Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Saiyan Style ❯ Part II: Recovery ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters, isn't that a shocker.

Epic

By: Letta

Rating: R - NC-17

Warnings: Yaoi, violence, language, poor grammar, attempted writing, good times

Pairings: Goku X Vegeta… completely classic. You have to sort of look for it in this part.

Notes: I have to admit, it looks like it'll be a few chapters before anything gets going, but it'll be worth it, right? Sure!

"denotes speaking"

*denotes thought*

//flashback//

A/N: About the color… I don't know what the deal is there, but I'll fix it when I get the chance. You'll find that as this progresses, the DBZ storyline will end up being more of a background, so sorry, but you'll just have to be patient… Part III (in the editing process) shows that a little more.

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Saiyan Style

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PART II: RECOVERY

Vegeta barely felt his pod lurch even as it crashed into the rocky unforgiving ground of planet Frieza. His fuzzy mind hardly registered when his pod opened and two sentinels stood there, discussing his condition. The one conscious stream of thought focused completely on his defeat, on Kakkarot, and nothing else.

His pride would only allow him to admit that the other warrior was a great fighter, but would not recognize that the man was superior. During the entire trip back, he could only mull over the battle, where he had gone wrong, and how he would correct those discretions. He also set his calculating mind to figuring out some of the skills they had used. How they could hide their power from a scouter, how they could sense energy, and a dozen other things. He knew with a little focus, he could do what they had done.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he felt the familiar healing liquid of synthetic saiyan DNA encompass his body. He noted he was in an isolation tank, which would significantly speed his recovery. He was glad of it, because he could hardly wait to get to Namek and use their dragonballs. Then, once he gained immortality, he would go back and defeat Kakkarot. After all, he was Vegeta, prince of all saiyans, and he would not let a mere third class warrior stand in his way and live.

*****

Goku lay in his bed, wrapped head to toe in bandages. The saiyan was in a lot of pain, but it wasn't anything he couldn't really handle, though his doctor said he would be in bed for at least a month. He personally didn't think that would really be necessary, but as long as Chichi was around, that's exactly what he'd be doing. He loved his wife, but she was definitely overprotective to an extensive degree.

In the hospital room around him, his friends and family were crowded. His son wore a few bandages, and Krillin was also sporting some, although neither of them was nearly as bad off as he was. Already, the group was trying to figure out how they were going to wish their friends back. They wanted to go to Namek to use their dragonballs, but they didn't have a ship advanced enough to get them there before they all died of old age.

Just then, Bulma rushed into the room, her mouth going faster than a speeding bullet about a space pod. Apparently, the saiyan that had been killed had flown in a space pod that was recovered and now being held in a government science facility for study. She held in her hand a small, rectangular, palm-sized box that served the purpose of a remote.

"They're talking about the pod on TV," Bulma said, turning on the box opposite Goku's bed. "I think I have this little baby figured out, so if I just aim the remote at the TV, it should bring the pod right to us!"

"You mean the signal's that strong?" Krillin asked.

"Yeah. Now, if I push this button," Bulma said, her fingers positioned above the remote, "it should work." Without hesitation, she proceeded to do just that and watched the screen as the pod came to life, lighting up like a fireworks display. Everyone in the small room had their eyes glued to the television as they waited expectantly for it to shoot up and fly to them. Then, in one fell moment, it blew up, spraying debris all over the lab and the scientist bragging to the camera.

Bulma looked horrified. In desperation she started pressing all the keys on the now useless remote. "I must've hit the self-destruct button! Now how are we going to get to Namek?!"

"I believe I can help you with that," a new voice suddenly said from the room's open window. Goku turned his head as far as was comfortable in his dilapidated condition to see two bright eyes peering out from a very dark face.

"Mr. Popo!" Krillin cried out.

"You know where a spaceship is?" Bulma asked in a mingling of shock and caution as she made her way over to the window.

"It's a bit old, and I'm not sure if it still works, but if you want to have a look at it, Krillin, come with me," he said, gesturing to the injured fighter seated next to Goku.

"Bulma, you're the one that should go since you're the technical genius. I doubt I'd even know what I was looking at," Krillin said, reasonably.

"Thanks Krillin," she said through gritted teeth. "Just how am I supposed to get there… fly?"

"There's enough room for both of us on this carpet," Popo said, gesturing to floating weaving he was standing on.

"You want me to fly on that?!" Bulma asked, her voice suddenly high pitched and nervous.

"Do you know a better way?"

"Well, no," she admitted, helplessly. She looked down at the suddenly far away ground fearfully before she reached towards the carpet. With shaking limbs, she reached out to the weaving and planted her hands on it, pulling herself halfway on.

"Oh no! I'm falling, someone help me!" she cried out, wriggling chaotically before she realized her weight was being supported by the rug. To add to her embarrassment, other patients of the hospital were staring out their windows at her, so, with rosy cheeks, she pulled herself the rest of the way safely on. Mr. Popo waited a minute for Bulma to become used to the carpet before they sped off in search of the ship.

*****

Vegeta ran through the battle on Earth for probably the thousandth time in his mind. By almost every standard, he and Kakkarot were superior fighters. Although, he suspected that most of the moves Kakkarot pulled were probably made up on the spot, and the man was just guessing that they'd work. Kakkarot was impulsive, which made his attacks harder to predict, and even though he himself had a more structured fighting style for deadly efficiency, he too possessed that quality.

In some ways, he decided, he and Kakkarot were a lot alike, but otherwise, they were perhaps, total opposites. Still, he couldn't help but hate and marvel at the man. He hated him for defeating him in battle, but that was also what awed him. That a mere third-class saiyan could so drastically increase his power in one year and defeat not one, but two saiyan elite.

Underneath it all, he held a grudging respect for the man.

The prince mentally sighed. First, he would wish for eternal life, then he would kill the disgusting lizard that held him in bondage for almost his entire life, and finally, he would defeat Kakkarot. He would let the man live to see his beloved planet destroyed along with all he cared for, and then… Vegeta did a mental frown. For some reason, the thought of killing Kakkarot wasn't as appealing as it should be.

*****

Goku ducked into a stairwell, and quietly padded down the steps. He couldn't stand being cooped up in that hospital room any longer. After all, he certainly felt well enough. It took him a minute to decide he would make his way down to the ground floor, and then walk out as casually as he could, hoping no one would notice.

He was in the air before he reached the other end of the parking lot. It wasn't long after that he had zipped off to a deserted area that was rather similar to where he fought Vegeta, only with more plant life, he noticed. After landing, he immediately set about stretching his muscles.

Bulma, Gohan, and Krillin had set off for Namek already, leaving him behind to follow later on if such a need arose. Chichi had cried when her baby announced he'd be going with, and made, or rather, scared Bulma into promising to watch after him. If Bulma planned on watching after Gohan like she had him when they were younger, he figured Gohan would be better off trapped in a den of starving wolves.

As it turned out, the ship Bulma had managed to get her hands thanks to Mr. Popo was the Namek spaceship Kami had come the Earth in. With a little help from her dad, she had it fixed up in no time. She had to learn Namekian to pilot it, though. The blue haired woman hadn't been overjoyed when she found out Mr. Popo wasn't going with her, to say the least. Luckily for her, she was able to sucker Krillin into going, and Gohan had volunteered. Chichi had also been mad at him for letting Gohan go off in space like that, but he knew Gohan could take care of himself. Unfortunately though, without her baby to look after, all of Chichi's attention was focused on Goku, not that he cared too much, except that she kept such a watchful eye, he barely escaped from his hospital room to train.

He had tried doing some light training at the hospital, just a few hundred sit ups and push ups, but his doctor had put a stop to that.

// "That's good, just a hundred more," Roshi's voice echoed in his ears as he reached his knees again. Then the door burst open and he was looking up at the angry faces of his doctor and a nurse.

"I realize that you saiyans are made of tougher stuff, but you're not well enough to be out of bed and exercising.

"But, you're just guessing…" Goku said simply.

"Hmph, well, yes, but you're still my patient," the doctor said indignantly.//

Goku finished his stretches, confident that his doctor's worries were unfounded. He felt great! Maybe not tip top, but still pretty good for nearly being crushed to death and having most of his bones cracked and splintered.

He started out easy, a range of kicks and punches to loosen up his arms, legs, and adjoining muscles. Then, he took to the air, testing his ki control and shooting a few low energy beams at inanimate objects. When he was satisfied, he landed back on the ground.

With a little concentration, he used some of his telekinesis abilities to tear a giant boulder from its base, pieces of rock splintering off all through the process until it hovered about a hundred feet above the ground. Like a shot, Goku launched himself at it, arms extended in front of him.

His fists made a jarring contact with the rock, busting it into smaller pieces as he burrowed his way through. By the time he made it to the other end though, he was spent, not to mention falling. "Oh no! I'm not as well as I thought," he said, slightly amused and dismayed as he tumbled back to the earth. His body smacked hard against the unforgiving ground as he landed. When his senses returned, he found he couldn't move without pain splintering through his nerves.

Goku wasn't sure how long he lay there, or even if he had been conscious the entire time when he finally heard a plane overhead. He could sense his distraught wife and Master Roshi in it. At times, he wasn't sure marrying a worrier was the best plan in the world, but sometimes it worked out to his advantage.

*****

Vegeta blasted his way out of the isolation chamber, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. He had managed to kill a few lab assistants, but that wasn't his problem. His head doctor rushed into the room, having felt the force of the blast.

"Feeling better?" the short, beaked alien asked.

"Much."

"You took quite a beating. How did you manage that?" If Vegeta wasn't partial to this doctor, he might have just killed him for asking, but instead, he used some restraint to settle on clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

"That is no longer your concern." Wisely, the doctor didn't push the subject, letting Vegeta leave the room.

"That boy will kill himself if he isn't more careful," he said, after the prince was out of earshot in the corridor beyond.

*Kakkarot.* Almost absently, he entertained the idea of training on some backwater planet himself, but quickly dismissed it. As far as he could figure, Kakkarot was a genetic freak of nature that somehow surpassed his third class status to easily rival and exceed any elite. Except for himself.

"Wait, Vegeta! You forgot your scouter!" the doctor ran after him.

"Keep it, I don't need it anymore," he announced, somewhat haughtily. He left his dumbfounded doctor as he stalked to the hangar.

"Vegeta, I heard you got beat on Earth." The comment was more than enough to stop the proud prince in his tracks, as he visibly stiffened, an angry scowl adorning his noble features. He spun around to see who dared insult him, and noted the familiar face of one his associates. Vegeta didn't consider them to be friends, but it was closer than most people came.

"That's none of your business," came the cold reply. The fool kept blabbering on, with Vegeta barely aware of his own responses as his thoughts once again returned to Kakkarot. He achingly awaited the moment they would meet again, so he could pummel the man into the ground. Although he was sure Kakkarot would not be the type to beg for mercy, he found himself often imagining the man doing just that. There was something exceptionally pleasing about the thought of Kakkarot begging him.

"If you're going to Namek, Frieza's got a head start." That snapped Vegeta full force back to reality. He remembered something about mentioning he was going to Namek, but the last part made his brow crease with something close to anxiety.

*If Frieza's on Namek, then he must have heard me on the scouter when I said they must have their own set of dragonballs!* Vegeta turned on his heel and ran back the way he came. Entering the room he woke up in, he went straight to the table and grabbed his scouter. As he passed his doctor on the way out, he said, "I may need this after all."

*****

Goku found himself in the hospital bed again. He was a bit mad that his little stunt slowed his recovery time, but he didn't really mind too much. His doctor figured he could walk around all right, but the guy still wouldn't let him leave the room, though that had more to do with his moonlighting as an escape artist more than anything else. Goku sighed, he couldn't really blame him, he knew he would go out and try to train again as well as his doctor did.

But that didn't mean he couldn't try and train in his hospital room.

To prove this, he turned his attention to a glass of water resting on the bedside table. He began to focus his energy on the water, enveloping it in a protective shield of energy and began to lift it out of the glass. Furrowing his brow in concentration, he raised the glass-shaped water above his head when Chichi came in the room, shattering his concentration with the onset of a newfound panic.

"Goku, why are you all wet?"

"I was, uh, trying to wash my hair," he lied, knowing full well how angry his wife would be if she knew what he was really doing.

"Well if you wanted your hair washed, I could have helped you with that." She walked over to the window in the room, when Goku noticed she was holding some flowers. As she began changing the old flowers from the singular glass vase, she started talking.

"It's nice that you're finally being responsible and taking care of yourself, instead of running off training. Here, safe in your hospital room where I can take care of you," she began, unwittingly putting Goku through a guilt-trip as he silently got up from his bed and made his way to the door. He had to train, but that was going to be hard with he hovering around him. From the sounds of it, Bulma and the others had run into a little bit of trouble on Namek and he needed to get stronger to help them.

As Chichi kept talking, he opened the door and cautiously backed out of the room, quietly shutting the door in front of him. Then, with a bit more vigor, he turned around to start heading out, only to find himself face to face with his seemingly ever-watchful doctor and nurse. They didn't look at all happy with him.

"I was, uh, just looking for the bathroom," he tried weakly.

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So, was that worth the obscenely long wait? Actually, it was only about two weeks. So what did everyone do during the past two weeks? I switched from part time to full time at my job… *sigh*…