DISCLAIMER:
Rath: (Waving big sign in the air) Hey, look what I just bought! It's the latest "I DO NOT OWN DBZ" sign. It only cost me $2 at the Dollar Store... Hey wait a minute... Two dollars? I've been cheated! (Sees lawyer scribbling down on a notepad) Hey! Now that I think about it! It was YOU! (Lawyer looks around nervously) Yeah, YOU! You're the one who sold me this bogus sign! (Lawyer makes a run for it) Oh no you don't! You're not getting away THAT easily! (Rath waves the sign over her head as she shouts in a battle-cry and chases after him*)
Vetyga: (Shakes her head as she watches Rath chase after the poor lawyer) Well, it looks like Rath cannot finish her disclaimer, so I will do it for her. She does NOT own DBZ!
[Chapter edited: 5Jan2014]
WITHIN THE PRESENT WORLD:
A peaceful tranquility encompassed Dende and Piccolo as they meditated within the center of the majestic gardens on top of Dende's Lookout.
Questions, however, soon flooded Dende's mind, breaking his intense concentration.
What were they seeing in there? Would they interfere against his warnings? And most importantly, what uncertainties would the future behold their Present World should they choose to do just that?
"There's no doubt about it," Piccolo stated impatiently. "They will interfere. It's only a matter of when."
"Huh?" Dende stared at Piccolo in confusion. " You can read my mind?!"
Piccolo did not even glance in Dende's direction as he replied, "Sure, when you're thinking out loud."
"Oh," Dende felt slightly embarrassed. "I didn't realize... But while we're on the subject, how do you know they'll, uh, 'disturb things'? Are you for certain? Maybe I should bring them back before they even have the chance..."
"I know they'll do it," Piccolo repeated. "There's always trouble when Vegeta's around. And in the Past, Vegeta was pure evil. I'm positive they will try to stop him from destroying any civilizations, especially with Goku around."
'Well, if they stop Vegeta from doing things like that then maybe, just maybe, the consequences would bring good,' Dende thought to himself. His eyes then furrowed. 'But with good comes the bad. Thus whatever good fortunes might bestow upon one deed may just as well strike catastrophe upon another...'
WITHIN THE PAST WORLD:
The child Vegeta was quivering like a leaf under Frieza's relentless gaze.
"Just what do you think you are doing, monkey?" Frieza questioned as he slowly circled around Vegeta.
"N-Nothing," Vegeta answered as calmly as possible to mask his fear. He kept his eyes cast downwards to the floor. He did not wish to give Frieza any 'excuse' to punish him again. Frieza, however, had other plans for the young Saiyan prince.
"I see," Frieza replied calmly. "So I suppose you think your bold 'attack' against me was nothing at all, hmmm?"
"But I didn't... I... I mean it wasn't..." Vegeta stammered. He felt like screaming or running away... Or something. No matter what he said next, he knew Frieza would twist his words around and turn them against him. It was a game Frieza played often with him. If he flat out denied it had ever happened, Frieza would beat him just for lying to him. If he said it had been an accident, it'd be just like admitting he had done something wrong in the first place, in which Frieza would surely make him pay dearly for... And if he agreed with his cruel master, then it would be admitting that he had lied earlier when he had said he'd done nothing. He just couldn't win...
To Vegeta's great dismay, Frieza closed the gab between them, until they were not even an arm's length apart.
"Come now, monkey," Frieza urged cruelly. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were avoiding my question, but I'm sure you know better, eh?"
From behind his back Frieza revealed that dreaded coiled device Vegeta loathed so much, still stained with blood... Vegeta's blood. Vegeta's eyes remained downcast towards the floor. His shoulders drooped with depression. Frieza lifted his chin upwards with the handle of his wretched punishing tool until he was able to glare directly into Vegeta's watering eyes.
"Well?" Frieza questioned. "Was I wrong when I assumed you 'attacked' me? Hmmm?"
Seeing no way around this, Vegeta mumbled, "I d-don't know."
He hated these stupid games Frieza played with him. They always forced him to believe he had done something wrong or to make him feel worthless or inferior... And they always worked...
"I tire of this, monkey," Frieza replied after a while as he began to walk away. "Go immediately to your room. I will deal with you later."
However, before a relieved Vegeta could even do as he was told, Frieza tossed the whip before Vegeta's feet as he said, "And take this with you. I'll be needing it."
Many emotions played across Vegeta's face as Frieza finally left, but the most evident of all was his pure hatred for the lizard tyrant. Tears now streamed freely down his face as he kicked the bloodied whip away in frustration into the wall.
"It's not fair!" he whispered angrily to himself. "I can't win! To him I can't do anything right!"
He was thinking about hiding the whip somewhere and saying that he had simply 'lost' it. However, he decided in the end, much to his dismay, that it was in his best interest and health to obey as he was told. He had no doubt that Frieza would only make things worse for him ten-fold if he were to be disobedient. The emotional pains the child prince felt became almost unbearable at the prospect of touching the very object used to cause him so much pain and suffering throughout his years with Frieza. Now, he was expected to bring this very object of great suffering and pain to his own room just so that his 'Master' could use it on him again. His body trembled feverishly as he willed himself to lift it up and head for his room like a 'good little monkey'... How he HATED to be called that!
Goku looked away from the scene. He had known all along that Frieza had not been kind to his comrade in the Past, but to actually witness it was something else. It was disturbing. He was beginning to realize just how good he had had it. Goten was unusually quiet throughout the entire ordeal.
"Are you alright, son?" Goku asked.
"Yeah, it's just that... You would never let anybody treat me like that... Would you?" Goten sounded worried.
"Of course not!" Goku exclaimed immediately as he wrapped his arms lovingly around Goten's shoulders. "I love you and your brother more than anything in the world! Besides, you're too strong for that to happen to you." he grinned.
Trunks, however, took this offensively. "Oh yeah!? Are you trying to say you're better than my dad!?" the purple-haired Saiyan became emotional. "Well, I've got news for you... You're not better or stronger than my dad is, KAKARROT!" He emphasized Goku's Saiyan name. "And neither is Goten!" Trunks added before running off to follow his father's younger self.
"Trunks, wait!" Goku called, but Bulma stopped him.
"He'll work it out, Goku. It's just hard for him right now," Bulma sighed.
"And what about you?" Goku asked as he watched her wipe away the salty wetness on her cheeks. "Was this a mistake?"
"I'm alright," Bulma replied. "But I'll tell you this: I'll never complain about Vegeta not being a father figure. That's for sure."
As Goku looked for Goten to ask how he was holding up, Goku realized that his son wasn't anywhere in sight. "Goten?" he called. "Goten?!"
"He must have followed Trunks," Bulma replied as they went off in search of the two young teens.
She and Goku soon heard a voice around the corner shouting, "Aw, come on, Trunks! Let me in! Open the door!"
"Well, I would, but I can't," Trunks could be heard on the other side. A muffled thud was sounded.
"Hey, Trunks? What was that?" Goten asked, but Trunks did not answer.
"What's going on here?" Goku questioned as he and Bulma approached.
"Oh... Trunks followed Vegeta in there before I got here and now he can't get back out," Goten replied.
"Hey, don't worry, Trunks!" Goku called. "We'll get you outta' there!" He then began to feel around the door. "Man! How'd he get in there with no doorknob? They must've forgotten it..."
"Uhhh..." Goten laughed as he placed a hand behind his head and his eyes turned 'rainbow-shaped'. "Actually, I don't think Vegeta needed one. Besides, none of the doors here have doorknobs."
"You mean they forgot all of the doorknobs!?" Goku exclaimed in shock.
Bulma couldn't take it anymore. "They don't need doorknobs! This is advanced technology we're talking about here."
"Oh, so you mean they forgot them on purpose," Goku stated. "Weird.."
Choosing to ignore this last statement for fear she'd end up losing her mind, Bulma commented, "There must be a panel or something, instead."
"Hey, Bulma," Goku said as he watched her search for anything that might serve as a clue to opening the door. "Even if we did find a panel or something and used it to open the door, would that still be considered 'interfering' with the past? I mean opening a door that wasn't supposed to be opened by us?"
Bulma thought about this for a moment. "You know, you're actually right, Goku! To disrupt anything would be interfering and that would in turn cause trouble. Sometimes you amaze me!" '...Especially after that doorknob thing.' she then thought silently.
"Too bad we can't just go through walls," Goten said. "That would've been cool!"
More muffled pounding could be heard on the other side. "Trunks?!" Bulma exclaimed. "What's going on in there?!"
"Is 'Kakarrot' still there?" Trunks replied.
"Yes, GOKU is here!" Bulma replied back. "What's gotten into you, Trunks!?"
"Then don't worry about it," Trunks said spitefully. "And Goten, remember what I told you!"
"Ok, Trunks," Goten agreed.
"Remember what, Goten?" Goku asked.
" Oh, uh, I don't know," Goten shrugged as he and his father went over to Bulma. Bulma was now sitting on the other side of the hall, her expression filled with anger for her son's behavior.
Within the room, Trunks was still observing his young father. He watched sadly as Vegeta angrily threw what few things he had into the wall or onto the floor in pure frustration. If that failed to break them then he'd fire a small ki blast at them, just so that he could feel the slight satisfaction that he at least had the power to cause harm to something else for a change rather than someone else hurting him like usual. As he quickly ran out of things to destroy, he collapsed on the floor in the far corner of the room and buried his head within his arms as his body became racked with sobs.
Both Vegeta and Trunks looked immediately to the doorway as Frieza then entered the room moments later. Vegeta only managed to look even more depressed. He was unable to cover up his emotions at the moment.
"So, monkey, it looks like you went through a little tantrum, hmmm?" Frieza clicked his tongue as he noticed the room was a disaster area. "You certainly know better than this, I should hope, but I guess it only means that you shall receive double the punishment. Don't you agree? So where is it?"
"Near you over there," Vegeta sighed. His voice was barely audible.
"Well, then what are you waiting for?" Frieza replied. "Hand it to me..."
Goku had attempted to follow Frieza into the room, but Goten had grabbed a hold of him, catching him off guard.
"Goten! What are you doing?!" Goku exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Dad," Goten apologized, "But I promised Trunks!"
By then the door had already closed shut once again, leaving Vegeta, Frieza, and an unpredictable Trunks within.
For a long while, seemingly endless cracks of the whip could be heard intermixed with the continuous soft whimpers of Vegeta and the persistent taunting of Frieza. It was then that they heard the sudden an almost ear- piercing scream from within... Only it wasn't Vegeta...
"It's Trunks!" Goku, Bulma, and Goten all realized as they stared towards the door.
Rath: Thank you all for your extreme patience and your WONDERFUL reviews! Do continue to R/R!