Shadows in the Darkness
~Disclaimer~ I do not own any of these characters, except for this I might invent myself, but the terrible reality is Vegeta, nor Trunks are mine *sniff*
Summary: What if Vegeta had not been so lucky to just wake and be alright after baby left his body, would the Saiyan still be able to protect his family from an upcoming evil?
2. Vegeta's Inner Turmoil.
Days had gone by and even the Tournament had been over before they all knew it. Hercule had delibratly tricked Goku into joining the children's deprartment, so his granddaughter Pan would be able to win in the adult department.
Hercule had not been feeling the way he did when Buu was with him, since Buu had left he felt sad and lonely, even though he had the most wonderfull family. Hercule retreated in his own house and thought about Buu, how things were when he was there and how things had changed since he had left. While feeling this sad, Hercule decided he would retire from being earths champ. He would give the honorary title to the one who would be able to win the tournament in the adult department and he intended to lose on purpose.
Ofcourse he knew Goku would be able to win without moving one finger, so he thought of an excuse to stop Goku from winning the adult tournament. And since Goku looked like a small child and was only inches smaller as his granddaughter, he thought of a new rule, height would decide in which department the players would play. And ofcourse, Goku was just a bit too small, in contrary of his granddaughter Pan.
Goku and Pan won match by match, not even making a sweat. But when Vegeta came to butt in at the finals of the children's department, Goku got distracted and was tickled out of the ring, making him second instead of the winner. Goku did not mind, knowing it was just a simple game to him, but Vegeta thought of it differently. How could that idiot do that, losing to a loser like that, he had made a disgrace of the Saiyan race!!!
Vegeta left the young Goku, whom had joined his family at the benches, licking their lollypops just like Buu used too. There he learned Pan dropped out as well, knowing she had to follow in her grandfather's footsteps, would she have won, so she faked a terrible stomach ache and dropped out.
Meanwhile Vegeta had retreated himself into one of the rooms back in the building, punching the wall in his anger of the disgrace Goku had layed upon the Saiyan race, or so he saw it in his eyes. While doing as such, he felt himself tiring, it was totally alien to him. Somethings had changed since those awfull days on planet Tsuful, but he couldn't put his finger on it, which only angered him more. His sences became dense as he tried to figure out what was at hand with his body. Focusing his eyes at the holes in the wall he was punching softly, his mind drifted off to when he was within baby, or the other way around.
He felt trapped, paralyzed and immobile in his own body. He felt the punches, the pain and strength his body possessed, yet his mind could not conquer the alien in his head, moving all that was his as if he was a puppetmaster holding all strings to all that was dear to him.
He remembered how baby had taken on his son when after 9 months he had finally returned home. Useless and within pain he watched as his only son fell to the ground in agony, almost being killed. Screaming from within, punching the simple darkness which surrounded his trapped soul he tried to stop Baby and fight him like a real man, like Saiyan's were used too. But all was invain, his soul was trapped in a dark eternity, all around him nothing but darkness, except for the visions he could see though his own eyes controlled by Baby. It was as if he was watching a television show in which he was the main character, though somebody else played his role, using all he cared for, everyone he held dear and secretly loved so very much.
He saw his son and tears almost came to his eyes, sadness which quickly turned into an intolerable hatred towards the thing that controlled him. The thing taking advantage of the way he looked, like Vegeta, the father which his son trusted, of which his son thought would never hurt him like he had done now. In some way Vegeta felt guilty, for one, he just needed to be stronger, he should've been able to resist Baby, to stop him from taking over and locking his soul in this dark prison. And second, he had vowed to himself he would never hurt his family, Bulma, Trunks and Bra, he vowed he would never lay a finger upon them to hurt them truly. Ofcourse in training with Trunks he had to hurt them a little bit, but he would never ever hurt him so he would be in agony and pain, he would never Truly hurt him, yet now his body had broken that vow...
And he watched the love of his life follow his every move, honoring something that was not even him, calling him your majesty, like the prince he was, yet she never spoke those words to him, instead she spoke it to that Tsuful. He felt the irony Baby threw at him, knowing he would hear and see everything through his own eyes, knowing he would be in terrible agony at it all. And it enjoyed him, so for once he would try and enjoy Vegeta for once when the fight with Goku eminated.
Vegeta felt torn, terribly torn. He had wanted this fight for so long, for once he had the power to tower over his opponent, finally to be able to defeat him. Though were he himself, he would not have done as such now, not anymore. Vegeta knew he had changed, being more of a family man, even a caring man, for his family and even his friends. But now, Baby was in controle and he would kill the one man whom could be able to safe him and his family.
Images of he killing Trunks flooded to his mind, washing his memories away. Though they were not far from being different of the memories. Hopelessly he watched as he killed his own son, his only son. He watched himself taking advantage of the trust Trunks had in him, in various frames he watched himself killing him. In training, when he was asleep, on times he was suprised the most.... And after that he watched himseld killing his wife and daughter with a fling of his wrist, no regret, no sorrow his body had. Yet his soul was dying, he could merily watch himself doing the things he vowed not to do ever, watching himself doing the things he normally would protect them against.
These were the nightmares that haunted him every night, the nightmares which held him in his grasp, the nightmares whom would come to him even at daytime, would he lose himself in thought....
Slowly Vegeta felt power draining from his body, draining into the power he needed to banish the thoughts out of himself. Screaming at the agony, believing the images to be real Vegeta fell to the floor, gasping loudly, but back to reality now. He realized it had happened again and he cursed himself for being weak, for letting these things get to him and weakening him so he would lay upon the floor almost crying. This was not something a Saiyan prince or warrior would do!
Vegeta lifted himself of the floor, feeling utterly defeated by himself, by his inner voice and turmoil his brain still held over the things which had happened to him. He sighed deeply and regained his proud composure, turning himself at the wall in anger once more, slowly forgetting the incident, like he would do every time this happened.
Unknown to Vegeta, his son he feared of losing so much, had landed and seen him punching the wall just before Vegeta would let his memories and nightmares get to him. Trunks had retreated himself from work as soon as his colleagues started worrying and debating the fact Hercule announced he was retiring. He wanted to go to the Tournament and watch Goku and Pan, but instead he first found someone making a lot of noise inside one of the gym's. He went to take a look and found it was his father, cursing things about Kakarott and something else Trunks could not make out.
"Guess this is not the time, talk to ya later Dad!" he had spoken as he silently walked off, hoping his father would not catch him in his bad mood. He went too look for the two he wanted to watch, but found the, oddly enough, both on the bench with their family, watching the Tournament!
Now, those days were behind them and Hercule was still the champ, thanks to the wise words Buu had given Uub. The people needed Hercule to be their champ, even though he was pitifully weak, compared to all the other fighters whom protected the earth and saved everyone over and over again.
Vegeta lay next to his wife, twisting and turning in the bed as the nightmares haunted him again. With a shock, he awoke and quickly looked beside him, to see Bulma sound asleep and alright. Breath came from the Saiyan's mouth in gasps as he tossed his blancets aside to check upon his children. The first room he entered was Bra's and he quickly learned she was as safe as Bulma was, looking so much like her. He then turned and walked to the room of his son, the one he had been torturing to death in his nightmare, the one he had tricked into training with him, taking advantage of his trust and locking him in the gravity room. Heightening the gravity to 400 times normal gravity, knowing it would probably crush his son, though it would only burden himself with little pressure and pain. He laughed as his son fell to the floor in an instant, the smile he held on his face before turning into a pain-written face. The love, trust and honor he held in his eyes for his father, turning into pools of sadness and betrayel. It had been more than Vegeta could bear and he had tried closing his eyes to it all, stopping himself from the things he was doing, but he could not and the torture continued.
He reached towards the door of his son's bedroom, readying himself to open it and face the horrible truth, the face he would not be there, but dead inside the gravity chamber outside...
It was then Vegeta realised he had been going weak, he was like a weak human, being threatened and believing those false nightmares. Why was he growing so weak? Vegeta retreated himself and reminded himself of the man he used to be, the man caring secretly, the man not being intrigued by anything. But no matter how long he tried to cover up his insecure and worried feeling over his son, it was invain. Vegeta had only showed his greatest weakness to himself, but it was enough for him. Though nobody knew of the problems which were held deep inside his soul, the problems which he had been facing during his imprisonment, the problems which were set upon a rampage.. He had to fight and conquer, he had to lock them back in. He had managed to do say during daytime, it had not been easy, but Vegeta knew the procedure he had used when he was young. It needed time, but probably more time as before, for then there was nothing he held so dear, back then there was no family he needed to protect and fret over, no family he would do anything for, no family he....needed. There, he had admitted it to himself, he needed his family and he needed to know if they were alright.
Vegeta outstretched his hand once more, slowly opening the door to his son's room, only to see his fear become realised, Trunks was not there, his bed was unslept and his window open. The wind gently played with the curtains Bulma had hung in front of them and guilt, sorrow, anger and concern flooded Vegeta like the cold the wind was bringing into the room.
Quickly Vegeta scanned for Trunk's Ki and found it to be close, just outside the Capsule Corporation. A sigh of relief escaped Vegeta, at least his son was alive, but concern soon overwhelmed him once more. What if he was wrong, what if he had not killed Trunks yet, what if he was slowly dying inside the gravity chamber right now. Vegeta found the Ki to be low and within seconds he found himself entering the gravity chamber, fear clearly in his eyes.
Trunks shot up from the floor hearing the door being flung open with so much force it almost flew right off. His eyes focused upon the person standing in front of him, "Father" he gapsed, still not sure of what happened. Vegeta lifted him off the floor, growling at him he was to be in his bed, instead of upon the floor. "What kind of unworthy heir are you?".
Roughly Vegeta put him back upon his feet as Trunks stepped back a few steps to keep himself in balance. "I...I am sorry Dad, I was training for you.....I must've fallen asleep" he stammered, guilt and hurt over his father's words shining in his eyes.
"To bed, NOW!" Vegeta growled as he pointed towards the dooropening. Quickly Trunks withdrew himself to his chamber and went to sleep, afraid of his father's rage.
Vegeta sighed, he had done it again, just like he was, he had hurt Trunks with his words, he had seen it in the purple haired boys eyes. He closed the door behind him and launched the gravity chamber's gravity up to 400g, just like it had been in his dream. He needed to train, to distract his thoughts and leave the past behind him, he needed to punish himself for his weakness.
A/N I know, Vegeta is being OOC, but this is perspective from his eyes, things he and only he knows, so to himself he can admit his defeat, anger, worry etc etc, though, knowing Vegeta, not with joy. So, next chapters I intend to start the real story, end with cliffhangers, being the real writing insane Jane brain, but I just needed to give y'all a little sight upon Vegeta's Turmoil. Jane Heartilly, at your service, please review.