Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Kindred Spirits ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

"You worthless brat! You dare to defy my wishes?! I know you think you are above me and already worthy of the crown I wear, but you are still a boy, not a man! A weak, arrogant fool who knows nothing about the responsibilities of the throne! You must comply with my demands!!!"

Vegeta's ears rung from the loud scolding he'd just received, but he ignored the pain as the rage he felt in his chest spread, making his head throb and his blood boil red before his eyes. He could just barely see the regal form sitting in front of him, but the poorly defined silhouette only increased the intensities of his emotions. He would remain calm and passive. He would not allow this poor excuse for a king and father to break his warrior concentration and send him into a maniacal tirade.

"A boy am I?" spoke the cold form that was the warrior prince of Vegeitasai. His tone was dangerously slow and controlled, filled with poison and unspoken threats. "I should have challenged your sorry ass for the chair you sit in now 5 years ago, but I was as I am now, not interested in wasting my time ruling a planet while I might instead be training. You should be grateful my ambitions of power have not yet demanded for your execution my King!" The last word was uttered with dripping sarcasm leaving the Old Vegeta in no doubt of his son's meaning.

The aged and twisted monarch sat forward slightly in his throne and quickly swept a scrutinizing glance over the hard and unreadable being that was his only offspring. The 21 year old was at the peak of physical shape and health, full of strength and vigor that he himself had recently felt missing from his own aging body. And perhaps more amazing, the king sensed untapped resources in that brat of his. Perhaps the Legend would be fulfilled in him, the Holy Grail of his people that he remembered with pointed jealousy, he could not fulfil in his own time. The cruel eyes that gazed defiantly back at him warned him of the danger he was constantly in with a mature heir living in his palace. The king revealed nothing while making these observations, except an almost undetectable tic of his eye, betraying momentarily his outrage and deeply hidden fear concerning his son. Oh yes, he would have to watch him more closely from now on. This open defiance of his was increasing in frequency.

"Your reign my Prince would reveal your own ineptitude. The planet would fall from your control to outside threats caused by your diplomatic deficiencies. It is vitally important that you attend these meetings tomorrow so that you can experience foreign policy for yourself. A totalitarian government at home may work fine while the ruler remains uncompromisingly in control, but you cannot hope to exert such force on the entire universe at once. To conquer, you must also possess a shrewd nature. Trickery and deception can in certain circumstances, get you farther than brute force."

The young Vegeta swept his own calculating glance over his father. Although middle-aged, with slight signs of gray at the temples, his father was still a vision of tight-fisted authority and power. Unflinching in any scenario, the king still appeared as arrogant, confident, and demanding as he did in his younger days of glory. But the father had long ago lost the respect of his son. Vegeta knew the slight hunch of the shoulders, convulsive gripping of the hand, and almost undetectable facial twitch were signs his father was becoming weaker mentally as he was physically. He was secretly losing his edge, exerting more caution, when 20 years ago the same saiyin would have opted for calculated risk. In a challenge, the King would still prove difficult to kill, but Vegeta knew he would succeed.

His thoughts briefly turned to the possibility of ruling the Sayain Empire. He had told his father the truth; Vegeta enjoyed his long private days of training with his squad members and the occasional missions that took him on adventures from home. A small smirk played around his thin mouth as he reflected on the glorious days he had floated above heated battles. He relished the smell of blood and sweat, the adrenaline coursing through his body as he experienced violence, chaos, destruction, and death firsthand. But now his father had the audacity to take his routine from him! He had no use for anything beyond the battlefield. The thought of wasting his time in monotonous diplomatic meetings enraged him once again. He would not submit to this!

"I don't care if you think this is important old man! I will not cut out valuable training time for me or my men for the sake of your silly whims!" scorned Vegeta.

"Fine, I see you have made your final decision boy! From now on your men are no longer your concern. You are stripped of your command of the elite royal squad until you bend to your father's silly whims!" retorted back the King.

Vegeta thought he would explode from rage. He could feel himself losing control.

"HOW DARE YOU!" shouted the Prince. "How DARE you shame my name with such an insult! I will not be humbled you decrepit old man! If you persist in smearing my honored name and career then I will leave this instant. Abandoning my luxuries here as Prince is better than selling my honor!"

Deep down Vegeta wondered if it was. He had grudgingly complied to his father before in certain matters. Why couldn't he do it now? Maybe he was too restless. He hadn't been on a good purging mission in months, and part of him wished to experience fighting without the aid of his fellow warriors. It was this part of Vegeta that won out in the end. His arrogance could not be dominated or intimidated. He knew he was powerful and returning home after a fulfilling reign of terror would release the tension he was now feeling, as well as stroke his enormous ego.

Surprise shown in the King's eyes for a brief second followed by a malicious glare. He would grant the boy's impulsive wish. His son would venture out full of confidence and would return bemused and mystified by his experience. Against standard Saiyan philosophy, the wiser king knew there were beings out there stronger than his son and their race. He prayed silently he would encounter such life forms and return humbled and confused by the foreign ways of the universe.

"So be it," spoke the king in a calm yet malevolent voice. "You will leave almost immediately in your personal ship. Take what goods you may need for as long as you think you might be gone, but you are allowed no companions. Now be gone from my sight. You may only return on your knees, ready and willing to listen to your wiser father.

A mixture of anger, surprise, and excitement coursed through Vegeta's mind at once. He was going off on his own like he had so recently desired, but his father's tone and easy manner enraged and disturbed him. What did he suppose would happen to him? Did he honestly think the Prince could be defeated by another and then return a humbled boy? Hah! The thought was laughable, but it angered him that his father would even entertain such thoughts. He would have the last laugh and return a seasoned explorer and executor of chaos and terror!