Maintaining: Anger

Chapter 41 - Anger

::Vegeta...::

Vegeta didn't think, he just reacted; twisting in the lizard's grasp and blasting him with all the ki he could gather in that heartbeat.

"Insolent monkey," Frieza's furious expression should have terrified him, but he was numb. "I am done coddling you. I will burn this resistance out of you."

He screamed then, falling to his knees, wanting to rip out the chip, the source of the pain, but something prevented him.

::Fight him Vegeta.::

He was losing his mind, he was sure of it. He could hear Kakorr in his head. Was he talking to him from Otherworld?

"Leave...him...alone..."

Suddenly the pain meant nothing. Kakorr? Had he imagined it? Had he heard Kakorr?

"Honestly monkey, can't you do anything right?"

He raised his head to see an angry Frieza glaring at... Vegeta snapped around to see Kakorr's brown eyes were slitted open and watching him.

"Kakorr," he breathed, relief pouring through him.

"Fine," Frieza hissed, moving next to Kakorr to stare down at him with vicious red eyes. "I'll kill it myself."

Vegeta watched in horror as the lizard drew his foot back to kick Kakorr. He looked at his lover's face - Kakorr was looking at him, pain in his eyes, but something else...

::Vegeta. Help me.::

He didn't know where he found the strength or the will, but he was moving, lunging toward the lizard, pain forgotten, nothing more important than protecting Kakorr from the bastard. Frieza must not have been expecting any resistance from him, because his tackle took the lizard by surprise.

He rolled away and stood protectively in front of Kakorr, determined not to let him get hurt any more.

"Mine," he snarled, tail bristling and snapping behind him. He knew the fucking lizard was using the chip, sending a signal that should have had him on his knees, screaming in agony, but it meant nothing. The bastard had taken everything else from him - he could not have Kakorr.

"Don't be a fool monkey. You cannot fight me. I own you. The slave chip will stop you - you have no chance of defeating me."

"Leave him alone," he growled, a deep guttural sound. He began drawing on his ki, anger making him strong.

"What do you think you are doing, pet? Don't make me have to kill you - I have too much time and effort invested in you."

He watched the red eyes and remembered all the beatings and rapes he had suffered through. The fucking lizard made him do that to Kakorr. "Bastard," he shouted, ascending.

"Stupid monkey. That isn't enough power to defeat me. It wasn't when I fought Goku before, and it isn't now. And the brat who killed me before isn't here now."

Vegeta couldn't help himself. He laughed. "That was my son, asshole."

An expression of disbelief crossed the lizard's face, but he wasn't about to explain about Mirai Trunks. It was none of his GodS-damned business. The shock quickly vanished and became a depreciating chuckle.

Vegeta ignored Frieza when he laughed and continued to increase his ki. He couldn't lose. He would not let the lizard touch Kakorr. Frieza would not get a chance to torture him.

Without warning, the bastard pointed a finger directly at Kakorr. The lizard's ki was spiking and he forced his up in response, screaming as he ascended to the next level, effortlessly slapping away the bolt of red ki that was flying toward his lover. Vegeta raised his hand and slammed Frieza with a massive ki attack at close range, throwing him back to impact against the wall of the Gravity Room. He didn't give the lizard a chance to retaliate, madness filling him, driving him to pummel the lizard with blast after blast, shoving him through a hole his attack ripped into the wall.

The lizard finally managed to evade him, skyrocketing upward. He followed without hesitation. He had to finish this quickly. Kakorr's ki was fading - he had no more senzu - he had to take him to Dende.

"You sick, twisted, son of a bitch!" he screamed, kicking the lizard, baring his teeth in delight when he realized he had actually hurt the bastard. The fucker began to fight back, but it meant nothing to him. He could hear the ice-jin's voice in his head, demanding he stop, but he ignored him - ignored the pain burning through his spine. He couldn't surrender - the lizard meant to kill Kakorr - he was still trying even now.

"Bastard!" he shouted, slamming a ki filled fist into the white stomach, but it wasn't enough to stop him. The lizard's ki was rising faster than his - somehow the ice-jin had gotten stronger.

Ki was snapping around them as they clashed. It was getting harder to get an effective attack through to the lizard - even a punch that had injured the bastard minutes before didn't even faze him now as the lizard's ki began to climb. He began to despair of ever defeating him. He knew he was fighting against years of conditioning, telling him the lizard was stronger than he was, and he was beginning to wonder if it was true.

::You are stronger than he is.::

He made an anguished sound somewhere between a scream and a cry - Kakorr still believed in him. He had to do this for Kakorr, but how? Somehow the lizard had gotten even more powerful, and even though he was at level two it might not be enough. He tried to keep himself between the lizard and Kakorr, but it was difficult. The bastard was getting through his defenses. He couldn't block the tail that slammed into him, making him tumble out of the sky.

He got control in time to keep himself from crashing to the ground and cursed as he reoriented himself. He looked up to see the lizard had released a bolt of ki at the Gravity Room. He didn't know how he was going to stop it, but he had to try. He screamed out his fury as he flew into its path, drawing on his anger in hopes of shielding Kakorr.

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Piccolo arrived in time to curse in frustration as Vegeta fell towards the earth. Frieza was more powerful than he had been on Namek, and even a Super Saiyan would be hard-pressed to defeat him at this level. Vegeta's ki was higher than it had ever been, but he seemed off-balance. Goku's death had definitely affected him...

"Oh shit," he hissed. Goku was still alive - barely.

Now he understood why Vegeta deliberately flew in the path of Frieza's attack - he was targeting the Gravity Room where Goku's very faint ki was. He watched in horror - it wasn't going to be enough - Vegeta was going to die.

The prince stubbornly shielded the Gravity Room, arms crossed in a classic ki block, screaming as his own continued to climb. The instant before it hit something happened -

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::Vegeta!::

Vegeta suddenly knew what to do - how to protect his lover from this attack. Kakorr shoved knowledge at him through their bond. Knowledge - and oh GodS - love. Kakorr still loved him even after everything he had done. He used it, twisting and shaping his ki in ways he had never thought of before. He felt his power climb as his hair cascaded down his back. He immediately knew he could block this blast with ease. Kakorr had given him level three.

He sped toward the stunned lizard, driving him back, forcing him to go on the defensive - the bastard hadn't expected this. He wanted to get the lizard far enough away for the Namek to get to Kakorr - his ki was nearly gone. Could he contact him?

::Piccolo, take Kakarott to Dende.::

He drove a fist into the lizard, giving a growl of satisfaction at the crunch of bone. Another swing and the bastard was bleeding. He could win now.

The lizard's shouting in his head, as well as the blinding pain in his spine had stopped. He screamed in triumph when he sent the bastard plummeting to the ground. He spared a glance to see the Namek flying through the hole he had blasted through the wall of the Gravity Room. Good. He had heard.

Vegeta bared his teeth in delight. He would make the fucking lizard pay for everything he had done. The bastard flew at him, throwing a punch that he blocked effortlessly, countering with a blow to one of those damned red eyes. The lizard was cursing at him, calling him a worthless monkey, a traitor... it didn't matter. He was going to kill him for Kakorr.

The Namek came out with Kakorr in his arms. He took a moment to nod in acknowledgement, and then Piccolo headed upward. He was shocked when the fucking lizard actually tried to fly after them. Vegeta was not going to let Kakorr get hurt any more - he screamed his rage and grabbed the bastard by the tail, flinging him to the ground.

That had been the last straw - the GodS damned lizard was still trying to kill Kakorr. He didn't even consider Vegeta a real threat. He flew after the lizard and slammed him back down. That would be his last mistake.

He felt the blood-lust, the insanity he had previously sated during purging missions fill him.

"You destroyed my home!" A fist to his face.

He was no longer a logical, thinking Saiyan - he was the ancient Oozaru beast that had been suppressed and bred out of his race for countless generations.

"You made me hurt Kakorr!" A kick to his ribs.

He let the animal out and began punching, pummeling the fucking monster, reciting, chanting, screaming in Saiyan every wrong the lizard had ever done to him.

"You raped me!" A ki blast to his gut.

All technique was gone - he just punched and kicked. When fear finally crossed the lizard's face, and the realization he was going to die, Vegeta just laughed and hit him again.

On and on he went, not stopping when the lizard was no longer trying to defend himself, not stopping when there were no more bones to break, not stopping when he was no more than a bloody pulp. He was weeping tears of fury when he finally stopped, looking at his hands - covered in both Kakorr's and the lizard's blood - in disbelief.

He had done it - he had killed Frieza.

TBC