The last vow

Chapter 13 - Vegeta

Hi guys :)

Sorry for the delay in publishing this chapter, I fell a little behind last week with my exam, so my writing pace was a little slower. But here it, at last!

I apologize for those who are impatient to see our two characters get together. I really want to build this tension between B and V, so that's why you might feel like it's a bit slow.

But I assure you guys that it will get HOT, slowly, but surely :3

Enjoy!

Pain. From a young age, Vegeta knew it well. It was part of his daily life. It accompanied him periodically, almost every day of his life, like a melody being constantly replayed, sometimes at low volume and sometimes so loud that it became deafening.

Over time, over the years and after many battles and suffering, Vegeta got to know it well, to tame and to embrace it. He had even found a way to turn it's presence into something productive and rather than trying to push it away, he welcomed it with hospitably in order to take advantage of it, transforming something that should have weakened him into a motive to get stronger.

And the current situation was no different from previous ones.

It wasn't the first time, and certainly not the last, that Vegeta found himself in this state. Bones broken, flesh torn, breathless, he laid on his back, barely conscious enough to remember what had brought him here. It was Frieza, of course, who was responsible for this umpteenth burst of pain racking his body. The lizard always took pleasure in showing off his power, and he liked using Vegeta to do it. It had always been like this. Since he had welcomed him on this ship, many years ago, he had found all kinds of reasons to punish the prince. Over time, Vegeta had understood that he intended to periodically remind him that he was no match for him, and that he was doing it to remind him that he was nothing more than the hairy beast that he was.

But Frieza knew little about Saiyans. He didn't have the slightest idea what it was like to be part of the best warrior race the universe had. He didn't know what it was like to feel his blood boiling with anticipation before a battle. He was not aware that each of the blows he dealt to Vegeta to destroy his pride actually only made him stronger, more resistant, more determined. He was not aware that it was largely thanks to these punishments that Vegeta had become the fighter he was today and that each blow he gave in the intention to extinguish his flame did nothing more than fan the fire burning within him.

It had always worked like this. Every time Vegeta failed to win a fight, thinking of the resulting gain helped him get through the torment of his injuries. Each time he had to admit defeat, his Saiyan instinct pushed him to profit from this failure.

This is why, lying on the examination table of the medical unit, a weak smile on his lips, Vegeta strived to feed his fighting instincts and to use his suffering to rekindle this resentment which inhabited him every time Frieza tried to humiliate him. This exercise, which he had practiced many times before, had now become almost too easy.

Except this time was a little different.

This time, under the overwhelming pain that clouded his mind, Vegeta couldn't stay focused on the exercise. His brain already weakened by multiple traumas, he was unable to ignore the irony of the current situation.

Barely a few hours earlier, the prince had left his room to head towards the Quarters in the unspoken hope of seeing that woman. Instead, he fell upon Zarbon, who dragged him directly into the lizard's claws to receive his punishment. And it was only after having been given a solid beating, in a more pitiful state than ever, that he landed in the medical unit and finally found her.