The Worlds Smartest

This Is The Enforcer Speaking,

To my constant readers, you give me purpose. To those who review you are the real hero's!

Now…On To The Story!

Rage

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He was smaller than Vegeta thought he'd be in his supposed ultimate form. This new version of Frieza was much more compact the all of his previous incarnations. Unfortunately, he was much stronger than before but so was Vegeta and he wasn't alone. Kakarot, Bardock and Piccolo powered up.

"Stay out of this until I say," Vegeta said, eyes locked on his enemy. "Understood?"

The unlikely band of allies nodded stiffly. At the acknowledgement he rose up, Ki burning around him, and squared off with Frieza. The tyrant watched with narrowed red eyes, his tail lashed behind him, the tip somehow regenerated.

"Ready to experience death at the hands of a true legend?" Frieza taunted.

"You will be the one dying today Frieza."

"Such brave words for one as weak as yourself."

Crossing his arm's, he glared at the lizard, refusing to continue the banter, wanting to end this before something worse happen. The senzu been was a miracle left in short supply. This was his second chance and with the new power of having been so near death his confidence returned. The power gap between them even narrower than before.

Sighing Frieza raised his hand, pointing a single finger at Vegeta. "I see you aren't paying attention. So, let me just go ahead and finish this."

A bright purple beam of energy shot toward him, small and dense, it screamed danger. Someone shouted at him to move. Vegeta stood his ground, sure in himself, and battled the attack aside. It shot off uselessly across the moon, exploding in the far-off distance.

Frieza gawked at him. "Impossible."

"It appears not."

Vegeta couldn't stop the chuckle that rose up from within him. The sound dark even to his own ears rolled forth unencumbered. It appeared he was not such the underdog as before.

Powering up he charged again.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Pain spiked through her head, white as lightening. What happened? She rubbed a hand across her face and clutched her head. Had she gotten drunk again? No, she was pregnant she wouldn't be drinking.

The baby?

Her hand flew to her stomach in panic.

"The heir is fine."

"Krillin?" Bulma blinked her eyes open, squinting, until the figure before her came into focus. The smaller Saiyan hovered over her as she lay on the cold stone ground. Of course, the moon, they were on the moon and Vegeta had…

Sitting up in a rush Bulma lunged for Krillin. Her fingers latched onto the male's throat and she shook him. He jabbered, trying to speak around both her hands at his throat and her screamed threats. Snarling she finally released him but not before smacking him soundly around the head.

"Why did you have to go and do that?" He rubbed at one of his lumps.

"Because," she snapped. Did she really need to explain the concept of killing the messenger? Without thinking she launched herself into the sky only to have to pull up short to avoid flying directly into Krillin. He blocked her way. "You are quickly working your way onto my shit list."

He remained unmoving, "Why? Because I'm trying to keep you from getting yourself killed? What exactly do you think will happen if you go flying into that fight?"

Unfortunately, it was a valid question. What would happen? Nothing good, and yet her instincts were screaming for her to be closer to her mate. The new piece herself roaring and roiling within her. Demanding she go to him.

She would like to say should couldn't believe he'd knocked her out but honestly Bulma wasn't surprised. Her presence would ultimately be a distraction.

"I will only get close enough to see what's going on. I'll stay hidden unless he's about to die. Now get out of my way before I move you."

Emotions flitted across Krillin's face. Worry for her, worry for his King, worry for his own ass all battled with the fact that she was his Queen and ordering him to do something. Groaning he sagged in the air. "I'm so dead if we live through this."

They flew fast and low to the surface, zipping over craters and around larger boulders. With power levels suppressed they finally dropped down behind a large outcropping of rocks a good distance from the battlefield. Two figures dashed through the air, moving so fast that to Bulma's eyes they were all but blur.

"Vegeta's power level is astonishing." Bulma yelped yanking off her scouter as it fried out as she attempted to get an accurate reading on them. "Don't try to do a power reading if you want to keep a hold of your scouter."

They didn't really need them anyways because they could both sense Ki.

Krillin frowned, "It feels like a stalemate."

Reaching out with her senses she watched her mate fight for the universe and knew that something had to give. The question was, which direction would it give in?

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Spinning to a holt Vegeta crossed his arms and glared at Frieza. This little battle of theirs was quickly growing annoying. Except for a few side swipes and the occasion barely dodged attack they were getting nowhere. Eyes shifting to his rag tag crew Vegeta wondered if it was time to team up on Frieza? The thought annoyed him but if someone could help distract the lizard he might be able to get the upper hand. Not for the first time since meeting his mate Vegeta realized that there were some things in his life that were worth more than his ego.

"Kakarot." One word, that was all it took.

"What the-" Frieza's word were cut off as he was forced to dodge Kakarot's attack. Vegeta shot forward from the opposite angle. Flashes of Ki let him know that Bardock and Piccolo followed.

They hit Frieza as one.

The lizard screamed, firing off Ki blasts as he went, the purple energy whirling dangerously close. Vegeta powered up a huge Ki blast and, once it grew large enough, released it at Frieza. The giant ball of energy hit Frieza hard, driving him to the surface where he braced himself against the surface and fought to keep the ever-growing attack from over taking him.

Screaming Vegeta poured more power into the Ki blast. Sweat broke out all across his body and he could feel his energy slowly ebbing as he put everything he had into it. The others joined him adding their Ki to the assault.

Rock exploded around Frieza as the attack began to swallow him up.

More, he needed more power. Vegeta thought of his mate, of his unborn son, and of his planet and he found that he had not yet reached the bottom of his strength. With one final surge of power the Ki ball overtook Frieza. It drove him below the surface of the moon and exploded fantastically.

Exhausted, Vegeta lowered himself to the ground. Searching for Frieza's Ki he realized he could no longer feel it.

"Is he gone?" Piccolo asked.

"Perhaps," Bardock answered.

Dust mushroomed out of the crater and rock rained down from above. Time seemed to stand still as he waited, breath held, searching for any sign of life from Frieza. Unfortunately, he found it just before Frieza's voice cut through the silence as he emerged slowly from the debris cloud. He was bleeding, burned and pissed off.

"Well, I suppose I should let you in on one last little secret. I've only been using one percent of my power. Now, seeing as how you've presented me with the first challenge I have ever had I will show you true power. Let's see, fifty percent should do."

Lightening flashed through the sky as Frieza threw his arms wide. Ki crackled along his body and lightning struck all around, momentarily blinding Vegeta, but he did not need eyes to feel the tyrant's power skyrocket.

When his vision cleared he saw that Frieza looked the same. Which seemed wrong somehow given the frightening increase in his power level.

"Now, as a demonstration who should I kill first? Hmm." Frieza waggled his finger back and forth between the small clutch of warriors. "How about you?"

The laser beam like shot of Ki blasted out quicker than lightening. It flashed passed Vegeta and struck Piccolo. The Namekian went down hard. Tearing his eyes away from downed warrior Vegeta whipped back around to Frieza.

What terrified him most was not the attack on the alien. No. It was the oh so subtle spike in Ki he felt off in the distance, his mate, come to the battlefield. He was going to kill Krillin when this was over. If any of them survived. Their only saving grace was the Frieza had not yet learned how to sense Ki.

Gritting his teeth Vegeta flew at Frieza only to find himself smashed across the face and driven into the ground. Pain radiated through him but Vegeta rebounded off the ground to return the blow. Hitting Frieza was like hitting an indestructible wall. Bardock and Kakarot joined the fray as they tumbled through the air.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Bulma shot forward, determined to get to Piccolo. Her flight ended abrouptly as she was jerked to a stop. Krillin's hand wrapped around her ankle. He shook his head.

"He's not dead yet." Bulma kicked at him, trying to knock his hand loose, but the determined male refused to let go. "I'm going to get him while they're all distracted. Look at them, they're already on the other side of the crater."

Briefly assessing the situation Krillin said, "I'll go get him, but you have to stay here. Promise me you'll stay here while I go get him."

Nodding her assent Bulma eased back down. "Be quick."

"No kidding." Krillin sounded nervous but shot off toward the fallen Piccolo.

She held her breath the entire time, all one hundred and twenty seconds of it, as Krillin flew out and back with Piccolo over his shoulder. The entire scene going unnoticed by the battle locked quartet across the way.

Blood seeped out of a wound that seemed too small to be a death blow and yet Bulma could feel Piccolos life fading away as Krillin laid him out before her. Falling to her knees she pressed her hands to the wound, irrationally hoping it would help.

"Damn it Piccolo," She cried. "You're not allowed to die on me."

His chest bounced with a pained laugh. "Sorry to disappoint."

"I think we're all going to die." Bulma looked out across the battlefield. "He's too strong."

"Have…faith," Piccolo gasped the words. He struggled to reach for something at his waist, hands fumbling, groping and missing the mark. "In my sash…letter. For you…read it…when it's…all…over."

Tears filled her eyes as she dug inside of his tightly tied belt and fished out a neatly folded and sealed letter. Having learned to follow his instruction Bulma quickly tucked it inside her armor, praying that they would be around to read it later.

"Don't go, my friend." Bulma took his hand in hers.

"Never…had…a friend. Before." His words were weak. "I'll. Be. Watching…you."

Piccolo let out a final breath, body shuddering, and then he was gone. His Ki winking out of existence. Sobbing Bulma huddle over the body of her fallen friend. She'd known there would be casualties. Had already lost two of their number and yet somehow, she'd taken for granted that most of those closest to her would somehow miraculously survive.

Body trembling Bulma watched through tear stained lashes as another of her friends fell to the tyrant. Their life force winking out of existence faster even the Piccolos.

She screamed.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

He was losing. Vegeta knew it as surely as he still breathed. Pain poured through every inch of his body; his left arm hung loose at his side, momentarily stunned from a powerful attack.

So, it was no surprise when death came on swift wings for anther of their number.

Proving once more that for Frieza this had all been a game he turned on Bardock and hit him with a Ki blast that obliterated him. Leaving nothing but ash behind.

He heard her scream, long and loud, unmuffled through space.

Beady red eyes refocused off into the distance and Frieza's cold maniacal laugh speared him to the core. "My, my, my what do we have here? Is that the itty-bitty monkey Queen I hear?"

Frieza took off in her direction. He and Kakarot followed.

Tearing after him Vegeta reached Frieza first, wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him to a stop. Muscles straining, he barely held him back and he screamed for Kakarot to attack.

Kakarot rushed in only to come to a sudden stop.

"No!" Vegeta screamed.

Frieza's tale speared Kakarot through the chest.

Blood bubbled out of the mortally wounded Saiyan's mouth as he spoke, "You won't win Frieza…it might not be me…who kills you…but it will…be a…Saiyan."

"Oh, please." Frieza drawled before suddenly smashing Vegeta in the face with his elbow and then blasting him into the ground. Vegeta's last sight of Kakarot, of perhaps his only friend if he dared to use the word, was of Frieza yanking his tail free of the younger Saiyan's chest, of the bright red blood pouring out of the massive wound, his limp body falling from the sky.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

She hadn't been able to control her scream at Bardock death. Then only moments later another Ki winked out of existence. Kakarot's. With it Bulma realized her new, small, family was nearly gone. Only her mate's Ki still burned, or more like flickered weakly. She shook Krillin off of her as he yanked and pulled her toward the ship that still sat off in the distance precariously perched near a sheer drop off. The grief turned on a dime, the fire that burned in her turning to ice and she knew it was time.

"No more Krillin. No more." She wiped at her face, roughly brushing away her tears, before drawing her last remaining blade. Her smallest. The one she'd once tried to take her own life with. "It won't matter if I run or not. He will just keep coming for me. For Vegeta. For all of us. If I'm dying it won't be running away like a coward. I will die on my feet facing the enemy."

"My Queen." He reached for her again tugging at her. "Bulma!"

She paused to face him, "Am I wrong?"

He opened his mouth, closed it, and slowly shook his head.

"You should leave. Maybe Frieza won't bother with one lone Saiyan. I don't want anyone else dying."

"I'm not leaving you."

"It's suicide." She turned away from him to see Frieza rapidly approaching their location. He was searching for them. Still unable to sense Ki. Bulma solved that problem for him, stepping out into view. Krillin by her side.

"It's my duty. Just like it was Bardock's duty, and Kakarot's, the Kings, and even your friend Piccolo's. To protect you." He powered up beside her. Like that was going to do any good?

"They didn't die for me. They died for an ideal. They died for our people."

"Believe what you will my Queen but I stand beside you all the way to death."

Bulma frowned down at him, "I don't even think you like me."

"No," He said. "I don't. I respect you and that is worth more."

A small smile flickered across her face. Perhaps the last in her life. Who would have thought it would be Krillin who died by her side? Not her. Not in a million years.

The pink and white lizard landed in front of them. His three toed feet touching down delicately on the ground. The three of them held their silence and all Bulma could focus on was his beady red glare and the slowly fading Ki of her mate. Her own body ached in response, unable and unwilling to block out their connection.

"Well isn't this just precious." Frieza's gaze shifted between them. "Though I do admit I thought they would have left you in the hands of someone much more impressive. I can't believe my luck at finding you here."

Bulma stood up straighter, chin high, and refused to buckle under his evil stare. "Fuck you."

Yep, that was her. Elegant and eloquent. All the way to the end.

"Oh, dear such foul language but I dare say it is quite endearing and you are much more attractive than I would have thought." He leered at her. "Now, see your monkey Prince is dead that leaves you in charge. How about we make a deal? If you-"

"I don't negotiate with terrorists." Bulma shuddered at the lusty look on his face.

Frieza tutted, "You must at least listen to my offer first. It's rude of you to interrupt. Now as I was saying. If you would just kneel before me and swear sovereignty to me, I will not only allow you and your unborn welp to live, I will allow your entire planet of monkeys to live. As long as they serve me of course. And, once your brat is old enough, I will do it the honors of taking it under my wing and raising it as my own. Who better to do the job than the strongest being in the universe? But that's not all you'll also get the amazing prize of being my consort. Now, who could turn down an off like that?"

Bile rose in her throat at the thought of this evil creature touching her, at the thought of him raising her child. He would do nothing but hurt and twist her son. Shape him into both a weapon and a hostage. In that moment Bulma realized something else…

"That's it isn't it? You're still hoping to make us into your slaves. That's why you didn't just outright try to destroy the planet. But guess what, they won't follow you without me." Or Vegeta she finished silently but it seemed like he thought her mate dead and Bulma wanted to keep it that way. "And I will never kneel before you. So, go ahead. Kill me. You still won't have your army."

Then she laughed. Laughed even as Frieza began to shake with rage.

Frieza seethed, "Is that so?"

"Very," Krillin confirmed.

Frieze pointed two fingers straight up, arm extended above him and quickly formed an insanely large Ki blast. Bulma braced herself against the power beating off of the accumulating energy. "Well it seems there's no point in leaving your species alive then."

He flicked his fingers toward Vegetasai and released the blast. She bit back the screech that threatened to rise. The shield would hold and those who wanted to escape would. If nothing else some of their people would live on. It smashed into the shield which flared briefly, bright white, and Bulma's heart stuttered but then it settled back down. Holding fast. Slowly taking on the hue of Frieza's Ki as the generators syphoned and recycled the energy back into the shield. They wouldn't last forever though, not with as much power as was in that Ki blast. Eventually the shield would fail, and the attack would break through.

"What is this?" He shrieked.

Needing to divert Frieza's attention from what was going on, specifically any escape pods that may take off, Bulma walked up to the heavily distracted Frieza.

And stabbed him.

"No." Krillin yelled at the same time as Frieza turned his bloody gaze back to her.

The blade barely nicked his flesh.

Bulma held his gaze. Refusing to look away. "You're nothing Frieza. Nothing but a child upset because he can't have a toy he wanted. You're just a nastily little child and nasty little children always get what's coming to them. Or should I say…lizard."

Frieza growled, teeth bared, and hit her.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

His whole body ached, burned, but he was not dead. Not yet. Rolling to his side Vegeta grunted, coughed and spit out a mouthful of blood. Even his lungs burned. That blast from Frieza nearly fried him to a crisp. Parts of his armor fell away in chunks and whole swaths of his suit were torn leaving much of one leg and half his chest exposed.

Lightening flashed and rock exploded around him as meteors began crashing to the surface. He had to get to her. His mates fear burned through his veins. Pushing himself to his feet Vegeta launched into the air and flew as fast as he could.

A giant Ki attack flew off toward Vegetasai but the King did not stop to watch, to see if his entire species was obliterated because the only thing in the universe that mattered to him was up ahead planning to do something both brave and stupid, because that was who she was. It was one of the reasons why he loved her. He could not lose her. If she died. He died. First his soul and then his body. Life would be meaningless, food dust in his mouth, water undrinkable, the fight done and gone.

He flew faster than he'd ever flown before.

But not fast enough.

Vegeta watched in horror as Frieza backhanded Bulma, watched her tumble through the air to lay still. Felt her life force fade to nothing. Rage blackened his vision and he simply flew into Frieza like a battering ram. Blinded through tears and rage Vegeta screamed. Slammed his fists into flesh over and over again. Frieza had taken everything from him. Everything that mattered. His mate, his friend, and likely his entire planet. All gone, all because he was cruel and evil and Vegeta had been too weak to stop him. Fist met rock as Frieza broke away cursing but Vegeta didn't care.

"Why her?" He screamed to the Gods, to Frieza, to who or whatever might be listening. "You could have taken me or anyone else but not her! Not my Bulma!"

He roared as rage tore through him, exploded out of him. New pathways of power burned through his body and all he could do was scream in fury and grief. Fire. He was on fire.

Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing but his wrath, his hate…his pain.

Then like tumblers finally turned by the proper key. Everything fell into place and the lock opened. Click, click, thump. Power flooded him, power like nothing Vegeta had ever felt before flowed through his veins, his very cells transformed.

Vegeta opened his eyes.

To a new world.

Where legends were real.

"What-what is this?" Frieza finally sounded concerned.

Vegeta looked down at his hands, at the gold Ki surrounding him, and wished this had come but a moment sooner. His eyes shifted over to his mate. Krillin hovered over her, still trying to protect her, though it was too late for that now. Too late for him too but he would take this monster, this tyrant, out of the universe before death claimed him.

"This is your end Frieza."

Vegeta attacked, chasing Frieza into the air as he fled. Catching him Vegeta punched him in the face as hard as he could before pounding him back down toward the rocky surface. Frieza screamed as he fell and caught himself mid tumble. Not giving him a moment to catch his breath Vegeta hit him with a Ki blast. Frieza countered with one of his own. Gold met purple. The two blasts colliding in an explosion of power as Frieza tried overwhelming Vegeta's blast with his own.

He failed. Unable to defeat Vegeta's attack Frieza dodged out of the way and came for him but Vegeta was ready. The kick he delivered to the tyrant sent him flying away. This time when Frieza righted himself he immediately began attacking Vegeta with a series of rapid Ki balls.

They all bounced uselessly off of the King.

Slowing down Frieza hovered panting in the air before declaring, "I have not showen you all of my power just yet."

"Then show me Frieza. Show me all of it." Vegeta wanted to kill Frieza at his most powerful. To show the lizard, just before his death, that he was not the most powerful being in the universe.

Because Vegeta was.

Screaming Frieza began powering up, the ground around them shook and purple energy crackled along Frieza's body.

"I will show you what real power is!" He grew larger as his power level seemed to double in strength. When he was done, he laughed manically, and smiled at Vegeta. "What do you think?"

"That you are still going to die."

Frieza threw a large attack at him but Vegeta simply bat it away. They flew at each other, colliding midair, fist and feet flying. The power coursing through his body felt like a bottomless well. As though he could continue pulling from it forever. No matter what Frieza threw at him, no matter how fast he moved, Vegeta moved faster, struck harder.

Finally, in a whirlwind of movement Vegeta grabbed ahold of Frieza's tail and tore the tip of it free in wash of blood.

Frieza snarled, "Filthy monkey."

Vegeta spun Frieza around by his tail before slamming him into the ground by it.

"You are not even a challenge to me anymore." Vegeta stood over Frieza as he writhed in the hole created by his own body. Reaching down Vegeta grabbed him around the neck, hauling him up into the air and shook him. Clawed hands dug at his own.

"Let…me…go," Frieza gasped. "I am…the strongest."

Pulling Frieza close to his face Vegeta snarled, "You are nothing but good as dead and I want you to remember that you were killed not just by some filthy monkey but by a Super Saiyan."

Making a fist Vegeta plunged it into Frieza's stomach. Burst through flesh and meat. "Oh, and Frieza? Fuck you."

Vegeta released as much Ki as he could into a massive blast inside of the tyrant. The once self-professed most powerful being in the universe exploded into vapor. It was done. Frieza was dead.

Falling to his knees he released his hold on the bottomless well, his anger draining from him in a wash of grief and loss. Chilling him. Vegeta felt his body shift back to his normal state. Blood covered his hand, his head ached, and many other small injuries littered his body. Yet still he lived. And she did not.

"My King." Krillin called out to him but Vegeta ignored him. Unsure of whether or not to kill the bald little Saiyan. He might kill him simply to relieve some of his grief if he wasn't careful. "Please, Vegeta, come here."

The drop in honorifics an intentional ploy to gain his attention. But he was not ready to see his mate, dead, growing cold. A hand flew to his chest, to the ache there, to the place that would never be the same again.

"She's not dead." His head flew up at those words. No. He had not heard right, he felt her die, her Ki fade. Had he not? "But if you don't do something fast, she will be."

Ignoring his rational mind Vegeta rushed to his mate. Krillin scurried out of the way as Vegeta fell to her side. Ripping his gloves off he laid his hands on her face. She was beaten and blood. Her lip split, her head noticeably concussed, with blood seeping out of her cracked skull. Skin to skin he felt that spark of life, the vaguest bit of Ki still burning within her. Panicked he lay a hand on her abdomen and…yes their it was too. His mate and son yet lived.

"We have to get her to the ship or something." Krillin spoke in a panicked rush.

Jamming a hand down the front of what was left of his armor Vegeta prayed, prayed that it was still there. For once his prayers were answered as his fingers found the hard, round bean and pulled it free. Crushing it in his hand he gently opened Bulma's mouth and poured in the powdered Senzu bean.

They waited.

He leaned his forehead against hers as he shifted into his new form and began pouring this new more potent energy into her as fast as possible without hurting her. Golden Ki blossomed around them both. Each moment of silence felt like an eternity.

"Come back to me," He whispered. "Please."

He waited, wondering if each breath would be their last, the silence stretched thin and then…

"I never left you."

She lived.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

A/N: Well holy shit this was a long chapter. And I know it took forever to get it out, I recently had to put my best friend to sleep. He was a Pug named Smeagol and my hearts broken right now. Writing is an escape but intense grief slowed me down for a couple of week.

So when I went to write this chapter I wanted to make it a good one for all of you who have so patiently waited. I kept wanting to both stop and not, but I feel like here is a good point. I as always absolutely struggle with these battle scenes. As long as the fight between Vegeta and Frieza could have been I felt that shorter would be sweeter. So much jammed into once chapter I hope it wasn't too bad.

Also, I like dropping little Easter eggs that come from the canon timeline/story, so you'll have seen a few of those. As ever please review if you've got a moment to feed the starving artist. And before anyone panics, no this isn't the last chapter. Not yet. Until Next Time.

~The Enforcer