Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Distant Light Years ❯ The End of Act One ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter 15: The End of Act One.

Screams of pure suffering echoed dully down the long corridors and halls of the great Capsule Corp Building. Vegeta struggled to concentrate on the information he was reading from a view display from the small silver cube resting on the glass coffee table before him.

This was intolerable! Never had he heard such screams in the walls of his home and never did he want to. But he tolerated it because he knew they were the screams of that whore-son Edmund. Never the less it made reading almost impossible. Standing, he stormed down stairs to one of the abandoned labs and kicked open the door. The sight that met his eyes made his skin crawl. The first thing he saw was Edmund. Suspended by his own skin on large metal butcher's hooks. Vegeta's face paled. Edmund's skin had been.. pealed back. He gritted his teeth. It took all of his metallic nerve not to vomit. The site shook him to the core; his son had done this. It was pure, unadulterated evil. An evil he had seen only a few times in his life..

A horror indefinable. How could a person DO this to another person was beyond even his depravity. Vegeta knew he had done some evil and horrible things in his life, but never, other than on Frieza's Ship had he seen such.. evil. Such suffering.

He struggled not to gag. Suppressing his loathing as much as possible he looked around to find his son.

Trunks was leaning back in a chair, covered in blood, and drinking a glass of 'scotch on the rocks'.

"Oh, hello Father." He said, gulping down the last sip and standing. "Any thing I can help you with?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Can you stop this idiocy and get his death over and done with, I can not concentrate." He growled.

Trunks huffed and frowned slightly. "But his screams are like music.."

"His screams are disgusting me! Finish him off or I will my self!" Snarled Vegeta, a slight wind of his Ki fluttering the paper around the room. Trunks stared at his father, his eyes becoming slightly unfocused. Vegeta recognized his son's strange detachment to reality. Blinking, his son focused back on Vegeta.

"By all means father, go right ahead.." He smiled darkly, expecting Vegeta to indulge in his darker nature.

Vegeta hissed slightly, glowering at his son. "Very well.." He growled and with a quick Ki blast, shot the man through the heart. Edmund immediately ceased his moans and hung lip. Dead.

Trunks yelped and jumped out of the way. "What!" He steadied his nerves. "What the Hell did you do that for?!" He shrieked, staring at his father.

Vegeta smirked. "I was having a little 'fun'." He laughed as he turned about and walked from the room. NOW he could concentrate. He had to learn this Time Portal stuff. In the back of his mind he vaguely wondered where Goten had been. He had thought the Son had gone with Trunks to torture that sniveling human. As he walked back to the lounge area, he spotted Goten standing out on the veranda of one of the spare guestrooms. Vegeta paused just outside the door way as he watched him. Goten had leaned his elbows on the wrought iron. His face bowed in his hands. Vegeta realized he was crying. His clothing was stained like Trunks's, so he had partaken in that grizzly insanity that Trunks seemed to have enjoyed.

Vegeta took a breath. Another reminder of why he had to do this. Even though it meant he would be trapped in the past, at least it would be his past. The one he should have had, and not this messed up future. As he turned away from the door and continued down the hall, a thought hit him. If he went back to the past, there would be two Vegetas'. He froze, his eyes widening. Two Vegetas'?! Two of me? He gasped at the thought. This would cause another change.. only something bad could come from two Vegetas'. His gaze fell to the red carpet, his dark eyes wide. What could he do to stop this from happening? He could arrive just as the other Vegeta left. That way he would be there for his family. But what about when the other Vegeta came home?

250 years from the time he left?

Vegeta growled under his breath at the foolishness of it all and walked darkly back to the lounge. At least he would have Bulma..

~*~

"Do you think that it will work? Will it send him back to his own time?" Said Piccolo in his low gravely voice.

Gohan bit his lip, his fingers twitching. "I'm not sure. But I believe so. There's no reason that Time Portal can't be made. The only complexity of it is the intricate movements the traveler must make to channel his Ki to warp time and space." He sighed heavily.

Gohan wondered weakly if perhaps he could travel back to stop himself in the past. He dismissed it as moronic. There was no point in going back. If his thoughts were correct, even if Vegeta went back to change his past, it would not affect them in any way. It was just like when Mirai Trunks came back from the future. Although he helped kill the androids and Cell in the past, other than Android 18 of course, when he had returned to his own time, it was unchanged. But he was stronger. Changing the past did not erase the future that already existed, that was impossible. Instead it formed a whole new future, like an alternate universe if you will. This new universe did not affect the original Time Line in any way other than the individuals of that first time line new that the change in the past had not affected them and therefore must have created a new universe to accompany the reactions of that change. Thinking this Gohan grabbed a pen and scribbled it down on the back of a phone bill. Piccolo snatched it up and read it over. Gohan tried not to growl. He had to get use to his old Sensei's abrupt way of barging into his life and nosing about again. Though of course Piccolo would never admit to "nosing about". Besides, thought Gohan, it was most likely best that Piccolo knew his theory since it also effected him.

"Do you think this will happen again, like Mirai Trunks?" The Namek muttered with a scowl. His grip tightened about the yellowed paper, crinkling it to Gohan's distress. The Saiyan nodded, his face pale. He felt nauseous.

"Then all of this is for nothing!" Cursed Piccolo, throwing the paper to the floor. Gohan winced and picked it up off the ground.

"Not really Piccolo. You have to think of all the lives that will be saved in this other universe. All those who have died at our hands will live, have a chance to live, a full human life." He looked up at his old Sensei with sad yet hopeful eyes. "It's another chance."

Piccolo growled and clenched his fists. "And you think that Vegeta is the one to do this! May I remind you of what he has done in the past Gohan.." He bared his long sharp canines.

Gohan shook his head. "I know that Piccolo, but he's our only chance." He looked mournful again. "May I also remind you of what all of us have done in the not so distant past.." he whispered. Piccolo stared at him for several moments before he scowled and walked towards the open veranda.

"That's what you and the other Saiyans have done kid, I had nothing to do with your slaughter, you know that.. And there's no point in bringing up my past discretion's since I'm not that Piccolo any more." He paused as he jumped up on to the wrought iron railing. He looked over his shoulder, his white cape flapped and fluttered into the breeze.

Gohan walked slowly out to him. "I know Piccolo. There's not a day that goes by when I wish other wise." His head dropped and his gaze darkened. "There's not a day that goes by," He said, his gaze raised again. "When I regret all the lives I have taken."

Reluctantly, Piccolo looked at his old pupil with pity. Pity was not an emotion he gave lightly. "As do I Gohan.. May Kami forgive your soul kid." With that he leapt off the wrought iron and flew up into the brilliant blue.

"There will be no rest for me Piccolo." His eyes narrowed as his face darkened. A desperate look came to his face. "No rest.."

~*~

Vegeta looked up and saw himself looking down at him. Two dark eyes met, two dark wills clashed. "Who are you?" Both voices asked in unison.

Frowns deepened. "I am Vegeta." Both voices said. Scowls darkened.

Vegeta stood slowly and looked into the eyes of his other self. "I am the Prince." They both intoned.

Fists clenched. "You are an impostor!" They both scowled.

Vegeta raised his palm out flat at the other Vegeta. "You do not exist." He whispered.

The other Vegeta laughed. His laughter was loud and mad. "I do not exist?! But if I do not exist then who.." There was a sharp pain in Vegeta's chest and he looked down to see the other Vegeta had shot him through the heart first. "..Are you?" The Vegeta laughed coldly. It echoed around and repeated its self over and over as Vegeta fell back in to the darkness, he watched as the other Vegeta stood laughing above him as the darkness up and claimed him.

Vegeta sat up right in bed. Sweat drenched his panting form and the royal blue silk sheet slipped off his chest to collect around his hips. He groaned and rubbed his face. Too horrible. That dream had been hideous. He dragged him self out of bed and walked slowly to his bathroom. Vegeta ran the cold tap in the sink and splashed his face with the water. He looked up and saw himself. He almost jumped then he realized it was just his reflection in the mirror. He sighed, thinking how pathetic he was and looked to see his dark rings under each eye. He had been up late perfecting the time dance. As embarrassing as it was, at least it was more graceful than the Fusion dance. And was more useful. Though he knew he would only ever use it once. The Time Dance. The name said it all really. The little model of Bardock.. no Kakarott.. no.. yes.. GAH! It was too confusing! Any way, that Saiyan on the chip, was the once who taught him the dance. It was the pre-recording of Bardock. The one recorded before the Bardock who had admitted to being Goku. Vegeta shook his head. Far too confusing.

He had watched the little man, and in privacy had imitated the delicate dance. It seemed to be made for creatures far more nimble than the average large bulky Saiyan. It was another reason Vegeta was glad he was not one of those. His smallness had its uses. Uses he had discovered years ago. Those who underestimated him because of his small stature often ended up dead for their foolishness. He was glad he was nimble enough to do the strange yet graceful movements that a larger man could never have done.

As it was the little Bardock only just managed to do them so they would work. Vegeta had only needed to follow them through three times before he got it perfect. All he needed was to add a small amount of Ki to his movements to activate the Portal. He had done this once already but had not gone through.

Once you go through a Portal, you can not go back through the other side. That's why traveling forward in time was impossible. You could only go back to things already done. Though that rule only applied for the Time Dance. If he was to build a time machine like the one Mirai Trunks had used, not that he could, he could go to any time. The mechanics behind it were different. Though how different Vegeta neither knew nor cared.

He had no wish to return to this place. This Hell.

He would go back and make things right.

But right now he needed sleep. Vegeta made his way back to the bed and lay down. Dragging the silk sheets over himself. When he got back, that was one thing he was going to do. Get some silk sheets. They felt fantastic.

~*~

Goku looked over the burning wreckage of the ships of The Army of the Red Monkeys. Slowly he smiled. So.. they had wiped them out as if they were nothing at all.

It did not surprise him but he knew it hadn't been Trunks who had done this. Knowing the sardonic Prince like he did he would have lined up the many prisoners and killed them off one by one. Most likely laughing and playing.. about. He grimaced.

No these ships had fallen to the hands of Vegeta. Vegeta who most likely wanted this threat out of the way with as little mess as possible. No mess, but these great burning ships that could cause a nuclear disaster at any moment. He shook his head. No one else seemed to care for the planet any more.. Earth was nothing but a vast playing field now days. He sighed sadly and flew from his cliff top position to the closest of the ships.

With a snarl he burned into Super Saiyan two, his golden spikes glowing radiantly. Eyes like Mayan jade turned to the hull of the closest ship and he gently laid a hand on its burning hot surface, feeling nothing at all. With his left hand he put two fingers up to his forehead to focus. He and the great ship blinked out of vision and appeared next to the great burning sun. Goku threw the bulk of the ship into the suns brilliance and quickly flashed back to Earth. He stood panting for a few moments before he flew about to each ship and did the same. Soon he was left standing on a large scorched area of land with a lot of scrap metal but no nuclear reactors.

His hair faded to jet and he sighed again. Slowly he rose into the air and looked off to the direction of the city. He didn't want to but he knew he had to go. He had to see what was going on. Besides he needed a bath, all this wilderness living was not healthy for ones aroma. His place in the mountains had been destroyed by one of the missiles from the Army's ships. With all his worldly possessions gone Goku thought it best to move to where his sons were safe. He felt a niggle in the back of his mind that said not all was right with them. Though this did not surprise him. When was any thing 'right' any more. The world had gone to Hell and he with it, he had come to accept that years ago. It made him depressed and moody but there was nothing he could do about it any more.

He knew that he had been the one to cause all this crap. Though he didn't entirely blame himself. Trunks, the little bastard, was the Demon's Spawn and had begun this Hell-on-Earth for his own selfish reasons. Sadly Goku knew that if he had never come to Earth as a child that none of this would ever have happened. If only there was some way he could go back and stop him self from ever landing on Earth then all the humans could cause their own pathetic petty wars and he would never have had any thing to do with them.

Goku looked over to see the brilliant rising sun in the east. He sighed, this time with joy. The rising of the sun brought a new day. A new day to erase those wrongs he had committed in the past. Slowly he rose into the air and flew towards the Capsule Corp Building.
~*~

Vegeta rose with the dawn. He knew that this would be his last day. There would be no further importance for him to stay in this Damned place.

He pulled on his original clothing that he had first worn when he had come back to this Earth. They were cleaned and mended where necessary. When he looked back he realized that only about six weeks had passed since he had returned to this strange future that he didn't belong in. He pulled on his white boots and looked down at the shiny golden tips.

He contemplated taking the armor his son had giving him, naming him King of the Saiyans. It was a mockery.. but the armor was very fine and brought back the good memories of his very early childhood before his father had been forced to give him up.

He walked to the wardrobe that contained the armor and pulled it from its shelf. He sat back on his bed and looked at it with a small fond smile. He ran his right thumb over the engraved symbol of the Saiyans. The deep blood red markings were the same that flew from the highest buildings in the city.

As he looked the armor over, a glimmer of silver caught his eye and on the inside of the front plate he realized there was a large flat white leather pocket what he had not noticed previously. Opening the top flap he reached in to pull out a large round silver medallion. His eyes went round and he gasped. The large medallion was attached to a silver chain that was worn about the neck. The medallion its self was a shield. It was about the size of a small butter plate and was a plain silver disk fringed with a blue design that made it look like a silver sun. Vegeta had not seen this medallion for many years. It was the Shield of Office for the Saiyan Kings. One did not become the King of the Saiyans with out it. That's why he was and had always called himself the Prince. He had thought this medallion had been destroyed when his father was murdered on Frieza's ship..

"So you finally found it huh.." Came Trunks's cynical voice from the door. The young man was crisp and clean, though he looked like he hadn't slept at all. Vegeta stood, holding the medallion in his hands. His dark eyes rose to his son's.

"Where did you get this from?" he breathed. Surely his son would of had it made, but if that was so, how had he known about it? Vegeta had never told him about the Shield of Office. He had never written it down for some one to read..

"I found it one day.." He shrugged. "I was out in the wild deserts where you and Goku often fought and I found it amongst the wreckage of some strange space ship." He raised his eyebrow at his father, as if to say, surely you know what I speak of.

Vegeta's eyes flicked away. The wreckage of some space ship? Could it be.. King Kold's ship? The one Mirai Trunks destroyed years ago.. So Frieza had given it to his father for a trophy. That didn't surprise him. Frieza had loved collecting things from those races he had admired before he destroyed them. The King of the Saiyans medallion would have been perfect.. And it had come back to him after all these years. It was strange beyond belief.

Vegeta looked back to his son. "Thank you son." He said gruffly. He slipped off his normal armor and pulled on the large armor of the Saiyan King. It had large golden shoulder plates from which a long cape flew from neat golden domes. It was blue on the outside and red on the inside. The royal colours. On the left breast was the symbol and Vegeta gently strung the medallion's silver chain about his neck so the large disk of the blue sun could hang against his chest.

Trunks stared at his regal father. The man looked magnificent! ~This is my father,~ thought Trunks. ~And I am his son..!~ Vegeta walked to the door. As he passed his insane violent son he raised his white gloved hand and rested it on his shoulder.

"No matter what you have done in the past Trunks, remember from where you come from. You are the son of Kings. A Prince of the Blood. Never forget boy.. never forget that." Vegeta then turned away from him and walked silently down the hall, his long royal blue cape fluttered lightly about his feet.

Trunks paused as he began to follow. It had almost sounded like his father was saying farewell. He frowned slightly and thought it ridiculous. Where would his father go? He thought with a laugh. There was nowhere else.

~*~

Vegeta walked out to the backyard of the main Capsule Corps Building. Old, dead and dying rose bushes had grown tall and scraggly. He looked over it and a strange shiver went down his spine. The garden.. He remembered what it looked like at night when he had looked over it from a window all those years ago. It had been strange and savage then, but with the rising of the sun it had revealed the domestic beauty of the garden. That domesticity was lost now and it was like the savageness brought on by the night had finally followed through to the daylight hours.

He moved among the large over grown roses to a small round clearing that was hidden by large leafy willows. He braced him self and was about to perform the dance when he heard a twig snap behind him. He paused, not wanting to appear startled and turned about. There was Kakarott looking at him with stupefied confusion.

"Wow Vegeta, you look like a totally different person with that on." Said the tall Saiyan, his eyes wide like they had always been, with the sight of something new and unexpected. Vegeta had not expected Kakarott and the appearance of the man he had barely seen in this time rocked him slightly. Why had he come here! Why now of all times! Vegeta hissed silently through his teeth.

"Go away Kakarott, I am busy." He growled, watching the man wearily. This Kakarott was rather different to the one he was use to. This Kakarott was a violent, almost ruthless creature. Yet even through all he had suffered he still seemed to have a small streak of goodness there, even though the same could never be said for any of the others. Like usual though, Kakarott brushed off his dismissal.

Goku was amazed at how different Vegeta looked. Those strange yet familiar symbols spoke to some deep distant part of him. "So what are you doing out here Vegeta?" He asked with his usual inquisitiveness.

Vegeta sighed slightly to him self. Some things never changed. Vegeta smirked slightly. What was the harm in telling him? "I am going back to my own time Kakarott." He watched the larger Saiyan carefully, looking for any negative responses.

Goku's eyes widened. So Vegeta had found some way to return. He nodded and smiled slightly. "That's good Vegeta. I think it is for the best." He looked thoughtfully at Vegeta. "So I suppose you'll be calling your self King now huh?"

Vegeta smirked at his rival. "Of course.." His smirk turned into an uncharacteristic grin and he began the first movements of the Time Dance. Although he hated to do any thing like this in front of any one, he supposed that if he could do the fusion dance with Kakarott then it wouldn't matter whether he saw him do the Time Dance.

Goku raised an eyebrow as Vegeta started to do a strange yet beautiful dance. The movements were measured and graceful and did in no way make him look ridiculous. Goku watched him carefully memorizing the dance down to the last flick of the fingers.

Vegeta began to glow faintly, the light constricting about him until with a last flare of his hands the dark eyed King vanished in a bright crack of lightning.

Goku fell back in amazement and surprise. He had not expected any thing like that! So the dance Vegeta had done some how effected time.. Goku pondered this as slowly he turned and walked back towards the menacing building.

~*~ ]

Vegeta blinked away the blinding flash. He had let it hit him this time. In all his practices in the past he had jumped out of the way of the lightning bolt which struck the ground and opened the portal.

Vegeta looked up and saw he was looking at the huge white Capsule Corps Building. The roses around him were small, trim and neat. His eyes went wide. Could it be?! It had worked! He twisted about and looked over to the out side labs where the large silver ship was resting there quietly like a great giant teardrop. Then Vegeta froze. There he was! Him self! He watched in a strange mortification as his past self marched purposefully over to the new ship. He had to stop him! But Vegeta paused..

How could he stop him? He knew him self. He knew if he went over there and confronted his past self he would be met with skepticism and rage.

He watched silently as his past self boarded the silver ship and powered up the thrusters. The great vibrating hum shook the Earth he stood on.

He had to stop this! But how?!

The ship slowly began to rise into the air.

Vegeta sucked in a breath of air and then suddenly it came to him. It was so simple really, what he had to do..

He sighed and slowly rose into the air also, in line with the ship. He watched the new engine of Dr Briefs power up at about 4000 feet.

"What better way to go out.." he whispered as he watched the ship getting ready to space jump.

He knew the blast would kill. It was the best way..

He brought his wrists together and summoned his Ki. Then he spread his arms out wide, his legs spread below him and roared the name of his Ki blast aimed right at the ship.

"Big Bang!" He screamed and every thing went white.

Blinking, Vegeta watched as burning fragments of the ship went raining to the Earth below. "I killed my self.." Vegeta whispered. There was no way the other Vegeta could have lived. The blast was unexpected. There would have been no time to protect himself. Vegeta felt his body go cold all over as he slowly dropped to the Earth. He knelt gently on the soft grass and closed his eyes. His long royal blue cape fluttered and skipped across the grass around him.

"VEGETA!" Came a sudden shriek. The King jumped up, his ears ringing. He turned around and saw a raging she-devil named Bulma storming towards him. "How could you destroy my father's ship! He's been working on that for months!" She pounded her little fists on his armor and then stepped back with a frown. "What's the matter?" She said.

Vegeta blinked. No, now was not the time to get emotional. But he couldn't help it, he grinned and took Bulma into his arms with a laugh that was almost a sob. "Oh Bulma.. Bulma.." he whispered into her ear. He held her gently but firmly, he never wanted to let her go again. He looked to her surprised face and kissed her.

Bulma laughed slightly and said with a grin, "Who are you and WHAT have you done to my husband!" Bulma was confused. Vegeta had not shown such an outward sign of affection since the day he was wished back from the Dead. Now that she thought about it, where had Vegeta got these strange clothes?

Vegeta felt blissfully happy as he looked at his wife, a smile on his lips. "I have been on a journey, I will have to tell you of it some time." He said gently. He brushed his thumb over her cheek. "But right now, I just want to be with you."

Bulma looked at him with an understanding confusion. Something had happened that Vegeta would explain to her. Obviously he had destroyed her father's ship for a good reason. She grinned at her happy husband. The ship didn't matter, another could be built perhaps.

They both walked back through the garden of roses towards the Capsule Corps Building, both smiling, both with the joy of being with one another.

THE END
~***~