Sanctuary

Two days after Vegeta passed out from exhaustion in the gravity room, he was back to training every waking hour of the day, though he was now more inclined to listen to Bulma or Mrs. Brief when they told him he should get some rest. While his strength had grown after his days of isolated training, it was not nearly significant enough to motivate him to try it again. More than anything he was frustrated with his body's inability to gain power faster. For over a year and a half he had been training all day, every day, but he was still nowhere near strong enough to defeat Frieza. Now he was out of time and there was nothing he could do but wait for Frieza to land on Earth.

Vegeta abruptly stopped in his training, looking up at the sky. He couldn't see through the dark clouds and the heavy rain, but he knew what was up there. No one else in the universe could have a power level that high. Immediately he suppressed his power as low as he could and turned to Nappa, who was training on the other side of the yard. He was looking up to, no doubt having felt the same thing. He swallowed hard and forced himself to take a deep, relaxing breath. It was time. In a few hours, a day at the most, the invasion would begin.

"Nappa!" he yelled. "Go inside, get them, and take them to Kakarrot's home. I'll meet you there soon." Their plan of action had been discussed many times in the past day, communicated to his comrades, pack, and even the earthling warriors. When they felt Frieza approaching, they were to meet at Mount Paozu because it was a relatively safe location where they could make further plans for the lizard's arrival.

"Right." Nappa ran inside the compound and searched for Dr. Brief and Mrs. Brief, finding them in their usual places. On Vegeta's request Dr. Brief had been staying at the compound, working from his laboratory so he would be closer and getting him to safety would be easier. Nappa barged into his laboratory and, against his vehement protests, picked him up and carried him out of the lab. Dr. Brief barely managed to keep hold of Scratch as he was rushed upstairs to the kitchen. There, Nappa grabbed Mrs. Brief around the waist and, like her husband, tucked her under his arm and flared his ki around him, jumping through the wall and taking off toward Mount Paozu.

Once he felt Nappa leaving the city, Vegeta went inside, shaking the rain out of his thick mane and flicking his tail to dry it. He kicked open the door to Bulma's laboratory and jumped over the rail, bypassing the stairs. "It's time to go."

"Go?" Bulma turned from her computer, eyes wide. "Already?"

"Come on."

"Sure." Bulma pulled open the top drawer of her desk and pulled out the dragon radar and two capsules, tucking them in her pocket as she strode over to where Vegeta was waiting for her. "Let's go."

Vegeta picked her up and jumped up to the door and ran outside, instantly blasting into the sky, flying as fast as he possibly could to Mount Paozu. Bulma wrapped her arms around him, able to feel the tension in every fiber of his being and his heart hammering in his chest. He was scared; she couldn't smell it on him like he could on her, but she could sense it. She rubbed his back as they flew, hoping that her small gesture would calm him down, if only a little.

"This is it," she whispered. "The day Frieza dies is finally here."

If Vegeta heard her, he didn't show it. A few minutes passed, his frown growing deeper as he felt more high energies approaching the planet. No doubt the Ginyu Force was coming. While he didn't think of them as much of a threat anymore, he knew the damage they could cause before they were stopped. He had to make sure his pack was in a safe place before they came or terrible things could happen.

It wasn't long before Vegeta touched down in front of the small house on Mount Paozu. Nappa was already there with the elder Briefs, as were Raditz, Goku and his family, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and Chiaotzu, Roshi, Launch, and Oolong, and Yamcha and Puar. So this was the best they had. Well, it would be enough to defeat the army, but taking on the tyrant himself would be another matter.

Bulma kissed Vegeta's cheek as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "You tell them what's going on and I'm going to make some calls to make sure Earth's military is ready."

"Hn." Vegeta turned to the odd assortment of assembled troops and straightened his posture, rising to his full height. Shorter than most, he seemed taller as he met their gaze one by one. "Frieza will begin his invasion within a few hours. He will send his pawns first, and while they're slaughtering the civilians, he'll move in his elite squadron, the Ginyu Force. There's five of them, so five of you will go after them once they've split up. I have no doubt they will be searching for me to take back to Frieza."

Yamcha snorted. "Full of yourself much?"

Vegeta glared at the scar-faced warrior. "I would gladly give the title of 'Frieza's Most Wanted' to someone else. He intends to torture and kill me for my mutiny."

"And we should stop him?" Yamcha grumbled.

"Shut up!" Piccolo barked.

Vegeta growled, his tail bristling and flicking. "We don't have time for this! There has to be somewhere safe on this godforsaken mudball that we can use as a base. This location is secluded, but it's out in the open, easy to find."

Goku raised his hand to speak. "We could go to Kami's Lookout."

"Where the hell is that?"

"It's where the Guardian of Earth lives. It floats way above the Earth and it's really hard to find and even harder to get to. I doubt Frieza or any of his soldiers would think to look for it."

The saiyan prince nodded curtly. "Right, then we'll go there. Lead the way, Kakarrot."

Goku looked around the group and nodded before picking up Chi-Chi and levitating off the ground to wait for the others. Nappa picked up the Briefs again, Tien took Launch, Krillin grabbed Oolong, and Yamcha reluctantly got Master Roshi. When Bulma hung up her phone, Vegeta picked her up again and lifted off the ground, bringing up the rear.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Lookout."

"Oh, wow!" she exclaimed, "I've never been there before! How cool."

"This isn't a vacation, woman."

"Yeah, I know." Bulma held onto him tightly, shivering a little as they flew higher. She was still wearing a short skirt and a tank top, not exactly the best clothes for traveling a few thousand feet in the air.

Almost an hour later the group landed on the edge of the Lookout. They were welcomed by Kami and Mr. Popo, who already knew they were coming. While Mr. Popo led the non-warriors away to have a cup of tea, Vegeta continued issuing instructions for what to do once the invasion started.

"Every soldier will have a scouter, so keep your ki suppressed or they'll find you. I don't care if you're a bunch of do-gooders, you have to kill these soldiers. If you think I'm bad, they're worse. Kill them or they'll kill you and anyone else they can find. This is war, take no prisoners."

Goku shifted his weight between his feet uncomfortably. "Vegeta, we can't just kill people. It's not right. They deserve—"

"They don't deserve anything, Kakarrot!" Vegeta growled, clenching his hands into fists. "I don't care about your stupid morals. Frieza and his men are evil. They all joined his army willingly. They want to kill and destroy. Think of it as protecting the fucking universe if you have to."

Krillin shuffled his feet before timidly speaking up. "So, what do we do? Go fight the army when it comes? We're seriously outnumbered here."

Vegeta rubbed his temples. "You're not going to fight anyone right away. Wait for the Ginyu Force. The woman has Earth's pathetic militia prepared to fight the lower-ranking soldiers. Anyone killed can be revived with the dragon balls after this." Vegeta didn't honestly care much about the human populace, but Bulma did. He had gone over his battle plan with her before, and the excuses of helping people and being able to revive them were all her ideas. If it would make her idiot friends stick to the plan, though, it was worth it. Everything had to go smoothly in order for it to end with Frieza's fall.

"How are you so sure this is how it's going to go down?" Tien asked.

"It's how he's always done it," Nappa answered. "It's the proven most effective method of invasion, and if there's one thing that lizard appreciates, it's efficiency in his attacks."

"And if he changes his game plan, we will too," Vegeta added. It wasn't hard for him to come up with strategies to win a war. It was what he was bred for, to lead a warrior race. He could come up with a dozen tactics in minutes and any one of them would be a sure win.

Piccolo stepped forward as he asked, "What happens once this Ginyu Force is taken care of? You said Frieza comes after them?"

Vegeta nodded and started to pace, his tail uncoiling from his waist and twitching with agitation. "You'll have split up to take on the Ginyu Force. Stay where you are and watch for Frieza. He'll come in a large, circular ship, impossible to miss. If you see him, give a signal: three quick flares of ki, but you have to make sure they're fast enough that no scouters detect them. Do not try fighting him. Frieza is mine. Once I get there, go kill the rest of his army."

"Won't you need backup?" Goku asked. The idea of letting the prince have the biggest, most exciting challenge didn't appeal to him. He wanted a crack at the tyrant too.

"Only if I'm losing," Vegeta growled. "And I won't be. Stay out of my fight."

Goku huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and sulking. Vegeta was always such a downer. "Fine."

"Idiot," Vegeta muttered. He shook his head, continuing, "These are your assignments for fighting the Ginyu Force: Kakarrot, you take the leader, Captain Ginyu. He'll have the highest power; he's a hideous purple mutant with horns. Raditz, you take Jeice. Three-eyes, you fight Recoome, the second strongest. Huge guy with orange hair. He's a moron but he's strong, so watch yourself. Namek, fight Burta. He's supposedly the fastest being in the universe – which is total bullshit – but he's not that strong. He's a tall, blue reptilian creature. And scar-face, you have the pleasure of killing Guldo. He's short, fat, has four eyes, and weak, but he can stop time and control you with his mind if you let him, so don't try attacking him head-on."

"What about the rest of us?" Krillin asked.

"You'll wait here with me until I order you to go," Vegeta snapped. "If anyone from this pathetic first line of defense gets himself killed, we'll need a plan B." Besides, he wanted to make sure there were warriors to stay with his pack in case anyone happened to find the Lookout. He wasn't going to risk leaving them on their own if he didn't have to.

His commands given, Vegeta turned and strode across the platform to the main palace where the guardian and his caretaker had taken his pack. Nappa and Raditz ran after him, hoping to find some food inside.

Yamcha glared at his back as he walked away. "Who put him in charge anyway? I don't think we should trust him. For all we know he's playing us into Frieza's hands."

Goku shook his head. "I don't think so. Maybe I don't know him too well, but I think he's the best hope we've got of defeating this Frieza guy. His plan is great and he knows how Frieza works better than anyone. He knows what he's doing."

"Come on, Goku," Krillin said, trying to lighten the mood, "How bad could Frieza be anyway? I think these saiyans are just overreacting."

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "You feel his power, don't you?"

Krillin looked down at the floor. "Yes."

"Then shut up," Piccolo snarled. "I don't like following Vegeta's orders either, but I'll do what it takes to win."

"You're right," Tien agreed. He sat down with his legs crossed. "I guess we just wait then."

Vegeta followed Bulma's ki signal until he found her sitting around a large table with the rest of the earthling refugees sipping a cup of jasmine tea. She smiled and lifted her hand as a small wave when she saw him standing in the doorway. "Vegeta, come sit down."

Glancing at the others warily, Vegeta walked across the room and sat in a chair that Mr. Popo pulled up to the table next to Bulma. He was so focused on trying to lessen the feeling of apprehension rising in his gut that he hardly heard her as she talked about mundane things, likely trying to take his mind off the upcoming battle for a while.

"So did everyone agree to the plan?" she finally asked, seeing he wasn't listening to her mindless chatter.

"Hn."

"Good." She sipped her tea quietly for a few minutes before setting her cup down and resting her hand on his leg. "There was one other thing I think you should do. Communication is going to be a bit of a problem, so I was thinking, maybe you should make a telepathic link to Goku."

"How do you know about that?" he grumbled.

"Nappa told me about it."

"Figures." Vegeta's eyes shifted around the room, but he didn't see his bodyguard anywhere so he couldn't give him an angry, accusing glare at the moment. "I fail to see how that would help anything."

Bulma sighed, gently rubbing his leg. "If you need to tell him something but he's far away, what better way is there? It's not like you have to be all buddy-buddy with him."

Vegeta sighed. He knew she was right, but he was loath to make the connection with Kakarrot. It wouldn't be hard since he was a saiyan, but he couldn't help thinking it would degrade his own mind to share that link with the brainless clown. "Fine, if he agrees to it, I'll make the link."

The blue-haired woman patted his leg before picking up her teacup and taking another drink. "Go do that now and we can spend a little time together before the big battle, what do you say?"

Smirking devilishly, Vegeta stood up and walked back out to the platform where the earthling fighters were still standing around, waiting. He would very much enjoy some time with his woman before leaving to fight Frieza. Vegeta approached the wild-haired saiyan and, swallowing back his pride, gestured for him to step away from the others. With a suspicious expression, Goku followed him a few yards away from his friends.

"What's up, Vegeta?"

"The woman has suggested I form a mental link with you for communication purposes during the battle."

"And?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Do you agree to it or not, clown?"

Goku shrugged, remembering when he made a link with Raditz. It hadn't been painful or anything, though it was strange feeling someone else's conscious move around in his own before he learned how to guard his thoughts better. "I guess it's a good idea."

"Hn. Clear your mind and let me make the link. You can reinforce it once I've made it." Clearing away all thought, Vegeta reached out with his conscious to the saiyan standing in front of him, searching for his mind. It was similar to sensing a person's ki, but the mind was harder to grasp as it was not at all physical. Minutes dragged by until finally Vegeta's tendril of conscious brushed against Goku's, giving both of them a sudden jolt as thoughts and memories raced across the fragile link both ways.

Goku cried out, clutching his head in his hands when every one of his senses told him he was in one of Vegeta's memories, being mercilessly beaten and goaded by a round pink alien with spikes jutting from his head and forearms. He gasped as he fell to his knees, feeling as though he had many shattered bones, his legs ripped from their sockets and twisted in unnatural positions.

"Get the hell out of my head, Kakarrot!" Vegeta roared. He shoved the other saiyan out, closing off the mental link as quickly as he formed it. He growled, clenching his hands into fists. "You were supposed to wait until I was finished forming it!"

"Sorry," Goku groaned, "I didn't mean to do it. Who was that?"

Vegeta gave the tailless saiyan a cold glare as he crossed his arms over his chest, then looked off to the side. "Dodoria. One of Frieza's lapdogs."

"He's strong?"

"Hardly. I could have defeated him years ago, but the opportunity never presented itself."

"How old were you when that happened?"

Vegeta sneered, turning away. "Do you always stick your nose in other people's business, or just mine?"

"Sorry."

Grumbling, Vegeta rubbed his forehead, trying to regain his patience. He was mostly irritated with himself for allowing the other saiyan into his memories, making him reluctant to try building the connection again. "Try it again."

"Okay." Goku pushed aside his thoughts and waited to feel the connection between himself and the prince. This time he was more ready and didn't feel overwhelmed by the link, making it easier to control his own mind from diving into Vegeta's. In truth, he didn't want to see any more of the saiyan prince's memories if the previous one was a taste of things to come. He winced when he felt Vegeta's mind moving through his own, exploring his thoughts and memories, and felt the connection strengthening by the second. Finally, Vegeta's mind retreated, leaving a link between them like an invisible thread that thoughts could cross as they willed it.

"Try to project your thoughts to me."

Goku frowned a little, concentrating on sending a message across their new link. "Like this? Can you hear me?" his voice blared in Vegeta's head.

"You don't have to yell, idiot!"

"Oops, sorry. Hey, this is pretty cool. It seems different than the link I have with Raditz. Why do you think that is?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes as he walked away, heading back to where his woman was. "It's a stronger link." Not wanting to listen to anymore of the earthling saiyan's idiocy, he shut off the link, effectively silencing him. Now he could feel Goku's conscious brushing against his own, gently demanding recognition and attention, but not nearly persistent enough for Vegeta to mind. When he felt more urgency behind it, he would know the other saiyan wanted to communicate something more important than his usual drivel.

When he entered the room where the others were still sitting around the table, Bulma excused herself and got out of her seat to go over to him. Not caring that he wouldn't like her showing affection in front of anyone, she hugged him tightly, nuzzling into his neck. It was beginning to sink in just how dire their situation was. Vegeta and all her friends were going into a battle that they might not return from, and many of them had already died once before and couldn't be revived again with the dragon balls. What if she lost one of them? What if there wasn't a way to bring them back? At least Vegeta could be brought back, assuming the planet was left intact, she didn't die, and she could find all the dragon balls and summon the dragon. The sheer number of if's she had to contend with were enough to terrify her.

"What's wrong, woman?" he purred, sniffing her aqua hair. Her fear was permeating her natural scent, making him feel overly protective over her, enough to forget they were in the presence of others not privy to their courtship.

Bulma sighed, knowing what he was really asking. There was no avoiding the question once it was asked, so she answered, "I'm scared for you. I know you can beat Frieza, but still, what if something goes wrong? I don't want you to get hurt."

"Injuries are a consequence of battle." Vegeta wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her slim body with his warmth and strength. His attempt at consolation was effective enough that within a minute he could smell less fear on her.

"Yeah, I know."

"Don't worry about me, woman." Vegeta nipped her neck. "I'll be fine. You should be more concerned about your weakling friends."

"Please don't say that."

"Hn." Vegeta released her from his hold and backed out of the room, wrapping his tail around her wrist to pull her along with him. "You brought the armor?"

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about that." Bulma dug around in her pocket for the capsules she took from her desk before leaving Capsule Corporation. She pulled them out and pushed the plunger on one, then tossed it on the floor. The smoke blew away, revealing the saiyans' mended bodysuits, armor, boots, and gloves. They were modified slightly, the large shoulder pads and groin and hip guards removed for a more sleek appearance and improved mobility.

Vegeta sat down on the ground and started pulling off his clothes, stripping down to his boxers. Not at all body shy, he couldn't have cared less who saw him, but he felt slightly uncomfortable when he caught the faint scent of Bulma's desire. Ridiculous woman, was it so easy to arouse her? Shaking his head, he put on the blue, stretchy bodysuit and pulled his armor down over his head. Stepping into his boots, he slid his gloves onto his hands and rolled his shoulders, reacquainting himself with the feel of his armor after training in earthling clothes for over a year and a half.

Once suited up, Vegeta jumped to his feet and scanned the area for his saiyan comrades. He didn't see them out on the platform of the Lookout, so he assumed they were inside stuffing their faces or lazing about somewhere. "Nappa, Raditz! Get your armor on."

A few seconds later, Raditz and Nappa came running out of the palace, nearly toppling over each other as they skidded to a halt a few feet from Vegeta and Bulma. They started pulling their human clothes off, not caring who was around. Bulma blushed, turning away from them as she waited for them to put on their armor. It didn't take long before she heard the sound of something being encapsulated: their human clothes. She turned back around and picked up the capsule, returning it to its place in her pocket.

Bulma stepped closer to Vegeta, holding onto his arm with both hands. Being separated from him was becoming increasingly painful the longer they waited for the invasion to begin. When she couldn't feel him, when her senses weren't overloaded with Vegeta, the panic and dread threatened to overcome her again. How she was going to handle him leaving to go fight Frieza, she didn't know.

Vegeta coiled his tail around her waist, holding her close to him. He could sense her apprehension, her desire to stay close to him. He couldn't blame her; in truth, he was feeling the same thing. But he knew he couldn't stay at her side through this battle. Frieza couldn't come near her, he couldn't allow her to be put in such immediate danger. The lizard would use her against him, threatening to hurt her or worse. She was his greatest weakness, and if she was discovered, there would be no way to keep Frieza from exploiting that.

He looked over at his bodyguard, one of the people he trusted most of the few he trusted at all. Frowning, he put his arm around Bulma's shoulders. His top priority was keeping her safe, no matter the cost. "Nappa."

"Yeah, Vegeta?"

"You're going to stay here through the battle." He averted his eyes, not wanting to see the incredulous stare the old saiyan was giving him. "You will protect my woman with your life. If anyone comes here, you will immediately kill him. Do you understand?"

"Of course."

"And if things get out of control, I want you to take my pack away." He reached into Bulma's pocket, startling her, and pulled out the second capsule she brought. Tossing it to Nappa, he explained, "This is the spacecraft Dr. Brief designed based on the pods. All four of you can easily travel in it."

"No, Vegeta!" Bulma protested, turning to wrap her arms around his neck, shaking her head frantically. "No, I'm not leaving without you. There's no way!"

"Don't fail me, Nappa."

"Yes, Vegeta." Nappa bowed his head, wincing as his hearing was assaulted by Bulma's incoherent shrieking that soon turned into sobbing. He tucked the capsule into his armor where it would be safe and pushed Raditz away from the others so they could have some privacy.

Vegeta pulled Bulma in front of him and cupped her cheeks in her hands, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. "Hush, woman," he said gruffly, "I can't be concerned about your safety while I'm fighting. Do you want to get me killed?"

She shook her head, sniffling. Of course she didn't want Vegeta to get hurt because of her, but how could she leave him? What he was asking of her was unfair. She had vowed to herself that she would stick with him through everything, but now he was saying that if things get bad enough, she had to leave the planet without him. Where would she go? How could she even go on living without him? He had to be out of his mind. She would sooner die than abandon him on Earth if things weren't working in his favor. He should escape too, go somewhere else where he could continue training until he became strong enough to finally defeat the lizard.

As if sensing her thoughts, Vegeta tilted her chin up to look her in the eye. "If I am killed, if the planet is destroyed, go to planet Namek. You still have the information you uploaded from my scouter, correct? Find it and go there. I am certain there will be a set of dragon balls there you can use to revive me and anyone else Frieza kills."

Bulma turned her gaze down. "What if I can't find it? What if they don't have dragon balls, or I can't find them, or I can't wish you back with them? Vegeta, I can't do it. I can't leave you. If you're losing to Frieza, you have to come with me."

"No, woman. I will defeat him or die trying." He smirked, leaning close enough for their noses to touch. "I can only imagine the power I would gain from being killed, considering how much stronger I get whenever I am brought back from the brink of death."

"You would think of that." She tried to suppress it, but she couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips. "You're always ten steps ahead of everyone else."

"It's how I've survived this long." Vegeta kissed her then, aggressively. He wanted to spend his last moments with her indulging in her passion, drowning himself in her vivacity. If he did die, he wanted to remember her at the pinnacle of their desire, solidifying his firm trust that she would go to the ends of the universe and beyond, doing everything in her power to bring him back. He would need that hope in hell.

…

Frieza sneered at the white-streaked blue marble floating in space. Such a tiny, pathetic planet was hardly worth his time and most certainly undeserving of his magnificent presence. How fitting that the monkey prince would choose such a disgusting speck of scum as his home. Not that it mattered; soon enough he would rid the universe of the ball of filth, taking with it the last of the monkey race. He considered it his civic duty to the galaxy.

He turned his attention from the window when he heard the doors to his throne room open. Zarbon strode toward him, then knelt before him with his head bowed respectfully as he delivered his latest report. "Lord Frieza, the Ginyu Force has entered the star system. They should be on-planet within the hour. Do you have further orders for them before beginning the search for Vegeta?"

"I trust you have already told them I want him alive?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Then that is all." Waving his hand in dismissal, Frieza turned his throne around to stare out the window again. One corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk as he looked at the unsuspecting planet. He imagined the teeming masses of helpless peons, running and screaming in terror when his soldiers began the purge. He did not partake in the clearing of planets nearly enough to satisfy his sadism. But, he figured, he would gather more than enough amusement from his pet prince as he slowly stole the life from him, finally forcing him to submit to him before he ended his life.

It truly was a shame he would never own Vegeta as he wanted. For years he dreamed of the day when the saiyan would finally bow before him with authentic servitude and humility. He wanted more than anything to break the saiyan's pride, to cut down his defiance until finally he chose submission rather than rebellion. Frieza's smirk faltered as his fingers started rapping against his armrests. Perhaps it was better for him to end Vegeta this way. A small part of him, the part that actually did care for the little prince, would rather have royal blood on his hands than see Vegeta lose the fire that so easily captured his interest the first time he saw him as a small boy. It was the same part of him that refrained from killing Vegeta when he lost his sanity in the isolation chamber, the same part that stayed his hand so many times before when he was one blow from killing the prideful monkey. It was the part of himself that he would always deny, the part that he could never let anyone see. Hopefully it would die along with Vegeta.

A/N: No time to proofread, no time to write new chapters... thanks for all the reviews. I read them all, but I don't remember any specific questions so I'll either let the story answer them if they were there or answer them later. Right now I need to lull an overactive puppy to sleep so I can get a little more sleep...

Beta'd by lilpumpkingirl

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