Immortal Together

By: Amalthea AKA Hatti Lee

Started: 2.22.4

Author's notes: Sorry, sorry! This took a while to get out, ne? And it's not too long either. SO sorry! I've just been consumed (whenever I have the time) with my other fic. Anyway, the next chappie will be longer, okay? Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z or its characters. So, no suing, okay?

Warnings: This fic contains homosexuality as well as incest. Does that not interest you? Then go no further. Also, this fic is rated R for sexual content , language, and violence. Please do not proceed if you're not of age.

Chapter XX

"What do we even need her for?" Asked a new voice, "Just kill her."

"Wait." He said, stepping around the corner, feeling miserable but trying his best to appear confident. There were five guards holding Lila now, four others standing separate, all of them staring his way. Their faces were scrunched, sweat beading up on their foreheads. Though afraid, they all seemed much more angry than anything. This confused Kakarotto, he just couldn't understand it.

"Don't hurt her." He said, stepping forward.

"Stay right were you are!" Screamed the tallest of the five men holding Lila, "Another step and we'll blast her."

Kakarotto froze, "No." He whispered.

"Look… Just come quietly with us and we'll let your little friend go." This came from a smaller man standing off to the side. He was very nervous.

Kakarotto tried to think of something, anything. Wouldn't his father have noticed by now that he was missing, left behind? Surely Vejita would know what to do. Why had he stopped anyway? He should have just kept moving, but no, there was no way he could've abandoned Lila.

A headache was threatening to form should he think much harder, but Kakarotto didn't let up, trying in vain to come up with some plan. Could he injure all five before they managed to injure Lila? Could he move swift enough to simply snatch her away? He looked up again, from soldier to soldier. Wait! These men were practically pissing themselves. As angry as they were, they still feared him. Surely all of them had seen him train at some point or another. He couldn't very well kill any of them, but he could scare the hell out of them.

Kakarotto grinned, a crooked, purposefully deranged smile. Two of the guards took a step back. Yes. If he kept this up, their fear would outweigh their anger and sense of duty. "I don't know what you guys are thinking…" He said, deepening his voice ever so slightly, "But Lila is my friend, and I'm more than strong enough to kill all of you before you can do her any damage." He supposed it didn't hurt to lie. Well, it wasn't a complete lie, it could happen. He just wasn't sure and wasn't willing to risk it.

The tall one swallowed, "We… We have orders to take you prisoner!" It seemed a statement meant more for the other warriors, to reaffirm their objective, to make it clear that they couldn't run, this was their mission.

"That's right!" Said the small one, "You and Prince Vejita aren't who we thought you were, getting involved in such a disgusting relationship! Such weakness!"

Anger building, heating his blood, Kakarotto took several steps forward, fists clenched, "You don't know-" He didn't get the chance to finish. In an instant he realized his mistake. The tall one had already summoned energy into his palm and was about to fire. It was a small amount of chi, a very weak attack really, but enough to kill Lila at that range. Leaving his sentence unfinished, he rushed forward, knocking the hand aside and sending the blast down the hall. Light flashed from the explosion, followed by great clouds of smoke. He was happy he'd manage to save Lila, but the feeling didn't last. It was all a distraction! He realized it too late. He didn't have time to dodge or defend himself. A strong elbow slammed into his right temple, knocking him clear off his feet. The blow wasn't quite enough to knock him out, but it sent his mind spinning. Before he could recover from his dizziness, someone kicked him swiftly in his side, sending his breath out in a great cough. He tried to suck in more air, but there were more feet flying at him now, and he was unable. Still dizzy and incapable of taking in a sufficient amount of oxygen, Kakarotto felt himself slipping away, darkness clouding his vision. He could hear Lila screaming for them to stop, but they weren't listening, and in just seconds, her screaming sounded so far away it didn't really matter anymore.

Kakarotto wondered if they were going to just kill him. His father was going to be so pissed to learn that he'd been tricked and beaten by such weak warriors. Sadness touched his heart at the thought of his father's disappointment. One of those powerful kicks landed square on his right temple and that was it. He was unconscious.

………………………………...

They turned a corner and came to an abandoned corridor. This was the medical section of the palace. The ward itself was just meters away, and there were smaller laboratories all over the place. Vejita slowed, releasing Nappa onto his feet, shocked to see that he'd been pulling Tekita as well.

"Where's Kakarotto?" He demanded.

Tekita took several deep breaths before managing to answer, "I don't know, Sire. He was moving me along then forced my hand on my father's. I couldn't look back."

The prince growled in anger, "You should have said something, let me know!"
"I couldn't," Tekita said, pausing to take another deep breath, "Couldn't get enough air."

"We have to go back, retrace our steps." Vejita said, starting for the corner in order to peer around, "What the hell could he be doing?" He asked to himself, anger the product of his worry. Kami, he thought, don't let anything bad have happened.

………………………………...

King Vejita received word immediately that Kakarotto had been captured. Something about finding a pair of training boots in a slave corridor. The soldiers had questioned a slave who had instantly given up information about a fellow slave hiding away the princes. The woman was found and taken prisoner, and Kakarotto had suddenly showed up, trying to save her.

Now the boy was being held below in one of the larger dungeons, unconscious and mumbling. The king hated to lock up his own grandson, but he had to uphold appearances until everything could be sorted out. It had to at least seem like he was punishing the princes for their weakness.

The only question now was where was Vejita? With the boy locked up, the prince was bound to show up, right? The king wasn't so sure. What did his son have planned?

………………………………...

It was late, and they were all contemplating their next move silently in the small storage room. The slave woman had been right. The little room was half empty and beyond dusty. The filth was on everything in thick layers. Vejita spied medical tools in boxes in the corners, instruments he knew they no longer used. Surely it had been years since anyone had ever set foot in the room.

They'd retraced their steps. The soldiers they'd run passed earlier were all gone, the halls were empty. Kakarotto was no where, neither was the slave woman. Vejita didn't know what was going on. The only thing he could come up with, was Kakarotto had been captured somehow, tricked no doubt.

"If he's been captured, do you think he'd be in the dungeons?" Nappa had asked moments ago.

Vejita had nodded. The king was soft when it came to such things as family, and Kakarotto was surely still a child in the old man's eyes, but the king would uphold appearance. Kakarotto had to be in the dungeon.

Tekita sighed, obviously refraining from breathing too deeply of the dusty air.

"What do you want to do then?" Nappa asked, breaking the silence.

This time Vejita sighed, "I don't know. I want to get him out of there, but… What then? Are we just going to hide forever?"

"King Vejita is probably trying to look fierce now to avoid revolt." Tekita said, having thought over all this for some hours.

Vejita nodded, "Yes, he's no doubt made announcements that we're to be punished."

"He's still in charge, right? We'd know if something had happened…?" Nappa said, waiting for a response.

Vejita nodded again, and Nappa continued, "Shall we allow ourselves to be caught, then? The sooner this punishment is over, the sooner we can walk freely. Then we can worry about fixing your reputation."

It wasn't a bad idea. Vejita had considered it himself. It wouldn't be a difficult punishment. He knew already that his father would only punish them for the public's piece of mind anyway. Only, he worried that the king would attempt to separate he and Kakarotto. That he wouldn't stand for, but could deal with when the time came. And as for his reputation. That he would enjoy rebuilding. The ruthlessness would run wild spurred by the anger from this nonsense. He knew he could strike fear into the people again, remind them who he was. Only one thing caused him to hesitate…

"Except I don't much look forward to being locked in the damned dungeons." Vejita grumbled.

Realization dawned on Nappa, showing on his features as they all grew silent again in thought. The dungeons were the pride of the palace. Borrowing technology from another planet, they'd designed a prison inescapable for even the strongest of warriors. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of massive, solid stones. In the building, the engineers had run thousands of wires within the walls, between layers of rock. Energy was then run through these wires from control rooms at either end of the corridor. The energy was similar to electricity, except it was in opposition, an anti-chi if you will. There were no windows save for a tiny, barred one in the massive steel door, also equipped with the same wiring technology. It wasn't completely understood by the Saiya-jin, only that they knew it worked, and relied on it when dealing with pesky rebels and what not. It was damned near impossible, after all, to contain a Saiya-jin. No wonder species elsewhere had designed such things.

Vejita had always been cautious when stepping into one of the many cells, watching always that the door remained open. He couldn't image the horror of being locked in one of those filthy, rock rooms, at the mercy of one's captors. And surely that's were Kakarotto was at this very moment.

"I don't see any other choice though." Vejita said through a breath.

The others nodded in agreement, remaining silent.

Vejita stood, not worrying about the dust on his clothes. He paced as he thought. This could very well work. He could turn himself in, then he and Kakarotto could be punished. It shouldn't be too difficult of a punishment. Then it would be over, they'd be out. If the king tried to separate them… Well, he'd deal with that if it came up. There was only one other worry then… Being locked up in that damned dungeon. He hated to imagine it, but it was worth it, wasn't it? To be with Kakarotto, see that the boy was alright, to end their mindless running and hiding.

"Right then." Vejita grumbled, turning to the two warriors still seated on the floor, staring up at him.

Nappa cracked a smile, "In the morning then?"

Vejita nodded. It was decided then.

………………………………...

Kakarotto pulled at the bars again, completely amazed. How was this room so…? Kami, he couldn't even think of the word. It was just, either this place was extremely powerful or he was suddenly extremely weak. In fact, he couldn't sense much within these walls. Normally, whenever he tried, he could always feel his father's ki. Strangely, his sides still hurt too, and his head. Kami his head really hurt! Why wasn't he healing like he always had before? His father had explained long ago that it'd always be that way for them, their immortality kicking in.

The room was large, near the large staircase that lead down to these underground cages. Everything was stone, a light gray where filth hadn't yet touched, otherwise black or a dark, grimy brown. His clothes already had stains from sitting in the muck. The smell was bad, but he imagined it could be far worse. There was an old-fashioned light fixture fixed into the center of the ceiling, the two bulbs showing, one of them blinking off and on now and then. Down the hall, Kakarotto could hear someone crying out sometimes. Mostly the cries were caused by pain, Kakarotto could tell, but deep down they were pulled from an angry place. He felt sorry for whoever it was.

He could hear feet now, footsteps approaching. From the rhythm, he could tell it was the guards. Oh, and he could smell food. They hadn't fed him yesterday, the day he'd been thrown into this awful cell, but come morning they'd brought breakfast, followed by a small lunch. Now it was dinner time he supposed.

"Yo, Gin… Mealtime for the little prince." Called one of the men out in the hall, the word prince said with much sarcasm. A series of beeps could be heard, then a loud click.

Kakarotto watched as the metal slot in the door opened and a plate of food was pushed through. He hurried over, but didn't quite make it in time. The metal dish clattered to the floor along with all the food. He frowned, moving to speak through the slot only to have it closed in his face. He climbed to his feet, peering out the barred window, "Hey! Umm… It spilt, can I have another?" He asked, watching as the retreating guards turned his way. There were three of them, warriors he couldn't remember seeing ever before. Perhaps they worked in the dungeons only? They weren't afraid of him, not at all.

The tallest of the group began chuckling, soon followed by the others, "Gin, open number one."
"You sure?" Came a voice from far away, a nasally voice.

"Yeah." Said the tall one, now standing right before the door. The beeping started again, and the door clicked and hissed, swinging open.

Kakarotto could feel again then, it was slowly coming back. He didn't notice as the guards stepped forward.

"You want another?" The guard asked, then shoved the boy back.

The man wasn't all that strong, but he was strong enough to knock Kakarotto off his feet. He didn't get a chance to sit up even. All three were on him, kicking and hitting. At one point they'd grabbed him up only to throw him to the floor again. Kakarotto was so confused he didn't fight back. Why were they so angry with him anyway? The pain wasn't the worst he'd ever felt. His father had dealt worse blows than these, only… He wasn't healing. Another swift kick to his head and they were withdrawing, laughing as they left. The tall one was saying something, but Kakarotto couldn't hear, didn't care. The door closed with a boom and then that feeling washed over him again, not being able to sense properly, his strength even fading a bit. He rolled over, groaning at the many aches in his battered body.

………………………………...

Mind made up, Vejita and his two comrades rose early and began their way to the throne room. There were little guards about. Halfway there, a young soldier spotted them and hurried off at lightening speed. Once they were closer, guards became a more and more common sight, standing off to the side, many appearing scared and nervous. Vejita supposed they'd all been informed of their whereabouts, they all knew they were coming. Vejita spotted Raditz somewhere behind the crowd, but didn't bother searching him out or making eye contact. That ally was lost to them. No need.

The throne room doors were open wide, the king at his throne, the royals pressed back against the far wall, fearful. Vejita didn't give them a second glance, the cowards.

They entered fully, bowing down on one knee.

"Prince Vejita, you finally show your face." The king growled out, but Vejita knew it was mostly for show. He remained silent.

"Well, what is the meaning of this? Have you come to turn yourself in?"

Vejita raised his head slightly, just enough to see his father through an upward glance, "Hai. It was just an infatuation after all. Allow me to prove myself to you again, Sire."

The king rose to his feet, red cape billowing, "And go unpunished? What you've done has made our house weak! You risk everything with your 'infatuation!' You will be punished, along with the young prince and your two cohorts there." The king turned then, looking to the crowd, "Leave me with them."

"But Sire…" One of the royals said.

"Leave us!" The last came out in a hiss of anger and no one further questioned the order. Slowly the room drained until it was empty, the doors closed.

Once alone, Vejita stood along with Nappa and Tekita, "You know why I'm here."

The king nodded, stepping down from the platform where the throne stood, "Yes. The moment Kakarotto was captured, I knew you'd come."

"I must be with him. Punish us for the public eye for however long you will, but put us in the same cell."

"How can you be so stern? I'm the one punishing… I should decide how I wish to do it." The king said, pacing somewhat, "For the public eye? I should be punishing you for real. You deserve it, you know!"

Vejita growled, "Keep your voice down."

The king sighed, stilling himself, "Very well. You'll all be thrown in a dungeon together. Expect a bit of rough treatment, show your fierceness if you will. Whatever."

"How long?"

The king sighed again, "I don't know. Weeks? A month? I don't know. I'll allow the royals to help with the decision so they think they're punishing you as well. It won't be for too long. I'm nervous about locking you in there at all."

Vejita nodded, "What if something happens? If the rebels… I can't help if I'm locked up."

The king shook his head, "No. Nothing serious will happen. I will maintain a forceful pretense and take care of any caught rebels. Once all of this is behind us, we will continue with my plans for our planet."

"And what about the rebels? How have things…?"

"It's died down a bit, been quiet."

That was good. The last thing Vejita wanted was a revolt while he was locked up, powerless. The very idea was frightening. He nodded, determined to see all this through, "Okay, let's get on with it then."

The king nodded as well. With a shout the doors opened and guards poured in. He gave the orders and moments later Vejita, Nappa, and Tekita were being escorted to the dungeons.

The prince always forgot how dreary and rank they were. It was plenty disgusting. As suspected, the very first cell was theirs, the largest of them. The shouts were given and the man in the office at the end of the hall pressed the button to open the door. It beeped and creaked, and the bravest of the guards demanded they enter. Vejita had to force himself from turning and chewing the bastard out, knocking him around a bit. Didn't the fool know who he was talking to? Those thoughts left him as he spied Kakarotto lying against the far wall. He wanted nothing more than to run in and kneel at the boy's side, hold him close, but others were watching, he had to remain calm, deep breaths.

Some derogatory comment was made and the door was slammed shut, then the beeping again. The feeling that washed over them then was utterly bizarre. It was as if his ki were diminishing , leaking right out of his body. Vejita tried not to think about it. He knew this was going to happen, understood the technology. He'd just never experienced it personally.

Once the guards and their peering eyes were gone, Vejita rushed to his son, turning the boy to see his face. And Kami, it was horrible! Bruises littered every inch of visible skin, a severe one on the boy's right temple most worrisome, a cut in it's center, a trail of dried blood running between his eyes and down his nose to his chin.

"Kakarotto?" He whispered, lifting his son into a sitting position, careful to be gentle. The filth on the floor had stained the boy's clothes. It was disgusting.

"Kami." Came a whisper from behind, sounded like Nappa.

Kakarotto cracked his eyes open, aching all over and wanting nothing more than to simply sleep, rest, heal, but he recognized this voice calling to him, "Papa?"

"Hai. Kami, Kakarotto, what happened?" Anger was building in the prince's chest, deep where it hurt. In little more than a twenty-four hour period, his son had been beaten severely. He knew this was commonplace for prisoners, but not royalty, not his son. How dare they?

Tears welled in his eyes, "Lila… They killed her."

Vejita had been avoiding the grime, but gave in, plopping to the floor, pulling his son into his arms, "Is that how you were captured?"

The boy was on the verge of sobbing, "They'd caught her. I had ta help. I knew ya'd be mad, but I had ta try and help her."

Vejita nodded, understanding. It was simple really. All they'd have to have done was threaten the slave woman's life and his son, as pure as he was, would give in, do anything. "So, you came here and they killed her anyway?"

Kakarotto nodded, his breath hitching as he struggled to hold back his sobs and breath at the same time, "This morning. Just this morning. Right outside the window, in the hall. I tried ta stop them. I yelled and yelled. Kami, I tried ta help her, but…" He broke down then, a small string of saliva gracing his chin as he pressed into his father, holding tight.

"Shh… It wasn't your fault." Vejita murmured, holding his son in a near death grip, trying to sustain his own emotions.

"B… But she was asking me ta help. She was…" He didn't finish, breaking down again.

Nappa and Tekita stood for a while, but finally gave in and sat on the filthy floor too, watching their prince console the boy. It was horribly sad, but heartwarming at the same time. Kakarotto had just about climbed completely into the prince's lap, sobbing his little heart out. Vejita held the boy, rocking him ever-so-gently. They all understood the severe amount of grief the young prince must be experiencing. The boy hardly knew death. However, it was hard for them to feel sorry for the young woman. Slaves died on a regular basis on Planet Vejita and for much less. Of course, all of them knew the risk she'd been taking in aiding their escape, keeping their distance from her, but Kakarotto had warmed up instantly.

"When did they do this to you?" Vejita whispered once the boy had quieted, some hours later.

Kakarotto sniffed, "Some when they caught me, some yesterday evening, and mostly this morning after…" He couldn't finish, couldn't say it again.

"Shh… I know. Don't worry. I just wish you were healing." Vejita said, keeping his arms wrapped about his son's slender form, his hold loose now, comforting.

Kakarotto nodded, "Yeah, nothing's working right in this room. I can't sense anything, I'm weak, and I'm not healing either."

Vejita nodded as well, knowing all this. Inside, his anger dwelt, a hot dangerous thing in his core. The moment an opportunity arose, he was killing any and all guards that worked in the dungeon. How dare anyone touch his son, his lover? How dare anyone stand by and allow another to do such injustice! For now, however, he held it down, kept it in it's place. What the boy needed still was comforting. Soon enough, Kakarotto drifted to sleep in his arms, legs stretched out on the floor.

The room was silent then, not much to say really. If only the time would pass more quickly.

To be continued…

I hope this chapter was okay… I think I kind of rushed through Lila's death. I hope you guys understood it well enough. I just didn't want to go into all that drama too much since I see enough drama ahead in this fic. Sigh. Let's hope I pull this off well! Again, terribly sorry of the lateness and shortness. Until next time…