Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ True Torture ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

He landed just as Kakarott was tossed back into the wall behind him. He turned and winced at the bloody face that peered back at him. When the other grinned manically and stood, he reassessed his opinion of him. More Saiyan blood in him than the other cared to admit.

“Are they safe?”

Vegeta nodded sharply and turned from the other to see...an empty room. “Where did he go?”

He could feel the other shrug as he moved next to him right before he felt the sharp pain hit his back as he was thrown forward. He managed to tuck his feet under him and roll, coming onto his feet and spinning around just in time to catch the tail that was whipping toward his face.

Frieza’s face was a mask of fury, but the lips.... The fury did not touch the lips. Not with that smirk planted there.

Vegeta grunted and put all his weight into holding the tail, only to release it as it snapped backwards, trying to take him with it. A fist came toward his face and he twisted to the side, knowing the tail would come back.

His turn completed, he felt the air of the punch go past his face and turned to watch the tail come at him.

It was stopped by a large hand.

Frieza’s eyes widened and he let out a shout as he was flung away to smack into the wall. He growled and rolled as he fell to the ship’s floor, coming up with his tail lashing the air. “Not even both of you can hope to defeat me.”

Vegeta glared at the man beside him and abruptly shoved him in the shoulder. “I don’t need your help! Go join the others. He’s mine!”

“No.”

Vegeta turned with wide eyes at the short refusal only to have to snap his eyes back and block another punch. He felt the other Saiyan stand beside him, felt him take half of the punch’s force.

His narrowed his eyes and broke off from Frieza, shoving at the taller man as Frieza himself backed off. “He’s mine! Get the fuck away from here!”

Again the voice answered, calm and determined. “No. You can’t even give us enough time by yourself, and you know it.”

He snarled at the other Saiyan before chuckling sounded in front of him. His glare snapped to Frieza.

“Oh my! Are the little monkeys fighting over who gets to fight me?” He smiled and Vegeta worriedly noted that he didn’t seem to be harmed above being a little dirtied. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you both a full taste of the medicine you so crave. Maybe death will heal your ailments.”

The blast was unexpected and hit Goku right in the chest. Even though his hands came up in a cross block before him, he was still flung back into the wall. A dull thud sounded as he dented the wall under his weight and slumped, obviously stunned.

Vegeta shifted his stance, charging forward suddenly with a yell before Frieza could launch his own attack. The pale lizard smirked before suddenly disappearing from in front of Vegeta.

Whirling around, he saw the kick coming at him too late. Connecting solidly, it bent him over an upraised knee. Laced hands rammed into his back, and he watched as blood splattered out of his mouth to hit the floor, letting out a high-pitched cry.

He growled and winced as his hair was grabbed, forcing his head back until pink eyes met black.

Lips descended and Vegeta practically bent over backwards trying to get away, struggling against the kiss as Frieza took his time, forcing his tongue into the Saiyan’s mouth.

With a grunt Vegeta bit down on the tongue hard, tasting blood before he was suddenly flung back. He stumbled and balanced himself only to see the tail again arcing around. This time no hand would catch it.

Arms flying up, Vegeta braced himself in the short amount of time he had. Unfortunately his block was not enough to stop the tail’s momentum from knocking him backwards.

Of all the pain that he had felt so far in this fight and before it, surely nothing hurt as bad as when his back hit and practically bent over the control panel. He dimly heard a cracking noise, felt it shudder through his body in one spasm of blinding pain that left him gasping for air.

Then everything went black. *   *   *

“Health is at eighty-two percent.”

His brow furrowed as his mind blearily processed that information—and then realized it made no sense. He opened his eyes, closed them, and forced them back open.

He—the surroundings were very familiar. The walls seemed to close in around and he almost shrank back until he realized it was because they were round. He was in a pod? How the hell had he gotten in a pod?

“You’re awake. I thought for a moment you’d cop out on my vengeance.”

He snapped his neck as he jerked back, his hands twitching spasmodically.

“Health is at eighty-three percent.”

He glared at the screen in front of him, the one that was currently counting his health. He didn’t know what it was talking about. He felt fine.

“Can you feel anything, Vegeta?”

He opened his mouth to answer, moving his head to glare at the intercom before he suddenly stopped. He tilted his head. The way she’d asked the question...the tone of voice….

“Should I feel anything?”

“Vegeta—”

“Why can’t I feel my legs?”

Silence answered him and he moved to plant a fist into the console, only to find it strapped tightly to the chair he set on. “What in the hell—?”

“Vegeta—your spinal cord is broken.... Goku said Frieza injured you. Your back hit something.... He heard something pop. I strapped you down so you wouldn’t…hurt yourself. Try and stay calm.”

He heaved against the restraints around his waist and wrists. Nothing below his waist even tingled. “Stay calm? I can’t feel a damn thing!”

“Vegeta, it’s not permanent. It can’t be permanent!”

He stuttered to a halt, his breath heaving from him as he strained one last time and then fell back into the chair. He stared at the curved ceiling, wondering if he was having another nightmare. Another dream, just another—

“Vegeta, it’s not a dream.”

“Stay out of my fucking head!”

Silence answered him and he sighed, shifting what could and would shift restlessly. “Where are we heading?”

He heard a chuckle over the com unit. “I really have no idea. Some planet called—Yardrat?”

He nodded to himself running over the planet’s statistics. “Yes…that was one scheduled to be purged but hasn’t yet. The planet’s beings have some kind of technique…he wanted to study.”

There’s a brief pause from the other end. “Do they have medical facilities?”

Vegeta scowled at the speaker. “How the hell would I know? I’ve never been there before!”

“Sorry! I just wondered if you might know! The database doesn’t say!”

“Of course it doesn’t! No one’s ever been—”

“Um, Bulma, are you going to ask him about the balls?”

Vegeta’s words trailed off, processing that question slowly before realizing what was meant. Bulma’s voice had already continued on, not lowering in severity a bit. “No, Goku! He just woke up!”

Vegeta’s brows furrowed. “What about the balls?” There was a slight hesitation on the other end and he felt his hackles rise. “You did remember to bring them—”

“Of course I remembered to bring them! We’re trying to figure out the best way to use the wishes!”

“Wishes?”

“Yes, plural, meaning more than one.”

“I know that— What the hell do you mean by there’s more than one? You told me there was only one!”

Subconsciously he knew what the woman was doing. She was distracting him the only way she knew how. If she was an infuriating pest then he would trying too hard not to kill her instead of concentrating on the current state of matters.

“The Namekian balls are different. Goku said that the Nameks told him they grant three wishes…. They also don’t have the same restrictions as the others. We can raise more than one person from the dead.”

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. “You already have the wishes you want.”

“Yes. We want to resurrect all the people Frieza killed. And then we want to resurrect all the people you and Nappa killed.”

“The Saibaman killed your boyfriend.”

There was a long pause on the other end, and then a throat cleared delicately. “Yes. Thank you.”

He grunted in reply. “When do we make planetfall?”

“Two or three days. Goku managed to warn the Namekians…and they were able to take the ship I built and get off the planet. They’re coming with us.”

“Fantastic….”

He heard a chuckle at the dry tone of his voice. “Only they can activate the dragonballs.”

Well, now that made them more valuable in his eyes. “And I get a wish?”

“Of course…. Frieza’s still out there….”

“I’m paralyzed.”

There was another long pause, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Bulma spoke first. “Go to sleep, Vegeta.” He could hear the hiss of released gas and knew she’d started the hibernation process. “When you wake up, we’ll see what happens.”

He growled lowly, already feeling the gas take effect, but he sent her one last message.

‘There’s one wish…and two problems.’ *   *   *

Bulma stretched gratefully as she stepped out of the pod. She was glad Goku had given her that senzu bean. It had worked wonders.

Bulma looked around the buildings. Strange people were gathering around the three pods that had landed. They had rounded heads with pointed ears that stuck out from them. Their hairless skin was a brilliant pink with purple splotches on their head. Wrinkles creased the skin under their eyes. They also had two whisker-like pieces of flesh hanging from their jaws. She thought of catfish when she looked at them.

But it was, perhaps, their clothes that were the strangest. They all wore the same type of clothing, white ruffled and stiff collars under their necks with a white undershirt that had a type of vest over top of it. The shoulder straps on the vest were not unlike the armor that the Saiyajins and all of Frieza’s men wore. She wondered if it was the style.

One alien stepped forward from the crowd, nothing really distinguishing him from the others. “Egassirretta'd stiup ertov li-tiate?”

She blinked at the language. Yes, she had heard it before. She had contacted the planet while in their atmosphere. It had only taken her stuttering that she couldn’t understand the other for them to switch their language to her own.

She found it very strange, but now was not the time to wonder at it. “I’m sorry—”

The alien cleared his throat. “No, forgive me. It has been a while since we had visitors.” He had a slight lisp to his speech, just like the other she had spoken to had. “Was your landing well?”

She nodded. “Yes, it was very well. A little…bumpy when we hit the ground….” She paused.

“You said you had injured?”

“Yes!” She felt like an idiot for almost forgetting. And how could she forget, especially with the yelling in her head? How long had he been doing that?

She stalked over to the pod and smacked the button beside it, glaring at him as it opened. Then she turned around. “He’s—” She stopped.

It appeared the aliens recognized Vegeta, and she hadn’t foreseen this occurrence. They were huddled together, some of them openly shaking, most with wide eyes. Some of them did not look friendly at all.

She ignored whatever Vegeta was snarling in her head and forced a smile onto her lips. “He’s not going to hurt you. Frieza injured him.”

“You did not tell us you carried him with you. He is dangerous.”

“Well…yes…. But he’s been with me for a month.”

“You are mates?”

“No! We’re…friends. He came to purge our planet…and spared us. But Frieza found out. He sent the Ginyu Force and they captured us.” She paused, her breath hitching slightly. “Frieza destroyed my planet.”

She heard an audible gasp from Goku. She hadn’t had time to tell him. She didn’t look over at him or Gohan.

“It was only because my friends,” here she gestured toward the father and son, “were on Namek that we were able to get away…but Vegeta was injured. Please, I promise on my own life that he won’t hurt you or your planet.”

There was a hiss from behind her. ‘Absurd! They won’t believe that of me!’

There was silence from the group before her, and then they began to speak among themselves in their own language.

"Elle-t-evuort es?"

"Esselb tse li."

"Reuqurt el tiarruop li!"

"Reut suon ruop erdnetta li-tiarved iouqruop?"

"Reut suov roup erdnetta sap siarved en ej!" Bulma turned around, knowing from tone along that he hadn’t said anything nice. She slammed her hand on the button beside the hatch and it closed on his yelling.

She turned back around to the now quiet group and sighed. “Look…he’s not really in a good mood…ever, but right now it’s even worse. Frieza damaged his spinal cord and he’s paralyzed.”

“You expect us to have sympathy for a killer?”

She shook her head. “No, of course not, but I expect that you’ll know that Frieza is looking for us now. He doesn’t like people escaping from him. You knew we were refugees and took us in. What if he follows us?”

“Why would he follow you here?”

“Because we’re using the pods of the Ginyu Force. There’s a chance he can track us.”

There were gasps and murmurs that rose in volume all around and Bulma had to raise her voice to speak above them. “I expect that you would know that Vegeta knows that he’s being tracked as well. I would expect that you would want him in fighting condition, because I expect that you would know that he won’t kill you if he has to worry about Frieza.”

The Yardrats settled down, listening to her. Now was the time to sell. “We need a place to recuperate. We need a place to regroup and plan. We have a way to stop Frieza, once and for all. If Frieza can track us here, he’ll already know you’ve helped us. You’re already in danger.

“If you help Vegeta, he can fight and defeat Frieza. He won’t attack you after he’s healed because he needs a place to get ready to fight Frieza. He won’t attack you after Frieza is defeated because I won’t let him.”

They didn’t know her. They had no reason to trust her, but she hoped that sincerity would win out.

“I’m stronger than Vegeta. I won’t let him hurt you.”

She stifled a moan and was glad she had closed the hatch as every eye turned to Goku. He smiled at the Yardrats and they seemed to respond more to him than they had to her, of course.

There was more mumbling among them, and then the spokesperson stepped forward again, looking at Bulma. “We will need insurance.”

Bulma hesitated for a moment. “What kind of insurance?”

“We will decide what kind when we see the extent of his injuries. You need us…and we need you. That will be enough for now.”

She nodded slowly and turned to press the button again, leaning into the pod as the hatch opened. She hissed lowly at him as she undid the straps. “Behave yourself, idiot! We need them!”

He growled lowly at her, flashing teeth at her. She merely rolled her eyes, speaking in a normal tone of voice as the Yardrats came up to assist her. “Don’t get your hands near his mouth…. He bites.” She said the last two words with an emphasis and a glare.

He glared right back and then gave the same to the Yardrats. “They aren’t touching me!”

“I’ll carry him, Bulma.”

“No! Only the woman!”

The Yardrats backed away without any protest, but Goku looked a little confused. Bulma blinked at Vegeta. “Vegeta…I can’t—”

“Find a way!”

She gave him another strange look and then looked around, sighing. “I’m going to need tools. Something…to take the pods apart with….”

The Yardrats paused for a moment before the spokesperson nodded. “Yes, we have these.” He waved a hand and one of them scurried off.

While they did this, Bulma moved around the pod, feeling Vegeta’s eyes on her. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Finding a way. You’re already in a seat, so it only makes sense to convert it.’

There was silence for a moment. ‘What if we need the pods?’

‘We have the spaceship and two pods. Two people can fit uncomfortably in one pod. I didn’t want to do it because I didn’t know the extent of the damage.’

‘I’m paralyzed.’

‘Paralyzed refers to permanence. This is not permanent!’ She was standing in front of him again, so she saw him flinch at the last. ‘You’re worried about your wish.’

Silence answered her, but she knew she was right. ‘Goku says with training—’

‘Kakarott doesn’t know anything! You have no idea how strong he is!’

“Bulma, are you okay?”

She turned then, realizing they must look strange, just glaring at each other. “I’m fine, Goku. Just tired is all. We get Vegeta to the medical facilities here and then I’m taking a nice, long, hot bath!”

She turned and then stared at Vegeta with raised brows. ‘Are you blushing?’

‘Don’t be absurd!’

Opening her mouth, she was interrupted by the return of the Yardrats, who had indeed brought tools. She stared at the foreign objects and then shrugged mentally, setting to work as the others watched.

After a few fumbles with the unfamiliar tools and a couple harsh words that made Goku cover Gohan’s ears, Bulma had dismantled the pod. She stood up and stared at it for a moment before bending down to pick up the two pistons with which the door opened. She inspected them and then nodded, again moving to work.

Minutes later she had Vegeta’s chair mounted on the cylindrical pistons, other pieces of the pod acting as handles so Bulma could pull or push the seat. Bulma didn’t bother to answer the curious onlookers’ obvious questions, instead grabbing the handles and pushing Vegeta’s chair.

“If you could show us to some medical facilities...?”

Nodding and speaking to themselves in their language, the Yardrats led the way into the city that was just on the horizon. From the numerous glances they gave both her and Vegeta, she could only imagine what exactly they were talking about.

‘They don’t trust you…or me. They plan something, but they know I can understand them.’

‘Well you could’ve not revea—’

‘They already knew…. There is some speaking of a legend of some sort, but the majority is dismissing it, as most legends are dismissed….’ There was a pause. ‘You’re uninjured.’

Nodding, Bulma grunted as she shoved the chair over a small hump in the dirt. ‘Goku used the last of his senzu beans on me. He’d already used them on the Namekians.’

Vegeta got a sense that Bulma had argued with Kakarott over this bean. He couldn’t imagine why though.

Bulma leaned in toward Vegeta where he sat. ‘How are we able to do this…talking thing?’

‘I have no idea…. It might be…a side effect.’

‘But we don’t even know how it started….’

She watched Vegeta grimace. ‘I realize that, woman. You’re the genius here. You figure it out! I have other things to worry about!’

Giving a quiet sigh, Bulma rolled his eyes. ‘We both have other things to worry about. So…we’ll figure out this later.’

‘Couldn’t have said it better myself!’ NEXT