Disclaimer: Yeah, right… if I did own the two shows this story is exactly how they'd play out… but I don't own either Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball Z.
Shinai: A bamboo sword used in Kendo.
Three
A leather whip lined with silver metal spikes cracked as it flew through the air, connecting onto flesh. It hit with such sheer force that it seemed that the wielder took pleasure from carving flesh from bone.
The child gritted his teeth as the whip once again connected onto the skin of his back. Desperately he tried not to make a sound, but without his consent a slight yelp past through his tightly closed lips as the whip slashed across a particular tender muscle.
Queen Sumi narrowed her eyes at her child's blood soaked back as her fingers ran along the hilt of the whip she held in her possession. Her son, Prince Vegeta stood chained in-between two marble pillars, his hands and feet chained to either pillar. While a single chain hung painfully from the base of his tail. A weight tied to the end of the chain kept him immobilized, leaving him as venerable as a mere infant.
Under normal circumstances it would have been easy for the seven year old prince to break through the rusty chains that kept him bound. However, with his tail bound as well Prince Vegeta had no way to fight back. Though, that is if the Prince had any desire to fight back. For Prince Vegeta was not only bound physically but bound to his duty as well.
His queen and mother had awoken him in the middle of the night by pouring a bucket of subfreezing degree water on him. The Prince awoke in such a state of fright that instinctually he dropped down into a fighting stance ready to fight off his attacker. Before the young prince could even strike a bamboo sword came crashing onto his head, splitting in half upon impact.
Stunned, Prince Vegeta stood still as laughter erupted throughout the room, watching as his mother appeared from out of the shadows. "What have I told you about letting your guard down Prince Vegeta?" Sumi questioned while covering her mouth as another fit of giggles overtook her.
Prince Vegeta tried his best to ignore the trickle of blood that was traveling down the side of his face as he stared accusingly at the shinai his mother held in her right hand. "Only those who desire defeat allow their guards to be lowered. If one allows his guard to drop in the first place that means that he trusts those that surround him and a great sayjin trusts no one." He flawlessly repeated the speech that his mother had given him over a thousand times.
Internally the prince felt nervous to be seeing his mother but his physical appearance did nothing to indicate this. Outwardly he appeared calm, almost stoic as he locked eyes with his mother awaiting her response.
Sumi, who usually prided herself in her appearing pristine, emerged tousled as she stepped into the light. The blue spandex dress that she always wore was torn, hanging off her body in shreds. A bruise was rapidly forming over the queen's eyelid and he couldn't help but notice that her mouth was full of blood. As she laughed blood trailed from the sides of her mouth, dripping down to her chin.
Prince Vegeta was no fool; he knew that his mother and queen had been visited by his father and king right before she staggered towards his chambers. While grinding his teeth together he watched her, knowing from past experience that he wouldn't be allowed to continue sleeping that night.
It was a given to the young sayjin at this point of his life that whenever his mother suffered she would make him feel the same as she did or worst. Either way Prince Vegeta welcomed it with open arms. The young prince would do anything to help ease some of her own pain, for she is the most precious thing to him.
Sumi's cold hand glided up the young prince's naked arms, resting once it had reached the top of his shoulder. "We're going to do some special training my Prince Vegeta," She stated while smiling at him. Her smile was bloody and almost appeared sinister to the seven year old.
If he hadn't been used to it, he thought that he might have been frightened by the mere sight of it.
While nodding Prince Vegeta hopped off the bed and began to make his way over to his dresser drawer. Having slept in nothing but a pair of training shorts, which were currently soaked, he needed to find something more suitable to wear.
But as soon as his fingers touched the wooden handle Sumi opened her mouth to protest. "You won't be needing anymore then what you currently have on Prince Vegeta." She stated before turning away from him, gripping her shinai tighter as she walked out the door.
Knowing better than to even think about protesting the young prince followed his mother's footsteps. Gusts of wind coming through the cracks of the stone walls bit at his damp, naked skin. He fought off the shiver that ran up his spine as his mother led him into the castle's open courtyard.
Being a planet mostly covered in deserts it was a given that the harsh temperature on Vegeta usually soared above a hundred degrees freightage. While at night when the sun had escaped the sky and the two moons that orbited Vegeta were no longer seen temperatures dropped down to below thirty degrees freightage.
Breathing out Prince Vegeta could see his own breath visibly forming into a cloud of smoke in front of his face. His lungs began to constrict with each breath that he took in. Involuntary his hands began to twitch and he had to fight just to keep them under control.
Prince Vegeta desperately wanted to wrap his arms around himself to provide himself with at least a little warmth but had to push the idea out of his head. That simple act alone he knew would be considered to be showing a sign of weakness. A lesson that his mother had engraved in him that a great sayjin would never do. Egger to please her while get her approval he even went as far as unwrapping his tail from around his waist and using all his strength continuously flicked it wildly behind him.
Sitting in the middle of the courtyard sat an elaborate vase filled to the brim with freezing cold water. As they neared the vase Prince Vegeta tried to prepare himself for the enviable. "Lay down," Sumi commanded using an emotionless tone.
For a second he hesitated, 'Be a man,' He reprimanded himself as he lowered himself to the ground. The ice that formed on the bricks over the course of the night numbed his naked skin as he lay upon it.
Before the prince could even allow his body to adjust he felt cold water along with chunks of ice being thrown onto his back.
Carelessly Sumi let the vase crash next to her while she allowed her newly freed hand to run down her shinai, fingering the sharp edges. Her eyes darkened as she turned her attention towards her son's exposed back. "A true sayjin never lets anyone see his pain Prince Vegeta. No matter how much it hurts you, you must not cry out or make any kind of sound. One of the valuable skills a warrior possesses is the ability to mask our emotions, never allow them to see when they've hurt us."
Kneeling next to her son's still form she raised the shinai above her head and brought it down onto the child's back with such force that water splashed up onto her face.
Sumi held the bamboo sword painfully against her son's back watching as the sharp edges pierced the skin of his back. Her trademark smirk made its way onto her face while she raised the sword back over her head.
'Good boy,' She thought while brining the shinai crashing onto his back once again. Each of strikes got rougher throughout the night as her eyes hazed over and she began to think of her encounter with her mate earlier that evening. Images flashed in her mind of Keiko, Tarble and Usagi filling her with such rage that she used to fuel each of her hits.
Prince Vegeta hadn't made a sound through the entire course of the night. Even though he was excruciating pain he remembered a technique his trainer had taught him to block out any kind of pain. It was a simple task which just entailed distracting one's mind by concentrating on anything but the pain that you were currently in.
What had gotten Prince Vegeta through the night was the same pair of blue eyes that had haunted him since he had first encountered them. He never knew why but whenever he thought of them they had always made him feel at ease.
When dawn broke Sumi cast aside what was left of her shinai by throwing it across the courtyard. "Get up," She ordered while picking herself off the ground. Vegeta stood up as fast as his achy joints would allow him to. Growing impatient Sumi grabbed her son by the back of his neck, forcibly leading him out of the courtyard.
It had still been early but Sumi wasn't ready to take any chances. She knew that if anyone loyal to her king were to catch her making the crown prince into a bloody mess then there would be no one strong enough to save her from the king's fury.
As the pair darted through the many corridors of the castle Prince Vegeta began to notice that his mother was looking around every corner that they came across, almost seeming a bit paranoid.
"Mo-" Prince Vegeta paused in mid-syllable when Sumi turned and gave him a death glare.
"Be a good prince and hold your tongue," She practically yelled at him while rounding a sharp corner. Being so preoccupied with scolding her son she had forgotten to check before turning and slamming into what felt like a moving wall.
"Sumi," Nappa began to speak but lost his train of though as he took in her appearance. While she still retained the same unkempt style had all night her mouth was no longer bloody, instead the blood had dried all over her chin.
"That's Queen Sumi. As I recall I'm still am the sole Queen of this species." Sumi gritted out, her voice filled with venom.
Nappa nodded but paid her no heed instead his eyes drifted down towards Prince Vegeta. "Wha… Prince Vegeta what happened to you?!" The larger sayjin practically yelled as he unclipped his cape from his armor. He bent down to try and wrap it around the small boy but he moved out of the way before he could.
"What does it look like numbskull? I was training," Prince Vegeta replied coldly while crossing his arms over his chest. "And what do you think your doing offering me your cape like I'm some sort of weakling?"
"I'm sorry Prince Vegeta I wasn't thinking."
"That's obvious." Prince Vegeta stated while walking around the elite warrior, his mother following his footsteps smirking all the while.
'That's strange, I thought King Vegeta ordered the Prince to only be trained by the elite and first class soilders.' Nappa thought as he turned to watch the two disappear down the hallway.
--
While Sumi's weapon of choice had changed once their venue had been altered the game remained the same. It had taken the queen more than two hours to get her son to create any kind of noise. Considering that there was a pretty sizable pool of blood underneath his feet the queen was surprised that her son had lasted this long and hadn't past out yet.
Familiar laughter escaped past Sumi's lips as she approached her son. Purposely she ran her jagged nails across the open wounds of his back. "You failed Prince Vegeta," She whispered in his ear while wrapping the leather whip loosely around his neck. Internally he cringed; already he could feel the metal spikes threatening to puncture the delicate skin of his neck.
Sumi pressed a button on the top of the whip's hilt before throwing it up into the air and watching in fascination as it stuck to the ceiling. "Time for your punishment," She stated while reaching inside her bosom and pulling out a single red seed.
Walking around her son's chained figure she planted the seed in between two raised bricks at her son's feet.
Prince Vegeta's eyes widened, "What are you?"
"You know exactly what monster will grow from this seed Prince Vegeta." Mirth dance in her voice as she addressed him. "After you kill it come find me."
"Untie my tail then," Prince Vegeta demanded.
Sumi tisked at her son, "Then what kind of challenge would that be?" She smirked, "Fight past your weakness Prince Vegeta or die here and now. Prove your worthiness to be called a sayjin." She called out from behind her shoulder as she exited the room.
Prince Vegeta watched in horror as a plant-like beast began to grow from the seed his mother had planted in the ground. The beast slowly began to coil its tentacles around the prince's bound legs and he could feel himself internally trembling.
"Not like this," Prince Vegeta stated while gritting his teeth.
--
"No," Keiko stated sternly as she locked eyes with King Vegeta. He in turn couldn't help but raise his eyebrow at his mistress's boldness. Usually she was the type that obeyed his every command unlike his snake of a mate.
"No?" He questioned and she nodded her head in response, her curly hair bouncing with the motion. While sighing he ran the palm of his hand over his face. "We have no choice Keiko, Sumi is starting to ask questions. If we don't act quickly than she'll most likely start rumors that will turn cause unwanted attention towards the brats."
Keiko bit her lower lip, "I know, but this exactly what she wants. I can just feel her scheming against my children King Vegeta."
King Vegeta pulled Keiko into his arms, letting her rest her head on his broad chest. "I will make sure the brats are looked after. I promise you that," He could feel her little hands gripping the material of his armor. "But, you have to listen to me and begin the brat's training as of today. It's very important that everyone at least see Tarble on the training grounds once in a while."
After a long pause he could feel Keiko nod her head against his chest. "I guess this is mostly my fault for not allowing the children out that much." Again she bit her lower lip, "If it wasn't for that infernal woman. I can practically feel her hatred for Tarble and Usagi."
King Vegeta gritted his teeth, "Then why won't you just let me kill her?"
Keiko shook her head, "Don't. You can't leave your son without a mother and I have no desire to become Queen and place my children in greater danger."
Wordlessly he continued to hold her trying to at least sooth away a fraction of her anxiety.
--
An: Yah! I've finally finished this chapter.. originally I began it on Tuesday but because I got really sick with a fever, sinus infection, double pink eye and a stomach virus I pretty much had to write this one section at a time. Which took forever!
Ok, so fans of my other works (aka Obsession) here's the deal.. I'm still really sick… my throat is swollen and I'm on a massive dosage of meds. I'm going to try and write chapter nineteen tomorrow but if I don't finish it.. then sorry!
Oh, and reviews always make me feel better!
Again another reminder, my beta is having computer problems and with my fever I probably overlooked some mistakes so bear with me. I'll post up the edited version when I can.
Erikatufts: I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. Tee hee, yes Sumi isn't a very nice person. Thank you so much for your compliments and your wonderful review!
SailorVengeance19: Were you now.. happy to hear that! Thanks for the review!
YukiCross: Must say love VK! Thanks so much for your reviews!
Summerheart8: Will try.. thanks!
B-ko: Thanks so much! Yes I hope everyone hates her! Thanks for the review!
Usakobunny: Thanks for the review and I hope you continue to support the story!
Silver Moon Godess1: Me too! 'Cause then all the fun and hellish drama can begin! Lol. Just a couple more chapters in kid this age group and then Vegeta will hit puberty. Thanks for your review!
Saiyagurl87: Lol your review made me laugh "At least the king showed her whose boss!" lol.. thanks for your reviews onna you know I love you my lil guinea pig.
Isis: I should hope so.. thanks for the review!
Serenity Moon2: Thanks! Tarble is actually Vegeta's real little brother. I just made them half brothers in this fic because it better supported my plot. Tarble is such a cutie, if you haven't already go to youtube and look up a video entitled "Dragon Ball: Yo! The Return of Son Goku and Friends!". There you will the premiere of Tarble and his wife into the DBZ universe. Thanks once again for your review!
Wandering Thought: Aw, your review made me grin ear to ear. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Thank you so much for your compliments and your wonderful review that absolutely made my day.
Unastar: Thanks for your review!
P.S. I forgot to address this.. I've done loads of research on Planet Vegeta and I will be using all that I found out to describe the planet but there are still a lot of holes so I shall be filling them up with earth things.. I hope no one minds.
Remember to leave me love!
ills