DISCLAIMER:
Rath: (Blows loud obnoxious whistle nearly deafening everyone) Yep! I've actually updated! And in celebration, I get to lead a GRAND parade!
Vetyga: (Looks around in confusion) But Rath, I'm the only one here... They set you up!
Rath: (Blows obnoxious whistle again) Oh, don't be so pessimistic, Vetyga! Now, get in step! You know the drill! ZERO... ONE...TWO...THREE...!
Vetyga: (Mumbles on cue) WE DO NOT OWN D...B...Z...
Rath: (Blows whistle again) YEP! That's the spirit! AGAIN! ZERO...ONE...TWO...THREE...!
Vetyga: (Sighs) This is going to be a LOOOONG day...
[Chapter edited: 7Jan2014]
WITHIN THE PAST WORLD:
Trunks felt like banging his head against the wall as his younger father slowly revealed himself from around the corner. Honestly, what in the world was Vegge thinking? What was the point of even trying to escape from Frieza in the first place if all he was going to do was run right back to him at the first opportunity? Didn't he have any sense at all in that little head of his? He was definitely going to have to talk to Vegge about that...
"M-Master Fr-Frieza!" Vegge stuttered greatly as he quickly bowed his head and kneeled down.
"A Saiyan," Frieza blinked in surprise as he saw Vegge's twitching tail. "Now this is interesting..."
"M-Master?" Vegge looked up apprehensively.
"Come before me, young monkey," Frieza ordered. To his surprise, Vegge obeyed his command immediately before he could even finish his sentence. If anything, Frieza had at least expected there to be some resistance...
King Vegeta was especially shocked and even angered at the child's strange behavior. The child was entirely too submissive for his own good. No Saiyan would ever so willingly go to that hideous tyrant! Even if he was just a small child... Did those Yuulian scum cause him to be this way? His fists clenched tightly at the thought. It was all the more reason to make them pay.
"Frieza! If you dare hurt him, I'll...!" Trunks never even got the chance to finish his threat before Frieza callously kicked him in the gut.
"Or what?" Frieza turned a glaring eye upon the frantically gasping teen before him. "You see, when you have power such as mine then you can do whatever you choose. So if I choose to do this..."
Frieza swiftly spun around, using his tail to strike Vegge in the side of his head. Vegge flew hard into the wall. "...Then I can!" Frieza's blow was not controlled nearly as well as it normally was, for afterwards, Vegge's vision became extremely blurry. Vegge's vision began to fade in and out of darkness.
King Vegeta barely managed to suppress the low growl threatening to escape from his throat as he watched the small child struggle to get back up on his feet. If one of his subjects needed to be disciplined or made an example of, then he should be the one to do it... Not Frieza. It was his right as King!
Vegge's balance wavered greatly as he fought to focus his vision again. He would have collapsed again, but a firm hand grabbed him and lifted him up by the throat.
"What is your name, monkey?" Frieza questioned as he lifted the boy up so that they were face to face.
"M-Master?" Vegge was extremely confused. What sort of 'game' was his master playing with him now? Did Frieza expect him to answer truthfully? Or was it another trick question of his in which he was supposed to refer to his own self as a 'stupid little monkey' or something? Vegge wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't want to displease Frieza any more than he already had, for it never took much for the tyrant to find some 'excuse' to punish him like usual. And since he had practically run away again, who knew what cruel torments Frieza would unleash upon him this time. It would be even worse than the last punishment he had received, which absolutely terrified the small prince.
"I—I'm s-s-sorry," Vegge uttered before he even knew what he was saying. His shivering increased greatly as he awaited the blows that would surely come.
"Don't apologize to that freak!" Trunks growled. "You didn't do anything wrong!"
Even Frieza was taken aback by Vegge's behavior, though he didn't let it show. He merely tightened his grip as he asked again, "Perhaps you don't understand, monkey, but when I ask a question, I expect to be answered. Now what is your name, Saiyan?"
"I—I d-don't know," Vegge choked out hesitantly, hoping to avoid the question. It was the answer he always gave whenever he felt cornered. Unfortunately, it only managed to annoy Frieza even more...
"I tire of this," Frieza replied. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to teach you a lesson about just who it is you're dealing with. You see, I am FRIEZA and I don't appreciate being toyed with."
"Don't you dare hurt him!" Trunks warned again. He prepared to attack Frieza, but a strong hand held him back.
"Fool!" King Vegeta growled lowly as he stopped the purple-haired teen from doing anything rash. "Are you trying to get him angry?"
"Let me go!" Trunks struggled to escape from King Vegeta's iron grip. "How can you just stand there and watch this?" Trunks filled with even more rage as muffled thuds echoed throughout the halls each time Frieza's rigid fists impacted with Vegge's slight frame.
King Vegeta's grip only tightened in frustration as he watched Frieza with narrowed eyes.
"If you value your life, you'll remain silent, boy!" the King hissed angrily.
Something in the tone of his voice caused Trunks to look up at the King in surprise. Did he detect a hint of regret? The longer he stared at the elder man before him, the more Trunks felt something familiar about him.
'He looks just like Dad!' Trunks suddenly realized. Yep! There was NO mistaking it! Not only was the man a Saiyan, as was evident by the tail wrapped protectively around the man's waist, but he also possessed the same distinct up-swept hairstyle as his father did. The only difference between this man and the father he knew back home was that this man was taller in height and had brown hair and a beard and a mustache. Other than that, they were practically identical. Since the man couldn't possibly be his father, it left but one choice...
"You're King Vegeta, aren't you?" Trunks was shocked by the sudden realization that he was actually standing next to his grandfather in the Past. "Then that makes Vegge your son!"
"What sort of nonsense is this?" King Vegeta scowled. "I have no son!"
"How can you say that?.!" Trunks exclaimed as he motioned towards the child currently being pummeled by Frieza. "He's your son!"
"Silence!" King Vegeta ordered, rubbing his temples as if he had a headache. "I am not in the mood for this."
"Well, take a closer look for yourself if you don't believe me," Trunks replied stubbornly.
King Vegeta, of course, entirely dismissed the fact that Trunks could possibly be telling the truth. After all, it wasn't even possible for him to have a son when he himself had never had any children whatsoever. It was all quite ridiculous, right?
Vegge struggled not to cry out this time as Frieza beat him relentlessly. Instead he sought out the refuge of his own sub-consciousness, causing the pain to become as dull as a distant memory. Here no one could hurt him, not even Frieza! It was here that he was able to completely shut himself off from all emotions and feelings, such as pain and sadness. It was a place he was increasingly becoming more familiar with as he struggled to cope with the constant abuse and hatred he faced. He was so busy being in his own little world, that he didn't even notice when Frieza had finally stopped hurting him.
"I tire of this brat," Frieza said at last. He lifted a bloodied hand to deliver the finishing blow when a voice suddenly called out.
"Wait, Lord Frieza!" King Vegeta blurted out. "Perhaps if you would allow me to deal with the brat? Surely, he will obey his King?"
"Have a little soft spot for the little monkey, do you?" Frieza smirked sadistically. "Very well then, I think I will actually allow you to keep the boy. Why not? Just remember this... His loyalties must belong to me over all others... That includes you. If he ever goes out of his way to disobey me or toy with me as he did moments earlier then I will..."
"Then I will see to it personally that he suffers for it," King Vegeta interrupted. For some reason he felt protective over the brat. Was it because of what the purple-haired boy had said to him? No, that couldn't be it. There was no way he really had a soft-spot for a child he didn't even know. No, he must be feeling so defensive over the boy because he would rather the boy die by his hands than by Frieza's. Yes, that was it! Or so he told himself...
"And what of the purple-haired one?" Frieza continued.
"I..." the King hesitated for a moment. He hoped he wasn't going to regret this later. "I will take full responsibility for his actions as well, my Lord!"
"Interesting," Frieza muttered to himself. "I expect the brats will not slow you down or there'll be consequences to pay."
"Of course, Lord Frieza," King Vegeta replied in a low tone of voice. "They may even prove useful to us!"
"Good!" Frieza said simply before calmly continuing onwards in search of more Yuulian survivors. "I expect no less than perfection."
"Uh, thank you, King Vegeta," Trunks said after Frieza was out of sight. Trunks wasn't quite sure how to address him. It was hard not to slip and call him 'Grandpa'.
"Whatever, kid," King Vegeta muttered.
"Call me 'Trunks'," Trunks replied.
"I'll call you whatever I want, boy," King Vegeta snapped, causing a giant sweatdrop to form along Trunks's head. "Now, get the brat and follow me!" he ordered.
"Uhhhh, okay," Trunks replied hesitantly as he once again picked up his younger father and then followed the Saiyan king into another room. This was proving to be one interesting day...
King Vegeta motioned for Trunks to set the child up on top of one of the tables, so that he could get a better look at the boy.
"What the hell did those Yuulian scum do to him?" King Vegeta frowned as Vegge remained completely unresponsive. The child's eyes were wide open, but he was still shutting himself off from the world around him.
"The Yuulians?" Trunks raised a confused eyebrow.
"You mean you don't know?" King Vegeta exasperated. "The Yuuli are the ones in control of this ship! How can you not know this?!"
"Well, actually we just got here," Trunks replied. "We've been trying to return to our ship, but now we're kinda... Lost. Since we've been here, we've only met two Yuuli, but we still have no idea what is going on here."
"I see," King Vegeta replied. "But that doesn't explain why this brat is behaving this way."
"It's because of Frieza," Trunks said softly. "He always treats him like he's worthless or something!"
"Frieza may be a bloody bastard," King Vegeta scowled. "But even I can see he has never even met this boy before. You're awfully bold lying to my face like this."
"Maybe he hasn't yet," Trunks suddenly came to a realization. "Maybe it's for the same reason that you can't even recognize him... It must be the curse they were talking about. Of course!"
"Stop speaking in riddles, boy," King Vegeta snapped. "I have enough on my mind as it is without you adding more to it with this rubbish!" He was on the brink of strangling the purple-haired brat simply for being so annoying.
"I know this all is a bit hard to swallow," Trunks explained. "But I would never lie to you, Grandpa-" He quickly covered his mouth as soon as the sentence slipped out from his mouth. "I mean, KING VEGETA!"
"What did you call me?" King Vegeta didn't miss a beat.
"King Vegeta!" Trunks tried to cover up his mistake, but it was too late.
"Enough is enough!" King Vegeta roared. "Now start explaining!"
"I-It's a bit of a long story," Trunks said quietly.
"I have time," King Vegeta pulled up a chair. "Start talking."
Trunks drew in a deep breath as he started explaining the whole situation from the very beginning. Time seemed to pass by very slowly as the King listened intently to each and every word.
"...And that's how we got here," Trunks finished after what seemed like forever. Trunks sighed, "I guess I can't really expect you to believe me. I mean it does seem pretty far-fetched and all..."
King Vegeta just stared at Vegge as Trunks told the story. He wanted to dismiss it all as lies, but then some things didn't add up. Why did the brat look so much like him?
"Stop daydreaming, brat," King Vegeta said roughly. "Wake up! Wake up I said!"
"Wake up?" Vegge wondered silently. "Am I really sleeping? Maybe this was all a dream after all? Nothing's changed. Frieza's still here. But they told me he was dead! But... he's still here... I hate them all! No one can be trusted! I know this, so why do I?" Random thoughts floated vaguely throughout Vegge's mind. Another firmer voice, however, was quickly beginning to dominate over his thoughts.
"Stop being weak, brat!" the voice echoed even louder.
"He's not weak!" another younger voice resonated soon afterwards.
"I said look at me! WAKE UP!"
'Wake up?' Vegge repeated within his distant mind. "But it's so peaceful here. Frieza's not here! If I wake up, he'll just hurt me again... I—I hate him! Why can't I just stay here?"
That's when Vegge felt himself being shaken by a pair of powerful hands. The child was violently forced out from the cover of his protective shell, his one and only sanctuary from cruelties of the real world.
"Enough is enough, brat!" the King shouted in anger and frustration. "I said look at me! Don't you dare ignore me!"
"It's not like he's doing it on purpose!" Trunks retorted in Vegge's defense, but as he glanced back down at Vegge, he noticed that Vegge's eyes had changed. They had lost that lost glazed-over look they had held mere seconds earlier. Now, they had become more focused and narrow and seemed to radiate with intense anger.
Neither Trunks nor King Vegeta had expected such a dramatic shift in the child's persona. If not for the bruises and scars, they would never have guessed that this was in fact the same child who was previously trembling and whimpering in cold fear before Lord Frieza.
Vegge was extremely angry. He was angry that he had been forced out of his sanctuary. Now, all of the pain and frustrations he had been trying to avoid were starting to overwhelm him. He hated Trunks for taking advantage of him and for outright lying to him. He hated Frieza for always hurting him like this. He hated spending every moment of his life worrying about whether or not Frieza was in a good mood at the time... Or whether or not he had even behaved well enough to earn a few measly scraps of food for the day... He hated how "happy" he got whenever Frieza was in one of his "lenient moods"... On those days, he usually got to eat more and receive other basic stuff, although most of the time there was some sort of catch. The list could go on and on about all the things he despised, but perhaps there was only one being who he hated most of all... The one being he saw each and every time he looked into his reflection: himself...
An almost inaudible sigh escaped from Vegge's lips, but King Vegeta picked up on it immediately.
"Listen boy," the King stated slowly and yet firmly. "I'm going to need you to answer a few questions for me. Understand?"
For a moment, Vegge looked confused yet again. 'How did my older self get here?' he wondered numbly in the back of his mind, but he picked up on the subtle differences immediately. No! This was the same man who he had first noticed with Frieza before he had come out of hiding...
"F-Father...?!" Vegge's tone was a mixture of shock, admiration, and accusation.
Ignoring Trunks's gestures to play along with it even if the King still didn't believe the whole time-traveling story, King Vegeta stated coldly, "No, I HAVE NO SON!"
Rath: (Sighs) Man! Vetyga just took my whistle and ran! If she had wanted one that badly, all she had to do was ask! I have a MILLION of 'em! (sigh again) Good help is so hard to find…! Oh well!
Anyways, I finally got a burst of inspiration to finish this chapter! (As you can see...) Heh heh! I even tried to make it a bit longer than usual! It's like the characters keep digging themselves into a deeper and deeper hole, huh? I'm still in the process of figuring out how to get them out of this mess and get them to the Planet Rijow!
This chapter was pretty angsty, so I will probably make the next chapter a bit lighter…. (Perhaps I'll elaborate some more on how Vegeta and Yamcha are handling the "Bra Situation". She's so CUTE!) Also, maybe I will do a short summary at the beginning of the next chapter outlining all the important stuff that has happened thus far… (Shrugs) Either that or just point out the chapters that I feel had the most important points... I suppose it all depends on my mood and whether or not I actually feel like doing this or not!
Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading! Please continue to Read & Review! (Tell me things that you liked or didn't like or suggestions and etc! I do listen!)
Until Next Time! Sawatdee!