Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/6019921. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage Category: M/M, Multi Fandom: Dragon_Ball, Dragonball_Z, DBZ_-_Fandom Relationship: Raditz/Vegeta, Raditz/Original_Character(s) Character: Raditz, Nappa, Vegeta, Freeza_|_Frieza, Original_Characters, Bardock, Toma_|_Tora, King_Vegeta, Zarbon, Dodoria Additional Tags: POV_First_Person, POV_Alternating, Child_Abuse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alien_Culture, Death, Torture, Violence, Male_Pregnancy, divine intervention, Threats_of_Rape/Non-Con, Alternate_Universe_-_Canon Divergence Series: Part 2 of The_Trilogy Stats: Published: 2016-02-15 Chapters: 16/16 Words: 37301 ****** Dwindle to a Handful ****** by bulma90_13 Summary **Written in 2007** “Spend most of your life ruled by another. Watch your race dwindle to a handful. And then, tell me, what has more meaning than your own strength?” Sequel to Bardock's Tale. Notes Warning: This story was originally posted in 2008. I was obviously not as developed as a human being or a writer, so be gentle. Adultfanfiction.net used to host my stories, as well as all my lovely reviews, but somehow over the years and change of ownership, they DELETED (without telling me) 2 out of 3 of my fics, so I'm hosting them all here forevermore. I'm reposting it here without editing it. HEED THE TAGS, this fic can get dark. ***** Part I - Raditz ***** I knew from the beginning that I was special. Even before I was presented to the king. I was an Elite. So what if I didn’t know who my fathers were? Was that really important when it came to being strong? Hell no. But that didn’t stop people from calling me a bastard child. Oh well, it made me stronger. I am an Elite-Classed Saiyan warrior, Raditz, son of… Okay, so growing up without a “son of so and so” behind my name was tough. Oh well, I got over it. I’m assuming you’ve read my father’s memoir, “Bardock’s Tale.” Then I’m also assuming you want to hear the rest of the story, right? How I grew up in the palace and met my father? How I survived the explosion of Planet Vegeta and later found my adult brother? All right then… As a young boy, I was the favorite. The top of my class. The top of everybody’s class. Teacher’s pet, whatever you want to call me. That was why King Vegeta noticed me in the beginning. When he learned that I didn’t know who my fathers were, he sort of adopted me (unofficially, of course). And after that, my childhood was pretty typical of a young Saiyan Elite: morning lectures with my classmates, lunch in the mess hall with the adult Elites, ambassadorial shadowing, and a rigorous training schedule with the king’s personal bodyguard, Nappa. Supposedly, he was the second-strongest on the planet, next to the king. For the next few decades, my life went relatively the same. I graduated from being a student to a full-fledged Elite and took my place on the king’s personal council. In the year of my 31st birthday, the Plague began. Frieza began his unreasonable demands on our warriors and, for some unexplainable reason, our child-bearing Fertile Saiyans suddenly became sterile, and the entire planet dried up. It was a dark age. King Vegeta had borrowed considerable amounts of money from “Lord” Frieza several years back to pay for lab equipment upgrades and better armor and other forms of technology. In exchange, Frieza demanded that the king send a few warriors as mercenaries to do his bidding for several years. By the time the Plague struck, his demands were so large that our entire population of Infertile Saiyans (otherwise known as the fighting Saiyans) was half of what it used to be. If that wasn’t bad enough, crops wouldn’t grow, the economy was terrible, and no new Saiyan children were being born. The Plague lasted a long, dark decade. Just when I thought that I was going to be shipped off to do Frieza’s bidding, a Fertile comes up to me, hugs me, then tells me he’s my father! I wanted to scream, “WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN FOR 40 YEARS?!” But I knew the answer. Babies were taken immediately to be weighed on a power scale when they are born to be given a class. I was of Elite power and was immediately taken to the palace. Thus I met my birthfather, Bardock. I learned he was a whore before he came to work at the palace. And that he slept with the King on a regular basis. And that he was raped and that’s how I was conceived. But I was never ashamed of him. He was a genius. And funny, too. And he was my dad. After I got closer to my father, I learned that he could see into the future. At first, I was skeptical. Then he told me that one of my classmates was going to pass out and die of a drug overdose during one of our training sessions. I never doubted him again. What I did doubt was that the Goddess herself talked to him and him alone…a bit freaky. But Dad didn’t speak much of that. My birthfather was also the first Fertile to become pregnant in over a decade, thus ending the Plague. The Goddess of our planet impregnated him. Think of it as Immaculate Conception. So really, the prince is neither Bardock’s nor King Vegeta’s son. He is supposedly a manifestation of the Goddess herself. Bardock and Toma, another scientist in the Royal Laboratory, showed me the soon-to-be- prince’s DNA and I never doubted that explanation again. I know what Saiyan DNA should look like. But we never shared this bit of information with the prince. We always told him that his father was the king and his birthfather died during childbirth. And the prince never questioned it. The prince…what a piece of work. When he was born, he gave me quite a shock. Prince Vegeta was the first birth in over a decade, ending the Plague. And at first, we all thought he was stillborn. But Vegeta turned out to be simply very calm. Even before I was officially given the honor of being his bodyguard, I fulfilled the duty informally. The king was gone when my father gave birth, so I took care of the prince until he returned. I feel like I’m cheating you out of a terrific tale. Let me take you back many, many years ago…when Planet Vegeta was still intact…when I was just a young Saiyan bodyguard, trying not to get my tail pulled by an impatient Saiyan prince… *** “Hurry up, Raditz! We’re going to be late!” I looked down at the five-year-old brat pulling impatiently at his sweaty spandex and smirked. “Whose fault is it that you skipped your training session this afternoon and had to make it up with me?” He snapped his head up at me indignantly with a scowl. “Will you just get me out of this before I develop a rash!?” He pulled again at his blue spandex suit still hugging his body and fell over as he tried to get an arm out of the tight sleeve. I resisted the urge to laugh. “Arms down.” He complied, and with one swift movement, the spandex was in a ball on its way to the laundry tube. Vegeta was already in his bathroom. I leaned on the wall facing away from him. “Nervous about tonight?” I asked. “Not as nervous as you,” came his quick reply. “You about pissed yourself when my father announced that you had to make a speech.” I laughed out loud. “I’m just worried that my speech about you will contain too much of the truth, and that I’ll spend the rest of the evening trying to convince everybody that you’re not really a bratty little smart-ass.” He poked his head around the corner of the wall to squint his eyes at me. I smiled as innocently as possible. He tried not to smile as he said, “You’re lucky my father respects you so much.” He disappeared again and I heard the water start to run. “Hurry up in there,” I yelled. “You take as long as a Fertile.” He didn’t say anything, but instead began singing an obnoxious song at the top of his lungs. *** “Vegeta, where have you been?” The king looked pissed. Extremely pissed. “Raditz did not inform me of the time, and I was late getting back from my training.” The prince snapped, looking up at me with a lofty air. The king looked at me, his eyebrows raised. I sighed and looked directly at the king. “He wanted to bathe before the banquet.” King Vegeta turned to his son and rolled his eyes impatiently. “Get your sorry- ass over to that podium, or so help me, I’ll beat you in front of all these nobles.” Vegeta swallowed and scurried over to where Nappa was standing by a podium at the front of the hall. The king watched him go with a weary expression, and then leaned into me. “Stay especially close to him this evening,” he whispered. “We’ve received intelligence of a possible attack.” “Yes, sire.” The king stepped away from my ear and watched with an amused expression as the prince had a lively conversation with Asperge, one of the Elites standing next to Nappa. “Sire?” “Yes, Raditz?” He turned to me, clearly in a better mood than before. “Why do we continue to host those arrogant foreigners who seem to always try to assassinate either you or the prince?” The king turned to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Politics, my friend.” He hit my shoulder hard once, then removed his hand. “And the fact that they are Frieza’s arrogant foreigners.” I nodded and bowed, leaving him to join the prince who had moved to the head of the hall. *** By the time the introductions and speeches were over, the prince was already asleep on his feet. I always thought that too much was demanded of him at such a young age. After all, he was barely five. But King Vegeta kept poking him unnecessarily hard in the back to keep him awake, so I steered him to his seat next to the throne and stood off to his side. “Raditz, what is the time?” he asked with a large yawn that showed his white canines. I looked at the wall. “Seven hours since sunset.” He yawned again, this time stretching his arms while sinking lower in his seat. “Wake me when I can go back to my room…” I nodded and looked up as I noticed my father walking towards us in a pair of plain red spandex with no armor. He was dressed like one of the many Fertiles that made up the king’s harem. I somehow managed to smile. “Hey, Raditz! Little ‘Geta! Great party, huh?” he asked with enthusiasm. “Fantastic,” the prince answered, his eyes still shut, feinting sleep. “Hi, Dad. Where’s Toma?” Toma was my father’s mate. I wanted to speak with him about letting my father dress himself like one of the many palace whores. “Oh, he’s talking with Vegeta,” my father gently smiled at me. Then he turned to the prince. “And just what is a young prince doing sitting on his throne, away from his guests?” Prince Vegeta looked up at Bardock with a tired expression. “Resting.” My father smirked and held out one of his hands. “C’mon.” The prince looked at it, his eyebrows furrowing, then looked back up at Bardock. “C’mon!” he insisted playfully, his head motioning to the center of the hall. Prince Vegeta smiled shyly and took his hand, allowing himself to be led to the center of the hall where the king stood talking to guests. I followed obediently, shaking my head at my father’s control over the entire royal family. When King Vegeta noticed us approaching, he extended one arm to wrap it around his son’s small shoulders. “Ah, Vegeta, just who we were talking about. I was just telling Duke Geribold about your recent power-level increase.” I watched the prince look at the duke with obvious contempt and nod curtly. The duke seemed not to notice. “Yes, Prince Vegeta, I have been watching your progress with much interest. Lord Frieza needs the strongest warriors to secure his ever-growing empire.” The king seemed pleased. “My son already has one of the largest power-levels on the planet. The strongest born in a thousand years.” There were several intrigued stares directed at the prince. “Although, I insist that he continue his schooling and training here until he has fully matured.” My eyes traveled quickly over my king’s proud face before turning to watch the duke. “Oh yes, of course, noble king. I was simply thinking of the future. It’s not as if the Kold Empire is going to disappear anytime soon.” He ended with a low chuckle and the bitches to the sides of him began cackling. Soon the whole circle of nobles was laughing, including King Vegeta. The prince looked up at me with a confused expression, and I just shrugged and shook my head once. Once Duke Geribold calmed himself, he folded his scaly hands together in front of him and looked directly at my father. “And who might this be?” He looked my father up and down several times, doing nothing to hide his obvious appreciation. The hairs on my tail bristled, and I was about to punch the duke’s fucking lights out when I heard footsteps coming from behind me. “My mate,” was Toma’s simple answer as he wrapped one of his muscular arms around my father’s waist. The duke paled only slightly. “Yes, of course. You’re a very lucky Saiyan, Toma. When is the baby due?” My father reached down and stroked his abdomen lovingly. “Two months,” he answered cheerfully. “Give or take a few days.” The group chuckled, though out of happiness or fear, I’m not sure. King Vegeta suddenly turned to me. “Raditz, I don’t believe you’ve met Duchess Qwarki of Arlia. Duchess, this is my son’s bodyguard and one of my most trusted advisors, Raditz.” I politely kissed her feathered hand without gagging. “Enchanted to meet you, your eminence.” “Such well-bred Elites you have, Vegeta.” She commented with a squawk. “All of my warriors are constantly fighting each other.” Again, the group laughed. “They wouldn’t have half the sense to guard their own families, let alone their rulers!” The duke stifled himself. “Yes, but Duchess, bear in mind, that is also why your fighters are so strong. Natural selection, you know.” “Very true,” she agreed with a squawk and turned suddenly to the prince, whose eyes had long since been closed. “Tell me, young prince, how old are you now?” The king poked him hard between his shoulder blades. The duchess continued, seeming not to notice. “I don’t believe you were old enough to come to the royal banquets the last time I was here.” “I am five and one quarter of a year old.” He answered tersely, obviously hiding the urge to scream at his father’s harsh awakening. The duchess seemed excited by his response. “Really?” She looked up at the king. “Now, I’m certainly not an expert on Saiyans, but aren’t your kind generally larger than that at age five?” The king suddenly turned extremely upset. “Just what are you trying to say, Duchess?” “Nothing!” she squawked. “Nothing at all, Vegeta. Just an observation, is all…” The few seconds of silence that followed seemed to stretch on forever. The bright yellow flash of light heading straight for our group was enough to send my adrenaline levels through the roof as I grabbed Prince Vegeta by his neck and covered him as the ki blast exploded behind us. *** We retreated immediately to his room, and I security-locked the blast door. I did not want to chance any further attacks. “You all right?” I asked. “I’m fine!” he snapped, his back to me. I could see his auburn tail was shaking. I sighed. “Why don’t you go to bed? It’s late.” He nodded a few times and began removing his ceremonial armor. He still didn’t meet my gaze as he slipped under his blue comforter and curled up on his side, still facing away from me. I touched the control pad on the wall near the door and the lights went out, except a small red button on the blast door control to signify that it was engaged. I heard him shift under his blanket. “Raditz?” “Yeah?” I answered softly. His voice was shaky enough for me to notice. “Stay until I fall asleep?” he asked barely loud enough for me to hear. “I’m not going anywhere.” *** As soon as I heard Vegeta’s shaky breathing level out, I left his bedchamber for that of the King’s. I didn’t bother knocking. I knew he wouldn’t be asleep. “Your majesty, I—” “Raditz.” He greeted me. Surprisingly, he was alone, sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. He looked up at me with a weary expression. He looked exhausted. I closed the door, and cleared my throat, buying myself time. “So, who was it?” “A Pursian commoner. No one of any importance, but of significant power. He proved to be resilient to many of our methods of torture, but we finally cracked him. He was working alone.” I digested this information with a sick sense of satisfaction. The bastard was broken. Good. The king raised himself from his bed. “How’s Vegeta?” “Petrified.” I answered. “Highness, you should not make him come to those banquets. He’s too young to endure assassination attempts at every public event!” The king looked at me, his eyes cold. “It is important for him to attend if he is to become king. It is his duty as the crowned prince of Planet Vegeta.” “But Highness, he’s only five! He has his entire life to attend banquets! Let him keep his innocence, if only for a little longer!” “What you’re suggesting is what I would do if I were raising my second, or third, or fourth child, Raditz. But I only have one. And should I die in the near future, he will need to know how to rule!” “You’re right! He is your only son! And you’re not caring about what effect all these attacks have on him! I watched him cry himself to sleep! This isn’t right!” “Exactly. Crying himself to sleep is not right. I will expect you to be more firm with him when he cries. He’s not a child any longer, and I will not raise a weakling. He has too much potential for that.” “But King Vegeta—!” “THIS IS THE LAST CONVERSATION I WILL HAVE WITH YOU ABOUT HOW I WILL RAISE MY SON!” I bit my tongue, trying to keep from lashing out yet again. He took a deep breath, calming himself. “I thank you for your excellent service tonight to your prince. You saved his life yet again, and for that, I am eternally grateful.” I nodded curtly. “But the next time I want advice on parenting, I’ll ask for it.” I nodded again, understanding this conversation was over. And I had lost. “Now get back to my son’s chamber and do what you are sworn to do.” I bowed this time, turning to leave. “And Raditz?” I looked back over my shoulder, just wanting to get away from him. “The next time he does something Fertilish like crying, I’m ordering you to smack him.” I hid my repulsion well and nodded curtly, leaving his bedchamber in a silent rage. ***** Part II - Raditz ***** The next few weeks, Prince Vegeta and I devoted all of our time to training. From the break of dawn until our two suns set, we were in the Elite training room watching as others filed in and out with obvious admiration for the prince’s talent. He really was an exceptional fighter for such a young age. But I was still better. “C’mon, Prince! You can do better than that!” He came at me with a double jab to my head that I easily dodged. Enraged, he ran toward the opposite wall. “Take this, asshole!” he screamed. The onlookers grew anxious as they watched their prince calmly close his eyes and place one small gloved hand on the wall of the arena. I stood up out of my defensive stance. “What are you playing at?” He eyes suddenly shot open, he smirked once, then propelled himself off of the wall using his feet, flying at me with such a speed that I didn’t have enough time to react. His small fist connected with my gut, and I flew back several feet, landing rudely on my ass. The onlookers cheered and Vegeta just smirked down at me, his arms folded neatly across his armored chest. I let him have his victory. “Very impressive, Vegeta.” It was the king, slowly making his way over to us. I scrambled to my feet and lowered my head in respect. He acknowledged me, then turned to his son. “It seems that Nappa has taught you a few tricks.” “Nah, I made that up myself. I have to use the wall because I can’t fly yet.” The prince answered honestly. “You can’t fly yet?” The king asked, his eyebrows furrowing more than usual. “Well…no…I mean, we’re working on it…I can almost do it!” King Vegeta turned a cold eye on me, cocking one brow in annoyance. “He’s having trouble generating ki.” I began. “His power level is large, but not enough to fly. And without the ability to generate more of his untapped power, I’m afraid it will be a while before he can fly.” King Vegeta looked down at his son. “I want to see some more progress. Double his training schedule. He’ll miss class if he has to. I want him off the ground soon.” “Yes, sire, as you wish.” *** “I suck!” He stormed into his bedchamber and slammed the door. “You do not. You just aren’t as strong as he wanted you to be.” “Yeah! So I suck!” I rolled my eyes. “Look, let’s go see how Bardock and Toma are doing. Do you want to?” He turned to me, his eyes furious. “No, I’m going to train.” He stripped himself of his already sweaty spandex and donned a new one. “See you,” I barely got out before he slammed the door, leaving me alone in his room. *** I took my time walking to my father’s lab. By the time I got there, he was resting in bed while Toma was preparing to leave. King Vegeta had asked him to train Fertiles to be ready for Frieza’s ever-depleting army. “Hey, Toma.” “Hi, Raditz. Where’s the prince?” He asked, pausing from packing his small green sack to straighten himself and meet my eyes. I looked away. “He…got upset and left to train.” Toma nodded. “Well, I’m sure he’s just excited about leaving with his father to Planet Zun.” I shrugged, sitting down on the metal counter. Toma looked at me and smirked. “You really care about him, don’t you?” I looked up at him, flipping my head back to get a loose strand of hair out of my face. “What do you think? He’s like family to me.” I let out a long sigh. “I hate it when he’s upset.” Toma turned back to his sack and continued packing. “You can’t control that, Raditz. He’s bound to get upset about some things.” I sighed impatiently. “I know, but it’s always because he thinks that he’s not strong enough! His father puts too much pressure on him!” “You’re not talking about Vegeta, are you, sweetie?” My birthfather had woken up and walked out to plant a kiss on my forehead. “No…I mean, yeah…but only because he expects too much of the prince! And it’s driving him insane!” I tried to explain. Bardock just smiled calmly and slowly sat down on a stool, supporting his huge midsection with a hand. “There’s nothing wrong with training and trying to better himself, honey. You need to stop worrying so much or you’ll be bald like Nappa!” I cringed violently and suddenly wanted out of that lab. Toma was to leave the next day, so I wished him luck, let my dad hug me, and left the lab. *** When Vegeta came back to his room that night, he collapsed on his bed. He reeked something awful, but I let him be. When both the suns had risen, he finally stirred. Not even bothering to bathe, he ordered me into the training arena where we spent all morning sparring. His power level had not increased from his intense session the day before, but I could sense an urgency in him, a passion that certainly was not there before. He barely spoke, just trying to hit any part of me that I didn’t keep guarded. Eventually, he broke right through my defensive pose, and I lost my balance, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike. His blow landed right on my armor. As I felt his fist connect with it, I heard a scream. “What’s wrong?!” I yelled, panicked. Vegeta was cradling his hand. It was completely crushed. “Fuck!” he screamed and started jumping up and down with the pain. “Calm down! Come here, let me look at it.” I ordered imploringly. His screams were subdued to grumbles as he walked towards me and gingerly extended his hand. It resembled a mass of mutilated flesh. “Goddess…” He whimpered only once as I touched his wrist which also seemed crushed into his arm. “Well?” He asked finally. “Let’s go to the medi-lab.” *** As soon as we reached the lab, I didn’t waste any time in putting Vegeta in one of my father’s regeneration tanks. He looked so small sitting in the large container filled with that eerie blue liquid that made everyone look ill. I had no choice but to call King Vegeta. I pushed the intercom that connected to the throne room, hoping he was there. “Yes?” The king sounded irritated. “Highness, Prince Vegeta hurt his hand and wrist fairly badly while we were sparring. I fear that he will not be healed in time for his departure tonight for Planet Zun, your majesty.” He paused on the other end of the line and I heard him exhale loudly. “I’ll be there momentarily, Raditz.” “Yes, sire.” He arrived a few minutes later, a worried expression etched into his face as he walked gloriously into the room. Taking only a few moments to observe his son in the regen tank, he turned to me. “Raditz…” he paused, his eyes blankly scanning the floor, searching for his words. I waited patiently. “Raditz,” he began again, “I’m not going to Planet Zun after all. And neither is Vegeta. There’s been…” his eyes remained anywhere but my face. “…a change of plans.” I cleared my throat. “Oh?” “Yes…” he began again. “You see, Frieza has made very specific demands. He…” the king shook his head as if to clear it of a bad image. “He has…requested that I give him my heir in order to preserve my planet.” My eyes widened in realization. “But, sire! Surely you—!” I cut myself off. Surely he what? Would keep his son and risk his people? Or abandon his only son and protect his planet? “What are you going to do?” I whispered. For the first time since he entered the room, he looked me straight in the eye. “I would rather die than give that sick fuck my only heir.” He spat the words with such venom that I mentally chastised myself for even thinking that there was a choice. I paused, choosing my words carefully. “Do you really think he’ll take over the planet? I mean, we’re such a vital portion of his economy. Not to mention we do have an impressive reputation in the galaxy.” “I don’t know…” I was scared. The king, the one I had always looked to for guidance and strength, suddenly appeared old and weak, unable to convince me that everything was going to be okay. I shuddered. He turned from me and headed toward the door. Before disappearing around the corner, he murmured, “Don’t tell Vegeta.” And I never did. *** A few hours later, the tank beeped its completion and yielded an irritable and hungry Saiyan prince. He flexed his cured hand and rotated his wrist before declaring, “I’m hungry! Where’s my lunch!” I snorted. “Glad to see you’re feeling better. Let’s go to the kitchen. Then we can bring Bardock some lunch, too. I’m sure he’s feeling lonely—Toma left today.” Vegeta nodded in approval of my plan and donned his cape before leading the way to the kitchen. Once he had selected a large slab of meat for himself, I gathered an array of vegetables and breads to bring to my father. I knocked once on the door to his bedchamber. There was no response. Vegeta looked up at me and shrugged. “I guess he’s not here.” As I began to knock again, there was a sharp cry then consistent wailing coming from the other side of the door. I looked down at Vegeta in bewilderment as he stared back up at me, a similar expression on his face. Then I remembered. “Kakarot!” I entered the security code that overrode the blast door and strode into the room, dumping the food I had gathered unceremoniously on the lab counter. “Dad!” He was facedown on the ground, his spandex still on, clearly knocked out or dead, I couldn’t tell. And awkwardly, there was an additional bulge in- between his legs inside the spandex. And it moved. Kakarot was born inside my father’s spandex! “Gross!” the prince exclaimed upon seeing the sight. It was true, the birth fluids had saturated my father’s spandex to the point of sopping. Kakarot’s persistent wailing caused me to spring forward, and with one tug on the material gathered around my father’s ass, I ripped a decent-sized hole in the material and pulled my mucus-covered brother out of the confinement of the spandex. Immediately he stopped, looking at me with giant black eyes that seemed to be examining my face with keen interest. Then he promptly spat up on my face. I hadn’t even the time to get angry before I heard the prince’s high-pitched laugh echoing all around the room. I looked behind me with disbelief to find Vegeta on the ground, holding his stomach, and rolling with the force from his laughter. I think I saw red. I wiped my face on my bare arm and transferred Kakarot to one arm as I used the other to drag Vegeta to his feet. He stopped giggling as soon as I thrust Kakarot into his arms. He looked at the newborn like he may explode at any moment. I smirked my satisfaction and turned back to my father. Finding a clean pair of spandex, I carefully stripped him of his soggy one and dressed him in a new black one. I laid him down on the bed he and Toma shared and turned back to Vegeta. He continued to hold him at arm’s length with disgust. I rolled my eyes and snatched him. “He’s just a baby, Vegeta. He won’t hurt you.” “I know that!” The prince snapped. “He just…was looking at me funny…” I laughed. “Yeah, okay, prince.” I began to feed Kakarot a small strip of meat. ***** Part III - Raditz ***** When my father finally came to, I was feeding Kakarot a bottle of warm acheva blood. The prince was sitting on the lab counter looking hesitantly at the newborn. And my father slowly sat up in his bed. “R-Raditz?” he croaked. I turned around. “Dad, are you okay?” I asked. “It’s about time!” snapped the prince. “Sorry,” he whispered, staring lovingly at his new son. I looked at my father; he was still fatigued from the birth and his torso was stretched from having carried Kakarot for six months. He needed to be healed before the stretching caused permanent damage. “Dad, let’s get you to one of the regeneration tanks.” I suggested. He nodded, and I handed Kakarot to Vegeta. He grimaced, but nevertheless held the newborn as I helped my exhausted birthfather out of his bed and down the hall to the regeneration laboratory. Carefully placing my father into the circular pod, I set the duration for three hours, took Kakarot from Vegeta, and left the lab. “Where are we going?” the prince asked. “The nursery. We have to weigh Kakarot on the power scale.” Vegeta looked up at me. “What for? Toma’s his father; that makes him an Elite.” I suppressed a frown. “Not exactly. You know Bardock is a third class. Kakarot could have inherited his low power level.” “You didn’t,” the prince mumbled. I pretended not to hear. When we arrived at the nursery, it was strangely quiet. There were barely any newborns. I assumed most of them had already been sent away to do Frieza’s bidding. Kakarot began to squirm in my arms. Suddenly, a first class Infertile appeared from around the circular corner of the room and inspected us critically before recognizing the prince and lowering himself to one knee. “How might I be of service to your greatness, Prince Vegeta? I am most humbly at your—” “This is my half-brother, Kakarot.” I interrupted. “He needs to be power weighted.” The Infertile lifted himself. “Ah, yes, Toma and Bardock’s son, isn’t he?” I nodded and the scientist continued to approach us. I allowed him to take Kakarot from me and set him down on an oddly-shaped metal hammock. A digital screen began beeping its computations. “I’ve been eager to study the power levels of newborns with mixed blood.” “Mixed blood?” I snapped. “Yes,” he continued, his back to me and the prince. “Saiyans with parents from different power level classes. Strangely enough, all the mixed blood Infertiles I’ve studied tend to have much higher power levels, yourself included, Raditz, sir.” I nodded. “I see.” Toma wasn’t my father, but Bardock had revealed that my true father was indeed an Elite. He just wasn’t sure which one. The machine emitted a final beep and displayed a number. “Two?” Vegeta shrieked. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I was speechless. Kakarot had the lowest power level I had ever heard of. The scientist’s shoulders slumped and he sighed. “There goes all my years of research. This boy just proved it all wrong.” I felt strangely satisfied that I’d never have to deal with my younger brother trying to surpass me in strength. I looked down at the prince and shrugged. “What an embarrassment,” Vegeta whispered under his breath. “Kakarot’s power level has placed him into the third class category. I’m afraid he is not fit to be raised in the palace. His only option is to be sent away to conquer a low-level planet.” I absorbed this information and nodded. My birthfather would be pissed, but there was no other choice. “Fine, send him away.” “Yes, sir,” the first class responded and began typing information into his computer. “We have a match in a neighboring galaxy…the Via Lactea galaxy.” “The Milky Way galaxy,” I translated. “I’ve heard of it.” “I’ll be sending him to FX-50, known to the inhabitants as Earth, sometime this week.” The Infertile continued. I nodded again. This would be the fate of my brother: to become another tool for expanding Frieza’s empire. It made me sick, but I motioned to the prince and we took our leave. I remember Kakarot began to scream as we left the nursery. *** Prince Vegeta was already late for one of his lessons. Normally we would have skipped it to train, but it was his language class, something the king felt was crucial, so I made him go. I stood outside the instruction room listening to the teacher use at least twenty different languages, most of which I had forgotten. I was just beginning to doze off as I heard someone yelling. I listened closely. It was my birthfather. He ran straight into my armor as he rounded the corner. “Raditz!” he gasped, out of breath. “Dad, what is it? What’s wrong?” He continued panting. “Vision…Frieza…blows planet…” My mind was reeling. Surely he didn’t mean… “Dad, what are you saying? What do you mean?” “Frieza…is going…to destroy…the planet.” My blood went cold. I knew my father would never joke about something like that. And I had no reason to believe that this premonition was incorrect. All of his other visions proved to be true. I straightened myself and calmed my worried face. “How much time do we have?” “Twenty, maybe thirty minutes.” He panted. “But Raditz, you have to get off this planet! Take the prince and run! Before it’s too late…” he trailed off and looked behind him, as if expecting to see the planet imploding in on itself. “What about you?” I asked. “I’m going to find Kakarot and Toma. We’re all getting out of this together. Inform anyone you can, Raditz! This is important!” I nodded in agreement. “But no one’s going to believe me! The Fertiles would laugh in my face if I told them to leave the planet.” My father thought for a moment. “Then go to the King. They’ll believe him.” I nodded. My father suddenly grabbed me into his arms and kissed me on the forehead. “I love you, Raditz.” I pulled away from him. He was acting as if this was the last time I’d ever see him again. Maybe it was. “I’ll see you later, Dad. That’s a promise.” He just smiled sadly and ran down the hallway. I turned to the door of Vegeta’s classroom. With a flick of my wrist, the door shot open to reveal a bewildered language teacher and an amused prince. “What is the meaning of this intrusion!?” Shrieked the first class instructor. “I’ll have you know that—” Yellow ki flew from my hand and engulfed the lower-class Saiyan until he was reduced to dust. Vegeta looked up at me from his desk with a grin, but it quickly disappeared as he saw my face. “Raditz, what is it?” I looked directly at him. “The planet is under attack. We have to leave now.” “What? What are you talking about?” “Bardock said that Frieza is going to destroy this planet in less than thirty minutes.” The prince’s eyes widened in shock. “But…he would never do that! He depends too much on our warriors!” Vegeta was now standing, looking up at me with injustice written all over his youthful face. “Doesn’t he?” he ended with a whisper. I took him by the shoulders and knelt so we were face to face. “I know this is hard for you to hear. But I don’t have time to explain it to you. We have to go!” He nodded and allowed me to lead him into the hallway and towards the throne room. I hoped King Vegeta would be there. The halls were eerily silent, only the sound of Vegeta’s feet struggling to keep up with my own echoing off of the marble walls. As we reached an outdoor bridge connecting one side of the palace to the other, I heard Vegeta stop and gasp. Down below us, the capital lay in ruins. I cursed myself for not detecting the presence of Frieza’s warriors. They were everywhere. Hundreds of bodies of dead Fertiles covered the ground like rugs for the Ice-jins to tread upon. Some of them were fornicating with the dead bodies, while others excreted upon them. I resisted the urge to gag. I suddenly realized we were completely exposed and pulled Vegeta to the other side of the bridge into the shadows. His skin was clammy. “Come on,” I urged and was relieved when he followed me without another word. I could only imagine what a display like that did to a five-year-old. As we entered the throne room, I was relieved to find King Vegeta sitting upon his throne. I rushed to him. “King Vegeta, the planet is under attack!” I practically yelled. “Yes, I know, Raditz,” he replied calmly and with half the volume I had used. I wanted to shake him. “We must convince the harem and any remaining to leave at once! We don’t have much time left!” He didn’t move, his eyes not even meeting mine. They resembled empty black marbles. My blood ran cold. “Sire?” He didn’t respond. Prince Vegeta began to whimper. “Raditz, I want you to take Vegeta and run.” He said suddenly. He looked down at his son, then at me. “A sovereign’s fate lies with his planet.” I couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t even going to try to escape. Suddenly, the double doors to the left of us burst open and revealed six powerful Ice-jins. King Vegeta rose from his throne, looking as regal as ever, and powered up. “Go, now!” he screamed at us as he engaged the three-toed warriors in battle. I nodded, grabbing the small prince by the collar of his armor and hoisting him to his feet. With force I led him from the throne room as he screamed to get away from me. “NO! FATHER! NO, NO, PLEASE! FATHER, PLEASE!” As I slammed another set of double doors to the throne room, I pressed the screaming Vegeta to the wall with a little more force than necessary, knocking the wind out of him. “Now you listen, prince. You have to be strong. Your father is being strong for both of us now so that we can escape. You wouldn’t want his sacrifice to be in vain, would you?” He shook his head, tears spilling down his red cheeks. “Good. Now follow me. We’re getting out of this together, okay?” He nodded again, wiping his tears. We continued down the now darkened hallway. The Ice-jins had cut the flow of power coming from the nearby plant. I only hoped there would be charged pods for us. We had made it to the courtyard without incident. I looked wearily around. If I were an Ice-jin planning an attack on the Saiyan Palace, this would be the perfect place to plant an ambush. Covered in large bushes, vines growing on archways, and surrounded by a tall concrete wall, this garden was a dead end. Luckily all the Elites knew the ancient secret passageways made long ago to be used in emergencies just like this. I could still barely believe this was happening. Just as we crept into the sunlight of the garden, an Ice-jin sprang out from behind a nearby oseea bush and grabbed Prince Vegeta by his tail. He screamed in agony. I flew forward, cutting the Ice-jin’s arms clean off so that the pressure on Vegeta’s tail was instantly released. The lizard looked down in disbelief at his arms and squealed in pain. I decapitated him to silence his screaming. But we were heard. “Who’s there?!” I heard voices coming from inside the palace. “Come on!” I whispered urgently, pulling on Vegeta’s gloved wrist. I led him to the passage in the wall. I had never used it before, but it gave easily enough and we were able to crawl out of the small tunnel…and come out on a steep cliff leading to the lake that was situated directly next to the palace. It was our source of water in our desert planet, but suddenly it was putting us between getting caught and getting wet. I heard the voices coming from the garden. They were getting close, and it was only a matter of time before they discovered the tunnel in the concrete wall. Flying wasn’t an option. They would see us for sure, and above all detect our power levels. There was only one choice. “Vegeta, we have to jump and swim across the lake. We can’t risk flying and the water will cover our scent.” He looked down at the ravine with water at the bottom. “Raditz, I can’t swim.” The voices behind us grew louder and I heard one say, “What’s this hole doing here?” “You’re going to have to learn.” I grabbed Vegeta by the strap of his armor. “Just let yourself fall, and once you hit the water, start kicking with your legs. Don’t come up for air until you have to.” He looked up at me with his eyes wide. “Raditz—” “JUMP!” I launched myself off of the cliff and began to free fall. I saw Vegeta jump not a moment after me and held my breath as the warm water of the lake enveloped me. And I swam. And swam. I didn’t stop until I reached the opposite bank that was level with the shore. Creeping out of the water, I turned around to look for Vegeta. He was nowhere to be found. “Oh, no…Goddess, no…” I continued searching. Finally I saw a figure swimming a few meters away. I walked knee-deep into the water, reached down, and pulled up a near-gagging Vegeta. I hit his back a couple of times to get the water out of his lungs as he continued to cough. It was then I noticed it. A heat at my back caused me to turn around. Almost the entire sky was filled with a large ball of yellow ki so enormous that I couldn’t see either of our suns. I could barely see the purple sky. Not 500 meters away was a low-class pod station with a single remaining pod. The ki ball continued to increase in size and I stopped thinking. Grabbing Prince Vegeta around the waist, I carried him while I sprinted with all my power towards that pod station. The planet behind me began to heat at an incredible rate and even chunks of rock were beginning to disintegrate. As I reached the pod, I opened the hatch, threw Vegeta inside, crammed myself in, and pressed the take-off button while the door was still closing. The collision of the ki ball with the planet helped propel us even farther, giving us a final view of the red jewel exploding into oblivion. ***** Part IV - Zarbon & Raditz ***** Zarbon: I stood next to Lord Frieza as he lazily swirled the magenta liquid in his glass. He seemed to be deeply thinking about what I just told him. “Lord Frieza…?” “Zarbon, you would be well-advised not to rush me.” “Yes…” I whispered to myself. Lord Frieza had a way of silencing anyone with his patient and sometimes lethal responses. I held my breath as Frieza decided how to answer. I had just informed him that a single Saiyan was making his way toward this ship at a very high speed and that several of our men were currently outside to stop him. “That means nothing to me, Zarbon. I had wanted to make it a surprise, but I’ll have you know that I plan to destroy Planet Vegeta in a matter of moments.” I gasped. It certainly wasn’t the first time that Lord Frieza would make fireworks out of some species home planet, but destroy the Saiyans? Just a week ago, Lord Frieza had been working incessantly to persuade their Monkey King, Vegeta, to give his son over to Frieza because of his very impressive power level. This was certainly an interesting turn of events. “But, my lord, their prince—” “Their prince will die with the rest of them. I have no need for such disloyal subjects anyway.” I nodded, though I doubt he was waiting for my response. “Now open the door.” He tilted his head back and downed the rest of his glass before throwing it against the wall, just centimeters away from my face. “As you wish, my lord.” I bowed and left the room. I sealed Frieza in his main lookout room with a press of a button and watched through a double plate of glass as he rose up and out of the ship in his chair. After the roof hatch resealed itself, I rushed to the glass of the next room to watch. Above me, Lord Frieza’s livid face was set as he raised one finger and began forming a very large and concentrated ball of yellow and red ki. As it began to grow larger and larger, I heard Frieza’s cackling laugh, and could not help but join in. Outside the ship, I had conveniently placed men that were suspected of mutiny outside to meet the incoming Saiyan pest. If Frieza did want to blow up this planet, I doubted he would have any problem in ridding himself additionally of some possible criminals. That was my job at Frieza’s side: to inform him of any complainers and deal with them accordingly. Dodoria, who was currently absent, was in charge of assigning the purging of planets to different warriors. I wondered absently if Frieza had bothered to inform Dodoria of his plan to destroy the planet the pink blob was currently on… With a slight flick of his finger, the massive ball began to descend toward the red gem, consuming the men surrounding the planet and the foolish Saiyan who thought he could do something to stop Lord Frieza. As the yellow ball began to burrow itself into Planet Vegeta’s crust, I watched in amusement as a purple cloud began to form around the ball before disappearing entirely. The yellow ball of ki was completely hidden in the core of the planet, and with a few molten cracks along the surface, the planet exploded to nearly twice its size before imploding on itself. The fragments that remained of the planet flew by Lord Frieza’s ship and I heard my lord’s thrilled exclamations. He laughed. “Oh, my! This is…stupendous! Wow, what a great show! Unbelievable! Just look at that!” He continued to cackle as the fiery fragments slowly lost their glow and became nothing but dull rocks floating in space. The ship suddenly shuddered as if it had been hit. Frieza ceased his laughing and returned to the interior of the ship, neglecting to tell me to hold onto something as I flew towards the ceiling due to the lack of air. “What was that, Zarbon?” he snapped as the roof hatch closed and I came crashing down to the metal ground. I stood up. “My Lord, I don’t—” “Silence!” he snapped suddenly. His hand was resting upon his pink scouter. Someone was obviously sending him a transmission. Frieza’s grim expression suddenly broke into a cruel smirk. “Thank you, Dodoria.” He lowered his hand from his scouter and looked at me, the same evil glint still in his eyes. “It seems that the little shake we experienced was a crash landing of a Saiyan pod.” I held my breath. Lord Frieza always was a bit dramatic when he was revealing a delicious plan. “It just so happens that the two Saiyans inside survived not only the explosion, but the crash as well.” I nodded, licking my lips, eager to hear more. “It also just so happens that the inhabitants are Prince Vegeta and his Elite bodyguard.” I smirked. This day kept getting better and better. “What are you going to do with them, Lord Frieza?” Frieza smirked even more maliciously and walked toward the glass, observing the black void where the red planet used to be. “Zarbon, are you in the mood for a royal slugfest tournament?” I bit my lip to keep my cry of excitement from coming out. “Oh, yes, my lord…” *** Raditz: When I opened my eyes, all I could see were blinding lights. Then I began to hear voices. “What the hell are they?” “They’re Saiyans, you dim-wit. Can’t you see their monkey tails?” My vision slowly started to clear. I was on my back looking straight up into the lights of what I presumed was a metallic room. I tried to sit up, but my head was too dizzy and I slammed back against the cold floor. Sinister laughs rang out all around me. “Look at that, Dodoria! It’s trying to get up!” Rage burned in my veins and I somehow managed to stand. All around me stood various warriors from all different species, all wearing the same armor and similar scouters. Those were my dad’s design…so then, this had to be Frieza’s spaceship. Shit. Of all the places that our space pod could have landed, it had to crash into the one creature that King Vegeta did not want the prince to meet. The one creature that the king was willing to sacrifice his entire planet for so that Prince Vegeta never met him. The irony did not escape me. Oh shit, the prince… I searched frantically around me and saw that he was already being man-handled by a pink blob, but otherwise looked to be okay. I growled low and got into fighting position. The pink blob just opened its sick purple mouth and laughed. “Calm down, monkey. Save your strength. You’ll need it.” This did nothing to comfort me and I began to growl louder, noticing Vegeta’s increased efforts to get away from the pink alien that currently held him captive. “OW!” Vegeta had suddenly bitten on the pink blob’s hand, and managed to escape to my side, mimicking my defensive pose as I tucked him safely behind me toward the metal wall that looked recently repaired. Shit, I thought to myself, how long was I out? The gathering of warriors threw their heads back and laughed. The pink blob, who I presumed to be their leader, stepped forward with both arms outstretched. “Welcome to Frieza # 1, the largest ship in the galaxy! I’ve been given instructions directly from Frieza himself that your prince is going to fight in the slugfest tournament tonight!” The warriors behind the leader rang out with cheers and hollers of joy. I must have shown confusion on my face for the pink blob continued. “You’ll find out what it’s all about soon enough. But for now, you can follow me. The previous round is almost over and your little monkey will be up soon.” I stood my ground. To my left, Vegeta was shaking, with rage or fear, I’m not sure. The pink blob began to make his way towards the only door in the room and turned back with a sour expression when he noticed that we weren’t following obediently. “Cui!” the pink thing barked. “Grab the prince! Farci! Knock the big one out. NOW!” The teal thing came at me with such speed that I didn’t even have time to tell Vegeta to run before everything went black again. *** When I next woke, I was sitting in what appeared to be a locker room, the prince sitting calmly at my side. We were alone. He had been removed of his red cape and gold-tipped boots and had been given a pair that clearly belonged in the dumpster. “Hey,” I nudged him. “You okay?” He nodded without meeting my eyes. I could only guess what he was thinking about. The door to my right burst open suddenly to reveal a large alien with lavender skin and big purple warts all over. He stunk something awful. “Good. You’re both awake.” He waddled over to us and pulled the prince to his feet by the strap of his royal armor. I wondered why they had allowed him to keep that and not the rest of his ensemble. I sprang to my feet before the purple alien had a chance to touch me and he smirked nastily. “Now listen up, monkeys. The little pip-squeak here,” he motioned to the prince, “is going to compete in this week’s Royal Slugfest Tournament.” I was trying to size the alien up. Without my scouter, I had no indication of his power, and was hesitant to attack and foolishly leave the prince alone in such a hostile environment. So I waited patiently. “The rules are simple,” he began. “You fight without any energy. We have a ki- suppressing device to make sure,” he motioned to something in his fat hands that I had previously not noticed. “You can use anything in the ring to kill your opponent. If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. Any questions?” I hadn’t a moment to consider answering him before he grabbed Vegeta roughly by the armor and shoved him out the door. I struggled to keep up with the alien’s large waddle. “Only the prince fights?” “Naturally. The tournament contestants are all surviving royalty of the planets that Frieza destroyed this week.” I clenched my fists and felt the fur on my tail puff up. “And what is the point of this tournament?” The purple alien looked sideways at me before smirking like a madman. “To provide entertainment for Frieza’s warriors, of course. What else?” The hallway that we had been traveling down suddenly began to vibrate with what I assumed was the motor of the ship. But as we continued, I noticed that the sound had a much more random hum to it, and it wasn’t long before I realized that it must be the yells of some large group of people. Vegeta cleared his throat. “What…what is that?” he whispered. The fat thug laughed sinisterly. “That, my boy, is the crowd.” At last, the purple alien pushed the final rusty door at the end of the hallway open to reveal a bombarding amount of yells and hollers. The stadium we had walked into had seats extending far into the ceiling of the seemingly endless room. And directly in front of us was a raised roped ring that currently had two fighters in it, as well as a scrawny-looking referee. “Welcome to the ring, boys!” The purple thing yelled, then threw his head back and laughed. Tall, red-horned aliens appeared on either side of us. One of them slapped an odd bracelet on Vegeta’s wrist while the others forced us into a rectangular box that was directly next to the rope that separated us from the fighters in the ring. Vegeta fidgeted with the bracelet that I assumed was the ki restrainer. I looked to the ring and I gasped as I recognized the fighters. Both of them had been on Planet Vegeta before as guests. One was Duun, the king of a boring brown species with arms as long as pencils, but with teeth as poisonous as an erpent’s sting. The other, to my surprise, was Duchess Qwarki of Arlia, the bird-people. Her feathers were somewhat duller than usual and her beak was bleeding from everywhere. I noticed with a grimace that it was cracked. The roars around us grew to an almost unbearable level. It seemed as though the fight was almost over. The white referee was skillfully dodging all of the punches and kicks the two monarchs threw at each other and came to rest not two meters in front of us. With a horrible cry, I saw Duun sink his teeth swiftly into the duchess’s feathered breast. She swayed and squawked, before using the last of her strength to claw her way to his face, and pull it completely apart. The stadium went deathly quiet as the two sovereigns fell to the floor of the ring, both dead. The hollers were deafening as the warriors watching hooted with joy at the display of carnage. I realized that now it was Vegeta’s turn. I was horrified. I would have rather died in that moment than see the five-year-old prince go into that ring. I put my hands on his shoulders and squeezed. “You have to be brave, Vegeta. You’ve got to be cunning.” He nodded and brushed my hands off with impatience. I took a step away from him. The referee opened the rope in front of him and he stepped fearlessly into the ring. Across from him entered his opponent. I nearly screamed when I saw who it was. It was Raj, prince of the Pursians, mortal enemies of the Saiyans. They were a humanoid species like us, with cat ears and thinner, longer tails. The prince of the Pursians laughed as he saw his opponent, and soon the entire stadium joined him. They were all laughing at Prince Vegeta, presumably for his size. The prince stood at half of Raj’s size. Raj was also at least three times Vegeta’s age. I had to agree with them, it was a very uneven match, even without ki. Vegeta did not let any of the stadium’s taunting bother him. He wrapped his auburn tail securely around his waist and the two princes began circling each other. “Scared, little monkey?” Raj purred. Vegeta just smirked. “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty…” Raj struck Vegeta with such a force that Vegeta was immediately on the ground, one hand on his nose. “No blows until the start of the match!” screeched the referee. Vegeta lifted himself on one knee and brought his hand down from his face to ball it into a fist. His nose was broken and bleeding profusely. “GO!” the referee suddenly screamed, and Raj launched himself at the prince. Vegeta received many strong blows to his face before ducking and crawling out from under Raj’s legs. Enraged, Raj tried to attack Vegeta again, but this time he was completely in his flawless defensive position, and was able to gain the advantage. The crowd around us cheered and jeered as crushing blows between the two princes were exchanged. I tried to breathe easier. Prince Vegeta wasn’t losing nearly as badly as I thought. Just as Vegeta was about to land a lethal punch, his young and restless tail came loose from its hold around his thin waist, and Raj wasted no time in seizing his opportunity to grab it and pull. Vegeta hit the floor of the ring with a sickening snap of his jaw. He screamed as Raj continued to squeeze his untrained tail. We hadn’t gotten to the point in his training where we make it impervious to pain. I mentally kicked myself at my lack of diligence in his training. I felt as if I was failing him. I looked up at Raj’s face, then back at Vegeta’s tail. I heard a dull pop and knew the damage was done. Raj had broken Vegeta’s tail. Too numb with the pain, Vegeta said nothing as Raj released his hold on Vegeta’s tail and held him off the ground by his hair. “You’re a fool for thinking you could have beaten me, Vegeta.” His next blow was so fast I didn’t even see it. Raj’s fist connected with Vegeta’s arm just below his left shoulder. Never had I seen a joint so dislocated. And never had I heard a cry so pure with pain. “Vegeta!” I screamed, though I doubt he heard me over his own wail. On his knees, he held his dislocated shoulder with his other arm. Raj stood above him and chuckled. “It’s only fitting, prince. Survival of the fittest in this world.” Vegeta’s screaming had died to a few squeals every so often. Then he scowled up at Raj. “I’m not dead yet.” In a sudden burst of strength, the prince balanced his bruised body on his one good arm, cocked his legs back toward his chest, and then kicked Raj as hard as he could. The next thing I saw was Raj’s torso flying into the crowd while his legs, spurting liters of red blood, collapsed to the floor of the ring. I couldn’t believe it. Vegeta had won. I crossed the cheap rope and grabbed him up into my arms, putting him on my shoulders as the stadium roared its approval. “You did it! You did it!” Vegeta’s smile slowly faded as he clutched his arm. I lowered him and told him to sit still. I grabbed his nose firmly between my thumb and finger. “One, two, three—” His nose cracked a bit, but he didn’t whimper. Then I removed his arm from his dislocated shoulder. He bit his lip. “Do it quick.” “One, two—” Snap. It was back in place and Vegeta let out a large breath he had been holding. “Well done, Vegeta.” The voice made my blood run cold. I turned around and saw…Frieza. He had a man on each side of him: one was a tall, teal alien with an attractive face; the other was the pink blob from earlier. “I must say,” Frieza continued, “I wasn’t expecting you to win, Vegeta, but you Saiyans prove more and more resilient by the day.” He chuckled once. “Too bad your planet had to meet its end. I’m sure your people would be very proud of you.” Vegeta began growling and clenching his bloody fists. I tried to remain calm. Frieza certainly wasn’t forbidden from killing us on the spot, regardless of the fact that Vegeta just won this tournament. “Zarbon, how would you like to introduce our champions to life as one of Lord Frieza’s warriors?” The teal monster beside him smirked. “I would be honored, Lord Frieza.” *** When I next woke, I had a headache the size of the sun. The room smelled strangely sterile. I scrambled to my feet and noticed that I was looking in on some sort of observation room. To my right was that teal alien, Zarbon. He had his arms crossed over his chest, lazily observing whatever was going on in the room beyond us. I followed his gaze. Prince Vegeta was wandering around the small square room, searching for an exit. As far as I could tell, there was none. A digital device suddenly began to lower itself from the ceiling with a reading of 21%. I was too curious to notice the small holes leading into the chamber were beginning to emit some sort of gas. Vegeta looked up at the curious digital reading and cocked his head to one side, clearly as confused as I was. The percentage was slowly beginning to rise. 22%…23…24…25… My attention was ripped from the mesmerizing digital readout as Vegeta let out a horrific cough. Vegeta coughed again, and his eyes went wide. He clutched at his throat and looked questioningly back up at the digital screen. It now read 35% and continued to increase. I ran to the teal alien and shook him violently, “What are you doing to him!?” With a short slap to my face, Zarbon sent me flying into the opposite wall, my body instantly screaming with pain. “Shut up, monkey. This is an experiment. I wanted to know what the Saiyan tolerance level of oxygen is, so I’m slowly increasing it until he passes out.” I turned my head back to the glass as Vegeta’s face began to turn a purplish- blue. “Don’t worry,” he continued. “It shouldn’t cause any permanent damage.” I ran to the glass and pressed my face and hands against it, screaming Vegeta’s name. He somehow heard me through the sound-proof glass and struggled to make his way to me as he gasped for air. Placing his small hand on the glass, I watched as his eyes rolled slowly back into his head, and he fell backwards, completely out cold. “Interesting,” Zarbon mused. “59%.” ***** Part V - Raditz & Vegeta ***** Raditz: We were led to a small containment room with drippy ceilings and rusty pipes carved into the walls. I put up no protest. The day had left me numb. My mind barely registered a moving mass in the corner of the room. The faceless guard dropped Vegeta next to me and snickered as he closed the door behind us. I mustered the strength to look at my prince. His blue face was beginning to regain some of its color and his moaned softly in his weary state. With a heavy sigh, I reached out to him and pulled him into a sitting position. “R-Raditz?” he croaked. His voice was so quiet; it was barely a raspy whisper. “Shh.” He tilted his head to look at me with those black eyes that bore into my soul. He was staring at me with a silent question. His eyes lowered and he weakly brought a gloved hand to his sore throat. A cough from the creature in the corner caused both of us to jump, our tails puffing to an even greater size, if possible. I was on my feet instantly, crouched down and pushing Vegeta behind me for protection as I tried to examine the creature in the corner. Vegeta suddenly pushed me roughly out of his way. “Nappa!?” I blinked in astonishment. He was right; it was Nappa. “Nappa! What happened to you! Nappa! Speak! I order you to speak!” The prince raved with his hands on his hips in front of the curled Saiyan Elite below him. I walked silently up behind the prince and examined him for myself. He seemed to be violently shivering, wearing nothing but a ki restraint on his wrist. His head was completely bald and it seemed as if someone had tattooed a cheesy- looking mustache on his face for laughs. I clenched my fists. “Nappa…” Prince Vegeta’s voice sounded more quiet and defeated. His shoulders slumped and he looked up at me. “Raditz?” Weak. Too weak. I couldn’t stand Vegeta looking at me like that. I walked forward and grabbed Nappa roughly by his throat. “Your prince asked you a question, Nappa!” His eyes suddenly shot open and he looked at me with what I can only describe as simplistic stupidity. “Prince? Prince V’geta, ya mean?” His speech was significantly slurred. I just managed to understand what he said. “Have you been drinking, Nappa?” I snapped. My patience was wearing thin. We were suddenly the survivors of a warrior race forced into a containment cell, and one of the only other survivors was in a drunken stupor. “Nah…Not at all, Rad’tz.” He pealed my hand away from his throat and I was surprised by his strength. “Nappa,” I asked more seriously. “What happened? Frieza told us that you were dead months ago.” Nappa looked up at me with a confused expression. He scratched his head slowly before answering. “I dunno…I guess I be ‘ere da whole time.” I backed away from him slowly. It was as if Nappa had forgotten how to speak. Granted, Nappa was never excellent at grammar, let alone any classroom work, but he had never been so incompetent that I couldn’t understand him. I immediately suspected foul play. “It shouldn’t cause any permanent damage.” Zarbon’s words came echoing back to me. What if Zarbon had been “experimenting” on Nappa all this time? Is that why he seemed to changed? Was Nappa permanently damaged? I looked sideways at Vegeta. He seemed to be thinking the same thing. Behind us, the metal door suddenly swung open. “Greetings, monkeys.” It was Zarbon. If I hadn’t had a ki collar attached to my wrist, I would have instantly attacked. “I hope you find each other’s company comforting. I do try to be accommodating with my soldiers.” He chucked to himself and walked fearlessly into the small space. Nappa began growling low…like an animal. “There, there, Nappa. I’m not here for you.” His yellow eyes flashed and his gaze landed on the Prince. “How are we feeling, Vegeta? Weary? Weak?” “Never better,” Vegeta spat and looked up at Zarbon with pure haughtiness. Zarbon’s attractive face contorted into rage for only a moment before molding into a sickly-sweet grin. “Good…” The speed with which he moved left me on edge for days. He moved faster than I could blink, his arm extending to pull Vegeta’s hair forcefully back, exposing his neck and making him bare his teeth in a furious snarl. Before I could react, he sent a ki blast directly to my chest, forcing me back into the wall with such a force, it seemed I was being held by some invisible thing. “Now listen carefully, brat prince,” Zarbon sneered into Vegeta’s face. “Frieza may have special interest in you, but I much rather see your guts smeared on my walls in the execution room.” Vegeta’s growl intensified. “Take a good look at your men, prince.” He forced his head to look at each of us in turn, then yanked his head back to Zarbon’s furious face. “If you so much as put one tail out of line, I will kill them both myself, just so you can watch them die.” He let Vegeta’s hair go with a snap of his wrist and Vegeta was flung back against the wall, hitting his head. Zarbon approached him again, his passive and attractive face back in place. “Lord Frieza has instructed me to give you a mission. Naturally, I’ve given you three the hardest one I have. Your objective is simple enough: destroy all living inhabitants capable of thought on that planet. It shouldn’t take more than a week, even for a couple of monkeys.” He allowed himself a brief chuckle. I shivered. “Your pods will be given enough fuel to make it from my spaceship here to the planet and back. No more, no less. The coordinates are permanent, so there will be no side-trips.” Vegeta just continued to stare up into Zarbon’s face, his brows pulled down into the most evil look of hatred I had ever seen. “And if we should fail?” He asked, his voice strong and cold like steel. “If we were to refuse, what then?” Zarbon smiled softly. “It is in the best interest of you and your men that you complete the mission and come back alive.” Vegeta didn’t move. “After all, the stories about your suicides would not cast a preferable light upon the last survivors of the Saiyan race, would it, Prince?” I wanted to smack that smug look off his face. Anything, even death, was better than slavery. But Zarbon had just uttered the one thing that would keep Vegeta alive and obedient. Vegeta would never kill himself to escape this. It would mean cowardice. And that would forever damage his pride. It would damage any Saiyan’s pride. I dammed Zarbon to hell. So we were mercenaries. Unwilling mercenaries. Nappa was silent in the corner, having long ago ceased his growling. Vegeta’s eyes moved back and forth as he stared at the ground, as if he was deep in thought. He looked fearlessly into Zarbon’s yellow eyes. “When do we begin?” Zarbon smiled. *** We went on the mission as Zarbon had ordered. We discovered that we had been transported to a different spaceship than the one Frieza is always on. It seemed that each of the higher-ups, such as Zarbon and Dodoria, had their own space station and men under their command. It was also rumored that Zarbon was one of the most lenient underlings of Frieza. I shivered at the thought of anything worse than Zarbon. Every time we returned from a mission, we were successful in every sense of the word. Yet Zarbon always found something wrong with the work we had done, whether it have being us taking too much time to do the job, or sustaining too many injuries while away. He always found an opportunity to maim Vegeta in some way if he could, making Nappa and I watch as he did so. It was some sort of game for him, really. He was so much stronger than Vegeta, but he enjoyed watching Vegeta try to beat him or injure him in some way. Because Prince Vegeta, no matter how much he knew he was destined to fail, always fought back. Always. If there was nothing else about him to be admired, it certainly was that. One planet blurred into the next. I’d long since lost track of how many planets we had purged. Must have been in the thousands. Every once in a while, we were informed that Frieza was coming to the space station, but we never saw any other part of the ship except our decrepit cell and the pod landing station. We would arrive on a planet, wait for the full moon, transform, all three of us. The ki restrainers on us would break under our transformed states, and we would wreak havoc. Upon our return, Zarbon’s men would be waiting with new restraints and would lead us back to our containment cell. This continued for nearly fifteen years. Until one day, something in Zarbon snapped. His face was contorted with much more rage than usual as the three of us walked into our containment cell. He picked Vegeta off the ground by his hair (a much more impressive feat now that Vegeta had begun to grow quite a few inches) and spat at him in a language I didn’t understand. Vegeta laughed in his face, and Zarbon shoved him out of the cell and into the corridor, leaving Nappa and I alone in the cell. It was the first time in 15 years we had ever been without the prince and I felt immediately lost. I just prayed to the Goddess that he would come back soon and in one piece. *** Prince_Vegeta: I don’t quite know what set him off so much that day. Perhaps it was my recent power level increase after our victory on that gray planet, I’m not sure. But Zarbon just came blundering into the cell with a pathetic look of rage on his ugly mug. He picked me up by my hair, expecting to get some sort of reaction from me. “Yo seni no mo ka tese!” It translates to “I’m going to kill you!” I laughed in his face. He forcefully led me to a room I had never been. He kept whispering threats into my ear like, “Ya hani nani ne ferita!” or “Ugaslen goy!” That means, “You’ll die to ensure my victory!” and “Go to hell!” I wasn’t worried. Idle threats, as far as I was concerned. Though I wondered why he had separated me from my Elites. Usually when he tortured me, he did it in their presence. And he had never before spoken to me in his native tongue. I wondered idly if he was aware that I understood him. As we entered the room, I noticed Dodoria, the pig-like alien who was there the day…the day the planet… I growled low in my throat, an obvious warning sign. He laughed, his round belly shaking with the effort and crossed his arms over his chest. “Just what are you gonna do about it, monkey?” Zarbon suddenly hit me sharply in the side of my head, and my vision went blurry. He led me over to the far side of the room where there was clear evidence of blood and organs splattered in a giant oval shape on the wall. My eyes widened. His execution room. With his long, black nails, he ripped the front of my brown spandex completely apart until I was standing nude in front of the two of them. In my shocked state, he managed to strip me of my worn gloves and attach both of my wrists to two hanging metal restrainers that were hanging from the ceiling. My arms were pulled far apart and I was hanging in the air, my tail whipping furiously behind me. I tried to use my legs to kick him, but I couldn’t get enough leverage and he simply trapped them in his grip as he roughly removed my boots and fastened my ankles to shackles extending from the floor. He stepped back and admired his work. I began jerking furiously at the indignity of it all. I was a fly caught in his web. I had no chance of escaping, not without my ki. And he had failed to remove the restraint when he was busy removing everything else. In my rage, I noticed him chuckle and approach me. He ran a confident hand down my torso, stopping just above my patch of hair, and whispered, “Soon, little monkey.” How dare he. He walked back to stand next to Dodoria who seemed to be equally amused by my state of helplessness. I had never felt so furious than I did in that moment. I prayed to the Goddess that she would give me the strength to live through this so I could kill them myself. Zarbon looked over to Dodoria. “Care to do the honors, Dodo?” “Oh no, Zarbon. He’s all yours.” Zarbon’s face instantly displayed all of his pent up rage as he slowly raised his hand and began forming a yellow ball of energy. My eyes widened as realization gripped my chest. This was it. This was how my life was going to end. I had just lived 20 years and this disgusting creature was going to rob me of everything. My life was flashing before my eyes, and when it was all over, I was left sickly unsatisfied. I tried to make my face calm, to accept death with dignity, like my father did, but I was terror- stricken. My eyes clenched shut as I waited for the final moment. My vision went completely yellow and I felt something pierce my heart, then envelop my entire being in one wave. Was this death? I opened my eyes… ***** Part VI - Vegeta & Raditz ***** Vegeta: I opened my eyes slowly, letting the blackness fade to light, and then I saw… Metal. I was looking at the ceiling. I lifted my head and realized that I was flat on my back. In front of me was a poor sucker chained in the same manner I had been when Zarbon killed me. I shook my head, getting a better look at the captive. It was me. I was having one of those strange out-of-body experiences everyone babbles about when they’ve been close to death. I looked up lazily and watched my auburn tail flick back and forth rapidly. It was as if life was in slow motion. I wondered if everyone experienced this when they died. I wondered if everyone gets to watch their glorious demise. What happened next left me puzzled for most of my adult life. It simply defied all logic. The body in chains began to glow a bright yellow, the skin melting into nothing but pure energy. I shielded my eyes because the heat was so intense. And I realized suddenly that I was not dead, for my back suddenly ached as if I had fallen from a very great height. And I had my body back. I was so confused that I allowed myself the moment to look at Zarbon at the other end of the room. He looked just as stupefied as I felt, his yellow eyes bulging as he watched my previous body become nothing but light with a distinct form. My mind was reeling. How had I escaped that energy beam that was headed straight for my heart? I should have died instantly. Instead, I was lying on my back, very much alive, watching the impossible. The light form that was previously still in chains lowered its arms as if metal was nothing, as if it was not of this world. It was now floating in space effortlessly. The figure turned around to look over its shoulder, directly at me. I will never forget those piercing teal-blue eyes in the golden visage that lacked any definition. Then I heard the most unique voice…it was soft, comforting, yet immensely strong. Run, it said. I wetted my lips as if to respond, when suddenly the light form exploded, throwing its head back. The energy washed over my naked flesh like a warm bath, sinking deep into my very soul. In front of me, Zarbon still stood astounded. Dodoria had long since run away. Behind you. I turned around completely and saw a large hole in the concrete wall that led to the outer corridor. My exit. Go. I ran through the hole in the wall, not even bothering to spare a glance over my shoulder. I turned to the right and began running like a bat out of hell. “TRAITOR! ALL MEN ON DECK 2! ALL MEN ON DECK 2!!” I heard Zarbon screaming at the top of his lungs. His voice was already getting further and further away as I prepared myself for battle. As I tried to gather my energy, a sickening jolt grabbed at my stomach. After everything unimaginable I had witnessed, I still had that damned ki restrainer on my wrist. “Damn it all to hell!” I screamed. “He’s down there!” “Fuck!” I was heard. I needed to get out of sight and fast. I dodged to the right into an alcove. Silencing my heavy breathing, I waited as the moronic soldiers ran past my hiding place without so much as a glance in my direction. Sometimes it pays to have no ki. I turned around and observed the alcove. There was an entrance to a room. It was labeled with various symbols that I vaguely remembered studying. I dug into my childhood memories and was able to translate it. Keymaker. I smirked. How perfect. The door was ironically unlocked and I slipped in unnoticed. It was vacated. I looked around and saw various beginnings of code keys and plain keys and fancy keys…it was extremely cluttered. As I was searching frantically, the door on the opposite side of the room began to creak open. I looked around the room desperately for a place to hide. I swiftly jumped straight upwards and landed on the pipes that were exposed in the open ceiling. My weight was so minute that the pipes barely squeaked in protest. Holding my breath, I watched as Zarbon’s keymaster walked confidently into the room, his hands busy fondling a particularly ornate key. The creature was large and sweating, grease plastered all over his white smock and yellow face. He began to hum a hearty tune that turned into a whistle, completely oblivious to my naked presence above him. What an idiot. As he turned his back to me, I noticed the light caught a large ring of what had to have been at least 50 keys, all similar in shape, that was attached to his work belt. I knew that the key to our containment cell had to be on that ring. I crept slowly on the rusty pipes, keeping my body crouched so I didn’t cause more noise than necessary. I placed myself directly above him and lowered my feet slightly to aim. In one movement, I thrust my entire body weight upon the back of his neck. His defenses were completely down, and his body collapsed instantly. He was dead. I wasted no time in ripping the ring of keys off of his belt and exited through the door he had come from. I had only one objective…find my Elites. I took off at a jog down the adjoining corridor. Taking a right, I found myself in the hall that led to our cell. But they all looked the same from the outside. “Raditz!” I called. “Nappa! Where are you!” I heard footsteps coming far to my right, so I continued left. “Nappa! Raditz!” I continued yelling. From a few cells up I heard Raditz’s voice. “Prince Vegeta?” I hurried to the metal door. “Just a moment.” I looked at the containment cell number. 23. The keys on the ring also had corresponding numbers, so it took little effort to unlock the door. On the other side stood Raditz with Nappa a few steps behind. Raditz took a quick glance at my state of undress and looked at me in alarm. “Vegeta, what happened to your clo—?” “There’s no time to explain. Follow me.” I began to jog again towards the opposite direction that I had heard the footsteps coming. Whether there was one Saiyan or three, it made no difference if we had no ki. We had to run. “Where are we going, prince?” Raditz asked me, jogging as well to keep up next to me. I spared him a side-glance. “We’re getting the hell out of here.” *** Raditz: I followed Vegeta silently down the hall. I was bursting with questions, but I remained silent for fear of the answers. It was obvious that somehow Vegeta had gotten away from Zarbon and managed to find the key to unlock our cell. I only hoped he had a plan. We made another sharp turn to the left, Nappa just on my heels and found ourselves in the middle of a circular intersection with eight different hallways leading in eight different directions. I looked down at Vegeta, his eyes searching each of the entrances as if deciding which one to take. There was no escaping. They came from all directions at once, surrounding us with ki blasters and at least three soldiers per passage. Dodoria was standing in the hallway to our left. “Well, well, well…” he leered, and the entire group of soldiers seemed to come closer and closer. I felt Vegeta’s puffy tail lightly brush my thigh. “If it isn’t our pet monkeys, out for a little stroll…” Again, Vegeta’s tail just barely touched my thigh. The first time it happened, I took it as an accident. But the prince would never have so little control over himself, so I glanced at him from the side. He was looking straight at Dodoria. “What do you want, Dodoria?” he snapped. As soon as he was done speaking he looked sideways at me and widened his eyes only slightly, then looked up to the ceiling, then looked back at Dodoria. It happened so fast I wondered if I was imagining things, but after a quick glance at the ceiling, I put everything together. There was a circular hatch leading to the exhaust pipes directly above my head. Vegeta expected me to open it so we could escape. My attention snapped back to the pink pig as he snorted. “What do I want?” he mocked. “I want your skinny carcass back in your cell, that’s what I want!” Vegeta breathed out, and I felt his tail rest on the back of my leg. “Well, that’s not going to happen.” He tapped his tail on my leg once, twice, three times, then lunged at a nearby soldier, relying on brute strength alone to attack. His sudden attack provided the perfect distraction and I wasted no time in jumping to the ceiling to unscrew the hatch. “Nappa! Keep them back!” the prince yelled, and Nappa, big clumsy oaf that he is, used his large, brawny arms to clear a path for Vegeta’s furious blows. I finished opening the hatch and pushed it up into the vent. Crawling up into it, I reached my hand back down to aid Nappa in climbing in. I heard Vegeta’s pants of exhaustion as he tried to keep the dozens of soldiers at bay. “C’mon, Nappa! Hurry!” I yelled. He was stuck. His torso was too wide to fit in the small hatch. “C’mon, suck it in!” With a colossal heave, I pulled Nappa up into the exhaust vent that was large enough for us to stand comfortably in. “Vegeta!” I called down. Out of the mass of fighting, Vegeta sprung toward me, and I caught his wrist, pulling him up easily. Just as I was about to let him go, he cried out. Dodoria had caught his ankle in his fat, sweaty hands and was holding on with all of his weight. Vegeta was being stretched in two. I scowled down at the pink fat-ass and snarled, “Let go!” Dodoria just laughed. Vegeta used his other arm to grab my shoulder and pull himself up into the vent, carrying Dodoria with him. Suddenly, Nappa came out of nowhere and used a piece of metal to slice Dodoria’s wrist, causing the pink blob to release Vegeta’s ankle and fall back down into the mass of chaos. Panting, I ran to the hatch and shoved it back into place. We couldn’t lock it from the inside, so we had to run. As I turned toward the lighter part of the tunnel, I heard a sharp intake of breath from behind me. Vegeta had his eyes clenched shut in pain as he tried to stand on both of his feet. I looked down at his ankle and saw that it was already swollen. Probably broken if not dislocated. Without a word, I stepped toward him and scooped him easily into my arms. “Put me down, Raditz!” he yelled, hitting my chest with his clenched fists. I ignored his protests. “I don’t think you’re in any position to be walking, prince.” I turned to Nappa. “Which way, do you think?” Vegeta hissed in pain as he tried to move his leg. Nappa turned his head, sniffing the air. “Dis way!” he barked, and took off at a sprint toward the light. We ran for only a small while before the circular tunnel opened up into a large rectangular opening that emptied into the pod take-off center. We jumped down from above, landing in front of two operating technicians who blushed and sweated at our near-naked bodies. I ignored them and searched for a ship. Two Saiyan-style pods that my birthfather and Toma had designed were humming with life, just waiting for take-off. “Perfect…Nappa, you get in the left one. We’ll take the one on the right.” “Right!” We approached the pods with ease. I opened the hatch and carefully placed Vegeta inside, being careful not to harm his ankle. I heard a squeak from behind me. “You cannot take those!” a skinny technician squeaked. “Those pods are destined for soldiers with vacation privileges only!” I smirked and climbed in carefully next to Vegeta. “Vacation sounds great.” The hatch closed and I nodded to Nappa to take off. In a hum of energy, we were blasting away from the spaceship known as Frieza #79 and headed toward what I hoped would be a well-deserved break. ***** Part VII - Raditz ***** I felt Vegeta’s head nodding off next to me, and I used this opportunity to examine his ankle more carefully. It was most definitely dislocated, and the skin was starting to turn purple. He needed medical attention fast. “Computer,” I croaked. “How long until our arrival?” The animated computer answered with a tantalizingly feminine voice. “15 days, 13 hours, and 29 minutes.” “Okay,” I looked back down at Vegeta. His pale face was tinged with just the slightest hue of blue. “Activate suspended animation.” “Code in, please.” The feminine voice responded. I sighed. “Raditz, son of Bardock, Saiyan Elite, number 1070864.” “There is additional mass in the pod. Please continue to code in,” I looked again at Vegeta and decided it was best not to wake him. “Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, number 1070863.” “Preparing suspended animation. Enjoy your cruise.” “Thank you,” I mumbled and rested my head against the pod wall. I vaguely wondered if Nappa had the sense left to sleep the 3 weeks it will take to get there as I breathed in the purple fumes in the pod and fell into a fitful, uninterrupted sleep. *** “Raditz, we are now within one parsec of the planet Ubac. Initiating vapor bath. Wake up, Saiyan.” Consciousness came back slowly. I opened my eyes and squinted at the synthetic light in the pod. On my lap, Vegeta jerked, but other wise remained silent. “Prince Vegeta?” I shook him gently. No response. “Vegeta?” Again, he didn’t move. I turned my head toward the mainframe of the pod. “Computer, what is wrong with Prince Vegeta?” “I do not have sufficient information for that diagnosis.” I growled. “If you had to make a guess?” The feminine voice responded instantly. “The trauma done to his body has caused a lasting effect to his suspended animation.” “Fuck.” I pressurized door of the pod opened and was blinded by the intense sunlight. I carried Vegeta out of the pod and hugged him tight to my chest. We landed just outside of a huge desert market place. I was painfully reminded of Planet Vegeta’s market, but noticed with irritation that this place was a melting pot of thousands different species. To my right, Nappa stumbled out of his pod and stood next to me. “Where are we?” he mumbled. “Ubac. It’s a well-known vacation planet of Frieza’s.” “I see why,” Nappa mused as a particularly dark humanoid female passed us. She had long black hair and red lips. She had no shame in appreciating Nappa’s naked form and well-endowed body. I rolled my eyes. “Come on.” We walked shamelessly into the crowd. Nappa seemed to have attracted a very large gathering of exotic women and he looked at me, raising his eyebrows up and down. I shook my head. “Later. The prince needs medical attention.” Nappa scooped a larger female into his brawny arms and grinned at her squeal of delight. “Aww, c’mon Raditz! It’s been forever since I’ve had a good tumble!” He lifted the female off the ground and tossed her over his shoulder, smacking her fat ass. “Besides, ya know I’m no good at all tha’ medical stuff.” I rolled my eyes. The moron had a point. “Fine. I’ll find you later. Just don’t draw attention to yourself.” Nappa was already groping another woman’s breast at she attached herself to his neck, a small hand massaging his sac. “And Nappa!” I barked. He turned his attention unwillingly to me. “Get some clothes for Goddess’s sake, okay?” He grinned perversely and buried his face into larger woman’s crotch. I turned around and walked away, hearing her cries of passion well until I got two blocks away. I scanned the entrance to every booth, but no one seemed to sell anything but meaningless trinkets. And no one spoke anything that I understood. “A doc-tor! You know, a medicine man?! A healer? No?” The small bug-like alien I was talking to just shook his head and turned away to another customer in hopes of selling his hideous rugs. I growled audibly in frustration. “You search healer?” The accent was thick, but I understood the words. The creature was hunched over, covered in thick rags from head to foot. It was impossible to tell what species it was, let alone what sex. “Yes.” I answered hesitantly. “Come, I healer.” The creature extended one wrinkled hand and beckoned me. I mentally shrugged, hoping I was not being led into some trap. The clothed creature led me weaving through dirty and unkempt streets until we came upon a sign with a roll of gauze and scissors depicted. The ragged being pulled back a flimsy layer of cloth that served as a door and I stepped inside, making sure I didn’t hit Vegeta’s head or ankles on the narrow frame of the adobe opening. So much of this planet reminded me of the Saiyan ghetto of the capital city. Upon entering, I immediately smelled incense and another enticing aroma that I couldn’t place. The room was cool and dimly lit. An orange glow cast around the room, giving the wooden table to the left a darker tone that expected. The creature turned around to face me and slowly unwrapped the turban covering its head. When all the rags were off, an ancient looking woman with sparse but long, white hair that fell over her shoulders peered up at me through squinted eyes. “You Saiyan, no?” Her accent was heavy as ever. “Yes.” I answered, shifting Vegeta’s dead weight in my arms. She nodded once and motioned for me to place him on the table. I did as instructed and laid him down carefully, making sure he didn’t lay on his tail. She looked him over slowly, gently pressing here and there on his bronze skin with her wrinkled hands. Then she cleared her throat and looked up at me. “How much years he has?” I quickly did the math in my head. “He just turned twenty.” She nodded again and moved to his ankle, making a tsking sound through her missing rotted teeth and looked up at me. “I take him. You stay here.” I was about to protest, but she cut me off with a wrinkled hand. “You no feed him and I need fix foot.” “Yes, please. His foot was dislocated by—” Again, she cut me off with her hand. “He need bath, too,” she added, causing her wrinkled visage to contort to even more hideousness before steeling her face again. She reached toward Vegeta and held up his wrist. “What dis?” “A ki restraining device.” She humphed and observed it closely. “Stay here.” She instructed again as she seemed to use what ki she had to levitate Vegeta’s entire body perfectly parallel to the ground and around the corner of the dimly lit room. It was a few seconds until I hear the obvious click of a metal door latch, and I was left in the room alone. Or so I thought. I heard footsteps behind me and whipped around. I extended my fist as if to strike and pulled back just in time. Standing in front of me was a young man who must have been a few years out of puberty, his yellow eyes glowing eerily bright in such a dim room, his blonde hair falling somewhat into face. He was attractive, a lean body covered in tightly-wound rags like the old hag that was healing Vegeta. I wondered their relation. “Are you her grandson?” I asked motioning with my head to the back part of the building. He cocked his head to the side and responded in a language I had never heard before. I shook my head and shrugged to explain that I didn’t understand. He took a bold step forward. It was then I noticed it. That scent that I couldn’t identify earlier, it was he. He was reeking of fertility. I wondered what race he was and if it was acceptable for me to satisfy myself with him. Then I realized that at that point, it didn’t matter. My groin was burning with need. It had been much too long. He walked well within my personal space and inhaling fervently. His yellow eyes snapped up to look at mine as he slowly opened his mouth and licked my naked chest. I groaned, grabbed his hair, and yanked him forcefully down to his knees, but he didn’t protest. His scent intensified and I threw my head back, my shoulders smacking against the wall. He was already sucking me off by the time I face- fucking him, my hand on the back of his blonde head, forcing him down on me further. “Fuck, yes…” I didn’t care who this kid was. Nappa had the right idea. Damn Vegeta for hurting himself and needing me to baby sit. I have my own needs, too. The kid was humming, practically singing as I fucked his face. He seemed to enjoy it as much as I did, so without pulling out, I threw my head back, screamed my completion, and creamed in his mouth. He swallowed it all and licked his lips for emphasis, looking up at me again from under the blonde fringe. I wiped my face with my hand slowly, enjoying my scent as it filled the small space. Closing my eyes, I felt my heart hammering in my chest. I hadn’t gotten off like that in years. There was just something so beautiful about a willing partner. A sudden increase in the fertile smell in the room caused my eyes to snap open. The blonde had disappeared from his position on his knees and was now perched on the wooden table, one leg dangling, the other bent to the side on the table itself. He was laying on his side, one hand filling his mouth with fingers as the other hand teased his hole. I was instantly hard. I crossed the distance between us and looked down at the erotic display before he turned himself to face me. Laying back on the table, he raised both of his legs and I lowered them onto my shoulders. He licked his lips and laid back against the table, his eyes closed as he panted and waited. Grabbing my cock, I positioned myself and thrust in without warning, enjoying the little pants he emitted as I rammed into him over and over and over. I grabbed his thighs for more leverage as he moved with me. His hands went to his cock, then to his hair, fisting hard and almost pulling it out before he fisted his dick fast again. He kept alternating, changing his pace to match my increased enthusiasm. Damn Zarbon. Damn Dodo-brain. Fuck them all. This was incredible. Even if I had to die for running away from that damned ship, it would have been worth it, if only for this. I lived for this. With one final spasm, he clenched himself around me and held me inside him as he climaxed, his seed spilling all over my chest and his. The increased pressure was enough to push me once again over the edge, and with a few more thrusts I came howling to the adobe ceiling. I immediately pulled out and looked down at the kid below me. He placed his hands on my chest and began licking it clean, occasionally paying particular attention to a spot when I hissed in pleasure. My tail was flicking lazily behind me. Then I noticed a change in his scent. It was subtle, but there nonetheless. I had impregnated him. I audibly cursed, but he paid no attention, never stopping in his attentiveness to my pectorals. I wondered what my Elite friends would have said if I told them I got an alien pregnant. I would probably be castrated and my chosen lover would be executed. I sighed. In this case, it was highly unlikely that would happen, considering most everyone who would enforce that rule was dead, but I disliked the idea of a bastard child with my blood roaming the universe. I yanked his head back with a little too much force heard his neck snap easily. Instantly regretting it, I laid his limp form down on the table and stepped away. It had to be done. It was best for both of us. A few minutes later, when his yellow eyes had glazed over to a dull marigold, the woman in rags reappeared. I was prepared to kill her as well, if she should protest at anything that had transpired. But she merely looked at the dead kid on the table and shook her head sadly. Turning to me, she nodded. “He is healed.” She beckoned again with one wrinkled finger. “Come.” I followed her around the corner of the room and through a wooden door until we came to a room constructed entirely of pink marble. It glowed with the candles all around the room. In the center was a large wadding pool, and in the center floated Prince Vegeta, lazily lifting and dropping his tail on the water. He turned to me and squared his shoulders, his hands moving proudly to his waist despite his nudity. “What took you so long? I’ve been better for a whole 10 minutes.” I noticed the smirk at his mouth as I slowly wadded into the water. I felt instantly refreshed. The water had healing powers. “Oh, you know. The usual monkey business.” Vegeta grinned and disappeared under the water, then reappeared several meters away. “And Nappa? Where is he?” “In the city. Probably in a whore house by now.” Vegeta rolled his eyes and did a back-stroke in the water. “Do you remember the first time I ever went swimming?” I snorted and nodded. “If you could call it that. You practically drowned.” Vegeta tilted his head and glared at me. “Well, I didn’t did I? Anyway, I hate water. It makes my hands prune-y.” “‘Prune-y’?” I barked in amusement and noticed the old hag behind me with a metal pair of tongs. “I remove bracelet.” She said. I blanked, completely confused, until Vegeta barked, “Your ki restrainer, you idiot.” “Oh!” I held out my wrist so that she could remove it with one snap of the tongs. She caught the device before it fell into the water. “K’tak egda, vinnek.” I heard Vegeta say from behind me. The hag replied, “Elkommenvae, yrstera,” and bowed in respect before leaving the room. I looked at the prince. “You and your languages.” Vegeta shrugged. “Maybe you shouldn’t have skipped class so much, solider.” We had a staring contest until I had to look away. When he got competitive, the look in his eyes could kill a man.   He exited the pool suddenly and donned a lose robe that tied at the waist. “Put this on.” He motioned to a similar one next to the bench he was standing by. “It’s not much, but it’s better than being stared at.” I said nothing, but did as I was told. Vegeta then exited the room with the bath, and without so much as a glance to the side to look at the poor dead kid on the table, exited the healer’s hovel. The hag herself was no where in sight. “Now then,” Vegeta began, scanning the street. “Where is that oaf?” ***** Part VIII - Raditz ***** Vegeta remained several paces in front of me, using his intuition to guide us back to the center of the busy market. For being unconscious an hour ago, he sure seemed lively, his auburn tail flicking wildly behind him as he took in all the sensations of the exotic vacation planet. I felt numbly satisfied with previous release, and tried not to concentrate too hard on what I had done as I followed my young sovereign. A sudden explosion of ki in front of me forced me back on the ground. My ears were ringing with the sound and I struggled to see what was happening in front of me. Vegeta was furiously fighting with another warrior. He was quick. A jab to Vegeta’s head gave him the upper hand, and he wasted no time in grabbing Vegeta’s tail and yanking…hard. I scrambled to my feet and prepared to spring, but Vegeta held one hand up. He wanted me to keep back. My instincts were screaming at me to protect my fallen prince, but Vegeta’s pride would never have allowed me to intervene when he obviously did not want help. “What do you want?” he rasped, pounding one fist on the dusty floor of the deserted market road in agony. The alien visibly relaxed and stood up straighter. He was not as impressive as I first thought. He was only an inch taller than Vegeta, with short, stubby legs covered in black spandex. His purple head had two large holes protruding from the top on either side, which I assumed were his ears. His wide mouth contorted into a nasty grin as he tightened his grip on Vegeta’s tail ever-so- slightly. “The name’s Cui. I’m here on Lord Frieza’s behalf. Zarbon recently reported you lost in paradise, so my team was dispatched to find and subdue you. Unfortunately, one member of my team has already met his end…” The purple alien glared at me, and then I realized what he was talking about. Of course…that was why that blonde was so willing. He was probably trying to use some sort of bedding technique to control me. Poor bastard. Cui continued glaring at me for a moment before looking back down at Vegeta. “…Anyway, I was instructed to bring you back.” I couldn’t believe it. How could they have found us that fast? Vegeta thrashed violently on the ground despite the death-grip the purple alien had on his abused tail. “Go fuck yourself! You’ll have to kill me first.” “Yeah, me too!” I added lamely. The purple alien made eye contact with me, then grinned again. “Zarbon warned me you might say that. He also wanted me to inform you that if you do not ‘come quietly’ as instructed, Lord Frieza will personally attend to this matter and parade you three through the streets of every planet he knows of, shave all of you bald, and proclaim to everyone that you are the Prince of all Saiyans.” I growled. How dare he. That’s just sick. Bald? I shuddered. Vegeta seemed to be thinking, biting on his lower lip. “I refuse. We will not be enslaved.” I desperately wanted to believe in those words. The alien named Cui laughed horrendously. “Silly Saiyan…I have already enslaved one of you.” Cui suddenly snapped something onto Vegeta’s wrist. I cursed violently in my native tongue. Ki restraints. And he had Nappa. Cui released his grip on Vegeta’s tail. “Now be a good—” Cui hadn’t even finished his sentence when Vegeta used his legs to kick Cui onto his ass. Vegeta was standing in a heartbeat, one bare foot pressing dangerously on Cui’s neck. “You were saying…?” Vegeta taunted, pressing his foot down harder. I got to my feet and walked to my place beside Vegeta, looking haunting down on the poor bastard. By the smell, I’d say he pissed his pants. Vegeta looked up into my eyes with a malicious gleam and then turned back to Cui. Spat on him. “Where’s Nappa?” Cui was now desperately struggling for air, both his hands wrapped around Vegeta’s newly-healed ankle. “Where’s Nappa!” The prince repeated, his tail thrashing fiercely. He released the pressure just enough to allow Cui to speak. “At the station…! Frieza’s station…” he continued coughing as Vegeta immediately removed his foot from the purple alien, wiping his foot in the dirt. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Cui silently shook his head, clutching at his throat with his hands as he breathed deeply. “Where’s your team’s space pods?” Vegeta demanded. Cui coughed and pointed ambiguously. It was my turn to act. “Get up,” I snapped, grabbing Cui by his armor and shoving him roughly forward. “And don’t forget, I still have full use of my ki.” I sent a small little ball towards one of his feet in warning, and he dodged like fool. “Come on, move it.” And Cui begrudgingly began to lead us to his team’s abandoned space pods. *** “Computer, activate suspended animation until my arrival on Frieza #1.” “Initiated. Enjoy your cruise.” *** The pod door opened slowly as I regained consciousness. I was glad we were able to leave that purple idiot on Ubac, because from the welcome party in front of the prince and I, we were going to have our hands full. “Welcome home, Saiyans!” said a chilling voice from among the crowd. My tail was rigid. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up. I looked to my right, and Vegeta was equally as unnerved, his tail just slightly twitching underneath the flimsy robe he was wearing. “Surely you remember me?” said the voice. And then it hit me. Lord Frieza himself. The crowd of warriors parted and moved to the side, revealing the lizard lord sitting in a hovering throne. I threw up in my mouth. Next to me, Vegeta’s jaw was so set, I could hear his teeth grinding. Frieza began chuckling, lifting one long-nailed hand to his purple mouth. “Ah, yes. Of course you do.” He hovered a little too close for comfort, inspected us with an air of boredom, then snapped his white fingers. The faceless warriors instantly filed out of the landing station, leaving only two behind. I heard Vegeta’s higher-pitched growl to my right…it was Zarbon and Dodoria, standing there with their shiny new armor, smirking like the bastards they are. Frieza chuckled again, that sick smile never gone from his pasty face. “No need to be so hostile, monkey.” Vegeta continued to growl. I scanned the room for a possible exit, and my line of vision fell upon someone eating at a lavishly-decorated table. I could barely believe my eyes. I blinked. “N-Nappa?” The big buffoon turned himself to look at me, as if just realizing that there were other people in the room. “Oh, Raditz…there ya are! You should come eat some o’ dis. It’s great!” His mouth was full of savory meat and I watched as blood dripped down his arms from holding it. My appetite betrayed me, and my stomach growled audibly. “Nappa!” the prince screamed. “Get over here, now!” Nappa pretended not to hear and continued gorging himself. Frieza brought the attention back to center with his annoying chuckle. “Pay him no mind, Prince Vegeta…he is merely enjoying the lavish feast I prepared for your arrival.” Vegeta blinked, as if not hearing correctly. I mirrored his reaction…Frieza prepared us food? “Don’t look so shocked, boy. I’ve been waiting for you three quite impatiently.” Vegeta looked skeptically over to me, then straightened himself and faced Frieza. “And what is it that you want of us, Lord Frieza?” Vegeta pronounced each word with meticulous care, as if he was afraid his words might upset the lizard tyrant. Frieza chuckled and hovered closer in his throne. “Please, remove your robes.” My face instantly lost all color. I had heard rumors, but certainly he was not going to… Frieza did not falter in his passive expression. “I’m waiting, monkeys.” Vegeta roughly pulled on the sash of his robe and it instantly fell to the ground, revealing his newly-healed youthful body. I did the same, and stood proud. Frieza kept his face neutral as he hovered around each of us, inspecting everywhere with his piercing eyes that could kill. Finally, he appeared in our line of sight, a look of rage on his contorted face. “Zarbon, I instructed you to take care of these Saiyans, especially Vegeta, so that he would develop fully.” Frieza’s voice was unnaturally low, but so full of fury he was practically spitting. “I see that you have not completed this simple task. They are barely skeletons. And poor nutrition has affected Vegeta’s growth.” Frieza was seething, his eyes fixed on Zarbon standing a few paces behind the tyrant. “My lord, I have done nothing that would…I assure you, I-I never—” “Silence!” Frieza shrieked, and Zarbon shut up, his yellow eyes traveling to the floor in shame. “I will not tolerate insubordination.” With a jerk of his horned head, Dodoria removed Zarbon forcefully from the room until it was just me, Vegeta, Frieza, and Nappa in the corner, stuffing his face. “My apologies for any wrong Zarbon may have caused you and your kin, Vegeta.” Vegeta’s face was still clenched, not showing an ounce of emotion. “Zarbon feels unnecessarily threatened by you, and has consequently taken that anger out against you in the most despicable of ways.” I digested this new information with a raised brow. “You won’t have to worry about any of that anymore. Your performance on Zarbon’s ship has earned you and your monkeys your own special quarters on the biggest space station in the galaxy, my own personal ship, Frieza #1.” I was in shock. For all of our insolence, we were being promoted. “You will each receive your own room with an adjoining washroom, as well as your own small training quarters. The mess hall is open around the clock. You will get assignments via your scouters. Three of our newest models are waiting in your rooms. Feel free to roam the unrestricted part of the station as you wish.” I couldn’t help my mouth from dropping. I shook my head, expecting to wake from this bizarre dream… Frieza chuckled again and half-turned his hovering throne away from us. “Vegeta, you may report to the medi-lab to remove that ki restraint. I believe the best results come from a basis of trust, don’t you?” Frieza asked Vegeta a direct question, and Vegeta simply stared at him, unmoving. Frieza tsked. “Come now Vegeta, be reasonable. There is only one thing I do not tolerate on this ship—mutiny.” Vegeta still did not move; his regal face seemed to be etched in living stone. Frieza chuckled once, and turned fully around, exiting the pod landing area. “Consider the alternative, prince: at least you’re alive.” The metal doors through which everyone had exited slid shut. I heard Nappa make an audible slurping noise of his drink and belch. Naked, Vegeta snatched up the discarded robe and wrapped it around himself. I sighed, opening my mouth. “Don’t…” he whispered threateningly. “Just…don’t.” *** When we were within our three-bedroom chamber, Vegeta exploded. “Who the hell does he think he is?!” Vegeta paced on the rug at the entrance to our very lavish quarters. “He destroys everything we ever knew, forces us into slavery under one of his incompetent slugs, then pretends to save us from it?! The asshole! The Fertile-fucking son-of-a-bitch! When I reach my Legendary status, he will be the first of my victims! I will rip that smug smile right off his righteous fucking HEAD!” I resisted the urge to cover my ears. The prince had very valid points, but my stomach was growling far too much to protest. “Come on, Vegeta. You have to see the light in this.” He was practically foaming at the mouth. “Oh, do I?! Enlighten me, soldier, what do I have to be pleased about? That I can take care of a few physical needs? That I can sleep on silky sheets provided by that mass-murdering scum- bag? That I can eat until my heart’s content and my belly’s full, and my head is full of dissonance!? No, I would rather starve; I would rather stay up all night! I would rather be DEAD!” Nappa had even paused in his mass consumption of food to give a concerned glance at our prince. I stepped towards him, encircling his shoulders with one arm. “I know you don’t mean that, ‘Geta.” Vegeta snapped his eyes up to mine warningly. It had been years since I dared to use my father’s nickname for the prince. “And I don’t expect you to roll over and admit defeat. But you have to see the advantage of this situation.” I stepped away from him to give me more mobility with my hands as I explained my plans. “The enemy has invited you to dinner. You’re starving, so you eat. The enemy expects to earn your trust from the exchange. But little does the enemy know, you will simply gain your strength, fulfill your destiny, and take back what is yours.” Vegeta looked out across the room, unblinking. His scowl slowly worked its way into the malicious smirk I came to admire. “You know what, Radtiz…” He licked his chapped lips. “I think you’re right…I think…perhaps…we should eat a good meal and sleep tonight.” I sighed silently. I thought I’d never get him to calm down. “But tomorrow,” he interrupted my thoughts. “We train.” “Of course, prince.” ***** Part IX - Raditz ***** I got used to life on Frieza’s ship very quickly. We were allowed to eat as much as we wanted, whenever we wanted, which allowed my hair to grow thicker than ever, my skin to gain back its golden glow, and my body easily gained twice the muscle mass I had before. I was just ending puberty, and my full- grown body suited me just fine. Nappa’s colossal size returned, but his intelligence and hair did not. And as for the prince, well, he was still a child, so not much bulking up was expected for another thirty years. He did, however, gain an inch and a half, just enough to make him even with Nappa’s waist. Vegeta’s appetite for training, however, only grew with every planet we purged. The unique creatures we encountered there gave him an exotic taste of a variety of fighting styles. He was a sponge, constantly adapting and improving his technique. It wasn’t a huge surprise when he earned the reputation of being a pint-sized bad-ass. Hell, I’d known that since day one. We didn’t see much of Zarbon or Dodoria anymore. Only on the occasion that we should pass them in the hallways would they even glance our way. We had much less free-time on Frieza’s ship, but that was expected. Better living conditions naturally demanded more work. That was easy enough to understand. I spent my free time alone in my room with my hand. I mean, I have my needs, but I was just too proud to sleep with another soldier. They would have probably made me bottom, and I am nobody’s bitch. Nappa spent his free time eating, or doing whatever it is he does alone in his room. I really never bothered to investigate. On some of our days off, Vegeta would pound on my door and demand that I spar with him. I always consented. “Show me that attack again. The one you did yesterday when you were Oozaru.” I laughed, removing my weighted wrist bands before beginning to stretch. The training room was already filling with spectators, and we hadn’t even begun to fight. Vegeta always attracted a crowd. I think it was because of his small size. And he was without a doubt the youngest on the whole ship. “I can’t, prince. I’d blow my head off.” It was a ki blast that came out of my mouth. I wasn’t aware that I was able to do it before, but apparently, with enough bloodlust, anything is possible. Vegeta shrugged and crouched low into his defensive position. Despite his advantage in agility, I was still stronger physically. “Retpae?” ‘Ready?’ he asked me in our native tongue. The crowd began to whisper. No one but us understood. I smirked. Vegeta always was a show-off. “HA!” I rushed at him in a blur, and landed an attack square on his jaw before he retaliated with his legs, kicking frantically at my groin. It was dirty, and he knew it. I doubled over with pain, but grabbed his leg and threw him easily to the side. He landed with a quiet “oof” on his ass, then quickly stood up, his cheeks turning crimson. Other men were still watching from afar. “That was low.” I growled, adjusting my balls. Vegeta shrugged. “What did you expect? You left yourself wide open.” He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. I managed to stand. “C’mon,” I beckoned, crossing my own arms over my chest and thrusting my nose into the air, not even making eye contact. I didn’t have to look at him to know his face had turned red with fury, his hands clenching as he decided where he could strike to cause the most pain. He came flying at me, and I easily dodged everything without uncrossing my arms. This continued for a few more seconds before I reached out and grabbed both of his wrists and paused his motion. He wriggled violently in my grasp, his legs kicking at nothing as I held him at arms length. “You need to control your temper. You get careless when you’re angry.” He stilled almost immediately, glaring at me. “Going to release me sometime today?” he snapped. I loosened my grip, and he flew backwards and out my hands, hovering several meters away. I turned away from him, walking through the crowd. “Where are you going!” Vegeta yelled from behind me. I turned my face to him just slightly, grinning, “To get a drink.” *** “What’ll it be?” the bartender asked me with one of his heads while the other two concentrated on mixing several margaritas. “Just a beer,” I replied. Vegeta coughed to my left. I smirked. “Make that two.” With our beers in hand, we settled to a more remote corner of the seedy place. The grunge metal was playing low, the vibrations causing the cheap steel walls to shake. I took a large swig, and watched Vegeta slowly sip his. Drinking was one of the few pleasures Vegeta allowed himself on occasion. Nappa and I drank every night. Or day. Or afternoon. It really didn’t matter. “So…” I began. Drinking always loosened Vegeta’s tongue. “Shut up.” Apparently not tonight. “What’s eating you?” I teased. He looked up at me and scowled deeper. “I’m still not strong enough,” he whispered. I mentally rolled my eyes. Not this again. “Oh, come on, Vegeta. Quit being so hard on yourself. Take a good look around this place. It’s only a matter of time before you wipe the floor with these losers.” I motioned to the various patrons littering the club. Vegeta’s usual cockiness was right back into place. “You got that right. I feel it sometimes, you know…like I have this power right beneath my skin that’s just itching to get out…” I took another large gulp of beer. I swear, when he spoke like that, he sounded just as crazy as my birthfather. I glanced again around the room, seeing some acquaintances that I politely nodded at. Then I noticed some new creatures. They were quite a bit different from the normal patrons. I let my eyes focus in the darkness. They were women…on Frieza’s ship. I almost fainted. “Hey!” I whispered excited at Vegeta, leaning forward so he could hear me. “Look over there!” I pointed blatantly at one female that was currently draped over a red-skinned alien. Vegeta followed my line of sight and snorted. “Is sex all you think about?” He took another small swallow of his beer. I grinned perversely. “Oh, and you don’t?” He stared at me questioningly. “That is none of your business.” I raised my eyebrows. He sure was in a mood. “Excuse me, prince.” I continued to watch the woman sway her hips around the red alien. *** Nappa’s labored breathing could be heard from behind us as he struggled to keep up. “Where’re we goin’ ‘gain?” he panted. I rolled my eyes. “Planet Meat. You got the transmission through your scouter just like the rest of us.” “Oh, righ’!” he huffed. I waited for Vegeta to get into his own pod before climbing into my own. “Raditz?” I heard Vegeta’s voice from my scouter. “Yeah?” “Initiate suspended animation until your arrival.” “Yes, prince.” I was going to anyway; the planet was a few thousand parsecs away. *** When we arrived, the planet was completely devoid of all life. Our scouters confirmed it. “I don’t get it,” I began, kicking a piece of scrap metal with my boot. All the cities on the planet were also decimated. “The reconnaissance mission to this planet must be a few years too old,” Vegeta rationalized. I nodded in agreement. From my suspended animation, I had a lot of pent-up energy. “Think we can still transform and have some fun?” Vegeta smirked. “Certainly.” We made camp until nightfall. *** When the moon on this decrepit planet finally did appear from behind a cloud, Nappa and I were seated outside, and instantly transformed. Prince Vegeta was still in his tent, but I assumed he would rush out into the moonlight and join us. The rush of power a Saiyan receives from basking in the full moon’s glow is akin to nothing. Loss of any and all inhibitions…we wrecked even more havoc on the already destroyed planet without a single goal in mind. I was not aware of anything until the morning. When I found Vegeta, it was almost too late. His head had been smashed against a boulder during our Oozaru rampage. I instantly cursed myself. How could we have been so careless? Nappa shrugged and went silently back to his pod. I checked for a pulse on his neck. It fluttered delicately underneath my fingers. “Goddess, please, let him be okay…” I scooped him up like I’d done countless times before and placed him in his pod, activating suspended animation before shutting the pod door. Setting a course for Frieza’s ship, I continued to pray that the Goddess would watch over him. I kept imagining him not waking up. We had come too far for that. Much too far. And worst of all, I would have no reason to live. My mission in life would have been taken from me…and it was all of my own doing. *** As soon as I burst into the medical lab, the doctor took one look at Vegeta and assigned him to a regeneration tank. “Will he be okay?” I demanded. “Will there be any permanent damage?” The alien doctor looked at me in annoyance. “No, no!” He swatted at me. “He’ll be fine. You Saiyans are much too hard-headed to be permanently damaged. If anything, he’ll have a headache, but the regen. tank should take care of even that. Now be gone, I have others to attend to!” With a final swat, he herded me from the medical lab, and I went to find Nappa and tell him the good news. *** A few hours later, I was taking a nap in my bunk when my scouter began beeping, informing me that I had an incoming transmission. I picked it up off of my bunk-side table and smashed it to the side of my head. “Go ahead,” I mumbled sleepily. “Goodness me, look how comfortable we’ve become…sleeping in the middle of the day! Tsk, tsk tsk…” My arms went numb with goosebumps. “What do you want, Zarbon?” He snickered into his scouter. “Lord Frieza has requested your attendance in his personal quarters.” My blood ran cold. I had not see or talked to Frieza since I arrived on his ship almost a year ago. I wondered what he could possibly want. “Right now?” Zarbon huffed. “Yes, right now!” I paused, thinking. “Well, it will have to be in a few hours. Vegeta is resting in the medical lab. We just got back from—” “I know all about your little mishap on Planet Meat. And no, it will be immediately. Lord Frieza wishes to speak to you,” he paused, “…privately.” I wiped my face. “As my Lord commands…” “Good. Now open your door. There is a guard waiting to escort you.” I heard the click that signified that he had ended the transmission. My head was reeling with all the different reasons as to why Frieza would want to speak to me, and most of all alone. The guard outside my door did not say a word. He led to the third floor corridor that required a special access key card that lower-level soldiers like me weren’t allowed. We finally arrived at a dark purple door with a golden knocker at its center. The guard nodded once, and the door opened on its own. “Come in, Saiyan.” His voice gave me the creeps, but I stepped into the well-lit room and took in my surroundings. Frieza was in front of me, lying sideways on the huge bed in the center of the room, a glass of what I assumed was wine in his hand. A few feet in front of his bed was an oddly-placed stool made of gold, decorated with precious jewels. Behind him was an enormous glass window that gave a magnificent view of space. Standing at one side of the room was Zarbon in his usual attire, arrogance and malice etched into his teal face. I resisted the urge to gag. “Is that any way to greet me, monkey?” In my exploration of the room, I almost forgot to bow. I got down on one knee and touched my head to the ground, my long hair flopping forward. “Lord Frieza.” He slurped his drink audibly. “You may rise.” I did so, and squared my shoulders. “You wanted to see me, my lord?” I asked politely. “Yes…” was all he said, and motioned to the ornate golden stool I had noticed upon entering his room. There was a small stack of papers on it. He raised his glass to it again and said, “Go on, read it.” I walked cautiously forward and grabbed the papers. The top read Medical Report—Regeneration Tank Results. I looked questioningly up at Frieza, who simply continued to sip his wine, a passive expression on his eerie face. As I continued reading, I noticed it was Vegeta’s results from his healing this afternoon. I almost raised my head again to ask Frieza what he was doing with them when I finally saw big, red letters written diagonally across the bottom half of the document: BREEDER. ***** Part X - Raditz ***** My eyes grew to the size of saucers, and I audibly gasped. I blinked. Repeatedly. I couldn’t believe it. “Oh,” Frieza’s cool voice interrupted my thoughts. “So you didn’t know.” I shook my head, babbling nonsense. “Lord Frieza, I swear to you, I-I—” “Silence.” He snapped. Took a sip of his wine. My mind was reeling. The prince was…Prince Vegeta, that arrogant, feisty, fierce warrior…was Fertile. I couldn’t believe it. But there it was, written on the paper: Body contains high amounts of progesterone… I shook my head again. This was unbelievable. Vegeta was the miracle baby that ended the plague…the one with the fucked-looking DNA that was genetically superior because he was created by the Goddess Herself. Was this Her idea of a practical joke? Give us a savior and have him be a fucking Fertile? The “Legendary Super Saiyan” was supposed to be a Fertile? Vegeta was raised from day one to be the next King of Vegetasei. His father was probably rolling in his grave. Fertile. I let the word float around in my head a moment. Prince Vegeta was Fertile. Prince Vegeta…could bear life… “I must admit, I was equally as shocked when the doctor came tripping in here with that,” Frieza’s voice seemed far away, and I forced myself to meet his gaze. It was impossible to read him. “I’m sure you’re aware that I do not allow breeders on my ship except for very special occasions…” I gulped. I didn’t like the way the conversation was headed. “The fact that Vegeta has been in my service for 16 years and we are just now detecting this is a bit disturbing.” My tail bristled. Fertile or not, Vegeta was an excellent fighter. There was nothing disturbing about any of the work he had done in the name of that ice tyrant. “Naturally, I expect him here tomorrow evening, at twenty hundred hours, sharp.” “H-here?!” I couldn’t keep the alarm from my voice. That sick, twisted fuck… “Yes, here. Alone.” The sealed it. My heart sank. Or whatever was left of it. “Yes, Lord Frieza.” My voice was devoid of emotion. I felt dead. “Excellent.” He took another sip of his wine. “What is your name, monkey?” “Raditz, son of Bardock.” I answered automatically. “Hmm…I’ll remember it.” I hoped he didn’t want me to feel honored. I felt like throwing up. “You may leave, Raditz, son of Bardock.” I turned to go, the lab results still clenched in my hands. I didn’t stop until I got back to our room. *** I tapped the code to our room and flew through the door. “Nappa!” I barked. No answer. I stormed to the entrance of his small room. He was laying on his bunk, apparently taking a nap. “Nappa!” I yelled. “Wha’?” he answered groggily. I said nothing, throwing the papers onto his large chest as he sat up. He grasped them, looking them once over, then threw them back at my chest. “Oh, hell, Raditz…ya know I can’t read!” I groaned and smacked him right across the face. “Tell me you didn’t know…Tell me you didn’t know!” “Didn’t know what?” he grumbled, rubbing his cheek. I turned from him, raising my hand to my forehead as I rested it against the cool metal wall. “Vegeta’s a Fertile,” I whispered. Nappa said nothing for a while. I assumed he was just as shocked as I was. Then he said, “Well, ‘a course ‘e is.” I snapped my head around to look at him incredulously. “I mean…” Nappa continued. “Just look at ‘im.” I shook my head, not believing my ears. I looked back at the medical report in my hand. “Do you know who I got this medical report from?” I breathed. “Nah. Who?” “Frieza.” I spat, glaring at the oaf still sitting on his bed. “Oh…” he said. “Well, tha’s not good.” “No,” I mocked. “That’s not good. Now Frieza knows he’s Fertile. He’s even ordered him to come…alone…to his room tomorrow night.” Nappa looked genuinely worried, and seemed to be thinking. He was silent for a while before saying, “Well, I guess ya know wha’ ya hafta do.” I looked at him, stupefied. “No…I don’t.” What the hell was he on about? He sighed, irritated. “Well, I’m sure as hell not gonna do it.” I growled low. “What the fuck are you talking about? What are you going to do? There’s nothing we can do. None of us are strong enough…and if we protested, I’m sure Frieza would just find a way to hurt him even more…” I clenched my fists and hit the wall several times in succession, leaving an enormous dent. “Fuck! I swear to the Goddess, I’m going to murder that son-of-a-bitch…” Nappa let out a choking laugh. “Yea’, n Vegetasei’s gonna reappear anyday now…” I glared at him. This was no time to be joking about the situation. “Look, Rad’tz, I’m only sayin’ tha’ ya should fuck the little pup properly before tha’ lizard does.” I looked at Nappa in wide-eyed disgust. How dare he even suggest… I stopped in my horror, thinking hard about what the moron had just proposed. “Like I said, I’m not gonna do it,” Nappa continued, unaware of my revelation. “V’geta’d be much more comfortable with ya, Rad’tz.” I was trying to get around his suggestion. “But, he’s underage…” “Better you than Frieza, eh? At least for da first time.” “He’s royalty…” “Wha’ better way ta serve yer prince?” “He’s—” “A virgin. Elites would kill fer tha’ honor.” I looked at Nappa and thought hard about it. “It’s yer duty as ‘is boduguard…to protect ‘im at all costs…” I nodded, agreeing with Nappa’s logic. It had to be done…for Vegeta’s sake. He needed to be prepared. He deserved to lay properly with his own kind. He ought to be loved. “Okay,” I said nodding, turning towards the door. “I’ll see you later…” Nappa nodded, seemingly proud. “Be gentle, Rad’tz. ‘Member, ‘e’s only a kid.” I continued nodding, leaving Nappa’s room. I suppose, looking back on it, I should have at least showered first, but instead, I headed straight for Vegeta’s door. *** He let me in immediately, and I instantly began having second thoughts. By Saiyan standards, Vegeta was most definitely still a child. The room was dimly lit with low blue lights lining the walls. Vegeta shut the door behind me and walked toward the bed. I took a deep breath. How to begin? How could I possibly tell him he was Fertile, and then convince him to let me bed him? I cursed Nappa and his ill- fated ideas. “I…I spoke with Frieza today…” Vegeta was silent, his head turned towards the floor. He refused to meet my gaze. It unnerved me. “He…He gave me the results of your most recent visit to the medical lab.” “I know,” Vegeta whispered. “I…” I licked my lips. So did he know…? “He wants you to go to him tomor—” “I know.” I bit my lip. Why was this so hard to say? “Prince Vegeta, I came here to…I thought that maybe…since—” “I know why you’re here.” He lifted his head and looked at me. Or through me, rather. His eyes were dead, devoid of any feeling, just like his voice. Without another word, I watched as he reached up to the shoulder clasps on his armor and undid them, slowly lowering the clunky piece of protection from his lithe body. My mind was reeling. How was it that I was so blind? How could I have not known that Vegeta was Fertile? His body shape practically screamed it. I couldn’t help licking my lips as I studied his face with this new knowledge. His thick eyelashes, his full lips…perhaps Nappa wasn’t as stupid as I thought. But when I watched Vegeta grow up, I had it drilled into my brain that he was Infertile. This revelation sent my brain for a loop. When the armor was completely removed, he bent and removed his boots, neither taking his time, nor rushing. His movements were robotic. I steeled myself. Vegeta was willing but uncomfortable. He realized my intentions and accepted my offer. I should have felt disturbed. I should have been running from that room at the realization, but truth be told, I had never been harder in all my life. The mental picture of my bossy prince on all fours as I ravaged him sent shocks of pleasure straight to my cock. If Vegeta could see my desire, he made no indication as he continued to remove his entire spandex suit. How many times had I helped him out of his clothes? How many times had I seen his naked body without so much as batting an eye? I was appalled at myself and at my new reaction. Just because he was suddenly Fertile did not make it okay to become this aroused. But my body seemed to have its own agenda. He finished his cold strip-tease and stood in front of me, refusing to meet my gaze. I was relieved. I’m sure he would have been horrified at the beast shining through. “Get on the bed,” I heard myself say, my voice thick with lust. He snapped his eyes up to mine in shock. He’d never seen this side of me before. Then he turned around and complied, crawling like an animal on all fours to the middle of his large bed. His tail hung limply between his legs, his head between his arms. I groaned and ripped my suit off, throwing the shreds uselessly to the side. Such a submissive position. I tried to control myself, but I couldn’t help but run a hand roughly along his ass. Such a firm, tight ass. Royal virgin ass. He shivered under my touch, and I pulled back, remembering the point of all this. Prepare him for Frieza. Prepare him for Frieza. Not just some outlet for me. I ran my hand up and down his back, trying to loosen his muscles. “This might feel a little uncomfortable…” I saw him nod. Total submission. With my other hand, I stuck two fingers into my mouth, wetting them, then moving his tail to the side as I pressed against his hole. He instantly clenched up, trying to prevent the intrusion. I almost chuckled. “Relax, Vegeta.” I heard him exhale shakily, then saw his entire body go lax. I was able to slowly insert the first digit. “Relax…” I breathed, adding another finger. His labored breathing was anything but pleasure-filled, so I moved on to the main event. My weeping cock was done waiting. I tried my best to enter him slowly, but my stretching had done very little. He cried out as my head just forced its way in. “It hurts…” he panted. “I know,” I whispered. It hurt me too. He was just so fucking tight. I tried to go slow, but my body demanded the friction. I slammed into him, earning an ear- piercing yelp. My conscience felt bad, but my body hummed with pleasure as I pulled out and rammed back into that tight heat again and again. His cries eventually ceased, and I noticed with amusement that he had lowered his head to the mattress, raising his ass to me for better access. Then I heard it. “Uhn…huh…” Those weren’t noises of pain. He was enjoying it. My chest nearly burst with joy. I redoubled my efforts, and was rewarded with a particularly high-pitched cry of pleasure. I must have hit his prostate. I gripped his hips tightly, smashing our bodies together, relishing in his tight heat enveloping my pulsing dick. Why had I waited so long for this? As soon as I had thought it, guilt washed over me like a bucket of cold water. This was Vegeta…underage, royalty…virgin. I roared in anger, and concluded that rationality would have to wait until after I’d cum, because I was enjoying myself far too much to stop. Bruising those slender hips that could carry life, I buried myself one final time in his ass before spilling my seed. I left his room without another word. That was not how it was supposed to have gone. It was supposed to be a noble act of courage, bedding a minor to spare him from a horrific first time. Instead, I had taken my own pleasure from his willingness. I wanted to take it back. I wanted to feel disgusted at my actions. But all I felt was pleased…pleased that it had been me, and not Nappa. Or Frieza. As I lay down to sleep that night, I couldn’t help but imagine my birthfather’s head shaking in disgrace. Dear Goddess…what had I done? ***** Part XI - Raditz, Vegeta & Raditz ***** Raditz: I couldn’t bring myself to face Vegeta the next morning. I was a coward, too ashamed of what I’d done to even leave my room. Nappa came in after lunch to ask me what was wrong. I snapped at him and he left. Vegeta never came at all. It was getting closer to eight in the evening and my tail began twitching. I collected what was left of my pride and found the courage to buzz Vegeta’s door. The metal door slid open and revealed the small prince, his armor on, scouter on his face, dressed as if he were leaving for a purging mission. “Prince Vegeta?” “What, Raditz?” he snapped, just as grumpy as usual. I thought our coupling would have changed him, but he seemed just as arrogant, staring up at me in annoyance, as if he had so many other important things to be doing. “I…I’ll escort you,” I gulped. “To Frieza’s room.” He looked at me for a moment, seeming to study my face. “Yes, I suppose I do need you for that. I’ve never been.” I was freaked at how calm he was being about all this. Like it was just another mission. He was completely professional. But last night…had I imagined his passionate cries? How could this be the same Saiyan? “Well, are you going to lead me there, or stare at me?” he snapped, his tail betraying him as it flicked out behind him in irritation. “Yes, my prince.” And I led him on the same winding path to the third floor that I had traveled just a day ago. Had it really been only yesterday? It felt like ages. We reached the purple door much sooner than I would have liked. I turned to Vegeta, resisting the urge to crush him to my chest. The guards that had been around the door were gone. “Try to relax and it won’t hurt as much. I’ll be right here when you get out.” “I know.” His face was stone. His tail was wound around his waist. He was ready. He turned to the door and knocked loudly. The door opened silently, and he walked in without giving me the slightest glance. I exhaled as the door closed and pressed my ear to the door. I prayed to the Goddess Frieza would be quick. ***   Vegeta: Dammit. Goddess damn everyone. Why had this happened to me? I was supposed to be the strongest, the most powerful warrior in the universe. I couldn’t even protect myself against that perverse freak. And to top it all off, I was suddenly Fertile. Go fucking figure. It had been so humiliating to allow Raditz to mount me. Me, a warrior Elite…the prince, dammit! I was supposed to do the ordering. I was supposed to do the fucking. The only redeeming factor was that Raditz was the one to do it. At least he was actually fit to be a partner: he was practically equal to me in strength. And…I trusted him. The moment I woke up the following morning, I did nothing but meditate. Raditz’s coupling with me aroused feelings and sensations I had never before experienced, and I was determined not to have the same reaction with that lizard. It worked, because despite my nervousness, upon entering the tyrant’s cold room, I was in complete control of my body. Not a single organ in my body functioned unless I willed it to. “Prince Vegeta,” Frieza greeted me. I bowed quickly, never breaking eye contact. He was lying sideways on his bed. I noticed with detachment that the dimly-lit room was lavishly decorated with ornate jewels and exotic art. I resisted the temptation to growl upon seeing Zarbon standing in the corner. “Come closer, boy.” There it was again. That same commanding tone Raditz had used when he told me to get on the bed. Raditz’s voice had been deeper, foreign, and had caused a burning sensation below my navel. I steeled my body to prevent the same reaction from occurring. This was going to be unbearable, so I acted as I had with Raditz. I began to remove my scouter, placing it on an ornate stool to my left, then reached up to remove my armor. I had begun to remove my spandex when I heard Frieza chuckling. I stopped, frozen in my actions as I stared at him. What the hell was his problem? He covered his sick mouth with his hand and said, “Vegeta, what are you doing?” My heart began pounding in my chest, completely out of my control. Frieza continued to laugh and Zarbon joined him from his place in the corner. I cleared my throat, standing up straight and glaring at him. I was not going to be made a fool of. “Surely you didn’t think I brought you here to fuck you?” he snickered, continuing to laugh. My blood boiled, and I clenched my fists. I was enraged. Was he toying with me? “I don’t fuck mammals,” he finished, and Zarbon finally walked out of the corner, lying down behind Frieza on the bed. My eyes grew as big as space pod windows, and I leaned back in horror. No fucking way… Zarbon? And Frieza? I shuddered, and Frieza threw his head back and laughed. I scrambled to put my armor and scouter back on, anything to keep my eyes away from that pretty boy and the lizard lying in bed together out of my mind. “Vegeta, I brought you here to talk to you in person about your lab results and its implications.” I kept by eyes averted to the left as he spoke to me. I refused to meet his gaze. He…he had allowed me to strip for him just to make a fool of me…and in front of that freak. I could barely contain my shame. “You see, Vegeta, I don’t normally allow breeders to live on my ship because of the obvious distraction they provide for my soldiers…” I wished he would shut up and let me leave. I could barely stand the embarrassment. I was still coming to terms with being Fertile. And how dare he call me a “breeder.” “…However, we both know that you certainly earn your keep around here. You are the most competent of your men, and the most diligent in your training. You use very little resources that the others take advantage of. In fact,” he paused, chuckling, “I wish all my men were as dedicated to me as you are.” I could have spat in his face. I was dedicated to becoming stronger. For me. Not so I could better serve that lizard-fucker. “Despite your biological ability to bear, there are currently no outward signs of this…talent.” I stood taller. Damn straight, asshole. “Therefore, I see no reason why you cannot continue in your current method of servitude.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the Goddess he wasn’t going to use me as a breeder. “Thank you, Lord Frieza.” I whispered with a bow. He smirked, then chuckled. “Raditz is outside the door, is he not?” I was surprised at his knowledge, but nodded. “Good. Send him in after you. You’re dismissed.” I was taken aback, but bowed and exited calmly. I hadn’t had sex with Frieza. He hadn’t even touched me. I was going to keep my position on the ship. I could’ve jumped for joy, but instead quieted Raditz with my raised hand. “Frieza wants to talk to you,” I stated calmly. Raditz looked confused, and continued with his questions. “But what—?” “After,” I cut him off. “Go in.” As I watched Raditz disappear beyond the door, I still couldn’t believe it. I had survived an evening appointment in Frieza’s room. Not that I was going to brag about it to anyone, but it was a small personal victory. Thank the Goddess for having a furry tail. *** Raditz: I was completely stupefied. Vegeta didn’t look like he even got undressed. And he refused to answer any of my questions. I had no choice but to face Frieza. I walked in and bowed low. “Greetings, Lor—” “No need to be so formal, Raditz,” Frieza cut me off. He was once again lying sideways on his bed, a wine glass in his hand. We seemed to be alone. “So tell me…” he paused, sipping his dark liquid. “Was he good?” I paled. My jaw dropped and I tried unsuccessfully to speak. “I-I…I don’t—” “Don’t be so shy. I know all about last night.” My palms were sweating, and my mouth was dry. “How?” I breathed. “In my ship, there’s always someone watching.” He reached onto his bed for a control device that lowered a monitor on the wall of the room. An image instantly appeared. There was no sound, but the image was clear. It was a recording of me in the prince’s room…fucking him. I was beyond words. “Fascinating, mammal fornication. Though personally, I think it is the most repulsive of couplings.” I blinked. “So…” I gulped. “You didn’t—” “No, I didn’t touch Vegeta. Nor will I. He’s got far too much hair.” I gagged. “However, I did make you intentionally believe that I would, just so that you would do it first.” I stared at him in disbelief. “Why?” Frieza’s face suddenly contorted with rage. “Vegeta was supposed to have been mine from birth. All Saiyan babies were sent to me…with the exception of that brat. I wanted him for his power, and his pig of a father knew it. So he kept him from me intentionally. It doesn’t matter anymore, I got him in the end anyway…but not the way I wanted him.” I was sickened. I knew where this was going… “I wanted a Saiyan from birth. A Saiyan I could raise as my own, teaching him, training him, gaining complete trust and admiration. With a Legendary Saiyan under my complete control, no one in the universe would be able to stop me!” He paused, a sick smile working its way onto his pale face as he turned to me. “That’s where you come in Raditz.” I took a step back from him. “M-me?!” “Yes. You. Vegeta trusts you completely. Last night proved it to me more than ever. He would do anything for your approval. And you would do anything for his safety…” My breath was coming in short gasps of air. What was he getting at…? “Here’s my new plan,” he smiled, folding his hands. “You will sleep with Vegeta as much as possible until he is fertilized. And that child, born of two surviving Saiyan Elites, will be my ultimate Legendary warrior!” His eyes had gone red with insanity. I backed away shaking my head. “No…no…” He suddenly snapped his attention back to me, completely stern. “Oh, yes, monkey. You will do it. If not, I’ll be sure to give that bearing-prince to all of my real men until there’s nothing left of him. I’m sure the Ginyu Force would love a little princeling to play with.” I ground my teeth hard, trying not to glare at him. I could feel the heat rising off my skin. “I’ll do it,” I snapped. “Excellent.” He said, picking up his wine glass again and taking a slow sip. “You may leave.” He shooed me away with a wave of his hand. I turned around and made my way to the door. “And remember…” he drawled, smirking maliciously. “I’ll be watching.” He motioned to the monitor with his wine glass. I stalked out of his bedchamber, ripping the door open with rage. I was red with fury as I stormed back to my room. Frieza was ordering me to sleep with Vegeta. He was ordering me to impregnate him. He was sick…sick, sick, sick. So why had I failed to inform him that it would take another 30 years for Vegeta’s body to mature enough to support another life? Because I was sick. Sick, sick, sick… …And horny as fuck. ***** Part XII - Raditz ***** For what it’s worth, I really did try to contain myself those first few days. Vegeta had gone back to his usual bossy self, never hinting that anything had changed. Nappa kept staring at me with a twisted smirk on his ugly mug. And I kept to myself, training almost constantly…that is, unless the prince was there. A week after my meeting with Frieza, I discovered that I had a message on my scouter. It was one of Frieza’s many morons, informing all of the soldiers that the ship was going to land on a vacation planet this afternoon and that everyone was encouraged to…play. I thanked the Goddess. Maybe I would be able to find some release. The planet was one of the most beautiful in the star system: a lush, green world where it was always misting. The humidity was great for the tough skin of any warrior. And the natural hot springs were rumored to have healing powers. As promised, we landed just after four in the evening, at dusk. It had been a while since any of us had seen a sunset. Nappa was beside me as we received instructions from Ukey, one of Frieza’s minions. I noticed with irritation that Vegeta was no where in sight. Ukey stood tall before the rows and rows of mercenaries. “One rule,” he bellowed. “Don’t kill anything. Anything else goes. Have fun, boys!” And they were off. Soldiers began running like children towards a theme park. I shook my head in shame and noticed that Nappa remained beside me, walking calmly towards the capitol. “Notice he didn’t say anything about stealing? Wonder if he’ll mind if I take a new outfit. This one’s kind of shabby.” It was Prince Vegeta. He appeared at my side, motioning to his current spandex. He was right; it was torn in several places. I laughed. “I bet they wouldn’t.” I hoped he didn’t notice my gaze lingering on his barely-covered body. *** We stopped at the first bar we saw. It seemed like a local place, bamboo poles holding the awning up at the entrance. Nappa and I ordered some very hard liquor, and Vegeta decided to have the same. He was in an amiable mood. We sat at a booth in the center of the hut, just sipping on our drinks as the sitar music played softly in the background. “Dis is da life,” Nappa mumbled, slouching down into his seat as he closed his eyes. Despite the alcohol, I was anything but relaxed. Being in such close proximity to the prince, having no assignment to keep me focused…it was almost too temping to just throw him down and have my way with him. And Vegeta! He was perfectly content to slam down shot after shot of some local drink that burned my noise. “It’s great,” he purred, leaning into me. “Try it.” I shook my head and turned away from him. He seemed pissed. “I’m going to get some air,” he snapped. Before I knew it, he was up and out to the tiki deck connected to the back of the hut. Nappa opened his eyes and looked at me, a sloppy grin on his face. “So?” I stared at him. “So…what?” “You gonna go ta ‘im, or wha’?” I blinked. Nappa was right. Was I really that masochistic? I decided not. I followed Vegeta outside. *** I found Vegeta beyond the deck, sitting on the green grass on the edge of one of the many hot springs. It was a clear night; the stars were perfectly reflected on the calm surface of the water. Vegeta’s head was turned toward the sky. I made my way down the stairs off the deck and stood next to him, trying to catch his gaze. He refused, so I exhaled noisily and sat down next to him. “They’re so beautiful,” he murmured, more to himself than to me. I nodded. “Yeah, the stars are nice.” I could hear the insects singing and a bird called from deep within the jungle across the lake. I didn’t know how to begin. I studied his face. He looked so childlike, staring up at the night sky in wonder. I couldn’t resist reaching out. My large hand cupped his chin gently, pulling his face toward mine. I closed my eyes and threw caution to the wayside. If this was my only chance to kiss him, I was going to do it right. It was chaste, but my heart skipped a beat as our lips connected. I felt him stiffen upon the contact; he must have felt it too. Too soon, I pulled away, studying his face. His eyes were wide, and he was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling with effort. He seemed to be debating something before he pounced. He shoved me on my back as he attacked my mouth with short, quick kisses everywhere on and around my lips. I chuckled, and he recoiled from me, hurt clearly etched on his face. He hated to be made a fool of. And I just remembered that he had probably never kissed anyone before. He didn’t know how. I grabbed him again, this time surprising him enough to force my tongue into his mouth. He shrieked and pulled away. “What the hell was that?” he demanded. His inexperience was an unexpected turn-on. I chuckled low, scooting closer to him on the grass. “My tongue…” I was kissing him again, and he was simply sitting there, trying to grow accustomed to having my tongue in his mouth. It didn’t take him long to adapt, and his tongue joined the frenzy. I felt his tail unconsciously curl itself around my wrist. I was surprised by the intimate contact, and pulled away slightly to examine it. The tail is an extremely personal area for a Saiyan, and the fact that Vegeta was sharing his with me made me grin like an idiot. Vegeta seemed uninterested in my admiration for his tail, and wrapped his arms around my neck. “More,” he breathed. His voice was like an aphrodisiac, my cock jumping at his breathy whisper. I nodded and ravaged his mouth with much more passion than before. It felt so natural, his body practically molding to mine as I held the back of his head. He got to his knees, never ending the kiss, and started slowly moving on top of me, settling finally directly on the enormous bulge in my spandex. I gasped in surprise, and he looked up at me, grinning cheekily. Then he began squirming. I moaned, throwing my head back. Vegeta leaned forward and planted kisses all along my neck. “Please, Raditz…” he whispered. “Like last time…” Vegeta never pleaded. It took every force of willpower I possessed not to fuck him right then and there. I knew what he wanted. Regretfully, I pushed him gently off of me. “Okay,” I breathed. “Let’s get a room.” Vegeta smirked. *** The only room the cheap hotel had available was a single bed, but I doubted we would need a bigger one. Vegeta was so small. The room had no lights, only a single square in the adobe wall that allowed the starlight into the room. The hard bed was covered in a scampy sheet. It was perfect. I pulled off my armor, then removed my spandex. I looked up to see Vegeta in front of me. His nude form was glowing with youth and fertility in the dimly- lit room. I growled and pushed him back on the bed, positioning him so that he was below me. “Are you sure you want this?” I whispered into his neck, feeling the pulse there jumping. I felt his tail curl around my bare thigh. That was good enough for me. “Put your legs on my shoulders,” I ordered. I could feel him trembling. I would have stopped and asked him if he was okay, but my cock was twitching with excitement. I was craving his flesh. He was mine…all mine. I grabbed his thighs and positioned myself at his tight entrance. His face was screwed up in anticipation. I wanted to just satisfy myself, but I had already done him once, and I felt bad not letting him receive some of the pleasure. My thick hand wrapped easily around his dick, and I began stroking him. His mouth opened instantly in a deep sigh before closing his eyes and concentrating on the feeling. “Wha-what are y-…I’ve n-never…” He broke off to let out a whine, his legs tightening around my neck. I chuckled. “You’ve never touched yourself?” I finished for him. He shook his head, opening his eyes to look at me. “Not like that…” He bit back another moan, and had to shut his eyes again. “You do it now,” I instructed, and he uncertainly grabbed his own cock and began pulling. In one thrust, I was in, and he cried out. I went slowly, drawing slowly out…so slow that it burned, before crashing back into him. “Raditz!” he cried, arching up into me as I hit that sweet spot deep with him. The sounds he made were like the siren’s song. How could this be considered so wrong if it felt so right? So what if he was underage? If he was willing (and he was), why should it matter how old he was. I had always thought that Vegeta was mature for his age. I slowly began increasing the speed of my thrusts. He was matching me perfectly, moving his small hips with mine while his hand worked furiously on his cock. I studied his young face, flushed with the effort, covered in sweat, his full mouth parted as he squeezed his eyes tight…and I decided I’d never seen anything more erotic in all of my life. It was over much too soon. I couldn’t control myself as I came with a thundering roar, the sound echoing around the small adobe room. The only indication that Vegeta had also climaxed was the sticky feeling on my chest. I looked down to see his face turned to the side, his hands above his head as he panted to regain his breath. I chuckled and planted a kiss on his jaw. He turned to me and allowed me to kiss him lazily, sucking on his lips. I knew they would be bruised. And I was glad. I suddenly wanted everyone to know that I fucked him. Me…and no one else. Vegeta just stared up at me, not quite believing what had just happened. Finally, he bit his lip and smiled. My brow furrowed. “What is it?” I asked. He hesitantly moved forward to plant a kiss on my chest. “Can we do that again?” ***** Part XIII - Raditz, Vegeta & Raditz ***** Raditz: When our vacation was over, I had fucked Vegeta so many times, I lost track. He was an eager partner and a fast learner, but I still had plenty of things to teach him. I was still feeling a bit guilty every time I initiated something, but that would pass as soon as he reciprocated with enthusiasm. He was always ready for me. We received our next assignment the day we returned from the vacation planet, and Vegeta was suddenly all business, as usual. We set off for the mud ball in our separate pods, and I was preparing to going into a brief suspended animation when a communication screen appeared in my scouter. Vegeta’s form flashed into view. He was smirking, his arms folded across his chest. “Yes, Vegeta?” I asked. This was certainly unusual for him. We normally used the time in the pods to catch up on lost sleep and to recuperate. “Tired, are we?” he smirked. I shrugged. “I’m not used to getting laid so often.” His smirk broke out into a lopsided grin. He bit his lip, and raised one eyebrow. “Up for another round?” I looked down. “I’m always up. But—” “Shh…” he whispered. I watched him reach into the waistband of his spandex through the small screen of my scouter. “Just watch.” My breath caught in my throat as I watched him spread his legs as far as they would go in the pod, one hand in his pants as the other moved up to cover part of his face. I groaned and licked my lips. He was such tease. I watched him slowly touch himself, arching his back and exposing his neck. I saw a hickie that I’d just made a day ago peek out from the collar of the spandex. He began panting. Vegeta was getting kinkier by the day. If even a week ago, someone had told me that the Prince of All Saiyans would be giving me a private show… I couldn’t stand it anymore. Growling, I grabbed my dick and began pumping. “Do you know what you do to me?” He opened his eyes and grinned. “I have a good idea, yeah.” I shook my head and continued to watch him. *** Vegeta: It was during one of our training seminars. All of Frieza’s men were packed into an auditorium, seated, being forced to watch some stupid instructional film on how to operate the new space pods. I was seated next to Raditz, of course. I was irritated. The man instructing us had to go over the same instructions several times because most of the aliens were soldiers, not students. They, like Nappa, were not the brightest bulbs in the box. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. I wondered absently how much longer we would have to endure this torture. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Raditz bend down to my ear. “When I get you back to my room, I’m gonna tie you down…” He paused blowing on my ear. He was whispered just loud enough for me to hear. “Take off all your clothes…” He licked behind my ear, and I bit my lip, trying to steady my breathing. “And fuck you until you can’t see straight.” He ended with nibble on my earlobe, and pulled back, examining my face innocently before turning his attention back to the instructor. My face was flushed and I crossed my legs to hide my…arousal. I cursed Raditz and his ability to excite me with such petty words and simple gestures. I thought I was much stronger before. But that was prior to Raditz and my relationship. Yes, that’s what it was. Obsessive as it was, it most definitely was exclusive. He never left my side, and when we were alone…dear Goddess, the things he would do to me… I cursed myself for my weakness. I had become a slave to my flesh…and surprisingly, I loved it. It was like a game, a battle that we would engage in whenever we could. I tried to make him lose control and vice versa. He won constantly. I, however, was becoming pretty creative in my ways of seduction. I had no idea that sex could be so exhilarating. The sense of power I got from making him cum, knowing that it was me he was imagining when he closed his eyes…knowing it was me who he sought out on the vacation planets when he could have anyone… And the best part about the game was…not a single soldier knew about it. When we got too frisky in public, he’d have to cover my mouth with his large hands before I made too much noise and slip sneakily into his room. I was brought back to the lecture hall as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. To anyone watching, it looked like a simple gesture of camaraderie. But we both knew it meant something entirely different. He chuckled and leaned down again to whisper, “Fantasizing about it already, huh?” I turned my head away. “You wish.” He chuckled again and released his hold on me. “I was just thinking how odd it is to see you in clothes.” I cursed him under my breath, my face flushing beyond my control. His tail snaked its way over to my upper thigh and rested there, teasing. “Personally,” he growled low, the lust evident in his tone. “I prefer you naked.” A sharp intake of my breath caused me to draw the attention of the alien sitting to my left. He turned fully to face me, a puzzled look on his face. “What’s wrong. Vegeta? You don’t look so good.” I felt Raditz’s tail remove itself from my leg, and I exhaled shakily. “I-I’m fine.” The alien wasn’t convinced. “You sure? It seems like—” “Mind your own business!” I hissed. The alien recoiled, and turned away. To my right, Raditz chuckled. “Hot and bothered, prince?” I shook my head and forced myself to concentrate on the man trying to teach the same command for the pod control panel for the eleventh time. Hot and bothered…yeah. That was one way of putting it. *** Raditz: Later that day, Nappa and I were seated in a corner booth of our favorite bar on the ship. We had our usual beverages. It was a rare moment; Vegeta had insisted that he had to train…alone. I was less than pleased to learn that my fuck buddy had to take a rain check, but I figured getting plastered would make the night pass just the same. A familiar song began to pound in the bar. It was electronic or techno, or whatever they called it. A simple bass line that was perfect music to fuck to. Nappa and I toasted wryly to our good fortune and the evening started out rather calmly. That was when he showed up. I could tell even before he got to our table that he hadn’t been training. His skin glistened with cleanliness. He had escaped to shower. “Pardon my tardiness,” he smirked sweetly before squeezing unreasonably between Nappa and I, his ass rubbing my groin a little longer than necessary as he crawled over me. “What did I miss?” Nappa seemed oblivious to Vegeta’s attempt at seduction. “Ya missed da firs’ round ‘a drinks!” he bellowed. I said nothing, glaring at Vegeta. I wanted an explanation for his behavior. He had agreed to no sex tonight. He was teasing. Nappa saw another drinking buddy across the room, and left without a word. With the oaf being gone, he finally turned to look at me. “Did you think I was serious, Raditz?” he snickered, and leaned closer to me. “I would never willingly pass up the chance to be with you.” Before I could push him away, he bent his head lower and reached for my waistband. “What are you—?!” I gasped at the feeling of his hand on my dick. My eyes widened. “Vegeta, we can’t. We’re in a bar! People will—!” “Fuck ‘em,” he whispered and pulled my pants down just enough so that he could plant a kiss on the head. “Shit!” I bucked my hips, knocking the table with my legs. Vegeta just snickered. “Careful, Raditz. Wouldn’t want anyone to notice.” The music was suddenly deafening, and anything else he might have said was lost. I gazed at him through lidded eyes, watching as he slowly scooted from the seat to the floor, on his knees, where he continued to worship my sac with his tongue. I grabbed the tabled top and managed a quick glance around the darkened room to make sure no one noticed. Everyone else seemed engrossed in their own meaningless conversations, so I allowed my hand to slip to the back of his small head, encouraging him. “Ah…yeah…” I grunted. Vegeta had never given me head before. We hadn’t gotten that far. But he seemed to know what he was doing, so I didn’t protest. I let my head fall back onto the top part of the booth, my eyes lazily closing in ecstasy. I smoothed his hair to hide it from view. This was too much. We were bound to get caught. And we did. “Good evening, monkey.” I snapped my eyes up in horror. “Z-Zarbon…” He stood leering over me, a drink in one hand, his other on his hip. He was dressed in his usual armor and scouter, and I felt instantly underdressed. I was so preoccupied with getting caught, I didn’t realize that Vegeta hadn’t stopped in his adoration. “Pleasant evening, isn’t it? I was just thinking how special you must feel here. Compared to my ship, anyway. To be able to drink whenever you want…” Vegeta suddenly grabbed my tail under the large table and began sucking on it. I bit my lip to keep myself from moaning, “Sleep whenever you want…” Vegeta started stroking me with his own tail, the soft fur causing me react horribly, my legs wrapping around him to keep him close despite the dangerous situation. “Fuck whenever you want,” he ended, looking down at me in distaste. I leaned toward the table, my chest practically laying on it, to prevent him from seeing Vegeta even if he stood right over me. “Yeah,” I gasped out. “Really special.” He smirked cruelly. “Well,” he began, taking a long sip of his drink. “Have a good night.” And he walked away to another table. My hands cramped from where I was holding the table so tightly. I hadn’t realized that I’d been that nervous… Or was it the lust? Vegeta’s ungloved finger just lightly grazed that special spot between my ass and my sac, and I was pouring my seed into his mouth, a fist shoved in my own to hold back the howl. I was still panting when he reappeared by my side, smoothing his spandex and removing a nonexistent piece of lint. Holy fucking shit. I looked over at him, my mouth parted in amazement as I continued to pant. “That…was…” “Payback,” he finished for me, turning to me with a smirk. I cocked an eyebrow. “For what?” He looked at me as if it were obvious. “Earlier today, during the seminar.” “Oh,” I nodded. “I guess I’ll have to talk dirty more often.” He snapped his head to look at me, a fierce scowl on his face. I grinned and grabbed him in a sideways hug. I nibbled his earlobe before whispering. “That was fucking hot.” He wriggled out of my hold, folding his arms across his chest and sticking his nose in the air. “It was supposed to teach you not to make idle threats.” I thought about what he said. He thought I wasn’t going to follow through with my plan to tie him down, strip him naked, and ravage him…like I’d teased earlier in the day. Poor boy. Certainly he didn’t think he’d get away with the stunt he just pulled? The night was still young. ***** Part XIV - Raditz ***** Seven years later… “Sleep well?” “Hn.” I turned back to my food with a grin. I know he didn’t sleep at all. His voice was probably hoarse, too. “We’ve been assigned to the planet Shik.” “I’m aware of that, Raditz,” he snapped in a rasp. Oh yeah. Definitely pissy from lack of sleep. “We leave in fifteen. You want me to get Nappa?” He was currently in the bar. Vegeta lifted his head, meeting my gaze with a completely different expression on his face. “Fifteen, huh?” he whispered. I smirked. *** We stood by the door in his room. We just had a quickie, and he was enjoying the afterglow. He wrapped his arms around my neck, his hands playing with my long mane of hair as we gently kissed. He’d been doing more and more of that recently. The gentle part, anyway. It was very subtle at first, but somehow, over the years, we slowly changed from raunchy, animalistic fucking to slow-paced screwing that seemed to become more and more intense every time we did it. Sometimes it felt like he was going to cause my chest to explode with the looks he would give me while I was in him. Like he was getting off simply because I was. Not at the feeling, but at the fact that he was causing me pleasure. It was weird. “What’s wrong?” he whispered, searching my face with that same expression. “Nothing,” I lied, and kissed him once. “We have to get going.” We were probably already late. He crushed himself to me suddenly, his body trembling. I held on to him. “I wish…” he began. “I wish we could just run away…just be together somewhere…where no one would force us to do anything. Where we could just…be…” He trailed off, pressing his lips to my bare neck. I blinked. “What are you talking about?” I joked. “You have to get strong enough to defeat Frieza. You can’t just run away…” I laughed, then stopped when I realized he wasn’t. He stepped away from me. “I know that,” he snapped. He turned from me and opened the mechanical door. “Hurry up, we’re late.” I felt my neck with my fingertips where he had kissed me. It was tingling. “Yes, prince.” *** It took us only three days to conquer the planet. The inhabitants were weaklings that proved most impressionable once we transformed. This was supposedly a very hard mission, and Vegeta was sure that we would be heavily rewarded for our success. We arrived back in the pod landing station on Frieza #1 and just happened to cross paths with Frieza himself, as well as Zarbon and Dodoria. We bowed respectfully, Nappa and I behind Vegeta. “Greetings, Master Frieza,” Vegeta began. “We have returned from the planet Shik. Everything was done as you desired. They pledged loyalty to your throne after three short days.” “Hmm, did they really?” Frieza hissed. “I’m surprised it took so long.” Then he began cackling uncontrollably, Zarbon and Dodoria wasting no time in joining in. They were mocking us! I was shocked…we had been very confident in our accomplishments. I could barely stand to imagine the look on Vegeta’s proud face. Finally their cackling died to a low rumble, and Frieza silenced his chuckle, a sadistic smirk in its place. “Very well, then…you may go away now.” Nappa stood out of his bow and began growling incoherently at the three of them. I joined him, standing and clenching my fists in anger. It was just unfathomable…that Frieza would think it could have been done any sooner… “Tell me, Zarbon…” Frieza cut off Nappa’s babbling. “How long do you think it would take you to conquer a planet like Shik?” “Oh, I don’t know…” he drawled. “Well, I imagine that one full day would be enough…” I ground my teeth together. “Really?” Frieza shrieked. “A whole day? It is a tiny planet…” And he set off a whole other round of laughs from the tyrant trio. Frieza turned to look past both me and Nappa at Vegeta, who was still bowed before them obediently. “Is there anything else you’d like to report to me? You do understand, I have more significant matters to attend to?” At this Nappa nearly attacked the three of them, but Vegeta was on his feet in a heartbeat. “NAPPA!” he roared, and I swore, he never sounded more like his father than he did in that moment. Nappa halted his movement and turned around, ashamed at his actions as the three bastards continued to laugh at us. I slapped myself at ever thinking that Frieza was kind for allowing us to transfer to his ship. Vegeta straightened his shoulders ever so slightly and faced them. “Please excuse us, Master Frieza.” He spat, turning from them with forced effort to keep himself from shaking with rage. He always internalized all of his humiliation. Nappa and I turned to follow him, and just as we were about to round the corner of the pod landing area, I heard Zarbon snicker. “What more can you expect…from a monkey?” *** When we were within the confines of our room, Vegeta blew up Nappa’s bunk bed with a flick of his wrist. “If you ever,” he roared, pointing directly at Nappa, “ever humiliate your race like that again, I will kill you myself! Do you understand?!” Nappa looked down at the floor sheepishly before grunting a yes. I seriously doubt that Nappa realized Vegeta was dead serious. I’d never seen him look so livid. “Now get out!” he snapped. Nappa bowed, and left the room, the metal sliding shut with a click. I turned to him, biting my lip. Anything I might say was likely to set him off, so I waited. “And just like that, all of my honor is taken from me,” he whispered, his head bowed in defeat. He seemed docile enough, so I approached him. “What are you talking about? Nappa’s a brute; everyone knows that!” “Yes, and because I’m the prince, he’s my brute!” he shot back, staring up at me though his thick eyelashes. “You don’t understand…we’re the last of our kind, Raditz. We are how our entire race will be remembered. It’s bad enough that I’m…” he faltered, taking a quick breath, “that I’m Fertile,” he spat, “but now Nappa’s an animal!” He began to shake and tears ran down his tanned cheeks. “I swear, Raditz, you’re the only normal one…if it weren’t for you…” he broke off, covering his mouth as he stifled his crying. I enveloped him in my arms, his head burrowing into my chest. I stroked his soft hair. After a few moments, he looked up at me. He had stopped crying, but his face was still wet. “Please?” he whispered. I nodded and walked with him to his bed. Our bed. He toed off his boots and laid back, pulling me down with him. I wiped the skin underneath his eyes and held his face. It was moments like this, when he allowed his face to completely relax, that he truly did look beautiful. I kissed him lightly, and he reciprocated, his smaller hands moving along my torso to unhook the armor. He removed it and I did the same to him. The spandex hugged him so well…there wasn’t a place on him I couldn’t imagine what was underneath. He allowed me to simply study his body with my hands, taking in its subtle, developing curves…his exposed collar bone…the slightly protruding hip bones… He finally sat up and stripped the shirt from him, revealing his bronzed skin underneath. His chest was marred with battle scars, like mine. I touched each one gingerly, enjoying the small sighs as his face relaxed, his mouth parting in ecstasy. “You’re so beautiful,” I confessed before lowering my head to taste his skin. “Raditz…” He whined and gripped my hair, his small fingers tangling in it. I slowly moved to his nipples, licking each one before nipping lightly. He gasped and arched off the bed. I began removing his pants, and he lifted his hips to allow me better access. I quick pull and my own small spandex bottom was off and we were both naked. I dipped my tongue into his navel and watched his facial expression. It was always a turn-on to see my stern little prince completely overcome with bliss. I moved lower, my tongue drawing a path from his navel to the juncture of his hips and his legs. It was a very sensitive area for him. “Raditz…” he whined again, his grip on my hair tightening almost painfully. I began sucking on the soft skin there, undoubtedly leaving a mark. “Oh, Goddess…” he panted. His cock was dripping pre-cum, but I ignored it. I flipped him over in one swift movement, forcing him to release the hold on my hair. Starting at his lower back, I licked a path down his spine, pausing at his tail, pulling lightly. How he was managing to still his hips was a mystery. His body shivered at the contact. I released his tail and continued to lick down his crack before coming to his opening. “RADITZ!” he screamed as my tongue connected with that tight ring. I had to pause for a moment to keep myself from just taking him. I was trying to get him to cum first, but everything he did brought me closer and closer to the edge of my restraint. As he bent further to give me better access, I grabbed his hips, forcing them to be still, as I penetrated his puckered opening with my tongue. He gripped the sheets and pulled, thrashing his head from side to side. “Hurry…Raditz…” he just barely whispered. I gave one last kiss to his ass before sitting up and flipping him over. He was flushed beautifully, his chest rising and falling as he stared at me again, his eyes smothering me. I raised myself to my knees, my cock standing proudly at attention, as I grabbed his hips and lined my cock up with his prepared hole. He didn’t need me to go slow anymore. With one thrust, I was in, his walls clenching around me as he threw his head back and screamed. Goddess, the sight was gorgeous. I tried to slow my hips, but it was a losing battle, my body already riding toward completion. I closed my eyes, shutting off all other senses but touch… I felt him climb up onto me, his legs wrapping tightly around my torso as I thrust up into him. His breath was hot on my ear. He turned his head to kiss me. It was sloppy and wet, his tongue moving everywhere at once in a frenzy. Pulling back, he planted another kiss before whispering, “I love you.” My eyes shot open to look at him. He was staring back at me with the usual intensity, his mouth parted as I continued to drive myself into him. I said nothing, lowering him more comfortably to the bed as I grabbed his cock. It was slick from all the pre-cum. He closed his eyes at the contact and turned his head to the side, panting sporadically. Then he crawled once again to my chest, wrapping his arms around my neck tightly, his body practically molding to mine, his dick trapped between us. He nipped my ear. “Mate with me.” ***** Part XV - Raditz ***** “W-what?!” I halted all movement, my hands gripping his hips viciously. “Mate with me,” he repeated. He was staring at me, completely serious. I blinked, looking away from that intensity. I could already feel my dick softening. I was suddenly wanting to be anywhere but in bed with him. Mate? Shit, that was what all the stares were about…the kisses that tingled, the intense sex that made my chest ache…he…his body had been subconsciously trying to mate with mine… Dear Goddess, help me. I lifted him gingerly off me before he could notice my lack of interest. It was already too late. He looked down, then snapped his gaze back up to my face. “Raditz, what’s wrong?!” I swallowed, still looking away. I closed my eyes before turning my head to face his. I slowly opened my eyes. How could I not have seen this happening? It was already unnatural for him to be sexually active at such a young age, but to want to mate… I opened my mouth to speak as he leaned forward and captured my lips in a chaste kiss. He rocked back on his legs. “Mate with me, Raditz, please. I love you. I’ve loved you since—” “Stop!” I hissed, and he snapped his mouth shut. Hurt was written all over his face. I had to shut my eyes and turn away. “Vegeta, I can’t mate with you.” “Why not.” He demanded. I inhaled. “Because…I…it’s not right! You’re barely 27 and I’m nearly 70!” “And since when does that matter?” I finally turned my face to his. “Since you’ve asked to bind yourself to me! Do you have any idea the amount of dependency that comes with having a mate?! Not to mention the inability to fuck anyone else…” “I don’t want anyone but you.” I scoffed, turning away from him and pushing myself roughly from the bed. “Sure, you say that now! What about in thirty years when you’re going through your first heat and you realize that I’m not the one you want?!” “That won’t happen.” I stared at his stubborn face, shaking my head. “No.” “Please, Raditz.” He leaned forward on the bed. “No.” “You love me, don’t you?” he asked, placing a sickeningly pathetic look on his normally proud face. I scoffed again. “You know I do.” “Then mate with me!” “NO!” I roared. He was the one to turn away from me this time, flinching at the cold tone of my voice. He turned back to me in a moment. “Why?!” He was furious. “Because I—!” I cut myself off, covering my mouth with my hand. I had been about to confess… I cleared my throat. “You’re too young.” He stood up, puffing his chest out as he glared up at me. I glared back until his stare transformed into something far more threatening. “Too young, huh?” His eyes were smoldering as the corner of his mouth drew up into a smirk and he ran one finger down my chest to rest just above my patch of hair. I slapped his hand roughly away. “Yes, too young.” He scowled up at me before stalking back to the bed. He seemed to be thinking hard before turning back to me. “Fine. You say I’m too young? Then we’ll wait.” I shook my head in exasperation, before turning back to him, pointing my finger menacingly. “Until you’re sixty.” “Thirty five!” he argued. “Fifty, and that’s final! That’s the legal age for consent, anyway.” “Yeah…” he mumbled. “On Vegetasei…” I shook my head again and picked up my spandex from the floor. He was on his feet in a heartbeat. “What are you doing?!” he yelled. “Leaving.” “Why? You don’t want to finish!?” I looked at him, standing in the middle of our room, his naked body covered in sweat from our immoral coupling. I almost gagged. “No. I’m no longer in the mood.” I didn’t stay in the room long enough to see his face fall. *** I was on a stool in the bar, watching the floor spin. Nappa was babbling some nonsense next to me. I slammed my glass down and the tentacle bartender refilled it immediately. “…ya kno’ wha’ I mean, R’ditz?” I hadn’t caught anything of what he’d been saying. I turned to him. “Huh?” “Ah, nothin’. S’how’s V’geta?” I paused, my drink hovering in front of my mouth. “Fine,” I mumbled, downing the drink in one gulp. It just barely burned my throat. “S’not wha’ I heard.” I snarled and turned to him. “What business is it of yours?” “Jus’ sayin’. ‘E looked pissed.” I scowled into my empty glass. “Yeah…well…he’ll get over it.” I leaned back, taking a quick glance around the bar. “Where’d you see him?” Nappa turned sideways to me, his expression amused. “Ah, ya kno’ V’geta. ‘E’s in da trainin’ rooms.” *** I stood behind the Plexiglas, watching him kick viciously into the air before landing squarely on his feet. He jabbed at the air before performing an impossible back flip, dodging an invisible opponent. I thought about opening the door to the large, open arena, interrupting him, and apologizing for yesterday, but I knew he would hear none of it. The only way he would accept my apology would be if I mated with him…and that I wouldn’t do. He suddenly collapsed on the floor, his forehead touching the ground as he slammed his fist roughly into the ground. The ground remained surprisingly intact. He shot up into his fighting stance and began his exercise again. I stood there all afternoon, watching him train. *** It was about midnight when I heard the mechanical door of Nappa and my room side open. I knew it was him. Nappa was already asleep on the floor. He was silent as he approached my single bed. My eyes were adjusted to the darkness, so I saw his silhouette just in front of my face. I should have shoved him away, telling him that no matter how many times he came to me and begged, I was never going to mate with him. But I allowed him to crawl onto me, straddling my hips. He continued to look down at me, his dark face unreadable. I slowly ran both of my hands up his thighs and back down, resting them on his knees. He bent his head. His lips hovered just above mine. “Promise me…” he whispered. “Promise me you’ll never leave.” Under any other circumstance, I would have laughed at his request. But I knew he was being serious. “I promise I’ll always stay.” He seemed satisfied and lowered his entire body to mine. *** Vegeta brought up mating every single time we fucked, just when he thought that I would loose my concentration enough to do something foolish like mark him. I had gotten used to the request, so I could ignore him and finish with relatively no problem. But every time he mentioned it, it put me in a bad mood, and so I had begun to associate sex with a foul mood. We were sitting in the noisy mess hall when a large projection screen lowered from the ceiling. Frieza’s face immediately appeared before us, and everyone began instantly silent. Not many had ever seen Frieza. “Greetings, warriors.” “Greetings, Lord Frieza,” we all echoed like puppets. “I’ve decided to personally reward you all with a special treat. Starting this very moment, there is a new venue open on-board the largest vessel in the galaxy, Frieza #1. We now have a nightclub that showcases various exotic species for the full enjoyment of our soldiers…” The roars of excitement drowned out anything the lizard said after that. I looked at Nappa and he looked back at me. We both raised our eyebrows up and down. I just barely heard Vegeta scoff. “Wonderful. Now everyone will be fucking instead of fighting. Maybe I can have the training arena all to myself.” I rolled my eyes and turned back to the screen. Frieza held one sickly hand up and the men quieted immediately. “There are more of you than there are women, so you’ll have to make a sport out of it.” He chuckled to himself. “But should any of you kill one of these exotic females, your life shall also be taken.” I heard several weaklings behind us gulp audibly. Vegeta yawned. “Good,” Frieza continued. “Have a fun evening.” The transmission ended and the screen went back into the ceiling. It was only lunchtime. Vegeta said he was going to train. Once Vegeta left, Nappa and I looked at each other. We nodded. We were going to check out that new “venue.” *** She was blonde with blue skin. Her eyes shined like red gems. Her body was so curvy. She swayed her hips when she walked. She used face make-up. She wore perfume. And the best part was…she didn’t speak. Her friends back at the club said that they weren’t allowed to speak with any of the soldiers until the night, but one look at Nappa and I had them practically throwing themselves at us. I grabbed one and carried her quickly back to our room. She was small, petite. She weighed practically nothing. I laid her down on Ve— On the biggest bed. Her hair sprawled out everywhere behind her smooth face. She wore nothing but a slit skirt and a small breast covering. I removed the articles with little effort. Her chest heaved. She was so aroused I could smell it. It had been years since I’d laid with a woman…years since anyone besides Ve— Him. I kissed her roughly, letting my tongue explore new territory. Her mouth was hot and tasted vaguely of berries. The exotic kind I used to eat at fancy banquets back on Vegetasei. That seemed like a lifetime ago… I stripped myself of my armor and spandex. I moved back to her. She spread her legs easily as my leg moved between her thighs. There was nothing between us, no barriers. Her eyes were a deep crimson, almost daring me to take her. There was no need for little kisses. No whispers of meaningless promises or confessions of false love and commitment. And certainly no mentions of mating. She didn’t make a sound as I thrust into her. Her face seemed to relax into a comfortable smile, as if she was most happy this way. My moans were deafening in the room, echoing off the metal walls like a never- ending stream of delight, encasing us in its sound. I never heard the door slide open. I never heard his scouter shatter on the concrete floor. I never heard his gasp. All I saw was his face, contorted into rage and extreme grief at the same moment. My heart sank somewhere around my ankles. “Vegeta, I—!” He turned roughly from the open door and sprinted down the hall. I stared down at the woman on the bed…Vegeta’s bed… I mumbled some half-assed apology to her and threw on my spandex. I ran down the hall in pursuit of him. “Vegeta!” I screamed. From around a corner, I spotted Zarbon leaned sideways against the wall. “Where is he?!” I barked. “What did you do?” Zarbon laughed. “Cheat on him?” Despite his cackling, he pointed to the door in front of him. It was a small room meant to hold cleaning supplies. I tried the keypad. Vegeta had locked the door. “Vegeta, please! Open the door!” Zarbon continued to screech with laugher. I could just imagine Vegeta’s small frame rolled up into a ball as he rocked himself, tears streaming down his regal face. “Vegeta! Please! Just let me explain!” No matter how loud I yelled to him through the door, nothing seemed to drown out the horrifying sound of his sobbing echoing through the metal hallway. ***** Part XVI - Raditz, Vegeta & Nappa ***** Raditz: I never saw Vegeta smile again. I never again heard a pure fit of laughter come from him. The very next day, I ran into him in the hall, and he nodded at me like any other soldier, his expression completely neutral. He was wearing a plain pair of spandex with an older model of armor. He had a new scouter on his face. I remembered that his had shattered yesterday. My gut clenched as I stared at his face, waiting for him to break down. His eyes never softened. I took a deep breath. “Vegeta…I am…so sorry—” He turned to me, seemingly uninterested. “Oh? About what?” He sounded bored. My mouth hung open for several moments as I blinked. “W-well, yesterday—” He cocked an eyebrow. “What about yesterday?” I honestly didn’t know what to say. Compared to his reaction yesterday, he was a completely different person. I decided to push past his façade. “Vegeta, you don’t have to be so rational about this. I admit it. I fucked up.” “Not at all, Raditz,” he countered. “You did what any man would do. She was very beautiful.” I was disturbed that I couldn’t find a trace of sarcasm in his voice. He seemed absolutely genuine. “Stop this, Vegeta. I’m not buying it.” He turned to me, an amused smirk playing on his lips. His eyes burned with an evil malice. “It’s Prince Vegeta to you, soldier. And I expect you ready to disembark in 15 minutes. I just received a transmission.” I stood up taller, away from him. “So this is how it’s going to be? You’ll just pretend nothing ever happened?” “Nothing did.” I had absolutely no right to feel heartbroken after everything I’d done to him, but I couldn’t help but feel utterly so. “You don’t mean that.” He turned to me, his eyebrows raised. He rolled his eyes and scoffed. “15 minutes. Don’t be late.” I watched him leave, his boots clicking on the metal floor. I remember a time when “15 minutes” meant something entirely different. I couldn’t let that fade away. I refused to. I planned to make him see what he still meant to me. I wanted to explain everything…my insecurities about mating, my fears about commitment. I mean, he had to understand that. I had always been a bit of a…player. How could he have expected me to change so much in so little time? And to do something as drastic as mating? My body shook at the mental picture of my birthfather and Toma embracing like a couple of love-sick puppies. Mates aren’t for warriors. Period. Ah, hell. I tried to convince myself that my intentions were pure. That sleeping with Vegeta was a sacrifice on my part. What a bunch of bullshit. I had wanted him. I had wanted him more than any other creature. And I knew, deep down, that I would have found myself in his bed one way or another…whether or not Frieza had ordered it. And I didn’t really want to apologize for any other reason than to get him back in bed. It had been only one day, and already I missed the feeling of his youthful skin sliding against mine. His muscular legs wrapping tightly around my torso as he whined. It was already fading, like a distant memory. I had to have him. One way or another. *** The planet was relatively easy to conquer. We didn’t even have to transform. It was small, but offered a small release in the form of several one-on-one battles. Nappa, Vegeta, and I split the fighters up evenly, so I didn’t have a chance to watch my prince in action. In a week, the planet was completely devoid of all intelligent life. It was night, but the moon was not out. We each had our separate tents. Nappa was already snoring. I crept over to his tent and stepped in. A small blue ki ball was floating over his right hand. It illuminated his face, and my breath caught in my throat. He was beautiful. He sat up instantly, his brows furrowing as he noticed my intrusion. “What are you doing?” I knelt in front of him, quickly grabbing the side of his face as I pressed my lips to his. I felt him tense away from me, his lips pursing together as he fell backwards to avoid contact with me. I took the opportunity to slide one of my legs between his parted ones. The next few sequence of events happened to quickly that it took me a moment to register what had happened. He powered up, his body enveloping in a bright blue before he clenched both of his hands. One fist left his side to cock back before slamming into my jaw. It hurt. Goddess, it hurt. He had never hit me that hard. Ever. Not even during a sparring match. My whole body shot back from the powerful blow backed by ki. My hand went to my face automatically. My chin was stinging. I had landed on my ass a meter in front of him, my eyes wide as I stared at him in disbelief. From that blow alone, I knew that I was weaker than him. Me, Raditz, an Elite bodyguard, was weaker than a Fertile brat. He wasn’t even of age. Yet he had swatted me away as if I were a fly. I continued to stare at him, my eyes slowing narrowing to slits. We glared at each other. I watched his lithe body rise and fall with his breathing. He seemed conflicted…as if he couldn’t believe that he had just struck at me so violently. Finally he raised his chin and looked away, his head turning to the side. “Get out.” I didn’t need to be told twice. I gathered what was left of my pride and exited his tent. *** I made an appointment with Frieza as soon as we returned. I refused to face Vegeta. The humiliation was too much to bear. Not only was he stronger than I, he had utterly rejected me. I bowed low as I entered the tyrant’s room. “Well, well, well. To what do I owe the intrusion, monkey?” He was mildly irritated that I’d demanded an audience with him. We were seemingly alone, so I felt free to speak without restraint. “Lord Frieza, Prince Vegeta has surpassed me significantly in strength—” “Yes, I’m aware of that.” I swallowed, my cheeks burning red. “…and he now refuses my company.” I watched the skin above his eyes raise in mild surprise. “Hmm…that’s what Zarbon said.” I waited, still kneeling, my head bowed. “What do you intend to do about it?” he murmured. I raised my head slightly. “I’ve acted foolishly, and it will take something significant to get back in my prince’s good graces.” Frieza was still. “Go on.” “Lord Frieza, I ask that you grant me leave for two years so that I may retrieve my brother to please Prince Vegeta.” I knew the information would shock him, but I didn’t expect a gasp. “There is another living Saiyan?” “Yes, my lord. We sent him to a planet in the Via Lactea galaxy 23 years ago. A recent reconnaissance mission stated that there is still much life on the planet, though the technological development is primitive. There is a very good chance my brother is still alive.” Frieza seemed to be debating. “So, your plan is to bring back another Saiyan in order to please Vegeta so that you may continue fucking him, is my understanding correct?” I blushed even as I ground my teeth together. “Yes, Lord Frieza.” “Hmm…I like it. Either way, I win.” Frieza laughed, throwing his horned head back. “Even if Vegeta doesn’t forgive you, I still have another warrior.” He stifled his chuckling. “Your brother, you say? Is he strong?” “Yes,” I lied. “Perfect. You may leave immediately.” I bowed and left the lavish bedchamber. *** I knocked on the door that was the entrance to our combined living quarters. Despite previously being hesitant to see him, Frieza’s permission had given me new courage. The door slid open, and there he was, his eyes glaring up at me. “What?” he snapped. His chest was bare, glistening with sweat. He must have been doing a few exercises in his room. “I’m leaving.” For a slip second, his mask fell and I saw the boyish shock appear. It was replaced immediately with his mask of rage. “To where? And when did I ever give you permission?” “I’m going to retrieve my brother.” His face was stone as he registered what I’d said. He blinked. “Kakarot?” “Yes. Frieza’s already given me permission.” “It’s pointless, Raditz. He’s a weakling. A power level of 2, remember?” Oh, I remembered. It was just surprising that Vegeta did. He was young, after all. “Still, I figured it couldn’t hurt to have him. He could be useful for when you finally defeat Frieza.” I knew praising him would at least put him in a slightly better mood than before. Unfortunately, I was wrong. “No, Raditz. It’s pointless. He’s probably dead by now, anyway.” I had never wanted to throttle him more. I wanted to grab him and shake him until his brains started spilling out his ears. This plan was supposed to work. Why was he being so difficult. “Just let me try,” I breathed. “No.” he snapped, turning back into our room, leaving the door open. “And should you leave anyway, don’t bother coming back.” I saw him walk over to the wall, grab hold of a vertical bar, and begin doing pull-ups. I slammed the sliding mechanical door shut, surely breaking it. I was livid. And I was leaving. *** Vegeta: Seeing Raditz with another was crippling. Literally. It felt as if someone had ripped out both lungs and said, “Breathe easy.” I wish I had reacted instantly with rage, but I was too far-gone by that point to do anything but weep like the pathetic weakling I am. Was. No one recognized me anymore. I had completely changed. I had always been somewhat of a hard person to please, but after that, I had become, for lack of a better term, an asshole. I lost any and all regard for anyone but myself. Only those who were stronger than me earned my respect. Many complained about my attitude, but unless they could physically make me shut up, I kept it coming. Pain was becoming as addictive as sex. Anything to keep me from feeling numb. I had to feel something. I had to have a goal. It was the only thing that kept me going. I had changed physically as well. My Fertile body was now beyond recognition. I had trained so extensively that my naturally lithe form had morphed into a masculine frame with bulging muscles and rock-solid abs. I had definition in every muscle. My percent body fat was well below average, and I measured it often to keep it there. My height had already caused many to underestimate me, but with my new body, no one would dare question my strength. No one would dare suspect that underneath all those pounds of muscle lay that cursed ability… The day I found Raditz gone, I went to that new venue. During the day. I stormed into the dressing room. The whores were all frolicking about, covering their naked chests as if they still had some decency left after their chosen profession. I laughed and spat at them. I found the bitch easily enough. Her annoying yellow hair was hard to miss. As was her electric blue skin. I let her friends watch as I bled her to death…a small incision running from her ass to her cunt. Goddess, how she moaned. The bitch enjoyed it! As she laid there, touching her bloody, dying flesh, she writhed. At least, until I cauterized the wound with a ki blast only to reopen it and start the process over. And over. And over. She finally realized that I wasn’t there to pleasure her or myself. I reveled in her screams for mercy. The dumb bitch. It was hours before she finally hadn’t the strength to draw breath. I should have had the decency to dispose of the rest of the disgusting whores who also enjoyed the erotic display, but I was sure that Frieza would have reason enough to kill me just from the mess I’d made with the one. Sure enough, he called me to his room that very evening. I was wishing for him to kill me. To give me an easy way out. But my pride forced me into self- preservation mode, and I arrived dressed in full body armor. Frieza greeted me with a grin. I knew something was wrong. Kindness always meant trickery. “Vegeta…” he began, trying unsuccessfully to keep himself from smiling. “It seems that you have killed one of the women on the ship.” I stared at him, unmoving. I wasn’t going to state the obvious. “I was just curious as to…why?” He was still trying to hide his hideous smile. I wondered how much of the truth he knew. He knew I was Fertile, Zarbon saw me…crying for fuck’s sake. Did he assume…? “She slept with Raditz.” I wasn’t going to lie. That would get me nowhere but humiliated. “Ah…” he drawled, smiling without the least bit of concern. “And you were under the impression that Raditz loved you?” My heart stopped. There was suddenly a very large knot in my throat that I couldn’t seem to swallow. I tried so hard to keep my mask in place, but I was sure I was losing that battle. Frieza’s face burst with delight. “Oh, poor Vegeta…you didn’t honestly think that his actions were pure, did you?” He paused, allowing himself to giggle. “I ordered him to impregnate you.” I stopped listening. I couldn’t hear anything but a dull buzz. The room began to spin violently, and Frieza’s insane cackling barely penetrated the fuzzy atmosphere, almost making me feel…something. *** Nappa: After Raditz left, I got my bed back. And Prince Vegeta started asking me to train with him instead of Raditz. I asked to sleep with him once, and he beat me so bad, I had to haul my ass to a regen. tank. But other than that, the year Raditz was gone went smoothly. I got more action on the battlefield. More action in bed (with the new venue on the ship). Even more food, since I didn’t feel bad taking Raditz’s share. And things with Vegeta would go relatively okay as long as I didn’t mention Raditz. Exactly one year from the day he left, we received a transmission. It was Raditz. He was dying, or so it sounded like it. He told us about these things called Dragonballs that can grant you a wish. Vegeta thought it was a great idea, so we were headed to Planet Earth. He wanted to wish for immortality, but I was a little concerned about his lack of regard for Raditz. I mean, he died while communicating with us on the scouters. He was one of the last of us. Sure, I knew he cheated on Vegeta, but also I knew that he and Vegeta had gotten freaky on more than a couple hundred occasions. So I was a bit concerned when Vegeta wasn’t having a meltdown. I mean, when I lost my lover back on Vegetasei, I thought I’d die. “But…I though’ ya loved ‘im?! ‘Ow can ya be so calm ‘bout ‘im dyin’!?” Vegeta turned to me, the spitting image of his father. “He used me…stole my honor. But all of that means nothing to me now. Strength is the only thing that matters in this world. Everything else is just a delusion for the weak. There’s only one certainty in life…a strong man stands above and conquers all!” He stood and looked out toward the starry sky, his hands in fists. “My only mission is to defeat Frieza. But I know how strong he is. There’s no way I can beat him now.” He turned back to me, his face lit up with passion. “But wait and see…as the last of the Saiyans, we have flowing through our veins the blood of a warrior race! The more we fight, the more powerful we become. With each fight, I’ll get stronger and stronger! And one day, I’ll be strong enough to beat Frieza…and I will rule the universe…exactly the way I was meant to…” As soon as he turned his back, I shrugged. I didn’t much care about Vegeta ruling the universe. I just wondered how fun it would be to kill Kakarot and all those Earthlings…in “revenge” for Raditz, my fallen comrade. With any luck, there would be at least some fuckable women. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!