A/N: I swear, I had this chapter finished yesterday and was ready to post it, when ffn.net told me I couldn't… But I'm sorry for the delay anyway… I had really hoped that I would be able to write this chapter sooner, but I wrote all in all four tests this week and my afternoons and evening consisted almost of nothing but studying. But yesterday, after I got home from writing the last test for this week (next week I only have to write a small test in English about irregular verbs – how boring – and one other more important test, for which I will start to study on Sunday or Monday) I immediately started to write this chapter and I didn't want to stop until it was finished, and viola, hours later, it was! I hope you guys know that my arms and finger were hurting the rest of the evening because of you, but hey, I would do anything for you, you know that! *grins*
Chunks, thanks for proofreading again!
Chapter 28: Frieza
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Footsteps on the dark blue and golden marble of the floor echoed through the hallway. Light of the warm afternoon sun shone through the large windows on the left and right side that was reflected on the walls that were held in the same colors and made of the same material as the floor, illuminating the whole hallway in a soft golden glow. Paintings of lizard-like beings hung at the walls, seized in golden decorated frames. Each person that went down this hallway had to shudder involuntarily when he passed those paintings. Each of these beings held a look in its eyes that seemed to pierce right through you.
But since most persons only had a bad feeling when passing these paintings, one person held a complete revulsion for going through this hallway, since it should be his ancestors being presented at these walls and not those of the Beast. People had seen him walking through even this hallway with his head held high and his eyes directed at the door in front of him, not casting one glance at the walls at his sides. They were sure and it was whispered behind turned backs that their Lord had just hung up the paintings of his elders to show the Prince who exactly the ruler of this island and of most parts in this region of the seas was to punish him and also going as far as trying to break his seemingly indestructible pride.
The two men – or at least one of them – weren't an exception to the heavy shiver running down their spines when walking past the paintings and so the smaller one quickened his pace, the first reason being to keep up with his much larger companion, the second being to get to the end of this hallway as soon as possible, though he feared much more what was behind the large wooden doors at the end. But he had no choice but to go there and this time he also had no reason to fear the one behind those doors, because they had something, or rather, someone, who should lighten his mood considerably.
He adjusted the unconscious body he carried over his shoulder to keep it from slipping out of his grasp, when he and his companion eventually stopped in front of those doors and his friend knocked at it, loudly and forcefully. When the right wing of the door swung open, Dodoria swallowed and couldn't stop himself from perspiring when he saw him inside his throne room sitting on his throne with a glass of wine in his hand and an extremely grim expression on his face - the one and only Frieza.
Zarbon stepped inside and Dodoria followed him, if reluctantly, but stayed in the background while his partner stepped forward, until he stood directly in front of the throne and got down on one knee, bowing his head. "My Lord," Zarbon said.
"Zarbon," Frieza stated, with a disapproving tone in his voice. "What is of so much importance that you dare to disturb me?"
"Sire, Dodoria and I found something on the shore that might interest you. Dodoria, show him."
Dodoria walked up to his friend, bowed his head while also mumbling a quiet "My Lord" and unceremoniously dropped the body on the floor.
"Lord Frieza, I bring you the sailor known as Son Goku, or to be more precise, the Saiyajin with the name Kakarotto. We found him on the shore this morning. It seemed like he had either fallen overboard during the storm or that his ship had found its death in the raging sea," Zarbon informed his master.
Frieza's face started to show just the slightest hint of interest when Zarbon mentioned the name of this unconscious man lying in front of him with his face to the floor. The interest went even so far that the Lord descended from his throne to take a better look at the body. "Turn him around."
"Of course, my Lord," Dodoria muttered and kicked Son Goku, so that he was now facing the ceiling.
A sudden intake of breath could be heard in the throne room, followed by an astonished, "Truly fascinating."
"It is, isn't it Sire? I, myself, was quite surprised when I first laid my eyes on him," his right hand man told him.
"Is he alive?" The lizard-like being could not tear his eyes from the body. He had never seen a Saiyajin that held so much resemblance to his sire than this one. It had always been said that it was only possible in the royal family that a child held that much similarity towards one of its parents. The best examples for this were the young Prince and the King, though there were still some differences between the child and father, for example their height. But this Saiyajin in front of him was an exact copy of his father, including the wild direction of every single hair.
"Yes, Sire. I wanted to bring him to you so that you would have the chance of killing him."
"That was a very wise thing of you to do," Frieza told him now smirking, as he had already formed a plan in his mind, "considering the fact that I'm not intending to kill him."
"Not, Sire?"
The Lord shook his head. "Not yet. The dungeons should be appropriate for now. Dodoria! Put him in the cell of the other monkey! You are both dismissed."
"Yes, my Lord," Zarbon and Dodoria answered at the same time, though both had surprised looks on their faces that somehow doubted their Lord's decision. But they were clever enough not to voice their thoughts out loud, otherwise they could be sure that they would also find themselves soon in the same dungeons. They bowed and, after Dodoria had picked up the Saiyajin, left the throne room.
Once Frieza was alone again, he sat down on this throne. He leaned back, took a sip of his wine and a content and amused look settled on his face. "This should prove to become interesting."
~*~
They were walking next to each other in silence the whole time, until they reached the point where Dodoria had to take another hallway to get to the dungeons. They agreed that they would meet again in the canteen to finally get some lunch before each of them went his own way.
Zarbon was walking down the hallway past the rooms of the crews of Frieza's ships, when he saw a very sour looking Saiyajin walking into his direction. "Well, well, well, if that isn't the monkey Radditz," he quipped when Radditz walked by without a word of greeting. "Tell me, how did your little revolt go? Are you now the captain of Vegeta's ship?"
"Shut up," the Saiyajin snapped. He smartly bit back another comment to insult the much stronger sailor, since he was not in the mood for a fight, especially one he would surely lose. He already dreaded his meeting with Frieza to inform him about the happenings on board and the most-likely beating that would come with it.
"Did I say something wrong?" Zarbon asked with obvious fake obliviousness.
Radditz growled and turned back to his superior. "If you really want to know: The woman is dead, as well as Vegeta. Both were swallowed by the sea. I know that itself isn't that bad, though Frieza wanted the woman alive, but it seems that Vegeta took one of the spheres with him. We searched his whole cabin, hell, even the whole ship, but we only found one."
"Well, if it helps you somehow, though I hope not, Frieza is in a good mood, now that the famous sailor Son Goku is a prisoner in his dungeons," he replied smugly, before he left the stunned Saiyajin behind.
~*~
"Can't we take a break?" came a thoroughly exhausted voice from behind. Krillin sighed and turned around. They were in a wide field and the late afternoon sun was mercilessly burning down on them. But he could see the beginnings of a forest in the close distance, maybe only one or two more miles, where they would finally find the long-desired shadow. They had been walking all day, ever since their decision to end the mission Son Goku had begun. They had packed only the most important things to travel light – food, water, weapons, some money, the map and of course the two spheres.
Of course, he and the other men (and, as he had also noticed, Juuhachigou) were used to the strains of the sun and hard work, but ChiChi and Dende were not and though Son Gohan was a strong boy, he also showed signs of exhaustion. They needed a break, but he couldn't stop here on this field for everyone to see them. If anyone found their ship, they had a small head start, but he was quite sure that Frieza's men would be looking for them on horses once they saw the name of the wrecked ship. He truly hated to decide, but somehow there had been made a silent agreement between the men to make him their new captain, since he of all of them had known Son Goku the longest. He hated it, but someone had to do the job and he knew that Goku would've wanted him to do his best.
"Don't worry, ChiChi. We can take a break once we reached the forest over there. It's too dangerous for us to rest now," he told her.
ChiChi frowned, but eventually nodded, understanding the situation they were in. "Fine with me. Dende, do you think you can go on for one or two more miles?"
The boy nodded tiredly. His eyelids had already started to drop about half an hour ago, and he didn't even notice the large Namek next to him, until he crouched down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Dende looked up and saw Piccolo motioning with his head over his shoulder, a sign that he should climb on the older Namek's back. The boy gave him a small thankful smile and accepted the offer.
ChiChi worriedly looked down at her son, who just smiled bravely. "Don't worry, mom. I'm not feeling that tired. I can make it to the forest."
"I know…" she replied softly and squeezed his hands. "I think we can go on."
Krillin and the others nodded at each other and they continued their journey over the island. Their next destination was the forest, where they would rest and also make their camp for the night. They needed to be well-rested for the next day, especially since they did not have the chance to get much rest the previous night. He looked again on the magical map and noticed that now four spheres were at exactly one place – the one place he presumed to be Frieza's palace, the place they were heading for. He hadn't noticed how far the storm had brought them from their original course. It seemed that they have somehow managed to sail past the haven and to end up in the north of the island. And at the pace they were going right now he estimated that it would take them about two to three more days until they reached the town. Though, one small thing was disturbing him. One single sphere on the other side of the island – in the south of the city, on the other side of the river that was dividing the island into two parts, remained alone. He couldn't fathom why there should be one sphere all alone – he had thought the whole time that Frieza had three spheres and Vegeta two. But now Frieza had four and one sphere was alone – also not moving.
'What the hell is going on here?'
~*~
Night had fallen over the land and it was slowly getting cold. Bulma stared at the fire in front of her, the shadows it was throwing dancing on her face. She had woken up about one hour ago (it was already dark) to the sound and warmth of the fire. Her whole body was sore, though she was not cold anymore. She had her knees drawn up and her in-the-meantime dried dress covered her legs. She wriggled with her toes, having lost her shoes while she had been busy drowning. But she had been saved…
Her eyes strayed again to the Saiyajin sitting on the other side of the fire. She could see the flames reflecting in his dark eyes, as he intensely and obviously deep in thought stared into the fire. He had not said as much as a few words to her ever since she had woken up. Gone was the look in his eyes, the gentleness he had shown as they had made love. It almost looked like a part of him had died, or at least been partly broken. She had no idea what exactly had happened on deck before the pirate had brought her there, nor did she remember much of what had happened while she had been there. The only thing she remembered was that he had to make a choice – her or his pride. He had chosen his pride; she remembered that he had said 'no' to surrender. She should have known that this would be his choice, though she still had hoped that his feelings for her – if they ever existed – were stronger than his pride.
And yet here she was, with him and definitely not dead. There truly wasn't much she remembered of what had happened after this pirate had shoved her off this plank, but one thing was clear. She clearly remembered seeing a golden glowing angel reaching out for her. She inwardly shook her head. That must have been her imagination. There were no golden angels that could save her. But could it have been him? Had Vegeta come after her to save her? The fact that she was now sitting here with him seemed to prove this theory, but he certainly wasn't glowing golden now. Should she ask him about it? Hell, no! She would rather die than expose herself to that embarrassment. He would surely think that she had lost it now completely when she started to talk about golden glowing angels, or rather pirates, saving her.
"What are we going to do now?" She surprised herself by asking this question and tearing him out of his thoughts. She was also surprised by how small her voice sounded.
Vegeta raised his eyes and stared at her. She seemed to squirm slightly under his gaze and he sighed almost inaudibly. He did not know how to answer this question. He did not know what do to. His crew and two of his own kind had turned against him. Frieza held now his two spheres in his own hands and soon would also have those of Kakarotto – he was sure of that – and then nothing and no one would be able to stop the Beast. Everything he had done was in vain. 'Maybe I should just go to him and use the object of surprise to attack him – I am, after all, supposed to be dead – and what do I have to lose?' He had already lost everything.
"Vegeta?"
Or maybe not everything? For the first time in his life a person actually meant something to him, but what life could he offer her? She was better off without him. A plan started to form in his mind. Yes, that's what he had to do. "We will rest here for the night," he answered at length. "Tomorrow we will head north until we reach the great river. There's a small town that should provide us with new clothes, though we have to get those clothes without anyone noticing us, since we actually should be dead. I also need weapons. It's risky, but it's more dangerous for us to run around in those torn clothes and unarmed. We also need something to cover our heads with, because we still have to cross the river with the ferryboat and once we have reached the harbor we have to blend in. There we will find you a ship that will bring you away from here – the ideal situation would be to Ginger Island. There you can either wait for your friends, though it would still be dangerous or you can take a ship to another island or maybe even to your home."
"And what about you?" Bulma asked, not at all liking how Vegeta was talking.
"After you left the island, I will go to Frieza and fight him," he informed her curtly.
"You're not coming with me? I mean, home with me? My father is a very understanding person and you could start a new life…"
"And run away like a coward?! No! I'm not running away! You have no idea what you're talking about, now have you, woman? Do you really think that your father would approve of me, a ruthless pirate, who had killed more persons than he could count and kidnapped his only daughter? And what about your friends? Do you really think that they would welcome me with open arms instead of killing me on the spot?"
"I-I could explain… I––"
"No! They won't understand! They won't! And don't even think that I would crawl on my knees before them! All my life my goal was to fight Frieza and claim the throne as legitimate King. I. Will. Fight. Frieza."
"But you won't stand a chance against him! He'll kill you!" Bulma screamed.
"Don't you think I know that?" Vegeta yelled at her and Bulma had to wince at the utter despair in his voice. Both were standing by now, though they hadn't noticed when they had actually gotten up and only a few feet were still between them. Both faces were flushed and both were breathing hard. Bulma had tears running down her cheeks, but she didn't even acknowledge them. Everything was now deathly calm, except of the sound of few insects and the fire. Her mind was running wild, so that she almost didn't hear that he now spoke again in a much calmer voice, though there was still an edge of the previously displayed despair in it. "Frieza is already close to invincible, and as soon as he possesses all seven spheres, he will be the ultimate ruler. The spheres aren't called The Treasure of Power for nothing."
"But Goku… I mean…"
"Kakarotto won't be able to beat him. I fought him, I know that. We're about the same strength and if I am not able to beat Frieza, Kakarotto won't be either. So it's just a matter of time until Frieza finally holds all seven spheres in his hands."
Bulma opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it again. Should she tell him about it, or not? Should she tell him that she had one of the spheres? What would he do if he knew? But, what if she kept the sphere and took it with her when she was leaving the island? Sure, she would be in danger, but she could buy enough time for Vegeta to fight Frieza, so that he maybe stood a little chance against him. He would never have to know… She would take it with her and then somewhere in the middle of the ocean she would drop it into the water, for no soul to find it. Then no one would be able to gather the seven spheres and get the kind of power that Frieza desired.
"You should get some sleep now, woman. The next days will become quite stressful and I want to travel at a quick pace."
Bulma only nodded at those words and settled down near the fire, watching Vegeta doing the same on the other side. She lay down and rested her head on her arm for the lack of a better pillow. Her eyes, though, still rested on his still sitting form through the fire and slowly, while listening to only the crackling of the fire, sleep started to claim her. And even while she was falling asleep, she actually thought for the first time in days of home. When everything that Vegeta said was going to work, then she would soon be home again. She would see her parents again, ChiChi, Son Goku and his crew (maybe she should give Yamcha another chance then, of course just if the crew of the Kintoun was going to survive Frieza). But what would she give up? The man she loved? Maybe even her soul mate? The man she wanted to start a family with? There was no denying that the last time she would see him would be when she was going on board of one of the ships that would bring her away – that would bring her… home. But at least she wouldn't go without doing something. She would destroy the only chance that someone would get enough power to spread fear and darkness all over the lands.
With this thought in mind her eyes fluttered shut and she fell into a deep and dreamless slumber.
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Okay, I think the title isn't the most original one, but I thought about it and came to the conclusion that somehow everything in this chapter is somehow connected to Frieza, so I named the chapter after him.
But, as usual, I hope you like this chapter! I truly hope that now that I only have two more tests to write, I'll have again more time to concentrate on my fanfics to update them faster, so stay tuned for the next chapter, which will most likely be named "The Prisoner". Curious? Well then I think you have no other choice but to read it, once it is up. I actually wanted to start with it in this chapter, but then I wouldn't know how long this chapter would have gotten…
Oh, and please be so nice and leave a small review for me, 'kay? Thanks a lot!
Eternally yours
ChibiChibi