Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Links of Destiny ❯ Chapter 7

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Goku was looking at Fhazha with a worried frown marring his usual carefree
Countenance. She was looking at the sky and she had been there for quite some time already. This was something she had been doing constantly ever since the day she had felt ill at his house. He had the feeling that her peculiar behavior was somehow connected with that episode. She was always too worried about the children, constantly seeking them out and reprimanding them when they ventured too far from home. There was this urgency about her, this alertness that he didn't understand. Piccolo had noticed it as well and had mentioned it to Goku.

"Fhazha...."

She was surprised to see him there; it was as if she hadn't felt his presence, which it was impossible to believe since she was acutely tuned to their kis.

"Yes Kakarrot?"

He got close to her. A great sense of over protectiveness flowed through him as he looked down to her. She was petite compared to him, only reaching his shoulders and at that moment she had this forlorn look about her that made him want to hug her and never let anything hurt her again. Gently he grabbed her chin and made her look at him.

"Do you trust me?" he whispered to her...

And without hesitation she told him "With My life"

"Then what is it Fhazha? Tell me!" he urgently asked her and she looked away from him not knowing what to do.
"For some time now you have been acting weird. You are always worried about the kids and have acted quite irrational sometimes. Getting overly angry at simple things such as the children staying too late at the lake or something. It all started since that day you fell sick in my house, don't deny it, I know it. Yes, you look surprised don't you? Well, that only shows you that I'm not as dumb as you think me to be"

"I have never thought you dumb Kakarrot, don't be absurd"
She reassured him but it took some time before she finally spoke.

"Very well, I shall confide in you. I didn't want to burden you with it because quite frankly, I don't have anything concrete in which to base this...but"

"Come on, you can tell me" he told her as he made her look at him again. His beautiful eyes were filled with understanding and she felt the dam brake as she started telling him.

"I told you that I spent all my life searching for any Saiyan survivors. And as you already know, I didn't find any. My search was so fruitless. It was so disheartening that at times I felt utter despair. Every time I visited a planet where a baby saiyan was supposed to have been dispatched to, I found nothing. No trace, no indication that any Saiyan had ever dwelled there. Most of the planets were nothing but deserted piles of rock, yet I was hoping to find something, anything, until finally one day I did...

I was about seventeen years old when I landed on a planet about three light years away from earth. As I explored the place, I sensed the faint essence of a familiar ki...a Saiyan power. It was so weak that had not my senses being keen I would have missed it completely. In my excitement I didn't notice the three red moons that orbited around the planet and before realizing what was happening to my body, I turned into an Oozaru. I had always been careful not to take the risk before; I didn't know the full extent of my power in that form and I didn't trust myself in controlling it. I didn't want to hurt anyone or myself, but that day my excitement made me careless and I was consumed by the metamorphosis.

It had already dawned when I regained consciousness. The sky was tinted with a pinkish hue and a soft breeze rustled the loose rocks on the ground. Belatedly I noticed that I was lying down covered with some sort of cloths. And when I turned my head I saw him. Seated before me was a young Saiyan, but I knew that his looks belied his age for he had been sent to purge that planet almost 90 years before. As you know, our aging process is far slower than humans are. Our genes go through a constant process of evolution where weaknesses are discarded as they appear and our immune system gets stronger. That explains why we become more powerful after a near death experience or after a severe beating. A Saiyan's body counteracts newfound weaknesses with protective anti oxidant molecules. The older we get, the stronger we get. Anyway, my happiness knew no bounds; at last I had been successful. After seventeen years, finally a Saiyan survivor.
He was tall and dark with ebony eyes and a matted thatch of raven blue hair. He had a lean body devoid of muscle. It was clear to me that he wasn't a warrior.
"Torell... you are Torell aren't you?" I asked him full of hope.
He looked surprised and asked me how did I know his name. I explained to him that his complete profile, date of his departure and destination had all been recorded.

"I apologize for what I did" he told me in a soft voice, and at first I didn't understand what he meant until I realized...

I arose abruptly looking behind me and I was dismayed to find my tail missing. It had been severed from its root! I pierced him with accusing eyes. My first impulse was to rip him to pieces for destroying such an essential part of my body, but I was able to control myself. It just wouldn't do to destroy him, not after it took me a lifetime to find him!

"I had to cut it, otherwise you would have destroyed the planet and the both of us along with it. I'm sorry but there was no other choice. This planet's core is too weak to withstand the type of power that comes with the Oozaru form. It couldn't be helped, it was a miracle that I was able to get near you at all. I guess luck was on my side"

"I understand" I told him, still saddened by my loss, but I accepted it.

"I am Fhazha, daughter of Planthor from Planet Vegeta. I am honored to meet you" I spoke in the Saiyan Language and he answered the same way.

"I am honored to meet you as well"

I related to him the story of our tragedy and the purpose of my mission. He listened without interrupting once and when I finished talking, he didn't say anything. For a long time he just stood there with his arms across his chest looking at the sky. Until finally he looked at me and with regret in his voice and eyes he told me he couldn't accompany me on my voyage...

"Why would you want to stay here? In this isolation and emptiness? I am offering you the chance of a new life, a beginning for us, for our Saiyan Pride. I'm giving you a shot at destiny!"

"You don't understand child. I am not interested in the life you are offering me; I don't want to be part of that destiny. I want to stay here until the day I die. Somehow I must atone for my sins. Because of me, this planet is nothing but an empty desert, devoid of its inhabitants and the life they would have given it."
"I don't care about your stupid guilt! Don't you understand? This is greater than either one of us! It is our duty to preserve our lineage, our heritage! I don't believe this shit! Seventeen years! It took me seventeen years to find you! And here you are denying me, turning away from your responsibility! How dare you!"

I was enraged Kakarrot, I couldn't understand him. My little glimmer of hope was dying with his refusal to join me in my search, to help me fulfill a destiny that would decide the future of our race, but no matter how much I threatened him, how much I pleaded with him, he just wouldn't budge. And after several months trying to convince him to change his mind, I finally accepted the fact that there was nothing I could say nor do to make him come with me.
And I said my farewells to him, for it was futile to waste any more time. I still had other planets to reach and time was of the essence.

As I was leaving he called to me...

"Child beware of your destiny"
That stopped me dead in my tracks, I turned around and looked at him...

"There aren't any Saiyans left, not as you are expecting""

"And how would you know this? You told me you haven't been out of this pile of rocks since you got here, so how is that possible?"

He just gazed at the sky and my eyes widen in realization...

"You have the sight don't you?" he didn't acknowledge the question, he only said..

"The reason you haven't found any survivors so far child, is because they have been haunted down. As you seek the survival of our race, something out there seeks its destruction. Beware, for you are destined to cross its path."

"Then how come you are still alive?"

"It has already been here, but unlike you, it wasn't able to detect my presence, and so I'm still alive"

"What is it? And why us?"

"I'm sorry, I ignore its motivations"

"It Must be Frieza, no one else hates us. He wasn't satisfied with destroying Vegeta, he must have wanted to obliterate us completely"

I nodded and turned to leave....

"One more thing."

"Now what! Not another cheering revelation I hope" I said sarcastically....

"Good luck little Saiyan, Good luck and be strong as you walk through the treacherous path of your destiny, You'll need to be strong"

"I think that this solitude has made you quite mad Torell, good bye"
****************************************************************** ***********

"He was right you know.... There weren't any Saiyan survivors left. Wherever I went, I was already too late. I became obsessed with finding whatever was destroying the remnants of my race, I knew it was Frieza, it must have been him, and the rage and the obsession consumed me, training so hard that many times I thought I wouldn't survive. I brought myself to the brink of insanity and if it wouldn't have been for Odyssey, I think I would have become mad. But I never crossed Frieza's path and I didn't find any Saiyans either.

I had already lost hope even on my way to earth. But I was proven wrong, and you cannot imagine the extent of my happiness as I found all of you. My shock was quite immeasurable when I discovered that one of you was Vegeta my Prince. I had thought that fate had surely taken pity on me and was finally smiling down on me in its entire splendor. The day I found you all I stood at the zenith of my life"

"But Frieza is dead Fhazha, it cannot hurt us anymore. You must not worry, there's nothing that can hurt us or the children" Goku said softly.
Fhazha nodded lowering her head. Goku hugged her to him, comforting her in his embrace.

"I know Kakarrot, but that day in your house I felt this terrible feeling that pierced my soul. It was the essence of something I couldn't understand, something powerful...ooh I was so scared. I know how Frieza worked, not once did I find any trace of him, so in my mind there is this tiny doubt, I don't know, perhaps I'm over reacting."

"How silly can you be Fhazha? You are not alone anymore you know? You have all of us now. There is nothing that you have to face alone, never again do you hear me?"

"You have no idea how much this means to me. I cannot dislodge this sense of foreboding that has plagued me all these years." "Goku, now that I have told you, I need to ask something of you"

"What is it? I'll give you anything that is in my power to give," he said smiling at her

"You must promise me that if anything ever happened to me, you shall always be there for Vegeta. You shall guard his back as I do, even if he won't accept it. He's the ultimate link of our heritage and he must be protected at all costs, do you understand me?"

"Of course I do! As long as I'm around nothing will ever hurt him, I promise. But nothing is going to happen to you, so he will always have the both of us to take care of him. Imagine Vegeta's reaction if he were to find out we want to take care of him? He he he, I'm sure he would choke on his own indignation"
They both shared a laugh on that comment for they knew perfectly well what Vegeta's reaction would be if he were to know about her request. She was so glad she had told Goku, it was as if a great weight had been removed from her shoulder. Now she knew she didn't have to do this on her own, she had Goku...

"Am I interrupting?"

Both Goku and Fhazha were startled at the razor sharp tone of that voice. Turning around they saw Vegeta in his usual pose with his trademark scowl in place. His expression looked ferocious as he pierced them with his eyes...

"Hey Vegeta" Goku greeted smiling...

"Your woman asked me to get you, since all of those fools you call friends have arrived at your home and she won't let us eat until you bring your miserable hide there. If I would have known you were...occupied, I would have saved myself the trouble"
Fhazha gently flushed understanding his implication moving away from Goku. She wondered what Vegeta had made of that innocent embrace. She took a peek at him and he seemed calmed to her.
.... He was seething with rage. His first impulse had been to blast Kakarrot into a million pieces, but miraculously he had kept his composure.

"Ooh, so all the guys are there already? Great! Let's go Fhazha, now that I think about it, I'm starving!"

She took one more look at Vegeta before she nodded and with that, they all took to the sky toward Goku's house. They were greeted by everyone when they arrived. Yaumcha and puar, Tien and little Chaozu, Krillin and his wife eighteen, Master Roshi and the pig Oolong, Bulma's parents, Gohan and his girlfriend Videl, the chibis, Piccolo, Bulma and Chi Chi.

"Hey Guys!" Goku greeted with a huge smile on his face, and when he saw the table loaded with food on the backyard, his mouth watered and practically flew there to stuff himself.

"Hey! Wait for us!" cried Krillin

"Hurry everyone, before he swallows everything!" said Yaumcha
And everyone started laughing at their own antics.

After much merriment everyone had scattered around and Fhazha found herself in a secluded area near the woods where a narrow river ran through it. She lay down on the soft grass and closed her eyes content. After that conversation with Goku she felt much better.

"Waiting for someone?"

She sat up startled and when she turned around, she saw Vegeta leaning against a tree. He was looking at her strangely, smirking at her.

"No" she answered him
"Is that right? I would have thought you and Kakarrot would want to finish what I interrupted"

Fhazha was shocked at his insinuation...

"All you had to do was say it, you know"

"Say what?"

"That all you wanted was to get laid..."

She sucked her breath at that

"I would have indulged you," he said walking up to her in a nonchalant manner...

"How dare you!"

"How dare I what?"

"I was born to be your Mate, your Queen! Not your concubine! How dare you insult me so!"

"So better Kakarrot's whore than mine, is that it?

Her fury was consuming her senses; she wanted to blast the smirk off his hateful face...

"I dare you...go on...give me some excuse to vent what I'm feeling brat!"
Fhazha was brought short by that. She then realized that he was angry, furious in fact. But why?

Vegeta was seething and he had no idea how to vent the anger he had been feeling ever since he had found her so intimately with Goku. He was about to take a step toward her to do he had no idea what, but was interrupted.

"VEGETA!" they both started at that, suddenly Yaumcha appeared before them, he could hardly speak as he was gasping for breath..

"What is it you imbecile? How dare you interrupt?"

Yaumcha blinked his eyes in confusion at the two of them, but soon shoved his curiosity aside, for what he had to tell Vegeta was too important.
"You better come with me Vegeta, I'm sure you'll want to see this"
Vegeta's frown became more prominent. What was that fool babbling about? He made absolutely no sense!

"What is it Yaumcha?" Fhazha asked him, just as perplexed as Vegeta was.

"Someone is looking for Vegeta"

Vegeta started at that, for every miserable human he knew was already at the useless gathering. Who then could be looking for him? He didn't know anyone else, not that he recalled.
With one last look at her, he turned to leave with Yaumcha and Fhazha following.

When they got there only the Z warriors were present. Everyone else had been sent inside. Fhazha's attention was instantly drawn to the two strangers. One of them was a withered old man of indeterminable age, but the other...the other was a whole different story. He was a young man around Goku's age, taller than even Piccolo. His body was a mass of rock hard muscles, with straight midnight hair that was caught in a queue. His eyes were two onyx stones that deepened as he saw Fhazha. Everyone's attention turned to them as they neared.

"What is this? Who is looking for me?" Vegeta barked to Goku who in turn motioned to the two strangers.
"This man over here says he's looking for the King of the saiyans"

Vegeta looked at the old man with his most condescending attitude in place. Crossing his arms around his chest he measured both the old and young man's worth. He didn't find anything out of the ordinary and smirked at that. Fhazha took a better look at the old man, something about him wasn't right.

"I have finally found you," the old man said as he motioned for his son to kneel and bow before Vegeta along with him.

Fhazha had seen the smile on his face; the man was like a slithering snake, too oily for her liking. Goku and Piccolo looked at each other, not liking it either. Why had the old man been so persistent about seeing Vegeta? What did he want?
It wasn't Goku's nature to be suspicious, on the contrary, he was always too open and trustful giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, but in this case, there was something about the whole thing that just didn't sit right with him. Without realizing what they were doing, both Fhazha and Goku simultaneously moved to each of Vegeta's side in a protective gesture.

"How do you know who I am old man?"

"I have been looking for you all my life. For a very long time I had thought that my son and I were the last surviving...Saiyans"

"SAIYANS!" everyone cried at the same time...