CHAPTER 4 – Gods Help Me
"If you both will follow me, King Yama is ready to see you now."
Sen gave Reese a reserved smile and walked over. Grudgingly, Reese looked away from Sen to Vegeta. The Prince hadn't moved.
"Prince Vegeta? We mustn't keep King Yama waiting, he is extremely busy now."
Vegeta's eyes darted to Reese then back to Sen. He leaned slightly to the side and spat on the floor. "Traitor." Disgusted for having dined with a Tsufuru sympathizer, the Prince stood, tugged at each of his gloves and headed for the door.
Reese went to follow Vegeta, gently leading Sen by the arm. He whispered over to Sen, "What got into him?"
Sen shrugged, "His majesty doesn't like the way I accessorize."
"REESE! I don't have all day, Where are THEY??!!"
Reese rushed past Vegeta, grabbing his arm while pulling Sen along. The Prince jerked himself away from Reese's grasp, took to the air and landed right in front of King Yama who was busy stamping papers on his desk.
Reese looked on in horror and Sen stood amazed at what she saw. King Yama was as big as an Oozaru sitting behind a table that was taller than a two story building. One side of his desk was piled with books. Next to the King, Vegeta looked no bigger than a rat. "Well?!"
King Yama spoke without looking up, "Ah you're here."
"That's right! Now what do you want!"
King Yama stopped and glared, "Vegeta! I am in no mood to tolerate your insolence. If you don't remove yourself from my desk I will squash you."
With arms crossed, Vegeta levitated up to Yama's eye level, smirking, and answered under his breath, "I like to see you try."
"You WILL take your place!" replied the King, pointing to a spot on the floor in front of his desk.
Not changing his stance, the Prince slowly backed up and descended, landing lightly on the floor in front of Yama's desk.
One of Yama's subordinates ran up. "Sire, we are running out of room in the waiting area. Should I increase the number of waiting lines?"
"REESE! Get over here!" Yama's deep burly voice, echoed throughout the palace. "Get my boys to prescreen the souls while I take care of these two. I see only the questionable ones, got it?! You and Tirps will be taking care of the rest. Get them moving!"
"Yes, sir! Right away!" Reese ran outside to the individual with the bullhorn, flipping pages on his clipboard as he went.
"What a mess! And this is only the beginning!" King Yama started to stamp again, shaking his head."
Vegeta leered up at the King. "Fine work, Yama. I suggest you cut out the long breaks. You and your boys are falling behind."
"Fine work, aye?! We wouldn't be in up to our necks with souls, if all those people weren't killed on Earth."
"Come now, I didn't kill that many of Earth's weaklings. Besides, that blasted mate of mine is busy gathering the dragonballs to wish their sorry asses back, so why don't you just stick them somewhere... (smirk) Hmm. I can think of a good place."
King Yama stopped and put his stamp down. He was turning red, gritting his teeth, trying to hold back his anger. Bracing himself, Yama stood up and lean over his desk to glare at the Prince. "These Earthlings are not your doing, Vegeta. They are the work of Majin Buu."
"What! That's impossible! I incinerated the pink blob!"
"No Vegeta. After you were gone, he rematerialized. He and that Babidee creature are wiping out whole cities trying to flush out Piccolo, Trunks and Goten.
The Prince balled his fists and stared at the floor. Desperately, he recalled his last moments on Earth, trying to see where he had failed. No being should have survived his attack. Then he remembered how Majin Buu could instantly repair the injuries inflicted upon him. His last effort to protect those he cared about had failed. "No, my son-" he whispered in vain.
King Yama sat back down and leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his beard before he spoke. "Well I'm sure you've noticed by now that you've gotten your physical body back. This is a rare privilege which is reserved for very special souls - - - usually very good souls."
"So what, get to the point, Yama."
"How would you like another chance to fight Majin Buu, Vegeta?"
"What?!"
"Of course it's tricky. A guy with your records returning to Earth; it's unheard of. But given the extreme circumstances, we can bend the rules. Second chances, they're so rare especially in combat, wouldn't you say? But there are no guarantees. Fighting Buu will be no picnic but then you know that."
Reese returning, caught Yama's proposal, and glanced at Sen. He wondered if she would be offered the same. Then he nervously looked at the Prince, the hair on the back of Reese's neck began to prickle.
Vegeta half raised his clutched hands, his anger swelling, and he uttered, "That was a waste, he lived. Damn you!" His ki began to radiate from his person. The Prince didn't hold back as his power extended beyond the confines of his body. It caused the place to shake and the walls to crack.
Amazed, King Yama tried to hold down the things on his desk. "Oh, hold on!" Sen was able to keep her place despite Vegeta's powerful force, but Reese went reeling backwards and was pushed out the door.
Looking up, Vegeta pointed his finger at the big ogre. "Count me in!" Then realizing the turmoil he was causing, Vegeta regained control of his power. Speaking to himself, "I can't wait to have another crack at him." With a smirk he looked up and asked, "When do I leave King Yama? I'm ready when you are!"
King Yama relaxed in his chair. "For now, we wait."
Vegeta didn't like the Yama's answer, and pressed his luck, "You will send me back now, and I will finish this!"
"No Vegeta, you will play by my rules." His chair squeaked as he leaned forward again to glare at the Prince. "You are my trump card. I allow you keep your body for now and you will get your chance with Buu if and when I say so... This is not just your battle. As I see it, this fight belongs to everyone."
Vegeta crossed his arms, raised his nose towards the ceiling and looked away. "And what am I supposed to do in the meantime, take up knitting?!"
"Hmmm." The King sought out Sen. "It's Sen, right?" Sen was trying to decipher what was said. She was in a state of shock until the attention was turned on her, then her expression turned grim..."Uh, yes."
"Front and center!" Sen barely got her feet moving as she stumbled forward to the front of the King's desk. Stopping next to Vegeta, she bowed. "Yes, sire."
"You are a Saiyan?" asked the King while he pulled a book from the stack and laid it open, flipping through the pages.
"Saiyan blood runs through my veins, but I am no Saiyan."
"I'm not interested in your beliefs, Sen. You don't seem to be in the book of Saiyan." He continued to leaf through the book.
"Because I'm not Saiyan ---at least not fully. My mother was Saiyan, but my biological father was Tsufuru." Yama stopped what he was doing and took a good look at the warrior.
Vegeta turned and pointed at Sen. "You LIE! It's not physically possible!"
"QUIET, VEGETA! Let her speak."
"Sire, I was genetically designed...artificially created."
"This is ridiculous. No Saiyan would allow such an abomination!"
"Probably because they were too stupid to figure it out!"
In an instant, Vegeta had Sen by the throat and was lifting her off the ground. He growled at her, "You disgusting freak of nature...you dare!"
Yama's fist came crashing down on the desk, shaking everything in the room. "ENOUGH! I'm warning you Vegeta, one more interruption and you can kiss that body of yours goodbye! Now put Sen DOWN!"
As he lowered Sen, Vegeta pulled her closer and hissed in her face. "Shinjimae. (Go to HFIL.)" Then he pushed her away and began to walk to the main entrance.
Sen bent over gasping for air. "Gods, if only (cough) I could torment you for all eternity!"
Ignoring Sen, Vegeta leaned against the archway and watched Yama's men trying to sort out thousands and thousands of spirits. It was his fault that Majin Buu was still alive. He had failed to keep Earth from danger. And now the monster was after his son. He looked down at his hands, his thoughts tormenting his heart. 'What have I done? All I wanted was to defeat Kakarot. When I found that we were equal in strength, it pacified my anguish. Everything became clearer. I realized there was so much more. 'Bulma, you never gave up on me. Trunks, you never doubted me.' Vegeta could no longer see his hands for his eyes were filled with unshed tears. He clutched his fists so tight that they began to hurt. The Prince didn't want to feel the agony in his heart; only the pain that he inflicted on himself. "I want this chance ---I need this chance," he whispered, hoping that the Gods would hear his plea as well.
"SEN!"
Sen straightened herself, ready to address King Yama. "Yes, sire."
"What was your business on Earth?"
"To kill the menace of the Universe."
"So you came to help protect the Earth from Majin Buu."
"No, to kill the Prince of Saiyans."
"Kill Vegeta?"
"Yes, sire."
There came a brief silence and then it was Yama's turn to have a good laugh. He leaned back in his chair and grabbed his belly with both hands. His laughter echoed through the hall and out the door, reaching the ends of the afterworld. Sen of course was oblivious to the humor. As the giant ogre quieted, she could hear another. She turned to see who it was. Vegeta still had his back to them, but his arms were now crossed and Sen could see his body shaking from laughter.
King Yama regarded the Prince then turned back to Sen. "You've got spunk, Sen. Of course I never met a Saiyan that didn't."
"I am no Saiyan!"
"Hahaha...I beg to differ. Your choice in enemies would suggest otherwise. You couldn't have picked a more formable adversary than Prince Vegeta. However, there are no lies spoken here." He traced a finger down the line of books on his desk until he found the one he was looking for and pulled it out. Before opening it he leaned over again and motioned Sen to come closer.
She hovered level to his head and tried not to wince from Yama's pastrami breath. The King cupped a hand next to his mouth and whispered: "Really Sen, how would you have managed such a feat? I know he has a habit of giving his opponents the upper hand, but did you just expect him to roll over and play dead?"
"Something like that." Sen said with a smirk and a shrug.
They both looked when they heard Vegeta chuckling to himself then heard him speak over his shoulder. "Ha! Even at playing dead, I am the best."
"Damn Saiyans and their acute hearing," chortled King Yama, sat back, and began leafing through the book before him. He was surprised that Vegeta would afford a joke at his own expense. Yama's judgment as what to do with the Prince was becoming more complex.
RING RING. 'What the?' Sen jumped back from the huge object that sat at the corner of Yama's desk.
The King reached over to answer his phone. "Yes?!...WHAT!...You tell Reese to get back here A.S.A.P!" Yama slammed the phone down, shaking everything on his desk. "BLAST IT ALL TO HFIL! Get over here, Vegeta!" The Prince complied and hovered next to Sen.
"Things are getting real hairy down on Earth. My business with you will have to wait."
"Yama, send me back to Earth!"
"I said no, Vegeta. I should put you where you really belong. The question is what to do with Sen." King Yama studied both warriors. He didn't have Sen's records to judge her, though by her breeding, his guess would be HFIL. Technically, once he sentenced a person to HFIL there was no way to reverse the judgment. Could she be of use in all this? There was no harm in letting Sen keep her body for now. The King suspected that before this was over, they would need all the help they could get. He remembered the nightmare from the last time Buu went on a rampage. The verdicts on these two had to wait. So what did he do with them in the meantime?
Someone came running up to the front entrance. It was Reese. He clamored up the steps, stopped to pick up his pen he had dropped, and ran inside. Skidding to a halt, the blue man stood there sweating and gasping for breath.
"Yes, (heaving) your Excellency?"
"If you both will follow me, King Yama is ready to see you now."
Sen gave Reese a reserved smile and walked over. Grudgingly, Reese looked away from Sen to Vegeta. The Prince hadn't moved.
"Prince Vegeta? We mustn't keep King Yama waiting, he is extremely busy now."
Vegeta's eyes darted to Reese then back to Sen. He leaned slightly to the side and spat on the floor. "Traitor." Disgusted for having dined with a Tsufuru sympathizer, the Prince stood, tugged at each of his gloves and headed for the door.
Reese went to follow Vegeta, gently leading Sen by the arm. He whispered over to Sen, "What got into him?"
Sen shrugged, "His majesty doesn't like the way I accessorize."
"REESE! I don't have all day, Where are THEY??!!"
Reese rushed past Vegeta, grabbing his arm while pulling Sen along. The Prince jerked himself away from Reese's grasp, took to the air and landed right in front of King Yama who was busy stamping papers on his desk.
Reese looked on in horror and Sen stood amazed at what she saw. King Yama was as big as an Oozaru sitting behind a table that was taller than a two story building. One side of his desk was piled with books. Next to the King, Vegeta looked no bigger than a rat. "Well?!"
King Yama spoke without looking up, "Ah you're here."
"That's right! Now what do you want!"
King Yama stopped and glared, "Vegeta! I am in no mood to tolerate your insolence. If you don't remove yourself from my desk I will squash you."
With arms crossed, Vegeta levitated up to Yama's eye level, smirking, and answered under his breath, "I like to see you try."
"You WILL take your place!" replied the King, pointing to a spot on the floor in front of his desk.
Not changing his stance, the Prince slowly backed up and descended, landing lightly on the floor in front of Yama's desk.
One of Yama's subordinates ran up. "Sire, we are running out of room in the waiting area. Should I increase the number of waiting lines?"
"REESE! Get over here!" Yama's deep burly voice, echoed throughout the palace. "Get my boys to prescreen the souls while I take care of these two. I see only the questionable ones, got it?! You and Tirps will be taking care of the rest. Get them moving!"
"Yes, sir! Right away!" Reese ran outside to the individual with the bullhorn, flipping pages on his clipboard as he went.
"What a mess! And this is only the beginning!" King Yama started to stamp again, shaking his head."
Vegeta leered up at the King. "Fine work, Yama. I suggest you cut out the long breaks. You and your boys are falling behind."
"Fine work, aye?! We wouldn't be in up to our necks with souls, if all those people weren't killed on Earth."
"Come now, I didn't kill that many of Earth's weaklings. Besides, that blasted mate of mine is busy gathering the dragonballs to wish their sorry asses back, so why don't you just stick them somewhere... (smirk) Hmm. I can think of a good place."
King Yama stopped and put his stamp down. He was turning red, gritting his teeth, trying to hold back his anger. Bracing himself, Yama stood up and lean over his desk to glare at the Prince. "These Earthlings are not your doing, Vegeta. They are the work of Majin Buu."
"What! That's impossible! I incinerated the pink blob!"
"No Vegeta. After you were gone, he rematerialized. He and that Babidee creature are wiping out whole cities trying to flush out Piccolo, Trunks and Goten.
The Prince balled his fists and stared at the floor. Desperately, he recalled his last moments on Earth, trying to see where he had failed. No being should have survived his attack. Then he remembered how Majin Buu could instantly repair the injuries inflicted upon him. His last effort to protect those he cared about had failed. "No, my son-" he whispered in vain.
King Yama sat back down and leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his beard before he spoke. "Well I'm sure you've noticed by now that you've gotten your physical body back. This is a rare privilege which is reserved for very special souls - - - usually very good souls."
"So what, get to the point, Yama."
"How would you like another chance to fight Majin Buu, Vegeta?"
"What?!"
"Of course it's tricky. A guy with your records returning to Earth; it's unheard of. But given the extreme circumstances, we can bend the rules. Second chances, they're so rare especially in combat, wouldn't you say? But there are no guarantees. Fighting Buu will be no picnic but then you know that."
Reese returning, caught Yama's proposal, and glanced at Sen. He wondered if she would be offered the same. Then he nervously looked at the Prince, the hair on the back of Reese's neck began to prickle.
Vegeta half raised his clutched hands, his anger swelling, and he uttered, "That was a waste, he lived. Damn you!" His ki began to radiate from his person. The Prince didn't hold back as his power extended beyond the confines of his body. It caused the place to shake and the walls to crack.
Amazed, King Yama tried to hold down the things on his desk. "Oh, hold on!" Sen was able to keep her place despite Vegeta's powerful force, but Reese went reeling backwards and was pushed out the door.
Looking up, Vegeta pointed his finger at the big ogre. "Count me in!" Then realizing the turmoil he was causing, Vegeta regained control of his power. Speaking to himself, "I can't wait to have another crack at him." With a smirk he looked up and asked, "When do I leave King Yama? I'm ready when you are!"
King Yama relaxed in his chair. "For now, we wait."
Vegeta didn't like the Yama's answer, and pressed his luck, "You will send me back now, and I will finish this!"
"No Vegeta, you will play by my rules." His chair squeaked as he leaned forward again to glare at the Prince. "You are my trump card. I allow you keep your body for now and you will get your chance with Buu if and when I say so... This is not just your battle. As I see it, this fight belongs to everyone."
Vegeta crossed his arms, raised his nose towards the ceiling and looked away. "And what am I supposed to do in the meantime, take up knitting?!"
"Hmmm." The King sought out Sen. "It's Sen, right?" Sen was trying to decipher what was said. She was in a state of shock until the attention was turned on her, then her expression turned grim..."Uh, yes."
"Front and center!" Sen barely got her feet moving as she stumbled forward to the front of the King's desk. Stopping next to Vegeta, she bowed. "Yes, sire."
"You are a Saiyan?" asked the King while he pulled a book from the stack and laid it open, flipping through the pages.
"Saiyan blood runs through my veins, but I am no Saiyan."
"I'm not interested in your beliefs, Sen. You don't seem to be in the book of Saiyan." He continued to leaf through the book.
"Because I'm not Saiyan ---at least not fully. My mother was Saiyan, but my biological father was Tsufuru." Yama stopped what he was doing and took a good look at the warrior.
Vegeta turned and pointed at Sen. "You LIE! It's not physically possible!"
"QUIET, VEGETA! Let her speak."
"Sire, I was genetically designed...artificially created."
"This is ridiculous. No Saiyan would allow such an abomination!"
"Probably because they were too stupid to figure it out!"
In an instant, Vegeta had Sen by the throat and was lifting her off the ground. He growled at her, "You disgusting freak of nature...you dare!"
Yama's fist came crashing down on the desk, shaking everything in the room. "ENOUGH! I'm warning you Vegeta, one more interruption and you can kiss that body of yours goodbye! Now put Sen DOWN!"
As he lowered Sen, Vegeta pulled her closer and hissed in her face. "Shinjimae. (Go to HFIL.)" Then he pushed her away and began to walk to the main entrance.
Sen bent over gasping for air. "Gods, if only (cough) I could torment you for all eternity!"
Ignoring Sen, Vegeta leaned against the archway and watched Yama's men trying to sort out thousands and thousands of spirits. It was his fault that Majin Buu was still alive. He had failed to keep Earth from danger. And now the monster was after his son. He looked down at his hands, his thoughts tormenting his heart. 'What have I done? All I wanted was to defeat Kakarot. When I found that we were equal in strength, it pacified my anguish. Everything became clearer. I realized there was so much more. 'Bulma, you never gave up on me. Trunks, you never doubted me.' Vegeta could no longer see his hands for his eyes were filled with unshed tears. He clutched his fists so tight that they began to hurt. The Prince didn't want to feel the agony in his heart; only the pain that he inflicted on himself. "I want this chance ---I need this chance," he whispered, hoping that the Gods would hear his plea as well.
"SEN!"
Sen straightened herself, ready to address King Yama. "Yes, sire."
"What was your business on Earth?"
"To kill the menace of the Universe."
"So you came to help protect the Earth from Majin Buu."
"No, to kill the Prince of Saiyans."
"Kill Vegeta?"
"Yes, sire."
There came a brief silence and then it was Yama's turn to have a good laugh. He leaned back in his chair and grabbed his belly with both hands. His laughter echoed through the hall and out the door, reaching the ends of the afterworld. Sen of course was oblivious to the humor. As the giant ogre quieted, she could hear another. She turned to see who it was. Vegeta still had his back to them, but his arms were now crossed and Sen could see his body shaking from laughter.
King Yama regarded the Prince then turned back to Sen. "You've got spunk, Sen. Of course I never met a Saiyan that didn't."
"I am no Saiyan!"
"Hahaha...I beg to differ. Your choice in enemies would suggest otherwise. You couldn't have picked a more formable adversary than Prince Vegeta. However, there are no lies spoken here." He traced a finger down the line of books on his desk until he found the one he was looking for and pulled it out. Before opening it he leaned over again and motioned Sen to come closer.
She hovered level to his head and tried not to wince from Yama's pastrami breath. The King cupped a hand next to his mouth and whispered: "Really Sen, how would you have managed such a feat? I know he has a habit of giving his opponents the upper hand, but did you just expect him to roll over and play dead?"
"Something like that." Sen said with a smirk and a shrug.
They both looked when they heard Vegeta chuckling to himself then heard him speak over his shoulder. "Ha! Even at playing dead, I am the best."
"Damn Saiyans and their acute hearing," chortled King Yama, sat back, and began leafing through the book before him. He was surprised that Vegeta would afford a joke at his own expense. Yama's judgment as what to do with the Prince was becoming more complex.
RING RING. 'What the?' Sen jumped back from the huge object that sat at the corner of Yama's desk.
The King reached over to answer his phone. "Yes?!...WHAT!...You tell Reese to get back here A.S.A.P!" Yama slammed the phone down, shaking everything on his desk. "BLAST IT ALL TO HFIL! Get over here, Vegeta!" The Prince complied and hovered next to Sen.
"Things are getting real hairy down on Earth. My business with you will have to wait."
"Yama, send me back to Earth!"
"I said no, Vegeta. I should put you where you really belong. The question is what to do with Sen." King Yama studied both warriors. He didn't have Sen's records to judge her, though by her breeding, his guess would be HFIL. Technically, once he sentenced a person to HFIL there was no way to reverse the judgment. Could she be of use in all this? There was no harm in letting Sen keep her body for now. The King suspected that before this was over, they would need all the help they could get. He remembered the nightmare from the last time Buu went on a rampage. The verdicts on these two had to wait. So what did he do with them in the meantime?
Someone came running up to the front entrance. It was Reese. He clamored up the steps, stopped to pick up his pen he had dropped, and ran inside. Skidding to a halt, the blue man stood there sweating and gasping for breath.
"Yes, (heaving) your Excellency?"