Author's Note: I'm really, really sorry about the long delay! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review! Thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z and Lion King. I also don't own the lyrics. I'm only doing this for fun.
WARNINGS: Strong language and Shonen-Ai (male x male love)
Pairing: Vegeta x Kakarot, Gohan x Trunks
Cast:
Kiara – Trunks
Kovu - Gohan
Nala – Kakarot
Nuka - Ketsu (OC)
Pumbaa & Timon – Humans
Rafiki – Korin / Dende / King Kai
Simba – Vegeta
Vitani - Goten
Zira - Raditz
Chapter 33
Deception
Disgrace
Evil as plain as the scar on his face
Deception (An outrage!)
Disgrace (For shame!)
He asked for trouble the moment he came
Deception (An outrage!)
Disgrace (For shame!)
You know these Outsider types
Evil as plain as the scar on his face
See you later, agitator!
Deception (An outrage!)
Just leave us alone!
Disgrace (For shame!)
Traitor, go back with your own!
He asked for trouble the moment he came
See you later, agitator!
Born in grief
Raised in hate
Helpless to defy his fate
Let him run
Let him live
But do not forget what we never forgive
And he is not one of us
He has never been one of us
He is not one of us
Not our kind
Someone once lied to us
Now we're not so blind
For we knew he would do what he's done
And we know that he'll never be one of us
He is not one of us
Deception
Disgrace
Deception
Disgrace
Deception
~WE ARE ONE~
Since they left the palace, Vegeta told Gohan everything. About how Frieza tried to wipe out the entire Vegeta family and started not one but two wars. About how he used every single Saiyan and tried to rule them all, even though he was not a Saiyan himself. He even tried to mate with Kakarot, for Dende's sake!
"Oh wow... I had no idea that Frieza had such a dark side," Gohan said softly. For his entire life, the Outsiders were always telling him about how great King Frieza was. Were they manipulated... Or were they that greedy because they used to be wealthy and had everything they wanted? Or maybe... What if they just wanted a second chance, but Vegeta wasn't even hesitant to expel them from the kingdom?
Gohan was quite confused. It wasn't making any sense at all anymore. Frieza was admired by the Outsiders. Vegeta was also, but by the Saiyans in the kingdom. Which was the real truth?
"Yeah," Vegeta said softly. He glanced at the distant wasteland outside the kingdom, where they were both hovering above. "Come with me. I want to show you something."
Gohan followed Vegeta out of the kingdom. They flew about a few more miles before Vegeta dropped suddenly down to the ground, immediately followed by Gohan. Nice, quick reaction from the young Saiyan. Vegeta was a little bit impressed.
It turned out, as Vegeta learned, that Gohan was a great listener. Even though he was a former Outsider, he completely understood about the situation with Frieza. Maybe Kakarot was right about giving him a second chance, after all. If Trunks liked him this much, then maybe Vegeta would reconsider about his judgment for Gohan and two remaining former Outsiders.
Gohan was wondering about the reason why Vegeta brought him to such place in the wasteland until he spotted something so green and lively.
"This is it," Vegeta said softly, which was quite unlikely of him at all. "While I was gone, everything was destroyed. Crops, farms, plants... everything. There were way too many battlefields around here for centuries, including the recent wars against Frieza and Cooler. So many died, but others lived on. Sometimes, what's left behind can grow better than the generation before... if given the chance."
Gohan took a closer look at the green plant. He could not believe that something living existed in such a wasteland.
He finally understood why King Vegeta was loved by the Saiyans. It wasn't only that Vegeta was harsh, stubborn, and serious but he was also soft-hearted and caring. The terrible past made who the Saiyan King was today, and he learned from his mistakes.
It turned out that Outsiders either were wrong or manipulated him about who Vegeta truly was.
Oh god. Gohan thought to himself. What had I gotten into this mess?
All of sudden, they heard loud cackles. Vegeta immediately went into Super Saiyan. He could not believe that he did not sense any ki until then.
"Ah, Vegeta, what are you doing here... so alone?"
"Raditz!" Vegeta nearly growled, getting into the fighting pose. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by hundreds of Outsiders, who were thirsty for his blood.
"Gohan, well done. You did an excellent job bringing him here," Raditz gave Gohan a dark smirk.
"W-what?" Gohan was completely confused. Why were the Outsiders here? Why would Raditz lie... unless...
Ketsu!
"You!" Vegeta shouted angrily at Gohan.
"No, no!" Gohan cried. "It-it wasn't me!"
Before he was able to explain anything, Raditz yelled, "ATTACK!"
The Outsiders all charged at once. Vegeta was trying to fight back all of them while he was trying to find an opening to escape. But, there was way too many of them. He didn't want to kill anybody at all. They were his own race. He refused to become a monster like Frieza or Cooler. The reason why he got the power of Super Saiyan was to protect his people, not to use it against them. Besides, if he did kill one, then the Saiyans in his own kingdom would begin to question whether he was the right king for them or not.
"No, guys!" Gohan shouted. He tried to jump into the battle, but was held back by a familiar Outsider... "Ketsu?!"
"Sorry, Gohan," Ketsu said softly, trying to keep Gohan locked in his arms. "Vegeta is evil. We have to get the kingdom back at any cost."
"No... He's not evil! You don't understand, Ketsu!"
"No, it's you who don't understand," Ketsu said almost anxiously. "We wouldn't be in this mess if you killed the King a long time ago. You had too many chances. You should have done so in the first place!"
"Let my brother go!" Goten yelled angrily, as he was jogging toward them. "Is this why you brought me here, Ketsu? Just to gang up on Vegeta?"
"It's for your safety!" Ketsu said. "I don't want them to find you in the kingdom and get you executed!"
"He's escaping!" one of the Outsiders yelled after Vegeta took off into the sky.
"I'll get him!" Ketsu yelled, as he flew into the air, chasing the so-called Saiyan King. Soon enough, he caught up with him when he grabbed the King's precious monkey tail.
"Garlick Gun!"
Ketsu got blasted by Vegeta's powerful purple beam, and before he knew what was happening, he was heading for the ground. Such unexpected attack by the Saiyan King halted the whole yelling, fighting, and even chasing. The Outsiders just froze in shock.
Millions of times when they encountered the Saiyan King, they never got hit at all. They could have been killed if Vegeta wanted to, but it never happened. Not even a punch. Not until recently.
"KETSU!" Gohan shouted, as he launched himself into the air in order to catch Ketsu in his arms.
"No... no, no!" Goten ran as fast as he could toward Gohan and Ketsu. Due to his high speed and high adrenaline, he was nearly invisible to the Outsiders. "Ketsu!"
"Go...Goten..." Ketsu said painfully. Just when Goten got to him, he was completely speechless at such terrible sight of his older lover. Ketsu had a large wound on his stomach where he could see the intestines. All from a simple low-level attack. That was how powerful the Saiyan King was. Even worse - imagine if they were up against the entire Vegeta family with the powers of Super Saiyans.
"No, please... don't talk..." Goten said softly, placing his warm hand on Ketsu's face cheek. "It'll be ok."
"I'm so... so-sorry," Ketsu grabbed Goten's hand. He said after coughing a few times, "I did it... to keep you safe. I-I didn't expect this to ha-happen."
Goten shook his head sadly, as fresh tears were sliding down his face. "Please, Ketsu... Please don't leave me alone."
Ketsu gave him a small smile. "I... I love you, Goten..."
And, he suddenly let go of Goten's hand. He was gone like that.
"Ketsu?" Goten shook his head, as he took Ketsu in his tight embrace, sobbing loudly. "Ketsu... Ketsu!"
The Outsiders were completely silent; unsure what to say or do about the unexpected death of their comrade. They did not even bother going after Vegeta, as he could be already back in the kingdom by now.
"Gohan..." Raditz said dangerously. "Look at what you've done!"
"No, Raditz!" Gohan quickly got up from the kneeling position. "We were wrong about Vegeta! He isn't as bad as we thought!"
"Please don't tell me that he corrupted you too!" Raditz grabbed Gohan's shirt harshly. "My own brother didn't do anything when I got exiled from the kingdom because he was corrupted! He betrayed me! Don't you dare to betray me too!"
"That's not what I'm saying!" Gohan jerked away from Raditz's fist. "You are bitter and miserable just because you couldn't get everything you wanted!"
"Vegeta took everything away from me! Even my own brother... my family!"
"No, you did it to yourself! I can see the reason why Kakarot did not do anything... that's because you manipulated everyone, including Vegeta, Kakarot, and even the Outsiders! It's all because of your selfishness -"
Raditz threw a fist at Gohan's face cheek. As soon as it landed, the sudden increase in Gohan's power level made Raditz freeze up.
"I...It was for the Outsiders. See, I'm not the only one who is suffering!"
"Fine," Gohan said bitterly. "I'm not doing this anymore. I'm not helping you anymore. I'll go back to the kingdom and tell them the truth."
"And, you seriously think they will believe you? After what Vegeta had recently seen? Ha! Don't be a fool!" Raditz scoffed at him.
Gohan turned away from Raditz and made his way to Goten. "Come on, Goten... We are going back."
"No," Goten said softly, his eyes still on his dead lover. "I don't think you're thinking clearly, big brother. You're completely blind because you're in love with the Prince. That's... That's why Ketsu is dead!"
Gohan narrowed his green eyes in anger. "Are you saying that it's my fault?"
Goten did not say anything anymore. He wanted revenge. But, he did not dare to say it in the front of his brother. He wanted the one dead... The one who was the father of Trunks, whom Gohan was in love with.
"Fine. I'm not going to do anything with this anymore," Gohan made a brief glance at Raditz. "Whatever you said to Ketsu in order to scare him isn't going to help us to win against the kingdom. The loyalty of thousands of Saiyans in the kingdom is much more powerful. You could have seen how much they loved their king."
"Leave," Goten said harshly, his voice choking up. "If you are not going to conquer the kingdom with us, then leave! You... you killed Ketsu!"
Gohan did not even hesitate taking off into the sky, heading for the kingdom. He needed to tell Vegeta and Trunks about everything. And fast.
"You know what? Forget your brother, Goten. We are in the same shoes," Raditz placed his rough hand on Goten's shoulder. "We had been betrayed by our own brothers. It's all because of Vegeta."
He flew up a little in the air. "Outsiders! You've seen what Vegeta, the horrible king, had done to us! He corrupted Gohan and then murdered Ketsu! We have to fight back! It's time for us to take the revenge on the Vegeta family... and take back what's ours... by force!"
Loud cheers from the Outsiders put a dark grin on Raditz's face.
~WE ARE NOT ONE~
"Kakarot-sama! Vegeta-sama is in trouble!" one of the bodyguards barged into the throne room where Kakarot was sparring with Gogeta. One of the thrones was completely destroyed, but hey, it could always be replaced.
"What?" Kakarot blinked in confusion. This was completely out of blue. Vegeta? In trouble? Was it even possible?
"Yes, sir! You have to come and see him!"
"Gogeta," Kakarot tried not to show any worry in his voice. "Please go to your room."
"Why? Is Father hurt?" Gogeta asked.
"What's going on?" Trunks asked, as he entered the throne room. He just got back from the training arena so that he could see Gohan again. And... maybe Vegeta had an approval for him?! Finally, all those years...!
"Prince Trunks! Your father was recently attacked!" one of the Saiyans cried. Then, he quickly closed his mouth when Kakarot shot him a deadly glare.
"Father? Attacked?" Trunks raised an eyebrow, clearly not in amusement. It was not even funny. "Are you joking?"
"N-no, Prince!"
"Gogeta, go to your room. Now," Kakarot said firmly. Gogeta did not even dare to stay for another second. He was gone instantly.
Kakarot and Trunks followed the bodyguard to the entrance of the palace where the over-concerned Elite Saiyans were fussing over the 'great' Saiyan King just in time -
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Vegeta roared out of rage, transforming into Super Saiyan quickly and making the Saiyans step away from him. "I'm fine, for Dende's fucking sake!"
"Vegeta!" Kakarot yelled in worry. Now that he was quite relieved to see that Vegeta wasn't heavily injured, but...
Who would dare to attack the great Saiyan King? The King who was greatly admired by the kingdom?
"Father, what happened?" Trunks asked. He could clearly see bruises on Vegeta's face and scratches on his outfit.
"It was Gohan," Vegeta swapped away dirt on his arms. "He led me to the Outsiders... and then attacked me."
"...What?" Trunks frowned in confusion. "No, it can't be true..."
"You better damn believe that it's true! It was your fucking boyfriend who could've led me to my death!"
By then, the Saiyans were gathering right outside the Vegeta Palace and muttering to each other in concern. The news about their king being attacked must have traveled pretty fast.
Trunks did not know what to say anything. He was completely speechless by not only the fact that Vegeta was attacked... but Gohan? "No... Gohan wouldn't do that..."
"Hey, look! That Outsider who attacked our King is here!" one of the Saiyans shouted.
"That's so stupid of him to come back... especially in front of the King!"
Gohan was walking through the crowd of angry Saiyans. As long as the Saiyans were not ganging up on him, Gohan did not care what they thought about him. He needed to tell Vegeta the truth!
"Hn," Vegeta said harshly as he leaped onto the thick wall of the gate, giving the former Outsider a deadly glare. "Why did you come back?"
"My King, I had nothing to do with -" Gohan was interrupted.
"You don't belong here anymore."
At this point, Gohan was panicked. He could still see the horrified look on the Saiyan Prince's face. "B-but, your Majesty, please, I'm asking for your forgiveness."
"You lowly Outsider! Can you just shut the hell up?!" One of the enraged Saiyans yelled.
"Everyone, stop!" Trunks shouted when the Saiyans were getting dangerously closer to Gohan. "Father, please listen to him! We haven't listened to the other side of the story -"
"Silence!" Vegeta roared at him. Taking a second to calm down, he turned to Gohan. He said calmly yet harshly, "If I remember correctly... when you first came here, you asked for judgment... And I pass it now."
Gohan was still standing there firmly, even though the Saiyans were getting ready to gang up on him. He knew what was coming, but as much as it was not his fault, he still had to accept his responsibility and as well, punishment.
"Exile!"
"No!" Trunks shouted.
Saiyans started yelling at Gohan such as "You deceived our King!", "You are a disgrace in the name of Saiyans!", and, the worst of all, "You're evil just as Frieza!"
Normally, Gohan would never care about what the Saiyans thought of him, but this time they were calling him names and calling him out for his actions... right in front of his mate.
"Once Outsider, always Outsider!" one of Saiyans was way too close for Gohan's comfort, so the former Outsider tried to make a few back steps.
But, he was completely surrounded by the completely pissed-off Saiyans who were out for his head, so he quickly took off into the sky.
"Yes, leave! Leave us alone!" one of Saiyans shouted. "Go back to where you came from, traitor!"
"He may be a Saiyan, but as our King, he does not belong to our kind. He is not part of us anymore," a female Saiyan growled lightly.
"Yeah! He asked for the trouble the moment he came! He hurt our King!" the third Saiyan yelled out of rage.
Gohan was not even going to bother trying to explain everything to the Saiyans. Once the King made his decision, the Saiyans wouldn't listen to anybody else.
He was flying faster and faster with a few Saiyans still chasing after him.
So, Gohan was going to leave on his own. He was not going to go back to the Outsiders. Goten wouldn't be there for him anymore, and Ketsu was dead. He was... on his own, as he realized. He couldn't do anything to convince the King anymore... not even Trunks could do anything to stop this.
What was he supposed to say to Vegeta? 'Oh, I'm sorry but I was sent on the mission to kill you. But then I changed my mind because I fell in love with your son.' Oh, hell no.
He was all alone now.
~TO BE CONTINUED~