"Come any closer and Kakarot dies!" Retaso snapped. Vegeta snarled in anger but didn't move. Kakarot's eyes were wide and terrified as he breathed shallowly, shifting his eyes between the white hot energy near his face and his mate and father desperately. He whimpered tugging at the arm locked around his neck before it tightened.
"Stop squirming you little bitch." Retaso growled. The beta whined softly as tears gathered in his eyes, but he froze between the tight chokehold and the ki in his face. Toa snarled telling him to freeze. Blasts hurt, blasts couldn't be blocked. This one Toa warned could kill him from this close. Vegeta was glaring, and the general could see the wheels in the younger male's mind searching for a way to free his mate. "Don't even think about it your highness."
"You've signed your death warrant." He hissed back as his power swelled around him with a visible aura.
"Don't patronize me boy. You were going to kill me before I did this. If I'm going to die, Kakarot is going with me. Had he had died like he was supposed to 16 years ago none of this would have happened." The angered alpha hissed pressing the ball of energy so close Kakarot could feel its heat and clenched his eyes shut at the brightness. "I should have taken matters into my own hands and dealt with him myself after you rescued him instead of counting on the him never recovering."
"You knew..." Bardock snarled enraged. "All this time you knew! You knew what happened to my cub! Why...why do you hate me so much you'd try to kill my son!" Bardock shouted enraged as he signaled the other guards to begin evacuating the witnesses. Retaso stepped closer to the exit drawing a soft cry and tears from Kakarot as he was pulled backwards.
"Don't be stupid Bardock, we both know you're more intelligent than that." He hissed keeping Kakarot positioned in front of him like a shield. "I didn't care that he was yours, although I'll admit I found it ironically appropriate. All I needed was a female or beta to die on an assignment in the CZ to justify getting rid of carriers from the military. He had one job; walk blindly into an ambush and die. But you were too stupid for that weren't you. I figured Frieza likely captured him in the aftermath of the attack but I honestly didn't expect him to survive." He hissed in Kakarot's ear as he squeezed his arm making Kakarot weakly struggle. The energy was so close he could see the light through his closed eyelids.
"P-please..." Kakarot pleaded desperately trying to pull away from it.
"Retaso, think about what you're doing." Yasi tried as Turles appeared in the doorway behind councilman. "You have the option of a trial either by this council or from the gods. Hurting Kakarot now will not help your case." Turles moved closer and Retaso growled pressing the energy into Kakarot's skin. Kakarot screamed in pain at the brief contact when everyone froze. Frantic dark eyes looked into Vegeta's pleading for his help.
"I'm not playing. If anyone comes any closer Kakarot will die. I promise you as fast as you are, at this distance" Kakarot hissed in pain as his eyes screwed shut in in fear when the blast pressed closer a second time. "I'm still faster." Turles growled as his tail lashed but he backed off. They stared hard at each other, Vegeta willing to murder the older male but afraid for his mate.
"What'll it be your highness?"
"Geta...Geta please..." Kakarot whimpered with tears running down his cheeks. Vegeta snarled baring his fangs but relaxed his stance.
"As much as I want you dead for laying a hand on my mate, I value his life more than your death. Let him go right now and you have my word you'll walk out that door alive." The royal said coldly. Kakarot whined when he was pulled another step backwards.
"And give up my hostage?" Retaso smirked. "I'm not letting him go until I'm certain I don't need him anymore." Kakarot whimpered and started to struggle once more at the mention of going anywhere with this man. Retaso's only response was to growl and tighten his arm until the beta went lax from difficulty breathing.
"Retaso just let the beta go!" Tonopo shouted. "He's the prince consort, have you completely lost your mind?! His highness has already given his word don't make this worse for yourself." Turles snarled behind the general.
"I swear to the gods Retaso, if you kill my nephew there is nowhere in the universe you'll be able to hide from me."
"Don't tempt me Turles." Retaso spat. "Your whole family has been a pain in my side ever since we were in training together. The third class piece of garbage that was showing up elites left and right. I figured if I got rid of you all my problems would be over, but no then your perfect little Bardock comes along and was an even bigger pain in my ass than you ever were. All the trouble I went through getting you kicked out of the military might as well have been for nothing." Turles bared his fangs in anger.
"I always suspected you were the one behind that. You just couldn't stand the fact I was better than you."
"Don't delude yourself. You're a third class, and you will always be a third class. The only thing your kind will ever be useful for is cleaning shit from my boots and breeding more cannon fodder. It pissed me off you and your brother never seemed to understand your proper places." Using his arm Retaso pulled back forcing Kakarot to bare his throat. "And least this one knows where he belongs. Such a shame it took 15 years of torture to drill it into his head. Honestly, a third class completing the first solo mission by a beta? The little fool should have known better."
"You manipulated him, you bastard!" Bardock snarled. "Don't even try to pretend otherwise. He was upset and frustrated by our fight and you used that against him! You used his desperation to prove himself to convince him to do your insane suicide run!"
"How many have you done this to?" King Vegeta growled. "How many innocent betas and women have you manipulated?"
"This stupid bitch was the only one." The other elite snarled. "Here I though using him would prevent him from becoming just as big a pain as his father and uncle, nip it in the bud, maybe even break Bardock. You have no idea how much I enjoyed watching your downward spiral Bardock. All it took was the occasional goading and you'd start destroying yourself all over again."
"I was so disappointed when the council restricted you to planet-side operations. The rate you were going with the drinking and running yourself into the ground I was just waiting to hear you'd bitten off more than you could handle." He smirked glancing over his shoulder at Turles. "It would have been fitting to watch you suffer unable to help your family."
"If you hate us that much then why didn't you have the balls to attack us?!" Bardock snarled. "My son has nothing to do with any of this."
"You think I didn't try?" The traitor snapped. "Regrettably you were beyond my reach with how close you were to the king and then the prince. I couldn't take the risk. And Turles for all my attempts kept surviving to the point the paranoid bastard was more costly to pursue than could be afforded."
"So you went after Kakarot instead." Vegeta snarled.
"I told you, I had no designs on this little bitch. I used him because he was expendable. A beta with no significant skills or power, and unimportant in the grand scheme of things made him useful. The fact he belonged to Bardock was simply a bonus. And now he'll extend that usefulness just a bit longer and be my ticket out of here."
"You aren't leaving here with my mate." Vegeta snarled lowly. "For all I know you'll kill him out of spite the moment you're out of view."
"You have a point, but the same could be said of you Vegeta. Fortunately I think I've gotten a solution to this little stalemate."
The blast in his hand fired up towards the ceiling and the alphas immediately started to move for Retaso and Kakarot only to realize the alpha's trap as he clenched his hand into a fist and a blinding white flash filled the room.
"Burst and mix!"
The three alphas stumbled to a halt as they covered their eyes to keep from seeing the false moon. Transforming here would be one of the worse possible outcomes. Kakarot could be crushed if he didn't transform and go on a rampage himself and there was no guarantee they wouldn't turn on each other in their blood lust. And if the roof was destroyed there was even more risk other saiyans would see the moon and transform as well.
"Geta!" Kakarot shouted in terror before a scream sounded in the room.
"Damn it!" Vegeta snarled and blindly fired up towards the ceiling with Bardock and destroyed the false moon with another brilliant flash. Blinking to regain his vision both he and Bardock felt their blood run cold. Turles knelt near the doorway with a pool of blood growing under him rapidly as his hand pressed to his stomach trying to stem the bleeding.
"Turles!" Bardock was beside him ripping off his shirt to bind the wound.
"S-son of b-bitch got me with a blade..." he coughed out with some blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "S-shit...what are you doing, go...go rescue Kaka..."
"I can't..." Bardock's heart twisted. He had to choose between his brother and his son..."damn it!" Turles grabbed his arm with his empty hand.
"That bastard will make...for a ship." Raditz knelt next to the older males and they realized Vegeta was already in pursuit.
"Go." The long haired alpha said pushing his father's hands from the wound and pressing down. "I'll help him, go get Kakarot."
"Th-that...piece of s-shit better die Bar..." Turles growled out lowly. Bardock only nodded as he took off into the halls after Vegeta and his son.
++break++
"Hurry up you lazy bitch." Kakarot staggered with a whimper at the harsh jerk the alpha made on his hair as he was pulled down the hall. He tried to fight back when they first entered the hallway but the brute strength Retaso used to force him into moving brought back too many memories Kakarot couldn't ignore. Memories of Frieza, Ginyu, and Zarbon doing this exact thing and the punishments that awaited him at their destination that were worse than what they already planned for him if he resisted.
Toa was snarling, urging him to fight back, to do something to slow this alpha down so Alpha could get to them but the only thing Kakarot wanted was to sink back into his safe place. Teti and Geta lied! They said he'd be safe if he told them. Toa refused to trade places knowing the memories would overwhelm them both if he did.
Kakarot yelped when he was suddenly jerked the opposite direction and his hands pulled at the one fisted in his hair desperately trying to make him let go.
"Damn it, this has Bardock all over it." The alpha snarled softly not wanting to be heard by the increasing guards. Growling at Kakarot's whimper he harshly twisted the thick hair in his grasp. The beta simply whimpered louder in pain while twisting to try get some relief.
"Please...p-please...not b-back there..." he begged unashamedly. Kakarot stumbled yet again as Retaso jerked him along.
"Shut up." The older male spat. "Gods you are pathetic." He bit out slinging the beta in front of him into an empty storage room. Too many years of similar treatment gave Kakarot a slight advantage as he kept his feet and scurried to the far corner with terror in his eyes when the alpha shut the door behind him.
"Geta...Geta's going to find you." Kakarot softly said more to convince himself it was true. Retaso snorted in amusement. The alpha was too close to the door for Kakarot to try bolting. He didn't want Retaso to grab him again, his instincts screaming to keep away from the deranged male.
"You think because he's dressed you up and given you some nice things that you actually matter to him? Don't be absurd. You're third class garbage, a toy at best." Retaso snapped coldly while he rummaged through the shelves for anything useful. Kakarot's hand came up to his bite mark and covered it protectively.
"But he...he marked me..."
"As his property you stupid bitch." The alpha snapped making Kakarot flinch. "The mark simply tells others you're off limits. Don't you get it yet Kakarot, the only thing a beta like you is good for is whelping cubs. Even Frieza knew that. Fifteen years on your knees for all his soldiers and you still haven't grasped that truth? The prince already has two plus your half breeds so why does he still need you?" He growled in frustration seeing nothing of use in the room.
The booted feet down the hall alerted them of someone coming closer. Retaso immediately pulled his blaster and trained it on the beta with the obvious warning to remain silent. Kakarot felt his throat start to close up with panic when the door opened blocking Retaso from view.
"Your highness!"
"No!" Kakarot shouted seconds too late when Retaso slid an arm around his neck and with a swift crack killed the guard snapping his neck. The beta stared in horror at the cooling body as it hit the floor. Fearful tremors wracked his body as the alpha shut the door and rummaged through the guard's pouch.
That guard had done nothing to the alpha besides look for Kakarot. This was home, it was supposed to be safe! There wasn't supposed to be fighting here! Retaso grabbed his arm and Kakarot shouted, struggling to pull away. The alpha landed a heavy blow to the side of his face and the little beta whimpered while his wrists were jerked behind him and a pair of cuffs locked his wrists into place. One of his hands gripped Kakarot's chin forcing him to stare at the body.
"Keep it up and that will be you on the floor."
"You'll kill me anyways won't you?" Kakarot asked softly. Clarity pierced the panic for the first time in days. Retaso wouldn't let him go.
"I guess you aren't completely stupid." Retaso muttered dragging Kakarot to his feet. "Yes I plan to deal with you myself but only when you are no use to me. Now you can cooperate and I'll treat you well enough or you resist and you'll spend your last hours being beaten and in pain."
Kakarot hissed angrily as his fur bristled finally finding his courage. He didn't let the others do this to him. He didn't let Ginyu or Frieza hurt him without fighting back. Bad- no Zarbon, he forced himself to think the name of his tormentor, he didn't let him do it either. He wouldn't let this alpha simply kill him either.
Unfortunately it was too late to do much and Retaso struck him across the face making him stagger. Several more blows rained down on the helpless beta before Retaso growled grabbing his hair yet again believing Kakarot sufficiently cowed and drug him out the door into the hall. Dark eyes burned as Kakarot and Toa glared under his bangs.
Snarling Kakarot lunged for the older male and tried to bite him catching Retaso by surprise when the beta started resisting him. Sharp fangs snapped only air but he connected his shoulder with the other male knocking him off balance and forced him to release the beta's hair. Both men stumbled but Kakarot was more than used to these conditions having spent years in chains. Kakarot needed to flee, he needed to get away from Retaso and and find Geta or Teti. He was capable of that much. Frieza's game should have prepared him for that.
A hand clamped on his shirt and pulled sending them both to floor. The older male wasted little time attempting to subdue Kakarot by climbing over the smaller male to pin him with his weight. Snarling Kakarot hooked his leg flipping them so the older male was no longer above him, the moves old and familiar. With another growl Kakarot drove his heel into the alpha's face before lashing out again with a double blow to the chest pushing Retaso back. His wrists tugged uselessly at the cuffs on his wrists but he didn't let that stop him from rolling backwards and getting his feet under him to bolt.
"Little bitch!" Kakarot screamed as his tail was grabbed and his legs gave out under him, dropping him to the floor and smacking his head. No one had touched his tail in months and the pain was unbelievable. Nausea rose up the beta's throat from the pain. The man's hand fisted the hair near Kakarot's neck and hauled him up before slamming his face into the wall.
"You little bitch how dare you." He hissed softly as the beta growled at him while he glared back at the alpha through narrowed eyes.
"I won't let you-" Retaso turned him around and slammed him against the wall again his hand tightly gripping Kakarot by the throat. A soft whimper escaped the beta as the hand choked him, his feet not touching the floor.
"Your compliance isn't a factor." The alpha growled bringing his other hand up to squeeze with its partner. "I'm done with you, you troublesome little shit. I should have killed you myself after you were returned here. You've been more trouble than you're worth. I can't make you suffer how I wanted to but there's time enough to enjoy wringing your miserable neck."
Kakarot struggled in his grip with his eyes watering in panic and a need to breathe. His tail lashed the air before slowly going still as he heard his heart pounding in his ear with the painfully familiar sensation of suffocating. The beta choked as his limbs went weak.
'...Geta...' where was his alpha? Where was Teti? They promised...they promised, alpha promised! Desperate Kakarot shifted his neck as much as able and screamed with the last of his air.
"GETA!"
"You think he's coming for you?" Retaso chuckled squeezing even tighter as Kakarot's eyes slid to slits while his vision blurred. "You're nothing. A breeder with no more use. Now die knowing you at least did that much right and gave his majesty two strong heirs."
Kakarot fell limp in his grasp, his eyes glassy.
"Get your fli-" Vegeta snarled before he froze rounding the corner seeing the beta not moving. Retaso turned to face the prince and dropped Kakarot to the floor as though he was nothing. Dark eyes locked on the beta's still form and the fact he wasn't breathing.
'Breathe Aiyo! Take a breath, please...'
"Only two minutes too late your highness." Retaso said taking in Vegeta's shock. "To think he wasted his last breath screaming your name, only for you to not show up."
"No...Kakarot." The lights flickered as Vegeta's power swelled around him. His vision had narrowed to his mate laying still on the floor and the alpha next to him. He failed Kakarot. He promised nothing would happen to him and Kakarot died believing Vegeta had abandoned him. Tears stung his eyes before blinding metallic rage consumed his soul.
"You killed him..." the words were quiet and not what Retaso expected from the prince.
"Spare me your irritating sentiment. He was a third class breeder. A mentally deficient weakling who outlived his usefulness. He was in no way fit for the throne or ruling beside you. I did you a favor." The lights overhead exploded down the length of the hall darkening everything except for the pale glow from Vegeta wreathed in white light.
"He was strong." Vegeta snapped coldly. "He was the strongest person I've ever known, because he never quit fighting. He was a survivor." Vegeta's power continued to skyrocket as his voice grew in volume and around them the very foundations of the castle shook.
"Kakarot was kind and loving, he didn't even want to fight any more! All he wanted to to raise our children. He survived horrors that would have broken anyone and was getting better. He was my MATE you SON OF A BITCH!"
"If you miss him so much, I'll send you to join him then!" Retaso snarled rushing the prince, a dagger of matte steel in hand, deceptive in the dim light of the corridor. Vegeta roared his fury and gold light erupted around them blowing out the nearby walls and shaking the building with the force of an earthquake. The blade in Retaso's hand shattered into splinters of steel as it came in contact with the golden aura, his eyes wide in horror at what Vegeta had become.
"It can't be..." he said in disbelief. "There's only ever one..."
That was all the aged alpha had time for as Vegeta in his fury and bloodlust closed in on him like a force of nature. In the red haze of his wrath all Vegeta could think was his need to send the killer of his mate to oblivion, to crush their body and watch the light fade from his eyes. There was no finesse, only brutal savagery as he tore the older alpha apart.
Long after the other ceased his struggles Vegeta continued his assault, clinging to his wrath in desperation. As long as that haze remained he didn't have to think about what would come next. Kakarot was gone. His mate was gone, and it was this bastard's fault!
Kakarot wouldn't be there to see their cubs grow up. He wouldn't be there to teach them, or help Seba and Amara when they were old enough for heats. He was just gone. After all he went through and survived under Frieza's enslavement he was killed in his home by this piece of shit that was responsible for all his suffering to begin with.
A weight hit his back and the enraged alpha snarled when he felt arms wrap around his waist. Roaring in fury he turned intent on killing the one getting between him and his revenge.
Sweet cinnamon hit his nose and he froze. That scent shouldn't be here...
The red haze bled away and Vegeta couldn't help but stare in disbelief as Kakarot clung to him, soft whimpers coming from his throat. Did he die too?
"Vegeta snap out of it!" Bardock shouted startling the prince into the now. He couldn't look away from his mate more than a second. He was afraid to touch the trembling beta, afraid he wasn't real.
"You were dead..." he whispered passed the lump in his throat, the words nearly choking him.
"Vegeta, you need to calm down." Bardock said grabbing his shoulder and wincing in pain. "Try to power down. Kakarot needs to you power down before you hurt him." A snarl ripped from his throat as he bared his fangs at the other male. He would never-
A soft pained whimper came from the beta clinging to him and doused his rage like ice water.
"Vegeta can you hear me?" Bardock asked cautiously, his voice much clearer through the haze clouding his mind.
"Bardock?" His hands brushed Kakarot's trembling body and felt his warm skin. He was really here and not an illusion.
"Breathe and try to lower your power." The older male said with the calm voice Vegeta remembered from their training and Kakarot's episodes. Lower his power? Why? "Vegeta you realize your power is sky rocketing right? Look at yourself."
"How is he here?" Vegeta asked still in shock. "He was...he was..."
"Kakarot is alive, Vegeta." Bardock said softly. "I don't know what exactly you saw but he's alive. But he needs a medic, I think you might too."
"Kakarot..." his hands brushed the beta's back and he realized he was covered in the Retaso's blood and getting it all over his mate. His filthy blood-
"Vegeta! Don't lose your temper!" Bardock snarled in rage. "Calm down and release your power. Now, before you burn Kakarot with your Ki."
"...Ge..." Kakarot's voice was soft and raspy. He was pleading with the alpha. His grip would not loosen on the prince's shoulders.
"I'm here..." Vegeta whispered. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't faster." Gold energy bled out of him. Hot tears finally leaked from his eyes as he pulled Kakarot close. "I thought I'd lost you."
Kakarot nuzzled his neck before whimpering in pain. Vegeta immediately pulled back and started looking for other injuries. Bruises were darkening on his neck and face along with the burn from where Retaso burned him with the moon ball. The small beta was wheezing but he wouldn't let go of Vegeta. His tail fur was ruffled towards the end and swelling. A growl ripped from him as he felt his power spike, that bastard-
"Stop that right now!" Bardock snapped smacking the back of his head and startled the younger into growling at him. "I get that you're angry, trust me I get it, but right now you have to control that temper. If you don't you'll transform again and hurt Kakarot."
"Transform?" He didn't know what Bardock was talking about. He couldn't transform there was no moon here.
"You didn't even realize what happened did you?" Bardock smirked. "Congrats, you're the third saiyan in the last 40 years to become the legend."