Chapter Text
"Great, so we're here again."
From the moment he was thrown through the portal, Vegetta began to analyze his surroundings. Even though he was in a rocky, barren area with nothing in sight, he recognized this world very well. He had been here a few lifetimes ago. What he did not know was whether it was the same universe or a different one. The worlds could be the same, but if the universe was different, there was no way to predict what situations he would encounter.
But there was no other way, he would adapt to this life the same way he had in all the previous ones, so he got up from the ground and shook off the dirt that had clung to his body, which was completely naked.
The portal always dragged him alone, he couldn't take anything or anyone with him, but at least most of the time it let him keep his clothes. This world, for some reason, was an exception.
The first thing he would have to do would be to go looking for any cloth to cover himself with and pray that he didn't run into anyone in the process.
After walking for a couple of hours, he finally found a desolate road, and at the same time, what looked like an abandoned convenience store. But Vegetta didn't want to thank the Gods too soon, from the outside it could be noticed that this place had already been looted more than once, but being the only establishment in sight, it was worth checking if by any chance anything had been left behind. What is trash to one, is treasure to a naked man.
Upon entering the store, he could confirm what he already suspected, there was nothing. They had left that place completely clean, figuratively speaking at least, because the place was a mess. It looked like a place where there had been a confrontation between criminal gangs, which he already took for granted because there were holes in the walls, bullet shells scattered on the floor, and the windows were completely broken.
Vegetta remembered that this world was especially violent, people didn't ask twice before trying to kill you, well, they didn't ask at all. It was a world where looking for weapons and having allies was paramount, and he was alone right now, alone and with an empty water bottle he had just found on the ground.
He was about to pick up the bottle when he suddenly heard a vehicle speed up and park right in front of the store.
He quickly tried to hide behind the shelves, though something told him that these people hadn't just casually arrived at an abandoned store.
"We already know you're there, there's no point in hiding! Come out, put your hands up above your head, and don't try anything strange!" - shouted a man from the window of a van, but received no response back.
"Come on now, we saw you on the surveillance cameras and you don't have anything on you. If you make me come in there it's going to be worse for you."
Vegetta didn't know what to do, for starters, that person was speaking English, a language he barely mastered; and from what he had understood, they already knew he was there and wanted him to come out.
He wasn't sure if that was the best option...
He could hear the door of the van open and close, apparently that person had gotten tired of waiting and was already entering the store nonchalantly.
"I told you it was going to be worse if... what the-!"
Vegetta took that opportunity to shove the shelves on top of him, but the other one was also strong and was able to hold them up before they crushed him.
"What are you-?"
Within seconds, the man had been tackled to the ground and both were struggling to overpower the other, grappling and throwing punches left and right.
The man at one point decided to direct his hand towards the rifle he had with him, but Vegetta was more agile and managed to put him in a necklock before he managed to hold the weapon. If he resisted a little longer he might be able to get him to pass out and escape, but that idea quickly vanished as he felt the tip of a gun pushing on the back of his head.
"Let him go now."
It seemed that the man he was suffocating had not come alone, and this time there was no escape. He had no choice but to let go of the man and slowly raise his hands above his head.
"Why-what took you so long!" - The man shouted at his companion as he tried to suppress the coughing that the tight grip on his neck had caused.
"No, what took YOU so long? I thought you'd have everything under control, but I walk in and find you here being strangled by a naked man!"
"I didn't think that-!"
"Yeah, leave it at that." - interrupted his partner and turned his gaze to Vegetta - "What do we have here? I don't think you're just a simple exhibitionist, what are you doing on our border, are you a Team Rocket spy?"
Even though he thought he understood his questions, Vegetta still didn't have a clue what he was talking about. He was confused, in front of him were two men covered from head to toe, and the only way he could tell them apart was that the man he had fought wore a black mask and the other had a wolf's head on his head.
He didn't know exactly how this universe differed from the one he knew, but at least he knew he had to use his limited knowledge of English to try to save his life.
"Emm Spy? Team Rocket? I don't know what you're talking about. I'm sorry, I have a little trouble with English, I speak Spanish."
"He doesn't seem to be from this continent..."- muttered the man in the black mask to his companion.
"How did you get here?" - inquired the one with the wolf's head.
"I...I don't know..." - he couldn't tell them that he had arrived in a portal, in this world they wouldn't believe such things. So he said the first thing that came to his mind.
"I...I was kidnapped! I was kidnapped and left alone in the middle of nowhere. I don't know this place. If you let me go, I won't cause you trouble again, I'll go back to where I came from."
Both men gave each other a quick glance after hearing his answer, it seemed they were not completely convinced.
"Do you know who kidnapped you?" the wolf-headed man asked again.
"No..."
"Hmm...this is a problem."
"We could take him to our king, he might be useful to him."- suggested the one in the black mask to his companion - "His English is a bit garbled, but he's good at fighting. And if we keep him with us there's a better chance we'll find the kidnappers who are doing this on our borders."
"Are you sure you want the others to find out that you were beaten by a naked man?" the wolf-headed one asked in a mocking tone.
"E-ey! We can ignore tha-"
"I'll tell everyone. But you're right, let's take him."- he interrupted him again - "We've lost a lot of people in the confrontations with Team Rocket, we need more people."
After some more thought, the wolf-headed man approached Vegetta, lifted him by the arm and immediately started to tie his hands behind his back.
"Congratulations, your little stunt just saved your life for now. We will take you to our king, and if he accepts you I suggest you swear allegiance to him willingly. Even if you managed to escape you wouldn't survive a day out here, understand?"
Vegetta simply nodded, it wasn't as if he really had any other choice. It was true that in this world it was very difficult to survive alone, and he still had no idea how this universe worked; so if they were willing to give him a chance to join them and give him access to shelter and food, he wouldn't object, at least for the time being.
The men escorted him like a prisoner out of the tent, and as they were about to put him in the cargo van, his vision suddenly darkened.
They had put a sack over his head, now he really felt like he had been kidnapped for real.
"Hey, why the bag, get it off me!" he shouted in annoyance as he tried to free himself.
"You won't be able to see the way to the kingdom until you are part of it, stay still."- the man held him tighter and pushed him.
These bastards had thrown him like a sack of potatoes into the back of the van, unable to see and with his hands tied. He could only hear the doors slamming and feel the van start up and begin to move.
***
By his reckoning, it had been about two hours since they left, needless to say, he had had a most uncomfortable time until finally, the van stopped.
"All right, it's time for us to take you to the king." - Said one of the men as he opened the van doors.
"What...? No, wait-!" - The sound of someone's footsteps approaching interrupted him and made him alert.
"HJune, Ray... Who are you bringing in there?"
"We found him at the border, we brought him to see if he would join the kingdom, so we're taking him to the king now."
"Why is he naked and tied up?"
"That's how we found him. By the way Trausi, is the king in the castle?"
"Yes."
"Can you go ahead and announce to him that we brought someone who might be of interest to him?"
"Okay..." - He replied with doubt in his voice.
Vegetta heard that person already walking away.
HJune and Ray... those were the names of these bastards who were pushing him to keep walking. They hadn't told him that they were going to take him immediately to the king, they didn't tell him that they were going to introduce him naked, blind and tied up.
As he walked further away, he began to feel the gaze of more people on him, and more than intimidating, it embarrassed him to no end. He was still very conscious of his nakedness, and those bastards hadn't even given him a cloth to cover himself, preferring to wear the sack over his head.
The situation became more embarrassing when he began to hear whistles and comments about him.
"Hey, they forgot to take his gun away!"
"It's about time we had something good to look at around here."
"Don't stare at him so hard Valair..."
Even though Vegetta was a pretty confident person in his good looks, this situation was easily in the top of embarrassing things that had happened to him in all of his lives.
After that walk that felt eternal, the bastards made him stop, kneel, and lower his head.
He waited several minutes until he heard a voice he would recognize in any universe. A voice he thought he would never hear again.
"HJune, Ray. I heard you guys brought some-"-the man approaching them suddenly stopped his words and was silent for a moment.
It couldn't be true, was it really...?
"Foo-?" - he couldn't finish uttering his name, as the bag on his head was abruptly lifted.
It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the light again, but when he raised his head he immediately confirmed that the person in front of him was Foolish.
"My king, we have brought you someone who might be of interest to you. He is an agile man and could be useful. I can pass a more detailed report to Boulder, Your Majesty."
Vegetta couldn't get out of his state of surprise, it really was him. He didn't know how to react, he could never have imagined that he would meet him in this world. In a moment, their eyes met and they stared at each other until Foolish interrupted the silence and asked him an unexpected question.
"What's your favorite bone?"
What?
"Favorite what? What are you talking about Fo-?" - He was interrupted by a hand that had pushed hard on his head from behind.
"Don't make the king repeat his words, answer!"- urged the person behind him.
He had no idea what was going on, he didn't even have time to assimilate the situation properly. Had he said "bone"? That meant "hueso", didn't it? That didn't make sense What if it meant something else? Favorite...he didn't have time to wonder anymore, so he said the first thing that came to mind again.
"E-eh, you-yours! "
After shouting out his impromptu response, he noticed how everyone around him had gone silent. For a second he had thought it was a way of asking him about his loyalty, so he was embarrassed that he had shouted something meaningless. Still, he dared to watch Foolish's reaction, who was looking at him with surprise and confusion. He had already begun to notice, this Foolish...
"What is your name?"
"I...my name is Vegetta."
Hearing his name made Foolish frown for a moment, but then he tore his gaze away from Vegetta and rested it on the people behind him.
"...Assign Vegitta a place and also assignments...Ray, give a detailed report to Boulder and..." - Foolish paused for a second and looked Vegetta up and down- "someone give him clothes..."
Foolish quickly turned around and started heading towards the castle. Vegetta thought he caught a glimpse of a slight pink tint in his cheeks before he turned around... though it may have been his imagination, as there was a noticeable difference between the Foolish he knew and the one in this universe.
The murmurs behind him made him snap out of his thoughts and pay attention to the people around him.
"He accepted him into the kingdom just like that?"
"Didn't ask any more questions, didn't give him a test, didn't even swear loyalty to him...just the usual bone question."
It was true, his integration into the kingdom had been fairly simple. It was something he was already attributing to Foolish's mischievous and not at all serious personality, but it seemed it was not so usual...
"All right, welcome to the kingdom of Rusty Bones." - the man behind Vegetta grabbed his arm to pull him to his feet and was now untying his wrists - "My name is Ray, by the way. I'll take you to the place where you'll be staying for the time being, everyone here eventually builds their own homes on land granted to them by the king, but you'll have to earn that."
As they walked, Ray was telling him more about the kingdom and what was expected of him as a new member.
"Here many times you will not only lift your own weight, but also the weight of others. We all help each other, everyone does their part, so I recommend you stay helpful if you want to stay here."
"I understand." - Vegetta replied. He initially planned to stay for just a while as he adjusted to the new world. Living with so many people who only spoke English could become complicated, but meeting Foolish was a factor he hadn't expected...
"Here we are." said Ray as he pointed to a small shack a few yards from them. "This is where you'll be staying. It's kind of old and far from the castle, but it's better than nothing."
"I guess..."
Once Ray opened the door to the hut with a code, Vegetta began to give it a good look. From the outside he had already expected it to be small, but only being inside could he tell how poorly maintained it was. Weak columns, cracked walls, a roof that seemed so fragile he felt it could fall on him at any moment, and inside there was only a sleeping bag and a small cabinet with three drawers.
The only decent thing about this place was the door that had a face painted on it that reminded him of Maximus. A powerful door for such a flimsy place.
"...Is it possible to repair and remodel it?" - Vegetta asked, suppressing the frustrated tone that threatened to give away how he was feeling at the moment.
"Sure. As long as you do it yourself, get the materials and don't end up destroying it, you can do whatever you want to it. Are you good at building?"
"You could say that..." - He replied with a faint sideways smile.
"Hmm, I can lend you some tools, let's see how you do. If you do well, maybe you can join the kingdom's builders guild."
"You guys have something like that around here?"
"Okay, maybe the word "guild" is too big for it, but we are not as disorganized as we seem. It's true that we don't have many rules around here, you can do whatever you want and dedicate yourself to whatever you want, but be careful, when the king, the princesses, or any superior gives you an order, you obey. Any sign of disobedience or betrayal is severely punished. I don't know where you come from, but this is how things are handled here, understand?"
Vegetta didn't know how his question had prompted that sudden warning, but he simply nodded his head.
"Alright, I left the door unlocked for you so you can put in your code. It's easy, just press a series of numbers you're sure you'll remember." - He said as he walked out of the hut, but stopped to tell him something else- "See you first thing tomorrow morning at the castle entrance to get started on your assignments, I hope you remember the way back. have a good night Vegetta!"
Vegetta watched him turn around again and go the way they had come. He had a few lingering questions, but he didn't feel like stopping him. It had been a long day and he felt it all over his body.
Every time he arrived in a new world he felt extremely frustrated. He knew very well that developing attachment and feeling fondness for something or someone was incredibly risky and painful, but sometimes he couldn't help it. It was especially difficult not to feel homesick at times like this when he had to spend the night alone and on the floor of a cold old hut.
So many magnificent castles and towers he had built, filled with machines and objects that made his life easier, but he was doomed to start from scratch every damn time. No matter how many lifetimes passed, it was still frustrating.
And the worst...what made him feel worse was remembering the people he left behind.
Sometimes he would meet his friends in other universes, they were like him, Karmalian heroes. They were all persecuted by the evil God, so Goddess Amana* helped them escape with her portals to other worlds and universes. There were times when they were reunited and times when they were not. But when they didn't...it was difficult. And it was even harder to move on after abandoning the people he would never see again. His daughter Leo, his dumb son, Foolish...
Vegetta couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest every time he remembered them. And that pain was not lessened by the fact that he had found Foolish in this world.
He had already realized that this was not his Foolish. He not only didn't remember him at all, but he also looked so different...
Leaving aside his surprise at learning that he was a king, he had been quite amazed at his appearance. Like all the inhabitants of this world, he had a human body; which was quite a contrast to the shark-totem hybrid appearance he remembered. Though that said, he was still very attractive and it wasn't hard to recognize him as his features were the same. He still had those beautiful green eyes that sparkled like emeralds.
But there was something about him that made him uneasy.
He hadn't had a chance to interact with him for more than a couple of minutes but, it seemed that this Foolish had a much more serious countenance than the one he knew. And not just serious, he had noticed the signs of weariness and exhaustion in his body movements. He had never seen Foolish in such a state.
This Foolish was a mystery to him, but at the end of the day, he was Foolish. An alternate version of the person he loved.
He had mixed feelings, but one thing was certain in his mind. He had to keep his distance from him.
He would not flirt with him or try to make him his partner in this life as he had in the last. It wasn't just because he wasn't the Foolish he knew, but because he couldn't bear to start something with him, and have to leave again. He would not be selfish with him again. The right thing to do would be to just stay for a while and then go somewhere else while the next portal arrives. Besides, now that Foolish was a king, he probably had much better suitors than a "commoner" who had literally nothing. This Foolish would never be interested in him...
For some reason, at that moment he remembered what he had said to him when they were saying goodbye, "Remember me in other lives."
Vegetta let out a deep sigh.
His thoughts were driving him into an increasingly depressing mood, so he thought that going to bed at once would be better than continuing to mourn his broken heart. It was just beginning to get dark, but since the hut had no electricity, he had nothing else to do.
After pressing three sevens on the door and then closing it, he approached the only piece of furniture in the room, although he had already assumed it had nothing in it, he was surprised to find candles, matches and tape in the first drawer.
But it wasn't until he opened the second drawer that he found something that almost made him scream with joy and raise his fists to the sky.
"Finally, clothes."