IMPORTANT NOTE: Ok, usually I wait until the end of the chapter before I do these, but I would like to make one thing clear before I continue. Most of you have expressed an interest in seeing the Present Vegeta travel back to his Past. Indeed, I ALREADY DO have plans concerning him and the Past, but as I've said before... Dende CANNOT send him there! Besides there are certain events that must first take place... (Hint! Hint!) For now, I will say nothing more on the subject, so you'll just have to see for yourselves in the future.
Oh and forgive me if this chapter is a bit too long. I didn't realize it would be so long until I actually started typing it. See what happens when I get in an inspired mood?
DISCLAIMER:
Rath: I DO NOT OWN DBZ!
Vetyga: (mouth drops wide open in shock as she nervously feels Rath's forehead) WHAT?! A 'normal' disclaimer!? Are you feeling alright...?
Rath: (Grows over 120 ft tall and her eyes light with fire as she bellows in a DEEP voice) What! Are you saying I'm a 'weirdo' or something?!
Vetyga: (Ducks behind chair in fear while others flee in terror) Nooooo! Of course not! Why would ANYBODY think THAT!?
Rath: (Suddenly reverts back to her usual cheerful self) Oh, ok!
Vetyga: (Big sweatdrop)
[Chapter edited 7Jan2014]
WITHIN THE PAST WORLD:
Bulma knocked anxiously on the door to Vegeta's room. "Vegeta, please open up. I need to talk to you. Vegeta?"
Vegeta was purposely ignoring her. She could hear him in there. Perhaps she deserved it for breaking what little trust he had of her, but she had one more favor to ask of him... And it was a big one.
"I know you're there!" Bulma shouted, glancing anxiously around to make sure none of Frieza's goons were near. "Open this door, Vegeta! You want Frieza to find me here at your door or something!? You know he won't look kindly on this..."
She hated backing him in a corner like that, but it was a matter of survival... Or so she convinced herself. Finally, the child opened up the door and glared coldly at her. He motioned for her to enter.
"You're just lucky Nappa and Raditz weren't here to hear such a low-level weakling threatening me like that," Vegeta growled at her as he went back to lying on the bed. "Or I'm sure they would have gladly torn you to pieces."
"Then what's stopping you?" Bulma asked sarcastically. Instead of arguing back with her as she expected, Vegeta just shrugged.
"Vegeta, if you do one more thing for me then I will never bother you again..." Bulma began.
"Get Sugo!" Vegeta snapped at her. "I'm sure he won't mind!"
"I..." Bulma felt bad. "Listen, Vegeta..."
"NO, YOU LISTEN!" Vegeta sounded intense, even though he was barely speaking above a whisper. "I want no part of it anymore! I don't care, so don't waste your breath."
"I know, but could you just help me get the keys to the Prisoner Room and show us to the nearest exit?" Bulma quickly blurted out.
"Incredible," Vegeta muttered in disbelief.
"I-I mean, you know Frieza better than anyone else an-and I doubt I can really rely on anyone else to do it," Bulma continued rapidly. "Besides, y-you probably know where he would keep them and all... And I d-don't really know how much I can trust Sugo... An-And..."
"You're not even listening to a word I'm saying, are you?!" Vegeta exasperated, before turning away from her.
That's when Bulma noticed the foul brownish liquidy mess covering parts of his bed and the floor...
"Vegeta...?" she asked softly. "Have you been throwing up?"
"Just leave me alone!" Vegeta exclaimed angrily. "I can take care of myself!"
"I'm sure you can," Bulma said softly. She reached out to rub his back, but was surprised when he flinched away from her.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Vegeta snapped.
'Did he not want to be comforted?' Bulma wondered. 'Or was it just an automatic reaction against what he deemed as pity?'
Despite his weakening protests, Bulma sat down beside him and observed Vegeta's living conditions for what seemed like the first time. As she glanced around the room, she realized that Vegeta owned very few things other than the clothes on his back. His bed was rock hard and contained but one thin blanket to shield him from the cold... And it didn't even have a pillow! The room was just comprised of a bed and a set of cabinets for his clothes. On top of the cabinets was a dim light, but it was what was on attached to the lamp that caught her attention. There dangling at the base was a yellow beaded pearl necklace connected to a large circular turquoise emblem. The emblem was embroidered with a pale blue outline of what appeared to be a star burst within a star burst.
"It was my father's," Vegeta answered her silent question as he noticed her gaze. "Frieza gave it to me not long after he died. I suppose he thinks I should be grateful or something..."
"You must miss him, huh?" Bulma asked, but to her surprise, Vegeta firmly denied it.
"No!" Vegeta said. "I hate him! I used to like him. I wanted to be just like him, but then he sent me here to be punished. He never even told me why... Why I deserved to be sent to Frieza to be beaten and starved daily for any excuse my 'Master' can come up with. What did I do wrong? I don't even know what I did... He's dead now anyways. None of it matters anymore."
It saddened Bulma to hear him say that. He still didn't understand that Frieza had given his father no other choice. Lots of things raced through her mind as she looked at Vegeta. After seeing the way he lived and what he went through every day, there was no way she could just leave him here and be on her merry way, right? Things were already changed as it was... One more wouldn't make that much more of a difference, would it?
"If you can get the keys and free the others, we'll take you," Bulma said quietly.
Vegeta continued to stare into nothingness as he said, "Fine, I'll do it, but if you're lying to me..."
"I am not lying," Bulma replied. "Of course, I'll have to talk my friend into it first, but I'm sure things will work out."
"Then wait here," Vegeta ordered as he slowly got up and headed for the door. "I can't be seen with you."
"Thanks, Vegeta," Bulma said. "You have no idea how much this means to us! You be careful though."
"Whatever," Vegeta replied as he left the room. He didn't get very far before a familiar voice called out to him.
"Hey, monkey!" Sugo called. "Have you seen Bulma around here? She said she was looking for you."
"What's it to ya?" Vegeta retorted.
"Look, monkey, I don't have time for your little games," Sugo replied impatiently as he handed Vegeta a folded set of papers. "I have somewhere to be right now. When you see her, I need you to give these to her."
"And if I refuse?" Vegeta smirked. How he enjoyed irritating Sugo like this!
"Enough, monkey," Sugo replied as he walked hurriedly away. "Just see that she gets those... Or else!"
"Hmph!" Vegeta rolled his eyes as he continued down the hallway. "What could be so important about these? Besides, it's not like the girl can read them anyways..."
He couldn't resist reading through them himself. As he skimmed through the pages he discovered why the girl must have been so interested in Schreetept. He learned about the mysterious rift that appeared once every hundred years throughout the quadrant and how something weird was going on lately around Planet Rijow. Apparently, there were even rumors that the Rift was actually some sort of portal between worlds, maybe even TIME...
"That must be how they got here!" Vegeta murmured. It even contained information about some weird riddle, but that didn't really concern him.
"She'll never know!" Vegeta smirked as he carefully tore the papers to shreds and tossed them away. "But I will!"
He hurried upstairs to one of the top floors. His excitement quickly wore off as he glanced around anxiously. He had to make sure the coast was clear before entering his master's room. It was one of the few places aboard the ship that was completely forbidden to 'dirty little monkeys like him, as Frieza so lightly put it. Vegeta knew Frieza was usually having meetings in his Throne Room around this time, so he wasn't overly worried about being caught.
As the young prince looked around, he couldn't help but be amazed at how extravagantly Frieza lived in comparison to him. Lots of long black velvety sheets draped across the large soft curved bed. It was intertwined with fine fuchsia silks and accented with midnight gray cushions. On a small table next to the bed, laid a freshly opened bottle of Kreejuk, Frieza's favorite brand of bubbling wine. Kreejuk was a specialty drink from Frieza's own home planet. Even the walls seemed more lavish than the rest of the ship. It was in total contrast to the ruthless nature of the being that inhabited the room. Although if one took a second glance, they would notice Frieza's large display of blood-stained 'punishing tools' lining several of the shelves...
Vegeta climbed up onto the plush bed. (He couldn't resist!) As he kicked his feet back and forth, he tried to remember what his own home had been like. He felt ashamed to admit it, but the only thing he could recall was being here with Frieza. From what he could remember, his father hadn't cared much about such unnecessary decorations, so he doubted the Royal Palace had been very fancy in design. Then again, Frieza was always meticulous about everything...
Subconsciously, Vegeta couldn't help but wonder if Frieza could have all this pointless extravagant stuff just lying around, then why did the tyrant like to deprive him so much of even the most basic of things? It's not like he ever purposely disobeyed Frieza much anymore. He knew better now! Of course, Frieza didn't care...
In the midst of his inner-turmoil, Vegeta accidentally knocked over the bottle of Kreejuk, spilling it all over the floor! The urgency of the situation quickly returned to him as he realized what he had done... He frantically tried to wipe off some of the deep red drops that had splashed and stained his hands.
"The keys..." the child repeated to himself as he continued to search the room. "That's why I'm here, b-but where?"
He quietly rummaged through the large metal shelves until at last he located a large set of keys at the back of the topmost shelf. He hesitated, however, before he could grab a hold of them. For there in front of them laid a thin brown rod approximately three and a half feet in length. It was also stained red from its constant use as a disciplining tool. Vegeta drew his hand back close to himself as he tried to convince himself that there was no reason to fear such a simple object. It was just a rod and nothing more!
'Why am I so weak?' Vegeta mentally chastised himself. 'It's only an object! So why am I so afraid of it? Frieza's not here to use it! Frieza's not here...'
Vegeta once again willed himself to reach for the keys, but when his hand accidentally brushed against the cold metal of the thin punishing tool, he flinched involuntarily. This caused the rod to roll off the shelf and clank to the floor. His heart raced wildly as he quickly grabbed the keys and ran down towards the Prisoner Room...
.
MEANWHILE IN FRIEZA'S THRONE ROOM, WITHIN THE PAST WORLD:
Frieza was in the middle of having a meeting with a lowly technician, Khamrii and the head technician, Sugo...
"You are certain of this?" Frieza questioned.
"Yes," Khamrii said as she looked up at Frieza from her bowed position. "The blue-haired girl, Bulma, snuck away from T-1 to visit the little monkey prince. Apparently, they are making plans to escape together along with the other prisoners. I heard them talking about it. The other two monkeys may be in on it as well..."
"And you?" Frieza asked, glaring at Sugo. "Did you know of any of this?"
"I have seen the young monkey speak to the girl on occasion, but I have never heard of any such 'plans'," Sugo lied. In actuality, he had known all along why Bulma was so interested in Schreetept. She was a really bad liar!
"He's lying, my Lord!" Khamrii exclaimed. "He's been infatuated over her ever since she came! He's even spent time alone with her, during times when he should have been working."
'So that was what this was all about,' Sugo realized. 'She's overcome with jealousy... Why didn't I see this coming sooner?'
"Again, this 'low-tech' has no real basis for these accusations," Sugo replied calmly. He had worked under Frieza for many years now. He was used to Frieza's intense scrutiny. Khamrii, on the other hand, was almost in a panic and it showed...
Sugo added, "Records will show that I was merely showing her how to search the databases for plausible conquest planets to add to your growing empire. I figured a good place to start would be the Schreetept Quadrant. Though she has been here for little time, she has quite the potential... Unlike Khamrii here, who is just plain jealous of the fact."
"I see," Frieza said.
"If I may continue, my Lord?" Sugo asked.
"You may," Frieza replied.
Once Frieza said this, Sugo knew he knew he was very close to convincing Frieza that Bulma had done nothing to deserve his ire. He really cared for her, so he didn't know what he'd do if Frieza were to ever hurt her.
"What I'd like to know," Sugo continued. "Is how Khamrii here was able to witness Bulma's supposed 'acts of betrayal' when in fact she should have been doing her job? I'll tell you how... She was in fact the one who must've planned all this and now she needs a scapegoat! How else can she know every little detail of her accusations against the newest member of the technical team?"
When Frieza's eyes narrowed towards Khamrii, Sugo knew he had sealed it.
"Yes, do explain, Khamrii," Frieza said dangerously calmly.
"My Lord..." Khamrii's eyes glanced wildly back and forth between Frieza and Sugo. "S-Surely you know this is just a plot against me!"
"First you say it's a plot to free the prisoners and now you say it was just a plot against you?" Sugo stated. "Khamrii, Khamrii! Do make up your mind. Which story do you intend to stick to!?"
"N-No, that's not..." Khamrii started, but Frieza interrupted her.
"That's enough out of you, Khamrii. Clearly, you are lying to me, but I have other people to deal with now," Frieza cut her off.
Frieza fried her alive with one of his ki-blasts. Her final screams echoed through the halls as she became nothing more than a lump of burning flesh and bones on the floor. The stench of burning flesh was strong. Sugo watched without remorse as what was left of Khamrii's body continued to twitch in spite of most of it being unrecognizable. Khamrii had played a dangerous game and paid the ultimate price for her mistakes.
Frieza then turned to Sugo. "I do not tolerate those who lie to my face, Sugo. As the head-tech of T-1, I find it hard to believe that you would know absolutely nothing about the misdeeds of those under your command. I should kill you, as well, for your insubordination! Your skills as a technician are the only reason you are still breathing. Is that understood?"
Sugo nodded immediately. "Perfectly, my Lord."
"Good," Frieza replied. "Then let Khamrii's death serve as a lesson to you. You may leave..."
"Yes, my Lord," Sugo bowed deeply before exiting the room. He had to go warn Bulma!
Frieza then turned back towards Zarbon and Dodoria. He commanded, "Bring the little monkey here before me, now, along with the other Saiyans and the girl. I have a few 'questions' for them..."
"Yes, Lord Frieza," Zarbon and Dodoria bowed at once.
WITHIN THE PRISONER ROOM, WITHIN THE PAST WORLD:
Trunks and the others were getting restless from being chained up so long.
"Man, this bites!" Trunks exclaimed. "I wish my mom would hurry it up with whatever she's doing up there. We gotta get outta here!"
"Yeah, and they don't even give us any food down here..." Goten whined. "I'm hungry!"
Goku's stomach growled in agreement. "I guess I am, too," he said. "If Bulma doesn't come back soon, we are going to have to think of our own way out of here..."
"You don't think anything bad's happened to Mrs. Bulma, do you?" Goten worried.
"Peh!" Trunks scoffed. "I'm sure she's doing great! She can do anything she puts her mind to... Just like my father!"
As Goten began to squirm around uncomfortably he came to a startling realization. "Hey, I think I can get out of these things!" Goten exclaimed. "They feel a bit looser!"
"Didn't you hear what Vegeta said?" Trunks rolled his eyes in annoyance. "If you try to get out of them then Frieza will be alerted!"
Goten shook his head. "Not if I just slip out, he won't!"
Trunks and Goku watched with interest as Goten carefully twisted his hand back and forth until at last one of his hands wiggled loose.
"Hey, it actually worked!" Trunks exclaimed with disbelief. He attempted to do the same thing... To no avail.
Meanwhile, Goten struggled to do his other hand. After a while, Goten gave up. "Awww, the other one is still too tight," he sighed.
"So much for that!" Vegeta smirked as he entered the room. "Too bad. It was such a noble attempt..."
Goku, Goten, and Trunks immediately glanced up. Trunks studied him carefully in an attempt to see through the 'mask' he knew Vegeta was putting up.
"Hey, you try getting out of these things!" Goten retorted.
"Peh! I wouldn't bother trying," Vegeta replied. "They drain your strength, remember? Of course, I could just let you all rot and die while you continue on with your little plan..." He glanced meaningfully towards Goten. "Or you could let me set you free with these..." He waved the keys up in the air.
"On what condition?" Goku knew there must be a catch.
"It's simple," Vegeta said. "I went through a lot of trouble to get these for you, so now it's your turn to do something for me."
"We are not taking you with us," Goku replied.
"I thought you might say that," Vegeta said. "But just so you know... I know where you're from. Just think what Frieza would do with that kind of information. If you refuse to take me, then I'm sure Frieza would gladly take me with him when he conquers all those new worlds out there. In fact, I think I'll go tell him right now!"
"You're bluffing!" Trunks accused, but Vegeta just shrugged.
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Vegeta replied as he turned back towards the door. "But Frieza won't care either way. And from what the girl says, you guys have very little time left, so it's up to you."
"Vegeta, wait!" Goku interrupted. "You don't understand how important it is for us to get out of here..."
"Not my problem," Vegeta shrugged as he continued to walk away.
Just before Vegeta left the room, Goten suddenly called out, "Okay! You win!"
"Goten!" Goku exclaimed, but Goten interrupted.
"We have to Dad! Think what will happen if we DON'T! I don't want to be stuck here forever!" Goten replied.
"He's got a point there," Trunks smirked. He knew his younger father was bluffing. He seriously doubted Vegeta would go to Frieza so willingly so recently after getting punished so much, but as long as it meant that he would be able to bring his younger father home with him, he would say nothing more on the matter.
"I've got to talk it over with Bulma first," Goku stalled.
Vegeta replied, "I already did, so it's set! I'm coming!" He then tossed the keys to Goten as he told them, "When you leave the room, turn right and go up the second stairway and follow it to the very top. The launching pods are somewhere around there. Wait there while I get the girl. The sooner we leave the better!"
With that, the child turned to leave the room. He paused only long enough to say, "Oh, and don't bother following me!"
Before Goten could finish freeing himself and the others, Vegeta was gone.
"Ah, how good it feels to be free!" Trunks exclaimed. "I can't wait to get home!"
"We're not taking him," Goku said quietly. "You know that, right?"
Trunks stared in disbelief. "But you said..."
"I know what I said, Trunks," Goku said in a tone that told he was not messing around. "Unfortunately, I had to lie or else he never would have freed us, but we can't take him, Trunks. This doesn't just affect us anymore! We'll leave after Bulma gets here."
"So are we gonna follow him then?" Goten wondered.
Goku shook his head. "No, I'll at least grant him that respect..."
Trunks nodded in understanding, but he felt horrible. If only he hadn't made that stupid promise...
LATER, ELSEWHERE ABOARD FRIEZA'S SHIP, WITHIN THE PAST WORLD:
As Vegeta rushed back to his room, he thought triumphantly to himself, 'Ha! No one thought I would ever escape Frieza, but I'll sh-...!'
That's when he felt something roughly wrap around his neck, cutting off his circulation. He struggled wildly to free himself from his assailant. He even succeeded in earning a few curses from his captor (Zarbon?) before he completely lost consciousness.
When Vegeta finally came to, he found himself laying face down on the hard cold floor of his master's throne room.
"How nice of you to 'join us'," Frieza stated icily.
"Please, don't hurt him!" Bulma pleaded. "It's my fault, not his! I tricked him into it! Really! H-He's just a child! He didn't know any better!"
"But you did know, didn't you, monkey?" Frieza stated in a icy calm tone. When he noticed Vegeta momentarily advert his glance to the floor, Frieza had all the confirmation he needed. He narrowed his eyes, "So my stupid little monkey thinks he's so 'smart', does he? Did you really think I would never figure out your little 'plan'?" Frieza punctuated the last statement with a sharp kick to the child's abdomen.
Vegeta's gasps of pain greatly disturbed Bulma. Did Frieza always treat him like this? She would have rushed over to him had that 'pink blob', Dodoria, not been guarding over her...
"Zarbon!" Frieza commanded. "Bring the other monkeys before me as well! I want them all to watch their prince suffer for his disobedience. After that, I want them killed one by one! Except you, my pet..." Frieza muttered as he looked down at the little Saiyan. "You seem so desperate to get away from me, but I think I will keep you after all."
Moments later, Zarbon returned with just Raditz and Nappa, who he made kneel down on the opposite side of the room from Bulma.
"The prisoners are gone," Zarbon explained. "I can't even pick them up by scouter, but I did find these tossed on the floor of the Prisoner Room..." He then handed the set of keys to Frieza.
"I figured as much," Frieza replied expectantly. "Stand up, monkey."
Vegeta hesitated a moment too long, causing Frieza to lash out at him with another swift kick to the gut. Vegeta cried out. Blood began to stream from his mouth from a combination of biting his tongue and internal injuries.
"I thought I told you to stand, monkey," Frieza's voice kept its chilling tone. "I will not repeat myself.
Vegeta was very shaky, but he obeyed none-the-less.
"Let me see your hands," Frieza commanded.
"Why?" Vegeta glared up into his Master's eyes, as if he had done nothing wrong. Frieza forcefully grabbed his arms anyways and noticed for himself the red stain spots.
"It figures as much," Frieza replied, as he violently struck Vegeta across his face with the edge of the sharp keys. "How DARE you disobey me!"
Vegeta tried desperately to block out the pain as Frieza continued to lay several heavy blows to his body. He tried to hold in his cries of pain. He didn't want the others to see how weak he was.
It took all Nappa could muster to refrain from doing anything brash. The nerve of Frieza, making them sit here and watch this! As Raditz glanced back at Nappa, he could only pray Frieza finished this quickly before Nappa did something he'd regret.
Tears freely flowed down Bulma's face as she watched Frieza callously beat Vegeta. He was being punished for helping her and the others...
"Wh-What?" Vegeta choked out as he glared at Frieza directly in the eyes. "Afraid to finish m-me off? Maybe I'm too strong for you after all!"
"Hmmm, getting bold, are we, monkey?" Frieza chuckled as he looked over at Raditz and Nappa, who were both shooting him death glares. "Perhaps you are just feeling brave before your fellow Saiyans here, hm? Well then, we'll just have to 'fix' that, won't we?"
Frieza smirked cruelly ordered, "I want you to KILL them!"
"WHAT!" Raditz exclaimed. "You can't be serious!" He stood up in a rage, but Zarbon forced him back to his knees.
"Now, monkey!" Frieza commanded impatiently.
"I refuse!" Vegeta declared. "I don't care what you do to me either."
"I guess you need a little 'incentive' then," Frieza replied as he released his iron grasp on Vegeta. He approached Bulma, whose eyes immediately widened with fear. "What would you do if I hurt your little friend here, I wonder?"
"I don't care about her," Vegeta replied.
"Then you won't mind if I do... This," Frieza replied as he grabbed Bulma's wrist and unmercifully broke one of her fingers.
Vegeta cringed at her blood-curdling scream.
When Vegeta's hesitation continued, Frieza broke two more of her fingers, reducing Bulma to a pile of tears. "P-Please st-stop!" she cried out desperately. "Please... St-Stop... It... h-hurts..."
"Don't like to see her suffer?" Frieza asked. "Well, then do as I said, but if you continue to disobey me then I will simply make you suffer even worse..."
Vegeta slowly turned to face the last of his fellow Saiyans, who had always taken care of him when he himself could not... Frieza wanted him to kill them both... He felt so uncertain. He slowly began to shake his head. How could he obey such a thing!?
Nappa nodded at the young Prince. "Do it Prince Vegeta. We...understand..."
Raditz looked at Nappa momentarily in disbelief. Was he actually encouraging the Prince to kill them after all they'd been through?! Besides, without them, Vegeta would have to survive Frieza all on his own... Didn't Nappa get it? It wasn't until Nappa cast him a knowing glance motioning towards Frieza, that Raditz finally understood... Without their Prince, they were as good as dead anyways. Frieza had only kept them alive because Vegeta wished it so, but if Vegeta disobeyed his direct order...
Raditz's fists tightened with anger. He glared daggers at the blue-haired woman on the opposite side of the room. This was all her fault! He closed his eyes shut for a moment. They were doomed either way. To think it would all end like this... However, he knew for sure he would much rather die by the hands of their Prince than by that hideous lizard any day. Nappa certainly felt the same way.
...And so they signed their death warrant.
Upon hearing another horrifying scream from the girl, Vegeta slowly raised the palms of his hands together.
"D-Don't d-do it V-Vegeta!" Bulma gasped. She couldn't bear the thought of Frieza forcing Vegeta to kill against his will. "V-Vegeta!"
As Vegeta focused what little energy he had left into two condensed attacks, he muttered quietly in Saiyago, "Ishchi ahj..." (I will make this quick...)
With those simple words, he ended his companions' lives...
Rath: Wow wow WOW! I can't believe I actually have a HUNDRED reviews! Thank you SOOOO much! I never thought I'd see the day! (Bows deeply in respect to every reviewer)
Vetyga: (Rolls eyes) Uh hmmm!
Rath: What?! Can't a girl be happy?! Anyways, Until Next Time! Sawatdee!