The Deception-Chapter 7
By Elbereth in April
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Jeice came back in with Dodoria a few minutes later. "What's all this about a fight?" he demanded.
"You against Kakkarot. Winner take all," Frieza said.
Jeice smiled. "I can live with that."
"Only if you win," Zarbon laughed.
Jeice sent him a look of hatred, but his concentration was clearly on Kakkarot. "Let's get this started."
The center of the room cleared. Kakkarot and Jeice stared each other down.
"Did you expect this to happen?" Valkan whispered to Vegeta.
"Something like this." He looked at Frieza, who seemed deeply fascinated by the whole thing.
"How do you expect him to beat Jeice?" Kwil asked.
"He's good."
Then the room went silent, waiting for the fighters to make their move. Jeice led off, sure that no one could defeat him. He was fast. Very fast. And yet he couldn't touch Kakkarot.
"I can't even see him move," Traigo whispered in awe.
"Hold still, you monkey," Jeice snarled.
"You're one noodle short of ramen," Kakkarot replied.
"He still needs to work on his insults," sighed Vegeta.
Jeice moved even faster, but still couldn't land a punch. Finally Kakkarot swept Jeice's feet out from under him, then hit him hard in the stomach as he fell over. Jeice shot back up and tried to hit him back but Kakkarot caught his fists. They struggled back and forth. "Enjoy this," Kakkarot taunted softly, so no one else could hear. "Cause this is as close as you're gonna get to me."
Jeice gave a yell and broke free. He aimed a kick at Kakkarot, but the Saiyan caught his leg and flipped him over. Then he fired an energy blast at Jeice, singeing him.
He yelled again and bounced back up. Kakkarot had taken to the air. Jeice slammed into him, wrapping his arms around his chest. Kakkarot kneed him in the groin, to the satisfaction of just about everybody present. He let go.
After a minute he recovered and threw a ki blast, but Kakkarot dodged and returned fire. Jeice dodged the first blast but got clipped by the second. Then Kakkarot rushed in to hit him a few more times.
But Jeice was tough. It took more than a couple blows to put him down. His fist finally connected hard with Kakkarot's jaw and threw him back against the far wall. Kakkarot slid down to the floor but picked himself up before Jeice could aim a ki ball at him. He jumped back up into the air.
Vegeta didn't realize he was holding his breath until he started seeing fuzzy little spots in front of his eyes. Then he called himself a baka and looked around to make sure nobody had noticed.
Everyone else was intent on the fight. Kakkarot had just kicked Jeice in the face, grabbed him by the hair, swung him around, and threw him against the ceiling. He rebounded off the ceiling and fell hard against the floor, which shook.
"Get him!" Van whispered.
From the dim recesses of his memory came a form of attack. He didn't hesitate. "Kamehameha!"
Jeice screamed one last time as the beam shot straight through his heart.
There was a moment of silence after everyone realized Jeice was dead. Then all the Saiyans started cheering. Zarbon grinned madly. The others all wore various expressions of shock. Vegeta stood there smirking, but he was trying to determine what would happen next and what he could do to control the situation.
Frieza stood up.
Vegeta stalked over and planted himself in front of Sekot. "It looks like you'll have to take back your words," he said loudly. "Kakkarot has proved beyond doubt that he is a warrior and you are a lying, worthless piece of crap."
Sekot started to swing at him, but Zarbon, who was standing next to them, reached over and pulled Sekot back by his tail. "I think Vegeta has a valid point."
"That's right!" Valkan yelled. The Saiyans murmured assent (except for Sekot's two, naturally).
"Indeed," Frieza spoke, silencing everyone. "It appears that Kakkarot's claim is true and Sekot's is false. Congratulations, Kakkarot. You stay. Everybody else leaves."
They all looked at each other. The room slowly cleared. Kakkarot and Vegeta exchanged a look. "Be careful." Then Kakkarot was alone with Frieza.
"Well, well. This is an interesting development. What a strong monkey you are." Frieza examined Kakkarot, looking him up and down.
Kakkarot said nothing.
Frieza smiled in a way that caused ice to form around Kakkarot's spine. "So. Jeice left an opening on the Ginyu Force. Would you like to be the first Saiyan Ginyu?"
"No!" His stomach turned at the very thought.
"Hmmm." Frieza folded his arms and tapped the fingers of one hand on the other arm. "You don't want to be a member of my most elite fighting force?"
Kakkarot was thinking furiously. "Not with those jerks."
Frieza paced up and down. Kakkarot's eyes followed him nervously.
Frieza stopped in front of him. "But you are loyal to me, are you not?"
"Of course," Kakkarot lied.
"Your brother now. . . he's very insubordinate. But you don't seem to be much like your brother."
"He's not really. He just comes across that way. He's got a lot of pride. You know."
"Your defense of him is very commendable, Saiyan. But not very practical. And I don't believe you." Frieza smiled, his eyes narrowed. "Your precious Vegeta is up to something. I don't trust him. But you now. . . I could trust you, couldn't I?"
Kakkarot swallowed hard as Frieza stepped closer. His face was only an inch or two away. "You could report his actions to me. Be my little spy. Of course I would reward you handsomely. Rewards go to those who are loyal to me, you see. And power goes to the strong. This is your chance, Kakkarot. Seize it."
"No."
Frieza's tail lashed out and sent Kakkarot flying across the room. He started to get up but Frieza appeared in front of him, slamming his hand into his gut. He doubled over, falling to his knees. Frieza double-handed him on his spine, then kicked him in the face. His head snapped back. Frieza grabbed him by the neck and pulled him up, slapped him across the face twice, then set him back on his feet. He swayed there for a moment, then Frieza slammed his tail into his ribs and he hit the wall again.
He lay curled up on the floor.
Frieza stood over him and laughed. "You're still just a monkey. Remember that. You may have managed to beat Jeice, but you can never compare to me. No one can defeat me." He kicked him in the ribs again. He spit up blood.
"Now, my weak little monkey. I'll make my offer one more time. For some reason, the other Saiyans seem to like you. Even Vegeta, who doesn't like anyone. You'd make the perfect spy. On the other hand, everyone likes you. You could be a threat. I don't want you turning against me. Corrupting others to disloyalty and insubordination. So, are you loyal to me, or do I kill you?"
Kakkarot coughed a few times, then weakly looked up at Frieza. He looked back at the ground. He managed to get to his hands and knees, then to get his feet under him, and pulled himself back up to standing, leaning on the wall. Then he looked Frieza right in the eyes. "Well. I don't want to die. What kind of rewards were you talking about?"
Frieza laughed. "I knew basic instinct would kick in. Everyone has their price. Well, rewards. My favor. Money. Women. Power. I'll make you the Number One Saiyan, leader of my little 30. For a start. If you continue in your loyalty, who knows how far up you can go?"
Kakkarot smiled sourly. "Zarbon."
"Well, maybe Dodoria."
Kakkarot coughed again and wiped blood from his face. "Frieza. You've got a deal."
"Call me lord."
He gave a little half-bow, then gasped in pain from his ribs. "Lord Frieza, I think you broke something."
"Well, run off to the medic then, my loyal servant," Frieza chuckled.
"I think it'll be more like limping."
Frieza laughed again. "What a good little monkey." Kakkarot made his way out the door.
Vegeta and the gang were waiting for him in the hallway outside.
"Get me out of here," he said. He slipped his arm over Vegeta's shoulders and let himself be helped to the med ward.
"What happened?" Vanyar demanded.
"I refused to join the Ginyu Force."
"Sweet tangerine," Kwil breathed.
"What is that, your version of swearing?"
"We don't care about swearing to fruit. He actually offered you a place on the Ginyu Force?"
Kakkarot coughed and wiped more blood from his face. Traigo came along on the other side and took his arm to help him along.
"Yeah. To fill Jeice's spot."
"Tangerine," Valkan said this time.
"I've never been asked to join."
"Me either."
"Oh what an honor, especially for a lousy monkey." Traigo imitated Frieza's voice almost perfectly.
Nappa frowned. "I'm glad you turned it down."
"How could I not?" Kakkarot laughed. "I mean, what would my big brother say?"
They all laughed at that; even Vegeta smiled.
Van shook his head afterwards though. "So he just beat you up. The jerk. I hate him."
Kakkarot nodded.
"Still, it's so cool that you killed Jeice." The others all agreed, praising him.
"A Saiyan killed a Ginyu," Valkan sing-songed. "Hey, Vegeta, did we do any good, being there?"
"Oh yes. You were witnesses to the fact that Kakkarot is a warrior and did kill Jeice. You kept Frieza from ordering him to kill anybody else."
They reached the medical ward. Kakkarot sighed as Vegeta got the machine ready. "If I had a bag of cookies for every time I had to get in one of these tanks. . ."
"Well you don't," Vegeta said gruffly. 'He has no idea how much time I've had to spend in here. He thinks he has it so rough. The baka. And now he's a hero. He doesn't deserve it."
He helped him in the tank a little more roughly than necessary, but no one seemed to notice. 'And there's more to it than what he's let on. He's keeping secrets. I wonder what else Frieza said to him. . ."
Before the rejuv tank put him out, Kakkarot heard Frieza's voice again. "My loyal servant."
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A big thank you to all my reviewers. You keep me going! I need to hear what you think. And to everybody else, please review too!
By Elbereth in April
_________ ________
Jeice came back in with Dodoria a few minutes later. "What's all this about a fight?" he demanded.
"You against Kakkarot. Winner take all," Frieza said.
Jeice smiled. "I can live with that."
"Only if you win," Zarbon laughed.
Jeice sent him a look of hatred, but his concentration was clearly on Kakkarot. "Let's get this started."
The center of the room cleared. Kakkarot and Jeice stared each other down.
"Did you expect this to happen?" Valkan whispered to Vegeta.
"Something like this." He looked at Frieza, who seemed deeply fascinated by the whole thing.
"How do you expect him to beat Jeice?" Kwil asked.
"He's good."
Then the room went silent, waiting for the fighters to make their move. Jeice led off, sure that no one could defeat him. He was fast. Very fast. And yet he couldn't touch Kakkarot.
"I can't even see him move," Traigo whispered in awe.
"Hold still, you monkey," Jeice snarled.
"You're one noodle short of ramen," Kakkarot replied.
"He still needs to work on his insults," sighed Vegeta.
Jeice moved even faster, but still couldn't land a punch. Finally Kakkarot swept Jeice's feet out from under him, then hit him hard in the stomach as he fell over. Jeice shot back up and tried to hit him back but Kakkarot caught his fists. They struggled back and forth. "Enjoy this," Kakkarot taunted softly, so no one else could hear. "Cause this is as close as you're gonna get to me."
Jeice gave a yell and broke free. He aimed a kick at Kakkarot, but the Saiyan caught his leg and flipped him over. Then he fired an energy blast at Jeice, singeing him.
He yelled again and bounced back up. Kakkarot had taken to the air. Jeice slammed into him, wrapping his arms around his chest. Kakkarot kneed him in the groin, to the satisfaction of just about everybody present. He let go.
After a minute he recovered and threw a ki blast, but Kakkarot dodged and returned fire. Jeice dodged the first blast but got clipped by the second. Then Kakkarot rushed in to hit him a few more times.
But Jeice was tough. It took more than a couple blows to put him down. His fist finally connected hard with Kakkarot's jaw and threw him back against the far wall. Kakkarot slid down to the floor but picked himself up before Jeice could aim a ki ball at him. He jumped back up into the air.
Vegeta didn't realize he was holding his breath until he started seeing fuzzy little spots in front of his eyes. Then he called himself a baka and looked around to make sure nobody had noticed.
Everyone else was intent on the fight. Kakkarot had just kicked Jeice in the face, grabbed him by the hair, swung him around, and threw him against the ceiling. He rebounded off the ceiling and fell hard against the floor, which shook.
"Get him!" Van whispered.
From the dim recesses of his memory came a form of attack. He didn't hesitate. "Kamehameha!"
Jeice screamed one last time as the beam shot straight through his heart.
There was a moment of silence after everyone realized Jeice was dead. Then all the Saiyans started cheering. Zarbon grinned madly. The others all wore various expressions of shock. Vegeta stood there smirking, but he was trying to determine what would happen next and what he could do to control the situation.
Frieza stood up.
Vegeta stalked over and planted himself in front of Sekot. "It looks like you'll have to take back your words," he said loudly. "Kakkarot has proved beyond doubt that he is a warrior and you are a lying, worthless piece of crap."
Sekot started to swing at him, but Zarbon, who was standing next to them, reached over and pulled Sekot back by his tail. "I think Vegeta has a valid point."
"That's right!" Valkan yelled. The Saiyans murmured assent (except for Sekot's two, naturally).
"Indeed," Frieza spoke, silencing everyone. "It appears that Kakkarot's claim is true and Sekot's is false. Congratulations, Kakkarot. You stay. Everybody else leaves."
They all looked at each other. The room slowly cleared. Kakkarot and Vegeta exchanged a look. "Be careful." Then Kakkarot was alone with Frieza.
"Well, well. This is an interesting development. What a strong monkey you are." Frieza examined Kakkarot, looking him up and down.
Kakkarot said nothing.
Frieza smiled in a way that caused ice to form around Kakkarot's spine. "So. Jeice left an opening on the Ginyu Force. Would you like to be the first Saiyan Ginyu?"
"No!" His stomach turned at the very thought.
"Hmmm." Frieza folded his arms and tapped the fingers of one hand on the other arm. "You don't want to be a member of my most elite fighting force?"
Kakkarot was thinking furiously. "Not with those jerks."
Frieza paced up and down. Kakkarot's eyes followed him nervously.
Frieza stopped in front of him. "But you are loyal to me, are you not?"
"Of course," Kakkarot lied.
"Your brother now. . . he's very insubordinate. But you don't seem to be much like your brother."
"He's not really. He just comes across that way. He's got a lot of pride. You know."
"Your defense of him is very commendable, Saiyan. But not very practical. And I don't believe you." Frieza smiled, his eyes narrowed. "Your precious Vegeta is up to something. I don't trust him. But you now. . . I could trust you, couldn't I?"
Kakkarot swallowed hard as Frieza stepped closer. His face was only an inch or two away. "You could report his actions to me. Be my little spy. Of course I would reward you handsomely. Rewards go to those who are loyal to me, you see. And power goes to the strong. This is your chance, Kakkarot. Seize it."
"No."
Frieza's tail lashed out and sent Kakkarot flying across the room. He started to get up but Frieza appeared in front of him, slamming his hand into his gut. He doubled over, falling to his knees. Frieza double-handed him on his spine, then kicked him in the face. His head snapped back. Frieza grabbed him by the neck and pulled him up, slapped him across the face twice, then set him back on his feet. He swayed there for a moment, then Frieza slammed his tail into his ribs and he hit the wall again.
He lay curled up on the floor.
Frieza stood over him and laughed. "You're still just a monkey. Remember that. You may have managed to beat Jeice, but you can never compare to me. No one can defeat me." He kicked him in the ribs again. He spit up blood.
"Now, my weak little monkey. I'll make my offer one more time. For some reason, the other Saiyans seem to like you. Even Vegeta, who doesn't like anyone. You'd make the perfect spy. On the other hand, everyone likes you. You could be a threat. I don't want you turning against me. Corrupting others to disloyalty and insubordination. So, are you loyal to me, or do I kill you?"
Kakkarot coughed a few times, then weakly looked up at Frieza. He looked back at the ground. He managed to get to his hands and knees, then to get his feet under him, and pulled himself back up to standing, leaning on the wall. Then he looked Frieza right in the eyes. "Well. I don't want to die. What kind of rewards were you talking about?"
Frieza laughed. "I knew basic instinct would kick in. Everyone has their price. Well, rewards. My favor. Money. Women. Power. I'll make you the Number One Saiyan, leader of my little 30. For a start. If you continue in your loyalty, who knows how far up you can go?"
Kakkarot smiled sourly. "Zarbon."
"Well, maybe Dodoria."
Kakkarot coughed again and wiped blood from his face. "Frieza. You've got a deal."
"Call me lord."
He gave a little half-bow, then gasped in pain from his ribs. "Lord Frieza, I think you broke something."
"Well, run off to the medic then, my loyal servant," Frieza chuckled.
"I think it'll be more like limping."
Frieza laughed again. "What a good little monkey." Kakkarot made his way out the door.
Vegeta and the gang were waiting for him in the hallway outside.
"Get me out of here," he said. He slipped his arm over Vegeta's shoulders and let himself be helped to the med ward.
"What happened?" Vanyar demanded.
"I refused to join the Ginyu Force."
"Sweet tangerine," Kwil breathed.
"What is that, your version of swearing?"
"We don't care about swearing to fruit. He actually offered you a place on the Ginyu Force?"
Kakkarot coughed and wiped more blood from his face. Traigo came along on the other side and took his arm to help him along.
"Yeah. To fill Jeice's spot."
"Tangerine," Valkan said this time.
"I've never been asked to join."
"Me either."
"Oh what an honor, especially for a lousy monkey." Traigo imitated Frieza's voice almost perfectly.
Nappa frowned. "I'm glad you turned it down."
"How could I not?" Kakkarot laughed. "I mean, what would my big brother say?"
They all laughed at that; even Vegeta smiled.
Van shook his head afterwards though. "So he just beat you up. The jerk. I hate him."
Kakkarot nodded.
"Still, it's so cool that you killed Jeice." The others all agreed, praising him.
"A Saiyan killed a Ginyu," Valkan sing-songed. "Hey, Vegeta, did we do any good, being there?"
"Oh yes. You were witnesses to the fact that Kakkarot is a warrior and did kill Jeice. You kept Frieza from ordering him to kill anybody else."
They reached the medical ward. Kakkarot sighed as Vegeta got the machine ready. "If I had a bag of cookies for every time I had to get in one of these tanks. . ."
"Well you don't," Vegeta said gruffly. 'He has no idea how much time I've had to spend in here. He thinks he has it so rough. The baka. And now he's a hero. He doesn't deserve it."
He helped him in the tank a little more roughly than necessary, but no one seemed to notice. 'And there's more to it than what he's let on. He's keeping secrets. I wonder what else Frieza said to him. . ."
Before the rejuv tank put him out, Kakkarot heard Frieza's voice again. "My loyal servant."
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A big thank you to all my reviewers. You keep me going! I need to hear what you think. And to everybody else, please review too!