Super sorry this has been on hold for so long. i had a major case of writer's block as well as deciding what i wanted to reveal about V in this saga and what i wanted to wait on, so without further ado lets find out what will happen on this episode of Dragon Ball V
GOKU
Goku cupped his hands to his side "Ka- Me…" Goku planted his feet and lowered into a squat. "Ha-Me…" the energy swelled and a blue orb formed in his hands "HA!" the blast flew out from Goku's hands, he guided the blast around the ship and tensed up as he readied to take the full force of the attack. The blast stuck him but he remained planted, "yeah, that's how you do it." Goku smiled and his legs trembled and he lurched forward. His body slammed into the ground "oh, man, I really put a lot into that one." He laughed "guess it's time for another senzu bean." Goku inched his body across the floor like a worm. The aches pinched and stung, they demanded him to give up, his body was already ready to give up before he was. "come on body, we can make it." Goku coaxed. His body moved at his command. It might have been ready to give up first but it was easy enough to persuade.
The senzu bean did it's job, he was back to full health just as he caught an incoming energy, no, several energies. Goku felt out for them, five of them. Goku went to the window in time to see five space pods streak across the stars. Man, those were some powerful guys Goku thought watching the spacepods disappear. Oh man, I don't like that energy either, something tells me they're not there for the local cuisine. Goku ran to his controls "come on, there has to be a way to make it go faster." Goku scrambled over the control but nothing happened. He was still traveling the same speed and not going half as fast as those guys.
Just hold on guys Goku tried to will the message to them I'm almost there. As if Goku's will had summoned it, the ships voice came on "ten hours to arrival"
"please guys, just for a little while longer."
Goku secured the remaining beans up and went to lay down for a few hours. Something told him this was going to be get worse before it got better.
V
Frieza strode into the room, his tail whipping behind him dangerously. "Zarbon." He was angry, V fell back into the wall trying to get as far away from him as possible.
"What's wrong?" Zarbon stood at attention immediately.
"Vegeta has been a busy boy." Frieza frowned.
"Vegeta?" Zarbon asked.
"yes, as Veroca said, Vegeta killed Dodoria." Frieza looked to V and smiled "now's your chance for revenge, find him and get the Dragonball he stole. And once you've done that, kill him if you'd like." Frieza turned back to Zarbon "make sure you get the job done." Frieza snapped his tail against the floor before exiting.
"ugh, I have to babysit you now." Zarbon took off "try and keep up." He smirked at her but V took off right behind him, she caught up to him easy enough.
"Huh…" Zarbon was surprised to find her right beside him, not that he had maxed out on his speed or anything like that but he was going faster than most kept up with. Perhaps she's not as weak as she seems… or maybe she's stealing my power right now. Zarbon glared at V I'd better not give her anymore.
V frowned at Zarbon, she got the sense he was blaming her for something, but what? It's not like she did anything. Why do they hate me? V grumbled to herself. Krillin hated her, Chichi still hated her, most of Gohan's and their dad's friends hated her. Actually, all of them hated her except Piccolo. What did I do?
"Well, if you're so smart." Zarbon snorted at V "where is he?"
"I don't know, I have to have a stronger sense of his energy first." V pouted crossing her arms.
"well, get a better sense on it." Zarbon snapped.
"It doesn't work like that." V barked "he has to power up enough for me to feel him." V shook her head, how did they ever get by before sensing energy?
"did you absorb that power from the scouters?" Zarbon spat at her.
"No, I learned it on Earth." V glared at Zarbon "and I didn't do anything for you to hate me so stop it."
"I don't need a reason to hate anyone, least of all a creature like you." Zarbon flipped his braid and continued, he would not answer to this child. He did not need to answer to this child and despite her unnerving ability to read him, he would not let her get to him. He was Frieza's right hand man and she was lucky to have been allowed to live.
"Can't you feel him yet?" Zarbon grouched. V grumbled to herself but she wasn't going to push her luck. Zarbon was stronger than her and she needed to make sure they thought she was on their side, or at least too afraid to join the other side. On this side, she might be able to protect the other's better, buy them time to escape or at least for dad to get there and take the others home. V briefly wondered if Veltro would go with them, it would be safer for him on Earth, with the rest of her family that hadn't quite liked her. Veltro thinking of Veltro made her hurt in ways she could never quite name. It wasn't as bad as the hollow feeling that had set in since pushing Gohan away but she could ignore that long enough to make sure he was safe.
"Hey!" Zarbon grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and yanked her forward "can you 'feel' him yet or not?" he rolled his eyes, He did not believe that she could feel them.
"No not-" V stopped short, "there's something…" V pushed Zarbon away and hovered toward the energy "That's him." V said certainly "that way." V took off toward the energy, Zarbon trailed behind, he refused to go any faster maybe she is faster than me the thought annoyed Zarbon or maybe she stole more power from Freiza than he realized Zarbon watched V suspiciously.
"I'm finding him!" V snapped, for the first time V realized she was back to sensing feeling rather than catching stray thoughts. She couldn't say she didn't prefer this to the thoughts she had gotten used to hearing, especially from Krillin. They were never complete thoughts just all the worst parts of what he thought of her when he saw her.
"Are we almost there?" Zarbon demanded.
"up ahead." V nodded ignoring his tone.
V caught sight of Vegeta before Zarbon did, V guessed she should feel bad for him. Zarbon was so much stronger than him, Zarbon could kill Vegeta with ease. He dad, Goku, he would say she should try to help him. He would teach V to be better but looking into herself, she couldn't find anything. There was nothing left but a gaping hole and a single mission in her.
"there." V pointed Vegeta out as he stood in the middle of a small island and looked satisfied with himself. Dad will be so disappointed even that thought wasn't enough to make V feel. Keep Gohan safe the thought became a chant as she landed behind Vegeta.
"Are you stupid?" V demanded of Vegeta. Vegeta turned with a smile on his face "I felt you coming." He smirked "what happened to your new friends?" he mocked her "they realize how worthless you are?" he threw his head back and laughed, the comment didn't even sting, Vegeta had always been able to get to her but it was like she was a machine.
"wasn't so worthless when we beat you on Earth." V looked Vegeta in the eye as she spoke, this was a new kind of feeling for V. It was somewhere between numb and cruel and V was completely aware of it.
"I see you've brought my pet back to me." Vegeta looked past V to Zarbon. "Thanks, but you can keep it."
"On the contrary." Zarbon landed between Vegeta and V with a smirk on his face "I'm here to find a pet and return him to his owner."
"you see…" Vegeta stepped out getting ready to fight "I'm not his pet anymore and I take orders from no one."
"Frieza will be sorry to hear that but you'll be easy enough to replace." Zarbon flipped his braid "tell you what, I'm in a hurry to get away from your little pet. Just hand over the dragon ball and I'll let you go."
Vegeta chuckled "I'm feeling generous today." Vegeta fisted one hand on his hip and jabbed a finger at Zarbon "bring me the dragon balls you've already collected and I won't kill you."
Zarbon just looked at Vegeta "you can't possibly be serious." Zarbon finally said. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or beat that smug look off this stupid Saiyan's face.
"Oh, I'm serious alright." Vegeta had on his confidence and suddenly V wasn't sure what he had planned. Vegeta was cocky and arrogant but he wasn't stupid. V felt out his energy, on the surface it was the same as it always was but she sensed more inside him. V swallowed hard but held her ground. there's no way that he could have gotten stronger than Zarbon V shivered because he must have if he was openly disobeying Frieza now, he must have gotten fifteen times stronger than the last time she'd seen him on Earth. Oh man… this isn't good.
"Vegeta, you and I both know Frieza's always favored you." Zarbon smiled regaining his composure "and you and I both know Frieza only lets so much slip, so let's be smart about this."
"You're absolutely right." Vegeta said, V knew everyone one of Vegeta's expressions and when he smiled at that moment V knew what he was going to do.
Vegeta took no time disappearing, V felt his energy surge through the air toward them and moved back as Vegeta's fist made contact with Zarbon's face. Zarbon stumbled back several steps and turned angry eyes on Vegeta "I tried to be nice about this." Zarbon growled "but I wouldn't expect anything less from a stupid monkey."
"Why don't you say that a little closer." Vegeta challenged "I couldn't hear you over my fist in your mouth." He threw his head back and laughed.
"you're going to regret this, Vegeta." Zarbon lunged at Vegeta and slammed his leg into Vegeta's stomach, or that's what was supposed to happen. Zarbon's leg was caught in Vegeta's hands. Vegeta just smiled as Zarbon's eyes widened "b-but how…"
"Like this." Vegeta flung Zarbon into the air and threw a barrage of energy blasts at him. V slipped away from the fight, this was not a fight she could win, they were both on an entire other level than her. The best V could hope for was that on would be taken out and the other too tired to fight her. V wouldn't hesitate to kill Vegeta again.
GOHAN
Gohan shivered as the energy washed over him, for a second he felt it not only through his own ability to sense but through V's as well. Gohan grabbed his head and hovered toward the ground. The ground came up faster than he anticipated and his legs buckled as he connected with it.
"What are you doing." Veltro grumbled impatiently.
"I feel her…" Gohan felt woozy form the double exposure of senses.
"You do!" Veltro dropped to his knees and grabbed Gohan "where is she, tell her to tell us where she is."
"Not… I can't…" Gohan tried to center himself as the energies faded and he was left with his own senses again. "not like that." Gohan finally got out as Veltro held his breath.
"What do you mean not like that?" Veltro snapped.
"I mean, I just felt what she was feeling, Vegeta is fighting someone and they both have incredible power levels." Gohan gave himself one last shake before pushing himself to his feet. "come on, I can still feel Vegeta's power, if we find him we'll find V."
"I'll find Veroca." Veltro took off ahead a Gohan. Gohan sighed I know who you're gonna pick V Gohan thought confidently and nothing Veltro or I do is going to change your mind. Gohan closed his eyes, the link was there, it was like a gold string reaching through the planet straight toward V, or it would have been had it not been for that giant black spot blocking the rest of the string. Gohan slipped into a half meditative state and nudged at the wall come on V, let me in Gohan pulled and pushed and clawed at the spot but it was solid, no one was getting in there unless V wanted them to. I have to try Gohan thought leaving it alone for now, he took to the sky just behind Veltro.
"You mind as well go back with your friends." Veltro said between their tense silence "I'll save Veroca by myself and she'll stay here with me."
"Veltro, us arguing isn't going to change her decision." Gohan said reasonably, he wanted to argue with Veltro or maybe that was just a part of V still lingering in him. Either way, his mother's strict upbringing kept him from getting too mouthy with Veltro.
"And I really don't think Dronare raised you like this either." Gohan pointed out.
"you don't know anything about Dronare." Veltro snapped "he raised me to fight for the people I love and that's what I'm doing."
"and what if I love her too?" Gohan asked. Veltro hesitated, he hadn't actually thought about it like that.
"Then I guess it's who she loves more." Veltro said stubbornly "and that's me because I've known her longer so she had more time to love me more."
"Veltro…" Gohan started feeling bad for him. "that's not fair to do that to V, you know."
"Then what is fair!" Veltro yelled whirling around on Gohan. "She met me first, she was never even supposed to meet you, she was supposed to stay here and be my family and we were going to be best friends." Tears shone in Veltro's eyes "you already have a family." Veltro refused to cry in front of Gohan "and they're all like you, you've never had to be the different one."
"Veltro…" Gohan wasn't sure what to say,
"you don't have to explain to the younger Namekians why you don't look like them."
"But I thought Namekians were all nice." Gohan said except Piccolo Gohan added in his head.
"when they get older yeah, when they learn to be nice." Veltro crossed his arms "when you don't grow as fast as them and the ones that used to be smaller than you are all grown up and you're still a kid." Anger boiled inside Veltro.
"Let's just go get Veroca." Veltro bolted ahead leaving behind the insecurities he had never voiced out loud before.
"Right…" Gohan chased after him oh no Gohan thought he's gonna be so sad when V comes home with me Gohan truly felt bad for Veltro but regardless of either of them, V was going to pick the one she wanted and Gohan knew she wanted to be home on Earth with Piccolo and mom and dad and him.
Veltro couldn't help but feel angry at Gohan because he had seen how Veroca and Gohan were together. Like magnets, like two pieces of a puzzle. But I was here first he thought stubbornly and that matters more. Veltro knew Dronare would scold him for it but he was glad Veroca cut Gohan off, she's be able to remember how Veltro was the one to care for her first.
V
V huddled between two boulders trying to stay clear of the battle field. V knew who was going to win this fight but he wasn't winning it as fast as she wanted him to.
"Just transform." V yelled to Zarbon, she didn't like either of them but Vegeta had done more to her directly than Zarbon had. Dad wouldn't like that a part of her mind whispered but she couldn't bring herself to care. Gohan was cut off from her now, Veltro was mad at her and Piccolo was dead and if Goku got here in the middle of everything, he'd be dead too, again.
"She's right." Vegeta stopped fighting, blood trailed from his mouth but he was still smiling. V wanted to know where he got so much confidence. Why, after all this time, before he even had his wish of immortality, he had gained so much confidence.
"I know Frieza's dirty little secret." Vegeta said "I know he's afraid of the Saiyans, I know he's afraid of me."
"Don't flatter yourself." Zarbon scoffed "the only thing Frieza feared was the entire race of Saiyans finding enough intelligence in their tiny brains to rise against him at once." Zarbon's energy swirled as he powered up in preparation for his transformation. "A single Saiyan poses no threat, the only thing you're good for is running Frieza's errands for him. But if you insist on being reminded of your place." Zarbon's energy pulsed and concentrated, V sunk lower to the ground as Zarbon's energy grew. Zarbon let out a yell and one last pulse of energy flew over the ground shoving V back into the boulder. Vegeta stood his ground and where the vain Zarbon once stood was a misshapen monster.
"You know how I hate to use this form." Zarbon growled "now you're going to pay." Zarbon tore through the air slammed Vegeta into the ground, before Vegeta even had the chance to figure out what happened Zarbon grabbed him from the ground and through him into the air chasing him with a barrage of energy blasts.
"No!" Vegeta screamed "I am the best, I am the strongest." Vegeta finally righted himself and threw blast after blast at Zarbon. Zarbon easily brushed them aside.
V, please let me in V felt her defenses being prodded it, she felt Gohan slipping into her mind, because even as closed off as she was her mind wanted that connection. It hungered for it.
You'll get hurt, stay away from me! V snapped
Let… me …in… Gohan's voice was desperate in her head as he struggled against her walls, she struggled with her own desire to let him in. Never before had she ever felt so connected to someone. She had been so happy connected to Gohan the way they were. It would be easy to let him back in, easy as breathing, easy as being… Shook the thoughts away and slammed her walls back up It's for your own good! V threw the though at him ahead of her reinforced walls.
"No, it's no possible, it's… not… possible." Vegeta climbed out of the water and grabbed a handful of dirt. He punched the ground, V felt his waning energy, he wouldn't last even a minute longer.
"You've brought this on yourself, you know?" Zarbon let his energy fall and he returned to his previous state, not even a hair out of place.
"No, I'm the prince of all Saiyans." Vegeta's energy was already low, he should have been passed out already but he was Vegeta after all, he might not have been stronger than Zarbon but he was still stubborn. V huffed and waited for him to lose consciousness.
"nighty night, little prince." Zarbon Kicked Vegeta in the face and finally Vegeta lay there.
"You didn't ask him where the dragon ball was." V says floating over to Zarbon.
"I'll ask him when he wakes up, I didn't kill him." Zarbon rolled his eyes and cast a glare at V "not that it has anything to do with you, parasite."
"I told you already, I'm not a parasite." V growled getting angry at Zarbon.
"What difference does it make." Zarbon grabbed Vegeta and slung him over his shoulder "it's not like you matter anyway, you're Frieza's new toy, once he's grown bored of you he'll send me to take care of you, just like with Vegeta." Zarbon took to the sky, V followed him. She could understand this rage that was filling her all of a sudden, it seemed she had gotten more used to Gohan's presence in her mind more than she realized . Gohan was always so calm and happy it always kept V level. Kept her from getting to angry too fast and now she didn't have that anymore. Now it was worse than before because now she had to keep herself from something that was clearly predestined. She and Gohan were meant to meet, they were some kind of half of each other and V liked that, at first, before she realized it could hurt Gohan. This was better, he could go back to Earth, he didn't need her.
Vegeta was in the healing chambers, Zarbon was smug, Frieza would be back soon to check on everything and shortly after that Frieza's favorite team would be here, but none of that was the cause of the itch growing more and more unbearable inside her. V felt restless and agitated, Zarbon had gotten away from her the second he got the chance and so she was alone. Alone like before. Alone like she would always be. The universe gave her someone to keep with her always and she couldn't even do that right.
"Someone's restless." Frieza commented. V froze and stood at attention the second she heard his voice, although she scolded herself for not feeling out his energy before. She should have been tracking him the whole time, figured out what he was up to, where he was going.
"Sorry, Frieza." V didn't know what else to say. Frieza chuckled, he knew she was afraid of him, although he had no idea that it didn't actually have anything to do him hurting her but him hurting Gohan or Goku.
"If only Vegeta had the intelligence to fear me as you do." Frieza mused mostly to himself. V did notice Frieza taking extra steps away from her. Keeping his energy low not showing off too much. It occurred to V that Frieza might not be afraid of a single Saiyan but he was afraid of her, whatever she was. He didn't want her to sample his power and use it against him. I wonder if I can do more than sample his power V thought to herself I wonder if I can take it. V reached out toward Frieza. She felt his energy easy enough but she couldn't figure out how to grab it. Frieza said that she sampled energy naturally, he said she had to turn it off somehow so there must be a way to control it.
"Lord Frieza…" V ventured, the worst he could do to her was kill her, V was confident that he wouldn't kill her but he might hurt her just for the fun of it. V was fine with that, used to it. If she could jut keep Frieza from hurting Gohan then she didn't care what happened to her.
"What?" he titled his head toward her but didn't quite look at her. "how do I control my…" V wasn't completely sure what to call this power she hadn't realized she had. "sampling power." V figured it was the better than nothing.
"we'll have to find a more experienced Kyu Shim and have him teach you, I can't have you sampling everybody powers, it's rude." Frieza said "in the meantime keep your distance." Frieza went back to staring out of the ship. V knew he was waiting for his elite to arrive. If V really wanted to get on Frieza's good side she could have tracked them for Frieza, told him about how good at sensing she was, how she could feel his elites were two hours and thirty-seven minutes away and how Vegeta was healing faster than they were anticipating and the only person watching him was a low-level healing chamber technician. V could have told him all of that and shown that she was on his side but that was extra information, that wasn't information he was ever going to discover she knew.
"Conquering planets is an art, you know?" Frieza asked V "it takes a certain kind of person to completely disregard the lives of the people of any given planet and really take the planet. Not just enslave it's inhabitant but to completely annihilate them without batting an eye." Frieza smiled proudly.
"Killing is an art?" V asked trying to pretend to be interested. V didn't really care, she didn't care about ruling a planet or protecting one. All she cared is Gohan was okay and happy and if he was then everything else didn't matter. Gohan was okay right now but he wasn't happy, not without dad and not without Piccolo and not without their link intact. V wanted to be a hero like Goku was, V wanted to get all the dragon balls and save everyone but she wasn't strong enough, she wasn't good enough.
"V." Frieza snapped "get a hold of yourself before I get ahold of you." V froze her energy had been expanding, she felt her energy pointing toward Frieza, prodding around him sampling him V recoiled from the thought, her energy snapped back around her and she felt it, the most spine chilling energy she had ever felt slipping into her own. V tried to push the energy back toward him but that only made it cling to her more. Frieza's energy morphed into her own. V shivered but couldn't fight it anymore.
"I-I'm sorry, Lord Frieza." V stammered catching the annoyance on his face. "I don't know how I'm doing it."
Frieza considered her for a moment. "you weren't just taking my energy, you know." Frieza's smile was cold as he measured her with his eyes "you take my personality too."
"What?" V asked fear creeping into her, Gohan's energy leaked in through with her own doubt.
"you don't just learn from watching, you don't just get stronger when you sample energy. You take core personality traits as well."
"But that'll make me…" V trailed off unable to get out the words because then it was real.
"Just like me." Frieza laughed at V's face, what a stupid child, what an ignorant monkey.
But I can't be… V thought They'll never take me back, Krillin will have been right.
"V, let me in." Piccolo's voice was faint but V heard it, she wanted to let him in but if she did all her walls would come down. Using the energy, she had copied from Frieza V reinforced her walls. This felt even worse, using Frieza's energy felt terrible. V swallowed hard and focused that energy away from her, she didn't want it to be a part of her.
PICCOLO
"Gah!" Piccolo was thrown to the ground right out of his mediation, he shivered and gaped at the empty planet. "What was that?" Piccolo panted.
"you got ahold of V?" King kai asked but it wasn't really a question. Piccolo shook his head "how… what… that wasn't V but it…" Piccolo could barely gather his own thoughts let alone figure out where that terrible energy had come from.
"Something must be controlling her, that energy, that was evil." Piccolo pushed himself to his feet.
"That was Frieza's energy." King Kai sighed "she can't control her own powers, the more anxious she feels from cutting herself off from Gohan the more her mind and her energy will look for him and when it can't find him it samples everything around her. If she were standing next to you or Goku she's take on your powers, your personalities but she's Frieza's new pet and slowly she'll take on his persona."
"V is not evil." Piccolo snapped.
"She's not but her kind doesn't distinguish between good and evil when they're as young as she is, she hasn't chosen a side yet. So her power will sample anything and everything."
"But she wasn't evil before, she only spent time with those Saiyans, why is it affecting her so much now?"
"Because of her bond with Gohan, when her kind gets a taste of something they like and she tries to cut it off it'll just search elsewhere for it. Her bond with Gohan was solely to Gohan, if he were bad or good, it didn't matter, she'd side with him no matter what. She never picked being good. At least not fully."
"What do you mean 'fully'?" Piccolo asked. King Kai sighed "when V first went to Namek she met Veltro, her first bond, not the kind of bond she shares with Gohan but enough of a bond that she decided she wanted to be like him. Her energy liked his energy, she even chose him over herself. Little steps like that put her on the path of good but her bond with Gohan nulls anything she does for him as a sign of good. Until she figures out exactly what she has to do to stop absorbing everything she's around, she's not good or bad."
"She's just a kid." Piccolo grumbled "she wants to be good, everything she's done is for good."
"No." King Kai shook his head "everything she's done has been for Gohan."
"This is ridiculous, she's trying do good but the good she's doing is putting her with evil people that she keeps absorbing traits from and that's going to make her evil like them!" Piccolo threw his hands up "you've got to be kidding me!" Piccolo punched the wall "damn it, V, do something for yourself for once!"
