Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Against All Odds ❯ Mesocyclone ( Chapter 27 )

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. I just enjoy manipulating the characters for my own sick and twisted amusement. Anyone else entertained?

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Mesocyclone

Vegeta felt cold sweat bead under his arms and roll down his ribs, staining his clean uniform. His chest tightened as his stomach lurched from the sickening aura of evil that invaded his senses. He unstuck his dried tongue from the roof of his mouth and forced himself to swallow what little spittle he could gather. He dropped the young boy onto the ground as he turned towards the door, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists as his primal instincts to kill and maim swept through him.

"How long does it take to make a wish?" He rasped out while struggling against the oppressive energy that enveloped him.

"Too long." The sage's tranquil tones washed over the prince, slicing into him, abrading his dormant soul.

The time of reckoning was upon him. There was no time for regrets or second chances. He had wasted precious minutes with the Nameks and now he was out of time. The monster had hunted him down, stalking him through the vastness of space, cutting him off from his only hope of redemption. His only chance to have her back by his side.

Vegeta turned his head, glaring at the Ancient from the corner of his eye. Anger, terrible and merciless welled up inside of him, spilling over into his obsidian eyes. Vegeta's wrath was a palpable thing; you could taste it in the air and breathe its foul taint. His cruel lips peeled back away from his ivory incisors as he snarled at the alien who held such great power, yet had refused to help him.

"I will be back for you." Vegeta's guttural growl vibrated through the room causing the Nameks to shudder at the deadly promise.

Vegeta gathered his pride around him like protective armor as he strode out the door to face his worse nightmare. Instead of completing his training he had rushed to Namek to retrieve the dragon balls. For what? To wish for the power to defeat Frieza? He could have obtained his goal by returning to his assigned base and training for another month, but something had goaded him into coming here. Some unvoiced passion deep within his withered soul had begged for him to come to this forgotten planet, putting his faith in a dream. Why did he come here?

Coldness washed over Vegeta as he stepped onto the plateau and looked out into the horizon. In a distance he could see the darkness rushing towards him, threatening to engulf him. His sins weighed on him like a millstone as he waited for his demonic master to appear before him to pass judgment. He had done so much in his short life, committed unthinkable crimes with impenitent callousness and assisted a tyrant in crushing half the universe under his scaly claw.

Vegeta began to flex his muscles in a slow methodical exercise to loosen them for the coming battle. He would fight to the death, striking out with all the resentment he had built up during a lifetime of enslavement. He would die a warrior on the battlefield, fighting for the first time in something he believed in. He would fight for honor, for pride and for himself.

He knew that he didn't have the strength he needed to destroy the monster, but he would fight with a vengeance that would make his race proud, then he would begin his slow descent into hell. He would greet the souls of the damned like the old friends that they were and take his punishment in the fiery dimension with the same stoicism as he had in life. He accepted his doomed fate with serenity.

Cerulean fire flashed from the depths of oblivion as screams of anguish echoed across the wastelands of his heart. Her sharp fingernails raked his brain and the pain he had suppressed resurfaced briefly. The dark stain that spread across his soul receded as he glimpsed the image of his mate as it skittered through his mind. Vegeta's eyes dropped away from the horizon to stare at the barren ground. She waited for him in the darkness, silently pleading with him and he had failed her at every turn.

First he had claimed her when he knew that he shouldn't, allowed harm to come to her while under his protection and then he had murdered her in order to save his own worthless hide. It didn't matter that she had begged him to end her life; he should have refused or found another way. Finally, he had failed in his quest to bring her back. Yes, he admitted it to himself. He had come to Namek to wish for power, but he knew deep within himself that she had been his primary goal. If he was serious about defeating Frieza he would have retreated to his corner of the galaxy and trained instead of journeying to this place. Now here he stood, at the brink of a fathomless abyss, peering into the face of eternal damnation.

He had wanted her with him when he killed Frieza. He wanted her to savor their victory as he tore the tyrant's head from his body. That small part of his consciousness that he refused to acknowledge had prodded him into coming here so he could resurrect her. So she could be with him until the very end. He needed to prove to her that he was worthy enough to be her chosen mate, her protector…her hero? But, he had failed and now he stood alone.

Bulma shouldn't reside in hell, no matter what her crimes. She deserved another chance at life, at happiness. Her destiny rested in his blood-stained hands. If he died today, then she would remain in the dark pit, surrounded by the shrieking souls of the damned, unable to escape her unjust fate. Vegeta felt something shift inside of him as he took responsibility for someone else for the first time in his life. A little bit of his selfishness melted away taking with it part of the thick, impenetrable wall that separated him from his golden fleece and he felt an infusion of power electrify his body.

Unflinching onyx eyes rose up from the ground and watched the closing darkness. Her faith in him flowed through his veins, pumping him full of adrenaline as he waited for his enemy. For the monster he had to destroy to set his mate free.

*~*

His foe advanced upon him, bringing his overwhelming wickedness with him. Vegeta refused to give ground as Frieza, Zarbon and Dodoria dropped out of the sky, smirking at him condescendingly. He glared right back at them, waving his hate like a war banner. Frieza's lips parted in a mockery of a smile, his needle-like fangs glinting in the sunlight. He sat comfortably on his floating throne, his belief in his superiority evident in every languid movement of his reptilian body.

"So the monkey has finally followed the path of his pathetic race and decided to rebel against me. How disappointingly predictable." Frieza sneered down at the proud prince.

Vegeta felt his hackles rise and he retreated to the arrogant demeanor that had served him so well over the years. He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head back to smirk up at the lizard. "I told you I would hang your head on my wall Frieza. You should have run away when you had the chance instead of following me here."

The trio burst into laughter at the prince's words, their grating tones rending the aura of serenity that covered the land. Vegeta grit his teeth as he ascended into the air to draw even with his enemy. From the corner of his eye, Vegeta watched Zarbon who stood protectively next to the ice-jinn. He could see something different about the man, a suppressed menace simmering just beneath the surface, directed at the prince. A vein began to throb on Vegeta's forehead and his fists clenched at his side.

"You never knew when to stop running your mouth Vegeta." Dodoria cackled at the irate prince.

"Why don't you come shut it for me, you fat slob?" Vegeta hissed at the obese lap dog, sneering as the man's pink face flushed a rosy color. It took all his will power not to glance behind him to check on the dragon balls. He knew that they were out of sight of the lizard, but he was certain that Frieza could feel their ki signatures. He had to draw them away from the hut. If those idiot Nameks were smart enough, they would move the dragon balls when they had a chance.

"I admit you are much stronger than I first thought." Frieza's cold eyes roved over the prince, examining him closely, looking for the hidden clues to his strength. "I never expected you to be powerful enough to defeat Ginyu Force, but I can feel no hint of their ki, so they must be dead." There was a subtle note of pride in the ice-jinn's voice that unsettled Vegeta. Zarbon and Dodoria heard it as well and they glanced at their master curiously.

"They were nothing but trash. I disposed of them." Vegeta shifted slightly to the left, gratified when his foes tracked his movement unconsciously.

Frieza grinned, "Yes, I see that. Tell me, how did it feel to kill the Captain? Was it thrilling to have his blood on your hands?" Frieza's eyes glinted and the warriors felt their guts clench. Their master occasionally asked such questions. How did it feel to kill? Did you enjoy it? Tell me about it. He would demand the answers when his soldiers returned from a mission. It was as if he was vicariously reliving the moment through them or as if he was searching for a specific response. To what no one knew, but it made the majority of the soldiers uncomfortable to have to rehash their emotions on the battlefield.

Frieza always seemed to be specifically interested in Vegeta's reactions and he hated it when the Emperor turned his sick attention to him. The prince had always refused to answer the ice-jinn, earning bloody punishments for his insubordination. He shifted again, slowly leading his enemies away from the house. "I felt nothing. I will however feel a great deal of pleasure when I rip your scaly head off your body." Vegeta spat with disgust.

Frieza leaned back in his chair, a wicked grin etched on his reptilian features. "You are strong Vegeta. I hadn't expected you to advance so quickly before I had a chance to break your resistance to me. Unfortunately for you, your strength is still pitiful compared to mine."

Vegeta dropped down into a fighting stance, snarling with fury, "Then I will die on the battlefield with honor."

Frieza giggled and his men shivered at the sound. Its sickening ring always heralded something terrible. "Oh I'm afraid not my prince. You will be coming home with me and we are going to have a long talk about your recent behavior."

Fury and fear bled together, whipping the prince into a furor. "I would rather die than kneel to you again, you bastard!" He roared as strands of indigo ki leapt of his body and his ebony eyes glinted red. Chunks of rock levitated around him and burst into shards of dust when they became infused with his energy. He surged forward, narrowing in on his target. The beast that haunted his nightmares. A sparkle of pink and green, invaded his vision and instead of his fists connecting with the mocking face of his enemy, he was waylaid by the tyrant's henchmen.

Knowing that they would follow, Vegeta led them out away from the pillar of land, fiercely exchanging blows. Zarbon and Dodoria circled around him like rabid wolves, each seeking a chink in his defense, desperately trying to land their kicks and punches. The prince spun gracefully in the air, blocking their advances with ease, grinning at the knowledge that he exceeded their strength even without powering up fully.

Around and around they went, accelerating with each revolution, until the air near them formed a whirlwind. They ascended higher into the atmosphere, carrying the warm air of the plains with them to collide with the colder air in the stratosphere. Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he covertly watched Zarbon, whose face was hardened into a reckless mask of hostility. He knew that the man was an intimate part of Bulma's network, but he attacked Vegeta with a vengeance. His green ki cracked and twisted away from his body as his turbulent emotions grew.

The three men paused at the height of their ascent, the air currents below them churning angrily at their forced mixing. Dodoria and Zarbon panted with exertion while Vegeta watched them with cunning expectation. Silently, he tried to puzzle out Zarbon's obvious personal antagonism towards him that was hidden beneath a sheer veneer of duty. Almost in concert the two men braced themselves on the floating currents, planting their feet on the empty wind. With maddened howls they called forth their inner strength. Strands of vermillion and verdant ki arched off their bodies, dancing with the atmospheric vapors, sparking and electrifying the nearby ions.

The cumulus clouds seethed as lightening began to streak across the darkened sky. Without warning the warriors clashed against each other. Their clamorous blows echoing the crash of thunder in the distance. They attacked in a frenzy, their battle fervor feeding the growing storm. A supercell formed, bringing with it the destruction of violent lighting strikes and the already chilly atmosphere became icy as great melon sized balls of hail fell from the sky.

Frieza watched from a distance. His reptilian eyes easily following each movement of the warriors who battled for supremacy in the sky. Anyone watching the tyrant would have felt their blood run cold at the smile that graced his thin lips. As the hail began to fall, Frieza negligently erected a ki barrier that protected him from the elements.

The warriors began a slow circular descent towards the ground, pulling the reluctant swirling air currants with them. Behind them a small cyclone formed, following them down to the beckoning arms of the Namekian plains. Dodoria was bleeding from numerous wounds, the scarlet color contrasting with the bright fuchsia of his body. Zarbon and Vegeta remained unhurt as they circled each other like frothing dogs of war. For some unknown reason Vegeta couldn't bring himself to strike out against the jade warrior, though Zarbon had no such reservations. During the battle his fury had grown substantially and now he was attacking Vegeta without the cold calculation of a warrior, but with the lust of someone who had a blood debt that needed to be repaid.

They hovered two dozen paces from the ground, the cyclone that had grown into a massive vortex swallowed them, touching down on the planet, while they floated in the monster's belly. The tornado roared around them, the deafening noise beating mercilessly at them. The walls shrouded the warriors from the light, creating a gray world of whirling shadows that hid lethal projectiles of rock and debris. It was a private arena that even Frieza could not see into. With a growl of impatience, Vegeta reached out, snatching Dodoria close to him. He placed one hand on the back of the pink slob's head and the other gripped his jaw. With a sharp twist he jerked the man's chin back towards his shoulder, snapping the fragile bones of his spine. Vegeta's hand dropped down to grab the lifeless warrior by the breastplate, whirling around with incredible speed, sending him hurtling towards the ground with startling velocity. He impacted the dirt, creating a crater and rippling the ground outwards like a tidal wave.

Frieza snickered as he felt the quake. Though he couldn't see into the cyclone, he was certain that Vegeta would emerge victorious. He had always expected the prince to grow in strength; in fact he had counted on it. He just hadn't expected it to be this quickly. Bulma was far more devious than he had given her credit for. Never again would he dismiss an enemy just because it was female. She had used her incredible mind against him and because of it; his timeline had been moved up. The prince was teetering on the precipice of absolute power at a time when he despised his master the most. That bordered on dangerous for the ice-jinn. He had plans for the prince that didn't include killing him because he was becoming too unruly.

The vortex began to move, eating up the plains veraciously and leaving deep trenches in its wake. Trees and rocks were thrown about carelessly, becoming weapons as they sped through the air to spear unlikely targets. Inside the funne,l the two remaining men moved fluidly with the storm, staying centered and away from the treacherous walls. They faced off, their eyes narrowing to protect them from the flying grit in the air.

Shielded from eavesdropping by the thunderous walls, Vegeta gave in to his curiosity and questioned the spy. "What the fuck is your problem?"

Zarbon's teeth peeled back into a snarl and he hissed with fury. Vegeta was reminded of a large cat that was being taunted through the bars of a cage with a big stick. Zarbon's emerald eyes bleed to an amber color and Vegeta knew he was getting ready to transform into his deformed crocodile appearance for more power.

"You killed her you murdering bastard! Your own mate!" Zarbon seethed, his anger roiling inside of him and ebbing off his body in tangible waves. Vegeta became very still at the other man's words. His senses had been electrified by the tumultuous storm and pleasure at being engaged in battle thrummed through his veins. All of that leached away as he watched the other man vibrate with the intensity of his hate.

Remorse raised its ugly head, staring back at Vegeta. The pain resurfaced briefly, raking its claws through his unprotected mind before the medicine reclaimed its prisoner. Loneliness washed over him and the ruthless prince suppressed it once again, but it did not go as silently as it did before. Remnants laced through his heart, reminding him that his existence was solitary and meaningless.

"It had to be done." Vegeta ground out, unable to rouse any anger at the man's accusation.

Zarbon moved forward subtly, a ripple of muscle and sinew, his distress apparent in every nuance of his body. "Was it?" The man's face was pleading, as if he wanted Vegeta to convince him otherwise.

"You know that there was no other way." Vegeta's words were soft, almost as if he didn't want to admit to himself that he couldn't save her. Zarbon knew the intricacies of court intrigue better than the prince. He had known that there had been no way to save her, but that didn't dissolve the guilt that suffocated him. Bulma had been his friend, his confidant. She had protected him to her very last breath, refusing to give Frieza the names of her contacts and he had stood by, watching as they tortured her. He had been unable to help her, but Vegeta should have. Zarbon couldn't believe that anyone who had known her, who had been touched by her gentle light, could extinguish it so callously. Especially, someone who had claimed her as a mate.

"She told me that she loved you." Zarbon whispered the words, almost certain that the prince couldn't hear them, but knowing that he would. Something flicked in the depths of Vegeta's onyx eyes, but his face remained impassive. Vegeta heard the echo of Bulma's parting words to him. She had said that she loved him, but a part of him had dismissed her speech as the ramblings of one who was about to greet death. Hearing them uttered from a third party was like a blow to the gut.

She had loved him. She had loved him enough to tell other people about it, not just leave it as a recorded afterthought, a prelude to death. Vegeta felt the ice around his heart crack and agony stole inside like a thief, rending him nearly immobile at the intensity of the feeling.

Zarbon bowed his head in loss, looking to the ground that rippled with waves of debris. His fists clenched at his sides as his long verdant hair that had come loose from his braid fell across his eyes. Vegeta followed the man's line of sight, looking down as well, but he saw the clawing hands of the damned reaching for him instead of swirling debris.

"They threw her body in the trash heap. I couldn't stop them."

Vegeta inhaled sharply at the shocking news while he glared murderously at the ground. He raged against the disrespect his mate's body was shown. She should have been buried as a Saiyan queen in a Kerithian tomb, bedecked with precious jewels and fine robes, not thrown out with the refuse. Hate seethed inside of him, mixing with battle lust, sharp and vibrant, like the tip of a bloody knife. Frieza's mocking face crossed before his eyes and Vegeta renewed his vow to slay the monster that had destroyed his life.

"You should have saved her."

Vegeta's eyes snapped up to meet the accusing glare of Bulma's friend. Fury, boiling and unchecked billowed through Vegeta, rousing the murderous beast that was slumbering inside of him. His flesh became heated and indigo thunderbolts shot off his body to meet the churning walls of the tornado that surrounded them. Lightning zagged through the dirt and rock, electrifying the storm, illuminating the dark center with an eerie blue glow. Between the flashes of light, Zarbon could see the beast crouching on the other side of the prince's obsidian eyes, snarling with the desire to be free.

How dare that court whore say such things to him? Didn't he know if he could have saved her, he would have done so? She would be safe right now if he had the power, not waiting at the gates of hell for him to join her. He ignored the words that whispered in his heart that Zarbon was right. He should have saved her.

With a roar he launched himself at the other man. He moved with such blinding speed that Zarbon didn't even have time to raise his arms in defense. Vegeta furiously swung at the man's jaw, but at the last minute he pulled the powerful punch. He connected brutally with Zarbon's chin with enough strength behind it to cause the man to slump into unconsciousness, but at least he was still alive. Vegeta caught the man's sagging body to his while he looked down at Zarbon's upturned face. The prince glared at the sleeping man, watching as a stream of blood ran from the corner of the man's mouth and down his chin, while trying to understand his actions.

Zarbon was Bulma's friend, even if he didn't show the proper respect that he should to a prince. If he killed the green freak he was pretty sure that he wouldn't hear the end of it when he finally did meet her in the after life. He sighed deeply as he ascended up the writhing tube to exist out of the top, still out of sight of the ice-jinn. Vegeta scanned the horizon, finally finding what he was looking for. He heaved Zarbon into the air, watching as he flew several thousand feet to finally fall into the depths of a nearby ocean. He knew that the reptilian warrior would be able to breathe under the water and he would be out of the way of the coming confrontation.

Vegeta rode the twister that convulsed beneath him, jagged lances of lightning sizzled around him, arching off his ki shield, before hurtling to the planet's surface. Vegeta surveyed the damage that his battle had wrought. The sky was blackened by the storm and the tornado had ripped apart the land with a ravenous appetite. In the distance he could see the pale body of the Ice-jinn waiting patiently for him.

Without the rancorous fury of the men to feed its hunger, the storm began to abate and the hail ceased as cold rain took its place. Vegeta lifted his face to the cleansing water, closing his eyes as it flowed over him. He allowed it to wash away all of his guilt and remorse, instead he filled himself the confidence that he needed. He was the Prince of all Saiyans. He was destined to rule. He was fated to avenge his people. He would destroy the monster that enslaved him and he would reclaim his honor and his soul.

Vegeta lowered his head, opening his black eyes to look directly at his master. He had to win. He had no choice. He could not fail her again.

A/N: Okay. So we all know that fighting bores me *yawn*. So I decided to write a about a pretty little storm instead. I hope it wasn't too farfetched.

Dodoria only gets one line in my little play. He's ugly and worse, he's pink. Zarbon however is green, a color that perfectly suits my red hair. Don't you think he would just be the perfect accessory to hang off my arm?