Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Black and White ❯ 07 ( Chapter 7 )

Vejata stumbled onto solid ground, and caught herself before she fell over the jagged border of the path into the clouds that surrounded it. Cell was nearby—glancing downward in thought. "They don't seem to be on Earth," he muttered, but burst into the same grin he had been wearing as he'd jumped through the hole. "Well, it won't take them long to notice that I am!" He lifted two fingers to his forehead and vanished.

 

The queen considered the same thing—and then realized that yes, the Cell creature had just used the same technique that Goku did, so much like her own. How did he know it? But, more importantly, his mention of Earth— As she stretched her own senses, she was surprised to notice that she could very dimly sense power from the living world—but she was clearly not in it. No, an oni in the distance ran a sweeper along the path, serpentine and apparently never-ending.

 

If he could teleport out of here, Vejata decided, then I can. The vast array of possibilities flew through her mind—in Hell she had been trying to forget what she might have wished to have done before she died. Before she died—right before she died—the prince had crushed the medallion, refusing to take over as king. The Vegeta line would end, and Vejata was certain that there was no one strong enough—no one fit enough to lead on New Vegeta, not anymore. She thought of Shallot, now inside the green being—forever?—of their brief reunion, her flicker of happiness that had been rivaled by few events in her life after Shallot's death. Vejata had been certain for twenty years that Shallot was gone for good—but—there she was, with so many other Saiyajin in Hell. The queen wondered briefly whether each Saiyajin came to the afterlife already judged for the sins of their race, but then—Goku had gotten into Heaven. Perhaps he was the only one.

 

Vejata nodded to herself as she made her decision. She wasn't sure if returning to the living world would make her their queen again, but if it did or not, there was something she was going to do. She had mentioned it before—the weakening of her people, no new heights of glory reached as they slowly recovered on their new planet. Freeza had wiped out the Saiyajin once—almost. So had the younger copies of the prince. Perhaps they weren't meant to live—especially not now that she was gone, no, for who else could rule them? Indeed, her people had disappointed her so, caused her such suffering that within a year of her leap in strength she could no longer stand to rule them.

 

She wasn't sure if it was to be called revenge—no—but that was a part of it. She would merely return things to the state the universe seemed to want them to be in, and savor every moment of it.

 

The oni, nearing Vejata, glanced up at her with confused eyes. "Shit," she muttered. And what if the afterlife's authorities noticed her missing? What if her powering up enough to destroy the planet drew attention to her and they took her away before she could do it—and before she could follow the creature that had swallowed Shallot, to try to extract her?

 

They can't drag me back to Hell if I'm alive, she smirked a little, focusing on Namek. She knew the leader, at least knew enough of him, and that was all she needed—

 

 

...

 

 

"There we are," Vejata whispered in mock reassurance. "Now summon him."

 

"W-w-we can get Son Goku over here to send you back where you belong!" one of them exclaimed, holding his hands over the glowing spheres.

 

"Aw, now," she chortled, "I haven't done anything wrong—yet." She paused. "Besides, I'm sure Prince Vegeta will send me right back to Hell as soon as he finds out. Does knowing that help you?"

 

Gritting his teeth, the Namekian chanted, and Porunga burst forth. "Speak your wish," he rumbled.

 

"Wish me back to life," Vejata demanded.

 

The Namekian's fingers twitched and balled into fists, but he spoke the wish, and Vejata's halo disappeared without event. "I don't need anything else," she told him, gazing into the distant sky. A blazing beacon in the direction of her home planet told her that someone else was there, too. That would be why Cell couldn't find them on Earth, she decided. If he hadn't know where to look, well—he couldn't have well searched the entire universe for them. I'm surprised they've not gone after him already. But whatever they were up to, she had something to take care of, too. She lifted her fingers to her forehead.

 

 

...

 

 

"Shoot!" Goku glanced to one side. "You feel that?"

 

"Yes—" Vegeta's eyes narrowed, but when he looked to Goku, he noticed the man's gaze was focused in another direction. "Wait, Kakarrot—what are you—"

 

"Yeah, jeez, it feels a whole lot like..." he seemed to be chewing his tongue as he thought about it. "Well, I dunno, a lot of people really, but mostly like..."

 

"No, moron, try that way!" Vegeta pointed. "Vejata—she just appeared here."

 

"She—she what?" Goku blinked.

 

"What's going on?" Cole demanded, stomping her foot. "What just happened?"

 

"Is she—is she alive?" Goku continued, shivering a little, and Cole blew him a raspberry for ignoring her, tapping her boot impatiently against the ground.

 

"I don't know," Vegeta muttered. "It doesn't make any sense—I know Bulma wouldn't have—" he paused. "Should we—go and see?" he asked quietly, waiting to see the other man's reaction. "I can just go—if you want to stay and—" he continued awkwardly.

 

"Thanks," Goku murmured.

 

"Should I—" Vegeta started, and Goku shrugged.

 

"Whatever you think is right, Vegeta."

 

"Whatever I...do you know who I am, Kakarrot?" he nearly hissed, and even Cole recoiled at the viciousness of it.

 

"I do know who you are," Goku answered firmly. "You're a good guy." His brows furrowed. "She's powering up—you'd better—"

 

Vegeta nodded, and shot out the door.

 

"What's going on?" Cole tugged on Goku's gi. "Who's Vejata?"

 

"She's—she's—Queen Vegeta."

 

Cole's small fists balled and quaked. "Prince Vegeta told me she was dead!"

 

"She was."

 

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh. Damn."

 

 

...

 

 

"What the hell are you doing?" Vegeta roared, tugging Vejata's extended arm away from its intended target. The massive sphere of ki that had been gathering against her palm grew, and Vegeta wrapped his hand around her knuckles. "Stop it," he hissed, "or I will break your hand."

 

She raised one eyebrow slightly. "I think you'd break more than that," she answered quietly.

 

Vegeta's mouth curled into a smirk as he prepared to agree, but as he remembered the last time he had broken her, bone by bone, images of his son flashed behind his eyes. His tears—his accusations. He opened his mouth a few times.

 

Vejata noticed his expression as it changed, and smirked a little. "Or maybe you wouldn't," the ball of ki grew as she mocked him. "I'll give you and Kakarrot time to get away. I think you have other matters to attend to, anyway."

 

"I don't give a fuck about ruling the Saiyajin," Vegeta spoke with forced calmness. "But you won't kill them."

 

"Found something you like here?" she snorted. "I doubt it."

 

Vegeta knew not to mention Cole—it would do him no good, and he remembered vaguely the girl telling him that Vejata had tried to kill her once already. "Don't need help getting into Hell," he finally grumbled. One Vegeta had already destroyed the Saiyajin—this would be another. He thought of Trunks once more. To demonstrate his conviction, he tightened his grip on her hand. "How did you get back here?"

 

"Ah," the ball of ki grew again. "Yes—well—someone in Hell seemed to know how to escape."

 

"Who?" he snapped.

 

"Called himself—Cell."

 

Vegeta snorted. "Easily taken care of."

 

Her eyes narrowed. "Not so sure about that. He felt stronger than Kakarrot."

 

"You don't know what you're doing, then," he scoffed. "It's not my fault you didn't learn to sense ki as effectively as I did. Besides," he raised his chin, "why hasn't he come here to challenge us yet?"

 

"So it was you he was talking about—not some other Earthlings."

 

"Of course!" he spat. "The strongest person he fought was—" he paused. "Kakarrot's brat."

 

"But he must have been looking for you and Kakarrot," she asserted. "Said he couldn't find someone on Earth."

 

"Is that all he said?" Vegeta's voice was suddenly urgent.

 

"Said you'd notice him when he got there."

 

Vegeta frowned, focusing in the direction of his home. "Shit," he muttered after a moment.

 

"I told you," she spat. "Might even be stronger than us when we fused," the last word was spoken with disgust.

 

"I doubt it," Vegeta's voice shook. "I—I'm—I've got to tell Kakarrot." Vejata could see behind his eyes already—images of Bulma dying, of Trunks dying in his absence. He turned to leave, but remembered the sweltering ball of ki behind him. "Come with me," he commanded.

 

"Why should I?" she teased.

 

He narrowed his eyes. "Kakarrot doesn't need another reason not to forgive you," he spoke quietly.

 

"What's that?"

 

"If you don't come with me, and follow through with your plan, your death will be much slower and much more painful than the last."

 

"I doubt it," she spat. "I don't think you've got it in you."

 

"Not me."

 

She shook at the thought, and solemnly followed.

 

 

...

 

 

Goku clutched at the fur that covered his chair, shifting position nervously. "She's coming with him," he muttered.

 

"I know why I don' like her," Cole crossed her arms. "But how come you don't?"

 

He bit his lip. "I don't really wanna talk about it."

 

"Kakarrot," Vegeta burst through the door. "Have you felt it yet?"

 

"What?"

 

"On Earth."

 

"Well, yeah, at first, but then you mentioned—and—" the remaining words gurgled in his throat as Vejata entered the home, glancing around as if it struck her as vaguely familiar.

 

"Check it now," Vegeta demanded.

 

Goku nodded, turning away and lowering his eyebrows. "What is that? It feels—well, like I said, kinda like—"

 

"Cell."

 

"No way!" he suddenly seemed excited. "He's so much stronger than he was before! How'd he end up on Earth?"

 

"Escaped Hell," Vejata spoke lower than a whisper, and Goku froze. "Somehow, by screaming a hole into it—"

 

"What bullshit!" Cole finally spoke up. "Y' can't scream a hole into things, y'—"

 

"Fact of the matter is," Vegeta interrupted, "he's on Earth—and we're not."

 

Goku turned back from Vegeta, and on his open countenance it was clear that two emotions were warring for the lead—his excitement to fight Cell, stronger than ever, and the pain that Vejata's presence seemed to be inflicting upon him. The result was slightly pulled-back lips, flared nostrils and fiercely beating blood.

 

"Do we have to bring Vejata?" he finally spoke.

 

"Yes," both Vegeta and Vejata answered in unison, and soon Goku's and Vegeta's eyes were both on her. "Why? I thought you didn't want to," Vegeta nearly accused.

 

"I have to—" she started. "Well, shit, it's none of your business."

 

"What I wanna know is how he got so strong," Goku moved closer to Vegeta, preparing to teleport him.

 

"Hey," Vegeta prompted Vejata, nodding toward his hand on Goku's shoulder. She imitated the motion, and Goku's entire body seemed to flinch at the contact; she had died gloveless, Vegeta recalled, so her hands were bare against Goku's skin. He wondered vaguely if they had been before—if that was why he had recoiled in such a way.

 

"He sucked people in with his tail," Vejata explained, closing her eyes at the thought. "Into his body."

 

"Who has he absorbed?" Vegeta asked forcefully.

 

"Sh—" she started. "I don't know. One of the copies—others—I—"

 

"Let's just ask him ourselves," Goku interrupted their conversation. He felt Vegeta's grip against him tighten briefly, and glanced toward the prince, who nodded. "At least he ain't too hard to find."

 

Cole dashed up to the group and clung against Goku's leg, but the man kicked her away more harshly than he meant to. "No," he commanded. "You stay here." She glanced toward Vegeta, who shook his head, and growled, grumbling as she stepped back. As Goku lifted his fingers to his brow, however, she leapt forward again—and with the others, disappeared.