Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ.
N/A: Merry Christmas! And thank you for (still) sticking around. :)
There hadn't been much left from the previously teal planet that once was Kaya, famous especially because of its incredibly brilliant minded inhabitants. The buildings' design had been made to last in time and through cruelest weather conditions. If someone had put step on Kaya, they would have been given the impression that they were a hundred years in the future. Despite the technology and industry representing the planet's main engine, it was also the home for various remarkable species of animals and birds. Everything had always been in a perfect balance for five billion years.
Now it was all gone. It looked like the sky matched perfectly the thick, gray mist smoke which was floating over the huge reddish flames that extinguished everything in sight. Silver skinned aliens were running frightened for their lives, carrying as much belongings as they could save from their wrecked homes.
Children cries and buildings' roofs falling over filled the air. Nobody expected that.
It was an ordinary day, just like others, when, suddenly, a sharp light collided with one of the tallest statues from the Central Exhibition. Its' head quickly fell over the reflectors that were lightening it, crashing them with a loud sound. Shortly after, another streak of lightning hit the trees, followed by many others.
Two silhouettes made their way through the mist, their profiles clearing as they approached the place where a huge mass of people gathered around the remains of the statues in expectation to be taken away from the disaster. When they were just a mere feet from them, the Kayans looked in horror at the humanoid warriors. The tall, muscular figure of one of them was undoubtedly terrifying, and the cruel smirk on the man's face was sending shivers on the teal aliens' spines.
For a second, they forgot about the second silhouette. At first, everyone thought it was a short alien from some distant race, but the obvious resemblance with the other one, regarding both armor and physical traits, assured them that he was only a child. The look of hatred in his eyes was not to be mistaken, and he seemed to know exactly what was going on.
The boy looked at the aliens in front of him with slightly furrowed eyebrows and his eyes half narrowed. After a time, he got quite used to see those looks every time Nappa and he were sent to purge planets. Sometimes, he found it unfair to kill left and right without a strong reason. When a certain planet's inhabitants were mindless, primitive brutes, living in places similar to the prehistorical age, he finished them without further remorse; they represented no use for the Universe anyway. But when he found exceptional, worthy planets like Kaya, he would feel a slight disappointment towards the fact that the planet's time was counted. The Prince was very young, but smart enough to see the difference.
All he was seeing in that moment was the usual scene: people trembling, children wailing, behind their mothers' dresses.
It was such a shame that they would all have to die. He was, once again, in the difficult situation of choosing between an order and his own belief.
Vegeta barely sensed Nappa approaching him when the tall warrior finally spoke, as reading the boy's mind.
" - I'll handle this area, my Prince.", he said, giving him a quick glance, before looking at the teal skinned aliens.
Without a word, Vegeta turned around and took off into the sky.
The slight breeze felt cool against the Prince's face, as he inhaled the night's air. It looked like the smoke hadn't reached the area he was heading to, and it only meant that he would have to be the one to start the fire.
Vegeta slowly descended to a lower distance above the ground, only to see that there were no people on that side of the planet. The whole area was filled with trees and amazingly colored birds flying over and chirping in various sound ranges.
One of them in particular caught the boy's attention. It had golden feathers and its fan-like tail had dark blue ends, as well as the wings. The bird was flying in a circle on a higher spot than the others, and, from time to time, a peaceful sound was coming from its mouth.
The Prince flew towards the tallest trees and easily snatched it on his right hand, looking down at it. A low croak was coming from the small bird's throat as it was uselessly struggling to escape from the boy's grip. He could feel its heart racing and the heat through its feathers. Its eyes were dark red, with black circles around them. Vegeta lifted the bird and sniffed it. For some reason, that kind of bird was familiar to him.
Where had he seen it before? Because Kaya was the first planet so far to have any species of birds.
Finaves.
He had seen a picture of it in one of his books. A specific phrase came into the Prince's mind:
"...though Finaves' feathers have an unique trait. When put inside an Aice box, through the box's upper hole, it releases a fade, yellow, sparkling haze which will show the heart's desire and the biggest fear of the one holding the box."
Vegeta always hated this kind of things. It was no such thing as magic, or stuff related to it that happened without a clear explanation. He always thought these were cheap tricks, pitiful attempts to fool the weak-spirited. In his opinion, the "magic-nonsense", was based on reality. Whatever the trick was, it had a story behind it, people invent things that are based on truths. Nothing is random.
These were the Prince's beliefs towards "magic". At least, he used to think like that before, but after more than two years as a tyrant's mere soldier, he could make a use of everything, if it didn't involve punishment, insults or constant humiliation. To be honest, missions became quite a break from the pressure he was feeling near Frieza. If the Ice-Jin didn't send his soldiers as well on the same mission as him, that is.
Suddenly, a red dot appeared on the green screen of Vegeta's scouter, shortly followed by a few numbers.
P: 50, 21, 45
He looked on the ground, noticing three small, teal-skinned silhouettes running to the place above where he was standing. From their soft features and their lean figures, they were most likely children, no more than ten or twelve years old.
Vegeta took off his scouter and looked down at them with slight annoyance, as one of the aliens whispered something to a taller, well-built boy, motioning fearfully upwards, with wide eyes. The muscular Kayan narrowed his eyes at the "newcomer" and took a step forward.
" - Hey, you!", he shouted in an authoritative voice to the Prince, who was fifty feet above him, watching him in curiosity.
He had heard what the tiny one whispered to his friend, and he was now eager to see what was next.
The bulky alien did not share, though, the premise of fun. Growing more and more furious, he lifted his finger to Vegeta.
" - You, brat! Come here and give us that bird!"
Vegeta was no longer watching the alien; his eyes were locked to the object in the third alien's hands. As far as he was able to see, it was a dark wooden box with sharp corners and a round hole on its top. He immediately found it obvious why the tall boy wanted the Finaves. A small smirk crept on his face and looked at the alien:
" - Get it yourself, weakling!", he shouted back, loosening the grip on the golden bird. It was of no use if the Finaves was dead when he would remove one of its feathers.
" - What do you know, the little brat has some big guts, but is too afraid to descend!", the Kayan mocked, high-pitching his voice and raising his eyebrows, before bursting into a cruel laugh, shortly accompanied by the boy who was holding the box.
The boy's tone made the Prince tighten his left fist and narrow his eyes.
The smallest one, around Vegeta's age, was quiet, his eyes never leaving the stranger. Noticing his silence, the alien turned his head to him in displeasure.
" - Melh, he's chickenin' out.", he said, waving his hand. "Look at him, he's barely your height, with only one slap I could send him into space."
" - He started the fire! He's bad, Luka!", Melh whimpered, with his eyes wide in horror.
" - Yeah, right, and I'm a chicken poxed fish. Those creeps have tails and..blasts and speed. This kid did nothing but stand there like a moron. Go home, Melh, you're such a fun-smasher.", Luka hollered, shoving the little boy aside. "Well? Are you going to stay there all day, kid?"
Unfazed by the alien's blabbing, Vegeta gracefully descended on the ground, the smirk reappearing on his face, to the Kayan's irritation.
" - Good. Give me the damn bird, brat, I'm starting to get really pissed off.", he huffed, extending his hand.
The Prince didn't even budge.
" - No."
At the sight of Vegeta's audacious behavior, Luka's features contorted in anger, and, with clenched fists, he rushed towards the boy, decided to finish him, to hell with the Finaves.
He came to an abrupt stop, as if he had been suddenly petrified. His previously angered features froze at the sight of the long, deep brown tail, waving lazily behind Vegeta. The young Saiyan's smirk widened at the almost comical sight of Luka. The Kayan opened his mouth, but his words failed to come out.
" - As I said...weakling. Get it yourself.", the Prince spoke calmly, extending his right hand holding the Finaves, but from the look in his eyes, he sure was enjoying the situation.
" - Y-you are one of th-them!", Luka finally managed to mutter, now standing limply before Vegeta.
As to emphasize the Kayan's discovery, the Prince casually lifted his left hand towards the small glade nearby and sent a sharp blast that went through the trunks of five luxuriant trees, which instantly fell to the ground loudly, followed by the sounds of hundreds of birds taking off into the sky.
" - You have a good friend there. Too bad you're a moron."
The display of half the glade being destroyed made Luka fall on his knees and hands and burst into tears of desperation.
" - I'm s-sorry! W-we had just heard about the trick with the box and the Finaves feathers! Don't kill me!", he cried out miserably, while his friends were standing silent behind him, with a look of horror on their faces.
Vegeta curled his lip in disgust at the pitiful display, before looking to the other two Kayans.
" - Big words, no guts.", he murmured for himself. "You! Handle me that box this instant!", the Prince spoke loud enough to be heard by the terrified boys, pointing to the Kayan who had remained silent all that time.
He quickly approached Vegeta and extended the dark wooden Aice to the small Saiyan with trembling hands.
The Prince snatched it and held it casually between the side of his torso and his right arm.
" - If I haven't had to purge this planet, I wouldn't have even wasted my time killing you.", he spat, looking at the mortified aliens while lifting his left palm, charging with ki. "But I have to."
Half an hour later, everything was whipped off from Kaya. It looked like Nappa took care of the whole business, even without the Prince's interference. Not that the muscular Saiyan didn't enjoy it.
Vegeta rolled his eyes; Nappa hadn't hold anything back.
" - Is there anything left still standing?", he asked in his scouter. A short laugh filled the empty silence, before Nappa's response.
" - Yeah, there are some mountains left, I just figured that Frieza might need some fresh air."
The boy's features hardened at the hearing of the tyrant's name. Sometimes that foolish guard would just say more than necessary.
" - Wait me at the pods, Nappa. I have something to do.", he said, taking off his scouter before Nappa could respond.
He had removed the Finaves feather shortly after he killed the three children, but it was not possible to wait for the so-called "magic" at that moment. Zarbon had set a deadline for the purge and they had to be back at #45 that evening.
It was neither possible to make it inside the pod, there wasn't enough space. The only solution was to wait until he and Nappa landed on #45 and find a lone place.
" - What's that stuff?", the muscular warrior asked, looking at the box and the golden feather on top of it.
" - Nothing. Get in the pod.", Vegeta simply said, gingerly placing the Aice and the feather in the back of his seat.
As soon as pods' hatches closed, the two warriors enabled hibernation mode for a dreamless sleep in the next five hours.
Minutes before landing on the baseship, Vegeta suddenly woke up, took off his armor and undersuit and carefully wrapped his new "belongings" in the latter, before pulling over his armor.
At the Landing Area, four assistants were waiting for the arrival of the Saiyans, as usual. Never did pods landed without at least two assistants ready to take care of their occupants.
No sooner had the hatches opened than the Prince ushered the aliens in front of his pod, walking straight to the room he shared with Nappa.
" - What's the matter with him?", an assistant asked the tall Saiyan, as he searched thoroughly for injuries on his body.
" - He's got bored from long flight.", Nappa shrugged, thrilled himself at the boy's secretive behavior. It wasn't time for assumptions, as Cui approached him with his usual cruel smirk.
The alien glanced for a second to the other pod and looked up at Nappa.
" - Where's the monkey boy?", he croaked, motioning with his head for assistants to leave.
The tall Saiyan growled and clenched his fists at Cui's last words, but the soldier didn't pay any attention to it. "Lord Frieza wants you and the brat give the report about Kaya."
" - It was purged.", Nappa blankly spat, not looking at Cui, but he immediately regretted his attitude when he felt a sharp pain on his stomach and a tight grip on the collar of his armor.
" - Almost three years here and still bold.", the henchmen hissed right in the Saiyan's face, before letting go and dramatically pulling off his gloves and holding them with two fingers in disgust. "Go get the brat and do as you've been told."
Vegeta had already hidden his undersuit - and even managed to get a new one, claiming that the previous had been scattered all over – when Nappa entered the room.
" - Frieza wants us to give the report...", he started, searching the room for whatever the Prince had hidden. "What's going on, Vegeta?"
The boy just walked outside the room, with Nappa following suit.
" - Not your concern."
" - You can tell me.", the guard's voice came into the Prince's mind.
" - Close your mind, fool. Some of Frieza's worms read minds. Stupid Pensives.", Vegeta sent back.
In front of the Ice-Jin's room, Dodoria was standing like a Cerberus, his arms crossed over his wide chest.
" - Crap.", Vegeta unwillingly sent to his guard. There were times when various curses slipped from the boy's mouth, as a result to the background he was now part of.
Without a word, the henchman turned around and pressed the button next to the door.
" - Lord Frieza, the Saiyans are here to report the mission to Kaya."
The Ice-Jin turned in his seat and made a small gesture with his hand to Dodoria, as the soldier left the room.
" - Yes?", the tyrant started, allowing the two warriors to start speaking.
" - The purge has been a success,"– short pause - "Lord Frieza."., Nappa stated.
Vegeta could have sworn that a look of disappointment crossed the Ice-Jin's features for a brief second.
" - Too bad I remembered too late, there is a legend regarding Finaves feathers and Aice boxes. Of course, it has to be just a rumor. People are too spiritual sometimes.", Frieza spoke, more to himself, before resuming. "Zarbon will give you details about your next mission tomorrow morning at the latest. Dismissed."
" - So that was it!", Nappa whispered in shock on their way to the canteen.
From all places on Frieza's baseship, the canteen was probably the only area where one could have a conversation, albeit in low voice, without worrying that somebody could hear them. It was always noisy and soldiers were either too hungry or too drunk to care about others.
" - If Frieza finds out, he'll kill us both.", the tall Saiyan grumbled, taking his seat at an isolated table, the closest to the exit.
" - I'll do that tonight. Concerning the second part, death is like breathing here.", Vegeta said matter of factly.
Sneaking out of the baseship didn't prove as difficult as finding a safe place to let "the magic happen". The boy had no choice than hide at the foot of some mountains. It certainly was a good idea not to involve Nappa in his plan, he would've probably drawn more attention than necessary.
After making sure that he wasn't being watched, Vegeta sat down cross-legged and unwrapped the stuff. At that moment, curiosity was overcoming logic, something which in Frieza's army would have been severely punished.
It had been more than three years since the boy read about the legend and he didn't remember all details, but how hard could that be? If bizarre chants were necessary in the process though, he wouldn't have a chance.
The Prince opened the box and narrowed his eyes. The inside was made of something similar to velvet, like a regular jewelery box, without the hole on its cover. Luckily, the feather didn't broke from the clumsy wrapping. He placed it inside the Aice, closed the cover and waited, with a slight scowl on his face.
A thin thread of light golden haze ascended from the box, becoming thicker and thicker as he reached about six feet above the ground.
With his mouth slightly open, Vegeta watched in amazement as real images defined, surrounded by pale golden smoke. At edges of the box's cover, written with golden letters, the following words appeared:
Prince Vegeta of the Saiyans, Fear and Desire are Heart's challenges, it is up to Mind to handle them the right way. One must never be driven by them, but try to let them be hints on the journey called Life.
Inside the haze, a fade image showed the King from behind, during one of his speeches, on Vegetasei, and hundreds of Saiyans gathered in front of the palace listening to his words. Nappa was in his right side, as usual. Vegeta scowled at the sight, but a small detail caught his attention. Looking more attentively at his father, the boy noticed the darker shade of his hair, and when the Saiyan turned around to go inside, he saw that he had no beard. It couldn't be possible, since the day his father was named King of Vegetasei, he had always had a beard. Unless...
Before the Prince could react, a clearer image replaced the previous. This time, lines were well defined, just like people in it were near the same mountain too.
The palace was a bit different from what he remembered, but instead of servants, he recognized several of Frieza's soldiers, poorly dressed, bowing in front of him as he made his way along the corridor. As he descended the stairs, a large painting showed the "King" proudly holding someone's head in one hand. Frieza's head.
The Prince couldn't keep but smile at the sight. His euphoric state didn't last long though.
The picture displaying his victory transformed into a huge mass of soldiers, this time in their uniforms, gathered around some show, howling and throwing their fists in the air. In the center of the crowd was an alien ruthlessly shoving his foot into another one's stomach. A close-up at the scene sent shivers on the boy's spine. The first alien was none other than the Ice-Jin, and under his foot, covered in blood with the tips of his ribs piercing his chest, it was him. He wasn't even dead, and the cruel laughter and mocking of all soldiers was ringing in his years. Shame and pain covered his whole body and mind like venom. If only he died at once...
" - What do we have here...", a cold voice woke Vegeta from his trance. He quickly got up on his feet to see the Ice-Jin standing in front of him,accompanied by Dodoria, paying more attention to the box than the Prince. The boy's mind was working at great speed, and the only thing he managed to say was:
" - I was given these from Kaya and wanted to make sure that I haven't been told lies before handing it to you..lord Frieza.", he spoke, more confident than he actually was, when he felt a strong grip around his torso and being lifted off the ground.
The Ice-Jin lifted his sight at Vegeta, as if it was just then that he noticed his presence.
" - Is that so? Why haven't you told me that?"
" - Because you said that you don't want anything that hasn't been tested before by soldiers or assistants.". To be honest, Vegeta was amazed himself by his response.
" - Playing smart-mouth, aren't you, brat?", Dodoria shouted in the boy's ear.
" - Quiet, Dodoria! He's right, although I do still have questions about this.", Frieza said, taking the Aice from the ground and examining every angle of it. The haze was still there. "We'll talk about it later." The Ice-Jin lifted the box and spoke in a low voice, before lowering it back in front of him: "Show me."
Inside the cloud of golden smoke, an image revealing a taller, more muscular version of Frieza lined itself. King Cold. Vegeta had heard about him a few times before, he knew that he was Frieza's father, but that was all. The image showed him handing the Ice-Jin a bottle with some sort of black liquid in it. In the background, a tall, dark purple alien, with white patches on his chest, wrists and skull, had ki drainers on each limb and his neck. Two soldiers entered the room and took the alien outside.
Frieza sighed dramatically. It looked like his father's appreciation was something very important to him.
The second image was blurred, but Vegeta managed to see the essential. Corpses of soldiers were everywhere, while thick, dark smoke covered the sky. Near a pile of burning bodies, a headless light green alien was laying in a pool of purple blood. From its built, it wasn't hard to guess whose body it was. A close-up image made Dodoria slip the Prince on the ground. It was him, or at least, the pink alien recognized his upper half of his body, without his left arm and his left eye. He looked at Frieza, who was watching the images with a slight scowl.
His very own silhouette appeared, with a look on his features that Vegeta had never seen. Was it...fear? It seemed more like horror. The Ice-Jin was backing off, while dark silhouettes approached him, showing off their fangs curled in cruel smirks. Behind some of them, tails were waving in content and excitement.
The boy could not move, even if he wanted. Frieza was afraid of Saiyans! He feared that someone stronger would rise and defeat him.
" - ENOUGH!", the tyrant's voice broke the trance of the three aliens. His eyes were bulged and sweat poured from his forehead. He charged a small ball of ki and destroyed the box completely, without a single splinter remaining from it. The smoke quickly disappeared as well.
" - Inside. Now.", he sharply said, still breathing heavily, his furious glare piercing through the boy's onyx eyes.