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Survival of the Fittest	By : 2dragonkat Category: Dragon Ball Z > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 11967 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ and its characters, they belong to Akira Toriyama. The only parts that do belong to me are the plot and the twins. I also do not make any profit/money from this either.

Chapter List
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Chapter 21 - "In Pieces"

WC: 3,137

WARNING: There is some intense violence and sadistic behavior in this chapter. Please be aware and read with caution.

This wasn't good. Vegeta raised an arm, frowning at the clang of chain links as he moved. His wrists and ankles were shackled together with a long chain connecting the two bonds. There was a collar around his neck, with a leather leash trailing down his back.

Vegeta took in his surroundings, the lavish bedroom that was his current prison. He was on a large round bed in one corner of the room, across from a sitting area and flanked by an open bathroom and closet area. Curtains covered the walls, but not so much that Vegeta couldn't see the metal bulkheads and copper wiring that they were trying to hide. He was likely on a ship. No doubt a Bakulan ship.

He sighed and closed his eyes. Vegeta had thought they were prepared, had thought they were one step ahead of Decebal. He was proven wrong, though. Very wrong.

Moving was an issue. His body still prickled and tingled from the paralysis he had been subjected to. Not to mention he suspected his collar was a chi dampener. He could barely feel his body's energy, let alone sense anyone else's. It was likely blocking his bond with Goku as well since he couldn't connect with his mate. The bond was still there though, and he took comfort in that. For now.

Vegeta was completely vulnerable, and he felt a prickle of fear crawl up his spine. Decebal could do anything to him in that moment, and Vegeta wouldn't be able to stop him.

He had a pretty good idea what the Bakulan's plan was too, if Vegeta's lack of clothing was anything to go by.

As Trunks sat in his room and watched as Goku quietly freaked out, he regretted once again ever leaving Earth. If he hadn't left, it's likely the Bakulans would have never found the Saiyans. Of course there was the other side of the argument, the side Goten was firmly on even though his ex-mate was still distant to Trunks. Goten repeatedly told Trunks that if he hadn't gone out and learned about the Bakulans' true intentions they would have walked right into their trap and the entire Saiyan race would be enslaved, again.

Trunks was still going to regret leaving. Nothing anyone said, especially Goten, would dissuade him of his self-deprecation. Trunks had been so, so wrong, and now his father was captured by a mad-man hell bent on conquering the Saiyan race for something that happened thousands of years ago.

Piccolo and Goku had shown up a couple of hours ago to the room Trunks was sharing with Goten. They had been going over different plans to try and save his father and keep tensions from dissolving into all out war. Suffice to say it was near impossible to be able to do both. They had half-hearted plans, desperate plans, and plans for the sake of having another option. They were no closer to figuring out what to do with Decebal's ultimatum or the fact that Prince Vegeta was a hostage.

Goku was fraying at the seams. The longer it took them to figure out a plan, the more frazzled Goku looked. Piccolo was talking quietly to him in a corner of the room. Trunks was sitting by a large window with Goten, looking out at the Bakulan ships that dotted the horizon. The sheer number of Bakulans will be overwhelming, even if physically the Saiyans are stronger. It's hard to tell, though, whether the Saiyans actually will be stronger and survive in an all out battle. Trunks didn't have enough time with them to get a true gage on their potential.

Trunks looked over at Goten, his face falling more, if that was even possible at this point. Goten had barely looked at Trunks or spoken to him since his return. The distance between them was greater than it had been when Trunks was in space. He didn't know why things were so tense between them. Goten wouldn't tell him and for all his brains, Trunks wasn't the best at understanding emotions and relationships. He was especially dense at figuring what he had done wrong to upset people. Before he had left Trunks would just generally apologize and Goten would accept it. It was one of the reasons their relationship had started to crumble. But now, Trunks almost wished for that dysfunction, where he could just say "I'm sorry" and Goten would respond "I forgive you."

It wouldn't work this time, though. Goten wouldn't forgive him unless Trunks figured out what he had done wrong. And Trunks couldn't figure out what he had done wrong without Goten talking to him.

He worried they would be stuck in this rut and never fix their relationship. They were soul mates, not being together was like spitting in the eye of the universe.

"Goten, I-" Trunks had barely started speaking before Goten held up a hand and shook his head. Trunks sighed and kept his mouth shut. What was wrong with him? His father was kidnapped and Trunks was more worried about his love life?

He held his head in his hands, clutching his hair in tight fists. Trunks didn't know what was wrong with him, but it wasn't good. He couldn't focus on what was important.

His father had raised him to be a great leader and tactician. Trunks had studied battles across cultures to learn and understand. He had used his wits and smarts to come up with his own plans and strategies. If there had been a need, Trunks could have easily become a commanding officer, or so Vegeta had always praised him.

Now he couldn't draw on any of it. He couldn't focus long enough to figure out a way to get back his father and stop a war from breaking out.

Trunks felt utterly useless.

Goten walked through the castle, eying the guards and servants as they whispered in groups along the hallways. Two days had passed since Prince Vegeta had been captured and King Vegeta and entourage were sent back paralyzed. Everyone but the King had been released from the hospital, recovered from the shock to their systems. Apparently the damage had been more severe to a man with already limited mobility. Currently, the King could only move his head.

Decebal was continuing to send his message of ultimatum. He was broadcasting it everywhere, and no one could block the signal, not even Trunks. Though Trunks hadn't exactly been on his A-game recently.

Goten paused a moment and closed his eyes, willing back the surge of emotions at the thought of his ex-mate. Having Trunks back was… confusing to say the least. He was trying not to think about it too much. He was torn between falling back into Trunks' arms and starting all over, and never seeing Trunks again. Goten worried there wasn't a happy middle ground, so he was focused on getting his Papa back. Trunks was no help at the moment. Their father was completely of no help. Piccolo was torn between Gohan and finding Vegeta. And everyone else was wary of Decebal's threats.

That left Goten to focus on the Bakulans and their situation. He had some ideas. Ideas that might work. The trick was, no one could know about what he was doing.

The night air was cold and Goten was regretting not bringing another layer. But slipping out of the castle unnoticed didn't leave a lot of room for extra clothing.

To make sure he wasn't detected he was going on foot. It would probably take him until sunrise to get to the Bakulan flagship, but hopefully he could do something about the situation before someone noticed he was missing.

Goten carried a container on his back, holding what he hoped would be a peace offering. His first approach would be to find a middle ground and appeal to the narcissist in Decebal. Goten hoped he had an advantage since Decebal didn't know him. His second plan would involve a lot more luck. Goten had a feeling he would need as much as he could get.

Vegeta sifted through the drawers in the bathroom, trying to find anything that he could use to pick the lock on his shackles. So far he had been left alone for the past few days. He had no idea why, but the longer he was here, the more likely war would break out. He's tried physically breaking the bonds with different pieces of furniture and decorative items and had gotten nowhere. There were more bruises on his body from the attempts than there were scratches on the shackles.

Vegeta hated feeling powerless.

Whatever drugs were in his system or dampening affects the collar had, it made Vegeta incredibly sleepy. He hadn't felt like this since he was pregnant with the twins. That had been a tough time as well. He would sleep most of the days away and when he was awake, his energy was almost non-existent. But back then he hadn't felt as threatened and as vulnerable as he did now.

Because back then he had had Goku around to take care of him. Now, he didn't. Vegeta was alone on a strange ship without any idea what was going to happen to him.

He huffed a frustrated breath and slammed the last drawer closed in the bathroom. Nothing there. He shuffled around the room, the shackles around his ankles were severely limiting his movement. Vegeta stood in the middle of the room, looking for anything that could help him. He didn't know how much longer he would be left on his own. The only kind of contact with another being he had had was when food was placed just inside the doorway.

Vegeta had tried to fight the servant once. Suffice to say it didn't end well. Vegeta had ended up with much more than a bruised ego. Though the next time a different, much stronger looking servant brought his food.

Vegeta's eyes caught on where the curtains were parted a bit on the walls, exposing the mechanisms of the ship. He smirked and grabbed a piece of the headboard for the bed he had broken the day before. He took a running start and swung the piece of metal with what little strength he had. Vegeta swung again and again until sweat dripped into his eyes and he lost his grip on the headboard.

He knelt down on the floor, sifting through the debris of his efforts. He tossed aside bits of pipe and wire that were too big or two soft. Vegeta laughed low in his throat when he held up a piece of wire that was both sturdy and thin. Vegeta had never picked a lock before, but he had seen enough humans do it on the television back on Earth and anything was worth trying at this point.

Vegeta got himself comfortable and started picking at the lock of his ankle shackles. He heard promising sounding clicks and clacks as he wiggled the piece of wire in the lock. But nothing happened as he tried. He wouldn't give up though, no matter how much he wanted to. Vegeta needed to escape, no matter what.

The door to his room exploded and Vegeta yelled, throwing up his arms to cover his face. He lost his grip on his wire in the chaos and he felt a small burn of anger at being interrupted. He almost had it.

Vegeta lowered his arms, gazing with wide eyes at the young man in the doorway. Goten stood silhouetted in the smoke of the explosion, hair in more disarray than usual. His son looked frantically around the room before his eyes found Vegeta huddled in the corner. Goten ran right for him, disregarding his nudity as his son knelt down next to him. Goten easily tore open the shackles around his wrist and ankles.

"Goten, what are you doing here?"

"Saving you, Pops."

"Yes, I can see that, but how? Where's your father?"

Goten yanked Vegeta to his feet, tossing a blanket hanging over the back of a chair so he could cover himself. Vegeta felt like an idiot as he wrapped the blanket around his waist like a skirt but he didn't say anything out loud. He was being rescued, complaining would do nothing more than slow them down.

Goten ran to the door when Vegeta secured the blanket, peeking into the corridor. "Dad's going a little nuts without you and no one wants to make a move that could spark an all out war," Goten explained as he dragged Vegeta into the hallway.

"So why are you here? Hell, how did you even get here?"

"Long story."

"Then give me the short version, damn it."

Goten ran down the hallway, with Vegeta hot on his heels. He was tiring quickly though. He hoped they didn't have too far to go or he would start slowing them down. Along the hallway were unconscious guards and servants, all slumped against the walls.

"Okay so I came here, acting like a concerned Saiyan citizen, offering up some of my famous tacos in hopes that there wouldn't be a war. I may have flirted shamelessly with Decebal until he and everyone who met me ate the tacos and passed out. I put a pretty powerful and tastless poison in the meat. After that it was trial and error finding you."

"You know when they wake up, Decebal will declare war."

"I know, Pops. But we can't do this without you. King Vegeta is in rough shape and Dad's pretty much useless without you. Trunks is a wreck. Hell, the only semi-sane one is Tarble and he was abused by these bastards for years."

Vegeta slammed into Goten's back when his son stopped at a corner, looking around. Vegeta tried not to be insulted that Goten didn't move a bit when he crashed into his son.

Goten pulled Vegeta round the corner and they started running again. They came to a large room and Goten froze again. Vegeta huffed and stepped to the side of his son, taking in his distressed face.

"Don't tell me you're lost."

"This is where I left them," Goten murmured like he hadn't heard what Vegeta had said. "They were right here. They should still be here."

Slow clapping had both Vegeta and Goten spinning around to see Decebal looking alive and very well. "No," Goten whispered as Vegeta's heart dropped. Maybe Goten was strong enough to beat off Decebal so they could make an escape.

Just as Vegeta had the thought did dozens of Bakulan guards appear around the room, blocking all exits and surrounding them.

"That was a cute trick. Too bad Bakulans are hardier than you think," Decebal drawled, stepping closer towards them. "I do have to thank you. I was waiting for someone to foolishly try and save the prince. Now I have the perfect excuse to start a war. But first, I need to send a message back to the Saiyans. Something a little stronger than the last one. I want them to know I do mean business."

Vegeta didn't even see Decebal move before he was thrown to the side, caught in the grip of two guards. Decebal was sending Goten around the room, attack after attack landing with blinding speed. Vegeta couldn't follow the fight, but he saw Goten fall to the ground more often than not before Decebal was on him again.

A piercing scream had Vegeta cringing. Cold saturated his body and his heart stuttered to a rabid beat as he looked to the center of the room. Tears gathered in his eyes as Vegeta let out an answering scream of his own.

Goten knelt on the floor, his right arm gripping his left shoulder. Blood poured rabidly as Goten held on to the spot where his left arm used to be. Decebal stood in front of Goten, holding his son's detached arm with a wicked grin. Decebal dropped the appendage with a sickening splat and moved in on Goten again.

His son tried to retreat but he slipped on the blood gushing from his wound. Decebal kicked Goten, sending his son into a sprawl on his back, still clutching his wound.

Vegeta was shouting and screaming, struggling in the hold of his captors. He could do nothing as Decebal knelt down, gently gripping Goten's right leg. The next moment he had ripped Goten's leg off with the same efficiency he had the arm, chuckling as he held the limp appendage. Vegeta gagged, tears blurring his vision as Decebal stroked the thigh of the leg he held, like a lover would. The Bakulan tossed the appendage aside, crouching over Goten's prone body. His son had passed out after his leg was ripped away.

Decebal inspected his work like an artist might look at a painting in progress. The sick glee on his face finally had Vegeta losing his battle to keep his lunch down. He vomited violently, spiting and hacking and praying that this was just a horrible, horrible dream.

Decebal stood up and waved at some of his guards. They gathered up Goten and his missing limbs. "Make sure he gets back to the castle, alive," Decebal ordered. "Dispose of his arm and leg. I want the Saiyans furious when they come to the battlefield. It will make their defeat even sweeter."

The Bakulan leader turned towards Vegeta. He could say with complete certainty that Vegeta had never been this scared in his life. No one, not even Freiza, had made his blood freeze in his veins like Decebal was doing. Decebal advanced, tilting back Vegeta's head to look him in the eyes. "And now for you. One message won't be enough I imagine. I'll have to send two."

Decebal wrapped his hands around Vegeta's throat. He was powerless to do nothing more than stare into the eyes of a madman. Decebal smirked, leaning in to ghost his breath over Vegeta's mouth. The small part of Vegeta that still fought hoped the Bakulan gagged at the smell of vomit on his breath.

Vegeta heard a click at his throat and the sharp pain of a needle piercing his neck. Vegeta gasped and shuddered in Decebal's grip. The Bakulan chuckled as Vegeta's eyes widened in realization. "Now you'll be all mine," Decebal whispered in his ear.

Vegeta fainted in the next moment, unable to fight any longer. His power was gone, stolen from his body. His son was broken, sent back to start a war. His people were in danger, about to fight for their lives. His family was fractured, torn apart at the seams.

His bond with Goku was broken, the final nail in the coffin.

AN: Sigh, I actually had this planned for Goten a while ago. Although the scenario of his attack was different and was also going to take place off screen. Apparently that didn't happen.

War is about to break out and things are reaching a climax. I can't promise a perfectly happy ending with sunshine and flowers but I can promise the ending will be complete and (hopefully) satisfying.

I'm going to try and post a sneak peek for the next chapter on my blog in the next few days. Hope it can tide you over until the next update.

TTFN
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Survival of the Fittest