Disclaimer: As previously stated, I do not own DBZ. I would if I could, but I can't, so I don't. I also do not own the songs used within.
A/N: Okay, I wrote this from Vegeta's POV, which was very difficult. Metallica's "Fuel" is the main song, but with excerpts from Billy Joel's "She's got a Way". Yes, I know, strange combo, but I think I made it work. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Fuel
Gimme fuel,
Gimme fire,
Gimme that which I desire,
Ooh!
Two rock-hard fists pumped back and forth with mechanical precision, pummeling into an unseen enemy. Each movement of his body was like that of a well-oiled machine: utter perfection. Ever since he left Earth all those months ago, he had been training nonstop. The only interruptions allowed were for eating, sleeping, or the occasional stop on a planet to hunt for more food. Vegeta felt he was close to achieving his birthright, to becoming a Super Saiyan. It was so close he could taste it. He licked his lips with satisfaction.
His eyes were full of fire, trained on the image at which he was directing his barrage of attacks. He only ever saw one face staring back, mocking him. It was the face of that third class piece of trash. The man who usurped him from his place, stole HIS destiny, and severely wounded his pride.
"It was supposed to be me! ME! Not that stupid, pathetic excuse for a Saiyan. I am the prince, NOT Kakarot!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Vegeta's anger and rage encompassed every fiber of his being, and threatened to consume him.
Turn on…I see red
Adrenaline crash and crash my head
Nitro junkie, paint me dead
And I see red
Vegeta was beginning to feel the strain of his constant training, having turned the gravity generator up to five hundred times normal. His entire body was slick with sweat from the exertion. But he continued on, pushing himself harder and harder, feeding off the exquisite pain.
He shot a series of ki blasts out at the training androids, all of which volleyed the shots back at him. Vegeta deftly avoided each blast. A smirk graced his face.
I will defeat Kakarot yet!
A familiar feeling was forming in his stomach that told him it was time to eat. As he walked towards the gravity machine to shut it off, he heard a loud crashing sound and the entire capsule ship shook violently. The fact that the gravity was so intense, or that he had let his guard down a little, or maybe even both, caused Vegeta to stumble. He frowned deeply as he regained his balance. What the…
Three more crashes came, one right after the other. The impacts had such force that the ship was knocked sideways. It was so sudden, and Vegeta felt the floor below him left away. He was flung back into the wall, which rose up to meet him as the ship righted itself. His head collided with the metal hull hard. Stunned, Vegeta got to his feet. He placed his right hand on the back of his head, where his fingers felt a warm wetness. Retracting his hand, he stared down at the red liquid dripping from his fingertips. He brought them up to his mouth and flicked out his tongue. The sweet taste of fresh blood.
One hundred plus through black and white
Warhorse, Warhead
Fuck 'em man, white knuckles tight
Through black and white
After turning off the gravity generator, Vegeta walked up to one of the many windows of the ship and peered out. What he saw made him almost grin. Giant asteroids whizzed past his field of vision. Looking out farther into space, he saw them everywhere. An idea crossed his mind.
"Why bother with these awful machines when I can test my strength against the fury of the universe!"
He slowed the capsule ship some and scanned around for a nearby planet in the path of the asteroids. It did not take long for him to locate a suitable one. The planet was a rocky, terrestrial one, and from the looks of it, it was a dead planet that lost all forms of life long ago. This will do, he thought, clenching his fists tight with anticipation.
Ooh, On I burn
Fuel is pumping engines
Burning hard, loose, and clean
As he guided the ship towards his intended destination, it continued to be bombarded by asteroids. But now Vegeta was ready for them, his Saiyan strength and speed shifting his body around to compensate.
The ship plunged roughly to the ground. Vegeta immediately opened the door and stepped out onto the rocky surface. He took a moment to assess the damage inflicted to the vessel and cringed. It would still fly, of that he was certain, but the hull was severe battered.
"If the woman saw this I would never hear the end of it." The words were spoken without thought.
She's got a way…
As soon as the words he uttered so carelessly registered in his mind, he froze.
I don't know what…
His face twisted with anger. "Why the fuck should I care what that idiot woman thinks!" Vegeta dismissed all thoughts of the woman from his consciousness, but in the back of his mind, just under the surface, his subconscious knew he did care.
But I know…
And I burn
Churning my direction
Quench my thirst with gasoline
So gimme fuel,
Gimme fire,
Gimme that which I desire
Vegeta turned his attention back to his surroundings. The sky was filled with brilliant streaks of light as the asteroids entered the planet's atmosphere and began to burn up. Moving away from the ship, he powered up and took to the air. He placed himself in the path of the largest object hurling down from space. As the huge rock burned its way towards him, Vegeta drew back his fist like a gun cocked and ready to fire. Just before it could hit him, his fist snapped, flying forward in a blur of motion. The asteroid exploded on impact, and chunks of rubble rained down onto the surface below.
The rush was exhilarating, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He moved with intense speed, racing about and destroying everything in sight. Each successive explosion served to fuel the raging fire that burned within him. He could feel his power level ascend to new heights.
Vegeta grabbed a passing asteroid, the hot surface of the rock searing his palms. He raised it high over his head and flung it downward towards a large mountain. When it crashed, the asteroid completely obliterated it, leaving nothing behind but a crater to mark the already heavily scarred planet.
Throwing his head back and raising his arms to the heavens, Vegeta laughed. It was a very evil sound, echoing off the rocks below. "I have never felt such power! I am about to become the most powerful being in the universe. Nothing will be able to stop me, not even Kakarot!"
Turn on beyond the bone
Swallow future, spit out home
Burn your face upon the chrome
Yeah!
The time had finally arrived. Everything promised to him by his father all those years ago was about to be realized. But with triumph came the bitter truth. His father would never see him fulfill his destiny, nor would his people. They were long gone. Frieza had taken that from him.
Vegeta stopped and floated in mid-air. That freak lizard had robbed him of everything he was, and all that he ever possessed. He was a prince with no people. But what really made his blood boil was that some god somewhere felt that he had not been tortured enough. After Frieza took his life, at least he had been put out of his misery. Then fate intervened and he found himself alive due to an ill-spoken wish, only to discover that his chance for revenge had been stolen by Kakarot. He wished he had stayed dead. Eternity in hell would have been a cake walk compared to his worthless existence.
His body tensed up, the rage inside boiling over. I will become a Super-Saiyan, or I will die trying. He squared his body in front of an asteroid that ripped towards him. With a flare of his ki, Vegeta let it crash into him.
Big mistake.
While the hunk of rock was destroyed on impact, Vegeta had not fared all that well either. He had seriously overestimated his strength. The force of the blow had thrown him to the ground. He lay sprawled out in the crater created by his body, like a rag doll tossed aside by a bored child.
Take the corner, join the crash
Headlights, Headlines
Another junkie lives too fast
Yeah lives way too fast, fast, fast, ooh-oh!
Ignoring the terrible pain racking his body, Vegeta struggled to his feet. He was a bit taken aback by being floored so easily. Clenching his fists tightly, he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. The time had come- he would now transform.
A blue aura surrounded him as he powered up. His voice, which started off as a low growl, increased in volume and pitch until it became an animalistic scream. It shook the very planet to the core. The surface began to crack and rift. His power soared higher and higher as he felt untapped regions of himself begin to awaken…
And then it stopped.
The look on Vegeta's face could only be described as horrified. He sunk back down to his knees in shock. "This…this cannot be! This cannot be the limit of my strength! I was on the verge of transformation!"
Vegeta stared down at his palms, which were bleeding freely from where his nails had broken the skin during his effort. He could not achieve the status of Super-Saiyan. It had been the one thing that kept him going, the only thing he had left, and it had been denied to him; his final failure. He officially had nothing left to live for.
In his mental reflection, Vegeta had failed to notice the boulder-sized asteroid heading straight for him. It flew in from behind him, striking the back of his head. There was only a fleeting instant of pain before unconsciousness claimed him.
* * * * * *
She's got a way…
I don't know what…
But I know…
So many images flooded Vegeta's mind; images of the failures and disappointments that plagued his existence. His father betrayed him. Frieza had broken him. Kakarot shamed him. And the woman…she hurt him.
His attention focused on that last thought. It was true that she was the only one he had grown to tolerate on that awful planet, but that was because she catered to his every need. How had her mere words caused him pain?
She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her
And then his mind moved on to those few weeks he had mated with her. The way her body melded with his when they were in the throes of passion, the deep desires stirred up within him every time he gazed on her perfect form.
She's got a way of pleasin'
I don't know what it is
But there doesn't have to be a reason anyway
He never gave her any reason to think that she meant any more to him than a means of physical gratification during that time, and she never gave any indication that she expected anything else. But it all changed that one night. Suddenly she expected him to have feelings for her. That would never happen…
She comes to me when I'm feelin' down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around
So why did the fact that he would never see her again bother him so much? He'd never again see her gorgeous face, or feel her soft skin against his, or hear her scream out his name as she reached the heights of ecstasy…it slowly began to dawn on him.
She's got a way of showin'
How I make her feel
And I find the strength to keep on goin'
He was not sure what it meant, if it meant anything at all, but he knew. He knew why it hurt when she wished she had never met him, and why he dreaded the thought of never seeing her again: he needed her.
It's not that he had feelings for her. He did not have the capacity for such emotions. It was much more basic than that. She gave him food and shelter, accommodating him every step of the way even though he showed her no gratitude. She gave him all that she could, all that she was. Vegeta did not understand it. The entire concept went against the very nature of his being. But as he lay on the verge of death, visions of her flashed through his mind and he found his reason to keep going. He had to live for her – to see her again.
* * * * * *
Ooh, on I burn
Fuel is pumping engines
Burning hard, loose and clean
Reality began to return to Vegeta. He opened his eyes to find himself staring sideways at the horizon. "I'm alive?" he murmured weakly. After letting that thought sink in for a moment, he turned his attention fully to his surroundings. He was not quite sure how long he had been unconscious, but he could feel the pounding vibrations in the ground that told him the asteroid storm continued to bombard the barren planet. Recognizing the dire situation in which he found himself, Vegeta forced his broken body up from the ground.
If I don't make it to the ship soon there won't be a ship to go back to. He moved forward with shaky steps, praying to whoever would listen to keep him safe. At least until he could return to Earth.
Chaos raged all around him. He had to dodge and jump out of the paths of a myriad of asteroids that seemed hell-bent on his destruction. He could feel his chances of survival waning with each near miss. Time was running out.
And on I burn
Churning my direction
Quench my thirst with gasoline
So gimme fuel
Gimme fire
Gimme that which I desire
Vegeta did not see it coming. It was more like a little voice whispering in warning at the last second. He sidestepped quickly, narrowly avoid the burning rock that smashed into the very spot upon which he had just been standing. The tremendous energy of the impact was too much for him in his weakened state though, and it sent him stumbling to the ground once more. The Prince had to struggle to his feet for a third time.
He could feel his blood flowing out of him from multiple wounds. The loss of his life-fluid made him increasingly dizzy and disoriented. It was getting harder to focus as his vision began to blur. But he continued on, limping along and trying his best to avoid being crushed.
His hopes rose as he closed in on the capsule ship, within five hundred yards. By some miracle it was still in one piece. He started to move faster, ignoring all else but his all-consuming need to make it inside the ship. It was then he was struck yet again.
While managing to dive to the side so as not to receive the full force of the blow, Vegeta did not come away unscathed. There was no time to prepare his body as the asteroid struck his right arm. Searing hot pain shot up though his arm and into his chest. Even though it was covered in blood, he could tell that he was badly burnt. There is no mistaking the stench of burnt flesh. The bones in his arm were completely shattered, and he was willing to bet anything that his collar bone had been snapped in half.
For what he was sure was the last time, Vegeta was down on his knees. He could feel unconsciousness creeping up on him again. As everything around him began to fade towards black, he admitted something to himself he never had before. It was all his fault.
He had found an excuse to place the blame on others for all his other failures. But this time, he was alone. There was no one else there to blame. He would never become a Super Saiyan, or see the woman again. And it was no one's doing but his own.
Rage built up once again, but this time the anger was directed at himself. In his eyes he deserved death. Not because his life was meaningless, but because he failed at life. HE failed.
As Vegeta hung his head and waited for what he thought was his inevitable death, something within him began to stir. Whatever it was, it was not physical, but almost as if it came from his soul. A bright golden light surrounded him. It was so warm, like being enveloped in an embrace. He found the strength to stand as his body and soul filled to the brim with unbridled power, and spilled over. It was then he knew:
The Super Saiyan had awakened.
White knuckle tight!
"So this is what it means to be a Super Saiyan!" Vegeta admonished.
His appearance was akin to that of a god. Bright blonde hair rose from his regal head like rays from the sun, brilliant green eyes twinkling, engulfed in a golden aura. And despite his severe injuries he felt that he could take on the world. All it had required of him was to realize his own shortcomings.
Gimme Fuel…On I burn, on and on
With renewed determination, Vegeta once again headed towards his desired destination. He walked at a slow but deliberate pace, reveling in his newly awakened powers. Any asteroid that came within his reach was swatted away as if it were no more than an insignificant insect.
Gimme Fire…On I burn, on and on
And then he stood before the door of his vessel. He boarded the ship and sighed in satisfaction. He was a Super Saiyan. Won't the woman be surprised! Now that one goal had been achieved, he was ready to conquer the next: returning to Earth, to her.
My desire…
Vegeta moved swiftly to the controls. His fingers moved with fervor as he set the proper coordinates. As the ship blasted off, he reflected on the events that had transpired.
It had been a day that he would never forget. His life-long dream had been fulfilled. And even more than that, he found a reason to live. Not even the best of his father's servants on Vegeta-sei had ever provided for him so well as the woman back on Earth did. And if he had not become a Super Saiyan, she would have taken care of him anyway. He did not understand the strange feeling he had whenever he thought of her, but his pride did not let him delve into its depths to discover its meaning.
Ooh, on I burn
Fuel is pumping engines
Burning hard, loose and clean
He made his way to the sleeping quarters after checking over the coordinates one last time, just to be sure. Powering down, Vegeta climbed into bed to get some much needed rest so he could recover form his extensive injuries. But no matter what he did, sleep eluded him. His mind was racing with so many thoughts.
For the first time since he left Earth, he absentmindedly reached his arm over, searching for something. It was as if he had expected to find the sleeping form of the woman beside him. He retracted his arm, wrapping it around himself instead.
And I burn
Churning my direction
Quench my thirst with gasoline
He was not sure if his return would be as welcome as his last had been. Would she welcome him back with open arms and give of herself freely? He did not think so. The pain he had caused he ran at least as deep as that which she had inflicted in him. But she needed him too. How he knew, he was not certain, but he could feel it even across the vast expanse of space. Surely she would not forsake him completely if it would cost her as much as it would cost him.
Gimme Fuel
Gimme Fire
Gimme that which I desire
"I am returning. I can never give you what you want, for I am not capable. But this much I know is true: I am coming back for you, Bulma."
On I burn
A/N: I hope you all liked this. Perhaps Veggie is a bit OOC? I don't think so, but I may not be looking at things in the same light as the general masses. Well, please review, it really makes my day!