Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ True Torture ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7

Her mind wouldn't stop running over what exactly was going to happen. Vegeta's little pictures he had run in her head told her-it wouldn't be pretty. Hopefully Vegeta's plan included getting them out before-all that happened.

'Woman? Just listen. When I give my signal get the hell out. I want you to make a beeline for Kakarott. Get the dragonballs and go back home. I don't want any arguments and no-heroics.

'I don't care how strong you think your precious 'Goku' is. I defeated him the first time around and no matter how much stronger he's gotten since then-Frieza is ten times stronger. I don't care if you have to knock the idiot out, get him, his brat, and yourself off this fucking planet. It's bad enough Frieza will be hot on your tail the second he finds you and the dragonballs gone.'

Bulma's wide eyes slowly narrowed until they furrowed in the middle. 'And just how are we supposed to get the dragonballs if Frieza has them all?'

There was a pause, a feeling of surprise then reluctant admiration, and he spoke. 'He doesn't have them all. He sent the Ginyu Force after them.... If Kakarott's out there then he likely-hopefully-has one dragonball. All you have to do is wait and the other's will come to you.'

Bulma sent a wave of doubt Vegeta's way and heard a chuckle in her mind. 'You don't trust me, woman? Good.'

Turning off the shower, Bulma stepped out of the shower and carefully toweled off. 'What's your plan?'

"Hurry up in there, woman! We don't have all day-or night rather."

Bulma sighed and threw open the door, pulling on her shoes as she walked and making sure to give Vegeta a good glare as she walked past him.

The glare slid off Vegeta as he strode into the bathroom, closing the door with a clicking finality.

Gohan looked over at Bulma. "Bulma? What's going on? What's going to happen?"

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she motioned Gohan closer to her and helped him get his clothes straightened. "Everything's going to be fine, Gohan. You trust me, right?"

He craned his head around to look at her and nodded. "It's Vegeta I don't trust."

She tilted her head to one side. If someone was listening, there was no way to tell him anything. "Your dad was right."

His eyebrows rose as his eyes widened. "Huh?"

A grin suddenly suffused her face. "I don't think anyone can change if they can't do anything."

His brow crinkled before he nodded slowly. "I guess that's true...but-I have no idea-"

"Are you two ready? Someone will be here for us in just a few minutes."

Bulma's head snapped up to-cover Gohan's eyes as Vegeta walked completely naked into the room, aiming for the clothes he'd left out. He raised a brow at her in confusion. "What are you doing, woman?"

"Don't you have any decency?" Her face was practically red as she tried to keep her eyes above his chest and-failed miserably. Her eyes flashed back to his face. "You could've used the towel!"

He raised both eyebrows at her as he put on his clothes in no real rush. "For what?"

Sighing, she turned her head to the side, only peeking every once in a while to see when he was actually dressed. At least, she told herself this.

By the time Vegeta was dressed, Gohan was squirming under her hand, and she let him go gratefully. "Jeez, Bulma. It's not like I haven't seen it before." Her thought veering in the direction those words had taken her, she was relieved-very-when he continued. "Dad does that all the time at home. Mom always gets mad at him. I don't know why."

"Enough talk! Stand up and ready yourselves. When our guide comes to the door, we head out." Black eyes met blue ones for a moment before a beeping sound at the door drew Vegeta's attention away. He scowled and turned on his heel to the door.

When it hissed open, his scowl turned into a sneer. "Kiwi."

A purple-skinned alien with ears that looked like boxes stuck to the side of his head placed both hands on his hips and sneered right back at Vegeta. "Vegeta. I heard you were stuck on Earth. Receiving some-" here his eyes trailed over Bulma who was craning around Vegeta to view the stranger. "-services?"

Vegeta scoffed and waved a hand back at Bulma, who scowled at his back and pulled Gohan closer to her. "She's hardly worth my time-but she'll be perfect for Lord Frieza-and he has indeed shown an interest in her." His smirk widened. "What have you done for Lord Frieza lately, Kiwi?"

Kiwi's face settled into a scowl before he grinned wickedly and twisted to the side, making an elaborate bow with a arm leading into the hallway that was wholly mocking. "Why-I'm delivering his favorite to him."

Vegeta growled lowly before turning and motioning sharply to the two behind him, pointing forward and ignoring Kiwi's stance. "Come on. We don't have all night."

Kiwi chuckled lowly as he straightened and Bulma and Gohan hurried past him. "Especially you two. You won't last the night."

"What do you mean?"

Kiwi sneered at the young boy before glancing at the stiff-backed Vegeta. "You mean he didn't tell you? Why I wonder why the finest who-"

"Really, Kiwi. I doubt Lord Frieza will take lightly to delays. All you're doing is-delivering us. Don't tell me that's too much for you."

Kiwi strode forward and took the lead from the Saiyan Prince, making sure to aim his look back at him as he walked. "Don't tell me you're jealous, Vegeta? Afraid the boy will be better than you?"

Vegeta scoffed. "Hardly. Afraid he'll be ruined before I can use him." He smirked lightly at the other.

Kiwi turned his head, brow furrowed as he continued walking. There was a few seconds of silence. "What do you mean?"

Vegeta made a show of inspecting his nails. "Oh nothing. Just-things I know. Things you don't know. Things Lord Frieza will find interesting."

"Oh? Like?"

Vegeta shrugged and continued walking as if bored. "Things."

Vegeta smirked openly into the other's face as he was suddenly pressed against the corridor's metal halls, Kiwi's breath hot on his face. "Start talking Saiyan. You don't want to appear before Lord Frieza-a mess."

Vegeta chuckled as Bulma and Gohan stiffened in the hallway that was empty of soldiers. All of them were searching out the dragonballs. "Why, Kiwi! Why such hostility?"

The air left Vegeta as a fist plunged into his gut. He managed to grin through the gasps he made and heard his quickened breathing echoed by the woman. "Shove it, Saiyan. Start talking or you'll limp into Lord Frieza's chambers."

Wheezing laughter, Vegeta nodded, putting his hands up as Kiwi seemed to ready another blow. "I give up! I give up before your might, Kiwi! I'll talk!"

He shoved the Saiyan into the wall one last time and released him. "So talk."

Vegeta made a show of straightening his bodysuit, wiping invisible grime from it. "The boy can sense ki."

Kiwi huffed out his laughter. "What?"

Glaring at the chuckling man, Vegeta reached out and grabbed Gohan by the shoulder, wrenching him away from Bulma with a pointed look and toward himself. "Tell him."

Gohan's wide eyes suddenly narrowed and his lips compressed thin. Vegeta shook him and raised his free hand toward Bulma, lighting it with ki. "Tell him what you told me or I'll hurt her. You don't want to see her hurt do you?"

Gohan hurriedly shook his head, biting his lower lip so hard the flesh turned white under his teeth. "I can sense ki."

Vegeta grinned triumphantly and let his hand fall slightly, the ki still lit in it. "Good boy. You see, Kiwi, they're all searching for the dragonballs...unsuccessfully. Now why is that?"

Kiwi's eyes narrowed as he stared at the boy held tightly in Vegeta's grip. "Someone else has one of them. We have all but one."

"Right. Well, lucky for us, we just happen to have a little trick up our sleeves. This boy," he again shook the boy for emphasis, grinning as Kiwi's eyes stayed glued to him, "is that someone else's son. He can sense his ki...they share the bond of father and son. Isn't that touching?"

Kiwi nodded absently, and the cogs could almost be heard as they turned in his mind. "So-you plan on telling Lord Frieza this?"

Vegeta nodded. "Oh yes. What better way to earn back what is my right as his favorite? His favor. Now-should I tell him before or after the-activities? I mean, I take a chance waiting until after-and yet before, I might incur his wrath. What do you think, Kiwi?"

Kiwi's eyes snapped up to Vegeta's face, a grin suffusing his features. "Do you know what I think, Vegeta?"

Vegeta's eyes flickered beyond Kiwi; then settled back on his face. "What's that?"

"I think you're going to give the boy to me and fuck your idea."

Kiwi moved fast, but Vegeta moved faster. The one who had once been stronger than the Saiyan Prince now found his head shoved forcefully into the wall of the ship behind Vegeta, the metal denting as a loud crack filled the air.

"You dare! Lord Frieza will have your head for this!"

Kiwi stumbled away from the wall, clutching his head and blinking at Vegeta in confusion as the other moved away where Kiwi had been. "What are you-?"

"Traitorous bastard!" Those words were growled, but the sneer on Vegeta's face spoke differently than his tone. Kiwi grunted and shook his head before charging again after the other.

"Are you crazy? A ki blast in here?"

Kiwi stopped short at Vegeta's shout and watched with wide eyes as the Prince himself turned the hand still filled with ki behind him, letting it go in a blast that careened them all off their feet.

As Kiwi struggled to regain his balance, Bulma found herself suddenly and forcibly lifted up and pushed toward the new opening. 'Get, woman! Take the boy and run like hell!'

She turned her head toward Vegeta only to find Gohan thrust into her arms. He was wide-eyed and looking as bewildered as she felt. "Vege-"

'Get out of here, aware na onna!'

Kiwi held one side of his head and looked at his hand as it came away bloody from a cut on his forehead. His eyes widened as he watched Vegeta, grinning at him manically, run a ki-filled finger down his own thigh, tearing through cloth and skin and bringing up a well of blood. Behind Vegeta, the boy and woman were running away from the ship as fast as possible.

Kiwi tensed and stared incredulously at Vegeta. "What game are you playing, Vegeta?"

He watched with disgust as Vegeta grimaced and went down on one knee. "Game? You think serving Lord Frieza is a game?"

Kiwi blinked and then chuckled sharply. "I think-"

"Yes...do tell us what you think-Kiwi."

Kiwi turned his wide eyes as Frieza's pale form leaned against the wall, one eyebrow raised as he locked ruby orbs onto the purple-skinned alien.

Blinking, Kiwi looked from Frieza to the self-injured Vegeta to the hole in the wall and gulped. "M-my Lord, I can explai-"

Blood spattered onto the wall behind Kiwi as a blast of red energy shot through the alien's chest. Kiwi stumbled backwards, hitting against the wall as he gasped for air suddenly deprived of him. His eyes locked onto Vegeta to see him stumbling to his feet, smirking at him with a glint in his eyes.

Set up. He'd been set up. Set up by a monkey....

Kiwi's world faded to black as his slid down the wall, leaving a trail of red in his wake.

Vegeta inclined his head slightly as Frieza pushed himself off the wall and walked contemplatively toward the dead body. Frieza stared down at the other for a few silent seconds in which Vegeta patiently waited, watching the thick white tail move back and forth, swishing on the metal floor.

Finally he turned from the dead body, his tail shoving it to lie obscenely on its side, wide eyes staring at nothing now. "It seems this-idiot has allowed something very valuable to escape, Vegeta. We don't have time to search for them and find the dragonballs, but you say the one can sense ki."

Vegeta widened his eyes. "Yes, my lord."

Frieza nodded and walked toward the Saiyan, leaning down and inspecting his injured leg before swiping his fingers through the blood there. He stuck those fingers in his mouth, amused when the other wouldn't look him in the eyes. "You know what this means?"

Vegeta forced himself to meet the lizard's eyes. "I-no, my lord."

"It means I'm at a loss of one man and three toys tonight...and no dragonballs. This does not make me happy."

"I'd-imagine not, my lord. Do you-require me-?"

Turning on his clawed feet, Frieza waved a hand languidly as he walked away. "Of course not. I don't like to get my sheets messy. You know that."

Vegeta bowed low at the waist even though he had his back turned to him. "Of course, lord. Is there anything in particular you wish-?"

"I wish to have all the dragonballs. Can you accomplish this for me, Vegeta? I'll-let you have the woman for a night before I take her. She seemed quite interested in you."

Vegeta's eyes darted nervously before staring fixedly at a spot on the floor. "I would be delighted to serve you in this way...."

Frieza suddenly turned on his heels, a smile turning the corners of his painted lips upward. "I'm sure you would be. Just remember that not all games are safe to play, monkey. We wouldn't want any more fatalities now would we?"

Vegeta covered what was in his eyes by again bowing. "Of course not, my lord."

He waited until he heard the other moving away, until the huge ki he had sensed coming toward them-that he had timed this whole thing on-had faded before he rose.

Grinding his teeth together, he stepped toward the opening and carefully walked over the sharpened shards of metal that were all that was left. The dragonballs were on the ship. He was quite sure of it. Now-he just needed to get them and somehow get them to where Kakarott was.

He had to tread carefully. Frieza was right about one thing. This game was not safe to play.

Then again, Vegeta reflected as he took off into the air, what game was fun if it was safe?

A/N: Ah, here's where you send me your reviews. ^_____^ I hope you all enjoyed. What next? No idea. ^_____^;