N/A: 3 weeks since the last update *shame on me*. And this week I had 2 mid-terms, my priority was studying and stuff related. Unfortunately, that how 12th grade goes. I hope you won't mind(much).
Even if he wanted, he couldn't move his eyes away from the giant orb in front of him. His mind was in a complete trance, while a strange heat seized his body and he found it difficult to breathe. A sharp pain went through his maxillary as it contorted into an elongated snout. Suddenly, the boy felt his limbs and his torso widening underneath the dark blue suit, while thick fur covered his neck and the sides of his face, coming right above his forehead.
Vegeta touched his face with one hand; he didn't feel any of his own features. He looked over at Nappa, whose place was taken by a giant Great Ape and was now destroying everything in sight.
The boy took in his surroundings: he was still on Zarime, but he wasn't feeling the cold of the planet. Instead, at the sight of everyone being horrified, a new sensation overwhelmed him: power, dominance. He could feel the urge running through his body, the desire to kill, to destroy. Every frustration, every time he had to swallow Frieza's beatings and insults came back to his mind with a lightning speed.
He was not blind. The intensity of those feelings heightened, but it didn't make him lose his sense, like Nappa. As far as the Prince could see, the Great Ape form of his bodyguard was unstoppable, unreasonable. He tried to reach him mentally, but he only received a clouded image.
FLASHBACK
" - You must remain focused! Focus on your own thoughts!", the King shouted at the boy, merely ten meters in front of him. Vegeta had his eyes narrowed in concentration, as he stood in a fighting stance. Suddenly, a sharp ringing pierced his ears and he felt like his skull was going to crack any time soon. He couldn't see the forest clearly anymore, either. His vision was covered by a thick fog, and, no matter how many times he blinked, he couldn't make it disappear.
A bright aura surrounded him and small pieces of dust slowly ascended from the ground. For a brief moment, he could see again his father and the forest, before everything was clouded again. The boy was on his knees and hands when the noise and the fog disappeared, while the King approached him and leaned down, so they were at eye-level. Vegeta opened his eyes; his forehead was drenched in sweat and his head was hurting. Everything seemed to spin around him, as he sat down on the grass, wiping his sweat with the back of his hand.
" - Do you want a break?", the King asked, looking at the Prince thoroughly.
Vegeta snapped his head up at the man and quickly got on his feet.
" - No. I want to master it.", he said in a firm voice. "I won't fall this time, father."
The Saiyan lifted himself in the air and went back where he was standing.
After a few moments, the excruciating pain hit Vegeta like a sharp arrow. This time, he managed to keep his eyes open, focused on his surroundings. He was desperately looking around to let the background come over the fog in his head.
A sudden heat seized his body with a raw desire to break and rip off everything in sight. He moved to the nearest tree and flung his fist right through it, making the high arbor fall with a loud sound. From another tree, the boy grabbed the branches and snatched them with pure rage. His eyes were unfocused, but they glistened with anger.
" - FOCUS!", a loud voice made its way through the noise in his head and the Prince blinked a few times, looking into the voice's direction. He struggled to push the dark, instinctual thoughts on the back of his mind. Everything was clear now.
Vegeta was on the ground again, the pain slowly dissipating. The fatigue was weighting heavily on his shoulders, as he passed out on the grass.
END OF FLASHBACK
Now the pain wasn't as unbearable as it was back then. Of course, the lust was still there and if he lost his reason for a second, he would uncontrollably go all out.
The last thing he remembered was...Vegetasei exploded, destroyed by a meteorite.
His planet no longer existed. He would never grow up on it. He wouldn't have anywhere to go after he escaped from Frieza. No more Saiyans...No more freedom...
The thoughts were slowly working their way to his mind like a poison entering his veins right to his heart.
A rage that had nothing to do with his new form was rising on his chest, as he clenched his teeth and walked threateningly towards the horrified Zarimians, crushing everything in his sight.
" - Your Highness, they cannot be stopped!", one of the blue skinned soldiers almost whined, as he rushed to the Throne room. Faded explosion sounds and screams were filling the silent background, as the woman was nervously tapping on a white device, with a golden horn* above it.
" - Frieza won't answer. That miserable...", she mussed angrily, before turning to the soldier. "Gather the remaining guards and form a barrier around the Core. If they destroy it, the planet is gone."
" - Yes, my Queen.", the Zarimian nodded and ran outside to do just so.
She was certain, of course, that the majority of soldiers were still alive, somewhere inside of the palace or, at least, hiding nearby. The reality was far different, though.
The Core of Zarime was, literally speaking, a wide, deep pit, covered by a hard glass dome. At the surface of the pit, a thick, sparkling haze was floating lazily, but the source of the haze, deep down, it was a silver fluid, waving incessantly. From time to time, metallic-like droplets squirted from the pit, like boiling water.
That part of Zarime had never been covered(the dome was an artificial cover), and people that existed from the very beginning of the planet used to say that the planet was "breathing" through that hole. Many had tried to cover it for safety, but each time, the pressure garnered inside and the silver haze pierced the ground, popping at the surface with sharp whistles. That's how the dome had been built around the pit.
When the Queen arrived at the site, she couldn't believe her eyes. No more than 10-15 soldiers were making ample gestures with their hands around the dome.
" - Didn't I tell you to gather all the soldiers?", she shouted to the alien from earlier.
The soldier pointed in front of him, somewhere behind the woman. Her eyes became wide in shock at the sight of the immense pile of corpses laying on the ground.
" - They went straight to stop the Apes."
The Queen sighed and shook her head.
A slight shake seized the ground below her, followed by loud thumps and shrieked yells.
" - Here they are!", one of the soldiers shouted in horror and raised his hands.
Judging from the blue uniform, the Great Ape advancing threateningly towards the guards was Vegeta, with Nappa on his heels, swinging his fists into the remaining buildings.
The boy, even in his new form, was fully aware about the aliens in front of him and the strange thing they were gathered around, unlike Nappa, who, being untrained, was only hearing noises.
To the soldiers' horror, their technique had no effect against the massive Great Ape, who stepped on half of them with no effort. He starred at the sparkling large dot for a moment, before inhaling cold air in his lungs and releasing a mouth blast that shattered the dome and went straight into the Core of the planet.
A violent shake of the ground made it easy for the Prince to understand that it was not a good place to stay anymore. He lifted himself in the air, before looking down behind him.
Nappa might have been a fool sometimes, but it was better than nothing at all.
Vegeta turned back on the ground in front of his bodyguard. Large craters were rippling the ice surface and the steam was hissing everywhere. When Nappa sensed his scent, he stopped for a second and looked over at the Ape in front of him. The Prince lifted one finger and pointed upwards. He couldn't tell whether the Saiyan understood, but the brief sparkle in his red eyes was enough of an answer.
When the two Great Apes reached the outer space, the imminent explosion filled the silence of the atmosphere, a bright white light flashing from the place where the planet was not even moments ago.
Somewhere, in another galaxy, Frieza was in a merry mood, his grin plastered from one ear to another as he was enjoying the sweet memory, holding between his index and middle finger by his foot, a glass of wine. It was incomparable. The pests have been annihilated and he was sure that, if there were any Saiyans left except Vegeta and Nappa, they would've been for sure on planets million light years distance from #21, with no possibility to come back and start riots.
And the plans he had with Zarime! He had been offered a nice payment for it, even the earnest was worth the whole business. Of course, assuming that the Prince and Nappa already purged the planet and retrieved the inhabitant's mysterious source of power.
Suddenly, the Ice-Jin heard muffled voices outside the room. There couldn't have been anyone besides his henchmen and Cui.
Curling his lip in annoyance, he pressed a button of the left armchair and the door slid open, revealing Dodoria and Cui, silently arguing over something. At the sound, they stood up straight, a slight hint of anxiety over their features.
" - Well?", Frieza asked them, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "I would've assumed that you already got over such infantile behavior."
The two soldiers stepped into the room and gave a small bow in front of the Ice-Jin. After a moment of silence when both of them waited for the other to start talking. Cui looked up at Dodoria and grimaced slightly, before taking a small step forward.
" - My Lord, we got bad news from...Zarime.", he started, trying his best to keep his voice still.
" - The monkeys didn't complete the purge. Wouldn't have expected more from them.", Frieza rolled his eyes. "What, are they now statues or they're thickening the snow layer?", he continued in amusement.
" - Lord Frieza, Zarime no longer exists, it was blown up.", Dodoria concluded, bracing himself inwardly for what was to come."
The smirk on the tyrant's face contorted into a furious expression, his jaw dropping in horror. He couldn't believe his ears, not even one week ago, he received the news about how one of his best regiments was found frozen in the middle of nowhere, with armors scattered and no way left to return to the ship.
" - HOW...COME? How was this possible?", Frieza shouted.
" - We have received strange images from the devices implanted to the Saiyans' armors. They have been held prisoners, but they have been released eventually. The last thing the devices caught was the full moon, and the brat's bodyguard's red eyes. After half an hour trying to locate them, we found nothing left on Zarime's coordinates.", the pink alien lectured, deciding that he might as well tell everything now.
Realization came on Frieza's features, before turning around and pursing his lips into a straight line.
" - I want the monkeys here, from wherever they are."
The two Saiyans were laying on the light sand of a small planet when one of the spare spaceships found them after searching thoroughly the galaxy. A gruff voice woke them up, before feeling the pressure of strong grips on their arms.
" - Fun's over, Lord Frieza is waiting for you."
They weren't sure how or when they arrived on the tyrant's ship. The last half an hour was a complete blur for the Saiyans; there was the full moon.
The full moon. It was the last thing Vegeta remembered, what happened next were hazy images and muffled sounds. So that's what happened at the transformation. But the feeling of freedom was...exhilarating! Like no one in the Universe could stand in his way, not even Zarbon or Dodoria; he would squash them under his foot like the trash they were, enjoying hearing their terrified screams.
If the Prince had been able to catch glimpses of his first experience as a Great Ape, Nappa wasn't so thrilled, however. To be perfectly honest, he only enjoyed the transformation when he was certain on what was to happen next. It had always been the same: after the effects of the full moon disappeared, he and the rest of the army returned to Vegetasei, after inspecting what was left of the planet. This time, he had been brutally waken up on some strange planet, before being dragged onto a spaceship and now, here he was, on his way to the Ice Jin's throne room.
When the Prince and his guard arrived, accompanied by two soldiers, a very enraged Frieza turned to face them. After dismissing the soldiers, he walked up towards them, barely keeping his anger at bay.
Vegeta felt the familiar aching sensation in his chest and frowned slightly.
Instead of the first hit, to the boy's surprise, Frieza only pressed a purple button on his left wristband and the projection of Zarime's recent events appeared clearly.
For a brief minute, the silence filled the room, before the tyrant abruptly turned the projection off. The Saiyans blinked and looked back at the alien.
" - That's the last thing the devices managed to record,", he started blankly. "but for me it was enough. I don't blame your monkey sensibility to full moon. I knew this would happen sooner or later." Frieza leaned down so he was eye-level with Vegeta, a small smirk creeping on his face.
" - But I had quite the surprise when I saw the images. You, boy, were perfectly conscious during the transformation."
Nappa looked down at the boy and, for a brief moment, couldn't help but be amazed by the Prince's ability to handle the transformation from the first time.
Without moving his glance, Vegeta responded curtly:
" - I didn't know what was that thing they were guarding - "
His words came to an end when a hard slap collided with his right cheek.
" - Oh, then I assume it was my fault that I didn't give you complete information about the planet, up to the Zarimian traditional attire.", he snapped ironically.
" - But - ", Nappa protested, before the Ice-Jin sent him against the wall.
" - Quiet! You were supposed to PURGE the planet. And that means destroy the LIVING beings, and NOTHING MORE!", Frieza shouted, before looking at the boy: "You must've known, Prince Vegeta. The fact that your pathetic planet was destroyed was not an excuse. I don't accept excuses. You did wrong, and you must now...pay.", he added with a smirk, before landing his fist into the Prince's stomach.
2 YEARS LATER
Planet Merrievi, Triangulum Galaxy.
The sun had already set over the heights of the green paradise, and by "heights", the Merrievians meant the over fifty feet trees with leafs that could have easily matched the size of a house's perimeter. From time to time, droplets of water from the last rain would trace over the leafs before falling on the gray ground. A faint breeze was blowing the grass and the smoke coming from people's cottages, while the lights inside revealed their movements every time they walked close to their windows.
However, very few of them were inside. Most of the cottages had the lights shut and their owners were gathered around many tables stuffed with food, while children, young men and women danced in the very center of the crowd. The Merrievians were humanoid aliens with golden almond shaped eyes, auburn hair and pale skin.
Apparently, they were celebrating someone's birthday, since everybody who arrived at that reunion was giving different stuff to a small girl or to the two men standing next to her.
Nearby, four silhouettes were sitting in a circle on the grass cross legged, looking absent mindedly at the skinned animal roasting over the fire in front of them. Three of them had turquoise skin, narrowed yellow eyes and white hair, pulled back. Sinnians.
The fourth one didn't share their appearance. He obviously looked younger and slimmer, but still muscular, as he wasn't wearing anything under his armor on the upper body. His features were contorted into a slight frown of concentration while his gaze was unfocused.
" - So it's true.", one of the teal skinned aliens broke the silence, looking at the long haired teenager, but he got no response. The boy's eyes narrowed and looked back to the man in front of him.
The alien sighed and carefully lifted the meat from above the fire to cut it. He tore the limbs apart and portioned the meal to his comrades, but the teenager shove it away with an angry gesture. The small tray shattered with a sharp sound, that made a few Merrievians turn their heads in the aliens' direction, shooting them angry glares.
" - Radditz, sit down and listen.", another alien stood up and put a hand on the young Saiyan's shoulder.
" - WHAT?", the boy shouted. "My planet is gone! Two of the survivors are Frieza's slaves and I am the only one wandering around the Universe! He'll find me and add me to his collection of endangered animals!" . A white aura surrounded the Saiyan while the grass near his feet began to shake.
This time, the music stopped and everyone turned to the enraged Saiyan. A short haired Merrievian took a step forward towards the aliens.
" - Si vous etes venu a faire du bruit, vous devez partir cette planete tout de suite!"[If you have come here to squabble, you must leave this planet right now!]
At the hearing of the dialect, Radditz's mouth curled in disgust. Usually, the inhabitants of the planets under Cooler's rule spoke a different language than Frieza's soldiers.
" - Or what? It's not like this piece of shit of a planet is worth staying on anyway, I could blast it with only one hand and you wouldn't even have a chance to-"
A sharp pain seized his head, as the Saiyan fell to his knees and put his hands on his temples. It was like someone had landed a sword right through his skull, into his brain.
" - Je vous en prie", one of the teal aliens stepped forward to the Merrievian who had his hand extended towards Radditz. "Il a perdu sa famille! Nous nous conduirons."[Please, he has lost his family! We'll behave.]
Suddenly, the pain stopped and the Saiyan opened his eyes. He stood up angrily and charged a ball of ki, but a firm hand lowered it.
" - We still need this planet, stop fooling around!", the boy heard, looking in front of him at the crowd of Merrievians who was leaving.
He exhaled deeply, and, with clenched teeth, Radditz hitched himself from the alien's hand and went as far as he could from the fire. The teenager sat down under a tree with his arms crossed, closing his eyes and mumbling curses under his breath.
In a few minutes, the celebration came to an end and everybody went home.
The three Sinnians considered it would be for the best to leave the Saiyan alone for that night and went at the other side of the village.
Hours later, a pungent smell woke Radditz up and he immediately lifted his hand to cover his nose and mouth. He blinked a few times and took in his surroundings.
A small, lean silhouette with red hair was standing in front of him with a tray on which there were several things.
" - Comment allez vous?"[How are you?], a small voice chirped.
The Saiyan narrowed his eyes to catch a glimpse of the stranger's face. It was a little girl, the same one everyone celebrated earlier, looking no more than 7-8 years old. Her hair was braided and she was wearing a long, white shirt dress with a red belt and a black vest.
" - Get lost, brat.", Radditz mumbled and closed his eyes again, but the girl wouldn't budge.
" - Je vous ai apporte le medecine pour la migraine. Si vous avez faim, je vous ai apporte aussi de nourriture."[I brought you the cure for your headache. If you're hungry, I also brought you food.], she said, unfazed by the teenager's attitude, and lowered the tray on the grass.
Indeed, in a small bottle there was some sort of dark concoction and, next to it, a plate with a large piece of meat and a glass of water. Radditz took the bottle in his right hand and crushed it effortlessly, before sniffing the meat. It was similar to what he had eaten earlier.
" - Whatever. Now, get lost."
No move. The brat had some serious nerve, or she simply didn't understand. For a brief moment, the image of a 7 year old sibling eager to train crept into his head. He cocked an eyebrow at the girl and looked back to his meal. "I don't know if your parents told you, but I also eat small aliens.", the Saiyan added with a smirk.
" - Tu n'as pas dit merci!"[You didn't say "thank you"!], she shouted, furrowing her thin eyebrows.
Radditz wasn't sure how he would've handled his sibling in such situations, but the spoiled brat in front of him was definitely not related to him. He lifted his hand towards her and formed a ball of ki.
" - Ranya!", a deep voice broke the silence and a tall silhouette ran in their direction. It was a young man, more or less the same age as Radditz. At the sight of the sparkling ki and the girl's fearless posture in front of the Saiyan, he grabbed her by her arm and pulled her behind him.
" - Qu'est-ce que vous faites ici? Rentrez a la maison! Vous les avez apporte bien, papa t'attends."[What are you doing here? Go inside! You brought these alright, father is waiting for you.], the boy scolded her, before shooting Radditz a sharp glare.
" - Mais papa a dit que nous devions dire merci quand nous recevons quelque chose! Il n'a dit pas!"[But dad said that we must say "thank you" when we receive something! He didn't!], the girl chirped, pointing to the Saiyan, who was quickly losing his patience.
The young boy heard Radditz's snarl and took the girl in his arms, quickly disappearing from his face.
He didn't have time for such fools. In no way would he continue wandering from planet to planet. The teenager looked at the dark sky. He had to take a decision, quick.
* the golden horn is similar to a gramophone's horn.
N/A: I have used the French spoken in War and Peace, where the pronoum "tu"(you) is barely used, and neither are the verbs conjugated at this person. It won't be much French dialogue used, don't worry. Also,from now on I will focus on Vegeta's crucial stages of his life, as he goes through adolescence and as an adult. Enjoy!