Vegeta's massive fist shot forwards, meeting Kold's raised arm. The beasts fist slammed against it like hitting an immovable object and stopped dead, blood spraying from the Prince's fist as all the momentum was seemingly directed to it.
"You can stop this, you know." A voice spoke within Gohan's hazy mind.
The Prince's arm withdrew, though not quick enough. Gohan couldn't follow his movements, but there was another spray of blood and Vegeta's fist dropped from his extended limb.
"How?" Was his desperate call to whoever was in his head.
An explosion ripped between the beast and Kold, the force of which sent Gohan flying away, twisting and slamming against the ground before finding a sheer rock face to break his momentum. His life's blood shot from his mouth as he felt his organs strain from the impact. His vision went dark as the pain caused him to black out.
"By letting me out again." The voice replied calmly.
"What are you?" He wondered allowed.
"I'm what takes over when your hurt, scared and half dead. When the rage inside of you boils away your compassion, there you'll find me." It answered with a laugh.
"Why don't you just come out like normal then?" He screamed.
"Because I want you to call on me willingly this time, to stop suppressing me and embrace what you are."
"No." Gohan mouthed, shaking his head. "I want your power, I want to control it and use it to protect everyone!"
"Come now." It cooed. "Protect who? The legacy of the father that left you? The mother that abandoned you? What is worth protecting?"
He began to cry in the darkness of his mind. "Mr. Piccolo, Vegeta."
It chuckled. "Piccolo knew that he would always lag behind your father. What greater victory over someone that would always be his better than to make the son that would surpass him your own?"
Gohan shook his head. "No. Mr. Piccolo isn't..."
The voice cut him off. "And the noble Saiya-jin prince. Willing to sacrifice you to achieve his goal. He's just using you Gohan. If you survive here, he'll continued to find uses for you."
"I know that." Gohan admitted. "And I came anyways. Vegeta is changing though, slowly."
He could feel a pitying gaze on him. "Believe that, little tool." Gohan spied a flicker of Gold out of the corner of his eye.
"It's what I believe." Gohan spat, feeling himself beginning to come to, finding himself half buried in rock. In the distance he could see that Vegeta had reverted, and was on a knee hemorrhaging blood before Kold.
Within his minds eye his hand shot forwards and gripped hold of the spark that had glinted earlier. "And this is my body, MY POWER!" He roared, pulling it into himself. He could fill it racing through his body, his muscles tightening and toning, his hair standing on end from the power. Golden aura exploded around him and vaporized the rocks and earth around him, leaving him hovering over a crater. More practically, the explosion of power seared his open wounds closed. Without looking, Gohan knew he possessed the characteristic golden hair and teal eyes of the Legend.
Golden energy gathered around him and he shot forwards, closing in on Kold. The Ice-jin's hand was striking forwards, energy gathered around it to put an end to the fallen Saiya-jin Prince as Gohan reached him. With effortless grace, he twisted around the monsters arm and gripped it, flipping over in midair to use power and surprise to throw him away.
Vegeta gazed up at him, one eye swollen shut and the other bleeding, looks of surprise, regret, pride and anger all flashing through them at once. A moment later, Vegeta was out of his sight as Gohan went after Kold.
The tyrant was already back on his feet and blocked the child's blow by gripping by crossing his arms in front of him. Gohan rebounded off and flipped over them, bringing his food down across Kolds armored head and knocking him to his knee before twisting around him upside down.
"MASENKO" He cried gathering his golden energy in his sole arm. "HA!"
The golden blast crashed against Kold and swallowed him within its river of flow, carrying him high into the air where it exploded, shaking the very earth around them.
Even as the blast subsided, Gohan was already flying through the smoke and not letting up his assault. Feeling Kold's ki he carried his momentum into a driving kick and sent him flying out of choking cloud. His follow up punch was blocked by Kold, and both of his arms locked around the child's lone one as they struggled for domince.
But to Gohan's horror, despite some scratches, burns and part of his mask being broken off, Kold's energy wasn't much lower than when he had started his assault.
"So this is a Super Saiya-jin." The monstrous Ice-jin mused. "Yes. I can see how Frieza was bested by one of you on Namek. A pity I make him look like the child he is, that I make you look weak even without being as damaged as you are."
'It's not enough!' Gohan's mind raced. He was too battered, and too much of his power was being held back from him.
He shifted his grip on Kold's arms and shot his foot up towards his chest. It collided with massive force, but the tyrant wasn't moved. His eyes shown with amusement as he pulled back a Ki enhanced fist and slammed it into Gohan's gut, sending him rocketing into the ground below. Once more the ground shook from the crash, dirt and debris kicked up in a storm from the crater created.
'Should have struck a deal.' Said the voice in his mind. 'Too late now. Even with all you're power, there isn't enough left to save you.'
'Save us, you mean.' Gohan spat as he pushed off from the wall of the crater to make his last stand, feeling his knees buckle and give even as his hair lost its buyancy and returned to its normal black as he fell backwards against its wall. He struggled to rise, but it was no use. It took everything he had to watch the looming figure lower towards him.
About 20 meters away, Kold stopped and raised his arm, red energy growing into a concentrated ball of destruction. "Goodbye, Saiya-jin trash." The ball exploded into a beam, and Gohan realized it was meant to not only obliterate him but the planet below him.
He closed his eyes and waited for certain destruction, feeling the overwhelming power crushing against him. Suddenly, a familiar warmth flooded over him, and his eyes cracked back open to see the red death rocketing into the sky away from him. Above him stood a blue clad man, with an up swept golden flame for hair. To Gohan's eyes, Vegeta looked like an avenging angle ready to unleash his wrath.
He turned his head partially towards Gohan. "Enough, brat." He growled, and then he was gone and in the air, blasting towards Kold.
The Tyrant rained several more similar blasts towards the oncoming Vegeta, but each was as easily deflected as the first. Once reaching the monster, Vegeta's fist was instantly burried in his stomach causing him to double over.
"KOLD!" He roared, gripping the sides of his head and digging his fingers into his targets neck. Armor cracked almost effortlessly and blood sprayed under the pressure. "I HEARBY REMOVE YOUR FAMILY FROM POWER" he flipped his feat forwards and braced the against the emperors massive shoulders, pulling with all his strength. Blood continued to spray more freely as skin, sinew and muscle began to stretch and tear. "BY CUTTING OFF THE HEAD OF THE BEAST" and with a sickening crunch he did just that. The massive body of the former tyrant plummeted to the ground and crashed as Vegeta laughed while his prize before him.
A few seconds later Vegeta landed beside him once more.
"But, h-how." Gohan managed, sputtering blood.
"Senzu, brat." He growled, forcing one into Gohan's mouth. A few moments later he felt all the weight and wounds from the battle fade away, and his arm pop back into place, a twisting of bone, muscle and flesh twisting around themselves to recreate the structure of his arm. Even through magical healing, it was not a painless experience, though he was greatful for the end result.
Gohan shook his head as he pushed off from the wall and took a few shaky steps forwards. "But, when did you turn?"
"While you were dead." He said simply, turning to leave.
"I was dead?"
"For a few minutes, yes." He could feel Vegeta scowl. "I guess the power sleeping in you wouldn't let you die just yet."
"How did Kold beat you?" He raced to catch up with the Prince.
Vegeta shrugged. "I was too weakened from the earlier battle, and he wouldn't have let me eat a Senzu."
A slight smirk came to Gohan's mouth, and Vegeta either sensed it or knew him too well at this part. "Yes, brat. This is the part where I say I couldn't do it without you. Guess you don't own me quite as much as you did before." He trailed off, and Gohan knew the prince had a smirk of his own. "I just saved your ass too. Guess you do."
Ahead of them their ship loomed untouched somehow out of orbit, offering promise of much needed rest.
