DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters and related copyrighted names of
Dragon Ball Z. No money is made and all copyrights apply.
SUMMARY: Ten years after the Majin Buu Saga Vegeta and Goku wake up one morning to find circumstances slightly out of place by about...oh, a couple of million light years.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My knowledge of Dragon Ball Z is not as in depth as I would like so any mistakes are my own. I would appreciate it if my readers would point them out. This fic is set after the Majin Buu Saga, just before the Budokai. PG for a couple of mild swearwords.
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Portrait of a Prince
Upon awakening, and being the perceptive type, Vegeta immediately realized something was wrong. A couple of things actually. Firstly he was alone; it was rare if ever that Bulma rose before him, especially now that he had upped his training for the upcoming Budokai, and this morning she was not in the room and had not been for a long while. Secondly, his bed was too soft and too big. The duvet came close to suffocating him with its expanse and the amount of pillows his head rested on was just ridiculous. Thirdly his four-year-old daughter had not yet jumped on his head to wake him up. The fourth problem was this: he was not on earth. This final realization caused the Saiya-jin princes eyes to pop open in surprise.
It was then that he saw the room he slept in was not his own. It was bigger and more opulently furnished; it was also quite familiar. He had been in a room just like it once, a long time ago when he very young. That room had been his father's room. Vegeta contemplated the implications of this revelation with a frown.
He sat up, pushing aside the enveloping duvet, and heaving himself out of the crevice his body had created in the overly squashy mattress. He wasn't surprise when his bare feet touched a thick and beautifully patterned carpet, which covered the cold stone floor. He was surprised to find he was wearing a thick robe made from some kind of heavy material in a dark burgundy. This above all annoyed Vegeta, being on another planet he could handle but being dressed in a ridiculous looking robe was something else. He had laughed as a child when he had seen his father wearing what he saw as a dress.
Vegeta froze. His father had worn that robe, slept in that bed and....Vegeta felt like laughing at the absurdity of the situation but didn't. He suddenly felt inclined to make as little noise as possible. Levitating into the air a few centimetres he hovered over to the tall window and looked out. What he saw almost sent him to his knees; it certainly made him land back on the ground with a thump. His home, Vegeta- sei, a place he not seen since he was a child and would have counted on never seeing again.
Sensing someone outside the door of the room Vegeta quickly shut his mouth and turned around, fixing his face into a glare for good measure. The Saiya- jin that entered without knocking the prince had never seen before. He was slightly taller than Vegeta with black hair in a short-cropped style, dressed in Saiya-jin armour the man's face could be seen for an instant to wear a cold almost cruel expression before he saw Vegeta and smiled slightly. The smile did not reach the man's eyes. Vegeta scanned the man's power level imperceptibly and found it to be surprisingly low.
"Good morning, my lord," he said, "I trust you slept well." There was no sincerity in the words the man was simply adhering to protocol. Vegeta gave the man a critical look and surmised that the Saiya-jin must be the king's advisor if only from the style of armour he wore. He also had the look; advisors had a reputation for being cruel and merciless. Excessively so.
"My lord?" the advisor questioned when Vegeta's stare went on a little too long.
"Clothes," the Saiya-jin prince snapped, "Now."
"As you wish, my lord," the advisor replied smoothly. He snapped his fingers and immediately two female Saiya-jins entered carrying between them royal armour including a cloak and the blue medallion of office. Vegeta looked at the armour with a small flash of dread. He had grown used to wearing just a jumpsuit or sweats for training and rarely if ever wore armour anymore. For all its advantages it was uncomfortable.
The women put down the armour then walked towards him. It took Vegeta split second to realize they intended to dress him.
"You may go," he said shortly and forcefully. The woman looked momentarily puzzled but left without a word. The Saiya-jin prince fixed his advisor with a glare that indicated the order had included him. The advisor gave a condescending smile and left with a bow.
Left alone Vegeta resisted the urge to break something. His frustration was not only at the situation but also at his supposed advisor. He had only known the man, in his own experience, for a few minutes but he already had the urge smash his face in, if only to erase that contemptuous smile off his face.
Vegeta considered his options, as he got dressed instead. Somehow, he didn't really care how at this point, he had found himself on Vegeta-sei as king of the Saiya-jins. His birthright and a future that would have come to pass if not for Frieza and the destruction of the planet. He wondered whether Frieza had been defeated or of he simply had not existed in this, Vegeta paused in thought, dimension? Time line?
Either way events had gone as he had always assumed they would before Frieza had taken him. He was king and the Saiya-jin race was alive and thriving. Did that mean, as he assumed it would, that his father was dead? How else could he be king? A Saiya-jin king would rather die than abdicate. This brought another train of thought into focus, was he still a father? Did Trunks and Bra exist in this timeline? He doubted it as this timeline's Vegeta; he already thought of himself as different from the person he was trapped as; had never met Bulma.
He doubted he had even been to earth. Vegeta stopped in the act of pulling on a boot, wondering if the Kakarot in this timeline was on earth. And if so, had he carried out the mission he had originally been sent there for or had he also had his programming erased by a head injury. The former would mean earth would be under the control of the Saiya-jin Empire and the inhabitants would have been purged. The latter could mean the same thing, only Kakarot would have been executed for his failure and other Saiya-jins would have completed his mission. If this had not happened yet Vegeta knew it would shortly. The king would want to know why the earth had not been claimed yet. The king, Vegeta thought, which would be me.
The Saiya-jin prince wondered at how even though he had been trained and groomed to take this position since birth it didn't feel right. The Vegeta who would have taken the throne was not the man he was in his own timeline. Vegeta knew this and was comfortable enough with his new life to admit it.
Vegeta picked up the blue medallion and ran a thumb over the shiny surface. The blue stone in centre was a rare and precious stone only found on the planet of the first Vegeta-Sei, now gone. The medallion was the only piece of the planet that was left. The last piece of the Saiya-jins' true past. Vegeta wondered as he put the chain around his neck what kind of people they had been before the bitterness of their planets destruction had settled on them like a black shroud.
Vegeta steeled himself mentally before exited the bedroom, realizing fully that he was in a potentially dangerous situation. Acting out of character would arouse suspicion and the Saiya-jins were not known for their stupidity. Immediately upon exited his room Vegeta found himself in the private chambers of the king. At each side of the doors leading from the throne room and the other doors leading to the royal dining room were guards. Tall, muscular Saiya-jins each wearing the armour of the royal guards and with acceptably high power levels. Vegeta gave a smirk as he realized that he was probably at his current power level beyond any of their ability to even comprehend.
The guards paid him no mind as he walked through the doors into the dining room thinking some breakfast could only brighten his situation. He was half right with his only gripe being that there was no coffee. He made the mistake of asking for some before he could stop himself and received some odd stares. Of course there would be no coffee, he berated himself afterward.
The food he received could have fed an army and he made a serious dent in it. Just as he was finishing his breakfast his advisor came in. The man paused to speak to the guards and Vegeta watched the exchange intently hoping to gain some information on the abhorrent advisor. He narrowed his eyes briefly as he heard the guard call him Counsellor Ranorik and stored the information away. At least he now knew the man's name.
As Ranorik approached Vegeta preoccupied himself with wiping his mouth on a napkin forcing the man to catch his attention by saying, "Excuse me, my lord?" It was the little things, Vegeta knew, that would attract the attention of a man like Ranorik.
Vegeta looked at him with an impatient glare, which he did not have to fake, he found the man annoying.
"My lord," the advisor started with the same small, insincere smile he had used before, "When you are ready there are matters that need to be addressed."
"Of course, Ranorik," he said using the man's name purposefully. To Vegeta's immense surprise the advisor looked astonished that Vegeta knew his name.
You're behind this, the Saiya-jin prince thought, or at least involved in some way.
Vegeta stood and headed toward the throne room where he knew he would be expected to address whichever matters the advisor had deemed worthy of his attention. He also knew that once he was done with that it was acceptable for him to train for the rest of the day. He would use this for pretence to gain a little privacy in order to figure out what was going on.
The throne room was quite small as matters that required the king's attention were usually resolved very quickly, generally with a few harsh words. There was no need for a court or tribunal in Saiya-jin autonomy. Vegeta sat on the throne with an odd feeling of displacement, the feeling only served to irritate him even more and by the time Ranorik told him of the first article for his attention he was in a foul mood. It did not however distract him from the advisors words and he listened intently hoping for a clue as to his situation.
"First, milord," Ranorik said indicating a Saiya-jin who knelt before the throne, "The issue of the traitor."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the man kneeling before him, "The traitor?" he questioned.
Ranorik followed his gaze, "Oh," he said, "No my lord, that is not the traitor. I refer to the failure of the son of Bardock to claim earth."
Vegeta's head whipped around to stare at the advisor, "Kakarot?" he asked careful to keep his tone uninterested.
"Yes," Ranorik replied, "I assume he is to be executed?"
Vegeta thought quickly, "No, I wish to speak to the man who thinks he can defy his orders," he said choosing his words carefully.
"My lord?" Ranorik was clearly not pleased with this answer.
"Bring him before me," Vegeta commanded.
Ranorik's mouth tightened, but he said, "Very well," gesturing to the guard who knelt before the throne to carry out the order. The man scurried off.
"And what of his mission, Lord Vegeta?" Ranorik asked his voice harbouring a tinge of contempt.
"We shall disregard earth," Vegeta told him, silently revelling in the expression that appeared on his advisor's face, "We don't know what happened to this Kakarot that made him forget his mission. It may very well have been one of the inhabitants that did it. I do not want that happening to any more of my soldiers."
"The soldier claims he hit his head on a rock," Ranorik told him with an exasperated look.
Vegeta placed two fingers over his lips to keep from laughing, "And you believe him?" he said after a moment.
"But scans show that the inhabitants of earth are weak," his advisor argued.
Vegeta lost his patience, "Are you questioning my orders?" he snapped.
The advisor looked taken aback, "No my lord," he managed to get out. He bowed his head but Vegeta could see his emotions clearly upon his face before he could hide them. Frustration, anger and hatred.
Vegeta stood, "Have the traitor brought to my chambers," he said before striding out the throne room and into his private chambers. Upon arriving he dismissed the guards and sat on one of the many cushioned armchairs in the room. As he had suspected Ranorik followed him in after a moment.
"Do you think this wise my lord?" he asked.
Vegeta glared at the annoying man, "What I think is hardly any of your concern," he snapped, "If you question my orders again I will have you executed."
Ranorik's jaw dropped in surprise and Vegeta wondered what had made the man think he could behave thus. He locked eyes with the advisor with an expression, which clearly said without words: I am not weak, what ever you may believe.
Ranorik looked away abruptly fighting to keep his emotions under control. Vegeta watched the man's internal struggle with interest wondering what made him believe he could get away with such insubordination. The advisor was taking liberties and trying to sway the Saiya-jin prince's decisions in a way no advisor to a Saiya-jin king would have dared. Ranorik clearly knew the king was not the man he had been before and thought the 'new' king weak for some reason.
Vegeta turned his attention to the door as he felt the guard return. A second later Ranorik also looked up as the door opened and the guard entered leading a confused looking Goku. The younger Saiya-jin wore a plain shirt and pants in a dull grey material, which all prisoners wore. Upon seeing Vegeta the younger Saiya-jin grinned and opened his mouth to speak.
"Silence," Vegeta snapped to keep Goku from saying anything stupid. His rival frowned but kept quiet.
"You may go," the Saiya-jin prince told the guard then looked pointedly at Ranorik.
"My lord, I must protest!" Ranorik said, looking appalled, "This man is dangerous!"
"So am I," Vegeta ground out, "Especially when I'm angry. You would want to make me angry, now would you?" The words were civil enough but the Saiya- jin prince's tone promised imminent violence.
Ranorik paled then set his face in a look of barely concealed dislike, "As you wish," he sneered before leaving.
As the door closed Vegeta turned and looked at Goku.
"What's your name?" he demanded.
Goku looked mystified, "You know my name Vegeta, it's Goku," he said a little uncertainly.
Vegeta nodded, "Just making sure," he said then frowned, "I don't suppose you know how we got here?"
Goku shrugged helplessly, "Nope," he told him, "I just woke up in a cold cell. I tried to get out but they're really strong," he added sounding impressed.
"They're designed for Saiya-jin's," Vegeta commented blandly.
Goku chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah," he agreed, "So now what?"
"Now we get the hell out of here," Vegeta told him frankly.
"You want to leave?" Goku sounded disappointed.
Vegeta gave his friend a guarded look, "You don't?" he wanted to know.
Goku looked down uncomfortably, "Well, I've never seen my home before," he said, "It's an opportunity I never thought I'd get."
"Kakarot they want to execute you," Vegeta said dryly, "And my supposed advisor is conspiring to get rid of me, in fact I think he's somehow behind this. And you want to stay?" He couldn't help but sound a little disbelieving.
"Ah, come on Vegeta," Goku said with a grin, "They couldn't kill me if they tried."
Vegeta lost his patience, "Must you be an idiot all your life?" he snapped, "There are thousands of Saiya-jins out there," he pointed to the window, "All of them trained warriors. You may be a hundred times stronger than all of them but they out match both us in mere numbers. There's just too many."
Goku made a face, "It's not like you to be pessimistic," he pointed out.
"I'm being realistic, Kakarot," Vegeta growled, "This isn't your life anymore, this isn't my life anymore!" he reached up and yanked the blue medallion off of around his neck, then hurled it across the room. It hit a full-length mirror in the corner, causing it to shatter. The medallion landed on the floor undamaged.
"Shit," Vegeta muttered as Goku eyed him warily. A second later a dozen guards burst through the double doors of the anteroom lead by Ranorik. If Vegeta hadn't been so furious he might have wondered why a man with such a low power level would rush head long into a room that held a man he considered to be dangerous.
The Saiya-jin prince held up a hand, "Hold!" he said firmly. The guards immediately stood to attention but the advisor rushed up to him.
"I said as much-," he started angrily.
Vegeta scowled and backhanded him across the face. Ranorik didn't, as the prince had expected, fly across the room but instead dropped to one knee cradling his bruised face with one hand. He looked up at Vegeta in shock.
"How dare you?" the Saiya-jin prince hissed, "Speak to me in that tone again and you will be executed!"
Ranorik seemed to be struggling with something, "But..." he trailed and gritted his teeth making a visible effort to regain control, "Yes, my lord," he managed eventually getting to his feet slowly.
"Dismissed," Vegeta said lowly. The guards immediately left the room but Ranorik followed a little more slowly his expression barely hiding his contempt. Goku looked at Vegeta with a frown.
"Did you hold back?" he asked referring to the punch.
The Saiya-jin prince shook his head, "He's stronger than he lets on," he said.
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Please read and review. I would appreciate feedback as to whether or not I should continue. Thanks :)
SUMMARY: Ten years after the Majin Buu Saga Vegeta and Goku wake up one morning to find circumstances slightly out of place by about...oh, a couple of million light years.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My knowledge of Dragon Ball Z is not as in depth as I would like so any mistakes are my own. I would appreciate it if my readers would point them out. This fic is set after the Majin Buu Saga, just before the Budokai. PG for a couple of mild swearwords.
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Portrait of a Prince
Upon awakening, and being the perceptive type, Vegeta immediately realized something was wrong. A couple of things actually. Firstly he was alone; it was rare if ever that Bulma rose before him, especially now that he had upped his training for the upcoming Budokai, and this morning she was not in the room and had not been for a long while. Secondly, his bed was too soft and too big. The duvet came close to suffocating him with its expanse and the amount of pillows his head rested on was just ridiculous. Thirdly his four-year-old daughter had not yet jumped on his head to wake him up. The fourth problem was this: he was not on earth. This final realization caused the Saiya-jin princes eyes to pop open in surprise.
It was then that he saw the room he slept in was not his own. It was bigger and more opulently furnished; it was also quite familiar. He had been in a room just like it once, a long time ago when he very young. That room had been his father's room. Vegeta contemplated the implications of this revelation with a frown.
He sat up, pushing aside the enveloping duvet, and heaving himself out of the crevice his body had created in the overly squashy mattress. He wasn't surprise when his bare feet touched a thick and beautifully patterned carpet, which covered the cold stone floor. He was surprised to find he was wearing a thick robe made from some kind of heavy material in a dark burgundy. This above all annoyed Vegeta, being on another planet he could handle but being dressed in a ridiculous looking robe was something else. He had laughed as a child when he had seen his father wearing what he saw as a dress.
Vegeta froze. His father had worn that robe, slept in that bed and....Vegeta felt like laughing at the absurdity of the situation but didn't. He suddenly felt inclined to make as little noise as possible. Levitating into the air a few centimetres he hovered over to the tall window and looked out. What he saw almost sent him to his knees; it certainly made him land back on the ground with a thump. His home, Vegeta- sei, a place he not seen since he was a child and would have counted on never seeing again.
Sensing someone outside the door of the room Vegeta quickly shut his mouth and turned around, fixing his face into a glare for good measure. The Saiya- jin that entered without knocking the prince had never seen before. He was slightly taller than Vegeta with black hair in a short-cropped style, dressed in Saiya-jin armour the man's face could be seen for an instant to wear a cold almost cruel expression before he saw Vegeta and smiled slightly. The smile did not reach the man's eyes. Vegeta scanned the man's power level imperceptibly and found it to be surprisingly low.
"Good morning, my lord," he said, "I trust you slept well." There was no sincerity in the words the man was simply adhering to protocol. Vegeta gave the man a critical look and surmised that the Saiya-jin must be the king's advisor if only from the style of armour he wore. He also had the look; advisors had a reputation for being cruel and merciless. Excessively so.
"My lord?" the advisor questioned when Vegeta's stare went on a little too long.
"Clothes," the Saiya-jin prince snapped, "Now."
"As you wish, my lord," the advisor replied smoothly. He snapped his fingers and immediately two female Saiya-jins entered carrying between them royal armour including a cloak and the blue medallion of office. Vegeta looked at the armour with a small flash of dread. He had grown used to wearing just a jumpsuit or sweats for training and rarely if ever wore armour anymore. For all its advantages it was uncomfortable.
The women put down the armour then walked towards him. It took Vegeta split second to realize they intended to dress him.
"You may go," he said shortly and forcefully. The woman looked momentarily puzzled but left without a word. The Saiya-jin prince fixed his advisor with a glare that indicated the order had included him. The advisor gave a condescending smile and left with a bow.
Left alone Vegeta resisted the urge to break something. His frustration was not only at the situation but also at his supposed advisor. He had only known the man, in his own experience, for a few minutes but he already had the urge smash his face in, if only to erase that contemptuous smile off his face.
Vegeta considered his options, as he got dressed instead. Somehow, he didn't really care how at this point, he had found himself on Vegeta-sei as king of the Saiya-jins. His birthright and a future that would have come to pass if not for Frieza and the destruction of the planet. He wondered whether Frieza had been defeated or of he simply had not existed in this, Vegeta paused in thought, dimension? Time line?
Either way events had gone as he had always assumed they would before Frieza had taken him. He was king and the Saiya-jin race was alive and thriving. Did that mean, as he assumed it would, that his father was dead? How else could he be king? A Saiya-jin king would rather die than abdicate. This brought another train of thought into focus, was he still a father? Did Trunks and Bra exist in this timeline? He doubted it as this timeline's Vegeta; he already thought of himself as different from the person he was trapped as; had never met Bulma.
He doubted he had even been to earth. Vegeta stopped in the act of pulling on a boot, wondering if the Kakarot in this timeline was on earth. And if so, had he carried out the mission he had originally been sent there for or had he also had his programming erased by a head injury. The former would mean earth would be under the control of the Saiya-jin Empire and the inhabitants would have been purged. The latter could mean the same thing, only Kakarot would have been executed for his failure and other Saiya-jins would have completed his mission. If this had not happened yet Vegeta knew it would shortly. The king would want to know why the earth had not been claimed yet. The king, Vegeta thought, which would be me.
The Saiya-jin prince wondered at how even though he had been trained and groomed to take this position since birth it didn't feel right. The Vegeta who would have taken the throne was not the man he was in his own timeline. Vegeta knew this and was comfortable enough with his new life to admit it.
Vegeta picked up the blue medallion and ran a thumb over the shiny surface. The blue stone in centre was a rare and precious stone only found on the planet of the first Vegeta-Sei, now gone. The medallion was the only piece of the planet that was left. The last piece of the Saiya-jins' true past. Vegeta wondered as he put the chain around his neck what kind of people they had been before the bitterness of their planets destruction had settled on them like a black shroud.
Vegeta steeled himself mentally before exited the bedroom, realizing fully that he was in a potentially dangerous situation. Acting out of character would arouse suspicion and the Saiya-jins were not known for their stupidity. Immediately upon exited his room Vegeta found himself in the private chambers of the king. At each side of the doors leading from the throne room and the other doors leading to the royal dining room were guards. Tall, muscular Saiya-jins each wearing the armour of the royal guards and with acceptably high power levels. Vegeta gave a smirk as he realized that he was probably at his current power level beyond any of their ability to even comprehend.
The guards paid him no mind as he walked through the doors into the dining room thinking some breakfast could only brighten his situation. He was half right with his only gripe being that there was no coffee. He made the mistake of asking for some before he could stop himself and received some odd stares. Of course there would be no coffee, he berated himself afterward.
The food he received could have fed an army and he made a serious dent in it. Just as he was finishing his breakfast his advisor came in. The man paused to speak to the guards and Vegeta watched the exchange intently hoping to gain some information on the abhorrent advisor. He narrowed his eyes briefly as he heard the guard call him Counsellor Ranorik and stored the information away. At least he now knew the man's name.
As Ranorik approached Vegeta preoccupied himself with wiping his mouth on a napkin forcing the man to catch his attention by saying, "Excuse me, my lord?" It was the little things, Vegeta knew, that would attract the attention of a man like Ranorik.
Vegeta looked at him with an impatient glare, which he did not have to fake, he found the man annoying.
"My lord," the advisor started with the same small, insincere smile he had used before, "When you are ready there are matters that need to be addressed."
"Of course, Ranorik," he said using the man's name purposefully. To Vegeta's immense surprise the advisor looked astonished that Vegeta knew his name.
You're behind this, the Saiya-jin prince thought, or at least involved in some way.
Vegeta stood and headed toward the throne room where he knew he would be expected to address whichever matters the advisor had deemed worthy of his attention. He also knew that once he was done with that it was acceptable for him to train for the rest of the day. He would use this for pretence to gain a little privacy in order to figure out what was going on.
The throne room was quite small as matters that required the king's attention were usually resolved very quickly, generally with a few harsh words. There was no need for a court or tribunal in Saiya-jin autonomy. Vegeta sat on the throne with an odd feeling of displacement, the feeling only served to irritate him even more and by the time Ranorik told him of the first article for his attention he was in a foul mood. It did not however distract him from the advisors words and he listened intently hoping for a clue as to his situation.
"First, milord," Ranorik said indicating a Saiya-jin who knelt before the throne, "The issue of the traitor."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the man kneeling before him, "The traitor?" he questioned.
Ranorik followed his gaze, "Oh," he said, "No my lord, that is not the traitor. I refer to the failure of the son of Bardock to claim earth."
Vegeta's head whipped around to stare at the advisor, "Kakarot?" he asked careful to keep his tone uninterested.
"Yes," Ranorik replied, "I assume he is to be executed?"
Vegeta thought quickly, "No, I wish to speak to the man who thinks he can defy his orders," he said choosing his words carefully.
"My lord?" Ranorik was clearly not pleased with this answer.
"Bring him before me," Vegeta commanded.
Ranorik's mouth tightened, but he said, "Very well," gesturing to the guard who knelt before the throne to carry out the order. The man scurried off.
"And what of his mission, Lord Vegeta?" Ranorik asked his voice harbouring a tinge of contempt.
"We shall disregard earth," Vegeta told him, silently revelling in the expression that appeared on his advisor's face, "We don't know what happened to this Kakarot that made him forget his mission. It may very well have been one of the inhabitants that did it. I do not want that happening to any more of my soldiers."
"The soldier claims he hit his head on a rock," Ranorik told him with an exasperated look.
Vegeta placed two fingers over his lips to keep from laughing, "And you believe him?" he said after a moment.
"But scans show that the inhabitants of earth are weak," his advisor argued.
Vegeta lost his patience, "Are you questioning my orders?" he snapped.
The advisor looked taken aback, "No my lord," he managed to get out. He bowed his head but Vegeta could see his emotions clearly upon his face before he could hide them. Frustration, anger and hatred.
Vegeta stood, "Have the traitor brought to my chambers," he said before striding out the throne room and into his private chambers. Upon arriving he dismissed the guards and sat on one of the many cushioned armchairs in the room. As he had suspected Ranorik followed him in after a moment.
"Do you think this wise my lord?" he asked.
Vegeta glared at the annoying man, "What I think is hardly any of your concern," he snapped, "If you question my orders again I will have you executed."
Ranorik's jaw dropped in surprise and Vegeta wondered what had made the man think he could behave thus. He locked eyes with the advisor with an expression, which clearly said without words: I am not weak, what ever you may believe.
Ranorik looked away abruptly fighting to keep his emotions under control. Vegeta watched the man's internal struggle with interest wondering what made him believe he could get away with such insubordination. The advisor was taking liberties and trying to sway the Saiya-jin prince's decisions in a way no advisor to a Saiya-jin king would have dared. Ranorik clearly knew the king was not the man he had been before and thought the 'new' king weak for some reason.
Vegeta turned his attention to the door as he felt the guard return. A second later Ranorik also looked up as the door opened and the guard entered leading a confused looking Goku. The younger Saiya-jin wore a plain shirt and pants in a dull grey material, which all prisoners wore. Upon seeing Vegeta the younger Saiya-jin grinned and opened his mouth to speak.
"Silence," Vegeta snapped to keep Goku from saying anything stupid. His rival frowned but kept quiet.
"You may go," the Saiya-jin prince told the guard then looked pointedly at Ranorik.
"My lord, I must protest!" Ranorik said, looking appalled, "This man is dangerous!"
"So am I," Vegeta ground out, "Especially when I'm angry. You would want to make me angry, now would you?" The words were civil enough but the Saiya- jin prince's tone promised imminent violence.
Ranorik paled then set his face in a look of barely concealed dislike, "As you wish," he sneered before leaving.
As the door closed Vegeta turned and looked at Goku.
"What's your name?" he demanded.
Goku looked mystified, "You know my name Vegeta, it's Goku," he said a little uncertainly.
Vegeta nodded, "Just making sure," he said then frowned, "I don't suppose you know how we got here?"
Goku shrugged helplessly, "Nope," he told him, "I just woke up in a cold cell. I tried to get out but they're really strong," he added sounding impressed.
"They're designed for Saiya-jin's," Vegeta commented blandly.
Goku chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah," he agreed, "So now what?"
"Now we get the hell out of here," Vegeta told him frankly.
"You want to leave?" Goku sounded disappointed.
Vegeta gave his friend a guarded look, "You don't?" he wanted to know.
Goku looked down uncomfortably, "Well, I've never seen my home before," he said, "It's an opportunity I never thought I'd get."
"Kakarot they want to execute you," Vegeta said dryly, "And my supposed advisor is conspiring to get rid of me, in fact I think he's somehow behind this. And you want to stay?" He couldn't help but sound a little disbelieving.
"Ah, come on Vegeta," Goku said with a grin, "They couldn't kill me if they tried."
Vegeta lost his patience, "Must you be an idiot all your life?" he snapped, "There are thousands of Saiya-jins out there," he pointed to the window, "All of them trained warriors. You may be a hundred times stronger than all of them but they out match both us in mere numbers. There's just too many."
Goku made a face, "It's not like you to be pessimistic," he pointed out.
"I'm being realistic, Kakarot," Vegeta growled, "This isn't your life anymore, this isn't my life anymore!" he reached up and yanked the blue medallion off of around his neck, then hurled it across the room. It hit a full-length mirror in the corner, causing it to shatter. The medallion landed on the floor undamaged.
"Shit," Vegeta muttered as Goku eyed him warily. A second later a dozen guards burst through the double doors of the anteroom lead by Ranorik. If Vegeta hadn't been so furious he might have wondered why a man with such a low power level would rush head long into a room that held a man he considered to be dangerous.
The Saiya-jin prince held up a hand, "Hold!" he said firmly. The guards immediately stood to attention but the advisor rushed up to him.
"I said as much-," he started angrily.
Vegeta scowled and backhanded him across the face. Ranorik didn't, as the prince had expected, fly across the room but instead dropped to one knee cradling his bruised face with one hand. He looked up at Vegeta in shock.
"How dare you?" the Saiya-jin prince hissed, "Speak to me in that tone again and you will be executed!"
Ranorik seemed to be struggling with something, "But..." he trailed and gritted his teeth making a visible effort to regain control, "Yes, my lord," he managed eventually getting to his feet slowly.
"Dismissed," Vegeta said lowly. The guards immediately left the room but Ranorik followed a little more slowly his expression barely hiding his contempt. Goku looked at Vegeta with a frown.
"Did you hold back?" he asked referring to the punch.
The Saiya-jin prince shook his head, "He's stronger than he lets on," he said.
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Please read and review. I would appreciate feedback as to whether or not I should continue. Thanks :)