Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Wish For The Past ❯ Battle of Wills ( Chapter 56 )

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

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. I am also disclaiming all rights to Mirai Trunks and Gohan! That's right, I'm giving them up! Bardock is the only one who holds my heart now. ^_^ *latches protectively onto the spiky haired warrior* I don't actually own him either, but if any of you DARE to try to take him from me... *trails off threateningly* ^_^

"Vegeta? Do you wanna spar?"

Goku's seven year old voice pierced the thought-induced fog that clouded Vegeta's brain and, blinking in surprise, he focused his attention on the younger Saiyan's hopeful face. Registering the chibi's words, he snorted in contempt and folded his arms arrogantly. "You want to spar with me?" he scoffed, not sure whether Goku was joking or if he seriously had a death wish. Can't he sense that I'm worlds above him in strength? the ten year old wondered incredulously, casually reading the boy's ki to measure it against his own. The difference in power nearly made him burst out laughing, not because he was still pathetically weak, but at the thought of someone with such a low ki challenging him, the Saiya-jin no Ouji, to spar. What in hell gives him the idea that I'd spar with a third class like him?

Bardock is a third class, too, a derisive voice somewhere in the back of his mind sneered at the prince. You still sparred with him! Hell, you even asked to fight him!

I did not! Vegeta protested defensively, wincing at the sting of truth even as he denied it. I told him I wanted to spar with him, so it was an order, not a request. He ignored the snort that came from the voice and continued. And Bardock's different! He may be a third class, but he's strong! Not like Kakarot. Kakarot is too weak to even be worth my time. I can't possibly imagine what makes him think that he even has a chance against me!

In response to his mental reasoning, the voice laughed mockingly. And since when did you, the Prince of all Saiyans, give a damn about whether or not someone was too weak to fight you? That sure as hell didn't stop you from wiping out the populations of several planets, killing various and sundry aliens and Saiyans for sport, and beating the tar out of the members of the Royal Guard assigned to train you. Maybe the real reason you don't want to spar with Kakarot is because... Vegeta could almost see the disgusted, knowing smirk on the voice's 'face' as it finished the sentence. You don't want to hurt him?

Shut up! Vegeta snarled, clenching his fists angrily. That's not true and you know it! I don't care what happens to the weakling gaki! I just don't want to spar with him, that's all! Now shut up and leave me alone! The voice only chuckled derisively, somehow implying without words that it knew the young prince was lying to himself.

Oblivious to the older boy's internal conflict, Goku blinked in confusion, scratching the back of his head as he replied, "Well, sure I want to spar with you, Vegeta. Why wouldn't I?"

Giving the boy a weird look, Vegeta quirked an eyebrow skeptically. "Baka, can't you sense my ki? Don't you realize how stupid it is to challenge the Saiya-jin no Ouji?"

"Well..." the chibi suddenly looked guilty, digging one toe into the soft dirt as he stared down at the grass. "I can't sense ki yet. Goten and Trunks tried to teach me but..." Shrugging, Goku lifted his head to smile sheepishly at the Saiyan Prince. "I couldn't seem to figure it out. But I bet you're really strong!" he finished enthusiastically, swishing his tail back and forth with excitement. "I mean, you beat my brother and you can spar with my dad, and they're both a lot stronger than me! And I wanna test my strength against you, and it'd be lots more fun to practice my attacks in a spar than on my own!"

"Idiot. You wouldn't last a minute against me," Vegeta protested incredulously. He doesn't have any idea what he's getting himself into!

"So? I want to fight the strongest fighters there are so I can become as strong as them!" he stated confidently. "Even if you beat me, I'll still learn something, and it'll help me get stronger so that someday I'll be as good as you are!"

He thinks he can become as strong as me?! the ten year old growled inwardly, his pride stung by the brat's casual reasoning. Narrowing his eyes, he whipped his tail around his waist and shifted his feet into a fighting stance. This third class needs a lesson in humility, he thought contemptuously, an arrogant smirk gracing his lips. "All right, then, Kakarot! If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!"

A grin of anticipation crossed the younger child's face as he positioned his legs and arms appropriately. "Great! Thank you, Vegeta!" he chirped happily. As an afterthought, he awkwardly pulled his tail to encircle his waist, then repositioned his feet to account for the change in balance. "I'm ready when you are!"

With a cocky nod, the young prince indicated that he, too, was prepared. The two boys eyed each other's defenses for a moment, and Vegeta's smirk broadened. I could easily defeat him with one blow, he mused silently, waiting for Goku to make the first move. But that would end this too quickly, and he needs to learn that he is no match for me and never will be. I think I'll toy with him for a while. With this plan in mind, Vegeta purposefully loosened his guard without making it obvious that he was doing so, knowing full well that the younger Saiyan would take advantage of it and launch his attack.

True to his prediction, Goku darted forward and aimed a fist for his opponent's stomach, falling blindly into Vegeta's trap. The older boy grinned confidently and raised his hand to catch the other child's fist.... and missed. Still unused to the change of balance that tucking his tail around his waist caused, Goku stumbled just before he reached his target and his fist swung wildly into his adversary's hip. The blow was only a glancing one, but it served to distract Vegeta enough to keep him from taking advantage of Goku's instability. Fortunately for the seven year old, he managed to catch himself before he fell over, quickly righting his body as he pivoted around to face the older boy once more.

Vegeta glared at the spiky haired chibi, angry at the boy for actually landing a blow... and by accident no less! It was all he could do to keep himself from lashing out at the younger Saiyan to avenge his wounded pride, knowing that if he did so he would probably use more power than the brat could handle. He didn't want to let Kakarot escape his proper punishment by being knocked out too early. No, this needed to drag out a lot longer and with a lot more humiliation and pain on Goku's part before Vegeta's twice-wounded pride could be satisfied.

While the ten year old wrestled with his instincts and desire for revenge, Goku wasn't just standing by idly. Furrowing his brows with determination and concentration, he began to gather his ki, centering it in his mouth. After all, this spar wasn't just for fun; he did need to practice his techniques, and he had promised his niichan that he would work on the mouth blast. As he felt the energy build above his tongue, he opened his mouth to allow more room to hold the concentration of ki and to avoid accidentally burning the roof of his mouth. His nose began to itch as the tingling energy tickled the inside of his mouth and nose, and in an effort to hold back the involuntary reaction he knew was coming he furiously rubbed his nose with a finger. Unfortunately, this wasn't the normal kind of sneeze caused by a bit of dust landing in the wrong spot, so rubbing at it did no good.

"Ahh..." Darn it! I can't shoot the blast until it's ready, or it won't do any good! "Aahhh..." No. No! I have to keep control. I can't let myself sneeze! Just... a little bit... longer... The energy building up in his mouth continued to spread until his tongue felt numb and his throat twinged in a way that made him want to cough. But it was his nose that bothered him the most! His eyes started to water with the concentration required in ignoring this torment that felt like thousands of ants crawling around in his nasal cavity. Only a little more ki...

"AH-CHOO!!!" The last tiny bit of energy needed to complete the blast collected in his mouth at the exact same time as he sneezed, his mouth clicking shut involuntarily, cutting off the normal escape route for the energy in his mouth. Unable to go anywhere else, the flaring ki blasted through his nose and straight towards his opponent's face, the accompanying nasal discharge flying along behind it.

In the two seconds that passed as Goku's attack sped towards Vegeta, the young prince eyed it critically, weighed its potential to injure him, them smirked dismissively as he raised a hand to casually bat it away. The ball of ki blasted into a nearby boulder, completely destroying it and showering the area around it with dust and pebbles, but the watery companion of the sneeze attack did no such thing, clinging to Vegeta's skin where his hand had intercepted it. Only now noticing the discharge, Vegeta's eyes widened in dismay and disgust before narrowing in a glare that could have burned a hole through a block of ice.

"Kisama!!" he growled, his lips peeled back in a snarl of rage. Angrily wiping his hand on the blue gi he was wearing, he seriously debated ramming his defiled fist into Goku's gut. The brat certainly deserved it! He's just sneezed on the Prince of the Saiyan race, even if it had been meant as an attack, and that was an affront worthy of... well... Vegeta blinked as he mentally stumbled. Kuso... what does happen when someone sneezes on the Saiya-jin no Ouji? To his knowledge, such a thing had never happened before, so there wasn't a punishment for it. Yet.

"Wow, Vegeta!" Goku cheered, utterly impressed. "You just knocked my ki blast aside like it was nothing! You must be really, really strong!"

Vegeta couldn't help the slight flush of pride that Goku's praise brought to his cheeks, momentarily forgetting his anger at being sneezed on. As simple as it was, the chibi's praise was so honest and heartfelt that the prince knew he meant every word of it, and for some reason, that meant more to him than the fearful respect he was used to receiving. "You haven't seen anything yet, Kakarot!" he boasted proudly as he began to gather his energy. If he thinks bouncing a little ki blast like that was impressive, just wait 'til he sees my Gallic Gun!

As Vegeta placed his palms to face his opponent, Goku stood there watching curiously. It looked like Vegeta was preparing to do some sort of attack, but he didn't recognize the odd pose. However, once the ki that the young prince was gathering began to spark and glow around the boy's hands, Goku suddenly realized that Vegeta wasn't intending to attack physically. He was going to use a ki attack! Battle instincts kicking into gear, the seven year old pushed aside his curiosity and placed the heels of his palms together. The best way to fight ki is with ki, he thought to himself, smiling with anticipation.

"Kame...." Pulling his cupped hands to the side, he began to concentrate all his energy into one point between them. He remembered how surprised Radditz had been when he used a Kamehameha on him, so maybe Vegeta would be surprised, too.

"Gallic..." I wonder what he's doing. It looks like some sort of energy attack... have I seen it before? Maybe when he was sparring with his brother back on that island. As I recall, it wasn't that powerful. It probably only caught Radditz off guard, or else it would never have even hit him. Well, whatever it is, it won't do you any good, Kakarot!

"Hame..." Even though he couldn't sense ki, Goku knew that he would need every bit of energy he could glean from his young body just to battle Vegeta's attack. Sweat slicked his face from the intensity of his concentration as he crammed every stray bit of ki into the glowing blue ball he held in his cupped hands. Almost ready...

"Gun..." Better not make it too powerful. After all, I'm not trying to kill him... Allowing some of the energy to dissipate, he smirked once the attack reached the size he wanted it to be. Let's see what you've got, Kakarot.

"HA!!!"

"FIRE!!!"

Blue fire and red lightning shot out from the boys' hands and met with a thunderous crash in the space between them. Goku panted heavily as he continued to pour his ki into the beam, feeling weaker and weaker by the second but determined not to give up. This was one spar that he was determined to fight until it reached its conclusion with either him or Vegeta as the victor. He would not throw in the towel this time! His resolve strengthened, the little seven year old let out a fierce battle cry and forced everything he had into the blue beam, his blood singing in his veins at the sheer joy of the challenge before him. It didn't even register in his mind that he should be surprised that he was holding his own against Vegeta's attack, preoccupied as he was with the thrill of the fight.

Vegeta, however, was shocked. He's... he's matched my Gallic Gun! Even if it's not at full strength, he shouldn't have the power to hold it at bay! A fierce scowl of determination hardened his features and he lowered his stance a little to gain better balance. Fine then, Kakarot! If that's the way you want to play, then so be it! A deep throated growl rumbled from his chest and he swiftly powered up, a blue-white aura surrounding his ten year old body, and the flaring red beam instantly doubled in size as it blasted towards the straining chibi at the other side of the clearing. Goku's Kamehameha suddenly seemed pitifully inadequate in comparison to his opponent's Gallic Gun, and it could no longer stand up to the onslaught of energy. The little Saiyan's eyes widened just before the crimson ki smashed the Kamehameha aside and engulfed him with its searing intensity. He didn't even have a chance to scream.

As the light of the battle faded, a triumphant smirk played across Vegeta's face and he studied the destruction left in the wake of his Gallic Gun. There was a long, barren trench in the ground that ran for several meters before it ended, rubble and debris strewn liberally to either side of the ditch. Nothing that had stood in the beam's path had survived. Boulders had been reduced to gravel, trees turned into splinters, and there, at the end of the gouge, lay Goku's crumpled body.

"Come on, Kakarot! Get up and fight! You'll never get stronger if you give up so easily!" Vegeta's voice was cheerfully mocking as the ten year old sauntered over to where his adversary lay. The younger boy had obviously been throwing his best at the prince, and it had been a matter of child's play for Vegeta to brush it aside like the pathetic attack that it was. Yes, it had been stronger than he'd expected, but the only reason it had stood up to his Gallic Gun for so long was because he had been going easy on his opponent. He had still won, thus proving that he was the superior fighter. A victory that brought a warm rush of pride to his heart.

As the young prince drew closer to his fallen foe, the odor of burned flesh tickled his nose, washing away the euphoria of victory with its sickly sweet scent, and Vegeta suddenly realized that Goku wasn't even twitching. He was just... lying there, motionless, not even a perceptible rise and fall of his chest. Granted, the boy was lying face down in the dirt, so it would be hard to tell if he was breathing unless he was flipped over, but there still should have been some movement! Tendrils of smoke rose from the young Saiyan's body, mostly from the charred bits of Goku's gi where it had been burned away by the ki blast, and dissipated in the faint breath of wind that stirred the boy's singed spikes of hair.

A sudden, gnawing doubt nibbled at the edges of Vegeta's conscience as he knelt beside the obviously unconscious child and placed a tentative hand on Goku's bare shoulder. Feeling just a little guilty about overdoing the ki blast, the Saiyan Prince bit his lip and gently shook the boy in an attempt to wake him up. "Kakarot?" he asked uncertainly, waiting for a few anxious moments to see if the little Saiyan would stir. When Goku didn't respond, Vegeta carefully slipped his hands underneath the chibi's body and, as gently as possible, rolled him onto his back-

-and felt the blood drain from his face.

*smiles innocently* Please review. ^_^