Chapter 9 - Momento
Vegeta was looking out in front of him at the waves. The gentle sound of the ocean was one of the few things that actually calmed him. The sky was a brilliant mix of orange and purple as the sun went down behind him. He really loved this beach. For some reason he never saw another soul here, which comforted him. This was the closest thing he had to having a Fortress of Solitude.
He was sitting outside his red tent, knees folded up into his arms, just letting his mind wander, trying to calm down before he went home. He shouldn't have lashed out like that at the card game. Now they are going to think of things he never wanted them to know about. Vegeta kept many deep dark secrets within himself that he never told anyone, not even Bulma. Those days were behind him, he just wanted to damn and forget them. They were of no relevance to him now.
He was still a little wet from his swim. He spent almost the entire day in the water. It was probably the first real time he was in since he had almost drowned on Purge. It felt good for him to be back in it without having to struggle for air. That moment was the closest he had ever come to death (without dieing). He didn't want to have an experience like that ever again, but he also didn't want to have a fear of the water. He had been here several times since Purge, but never went in. He figured he'd get in now before any "problems" developed.
He was starting to get hungry and figured he should get home before Bulma really started to worry. He was about to get up when he sensed someone approaching. Gohan no doubt. He figured out why he wanted to come to the card game. He was hoping a story about what happened to his father would leak out so he wouldn't have to ask Vegeta headfront. Well, he was now probably at wits end and summoned up the courage to talk to him. Vegeta didn't want to talk about Purge. There was no honor in what happened. He just survived an onslaught of ravaged beasts, barely, and let Goku get killed. Too many bad memories among the many he already had. Then again, the son of Goku had every right to know what happened to his father. He should have told him earlier as well Chi-Chi. Well, he was going to get the chance to now.
As Gohan landed behind him, Vegeta continued to sit there, as if no one was there. Vegeta decided to speak up.
"Are you here for the reason I think you're here?"
"Depends."
"Well...?"
"...Is it true what my mom says? Did you kill him?"
Vegeta shook his head, still not facing Gohan. "No."
"...Is he even dead?"
"...Yeah he's gone."
"...Well what happened then?"
Vegeta turned around to face him. He saw that Gohan was completely wet and that dark storm clouds were behind him, approaching fast.
"Yeah, it wasn't fun getting here. I just wanna get this over with," Gohan said rather maturely.
"Well that makes two of us."
* * *
They had been talking for nearly an hour inside the tent. The storm was raging outside, flapping the sides of the tent with strong wind and interrupting the conversation with loud cracks of thunder. Vegeta was just at the part of the story where Goku died.
"A day or two later, we were in the kitchen. Your father seemed fine, but while he was cocooned, they must have planted some sort of embryo inside him. I went to the other room, and he began coughing violently. I went to check on him, but by the time I got there, he was convulsing and screaming. Before I knew what was going on, a newborn ripped through your father's chest. He died instantly." Vegeta wanted to be as vague as he could about Goku's death. Gohan didn't need to know every little detail about how Goku suffered. He tried to make it sound as quick and painless as he could.
Gohan was silent. He didn't know what to say after hearing this. It sounded almost unbelievable, but Vegeta is no liar, and he knew that. He would never make up a story of him being literally ripped to shreds like he was to cover his own trail.
The two fell silent for a while. Gohan was awe struck at what he just heard and Vegeta had nothing else to say. Then the thought that their might be more of these aliens entered Gohan's mind. "Were they indigenous to that planet?"
"No," Vegeta said grimly. "I found a journal from the warden. It said that she had run into these things before, on another planet. The only clue I had was she briefly mentioned something about Freeza's men regrouping and releasing those things into the prison."
"Did it say why they were after her?"
"My only guess is that they are out to exterminate the remainder of the Sayian race."
"Wait, the warden was a Sayian?! How do you know?"
"The journal was written completely in Sayian manuscript."
"If what you say is true, then we have to stop them before they track us back here."
Just as Gohan said "here", a crack of lightning flashed behind him. At that moment, Vegeta saw an image, a familiar image, that stabbed him straight in the heart. The head, the hands, the tail. Dear God...
All went dark again. Before Vegeta could react, the tent erupted and enveloped Gohan from behind him. The screeching of hands rubbing against the fabric enveloped Vegeta's ears. The tent completely collapsed and closed around him. He was struggling to get out, searching for an escape. He felt Gohan's legs kicking him from behind, and another, unknown body wrestling with him. Vegeta was starting to suffocate. He had to get out of there. He was constantly pushing red away from his face. He felt it get wet, but not the cool kind of wet from rain... it was a warm, thick wet. Every once in a while, a flash would light the tent up, but he could still see nothing. He got desperate. He faced away from Gohan and blasted his way out. He was met by a rush of cool air and rain. He ran a few steps away and turned around. The tent was still jumping and wrestling, but he couldn't make out what was going one. Was he seeing things before? A flash came and he looked down at his hands. They were completely red. He was pretty sure he wasn't cut, but in the scuffle, he wasn't sure. He wiped away liquid from his forehead as it was getting into his eyes. More red. Just then, the scuffle in the tent stopped, dead. No movement at all.
"Gohan!". Nothing. He began to inch towards it. He looked down at the base of the tent and saw a large black puddle that was gradually getting larger. Then something slowly appeared from within the tent. Vegeta's heart began to race. He recognized it immediately. They followed him here. The lighting flashed as the demon gave Vegeta a crimson smile.
Vegeta was looking out in front of him at the waves. The gentle sound of the ocean was one of the few things that actually calmed him. The sky was a brilliant mix of orange and purple as the sun went down behind him. He really loved this beach. For some reason he never saw another soul here, which comforted him. This was the closest thing he had to having a Fortress of Solitude.
He was sitting outside his red tent, knees folded up into his arms, just letting his mind wander, trying to calm down before he went home. He shouldn't have lashed out like that at the card game. Now they are going to think of things he never wanted them to know about. Vegeta kept many deep dark secrets within himself that he never told anyone, not even Bulma. Those days were behind him, he just wanted to damn and forget them. They were of no relevance to him now.
He was still a little wet from his swim. He spent almost the entire day in the water. It was probably the first real time he was in since he had almost drowned on Purge. It felt good for him to be back in it without having to struggle for air. That moment was the closest he had ever come to death (without dieing). He didn't want to have an experience like that ever again, but he also didn't want to have a fear of the water. He had been here several times since Purge, but never went in. He figured he'd get in now before any "problems" developed.
He was starting to get hungry and figured he should get home before Bulma really started to worry. He was about to get up when he sensed someone approaching. Gohan no doubt. He figured out why he wanted to come to the card game. He was hoping a story about what happened to his father would leak out so he wouldn't have to ask Vegeta headfront. Well, he was now probably at wits end and summoned up the courage to talk to him. Vegeta didn't want to talk about Purge. There was no honor in what happened. He just survived an onslaught of ravaged beasts, barely, and let Goku get killed. Too many bad memories among the many he already had. Then again, the son of Goku had every right to know what happened to his father. He should have told him earlier as well Chi-Chi. Well, he was going to get the chance to now.
As Gohan landed behind him, Vegeta continued to sit there, as if no one was there. Vegeta decided to speak up.
"Are you here for the reason I think you're here?"
"Depends."
"Well...?"
"...Is it true what my mom says? Did you kill him?"
Vegeta shook his head, still not facing Gohan. "No."
"...Is he even dead?"
"...Yeah he's gone."
"...Well what happened then?"
Vegeta turned around to face him. He saw that Gohan was completely wet and that dark storm clouds were behind him, approaching fast.
"Yeah, it wasn't fun getting here. I just wanna get this over with," Gohan said rather maturely.
"Well that makes two of us."
* * *
They had been talking for nearly an hour inside the tent. The storm was raging outside, flapping the sides of the tent with strong wind and interrupting the conversation with loud cracks of thunder. Vegeta was just at the part of the story where Goku died.
"A day or two later, we were in the kitchen. Your father seemed fine, but while he was cocooned, they must have planted some sort of embryo inside him. I went to the other room, and he began coughing violently. I went to check on him, but by the time I got there, he was convulsing and screaming. Before I knew what was going on, a newborn ripped through your father's chest. He died instantly." Vegeta wanted to be as vague as he could about Goku's death. Gohan didn't need to know every little detail about how Goku suffered. He tried to make it sound as quick and painless as he could.
Gohan was silent. He didn't know what to say after hearing this. It sounded almost unbelievable, but Vegeta is no liar, and he knew that. He would never make up a story of him being literally ripped to shreds like he was to cover his own trail.
The two fell silent for a while. Gohan was awe struck at what he just heard and Vegeta had nothing else to say. Then the thought that their might be more of these aliens entered Gohan's mind. "Were they indigenous to that planet?"
"No," Vegeta said grimly. "I found a journal from the warden. It said that she had run into these things before, on another planet. The only clue I had was she briefly mentioned something about Freeza's men regrouping and releasing those things into the prison."
"Did it say why they were after her?"
"My only guess is that they are out to exterminate the remainder of the Sayian race."
"Wait, the warden was a Sayian?! How do you know?"
"The journal was written completely in Sayian manuscript."
"If what you say is true, then we have to stop them before they track us back here."
Just as Gohan said "here", a crack of lightning flashed behind him. At that moment, Vegeta saw an image, a familiar image, that stabbed him straight in the heart. The head, the hands, the tail. Dear God...
All went dark again. Before Vegeta could react, the tent erupted and enveloped Gohan from behind him. The screeching of hands rubbing against the fabric enveloped Vegeta's ears. The tent completely collapsed and closed around him. He was struggling to get out, searching for an escape. He felt Gohan's legs kicking him from behind, and another, unknown body wrestling with him. Vegeta was starting to suffocate. He had to get out of there. He was constantly pushing red away from his face. He felt it get wet, but not the cool kind of wet from rain... it was a warm, thick wet. Every once in a while, a flash would light the tent up, but he could still see nothing. He got desperate. He faced away from Gohan and blasted his way out. He was met by a rush of cool air and rain. He ran a few steps away and turned around. The tent was still jumping and wrestling, but he couldn't make out what was going one. Was he seeing things before? A flash came and he looked down at his hands. They were completely red. He was pretty sure he wasn't cut, but in the scuffle, he wasn't sure. He wiped away liquid from his forehead as it was getting into his eyes. More red. Just then, the scuffle in the tent stopped, dead. No movement at all.
"Gohan!". Nothing. He began to inch towards it. He looked down at the base of the tent and saw a large black puddle that was gradually getting larger. Then something slowly appeared from within the tent. Vegeta's heart began to race. He recognized it immediately. They followed him here. The lighting flashed as the demon gave Vegeta a crimson smile.
