The Lost Prince. A Guiding Hand.

"You… lost a Dragon Ball the size of a planet?"

"I'd like to see you try and predict the location of planetary objects with just your eyes. I'm scraping the bottom of what I have in terms of my old magic just to locate the damn thing."

"Just hurry up and find it!"

Vegeta scowls and rests in a chair, arms crossed and eye twitching in annoyance. The faker one-upped him again, and with such a powerful opponent too! And COOLER?! Frieza's brother?! Vegeta growls in anger and banishes the memory, not wishing to think of Zamasu's brilliant idea.

Vegeta growls audibly and makes his way out of the chamber. Ever since he found out about Zamasu's apparent alliance with Cooler, he's been feeling more irritable than normal. That bastard demon's family caused so much grief for the saiyans that Vegeta can't even stand the thought of being associated with them!

Entering a small training chamber, Vegeta grits his teeth as he grabs a punching bag made for his specific strength and begins practicing his forms. Vegeta starts slowly, expertly weaving his way through basic attacks as his mind wanders to the past, unrestrained by his newly rekindled anger for Frieza's family.

Planet Vegeta is attacked by an army. Their new civilization is instantly brought down by a new threat. An evil conqueror who holds no prisoners. That damned frost demon. Frieza…

A prince can only do so much when his very empire is being overthrown. What good is a king who can't even hold his own freedom? What good is a ruler when they are merely a puppet for a larger power?

To think, someone stronger than Frieza exists. That purple cat. A God of Destruction. So terrifying… even Frieza is scared of him. Are saiyans really that weak in the universe?

No one cares. Only strength matters. Frieza is too strong, but a prince can stop him. Keep training. Don't hold emotion. Just keep training. Maybe you'll stop crying eventually. No one needs a weak prince.

Vegeta scowls as he picks up the pace of his movements. His fists blur as he beats on the bag, long pent-up emotions finally rising to the surface.

Rank. Class. Who cares? Only strength matters. Elites hold the most. The prince is the best of them. The strongest of them. Frieza will fall.

The tears stopped long ago. Only training remains. And missions. Damned missions to kill more people under Frieza's control. That green-haired race with the red eye. They stood no chance. Damn you Frieza.

Numb to the pain. Numb to the terrors. Numb to the suffering. Numb to others. Numb. Numb… Damn.

Is strength enough? Does Frieza use more than power? Technique works. Someone stronger than the prince tried to beat him. The prince used strange moves to get an advantage. Technique could work.

Only strength. More. MORE. Can't stop. Damn you Frieza! Damn you to hell! Why is the prince weak?!

Vegeta closes his eyes, pausing momentarily, then yells and slams his fist into the bag once more. Energy builds in his body, filling him with power as his anger rises.

Nothing helps. No happiness. No peace. Only war. War is all he knows. The prince of war. No saiyans. Just blood and bone. Can it be his own he sees, or another's? Would it matter in the end?

Torture. Frieza revels in it. No saiyan would torture another. Damn you Frieza. Corrupting the prince. Corrupting the saiyans. Damn you Frieza!

Still not strong enough. What is left of the prince? A husk? A man? A warrior? A child? A soul? Nothing? Strength is all he has. Is that truly enough?

Gods. Tyrants. Kings. Princes. Does it matter? What good is strength? Nothing changes. Nothing will kill Frieza. Does it matter?

Damn. Damn! DAMN! DAMN YOU FRIEZA!

Another mission. More suffering. More death. Nothing changes. Is it worth it?

A call. What? The planet is gone? Nothing is left?

…

Damn.

What next? Strength solved nothing. No happiness. No laughter. No peace. Not enough strength in the end.

What good is a weak prince?

Unnoticed by the prince, tears pour from his eyes as his mind opens up a vault of negative emotions long suppressed. The combination of multiple defeats, a lifetime of subjugation by another, being surpassed by so many, and the reminder of deaths of so many innocent souls is causing its toll on the prince.

Energy builds in his torso, his heart pulsating in rhythm with his aura. Vegeta strikes the bag, his eyes flashing green. "Damn you Frieza!"

Another strike follows. The screams of those he killed swarms his mind. "Damn you!"

Lightning surges as another strike is thrown. Laughter of older, stronger saiyans fill his mind. "Damn you!"

Flashes of fire and rock appear in Vegeta's mind. The smirk of that purple god. The frown of Zamasu. The condescending laughter of Frieza. "DAMN YOU!"

With a roar of rarely seen emotion, Vegeta slams his fist into the bag, destroying the chains and breaking the bag in two. Vegeta pants, his hair lowering to its normal position, as he tries desperately to control his emotions.

"Well. Never seen you so riled up before." Vegeta's eyes widen and he turns rapidly. There he sees the earthling woman, Bulma, leaning against the door frame. She has an uncharacteristic frown on her face. "Should I be worried about fits in the future?"

Vegeta scowls and turns away. "Mind your damn business, woman."

Bulma stands up straight and puts her hands on her hips. "No."

Vegeta stops and turns slowly. "No?"

Bulma walks forward and crosses her arms. "No. You're upset, I can tell. I won't leave until you tell me what's bothering you."

Vegeta stares at Bulma, searching her for something. He grits his teeth and turns with a scoff. "I must be getting soft. Fine. I'll tell you, if just to make you leave me alone."

Vegeta sighs and looks up. "The saiyans deserved better. I never wanted to be a conqueror, but what was I going to do under Frieza's control? He was so much stronger. So powerful. So I trained to get stronger. I shut out everything and everyone just to gain any advantage I could."

The prince closes his eyes in remorse. "It didn't work. Frieza won. He may be dead, but so are the saiyans. His empire is still standing and run by his brother, and Zamasu thinks it's a good idea to ally with him, and I can't do anything about it!"

Bulma frowns, thinking over what she's hearing. "Well, I think you're too hard on yourself."

Vegeta turns and raises an eyebrow. Bulma smirks and says, "The almighty saiyan prince stopped because of a little emotional baggage? Yes, your life sucked, but you kept moving forward. I've seen your tenacity, your determination. It's… admirable, to say the least." A small blush appears on Bulma's face with this last statement.

Shaking her head, Bulma smirks again and continues, "You're too damn tough to be stopped by things like past sins. Yes, it sucks, and yes, Frieza's empire still stands. But instead of looking back and growling, look forward and see something brighter with a smile. Or a smirk, whatever you prefer."

Vegeta closes his eyes and crosses his arms. "It's not that simple, woman."

Bulma gets close to Vegeta and says, "I can help you! We all can! You're not alone anymore, Vegeta!"

Vegeta turns and looks at the earthling. She's seen him at his worst, breaking down from the anger and rage and pain, and yet she doesn't leave. Odd, he's never felt so subdued before. It… isn't unpleasant.

Vegeta closes his eyes and contemplates her words. She can't possibly understand how he feels. And yet… he's never felt so satisfied with his lot in life. Interesting... Vegeta finally opens his mouth and replies, "I'd look forward with a smirk, not a smile."

Bulma blinks, processing what Vegeta just said. Then, she laughs loudly, which makes Vegeta smile smugly. "My God, I wasn't expecting that! I didn't think you had a sense of humor!"

Vegeta scowls without any real heat and yells, "I can understand jokes! I'm not a damn rock!"

Bulma giggles softly, amused by Vegeta's bluster. Sighing a bit, she smiles warmly and says, "Good to have you back, prince."

Vegeta blinks, then smirks. "I never left. You just saw all of me." Bulma nods. Then, "Just don't tell anyone." This makes Bulma laugh again.

After a moment, Bulma frowns a bit again and says, "By the way, when I entered, I saw your hair flicker between yellow and black. What was that?"

This makes Vegeta frown. "Yellow hair? Saiyans only have black hair."

Bulma shakes her head and says, "I know, but you were switching between them. It's almost like you were… changing. It kinda scared me at first, but I guess it's fine now."

Vegeta looks down, his eyes contemplative. "Could it be…" Slowly, Vegeta begins ushering Bulma out. "Stay out for now. I need to test something... potentially dangerous."

Bulma smirks and replies, "Aren't all the things you test dangerous?" When she receives a cold frown in response, she shrugs and says, "Alright, alright, I'll go. Just don't leave me hanging on the details afterwards." With that, the door slides shut with a hiss, leaving Vegeta alone in his chamber.

Taking a small sigh of relief, Vegeta sits down and crosses his legs. He isn't used to the whole 'meditation' thing, but he figures it would be the best way to concentrate.

Vegeta slowly begins focusing on his back, the same place he felt that power so long ago, before they even reached Vampa. It felt so powerful then, surging beneath the surface of Goku's ki, a shining gold beneath waves of blue. And now, Vegeta can feel that same power beneath his own skin.

Vegeta concentrates hard, feeling the surging, roiling gold beneath his aura. He pulls, and finally, finally, he can grasp it. The power struggles, not used to being used, but Vegeta finds it much easier to hold it close. Instead of a few grains of gold in a sandy beach, he's found a golden rock. And that rock is something he can hold.

Golden light fills the room and Vegeta's eyes snap open. Brilliant, shining emerald stare forward with a calm, satisfied gaze. Vegeta looks at his hand, flexing it momentarily, feeling the surge of strength in his body, along with the rage. Then, it disappears. Vegeta sighs, feeling the rush of energy leave his body, leaving him exhausted. However, he doesn't feel upset. Far from it. Grinning widely, Vegeta looks at his hand once more. He may only have a small rock of gold on his sandy beach, but he can dig for more. He just needs a little practice.

From behind the door, a bearded figure stalks away from observing the lone prince. He saw the whole interaction with him and the woman, and then his experiment with that golden power. The figure frowns grimly as he thinks, "Anger? That is the answer? Well… Broly has more rage than any other person in the universe." With that ominous thought, Paragus enters his room with a smirk.

Chronoa closes the book with a soft frown. "To think the prince had... so much locked up inside him. No wonder his anger of Frieza was so great. I never would've imagined the suffering he's felt." Chronoa sighs. "I hope you do well Zamasu. Bring these feelings to the divine realm so we can help the mortals better."

Chronoa turns and says, "Hey, Fu, what did you think?" She pauses as she sees Fu looking down at a man wearing a black coat and sunglasses. She walks over and says, "When did he get here?"

Fu shrugs. He leans down and pokes the unmoving man. "Think he's dead?"

Chronoa leans in and says, "Hey Sora, Sora!" No response. Rolling her eyes, she says, "Spectre, wake up!"

The man rolls over on his side and looks up past his sunglasses. "What do you need? I'm trying to sleep."

Chronoa crosses her arms and says, "I see that, but why are you sleeping on the couch?"

Spectre grins and says, "I wanna hear the story. I made it, right? I deserve to listen. Anyway, I'm gonna sleep now." And just like that, he passes out once more.

Chronoa shakes her head in exasperation as Fu begins poking the sleeping OC's head. Chronoa turns with a smile and says, "Well, as you can tell exams for the author really came and hit him hard. Not much time for work with those things, huh? But, here we are, and it may be short but certainly an important dive into the neglected prince's psyche!"

Chronoa waves and says, "Please leave a review if you have any thoughts! Constructive criticism would be appreciated as well! We hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!"