When was it?
I don't even remember
When you entered my life

I couldn't go to sleep
My heart kept dropping
Because of your heart

Your bright smile
Is so painful to me
I've never felt this way before

If only I can erase everything
If only I can find you again

Days you struggled as you waited for me
At the end of loneliness, I'll hold you tight
Just like the miracle that will happen some day

Even when you were by my side
And smiling with me
You were probably nervous

There's nothing that wakes me up
Like your smile
I long for those times even now

Your lovely face
Makes my heart ache for some reason
I've never felt this way before

If only I can erase everything
If only I can find you again

Days you struggled as you waited for me
At the end of loneliness, I'll hold you tight
Just like the miracle that will happen some day

Even if you slightly brush by
I can recognize you
You know that it's only you for me

I'm sorry for always being late
Forgive me for not protecting you

Days we struggled as we longed for each other
Wherever I am, if you call out to me
I'll be there, like the miracle that will happen some day

- "Like a Miracle Someday" by Hwang Chi Yeul

(Hwayugi OST)


Episode 5

The Greatest Love


Everyone's jaw dropped at the unexpected scene that was happening before them. Prince Vegeta had appeared to welcome Lord Frieza when he has denied multiple times that he will not grace them with his presence today.

Last night, after sending Nappa to relay his message to his father's attendant, Prince Vegeta summoned Kakarot and Raditz before him.

"Prepare yourselves, both of you." He told them. "For you shall watch me make a scene tomorrow on Frieza's arrival."

His command made his two generals gape in shock and disbelief.

"What?"

"Don't tell us you are planning to provoke the Emperor!" Raditz gasped.

"Please listen, your highness. If you do that, it would place not only you in great danger but also all of your people." Kakarot said. "Please do not forget how truly fearsome the Galactic Emperor is."

Of course, Vegeta knew exactly what he would be up to but he didn't care about it. He smirked at his best friends. "That is exactly what I want to happen."

Kakarot and Raditz could not believe their ears. "What? W-Why?"

"In order for me to make my stupid father and his idiotic councilmen realize their foolish mistake of having that bastard set foot on the kingdom."

Kakarot and Raditz turned to look at each other, both are confused and not understanding the reason behind their crown prince's plan.

"But, if the opposition is trying to frame you up so you could be dethroned or killed once you provoke Lord Frieza, they would win."

"They would think they have won," the Saiyan Prince smiled, though his grin had the evil, twisted glint on it. The same glint could not be missed on his eyes as well. "I'm giving them the wonderful thought of victory. I just want to see how they would react to what would happen to me, most especially my father. I just feel bad for Tarble though but he has to join them.

"If a fight occurs, I order the both of you not to do anything to defend me."

"But you're going to-" Raditz protested but he was cut off by the prince's sharp glare that has made him shrug back.

"Raditz, you should know by now that I am not one who gets killed that easily. I cannot have anyone take what is rightfully mine so…" his smirk grew, his eyes growing with burning determination.

Even though that was true, Kakarot and Raditz cannot help themselves but worry about the prince's safety.

"Don't forget that I am Vegeta. No one will ever succeed to break me or make me bow down before them."

He showed them an entire stem of a single and fragrant bluish white flower with golden pollen at the center, the flower was surrounded by a handful of long blue green sharp edged grass. The rare grass flower, Diose Bejiita, one of the things Vegeta was named after aside from his home planet. His proud and stubborn nature could be compared to that of the grass surrounding it, that no matter how much you try to make it bow down; it would remain standing tall while his dangerous nature could be compared to that of the grass' sharp edges and the beauty of the rare flower. A warrior and a ruler with such rare abilities that could destroy anything in his path.

"This is something I shall give to Lord Frieza," he told them. "As a symbol of my personal introduction and my refusal to become his subject."

That morning, Vegeta, Kakarot and Raditz watched Lord Frieza's arrival from a secluded hideout. The Crown Prince cannot hide his disappointment and anger upon seeing his father, his brother, the council and the royal elite soldiers fall to their knees and bowed before the Galactic Emperor. He just could not fathom to see Saiyans having no pride of themselves and he despised them greatly.

"Thank you for your pleasantries, King Vegeta. I am flattered. Hohoho…" he heard Frieza said politely. That voice and the way he speaks made the Saiyan Crown Prince shrug in sheer displeasure. It sounded quite familiar and at that moment, he decided he already hate this abomination to the core. He saw the lizard looked down at every single Saiyan before him and his eyes fell into Tarble, who shrugged and trembled in fear. Vegeta snarled, suddenly feeling a strong sense to defend his younger brother.

"I assume this boy is the prince," Frieza said with a delightful smile.

"Yes, milord." Vegeta heard his king father said humbly. How dare his father call this shit milord?!

Frieza watched at poor Tarble curiously, "You poor little thing, you look scared. Don't worry, I don't bite. Why don't you formally introduce yourself to me since from this day onward, your daddy and I will be friends forever?"

Vegeta's snarl grew louder, feeling an urge to protect his scared younger brother and he noticed that Kakarot and Raditz tensed on his sides. He just cannot fathom that grin over Frieza's dark lips.

Tarble gulped before he lowered his head politely, shaking. "I-I am Tarble, t-the second prince, milord."

Not him too.

"Second prince?" Frieza asked.

"Y-Yes."

"I have two children, milord," King Vegeta informed.

"I know that much, Vegeta. Where is the crown prince? I am most especially curious to meet him."

Silence. For that moment, Vegeta wondered why the Galactic Emperor wanted to meet him. He said he was curious, what has made him curious? What things did he hear from the rumors in space?

"My apologies, milord but the crown prince had an important matter to attend to, that is why he's not present in here before you." King Vegeta apologized. Frieza raised one eyebrow, if he had any.

"My, my. So the rumors I heard about him was right after all." Frieza smiled. "He's one rude child."

"Forgive me for not having able to convince him, milord."

Vegeta had enough of his father's humble obedience and he decided to come out of hiding and show himself. After all, he's also curious to meet the Great Galactic Emperor himself.

He nodded for his two generals to go and Kakarot and Raditz came out to escort the crown prince towards the party. The elite guards drew their ki swords toward them but the two Saiyans glared back and announced, "Put down your swords, the Royal Crown Prince is here."

Just as he expected from his fellow Saiyans, they all reacted with such shock. Of course, after the lots of times he clearly announced that he would not grace them with his presence today, here he was as a surprise for everyone. Vegeta walked proudly, confidently and royally towards the Galactic Emperor, with his two Generals walking beside him. He wore his royal armor, his red cape fluttered in the wind behind his back as he walked regally and passed by the bowing and kneeling Elite soldiers, guards and the gaping councilmen. He caught his father and brother's relieved expressions on his peripheral sight. As soon as he was face to face with Lord Frieza, Kakarot and Raditz fell on their knees and bowed before the Crown Prince while Vegeta remained standing proudly in front of the man considered to be the most powerful and ruthless in the universe.

Vegeta smirked arrogantly at Lord Frieza, glaring at Frieza eye to eye. "I am Vegeta the Fourth, Crown Prince of all Saiyans and of Planet Vegeta," he announced haughtily. "So, you're Frieza, hello."

Tension quickly rose as soon as he opened his mouth; Frieza stared at him in disbelief. No one has ever addressed him like that, by his first name alone and without the proper honorific and respect.

Vegeta raised one hand holding a small bouquet of the flowers he decided to give as a present. "Welcome to our kingdom, here is a present for you." he said. The Saiyans looked up to see what present it was and were completely stunned. Frieza stared at the flowers surrounded by its grass curiously, before his red eyes turned to Vegeta whose smirk had grown.

"Diose Bejiita, the flower that symbolizes the pride and honor of the Saiyans," he thought inside his hateful mind.

"Thank you," Frieza said as he signaled for his right hand man, Zarbon, to take the flowers for him. "So you are Vegeta-san. I've heard so much about you. You have a fairly good look and such domineering charisma within you. The most powerful Saiyan of all."

"Ah, I am quite flattered that you heard of me." Vegeta smiled.

"Of course, I heard so much about you. Your short temper and rebellious nature has become a legend across the galaxy. I have also heard of your power and your incomparable battle tactics."

Vegeta chuckled and then shrugged. "Oh, you did? Good for you, then. You should know that even if my people have agreed to the terms of the treaty you have with my father, I am not into this foolishness at all. I refuse to work for you as your slave!"

With that blatant announcement, everyone's eyes widened at his words.

"What the hell is he doing?!"

"Does he have a death wish?"

"He's placing the entire race in great danger with his mouth alone!"

"Just as I thought. His arrogance would mess things up!"

"He's arranging his own funeral, isn't he?"

"Not just his, but ours as well!"

The Saiyans thought panicking to themselves.

"Yon!" King Vegeta growled in warning, glowering at his son with suppressed ire.

Vegeta ignored his father, crossed his arms over his white chest plate and tilted his chin arrogantly at the Emperor before him, who appeared to be much shorter than his own petite height.

"Since I am the most powerful Saiyan among all, my word stands more absolute than anyone on this planet! I declare that we will not sign that treaty! Now, get off my planet before I make you regret it!"

"Yon, stop it now!" King Vegeta snarled at his son, almost wanting to press his palm over his face at his son's troublesome attitude.

The Crown Prince ignored him again. He just smiled at the gaping Emperor before him. Oh! The shock on Frieza's face was priceless! It could be the first time someone ever dared to disrespect his authority as the most powerful person in the entire universe. Vegeta's arrogance could get him into a big trouble but he didn't care at all.

Frieza's two Generals, a green haired blue skinned pretty boy with golden brown eyes, Zarbon, and the fat and pink tub of lard with spikes on the top of his head, Dodoria, stepped in between Vegeta and Frieza.

"How dare you speak to Lord Frieza that way, you little monkey?!" Dodoria growled.

"Perhaps we should teach you proper etiquette and educate you, Prince!" Zarbon spat.

Vegeta huffed arrogantly at them and his actions flared the ire of the two soldiers.

"Alright, alright, I get it." Frieza cut in, which halted Zarbon and Dodoria from murdering the haughty prince. "Vegeta-san, I understand how you must feel, but in this world, the majority wins." Frieza said with a smile on his lips.

"Wrong!" Vegeta opposed. "The most powerful one controls and manipulates everything! The mightiest feed on the weak, no matter the number of weaklings, the strongest still stands above the others and conquers everything."

Frieza laughed. "I agree."

"Do you get it now, Frieza? I am the most powerful Saiyan of all, and my word will stand absolute no matter what. When I say we Saiyans will not sign your treaty, we will NOT sign it!"

"I see. I see…" Frieza's smile turned malevolent. "Yes, you are the most powerful Saiyan of all but… I'm more powerful than you, perhaps by a thousand or millions of times, Vegeta-san. And I say, I want all Saiyans to work for me, most especially, you."

"I already told you, I refuse!"

"Then perhaps, we could have a deal."

That made Vegeta curious, "What deal?" he asked in a cold tone.

"Since I am always curious of your legendary prowess, I want to engage you in a death battle with my soldiers. You, and you alone." Frieza smiled.

The Saiyans kneeling behind shot their heads up in complete bafflement. A death battle? And the Crown Prince will fight alone against all of the Galactic Emperor's soldiers?!

"Show me just how great you really are, Saiyan Prince. If you were able to kill all of my soldiers then perhaps, I will leave peacefully and forget about the treaty. But, of course, you cannot do anything else if you get killed."

Vegeta felt a strong sense of doubt upon hearing those words. He doubted that Frieza would go through his words even if he wins this match.

Behind him, the council members were having a conversation using telepathy.

"My, my… Look at him, he's stumped. I think he's scared to accept this challenge knowing this is a death battle."

"That's what he gets for his arrogance. Now he will see what happens to those who defy the Galactic Emperor."

"Why don't we help him get through this? Save the little prince from death and have his pride shattered."

"Don't get too confident, even if he accepts this challenge, his pride will still be shattered." said Paragus. "I honestly wish for him to accept so he could perish due to his haughtiness and pride."

The councilmen turned to Paragus with huge, appalled eyes.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed on the direction where the Prime Minister stood…

"What do you say, Vegeta-san? Do you accept the challenge?" asked Frieza still with that inviting smile on his dark lips.

"Yon! Don't! If you accept you're going to be killed-!" King Vegeta shouted.

"I accept!" Prince Vegeta aggressively declared as he cut off his father's warning.

"Yon!" King Vegeta cannot believe that his son just accepted that challenge! "What are you saying, Yon?! Are you crazy?! Do you have a death wish?!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes as he turned to his father indignantly. "Do I now, Papa? Well, I'd rather choose death than to become someone's puppet!"

"Yon!" The King argued. He cannot believe just how high his son's pride was that he was completely being blinded by it.

"You are a brave one, Saiyan." Frieza smiled, impressed. "I commend you for your courage, but I never knew your pride was so high that you allow it to blind your logic. Fine, I'll give you as you wish…"

The prince smirked boldly and haughtily. "I'll tell you right now, I don't die that easily." He warned with a mischievous smile on his lips.

King Vegeta watched as Frieza commanded all of his soldiers aside from Zarbon and Dodoria to kill his son. As the empire's soldiers surrounded the rather overconfident prince, King Vegeta shouted to his soldiers, "What are you doing?! Protect the Crown Prince!"

As the Elite soldiers stood, Kakarot and Raditz blocked them all. The king furiously shouted, "What the hell are you two doing?!"

"We apologize, your Majesty. This is Prince Vegeta's direct order. He wishes to fight alone and for no one to interject the battle to save him." Raditz said.

"Fools! Your duty is to protect the Crown Prince no matter what happens! I'm the King, I command you to do something!" King Vegeta ordered.

"Do not interfere with my battle! If anyone of you does, I will kill you!" Prince Vegeta growled.

"Yon!" King Vegeta protested, looking at his crazy son with an aghast expression.

Prince Vegeta stood confidently at the center, surrounded by hundreds of soldiers from the Frieza Army. His muscular arms still crossed over his white chest plate as he slowly closed his eyes and let out a smile. He could feel it, the thrill of battle writhing inside his chest, making his heart pound fast and hard as his Saiyan blood boil with bloodlust. Finally, after so many years of waiting, he will get a chance to fight worthy opponents. If he survives this battle, it will make him grow more powerful.

With a loud united battle cry, the alien soldiers charged towards the Saiyan Crown Prince altogether. It felt like it was happening in slow motion for everyone in the current battlefield. Vegeta gradually opened his eyes, which glowed into a crimson red. Unfolding his arms and flexing them on his sides, his hands closing into fists and let out a one long howl into the sky.

"HAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Blue aura exploded around his body in a maelstrom of pure power that created a devastating shockwave all around him which sent all the attacking soldiers flying in the air away from him. The ground beneath his feet cracked on the surface instantly and it began its fearsome tremors with great intensity. He threw his head back and roared his rage into the clouds in an endless cry.

"HRRRYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Vegeta's roar echoed incessantly across the shaking planet as he finally released his powers. The red sky immediately darkened as black thunderclouds loomed above them and sent deadly flashes of yellow lightning everywhere that hit upon their ominous surroundings. His blue aura spun around him in a spiral of pure, destructive power and sparks of his intensely scorching ki energy coalesced into a gigantic holographic image of the Oozaru beast that loomed above him. Its deep, bloodthirsty growl reverberated on Vegeta's throat as he put his head down and glared at the Emperor with his blazing red eyes.

Meanwhile, the Saiyans present before the Crown Prince and the Emperor tensed as the wind and shockwaves summoned forth by Prince Vegeta's powers start to blow them all away. Frieza, Zarbon and Dodoria stood calmly despite such release of destructive power and beastly identity but they watched at the Saiyan prince with wide, surprised eyes.

"W-What power?!" The Saiyans gasped.

"He's much stronger than before!" One Elite Saiyan Soldier was checking on his scouter.

"His power level is going past 36,000-!" Dodoria was saying but his scouter exploding on his face had cut him off. Not just his scouter, but also everyone's except Frieza's. "And he keeps on getting stronger!"

"Ouji-sama…" the Saiyan guards muttered to themselves as they watched at their prince in awe and terror.

"Nnnnnngghh!" Vegeta grunted through his gritted teeth, his eyes narrowing into slits of anger as he felt the beast's primal bloodlust about to cloud his mind. He could hear its horrifying growl in his ears, whispering at him to kill and destroy. He looked down on his shaking fists and opened them, his fingers twitching in anticipation to rip his victims apart.

The councilmen who were hiding behind Broly, Kakarot and Raditz looked over at the prince in fear. While King Vegeta and Prince Tarble both could not believe what they're sensing. The prince is about to go berserk and no one is going to stop him if he does. If Frieza could do it, it might end up with the crown prince's death. And the king could not take it.

"Yon! Stop!" The king cried out, pleading his son to back down. The prince decided not to let his father stop him once again just as he did when his mother was killed. His father's pleads only raised his fury even further and then... he snapped!

"GWAAAAAAAOOOOOHHHH!" They heard the raging roar of the mighty Oozaru echoed above them and then, Prince Vegeta screamed in agony.

"Gaaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaahhh! Haaaaaaaaaaah! Yaaaaaaaah!"

His hands went up on the sides of his head as his body quivered uncontrollably, feeling his powers flow out of control inside of him. He cried out in extreme agony as his mind has finally been clouded by his rage, primal thirst for blood and destruction. His blue aura turned into dark purple in an instant and the surroundings turned scorching hot immediately. The thunder roared like bells of hell as Vegeta's wild battle cry reverberated across the planet.

"He's losing control! He's going to kill us all!" cried out the Saiyans before they were sent rolling into the ground by the powerful wind the prince was summoning. "Noooo! Ouji-samaaaaa!"

With a final roar into the sky, Vegeta's aura burst into the skies. In a flash, he disappeared from where he stood and unleashed his wrathful attack on the Frieza Army, beating each soldier with extreme cruelty. His movements flowed gracefully and yet his techniques were efficient and merciless, killing his enemies in a single blow and a gruesome manner. Even as the soldiers tried to team up against him, the Saiyan royal's speed was unbelievable and was too much for them to follow. Everyone watching on the sidelines could only gape in awe and fear as they found blood and gore bursting out from here and there. Screams of terror, gurgles of blood and last breaths filled the air.

After one minute, Vegeta stood at the center of the soldiers' mutilated corpses that surrounded him. His crimson eyes glared at the Emperor with such rage, lips pulled away from his bared fangs. Blood of his victims painted his armor and his face, making him look like the Grim Reaper, the Prince of Death. His tail was bristling behind him, reacting along his boiling ire.

"My, my… I'm impressed. Looks like he's finished all of my other soldiers I brought with me," Frieza smiled.

"Unbelievable…" Dodoria gasped in shock.

"I-I can't believe this. I've never seen him go like this before." Raditz gasped fearfully.

"Yeah," Kakarot agreed. "This was the first time I've seen him so angry. I thought he's lost control of himself."

"I won your deal. Now, get out of my planet before you end up with the same fate as your pathetic soldiers!" Vegeta snarled. Even his voice had become distorted that someone could feel his rage and bloodlust in it.

Frieza just watched at him as if he was something he saw in the shopping mall that caught his greatest interest. After witnessing Prince Vegeta's capabilities, he finally decided he wanted this crown prince to become his prized possession. He has never found such warrior in his lifetime. Someone with great ruthlessness, a killing machine with unbelievable desire for blood and destruction once the beast inside him has been unleashed.

What more if he fully awakens his true powers and transforms into his beast form under the full moon? What would become of him? The Saiyans wondered about the same thing. How about in the future since he's getting stronger every day? How much more if he indeed becomes a Super Saiyan?

Prince Vegeta just proved himself at being the deadliest and most dangerous Saiyan warrior the universe had ever seen.

"No, I don't think so." Frieza said.

"What?!"

"The deal isn't over yet, Vegeta-san. I still have two soldiers left over."

Frieza turned to Zarbon and Dodoria, "Zarbon-san, Dodoria-san, please proceed." He told them.

"As you wish, milord." Zarbon and Dodoria bowed before they finally stepped up to fight Vegeta.

The Saiyans behind tensed as the watched the Emperor's two most powerful fighters walk towards their crown prince. They knew this would end up badly on the prince's side now.

Vegeta crouched down and posed in his battle stance. Zarbon and Dodoria smiled at him. Vegeta felt annoyed by the look on their faces, they both seem confident. This might be it. A battle he was unsure if he could win or not. For the first time in his life, he felt doubt in his capabilities. He could sense great power coming from the green haired guy, not much on the pink monstrosity but with two of them tagging on him together, it might become a problem on his side. His only chance to win is to simply overpower Dodoria and finish him off first.

"I guess it's time for us to teach this monkey his first lesson in etiquette. What do you say, Dodoria?" Zarbon said.

"Hahaha! He will learn never to go against the Galactic Empire!" Dodoria exclaimed.

"Hmph! Try me!" Vegeta snorted arrogantly.

The fight wasn't that long and Vegeta found himself at the mercy of the two completely ruthless warriors. For the first time in his life, the Saiyan Crown Prince found himself defeated, snuffed out of the battlefield as if he was a helpless child. All his techniques and powers were useless against a tag team of these two. They worked completely in sync, if only he was able to beat that annoying pink punk, he'd win the fight. But no, their combined strength was too much for even himself.

The Saiyans could only watch in horror as their prince get beaten by those two soldiers, even the opposition in the council who were secretly rooting for Zarbon and Dodoria to kill off their arrogant crown prince. The King and his second son froze in complete terror while Kakarot and Raditz were tensed. The two generals bared their teeth, restraining themselves from saving the prince they swore to protect with their lives.

Finally broken and defeated, he watched as Zarbon lifted him up by the collar of his battle worn armor. The smile on his pretty face angers the Saiyan deep inside.

"So this is the end for the great Crown Prince of the Saiyans, huh?" Zarbon mocked. Vegeta could only grunt in protest, unable to move even a single finger. His visions and thoughts were all blurred by now as he was about to slip into unconsciousness. His ears rang due to his pain. "I admit you are interesting. You are indeed a fearsome warrior but not powerful enough to match me and Dodoria in power. I guess in the end, you're not different to the rest of your monkey kind."

Zarbon laughed before he turned to the Saiyans on the sidelines in a cruel manner, silently daring them to step and save their arrogant prince. He gradually raised a glowing right hand to deliver the finishing blow.

"Hold it, Zarbon," Frieza abruptly ordered. The green haired reptile like soldier quickly halted his attack on the crown prince. The galactic emperor turned to the fearful Saiyans curiously. "Do you wish to save your foolish prince? If so, I am willing to spare his life if you agree to sign the treaty."

"No!" Vegeta wished he could tell his father and his people. He went through all these only to fail to stop this madness so miserably. He could feel his anger growing inside of him and out of his rage, he pulled out a miraculous energy and fired a ki blast at Zarbon, that sent the pretty boy rolling on the ground and losing his grip on the resilient prince. Vegeta dropped hard to the ground on his behind, panting in exhaustion. He could feel pain all over his body. It felt like it wanted to give out to its demand to bring him to unconsciousness. Vegeta shook his head as he fought through the haze of darkness trying to take over his visions. He slowly picked himself up and glared at his opponent with unwavering defiance that speaks volume. He couldn't speak but he knows Frieza would get the message.

Not far away, everyone was amazed by that miracle, how could Vegeta somehow pull it off was a big mystery to them. Even Dodoria was not able to move in shock.

A furious growl erupted from Zarbon as he picked himself up and turned his hateful eyes towards the annoying Saiyan brat. That last attack barely did any damage to Zarbon's pretty face. But his once beautifully braided green hair had been turned into a mess that made his head look like a bird's nest.

"Why you little brat…" Zarbon snarled in pure, unadulterated rage. "I will fucking kill you, monkey prince!" he roared as he blindly charged at Vegeta. But before he could even send the killing blow, Vegeta finally gave out against his own desires. The Saiyan Crown Prince collapsed into the ground. With that, Frieza immediately ordered Zarbon to stop and calm down, which his soldier did so.

"Take your Crown Prince to your medical bay and he could be saved," Frieza ordered the Saiyans. With that, the Saiyan Generals and elite soldiers immediately scampered towards their unconscious and dying crown prince. Raditz carefully lifted Vegeta in his huge, muscular arms, and Kakarot put his hand over his brother before the three disappeared to thin air.

King Vegeta just froze in his position, staring blankly at where his son previously laid. It was obvious in his eyes that he was afraid, completely frozen with fear for his first born son's life.

"Vegeta," Frieza called to the Saiyan king who slowly stepped up and knelt before the Galactic Emperor.

"Y-Yes, milord." King Vegeta muttered.

"I am truly impressed by your first born son's abilities, congratulations," Frieza said. "He's one stubborn fool. Bold, rebellious and arrogant but he is indeed the soldier I was always looking for. His sheer ruthlessness in battle and power caught my interests. I decided I want him to work for me."

"My apologies, milord. I am truly grateful that you have appreciated the Crown Prince, but I doubt he will submit himself willingly." King Vegeta muttered.

"Oh, he would do it. One day, Vegeta, he would submit himself to me. I'm sure of it."

Everyone gaped at those words. How would Lord Frieza plan to make their stubborn and rebellious Crown Prince submit to him? Whatever it was, it doesn't feel good.

"For now, I decided to postpone this treaty for the sake of your crown prince. I will send news of my return soon and I expect him to be ready. I will have a nice talk with him when the time comes."

"Yes, milord."

"Thank you, Saiyans. Farewell for now. Until the day of my glorious return!"

With that Frieza, Zarbon and Dodoria entered their huge, saucer shaped spaceship and took off the planet.

"Lord Frieza, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why did you spare Prince Vegeta's life? And also decided to postpone the treaty?" Zarbon asked hours later after he has fixed his hair and his looks.

The Galactic Emperor smiled at his reflection in the glass where he overlooked at the stars they passed by as they returned to his base planet.

"I find that monkey prince to be an interesting specimen. A unique gem I was searching for my entire life. If I ever get my hands on that boy, I am sure I have the most dangerous, most resilient and most ruthless soldier on my side. If I am able to break him, I could make him an uncontrollable killing machine who would kill and destroy in my name. He will become my greatest soldier and perhaps, my heir to the Galactic Empire."

Zarbon and Dodoria's eyes widened in horror. Their master has found that great potential on that monkey prince? They cringed at the thought of them bowing down to that little brat as their new master in the future. Frieza simply shrugged and thought of great things he could make use out of the Saiyan Crown Prince. That is if he survives.

~=-o-O-o-=~

Once the Galactic Emperor and his two soldiers left, King Vegeta and Prince Tarble went to the royal hospital to check on their dying crown prince.

A few minutes earlier, the royal medical bay went on hysteria when General Raditz and General Kakarot arrived with the dying and badly beaten crown prince. Malaka and his group quickly tended to Prince Vegeta and placed him on the emergency unit medical machine. This was the first time they have found the prince in such terrible condition. They even doubt his chances of survival and yet Malaka knew he has to do his very best to help the prince survive this, or he might be killed by the Saiyans, of course.

When the king and the second prince arrived, Malaka bowed before them and reported their findings. He grimly told them, "Based on his condition, we highly doubt his chances of survival. Eighty-twenty, your majesty. But we are doing the best we could do in order to help him live."

The king barely showed any of his emotions as he watched at his first born fight for his life inside the medical machine. He tried his best not to be overwhelmed by the heaviness it brought in his chest. He felt like his world had crumbled before him. He remembered the day he first laid his eyes on his first born within an incubator at the Royal Nursery eighteen years ago. That day he was exultant after he learned about his son's unbelievable latent power and his destiny of becoming the chosen one of the Saiyans who shall fulfill the legends. He was meant for greatness. The one who shall rule not only Planet Vegeta but the entire universe as the most powerful warrior. He was his little bundle of pride and joy, who brought honor to the royal family's name.

He found his other son had reacted differently though, Tarble came running towards the medical machine in tears. He looked like he will lose not only his older brother but also the person who became the mother he never had. His only protector, the only person who loved him like a real family.

"Niisaaaaaan!" Tarble cried out to his older brother. "Niisan! Vegeta-niisan! Y-you'll survive this, right? I know you would. Please don't die. Please, you cannot die, niisan. Promise me, you'll live."

King Vegeta watched silently at his sons, his heart breaking to pieces inside of him. At any moment, he might lose his only worthy heir. The son who had never gained his love. The king felt deep regret that he might not have the chance to properly apologize for all that he missed out as a father. For all the things he has done and never or could have done if not for his cowardice to tell his son the things he wanted to hear. He suddenly heard Zorn's voice in his mind, repeating those words he told of him yesterday.

"What he actually needs the most… is a father."

Unable to control his emotions anymore, he turned around, made a few strict orders to Malaka, Raditz and Kakarot never to allow anyone to see the crown prince aside from himself and the second prince, before he went back to his own private quarters. He told everyone aside from Zorn to leave him alone, and broke down for the second time since his queen's death.

Once again, he will lose his first born just the way he lost her. All because of his greedy decisions. He realized he failed as a husband, as a father and as a king. He greatly blamed himself for it.

"I… I don't know what to do, Zorn. Right now, I feel so helpless and weak. I have no power to save Yon from death. I was a coward, I just froze in fear and watched just as he was beaten by those freaks. I know I have no power to save him that's why I froze in there, cowering and couldn't do anything about it. Perhaps, Yon was right about me after all. I am indeed a coward, I couldn't do anything right at all."

Zorn listened to the king's melancholic statements and sympathized with his majesty. "Your Majesty, please do not blame yourself. I am sure the crown prince understands you deep inside his heart. He just couldn't find it in himself to express it outwardly."

"He was willing to give up his life for the sake of the Saiyan pride he strongly believed in. It was my fault I didn't see through his perspective. You were right. All I saw were his stubbornness and spoiled rotten attitude. I never realized how much he's worth. If Yon dies, no one is strong enough to keep the royal bloodline in the throne. Tarble won't be able to do it, while I… I will forever feel the guilt of placing my son's life because of my own ambitions."

"Please be strong, Your Majesty, most especially at times like this. I'm sure that's what Prince Vegeta always wanted to show you. I think he's trying to show you how to be strong, just as what you and Queen Saya wanted him to be. Believe in him. We should just have faith in his strength. We know he will survive this. He's strong and proud, he will not die."

King Vegeta nodded grimly. "Yes, Zorn. You are right."

~=-o-O-o-=~

At the royal council's office, the councilmen received a report about the crown prince's condition. After the reporter has left, the members discussed about the impending death of the heir to the throne.

Horenso, the Minister of Government Affairs snickered in disappointment, "Somehow, I regret this has to end this way. It seems that his arrogance and that big mouth of his had finally paid off and brought him his own death."

"I couldn't understand why Lord Frieza still decided to give him a chance to fight for his life like this. He should have killed that bad mouthed prince off!" Kabu, the Minister of Finance said.

"Perhaps, he wished for the crown prince to pay dearly for his actions and have a painful death in which he would painfully struggle. It was a cruel fate." Nasu, the Minister of Technology muttered.

The three ministers smiled in victory as they turned to the Prime Minister, who had a cruel look of someone whose evil plans are going in his way.

"Prime Minister Paragus, what do you think? Should we prepare ourselves for Prince Vegeta's funeral?" Horenso suggested.

Paragus smirked, "Do what you like. For the meantime, I'll have to tell Broly the good news of his upcoming coronation as the new heir to the throne!"

He turned on his scouter to call his only son to tell him to prepare himself soon.

~=-o-O-o-=~

Broly listened to his father's news with an expressionless look on his face. He was astounded to hear from his father that Prince Vegeta was at the brink of death inside the royal medical bay. Instead of becoming excited of his father's great news, Broly felt anxious and stressed over what his father was trying to do. Being one of the crown prince's protectors and closest friends, (even if Paragus tried to tell him not to be friends with his 'enemy'), Broly knows better than his father about how resilient Prince Vegeta is. He hated to tell his father it's not time for his evil plans yet but he didn't dare to say it. He's more curious to see what happens once Vegeta is awake.

So he decided to come to the medical bay to visit his friends, but he was not allowed to enter the medical bay. He was met by Kakarot to whom he was able to ask about the crown prince's condition.

"He's stable now." Kakarot told him with a smile. With that news, Broly also let out a small smile of relief.

"I am glad to know that."

"Unbelievable, right? After all those beatings he received, when the doctors thought he won't survive this, he actually did." Kakarot said in awe.

"Yeah… He is amazing." Broly agreed though he sounded like he was not impressed by it. It was only typical of him to be that way. He barely talks and show emotion after all. "A true warrior indeed."

"Are you going to tell this to your dad? I'm guessing they're all thinking the crown prince is dying."

Broly looked down, "No, I won't."

Kakarot blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I'd like to see how they would react to the prince's survival." Broly said still with his robotic flat voice.

"Heh! Sometimes, I couldn't tell which side you're really on." Kakarot snorted.

Broly didn't say anything upon Kakarot's comment though.

~=-o-O-o-=~

After they have prepared for the crown prince's breakfast, Bulma and the cooks had a day off from cooking after receiving the news of the crown prince being sent to the medical bay. A few minutes earlier, she felt an uneasy feeling in her chest. She didn't know what it was about though. Then the news came to them. It would have been a relief that they won't be cooking lunch and dinner but the mess caused by the shaking of the planet earlier made them clean it up in the royal kitchen and their own quarters. She heard that the crown prince challenged the galactic emperor's soldiers to a fight. She felt contradicting emotions on the news, first was: "Serves that jerk right! That's what he gets for his arrogance!"

Second was: "On second thought, he cannot die, not yet until I get my revenge on that monster!"

And third was of Sadara, "Perhaps, because of that stupid prince, Sadara won't be coming tomorrow to train me. Of course, he will be on duty protecting that jackass."

It made Bulma sad deep inside, somehow. Even so, she has decided to come to their secret meadow that evening. She just somehow, hoping he didn't forget his promise to train her in here tomorrow. She lied on the grass, filled with Diose Bejiita and watched at the stars by herself.

She wished Sadara was in here with her, realizing she missed him and his hobby of teasing her. She shook her head when she feels something uncomfortable in her chest. What is this feeling? Is it possible that she's falling for Sadara?

No, it cannot be. It shouldn't be. Sadara should be her enemy because he will forever be on the crown prince's side. He said it himself!

But… She knows she likes Sadara more than any Saiyan she has met on the planet. More than Kakarot who was very kind to her. Has it something to do with Sadara's bad boy attitude? She knows she has a thing for bad boys. Bad boys, not ruthless monsters. She blushed at the thought of Sadara. He looked badass the day he showed her his power when they first met at the Burokkori Bridge.

"Sadara-sama…" she said. "If only you could train me right now instead of tomorrow…"

"Aren't you an excited one, my cute little pup?"

Bulma gasped at the voice that suddenly came out of nowhere. She got up and found Sadara himself standing a few feet behind her. His dark cloak billowed softly against the wind. He looked like a true Grim Reaper's statue in the grass.

They stared at each other's eyes, allowing themselves to drown into its deepness. Both smiled in relief upon seeing each other.

"Sadara-sama," Bulma beamed.

Vegeta looked over at the blue haired woman in gratitude. A wide smirk stretched on his lips upon seeing the girl who he thinks has saved him from death. Yes, she saved him. She was one of the few reasons why he did his very best to fight against death that weighed on him and pulled him closer to oblivion. He didn't exactly know why she has also been one of the people he fought for to live but it doesn't matter now. He's alive. And he will show them all.

~=-o-O-o-=~

Three hours ago…

As Vegeta finds himself falling deeper and deeper into the darkness brought by the overbearing weight of his incoming death, he struggled to survive, images of those he cared about, his people, his younger brother, his generals, his father and Bulma's beautiful face faded in his mind, their voices calling out to him, believing in him. She was there, hoping for the promise he gave her. He knows he cannot let them down. He wouldn't fail them all, especially his brother and her.

A flash of light abruptly exploded above his dark surrounding and blinded him for a moment. He saw a woman's figure he has been longing for appeared in front of him. Her flawless white skin, spiky black hair, sharp eyes and the armor she wore were all the same as he remembered them. What dream is this? Even so, this was such a happy dream for him for he was able to be with his beloved mother! She was there, smiling back at him with a grin as dazzling as the sun.

"Mama!"

Vegeta's voice echoed across the depths of this unending bright light. His mother raised her welcoming arms at him and he jumped into her like a toddler upon seeing his mother he waited for so long after she has come back at home. For some reason, he feels like a toddler himself. He realized he was crying.

He heard her giggle at him, as she rubbed his back.

"I have always waited for this moment, to be able to talk to you, my dear son." Saya said. "You fought well, I am very proud of you, but it's not yet time for you to go. You have a lot of people waiting for you."

"I know…" he cried.

"Good, I only came in here to answer the question you have for me about what you should do with my idiotic mate." Saya laughed. "You sure do have a feisty mouth, my boy."

Vegeta laughed once and snuggled in her chest. Yes, he was a child in her presence.

"I need you to do what Zorn has advised you to do. You know he's right, Yon. Your father needs you just as he needed me. You are his son, the crown prince of all Saiyans. You will have to carry the burden of his duties with him. If you think he was foolish for not doing anything, I ask that you open up your heart for him and listen to what he has to tell you. That way, you might understand him a little better."

"But mother, he never did anything to save you… or me…" Vegeta muttered. It's not like he wished for his father to help him during his battle, at least he should have seen in his father the desire to do something to defend him during the battle. But no, the king just stood and watched at him die, looking like some foolish coward.

"I do not wish to speak for your father but I suggest that you try to ask him why he didn't do anything. In this case, you have to be the one who should listen and understand. Your father tried to understand you the best he could. So please, do it… for me."

He didn't say anything about that though. There was silence between mother and son for a minute or two until the late queen broke it.

"You grew up to be the proud, powerful and wise prince I always wanted you to be. You have gained unimaginable powers that I was not able to perceive. I am very proud of you, my son. Promise me that no matter what happens, you will never forget who and what you are. If you continue to fight for what you believe what is right for your people, then perhaps… that power will awaken soon."

Vegeta looked up to his mother in surprise. "What power?" he asked curiously.

His mother simply smiled back at him before she gradually turned into small blue feathery lights that fluttered around his surroundings. The lights spun around him like they were glowing petals of Diose Bejiita being blown softly by the wind.

He abruptly felt his heart jolt loudly inside his chest, and then it started to beat quick and strong. He could feel his powers pulsed continually in his veins, filling every pore, cell and muscle with overwhelming energy. Realizing he was getting stronger, he decided to use this newfound power, he pushed through the weighing blackness with his arms. His strength continued building, pulsing, flowing inside of him. It was intensely burning, overwhelming everything he felt. He roared.

In reality, the medical sensors created loud noises which alarmed Malaka and his assistants to check over what was happening to the crown prince. But the medical bay started to tremble at someone's ki going out of control. They tried to ignore the shaking to do what they should be doing and they were shocked to witness something unbelievable.

"He's gaining consciousness, Doctor Malaka!" informed the white haired doctor as he checked on the live scanning machine telling them the activities of the brain.

They all looked over the prince inside the medical tank, the blue liquid that he was immersed in was boiling because of his rising power. Malaka turned to the glass and pleaded, "Your highness, Prince Vegeta! Can you hear me? It's me, Malaka. Please calm down and control your powers! We couldn't get a good reading of your condition if you power up like that!"

The prince's eyebrows furrowed as his shoulders and fingers twitched in response to the doctor's voice. His power has finally stabled yet it didn't go down. The trembling of the ground had stopped but the boiling of the liquid didn't. Instead, the doctors find Prince Vegeta's blue aura gently changing to flaming red, leaking out of his injuries and healing them all gradually. They gaped at such unbelievable ability; it felt like they were watching a video of normally healing injuries in a fast forward. They never witnessed anything like this before. They all stared at the prince and swore they found his hair flashed red in just a brief second before it returned to its normal black.

"What the hell just happened?" breathed Malaka's other assistant, Planthorr. A short man with purplish, almost white hair, thick mustache, narrow and slanted black colored eyes and fair skin. He isn't a Saiyan but he looked similar to old human men from Earth with the exemption of his long, pointed ears.

Malaka turned to the machines that showed them the conditions of his patient to find all of Vegeta's vital stats and physical state has been normalized.

"Unbelievable! He's… He's all healed!" The reptile-like doctor gasped. "Have General Nappa inform his majesty and the second prince immediately." Malaka commanded. Even he could not understand what just happened to the crown prince and he healed that fast. He has never seen any Saiyan regenerate at that speed. But it doesn't matter now, at least the Crown Prince was all healed and good now.

A few minutes later, King Vegeta, Zorn, Tarble, Onio, Kakarot, Raditz and Broly arrived to witness the crown prince's awakening. None could understand how fast the prince was able to heal at that rate but they were all relieved to learn of the good news.

Malaka withdrew the blue medical liquid out of the tank and pressed the button to open the hatch. Vegeta, whose eyes were still closed, shrugged to remove the lead sticking to the sides of his forehead, chest and back. His brows furrowed for a while and then he slowly opened his slanted, narrowed eyes as he rose to his feet. As soon as he did that, everyone except the king and the second prince fell down to their knees and bowed their heads. He looked at everyone in the room with cold, hardened eyes, completely uncaring if he was standing before everyone completely naked. He lowered his gaze to his right fist and flexed his arm and his fingers, looking over at himself for a while. After he was satisfied by his fully healed body and the huge increase in his strength, he looked up to find Nappa walking over him to offer him his royal armor. He quickly dressed up and commanded Nappa, "Report."

Nappa turned his eyes to the King and was about to open his mouth when the King cut in,

"The Galactic Emperor decided to postpone the treaty for your sake, Yon." King Vegeta said. The heir to the throne looked at his father and shrugged but didn't say anything. He found that glare on his father's eyes unnerving though.

After a few seconds of silence, the king told his first born son to follow him outside and Vegeta obeyed silently. It was already night, maybe it was 19h, the prince could only guess the time. When they came into the throne room, no one aside from them was inside. And it was dark, the only light that illuminated the room came from the moonlight passing through the stained glass windows. It gave the throne room a colorful glow. The two royalties silently walked across the aisle.

Once they were at the center of the room, with Prince Vegeta standing two feet behind his father, the king let out a long sigh and said indignantly, "You brat! How could you do that kind of stunt before the Galactic Emperor?! I never thought you were such an idiot to let your arrogance and pride get the best of your control!"

The prince rolled his eyes and angrily let out a breath before he decided to turn around to leave. He's not in the mood for his father's scolding. He's in a very foul mood and wanted nothing but to release the rage he was trying to bottle up inside of him through training.

But before he could turn around, King Vegeta said, "You made me worried!" and it made the prince stop on his tracks. The king slowly faced his first born son. His face filled with worry. "So worried and scared that I thought I was going to lose you!"

"You never did anything," Prince Vegeta muttered coldly, his tone piercing through the king's heart like they were icicles. "If you're truly afraid of losing me, why didn't you do anything?" he abruptly turned around to face his father, anger blazing in his obsidian orbs as he furiously shouted. "It was exactly the same as you did when that bastard killed mama! You just froze in there, cowering in fear while you watched at us as those bastards sniff the life out from us!"

The king could only look at his furious offspring with an uncomfortable gaze, unable to make eye contact and a coherent explanation for his own failure to protect his queen and his first born son.

"You know I wasn't powerful enough to go against them to save you both." the king said.

"You think it's all about physical strength, papa? If you weren't such a greedy idiot then none of it should have happened in the first place!" The prince roared.

"Yes, you are right, Yon. I am a greedy and cowardly king. A total failure of a husband and a father. But I tried to do what I thought was best for you, your mother and our people." the king admitted.

"Tch!" Vegeta gritted his teeth as he darted his eyes away from his foolish father.

King Vegeta looked down when he sensed that his son had turned his gaze away. Finally having a little courage to say his explanation, he asked him, "Do you remember the reason why your mother died?"

"Because you tried stealing something meant for someone's master for yourself." Prince Vegeta mumbled with sheer disinterest.

"It's not for my own sake. It was for you. Your mother always wanted to give you the best things in the universe. And I cannot say it could be considered stealing if the pillow came from our own. The pillow was made by our people to be the best only for you and Frost wanted the best of it for himself. I have no idea how he heard about us but it seems the Galactic Empire has always been watching at us, most especially you. I exchanged the best one from the less better one, not much of a difference but Frost was able to notice that very small detail. He sent a hit man to kill you and Saya but she protected us by giving her life away to finish the powerful hit man off."

Vegeta scoffed at the tragic story that started because of a stupid thing such as claiming the best pillow in the universe. He wanted to leave but the idea of his mother stopped him, her words in his dream coming back to him. "Open up your heart and listen to what your father is going to tell you. It made his feet glued to where he stood.

"At that time, I could only watch at her helplessly." King Vegeta continued his dramatic autobiography storytelling and the prince was forced to listen to every word his father spouted.

"I cannot do anything to save her. I feel so powerless to do anything. I am afraid if I do something again, he would go after you and then I would lose you too. So I didn't do anything in order to protect you. Call me a coward, but I did it to save you! I am not as powerful and resilient as you are, Yon, or nearly as powerful as Frost or Frieza. The only thing I could do is not to do anything!"

The King couldn't help the tears that flowed out of his eyes now, his voice hoarse and filled with regret and anger at himself. The crown prince gaped at the sight of his crying father. This turned into an emotional story telling now and Prince Vegeta realized this was the first time he saw his father act like this. This really could be serious.

"I did it against the opposition in the council and to the Galactic Empire! All because I didn't want to lose you the way I lost your mother! But all you could see was my failure as your father! You never considered how hard it was for me to forget the Saiyan Pride I taught you so much in order to protect you! I had no one but Zorn at my side! Ruling the Saiyans alone was so hard for me, stressful even, especially when the people around me could only give me fake respect and were stabbing me behind my back! And then, with all my troubles and problems as king comes along my problems with you as your father! Even if I needed you so much to be on my side, you were never there because of your selfishness and childishness!

"You have no idea how much I blamed myself for letting you grow up to become an irresponsible and rebellious brat. I knew it was my fault because I was never a father to you. I tried to do so, but one glance at you I knew you'll shut me out the way you always do. The knowledge that you would distance yourself from me even further is what made me so afraid."

At those words, Vegeta felt a sudden guilt creep inside his hardened heart. So that was the reason why his father always tried to restrain himself from opening up.

"But today… When I saw you about to die, struggling to fight for your life… I never felt so afraid my entire life! It feels like the universe has crumbled before me when I saw you in that state. And once again I blamed myself for it. I was losing all my hopes when Zorn suggested me something that I never did before.

"He told me to believe in you, to believe in your strength. That's when I realized how much you worth for me, what you've been trying to tell me all this time. I may not be as powerful and resilient as you, but you tried to show me how to become one. You know how much it relieved my heart when I finally believed in you that you would survive through this. I somehow felt guilty knowing how much Tarble believes in you when I, your very own father, was never able to do that. Now, I finally understand it all, my son. I see it all now."

Vegeta was stumped when he found his father falling to his knees before him. "Papa…" his tears falling as he watched at his father.

"Yon... Forgive me for all the things I have done and the things I never did for you. I promise you, I will do my best to make it up to you. I didn't want another day when I won't be able to make it up to you." King Vegeta told his son.

The words he waited for so long and the sight of his kneeling father was too much for his hardened heart to bear. He never imagined his most awaited day to be this much. His guilt became heavier upon seeing his father do this to him, realizing how much he's worth to him no matter what. He stubbornly told himself that he didn't care, that he's eager to turn his back on his own father for as long as he could help it. But he always knew he was willing to forgive his father if he realized his faults. And he did, and the prince also found himself feeling guilty upon learning how his pride and stubbornness has given his father so much pain and sacrifices. Yes, he was indeed a selfish son too. He has his own mistakes. But the king has tried to defend him, to hide away his mistakes and take it on himself so he could protect him. He realized that regardless of everything that has occurred in between them, the man kneeling and crying in front of him, the once proud king he used to idolize as a child is still his father that he could never be replaced within his heart.

Prince Vegeta forced himself to smile as genuinely as he could before he fell to his knees in front his father and wrapped his arms around him.

"There's no need to make up that much, papa. It was my fault why you never did in the first place. I'm sorry I became too much of a trouble to you but after all my efforts, it has finally dawned on you what I was trying to tell you all these years. I don't regret anything I have done. I should be the one making up." The prince said, laughing once and sniffing as he rubbed his eyes.

"Yon..." His father smiled back at him, feeling nothing but pride on his first born son.

A few silent minutes have passed before father and son faced each other again.

"Now, I know I am ready. I am willing to share your burden as ruler of the Saiyans and the Planet Vegeta." The Crown Prince said as he averted his eyes on the empty throne, a golden high back chair with red velvet cushion at the top of a high platform behind them.

"Tomorrow morning, assemble the royal council and announce my upcoming regency. I will take over the throne on an interim and rule temporarily for your sake. That way, I will sniff out all of our enemies in the council, one by one."

An evil smile crept over his lips.