Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Night Prowler ❯ Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The night was clear and cool as Vegeta neared the edge of town. He thought back to Bulma's accusation and smiled. The thought that he was seeing another woman was ridiculous. To let her continue thinking that would have thrown her off his track, but it would also have hurt her more than he was willing to do.

She had even seen him off this time with a sad smile and a kiss. He had reassured her that everything was fine and that he would be his old self again when he returned. She told him that she trusted him and waved as he flew off.

Vegeta heaved a deep sigh. Hopefully, Bulma would be satisfied enough now not to bother investigating further. At least for a while. Maybe, in time, he would be able to leave this addiction and guilt behind him.

But it wasn't going to be tonight. No, tonight was his. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins at the mere thought of his impending night adventures. He licked his lips, already tasting the sweet nectar to come.

Vegeta landed softly on top of a crumbling building. His black clothes and hair blended in perfectly with the dark sky. The lack of street lights helped him even further. He crouched and waited patiently, ears cocked for the sounds inside the building.

This was his favorite part of town. It was teeming with the dregs of society - gang members, prostitutes, drug dealers, murderers and rapists. His kind of people. He had spent enough time here to know them not only by sight, but by sound. And the one he was waiting for was on the fourth floor in the corner room.

He waited patiently, listening to the conversation the drug dealer was having with his clients. He was blackmailing them for more money and threatening to kill their families if they couldn't meet his demands. Vegeta leaned back and smiled. This man was truly evil. A man after his own heart.

Finally, the others left and the drug dealer walked out of the building - alone. Vegeta floated over the street high above him, waiting until just the right moment to land. He had to be sure no one saw him. He didn't care what people thought about him, but he wanted to protect Bulma, Trunks, and the Capsule Corp. Luckily, these streets were usually bare. Another reason he had picked this particular section of town to do his business.

A few blocks down, the drug dealer noticed a lady walking up the street towards him. Quickly, he ducked into a dark stairwell and crouched down where he would be well hidden. Vegeta paused, making sure neither could see him.

"Interesting," he thought to himself. "This night just keeps getting better and better!"

As the lady passed the stairwell, the man leaped from his hiding spot and grabbed the woman. One hand was firmly planted over her mouth, the other around her waist. He dragged her back into a dark, deserted alley and threw her up against the wall. Her head struck the hard brick and she crumpled to the ground.

Vegeta didn't have the patience to watch what would happen next. He soared down and snatched the drug dealer off the unconscious woman’s body by one arm, carrying him high into the air. When the man took a breath to scream, Vegeta reached down and crushed his voice box, careful to leave his aorta and windpipe intact.

The man's eyes were wide with surprise as he stared mutely at the dark man above him. Then his head slowly tipped down and he realized where he was. His grungy shoes were dangling high over the tops of the buildings and his coat flapped freely in the wind. He looked up again in shock, noticing the man who held him was actually flying!

Unable to call for help, the man panicked. He struggled weakly against Vegeta's strong grip. It was no use. The Saiyan's hand was like an iron band on his arm. When he tried to scratch at the hard skin, Vegeta crushed his hand to a meaty pulp. There was nothing the man could do except wait until they landed and hope there would be some chance of escape.

Vegeta flew into the dense mountain forest and landed under the cover of trees and rocky outcroppings. With a casual flick of his wrist, he threw the man against a boulder. The snap of a broken spine was muffled by the thick leaves and lush vegetation. In a feeble attempt to get away from this madman, the drug dealer tried to pull his useless body along the ground with his one good hand, tearing out clumps of grass as he went.

The Saiyan prince walked over and used one boot to crush the man’s back just below the neck and kick him up to a sitting position against the large rock. He then smiled at the still breathing lump of flesh and squatted down beside him.

"Let me tell you a story," Vegeta said as if they were going to have a polite conversation.
The man's eyes were wide and his mouth opened and shut like a fish, but no sound came out. There was something in the eyes of the dark man that frightened him to the core. Something insane, yet completely calm and rational. Vegeta nodded and smiled wider, happy that the man was still conscious and listening.

"Once there was a great kingdom of powerful warriors," he began, a wistful look on his face. "They were the strongest race in the universe, feared by all who knew them. One day, the prince was taken from this kingdom and became the slave of a madman."

The drug dealer's eyes began to gloss over with shock and his head drooped. Vegeta frowned. He reached down, grabbed the man by the chin, and pulled him up straighter. The pain of his grinding bones brought him back to focus on the dark Saiyan.

"Now, this madman made the prince live like an animal. His spirit was broken, his body starved, and he was ordered to kill entire races of people. To survive, he was forced to eat what he killed." Vegeta paused, a slight smile on his lips as he remembered his younger days of purging planets. "You may think this was a barbaric thing to do. But when you are hungry, you have to eat."

The man's mouth flapped open and shut as his brain registered what he was being told. He tried to shake his head, but found his neck wouldn't work. He realized that he was paralyzed with absolutely no hope of surviving this night.

"The funny thing is," Vegeta continued, "that something that seems repulsive when forced to do it, can actually become enjoyable. A craving. Almost a physical necessity that cannot be overlooked."

Vegeta reached over and pulled the man's arm off as easily as a cooked turkey leg. The man, luckily, couldn't feel it, but tried to scream anyway. Only a weak whisper came out of his mouth as Vegeta removed the ripped shirt sleeve and sank his teeth into the fleshy upper arm. A look of ecstasy came over his face as he savored his meal, a small dribble of blood shining on his chin.

"The only regret I have is that I am not able to choose the best of prey. The hunt isn't as much as a challenge as I would like to satisfy my warrior instinct. I have to settle for weak, lazy, scum like you. Ones that no one would ever miss. I owe that much to my family, at least."

Vegeta noticed the man had finally drooped, unconscious from the lack of blood. It wouldn't be long before he stopped breathing and his heart ceased to function. Shrugging his shoulders, he continued his meal of flesh and blood until there was nothing left but cloth and bone. Even the internal organs were a delicacy worth savoring.

Even though the entire episode lasted only a couple of hours, Vegeta was anxious to return to Bulma. He felt full and strong once again, and his mind was clear and satisfied. Guilt would undoubtedly settle in tomorrow, but it had been a good night and a good meal.