Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Lost in the Darkness ❯ Hope's Light ( Chapter 9 )

Lost in the Darkness

Part 9

Hope's Light

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Vegita's been mocking me about that for the past three weeks.

Vegita: That's right!

Go away or I'll tell Bulma on you! And Chichi loaned me the Frying Pan of Doom! Mwahahahaha!

Vegita: Eep! (runs away.)

That's better. ^_^

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Vegita was forced to remain in bed for almost two weeks. The first week and a half he was unconscience and constantly cover in cold sweat and plagued by unending nightmares. He was unable to work and although his physical wounds were healed, his mental wounds were not. Bulma stayed by his side as long as she could without arousing her father's suspicion.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"C'mon, Otousama!" A little three year old Vegita cried. "You can't catch me!"

"Want to bet?" His father cried, laughing, as he reached out to mock grab his son. Vegita giggled and dodged his father's grasp, grinning.

"Missed me! Told ya you couldn't catch me!" Vegita giggled again.

"Oh, you're too fast, son! What am I going to do?" His father laughed. The two chased each other around the training room in an absurd game of tag. Someone slammed a door somewhere in the palace and the bangs of the door suddenly turned into gun shots ringing through the air. A leather collar appeared on the King's neck and Vegita was suddenly eleven again, watching as his father keeled over his eyes misting over with the blankness only death can bring.

Through it all his little voice rang out, "Otousma!"
~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"O...tou...sama…" Vegita moaned in his sleep. "No…Please…" He tossed and turned, reliving the horrors of his past in dreams that he could not be woken from.

"Oh, Vegita…" Bulma sighed, taking his hand. "I wish I could protect you from the ghosts in your dreams."

Vegita's brow creased as he cried out, remembering some beating long since past and, a few times, contorted into a soft smile. The smile disappeared quickly into a pained expression leaving the Blue eyed girl to wonder if it had ever really been.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Vegita, now ten raced around the throne room, laughing in happiness. His father was coming home today! He had been out examining there new launch pad for their first faster-than-light ship. It could go ANYWHERE! The boy couldn't wait to find out what was going on!

"Otousama! What'd ya learn? Is the site done? Can I see it? Please?" His youthful face was filled with eager curiosity.

"Woah, calm boy, brat!" The king's voice was warm despite his harsh words. "You have studies to do! Now go bother Bardock down in the labs. I have some paperwork that must be done and THEN we'll talk, okay?"

"Yeah! Tell me EVERYTHING!"

"I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The little Saiya-Jin prince ran off in happiness, racing through the palace when the boy aged back to eleven. He could hear screams in the distance and running footsteps.

"Vegita! Get out of here!" It was Bardock, running down the hall. "You're father's in the west wing, waiting for you! Go, Go, GO!" He continued his flight down the hall.

Vegita began to run toward the west wing, trying to find his father. A deep voice called to him and his father's familiar scent filled his nose as the man lifted his son off the ground. "We have to get out of here."

"Wait! Where's Okasama?" The boy turned toward his father. "We can't leave her!"

"I'm right here, now come on!" A Saiya-Jin woman raced up tot he group. Malicious laughter filled their ears. Humans had found them!

"Get Vegita out of here!" The king yelled.

"Going somewhere?" The leader laughed. He fired his Ki-blocker at them, rendering them helpless. With cruel laughter, Ki-collars were snapped around their necks and the leader roughly woke the young prince's parents.

"See what happens to those who resist!" The man laughed. He leaned down, groping his mother.

"Okasama!"
~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Vegita snapped awake, drenched in sweat and filled with fear. He was trembling with rage, fear, and cold. His normally healthy olive skin was deathly white. Something warm was resting next to him. A small, blue haired female. Bulma.

"Vegita?" She asked, waking from her brief nap. She reached out to touched him and the fallen king jerked away from her hands, trembling. "I'm not going to hurt you." She said softly, still reaching towards him.

Vegita whimpered in reply, backing into a wall. There was no where else to go. Without any thought for her own safety, Bulma reached out and held him in a gentle hug. The warriors muscles tensed at her light touch and he tried to get away.

"Stop." She said softly. "You were having a nightmare. It's gone and it's going to be all right."

"Not… Gone…" He managed to croak out, trying not to cry. "Ghosts…" He couldn't remember the correct word. She gave him a confused look before shoving him gently back down.

"You need rest. Go to sleep." Her words didn't chase away his dreams.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Vegita, now eleven again, was curled in a ball on the slave ship watching his father look at him with cold, dead eyes. Now that he was older, Vegita recognized the look. The reason his mother wasn't on the auction block, the reason his father had given so little thought to his own life. He knew that his mother was dead. But then, it had been like his father thought it was all his fault.

He wished that really WAS the reason. The memory shifted. The closed washroom…

The king pulled Chibi Vegita to the side. "Here, take this, my son." He said, in a whisper, pulling the royal pendent form his neck. On one side was a flower shape, on the other was the symbol of the royal house of Vegita-Sei. "I won't live long here, as a slave, but you have not had a chance to know of much else. I know you'll live. I really am proud of you, my son. I love you, Vetiago. (vet-ti-ah-go)"

"Otousama?" Vegita looked at his father, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see." The king replied, slipping the pendent around the boy's neck. "You'll see." Without looking back, he walked away.

"Otousama?"

Gun shots, blood, his father's limp body, eyes glazed with death…

"OTOUSAMA!"
~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~

"Well, I've been doing some research." Mrs. Williams said, looking at Bardock and his family, as well as Zarbon who'd pretty much been adopted.

"About what?" Aria asked with growing curiosity.

"You're freedom." The Woman sighed. "Here's the deal. Aria and Bardock I can set free, but you kids have to be over twenty-one. "I don't know what you want me to do…"

Every one looked at each other, then back at Mrs. Williams. Bardock shook his head. "I will not go free without my children."

"I didn't say you would have to. Here's the thing. If I let you go, I can name you heir to my estate and give your children to you, simply by law. When they become twenty-one years of age, you can free them."

"I don't know…" Bardock frowned. "Are you SURE you can do that?"

"Yup! Law says any FREE being may hold and acquire property. If anyone argues, I can tell them right where it's written. So, how about it?" She grinned at the shell-shocked adults.

"I honestly don't know…" Bardock gaped. "May we think on it?"

"Offer'll always be there." She replied, quite happily. The Saiya-Jins simply stared.
~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~

It was with some misgivings that Bulma allowed Vegita out of bed the next day. He was pretty well healed, but the female still had her doubts. At the Saiya-Jin king's insistence, she even started him on his duties, warning him first that if he hurt himself she was going to hurt him for over-taxing himself. The fallen king smirked and let out a full laugh before brushing off the warning. He'd do whatever he pleased and they both knew it.

"If you hurt yourself, I'll turn that collar back up and leave it!" She finally snapped in exasperation. The threat caused him to stop laughing.

"I will do nothing without permission." He agreed, bowing his head in submission. Bulma sighed and nodded.

"Of course." She agreed. "Follow me."

"One thing, milady…"

"Don't call me milady, and what?"

"I cannot cook, mila- um, mistress." Vegita said walking softly down the hall behind her as was custom.

"All right." She nodded and no more was said.
~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~

"I think we should do it." Kakarotto told his parents softly as they discussed Mrs. Williams offer.

"I don't want to OWN my children!" Aria cried. "It's just wrong!"

"If we own them it means someone else does not." Bardock reminded his mate. "No one could take what little childhood they have left. No one would beat them. Mrs. Williams will not be around forever. If what she said about humans is correct, she will only live about twenty more years. Then what? We won't stay here."

"We already can't." Turlis sighed. "I'm restless. I cannot remain a slave here. I cannot!"

"We will accept. Then we do something about you, all right, Turlis?" Bardock asked.

::Bardock!:: Aria yelled. ::You can't DO this! I can't own my children! I CAN'T!::

::Aria, listen to me, right now! I will not risk being separated from our children again! I will NOT! It was bad enough to lose you, but everyday I lived in constant fear I would lose them. I can't take that! Please, Aria, whatever reason you had, PLEASE don't make me do that.:: He begged, ready to fall to his knees.

::But…:: She started. And he did. The proud Saiya-Jin warrior actually fell to his knees and begged his mate.

::Please, Aria. Don't make me suffer anymore!::

The Saiya-Jin female looked at him in shock. ::Get up! Don't beg to me! We'll do it! We'll do it!::
~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Mrs. Williams?" Bardock looked at the woman. "We accept your offer."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~

(A/N) All right, that's REALLY sappy, I know, but it doesn't end there. I'm not going to make it that easy. Sorry. As much as I love the group, I still have the rest of my plot. So, don't be disappointed. I've got plenty more to do.

Please Review. They're very encouraging and flames are always welcome. They are used in s'mores. And my spell check doesn't know what a S'more is. Can you believe it? Did Bill Gates never go on a camping trip or to a bonfire or something?

Ja ne!
~*~ Lady Foeseeker ~*~