Disclaimer: As if it wasn't obvious, I don't own Dragon Ball Z.

Dragonball Z: The Catalyst

Act I:

Chapter 9: Nappa's Fate

The two figures standing on the earth were staring at him, the large one with frustration, the small one with intrigue. He could see that they were powerful, and he noted all his friends disappearing as powers on the earth, so he knew they'd been killing them. The situation would have been much worse if he'd only been seconds longer.

One thing that he couldn't believe when he got there was who Nappa had been fighting. Which was why at that moment Raditz hung from his right arm limply. Below, Krillen lay near a formation of rocks, and Gohan was safely on the Nimbus Cloud.

Hearing a mumble of pain from the body he'd just rescued, Goku's mind was in a rush of thoughts. He'd expected Raditz to be fighting along side the other saiyans. Instead, he saw him broken and beaten, being assaulted by the big saiyan. Did he have a change of heart? But if so why?

"My name is Goku," Son Goku responded to Vegeta, who just smirked in response.

"Well come on then Kakarot, let's get this started! You low class worm!" Nappa shouted.

What a power, Goku thought, in terms of Vegeta. He could sense what was really there, what kind of devastating potential there was. He could sense in the larger fighter a great power as well, but certainly inferior to his own. Slowly, he landed with Raditz, placing his brother, it was strange to think of him in those terms, down.

Vegeta for his part watched with fascination. The scouter said 5,000, but he was willing to bet it was higher. These earthlings had all hidden their true power, several of them hit the 3,000 mark or more when fighting Nappa, but showed only signs of 1,200-1,400 before that.

"I say you let me kill him now." Nappa urged.

"Be quiet, Nappa," Vegeta snapped. "We've waited all this time for him, we might as well let him get settled in." Vegeta said with a near mocking tone.

After all, he wanted to let this fighter have his full chance to die. Despite his power, he was willing to bet Kakarot had the same weak attitude as the others.

Goku looked down at Raditz quietly as Gohan floated near him. He'd placed Raditz next to Krillen, who with his own injuries looked even more uncomfortable with Raditz next to him.

"Everything is going to be fine now." Goku promised Gohan and Krillen.

A bloody hand grasped his, looking up at him.

"K-Kakarot." Raditz started.

Quietly, Goku looked up at him, noting how his brother was smiling.

"I urge you... to kill them." He said, shakily pointing his free hand towards Vegeta and Nappa. "As a dying man, I ask this of you, brother."

A sick feeling approached Goku after his brother spoke. He never wanted to kill or harm anyone, especially if it could be avoided. The creature that looked at him seemed desperate, but Raditz had no right to ask him to take anyone's lives, especially after all the carnage he'd brought to the earth. He knew all too well about the destroyed cities, the hunt for the Dragon Balls.

But he still didn't understand why he was fighting the others? Even after having just saved Raditz from Nappa, he still somehow expected to see his brother over with the other two saiyans.

To Raditz, it was a matter of honour asking Kakarot to kill Nappa and Vegeta in his stead. He had been unable to kill his enemies, it fell to his brother to do so in his absence. Kakarot and he obviously were not close, he'd even helped in Kakarot's demise, but he had no choice but to ask this of his brother, he was the only one left who could make this happen. Kakarot's power was great, a hidden well of energy so great that perhaps he could even defeat Vegeta.

"I can't do anything you ask, not while I don't know why you fought against your former allies." Goku explained.

It wasn't a totally dishonest statement. He'd have fought them regardless, but he had no intention of killing anyone. But, perhaps this would reveal to him why he'd saved his son, hell, maybe why he'd changed sides to begin with.

Raditz looked pained to talk further, but did.

"My failure." He rasped. "I failed Prince Vegeta, and he punished me for it."

The answer was really in the details he wasn't giving.

Krillen shook his head. "Don't trust him Goku,"

Raditz snarled at the q-balled human, turning his head towards him.

"He attacked Nappa" Gohan then said. "He... he nearly got him, he bought us a lot of time for you to get here dad."

Goku looked back at Raditz, who just looked more uncomfortable. It was pretty clear he'd been fighting Nappa, that was for sure.

Turning his eyes to Goku for a moment, the brother of Kakarot didn't speak, he couldn't, not about this.

Raditz coughed, blood coming up instead of further elaborating.

Goku knew Raditz wouldn't spell out why that had driven him to betray his allies, but he could guess. This was revenge for him, not a change of heart. But Goku also believed in second chances. With his betrayal of Vegeta, he was certain that Raditz could find a new path, the same as Piccolo had.

"I got these from Korin." He said, revealing two senzu beans.

Krillen smiled as Goku broke one bean in half, handing it to Gohan, and helping it into Krillen's mouth. The two ate their beans.

Gohan stood up, immediately, looking completely healed, even his broken shoulder fitting back into place seamlessly. Krillen, who'd been in even worse shape, also got up, stretching.

"Thanks Goku! Now you can put a stop to those two monsters." Krillen declared.

"Not yet Krillen,"

Goku looked at Raditz, who was staring in disbelief in the miraculous healing of the two short warriors. He'd made his decision. Without a senzu bean, he very much doubted Raditz would live. He also believed that the enemy of his enemy was his friend. Finally however, he believed his brother may have the ability to change.

Even Goku could feel the grief and anger behind Raditz, something had to have really driven him to fight his own allies. It wasn't something that he could answer yet, but he hoped to soon.

Before he handed the bean over however, Goku looked directly at Raditz.

"I am not going to kill anyone for you Raditz. You have destroyed thousands of lives on Earth, and countless others elsewhere. But," Goku said, pulling up the bean.

"Goku, what are you doing!?" Krillen asked, looking on in shock.

Raditz was wondering the same thing.

"I believe in second chances." Goku finished his sentence, and at the same time answered Krillen.

Placing the bean in Raditz's mouth, the eldest saiyan, still somewhat confused, chewed the bean and swallowed.

Broken bones mended, cuts healed, and bruises disappeared. Raditz pulled both his hands up as he felt power surge through him. When he stood up, a sinister grin appeared across his face. Goku even felt his power increase, part of the saiyan ability to always increase their strength after recovering from serious injuries.

Vegeta looked into his scouter and felt uncomfortable. What the hell just happened there? Raditz's power level used to be 3,500, now it was sitting well over 5,800. It was higher than Nappa's.

"Nappa." Vegeta warned. "Both Raditz and Kakarot are now at 5,000 or more."

Nappa turned his head, eyebrows knit together in confusion.

Goku just looked seriously at Raditz.

"Don't make me regret this, Raditz," He informed him. Goku turned to walk towards Vegeta when he started to hear Raditz laugh.

"Nappa! We have unfinished business you weakling!"

Excitement rushed through Raditz's veins themselves. He could feel this new power overtaking him and knew full well that he was far superior to Nappa now. A blood thirsty set of eyes turned towards Nappa, intent on repaying his former, rather large, comrade for his near death just moments ago.

I'll rip you limb from limb, Nappa.

Goku immediately turned around.

"No, your business is done." Goku said bluntly.

Blinking at the comment, Raditz noted the look in Kakarot's eyes. It was steeled resolve. He wished to avenge his friends. Raditz crossed his arms and felt betrayed himself. His vengeance would have to wait... for now.

"Very well, Kakarot." The name was said almost with a kind of quiet contempt.

Nodding and turning back towards the two warriors, Goku began his walk. He stopped about five meters from Nappa.

"You two should give up now and leave the Earth. I don't want to hurt you."

Nappa blinked, before bellowing out a huge laugh.

"Just like your friends didn't want to hurt me?!"

An angry wave washed over Goku as Nappa mocked the dead. Yamcha, Tien, Chaotzu, Piccolo, they were all killed by this monster. He would have to show him the error of his ways. Focusing, pressing his power to bubble to the surface, Goku began to power up gradually.

"Well, Kakarot, are you going to make me leave or not you worthless coward?" Nappa demanded, finding humour in Goku's reaction, before the ground started to rumble. Slowly, rocks and other small objects started to fly upwards.

Looked back to see a puzzled look on Vegeta's face, Nappa became increasingly nervous.

"Uhm, Vegeta?"

Vegeta didn't respond.

This Low Level is about to... no he has... he just almost doubled Nappa's Power Level.

Finally, Goku unleashed his full strength before them.

Vegeta's face said it all for Goku. These bullies had come to Earth and expected this to be easy, and now it wouldn't be. Perhaps after this they'd learn to respect others, because sometimes even the weakest amongst the world could surprise you. Might didn't make right.

"Nappa, its over 9,000."

Nappa paused when he heard this. "What?! That can't be right! It's gotta be wrong!"

Vegeta tore the scouter off furiously. "I said its over 9,000!" He shouted, before blasting the scouter into atoms.

"9,000! That's can't be possible, can it?!" Nappa shouted, before looking at Goku, veins popping up along his skin as he felt the urge to put the 3rd class peasant in his place.

Gohan, Krillen, and Raditz stood there in aw themselves, especially Raditz. He'd though Kakarot was powerful, but this powerful?

"You aren't really that strong!" Nappa declared, charging Goku with a grin on his face, expecting easy prey.

"I'll make you pay for all you've done." Goku uttered as the shadow of Nappa's body overtook him.

The huge saiyan was arrogant, everything about his stance was flawed, it all expressed over confidence. Every flaw was picked out by Goku, moving under the big frame of Nappa's shoulders, he buried his fist directly in his sternum.

Stopping dead in its tracks as pain exploded through his abdomen, Nappa felt an uncontrollable pain. Suddenly there was an equally violent pain in the back of his head. Without even following the movement at all Goku had appeared behind him, cracking the back of his head a second later with a kick from his boot. With the back of his head and his stomach in agony, Nappa dropped face first into the earth.

The first thing to happen was hands went to the back of his head. Nappa's breathing was hindered for a moment, but started to normalized before started to struggled in that moment to get up. Slowly pulling himself up, only to fall over, completely unable to balance himself, Nappa's anger grew so great that he started to quiver.

What the hell just hit him?

"That one was for Yamcha." Goku said seriously.

Nappa managed to finally stand on his own two feet.

Raditz had never, ever seen Nappa look this mad. He could barely control himself.

"How dare you?!" Nappa shouted. "You are nothing but a low level! I am a super elite!"

"You don't seem very elite to me." Goku said with a playful smile. "You really aren't that strong, you should probably give up, I don't really want to hurt you more."

That was it for Nappa. His furious rage boiled over, he was completely out of control. Power rippled off his body as he began gathering energy, he roared furiously.

"I don't seem very elite?! Well how does this seem you bastard!" Nappa shouted, throwing the huge energy bolt he'd gathered.

"Dad look out!" Gohan shouted, just as Krillen shouted "Goku! Dodge it!"

"Shut up." Raditz scolded the two of them before they turned to stared at him. "He's in no danger." after those words, he looked nervous himself.

Kakarot's power is insane, incredible, and this just may be the beginning.

Even for Raditz this was an uncomfortable thought, as he was hardly a 'defender of the earth'.

When the two looked back, they saw the bolt hit Goku head on.

Goku knew he didn't need to dodge the hit. If anything he wanted to demonstrate to Nappa how futile this was.

The explosion went off right on Goku's head. The waves from the blast sent debris in all directions. As the smoke cleared, just as Raditz said, Goku was completely unharmed. The look on Nappa's face however, was priceless when this realization was made clear.

"No way!" Nappa shouted. He prepared immediately for another energy blast, only for Goku to appear in front of him, uppercutting Nappa straight into the sky. Appearing behind him, Goku dropped his boot into Nappa's back.

"That one is for Tien!"

Falling straight to the earth below Nappa bellowed out an angry cry. Goku appeared near the landing destination and spinning a back hand into Nappa, sending him flying off to the side instead, his body slamming into the side of one of the many huge craters littering the area. His entire body was buried under the earth from the force of the impact.

"And that one was for Chaotzu."

The ground burst open a second later, energy blowing through rock and earth. Nappa flipped from the hole in made in the ground, landing in front of Goku.

"RAAAAAAH!"

Immediately charged Goku, swinging his right arm out only to find empty air. Both of Goku's feet planted into his stomach as Goku used the ground below Nappa as a springboard. The huge saiyan was helpless as he went straight towards the heavens once again. Slowly his speed halted, before he began to plummet back down to earth. Flying up at high speeds Goku intercepted the falling Nappa, spinning and planting an elbow into his abdomen, sending him flying even faster towards the earth.

"And that one was for Piccolo."

The ground shattered under Nappa like glass once his body made impact.

Quietly as this happened, Raditz slowly hovered away from Gohan and Krillen, they were too memorized by the events occurring. The truth of the matter was, he didn't think Kakarot had the stomach for killing...

Vegeta for his part saw only one. Nappa was making a fool of them, he was being completely controlled by Kakarot and there was almost no chance of recovery at this point.

When Nappa blasted up into the sky to attack Goku once more, finally Vegeta intervened.

"Nappa!"

Nappa froze in mid flight, his fists ready for blood. His head turned, it hurt just to turn his head in truth.

"You are done. Get down here immediately Nappa." Vegeta warned.

Nappa turned his head to Goku, face sneering.

"Now, Nappa!"

Nappa looked across at Goku. This worm had just humiliated him in front of Vegeta. He was just bested by some low level.

"Vegeta is going to kill you, Kakarot. I am going to have the pleasure of watching you die."

To Goku, this was just signalling the real fight was going to begin. Nappa hadn't been the real threat to the earth anymore, it was Vegeta. He was glad he could defeat Nappa without killing him. But still, he was overjoyed that Nappa's pride had been destroyed. He lost to a low level. Goku didn't care about such standards, but that wasn't where the joy came from. He'd surpassed an opponent, a powerful one, who was arrogant.

Before Nappa could do so much as begin his descent to the ground, Raditz made his move. Goku only saw the tail end of a blur of movement, both his feet crashing into the back of Nappa's skull. The larger saiyan's jaw spread open as his body lurched forward, before beginning a rapid descent to the earth. His body slapped into the ground almost like a wet piece of meat after the sneak attack, head striking the earth first.

Raditz appeared above Nappa just as he turned to look up shakily.

"R-Raditz! You pathetic back stabbing tailess-" Nappa's slurred words were cut off as Raditz gave a slick, arrogant smile. He looked at the palm Raditz had extended, pointing towards his head. Nappa's eyes went wide and pleading towards Raditz as he realized what was about to happen.

If his power level was over 5,000, that would mean that he was about to blow him in half! Panic overwhelmed Nappa's features.

"W-Wait Raditz, I-"

"I told you I'd kill you, Nappa."

"NO!" Goku shouted.

The last thing Nappa saw was a brilliant flash of blue-white light from Raditz's palm.

Nappa's upper body was blasted away and vaporized into ash by the white-blue beam launched from Raditz's right hand at close range. He then kicked the lower body into the air, and then blasted that away to nothing as well.

Pulling his hand back to his side, Raditz just spat where Nappa had once been.

Goku, Krillen, and Gohan were left in shock as they witnessed this... this murder.

"Raditz!" Goku shouted, appearing in front of his brother. "You killed him in cold blood."

Raditz gave a half sneer to his brother, ironically the one who saved him just a moment early. "He would have killed you if it were reversed. Like it or not, it is blood for blood." Raditz shot back.

How could he think this way? What drove him to such senseless acts of violence? All Raditz had done was proven he was still at there level.

"If this is how I thought you'd have acted-"

"You'd have let me, your brother, die instead?" Raditz responded, giving a smirk as he leaned forward. "As surprising as this may sound brother, we are on the same side." Raditz said, placing his hand on Goku's shoulder.

It was batted aside by the noble saiyan warrior, staring his elder brother down instead.

"No Raditz, we are not on the same side. Not with tactics like that. You are still a monster. After this is over, I will see to it you leave the Earth. You started your second chance with cold blooded murder."

Raditz blinked, before glaring at Goku.

How dare this ungrateful fool? All it would have taken was one moment of Vegeta getting the upper hand, and Nappa would have attacked from behind. Worse, he may have killed Kakarot's friends, or tried to. By killing Nappa, not only did it satisfy his revenge, but it also protected him.

"You are soft." Raditz responded. "You'll find Vegeta is not, and Nappa was not soft." He said coldly.

With that, Goku walked away from him, leaving Raditz behind as Vegeta stood there, smirking.

"You know, Raditz probably did you a favour." Vegeta said, sounding amused at Goku's reaction to Nappa's death. "Besides, if Nappa had embarrassed me anymore, I'd have killed him myself."

Goku couldn't believe just how... callous this creature was to the death of his own lieutenant. He cared so little about life that he couldn't even value his own teammate?

"I have to take care of something first." Goku said, flying up towards Krillen and Gohan.

First things first, he had to get them to safety before starting this.

Vegeta just rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and staring at Raditz. He guessed Kakarot was soft and weak enough to want to get his two midget allies to safety.

"Will you be sticking around Raditz?"

Before Raditz could respond.

"No, he's not." Goku cut in.

Raditz's jaw dropped as his eyes went skywards, towards Goku.

Vegeta smirked.

"Well Raditz, it looks as though you have a new boss!" The Prince mocked.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A/N:

The Next chapter is extremely long, forgive me. I wanted to wrap up the fight with Vegeta in one single chapter. Which means its the longest chapter in the entire story so far.

The next Chapter after that however don't focus on almost any of the characters show so far. Certain things really begin to diverge once the Saiyan saga is over.

Updated Power Levels:

Vegeta: 18,725

Goku: 9,050

Raditz: 5870

Gohan: 2,000

Krillen: 1,700

Nappa: 0 (hur hur hur)

Also, on a quick note, the next Update will be out of schedule, happening this Tuesday, and the one after this Friday. Its just how my weeks will be working out with a few schedule changes over the course of June.

So. I hope all of you stick around for the ride. I hope all of you who read this give me a review. Like or dislike, please shoot me a review. Thanks for reading.