Frieza, the Z-fighter
Ch.1: change of heart
The sky was black. The ground was seeping lava. Tornadoes ravaged the solid ground. Holes opened everywhere. This was the dying planet Namek. The intense battle between the fierce tyrant Frieza and the Super Saiyan, Goku, the hope of the universe, was coming closer and closer to an end. Frieza had just thrown two death saucers at Goku a minute ago and they had begun to turn back towards him. He rose into the air, straight into their path, ready to charge another attack. They were going to hit him.
"HEY! LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!" Goku yelled at him, trying to warn the tyrannical Arcosian of his impending doom. He was too late. Frieza was about to turn around when a pink-red-purple disk sliced straight through his body, cutting off his legs, tail, and left arm. His body halves dropped to the ground, twitching as he grunted in agonizing pain.
"Though you brought this on yourself, it's a shame your life had to end in such a miserable way."
Goku said as he approached the dying Frieza.
"I wanted to save you Frieza, but you wouldn't let me. Now you'll have to share the fate of the planet Namek, which you yourself destroyed."
Frieza coughed in pain, and Goku began to walk away.
"I'm tired of fighting. I'm going home. Goodbye, Frieza."
"Please... Help me... You can't leave me here..."
Frieza said in a raspy voice.
"You can't... Let me die like this!"
Goku turned around and glared at him. King kai spoke in his head. "No! Goku! You can't listen to him! You have to get off the planet now!"
Frieza begged again.
"You have... To help meee... Don't let me die... Please, have mercy!"
"How many people begged for their lives at YOUR FEET and you killed them anyway?! DID YOU SHOW ME MERCY WHEN I ASKED YOU TO SPARE MY BEST FRIEND KRILLIN?! Goku yelled.
"Please.. Please... Forgive me!" Frieza rasped once more.
"AAAH!"
Goku yelled as he shot energy into Frieza's body, giving him enough energy to survive.
"I gave you some of my own energy. You should be able to move. Go and do as you like with it. You're on your own now."
Goku said as Frieza, now just a torso, right arm, and head, levitated into the air with his new energy. The ground erupted, covering Frieza for a moment. And in this very moment, he had an internal revelation. He let his rational side, not his anger side, evaluate the situation. He refused to let anger cloud his judgement like he usually did. If he did, he would have attacked goku again out of sheer hatred of the saiyans, of being beaten, of being saved by a saiyan. But he didn't. For once in his life, because of the shock of the situation, he looked at the saiyan race from an objective, unbiased viewpoint, to determine what he should think about Goku now.
"What? But... Why? He gave me his energy and just left me here. He saved me. The dirty monkey- no, not dirty at all- the saiyan warrior-saved my life. He saved the life of the one who brutally killed his best friend. Out of the compassion of his heart, he saved a truly evil being. He saved... Me. The one that caused him all his heartbreak, and for what? Now I know what it feels like. Maybe this is a sign. A sign that I've been on the wrong path, and I'm being given a second chance. Maybe I should change. Maybe I CAN change. Maybe I was wrong all these years. Maybe evil isn't the best path. Maybe I don't have to be evil anymore. Maybe... I can be good. I can do good deeds to make up for all the horrible, evil things I've done in the past. To pay back a debt owed to everyone I've wronged. I can help fight and defeat evil beings that are just like the old me, and protect the weak and innocent, protect peace. I can bring peace to the universe, and prevent ones like me from ever spawning again. If he would save me... After all I did to him... Then no innocent life deserves to die. I just felt what death feels like. Is this what I've been doing to people all this time, even when THEY begged? Make them feel like THIS?! I'm... So very, very sorry. I regret everything I've done. I want to right the wrongs, to make it right for everyone I've hurt. To fix the damage I've done, and start anew, as a brand new person. As a good person. A new life. But nobody will ever let me now... My image is forever one of an evil tyrant." Frieza finished speaking to himself and turned around to leave. He stopped as he saw the shadow of a person in the smoke. It emerged. It was none other than Goku.
"I heard everything you just said, Frieza. A super saiyan's senses are multiplied with their power. I heard you as I flew away, even though you talked quietly. I know. Were you telling the truth just now? Were you sincere? Tell me. Now. We don't have a lot of time."
Frieza hesitated as he saw him, afraid he was going to kill him. Then he regained his composure.
"Y-y-yes! I-I was!" He said, stuttering in amazement that the saiyan was not vaporizing him.
"I really, truly, was. I... Didn't think you could hear me. Trust me, I'm not tricking you. I couldn't have known you could hear that well."
Goku stared at him with piercing green eyes, as if to judge his soul.
"You want to help make up with us? How? Why should I let you? Having a change of heart doesn't nullify your crimes. You can't just get away with it."
Frieza shook his head. "I know, it cannot. But tell me this, saiyan, can the dragon balls restore all who have died at my hands?"
"We already made that wish, but unfortunately it can only bring back those who died in the past year. There's no way to fix it now, Frieza. I don't know what to do. You are too dangerous to be allowed to come with me and too horrible for me to want to be around you, although not anymore, apparently. Hmm..."
"Goku, you don't have to forgive me. I'll help the universe by myself if you wish. Nobody on Earth would want me to protect them anyway."
"No, I can always forgive. But its the rest of the universe I'm worried about."
"We can try to convince them. Who would accuse you of lying?"
Frieza said, pointing his finger at his ship far away, gesturing for goku to follow.
"We need to leave, Goku."
"Agreed." He said, as they both entered the ship, frieza carrying his parts with telekinesis.
"Sorry for attacking and trying to kill you and your friends, by the way. I didn't realize how evil I was. Can't believe I haven't said that yet. That krillin, you can revive him, right?"
Frieza said as he started the ship.
"Not with Shenron, Earth's dragon. But with Porunga, sure! And I guess I forgive your aggression. You were insane, after all."
The ship exited Namek's atmosphere, just as it blew up behind them, in a brilliant flash of light that radiated heat across the solar system. Goku looked back, sad. Then he looked at Frieza sternly.
"You did that. Do you have any idea what you did? You're lucky we can wish it back. "
Frieza looked away, feeling horrible.
"I destroyed a planet full of innocent life. Life that died just as I almost did. I also destroyed a life filled world with my 100% death ball you deflected into space during our fight, it exploded in a single instant after impact, unlike Namek. That's two planets destroyed by me in one day. It was so full of wildlife, I'm a mass murderer of innocent beasts."
But I'll forgive that all as well, because you aren't the Frieza that did that anymore, are you?"
Goku said, smiling.
"I'll forgive both planetary deaths because we'll bring them back! Funny how all it really took was a taste of death to change you so much for the better, Frieza. If we'd known that we would have wished for you to feel death for a second or two!"
Frieza grunted, clearly not amused by the thought.
"I wonder if Krillin's death will make him evil now?! Everyone flip flops after death now!"
Goku joked.
Frieza, for the first time in his life, laughed at a joke, not out of evil, but a genuine laugh of amusement.
"But wait. If that's true, what will Vegeta, prince of crybabies, become?"
Frieza joked.
Goku laughed at that.
"Prince of emotionlessness?"
He suggested.
"Maybe. But really, thank you for forgiving me, Goku. It means a lot."
"No problem. I always give second chances. Anyone can turn a new leaf if they just put their mind to it. I mean, just look at Vegeta! He tried to destroy Earth, and now he's gonna live there, I just know it!"
"Not that I won't still be a mean person. I just refuse to kill or destroy. I will always be a jerk, don't expect a happy fuzzy Frieza. The cold family refuses to act in such ways."
Goku's eyes went wide. He grasped the side of his chair.
"Cold... FAMILY?!"
"Umm. Yeah, my last name is Cold. My brother is Cooler, he is stronger than me, and I have a father, king cold, who is as strong as both of us in his second form. My mother is queen ice, and she is only a bit weaker than him, as she does not enjoy fighting. I have a son named Kuriza. He is young, but powerful nonetheless. Planet Arcon holds many of my race, the arcosians. We are mutants and although many arcosians are far stronger than my family, we hold the political power. I call myself the strongest only to intimidate ignorant foes who would believe it."
Goku scowled.
"They are stronger than you and are STILL evil! What will we do when they attack looking for you?! They'll think I brainwashed you!"
"I'll try to convince them killing is wrong. But to do that... I'll have to bring them to the brink of death, with your help. But enough about that. I need to repair my body. I'll be in a regenerative healing tank to put my limbs back together, and my lower half. This thing's on autopilot, don't mess with the controls or punch them if it looks like it goes off course, after all you saiyans solve all your problems through punching."
"Goku looked sad.
"That wasn't very nice."
He said innocently.
"I told you, I'm good, not nice."
He smirked at his mean joke as he entered the healing chamber. He dropped his bottom half, tail, and left arm in it after closing the door, aligning them where they should be so they could heal correctly.
"If I hadn't picked up my parts, I'd have to replace them with robot parts. That was a close call."
He said as he relaxed, finally not having to expend energy to float anymore as he floated in the green liquid. "I would look ugly after that. Although people tell me I already do."
And, as Frieza slowly repaired his body, the ship they were in DID veer off course. To a quaint little planet known as Yardrat.