Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unfaithful ❯ Part Four: 37 ( Chapter 37 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

..................................U N F A I T H F U L ........................................................................... ........Rhapsody~* ________________________~*Part Five*~: Vengeance.....Valyn and Turles watched Vejita carefully as their ship landed right in the middle of the capital city. From the sounds of their landing, there was minimal damage done to the ship because of the tight space that they had descended into, but nothing more than that, thank Kami."I don't think that this is wise," Turles grumbled, so that Vejita would not hear. "Yamcha will have time to prepare for us now. He's probably slitting the girl's throat as we speak.""Don't ever say those words again," Valyn snapped. His mood had been dark ever since the news of their early departure, and the for good reason-- he was supposed to be behind the war planning here, and now he was being shoved to the back burner. "You're lucky that he can't hear us, you fool.""I don't care if he does hear us." Turles crossed his arms and did not sound in the least sincere, but Valyn knew better than to bruise his touchy Saiyan ego any more than necessary, so he was silent.Little did they know, Vejita had heard every word they said. Now that he was so close to killing Yamcha and getting Bulma back, he hardly cared what they said about him and his state of mind anymore. He kept his attention strictly on the view of the city streets from the control room window, tuning out the sounds of his men preparing to venture out.An enormous weight had been lifted off of his shoulders when Magdalene had told him that Bulma was conscious. Not that he would ever admit it, but he was glad that he had agreed to let she and her handmaiden go down there. Now that he knew her condition, he could put his attention on other things. Also, he wouldn't have to waste any time searching for her now. He made a mental note to only insult his mother lightly after this was all over. Call it his special form of gratitude.What had relieved him even more was hearing Bulma's voice protesting. He had been dreading the very real possibility that she would never recover from her traumatic experiences all along. She was far from being in the clear yet, because Kami knew that what he was going to do to Yamcha was damaging enough in itself. Unconsciously, he sighed, which caught the attention of the men around him-- King Vejita never sighed. When he recovered her from that rat bastard, he would immediately put her under the care of his royal physician, whether she protested or not. He would take any unnecessary risks where she was concerned; and that was about the only area of his life where he wouldn't. Meanwhile, he was going to find Yamcha, beat him into a pulp, and then torture him until the floor was pooled with his blood, and the man screamed for mercy that would never come..."Your Majesty," one of his general's voices interuppted. "We're ready to enter the city."Vejita shook off his murderous daydreams with difficulty and glared at the man who had interuppted them. "Don't you think I know that?! I can see the city right in fucking front of me, you idiot! Instead of wasting your time informing me of things that I already know, why don't you go and prepare your men like you're supposed to be doing!" His harsh, abrupt tone of voice startled all present, and suddenly everyone went about their tasks with renewed concentration.The unfortunate man bowed hastily, then scurried off to do his king's bidding. Vejita watched him leave, shaking his head. Other people's stupidity never failed to baffle him. The only person he wanted to hear from right now was Bardock and his useless son, who had failed to check in at their landing time. He had plans for them.As if on cue, Turles approached him. "Bardock and Kakkarott are here, Vejita-sama. They say that you requested their presence." He was careful of his words, Vejita noticed. That was good-- he wanted his displeasure with the two men to be well known, more for their humiliation than for his own needs."Bring them over."The two approached him cautiously, their identical dopey brown eyes watching his every move. Vejita could not help but roll his own black eyes-- he woud be a fool to waste his energy on killing them right now."Since I'm not one to waste words on trash such as yourselves," Vejita savored the resentful look on Bardock's face at his words. "I'll get straight to it. Bardock, you are in charge of keeping the human army away from the palace. I want Yamcha to be on his own. Kill anyone who dares to get close-- we'll take no prisoners. Kakkarott, you will fight alongside the rest of your kind, killing off anyone who approaches the palace. I've sent for Nappa and Radditz to help you-- they'll be arriving here shortly. I expect you, Bardock, to give up control of this assignment to them when they arrive.""Yes, Vejita-sama," Bardock consented. "But don't you think that we would be more useful--""No."Kakkarott attempted this time. "But father and I are so much more powerful when we're--""No!" Vejita exclaimed. "Kami-dammit, did you two orchestrate this new form of torture? Shut up and go do your jobs like good little servants!"The two reluctantly left. Turles and Valyn watched them go, with some disbelief. Vejita had just brushed aside some of his most powerful warriors like it was nothing. Not that any of them would have dared to say anything about it.Vejita stood, pushed his chair aside, and surveyed the dirty city streets before his window. All of the men in the room were silent, awaiting his orders. When he turned to them, his grimace was replaced with a devious, almost glowing smirk."Let's go give Magdalene her signal.".._________________________________________________________________ _______________________...Byron was sitting out on the street, just outside the dwelling of his group of rebels, when the explosions started. Startled, he jumped to his feet, immediately on the defensive. He had seen the ships begin to descend upon the city, but he hadn't been keeping a close eye on them-- he had been too occupied trying to calm his impossible (and unexpected) nerves. Somehow, he was having trouble trying to get the Saiyan Queen's words of warning out of his head. Would this king actually listen, or would he just kill him without Byron getting a word in edgewise?He did not have time to dwell on that thought, because the explosions started again, and flames that seemed impossibly high suddenly rose above the horizon. Judging from the familiar buildings in that direction, they were only a few minutes away. Byron stared at the flames for a moment more, wondering what on Earth was left in the abandoned city for them to destroy, then rushed towards the haven of his company."They're here!" he called through the doorway. Alarmed faces stared blankly back at him. "Prepare yourselves, and remember-- no backtalk, and for Kami's sake don't look too afraid of them!" Hurriedly, he pulled his head back out and rushed back to the street, where he had a clearer view of the destruction."What if they should prove hostile, sir?" a man asked as he stepped out onto the street, along with the majority of the group. "What would we do then?"Byron's stomach tightened at the thought, but he knew that these people were looking up to him, so he put on a good face. "Then we'll hide-- we'll use brains instead of brawn to escape them." He then shook his head, as if this was a completely ridiculous idea anyway. "I don't think that we'll have to worry about it, though. Those Saiyan women sent word back to their king about us. It'll be just fine."The man and the others looked only slightly reassured, but they stopped their questioning. Chattering amongst themselves, they gathered around Byron to stare in the direction of the explosions. They seemed to be getting closer-- and fast."They'll be here at any moment now!" Byron warned them all. "Get inside for the moment... I'll tell you when to come out."Alone on the street with his fears, Byron waited for them...____________________________________________________________________ ____________________...Vejita stepped off of the ship behind his men with an expression of disgust. Already he could tell that this was not going to be a planet that his people would be vacationing on. The air seemed stale and unclean, and there wasn't a tree or even a plant in sight. In his mind, plans for great industrial cities began to form. He could not act on them now, but he would make it a point to do so later. Earth could prove to be a great manufacturing planet, considering that the humans had depleted much of its valuable natural resources already.His men waited around for him to instruct them, which he gladly did. "You know the rules-- no prisoners, and remember to look out for a particular group of humans. They should be grouped together somewhere. You're going to have to give the people you encounter a chance to speak before you kill them-- this group is going to claim to want to help us. If you find them, don't hurt them too badly and report to me. Besides that..." He trailed off with a lopsided grin. "Have fun."The Saiyans began their tirade through the city streets with enthusiasm, laughing as they went. They randomly destroyed houses and ransacked what they could, but there were no people to be found. As for Vejita, he didn't participate-- he was saving his energy and anger for Yamcha. Vejita found himself feeling disappointed that at least his men weren't getting an outlet for their own frustrations. However, a glance behind him revealed a scorched path and crumbling remnants of buildings; perhaps they were enjoying themselves after all.A scream cut through the dull roar that his men were making. Vejita glanced in that general direction with little interest. The men were in the process of killing a man who was little more than skin and bones. Slim pickings, he thought to himself dryly. There wasn't even enough flesh on the man to initiate torture.They continued on like this for several minutes, and Vejita's thoughts began to wander away from the destruction and towards Bulma again, who was getting ever closer. He was getting nothing from her, so he guessed that she wasn't experiencing any overwhelming emotion. This was when he remembered something."You!" he called out to a man who was burning something close by. The man froze and waited for his orders. "Do you see that building over there?" He gestured to the largest one nearby, a clay building that looked to be around ten stories high. The man nodded. "Destroy it, and create as much noise as you can."The ensuing explosion seemed to rock the city, and an enormous cloud of dust rose into the sky, as well as smoke and flames. Vejita smirked in satisfaction and picked up his communicator."Was that a clear enough signal for you?" he smugly asked of Magdalene."What are you doing out there?" she demanded in reply. "I suggest that you stop playing around so that we can get this whole ordeal over with! I can't understand why you don't just--"Vejita shut off the device, sick of the sound of his mother's condescending voice. Who was the ruler around here anyway? Certainly not her anymore, he mused with a chuckle. He thought of how hard it was going to be to honor his promise and give up the throne when this was all over. He couldn't even picture himself doing such a thing! Besides, Magdalene was getting up in years anyway, and it wasn't like her influence would be diminished too much. It was past time for fresh leadership, in Vejita's opinion. Vejitasei had been sitting idle for far too long. Vaguely he remembered the days when his tryant father had ruled, and the soldiers were always busy increasing the empire. Even though his father had been a terrible man and cruel leader, he had known what was best for the Saiyans, and look where they were now!Kakkarott then came running back to Vejita, pushing through the crowd of soldiers, his face lit up with excitement. "We found them, Vejita-sama!" he called. "We found those humans!"Vejita grimaced at Kakkarott's zeal and nodded. "How many?""Uhh," Kakkarott said. "I didn't exactly count them all...""No, dumbass, how many would you estimate are there?" "Thirty or forty," he replied. "They're over here."The men parted for Vejita, and soon he was led to where the humans were. Bardock was talking to a young man who appeared to be the leader (and also very intimidated, by the way), while a few other men kept the rest of the trembling group inside a building nearby. Everyone stopped chattering when Vejita approached them."What's going on here?" Vejita demanded in the human language, crossing his arms.Byron let the other Saiyan answer. He could not keep his eyes off of the Saiyan King who had just approached them. He took in the man's solid build, strong arms, and darkly handsome features and could see why Bulma had been attracted to him. A pang of jealously overwhelmed him for a moment. The Saiyan King spoke in an (over)confident, though accented, voice, and an aura of power seemed to radiate off of him. Even his men were terrified of him. Byron's hopes disipated with the knowledge that he would never be able to compete with this armored Saiyan. In his mind, he knew that he could never get her back, but in his heart he refused to believe it."Why would you want to help me take over your own planet, human?" Vejita asked of him. Byron got the impression that this man could sqaush him like an insect, and also that he was only humoring him with these questions. "Are you some kind of traitor?"Byron wanted to sink down into the ground, but he forced himself to at least keep his gaze locked on Vejita's face-- he could not meet his eyes for more than a second. "Yamcha's the traitor. Only a traitor would kill his own father to get the throne, and only an asshole would treat his queen that way.""She's not his anything anymore," Vejita retorted with a smirk, leading Byron to suspiciously wonder just how far his relationship with his ex-girlfriend had gone. How many times had he bedded her, exactly?Byron's hopes took a beating once again. Hearing about Bulma's affair with this man was one thing, but hearing it straight from one of the participants was quite another. He swallowed hard. "Nonetheless, we just want to aid you in whatever way we can. It would be better for you to rule us than for men like Yamcha to.""How could you possibly be of any help to me?" Vejita asked incredulously. A smirk of amusement tugged at the corners of his lips, despite the seriousness of the issue. "You could be crushed by even the weakest of our women, human.""We know our way around the city and the palace, and besides that," Byron said. "I was a noblemen and an active member of the court before Yamcha banished me. I know him better than most anyone else here."Bardock spoke up from beside Vejita cautiously. "He's right, Vejita-sama. He and his followers could help us. They might even know where Yamcha's army is camping. We could attack them before they even get a chance to come after us."Vejita growled at Bardock for speaking, but appeared to be at least considering his words reluctantly. "Fine. You'll follow my men. Don't get in their way, and don't open your mouth, or else I can't promise that you won't be harmed. When we get to the palace, you will come with me, but the others are on their own, got it?" He didn't even wait for Byron's response. "Good. You'd better walk fast, or else you'll be left behind."Vejita turned away and he and his men continued towards the palace. Byron made a point of sticking close behind Vejita, and his followers filed out of the building timidly to fall in step beside the Saiyan warriors. "We've picked up a bunch of worthless tagalongs," Vejita suddenly hissed into a thing that Byron took to be some kind of communication device. "I assume that they're the group you mentioned."The unmistakeable voice of the Saiyan Queen that Byron had met earlier replied, "I'm somewhat shocked that you didn't kill them. Where are you now?""A few minutes away," Vejita said. "Is she still conscious?""For the most part," Magdalene replied. Byron listened intently, for they must have been talking about Bulma. "She's fading in and out. I told you before, she needs treatment for those cuts, not to mention for the emotional trauma." She paused uncertainly for a moment. "It might take a while for her to be like her old self again.""Her old self!" Byron exclaimed, not knowing what he was doing. "She hasn't been her old self in a decade at least!"Vejita whirled around to glare at him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he snapped. "You eavesdropping piece of shit!" He motioned to a soldier nearby. "You, make sure that the human stays out of hearing distance! If he struggles, kill him."Byron let the other Saiyan manhandle him further away from Vejita, his face devoid of all color. He had made a grave mistake. If Vejita found out that he had been previously involved with Bulma, there could be trouble. He imagined briefly the kinds of torture he might be exposed to, and shuddered. The man guarding him growled, and Byron was still."Do you have any idea where Yamcha is now?" Vejita asked, once Byron was safely out of earshot. He didn't quite know what it was, but something about that human made him extremely angry. "No. He hasn't shown his face since we got here. Perhaps he's waiting for you."Vejita scowled and glanced over his shoulder at Byron, who adopted the look of a deer caught in headlights. "You can be assured that we'll make it there in haste. I don't want to deal with this pissant for any longer than I have to.""By whatever means necessary," Magdalene replied. Vejita shut off the communicator and pressed on, his black eyes fixed on the palace. It wouldn't be long now. The memory of Bulma's musical voice, light touch, and perhaps most of all her enthralling face, drove him to move faster. It was a rare occasion that the Saiyan King didn't get what he wanted when he wanted it, and this drove him to achieve his goal more efficiently.Behind him, Byron was dragged along at what seemed to him to be a ridiculous pace by the Saiyan guard. He fought the urge to struggle. He and his people were being treated like prisoners, not allies, and that was a blow to his noble ego, fragile as it was nowadays. The men around him guffawed and joked with each other as they destroyed the city, seemingly uncaring about whether anyone was inside or not. Behind where Byron was being led, he could hear some of the foreign warriors mildly terrorizing his people, and he felt resentment boiling up inside of him."You-- boy." Vejita turned to him, speaking the condescending tones that one would use with a child. "We're entering right through the front door. Are there any problems with that?" He was asking in sarcasm, not seriousness, and Byron could clearly see that he saw hardly any benefit in taking them along. He was merely doing it for his mother's favor-- or possibly Bulma's."No, not at all," Byron responded, secretly hoping deep inside that the fearless man would be ambushed at the doors. "I feel so much better after hearing your expert opinion on the matter," the king assured him mockingly. The men around them chuckled, and the evil sound made the hair on the back of Byron's neck rise. "I'll be asking for your advice about battle tactics soon, so be ready."Byron looked down at his feet to shut out the men's laughter. Before this, he had thought himself rather thick-hided, but coming from the Saiyans, every insult seemed to be steeped in especially poisonous venom. As his eyes came to rest on the back of Vejita's proud head, he knew that he would hate him and his kind forever, no matter what Bulma might say....____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________