Credit must be given to many people for the idea for this fic. First of all, Ryu no Ohi, alias Roketto, alias Queen of Dragons, a.k.a "The Insane Frieza Fangirl," for her beautifully crafted tale, Savior of Demons, who got me interested in writing a (non-comedic) story for Dragon Ball Z (read it, it is a shining example of what sitting down and actually thinking about what you write before you write it can do for you, as opposed to a certain Mr. Shitsmear and his rather questionable jumbling of words, "goku no."). Next up, a Mr. Arkham, (who may or may not be still with us on the FanFiction community) for his well-written, if grammatical-and-linguistic-mistake-ridden, story, The Fall of Lord Frieza, and giving me a certain idea. Then there's Cosmic Cannon, for his Misadventures of Cell and Frieza fic, and giving me the idea that perhaps Frieza was not all there – maybe he could not be totally accountable for his actions. I thank all of you, and salute your brilliant minds.
My story does have several rather major departures from canon, some of which may not be liked by some. Just give it a try.
With that, let us move on to the story.
DISCLAIMER: I do not in any way own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, or anything related to the franchise. I am not affiliated with anyone that does, to the best of my knowledge. I am not seeking any sort of physical compensation for writing this fic, nor am I seeking any sort of virtual currency or anything I can use to obtain anything that would increase my assets, virtual or physical. I am hoping for reviews, though. I make no claim on any part of the franchise or any owners of it. (as you can see, I really don't want to get sued.)
There is a certain level of guilt that manifests in the mind of any sapient, communicating being over ending the life of another, whether they realize it or not. This guilt will often embed itself in the subconscious. Over time, if the being continues to end the lives of other beings, this guilt will grow, exponentially if the numbers increase. Combine that with suppressed emotions, childhood trauma, and even adult trauma, and it is only a matter of time before that being's mind releases the negative emotions, often causing a mental breakdown. The being Frieza, of the Arcosian race, aged around 70 of Earth's years, and self-styled and labeled "Lord Frieza, the strongest being in the universe", was no different, despite his attempts to set himself apart from those he deemed beneath him. He simply needed the correct trigger.
He crawled. He, the indomitable Frieza, crawled.
His lips curled in anger. "Filthy…monkey," he growled. His entire body was wracked with pain. His tail was almost entirely gone, blasted to a mere stump. He let out an involuntary groan as a rock tumbled from the lip of the crater and hit the stump of his tail. It never ceased to amaze him how long these Saiyans had managed to be a thorn in his side. It didn't matter, though. He was still the strongest in the universe, the almighty Lord Frieza! And this monkey, this filth, would be dead soon, along with his friends.
To his ears drifted the sounds of relieved voices. He snickered to himself. "The fools," he muttered. "They actually think they defeated me! Hah, well…I'd hate for them to continue in that mistaken idea." He pulled himself up into a standing position, wobbling a bit as his injuries made themselves angrily known. "Rrrghh." He forced a shock of ki through his body, the power dispelling much of the pain. "Ah… that's better. Now…to business."
He had aimed for the monkey who had caused him so much pain and consternation, but the stupid slug had jumped in the way, getting hit in the lower abdomen. That didn't unduly concern him; if the Namekian had a death wish, so be it. So the monkey died later. The wound certainly wasn't fatal for the Namekian, but judging from the look on the ape's face, he certainly thought it was, because his mouth opened to deliver a tirade of nonsense. His tail stump twinged, and he was bitterly reminded of a certain human chopping it off in his second transformation. "Hahaha…you're next, you pest!" he cackled, pointing at the bald human. Using his psychic powers, he levitated the human into the air, relishing the fear on his face. He squeezed his hand, and blew the human apart, laughing maniacally.
Almost immediately, he noticed a change. The Saiyan had stopped yelling at him, and was instead standing stock-still, growling quietly. The monkey's ki rolled over Frieza, which was odd – Frieza usually didn't feel the ki of others – he had never taken the time to learn the skill to sense other's powers. Why should he, when he could just blow up the planet that his enemies were cowering on? The sky darkened, lightning striking left and right.
The Namekian coughed, then sat up with some difficulty. Having regenerated the wound in his body, he was now able to do so. The runt ran over to him, trying to help him. Frieza's left eye, swollen shut, opened up a crack as he laughed and pointed at the half-Saiyan brat. A Death Beam lanced through a place similar to where the slug had been hit. He cried out in pain.
And yet, the tall one – Goku, or Kakarot, Frieza wasn't sure which – still stood there, growling animalistically, though louder at his actions. How appropriate, Frieza thought mirthfully. Perhaps seeing his friend and that brat over there killed has made him revert to his animal instincts – or maybe he's just lost his mind! He cackled for all he was worth.
Except… the monkey was visibly powering up. More ki washed over Frieza, an unhealthy amount for such a creature. The Namekian was kneeling protectively over the prone form of the brat, crying, "Gohan….get up. Please…" The Saiyan growled again, and his hair flashed to gold briefly. The brat – Gohan – weakly lifted his head. "M-Mr. Piccolo…I thought you were hurt." The Namekian smiled, tears running down his face. "Gohan…I'll be fine…Let's go…" He picked the injured child up, and started to fly off.
As if. Frieza scowled, raising a hand. A ball of ki formed, humming with destructive force. Goku growled again, and his hair flashed, twice. Even more power smacked into Frieza, distorting the ball of energy and destabilizing it, making it detonate in his hand. Crying out in pain, he retrieved his hand, inspecting the damage.
The Saiyan stopped making that noise.
Silence.
Lightning struck by his side, illuminating the scene.
Then Goku roared with fury, tossing his head back, putting every last ounce of air he had into it. His aura flashed out, white, then gold, pulsing steadily, flamelike. His hair flashed gold, black, then settled on gold. He brought his head forward slowly.
"You…I…am going… to break you. You are going to suffer for what you've done," he growled quietly, so quietly Frieza almost didn't hear him. Then, he yelled, "Do you hear me, Frieza?! I will END you!" Frieza backed away, slowly. "What is this?" he stammered. "Saiyans transform into Great Apes…the only one that…oh no, not that! Anything but that!" It finally dawned on Frieza that perhaps killing them off like he had may not have been the best of ideas.
A second later, gold dominated his field of view. Then stars did, as a blow came out of nowhere to his head. His eardrum busted as extreme pressure was applied to it. He blacked out for a second, then recovered, flipping himself backwards and onto his feet. Then pain made itself known in his abdomen, much like a fist being driven into it. But the monkey was nowhere in sight. A chop to both his legs brought the tyrant to his knees, gasping in pain. He flailed wildly, hoping to hit something. Nothing came to his flapping fingers.
More pain visited the Arcosian as his head started feeling like it was being used for a sadistic game of super-speed Ping-Pong. He blacked out, this time for a good period of time. When he woke, it was to even more pain, as it felt like both his legs were broken. Fortunately for him, they were not. But the pain…He propped his front up on his elbows, forcing his noncompliant eyes open.
The monkey was standing on his legs, on an especially potent pressure point for Arcosians, the mid-calf, whether he knew it or not. Frieza howled in pain as the Saiyan jumped a bit.
The glorified golden monkey gave a malevolent grin. "How does it feel, Frieza, to be helpless? To be as powerless as a baby? You've probably already guessed what's going on, so why don't you voice it out loud?" He put his head close to Frieza's ear. "Come on, think, you miserable wretch." He kicked Frieza's throat, making the tyrant retch. "You killed my best friend…you probably killed my son…you tried to kill one of my most trusted allies…you've victimized a whole world of people that had not even heard of you before today, killing them and destroying their way of life. I'm a bit on the pissed and impatient side." Goku knelt by the tyrant's side, any trace of the once gentle Saiyan gone in his posture, his voice or anywhere else. The despot managed to croak out, "But…*koff* …the legend of the Super Saiyan…it's supposed to be just that…a legend. You can't be it…you can't…" Goku punched him in the stomach. "Wake up! This is what your tyranny has brought you. Now, the devil must pay his dues."
A punch to the head again.
The tyrant coughed. What had changed in the Saiyan so much? He was acting like a pure Saiyan, totally merciless, sadistic, relishing his enemy's pain. Frieza felt himself being lifted up by his head. He cried out as his neck bore his entire body's weight. The Saiyan sneered at him. "Look at you. The destroyer of worlds, the scourge of the universe… beaten and bloody, crying like a child." He punched Frieza in the stomach again, making him gasp. "Why? What did we – no, what did anyone do to deserve to be killed by you?! How many have died, have suffered because of you? How many have wept over the bodies of their loved ones while you laughed? And how can you not see what you have done is wrong?!" Goku glared at the tyrant, jade eyes burning into his soul.
FLUMP. Frieza fell to the ground, utterly spent, as the Saiyan released him. The Arcosian pushed himself up, panting. Goku allowed him to catch his breath, still awaiting a response. Frieza muttered something under his breath. "What was that, Frieza? I can't hear your pathetic excuse." The frost demon whipped his head up, anger evident on his face. "You want to know, you sick monkey?! Fine! You bastards killed my family and destroyed my homeworld! And you expect me, the mighty Frieza, to just let that go? No! Never! What did you expect, I wouldn't pay you back in kind?! We took your kind in and all it got us was death! Why the hell do you think I wanted immortality so badly?! Filthy, good for nothing-" Goku motioned with his hand and a wave of energy blasted into Frieza's face, silencing him. "And exactly why do you think that justifies your actions?! Did destroying our planet, killing so many people, and making them suffer bring your people back?" The Saiyan was practically foaming at the mouth at this point in his anger. "You…You could have asked the Namekians to bring back your planet. You could have ASKED! Instead, you killed them, just to try to attain immortality for yourself! What the hell kind of person are you, that you can shut out your people, the suffering of others, and what has happened because of you?!"
Frieza's face went slack as he considered – actually considered – the Saiyan's words. What were his motivations? Revenge, certainly, at first… but why had he continued on his destructive path? His mind continued in turmoil for quite a while.
Goku backed away, levitating slightly onto a rocky outcropping as he watched his words rattle through the Arcosian's mind. He wasn't one to attack his enemies while they were distracted, despite the rage that his new form brought forth. It whispered in his ear, pushing him to attack, to let free the restraints on his anger. He resisted, though with some difficulty.
Frieza numbly pulled himself up into a kneeling position, then a standing one. His mind had just essentially broken down, the barriers that he had erected unconsciously to block off the guilt for his actions bursting like water balloons on needles. He walked haltingly towards the edge of the small island that they were on, sitting down and putting his legs over the side.
Goku floated over to him, still retaining his transformation. The Arcosian didn't even flinch as the Saiyan mirrored him. Frieza muttered something under his breath. "What was that, Frieza?" he asked, more gently than he had earlier. The broken tyrant mumbled a bit louder, "Just… do it." Goku shook his head. "I won't do that. You need to live with what you've done. You need to come to yourself. Try to become more than what your past has made you…" The tyrant turned his head towards the other warrior, surprise manifesting slightly on his face. "Go. Redeem yourself. Come find me when you do."
Like I said, this is a major departure from canon. There is no Cooler in this universe anymore, nor King Cold. Vegeta is still as dead as a doornail, and I'm debating whether or not to bring him back to life. No offense, but he's kind of the Yamcha of the Saiyans – he dies a lot, but is still somewhat useful. I would call him the Krillin, but he doesn't die that much, and Yamcha had Bulma at one point, so… Oh, hell, I know I'd get flak from a lot of people, so he'll come back. See ya next time!