Surviving Together: Retribution

Chapter 6 - The Challenge

"And just where are you heading?" Radditz demanded in a much too authoritative tone as he glared at his former prince. The pair had most unfortunately bumped into one another only minutes after the elder of the two departed from his mate. He did not like that his rival was heading in the direction of his chambers, towards Atae.

Vegeta did not flinch as he offered an evasive answer, "This is my castle. I am free to go wherever I desire, and I sure as hell do not have to answer to you on the matter." He attempted to continue in the direction he was originally heading, but Radditz sidestepped him.

"Not so fast." He held out his hand in a domineering manner, as if he had a right to interrogate his host. "I am no fool. I am perfectly aware that your mate was killed not long ago, and since mine bears a striking resemblance to her, you intend to pursue her. Well, let me warn you," he took a menacing step closer to the smaller man, "Atae is my mate. And the only way you will get to her is over my dead body."

A roar of laughter was released by the younger Saiya-jin as he could barely control his amusement. "That's it?" Vegeta snickered, pleased with the deepening shade of red his rival's face turned. "Oh, Radditz, you should feel aptly fortunate that I am not the type of man to steal another's mate, because if I was," he countered with a protracted step forward of his own, "be certain that I would feel no remorse in ending your life." Memories of Radditz's dangerous interest in Bulma when she was still so young flashed across his mind. Yes, killing this brute would be of little consequence to his sense of morality.

For several long minutes, Radditz stood staring at his rival with an impenetrable gaze. If Vegeta had not known any better, the bastard had something up his sleeve. He watched with great surprise, as the man parted his lips and almost sinisterly whispered, "Tatakaiwoidomu."

Vegeta's typically unshakeable demeanor broke as he heard the demand. 'He has to be kidding. Is this fool truly so enamored with Bulma's replica that he is willing to fight an unbeatable battle?' But he knew the man was not kidding, he had made the demand in their native tongue. It seemed Radditz truly had a death wish. "Think carefully before you make such a grave decision, my friend. On my Saiya-jin honor I would never refuse a challenge, so be sure you are fully prepared to handle the consequences of your actions." He gave the man an easy escape from his hot-tempered choice. He had hoped him intelligent enough to take advantage of Vegeta's gift of mercy. It would only be offered once, out of respect for his mate and cub, but not again.

"Tatakaiwoidomu Kyousou Netoru!" The determination in the man's voice led Vegeta to the complacent realization that this man had every intention of fighting him over this woman. Perhaps the only honorable act the man had taken in all his life-incredibly stupid, but worth his respect nonetheless.

"Ousen," he nodded, following a Saiya-jin tradition he would have never anticipated having the need to implement. For some time after, the pair remained silent, each assessing the severity of what they both just agreed to. But once reality struck, Vegeta found himself the first to address the matter. "Since you prompted the challenge, it is in my discretion to select the time and place." He paused to see if the man would offer any objection, when he made none, Vegeta continued, "One week's time. When the half moon is high we will meet at the common training grounds on the eastside of my castle. There we will have our Kyousou Netoru. The victor will claim Atae and her child. Agreed?" He narrowed his eyes at the warrior, only a fool would have wagered his mate and cub against unbeatable odds.

"Joukenwonomu," Radditz nodded his head sternly. He may not have anticipated his over zealousness in making the planned challenge, but it had felt too right at the time to deny himself his Saiya-jin right to protect what was his. "Isshuukan," he nodded to his rival in affirmation of the date.

"Hai, isshuukan," Vegeta concurred in the final words that would be spoken on the matter. Without further interruption, Radditz stepped out of Vegeta's path and the two continued off in the same directions they had originally been heading, both believing when the day came for their battle they would each alone achieve victory, while neither realized the conflict that lay before them would be the most intense of their lives.

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"I am not sure this is a good idea," Garock whispered skeptically as he watched the demi-Saiya-jin attempt to break open another lock on Radditz's ship. Trunks thought rummaging through the man's vessel might better help them to discover the resurrected Saiya-jin's secrets, and hopefully, to find some clue that could answer all of their questions regarding Atae. But the elder, more rational of the duo was not quite as optimistic about the forced entry. "Besides the fact that this is an invasion of privacy, one of your father's crews already searched the ship from top to bottom and found nothing incriminating. I have little faith we will do much better."

"Well, then it is lucky I have faith enough for the both of us," Trunks smiled gleefully as he finally managed to bypass the digital lock pad on Radditz's private chambers adjoining the main deck of the ship, "Got it!"

Raising a suspicious brow, Garock eyed the young man curiously as he slowly followed him inside the quarters. "Where did you learn how to do that?" Though Vegeta was an intelligent man, he certainly would have no knowledge on how to disengage such a complete security system. But then again, if Vegeta ever wanted to get into a restricted area, he would have used his fist to efficiently and promptly get the job done.

"My Mom," the distant answer was moments later somberly followed by, "she created all of the security technology Merigh used. It would have been pretty hard for me to spend many afternoons helping her work and not pick up anything." A slow forming smile rose on the boy's face as he recollected some of his earlier years living alone with his mother. Though he could not say he preferred the days he lived in absence of his father, these more recent times, living without his mother, were the most dispiriting. He wanted only one life: him, his mother, and his father under one roof, as one family, without any outside forces trying to tear them apart. It was a fantasy of course, but one he would fight like hell to see come to fruition.

Garock decided not to interrupt the boy's musing as he felt the warm emotions stirring inside the child. He could no sooner dash the boy's hope of reuniting his family than he could cut off his own arm. Right now he would have to try to help both Trunks and Vegeta learn the true nature of the woman invading their castle; even if it meant compromising his principles, as he was doing by breaking into another man's property. "Let's make this quick," the elder man warned as he cautiously joined in the search for clues. Not that he had a faintest idea what a 'clue' would look like, but he was more than willing to ask the fates to prick him with some sort of guidance when such an aid was found.

"Hey, look at this," Trunks interrupted Garock's unsuccessful searching after what had felt like hours of rummaging passed. Walking over to a computer the young man had hacked into, Garock dropped the palm of one hand to rest on the desk as he leaned in to observe the contents on the screen.

"They are charts," the telepath concluded after a few moments of observing the three dimensional diagrams on the screen, "to one planet, Namek. Namek… hmm… Why does that sound familiar to me?" Garock fought to recollect the familiarity of the name; he knew he had heard of it somewhere.

"I've heard of it," Trunks took a deep breath before swiveling the chair he was in to face his accomplice. He was more than ready to enlighten the man about his discovery. "Back when I was in school on Merigh, I remember hearing a myth about the planet Namek. It was supposed to be the home of this mystical dragon that could grant any wish a man could fathom. I had not thought much of it at the time; I mean the planet Namek is not on any star charts in the galaxy archives, but… But it's here." Trunks turned back around to touch the screen where the planet was labeled. "Do you think this is how he did it? Do you think this Radditz guy found the planet Namek and used this dragon to wish Mom back to life?"

The hope shining in the boy's eyes was almost enough to silence Garock's skepticism, but he could not allow the child to be too confident about a fairytale. "I do not know, Trunks. Mystical planets, magical dragons, it seems a little farfetched to me, and much too indefinite to present to Vegeta. I mean, for all we know, Radditz or Atae were logging fake quadrants in as a visual for Bra during a bedtime telling of this tale. I think we should keep looking."

"Right," Trunks agreed, though not before saving the contents to a hard copy for his personal data. Garock might have had his doubts, but it made perfect sense to the half Saiya-jin. This was definitely his mother. Radditz had used the dragon's power to wish her back, and then had something done to her memory, so she would forget about her real life. But she would not be oblivious much longer! Once all of the data was downloaded, Trunks shut down the computer, and returned Radditz's desk to its original condition. "Ok, let's get out of here."

With a sigh of relief, his counterpart nodded in agreement, "now that is the best recommendation I have heard from you all day."

Not bothering to object, Trunks guided Garock off the ship as discretely as possible. He did not want to alert the cruiser's owner that he was on to his lies and manipulations. Now more than ever, Trunks was certain 'Atae' was his mother, and these charts he had uncovered were going to help him prove it.

Heading straight for the science wing of the castle, he was going to have to enlist the help of some of his mother's older partners to prove his suspicions. And the second he had his proof, he would take it to his father who, he was certain, would make damn sure things were set right again. Unable to suppress a smile rising on his lips, Trunks picked up his pace. Nothing was going to stop him from getting his family back together. Not even the shadowed figure who had been secretly stalking his every movement.

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"Back so soon?" Bulma swiveled to what she had expected would be the sight of her mate; instead, to her chagrin, she was met by her most unwanted host. "How dare you barge in here!" she hissed while closing more tightly her partially agape shirt. After their encounter the night before, she did not want to give him any more false impressions.

"The door was open," Vegeta quietly justified as he walked closer to the mother and daughter pair. It was clear the elder of the two was more discomfited about their last encounter than he had imagined. Good. They had something in common.

"That does not give you the right to come in," she snapped a little too icily as she repositioned her fidgeting daughter. She was extending her arms towards the stranger again. It made Bulma wonder what the young girl knew that she did not.

"A thousand apologies for my forwardness," he stated nonchalantly as he strolled over to the pair, using the infant's blatant interest in him to ensure his continued presence. A dirty trick, but he had to speak with this woman who had aroused such unanticipated feelings within him. "You look tired, why don't you let me hold her?" He easily stole the girl from her mother; he was infinitely pleased that this half-breed was so unlike her father.

Repressing the urge to mouth 'traitor' to her daughter, Bulma crossed her arms dejectedly across her chest as she sullenly asked, "What do you want?" It was childish, her attitude, but she had felt so vulnerable in front of this man, as if he knew all her darkest secrets and at any moment would reveal them for the entire world to scoff at. It made her need to protect herself, utterly basic in nature.

"We have some things that need to be discussed," he offered neutrally, he did not wish to force the subject of their encounter last night, but it would have to be broached before his departure. No doubt she would have questions and concerns after he revealed what her mate had gotten himself into. "Perhaps you should sit down," he suggested while nodding to a settee in the corner of the room. For a moment he feared she would refuse his request, but after a reluctant hiss she gracefully took a seat across from him.

"Look, Vegeta, if this is about last night-"

"It is," he whispered frankly before positioning his daughter to sit comfortably in his lap. He was thoroughly pleased that the child was so compliant. "But it is more than just last night. It is about what has happened since then." He felt hesitant to be the one to tell her, but he did not trust Radditz to inform her of the true circumstances surrounding the impending battle. And for some reason, he needed her to know the truth. "What do you know about a Kyousou Netoru?" He expected blank confusion, but instead, he received an exhausted sigh of disappointment.

"Please tell me you are not trying to make a claim for Bra and I." Though some part of her body jolted with excitement over the possibility of becoming this man's mate, her devotion to her true mate, the father of her child, greatly over shadowed the sensation. "I understand I look like your deceased love, but you can not think we will be able to replace your loss."

"I did not make the challenge," Vegeta was quick to clarify. "Radditz thinks I have some hidden agenda that involves stealing you from him. His paranoia will very likely get him killed since this is a battle to the death."

Bulma's eyebrows perked up as she assessed the man's assumptions. Did he truly think himself strong enough to beat her mate? He must not realize what he is up against. "With all due respect to your abilities, Vegeta, if there is anyone who should be concerned about meeting an untimely demise, it is you. Radditz is an incredibly powerful being, and I would hate to watch him use that power on you… Your son has already lost a mother; it is senseless for him to now lose his father as well." She threw the justification in at the end, discomforted by the realization that this man's death invoked unsavory feelings of distress within her. He was nothing more than a stranger to her, why does she feel such an emotional attachment?

"The challenge has been made and accepted, we would both suffer disgrace should either of us back out now." Vegeta opted not to voice his amusement at the thought of Radditz proving any real threat. Insulting her mate would be counter to his purpose. What was his purpose again? He found himself at a loss for anything to say. He doubted he could ever get over looking into those deep pools of azure eyes that reflected his mate so perfectly. Lord, how he wanted to reach out and clasp that delicate face, the face of his mate, and pull her against his needy lips. How he hungered for that sense of unity he has for so long been without.

"Suffer disgrace from whom?" Bulma argued wisely, seemingly oblivious to the man's digression. There was nothing more disillusioning than two grown men acting like chibis. "You two are the only Saiya-jins left, there is no one here to care what challenges you do and do not accept!"

"We care," Vegeta snapped defensively. True, all of his people were long gone, but that made no difference when considering custom. He and Radditz were both raised under the practices of Saiya-jin culture. Whether that culture still exists today is irrelevant. A Saiya-jin, no matter how alone in the universe, will always be a Saiya-jin. "Look, I am not here to try to be talked out of this, I will not back down and neither will Radditz. I am merely here as a courtesy to inform you that when I defeat your mate, I will honor my obligation to support both you and her," he nodded down to the girl in his lap, who seemed anything but interested in the serious conversation her parents were having. "Anything beyond that, well, we will have to wait and see." He did not want to make any promises of mateship or even coupling, he simply did not know if he could ever offer this woman anything more than a possible friendship. He did not know if enough of him would ever be able to make peace with Bulma's death to even begin considering 'moving on.'

"With all due respect to your generosity," she bit her lips to contain her anger; she was not doing very well. "The only promise I want to hear from you is that should by some chance of luck you beat my mate, you swear to me that you will let him live. Other than that, there is nothing more in this universe I want from you." It was a lie. She knew it, and had her suspicions that he did as well, but her mate came first. She would not allow her mild attraction to wean her away from rational thought.

"I see," Vegeta answered somberly. She was devoted, he understood that, but his pride was too much of a force to be reckoned with when it came to battle. "Then you have my apologies in advance, because I can offer you no such guarantee." He lifted Bra from his arms and handed her back to her mother. Rising from his seat he turned and headed for the door. There was nothing more to be said on the matter, their points of view would never parallel one another on Saiya-jin ethics.

"Wait!" Bulma stopped him just as he reached for the door. Following after him until she was only a few small steps away, she quietly asked, "is there nothing I can do to persuade you to back out of this ridiculous battle? I understand Radditz is paranoid, and perhaps I have not done much to ease him away from such feelings but," she paused to take a self-deprecating breath. She could not help feeling this was all her fault. "But you have no stake in this worth fighting for. You do not want the added baggage of taking in a woman and her newborn child."

Silence followed. She was right; he had no need to double the size of his family, especially when the inevitable sense of distain would cloud their emotions towards him for taking their lover and father away. He was deluded to imagine any harmony would survive in a household forged on blood. But how could he withdraw from a challenge? It was simply un-Saiya-jin to do so! He had to make her understand this was not his fault. Radditz made the challenge! The error was on his side. "Atae," he breathed her name heavily as he looked down to lock eyes with her. He did not think he would ever become accustomed to seeing those beautiful blue orbs shining back at him with an intensity only his mate could muster. But damn it, this was not his mate! If only he could find some way to prove to his body that this woman was a fake, not the real creature it desired so passionately. "Spend the night with me."

A demand? A request? A suggestion? Bulma could not decipher if he had actually just said what she had thought he did. He seemed just as shocked as her to have heard the comment released, yet he was not making any immediate attempts to retract it. "What?" A simple question, but she hoped it was enough to insist for a much grander explanation.

"I will withdraw from the Kyousou Netoru if you give me one night with you." Though his mind had been screaming at him to remain silent, to at most offer an apology for his outlandish request, but instead his lips kept on moving, asking for something he had no right to take.

"You want me to offer you sex in exchange for forfeiting the match." As indignant as she was in hearing his demand, she could not ignore the heat that welled inside her at the possibility mating with this man she barely knew. By the gods what was wrong with her?

"Not sex, I would never demand an unwilling partner to share my bed," he corrected her misconceptions quickly. Though he had a nagging suspicion he could have her willingly, he would never insist upon her compliance. It was counter to every moral he possessed. "I only want your time, dinner and discussion, no more. My only stipulation is that we have complete privacy. Give me that, and I will damn my honor to pull out of the match."

Readjusting her daughter to hold more securely, Bulma swiveled away from the man as she contemplated his offer. He asked for so little from her, but could she trust his intentions to be pure? Could she trust him to be alone with her and not make any advances as he had done last night? Could she trust herself to stop him if he did? 'Damn you, Radditz and your pride,' she cursed under her breath. If he had just trusted in her loyalty she would not have to face this predicament. Of course, that was irrelevant now. All that mattered now was keeping her family together. And if that meant spending one evening with this dangerously attractive man, then she would simply have to pour on the self-restraint. "Very well," she turned back around to deliver her answer. "When do you want me?"

'Right now,' popped into the emperor's head, but he dared not voice it. He would not lose his head over this woman as he had the night before. He was certain spending some alone time with her would satisfy his dark curiosity about this female, "Two nights from today. That should give you more than enough time to come up with a plausible excuse for your absence to tell Radditz." He was no fool. The brute would be suspicious of any time the woman was severed from his side; he hoped she could come up with a fool proof lie.

"Fine," she agreed swiftly. The less she thought about this, perhaps the better it would filter through her conscience. "Now if that is all, Bra needs her bath." It was the first excuse that popped into her head. It seemed to do the trick.

"I will have Garock send word to you the morning prior with more detailed instructions. Should any problems arise, contact him; it is probably best we keep our distance from one another until then." He felt so uncomfortable making such plans, as if the act was so inappropriate, perhaps it was. They were both mated beings, regardless of the fact that his was dead and hers was a bumbling idiot. Though rational thought begged him to reconsider this very possible disaster, he exited from the room without a word of regret.

He had to set his mind and body at ease once and for all about this woman. He was sure spending time alone with her would help bring to light all of the little quirks that made her unique from his mate, everything that made her who she was, a completely separate being from that of his dead love; a replica, a carbon copy, a fake. As much as Vegeta so desperately wished this woman could be the real thing, his will to hope was not strong enough to be tempted by the delusion. Atae was her own person. And after their dinner together, he would eliminate any lingering doubt.

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Translations: Tatakaiwoidomu - To Challenge a Person to Fight

Kyousou Netoru - Contest to Steal Another's Mate

Ousen - To Accept the Challenge

Joukenwonomu - To Accept the Conditions

Isshuukan - One Week

Hai - Yes

Author's Note: Awe, so it looks like Vegeta and Bulma are about to do something they never have before, go on a date!! How will it turn out? And what about Trunks and Garock? They seem to be forging ahead in their pursuit of the truth. Will they find out who 'Atae' really is or will Radditz stop their investigation dead in its tracks? Next chapter in a few…