Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ What You Got ❯ Opinionated, elevated... ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 10: Opinionated, elevated... -

Vejita felt as if he was swimming. Whatever circled him, it wasn't air. His body felt tight, skin as if it was being pulled right of his bones, and yet there was no pain, no feelings at all except the rage and sadness within his heart.

A few feet away, in the murky black water, the Prophetess seemed to float. Her tail looped carelessly behind her in designs that left white trails. Her dark eyes were closed, and her hair seemed to merely float around her. The spikes weren't well defined because of the way there were spread out, like a black light around her, but the locks blended into the background. Her eyes were closed in meditation, and her hands were outstretched as if she was an angel floating down from the heavens - but the heavens were black. What kind of angel was she if she came from the heavens of darkness?

"Does thou understand yet, Vejita?" she whispered with opening her eyes.

"Where am I?" he whispered.

"The darkness of thy mind. It's not important. Does thou understand?"

"What's there to understand? I understand the past."

"Vejita," she sighed softly. Her hands dropped from her side as if she'd just landed. The furry appendage of her tail fell down to her knees, swaying back and forth. Vejita was reminded of the twins that had guided him through that dark hallway, mocking him. He wanted to ask her who the children were, and he knew she would know, but he also knew she would not answer. "The past is not the question."

"How can I know the answer to a question when I don't know the question?"

"Thou know the question."

Vejita remained silent as he stared at her. Through all of this, her eyes remained closed, and as Vejita slowly watched the lids flutter open, he knew why. When the whiteness of her black-less eyes became visible, a rush of voices overwhelmed Vejita, causing his head to throb. He fell to his knees, clutching his ears. The words made no sense. Somewhere within, he heard the sound of his father's voice. A strong man stands above and conquers all. He heard Frieza's laughter. Weak monkey. He saw Zarbon's fist. He saw Gokou's ki blast heading towards him. He heard the screams of all his victims as the begged for mercy and stepped into the Devil's embrace. Then just as sharply as they had appeared, the voices vanished. On his hands and knees in the world of blackness, Vejita looked up to the Prophetess as he gasped for breath. Her eyes were again closed. "What the hell was that?"

"I inhabit thy mind, Vejita. It's how you are here. I brought thy soul into my body, and with my powers I sent thee here. Thou will not loose thy mind when thee returns. Thou have not left. When my eyes open, the connection between our minds links, and everything that thou has heard or seen becomes known to me, and overwhelms us both. It is not important. If thou must learn the question to learn the answer, then tell me what the question is."

"You aren't making any sense, Prophetess! I want to return! Not to that alternate world, to my world, where my son and daughter and wife are! I want to go their now and I want this to all be over…" Vejita roared out as her eyes fluttered opened again. It was like being beaten from within. He saw his mother's beautiful face as she died giving birth to his younger brother. He saw Frieza's laughing face as the demon struck him dead on Namek. He saw Nappa's angry and shocked features. His father's voice seemed to overwhelm everything - family, loyalties… just for the weak. Frieza's dark black eyes loomed over him as the demon stripped him of everything, pride, life, and virginity. Pain finally was felt, and thousands of beatings he'd received in battle and during training caused him to fall to the ground, onto his back, tail curling around his waist protectively, as if the action could prevent the suffering.

Again, just as quickly as it had come, it stopped. Vejita moaned out. He felt as if he'd gotten drunk and was awakening after a beating from both Frieza and Gokou. "What do you want me to say?" he snarled. His hands clawed into the nonexistent floor beneath it. It fell like a mix of oil and rubber, and his hands curled in the sticky substance that had no matter at all. "You want me to tell you that I hated my father that night? You want me to tell you that my father is a selfish and stupid bastard?"

"I don't want thee to tell me anything, Vejita. I want thee to tell thyself."

Vejita barely heard her voice above the pounding in his head. "I can't tell you that I hated him, damn it! He was my father! I respected him! I feared him! I didn't love him, or hate him! He was the Saiyajin no Ou, the only man more stronger and powerful than me, and one day I was destined to kill him!"

"Just as thee was destined to kill Frieza - the strong man that depended on nothing and no one?" the Prophetess responded. Her eyes briefly opened, and Frieza's grinning face flashed in his mind. Vejita snarled and jumped to his feet, black hair stiffening as a blinding blue aura circled him. He roared as if Hell had come for him and he was challenging Satan himself to a battle, and he knew that he could, somehow, win. "NO!" he cried out. His hands were trembling, and the pounding seemed to double, triple. "HE LIED! Damn it all to Hell! He lied to me!" With that scream, unbeknownst to Vejita, the blue shades transformed to gold. The black stiff locks faded, brightening, and the halo that he had believed had circled the Prophetess now circled him.

The Prophetess nodded, a faint smile on her face. "Vejita Ou was a wise man, to a limit. He was blinded in childhood as thee were blinded."

In silence, Vejita stared at his hands. "I don't… I don't understand…"

"But thou does, Vejita. Thou understands much."

"What was the question?"

The blackness around him seemed to fade, and the world of Frieza's planet returned. Raditzu was holding him fearfully as Nappa shrieked into the scouter over his eye. Vejita rose to his knees, shoving Raditzu away as he gasped for breath. The golden aura of Super Saiyajin appeared again, and silence overwhelmed the world around them.

"Release me this instant!" came a shriek from behind. Vejita spun, seeing the Prophetess rip her arms from a blue alien. The creature, shocked with Vejita's transformation, did as commanded and stumbled back, nearly trembling with fear.

"Ouji-sama?" Nappa whispered, stepping forward. Vejita ignored him, and instead stepped before the smiling Saiyajin. "What was the question?" he demanded, hands stiffening at his side as his tail frizzed with the rage.

"Why can only strong men stand above and conquer all?" she whispered with a dark gleam in her eyes. Vejita stared at her in silence, overwhelmed with rage and confusion. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Think of it, Vejita," she said giddily, like a small child, her canines showing beneath her full pink lips. "Think of Kakarrotto - weak man, dependant on those he loved. Had he truly believed Raditzu would have been able to kill Gohan, one hundred humans would have died that day when that Saiyajin had arrived. Kakarrotto was dependant, but mostly a weak man. Time brought strength, and what fueled that strength? Family and loyalties - the things thou were told MADE weakness. Thou knows the truth. Family gave thou strength as well. It's what fuels the energy that circles thou - thy love, and thy desire to return." Her eyes turned to the Saiyajin senshi that stood behind them, watching and nearly trembling. "I think thy boys need thee. Better go, Densetsu no Super Saiyajin."

Vejita couldn't help but smile.

~*~

"Raditzu has returned, Kakarrotto."

"You've never called me your son," Kakarrotto muttered from above the sky. The blue alien that he spared with was on the verge of death, beaten and weary, and yet seemed to have Saiyajin pride within him. The alien, despite the fact that he was dying, refused to give up and admit defeat. It was interesting, and extremely amusing. He didn't pause from his task at destroying the weak blue creature, while beneath him Bardock spoke in a somber tone.

The month that had passed slowly by had been nothing less than awkward without Vejita or Raditzu there to ease the tension. Bardock and Kakarrotto had only encountered each other once, and a fight that had caused the planet to tremble had occurred. Bardock had spent a good week in the rejuvenation chamber, and Kakarrotto had been punished in an extremely horrible way courtesy of Zarbon for nearly destroying Frieza's most favorite planet. Because of their actions, both were stronger, and the outcome of the previous fight may have no longer been the result of a battle if they were to fight now. Still, their suffering was vivid in their mind, and neither was eager to act out a repeat just yet.

"I thought you'd be excited."

"You thought wrong."

Betrayal had been haunting Kakarrotto for all four long weeks that his mate had been away. Vejita hadn't said a word about what he'd done, which had only caused him to feel guiltier. They both knew that Kakarrotto had slept with Raditzu. There wasn't a way in the known world that Vejita couldn't know. If he had slept through their mental disconnected bond, then he should have at least smelt it when they had confronted, but after that night Vejita had only glanced at him, muttered about the assignment, and left with Raditzu and Nappa. Truthfully, Kakarrotto was surprised and amazed that Raditzu was still alive, but that was more than likely only because there were so few Saiyajins left. Vejita wasn't willing to loose any more than he had to, especially when they were all becoming so strong so quickly.

Kakarrotto honestly didn't care if Raditzu had survived or not. He would be grateful if Vejita had killed his brother, that way their bond could be restored and this guilt wouldn't be overwhelming him… it wasn't just guilt, though - it was fear. Vejita had been given a month to consider a possible punishment. He might have considered killing Kakarrotto.

When it came down to his brother or him, Kakarrotto would choose himself.

He threw a final ki blast to the alien, and it exploded on contact, killing the creature. It fell to the floor with a sickening thud of broken bones and dead skin. Hovering above the training room floors, Kakarrotto looked down to his father. Bardock hadn't changed much. A small white scar tainted his forehead from their battle. In a month or two, it would probably fade. He silently wondered where that other scar had come from. He'd never bothered to ask.

"Are you going to even greet him?"

"Not planning to," Kakarrotto retorted with a frown. Why wouldn't he leave already? He felt a growl threatening to escape from his throat. His tail lashed wildly behind him, betraying his control.

"Vejita will be enraged," Bardock sighed.

That caused Kakarrotto to pause. Vejita would be coming with Bardock, and he would be expecting his MATE there to greet him. Maybe he had just known that their brotherly bond needed to be replaced, and had allowed the small slip in his control, knowing his conscious would eat away at him. More than likely, he'd taken the assignment just to punish Kakarrotto! It was just as logical as any other explanation that had appeared in the Saiyajin's head in the last twenty-eight days, although it was very uncharacteristic of the Saiyajin no Ouji to choose such a punishment. "Fine, when will they be arriving?"

"An hour," Bardock responded with a faint smile.

"Fine." Kakarrotto turned to continue his training, but realized that his father was still not leaving. "What is it now?"

"I can't watch my son train?" Bardock said, mocking vividly apparent in his voice. This was insane! Kakarrotto's fists balled at his side as he glared down to the wild-haired man. "Not as far as I am concerned."

"You are one cocky bastard, Kakarrotto. Have you always been like this?"

He paused with a snarl, but somewhere inside something screamed "No!". He forced the voice down, along with the visions that accompanied it. They were extremely flamboyant, and as far as Kakarrotto was concerned fictionalized. He had heard of the Prophetess's powers, and was quite certain that they were because of her, but he was never able to approach her to question her about it. "You're my father. You should know those things," he retorted instead, dropping from the sky like a rock thrown from the moon. He landed on the pale white floors with a thud, barely bending his knees. His arms folded around his chest as he glared at Bardock.

"Why don't we spare, boy?"

"I'm no child."

"You act like one." A smirk crossed Bardock's face as Kakarrotto glared at him. "Come on," Bardock continued with a chuckle as he fell in a defensive position. "Work out all this aggression. What do you say? A fair spar, no death or permanent injuries, just until Vejita and Raditzu arrive?"

"Don't speak of the Saiyajin no Ouji in such a disrespectful manner," Kakarrotto growled.

"I used to watch that boy as a child! He'll always be wild and disobedient Vejita."

The comment wasn't just a piece of information offered to Kakarrotto, but a brutal taunt, daring the boy to attack. It worked. With a snarl, Kakarrotto lunged towards his father, swinging madly. Bardock was quick on the defensive, now familiar with his boy's strategies, powers, and techniques. He laughed aloud as he quickly gained the advantage and sent his son on the defensive. The fight quickly turned brutal, with fists swinging with the lust to break bones and blasts exchanged in hope of a quick and shame-causing defeat. Neither seemed to work, and the two found themselves almost equal. The two couldn't help the proud and excited grins that crossed over their faces, knowing they were family, and they were powerful. The thought of defeating Frieza finally flashed in their minds. It was only a matter of time, and within that time all that mattered was to stay alive.

"You're damn good, Kakarrotto," Bardock said with a grin as he stumbled back, wiping the blood from his lips. Kakarrotto took the moment to brush away the sweat that coated his forehead. "Not to bad yourself."

In that brief instant, Bardock lunged, sending Kakarrotto against the wall. His face loomed into Kakarrotto's as the held his son against the hard white wall. "Not good enough, boy," he chuckled darkly as his lips descended. Kakarrotto snarled out, enraged and afraid of what Vejita's reaction would be. He'd betrayed his mate once, but he couldn't allow it to happen again! The thought also occurred of what would happen to Bardock if this happened. His father would die at Vejita's hands! "No!"

Bardock growled out, grabbing his son's neck. "You've been defeated, Kakarrotto!"

"Vejita-sei doesn't exist any more! Accept it, damn it!"

"The Saiyajin traditions live on within us!"

"Fuck off!" he screamed out, blue light exploding from with him, sending Bardock soaring backwards. Kakarrotto slumped, gasping for breath. Bardock struggled to his feet, hair moving slightly from the aura that pulsed around him. "Be glad I'll spare your life."

Kakarrotto snorted. "Spare my life, right. You wouldn't dare. Vejita would avenge me faster than you could possibly blink."

Bardock growled angrily, and for a brief moment Kakarrotto feared his father would attack again, but Bardock managed to swallow his pride, stand, and walk out of the training room. Kakarrotto slid against the wall, down to the floor, and sighed heavily as he swallowed. He had wanted that…

~*~



TBC




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