Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad everyone is enjoying this story as much as I am writing it.
Set Me Free
Chapter 1
"I need some backup!"
Kakarott shouted into his scouter. He managed to outrun the enemies and was currently standing behind a tall tree. He was surrounded and had lost sight of the rest of the crew. Slightly out of breath, he tried once more to contact the rest of his group. "Where are you guys?"
"Suck it up and fight like a man, baby brother!"
Radditz shouted into the scouter, a smirk playing on his lips. He absolutely loved battles! It was his only excitement these days, otherwise he would be forced to attend a few meetings here and there with Vegeta and let's face it: that was just awful. Battle and war is what he lived for and probably what he would die for.
The strong Saiyan quickly took cover behind a tree of his own, about a hundred feet from his younger brother. While thinking about his next strategy to defeat the enemy, a sudden blast hit the side of the tree he was behind and managed to scrape against his right arm, ripping open the appendage and burning the flesh a little.
Radditz muttered a string of curses under his breath and crawled underneath a nearby bush, hoping the enemy did not see him. Ripping off his right sleeve, he wrapped the wound quickly and was back on his guard in no time.
Meanwhile, the young prince was busy fighting off what he thought was the last group of the enemy. He was a professional at wielding a sword and even better at hand-to-hand combat.
Now, after days of fighting, the once clean sword now glistened with fresh blood of the enemy. A mixture of sweat, blood, and dirt ran down the powerful muscles of the prince as he swung his sword with ease, slashing enemy after enemy.
Vegeta managed a glance over at his partner, who fought feet away. Bardock looked exhausted, which was understandable considering they had gone days without food, water, or sleep.
Suddenly, Bardock was knocked to his knees and the large alien stood with his sword poised ready to make the final blow.
The Saiyan prince instantly saw this threat and quickly decapitated the opposing fighter in front of him, kicking his body to the side as he dashed towards his fallen comrade. Jumping behind the alien enemy, he sliced the jugular before opponent even saw him coming.
Vegeta reached a hand down to help his accomplice to his feet. Bardock mumbled a 'thanks' in response and both quickly took their original stances and began to finish off the group of opponents.
The two suns crept behind the local mountains, slowly disappearing from the sky before Bardock and Vegeta realized their enemy was defeated and they had won the battle. Completely drained of all his energy, Bardock fell onto his knees and his chin touched his chest. Vegeta swiped his sword across his black shirt, wiping the blood and grime away before shoving it back into his holster.
"Come on, let's go find the others." Vegeta mumbled, heading in the direction of the forest. Bardock pushed himself from the ground and followed Vegeta into the wooded area.
Kakarott had become anxious and after hours of fleeing and hiding, he soon realized the enemy had not come after him. Curiously, he left his spot behind the tall tree and slowly crept through the forest. 'Where is everyone?' He had not seen or heard from the others since Radditz made the remark to him earlier and he figured he should take matters into his own hands, thus beginning his search for the team.
Cautiously, he lightly stepped around bushes and avoided trees for fear of a hidden enemy. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his right ankle and migrated to his lower leg. Kakarott let out a shrill yell before falling onto his back.
'Think you can outsmart me, eh?' Radditz thought, hearing the approaching opponent. He was still perched beneath the bush, awaiting any surprise attacks and sure enough, someone had managed to wander into his "territory".
Radditz swiftly grasped his sword and swung at the legs of his opponent, who was currently on his located on his left. He managed to knick the intruder on the right ankle, causing him to fall. Not the greatest damage he could have done, but now he was vulnerable. Radditz quickly leapt to his feet and charged out of the bush to find the invader someone who he least expected.
"Radditz, you son of a bitch!"
Vegeta and Bardock heard the younger of the two brothers shout, alerting his location. They both headed in that direction and soon found the other two members of their crew.
Radditz was leaning against a nearby tree, containing his laughter while his younger brother lay on the ground, grasping his wounded ankle.
"I can't believe you!" Kakarott shouted once more, slight anger in his tone of voice. Radditz shook his head at the situation and continued to cover his mouth with his hand in order to prevent the escaping smiles and chuckles.
The two realized they were no longer alone and looked pleased to see the other members of their group. The father of the two found the incident to be quite amusing as well but contained himself better than Radditz.
They all focused on Vegeta, who found no amusement in the occurrence. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest and his cold expression instantly killed the mood.
"Back to the ship." His deep, coarse voice echoed into the dark forest. It was becoming dark quickly and he preferred to sleep on the ship tonight. The prince quickly turned and was off in the opposite direction, walking towards the location of the ship.
Vegeta let the hot water run down his sore body, washing away blood and dirt down into the little drain located in the middle of the tiled shower floor. He ran a hand through his ebony hair, the other arm supporting his body as he leaned against the shower wall. He dropped both arms to his side and took in a deep breath, quickly releasing it with a slight groan. The prince allowed the water to run down his olive-toned body, soothing his aching muscles. Finally, he turned faucet handle and the water dribbled away to a complete stop.
The young prince wrapped a dark blue towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. He walked over to the mirror to quickly look himself over. He couldn't remember the last time he just stood in front of the mirror. Vegeta examined himself, looking at the grown man before him. He was getting old, well, older. He was no longer the little, weak boy. Instead, he was a man. 'And good looking at that' Vegeta smirked at the thought. But in all truth, he was. He had the body of a god, with his olive-toned skin and sleek muscles that made every man envious and every woman crave. Vegeta's right hand reached up to his pectoral muscles, his index finger tracing the scars that peppered his body, each one holding a story about a battle or torture and adding to the person he is today.
He dropped his hand to his side and walked into his bedroom, slipping on some black pants and a white t-shirt that outlined his upper body perfectly. He put on his black boots and left his bedroom to meet up with the rest of his crew.
Radditz was carefully trying to suture his brother's right ankle, a small smirk in the corner of his mouth. Kakarott glared at his older brother and watched the needle go in and out of his skin slowly. Throughout the procedure, he didn't even flinch. Soon, his brother was finished and grabbed the nearby roll of gauze and began to wrap the material into a secure bandage. "Finished." Radditz announced as his brother jumped down from the steel table.
Vegeta entered the room and examined his men before him. They looked up at his presence and nodded in their acknowledgement.
"To home?" Bardock asked, turning in his seat and starting to plug in the coordinates.
"No. To Earth." Vegeta's rustic voice halted the crew in their tracks.
Kakarott turned around, facing his captain. "Earth?"
"We can't forget my blushing bride" Vegeta muttered, a hint of a sarcastic smile on his lips.
His crew burst out into laughter and Bardock turned back to his station, plugging in the coordinates and setting their excursion on a slight detour. He shook his head with a grin at the thought of Vegeta married. That poor girl…
"Chi! Over here!"
The raven-haired princess ran over to her friend, who sat cross-legged among the summer daisies in the green meadow. She ran up to her companion and knelt down to her friend's level and curiously inspected around her. "What is it?"
The blue-haired young woman gazed at the princess, flashing a hidden smile. She brought her cupped hands to her friend's face. The princess peered cautiously inside before suddenly, her friend's hands opened and a large toad jumped out nearly touching her delicate face.
The dark haired girl stood up quickly, dusting herself off while the other fell over with fits of laughter, not even trying to control herself.
"Grow up, Bulma."
"Oh come on, Chi Chi! You have to admit, I got you good." Bulma giggled as Chi Chi turned away to sulk. Bulma quickly stumbled to her feet and ran after her long-time friend. "Chi! Wait up!"
The princess turned to face her friend, giving her a quick look over. She was clad in a white, summer dress and sporting brown sandals. Her hair contained several small, loose braids that were dispersed throughout the blue locks that were just past the shoulders. Her blue eyes sparkled in the morning sun and her pale skin showed no flaws. She was absolutely gorgeous, Chi Chi sighed with a faint smile.
As Bulma reached Chi Chi, a servant from the palace was seen in the distance riding towards them on a white horse. Soon the rider reached the young women and quickly dismounted, bowing towards his princess.
"His highness wishes to see you immediately" He stated, now at eye level with Chi Chi and Bulma.
The Earth princess looked slightly confused at first but then quickly nodded. "We'll make our way back now. Tell my father that I will be there soon."
The guard nodded and mounted his horse, riding into the distance towards the palace.
"I wonder what that's all about" Chi Chi questioned to her life-long friend. Bulma shrugged and they began their journey back to the palace.
"Ah Vegeta! So glad you could make it! And I take it the battle on Xersei was a success?"
King Yemma greeted the prince as he walked down the stone pathway to Vegeta's ship. Vegeta stepped off the ship, his crew following in his tracks as they made their way towards the king of Earth until they finally came face to face.
"Follow me. My daughter is just getting ready." The king turned, making his way back into his large, stone white palace. Vegeta and his men followed, taking in their surroundings as they entered the kingdom.
Peacocks were scattered about the lawns and large, shaped bushes were sprinkled about as well. Flowerbeds were planted along the pathway, giving off magnificent colors of pink, yellow, blue, and purple. It was a beautiful day on Earth; sunny and 73 degrees.
Vegeta did not mind Earth. In fact, he truly did not mind the planet although he rarely got the chance to come. His thoughts were interrupted as he entered the large palace doors into a cooler environment. The prince almost let out a shiver (he was used to hotter temperatures on Vegetasei) but remained still and continued to follow the king into his throne room.
The king seated himself upon his white marble throne and glanced around the room, hoping his daughter was already waiting for him. Unfortunately, he was mistaken and he quickly signaled a guard over. "Where is she?" He hissed into the guard's ear.
The guard quickly ran off in search of the princess.
The princess and her friend entered the palace, laughing and giggling and talking about a local boy and his small crush on Bulma when one of the guards hurried towards them.
"Princess, your father summons you at once into the throne room" The guard stated, slightly out of breath due to his quick search for the princess and her friend.
Chi Chi nodded and turned quickly in the direction of her father's throne room, Bulma at her heels.
"Honestly, I do not know what is so import-" Chi Chi was suddenly interrupted as she entered the throne room and coming face to face with the Prince of Saiyans.
"Ah, Chi Chi, I would like to introduce you to Prince Vegeta, your future husband."
Author's Note: Didn't see that coming, yeah? Or maybe you did... Well, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review - I really enjoy reading your comments!
