Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters. Wish I did.
*Author's Note* Sorry about the wait on this chapter, but aside from real-life stuff taking precedence, I've been suffering from slight writer's block. I hope to get out the chapters a little sooner in the future.
Goku stared in disbelief at the creature Vegeta was looking upon with an expression of pure hate and loathing. It was a combination of pink, purple, and white. Its face was graced with a small smirk, as if totally assured of its superiority to every being present. Its eyes (a deep, blood-red), as well as its nose and black lips, were flanked by two pink, vertical stripes. Its head was topped by a bright, purple dome, surrounded by white ridges, under which rested a scouter, like the one worn by Vegeta. However, the most striking feature by far was the horns. The creature sat in a small pod, which floated several meters off the ground. Goku sensed that despite this, the creature was more than powerful enough to fly on its own.
"I don't recall saying I needed help on this mission, Freeza."
"My dear Vegeta, I never said you did," the creature Freeza said, its voice dripping with flase sweetness, "I am simply here to protect my own interests."
"Oh really?" sneered Vegeta, and Goku could easily hear the barely-concealed rage in his voice, "the last time I checked, I was conquering this planet for your profit."
"Yes. However, I was listening in your fight over your scouter, and heard your threat of completely destroying this planet," its smirk grew slightly bigger ,"I believe I specified that I wanted the inhabitants of this planet left alive in the orders I sent to Nappa."
"Since when do you care about the inhabitants of any planet?" sneered Vegeta.
"I do not owe any explainations to you Vegeta," said Freeza, all sweetness gone from his voice, "but there are... resources... available on this planet, which seem to be dependant on certain members of the population." Goku blinked. He could have sworn that Freeza's eyes had flicked toward Piccolo when he said that. He glanced at Piccolo himself. Their eyes met, and Goku saw that Piccolo was thinking the same thng he was. There was only one 'resource' on this planet that Freeza could mean, but no; that was impossible... how could he know?
"Normally I would have one of my assistants finish you off for your insubordination, Vegeta," said Freeza, a definate sneer in his voice now, "but I have always found you to be... amusing." The creature levitated out of its pod, coming to rest a few feet off the ground. Its tail slowly swished back and forth, conveying Freeza's utter contempt for anyone or anything that dared to try and fight him.
"However, I'm still willing to give you a sporting chance Vegeta. I won't use my hands or my feet," he said, folding his arms and legs, like two pairs of snakes, each deadly, waiting to strike out at any time. Vegeta began shaking in rage at this. He, the Prince of Saiyajins, was being mocked. Toyed with. Freeza didn't know what he was dealing with. He didn't consider Vegeta worth the trouble of using his limbs.
"Is he that powerful," thought Goku, "or is he just overconfident?"
Freeza's smirk widened. "I'll even let you make the first move," he said, his voice filled with the implication that Vegeta could not possibly stand a chance. This was too much. Vegeta launched himself at Freeza, pouring all the power he could into a single punch. He landed a right hook on Freeza's jaw. Freeza's head snapped to the right, but he stood still otherwise. Vegeta was the one with the smirk now. Freeza's head slowly turned back to Vegeta. Its smirk was wider than ever.
"Well, well, Vegeta," Freeza said, "You may actually prove to be a decent warm-up... for my shadow sparring." With that he whipped around, his tail sending Vegeta flying into a nearby rock formation. When the dust cleared Vegeta lay there, unmoving. Freeza floated over, and came down beside Vegeta's still form.
"Lost the will to fight already, Vegeta? Very well, I'll amuse myself with your little 'friends' before I finish you." Freeza rose from his crouching position and turned away from Vegeta.
"damn.... ice-lizard... bastard...." Freeza's head snapped around at the new signof life from Vegeta.
"So! You have a little fight left in you," he slowly walked back to the prone Vegeta. "I suppose you need a little more DISCIPLINE!" With the last word his tail shot forward, hitting Vegeta's side... and not stopping. Goku, standing at the distance he was, heard an audible cracking, and felt Vegeta's chi dropping down to the level of one that is unconscious. Freeza again turned to face the remaining fighters of Earth.
"Now then," Freeza sneered, "Before I destroy you, I think we should discuss the small matter... of the Dragon Balls."
Goku and Piccolo looked at each other. Goku didn't need to use telepathy to know that they both shared the same question: How did he know?
Piccolo stood over the bleeding Radditz, mortally wounded after a combined attack by himself and Goku.
"Give my regards Enma-sama, Saiyajin."
"This isn't the end..." Radditz whispered. Piccolo snorted. Even after taking a Light of Death and Kamehameha Wave to the chest, the Saiyajin still had the strength to boast.
"Funny, that hole in your torso says different."
"Fool... you think I'm the only Saiyajin left?" Radditz managed an evil smirk "There are two more, twice as powerful as me... they'll... kill.... you all...." With that, the final bit of life drained from the Saiyajin's body. Piccolo looked down at the lifeless face, still frozen in a smirk, contemplating his final words. He looked over at Goku, kneeling over his unconscious son, the brat who had shown such power today...
"You know what?" he said, looking down at Radditz's body, "I don't think they will. And even if they do, know one will stay dead for long. That's what Dragon Balls are for." He turned around and walked toward Goku, his uneasy ally. If what Radditz had said about the other two Saiyajins was true, they had some major training to do. And they would need the power hidden inside that brat to come out again...
"When I first heard the mention of these 'Dragon Balls' over the scouter, I dismissed them as nonsense." Freeza's smirk grew. "However, I soon remembered the legend of the Power Spheres of Namek. I decided that it could not hurt to look. After we destroyed the first village, we found a most.... curious relic." Goku and Piccolo exchanged glaces again. Goku had an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew where this was heading.
"One of the survivors of the village was kind enough to confirm our suspicions that it was indeed, a Dragon ball. One of seven, in fact," he got an incredibly evil look in his eye, "You would be amazed how much someone will tell you if you threaten those close to him." Goku tensed. He knew Freeza wasn't bluffing, and that he had just conveyed a threat against all his friends and family.
"We continued our search of the planet, eventually finding six of our seven targets. It was then that our scouters lead us to the last location of Namekians that we had not already visited. We may have passed it by, as there were only two readings there, but their power was high enough to attract our attention. We thought the damn fools had evacuated, leaving the strongest two they could find to guard their precious Dragon Balls," his voice told them that he found it utterly hilarious that anyone dreamed of stopping him. "When we first arrived, there was one waiting for us. A warrior Namekian, he called himself. He wished to challenge us to battle. I decided to humor him." Freeza's wicked grin faded slightly here.
"He turned out to be more of a challenge than I had thought. He took out both my personal assistants, and Gurd of the Ginyu Force. I offered to let him join my ranks, but he refused, so.." his smirk returned, "I allowed the rest of the Ginyu Force to finish him. Inside the building the Namek had been guarding, we found a helpless old Namek watching over the last Dragon Ball." Freeza's smirk disappeared entirely now, replaced by a scowl full of fury and rage. Even Goku realized that it was thanks to the Namekian now being described that they were not facing an immortal.
"So, I sense that you have killed Nail."
"Hm. Quite perceptive," scowled Freeza, "You certainly don't seem very concerned."
"I have also sensed that Nail took quite a few of you with him." A faint smile played on the lips of the ancient Namekian. "Nail loved battle, and would have wished to die no other way."
"I also feel I should warn you that even if you take this Dragon Ball, it is unlikely that you will get your wish.""Hmph. I somehow doubt that." Freeza signalled one of his henchmen to take the Dragon Ball from its place on the back of the Namekian's chair. "Oh, and since you seem so casual about your friends death..." Freeza slowly turned back to the Elder.
"Why don't you JOIN HIM!!!" A beam of light shot from Freeza's finger, striking the Namek square on the heart, killing him instantly.
Those present could have sworn they heard a faint echoing voice: "As I said... you will never get your wish..."
And Freeza let burst a scream of anger and rage as each and every one of the Dragon Balls turned to stone.
"So you see, I had gained a new planet, and a new species for enslavement, but lost my goal of immortality," Freeza's smirk slightly returned, "and that is where you, and this planet, come in." He turned to Piccolo, who stepped back slightly, then came forward, a determined glint in his eye.
"I know what you're gonna ask..."
A sudden realization hit Goku: "Of course! He thinks Piccolo's the only one who knows about the Dragon Balls!"
"... and all I can tell you is FORGET IT!!!" Freeza slowly advanced, that smirk growing ever so slightly.
"No?" (the smirk grew a little more) "Well, I suppose I'll just have to use the same tactics I did on Namek." His eyes began roving.
"Let's see... who's first..." his eyes came to rest. "I think the brat first."
"NO! GOHAAAN!!!" Goku was moving as fast as he could, but the beam had already left Freeza's palm, flashing towards where Piccolo had placed him, unconscious. He wasn't going to make it, Goku wasn't fast enough, Gohan.... and suddenly, Piccolo was there. The blast enveloped him, but Gohan remained safe. When Goku stopped a second later, he kneeled not over his son, but over Piccolo, wounded, charred. Wounded because he had chosen to defend another with all he had. Piccolo Daimoh, the Great Demon King.
Kami-sama, looking down on the planet he had guarded for so long, smiled.
"Mr. Popo..."
"Yes, Kami-sama?"
"It is time." The black skinned figure of Mr. Popo stood in shock for a moment, his red lips parted as if to speak, but then he hung his head in acceptance.
"Yes, Kami-sama."
"Take good care of the next Kami."
"I will." Kami-sama's head turned slightly to look back at his assistant.
"Oh, and Mr. Popo..."
"Yes?"
"Take care, old friend, take care......"
"Piccolo..." The Namekian raised his head slightly, looking at Goku.
"Look at me Goku. The Great Demon King reduced to this. Saving a child..." Piccolo lay his head back, closing his eyes. "Damn you, Goku... it was you and your brat that did this to me. Your softness."
"Piccolo-"
"Goku... tell Gohan... goodbye..." and the last bit of life faded from Piccolo's body.
Goku slowly stood, turning to face Freeza. There were tears in his eyes. But as he looked at Freeza, he was filled with a rage he had experienced only once before. When he was only just entering his teens, at the Budokai. When he had found Kuririn dead, killed for the four-star Dragon Ball.
"For all the Namekians you've killed and enslaved... for all the Earthlings you would've... for Kami-sama... for Piccolo.... I. Will. BEAT YOU! HAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
And as the fury consumed the body and mind of Son Goku, his world exploded in power and light.
Next: The Fall of a Tyrant
*Author's Note* Yeah, I know, I'm a heartless &@$#@^% for doing that to Namek and Piccolo, but don't worry, the Dragon Balls may yet return. Anyway, next chapter, things REALLY start to get interesting. Stay tuned! ~_^