A/N: Hey all and welcome back. It's been a bit of a toss up to see which of my stories are getting updated first. Thankfully I had a few chapters partially finished before my hiatus. And this one was one of the few.
Better late than never.
X
The party had come to a complete standstill when Vegeta fired his blast at Eis, now a deep tension was heavy in the air as the child's father stood with the Saiyan prince held off the ground by his jaw.
Cooler's red eyes bore through Vegeta's black ones, his grip on the smaller man's mouth a vice grip that tightened by a fraction every other second. The Saiyan would have fought to break the grip, but the piercing gaze of the Frost Demon had him frozen in his tracks. It was a look that promised pain, agony…
Death.
In a moment he was a child again, being beaten down by Frieza's subordinates as the tyrant himself smirked at his bloody and bruised form.
He was brought out of his memories when Cooler finally spoke. His voice quiet, but sharper than a blade and colder than ice.
"You want a fight so bad?" The Frost Demon raised his other hand, index and middle finger extended as he placed them in the center of his forehead much to the shock of Goku when he recognized the sign. "Wish granted."
In the next moment the two disgraced princes vanished. The Z-fighters tensed while those who were more skilled at ki-sense tried to search for them. Only to realize that neither of the duo were nearby.
Or even on Earth for that matter.
X
Cooler and Vegeta appeared on a desolate planet in a far corner of the galaxy, the Frost Demon tossing the Saiyan prince forward who regained his bearings and stood on his own two feet.
"So, finally decided to take me seriously?!" Vegeta demanded, his ki beginning to shroud him. "If I had known that threatening your brat was all it took, I would have done so much sooner."
Cooler crossed his arms and kept his gaze zeroed in on him. Betraying no emotions as he waited.
His opponent's silence angered the Saiyan prince as he began to power up. "It doesn't matter what strength you claim to have. I will prove to you, like I vowed to prove to Frieza, that my power will surpass any who get in my way! That no one can hope to beat the prince of all Saiyans!"
Energy gathered into his palm as he aimed it at Cooler. "So join your brother in HELL! BIG BANG ATTACK!" an enormous blast of blue ki launched forth hitting its target dead on with a massive explosion that cracked the ground and caused several nearby rock formations to collapse.
Grinning at the damage, Vegeta suddenly tensed when he felt a familiar power level behind him. "That was your one free shot."
The Saiyan prince spun around and saw Cooler standing there leering at him. "My turn."
Vegeta began charging another attack, but a leg slamming into his stomach stopped him cold. His body bending at the middle from the force of the hit before he was sent flying across the expanse, crashing through several large boulders with no sign of stopping.
Cooler appeared in his path, grabbing the back of his head and slamming him into the ground hard enough to neary bury him into the stone.
"The fact you have to hype yourself up so much before fighting is pathetic." the Frost Demon stated, his tone not losing its cold edge. His grip still on the back of Vegeta's head, he pulled the Saiyan up, his face bloody from the impact. Cooler's other hand came up and was aimed at the other prince's back. A powerful blast sending him flying again.
Vegeta grit his teeth through the pain and stopped his flight, spinning in mid-air and firing a Galick Gun attack back where he had come from.
Swatting the attack aside, Cooler vanished in a burst of speed and reappeared in Vegeta's face. Headbutting him hard enough to break his nose and send his head snapping backwards. The Frost Demon then grabbed the Saiyan and piledrived him into the ground once again.
He didn't give Vegeta the chance to recover as he grabbed him by the leg and began to slam him into the rocks around them like a rag doll.
Tossing the battered and bloody Saiyan prince to the ground, Cooler began to stalk after him. "What were you saying when we got here? Something about no one having any hope of beating the 'Prince of all Saiyans'?" he asked, standing only a couple meters from his downed opponent.
Vegeta looked up, blood dripping down over his eyes as he glared at the Frost Demon. "You want to see my true power so badly? You haven't earned that right." Cooler continued, clenching his fists. "But I'll be happy to show you half."
Power surging around him, Cooler transformed into his final form as his power level began to climb. The ground beneath him shook, cracking and splitting as his energy began to skyrocket. Bio-electricity crackled along his frame, the whole planet beginning to quake as the Frost Demon's strength grew higher and higher.
From his place on the ground, Vegeta paled as he sensed just how powerful Cooler was. Gnashing his teeth and clenching a fist as the full weight of the wide gap between their levels.
After another second or two, Cooler had stopped gathering energy. Standing in a small crater made by his rise in power. Ember colored electricity cracked around him like a minor storm as his glowing red eyes remained centered on the other prince.
"Still feeling lucky, Vegeta? Or do I need to keep teaching you?" he asked, crossing his arms over his now broad chest.
The Saiyan prince pulled himself to his feet, growling almost like a wounded, feral animal. Without any warning, he sent a barrage of ki blasts at the Frost Demon. Showing no sign of stopping even though anyone looking on could see that the attacks were desperate, and doing no damage to their target.
Cooler shook his head before he began walking forward. The energy attacks pelting him like rain splashing harmlessly on his bio-armor.
Vegeta amped up his aggression and power output, but there were no signs of him even slowing his opponent, let alone stopping him.
The Frost Demon's hand shot forward and grabbed the smaller man by his head. "Honestly, you think something would have sunk through this thick head of yours."Cooler said unimpressed, a telekinetic blast sending Vegeta slamming into the side of a small mountain.
He appeared before the other prince, hand grabbing him around the throat and clenched. Vegeta gagged, his neck on the edge of snapping. Opening his eyes, he saw Cooler raise his other hand, pointer-finger extended with a small light of energy gathering at the tip that was poised between his eyes.
"This will be your final warning, Vegeta." Cooler said with a grim tone. "Threaten my child again. And I will break you in every way that you fear before vaporizing you to the abyss. The so-called 'Prince of all Saiyans' will be nothing more than a distant memory, lost and forgotten to time." he leaned in close until their faces were mere inches apart, his eyes glowing like hellfire. "Tell me you understand."
Vegeta grit his teeth, but the knowledge that his death was not even an inch away stalled his tongue. Despite his wounded pride and body, he knew full well that Cooler had him at his complete mercy and would carry out his threat without hesitation.
He allowed his arrogance to get the better of him, and he crossed a line that would very well see him joining his Father and the rest of his race. So for the sake of his own survival, the Saiyan prince swallowed his pride and answered;
"Y...Yes. I un...derstand…" he managed to wheeze out.
Cooler narrowed his eyes and lowered his pointer finger, powering down the death beam he had prepared. His fist then connected with Vegeta's temple and knocked him out.
"I swear, if you weren't needed for the future of his planet. I'd kill you here and now." the Frost Demon said to the unconscious Saiyan. "Even though you're meant to have a big change of heart down the road, right now you're nothing but a liability to everyone's survival...including that of your future son and his mother."
He grabbed Vegeta by the back of his shirt and started to drag him across the ground, "If it means protecting this universe and those who inhabit it, I'll do what is necessary to achieve that goal. Even if that means taking out someone who's supposed to be an ally later." Cooler put his fingers to his forehead and disappeared via instant transmission.
X
Everyone at Capsule Corp. waited with baited breath. It had only been a few minutes since Cooler and Vegeta vanished, and they were wondering what was going on.
Yamcha had said something about Cooler possibly doing the Saiyan Prince in for what he tried to pull and that no one would really shed a tear about it. Though a couple of people in their group were a little put off at the possibility of their newest ally killing Vegeta, even though most of them believed he deserved it in one way or another.
Their thoughts came to a stop when the Frost Demon appeared in the same spot he disappeared from before. Towering over everyone in his final form, his power-level making several sweat at the pressure that now saturated the air.
"Good news, Bulma." he said before tossing Vegeta's battered form to the grass. "I found someone willing to test out your new rejuvenation chamber."
Bulma knelt down and checked the Saiyan Prince over. "Well, he's alive." In the back of the group Yamcha cursed before handing a couple of Zeni to Krillin. The blue haired genius typed a couple buttons on her watch and a couple of drones carrying a stretcher between them came out and collected Vegeta before making their way back inside. "I'll get him hooked up. He should be back on his feet soon." she continued before following after the robots.
"I'm actually surprised you didn't kill him, after what he tried to pull." said Piccolo.
Eis approached her father who patted her on the head gently, "I made my feelings very clear to him. There won't be a next time."
"Why's that?" asked Tien.
Cooler powered down before answering, "Because I will kill him if he tries something like that again." The tone of his voice telling all who heard that he was serious.
"I don't think he'll pull something like that again," said Goku.
The Frost Demon centered his sharp gaze on him, "You sure about that? Because from where I was standing he tried to kill both our children without an ounce of remorse. And for what? Because he couldn't face the truth when it was right in front of him."
"We're gonna need all the help we can get against the androids. Killing him won't solve anything." the Earth-raised Saiyan replied with conviction.
Cooler sighed deeply, "I respect your will to see the good in others, despite the evil they committed in the past...but you are a fool, Goku." ignoring the shocked look on everyone's faces he continued, "Not everyone you encounter will change their ways. You got lucky that Gohan was able to win Piccolo over to a certain degree that he became a team player. Then you allowed Vegeta to get away after Nappa killed most of your friends, only for him to inflict untold death and chaos on the Namekians for the sake of gaining immortality. Only teaming up with your son and Krillin as a means to an end where he would have gotten rid of them when he got what he wanted."
"Next, you showed my brother mercy. After everything horrible he committed, killing Namek itself, trying to kill your son, almost killing Piccolo and managing to kill Krillin which triggered your first transformation...yet you still gave him energy in the hopes he would let things go where he used it to attack you in the end. Only to then come here to kill everyone you care about."
Crossing his arms, Cooler decided to hammer one last point home. "And finally, you allowed remnants of the Red Ribbon army to survive. Dr. Gero among them. Which leads to our current problem. All of these points I'm making lead back to one conclusion."
The Frost Demon narrowed his eyes, "Your defunct sense of morality, and your Saiyan instincts to fight stronger opponents clash badly. And will lead to the death of everything and everyone you care about."
His final statement caused a shiver to go up the spines of most of those around him. "H-How can you say that?" asked Krillin.
"Easily. If your enemies were put down when you had the moment to, many things could have turned out better." Cooler said simply. "Not everyone has good in them. Many are evil beyond comparison, or are too corrupt to be saved. Showing leniency, mercy, or giving them a 'fighting chance', just gives them the excuse to come back and try to kill you later. And will probably succeed."
Goku frowned, "It's not that simple."
Cooler tilted his head, "Isn't it? What's gonna happen when the androids are dealt with? You think all this time on Earth will change Vegeta? Or will he come after you to prove who is the strongest? Can you tell me with certainty that he'll decide to join you in protecting the innocent, when he was so willing to kill children a few minutes ago?"
The Saiyan didn't answer.
"I'm not going to lie. I've killed many. Each and every one of them deserved that fate because they would have kept trying to bring harm to others. Not giving them an ounce of mercy, because they gave none to their victims." The Frost Demon pressed on. "I'm not the villain Frieza was, or the tyrant that Cold was, but I will do what is needed to those who have pushed me to that point. Because sometimes to deal with the monsters out in the universe, you need to send a bigger one to deal with them."
"Someone will always have to get their hands dirty, so that everyone else can remain clean."
Having said his piece, Cooler put a hand on Eis' shoulder and they began to leave the courtyard. The oldest of the two pausing after a few steps. "You may not like my methods. But I am, and will always be, on your side. As I've said before, Vegeta's pride, arrogance and ego will get someone killed. And if that should come to pass, if it comes down to one of your lives and the fate of this planet or Vegeta...then he will no longer be a problem."
With that last bit spoken, father and daughter took to the air and flew back to their home. Leaving the Z-Fighters to think about what he had said.
X
Several hours later found Cooler sitting in a meditative state in front of his home. Calming his mind after what had transpired earlier.
It wasn't his intention to unload such things on the Z-Fighters, but he figured it was time to call out a few harsh truths in regards to their past battles. A constant underlying theme of giving their opponents too many chances and openings.
One of the things he always remembered about the DBZ universe from his old world was that the fighters always dragged things out. Either they were trying to prove superiority for one reason or another, or they were giving their opponents a fighting chance.
Both possibilities were stupid. Charging a powerful attack or building up strength and energy is one thing, but worlds and lives were at stake. And giving your enemies a better chance to kill you in the end wasn't worth it.
One of the first rules he made for himself when he was reborn was either to never give his enemies the chance to regroup, or put them down immediately. It was a fighting belief that firmly belonged in the ruthless aggression category. But it was one that showed results to those who earned such seriousness from him.
Goku was the epitome of a paragon, a shining hero who went above and beyond for the innocent. He could respect that in many ways, but the Earth-raised Saiyan loses a good deal of that respect with the ignorant and naive decisions he has made and will make in the future.
Chief among them being when he threw Gohan at Cell before giving the bio-android a damn senzu bean. All for the sake of trying to make his son unlock his hidden power to take their enemy down. And the fact that he just stood there as his son was beaten like that...by far the Saiyan's greatest blunder.
Pushing the thoughts far from his mind, Cooler resumed his mediation. He could sense Eis' ki in the forest around their house, his daughter spending most days exploring the different plants and animals after having spent most of her life on ships with wonder. It brought a smile to his face to know that she was so happy in what was becoming their new home.
Just as he was settling back in, another energy signature came into the edge of his senses and headed his way.
The Frost Demon focused on the energy and found it to be too low to be any of the Z-fighters, but was approaching rather quickly to be normal for a human...unless.
Cooler snapped his eyes open and looked up to see a small hover plane flying overhead. Standing as the craft made a small turn before landing in the front yard of the house. A moment later the cockpit door opened and a familiar blonde woman stepped out.
"Tights? I wasn't expecting you." the Frost Demon said, genuinely surprised at her arrival.
"The party winded down pretty quick after you left, thought I'd come up this way in case Bulma's houseguest woke up pissed." the older Brief's sibling explained.
Cooler smirked, "Even with her rejuvenation chamber up and running, it'll take a while before Vegeta's back to full strength. I wanted my little lesson to stick this time."
Tights nodded, "I get that. Can't believe he thought attacking Eis and Gohan like that was a good idea. Surprised you didn't kill him, everyone else thought you would."
"Believe me, I wanted to. But killing a potential ally against the androids would do us no good. That, and I didn't want to deal with Goku giving me the riot act for dealing with the royal pain in the ass."
The blonde took a moment to look around the property. She'd never been to Cooler and Eis' home, and she had been glad Bulma had given her the coordinates so she could drop in.
Her sister seemed way too willing to do so, which didn't surprise the eldest of the duo considering her attempts at matchmaking.
"Where's Eis?" she asked after a few moments.
"Exploring in the forest. She spends most of the time that isn't training, studying or spending time with Gohan to try and see every plant and animal this planet has to offer." Cooler replied with a fond smile, "Something she takes from her mother. Always wanting to discover something new and exciting and understand more about it."
Tights was surprised, "She's out there alone? Is that safe?"
"Eis is stronger than almost anything else on Earth, aside from me and a couple of the Z-Fighters. And I trained her to always be aware of her surroundings and how to handle threats." the Frost Demon explained.
As if on cue, they heard giggling and looked up to see Eis flying through the air above them. A flock of small birds fluttering around her chirping happily before they all disappeared among the trees again.
The little Frost Demon's joy was infectious as her father and Tights both laughed at seeing her having fun.
"It must be amazing. Being able to fly like that." said the human. "I've seen Bulma's friends doing it all the time. To know that certain people can do that sort of thing is anything short of mind blowing."
Cooler gave her a sideways glance, "Do you want to?" Tights blinked and looked at him confused. "Learn how to fly?" he added, causing her mouth to fall open in shock.
"Is...Can I? Is it possible?" she asked, still stunned at the idea.
"Anyone can learn. Though it is difficult for some, especially those who have never harnessed their ki before. But it's definitely not impossible, it'll just take time and work." said the Frost Demon.
Tights thought it over, weighing the many pros and cons. The former definitely outweighed the latter, and it wasn't like she didn't have a whole lot of time on her hands at the moment. Not only that...but she could learn to FLY! It would certainly be something different and equally amazing.
Then there was also the fact she would be spending more time with Cooler and his daughter. Which was a bonus on its own.
Mind made up, Tights turned to Cooler and nodded. "What do we do first?"
Cooler smiled back at her before sitting cross-legged on the grass, motioning for her to do the same in front of him. "First, we need to get you to harness your body's energy. Then how to control it. After that, we'll take the steps needed to learn to fly."
The older Brief sister nodded again as the Frost Demon began to explain what ki was and the steps to harness it from her body.
As this was going on, Eis was watching from the treeline. A small bird on her left shoulder and a squirrel on her right. A smile spread across her face as she saw her papa teaching Tights the same way he taught her.
She didn't need to be super smart to know her papa liked being around Miss Tights. And she knew full well that Miss Tights liked being around her papa. They both smiled and talked a lot when they were together, and she would notice the blonde human turning red once in a while, not from anger or embarrassment, but something else.
The little Frost Demon loved her papa very much. He was strong and kind, showering her with love and attention while trying to make the universe a better place unlike her evil uncle and grandpa. But at the same time, Eis would notice how lonely he was.
Even though she couldn't remember her mama, her papa told her everything she ever wanted to know about her. Showing her pictures and giving her her mama's journals from when she was alive. But whatever memories she had were blurry, and she felt bad for not being able to remember the one who gave her life.
Because of her Uncle Frieza, she had to grow up without a mama. But her papa had been there for her as much as possible, even though he had to do it alone. And although she was grateful, Eis always wondered what it would be like to have a mama too.
He hid his pain, but once in a while Eis could see it. She hated seeing her papa sad and lonely. And she had hoped that one day he wouldn't be anymore.
Now though, her hopes seemed to be paying off. The pain she had seen in her papa's eyes faded, and he seemed very happy whenever Miss Tights came around.
The little Frost Demon vowed to never let her papa's happiness disappear. And maybe...just maybe, she could finally know what it was like to have a mama...
X
A/N: Pretty sure Vegeta got the point, for now anyway.
Despite how well I've gotten Cooler to get along with the Z-Fighters, a clash of morals and ethics was always a strong possibility. And anyone who has ever been a fan of the Dragonball franchise knows that there were plenty of character faults with how the gang dealt with their enemies.
And with Cooler thrown in and mixing things up, coming events are going to change in ways those involved could never fathom.
Which is even more apparent with how Cooler and Tights are interacting, with Eis making her own plans.
I'll try to have the next update out as soon as I can, until then stay tuned guys!