Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Kuro's Escape ❯ Message ( Chapter 4 )

"Kuro?" Vegeta called sleepily. "Kuro?"

He levered himself up, looking around. In the morning light, he could see the impact crater where Kuroichi had hit the night before - deepened by their lovemaking. The nest he'd made for them was in disarray, not really all that surprising since Kuroichi had left, but he couldn't see the other anywhere. "Kuro? Are you hungry?"

No reply. He brushed the leaves from his clothes, turning a complete circle as he surveyed the area. The soil was a soft, loamy stuff, Kuroichi's footprints clearly visible. He followed them behind a tree, where they abruptly vanished. "What? But…"

He cast his senses out, searching. The sun got steadily higher, he got steadily unhappier. He was almost to the point of despair when he finally caught the faintest hint of what he sought. "Damn you, Kuro! What are you doing?"

A flare of ki followed his hurtling form through the sky as he headed back to his lover's apartment. What game are you playing, Kuro? I'm not going to let you go so easily. I should have explained - and I will as soon as I see you. You can't go anywhere I can't… He turned his thoughts firmly from the one place that Kuroichi could go that he couldn't, not without staying there permanently anyway.

Kuroichi's ki was low, erratic. Worse than when he'd finally caught up to the other the night before. He seemed to still be in the general vicinity of his apartment. Vegeta stopped short, feeling the other's energy. "Something's wrong!" His speed had doubled when he began moving again, his powerful form surrounded by a flaring golden glow.

Paradise City wasn't anything remotely related to a paradise, he noted, hanging in the air over the city. Kuro was down there, somewhere, but… with his ki flickering in and out so spasmodically, Vegeta couldn't tell for certain where he was. He frowned, deciding to try the apartment first. Kuroichi would have gone there, for a shower if nothing else. They'd both been… messy.

Vegeta didn't allow himself to wonder any longer why Kuroichi was running, he had a fairly good idea. He berated himself again for the way he'd tried to fix his original error, and reminded himself to be more careful handling Kuro this time. I can't stand to see that much pain in his eyes.

He landed lightly on the roof of the apartment building, easily breaking open the access door. Vegeta forced himself move slowly and calm down, deciding that barging into Kuroichi's apartment in a raging temper was also a bad way to handle things. Even if I do want to scream and rant at him for acting like such a baka! That can wait, though, until AFTER I… apologize.

Vegeta paused outside Kuroichi's door, drawing a deep breath. And I shouldn't charge in, either. Scowling, he raised his hand to knock.

"NOOOOooo..!"

The door exploded off its hinges as he burst into the room. One quick glance told him all he needed to know - he hadn't killed everyone when he'd blown up the building. Screaming in rage, he attacked. He ripped one man from Kuroichi's body, breaking both his legs and tossing him aside to get at the man who'd just withdrawn a needle from his chosen's arm. Vegeta used the hypodermic on the man's eyes and broke his hands before tossing him aside to go after the third man. Again, he merely broke bones before going after the last man.

He felt little more than rage, and the need to impress on whoever was sending the men - something he realized must be happening - that Kuroichi was off-limits. So one would live - to give the message. The man he held had apparently done nothing but fasten Kuroichi down, and he didn't recognize him from earlier. The three others, he did.

"Congratulations," he hissed, "you've been selected to live." He disabled the man efficiently, and picked up the one who'd held the needle. "Pay close attention now. I've got a message to send."

He'd already blinded this man, and crushed his hands. Now Vegeta picked up the needle and proceeded to do nothing more than poke the man full of holes. He started on the man's feet, calmly working his way up, inserting the needle its full length each time he punctured skin. Tiny dots of blood followed his rapid upward progress, some becoming small rivulets. He kept the puncture wounds close together, no more than a quarter inch apart, usually less than an eighth.

He went about the unusual punishment systematically while the man screamed in his ear, explaining conversationally, "I don't want him to die quickly. You have gotten involved in my affairs. You've hurt what belongs to me. You've dared to lay hands on my mate and take him as if he were yours."

His victim's screams became higher pitched as he reached a more sensitive area. Vegeta never raised his voice. "You've put drugs in his system to make it easier to treat him as a whore. He has been tied and treated as an animal. He has been starved and beaten. He has been raped.

"No one touches what is mine." Vegeta hefted the screaming man when the needle broke against his skull, and tossed him to one corner of the room. The tiny punctures were not bad wounds, taken individually. But together, as closely as they had been placed, and as deep as they were, they would kill the man. He had small holes in all of his major organs. Blood pumped out of them, as well as bile, digestive fluids, and air. Vegeta had carefully wiggled the needle around in the stomach region in order to slash it open instead of making small punctures. The man was being eaten alive by his own body.

Vegeta walked to the other two men, selected the one who had been beating his lover. Carefully, he broke every bone in that man's body twice. The sound didn't bother him much; he'd been used to such things on Frieza's ship. Had learned the art of torture there. However, he was merely sending a message. The limp form in his hands joined the screaming one in the corner.

The third man had had a bit of a chance to recover. He'd gotten a gun. Vegeta grabbed his arm, his blazing hand capturing and melting the gun. Hot metal ran over the man's hand and arm, dripping down onto his leg. Vegeta released the gun and wiped the melted metal on his hand off on his victim's bald head.

"I remember you. That makes twice I've seen you try to rape him." The man's screaming cut off abruptly when his air supply did. Vegeta lifted him easily, hand clamped around his throat. "I thought I'd already killed you, but I assure you, I'll rectify that oversight."

His energy coalesced into a thin, bright blade projecting from one finger. He relaxed his grip enough for breathing, then set the blade to work. The man's screams punctuated his unhurried skinning and dismemberment. The last man puked all over himself; Vegeta cast a glance at him. "I am not through with you. I said you'd live. I didn't say you'd enjoy it. But this…" he dropped the remaining bits of what he held, "never deserved life."

He advanced on the last of Kuroichi's attackers. That one gibbered in fear, his bowels voiding as he attempted an unsuccessful escape attempt. "I think we'll start by ensuring that you can never participate in one of these events again."

"'Geta…?"

Vegeta whirled, his victim temporarily forgotten as he crossed hurriedly to Kuroichi. "I'm here, love, I'm here. They won't hurt you again." Nimble fingers danced over the bindings, freeing the man. He pulled Kuroichi close, whispering quiet words of affection and comfort.

"'Geta… need it…" Kuroichi mumbled. Dazed eyes looked up at the prince, the large body shrinking away. "No… can't be here…"

"I'm here, Kuro." Vegeta brushed a lock of sweat-damped hair from Kuroichi's face, cupping his scarred cheek gently. "I'm here, Kuro. It's not a dream. I'm here."

"No…"

Vegeta relaxed his hold on the trembling body. He's too shaken. What did they do to him? How long? How could I not have known??? Why did it take me so long to realize he was gone and so much longer to find him? Kuro… He settled the younger man on the bed, pulled the blankets up to cover him. Ignoring the messes on the couch and floor, he crossed to the kitchen, making a rapid surveillance of the empty cabinets. Only one box of very stale crackers met his gaze.

He took them back to Kuroichi, carefully feeding the confused Saiyan. He didn't know when the last time the younger man had eaten was, but knew he had to have something. "It's not the meal I had made for us, baka-love, but for now, it will have to do."

Kuroichi needed a bath again; Vegeta ran the water and placed him carefully in the tub. He wasn't entirely certain about leaving him there, but the mess in the main room needed cleaned up. That much violent ick would disturb the part of his lover's soul that was still Goku. Vegeta snorted in disgusted amusement when he found himself thanking Frieza for the experience he put to work on the room. The mess finished with, he approached the last bit of business.

"You will tell your boss that if he should try for Kuroichi again, ever, I will make a point to discover who he is. And then, I will visit. Describe to him what you saw here tonight, and let him know that I won't be so merciful."

"W…w….wh….what are you?"

"I am Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyans." He tossed the man out the window, the carefully calculated throw ending with the man straddling the edge of the dumpster before tumbling outside it. "I did promise you would never take participate again."

He reentered the bathroom to check on Kuroichi. The wall of the building blew out, the aggravated prince's power escalating unchecked. "KUROICHI! STOP PLAYING GAMES!"

Kuroichi stumbled when the concussion hit, reeled further down the alley. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten there, just knew that he had to get farther away. He knew it wouldn't be long before the hunter caught up, not in his condition.

He hitched at the towel around his waist, bounced off a building. His senses reeled; drugs, lack of food, sleep and water, and the torture he'd undergone taking their tolls. He searched for a ki, found none. He stumbled again.

His hands flew out in a desperate attempt to catch himself, but he found nothing to hold. His body landed solidly against the edge of a wooden crate, bouncing to land in a puddle. Fresh blood oozing from the new gash in his side. He gasped, clutching the wound. When he staggered to his feet at last, the towel stayed behind. He never noticed, continuing his frantic, stumbling journey.

Someone was after him. To hurt him. He knew he'd been hurt, knew he was leaving a trail. He summoned the remains of his strength, lifting himself only a few inches into the air. He flew then, moving faster but no less erratically, for only a few feet before his wavering will was overpowered by weakness once again.

He crashed into another box, this one plastic. Again, he found himself curled in agony. He knew something was wrong, that he shouldn't be so weak. But he didn't understand what was happening. He just knew that if he stayed where he was, the hunters would catch him. He got to his feet once more, swaying unsteadily.

His vision blurred, doubled, blurred again. Kuroichi threw out a hand, felt the wall beside him. He shuffled forward, his body no longer able to maintain the staggering run that had degenerated into the reeling walk he'd used to get to wherever he was now. There was space beneath his fingertips, a drop-off beneath his feet. He fell, again reaching out in frantic hopes of breaking his fall.

Kuroichi's hands landed against something warm and solid. He was embraced by a sudden warmth that surrounded his chilled, wet body. A spicy scent reached him, he batted awkwardly against his captor. "No… please, no…"

"I won't hurt you, baka-love. I never meant to." The deep, rumbling purr belonged to a memory of heartbreaking, agonizing pain. He twisted against the hold, realized he'd been lifted as if he were a baby. "Quiet down. Your wounds need taken care of, and you need some clothes."

Kuroichi fought only a bit longer, his weakness overtaking his senses at last.

--------------------------------------------

Muse: *all bandaged up, scowling*

Jewel: I take it this is revenge?

Muse: *manages to nod*

Jewel: Um, are they all dead this time?

Muse: *snorts*

Vegeta: I can make you hurt worse.

Muse: *blanches*

Goku: I'll help him. You're not being very nice to me.

Muse: *blanches worse*

Jewel: *examines chapter* Hey, there's no sex!

Muse: *shrugs*

Jewel: I thought there was supposed to be sex.

Vegeta: NO!

Goku: *puzzled* I thought you said Vegeta would give me lemonade whenever he caught me.

Muse: *starts laughing*

Vegeta: YOU BAKA! Haven't you figured out yet that anything related to citrus refers to something sexual?

Goku: O.O' Um… I kinda noticed that, but…

Goku: *defensively* I like lemonade.

Vegeta: *slowly turns purple*

Jewel: *chokes*

Muse: *falls out of his bed*

Vegeta: *turning alarming shade of purple*

Jewel & Muse: *giggle fits*

Goku: With lots of sugar!

Everyone else: *loses it*