Alatrunks

Alatrunks
By Herve and Freewater
Rating: Still PG
Disclaimers: I don\'t own anything in this story, not even the story idea

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The Limits Of Colorful Shackles

Trunks struggled fiercely between two guards as he was dragged along by his arms. They were taking no chances that he would escape, and tightened their grip on him the more he fought to get away.

Mr. Satan knew his situation was hopeless, and he laughed triumphantly at his captive. \"After all these years! We\'ve finally got you!\" He roared, and Trunks glared at him. \"You\'re going underground and you\'re going to stay there for a long, long, *long* time!\"

Trunks smirked. \"Isn\'t that what you said the last time you caught me?\" He asked, receiving a backhand for his insolence.

\"Little brat!\" Screamed Satan, and Trunks laughed, merely to annoy him because he wasn\'t feeling as confident as he was acting. Yajirabu should have come to help him escape ages ago, and he had yet to see his furry little friend anywhere. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Trunks couldn\'t help but fear that perhaps one of the guards had killed him when he wasn\'t looking. After all, who would go to the trouble of sparing the life of a thieving monkey?

\"Get angry all you want Satan! You know eventually I\'ll get away. And who knows? Maybe I\'ll be sure to do it when you\'re the one on guard duty just to show you up.\" Trunks grinned slyly.

Mr. Satan\'s face went red, and for a split second Trunks thought he was going to get another smack, but then he notices that the two guards gripping his arms were snickering at his threats, and Satan noticed it too and slammed his fists down on top of their heads. Unfortunately for Trunks, their tight hold on him didn\'t lessen any.

\"Idiots! Don\'t laugh! You\'ll give him ideas!\" Satan screamed.

\"Yes sir.\" Said both of the guards, one rubbing his head through his turban with his spare hand. Then Trunks was jerked forward again as the goons led him to the backdoors of the palace. The doors that led to the dungeons.

When Trunks was young he had heard the story of what it was like on the inside from a man who\'d escaped after fifteen years of imprisonment. But only by faking his own death after years of sickness caused by the rats at his feet.

The dungeons were connected to the palace, but there was no way for any prisoner or guard to get into the palace through the dungeons unless they went back outside and walked around towards the front, where more guards were waiting to let them in through the gates.

There was a story that a man had once tried to carve a tunnel from the dungeons to the palace, only to be met with steel bars halfway though then ten foot thick wall. Supposedly his hands were chopped off after that.

\"Well, well, well, what do we have here?\" Asked the overly fat guards watching over the steel doors. Trunks knew immediately why this guard in particular was assigned to watch the door, he was at least five times larger then Trunks was in body weight, and there was no way he could ever chase down anyone in the market place, so he sat on a tiny wooden stool and watched for more prisoners.

\"Trunks himself.\" Satan beamed proudly, and the fat guard looked nothing less than amazed. Trunks rolled his eyes.

\"Trunks eh? You\'re pretty famous around here, boy. It got to the point where I was wondering if you would ever get caught.\"

Trunks grinned and decided that this would be the first guard he would ever like. \"Thanks.\"

Satan grumbled miserably at the compliment the fat man had unknowingly given his prisoner as he pushed open the doors and led the way inside.

It was dark at first, and Trunks needed to let his eyes adjust to the lack of lighting provided by a few torches on the walls.

He didn\'t know what he expected to see. Rats the size of house cats. Rusted chains on the walls, perhaps even with a skeletal body still chained to them. Whatever it was he expected, it was most certainly not what he actually did see, and he had to blink his eyes a few times just to be sure he was seeing correctly.

\"What the...?\"

Satan coughed. \"Yes, well, the Sultan decided that the normal grey stones and chains were too dreary and depressing for the prisoners, so he commanded to have all the dungeons painted in rainbow colours.\" He said, looking ashamed of what was once his fearsome dungeons, and Trunks burst out laughing. At both him and the prison cells.

The stone walls were all painted, most pealing and in need of a fresh coat, but still were all coloured in nice shades of blues, reds, yellows and purple. Even the chains looked painted, though they too needed a new coat. Trunks guessed that the entire place had been done a little over a year ago, and all that time Satan had been running around threatening to throw anyone into his \"fearsome, horrible\" prison if they so much as looked at him the wrong way.

\"Shut your mouth, boy!\" Satan yelled, and Trunks found himself getting dragged again. \"You\'ll go to the bottom level for all the grief you\'ve caused me!\"

\"Aw! But I had so much fun! Didn\'t you?\" Trunks asked, and the guards who held him snickered once again, Satan growled, grabbed him by the cuff of his vest and threw him down the stone stairs.

Trunks groaned and tried to get to his feet, but Satan was taking no more chances with him as he charged down the stairs and shoved him against the wall.

Trunks\' back hit it square on and the wind was knocked right out of him, he coughed and wheezed trying to catch his breath, but by the time he did, his wrists were already chained to the colourful wall, and Mr. Satan was sneering a look down at him that he casually gave to all prisoners.

\"Enjoy your stay here! If you need anything then it\'s tough shit because no one will be around to help you.\"

Trunks growled at him, having nothing to say back since he was chained to a wall with no way of defending himself. Satan laughed at his predicament and walked away, and Trunks could hear the slamming of the heavy steel door before he was completely left alone. The only light allowing him to see streaming in through a small barred window.

Trunks looked up at it hopefully before his shoulders sagged. Even if the bars were rusted enough for him to break open, the window itself was too small for him to slip out of, and far too high for him to even consider reaching.

Leaning his back against the coloured wall, Trunks allowed himself to think of Gohan for the first time since he\'d been taken.

Prince Gohan. He was actually flirting with the prince himself.

Trunks chuckled darkly and shook his head at himself. \'He must think I\'m such a fool.\' He thought unhappily, bringing up his knees and wrapping his arms around them before lowering his head to sulk.

He only wished Yajirabu would hurry up and come and get him already. At least then he could work on escaping.

***

Vegeta looked himself over in the mirror at several different angles, trying to decide whether or not *this* was the proper costume to wear for when he went to visit his Diamond In The Rough.

While he was so busy looking himself over, he didn\'t see Oolong in his parrot form behind him. Perched on the window sill and trying to hide his laughter behind his hand.

Vegeta was wearing black spandex pants and a shirt made out of the same material. White gloves and boots with a green muscle shirt over top that went down to almost his knees. It was all held together with a belt, and he wore the most ridiculous looking helmet Oolong had ever seen.

\"What do you call that thing?\" He asked, still grinning.

Vegeta frowned at himself, knowing that the costume looked too stupid to wear, so with a wave of his staff, his sorcery made it vanish and replaced the clothes with his usual wear. \"Something called a \'Saiyaman outfit\'. A fellow sorcerer suggested it to me a few years ago, but I\'ve never put it on before now.\" Said Vegeta.

\'Good thing.\' Thought Oolong, looking down into the trunk where Vegeta hid all of his disguises. \"What about this one?\" He asking, listing what looked to be a sheet of pink fluff out.

Vegeta looked at him and scowled. \"That\'s a rabbit costume for Easter! and I\'m NOT wearing it! Put it back!\"

Oolong cringed and did as he was told. \"I\'m just trying to be helpful.\" He pouted.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and shook his head. Why he must be surrounded by idiots at all times was completely beyond him.

But then his eyes went wide as an idea struck. \"You want to be helpful, eh?\" He asked, smirking evilly at his companion.

Oolong gulped nervously and sweatdropped, he didn\'t trust the sight in the least, but he also knew better then to go against his own word, so he nodded his head slowly.

\"Good,\" Vegeta purred. \"I have just the job for you.\"

Oolong started to shake.

***

With a satisfied smirk, Vegeta, with his new disguise tucked away safely in his robes, opened the hidden door to his lab a crack to make sure the coast was clear before quietly stepping out and easing the door shut.

\"Vegeta?\" An angry voice demanded.

Vegeta turned abruptly, shocked to see Gohan stalking towards him. \"Oh, uh, Your Highness.\" He said, turning his back to the door and slamming it shut just as Oolong walked through. Trapping him between the doorframe.

\"Vegeta! I\'m stuck!\" The pig-turned-parrot wheezed. Vegeta ignored him and bowed humbly before Gohan.

\"How may I be of service to you this fine evening.\" He asked, keeping a pleasant smile on his face even when Gohan got up in his face.

\"The guards just arrested a boy from the Market Place under your orders! Would you care to explain?\"

Oolong tugged at Vegeta\'s robes to try and pull himself free to no avail.

\"It certainly wouldn\'t be good for the kingdom, let alone the city, to let criminals run around free, now would it?\" Asked Vegeta, letting a little bit of sarcasm into his voice.

Gohan didn\'t buy that for a minute. That boy had saved him from getting his hand chopped off in broad daylight for daring to feed a hungry boy. What kind of criminal behaved like that? \"Oh yeah? What was his crime?\" Gohan snapped.

\"Vegeta! I can\'t breathe!\"

Vegeta, knowing that if the pig made anymore noise he would get caught, made an awkward face, coughed, and kicked Oolong back into the lab, allowing the door to shut the rest of the way without Gohan even noticing in his anger.

\"He kidnapped you, of course.\" Vegeta said, as if it should have been obvious.

Gohan rolled his eyes and threw his head back. \"For Allah\'s sake! Why didn\'t you come to me first? He didn\'t kidnap me! I ran away!\"

Vegeta knew this already, having put two and two together a long time ago, put on his best acting face and looked as though he\'d just been told the world was about to end before turning his back on Gohan and pacing. \"But that would mean... Oh, what a tragedy! If only I\'d known!\"

Gohan had never seen Vegeta looking so upset before. Farm from his normal cold exterior, and he became alarmed. \"What is it? What\'s wrong?\"

Vegeta turned to look at him. Guilt in his eyes. \"I\'m sorry to say... that the boy\'s sentence has already been carried out.\" He explained, needing to make the prince forget all about his Diamond in the Rough and not go looking for him. Vegeta still needed him.

Gohan was almost too afraid to ask. \"...What sentence?\"

\"Death,\"

Gohan sharply gasped, covering his mouth and sinking to his knees. \"N-no...\"

\"By beheading.\" Vegeta added, just to rub it in before placing his hands on the young prince\'s shoulders. \"I am so sorry, Your Highness. You have my deepest sympa--\"

\"How could you!\" Gohan demanded, shrugging Vegeta\'s hands off him before getting to his feet. \"You had no right! That\'s not a decision for you to make! He was a good person and you killed him!\" Screamed Gohan, tears stinging his eyes, but he ran off before they could fall down his cheeks.

Vegeta watched him leave, smirking when Gohan was out of sight.

Behind him, Oolong was still struggling to open the door to the lab. Finally make it out and flapping his tired wings up to grab onto Vegeta\'s shoulders, coughing and wheezing before suddenly asking: \"How did it go?\"

Vegeta chuckled. \"I think he took it rather well.\"

***

It was going on midnight, and Trunks had long since fallen asleep where he sat, still waiting for any sign of Yajirabu. He didn\'t move or stir until he heard the familiar screeching sound of his monkey come to rescue him.

\"Trunks! Wake up!\" The voice screeched in a sound that anyone else would have trouble understanding but Trunks was so used to it that it was like hearing any normal person speaking from across the room.

\"Wake up!!\" The monkey screeched again, and Trunks abruptly lifted his head and looked towards the window, his lips breaking out into a grin of relief when he saw who it was.

\"Yajirabu!\" He called happily, watching as the fat monkey squeezed through the bars and climbed down the bricks with his tiny hands before running to his friend.

\"What took you?\" Trunks asked, and although his voice held no accusation, Yajirabu glared.

\"What\'s wrong?\" Asked Trunks, and Yajirabu sighed and stood before him, making googly eyes and waving his tail at him in an impression of how he and Gohan were acting before screeching angrily and throwing his hands up.

Trunks rolled his eyes. \"C\'mon, he was in trouble. I had to do something.\"

\"Yeah, yeah, yeah.\" Said Yajirabu, examining the shackles that held Trunks to the wall before pulling a pick out of his vest pocket and getting to work.

\"He was worth it.\" Said Trunks dreamily, and Yajirabu shook his head in disgust.

\"Don\'t worry though, I\'ll never see him again!\" Trunks bit out just as the shackles on his wrists clicked and he was freed from them. \"His father\'s forcing him to get married, and he has to marry into royalty.\" He finished sadly, rubbing the circulation back into his wrists. \"I\'m a fool.\"

\"You\'re only a fool if you give up, boy.\" An eery voice said, and Yajirabu immediately scurried up Trunks\' arm before hiding behind his neck in fear. Trunks had to admit, the voice chilled his spine as well.

Trunks looked off into the shadows, and the crippled old figure sitting in them, smiling madly with gleaming eyes did nothing to ease away the chill.

\"Who are you?\" Trunks asked, wondering how long such a strange old man had been sitting so nearby while he was chained helplessly to a wall, watching him while he slept.

The old man got his feet and hobbled over, the hump on his back looking painful and using a walking stick to help him on his way, and Trunks took a step back.

\"Just a lonely prisoner, like yourself. But together, perhaps we can be more?\" Said the old man, rubbing his fingers together in a gesture Trunks recognised to mean money.

He frowned in thought before answering. \"I\'m listening.\"

The old man chuckled. He knew a boy as young as this would rise to the bait of money. \"There is a cave, boy. A cave of wonders!\" He said, throwing his hand inside the pocket of his ratty robe and pulling out jewels that sparkled in the darkness. \"This cave is filled with treasures beyond your wildest dreams!\"

Trunks\' eyes lit up at the sight of the jewels in the old beggar\'s hands, and Yajirabu\'s own eyes was no less filled with greed before the old man snapped his hand shut and took a few steps back.

\"Enough treasure to impress even your beloved prince!\"

Oolong chanced a peek out of the robe he was hiding under. \"Vegeta, can you hurry it up it\'s hot under here!\"

Vegeta turned and smacked Oolong with his cane before Trunks could notice that there was another little creature other than the three of them in the dungeon. Trunks was so busy thinking about Gohan and any way he could win him over that he wasn\'t even looking at him.

\"Why would you share all of this treasure with me? What\'s in it for you?\" Asked Trunks, knowing that nothing in the world came easy or free.

Vegeta smiled, showing off fake yellow teeth in a greasy mouth. \"I need a young man with a good back and strong legs to help me get it. And if you would do me the honour of being my guide, I will share half the treasure with you.\"

Trunks chuckled. \"That sounds nice and all, but I think you\'ve forgotten something. It\'s out there. We\'re in here.\"

Vegeta waved a finger at him and shook his head. Looking very much like a man speaking to an ignorant child. \"Things aren\'t always as they seem boy.\" He said, pointing his cane at one specific piece of the stone wall before pushing to reveal a stairway.

Trunks jumped to his feet and Yajirabu shrieked in delight. A secret passage! A way out!

\"So,\" The old man continued. \"Do we have a deal?\"

To Be Continued.........................