DISCLAIMER:
Weird Person wearing Akira Toriyama mask: (Shouts crazily) I DO own it! Ha ha haa! I DO! I DO! I OWN DBZ! I DO! I DO! (Jumps into a pile of DBZ merchandise and tries to swim away) MINE! ALL MINE! Ha ha haa!
(Men in long white coats suddenly take the Weird Person away in a straight jacket…)
Rath: (Sighs) Hmm, that's the tenth one this week... Halloween must be approaching. Don't they know that there is only ONE person in the world who can truly own DBZ? (Shakes head with pity) Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter in "The Trouble With Vegge"!
Age Reminder: Vegge (8), Trunks (14), Marron (11), Goten (13), Pan (3), and Bra (2)
WITHIN THE PAST WORLD:
Trunks pressed his back firmly up against the side of the wall as Frieza and the unknown being slowly headed in their direction. Trunks looked down at Vegge, whose shivering had finally begun to slow down and mentally kicked himself for being in this situation. If only he had kept more alert for nearby ki's, they wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place! Of course, deep down he knew that that wouldn't have made much of a difference anyways, since the "Ghoul Saber" seemed to distort the senses.
"Tr-Trunks...?" Vegge spoke with slight difficulty. "P-Put me down! I—I don't n-need your h-h-help!"
"Vegge, quiet! Frieza's here!" Trunks motioned towards the adjoining hallway. "We have to get out of here, now!"
"I'm beginning to grow impatient," Frieza's callous voice echoed from around the corner.
"Fr-Frieza?" Vegge paled visibly as Trunks set him back on his feet. "But you said..." His voice trailed off.
Trunks looked away from Vegge's accusing glare. To Vegge, Trunks had flat-out lied to him! Trunks had said his tormentor was dead and yet here was clear evidence proving otherwise.
"Vegge, I know there's some explanation for this, but for now, you know as well as I do that we can't let him find us," Trunks whispered almost pleadingly. "So please don't make things any more difficult than they already are…. We'll make it through this together! You'll see!" He motioned for Vegge to follow suit as he quietly crept away from the hall in which Frieza approached from and into the next passageway.
Vegge, however, remained frozen in place with fear. If Frieza found him, what would he do to him this time? Memories of the first and only time he had ever attempted to run away suddenly flooded his mind. However, he wasn't given much of a chance to dwell on the matter as a strong hand suddenly dragged him into the next nearest hall. He would have uttered a small yelp of surprise, but another hand covered over his mouth before he could even utter a sound.
'Shhh...' Trunks gestured silently. He had grabbed Vegge not a moment too soon, for Frieza had just rounded the corner.
"Hmm," Frieza muttered as he looked in the direction of where Trunks and Vegge had been standing mere moments before. "I could have sworn I heard something over here..."
"Are you certain?" King Vegeta asked as he attempted to check the surrounding area with his scouter.
"Don't bother using that," Frieza motioned around him. "The teleportation devices of this ship make it impossible to accurately detect anything."
"Well, whoever it was or whatever it was, is gone now," King Vegeta replied.
Frieza shook his head. "No, I don't think so," he smirked. He indicated towards the many halls surrounding them. "No, they are hiding somewhere. I'm sure of it. Perhaps they think this a game of some sort. Well, I would just 'hate' to disappoint them. So let's 'play'!"
King Vegeta chuckled. Frieza always did like toying with his victims. At least Frieza was finally doing something other than just watching him do all the work.
Frieza announced in a loud booming voice, "I am in a particularly good mood today." His voice echoed loudly through the halls. "So let us play a little 'game'. I shall give you until the count of ten to run away, before I kill you nice and slow. I doubt you will escape by then, but... Oh well! I suppose it's just that much more fun for me! Ha haa!"
Clearly, he was talking to Trunks and Vegge. He didn't know exactly where they were, but still he knew that they were there... Trunks had to think of something fast!
"TEN..." Frieza's voice called out with cruel amusement.
Without uttering a single word, Trunks quickly grabbed Vegge's arm and started running away as fast as he could. He couldn't let Frieza catch them. There had to be some way out of here.
"NINE..."
Trunks and Vegge continued to rush blindly through the maze of corridors, which was complicated by the fact that everything aboard this ship seemed to look the same! Trunks found himself relying upon gut instinct alone to determine which path he took. A right turn here... A left turn there... The only thing that really mattered was getting themselves as far away from Frieza as possible.
"EIGHT... SEVEN..."
"Damn!" Trunks cursed in dismay as they ran into a dead end. It was a good thing Bulma wasn't around to hear him say that. He would rather face Frieza's wrath any day over his mother's!
"Tr-Trunks..." Vegge panted heavily. He was far more exhausted than he should have been. It was another indicator that something was seriously wrong with him.
Trunks was now practically dragging Vegge behind him as he started running back in the direction from which they came. He was in such deep concentration that he paid little attention to Vegge's quiet utterance.
"TRUNKS!" Vegge shouted much louder, finally catching Trunks's attention. "Trunks! Let go of me! I don't need your help!"
"I can't believe you just did that, Vegge!" Trunks snorted with disgust. "Your stupid yelling just gave away our position! Now, Frieza knows for sure where we are. Do you actually want him to get a hold of us? Because it sure as heck seems that way!"
Vegge was ashamed of himself. Trunks was right. What a fool he was... Trunks had every reason to be angry with him. Some Saiyan Prince he turned out to be. He couldn't do anything right! First he allowed Frieza to continuously treat him like dirts... Then he needlessly killed off the only two people who had ever stood by him, while everyone else scorned his very existence... All because he didn't want to be tortured or beaten again... Ha! What a laugh! Frieza would have found a reason to inflict pain on him no matter what he had chosen to do. And now, Frieza would find him again, due to his own stupidity.
"Stupid Monkey!" Frieza's voice seemed to repeat over and over again in Vegge's head.
'Perhaps the demeaning names that Frieza constantly calls me actually hold a bit of truth to them,' Vegge thought with self-loathing. He then glowered at Trunks as he declared, "I thought I had made myself clear. Release me! I don't need you!"
"Vegge, we've been through all this already," Trunks exasperated as he paused in place. "We will make it out of here much faster if you just cooperate with me... Especially now of all times! So let's GO!"
"NO!" Vegge stamped his foot stubbornly.
By now, Trunks had had enough. "You know, Vegge," he stated still gripping Vegge's arm within a tight grasp. "If I have to knock you out for your own good, so be it! So are you going to cooperate with me or do you still insist on being forced?"
Trunks was determined not to let Vegge fall back into Frieza's clutches. He prayed Vegge didn't call his bluff...
"Do it then," Vegge replied, much to Trunks's dismay.
'So much for that,' Trunks sighed silently. It figured Vegge would choose the hard road. With a deep breath, he slowly raised his free hand in preparation to do one of the hardest things he would ever do.
Vegge's eyes widened slightly, but before he could react, a strong yet controlled outer chop was thrown to the back of his skull. Instantly he was drawn into unconsciousness.
"Forgive me, Vegge," Trunks prayed softly as he lifted the now crumpled form of his younger father into his arms and once again started running. He felt awful for what he had done, but it was too late now. He just hoped Vegge understood that he had done it because he had to, not because he could...
"THREE...!" Frieza's voice continued to count down.
'Oh no!' Trunks panicked. He hadn't realized they had wasted so much time. Soon Frieza would come hunting for them. Trunks wasn't sure what he would do if Frieza actually found them.
"TWO...!"
There was no time left. He had to act fast! After quickly glancing around, Trunks noticed a row of rooms further down the hallway. One by one he tried to open them, but they were all locked! Just as he was about to give up hope, he at last noticed a small crack between the door-panels of a room only a couple doors down from where he was now. Without a second thought, he rushed over to it and used all the strength he could muster to force the sliding panels open just enough to slip Vegge inside of the room. Sweat of anxiety flowed across his brow as he concentrated on closing the panels back to their original positions. He let a small crack remain, so that he would be able to tell which room was which when he finally returned to get Vegge. He had decided that he would create a temporary diversion in order to lead Frieza away from his younger father. Then he would hide somewhere until the coast was clear and get Vegge and then work from there.
"ONE!" Frieza finally declared. "Ready or not...!"
That was it! There was no time left! If Trunks was going to act, it had to be NOW! After looking back once more making sure everything was in place, he raced away as fast as his legs would carry him. This time he made careful mental notes about which paths he had taken. He was going to make CERTAIN he didn't get lost on his way back! He suddenly froze as he heard footsteps fast approaching him.
"I believe those voices came from this way, Lord Frieza," King Vegeta stated.
"Really, Vegeta," Frieza retorted sarcastically. "Aren't you the bright one!.?"
King Vegeta held his tongue. Some day Frieza would pay for his insulting ways, but that day was not today...
'Vegeta?' Trunks was confused as he slipped swiftly into the next corridor. 'But Vegge is still in the room….'
As he looked around him, he noticed that the passageway he had chosen was a whole lot narrower than the rest of them. He almost had second thoughts about entering it, but the dangerous being behind him was nearing far too close for comfort to do otherwise... The winding corridor seemed to go on forever as Trunks raced for his life, but at last it finally came to... A WALL?!
'NO NO NOOOO!' Trunks thought angrily as he kicked himself for not following his earlier instincts. 'This is just great! Does nothing work in my favor?'
"They are close," Frieza's voice sent chills of panic throughout Trunks's spine. "I can practically taste their fear."
'There's nothing I can do, but face them head on,' Trunks thought with dismay. He closed his eyes momentarily, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught to come. As he re-opened his eyes, a shining object on the ceiling suddenly caught his attention.
"Now, we've got them!" Frieza said as they rounded the last corner, but he frowned as he and King Vegeta ended up coming across a dead end. There was no one there. "They're gone!" he growled angrily.
"They must have followed down the other path just opposite of this one," King Vegeta replied. "There are only so many places for them to hide! We will find them!"
"Perhaps," Frieza narrowed his eyes suspiciously, before turning back in the other direction. When he got his hands on them, he would make them pay slowly and painfully for causing him all this trouble. He was extremely pissed off now.
Meanwhile, Trunks was crouched uncomfortably within the small air vent in the ceiling. It had been pure luck that he had even noticed it. He had just barely managed to squeeze himself inside of it before Frieza saw him. He breathed a huge sigh of relief when Frieza finally decided to turn back and head away from him. As he scanned the area for nearby ki, it appeared that the coast was finally clear, but just to be safe, Trunks waited motionlessly inside the vent for over a half-an-hour to make certain that Frieza and the other being were far enough away. He slipped back out into the corridor.
'Perfect!' he thought to himself as he jumped down to the floor. 'Now, I just need to go get Vegge...' His thoughts were quickly interrupted as he felt a firm hand grab him from the back of his neck.
"Ha haa! Did you really think I could be fooled so easily?" Frieza laughed callously as he turned Trunks so that they were face to face. "Perhaps you could fool a dumb monkey, but I am FRIEZA!"
Trunks panicked. He had not sensed Frieza's ki at all! He could have sworn he had left, but apparently Frieza had been waiting patiently the whole time for him to reveal himself. He had known he was still there the whole time.
"Where is the other person you were with?" Frieza questioned. "You were with another."
"I—I don't know what you are talking about," Trunks choked out.
Frieza tsk-tsked as he waved his finger back-and-forth in front of Trunks's face. "It is not wise lying to me, boy. I ask you again... Where is the other one you were with?"
ELSEWHERE ABOARD THE GHOUL SABER, WITHIN THE PAST WORLD:
The small frame of the child prince finally began to awaken.
"Where am I?" Vegge murmured softly before the events of the past several hours began to flow through his mind.
'That's right,' he thought bitterly. 'I angered Trunks...'
Vegge resented being so much weaker than so many people. The strong could do what they pleased, whereas the weak were forced to take whatever they dished out. Well, he would show them all! Someday...
After Vegge slipped out of the room, he began to walk around aimlessly through several halls. Truthfully, he had no idea what to do next or where to go. He heard familiar angry voices coming from one of the halls further down. His childish curiosity got the best of him as he decided to see what was going on. The voices eventually led him down a particularly long and narrow passageway. As he peered cautiously around the last corner, he realized why exactly the voices had sounded so familiar...
"I tire of your insolence, boy!" Frieza growled furiously as he launched another painful kick to the boy's stomach. "Is your friend really worth all this pain and suffering?"
"And more!" Trunks gasped defiantly as he clutched his bruised abdomen. He refused to tell the monster where Vegge was. There was absolutely no way!
"Perhaps you should switch tactics," King Vegeta proposed. "Clearly, this isn't going to work..."
"I know what I'm doing, monkey!" Frieza snapped angrily, before speaking once again to Trunks. "As soon as we find your friend, you can be assured they will suffer greatly for your stubbornness. I'm sure they will thank you for it."
"You won't find him!" Trunks replied as he threw a weak kick to Frieza's knee. "Because I won't tell you!"
"Fool!" Freiza replied as he deflected Trunks's kick with ease and sent him flying into the wall.
Vegge was confused. Why was Trunks protecting him? Wasn't he still angry with him? Didn't Trunks want to be rid of him? Vegge could not seem to comprehend Trunks's actions. It was unheard of! Vegge's shock increased as he finally caught sight of King Vegeta standing off to the side of Frieza…
"F-Father...?" Vegge whispered. There was no mistaking it. There before him was the King of Saiyans himself. A small part of Vegge wanted to run to him to see if he was real or not, but there was a much greater part of him that loathed his father deeply for so willingly handing him off to be Frieza's little slave. Vegge's eyes then locked on to his master, who was currently still pummeling Trunks.
Frieza was undeniably cruel to Vegge, but Vegge's fear of him was so intense that irrational thoughts quickly took over his mind.
'Maybe if I go willingly to my master, then Frieza would take it easier on me?' Vegge trembled uncontrollably as his traitorous thoughts continued to betray him. 'Maybe, just maybe my master will forgive my disobedience and not punish me after all...?'
Deep down Vegge knew these thoughts were ridiculous and that he should do whatever it took to avoid Frieza, but fear was a powerful weapon. Though he hated to admit it, he was absolutely terrified of what Frieza would do to him if he purposely went all out of his way to disobey him again.
After a several long deep breaths, Vegge stepped out of hiding and into the open where all could see him… His attention was focused solely on Frieza.
"V-Vegge?! NO!" Trunks exclaimed as he saw his younger father slowly reveal himself from around the corner.
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Rath: I really really loved each and every one of the reviews I got since I last updated! I would personally like to thank "BballAnimeLover89" for giving me a great idea for this chapter! I also would like to thank everyone who actually took the time to review! I love reviews! Especially ones that specifically tell me things that you liked, didn't like, or might like to happen in the story! (I do pay attention!)
It looks like things are getting extremely complex! And it will only become more so! Especially when they actually get to Rijow, which is what all of this is leading up to! I'll just tell you that Vegge will play a VERY IMPORTANT role there! But alas, they must first deal with the current situation at hand!
Please do continue to Read and Review! Until Next Time! Sawatdee!