THE PRINCE OF ASH AND SNOW
by The Not-So-Super Saiyan
based off the web comic by Stupidoomdoodles
and inspired by the works of LadyVegeets
Content Warning: contains extreme violence and some language
CHAPTER THREE: THE PROMISE
DECEMBER 24th
Raditz tossed the flailing child into the park bathroom and locked it from the outside, busting the rusted metal handle off with ease. He needed to calm down or he was going to kill the kid. Dusting off the snow and slush, he sat on a concrete table and watched the insects buzz into the light of the streetlamp above. Nothing had gone as he had planned. He had thought about this night for years. This was not how he had wanted this reunion to go but he was making it work. He was adaptable.
The roar of an engine cut through his sullen thoughts. It was Kakarrot. Raditz was genuinely surprised. He was used to people doing what he said, it was a benefit of being attached to Frieza's name.
Oh well. This is going to be fun. It's been a long time since I've had fun. Raditz thought as he walked across the snowy lawn.
They met in the center of the park. Staring down at each other. Goku broke the silence, fire in his voice. "Give me back my son and I'll let you go."
"You're not really in a position to make demands are you?" Raditz laughed his head cocked playfully to the side.
"I really don't want to fight you." Goku sighed, closing his eyes, his face scrunching.
"You know, I wouldn't either."
"How 'bout you shut the hell up?" Piccolo cut in as he pulled a .44 Magnum from the back of his jeans.
Piccolo was done. He was done with this bullshit. He was always done with everyone's bullshit but this guy was just too much.
Goku sighed "If that's how it has to be then I suppose we don't have a choice." He slid his hands down the staff holding it taught. Before Raditz knew what had happened Goku was behind him and Piccolo in front. He couldn't help but smile.
Gracefully Goku slid his right foot in front of the left, the inside of his leg turning away from him, like a poised crane, ready to strike. Knees bent, eyes trained. He was ready. With a graceful twist of his wrists the staff sliced through the air with a fwip.
It was a perfect strike, one that would've landed on the back of Raditz's neck. Had Raditz's hand not shot out behind him and caught the staff with a loud smack. Turning around it and twisting it from Goku's grasp, he pushed it into the soft dirt and snow next to Piccolo. Raditz used it as an anchor to launch himself over the two men, landing behind them. Goku crossed his feet as he stepped back cautiously - hands up, fingers bent.
And for that moment, the only sound anyone could hear was the gentle buzzing of the streetlamps and the weeping of a child.
Vegeta avoided sleep, he told himself it wasn't out of fear but it was and he knew that. He made a point of never looking back, but dreams tend to have a mind of their own. The past came to him in his sleep, it was the only place he couldn't steel his mind. Eventually he succumbed, still sitting upright, his heavy head cradled in the crook of his shoulder. He slipped into a fitful slumber and the memories rose like the tide under the pull off the moon.
Once he had lapsed under the rocking waves there was simply no escaping it.
The door screeched as it scrapped against the concrete. The man stepped out of the way, the light caressing his long hair. He gestured to the door with an elegant wave of his hand.
"Lord Frieza will see you now." He said with a smirk, just a little too pleasantly.
The small boy bunched his shirt in his lanky hands, twisting it in nervous circles. He swallowed hard managing a meager nod, and wrapping his frail arms tightly around his chest he timidly stepped inside.
For a moment nothing happened. Just a moment.
He took a cautious step forward and the door swung shut behind him groaning as it locked. Whirling around in the darkness, panic overtook him. He could see no one else in the room, hear nothing else.
The space was incredibly confining despite being entirely and utterly empty save for a single metal chair bolted to the ground and a dim, flickering light that swung from the high ceiling. The smell of bleach and metal curled in his nostrils and burned the back of his throat. He resisted the urge to cough. Despite the sweltering summer outside, the air inside was frigid, like a meat locker.
"Vegeta." A voice purred from the dark. "Please, have a seat."
That voice. He could never forget the sound of that voice. Cautiously he crawled onto the large metal chair, his feet dangling over the ground as he pushed himself back into the seat. The silence was almost as suffocating as the stench of bleach. He felt fingertips trail across his shoulders.
"I know a lot has changed for you in these past weeks, little prince." Vegeta cringed at the name, remembering his mother, he swallowed the lump in his throat. "How are you adjusting?"
He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Staring into the darkness he forced the words.
"Well, Lord Frieza, sir." The lies tasted bitter on his tongue.
"I'm so glad to hear it. Are you finding your accommodations sufficient for your needs?" Frieza circled the chair slowly, passing through the light on occasion.
"Yes, Lord Frieza, sir."
"According to your tutors your lessons are progressing quite well."
"Yes, Lord Frieza, thank you, sir."
"Hmmm… and yet despite all of that, it has been brought to my attention that you are having difficulty complying with even the simplest of orders."
The small boy froze, momentarily forgetting how to breathe. His eyes wide with panic. That man. The man Vegeta was sent to kill. He had let him go. He tried so hard but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it and somehow Frieza had found out.
"Well?" Frieza purred, a mixture of annoyance and amusement in his voice.
"I...I'm sorry Lord Frieza, sir." His voice barely squeaking past his lips.
"Refusing a direct order is insubordination, my little prince." He let the stillness close in around them, circling ever slowly. "Do you know what insubordination means?"
"No, Lord Frieza, sir."
"It means a challenge to my authority. Simply put, disobedience. It means you've been a naughty, little boy." Raw hunger dripped from Frieza's voice, a hunger Vegeta did not understand. One that he would come to know intimately.
Frieza stopped in the inky shadows behind the chair. Vegeta dare not move, screwing his eyes shut as he felt hot breath tickle his ear.
"Do you know how I deal with insubordination amongst my men, Vegeta?"
"N-no, Lord Frieza, sir."
"I personally see to their reeducation."
Vegeta's heart stopped, he fought back the tears that welled up in his eyes, but they continued to seep through his tightly clenched eyelids roll down his cheeks.
"Now, as much as it pains me to do this, you simply must learn to listen." The sound of leather tightening and twisting cut through the dark, thick silence. "We shall see if you can take orders, hmm? Stand against the wall, remove your shirt, and hold very, very still."
The child hurled into a panic, he looked around frantically for someone, anyone to save him. But nobody came. It was only Frieza and him. Far away from everything, hidden in a maze of hallways and stairwells, here nobody could hear him scream, hear him beg for forgiveness, or see him cry. Lifetimes passed before he could will himself to speak.
"Y-yes, Lord Frieza…..sir."
Goku shuddered in the cold, sweat dripping down his skin and clumping with the delicate snowflakes that shook heavy and silent from the sky. He lunged at Raditz again his fists rolling down like pelting rain but Raditz was incredibly fast, extremely precise, and ruthless. They couldn't catch him, couldn't keep up. They were running out of options and energy.
Diplomacy had been the plan when Goku arrived. But he never was very good at talking. He couldn't help but wonder that if he had been, maybe things would've turned out differently. Goku didn't want to kill him. He didn't want to kill anyone. He just wanted his friends and family to be safe. But it was too late for regrets now. Piccolo had a plan, he knew that. And if Goku could just stop Raditz long enough Piccolo could end this. That was the new plan. Just slow him down long enough.
A flash of white-hot pain filled Goku's vision and he fell backwards, barely managing to keep his feet. Damnit! His own thoughts had distracted him and now he was pretty sure he had a broken nose. Raditz still wore the same cruel smile. Goku hadn't landed a blow yet.
"Come now, Kakarrot. You're making this too easy. My brother ought to be a better fighter than this. You're barely making me even try…"
Suddenly, Goku had a thought. He wasn't known to be a deep thinker, and truly, he hadn't yet consciously realized his plan, but his instinct for fighting had kicked in where his reason had fallen short. Raditz was both stronger and faster than he, so he needed to stop trying to overpower him.
Regaining his composure, Goku raised his guard slightly to cover his bleeding nose and tried to appear more tense. Raditz took the bait. Goku braced for the pain.
Having covered his face, he left his gut exposed and Raditz's foot didn't miss a beat - or Goku's stomach. Goku knew he wouldn't be fast enough to dodge the kick, so he didn't try. What he was able to do though, was brace himself enough to not go flying.
He let out a yell as saliva flew from his mouth with the force of air being expelled from his lungs. Before Raditz could recover from the kick that he over-committed to, Goku managed to grasp his leg by the ankle and shin. Pivoting down to one knee and sliding underneath Raditz's leg, he managed to flip the larger man over his shoulder. Raditz landed with a thud on his chest. Before Raditz could employ his other leg, Goku had already risen and stepped onto the back of his knee while maintaining his grip on Raditz's other ankle. He clinched a joint lock as tightly as he could to hold Raditz down who quickly realized the futility of trying to wriggle free.
Advancing to take out the Ice-man while Goku held him, Piccolo stopped, caught by surprise at Raditz's sudden plea."Please, Kakarrot. I'm sorry. Let me go. I will leave and I will never bother you or your family again, I swear to God." Raditz blubbered as Goku held him immobile. He almost seemed sincere, terror plainly etched onto his face as he eyed the large revolver in Piccolo's hand.
Piccolo couldn't believe what he was hearing. What the hell was he playin' at? Nobody was stupid enough to fall for that shit. He shook his head and aimed. But to Piccolo's amazement and horror Goku slowly freed the man from his grasp.
"The fuck you doin' man?" Piccolo bellowed.
Goku ignored him. "Now leave." he commanded Raditz.
Raditz stood slowly, his shoulders heaving with spastic laughter.
"Holy shit, I cannot believe we are actually brothers." he sneered as he drove his elbow deep into Goku's side, folding his brother in half like a paper fan. A knee collided with Goku's nose hard enough to send him reeling onto his back.
Raditz slammed his boot down onto Goku's ribs again and again and again. Every thick, wet crack for every tear he'd cried for his brother, every night he'd dreamt of their parents, everyday of his miserable, pathetic life, and every memory of their childhood that he carried alone. He probably would've called it cathartic if he had know what the word meant, but instead he just called it good old fashioned payback.
Goku wailed, his fingers clawing into soft fresh powder that covered the ground. The pain was blinding, he didn't have the strength to fight back, didn't have the strength to stop it.
Fortunately Piccolo could end it. Now that Goku was on the ground, he had a clear shot. Piccolo could hear the repeated PUNG from the bathroom's metal door behind them as the child threw himself against the door. The Kid was wasting his energy, there's no way he could break the latch from the inside. Ignoring that and focusing, he leveled his gun. Just one shot. That's all he needed to do him in.
Just as he was squeezing the trigger, something crashed into and past him, his shot firing loudly but harmlessly into the air.. Raditz yelped in surprise as Gohan collided with him, knocking him off his feet. They collapsed in a heap on the ground. As Piccolo regained balance, he noticed the bathroom door slowly swinging on its hinges.
The fuck? How the hell did the kid manage that?
Who were these people? This was turning out to be the strangest night of his life, by far.
Goku craned his neck barely bringing his son into view. Dismay oozed into the pain in his chest, replacing the feeling with helplessness. Gohan dizzily reached for his father's hand.
"Gohan. Go." tears began to bite at the backs of his eyes, he spoke as clearly as he could. "Baba can't get up. I need you to run. Run as fast as you can. Run and hide and Krillin will come and find you."
"Baba." Gohan cried as his fingers splayed, reaching for his father.
"Go I need you to run. Now." Goku bawled.
Gohan was so close, he could almost reach him. Just a little closer.
He felt his fingertips brush against his father's as a shoe sent him reeling through the air.
"Well, well. You are full of surprises, aren't you?"
"Stop. Please. I'll do anything you ask. He's just a boy. Just leave him alone." Goku begged.
"God, you're so pathetic." Raditz hissed, kicking Goku's face and flipping him over onto his side. Goku sputtered a bloody cough into the snow. Raditz moved away approaching Gohan, a psychotic smile on his face.
Goku willed himself to move with everything he had but the splintering pain in his chest kept him buried in the ice. He watched as Raditz lifted the whimpering child by the hair, inspecting him like a piece of meat.
"Mmm, Frieza will like this one." He mused. Raditz blinked and in that moment it all changed. The child fell from his grasp and crumpled to the ground as his brother's body smashed into him full force, wrapping his arms around Raditz and smashing the point of his forehead into Raditz's nose.
Regaining his sight, the burning prickling running through his head while hot blood poured generously from his face. Raditz writhed trying to break his hold. Goku had wrapped his arms tight around him and he was not letting go. And he wouldn't let go. Not until Raditz was dead...or he was.
Vegeta woke to the sound of clicking and scraping. It was coming from his door. Gun in hand, he slid silently off the couch and into the shadows. Someone was trying to break in, and they were doing a really shitty job at it too.
He exhaled and in one swift motion flung the door open and aiming his gun out the doorway at the would-be-intruder. Nappa stood there, lockpick in hand, an expression of pure, dumb shock on his face.
Nappa? What the hell?
"Nappa?" Vegeta hissed through clenched teeth. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He lowered his weapon and grabbed the large, bald man by his shirt yanking him inside, and slamming the door shut.
Nappa composed himself, shoving the lockpick in his pocket and tugging at the hem of his sweater. "Well hello to you too, little man."
Vegeta hated that nickname, possibly more than he hated being called "Geets". He had outgrown it when he was eight...about the same time he started taking point on missions. Nappa insisted on calling him that despite his constant protests and threats.
"Hello? What the hell were you doing breaking into my apartment?" With drowsy eyes he glanced at the faint light of the microwave clock.
12:43 am
"What are you even doing here?" he wasn't sure if he even wanted an answer. What he wanted was for Nappa to leave. He had a hard enough time sleeping as it was and Nappa had interrupted his perfectly restless sleep, probably for something stupid if he knew Nappa.
"I tried to call you but you didn't answer." When Vegeta didn't respond he cleared his throat and continued, trying to seem as confident as possible. "We should go after Raditz."
Seriously? Pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and his thumb, Vegeta stifled a growl.
"Not happening." End of discussion. Turning away from Nappa, he threw himself back on the couch, grabbing his wadded up pillow and closing his eyes. He waved nonchalantly towards the door. "Feel free to let yourself out."
If his eyes had been open he may have seen the look of disgust on Nappa's face. It didn't matter to him, he just wanted to be left alone and be alone. Raditz had made his decision and Vegeta wasn't going to chase after him in the blistering cold and freezing winds.
"What happened to you?" Nappa said with disdain in his voice. "I'll catch you later, little man."
He heard the footsteps stop at the door.
"Keep walking Nappa." he muttered into his pillow. There was a brief, tense silence.
"Nice plant, by the way." Nappa grumbled, slamming the door shut.
Tzch. Good riddance asshole.
Vegeta nuzzled into his pillow, absentmindedly rubbing the length of the deep, delicate scars that ran across his back and up his neck. He swore he could almost taste the earthy, musty leather.
"Mmm. Yeah. It is."
"Piccolo, do it now." Goku screamed.
Piccolo smirked. Perfect.
Stepping slowly across the field his footfall crunching in the snow, he lifted his weapon to the Ice Man's throat, twisted it and pressing it deep into his skin. Raditz stared deep into Piccolo's eyes and fell into fits of hysterical laughter.
"The fuck you laughin' at bitch?" Piccolo was so over this asshole.
"You don't stand a chance against the Ice Men. You barely bested me. They'll send the others. They'll send the Prince and he will kill every…last…..one of..."
"Fuck off, bitch."
Piccolo's arm shot back from the blast as the two men fell backwards, collapsing into the snow, the Ice Man's head toppling to the ground. For a time nothing moved but the snow, falling slowly in large clumps.
It was utterly silent for a moment, but just for a moment. Piccolo stood there holding his shoulder and staring down at the bodies in the snow.
A wet cough broke the reverence.
"Pch...p….pch..." Goku gritted his teeth, struggling to speak. Whimpering in pain he clutched his chest as it gushed hot blood that melted the snow into a gruesome slush.
Piccolo slowly shut his eyes, breathing deeply through his nostrils to calm himself. He instantly realised what a mistake that was. All he could smell was hot, metallic blood. Turning around he looked down at the man.
This man.
The man who ruined his life. The man who took everything from him. The man who was so ready to die to save them. Piccolo had thought of nothing but his death for so long. Two years of his life had been consumed with thoughts of killing him slowly and painfully, watching the life drain from his eyes and now that he was lying there in the snow, the life gushing from his body, reaching for his young son, it was all Piccolo could do to keep from looking away.
Goku's tears froze as they dripped down the bridge of his nose and across his eyelid. Trembling fingers brushed Gohan's hair from his face.
"I….I'm sorry Go…" he whispered. It was becoming harder and harder for him to breathe. His lungs thick. Blood burst from his mouth, staining the pure white snow and covering his face and throat. His eyes wandered, searching for the man who had fought beside him.
"P...pch...Piccolo…..Piccolo... Please. I….I...promised her. Promise…..you'll...k-keep….him….safe." Goku's eyes fluttered and his breaths were shallow now.
Piccolo understood but said nothing. He nodded solemnly, lifting Gohan from where he lay in the snow, and pulling him from the faint grasp of his father, he turned and left without looking back.