The Hidden Encryption Chapter 1

1 Kidnapped

~Point-of-View of the Saiyan Prince: Vegeta~

It was the dead of the night when I woke up. I didn’t know why or what woke me up, but I felt immensely scared, as if whatever or whoever woke me up was after me, and it wanted to hurt me. I shivered and pulled the blankets around me as I lay back down on my pillows, feeling the gentle breeze flowing through my room from the open window.
There was a sudden knock on my door before it swung open and a young boy came in.

“Y-your Highness? Are you alright?”

“I-I . . . I’m fine, Kakarot; there’s no need to rush in like that,” I replied softly to him; Kakarot had been allocated the job of guarding me when his father was out on missions. He was barely a few years younger than me, yet he was already showing that he’d be taller than me.

“B-But, it’s my job, your Highness,” Kakarot stuttered, obviously flustered as it was his first night on the job, “I heard you crying out, and I thought someone was attacking you,”

“As you can see, I am perfectly fine,” I growled irritably, “And as for crying out, is it not okay to have nightmares?”

“I-I’m sorry I bothered you, then, your Highness,” Kakarot bowed respectfully, “I-I’ll leave you to sleep,”

I felt slightly guilty by the way he said it, but I wasn’t going to fall for it; it was clear he was trying to make me trip up and be all nice to him. It was all the same; every newly allocated guard tried to warm-up to me, then they’d betray me in their own ways. I couldn’t help but be nervous of every new guard; one had tried to kill me in my sleep, although, I usually took hours to fall asleep; another had tried to molest me.

Unfortunately for him, I had a trigger set, so he was taken down by the other Royal Guards. My latest one, Kakarot’s father, Bardock, had been the best in my opinion; he kept to himself, and he only peeked in when I had nightmares just to see that I wasn’t in actual danger; he was quite blasé, though, I could tell he had a soft spot for me. . . That was why I hated his son; Kakarot had a habit of putting his nose in other people’s business, though, I’m sure it’s because he’s nine and just curious. It’s hard watching him trying to be like his father when he had a happy-go-lucky attitude his father doesn’t have.

Good thing though; I don’t think my father would approve if I fell for Kakarot, even if he were like his father. Kakarot was born with a low power-level, which meant he was third-class . . . which meant that my father would want the ‘perfect’ mate for me, whether it be male or female. Bardock, on the other hand, had proved that he held incredible power; I had over-heard the solders say that he had the same power-level as my father; the King of Saiyans. Now that’s pretty impressive considering Bardock was also third-class.

It sometimes confused me as to why he still was a third-class; with his power level, I would’ve thought he would’ve been upgraded to a Super Elite. I’ll have to talk to my father regarding a promotion for him. I heard Kakarot sigh just outside my bedroom door; he was probably becoming bored. I shook my head and rolled onto my side; I wasn’t going to give; no way; he’s not going to make me . . .

I sighed in irritation and sat up; I wasn’t going to sleep if it kept nagging at my mind. Looking around the room, I quickly noticed my little box of toys I no longer played with. I grabbed the box and headed out into the hall. Kakarot looked up from his post (or should I say, seat), quickly noticing me; I got to hand it to him; he was quite reliable when it came to picking someone out in the shadows.

“M-my Prince?” he stared quizzically at me, “A-are you okay?” he then noticed my box then stared at me in shock, “Y-you’re not running away are you? Gah, my father will kill me if he heard I let you go,”

I rolled my eyes as his eyes filled with crocodile tears, then sat the box in front of him.

“Here, you keeping sighing out of boredom and it’s annoying,” I stated, “So I have some toys you may be interested in playing with,”

“R-really . . . ?” Kakarot’s eyes widened into puppy eyes, “Thank you so much- oh, I meant, I am humbly grateful for your kindness, your Majesty,”

“It’s consideration, kid,” I sighed, “Now don’t break them,”

“No, I’d never,” Kakarot shook his head, “Oh, by the way, why’d you call me ‘kid’? That’s what my dad keeps saying too,”

I stared at him for a moment; had I really called him ‘kid’? I suddenly felt a strong longing in my chest; it felt strange not having Bardock guarding me. I guess I was becoming attached to him. I shook my head.

“Either way, I need to rest; I’ve got a busy schedule tomorrow,” I huffed, “So don’t make any noise,”

“Okay,” Kakarot smiled.

I shook my head again and went into my room. As I closed the door, my mind began to reflect on what would be coming up in the next few days. My birthday was coming up soon; I’d be turning fourteen . . . normally, it’s nothing to celebrate about . . . if you were human, but turning fourteen when you’re a Saiyan meant that ‘Spring’ was coming . . . which meant that I’d be pressured into finding a suitable mate pretty soon. It also meant that I’d be most vulnerable because my body would be changing too . . . I’d be able to conceive if my mate was male, but if it was female, there wouldn’t be much change . . . . Although, all things considered, my body was quite used to being around a male presence.

I quivered; these next few days were going to be hard; the following months and years would be difficult. I had no idea who to have as a mate, and I didn’t want to be mated to someone I didn’t trust; which generally meant most people. I sighed and crawled into my bed. Being Prince was hard; being Prince during puberty was going to be torture.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next time I woke up, I was awoken by a scream; a scream that I recognized. I bolted upright in time to see my bedroom door smash open and a huge bulky man enter the room, holding Kakarot tightly around his neck and middle. I growled and jumped up to stop him, but Kakarot suddenly began pointing hysterically.

“L-look out . . . !”

I turned just as something hard struck me across my face, sending my sprawling to the ground.

“Heh, for the Prince, he’s pretty easy to sneak up on,” a cold, low voice laughed.
I glared up at him.

“You idiots, you obviously haven’t thought through your plan all that much,” I spat, “What are you going to do when the guards show up?”

“Well, we won’t be here when the guards arrive,” the one holding Kakarot grinned maliciously.

“Well, then,” I stood up, “Looks like I’ll have to handle this myself,”

The two laughed, making me growl in anger; how dare they mock me?! They mustn’t have any idea who they were dealing with; obviously they had no clue if they were to attack me so idiotically. Hearing Kakarot whimper, I looked up at him; he was just a kid, he shouldn’t be dragged into this. He was Bardock’s son, and I had to protect him; I was the older one, so I had to handle this without getting Kakarot injured.

“Well, if you think you can handle both of us,” the tallest chuckled, “Why don’t you just try and beat us? But . . .” he sneered and looked over towards Kakarot, “If you don’t cooperate with us, your little friend will get the punishment,”

As he said this, the man holding Kakarot flipped out a knife and held it against his throat, grinning devilishly. I turned to him in shock.

“N-no, don’t!” I cried, “He’s got nothing to do with whatever you have planned; I’m assuming you want the Prince . . . that is me, so leave the kid out of this!”

“Now that sounds more amenable,” the man that had hit me grabbed my chin roughly, “But, we just might bring him along in case you decide to be disagreeable again,”

“If you insist on bringing him, than I have no choice but to resist,” I snapped back, “I will not offer myself to you if you try anything to hurt him-,”

I was cut off as his fist struck me across the face again. I pulled myself onto my feet again, wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth.

“Well, if you insist . . .” I jumped up and swung my leg, striking his head hard.
The man stumbled back, and then glared at me. I glared back, though frowned when he began to chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, “Finding your own defeat amusing? My, it seems you have a boring life,”

“Oh, it’s not that,” the second man smirked.

I frowned in confusion as I turned to him, but I was suddenly held tight as a hand came over my mouth; a cloth in his hand. My eyes went wide as I recognized the scent as chloroform; this wasn’t the first time someone tried to kidnap me, yet I struggled when I felt my senses dull. No one was coming to help; usually there were soldiers rushing in, but there wasn’t anyone else except for Kakarot who stared at me in fear.

The darkness overcame me, and I numbly felt my body go limp; hearing Kakarot shout out my name as I collapsed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

~Point-of-View of the Third-Class Warrior: Bardock~

When I arrived back from my mission, I was surprised to find the place unusually quiet. I turned to Tora and the rest of my crew, but they held the same confusion as I did. Something wasn’t right; something horrible must have happened. Tora tapped my shoulder and I looked up at him.

“Hey, wasn’t our son looking after the Prince last night?” he asked.

“Huh?” I blinked, “Oh, yeah, he was taking over from me so I could go on the mission,

“Why don’t we go find him and ask him if he knows what’s going on,” Tora suggested.

“Yeah, you’re right; good thinking, Tora,” I nodded, “Let’s go,”

We set off into the Palace, though, when we arrived at the Prince’s room, instead of finding my son or the Prince himself, we found the King. King Vegeta looked up as we entered the room, a grim look on his face; I had a suspicion that he had been crying by the way his eyes seemed puffy.

“Y-your Majesty,” I bowed to him dutifully, and stood up, “May I ask what has happened?”

“I think it best if I talk to you, alone, Bardock,” the King told me, “And I’d prefer to talk to you whilst we are sitting; we’ll chat in the Drawing Room,”

I stood frozen, a heavy feeling in my chest; I knew that this ‘talk’ was going to about my youngest son, seeing as he was absent. I gulped nervously and nodded. I felt Tora’s hand on my shoulder, squeezing a little before he left with Fasha, Shugesh and Borgos. Calming myself with a deep breath, I followed King Vegeta to the Drawing Room. Usually, the room would’ve held some of the most Elite Saiyans, if not the Super Elite. I had been in the room a few times on invitation, but, at this time, the room was empty. Of course, all Saiyans were allowed into the castle, though few were to enter the main rooms, such as the Drawing Room, and only the Super Elite were allowed in the Throne Room as guards.
Come to think of it, the Drawing Room was only vacated in emergencies. That didn’t really help with the anxiety I was feeling. Usually, if someone were to be called on into such situation as I was, they may have thought they were going to get a promotion, or prepared to hear the worst news, or had already said goodbye to family and friends; it was intimidating to be asked to talk privately with the King. I clenched my fists and kept my cool as I sat down beside the King as he offered me a seat.

“So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about, your Majesty?” I asked, not wanting to seem like I was worried, though I felt my anxiety heighten when I saw tears in King Vegeta’s eyes.

“Bardock . . . last night, my son was kidnapped,” King Vegeta explained, “You’re son was taken as well; possibly as a hostage in case my son didn’t do as he was told,”

I stared straight ahead to the other side of the room. Kakarot had been taken? My own son . . . ? It wasn’t anything diverse to me; my sons were usually taken from me from birth to do bidding's for Frieza, usually that meant sending them to another planet. I was lucky to have stopped Kakarot from leaving; after having my first son taken from me, I wasn’t entirely ready to give up my youngest. I hung my head; the Prince had been taken too. That wasn’t good; it would involve war if seen fit; meaning that the Prince hadn’t been returned within a number of days, although, I had faith that 'Geta would know how to get out of it. I still couldn’t help but worry; 'Geta didn’t have just his own life to worry about, but of Kakarot’s too.

I stood up abruptly.

“I’m going to find them, and bring them both back,” I told the King, “I promise you,”

“That’s all good and all, but, I’d prefer if you got yourself healed before heading out,” King Vegeta pointed out, experimentally flicking a certain raw spot.

I winced slightly as he did, though brushed it off easily.

“Very well, but as soon as I’m healed, I’ll head out,” I replied, “Can you tell my team that I’m out on a personal mission?”

“Y-you’re not going to bring them with you?” The King asked, rather confused.

“My King,” I turned to him, “I care deeply for my Prince; I’d tear of the heads of those who dare hurt him. For taking both the Prince and my son . . .” my fists clenched tightly, “THEY WILL RUE THE VERY DAY THEY WERE BORN!”

I quivered where I stood; I saw red. I felt ready to smash someone out.

“Bardock, I admire your audacity, but think through this carefully,” the King warned, “Any wrong move from you may mean the death of our sons,”

“. . . Y-you’re right, I’m sorry,” I sighed, sitting back down.

“It’s fine Bardock,” King Vegeta gently rubbed my shoulder, “Now let’s get you healed; maybe that will give you time to think through your plan,”

“Okay,”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

By the time the Rejuvenation Tank was drained from its healing liquids, I had a faultless plan; I had gone over it so many times, and went over any possible scenarios that would stop me. I was pretty satisfied with my plan; I just needed to go through with it, and hope that nothing unexpected happens.  I stepped out of the tank, shaking off the wires and oxygen mask, and was surprised to see that the King hadn’t left. He was sitting on the other side of the room with his head bowed, leaning against the wall.

At first, I thought he had fallen asleep, but then he looked up when I stepped towards him. King Vegeta smiled then suddenly wrapped a towel around my shoulders.

“Huh?” I blinked at him as he bowed his head again, “Y-you didn’t have to get me one, your Majesty,”

“I know, I . . .” King Vegeta sighed, and then looked up at me again, “Just bring them back alive, alright?”

“That’s what I’m planning on doing,” I said quietly, “Don’t worry; their safety is the main concern here, so I will bring them back, alive,”

“Thank you,”

I couldn’t help but stare at him; usually the King wouldn’t bother with gratitude, but I guess he was worried about his son, which I could understand. He suddenly gripped my shoulders and looked up at me with worry.

“Bardock, I’m begging you; please take someone with you,” he pleaded, shocking me, “I know I may just be paranoid, but if my son couldn’t hold them off long enough for help to arrive, then these culprits are either incredibly strong or incredibly intelligent,” he quivered, “I’m not saying that you’re not strong enough, I’m saying that two heads would be better than one,”

“Yeah, I think I should agree with you,” I chuckled, “After all, I am a couple pineapples shy of a luau,”

“That’s not funny, Bardock,” King Vegeta said, though I could see that he was smiling.

“Don’t worry, I know exactly who I’m going to ask along,” I assured him.

“Good,” King Vegeta sighed, “I wish you luck,”

The King left after that, so I was free to pull on my jumpsuit and armor, before I set off to find Tora. Tora had a few different places he’d like to hang out at after a mission, so it was a little difficult trying to find him. I decided to go to the Saiyan Tavern where he and the others usually hung out, though, I wasn’t entirely confident that they’d be there. I was surprised when I passed Fasha on the way there. She looked up as we approached each other.

“Hey, Bardock, what did the King want?” she asked, “I hope that tyke of yours is doing okay with his new job,”

“I, um . . . . D-do you . . . know where Tora is?” I asked her, not really wanting to explain the whole situation to her, “The King wants me to go on another mission and he wants me to take at least one other person with me,”

“A mission . . . ? Set by the King . . . ?” Fasha looked a little shocked, and I couldn’t blame her; most of our missions were set by Frieza that the King had reluctantly agreed to, “That must be some important mission . . . and secretive; I’d understand that if he’s trying to hide it from Frieza . . . . Very well, Tora’s already gone back to his quarters; he was worrying about you,” she smiled, “And I’m glad that our King got you into a Rejuvenation Tank,”

I shrugged.

“Thanks, Fasha; I’ll tell you the full story when I get back, promise,” I said as I headed back towards Tora’s quarters.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“What, you’re kidding me!” Tora cried after I explained what my mission was, “Who in their right mind would kidnap the Prince!”

“Someone who’s about to get their heads torn off,” I whispered.

“B-Bardock, do you really think you should be doing this mission?” Tora asked after a moment, “After all, this is quite personal to you, to us, as our son was also taken . . . I’m just saying that, because . . . well, you tend to get quite reckless; don’t you remember what you did when Raditz first introduced you to his mate?”

“Huh?”

~Flashback~

“P-papa . . . ?”

I looked up from my work to find Raditz standing beside me, looking quite nervous. He was around fourteen at the time, so I knew that he had started looking for a mate. I frowned a little as I turned to him fully; he seemed a little jittery, well, more so than usual.
“What’s up?” I asked, “Is something wrong?”

“U-um . . . well, y-you see . . . I . . . I want to introduce you to my . . . u-um . . .  mate,”

“Mate . . . ?” I could feel anger boil up inside me; usually it would be ‘introduction of the companion’; obviously they decided to skip that step.

Raditz could see that I seemed . . . ‘a little irritated’ by what he said, and seemed to tense up a little. I sighed and stood up.

“Very well,” I said, “Where is this ‘mate’ of yours?”

“U-um . . . h-he’s waiting outside,” Raditz replied, still nervous, “I’ll lead you to him,”

‘Him’ . . . ? That sort of surprised me; I never thought Raditz to be a submissive person, especially to certain people who angered him. Although, when I saw who Raditz’s mate was, I immediately knew how he became submissive. The boy was particularly taller and bulkier than Raditz was; I suspected that he was actually older than what he would let on.

“Th-this is Alari,” Raditz introduced him.

“So . . . you’re my son’s mate, huh?” I glared at him.

“That’s right,” Alari nodded, disregarding my glare.

I growled and went to jump at him, but someone caught me.

“How dare you?!” I cried, “You think you can take my son away from me so easily; you think you could mate him without meeting me first?! I ought to tear you a new asshole, you little punk!”

“Whoa, take it easy, Bardock,” Tora said, “I’m sure they just had one of those moments,”
“I don’t care; I’m gonna tear this guy to shreds!”

~End of Flashback~

“Oh . . . right, but he did mate my son without my permission,” I reasoned.

“Yeah, but now someone’s kidnapped our son; your threats won’t be just words,” Tora pointed out, “I sure as hell don’t want to be those men when we find them,”

“Yeah, well, that will be a warning to anyone else who wishes to harm my boys,” I growled.

“Take it easy Bardock; we haven’t found them yet,” Tora chuckled, “Now, let’s get ourselves organized to leave, alright?”

“S-so, you’ll join me?” I asked.

“Of course; someone has to hold you back from tearing peoples’ heads off,” Tora smiled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

~Point-of-View of the Saiyan Prince: Vegeta~

I awoke to find myself in a small cell, lying on torn bedding. It was cold and I shivered against the chill. I looked around for Kakarot, but he wasn’t there. Had they left him back at the Palace . . . or had they locked him up in a different cell? I sat up, then noticing that I was wearing a loose dirty and torn gown; wh- . . . what happened to my clothes?

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about; I swear!”

I gasped when I heard a familiar voice. Kakarot . . . ? Where was he?

“Don’t lie to me, you little brat,” I heard a man’s voice say, “Now tell us the truth or I’ll give ya a scar like your papa's,”

“I am telling the truth; I don’t know what you’re talking about!” came Kakarot’s reply.

“Don’t you dare hurt him!” I cried through the bars of the cell when I heard abrupt movements, “I said I’d let you do anything to me as long as you didn’t harm him!”

More sounds of movement met my ears, and soon one of the men that had taken us appeared, gripping Kakarot’s wrist tightly. Kakarot whimpered and wiped the tears from his eyes with his free arm. He had small cuts on his face, and grazes on his hands and knees; he was wearing the same thing I was. I glared up at the man as he approached the cell.

“You try anything,” he said, pulling out his knife and holding it to Kakarot’s throat like he had done before, “And his blood will be on your hands,”

Kakarot began to cry again, and I backed away from the cell door.

“Like I said; I’ll agree to your wishes as long as he is unharmed,” I whispered lowly.

The man smirked and unlocked the door before tossing Kakarot in beside me. I caught him as he stumbled and moved to stand in front of him. However, the man beckoned me towards him. I growled and approached him gingerly. He suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me forward, throwing a punch to my face at the same time. I gasped and wiped the corner of my mouth before glaring up at him again.

“Alright, tough guy,” the man smirked more maliciously, “You’re going to answer some questions for us; if you cannot answer them, you’ll receive punishment, understood?”

“Of course,” I said, “Although, you cannot expect me to know all the answers you are looking for . . . don’t forget, I’m not much older than what the kid is . . . I have limited knowledge,”

“Maybe,” the man agreed, “But I’m sure that you’ll have more knowledge than that dumb brat,”

I growled at him, though held myself back; I had to keep Kakarot and myself alive if we were to survive long enough for someone to find us.