Miss Botouku?' Chi-Chi sweet voice entered his thoughts.
'Chiiii…how many times have I told you not to do that?!' Goku whined.
'Oh, clam up. I know you don't mind.' Goku's mouth- er, mind clamped shut. How could Chi-Chi be so perceptive sometimes? It was almost irritating!…almost.
'How do you do that? It's quite frightening, you know.'
'What?'
'Know things like that.'
'Oh. I just do! You're not all too hard to read, Goku.' Goku growled at her and she stuck out her tongue. She always did love to tease him…
'Oh, really? Well, I know you're doing this on purpose.' Chi-Chi's jaw dropped. Maybe she had under-estimated Goku's intuitiveness.
::::::::::::::In space::::::::::::
A young man sat curled into a ball in the tiny pod, his blood boiling and adrenaline rushing. He was oblivious to the blood in his mouth; it was a taste he had experience often. So often that it was natural. Blood equals pain. Pain equals suffering. Suffering means that one is alive. To him, blood just meant that he wasn't overpowered yet, that he was still free in spirit. While he was escaping the "Master's" ship (the young man refused to call him Master without having a hint of mockery in his tone) a guard had struck him across the face. Of course, he hardly felt it. Pain was something that he was used to. Comforting, in a sense. He would've laughed, except for the fact that he was dead serious. Wait…dead serious?
This time, he did laugh. Not only because of the pun, but he was also laughing of the irony that he had become. Death and pain had become victims of jokes for him to take advantage of. No, he wasn't living in ignorance- he accepted the reality. He just "laughed in the face of danger", as cliché as that may sound.
Suddenly, pain overwhelmed him. While he was laughing, he had hit his upper arm on a control. His face twisted in an unrecognizable expression of pain, anger, and…something else. Something that not even the "Lord", the master of emotions, could have placed. He inspected his arm and realized that he had hit the exact place in which he had broken his arm a few days ago…an amazing feat, for Saiya-jin's are hard to break- both physically and mentally.
Then again, Frieza had accomplished both.