In Your Dreams

Chapter 20

In Your Dreams: Chapter 20

As the adrenaline that pumped through his body finally began to subside, the fridged temperature of the air around him began to take its' toll. Goku, still kneeling in the snow, shivered almost uncontrollably as a particularly strong gust of wind ruffled his hair and chilled him to the bone. His wet clothes did nothing to warm him, nor did the people arguing around him.

''Some rescue squad you all turned out to be!'' Vegeta shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at the group in front of him. ''First you leave us to be burned alive and THEN you nearly drop a plane on our heads!''

Piccolo, who was still in a foul mood due to the abuse that had been inflicted upon his ears, growled and came nose to nose with the fuming prince. ''Shut it, short stack! If not for us you'd both still be a couple of lab rats! And speaking of botched rescue missions, what the hell did you think YOU were doing, huh?!''

Goku rolled his eyes as the two continued to shout over the wind, though he could hardly hear them over the chatter of his teeth. In fact, he'd become so focused on trying to warm himself up that he didn't even notice Trunks by his side until the demi-Saiyajin draped the coat he'd been wearing over his shoulders. He looked up at the younger man and smiled his thanks, and he received a nod in return.

Goku had just pulled himself to his feet when a sudden gun shot rang out. The Saiyajin jumped and squeezed his eyes shut in a natural reaction. Vegeta and Piccolo had fallen silent, and when he opened his eyes again, he was shocked to find Trunks' enclosed fist directly in front of his face. The demi-Saiyajin opened his palm a second later, revealing the still smoking bullet that would have otherwise pierced his skull had he not caught it.

There was a moment of stunned silence among the group before Vegeta managed to tear his wide eyes away from the younger man in favor of finding the person responsible for the attack.

''There!'' Gohan pointed to a figure in the distance just before it disappeared behind a snow bank, and Vegeta was the first to tear off after them. The rest were quick to follow, but Piccolo held up his arm as a sign to halt. All eyes turned to him in question.

''Let Vegeta take care of this.''

--------------------------------------------------

Despite still having his ki restrained by the bands around his wrists, Vegeta's anger and determination to catch Kakarotto's would-be killer granted him the speed he needed to close the distance between himself and his target.

The man he was chasing after had spotted him already, and his movements were becoming sloppy as panic and fatigue began to overtake him. This brought a smile to the prince's lips. Apparently he wasn't so tough when it came down to it.

With an added burst of speed Vegeta dove forward and tackled the man to the ground. Their momentum caused them to tumble down another snow bank, and the prince managed to pin the man below him as they slid to a stop. For the first time since he gave chase Vegeta was able to look him in the eye, and another wave of fury overtook him when he recognized that face.

Dr. Villa.

The scientist was covered in dirt, mud, and blood. His glasses were missing and his normally perfectly combed hair was unkept and sticking out in all directions. He panted heavily as he glared up at the Saiyajin who pinned him.

Vegeta snarled as he balled his fists into the man's shirt and roughly slammed him into the frozen ground. ''You fucker! You tried to kill Kakarotto!''

Dr. Villa laughed bitterly. ''No, I tried to kill you. Unfortunately, I'm not the best shot without my glasses.''

The prince violently slammed his fist into the other man's face. An audible 'crunch' was heard as his cheekbone fractured, and he spat blood into the snow. The scientist went to raise the gun he still clutched in his hand, but Vegeta easily knocked the weapon from his grasp.