Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Wish For The Past ❯ Departure ( Chapter 19 )

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

I've had more than one person ask if the power that Goten used to kill Cold was the power of SSJ2. *smiles enigmatically* I'm not going to answer. Rather, I think I'll leave that up to the reader's imagination. Perhaps someday I'll reveal the truth of what happened during that fight, but for now it will remain one of the unexplained mysteries of this story. ^_^

Disclaimer: *crickets chirp*

Trunks: Umm... where's Brenda?

Gohan: Er... last I saw, she was pounding Mr. Satan into the dirt. *grins, inwardly delighted* Guess she just forgot that it was time for the disclaimer.

Trunks: *smirks as he pictures that* Sooo... I guess that means we need to do the disclaimer for her, huh?

Gohan: Yup. *faces audience* Brenda doesn't own DBZ. If you sue her, you'll have to deal with me!

Trunks: *glowers at anyone who might sue Brenda* And me!

Gohan: Now that the disclaimer is over, do you think maybe Brenda will let us help her? *grins*

Trunks: Only one way to find out! *smirks*

Bardock smiled as he watched the wounds on Goten's small body vanish as if they had never been. There was still blood all over him, and his clothes were torn beyond repair, but his grandson was once again whole. He lifted a hand and plucked a leaf from Goten's hair, brushing a stubborn lock of hair away from his eyes as he fondly recalled the past few days. What have you done to me, Goten? he silently wondered. Before you came, I was half mad with grief and filled with the need for revenge for my team. I don't think I really knew love until I met you, at least not this kind of love. The only love I'd known before you was what I felt for Sereri. Now that I've met you, I can tell that what Sereri and I felt for each other was only one kind of love. Having this new kind of love makes me realize how empty my life has been up until now. You've changed me, Goten. And I think it's for the better.

As the senzu bean finished its work, Goten opened his eyes, completely healed. Confusion played across his face as he looked up at Bardock. "Am... I dead?" he asked, puzzlement in his voice.

Laughing with genuine amusement, Bardock shook his head. "Ie, Goten. You're not dead. Why would you think that?"

Relief and joy slowly crept over the boy's face at this revelation. "I thought I killed you, grandpa. And Trunks and Vegeta. When I was fighting with Cold. So I thought that if I could see you, and you were dead, then I must be dead too." He became thoughtful as he thought about this. "I'm glad I was wrong." He smiled suddenly and hugged Bardock fiercely, who returned the hug with equal enthusiasm.

Bardock chuckled. "No, you didn't kill us. Trunks became a Super Saiyan and pulled us out of the way of your attack. Which reminds me..." he trailed off, giving his grandson a look of mock-sternness.

"Yes, grandpa?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were a Super Saiyan?"

Scratching his head with one hand, Goten gave Bardock a sheepish look. "Well, we can all go Super. My dad, my brother, Vegeta-san, Trunks. I guess it kinda slipped my mind. It just seems natural."

Bardock blinked owlishly at his grandson. "My son and my other grandson can both become Super Saiyans, too?" Goten nodded. The warrior set the boy down and stood up, a stunned look on his face. "Kuso, this is gonna take some getting used to." He shook his head ruefully and gestured to his left. Goten shifted his attention to the direction his grandfather was indicating. The ship that Trunks had brought with him that they had been about to use before Cold had shown up gleamed in the morning sunlight. "Trunks and Vegeta are inside, checking to make sure everything is in order. We were just waiting for the senzu bean to finish healing you before we took off, which hasn't been that long, actually. Those things really work fast!"

As they ascended into the ship through the open hatch, Goten's small hand sought out his grandfather's larger, calloused hand and clasped it tightly. Again, he had nearly lost his newfound family, bringing him once again to the realization of just how important Bardock had become to him. As they silently walked to the pilot's room, Goten determined that he would do everything in his power to make sure that he would not lose his grandfather. Ever.

"You know, the government on Vegeta-sei probably won't let you leave the planet," Vegeta informed Trunks. "Once they realize you are attempting to escape, they will no doubt move to stop you."

The purple haired boy looked up from the console he was bending over. "I figured as much. That's where you come in, Vegeta. I can call them and tell them that I have you prisoner and that if they don't leave us alone I'll kill you. Or you could go back to your palace, take charge, and order them not to bother us. Then you wouldn't have to come with us." He hunched back over the console, typing in the coordinates of the planet Namek. They had agreed that, since Namek was closer to Vegeta-sei than Earth was, that would be where they would go to gather the dragonballs.

Looking thoughtful, the young prince stared off into space for a moment as he contemplated these options. "I do not wish to become King just yet." He looked at his future son with eyes that were almost pleading. "I wish to go out and do things, to explore and have fun! If I become King, I will not have the luxury of being able to be myself. If..." he paused, forcing himself to swallow his pride, "if it is all right with you, I would like to come with you, to have one last adventure." Bardock and Goten had entered the room in time to hear this last bit. The three exchanged glances, then nodded slightly in unspoken agreement.

"We'd love to have you with us," Trunks grinned. He became sober again as he added, "But we still need to figure out how to get off this planet without having half the army on our tails."

"If I order them from here not to follow us, they might think that I was merely trying to make up an excuse to go off on an adventure. They would send someone after us to bring me back," Vegeta mused. "Perhaps your plan of claiming me as a hostage is the best one. Bardock would have to be the captor, of course, as no one would ever believe that two children were capable of holding me, the Saiya-jin no Ouji, prisoner against my will." Bardock grinned at the irony of this statement.

Working together, the trio of 'criminals' and the 'captive' prince hammered out the details of a plan.

With their plans made and their destination set, the four Saiya-jin prepared to take off. Bardock keyed in the frequency to call the planetary government. "Well, let's get this "show" started," he murmured as he pressed the "Talk" button, bringing the screen to life. A fierce looking man who looked like he would be more at home on a battlefield rather than behind a communications console appeared, scowling at the person who dared call him.

"Vegeta-sei Government." The man sounded like he desperately wanted to blow something up and would take any excuse to do so.

"Ossu!" Bardock said cheerily. "I just wanted to tell you guys that I have Prince Vegeta hostage and if you don't let my ship get off planet, I'll kill him!" He waved at the flabbergasted official, grinning broadly. To Trunks and Goten, he had never looked and sounded more like Goku. It was very hard not to giggle at the scene.

"N-nani?!" The warrior-official glared daggers at Bardock. "Who are you? Why should we believe you?"

A thoughtful look appeared on Bardock's face. He tilted his head to one side, placing a finger on his chin. "Well, I won't tell you who I am, but I will prove that Vegeta's my hostage!" Saying this, he stepped aside and pulled a bound and gagged chibi Vegeta in front of the screen. The ten year old prince gave his captor a look of pure venom as he struggled with his ki-absorbing bonds. Behind him, Bardock grinned impishly and lifted Vegeta out of the way. "See? Now, all I want is to get off this planet without being stopped by a Patrol Force. I'll leave his Royal Highness somewhere with a communicator and he can get in touch with you. Deal?"

Glowering angrily, the official turned away from the screen to address someone they could not see. Apparently the sound had been toggled because, while they could see the Saiyan's lips moving, they could not hear a word that was said. This went on for several minutes until someone replaced the official. Joy. Yet another ticked off veteran of war.

"How do we know that you will keep your word?" the new official asked suspiciously.

"You don't," Bardock chirped. He was feeling particularly cheerful right now. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he had just been given the chance to thumb his nose at the damned government. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he didn't expect to ever see his homeworld again. Whatever the reason, he felt like leaving with a huge, goofy smile and a cheeky wave of his hand. And maybe an inappropriate gesture while the kids weren't looking. "But you don't exactly have much choice, do you?"

Silence reigned for several long moments. Finally, "Fine. You have permission to leave the atmosphere."

"And if I see any ships leave the docks, Vegeta-ouji gets a one-way ticket to the next dimension," Bardock added, suddenly serious.

"Fine," the official growled. "None of our ships will leave the planet or any docking bays."

Making sure the chibis in the room couldn't see, Bardock cheerfully gave the official an obscene gesture, then switched the transmission off. "Well, looks like we're on our way!" Still in a good mood, he walked over to Vegeta and undid his bonds.

The nameless government official glared at the blank screen. Glancing at the display that showed the progress of the criminal ship's departure, he suddenly noticed that there was another blip. An incoming ship. He smirked. They had promised to allow them to leave the planet, and not to let any ships leave the docking bays, but they had not said anything about ships that were already in flight. It wasn't as if they could control the destination any ship that just happened to come into the system...

A short time ago...

He could only stare in wonder at the second sun that was glowing down on the planet's surface, visible even from this distance. He had tried to get a reading on the odd energy source, but the circuitry of the ki detection device had blown as soon as he had targeted the power. What could be so powerful that it was able to overload a ship's scouter? And what was it doing on Vegeta-sei? He was almost certain that it had something to do with the ominous feelings he'd been getting. As soon as the light winked out, the sense of dread also disappeared, leaving behind a mystery in its wake.

What have you gotten yourself into now, father? he pondered silently as he checked the clock on his console. Only an hour before he landed on the planet. Then he would be able to find some answers. Settling himself back for the wait, he tried to take a nap to pass the time.

The fifteen year old Saiyan must have succeeded in dozing off, because the next thing he knew, he was receiving a transmission from the Vegeta-sei Government. He frowned as he flipped the switch that would enable him to hear the speaker on the other end. Why would the Vegeta-sei Government want to talk to me? he asked himself in bewilderment.

"This is Radditz."

"Radditz, this is the Vegeta-sei Government," a gravelly voice replied. "You are hereby ordered to pursue the ship exiting the atmosphere on vector 273-31-016. Prince Vegeta has been taken hostage by those on board the vessel. You are to proceed with caution, as the kidnappers have threatened to kill him should they be aggressively pursued. You are to follow them at a discreet distance, observe where they go, and rescue the prince should the opportunity arise. Vegeta-sei Government out." The transmission ended abruptly before the Saiyan boy even had a chance to ask any questions.

The Prince has been kidnapped? Who could be powerful enough to hold Prince Vegeta hostage? Very few people have that kind of strength, and most of them are loyal to the empire. Frowning, Radditz thought back to the odd light and the power reading - or the effect trying to read its power had on the scouter - he had witnessed only half an hour ago. On a hunch, he checked the coordinates where the light had appeared and compared them to the extrapolated launch coordinates of the ship escaping on vector 273-31-016.

They were the same.

What does this mean, though? he wondered. The ship holding the Prince came from the same place as the ki. That ki, I feel, has something to do with the premonitions, or whatever they are, that I've been getting about my father. What do I do? Do I pursue this criminals that hold my prince hostage and who might have something to do with my father? Or do I disobey my orders and land on the planet to search for Bardock? He weighed the choices before him carefully. My father may need my help if he was anywhere near that ki, but my prince definitelyneeds help.

Sighing, he reached out and began altering his flight vector to match that of the fleeing ship. Duty to his prince outweighed duty to his father. Besides, he had no way to know for certain that Bardock was in trouble. The troubling feelings has disappeared again and he didn't know when or if they would return at all. His father would just have to take care of himself for now. He had been doing that for many years without Radditz. Radditz figured Bardock could keep doing so for a little while longer while he took off after the prince and his captors.

The adolescent boy groaned as he checked the star charts to see where they were going. There was nothing polluted anywhere along the route for several hours of travel. It looked like he was going to be stuck in his ship for a long time to come. Great. Just great.

He pondered on whether or not it would be worth it to engage the sleeping gas, but decided against it. After all, he never knew if his quarry would change directions in mid-flight. Since they were escaping criminals, he suspected that they probably would change course at least once. It looked like he was going to have a long, boring, and sleepless flight.

Bardock's character came off a little... weird... in the kidnapping scene. Oh well. It's getting late and I don't feel like going over it again. ^_^

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