Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Maintaining ❯ Landing ( Chapter 38 )

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

Maintaining
By Pixelgoddess

Warnings: Yaoi, Yuri. Smut. Violence, rape, angst, sap. A Goku that started out cheerful, but is now as angst-filled as Vegeta. A nice dyke Chichi.
Pairings: Goku/Vegeta, Radditz/Vegeta, Chichi/OC. (Okay, okay, I don't like original characters either, but I think you will forgive me. Besides, she won't mess with your favorite Saiyans at all.) Maybe some other pairs if the mood strikes me.
Summary: Vegeta's life has begun to fall apart, his control slipping away. Will Goku be able to help him hold on, or will he become another victim of Vegeta's past? Yaoi - G/V, R/V, Yuri - CC/OC
Disclaimer: Of course I don't own them. Honestly. How could you think that? I am a goddess, not an extremely wealthy Japanese man.

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Chapter 38 - Landing

Piccolo stood calmly, watching, waiting for the arrival of the ship. Gohan was talking to Bulma on the phone, checking if any last minute course changes had been made. He didn't like this - didn't like it at all. They were too close to a city, and there had been yet another ki spike.

"Are you sure Bulma? Can you track it?" Gohan frowned and got that far-away stare that said he was looking for ki.

Piccolo wondered what he was checking for and did his own search. Nothing out of the ordinary - although Goku and Vegeta's kis were doing some strange things right now. He frowned at that. There was some real trouble brewing there and he only hoped he could help contain it. He had thought Vegeta was the only one with problems, but now he worried that Goku was a ticking time bomb.

"Okay, I understand. Let me know if you get anything else. Yeah, we'll be careful. Bye." Gohan hung up and slid the phone in his pocket.

"There might be another problem," Gohan said at Piccolo's questioning look. "Bulma said something small split off from the main ship. Doesn't look like it is powered - no trajectory change or anything like that. It might be nothing but them dumping their trash."

"But-"

"But it is too small to track. Dropped off of radar almost immediately," Gohan answered.

"Shit," Piccolo hissed.

"Should we call Dad?"

"No. There's no telling what he would do right now," Piccolo answered, shaking his head.

Gohan looked at his mentor's serious expression. "Piccolo, is Dad going to be okay? I've never seen him snap like that before."

Piccolo sighed. "It's complicated Gohan. Your father and Vegeta have gotten so close... I'll do whatever I can to help - but right at this moment I want them to stay near each other and away from everyone else. We'll talk about it later."

Gohan nodded and turned to survey the area. "This is going to be tricky - keeping them away from the city."

Piccolo looked up at the flare from the ship's engine. "Trunks! Goten! Get over here!" He looked down at the eager boys when they rushed over. "Listen to me. You will stay here, keeping your kis down until Gohan or I say otherwise. You aren't to fuse unless told - because you will need someone to cover you while you do it."

"We want to fight!" the boys said in unison.

"I don't give a damn what you brats want to do. You do as you're told or I'll send both of your asses home - and tell Vegeta you can't follow orders," he threatened, scowling.

"Besides," he continued, "If we're lucky we won't have to fight. They may just be lost or visiting." ::I wish we were that lucky.:: He glanced over his 'troops' - a cyclops, a clown, a human who had lost his nerve to fight, a demi-Saiyan who had to force himself to fight, and two kids who didn't know when not to fight. ::How did I end up like this?::

"You three," Piccolo pointed to Yamcha, Tien and Chaozu, "Are rear guard. Make sure nothing gets through to the city. Move in if it looks like we need it - otherwise stay back."

"Piccolo..." Gohan said worriedly, watching the ship come down.

"What?" he snapped, turning around. "Shit."

Piccolo suddenly wanted to utter a long string of curse words, but stopped himself. Not because he was afraid of damaging the brats' virgin ears - Vegeta would have done that long ago. He just didn't want to shake their confidence - and his own just took a step down.

"I've seen that type of ship before...." Gohan said.

"We all have," he muttered. Frieza and his father had landed here in a similar ship years ago. He checked again. No large kis. What was going on?

"What are you three waiting for?" Piccolo snapped. "Go protect the city. Gohan, come with me. You two," he glared at Goten and Trunks, "Stay here until we signal you."

Gohan stood next to him as they waited for the ship to open. "Do you think they are going to attack?" he asked.

"I'm positive of it," Piccolo growled. "I don't know how they learned to hide their kis - they couldn't last time."

Piccolo finally did start cursing, muttering a long slow string, hissing and growling under his breath as men - and he used the term loosely - began pouring out of the ship. Their armor wasn't much different from when Mirai Trunks first showed up, but there were a hell of a lot more of them.

Piccolo raised his ki slightly and smirked when they all looked in his direction as their scouters chirped. "State your business!" he boomed.

A barrage of gunfire and ki blasts flew his way, which he easily evaded. "That answers that," he said to himself, immediately retaliating. He felt Gohan's ki rise and the answering jumps in Goten's and Trunks' as they joined in.

"Try not to damage the ship," he shouted as the battle began.

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

I slipped into my personal ship and ejected just as we entered atmosphere. I didn't really need to bring those weak fools with me, but they provided a useful distraction. My target was elsewhere - let the planet's so-called defenders butcher my cannon fodder. It didn't matter anyway - when I leave, this planet would be destroyed.

I smirked - the monkey was mine now. Vegeta had fought and resisted me for years, but he had crossed the last line just minutes ago. This was working out better than I could have planned. When I leave this pitiful planet, the bastard Son Goku would be dead and my little prince would be broken.

I never expected things to turn out this well - although the last part of my plan almost didn't work - it had been close. No matter. It is done. Vegeta is mine.

The little monkey had a lot of fight in him - but that was what made him so entertaining. It was like tormenting a caged animal, making him snap and growl whenever I came near. And Vegeta had learned such interesting behaviors as a result of my training.

My favorite trick was wrapping my tail around the little prince's neck. After several years of training, Vegeta became more docile, almost passive, much of the fight gone out of him. It was also useful for torture - keeping him in close range, letting me cause the most pain possible while controlling the damage.

Poor little monkey - so unaware of his potential. I had seen it right away. Vegeta was a danger to me. Foolish Saiyans didn't understand the source of true power, but I did. His idiot father gave the boy up willingly, only regretting it when he realized what he had casually discarded. Once I had taken Vegeta as a 'hostage' I realized I could never send him back home. Even as a child the boy had charisma and inspired loyalty. He would have been a popular leader, and become too strong to defeat, fed by the kis of his people. That was the real reason I destroyed Vegeta-sei - the little prince might have become powerful enough to be a threat.

Zarbon never understood my fascination with the little monkey - but I considered it a challenge to get past that wall of resistance. The rest of my crew were there voluntarily - mercenaries and sycophants - but the little prince was the only one there against his will. Knowing he had no chance of winning just seemed to make him fight harder.

Poor little thing. If Vegeta had just sworn to follow me I would have given him followers to feed his ki. The monkey could have had all the power he wanted if he had just sworn to be loyal to his master.

Raping him was just a reminder of how little control he had. If had ever cooperated or participated it would have stopped - it was no fun to fuck the willing. Zarbon had realized that right away - the pony-tailed bastard had actually made a pass at me. Vegeta was marvelously naïve about it - he never understood the need to dominate sexually. Of course, the fact that I deliberately kept him away from anyone he could have controlled and surrounded him with fighters stronger than he was could have accounted for that. Even if he tried to fuck them, he would have lost the battle.

But Vegeta had escaped me when that boy with the sword had shown up. Death had destroyed my bond with the prince - until my pet decided to be 'noble' and kill himself. It was the perfect opportunity to re-establish control. I took full advantage of Vegeta's learned behavior when I looped my tail around his neck, knowing the monkey wouldn't be able to resist.

After my pet was brought back to life I formed a plan. I had to wait until the dragonballs were active again of course, but then I could use the chip when Vegeta was asleep. I would take over his body, sending him out to get the radar and recover the dragonballs. The only problem was getting free of the monkey's body - and if my scientists were still alive I would kill them for their sloppy work. It was stupid - it was careless - and it was partly Vegeta's fault. The monkey resisted so much he didn't want let go of me as an invader, trying to trap me. I would have to damage my pet's body until Vegeta passed out - then I could effortlessly escape. In the Gravity Room I made the mistake of taking control when Vegeta was awake - and getting free was a battle. Knocking Vegeta out didn't work for some reason - somehow I got stuck in that body when the monkey was dazed but conscious. Breaking the furry little tail worked, however, and I was able to sever the connection.

I had become worried when Vegeta tried to dig the slave chip out - I didn't want my pet to die - not when I had waited so long to retrieve him. I was alarmed and lost control for a moment, and stopped masking my ki when I ordered him to stop. Removing the chip would kill the little monkey - it was so integrated with his nervous system by this point it wasn't possible. I had been very pleased when my scientists discovered a method to take advantage of Saiyan bonding - and I was delighted to learn there was such a thing as a master-slave bond. Vegeta might have destroyed the chip early on if he had been able to successfully challenge and defeat me - but once the bond was established it sapped the slave of the will to resist.

I could control how much Vegeta could resist, but I didn't limit him - watching him squirm without knowing why he failed was entertaining. I had the partner to that chip implanted, but unlike the monkey's, it could be removed. Listening and talking to him were easy to do, but I didn't do it often when he was in my crew - it took too much time out of my day and I had too much to do. When Vegeta brought me back to life I had more time as the ship headed for Earth and could spend more time on entertainment and teasing my pet. When I realized that bastard Goku and that damned Namek could hear me and noticed the change in Vegeta's ki as I approached the planet I became angry. I didn't want to arouse suspicions, so I had to stop tormenting my pet when they were near.

It surprised me sometimes how much Vegeta would fight - even if he didn't know what he was fighting. Even summoning the dragon the monkey had managed to modify the wish so I didn't return to Earth. Originally, I was furious to discover Vegeta had managed to bring me back to life light years away from my goal. I soon realized my pet had helped me without meaning to. I had more time to learn about my enemies on Earth - and push Vegeta closer to breaking.

I tried for years to break the little prince, bending him to my will, but Vegeta had a stronger mind than I anticipated, constantly battling the effects of the slave chip. The older he got, the harder he became to control. I hadn't wanted to kill my pet - his antics were so amusing. But I had to do something to keep him in line - so I ordered the brainwashing.

I planned to use Vegeta's relationship with his bodyguard to finally break him. I had been annoyed to learn how long I had missed the fact they were lovers, but then again, I rarely checked on the little monkey that way since it took some effort on my part. Once I knew about them I let it continue because it amused me.

More surprising was how successfully the monkey resisted the mind control. My scientists reassured me it wouldn't take long for Vegeta to trigger the suggestion, but I realized the monkey knew something was wrong - he wasn't as affectionate with the long-haired guard after that. Finally that idiot Nappa ruined all that work and Radditz was killed. No matter.

After all this time, Vegeta had finally been triggered - and Goku would pay for what he did to me. I would have my revenge on the Saiyan that made me look weak in front of my father. And because of his love for Goku, Vegeta would finally break.

I arrived at my destination and checked the readings with a laugh. Quite a few of my soldiers were down, but those who remained were the strongest and were putting up a decent fight. Based on scouter chatter, at least one of the planet's defenders was down and the city was burning. Things were working out as planned.

I crossed to where Vegeta and his lover were. By the time they noticed my presence it would be too late. I could make sure Goku was permanently taken care of, pick up Vegeta, and leave, blowing up the planet. I smirked. Perfect.

----------

Piccolo cursed as another blast blew past him. It wasn't that they were too strong; it was that there were so damn many of them. He and Gohan were being run ragged. Every time they took out one, two more came up to take their place.

The city was on fire - Yamcha was down, injured but he'd live. A particularly intense volley of ki had caught him. Piccolo spared a glance to see a rescue crew working on him - it looked like Rezu was in the team. Krillin had returned with 18. Piccolo noticed his angry glare before they headed over to help Videl evacuate the damaged structures. Tien and Chaozu were still working to keep any more blasts from landing, but they were already tiring.

"Damn it! Goten! Trunks! Quit fucking around and finish them off!" The idiots had a squad pinned and were toying with them.

"Like this?" Trunks said, smirking and sending a huge blast of ki, incinerating the enemy.

"Hey, no fair," Goten complained.

"You can get the next group," Trunks answered, leading the way to their next target.

"Piccolo!" Gohan shouted. "There's too many to fight like this!"

Piccolo didn't answer, too busy burning down two more. They were going to lose at this rate - Gohan was fighting 'fair', trying to take on the enemy one or two at a time. Piccolo realized he'd made a mistake when they first started. The ship had been packed - over 100 of the bastards had come out in the first wave. As soon as he saw how many there were, they should have destroyed them all with one huge ki attack. He checked the locations of the enemies' kis. It was too late for that now - they were getting too spread out for one massive attack to be effective without damaging more of the city.

"Damn it Gohan, fight like Vegeta taught you! There are no fucking rules," he growled, knocking away a ball of ki that got too close.

"I think we need Dad's help," Gohan panted, following Piccolo's order. He snapped the neck of his nearest opponent and burned a hole through the other.

Piccolo realized he might be right - he was surprised Goku wasn't here already with the amount of ki being expended. He checked for the location of the full-blooded Saiyans and felt a surge of panic. He couldn't feel Goku's ki at all.

TBC ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ
I had a really tough time uploading the last chapter on AFF - sorry if you had problems with it. If the last chapter looked weird when you read it, go back and check it now. It is fixed. I suspect that some of my reviews are vanishing because of their bandwidth problems. Maybe I should advertise my website there...

This chapter should answer quite a few questions - if it doesn't, let me know. If I don't already have it planned, I'll see about getting it included in a future chapter (since I know all the answers).

Macha - Vegeta is worried about the changes Goku is experiencing because of their bond. He doesn't want Goku to behave the way he did when he first came to Earth. That would not be a good thing. I think it is too late for Vegeta to get away to protect Goku.
Webtester01 - Vegeta really does trust Goku, but he wants to protect him - the question is, can he?
XxNeko_YoukaixX - Such a cute little neko - pets her from her nose all the way down to the tip of her tail. This chapter tells/confirms what the voice is. As far as getting rid of it? We'll see. I love writing cliffhangers - already have more nastiness planned for the next chapter.

suisheu - Ah, you must have been one of my poor unfortunates who read the chopped up chappie - go check it out now - all fixed. I thought your screaming was funny (and deliberate) - it just sounded like you screaming over and over. Vegeta and Goku are kind of shifting roles because of their bond. If they survive, it will become more obvious - if...(evil laugh)

Twilight-Abyss - Vegeta kind of freaked out when he tried to dig it out. If he believed what Frieza told him, it can't be removed.

Sarkywoman - Will Goku even get a chance to learn of Vegeta's intent to leave?

Renzuite - See, you found me. Mr. Popo has never really seemed like a character worth paying attention to. He will show up only when convenient, then fade away. Dende will probably show up again. Where they will go when they die...not gonna say. Dragonballs in this chapter, but not put to the best possible use, wouldn't you say?

jaygoose - Oh, poor baby, I made you cry. (pets) There, there. They have other problems to deal with at the moment.

Evil Blue Onna - (mutters) Yeah, I had problems uploading. The symbols for the voice wreaked havoc with my coding - but it is fixed now! Well, the ship has landed. What do you think? I am so mean to the boys. And what has happened to Goku, hmmm?

Jay - I'm having fun playing with bonds and their warping. Frieza took advantage of one type with the chip (for want of a better name). But Goku and Vegeta are having issues with their bond - or at least Goku is. It is actually pretty good for Vegeta.

Velvet Curse - This chapter should answer more questions, and hint at something else. Some reviewers were correct in their theories, but confirming or denying would ruin the suspense.

Elenek - I suspect it will be impossible to remove - but maybe it can be disabled. (I have a cunning plan.)

debbiechan - Look! You get to read two chapters in one day! You are going to write some more, right? (pokes) Get to work. I'm not done torturing Vegeta yet - and there will be a future chapter that I anticipate as a major tear-jerker.

LadyKATT - Vegeta's decisions are motivated by the desire to protect his precious Kakorr. The bond is unbalancing the pair, but it is worse for Goku, because Vegeta has a more destructive personality.

Next chapter - What happened to Goku?