Why Can't You (Book 2)

Golden Light

"VEGETA!" Tossing all common sense aside Rikku dropped to the Prince's side pressing her hand to the wound soaking her fingers in his blood. The Saiyan Prince had collapsed and proceeded to cough up blood. He sight made her shudder and clench her teeth. She shot a grave look at Frieza. "What's your deal? He wasn't a threat to you anymore! Where's the honor in that?"

Honor? Vegeta thought lying still. He felt Rikku's hand pressed o his wound but it didn't help. The blast had pierced his heart and he could feel the hard rapid pumps as it desperately tried to live on.

"Oh I know," Frieza answered her. "I just wanted to shut him up. All that nonsense of super saiyans and that pathetic legend!"

"K-Karat." Rikku heard Vegeta murmur and she quickly looked to him.

"Stay with me Vegeta!" She asked him desperately clenching his chest as tears formed in her eyes. "We'll get you help, just stay with me."

"Karat, you must," he coughs between words. "Listen to me."

"Don't talk," she pleaded seeing his strength rapidly decreasing.

"No please. You have to hear this. Frieza, you must kill him. Don't be soft."

"I can't change who I am. It's not like me to kill anyone. Everyone deserves a second chance Vegeta." She gripped his hand. "Like you."

"He won't take mercy on you or anyone. He must be destroyed. Please, do it for me. Do it for the life of your son." Vegeta laced fingers with her and looked pleadingly in her eyes. Rikku began to shake as she held Vegeta to her body now resting his head to her breast. "We saiyans did everything he asked and more, we destroyed civilizations, conquered races, even blew up planets just to please him."

Rikku was in utter shock at what she was witnessing. Vegeta, the cold, tough hearted prince of saiyans she had grown to know had been reduced to tears in her arms."

"He killed our people. He destroyed the entire plane. Ask him, he'll tell you. He's proud of it. He took me from my father. I was just a little boy and he made me do what he asked. He said if I didn't than he'd kill my father. He killed him anyway!"

"No more," she whispered as her tears joined his. "Please Vegeta I'm begging you stay silent. Don't lose anymore of your strength." Vegeta's breath wheezed out from her plea, his life force was slipping from her hands and she couldn't do anything about it. "Save your strength."

"Please Karat, I'm asking you to do this. He made me what I am. Don't let him do it to anyone else. You're the only one left. You must avenge our people"

"I don't know if I can." She whispered so no one else could hear. She now had her forehead pressed to his weeping.

"You can. I know you can. You're a Super Saiyan and you're my mate." He wheezed and gave a true genuine smile. "I believe in you, Karat." Rikku pulled back looking down with gentle sorrowful eyes. She didn't want him to die. She had to do something.

"Vegeta..." Their lips met, and though it tasted of blood and sadness she could feel the real emotion of Vegeta's heart. She would be connected to him for the rest of her life. Whatever strength was left had slipped into the kiss. The hand which had been intertwined with hers went limp and fell at his side.

Rikku felt him slip away and a tear dropped from her cheek and trailed down his. "Vegeta... no..." She shook him, pulling her had back to look him up and down. It had to be a joke. "Vegeta wake up. Stop joking around it isn't funny!"

Near hysterics she wept and tried to prop Vegeta's head up in her hands, but it was dead weight.

"So ends Vegeta," She heard Frieza's voice cut the silence "The prince of all monkeys." The laughter that followed cut her heart like a knife. It echoed in her ears like a bad nightmare. The flood of emotion swarming her was impossible uncontrollable. She stood, her eyes glowing white.