Happy Christmas everyone!!! May I present to you the next chapter! Hope you like it! ~ladymoonlight
It was almost midnight. The moon hung low above the western horizon, turning an ominous red hue. The stars burned brightly in their respective places. Everything was silent except for the occasional distant howl of a predatory animal. And Vegeta's cursing.
The short Saiyan Prince was in the middle of a heated spar against an invisible partner. Vegeta's breath made small white wisps as he exercised; the frigid air stung his throat. Yet none of this deterred the Saiyan Prince. With every practiced stance, his resolve only hardened. He would become a Super Saiyan.
It was an insult to every decent Saiyan that ever lived that Kakkarot's brat was only a small child and was already able to obtain the coveted level. As Vegeta trained, he could hear the harsh words he knew his father would say if the King were still alive.
"You weak, pathetic whelp," hissed King Vegeta's ghostly voice in his son's mind.
Vegeta growled under his breath at his invisible tormentor. He pushed himself harder, until his body threatened to collapse if he didn't give it a break. Still, he pressed on.
From a few feet away, Radditz and Nappa studied the other warrior in his frenzied pace. The bald Saiyan chewed his bottom lip in an attempt to keep a worried look off of his face.
"Your Majesty?" piped up Radditz cautiously.
The Prince didn't respond. He continued training.
"Maybe you should rest now," continued Radditz slowly, afraid of provoking Vegeta. "You're going to wear yourself out."
Without warning, Vegeta flashed out of sight and reappeared in front of his comrade, landing a punch in Radditz's stomach. The other Saiyan doubled over in pain.
"Are you implying that I'm weak like you and require rest? I am the Prince of all Saiyans! I don't need to take a break. I will become a Super Saiyan before Kakkarot!"
"O-of c-course you will!" stuttered Nappa. "You're the greatest Saiyan alive!"
Vegeta ignored the false praise and continued his training.
Nappa and Radditz quietly discussed whether or not they should risk an attempt to render the Prince unconscious. It would be for his own good. But try telling that to Vegeta when he woke up.
Vegeta heard every word of their dialogue, his sensitive hearing picking up every syllable spoken. Yet, he chose to ignore his companions. It would be quite entertaining if they actually tried to go through with their little plot.
A falling star streaked across the night sky, leaving a momentary white scar against the pitch-black dome above. Vegeta paused to admire the small glimpse of beauty. His entire life all Vegeta had seen was death and destruction, nothing pure. Simple things like shooting stars fascinated him. He was about to return to his training when he noticed that the meteor did not fizzle out as it plummeted through the atmosphere. It remained quite solid and intact. Several miles off, there was a small explosion as the object crashed into the Earth's surface. Vegeta's eyes widened in terror.
The other two Saiyans stopped their conversation and stared off towards the landing site.
"It's him!" whispered Nappa hoarsely.
******
Trunks awoke with a start. He felt as if he had been dropped into a freezing cold lake. He began shivering as he felt the dark presence that had come to Earth. Next to him, Goten let out a startled cry and stirred from sleep. The younger boy turned to Trunks, fear etched on his face.
"Trunks, is it...." trailed off Goten.
"Freeza," confirmed the older boy.
******
"Oh Chi-Chi! This is wonderful!" cried Goku as he surveyed the vast feast in front of him. "It's all for me?"
His wife smiled and nodded.
"And when you're through, you can have 'dessert'," replied the brunette, holding up a can of whip cream and smiling devilishly.
Goku began to feel dizzy as he considered the endless possibilities presented to him with his wife and the sweet cream. Had he died and gone to Heaven again?
In the distance, Goku heard what sounded like someone pounding on the door. The noise grew louder and disrupted his thoughts.
"Wake up! Wake up!" screeched a voice.
Goku woke up from his dream, feeling dazed and confused. Beside him, Chi-Chi muttered and squirmed under the covers. The light flickered on, momentarily blinding Goku before his eyes readjusted. He caught a flash of purple-hair as Trunks sprinted out of the room and down the hall, continuing to bang on doors. Breathless, Goten appeared in the doorway, Gohan in tow.
"Freeza's here!" shouted Goten.
The young boy didn't wait for a reply. He ran off once more to help Trunks wake up the others.
Goku was now completely awake. He stretched out with his mind and detected a dark ki a several miles west.
"Is it true?" whispered Chi-Chi, studying her husband intently.
She let out a weak whimper as Goku nodded.
"Don't worry, Chi," he said, kissing her lightly on the forehead.
Goku scrambled out of bed and pulled on his orange gi. He heard Chi-Chi squeak again and turned to find Piccolo standing in the hallway.
"Are you ready, Son?" grunted the Namek, looking peeved at the slow reaction time of the human fighters.
"You bet!" cried Goku, heading out the door and joining the other warriors who were crowded into the Brief's family room. The group looked rather haphazard having rushed to get ready. Goten had donned an orange gi also, having borrowed it from Gohan.
"So you're coming, kiddo?" asked Goku, ruffling Goten's hair.
"Yep!"
Goten turned to a worried looking Gohan and smiled eagerly.
"Ready big brother?"
Gohan looked slightly less confident, but replied enthusiastically nonetheless.
"Yeah little brother!"
The assortment of warriors headed outside into the cold night air. They each began to power up.
"Hey! Wait for me!" cried a voice from behind them.
The door banged shut and Trunks came running towards the group, still in his pajamas.
"Whoa now! I don't think so," said Yamcha, holding his hand out. "This is going to be dangerous. We can't risk you getting hurt."
Trunks mouth fell open.
"But..." whined the boy, looking for support from the other warriors.
The others shook their heads.
"Yamcha's right," said Krillian, placing his hand on Trunks' shoulder. "You had better stay here. Look after Bulma and Chi-Chi, OK?"
Tears stung the child's eyes. Trunks looked down at the ground, trying to hide his crying. If they only knew....
Trunks felt two arms wrap around him.
"Don't cry," whispered Goten so that only he and Trunks could hear. "You're too strong for that."
Despite himself, Trunks smiled. He looked into Goten's warm eyes, which glowed with affection.
"Besides," Goten added, winking. "Princes don't cry."
Piccolo started, wondering if he had heard the child correctly. He looked to the other warriors, but no one else seemed to have picked up on the comment. Typical humans.
Goten stepped away from Trunks and levitated into the air.
"Take care of yourself Son Goten! If you let anything happen to yourself I'll never forgive you!" called out Trunks as he waved enthusiastically.
Goten and the others waved back before speeding off into the night sky.
Once they were out of sight, Trunks demeanor diminished. He looked about sulkily, feeling ignored and left out. He had never stood on the sidelines during a fight. This was going to drive him insane.
"Why such a sour look?" asked a voice behind him.
Trunks turned to see Bulma and Chi-Chi. They had changed out of their nightgowns and were dressed as if they were going somewhere. Bulma held up a capsule that Trunks recognized as one of the helicopters.
"Are you coming with us?" she asked.
Trunks laughed and nodded. He should have remembered his mother's tendency to tag along. A few minutes later, the trio were soaring into the air and were in pursuit of the warriors.
It was almost midnight. The moon hung low above the western horizon, turning an ominous red hue. The stars burned brightly in their respective places. Everything was silent except for the occasional distant howl of a predatory animal. And Vegeta's cursing.
The short Saiyan Prince was in the middle of a heated spar against an invisible partner. Vegeta's breath made small white wisps as he exercised; the frigid air stung his throat. Yet none of this deterred the Saiyan Prince. With every practiced stance, his resolve only hardened. He would become a Super Saiyan.
It was an insult to every decent Saiyan that ever lived that Kakkarot's brat was only a small child and was already able to obtain the coveted level. As Vegeta trained, he could hear the harsh words he knew his father would say if the King were still alive.
"You weak, pathetic whelp," hissed King Vegeta's ghostly voice in his son's mind.
Vegeta growled under his breath at his invisible tormentor. He pushed himself harder, until his body threatened to collapse if he didn't give it a break. Still, he pressed on.
From a few feet away, Radditz and Nappa studied the other warrior in his frenzied pace. The bald Saiyan chewed his bottom lip in an attempt to keep a worried look off of his face.
"Your Majesty?" piped up Radditz cautiously.
The Prince didn't respond. He continued training.
"Maybe you should rest now," continued Radditz slowly, afraid of provoking Vegeta. "You're going to wear yourself out."
Without warning, Vegeta flashed out of sight and reappeared in front of his comrade, landing a punch in Radditz's stomach. The other Saiyan doubled over in pain.
"Are you implying that I'm weak like you and require rest? I am the Prince of all Saiyans! I don't need to take a break. I will become a Super Saiyan before Kakkarot!"
"O-of c-course you will!" stuttered Nappa. "You're the greatest Saiyan alive!"
Vegeta ignored the false praise and continued his training.
Nappa and Radditz quietly discussed whether or not they should risk an attempt to render the Prince unconscious. It would be for his own good. But try telling that to Vegeta when he woke up.
Vegeta heard every word of their dialogue, his sensitive hearing picking up every syllable spoken. Yet, he chose to ignore his companions. It would be quite entertaining if they actually tried to go through with their little plot.
A falling star streaked across the night sky, leaving a momentary white scar against the pitch-black dome above. Vegeta paused to admire the small glimpse of beauty. His entire life all Vegeta had seen was death and destruction, nothing pure. Simple things like shooting stars fascinated him. He was about to return to his training when he noticed that the meteor did not fizzle out as it plummeted through the atmosphere. It remained quite solid and intact. Several miles off, there was a small explosion as the object crashed into the Earth's surface. Vegeta's eyes widened in terror.
The other two Saiyans stopped their conversation and stared off towards the landing site.
"It's him!" whispered Nappa hoarsely.
******
Trunks awoke with a start. He felt as if he had been dropped into a freezing cold lake. He began shivering as he felt the dark presence that had come to Earth. Next to him, Goten let out a startled cry and stirred from sleep. The younger boy turned to Trunks, fear etched on his face.
"Trunks, is it...." trailed off Goten.
"Freeza," confirmed the older boy.
******
"Oh Chi-Chi! This is wonderful!" cried Goku as he surveyed the vast feast in front of him. "It's all for me?"
His wife smiled and nodded.
"And when you're through, you can have 'dessert'," replied the brunette, holding up a can of whip cream and smiling devilishly.
Goku began to feel dizzy as he considered the endless possibilities presented to him with his wife and the sweet cream. Had he died and gone to Heaven again?
In the distance, Goku heard what sounded like someone pounding on the door. The noise grew louder and disrupted his thoughts.
"Wake up! Wake up!" screeched a voice.
Goku woke up from his dream, feeling dazed and confused. Beside him, Chi-Chi muttered and squirmed under the covers. The light flickered on, momentarily blinding Goku before his eyes readjusted. He caught a flash of purple-hair as Trunks sprinted out of the room and down the hall, continuing to bang on doors. Breathless, Goten appeared in the doorway, Gohan in tow.
"Freeza's here!" shouted Goten.
The young boy didn't wait for a reply. He ran off once more to help Trunks wake up the others.
Goku was now completely awake. He stretched out with his mind and detected a dark ki a several miles west.
"Is it true?" whispered Chi-Chi, studying her husband intently.
She let out a weak whimper as Goku nodded.
"Don't worry, Chi," he said, kissing her lightly on the forehead.
Goku scrambled out of bed and pulled on his orange gi. He heard Chi-Chi squeak again and turned to find Piccolo standing in the hallway.
"Are you ready, Son?" grunted the Namek, looking peeved at the slow reaction time of the human fighters.
"You bet!" cried Goku, heading out the door and joining the other warriors who were crowded into the Brief's family room. The group looked rather haphazard having rushed to get ready. Goten had donned an orange gi also, having borrowed it from Gohan.
"So you're coming, kiddo?" asked Goku, ruffling Goten's hair.
"Yep!"
Goten turned to a worried looking Gohan and smiled eagerly.
"Ready big brother?"
Gohan looked slightly less confident, but replied enthusiastically nonetheless.
"Yeah little brother!"
The assortment of warriors headed outside into the cold night air. They each began to power up.
"Hey! Wait for me!" cried a voice from behind them.
The door banged shut and Trunks came running towards the group, still in his pajamas.
"Whoa now! I don't think so," said Yamcha, holding his hand out. "This is going to be dangerous. We can't risk you getting hurt."
Trunks mouth fell open.
"But..." whined the boy, looking for support from the other warriors.
The others shook their heads.
"Yamcha's right," said Krillian, placing his hand on Trunks' shoulder. "You had better stay here. Look after Bulma and Chi-Chi, OK?"
Tears stung the child's eyes. Trunks looked down at the ground, trying to hide his crying. If they only knew....
Trunks felt two arms wrap around him.
"Don't cry," whispered Goten so that only he and Trunks could hear. "You're too strong for that."
Despite himself, Trunks smiled. He looked into Goten's warm eyes, which glowed with affection.
"Besides," Goten added, winking. "Princes don't cry."
Piccolo started, wondering if he had heard the child correctly. He looked to the other warriors, but no one else seemed to have picked up on the comment. Typical humans.
Goten stepped away from Trunks and levitated into the air.
"Take care of yourself Son Goten! If you let anything happen to yourself I'll never forgive you!" called out Trunks as he waved enthusiastically.
Goten and the others waved back before speeding off into the night sky.
Once they were out of sight, Trunks demeanor diminished. He looked about sulkily, feeling ignored and left out. He had never stood on the sidelines during a fight. This was going to drive him insane.
"Why such a sour look?" asked a voice behind him.
Trunks turned to see Bulma and Chi-Chi. They had changed out of their nightgowns and were dressed as if they were going somewhere. Bulma held up a capsule that Trunks recognized as one of the helicopters.
"Are you coming with us?" she asked.
Trunks laughed and nodded. He should have remembered his mother's tendency to tag along. A few minutes later, the trio were soaring into the air and were in pursuit of the warriors.
