Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Price of Power ❯ Epic Struggle ( Chapter 25 )

Price of Power

Second Half

By AMCM74

Chapter 25 - Epic Struggle

Trunks nodded and shot into the air, taking Vegeta by surprise. He was flying high looking down at his startled father.

Vegeta smirked a bit, obviously amused with the boy's tactic. Taking no time at all, Vegeta was after him. It was a short aerial battle of speed and agility as each tried to gain the advantage of position with the other.

The first fist was thrown by the father and blocked by the son sending a resounding shock wave through outs the area. The impact leaving the on lookers knowing full well this was a battle in which The Royal Saiyan family was going to go all out on.

The wind that was kicked up around the nervous on lookers, it pushed Bulma's hair back from her face. The calm façade was merely a cover of the torment she was enduring with in. It was an unspeakable feeling seeing the man she loved so much and for so long battling against their own son. No matter how this turned out she knew she would lose.

Pan clapped her hands over her mouth and looked to Bulma. The other woman seemed so in control. It was all Pan could do not to vault into the sky and fight at Trunks side. She looked back to the dueling pair, both locked in bitter combat.

Trunks and Vegeta's eyes locked, Father and Son, a duel that was destined to happen. They were Saiyans. Fighting was in their blood, and Trunks had always known one day this time would come.

Sensing the lingering doubt in Trunks Vegeta blasted Trunks viciously. There would be no quarter given. Trunks flipped over the blast and rushed his father receiving a kick in the chest for his efforts.

The breath was sucked from Trunks lungs as he was sent back ward again. Trunks growled. He had known his father was powerful. Still he had hoped that Vegeta would hold back even a little since Trunks was his son and heir. It was becoming increasingly obvious that this was not the case. In fact if anything at all Vegeta was fighting harder then he ever had. Trunks began to wonder if he was going to live to the end of this battle to return to Vegeta.

Pan clinched her hands over her heart as she saw Trunks power waning before her eyes. Vegeta was on the attack constantly and there s no chance to Trunks to break away and regroup. She looked at her Grandfather clinching his fists. There was a gasp by all that drew Pan's back to Vegeta and Trunks. Trunks took a severe hit to the side of his head. Soon he was plummeting to earth in a deadly free fall. Goku shot past Pan and grabbed the falling Prince. Lowering to the ground he set Trunks down.

Trunks coughed and spit the ruby blood from his mouth opening his eyes weakly he murmured "Goku?" Trunks tried to move, but the cracked ribs within his chest halted him with a grimace.

Vegeta floated down near the pair "Kakkarot. This is a matter of the royal family. This is of no concern to you."

Goku turned and stared at the man who had stole his best friend and infant son. The rest of his family's pain and heartache was right before him. Goku squared his shoulders and aid evenly "Vegeta. This is my affair. This is my granddaughter's mate. Their wishes are my wishes. I will take Trunks place in this battle against you."

"Goku," Trunks coughed, as Pan came to his side and held him on his feet. "Although I do have the right to call you to my aid in this matter, I can not. Vegeta is my father. I can guarantee that is the only reason he wont kill me to win this. If you were to fight in my play he will kill you."

"He is certainly right about that. I am battling for the future of Vegeta-se. Nothing is more important then that to me." Vegeta laughed at the low level warrior. "Do you remember the last time we fought, Kakkarot? You were saved only by your son's interference. Do you wish to repeat the experience and humiliation? Do you wish for the next generation to see just how pathetically weak you are?"

Goku dropped his head a bit but not his eyes "So where is the problem, Vegeta?"

Vegeta scoffed "Fine, your impudence has sealed your fate."

Goku calmly walked forward facing the King of Saiyans. The two stood before each other. They had done this before, but there was a lingerling sense of destiny. As of their battle was something that was greater then the both of them.

Chichi screamed out. She had lived through this once before. She did not want to bear witness to it again. Bulma raised her hand and cried out for them to halt, but the men readying themselves for the life and death struggle ignored their voices.

Vegeta noted Goku's confident air. The completely different change in the man from all those years before. "Do not think that a little training with bring you up to a level at which you can defeat me?"

"But it's more then a little training Vegeta." Goku replied. "My blood line is destined to defeat tyrants like you. First Bardock and Frieza, Pan had defeated Trunks before he could become as you are now, and so I will continue their good works by defeating you.

"You can't even dream that you have a chance." Vegeta snarled losing his patience. "Concede now and I will let you live. Perhaps one day you will return to Vegeta-sei to see your great grandchild there."

It was then it happened. Goku clinched his fist and roared in rage, the ground rising into the air around his body. The golden aura was encasing his being. "You will NOT steal another member of my family from this place! I am not going to ALLOW IT TO GO ON ANY LONGER!"

Vegeta felt his eyes widen in shock at what he was seeing. Before his eye the low level Saiyan warrior was transforming into… a… Super Saiyan. "It. It can't be…"

Goku advanced on the sudden ruler "I am afraid it is. And for all the pain you have brought to those I love, you are going to die!" With that Goku attacked. The first punch was blocked but it did very little good. Vegeta was send careening into the dirt a trench of soil on either side of his path. Vegeta shook his head and tried to rise. No sooner did he gain his feet Goku was there again and the battle commenced. All Vegeta's attacked easily blocked as Goku advanced on him. Once again Goku punched Vegeta and sent him flying.

Vegeta struggled up. He could not lose this battle too much of the future of the universe depended on the Saiyan royal bloodline. Vegeta-sei needed a strong heir to the throne. Goten was dead. There was no option in this. He had to kill Kakkarot and force Trunks and his mate to return.

"You simpleton!" Vegeta snarled pulling himself up. Damn his arm was injured. "You do not understand the enormity of this battle! The entire Saiyan Empire rests on my shoulders"

"How unfortunate for them." Goku intended to finish off the Saiyan king. Pulling back his fist, he let it fly.

Vegeta reached out with both hands to stop it. Straining he forced his worth through his gnashed teeth. "It is not unfortunate for them. I live to serve my people…" Goku blinked in shock as Vegeta began to glow "I… will… not… LOSE" The black eyes rose and a shimmering green blue light shot thought their darkness "to the likes of YOU!"

Goku's hand was slapped aside and a strong uppercut found its way into Goku's gut. A shout of rage emitted from the larger man, and he returned fire. The battle was furious and both men disappeared from sight.

The most of the group that watched could only feel the movements through the shifting currents of air the two left off. The ground was shaking apart under their feet.

"They are going to destroy the planet." Trunks wheezed from his place next to Pan.

Pan held onto his arm around her neck. She shifted her eyes as fast as they could go. Following the fading images and almost consuming power trail. "You might be right Trunks. They both have so much to fight for. What are we going to do?"

"There is nothing we can do, love. We can't interfere." He felt Pan's helplessness and knew it echoed in himself. Their entire future was resting on this battle. If Vegeta won they would return to Vegeta-sei and live there under his shadow until the end of their days. But if Goku won the Saiyan throne would remain empty. There was no telling what would happen to the universe then. It was more then likely there would be an assault by Saiyan enemies. A revolution against the Empire would be a blood bath with out Vegeta's leadership. Trunks shuddered. So much was riding on this.

Vegeta was wondering just how a low level warrior that had never received any official training had ever gotten strong. If his rage and desire to protect his planet and people were not so strong he would have lost back there. He could thank his ancestors for his Super Saiyan transformation. Seeing an opening Vegeta leaned back and did a wide arching kick.

The shin landed perfectly against Goku's cheek. What happened next made Vegeta's smirk of satisfaction fade.

Goku smiled. He did not buckle or bend. "You have the use of your new found super Saiyan powers Vegeta." Goku grabbed the other man's leg with faster ten lightening speed. "But not the control."

The snapping sound mingled with Vegeta's low shout of pain. Goku dropped the broken limb. Only to bring an elbow to Vegeta's face. Several series of blow rained down on the Saiyan King.

Vegeta fought to stay up under he haze of pain. Never had he fought such a warrior. A flash from the past impressed upon him. Goku begging him to leave his child alone, Vegeta realized that over the years that pain had been trapped with in the low level. Then the abduction of his youngest son, must have added to that anguish. Not forgetting all those years of hiding and training his grand daughter.

Each one of Kakkarot's punches sent a new vision of a determining force in his past. The man had been waiting a long time Vegeta realized in a fog. Kakkarot had been waiting a long time to kill him.

Bulma saw her mate being tossed aside like a rag doll. She looked in sudden horror at the man she had once called her friend, as he slowly descended and advanced on her mate. "STOP!" Bulma move to forward trying to gain Goku's attention "For the love of Kami, Goku stop!"

Goku grinned menacingly as he lifted Vegeta and stared in the Saiyan King's eyes. There was no fear there. Only stunned shock at the developments unfolding before him. Bulma's crying voice finally caught Goku's attention, but he did not look away. In his heart all Goku knew was the unending rage of a father who had lost his son. Now was the time to exact some form of justice for the wrongs done to him. Bulma was suddenly there on his arm. Goku blinked snapping from his red haze of hatred.

"Goku, stop! Please do not do this! He is my mate and I love him." Bulma tried to break through the glowing warrior's resolve. "Goku, PLEASE, if you were ever my friend, do not take Vegeta from me!"

Goku started to shake. The Saiyan King was dropped to the ground. This was Bulma on his arm, he realized. The beautiful woman that had also been taken from the, but she was begging for Vegeta's life to be spared. Goku dropped Vegeta immediately and returned to normal. He looked down at Bulma's face, "Bulma, I do not want to cause you any more harm then I already have. I know all you have endured has been my fault. You have no idea who much it has haunted me." He hugged the woman to his chest.

Bulma blinked, realizing the Goku blamed himself for her fate .It made her heart ache that while she was reveling in her life as the Saiyan Queen the others here never knew what had truly become of her. "You have to let Vegeta go. The Empire needs him. Goku… I need him"

"But as long as your mate lives he will continue to attack the Earth." Goku whispered with unresolved.

"What choice do you give me? You should never have killed Goten." Vegeta stood up wiping the blood from his mouth and staring at his mate in the arms of another man. It was something he had never seen before. No one on Planet Vegeta even dare to touch her, let along hold her in the warm embrace Goku now did.

Goku looked up in absolute shock and horror "We did not kill Goten. I would never murder my own son." He released Bulma and a step back to stare into the blue eyes. "What has become of my son? Where is he?"

"We… we don't know." Bulma looked to Vegeta. "We are frantic over it. He was bonded to our daughter, Bra, and his passing almost took her with him as well."

"Our children… have bonded?"

"You really are a moron." Vegeta yanked Bulma to his side. "Isn't that what she just said" He glared at the man who had defeated him. "Goten was sent to retrieve Trunks from Earth with another Saiyan warrior of unparallel abilities. Some time after he left my daughter, the Princess Bra, suffered through the breaking of her bond."

"As far as I know Goten never reached Earth." Goku turned to look at the Earth warriors several feet away. "The only ones here are the Female Q and the Ice-jin Blizzard."

Vegeta paled. "The FEMALE Q?!?! AND ICE-JIN!" He snapped his head around to see the Earth warrior that had once been his mate's boyfriend. Yamcha he believed that man's name was. He held a gorgeous Saiyan woman in his arms. The Saiyan girl seemed like all she wanted to do was run for the hill. Next to then was the black Ice-Jin.

Blizzard stared at the Saiyan King with a frosty glare. Then lifted his hand and waved pettily and smiled tilting his head.

"That creature must die." Vegeta stumbled forward and almost fell.

Goku caught him and set him back up. "You are not in any shape for a battle with Blizzard, nor will I allow any one to hurt him. He saved your son."

"He saved my… Trunks?" Vegeta growled. "But how? Ice-Jin are all evil."

"Obviously they are not." Goku turned to Bulma. "What can we do? You were the one always full of ideas. How do we settle this feud?"

"We need a King for the Saiyan Empire that can produce strong heirs, some one that Vegeta can approve of. Trunks does not want to return to Vegeta-sei and neither does his chosen mate. There is only on way to make everyone happy." Bulma looked to her mate and then to Goku. It was time she let the cat out of the bag "I say we use the Dragonballs."

Vegeta lifted his head with interest. "Dragonballs?"

In the distance a loud cry from Q was heard "NOT THE DRAGON BALLS!!!"