Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ What Exactly Is Involved In A Saiyan Mating Ritual? ❯ Showdown at Mestalia Stadium ( Chapter 19 )

Chapter nineteen

Show down at Mestalia stadium

All noise vanished, all thoughts jumbled up into a single depression. Vegeta knelt in the middle of the large stadium in complete silence, his chest pounding and heart thumping. The faintest of fiery light flickered over his olive skin, defining his chiselled features with sharp shadows as they struggled to find control, his grip on that precious commodity slipping fast.

This last day or so seemed little more than a blur. All he wanted was to remember clearly, but it was so hard. Everything clung together, all thoughts rolled into a clutter of half memories. The link he had had with Bulma was about all he could be sure of, the memory of her shining in his mind, even though it appeared as a time that he could only just recognize. Everything was in place whilst she was there, but now she was gone, and as its subtle light left his grasp, then so did any normality.

The weathered stone seemed to sparkle in the semi light and he looked at it curiously for longer than was necessary, mesmerized by the way patterns of dust danced over its surface. It was hard to put words behind what he was feeling right now, just as the mad man would struggle to put logic behind his dementia. Everything around him was real, he could see, smell and feel it all, but even though there was still a magical quality to it, the liquidity of the Ko-oni-jin's power saturating everything, the anger of loss blinded his senses with every minute of inactivity.

It was always this way. He couldn't be dictated by anything other than this feeling. It was a darkness and shroud that seemed to fit him so completely, so much so that he could never contemplate finding a way out of its hold. Every offer for something brighter, any dream of hope would always be crushed back into his chest by the fist of fate, punching him to the floor and impressing its sickening mark on his face for all to see.

Now here he knelt, ready to give into that loss the only way he knew how… with even more destruction, and he gloried in it. If he didn't have this one thing to focus on he was sure he would have lost his mind to all new proportions. Even the relief of destroying a few acres of forest on his way back to this towering stadium had done little to help relieve the desire for battle. In fact it was quite the opposite, it made him force on more power so that it would make him reach his destination and revenge all the quicker.

His fingers were itching to be a part of battle, his legs ached to form the stance that would destroy the creature that devastated all his dreams, and extinguished the life of the woman he… he bowed his head admitting it to even himself for the first time… loved.

Impatiently he pushed himself from the surface. His head falling back as he looked to the stars. Up there was where he had spent most of his life, and now he was home… home? Why did that statement feel so detached, why did everything for that matter? His fingers raked at his hair and ki shot in waves of blue from the boots, licking at the nights warm breeze expanding out until all the stadium glowed a brilliant white, sharing the energy being expelled, blinding anything that might be in close proximity, and fuelling the torches that crowned its stony elegance.

Above the lightshow Kandai looked down. The way the Saiyan Prince had dealt with Bulma's death was a credit to him, as well as a shock to himself. Of the ladies sentiments towards the Ouji he had never doubted for a second, but Vegeta's… well Vegeta's motives for choosing her as a mate had confused him.

It wasn't that finding her qualities was hard, she had them in abundance and if he was a hundred years younger then he might have given the arrogant Saiyan a run for his money, but that Vegeta should see those attributes was something he had found equally hard to believe. The fact that she wasn't Saiyan was ranked highest on that list of many, but as he looked now at the confusion, sorrow and anger of the warrior as he struggled to come to terms with feelings that must have never crossed his path before, he was beginning to come to terms with a new kind of respect for him.

It actually made him think with anger at some of the ill-judged remarks that had fallen from his lips in their earlier meetings. It was a new sensation for him to be feeling so guilty about his own behaviour to the arrogant Prince, but it was true, because there was now only one thing that could be attributed to the way Vegeta was acting, and that was to have felt true love… and for him to have lost it so nonsensically and so soon after its realization must be a blow of inestimable proportions.

Vegeta, however, was not the only being he was considering at that moment with views altered… the Ko-oni-jin elder was just such another. In a manner, even though they never really appreciated his role, the Ko-oni-jin had been the only mentally cognisant species to accept his kind since the extermination of the Tuffles and as a result Kandai had somehow felt an affiliation with them because of it.

Unfortunately that affiliation had sunk out from his body when he had seen the elder only stop his rampage over the fear of losing the support of his people. The creature he had once respected would willing have destroyed him in an instant if it weren't for the fear of losing his position. It made his stomach do loops of something frighteningly close to anger and Kandai disliked that. He prided himself on his easy temperament, but he had been blinded… blinded by the flattery of distinction by the Elder, feeling a sentiment of thankfulness for it when tempered against the honest brusqueness of the Saiyan.

In the hour that had passed since his departure from the underground hide-away Kandai had made a point of trying to find the location of the Emissary. All his hopes for a peaceful solution were now resting on this one quarter, but he guessed that the Elder knew what he was attempting as he kept within close enough distance of his aide to make a tête-à-tête impossible.

It was infuriating, but the fight seemed to be all but confirmed. As guardian, violent confrontations were supposed to be referred to as a last resort, it was exceedingly rare that anything should come so far as to actually being officiated by himself, but now there was no way around it… they would fight.

The intensity of light that screamed out at the senses for rest was now relinquished. Vegeta's body sagged once again, the roar that had filled the air, quieting into nothing more than a deep mournful growl, and Kandai figured it was about time to make his presence known. Dodging the occasional flash of electricity that the Saiyan's body seemed to emit without knowledge, the old man managed to land at a little distance behind him.

At first it seemed to Kandai that Vegeta hadn't noticed his arrival, but after an awkward silence that lasted several minutes the warrior simply raised an eyebrow, turning his head the smallest of margins. His voice, when it came, was detached, "Is it time yet?"

"Soon Ouji, the Elder is meditating, until his powers are restored. It appears that my healing abilities are not needed in his case, how about you?"

"I do not require any help from you."

"But surely you want to be able to fight at full power?"

Vegeta chuckled dryly, no mirth apparent in its depth, "I do and I will, you can at least count on that much old man."

"The power I gave you before would never take your energy reserves back to normal, are you sure you wish for no assistance?"

"You needn't concern yourself with me Spirit, I know what I am doing."

"Well if you say so… Um Vegeta?"

"What?"

Kandai paused a second, trying to put as much meaning behind the words he was about to speak as possible, "I'm sorry."

Vegeta's eyes contracted a little and at length he spoke, "I know."

Silence reigned again, with nothing to relieve the tension other than the low whistle of the dry wind as it blew around the empty amphitheatre. Kandai had so much more he wanted to say, but didn't know quite how to start any more conversation as it appeared that Vegeta had said all he was willing to. At length the guardian was forced to cede as the first sparks of ki were seen above the awesome structure, indicating that the first wave of spectators had arrived.

The general murmurings at once made the meeting between Vegeta and Kandai redundant as the guardian found it was his duty to meet and greet with the dignitaries in the Prince's place. This confrontation was already going to be fatal enough, let alone letting a pissed off and emotionally strung out elitist loose on the general public.

He left the Saiyan's side to graciously listen to all the pettiness and squabbling that seemed indicative to life on Vegeta-sei, only on occasion being curt and short when his mind wandered to the true seriousness of the situation.

At this time his attention was mostly taken up by politeness, but on the brief interludes between obligatory praise and blessings he was able to see Vegeta, his position unmoved as though he had been carved in stone, his eyes closed and apparently oblivious to all the frivolousness that was going on around him.

All at once the general milling of the crowd seemed to quiet and Kandai was able to take his leave. He landed on the central platform just in time to see the Elder walking out from the tunnel, the Emissary at his side and a couple of privileged workers behind. The Elder nodded graciously to Kandai, making a note to flash a courteous smile, but Kandai was no longer deceived and so just turned his head in obvious distaste.

Moving forward, the guardian stood between the two fighters wishing he was anywhere but there as the power he could feel thick in the air, reminded him of his true insignificance should anything go wrong. Gulping down the lump that reflexively formed in his throat he lifted his arm and let a single stream of power explode into the air, the ki induced wind wrapping around his body and making the light dim.

The crowd were silent and he recited the ancient text (which was obligatory before any large event) with an exactness and eloquence that would have done credit to his predecessors should they have indulged in the honour of teaching. Kandai's chest swelled as he finished, even though he alone was the only being present that appreciated it, and as the last of his words curved around the stadium he bowed his head and turned to the Elder.

"Ko-oni-jin Elder, you have committed a crime against the Saiyan people. In response I have granted Prince Vegeta the appropriate vengeance as outlined in the guardians code, volume 1.5a. In this work it clearly states that any punishment, which may be incurred by the recipient for purposes not of a lawful or reasonable description, may take means of justifiable atonement and choose the location of punishment as is stated by his culture or with reference to the vocation of each. This legislation is other-world binding, any outcome will be instigated and enforced by the Kai's and judged as such in this and the afterlife should either participant be found negligent." He looked down at the creature and paused before he spoke again, "Do you understand?"

The small creature slowly nodded his head, his eyes not leaving Vegeta's for a second.

"Very well then. Prince Vegeta… Ko-oni-jin Elder, this is a battle of atonement set down by the Saiyan Warriors doctorate in 625AD. It is a battle to the death and all attacks are allowed, now if you would each like to take your starting positions then we shall begin."

Vegeta calmly walked to his starting position, not even adopting a fighting stance, as his mind worked up into overtime. He had to think clearly if he was going to win this battle, it was unlike any fight he had fought before. The Ko-oni-jin's power was of a sort that posed a very serious risk to him, not in its strength, as say Frieza's would have, but in its very structure. He knew he was susceptible to their mental abilities, meaning that if he let his guard down for even one second it would be the last thing he would probably ever do.

There was only one way he was going to be able to win this, and even though to most it would appear that he was sticking his head in the lion's mouth, it was in essence, his only hope.

The Elder gritted his teeth together in a feral snarl and Vegeta repaid the favour impatient to get started. As if on cue Kandai brought his hand down between them, shouting 'hajime' and both fighters pushed off the stone, with an aggression and power that left all witnesses in awe.

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Goku sat on one of the black lacquer chairs of the Briefs family dining room, his feet up on the matching table, a few grains of rice still plastered around his face as he distractedly rubbed his swollen stomach, "Whoa man that was good!" he leaned back and stretched, letting a yawn strain along his vocal chords, "Wow I'd forgotten how well you can cook, no wonder Vegeta decided to stay! You'll have to send Chi the recipe sometime."

"I'll be sure to remember that Goku. We'll have to get together soon and all sit around and play poker as we used to! Do you remember the times we had when you were still a boy! It's been far too long since our last gathering, perhaps Gohan could come as well, he's turning into quite the little man now!" Mrs Brief gushed this out in quick succession, liking having a distraction from the anxiety she was so unused to, "Well… that is just as soon as Bulma and Vegeta are well again. I wonder if Vegeta plays… I can't see it can you?"

Goku laughed slightly, "No, not really."

Almost as if the peace that was created by these two old friends was far too light for fate to deal with, the mood was suddenly altered, and Goku's watch beeped out a warning from its encasement, reminding him of his duties.

The warriors face instantly tensed as he stood, but seeing his hostess's face drop he tried to lighten the mood, "Looks like Dr Son is back on call, hey and don't worry, we'll sort all this out in no time, just you wait and see, we'll all be playing poker in a few day's time wondering what all this fuss was about!"

Saluting with two closed fingers he left the room and wondered down the long corridor to where he had left the Doctor. The large heavy door opened gracefully for him and he made his way down the industrial metal steps. His first port of call was of course Vegeta, but after the smaller Saiyan had been given his energy fix, his curiosity got the better of him and he stood behind the old man, blinking as he tried to see what had gotten him so excited.

All he could see was a screen full of flashing numbers, within which seemed to him to contain absolutely no pattern at all whatsoever.

Distractedly he scratched the back of his head, "Wow… so you can really tell what's going on in the game just by watching all this? Awesome!" He looked down for a second having hoped to received a reply, but the numbers appeared to be far too interesting, "So what's going on right now?" he asked, not ready to give up just yet.

Dr. Brief didn't move a muscle, "Fighting." He replied in a monotone.

Goku slapped his hand on his forehead in an, 'I really should have known' way. "Jeez… doesn't he ever rest?"

"Shhhh!" scolded the doctor, digging his hand into a bag of popcorn, "it's just getting interesting!"

"So who's winning?"

"It's only just started, but it's going to be a close one."

Goku was just about to ask the old man if he could commentate for him when something in the back of his head seemed out of place. Instinctively he started to scratch the side of his temple, trying to remember what it was.

A couple of minutes of silence passed before recognition dawned, "Um Dr. Brief… shouldn't we… I mean, you, be working on a way of getting him out of there?"

For the first time since entering the room the old man managed to tear his attention away from the monitor to that of his guest, "Don't worry my boy! It's all taken care of…" He smiled triumphantly, "now, back to the fight!"

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Vegeta stood in awe of the Elder's speed a fraction of a second too long! It was… unbelievable! Even he was having trouble keeping the creature in focus, his position being nothing more coherent than a streak of green across the arena floor. In less time it took for Vegeta's trained senses to kick in and determine his defence it was already too late, the being was in front of him, its hands ready to strike.

For little more than a heartbeat he could see the fingers blurring into position, two fingers redundant, the others and a thumb left to apply the needed accuracy to hit two pressure points under the nose and a third under the chin, snapping his head back and making the familiar taste of blood trickle down his throat as a completely different part of the body reacted to it. All at once he found himself on the floor, gasping for breath, trying hopelessly to avoid the swift barrage of alternating kicks that accompanied it.

His prone body was flung about the stadium floor like that of a rag-doll. He just didn't have speed to match the Ko-oni-jin's, the second he managed to raise his head from the floor then he was struck down again, once by an elbow as it coursed purposefully into the stomach, and secondly by the same limb as a green hand held onto his, the elbow being brought up and round to make contact with the nose. A small foot kicked at the back of his knee at the same time, making him fall, but the Ko-oni-jin was there once again just to make sure he fell down with an assist by a palm strike to the chest.

Vegeta waited, wondering when the next attack would come, he hoped it would be soon and of a different persuasion. For as long as the Ko-oni-jin continued with the physical assault the less chance Vegeta had of winning. Dammit! Ever since he had been in contact with the creature he had felt its energy practically crawling through his veins, and just when he needed it the most the Elder decided to do without.

Groggily he turned around on the dry floor, his eyes training up through the blood to see what had delayed the Elder, only to be greeted with a sardonic stare, the creatures lungs were pounding heavily with is exertions, but nothing that would give a fighter of his obvious calibre a problem. Vegeta gritted his teeth in disgust for a moment and trained his vision back down to the floor. If the Ko-oni-jin wanted to take a breather then he wasn't about to waste the time, he had to think of a strategy by retaliating in vain.

Blood poured from a wound in his hairline and dripped to the stone beneath. The deep crimson wormed its way along a meandering path, covering the sandy stone in a gruesome sheen, but something made Vegeta squint as he saw a little sparkle and change within its colour, it looked like… like letters. More importantly it looked like his name.

Cursing the blow to the head that he attributed it to, he shook it angrily from side to side.

"Finished already Ouji? But we were just starting to have fun!" came the fairy light voice of his tormentor.

Vegeta breathed out through the nose. He had to gain the advantage and quickly, the Ko-oni-jin was winning and there was no way in HFIL he was going to survive for long if he didn't at least push the Elder into using alternative tactics. Instinctively his right hand pulled at the dust on the stones surface, and with one swift motion it was flung into the creatures eyes.

Taking the advantage as it stood, Vegeta took to the air, flipping over the Elders shoulder and taking two hands full of flesh on the way, keeping his hold firm and using his own momentum to throw the creature over his head. Not wanting to quit while he was ahead, he thought it was best to finish up with a quick round of rapid fire.

Even though he had a good idea that the Ko-oni-jin would be fast enough to avoid the attack, the enormous amount of debris it spewed into the air would at least give him the time he needed to recuperate and prepare for his next offensive.

His lungs heaved in the plume of smoke that engulfed the whole arena, and even though it stung to keep his eyes open, closing them was not an option either. The smoke in closest proximity stopped swirling changing impetus and texture to that which surrounded it. The clouds spiralled in thicker tendrils right in front of his eyes, stunning the depths with the words of smoke that looked eerily like the portend of 'You're dying!'

With a natural curiosity Vegeta reached a hand out to it, but as his white-gloved fingers clawed through the mist it instantly dissipated into nothing. "What the fuck is going on!" he screamed, the light of his ki instantly melting the smoke, as his anger rose.

"You're losing!" came the swift reply as a beam of condensed energy left the Elders hand and slammed into his back.

Ignoring the middling pain it caused, Vegeta once again took to the air. He wasn't, however, destined to do much more as a larger ki beam soared after him to meet firmly with the crook of his neck, the force behind it being enough to push him off his regular course and towards the crowded confines of the spectators gallery.

The pain was intense, but not nearly as annoying at the ringing that sounded in his ears as a result of the explosion. Just as he was about to hit a row full of spectators Vegeta managed to control his movement to pull on the brakes, his face finishing inches from slamming into a placard that one of the Saiyan dignitaries held in terrified anguish. Vegeta simply smirked at the bold lettering of 'Win Vegeta!' as he realized that his strategy would soon be given the chance to work. The Elder had been forced into using ki attacks… finally things were starting to go right.

Closing his eyes, Vegeta sensed the Elder was about to follow up the ki beams with a sneak attack, but his animalistic reflexes instinctively threw his hand back into position, aiming with pinpoint accuracy, and just as the Elders face burst into focus, did Vegeta's fist meet squarely with it, sending his small body spiralling to the floor.

He smiled smugly at the petrified spectator, "Having fun?" he queried, while taking the placard from his hand, "Of course I will win! Your pathetic banner isn't going to change that!" he gloated, and was about to tear the worthless scrap of card in two, when he saw the ink literally flood of its own accord, separating into a pattern of print that made the Prince's eyebrows raise in astonishment. The ink stopped running to reveal one sentence as poignant as it could possibly get. It read as follows:

'Turn your scouter off if you want to live!'

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AN- Wow… its getting interesting now eh? Fun, fun, fun! Well as always, let me know what you think!

*huggles*

~Ember~