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Sins of the Fathers Part 6/?
*…* denotes flashbacks
The wind dropped as the standoff between the two warriors continued. Neither of them gave an inch. They stared at each other, judging how best to attack and defend once the inevitable happened.
The taller of the two crouched into a defensive posture. Clad in a blue and orange gi, his unkempt jet coloured hair whipped back from his face as he charged. The younger fighter's appearance, he knew, was deceiving. Slender, almost feminine in build, white and cobalt blue armour covering its entire body, it began its attack, fist raised in anticipation of the impending violence.
Light flooded the area, bathing the observants with its purity. As the dust from the explosion settled, the two combatants exchanged a flurry of kicks and blows so fast as to be rendered invisible to the naked eye. Landing solidly on the hard terrain, the Super Saiya-jin of Chikyuu began to charge a kamehameha wave, the concentrated ki flaring blue in his cupped fists. The attack flew towards the changeling; too slow by far to fit something so fast.
Perhaps there was something to be said for the changelings. Formidable, proud, arrogant…The memory of Vegeta lying helplessly on the ground beside him, a bloody hole burning through his heart, tears unrestrainedly falling from his eyes, his voice rasping in agony and grief…It hurt. A lot. The Saiya-jin prince had been someone he had honestly respected, trusted to a certain extent, maybe even have called a friend…
He wondered if Reizoku had ever truly known that his father was a genocidal maniac. Known before he could speak that he was the offspring of a being that had slaughtered billions without a shred of guilt. Known before he was able to take his first steps that his sire had nothing that was considered humane or compassionate in his soul…
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* The emotions swirled around his head in a maelstrom of confusion. Ever since the…incident with the Saiya-jin and his sensei, he had mostly given up trying to feel anything. Somehow he was grateful for the two failures of repressed emotion, or rather, he was grateful as to how they had manifested themselves in his life.
He was still uneasy however. The prince of the changelings, the heir to the Koruudo Empire should never feel these emotions. His father would taunt him for being so sentimental, and Koola…the less said of his older brother the better. Then again, they couldn't mock him for experiencing something they had never had the sheer good fortune to know.
Still, this wasn't what he had expected. He had been a killer from as far back as he could remember. The destroyer of races, of planets, of star systems…even the killer of Koruudo Tundra. He was meant to take life, not create it.
In the shadow of the seventy-ninth world bearing his name, Frieza kept a close eye on the slim form curled in his bed. Unsurprisingly considering the events of the past few hours, Koori was in a deep state of slumber. He didn't blame her for being exhausted. A changeling labour wasn't one of the most pain-free experiences in the universe; he was merely relieved she had given birth safely. And the product of their union was lying peacefully in a small crib next to his mate's bedside.
Knowing he would not be seen, the changeling allowed himself to smile slightly at the sight of his beautiful mate. Koola had been interested in her for a considerable time; quite laughable really, when he later found out she had never seen him as anything more than an annoyance. That it was his younger brother whom she really cared for…He hadn't been looking for a life partner at the time, but she had a certain…hold over him. A hold that had never changed ever since they had first met. It had only grown stronger over the years they had been enjoined, culminating in the creation of the tiny lifeform lying next to her.
He abandoned his position by the viewing window and levitated across the room until he was standing over his son's crib. Although just a few hours old, Koruudo Reizoku was still awake, his strange new world currently more important to him than sleep. His dark blue eyes gazed up curiously at his surroundings, focusing on the strange horned being staring down at him.
The innocent gaze of his son bore straight into Frieza's brain, oddly disturbing him. A strange instinct compelled him onwards. Reaching into the tiny bed, he hesitantly lifted the bundle of blankets into his arms as he had seen Koori do barely an hour ago. After a few seconds, the uneasiness passed and a strange reassurance overtook it. It felt like second nature to hold this little life close to him. Leaning against the wall, staring out at the starscape before him, he kept his eyes on his son, scrutinising him closely. Reizoku bore an amazing resemblance to his sire in his final form, his features a mirror of his own. His crests and his eyes though were those of his mother, cobalt and midnight blue. His tail lay curled beside him; the end of it clutched in his tiny white fist.
His duty now lay with this little one. The energy and life he had once devoted to the Planet Trade would now forever remain with this child and his mother.
/You have no conception of what you can command of me, young one./ The changeling watched as his son buried closer to the warmth of his father's body before closing his tiny eyes, his tail falling out of his newborn grasp. /I promise you now, any desire you have will be instantly fulfilled. The most trivial of problems; I will solve them. You will never know fear, pain or suffering. You will be the prince of a hundred stars, a thousand worlds. The universe will see your shadow pass over it and worship you as the god you will become.
And until that time, I will protect you through every moment of your existence. No one will harm you for as long as I watch over you./
He placed the child back into the crib, and stood guard over him until dawn.
/No one will ever harm you…my son./*
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No movement could be sensed from inside the crater, but Goku knew from experience that the changeling prince would emerge soon, with more than a few new bruises to add to his considerable collection. He hadn't remained untouched however; Rei was as good a fighter as Frieza had been, but unlike his father, he refused to let his pride or personal feelings get in the way of battle. As such, the Super Saiya-jin possessed several painful scratches over his forearms, he was fairly certain he'd broken a few ribs and knew that at least two of his teeth were loose.
A howl echoed from inside the earth as several geysers burst through the dusty terrain, followed by one battered and bloodied changeling. Floating a few metres away from his opponent, Reizoku stretched his arms, hearing the bones pop inside their joints. This was what his father had fought against; this was how he had battled against Goku back on Namek so many years ago. Even without either of them powering up, it was one hell of a fight. But he wanted more than this. He wanted to see the Super Saiya-jin transformation himself, with his own eyes. And the only way to do this was through his ultimate attack.
The Saiya-jin kept a watchful eye on his opponent as he hunched his shoulders slightly, raising his ki for something…The ivory figure was surrounded in a pure white aura, a few shades lighter than his own skin tone. Raising his arms above his head, Reizoku started to spin his entire body around in a close circle, his form blurring until it became a mere impression of ivory and cobalt flashes. A cold, almost arctic wind was emanating from the changeling's spinning form.
An explosion to the left caught Goku off-guard. The blast clearly hadn't originated from any of the others, and he knew it wasn't one of his own attacks, which left…
Something heavy and exceedingly cold impacted on his chest, followed immediately by another on his right arm. The pain was excruciating; it felt like a thousand freezing knives were being stabbed into his body, immobilising his joints and dulling his reactions. He was vaguely aware he was wheezing, his lungs working overtime to force air back into his body.
The sensation kick-started his brain, thoughts racing to find a solution to cure the freezing agony; and only one option was remotely feasible. It wasn't the best time for the transformation, but the warm-up for this battle had long since ended.
Time to let the son of Frieza learn what it meant to fight a real Super Saiya-jin.
He was frankly impressed. Not many could follow the speed of the Aisusu-Kaze [1], much less survive the impact of the ice blasts. Reizoku managed to repress a smile as he felt Goku's ki race. Success in that respect at least. The urge left him as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped open in shock. Goku looked like he was on fire, a golden aura surrounding him, melting the ice that had frozen over his body. A small updraft, probably ki-induced, whipped his hair into upright spikes. An unearthly scream echoed around the mountains as the Saiya-jin's eyes coloured a deep turquoise green, his hair colour changing from obsidian to pure blond at the same time.
'Is this what you wanted?' He smirked slightly at the changeling's expression.
He stared at the Saiya-jin in complete amazement. /Is this how Papa felt, after he saw the transformation himself? Did he realise then that killing Kuririn was how he'd meet his demise? Yes…this is what I want. I want to see the one who defeated my father./
The two figures vanished in twin blurs of speed. The battle commenced.
Gohan, Goten and Trunks watched the duel with great interest. Reizoku was powerful; there was no doubt of that. But against Goku's power…he wouldn't last much longer, even if he was more powerful than Frieza. Vegeta kept an intrigued eye on the proceedings, occasionally coughing a few drops of water from his lungs and glaring at his daughter. Kitara however, was watching the battle in open-mouthed amazement, the power of her Umiyo-Ken [2] temporarily forgotten. The Super Saiya-jin transformation really was as amazing as she had heard.
'All of you can…?'
Trunks glanced back at her. 'Yeah, it's pretty easy once you know how.'
'And Dad's a…?'
'Why wouldn't he be?'
The Saiya-jin female folded her arms and deliberately stared at her father. 'Pardon me for being sceptical, but ever heard the phrase 'Legendary'? It generally means there's only one.'
Only Vegeta's sheer love for his daughter prevented him from beating her into a bloody pulp for her disrespect. He kept his irritation restrained to a glare that could have burned holes in Kitara's flesh. 'Kakarott is the Legendary in that respect; he was the first one of us to ascend. I followed shortly afterwards, then Gohan, then the brats.'
An explosion roared from a nearby rock formation, attracting everyone's attention. Due to the changeling-shaped hole in the rock, Reizoku had clearly been on the wrong end of a punch thrown by Goku. The Saiya-jin floated over the impact crater, waiting for his opponent to re-emerge.
The familiar, slightly apologetic grin crossed Goku's face as he dropped to the ground and peered into the crater. 'Sorry about that. You ready to try again?'
A slightly distant yell could be heard from inside the collapsed rock. This cry however, wasn't one of rage. It was one of acknowledged defeat. 'No thanks…I think I broke something…' A few rocks shifted as Reizoku crawled out, covered in blood and scars, dragging his left leg uselessly behind him. Goku glanced at the injury and felt his stomach churn slightly. A compound fracture, the bone clearly visible even through the violet-coloured blood and black dirt. He was impressed that the changeling hadn't passed out from the shock. However…
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Keeping above the cloud level, Goten and Trunks flew alongside Reizoku as they followed Goku, Gohan and Vegeta back to Capsule Corps. Kitara was flying next to her father and Goku, apparently trying to worm more information about the transformation out of the two warriors.
'What was that thing your dad gave to me anyway?' The changeling stared at his hands and glanced back at his leg. Not even a scar remained from the fracture, and the rest of his injuries had healed completely. He felt stronger than he had been for weeks.
'A sensu bean. Dad keeps them around when we're training.'
/Wow. Forget the weird dragon-sphere things Papa was looking for, these are much more impressive./ 'These sensu beans…they can heal all wounds?'
Trunks nodded. 'Even mortal injuries. They restore strength as well.'
'And in the case of the Saiya-jin…' Reizoku looked towards the older fighters. 'No wonder you're so powerful.' He kept his gaze on the female in front, who from her actions was busy pleading for extra training from the three Super Saiya-jin.
'I guess Kitara's got a lot to catch up on.'
TBC
[1] Aisusu-Kaze = Ice Wind. Conducts arctic wind currents and super-freezes water vapour into ki powered ice missiles. Can kill from impact alone or as a result of freezing the lungs and blood supply. Strength depends on amount of water vapour in the air. (1% of Earth's air is made up of water vapour.)
Since I forgot this in the last part: Kitara's ultimate attack.
[2] Umiyo-Ken = Fist of the Ocean. Draws on the power of a planet's seas or oceans, forming into a dragon-like apparition as a form of distraction while the user powers up a fist of ki. After the attack is launched, the water dragon surrounds the opponent holding him/her inside with a ki shield. Strength depends on user, and the planet's surface coverage by water. (Earth's surface is 60% covered by the oceans.)