MOVIE SPECIAL: The Legacy of a Prince

Genre: Suspense/Drama

"You wretched woman," the King growled as his powerful arm tightened around the woman's neck, "You were supposed to kill that brat not send him away."

He slapped her face with such force that sent her flying across the vast expanse of the room. She landed with a heavy thump on the cold, hard marble. She had already suffered immensely with tell-tale signs about her body but she was not giving up so easily. She leapt to her feet and lunged forward at her aggressor, the intense determination burning in her eyes.

"I am nothing like you - you sick, twisted man." Her tight fist connected a powerful punch but the King merely laughed it off, much to her surprise and horror.

With immense speed, his knee sunk into the depths of her stomach, "We are of royal blood and yet you dishonoured me. That brat is even weaker than any low-level! What a disgrace!"

His mighty words pierced much deeper than the wounds she sustained. She clutched at her stomach in an effort to calm the anguish and struggled to get to her feet, "Please," she begged, "Think about what you are doing, for once in your life. I am still your Queen and we can always have another."

He was not perturbed by her pleads for mercy or her sickening sobs as he approached her with a steadily growing blast embedded in his outstretched palm.

A small boy who was watching safely hidden from behind one of the many towering pillars abandoned his post and ran towards the scene. Fear was evident in his young eyes but he recognized that something had to be done and he was the only one who could make a difference. With a leap, he bounded head first towards the King's chest but he was sent away like an annoying pest with one strike.

The single blow was more than enough to render his body useless. Tears sprung to life as he watched helplessly as the blast was released, consuming the woman and drowning her devastating screams.

"Humph, no worries. With such a pathetic power level, he is sure to die wherever miserable place he was sent off to," the King callously declared as he smirked at the lifeless body. He turned his head towards the boy behind him who flinched at the edge of the cruel, taunting tone in his voice, "Never disappoint me, son. Never."

The boy nodded and hastily, though with much difficulty, struggled to his feet. He bowed in earnest, disguising his pain, "Yes, father."

The confident strides of the King echoed in the quiet. He bent down to the child's height, resting a deceptively reassuring hand on his shoulder, "If it wasn't for your impressive reading as a babe, you would have been dead long time. Remember that!"

Taking a quick glance away from his father's haunting eyes, he noticed the woman on the floor. His tough disposition melted away as he could not hold back the tears any longer. With a grunt, his father slapped him with such intensity that it sent him tumbling down, leaving behind a red mark on the cheek. This only made the whimpers louder much to the King's annoyance. A heavy foot swallowed the child's body and edged him deeper into the marble as it started to give away under the pressure.

"Tears are for the weak," his father ignored his muffled shrieks, "A true warrior has no feelings. And the sooner you learn that, the better."

He kicked the boy to the other side of the room with his body coming to an abrupt stop at the feet of the terrified guards that looked on. Quickly recuperating from their lapse of judgment, as they were about to make a grab for the child, they stiffened their poses as the King drew closer. They were stationed with large staffs in tow at the two, large pillars at the jambs of the entrance. Their identical uniforms paled in comparison to the flaunt of the King's cape and shiny, white boots.

His arms buckling beneath him, the boy surrendered to his injuries and slumped against the floor. However, in an attempt to prove his worth, a gloved hand wiped at the tears on his swollen cheek. Even as he did this, the tears continued to fall freely, prompting the King to crush the child in a powerful chokehold.

"With that stupid woman out the way, I now have full control over you." He smirked, "Play time is over. Your real training begins immediately. You may very well be our only hope against Frieza one day."

He shouted at one of the guards to dispose of the mess, motioning towards the woman and ordered the other to take his son to the highest level of training.

"But, sire, he is only a child," the guard quivered.

"No, he is a warrior. He may even become the legendary super saiyan one day. And that day has to be sooner rather than later."

"But, sire, that kind of training will be too much for h..." He was unable to utter the last of his sentence as he succumbed to his immediate death by a powerful blast through the heart.

Wasting no time, the surviving soldier, who was caught up in fear had attempted to dash forward to the fallen Queen to fulfill his orders but he was also blasted. The King bent down to the boy once more and forced him to look about the room, "Let this be a lesson to you, son. The weak must perish."

"Yes, father," he murmured weakly.

Pushing open the massive doors with one kick, the King trodded along boisterously, a firm grip on the child's cape. His pace quickened somewhat as he made his way past curious onlookers and questioning glares as if their disapproval fuelled his eagerness. With another aggressive entrance, he dropped the boy much to the disturbance of the two beings who had been intently punching in numbers into the computer's databases on the sides of odd, cone-shaped rooms. These rooms resembled a secluded space cordoned off by thick, perspex glass and decorated with a plethora of buttons, an obvious indication of the advanced technology.

The King shoved the boy into one of these rooms and slammed the door shut behind him, turning the wheel on the outside to ensure it was secured. He ordered the confused and terrified servants to start the Elite Training.

"But, sire," the raspy voice of the odd lizard-like creature started, "You are aware that Prince Vegeta is nothing more than a child, sire." He ensured to emphasize the repetition of the man's title upon feeling the extent of an unnerving glare.

"Do you dare defy me?" the King questioned stubbornly.

"No, sire, no." He promptly hit a switch on the machine and ten green pods were dropped from an overhanging tube. These pods bubbled and burst and were quickly replaced by the sight of ten green, identical creatures who were all eyeing the boy thirstily for battle. Compelled to intervene, the other servant hovered an uncontrollably fumbling hand over a large, round button which stood out amongst the sea of grey and white.

"Touch that and die," the King bellowed which sent the man scampering off to a corner.

The King watched impatiently as the green men, who were not much taller than his son, gathered about the boy. The look of terror in the boy's eyes frustrated him, 'You are on par in strength with my own, even as a mere toddler but you do not have enough fighting knowledge to do anything about it - it is that woman's fault, even though she was the highest female in rank, she possessed a weak heart and ultimately bore me a disgrace. However, your mother was a real fighter, in spirit anyway, and hence why you were born with an impressive power level.'

The creatures' nods confirmed their devilish intentions to each other and in unison attacked the boy. Unsure of how to handle so many at once, the boy had collapsed almost as soon as the fight had began.

"Can't you see they are toying with him, sire? This training level even gives General Nappa a bother," wailed the lizard-like servant.

"Humph."

Withdrawing from their assault, the creatures backed off and eyed the pathetic child with discontentment but they laughed nonetheless. A small grunt stifled their riot and they looked on, intrigued, licking their lips.

"Impressive that a child so young can defy such a thrashing," the servant gasped in awe, "Even so, sire, his relentless spirit will soon fade if subjected to another beating and he will surely perish."

The King's fists trembled under pressure, 'If you fail to tap in to your true potential now, nothing will ever wake them and you must die for the weak must perish and under these turbulent of times I do not tolerate weakness in the slightest.'

The young prince heard his father's words roared through him as the creatures drew nearer. "The weak must perish" played over and over in his mind and he succumbed to the fear that he was about to meet his fate. He reminded himself that he was too weak to save his mother far less than to fend off his father. A mixture of pain and remorse swept through him like a tidal wave and he yelled fiercely, reawakening his tears. Unaware of the massive ball of energy released from within his being, the creatures were slammed into the glass, causing the very structure to crack away to bits.

"Did...Did he just do that!" the servant asked in complete shock, "All ten saibamen?"

The King's worried frown lingered into a cunning smile. The saibamen quickly regained their footing and ready to relinquish their suppressed power in utter vengeance. With a firm hand on the red button, the creatures had been reduced to nothing more than fading smoke before the child's scared eyes. The King pulled open the door to the room and grabbed the boy, pulling him into a tight hug, "I am proud of you, my son - you will be the one to defeat Frieza one day but you must learn to possess the heart of a true warrior and forget stupid emotions - the only emotion is your passion for killing the weak and I will instill this in you."

"Yes, father." The boy nodded, still trembling from the experience; he did not begin to understand how he had survived.

The two servants looked on wide-eyed and dumbfounded as the King exited with the boy in tow, this time cradling him protectively in his large arms. They exchanged worrisome glances at each other, unsure if the spectacle they had witnessed had truly transpired and wishing desperately that it hadn't.

Vegeta retreated to a dark room, the only light dotted on several silhouetted devices, and slumped down on the iron slab that served as a bed. His bleeding arm hung limp at his side and he grimaced at the touch of it. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to avoid contact as he heaved the shattered battle armour over his head. Ultimately, he had to lift both arms and he yelled out in agony as he did so. Now lighter, he rested his head against the steel wall trying desperately to regain control of his breathing. He tossed aside the heavy burden, thankful that the ordeal was finally over.

"Damn it," he swore out loud as a tattered glove wiped away the blood from his forehead. He wiped the mess carelessly into his dark overalls.

The murmuring of mechanics alerted him that another had entered the room but his stoic expression had not shifted in the slightest. The beeping of the chipped, red device propped over one eye grew louder as the swift attack drew nearer to his face. He caught the fist of the intruder and by the radiance of his aura he was staring into the face of a beautiful girl. Her dark hair hung loosely about her enticed grin and her battle stance indicated that she was ready for a fight. She was adorned in a uniform identical to his own but there was no indication that she had suffered in any way whatsoever. Wasting no time, she excitedly released a quick succession of jabs and kicks but the prince had blocked them easily even with one arm.

Narrowing her eyes, now intent on exacting punishment, her aura surged thus casting a brief, orange glow that outshone his own. She lunged forward with a hefty punch that sent him to his knees. She connected several well-served blows, the rush of victory coursing through her, daring her to keep going.

Growling in frustration and impatience, Vegeta caught the girl in his stiff fist which she could not avoid. She was sent sailing back at the same speed she was attacking and slammed into the steel floor. He picked himself up, still trying to catch his breath and made his way towards her. He saw the pain etched on her face as she got to her feet.

Oddly calm, Vegeta did not appear to react when she took hold of his injured arm. She kissed his shoulder and caressed the bruises.

"Ooh, my prince, you have most certainly become a lot stronger," she said soothingly, "No wonder why Frieza has decided you could handle a purge single-handedly."

He growled, "And you haven't excelled one bit, Sharma."

"Well, I'm not a Saiyan," she remarked, the sarcasm so thick it could not go unnoticed.

"So that's your pathetic excuse," he scoffed. He shrugged her off of his shoulder and pushed her away with a powerful shove.

The hurt in her eyes were undeniable and she questioned his motives, "I don't understand. I am a powerful asset to Frieza and long before your stupid father abandoned you here."

"Don't speak ill of my father, girl!" he yelled in annoyance, "He was a great man and I vow to be just like him in every way."

"Don't go twisting my words," she snapped, "I was only making a point. Yes, King Vegeta was admirable but he should have never given you up so easily. My parents traded me and it couldn't have been a worst deal."

"Humph. The worst deal was the one I made for you."

His frank words struck her nerves, "W-What did you say?"

"You heard me. Yes, I did fight for you fair and square but you are no longer of importance to me."

"What?" her eyes widened in shock.

"I need someone who can keep up with me. My father would be very disappointed in such a weakling such as yourself. You are no longer worthy to be my mate."

She slowly trekked over to him and hugged him from behind, clasping her arms around his waist. She rested her head against his back and wept, "But I love you, my prince."

"Humph. Love? What a pathetic word. You were just someone I spent my time with to relieve stress." He shrugged her off and exited the room. Heartbroken, the girl fell to her knees, too distraught to accept the rejection.

Vegeta made his way down the massive corridor that housed numerous rooms on either side. A worrisome thought overtook him, 'A whole decade and I have not even come close to this power of which my father spoke. He would be most disappointed in me - relying on self-inflicted zenkai boosts. I couldn't be more pathetic.'

His fists tightened in rage, 'I hate these purges - I never feel pride after such kills. I am a man, I should be living by my own rules, I should not be taking orders from no one. I would rather these challenging opponents live to fight again than to dispose of them so senselessly, but after all it comes with the territory.' He recalled his father's words, "The weak must perish."

"Prince Vegeta!" A deep voice called over to him and a man three times his height and built bowed towards him.

"Stop your bootlicking, Nappa," he growled, "I have told you countless times I am Vegeta to you."

"Yes, sir." He then realised his mistake, "I mean, yes of course."

The large man slipped out a piece of paper from within the confines of his armour and unfolded it. On it was a list with several items striked through. Vegeta glowered at the sight of it, "So no luck then."

"Raditz and I just got back and no trace of any saiyans on the planets nearby. It is futile to continue to search as it has been brought to my attention that many of the babes were thwarted by the Galactic Police even before they could reach their targets."

Vegeta thought a while, "So either way this is all a waste! Five years I've had this damn thing in my possession, feeling so clever to outwit the great Frieza but for what! Soon enough he will catch on when he makes it to those planets and there is no saiyan to be had."

"We would just explain to him about the police then," Nappa offered.

"That's good," he commended him, "However, I want you and Raditz to keep up with these searches but I beg of you to please keep it on the down low. We do not want any locals trying to tip off Frieza again, we may not be so lucky next time."

"Yes, sir!" he bellowed and then flushed furiously, "I mean yes Vegeta, as you wish."

"Prince Vegeta!" a guard ran towards him with a disquieted look on his face, "Lord Frieza will like to have a word with you."

"Right now?" barked Vegeta.

"Yes, yes," the man stammered, sweating profusely.

"Very well." With a flick of his cape, Vegeta abandoned his conversation with Nappa and made his way to who had summoned him.

"Who's he kidding?" Raditz appeared from behind Nappa as the guard retreated.

"Huh," Nappa was unaware of his comrade's presence at first, "So you were listening in, were you? Good, with these modifications to the scouter it means I don't have to repeat myself every time."

Raditz agreed and clicked the lone button on the device that hung tightly to his right ear with a glass counterpart that extended over the eye. It was a direct replica to that of Vegeta's and Nappa's.

"And the best part, any traces of the conversation are immediately encrypted. We were lucky to have harboured that Liplian from Narwok - his technology was the only thing that kept him alive for so long."

Nappa nodded with a devious smirk on his face, "That's my prince, he sure is one smart cookie. However, I do not understand why he is so invested in recruiting low-level saiyan scums!"

His choice of words, infuriated Raditz, "I'll have you know I was born as one of those low-level scums and look at me now. I have been promoted as a middle-class warrior. And besides it would be a breath of fresh air to see some more of us around here."

"I suppose."

"Besides the prince has a brother who was a low-level just the same," Raditz mocked, incurring Nappa's wrath. With one powerful thud he was thrown into the steel walls of the ship.

"I will do anything for my prince!" he growled, the words slipping off of his tongue with authority as though it was a daily mantra, "And you should be ashamed of yourself."

Raditz was visibly shaken by the ordeal and struggled to compose himself after his release. However, in an arrogant gist he bellowed, "What is so bad about being under Frieza's rule anyway? We get to kill as much as we like and we live like Kings."

"Live like kings? You call this living like kings!" bellowed Nappa.

"All you can eat and plenty of girls," a devious smirk crept on his face.

"Yes and at least a dozen purges a day. What a life!" he mocked.

"Exactly. Isn't that what we live for? Come on, you know I'm right. Am I correct in assuming that the King would have loved to have Frieza's position?"

Nappa froze, "W-Who told you that?"

"I'm a low-level not a mindless ape," he retorted. He turned away from his comrade and made his way down the corridor with a portentous smirk.

Unable to fully comprehend how such information could have been uncovered, Nappa growled under his breath, "I will have to tell the prince the truth one day."

With a formal bow, Vegeta greeted the back of a man who hovered three feet above the floor in a legless seat.

"Ah, Vegeta," the chilling voice hissed as he swung around to face his minion and motioned him to stand.

Vegeta obliged and made eye contact with the unsettling gaze hidden beneath a large exoskeleton with pointed, dark horns on either side. A face that had been the brunt of so many nightmares.

"I am proud to see how you have grown up. Never saying no to a purge. Your father will be so proud," his black lips pinned together in a tight smile, much to Vegeta's hidden rage; it was not as if he had a choice in the matter.

"I push you the hardest because I have complete faith in you. Who knows, one day you will join the ranks of the Ginyu Force. One day."

His mockery and laughter insulted Vegeta to the core and he shook to maintain his malicious desires. He despised the creature that was before him and he could not wait until the day that he no longer had to bow down to him. "The weak must perish" pounded in his ears and fear overtook him. His greatest fear was that he will always be too weak and ultimately die at the hands of Frieza.

"Now, Prince Vegeta, I have another assignment for you," he looked out through the vast window at the bright, blue orbs, "Planet Zexes and Planet Turnon must be wiped clean by night fall."

"But - but -" he stammered but tried his best not to make it obvious, "I only just returned from a purge...on my own." He emphasized the latter.

"But you are on such a perfect streak - don't mess it up now," Frieza leered.

Vegeta caught the glimpse of the two burly men that flanked Frieza. He knew them to be none other than Dodoria and Zarbon, Frieza's most feared henchmen. They smiled evilly towards him and he hesitantly nodded, "As you wish, my lord."

Upon his departure he heard the remark "stupid monkey" and his temper flared. His aura edged into the steel walls of the ship which begun to melt under the pressure.

'Why all the senseless killing, destroying planets and rendering races extinct when I know firsthand the true hurt of such loss. But that's just it, I can afford to grieve my people because I survived even if it was by mere luck. Of course,' he smiled victoriously, 'I need to create survivors and I think I know just how I will do so.'

Darting towards his room, newfound euphoria urged him on. Recovering the armour, he ran towards the space shuttle and employed one of the several space pods; machines shaped in a perfect circle with enough head room to sit one person. Knowing that time was short, he needed to hurry if his plans were to have any effect whatsoever. Not waiting for the countdown, Vegeta slammed his fist on the take-off button much to the terror of the onlooking servants that manned such operations. In the nick of time, the hatch was opened, avoiding any collision.

"Where's he off to in such a hurry!" yelled one of the servants but he was met with curious, baffled faces.

After a hard landing, Vegeta was subjected to the icy cold conditions of the planet. For protection, he hung his cape over himself, securing it in place by hooking it to a pointed tip of his armour to which he peeled off easily with the edge of his finger nail. He shuddered as the chilly winds blew down on him and to the realisation that it was late in the afternoon. He growled, "Damn it. I must only have 2 hours, if so much. Damn you, Frieza!"

He jumped out of the space pod and slipped the controller beneath his bloodied jumpsuit. He took to the sky and the beeping of his scouter brought a satisfied smile to his face. Leaving behind the jagged, icy mountains with great speed, he was embarking on a small village where odd-looking, humanoid-fish hybrid inhabitants were bustling to and fro. He alighted much to their surprise and they were clearly offended by the difference in his appearance. One man stepped forward amongst the quivering townsfolk and took aim at Vegeta.

Dodging the blow easily, Vegeta was not so happy at being attacked, 'Don't these good-for-nothing people realise that I am here to save them?'

"Look you fools, why are you fighting me? Because I do not look like you - how pathetic. Listen to me, this planet will face extinction in a matter of mere minutes."

"And that's exactly why we're attacking," smirked the man. He turned to his fellow men and bellowed assertively, "Do you not recognise the armour? He is a member of the PTO!"

By mention of this, several people scampered with the women taking hold of their offspring in the midst of the chaos. They found refuge in the nearby buildings and spied nervously at the impending battle. However, just as many people gathered about the man and by the looks on their faces and their stances they were ready to fight, equipped with everything from clubs to spears.

"No, you fools!" Vegeta yelled but it was too late as all of them pounced at the same time. He fought off as many of them as he could but became overwhelmed with the added exertion to his body. Determining the quickest end to the assault, his aura burst sending many to their feet but the men were persistent and moreover several others descended into the ever growing crowd. Ultimately, he was met with several blows as everyone was determined to get their hands or weapons on him but he dared not give up. Regaining the edge in the battle, Vegeta swiftly defeated them all.

The weakened groaned in agony as they laid in heaps on the ground. He made his way to the trembling man, the very one who started the fight to begin with so gallantly. He rested his foot on the man's chest, his golden tipped boot inches from his nose. The pectoral fins on the man's puffy cheeks twitched furiously as he pled for mercy.

"Shut up!" yelled Vegeta, "I am not here to kill you people unless of course you wish to die."

The man showed his confusion and the onlookers loudly whimpered at his words. He turned around to face the villagers, "Do you people have any underground facilities, any deep gorges, anything like that?"

"Y-Yes," a woman shivered as she stepped out of the crowd towards him, the others in awe of her bravery.

"Good," Vegeta smirked, "Take these people and warn as many as you can on this planet. I can only give you 15 minutes as your insolent fight has eroded precious time."

"15 minutes!" the woman trembled violently.

He rested firm hands on her shoulders, ignoring the pain of the injured arm and looked into her eyes.

"Don't be afraid. Just gather as many survivors as possible and gather underground. I have no choice but to wipe out whoever is left," he said calmly but he knew that his words were far from soothing.

The woman nodded and joined in the chaos of the running people. The men from the fight helped each other to their feet and picked up to the skies in awesome speed. Soon the village was deserted and Vegeta lagged behind them to ensure that they were indeed on their way to safety. The people had retreated to a small crack in the side of a massive icy mountain, which seemed to be the norm for the planet's landscapes.

He hovered before them and give them one final warning, "You do realise that you need to stay under wraps for a while."

They nodded with understanding.

"Good." A sense of relief and victory swept through him, a feeling he had never experienced in his life. Upon his departure, he noticed several others were on their way towards the shelter. As he travelled along, he was glad that quite a few had received the alert and were making their way into their private escapes. With a heavy heart, he formed a blast in either palm and aimed it below. The planet shook from the force of the explosions as they were sent off one by one, second after second.

Breathing heavily after his rampage, Vegeta alighted in a part of the planet that was in the advanced stages of thawing. He took rest on the gray sand and listened to the bubbling waterfall for a while before taking out the controller. It was a bittersweet moment; such peace after such death. The space pod crashed beside him and he hastily entered the vehicle. Dashing off, he reflected that it was the first time in his life he was leaving a desolate planet with a smile on his face.

Upon exiting the space pod, he was met with a completely different climate. He shivered just the same when he noticed the sun was already setting. "Damn it."

He jumped out of the space pod and dashed off in a haste, the warm air engulfing him. At the first sign of life, he begged frantically as to where their leader was to which he received many puzzled looks. Checking his scouter, Vegeta soon realised that the creature had no understanding of his language and he fought to read the symbols that appeared before him.

"Ah, yes," the creature boy's face shone with understanding.

"Where to?" he asked.

The boy pointed, "50 divisions from here. It is a long way, mister."

"Thanks, kid."

He did not need any further directions as a massive castle came into view. Ignoring the numerous guards, although with the occasional retaliation, he made his way inside. After aggressive interrogations, he was soon led to their leader.

He bowed before the creature which was considerably larger than his counterparts whose eyes scanned him from head to foot and readied their weapons.

"Your planet has very little time, sire. I wish for your people to be taken underground for your safety. At the very least, I can offer the royal clan this privilege."

The King grunted, "Our people are very technologically advanced. There is nothing our genius cannot overcome."

Vegeta thought a while, "Can you create a holographic projection of this entire planet in ruins presented to any onlooker while making your escape?"

"Hmmm." The King pondered, "Very wise, indeed."

He called over to one of the nearby guards who hasitly approached, "Hilemo, get hold of the Chief Magician this instant and demand him to do as the saiyan has requested."

"Thank you," Vegeta said politely.

"No, thank you," the King nodded, "I know of your people's extinction, prince. It must take great guts to stand up against Frieza to help us. You are always in our debt."

Vegeta nodded.

As he sped off, the deepening orange of the sky grew fainter but his spirits grew brighter. Out of nowhere, he was stunned by a sudden flash of light that swept around him. He smiled when he realised that they had indeed successfully put the plan into action. To the naked eye, the city was already engulfed in flames and completely thrashed.

'I saved them all and I did not have to expend any more energy.'

He sighed with relief as he reentered the space pod. He could not be any happier and he laughed, 'Oh look, the mighty Frieza - I've saved billions under your nose. And there's not a damn you could do to stop me.''

Returning to his superior's quarters, he knelt before Frieza on trembling knees. He took note that the creature to which he was subjected to serve was not in his customary black seat and immediately fear tore through him.

"Good work, Vegeta," Frieza praised him, "A complete scan reveals no survivors. I'm impressed but you should have been quicker."

With a powerful kick, Vegeta was sent flailing to the other side of the large room hitting his head against the steel walls. Dodoria and Zarbon chuckled at the sight. Vegeta struggled to his feet, wiping off the blood from about his mouth.

"I won't do any more, I do not wish for the saiyan to achieve any zenkai boosts on my behalf," Frieza snarled, "Guards!"

The doors to the room swung open and in ran two eager men, decked in the familiar uniform.

"Take this monkey to the hydraulic chambers."

"Yes, sire!"

With Vegeta hooked on the arm of either guard he was dragged out, his blood leaving behind a sorry trail. His head was lolling to one side as he fought to regain full consciousness but that did not stop him from coming up with a plan. Sudden jerks forged his escape out of the guards' strong grips but he fell aimlessly on all fours. He looked up with a vicious countenance that intimidated them into retreating but they stopped upon hearing his request.

"I do not need no stupid machine to heal just yet. Come and retrieve me from my room in 10."

They nodded as they watched him plodding along in painful effort, using the steel wall as his guide.

He retreated to the confines of his room once again and fell to the floor. With a trembling fist, he pounded himself without cease, releasing an overflow of blood as he coughed. Charging a sizeable blast, a faint smile crept on his face. The blast slammed him into the steel wall behind, his indent evident. Pinned in position, he collapsed, almost dead.

Bright light poured through the massive expanse of the window which caused Vegeta to wake with a start. Shielding his eyes, he noticed the ship was shaking violently beneath him and he jumped to his feet. For the first time in his life he was experiencing the sensation of daylight in his room. He looked about him curiously, the sight of the small compartment seemed so unfamiliar. Anticipation ripping away at him, he pulled open the lone closet in the room and pulled on his jumpsuit and armour and lastly his white gloves and boots. He dashed out to find many other confused looks on warriors and servants alike.

"Servant," he grabbed hold of one of the creatures, "What the hell is going on!"

"I don't know," he stammered, "Please, Prince Vegeta, do not harm me."

Vegeta threw him down and made his way towards the main chamber but he was shocked when he saw the doors to the room were opened and inside was vacated. He was especially surprised by the empty, black seat of Frieza.

"Looking for someone?" Dodoria asked with a wide grin expanding his large, pink head.

"Get out of my way," he retorted and dashed down the halls. He checked his scouter and smiled in earnest upon discovering what he wanted. He zipped past the dining area and past servants fuming over the molten heat of creating weaponry. After several flights down, he finally made it to the base of the ship.

An arrow on his scouter led the way and as the beeping grew louder he punched the lone button to shut it off completely. He chose to hide behind a large pillar just behind his intended target and he waited, his heart thumping out of his chest.

"And you must be..." He heard Frieza's voice.

"You can call me the Great Ruler, the emperor of this planet." His eyes widened at the mention of this name for he had no idea of whom this could be.

"Of course, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." The sing song lure in Frieza's voice disgusted him, he knew that he was up to no good.

"Yes, likewise, my lord." He could not see them but he was sure that the man bowed.

"So are you aware of the arrangement? 80/20. While I get stronger, you will be, ah...catching up."

The cold laughter sent shivers down his spine.

"Yes, my lord. That is the agreement."

"Good. Vegeta!"

Shocked at the bellowing of his name, he remained in place, too afraid to move and more so at being found out.

"Clever, trying to suppress your reading? You are too much of a rookie to even know how to do so correctly." Frieza laughed, "Now come out."

Vegeta crept towards his overseer at an incredibly slow pace.

"Yes, my lord." He bowed before him.

"I don't enjoy being spied on," he smirked, "Now get up."

Vegeta obeyed and caught a glance at this Great Ruler. He appeared as no threat whatsoever and he scoffed at the cat-like ears the man possessed.

"I apologise, my lord. I wanted to eh, ask you a question."

"Yes..."

"Ah, well, what's the purpose for landing the entire ship here? You could have sent me to do the job if it was too much of a hassle."

"You will need to rebuild your credibility before I trust you with another mission. I have had to destroy over a dozen planets because of you." The anger in his tone rattled Vegeta.

"W-What?"

"Didn't think I wouldn't discover your treason against me? You've been creating survivors under my nose, have you? Well, don't try that here, there's no need. This is our new home."

"It - it was a miscalculation," he lied foolishly.

"Miscalculation? For two years?" he scoffed at the idea, "You were trying to save their lives. I can't sell a planet with survivors on it, you idiot. I expected better from you. How your father would be so ashamed to see how wimpy of a man his son has become!"

"I wasn't trying to save them, sire, I was-"

"Silence!" he snapped, "I've decided to let bygones be bygones as we embark on a new chapter. You're lucky I don't torture you as I had been planning. And please, don't ever let anything like this happen again."

"Yes, sire." A dark expression crept over him. He had not realised he had been found out and ultimately the lives he thought he had saved were extinguished. It hurt him to the core.

"Can't keep 'em in line, eh?" asked the Great Ruler, brushing aside some of his greying hair.

Frieza turned to Vegeta, "I have decided to stay on Planet Mezora indefinitely. Please pass on the message to the others. Your services have been upgraded to errand boy." He laughed wildly prompting the Great Ruler to join in.

"All of us?" Vegeta was more embarrassed than angry.

"Of course! You think we just skip from planet to planet and never seizing one for ourselves? You are dismissed."

Vegeta did not respond, he didn't have to, the satire was too grim. He retreated back up the flights as was ordered. What was nagging him was exactly why Frieza wanted to live on a particular planet when in the two decades he had been on board they had never once left the emptiness of space. 'What are you up to Frieza! Damn you!'

The first odd thing he noticed about the planet was the calm and quiet and given the circumstances he did not know if it was welcoming or not. The very thought that Frieza had insisted they take over Mezora left him dazed and irritated. The purple sun shone down on him making him feel sick to the stomach; the impending fate of the planet unnerved his ego. He knew firsthand what happened to the people when given over to the new buyers - and Frieza was the new buyer.

'Within the last two years, I had caused lives rather than saved them.' He started to feel empty inside, the pain was far greater than what he felt upon learning the demise of his own planet. He pondered, 'Is Frieza correct that my father would be disappointed in my show of weakness?' He was confused and it showed as his confident strides slowed to a crawl, 'I was raised to be a soulless, cold-hearted killer not a saviour - I was taught to be that way because that is the true strength of a warrior but even so I have remained a lot weaker than Frieza over the years. Too many years.'

His contemplation was momentarily interrupted by the outcries of young children. He recognized some of Frieza's henchmen terrorizing the locals. He felt pity as massive arms compressed a boy's head, reducing it to a pulp.

'Damn you, Vegeta. Your sickening, petty emotions have rendered you useless. The weak must perish.' Despite his best efforts, the display of cruelty affected him and he struggled against the urge to ignore it and walk away, 'What is wrong with me?'

He studied the scene for a while longer, the screams of the women edging into him, 'I never enjoyed killing but because of that I have ruined my honour to my father. I am suppose to be a brutal villain and now look at me cowering as if I have a heart.'

He heard his father's words ringing through his head, "The weak must perish."

After a hefty blow, a woman fell to her knees pleading for mercy. In an instant, he was reminded of his mother in a similar position. He had never recalled such a memory before but he started to feel a familiar burning rage inside of him. In that moment, his doubts were laid to rest and he responded to the haunt of his father's words, "In battle - as part of the job. And this is no job."

In a dash, he deflected the blast to the large soldier much to the grateful women's surprise. A swift uppercut sent the man on his back leaving more than enough time for him to attack the others.

"Prince Vegeta, always playing the role of traitor. Frieza will have your head," threatened one of the men.

"In that case..." Vegeta aimed a blast through the man's armour and ultimately his heart.

Scrambling to their feet, the surviving two were already making a quick escape but they were caught in the explosion of a massive blast.

"Thank you!" a woman clutched at his cape, wiping her tears against the red cloth without a care.

Unsure of how to react to such a massive show of gratitude, he shoved the woman off of him and walked away ignoring their praises. It was beyond anything he had ever experienced within the last eight years of creating survivors and he purposefully fed himself misguided reasoning, "I am doing this to one-up Frieza, nothing more."

The cries of warriors snapped him back to reality and he hurried towards the scene. He was immediately shocked to see four of Frieza's henchmen having a hard time against one.

"Beautiful girl," he said out loud, "But now the question is, can you keep it up?"

The movements of the girl was like greased lightning and no one came close to connecting a blow. Deciding it was time to put an end to the drawn out battle, she unleashed impressive blows sending the men to their feet. She was surveying the damage and decided to retreat but she was caught from behind by an unseen fifth soldier. As she struggled to escape the tight clutches of her captor, the fallen had resumed their footing and approached her with taunting expletives.

A powerful punch to the stomach knocked all the wind out of her. As her attacker was about to repeat the gruelling blow, she caught his arm between her legs and with a twist, a loud snap sent the man in a yelling fit. He was quickly hushed by a powerful kick to the head and slipped into unconsciousness. Making use of the opportunity, her pink aura flared and with great effort sent her distracted captor toppling over on his back. Escape was but a brief dream as the other two pummelled her. At the sight of blood, the men let up and guffawed as the other kicked her from behind. She fell to her knees, coughing up blood that stained her long, pink hair as it blew wildly in the aftermath of the blast.

As the explosion settled so too did the laughter of the men when they noticed Vegeta before them.

"Pathetic. The five of you against one girl," he smirked and made quick work of the men. He made sure not to make the same mistake of offering peaceful surrender and blasted each man in the head.

The girl grabbed onto his person as support to regain her footing, her cat-like ears twitching excitedly, "Thank you."

"Who's to say I didn't want you for myself?"

He unleashed a quick succession of kicks and jabs but every single blow was blocked perfectly.

"Hit me, woman!" he begged but she would not give in.

The back and forth continued for some time before he lost his patience entirely and aimed a fiery blast at her head. They locked eyes but hers remained in the same calm and collected manner upon her rescue.

"I enjoy the look of terror on my victims, woman!" he bellowed, "And yet you do not flinch?"

"I have read your memories and I am assured that you have no intentions to hurt me."

With the blast reduced to nothing, he grabbed her wrist and slammed her into a nearby tree and wedged his knee into her stomach, "Not going to hurt you, eh!"

"You are merely trying to intimidate me. I can hear it in your voice, you never believe a damn you're saying."

He growled at her comment and slapped her, sending her reeling to the ground and kicked her aside.

"Well then, teach me how to intimidate in battle then." He pouted sinisterly, "I demand you train me or I will take you as my own and don't worry, I won't hurt you!"

Fear crept over her face for she understood his intention to violate her. She nodded quickly.

"Now, that's the look of respect," he smiled and offered his hand, helping the girl to her feet.

They locked eyes once more.

"I wish to encounter an engineer of your people - I've been told by the locals his name is Ratio."

"For - for what reason?" her voice quaked. Where she was not showing fear before, she most certainly was now.

"I've spent the last few hours collecting the intelligence of this planet. Your pathetic powers are absolutely useless and thus I require the work of technology to exact my escape routes as soon as possible."

"Escape routes?" she asked meekly.

"You were right in thinking I was not going to hurt you but don't push your luck with that stinking attitude. I am part of the infamous planet pirates, the PTO - Planet Trade Organization. Planets are destroyed to bits or simply wiped clean for resale. I have been creating survivors for the last several years and in many instances in vain. For some reason we have settled here, but I still fear that your planet will suffer the same fate. Not knowing which will befall your people, I need the assurance of both escape methods."

"Both?"

"For a long time throughout a purge - the wiping out of all lifeforms, I would use whatever methods there were to get people to go underground. This way their power level, no matter how high, would not be detected by the spy bots sent out afterwards to approve the handywork. However, planets are often extinguished and many times on a whim and so I had to think ahead. The only means to survive such was to escape the planet itself. Applying the technology of our single-manned space pods I've had the most brilliant create a mass production of an attachable base. This will enable anything, within good reason, to be airborne within seconds which is more than enough time as a planet depending on size can take up to thirty minutes to be demolished."

She nodded and a sense of calm returned over her. She clasped her hands over his, "I am most impressed by your diligence. Tell me kind sir, what is your name?"

He snatched his hand out of hers, "I am not kind, I am a ruthless warrior and that is all you should ever know me to be. " He punched her in the stomach with great force, "And if you must know, I am Prince Vegeta of an extinct warrior race."

She fell to her knees, grabbing her stomach in agony but it did not deter her from attacking at full speed.

"Hmm, not this again," he said as he easily blocked the blows, a direct reversal of the battle before. However, with a direct lash to the face, he noticed the fight was taking on a different course. She was gaining the upper hand with each well-served blow regardless of his own speed. Declaring victory, she rested one foot on his cheek as he looked on both baffled and furious.

"I am Mela. Mela Mitra of the Mezorans, a mystical warrior race. And never underestimate a woman."

"Damn you, woman!" he growled between heavy pants.

She offered her hand to which he refused. He struggled to his feet hastily, his ego bruised at how much effort it took.

"Was your planet abolished as well?" she asked, her countenance as serious as his.

He looked up at her, the vengeance in his eyes, 'She is most certainly stronger than I. I was right in deciding that she should train me. The fool - she can kill me right now but having heard my plans on saving her people has blinded her warrior's pride.'

"Of course not," he said brashly, "Our people had very strong ties with Frieza. It was destroyed by a meteor 19 years ago."

"I am so sorry," she tried to touch his hand once more and yet again it was slapped away.

Disgusted by her tears, he yelled, "Stop your blubbering you pitiful woman! I have never shed not even one tear for them so why must you."

She eyed him curiously, "I suppose because the pain runs even deeper than you care to admit."

"Don't pretend you know me just because you can perform magic tricks and get up in my mind," he said coldly, "Now where to to this Ratio? And if you don't know, lead me to someone who does."

"I have already passed on my memories of our conversation and he will come to us."

He eyed her with great suspicion, "What sort of warrior race could you people possibly be? Passing on memories, reading memories? What good is that in battle?"

Mela smiled deviously, "I've unlocked a new power so useful in battle that it can prevent one in the first place."

His shock propelled him to beg to see such a feat.

"When you are on the verge of defeating me in battle, I will reveal that technique. By then I should have much more control over it."

He grunted at her confidence, "I will surpass your power in no time, so don't get so cocky."

She smiled and grabbed his hand and dragged him along. Once again he pushed her away.

"Need I remind you who can beat who?"

He growled and allowed the girl to take him along, "I will kill you the second I surpass your strength."

"My father is times stronger than I so I would be careful if I were you."

"Humph."

An uncomfortable silence took over before she pointed out in a frank tone, "Besides as I've said before I know you will not hurt me, hence why I am so willing to help you to begin with."

"Don't give me that crap!" he snapped, "You are only toying along with me so that I would go ahead with the escape plans I revealed to you."

"Why must you think with such paranoia. You saved my life, I am your ally now and forever."

"Humph."

She fumed as they continued on their way until he rudely asked her if she did not know how to fly.

"What for? My home is right here." She motioned to a house a few feet from them.

He growled in annoyance.

"You are welcomed here until the arrival of Ratio."

"And how long is that going to take?"

"If you insist, well sleep outside!" she yelled angrily.

He growled once more and folded his arms like a stubborn child in the middle of a tantrum. She retreated into the residence and slammed the door behind her.

After much brooding, Vegeta decided to follow but was met with a sharp lash on his hand upon entering.

"Do you have no manners? This is not your home - you are a guest here."

"Humph. Guest? Need I remind you that Lord Frieza has taken control over this pathetic world and as a soldier under his wing I have the rights to everything on this miserable planet."

Mela growled but nonetheless motioned him in the house.

"My father will be here shortly. He has been training my brother most vigorously as of late."

Vegeta smiled and slumped down into a comfortable seat, "Training? Perhaps you people really are a warrior race."

"Very much so," she answered. She made her way to a nearby room and returned with some neatly folded clothes. She flung the heap onto his lap.

"Are you a servant that you bring me attire?" he asked with curiousity.

"Humph. Servant? What kind of egotistical, self-centered brute are you!" she yelled, "I am merely showing you kindness. Ratio is a very formidable man and your attire in that hideous uniform of those tyrants will not help the situation."

"Very well," he murmured. Spying the clothes with a questioning glare he made his way to one of the vacant rooms.

"What a vile man!" she pondered, "And yet he risks his life by helping others? Most confusing."

A fierce kick sent Vegeta tossing and turning in a turbulent somersault. Mela grinned at the success of her attack and with tightened fists in battle stance she waited patiently for him to retaliate. Vegeta dashed forward and punched her with all of his strength but Mela was neither perturbed nor interested and she gave a mock yawn.

"I finally landed a punch on you and it is useless," he cursed himself, "I am really pathetic."

"You really are the prince of self-loathing, y'know," she said but her voice trailed off as she was distracted by something in the distant fields.

Vegeta looked up to see what had caught her attention, "Do you know them?"

"No, they are of the next village but something is wrong," she said with sadness in her eyes.

Two young girls were drudging their feet through the dirt as though they weighed a ton as they trekked through the pathway that led from the forest to the clearing to where they were training. The youngest child started reeling over and as her eyes drooped, Mela dashed forward and caught the little girl in her arms. The other girl soon fell on her shoulder.

Vegeta approached her, "This could very well be the work of Frieza's men. I've seen them do this despicable madness before."

Mela shook her head and cried, "But they're just children." Without looking behind her to face him, her voice was tense as she continued, "Vegeta, I want you to find out who these girls belong to. They deserve a funeral."

"Can't you just do your mind control thing and stop wasting time! I need to train," he growled.

"Training is over until further notice," she announced in a determined tone. She stood with both girls in tow and she rested them in his hands. She leapt into the air and flew off in a flurry.

Vegeta shrugged the children off of him and they fell to the ground with a loud thud. He looked at them with intense sadness and took to the skies in pursuit.

"Damn you, do not follow me," Mela protested when he appeared in front of her, bringing her to a complete halt.

"Trust me when I say that Frieza is too powerful," Vegeta warned.

"Who said I was going to Frieza?" She looked away.

He grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look him in the eyes, "You forget that I am a warrior? That vengeance in your eyes I've come to know so well over the last few days."

She looked down as though ashamed, "How powerful can one man be?"

"His right-hand lackeys are thrice my power, so you could imagine."

"Why have they chosen to come to this planet?" she lamented.

"I wish I knew the answer to that but stop your pathetic woes and stop wasting my time." He made a grab for her hand but she pulled away.

"I will speak to the Great Ruler and warn him about these men as well as to give out an official alert to warn our people."

"The Great Ruler?" Vegeta asked with shock. He had recalled the conversation when the ship landed on the planet on its first day. The man speaking to Frieza had referred to himself by that title, "I will come as well."

She nodded and he followed behind her.

They alighted before a massive castle-like structure that stood out like a sore thumb amongst the rugged landscape and rural villages. Upon a few inquiries to the attendants, they were led towards the room where the Great Ruler abided.

"He is our emperor, so behave yourself," she informed him before the doors were opened for them by a guard.

Bowing in respect, Mela greeted the Great Ruler. Following her lead, Vegeta bowed in the same fashion but was not too eager on having to do so in the first place.

"Welcome, welcome." The voice was an exact replica to that of the man he had overheard and upon seeing him, that quick glance he managed to sneak reinforced his features in his mind.

"I hope this is urgent my dear girl," he said in a weary tone. He retreated from the large window and came towards a large, golden chair embedded in the middle of the room. Before sitting, two servants made sure the cloth and tapestry about the throne were perfectly laid. They hurriedly took off his shoes and washed his feet with readied water and hurried over to one side, standing with their arms ceremoniously hanging at their sides and their heads held high with rapt attention on their emperor. They mimicked the statuesque poses of the other men that lined the massive room.

Vegeta fidgeted when his eyes met with the Great Ruler; had he been recognised?

"Yes, my lord," Mela approached him in an esteemed manner despite her anxiety, "You have given an alert to our people that Frieza and his men will be amongst us and that they will bring no harm. However, my lord, I am afraid that that is not entirely so. My good friend," she motioned to Vegeta, "and I have seen for ourselves that his men are attacking our people, killing our children."

The Great Ruler lifted a leery eye as though very disturbed by the news, "That can't be. Describe for me what you have seen."

"Just minutes ago, two young girls dead. He, on the other hand, battled PTO warriors in order to save lives."

"That - that is an outrage!" he grumbled, "I should have known not to have trusted the word of that blasted lizard. However, I have no power to negotiate - Frieza has for some reason, set his sights on our planet and nothing I have said has persuaded him to go elsewhere."

Vegeta tried his hardest to hide his anger, he knew without a doubt that that was a lie.

"However," he continued, "In the case of the two girls it may have very well been the result of this new plague. It has been brought to my attention by several worldwide that many have fallen weak and mostly affect the youth or the old."

"Plague?" Mela was surprised, "Is this plague anything to do with Frieza, my lord?"

The suspicion in her tone caused a storm to brew in the mind of the Great Ruler which was well-noted by Vegeta.

"My dear, don't be so bent out of shape. This plague is not coincidental with Frieza's arrival as many on his ship have fallen victim as well."

Mela turned back to catch a glimpse of Vegeta's expression and when she saw what she wanted, she returned her attention to the Great Ruler. Vegeta's perplexed expression revealed that he had no idea about this plague either.

"We are in cohort with Ratio as we speak, my lord. I request statutory permission by you to ask him to start experimenting on finding a cure to this plague." Every time the word was uttered from her mouth she said it with extreme disdain.

"Most certainly. I already have signed and sealed his certification. As you are here, I will pass it on to you to pass on to him. My guards will follow up to rectify receipt. Mells!" he bellowed to one of the servants who scampered over to a large piece of furniture that resembled a chest-of-drawers of sorts. After a quick search he retrieved a document embedded in a golden covering and presented it to his master.

"Thank you, my lord," Mela said with gratitude upon receiving the document, "And moreover, my father and I will become even stronger. Thus far we have discovered a new technique that I think will be most useful. I assure you that once perfected, we will make it seem as if Frieza had never even been here to begin with."

This news held his interest greatly, "And what is this technique, young woman?"

"I am not sure of its true name but my brother has deemed it the "time displacement" technique. Thus far I have been able to merely take a peep a few seconds into someone's past but it is not just simply a peak, it is as if I were present in that moment, as if I had replaced the present. I know it seems quite odd to accept, my lord, but I believe our powers have new heights to reach."

Vegeta looked up at her with understanding, 'So was this what she was referring to when she mentioned the ability to make it seem as though a fight had never even taken place? What a pack of nonsense - are these people sure that they are warriors or magicians!'

"That can be most useful," he smiled serenely although he looked troubled, "I will try to attain this ability as well although I know perfectly well that no one on this world is nowhere near the strength of you and your father. However, I believe I have a means of acquiring such at a much faster pace these days - my different approach in training is taking me on an entirely unique path."

"Yes, my lord," she smiled with satisfaction, "I wish to train alongside you."

"Yes, of course, once every fortnight to continue to assess how we are progressing."

"Thank you. I am most glad I came for this visit," she bowed to which Vegeta felt compelled to mimic.

"Thank you both for your news," he said and once more he and Vegeta locked eyes. He was most certain now that the man had indeed recognised him as one of Frieza's men and he revealed this to Mela on the flight home.

"The Great Ruler is a symbol of peace and hope to our people, we never question him for there is no need to. Are - are you sure it was him?"

"Positive. He had struck a deal with the tyrant. My only wish is that it is not similar to that of my father's. My people agreed to wage planets and yield them in his honour in exchange for decent technology and money which we sorely lacked after just overcoming a lingering war. The deal was sweet to the ears because my people love a good fight and enjoyed the very essence of killing and to become fat off it was too good to pass up."

"You speak with such pride but your eyes give away your shame," she said causing him to turn away from her.

"Stop your idle chatter, woman! I have warned you on countless occasions that I am the Prince of the greatest warrior race in all of history so do not mock my very honour and tell me that I am ashamed of my own people."

"Not necessarily of your people, your father."

"My father," he huffed, "He is my pride and idol. I have lived every day in his footsteps, to speak as he did, to walk as he did and to fight as he did."

"That explains why you often contradict yourself."

"What?" He did not like what he was hearing and his body shook with the rage he was steadily losing grip of.

"When you are fighting you are an entirely different man, you would say anything to intimidate your opponent even against your own beliefs. Case in point, when we first fought you accosted me yet I had already known you meant no harm."

"Shut up!" he yelled and grabbed her about the arms and squeezed as tightly as he could.

She grimaced in pain and then her aura flared pushing him off.

"I am much stronger than you so don't push your luck," she lectured.

"Humph," he said with an evil glare, his harsh breathing becoming more intense.

Mela smirked, "Want to fight me? For real this time?"

"Stop mocking me!" he yelled, "I am the Prince of all saiyans, show a little respect, woman!"

"Make me!"

He tried to connect several punches but missed by a large margin each time. He then released multiple blasts which were deflected with ease. Not fast enough, he was struck by his own attacks and was sent sailing towards the village below. Mela dove after him and tried to catch him before he made impact but he used the opportune moment to release a powerful blast point blank.

He smiled wickedly, "You still think that I am your saviour, you stupid woman!"

"Very much so." Her grin was the first thing he noticed as the smoke cleared, "Why then are you holding back against me?"

"Holding back?" he growled in rage, "How dare you say I am holding back? Of what reason must I hold back?"

"This one." She drew closer to him and their lips became one as they shared a passionate kiss with Vegeta gently cradling her head.

Giggling, she bashfully turned away, "I've been meaning to do that for a while now. How romantic, the girl finally kisses her hero!"

Vegeta growled in a somewhat playful manner, "What a phenomenon. How can you be such a gifted fighter and then act like a - like a -"

"A girl." She giggled once more, her head drawing nearer to his, "I just wanted to say thanks, but it is I who should be saying thanks. You are an extremely great kisser."

Vegeta smirked, his entire countenance now relaxed, "Well, what do you expect, but don't ever make the mistake that I have any affection towards you. I have no interest in stupid emotions but I am interested in other things."

His lustful glares angered her and she turned away with her arms folded, "In your dreams!"

"Exactly. And didn't you put those dreams in my head in the first place?" He said softly as he hugged her from behind, his lips brushing against her ears which twitched excitedly.

"You're not as dumb as you look," she smirked, "You are right. My people not only have the ability to see and pass on memories but also twist them up or even in my case...invent them?"

"How can it be a memory if it hasn't happened yet?" he continued in his drawling tone.

"You'll see." She smiled deviously as she turned around to face him, "Soon enough."

Escaping from his arms she sped away in a hurried flight. Vegeta growled in mock annoyance and dashed after her with a smirk on his face.

Mela and Vegeta were constantly in the throes of competition whether it was training under the hot sun or by the chill of the night, pushing their speeds to a breaking point in flight or even seeing who will be the first to finish when eating. Often times, Vegeta failed miserably to keep up against her and the Great Ruler on the occasions of his visits.

"I don't think I've ever trained so steadily in all my life. Day and night, rain or shine - I need a break," Mela wailed as she finished off her bowl and laid it on top of the pile before her which was far fewer than the pile next to her. Not receiving a response, she was determined to stir on a conversation.

"Man, this is definitely one thing you've got me beat at," she smiled serenely.

Vegeta was still wolfing down from yet another bowl and paused briefly to protest, "I am a man. Men eat."

Licking his lips, he tossed the now empty bowl on top of the others and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You know what I think, I think it's a Saiyan thing," she remarked with lurking mischief. Noticing his shifty gaze, she pressed on, "Come on, it's been two months and yet you do not entrust me with your past. All I hear from time to time is about how you're warriors. I already know that much but that couldn't have just been all there was to your race, could it?"

"Fighting is in our blood from the day we are born. And I will fight every day until I finally defeat Frieza. And nothing will stand in my way!"

"I don't doubt that," she said calmly and touched his arm causing him to look up at her, breaking him away from his intense anger, "You do not cease training not even for a little bit."

"Frieza does not cease to live even for a bit and he just seems to get stronger by just sitting there while I work like a dog to keep up."

A dark expression drained her cheery grin, "Can't you ever just forget about that demon when you are away from that ship? We have not encountered any more of his men torturing my people and I do believe that this is your chance at peace."

"Peace?" he asked like he had no idea what the word meant.

"Whatever this deal was between the Great Ruler and Frieza it has not resulted in us sending off our offspring to battle or forcing us to wipe out other planets. Everything is just calm and peaceful as though he was not here."

"And that's what bugs me," he admitted, "I can't quit my suspicions. You just don't know what he's capable of."

She touched his arm, "But I know what you're capable of. You're getting better with every fight."

He smiled, the tightened muscles in his face relaxed in entirety but his words remained just as frank, "Marry me."

After a momentary pause, she rejoiced, her ears twitching wildly, "Took you long enough!" She hugged him tightly to which he blushed furiously. Grabbing hold of his arm, she dragged him out of the house.

"Father!" she called over to him excitedly.

The large man towered at a whopping seven feet with muscles built like steel. He was training with his young son who was having a hard time trying to land a blow. In the purple afternoon glow, the boy resembled Mela almost as if it were her twin, the most distinguishing difference was his short, brown hair.

"Why so happy, sis?" the boy asked clearly feeding off of her joy, breaking away from his attempted punch.

She leapt towards them, her eyes wide with the anticipation, "Father, we have fallen in love and the prince has come to ask permission in my hand in marriage!" Vegeta cringed upon hearing the words "fallen in love" but he was shaken out of it when Mela made a move to hold his hand. Once again, he slapped it away but it did not seem to upset her joy in the slightest.

"Is that so, my boy!" The large man drew nearer to the couple, his massive arms patted down on his shoulders.

Vegeta bowed, "I wish to marry your daughter, sir."

"You do not need to be so formal my boy!" He chuckled with a deep, booming laugh, "I could not have asked for a better man for my daughter to marry. The man who saved her life and working towards saving the lives of my people. And he is a prince!"

"Thank you, sir."

Vegeta dug into his left boot and retrieved a flat, crystalline brooch that sparkled with dazzling white light. Standing, he tugged at the circular jewelry and to their surprise it was opened. In a soft, satin pouch that lined the inside, a beautiful diamond-studded ring was revealed. The swarm of interlocking colours mesmerized them, leaving them speechless.

"It's beautiful!" Mela declared, her ears twitching so wildly that her pink hair swung back and forth about her face.

"When this ring touches your finger by the laws of my people and of my lineage we are effectively wedded," he announced as he took hold of her left hand in a gentle grasp.

"So soon? I mean, are you sure you don't need some time to think this over?"

Vegeta huffed at the thought, "I know what I want woman and I want you."

She smiled and allowed the ring to be placed on her and dabbed at the happy tears that cascaded down her reddened cheeks .

"Where in the world did you get something like this?" She asked, daring not to look away from the impressive rock.

"My mother," he answered bluntly.

"You've never mentioned her before."

"All I remember of her is a fleeting face that was there one minute and never to be seen again but my father always praised her brute strength and vigour for fighting."

"Thank you for entrusting this to me," she smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "My husband."

"We will have a grand celebration!" Her father triumphantly raised his arms.

"There is no need, really," Vegeta quickly objected, the embarrassment in his tone went over their heads.

"Ah, come on, my boy." The man patted his back lovingly, "We have accepted your customs and you must accept ours. What do you say?"

Vegeta nodded kindly, "But, sir, I am still a part of the PTO and if word gets out it will endanger your people's lives."

"Ah, I see. Very well. The celebration will only remain in the village then. Sentee, go fetch the servants at once."

Brimming with excitement, the young boy fled into the house.

"But that is still too extravagant."

"There is a saying amongst us, my boy. A man is as strong as his village."

Vegeta understood the notion to mean extreme loyalty amongst the villagers and nodded in agreement.

In a matter of a few hours, the night was transformed into a parade of wonders. By the light of several wood fires, enthusiastic men swung lit blades back and forth much to the pleasure of the onlookers. The high tenor of the sweet notes projected from the methodical tapping on the several indentations on the steel drums set the light mood to which several villagers were dancing. An outdoor roast was determinedly turned by several servants who looked on the display with jealousy.

Plenty clay pitchers topped with red rum and white wine were passed to and fro from child to adult alike. The highlight of the show was the massive table adorned with a mountain of various delicacies. Several children were forced away from the tempting food by intruding mothers that repeatedly warned that the groom must eat first. Overhearing this, Vegeta took up an eager seat as directed by Mela's father.

The large man pulled his daughter closer to him as he shared several stern words with her. Noticing fresh tears, he hugged his daughter and kissed her cheek. Without warning, the joyous laughter and noisy frolic was replaced by an eerie silence. Looking up, Mela and her father shared the same stunned expressions as everyone around them.

Noticing all eyes were on him, Vegeta looked up while sucking on a bone with an innocent expression of a caught child.

"I somehow figured you were an eater my boy but this much!" Mela's father acknowledged.

Feeling foolish, Vegeta apologised immediately, "I am sorry, I thought this was all mine."

"Not to worry, my boy. The servants will prepare more." He took hold of the two pitchers that were considerably bigger than any other to which Mela and Vegeta were instructed to take hold of. With a smirk, Mela overlapped her arm around his, "Follow my lead."

Vegeta nodded and as they drunk of the beverage, they were flaunted with an outpouring of applause and cheers.

"Now it is official by my people's standard," Mela smiled and kissed his cheek.

"You do realise that you are killing them?" the Great Ruler asked upon his hurried entrance to the massive quarters on the ship.

"You've finally caught on. If they can't handle the pressure then they must be too weak to begin with. Any warrior can sustain a completely drained body. A little sleep will cure that." Frieza laughed, "And then we can repeatedly suck them dry."

"Very well. Just as long as no fingers point to me," he said with a devious smirk.

"Is that all you were worried about," Frieza said thoughtfully, "I'm impressed - you are not even concerned for your people's lives."

"Power is all that I am concerned with, my lord."

Frieza smiled wickedly, "Hmmm, you remind me very much of myself. I may consider you to take on my legacy once I'm gone, unless of course you can find me a device that grants me immortality as opposed to just abstracting energy."

"Immortality?" the Great Ruler asked stunned, "Why would anyone ever wish to live forever? The Igmites are the most clever and brilliant race in all the universe and not even they know of anything that can do such."

"You are a real treat. I will up the deal - 70/30."

The Great Ruler smiled, "Oh thank you, my lord. However I ask that I continue receiving mine gradually. I do not think my body will be able to withstand such an immense surge of power at once."

"Ah, you don't know what you're missing out on. " Frieza turned to Dodoria and Zarbon, "Tell the servants to send out another 10,000 - I could use another dosage."

"Lord Frieza, you need to be careful. These devices take time to be built - the Igmites will not be able to fulfill their orders at this rate," Zarbon acknowledged, his concern written all over his face.

"Well, let them know that production must not cease simply because we have not yet ordered. What kind of business people are they?" he laughed.

The Great Ruler was beside himself with glee and fought to keep it hidden, 'Frieza, you fool! The Igmites are loyal to me - so while you're waiting for your next shipment, I will be busy getting even stronger and along with my added 30%, I will be on par in power with you soon enough.'

"Long time, no see, Prince Vegeta," greeted Nappa when he noticed his superior entering the premises.

"Any luck as yet?" he asked sternly.

"No and if we go off any further we will need to explain our whereabouts to Frieza. What will we tell him?"

"Tell him you're going on a vacation," Vegeta sneered with his arms crossed, "Send Raditz this time, that solar system is closest to the planet his brother was sent. It wouldn't hurt to check it out."

"Chances are he was killed as a babe like the rest of 'em."

"Chances are," he emphasized. Vegeta started walking away when he was stopped.

"I know where you've been spending your time."

Nappa's stern tone alerted him of his intended rebellion but he faced him with an unreadable expression, "You need to learn to live a little, Nappa."

"You were betrothed to an elite and yet you chose warrior trash!" bellowed Nappa, "I promised your father to look out for you when he was forced to hand you over to Frieza and I'll be damned to see you disgrace our race like this."

Vegeta cast an evil glare, "Are you forgetting who is in charge here?"

"Of course not my prince, but I think you are forgetting your honour and I cannot ignore it any longer."

They locked eyes for what seemed an eternity, "Instead of following me around, maybe you should find yourself a mate to satisfy you as well. There's plenty to go around."

Disguising a sudden blush, his voice did not falter in the slightest as he continued to addressed his superior with heated accusations, "I overheard about your heroics. The son of the King does not enjoy killing or is this some sort of ploy to piss off Frieza?"

Vegeta struggled to contain his anger, "Calm down, Nappa and you should know better than to question me!"

"Three years on this planet and I don't think I even know who you are any more." Nappa's stern countenance melted into the forlorn stupor of a disappointed child.

"Too bad," scoffed Vegeta and he made his way out.

"Now I know I have to do this," Nappa mumbled to himself. His heavy feet pounded against the steel floor as he made his way to Frieza's quarters, "Permission to speak, sire."

"What do you want, you overgrown ape!" snapped Frieza as Dodoria and Zarbon snickered.

Falling to his knees and bent over in a respectful bow, Nappa delivered his news, "I have determined where this Mela and Kilo Mitra are."

Frieza's eyes widened and he turned his chair around with a gleeful grin, "Oh goody, now I can finally say goodbye to my dear old friend. You are dismissed until further notice."

Upon the saiyan's departure, Frieza yelled over to Dodoria, "Bring him in."

Obediently, Dodoria flicked the lone switch on the wall directly in front of them. A hidden compartment edged its way forward and finally landed with a loud thump. The metal cage rattled under the pressure of its own weight before it settled to a complete standstill. With the lid unlatched, a badly beaten man fell to his knees and as a greeting was crushed under a heavy foot.

Ignoring his cries, Frieza started, "My men have found the girl and her father. Now let me think, do I still need your services?"

The piercing, silver eyes of the Great Ruler shone with complete fear as he struggled to speak, "At the very least have some honour and let me fight you."

"Hmm," Frieza smiled in earnest and removed his foot willingly, "Being inside of that cage for so long must have completely drained you by now, I don't see why not. What a most precious alloy, even if it did cost me ten planets' worth."

Relieved, the Great Ruler got to his feet, "I can't believe you fell for that stupid trick?"

Frieza and his men shared a knowing look as though they were the only ones in on the joke but just the same they were equally taken aback when the Great Ruler's aura flared impressively.

"You - you've been hiding your power!" squealed Frieza as their scouters broke away to nothing.

Dodoria and Zarbon made a dash forward but was stopped by their master.

"But, sire, no one will come running - no powers can be detected beyond these walls," warned Zarbon.

"Yes, of course. And that is exactly what I need," smirked Frieza. He hopped out of his black seat, his frame considerably smaller than that of the Great Ruler's.

"You think I invited you to this planet to kill me," yelled the Great Ruler, his greying hair flicking around wildly at the upsurge of his power, "I took a peak at your power when I stole one of those blasted devices. I've been using the Igmite technology for years and thanks to your hospitality I have grown exceptionally stronger. I figured I will take the reins after your defeat. I want to rule over an empire not a planet of wimpy warriors."

Frieza laughed wildly, "You think you're the only one who knows how to hide their true strength?"

The onlookers gasped in shock at the awesome aura radiating off of Frieza and despite their efforts were pushed back several feet. They watched with horror as the very built of the man started pulsating, growing to four times in size in a matter of seconds. To accommodate such, his body was swollen to a massive height that towered above them.

"Boo," Frieza said in a more daunting and deeper voice much to the sudden droop of the Great Ruler's cat-like ears. He was trembling at the sight of the monster.

The Great Ruler was snatched up with the massive arm of the new and improved Frieza.

Frieza laughed at the man as he struggled for breath, "Indeed, wimpy warriors."

The aura around the Great Ruler once again surged, searing the skin off of Frieza's arm which aided in his escape.

"Now we're even." He motioned his opponent towards him.

Taking his lead, Frieza lowered his head and charged at full speed, swinging his head from side to side. It was apparent that the Great Ruler not only became more powerful but also much faster as the horns ripped through fading streaks. Launching forward a powerful arm, Frieza was finally able to grasp hold of his opponent.

"Are we?" he grinned.

In response, the Great Ruler fired a massive blast that caught Frieza by surprise and sent him falling flat on his back, rocking the foundation to and fro much to his lackeys' astonishment.

"My, my, how the mighty have fallen," chirped the Great Ruler as he dashed forward and in a blink of an eye he was dropping at a considerable rate, sinking his feet into the monster's stomach.

Wide-eyed, a projectile of blood and saliva was forced out by the force of the blow. Mere seconds later, his head was thrashed back and forth by devastating punches and he groaned in agony. Relying on his impressive aura, he successfully sent his attacker sailing off of him and struggled to his feet.

"You - you people can become this strong!"

Landing smoothly having regained full control, the Great Ruler smirked, "Indeed."

His cheeks swollen by the smouldering heat of his rage, Frieza poured out his devious intentions, "Do you know what I did the last time a race dare threatened my power? I reduced them to nothing and I will wipe this stinking planet clean!"

"You need to get through me first!"

The snide remark further infuriated the monster as he stomped around wildly, "You're nothing more than a bunch of scared little pussy-cats!"

"Try looking in the mirror some time," scoffed the Great Ruler.

Frieza dashed forward with incredible speed, much faster than previous attempts but with a gigantic leap the Great Ruler made it over to the other side.

"This is getting old," he smirked. Dashing forward, he pummelled his opponent with a quick succession of jabs and kicks before thrusting him into the wall.

With a wide grin, Frieza grabbed hold with large arms and deciding he had had enough, slammed his knee into his stomach. Not letting up, this attack was repeated several times and immediately followed by a powerful punch to the face. Noticing the now limp body, a tightened fist prepared to clobber but to his dismay the body disappeared as though he never had the man in his grip.

"What the?" he asked perplexed, looking around the room but he was only met with the terrified eyes of his henchmen who shook their arms wildly indicating that they had no idea where the man was.

Growling, he continued his search above and turning swiftly, behind as well. Hearing the whimpers of his men, he returned his attention to them and they were pointing at him.

"Where?" he yelled, the impatience in his voice determined just how desperate he was growing.

Directly behind him, the Great Ruler edged his elbow into the crux of the monster's head and the thickness was cracked by the blow. The hell-raising screams of Frieza sent shivers down his henchmen's spines as they watched helplessly.

"Damn - damn you," he yelled as he spun around the room wildly, clutching at his head but ultimately he was brought to his knees. His rage was quickly replaced by a whimper, "Please, please - do not kill me. I beg of you - we can work together, we can -"

"Sorry but I work alone," the Great Ruler drew closer with a fiery blast growing in his outstretched hand.

The fear on Frieza's face transformed into glee as he watched two massive blasts struck with precision from either side of the Great Ruler. Realising this was his chance to get the upper hand, Frieza charged forward and with a flick of his head, his lengthened horn sunk through the rib cage with a deafening snap.

The yells of the Great Ruler was the only sound loud enough to drown out the slowly cracking away of his chest. With heavy fists, Frieza unleashed powerful punches to the stomach before finally grabbing hold of his person and slamming him into the floor which trembled furiously upon impact to the point of the henchmen losing their footing. Taking him by one leg, he slammed the back of the man into his tightened knee.

"Now die."

As a massive blast was about to be released, a purple glow erupted from within the Great Ruler much to Frieza's questioning glare. The very scene of the battle appeared to have retreated to the moment just before he was hit by the surprise attacks sent by the two henchmen. Flaring his aura, he sent them flying back and upon hitting their heads against the steel walls they fell unconscious. Frieza was already charging at him and about to flick his head to make impact but the attack fazed through him as though he was nothing more than a hologram.

"What!" Frieza's eyes widened at the phenomenon.

"You are forgetting one important thing Frieza, the time displacement is times stronger than anything you could become - it will reverse everything and with a quick change to certain circumstances you will wind up in Hell in no time. I can only go back so far but it has given me more than enough time to pass on my memories and my plans to the girl who has a means of exacting the ability beyond my wildest dreams. So even if you succeed to kill me which you won't, I will still wind up being the one to defeat you, just a couple years earlier."

"Why - can't - I - touch - you!" huffed the monster as his fists continued to faze through the man.

"Time's not up yet," he answered bluntly as he dashed forward connecting well-served blows not easing up in the slightest until the monster fell on its back.

The Great Ruler reduced his aura to nothing and made his way closer, with confident strides that proved that he knew he had already won. He smiled victoriously at the terrified gaze aglow by the light of his ever growing blast. About to release, his arm jerked suddenly thus causing the blast to be reduced to nothing. Looking down, he noticed a sizeable hole just below his shoulder and toppled over.

Grinning, Zarbon was delighted that his attack had done the trick and even more so when he was praised by his master.

Seething with rage, Frieza regained his footing but not without significant difficulty. He grabbed hold of the collar of the fallen man and pulled him closer so that they were face to face.

"Your incentive of widespread power intrigued me as I've only depended on a select few of my crew for so long for I lacked the technology you had in your very possession. I have grown ten times stronger in the three years I've been here as opposed to three decades. I figured you needed me for the money to continue receiving from the Igmites but it turns out you were using me instead. Oh well, you forgot there's more than one way to skin a cat!"

A fiery blast engulfed the man's entire body as he fell to the floor. With a final kick, the Great Ruler was sent sailing through the vast window which was lowered in the nick of time by the activation of a nearby button by Zarbon's firm punch. In seconds, the corpse was reduced to nothing more than a sparkle against the sun's purple rays.

With a sigh, Frieza's original form replaced the monster he had been throughout the battle. However, his tiny body still held as much vigour and authority as he demanded Zarbon to contact Nappa. After a quick fingering of the complicated devices at the helm of the room, Nappa's voice boomed loud and clear over them.

"Yes, Lord Frieza!"

"I need to know the whereabouts of this girl and her father right now. I thought these freaks had a grasp on their powers which were exceptionally useful to us as the Great Ruler so kindly displayed but now I realise that they have the whole darn bucketful. I want them dead! And I want them dead now!"

"Sire, I thought you were going to force them to work alongside us not kill them," the doubt expressed in his words indicated that he was against bringing harm to the intended.

"Oh, I'll kill them alright," he reassured, "Just tell me, right now."

A moment's silence was only interrupted by Dodoria's large frame raking against the wall as he struggled to his feet. Rubbing his head, he was curious about what was going on, "Is the fight over?"

"Shut up, Dodoria!" yelled Frieza angrily, "Nappa! Answer me this instant or I will come and kill you myself."

Immediately a quivering voice sounded on the other end, "The girl is Vegeta's wife and they are expecting, sire."

"What?!" Frieza's black lips throbbed wildly, "That monkey, that two-timing monkey! I've warned him that the consequences for his betrayal will not end well."

"But, sire, the girl has plenty trouble mastering the technique. I overheard things, she is no threat to you, I assure you."

Nappa's sentence was spoken so hurriedly that his words jumbled together but something had caught Frieza's attention, "Is that so? Or are you trying to dissuade me on account of your beloved prince, hmm?"

"No, no," his voice breaking away into a shriek, "I've seen for myself."

"Good work," Frieza's tough countenance melted away into a satisfied smile, "Keep up the surveillance but I do hope she does not perfect this power so soon. I'm sure the prince is looking forward to the birth of that little brat. His wimpy heart must be pouring over with love." he mocked much to Dodoria and Zarbon's giggles.

"But, sire..." Nappa started.

"You do realise that this is to his benefit," he added in a frank tone.

"Of course, I will do anything for my prince!" His voice declared proudly.

"I know you will!" smirked Frieza, "Just know that by the time I'm done with this planet that we will have the beloved killing guru on our hands. We do this in honour of King Vegeta whom I respected highly - his son has grown soft and pathetic to the point of mating with dud."

A grunt approved that his noble rant had more than sealed the deal with the gullible saiyan.

"We'll wait until the time is right, Nappa, we all know how the anticipation of an heir is to royalty. And please, pay some respect to your prince and do not let him in on anything said here."

Mela's pink aura flared as she sent a massive ball of energy that barely missed Vegeta's head and it burst away to nothing behind them. Clearly fatigued, she settled to the ground and waited. Dashing forward, Vegeta attempted to land a strike and upon noticing that she was sinking back more and more after each blocked attack, he grinned. Breaking away suddenly, a powerful gust of wind escaped his palms sending her back several feet.

He approached the fallen warrior and outstretched a hand, helping her to her feet.

A purple light surrounded the girl much to his amazement but within seconds, the fight had returned to the moment before she released her blast and he was looming above her. Biding her time, she feinted the release of the attack and noticing that he had dodged in the same manner as before she could not help but grin.

"Predictable, aren't you," she mocked and finally sent the ball of energy which made perfect contact.

Waiting for the explosion to subside, she was shocked at the fast approaching fist before her.

"Predictable, indeed," he grinned and released a powerful gust of wind.

As before, he made his way over to her and helped her to her feet.

With a wry smirk, she revealed her use of the technique, "I used my time displacement on you as promised."

The baffled look on his face prompted her to continue, "You have finally beat me in battle and impressively easier than I anticipated."

"Don't worry, I still find you attractive," smirked Vegeta, folding his arms as though pleased with himself.

Rolling her eyes at him, she continued, "We went back in time although not by much and I tried ending the battle with my Mystical Flare manoeuver that you dodged before."

"I didn't dodge it," he pointed out stubbornly.

"No, not just now but before, y'know, before I used time displacement," she smirked much to his annoyance.

"Sounds like a bunch of hogwash, I don't remember a thing."

"Because technically it never even happened." She eased her arm under his and they locked elbows. Noticing that he did not retaliate, she continued to drag him towards the shimmering waters of a nearby brook. Taking up a seat on a large rock, she forced him to sit with her.

"You are lucky that there are many limitations to the technique, even after all of this time I cannot go back but a few minutes. It takes so much focus and if only I could grab onto a host that would make a definite change to past events without having to relive anything. I could just zap back to the present and the consequences of that change would be immediate - at least, that is what the Great Ruler suspected was best to accomplish to defeat Frieza."

Vegeta looked up at her with a questioning glare, "I do not trust that clown!"

"Well, you should," she said gently, "I never told you this but my father and he fought together many moons ago to save our people's lives from a terrible threat. Ever since then, my father vowed to train everyday and I grew up admiring him. We have become strong but have remained outcasts as fighting is most unlike our people as we tend to do so out of duty. The Great Ruler has lent us his servants and is the reason we even eat especially now with a stomach like yours."

"Humph, stupid people. Your warrior spirit is my most favourite quality about you."

She blushed a furious red and looked away but continued her story, "We've trained alongside him all this time. I don't see why you still hold a grudge against this man?"

Noticing she was being ignored she changed the subject, "At the very least Ratio's device will be most helpful. I cannot wait until I harness this power perfectly and retreat to when Frieza first arrived here. I want that bastard dead as much as anyone else."

"As long as you promise to let that honour fall upon me," demanded Vegeta, "When you do this magic trick, make sure to include me as well. I want to fight that bastard."

"I was not told to fight, simply strike when least expected. It is the only choice we have against such a threat."

"Against Frieza?" he asked bewildered, "Is that your great plan? Something as stupid as a surprise attack will not work on him, I can assure you that. Perhaps take it as far back as to when his power was at least halved."

"I cannot go so far back or at least I am not sure and besides if Frieza is defeated then, chances are you would never have come to this planet and we will never have met."

"So what!" barked Vegeta.

Mela was visibly hurt by his words, "So...us won't exist, this baby won't exist." She pressed her free hand against the flow of her dress and caressed the slight bump of her stomach, "Whatever I change will remain as is, as though that was the original course of history. Are you seriously willing to get rid of me for the sake of destroying that villain?"

"I told you countless times, I don't give a damn about who stands in my way. My only purpose in this life is to kill Frieza - nothing more."

An awkward silence drifted between them.

"So you're not happy about the baby?" she finally asked, looking up at him so that their eyes would meet.

"Don't ask me stupid questions, woman!" he addressed frankly, "I cannot wait to see the fruition of my lineage. He is sure to be an exceptionally powerful warrior and if I should die at the hands of Frieza, the boy will surely grow up and succeed where I failed. The honour of killing Frieza is his birthright as bestowed upon me by my own father, I bestow it upon him."

Mela smiled warmly and noticing the sincerity in his eyes, she could not help but giggle, "Why are you always so serious? You've been wearing that same scowl since the day I met you. Don't you ever show your true emotions?"

Thinking a while, Vegeta answered bleakly, "I never learnt how to."

She rested her head on his shoulder and drew even closer, "Even if I don't understand you, I still love you."

His entire body tensed up at the mention of her words.

"Oh, no, are you coming down with the plague?" she asked worried, checking his vitals for confirmation.

He slapped away her hand and frowned, "I told you from the start that I am not interested in stupid emotions, woman!"

Her perplexed grin drifted into a full laugh, "What a silly man! That's what you're acting on about? Just because you don't say it, I know you love me."

He turned away his head from her and pouted like a child who was experiencing not getting what they want for the first time in their life, "Really? Why do you say that?"

Mela slipped her arm further down his and paused once their fingers were overlapping. They looked at one another lovingly. A small grin appeared on his face but it was quickly replaced with a scowl upon hearing an interrupting low hum as though someone was clearing their throat to get their attention. He snatched his hand away and turned his back to her.

"Seriously," groaned Mela.

"Will you stop your idle humdrum and put the damn necklace on already!" he barked.

"Monkey tail!" she retorted. The might of her words caused his tail to stiffened.

"Cat ears!" he retorted. The might of his words caused her ears to stick out.

"You two fight like children," muttered the tall man behind them. He was holding a silver, three tier pendant necklace embedded with a single, yellow stone at the very bottom.

"And he is suppose to be oh so smart, enough to be your apprentice, Ratio?" she asked.

"I am not brilliant in the least, woman. Tactics in every area is the key to survival," Vegeta angrily shared.

Ratio could not help but chuckle at the sight of the two.

"Odd, I don't think I've ever heard you laugh before," she pointed out.

"One cannot be serious all the time," he said with a light-hearted sigh.

"Well you don't know him well enough!" she fumed much to Vegeta's intensified pout.

"The Klonkindine jewel should make time displacement a cinch," Ratio explained.

"And why is that?" Vegeta asked, intrigued as Mela hooked the necklace about her neck.

"Each Mezoran is born under a certain moon and as such a special stone assigned at birth. Hers is the Klonkindine, a fine specimen as clear as the waters. It has been believed for generations that once melted to the core these jewels will effectively aid in our mystical powers. However, no one of recent times has experimented with such because the jewels take longer than a year to fully come to a boiling point and thus start its breakdown. I was able to invent a device with heat powerful enough to melt gold in seconds and quickened the process. And now, there it is..."

"Anything?" Vegeta asked her.

"I'll give it a try," she said and purple light gathered about her before the mystified eyes of the men. She disappeared and then reappeared suddenly.

"What the hell did you just do?" gasped Vegeta.

"Time displacement, but it was different somehow." She turned to Ratio and held his hands, "Thank you, kind sir, with more practice I shall surely attain my desired intent in no time."

Vegeta grinned, "Good, I can't wait to crush that lizard."

"You're very excited tonight, aren't you little guy?" Mela happily hummed as she rubbed her stomach, "Don't worry, your father will be back soon. You know, sometimes I wonder if I married a man or a robot - he's been training even harder though he surpassed my strength months ago. He's a workaholic, that's for sure."

She gently positioned herself against the wall for a more comfortable seating and she continued cooing, "I wonder what you're going to look like - we've been dying to know for so long and in a few days we will finally have you, my little prince. I only hope you take after your mother - can you imagine the stares with you walking around the village with a monkey tail?"

Suddenly she became aware of an unnerving sensation and she spied about her. The orange glow of the moon guided her over the silhouettes of the room but she was not convinced that all was as it seemed. Catching sight of a sudden movement she fired a blast. Noticing that her blast exploded upon impact and followed by an angry groan she made her way off the bed in a hurry.

Prepared in battle stance, she cried out at the darkness, "Dirty tricks don't work with me, now fight me you cowards."

Sudden flashes of colour alerted her that they were three of them and all were approaching at once. She swiftly blocked their punches and returned the favour. Balancing herself with finesse, she side kicked the men and finished them off with a sliver of energy that pierced their hearts. Using her aura, she was not pleased when she recognised the familiar uniforms and scouters.

"Frieza's men," she grumbled and by the light of her aura radiating off of her hand, she made her way to the door. Slowly caressing her stomach, she continued to talk to her unborn child in a sing-song voice, "Everything's going to be OK, son. Somehow you knew, didn't you?"

She made her way through the dark house until white light caught her attention. Reducing her aura to nothing, she hid against the back of a large cupboard. Waiting with bated breath as the light's rays danced along the walls of the house, she nodded to herself and launched forward but her fist was caught with ease.

"Mela?"

"Dad!" She hugged him tightly.

"Hey, sis," called over her brother.

"Sentee," she said and hugged him as well.

"Any clue about any of this?" her father asked, his eyes gave away his fear and anger but his voice was firm and calm.

Mela shook her head, "But I do know that they are Frieza's men."

"Well, they've come to the wrong house," he said with a confident smirk.

"Is that so?" a voice startled the trio. It was a short man with indigo, scaly skin like a fish fresh out of the water. His squid-like face was stretched with a conniving smile as he stood with his palm aimed towards them.

With impressive speed, Mela's father had grabbed the alien in a stronghold and Sentee made quick work of unleashing powerful blows in the stomach.

"Why have you come here?" Mela asked, her tone was as icy as her stare.

"You're just going to have to kill me!" his smile did not waver in the slightest.

"Mela!" yelled her father in the same breath that she noticed the light of an approaching blast from behind her. She ducked in the nick of time but she was devastated when the blast consumed her father and sent him falling to the floor.

Using the distraction to his advantage, the alien dashed off and escaped through the back door.

The siblings hurried to aid the fallen man to his feet.

"Are you OK?" Sentee asked, the worry evident in his voice.

The man sent a ball of energy before him and they heard a loud thump and an aggravated scream, "I am now."

"Come on, he went this way!" Mela hooked her shoulder under her father's head for support as they made their way out of the house. The second they exited they were met with several spears edged into their throats and they whimpered loudly, unable to move to even see the face of their assailants.

"Ready Dad," she said, her voice strained by the added pressure.

"Ready," he confirmed. The father and daughter auras intertwined as it flared up into a single force and burst outwardly.

They heard several shouts of agony and the clanking of fallen metal reassured them that they were freed.

Mela reached out to her father again but he denied her advances with the promise that he was in a stable condition and ready to fight. Waiting to strike as the men clambered to their feet again they were shocked by the sudden expanse of pink light and ultimately an explosion. The men had died but they could not see who was the one who came to their rescue.

"Frieza doesn't like losers on his team," a rough voice answered their silent questions.

As the silhouette of a towering, chubby man stepped forward, they noticed odd, cone-shaped spikes about his pink head. However, it was the realisation of the armour he wore that made them gasp.

"You killed your own men?" Mela asked, disgusted.

"We don't tolerate redundancy in the workforce," he snickered as though his comment was a joke.

"Did the Great Ruler not assured that your kind won't hurt our people any longer?" Kilo asked.

"The Great Ruler invited me to this planet with the promise of absorbing great power. I overlooked the pathetic power levels and against my better judgment I decided to take up residence. I'm surprised his absence went unnoticed; he became a burden, sadly and I do not like my servants turning against me," a piercing voice erupted over them.

"What?" spat Kilo.

'So Vegeta was right not to trust him after all,' Mela realised with a heavy heart as she looked into the face of the evil tyrant that she knew was Frieza. She started to wave about her hands wildly and a purple mist erupted over her but as sudden as it appeared it was gone the second golden cuffs tightened about her wrists.

"H-How?"

"How did I know?" Frieza smirked as he hovered closer to the girl in his black seat, "A very talented spy of mine has determined how you go about using this time displacement technique of yours. Besides, you should be a lot more grateful - had you perfected the magic trick sooner, the moment of your death would not be as sweet."

"Who told you about the time displacement technique?" Kilo asked, not disguising his intense rage any longer.

"That's an easy one if you really think about it." Frieza shook a mocking finger at them and with that very finger was able to deflect a speedy kick at his head.

"Pathetic, boy," he laughed, sinking his fist into the boy's stomach.

"Sentee," cried out Kilo as his daughter looked on with tears in her eyes as the boy laid in spasms on the ground.

"The man of the hour is about to arrive, Lord Frieza," a deep voice alerted from behind as he tossed aside his long green braid in vain pleasure over his beeping scouter.

The aura around Kilo surged once more, his muscles tensed and steadily growing. He pounced towards Frieza and in awesome speed too fast to track he tried to land a blow. Finally tired from his attempt, he backed off. Noticing he could not get a hit he made his way over to the overweight henchman and pummelled him mercilessly. Following his lead, Mela dashed forward and started attacking the newcomer with vicious might.

Mela was about to exact the fatal blow but her arm hung limp at her side and she held her shoulder in agony. As she fell, she heard the loud cry of her father and she knew that he had experienced the same.

"Touch even a hair on Dodoria and Zarbon again and it will be plenty worse, I assure you," warned Frieza.

Completely worn by the onslaught, the two henchmen dropped to their knees, desperately trying to catch their breaths as several of their comrades poured around them, trapping them in a a small circle. Several Mezorans were taken hostage and looked on with trembling feet.

As if the crowd's presence spurred on his desire to fulfill their lust for entertainment, Frieza fired a beam of energy towards Mela. She was forced to her knees and tried as she might she could not stand much to the snickers of the soldiers. Those who cried out at the girl's anguish was quickly hushed with a mighty blow and thus the other villagers decided it was best to keep silent.

"Frieza, you foul-!" started Kilo as he noticed the damage caused to his daughter's feet.

"No worries, she's the special attraction for tonight's show," Frieza laughed wildly.

Seething with rage, he dashed forward again and repeated his manoeuver with added speed but the result was the same. Soon after the man settled, Frieza flicked his finger at the tip of his nose and sent him sailing away, crashing through the house.

"Dad!" cried Mela.

Suddenly a blue light erupted above their heads and they watched in awe and fear as an enormous ball of energy drew closer towards them. However, it seemed to be aimed only for Frieza as it touched down on his head and thus his entire body. The earth shook violently as the ball edged closer to the ground. Swirling with impressive power, the ball exploded forcing the onlookers to both look away and shield their person.

As the smoke cleared, Mela noticed a familiar silhouette drawing closer and she reached out her arms, anticipating the embrace but the clasps were still bounded. However, she still received the warm hug she hoped for as Vegeta edged through the opening her hands created.

"Fly away as far as you can," he commanded, tugging at the rings fastened about her wrists but they would not budge. He was about to fire a blast at them but he was interrupted by the chilling voice behind them.

"I've spent 45 long months on this miserable planet but I guess it was not in vain as I have grown to a level I never thought was possible."

Vegeta rocked with rage as he tightened his fists, ready to strike.

"You want to fight me, Vegeta," Frieza mocked, "And you call yourself a saiyan. Show this girl what a true saiyan does and kill her then we can fight."

"What?" his eyes widened at the gall of the order.

"Either that or I will torture you bit by bit in front of her and then do the same to her," his blackened lips pursed tightly into an evil grin.

"You sick -" Vegeta started and his aura flared and he dashed forward in impressive speed. Not sitting it out as he had done with Kilo, Frieza easily connected several blows. However, Vegeta was persistent and he pursued repeatedly which only resulted in heavy bruising and bleeding injuries. Finally, he landed on the ground, clearly exhausted. Leaping out of his seat and leaping behind him, Frieza lashed the full length of his tail into his back which dug him a few feet into the earth.

"It's a great deal considering your past miscalculations," sneered Frieza, watching his feeble attempts to get back up with keen interest.

In record time, Vegeta regained his footing and launched forward in an attempt to hit the tyrant again, "Damn you, Frieza, keep still."

"You keep still." With a sharp flick of his tail, he tightened his grip around Vegeta's throat, "You think you're such the hot shot, hmm. Winning every fight you've ever gone into, hmmm. You should have known better about me by now." Frieza slammed him with heavy fists.

"Dodoria, how about you start with an eye," Frieza exclaimed. The large mass of the pink soldier made its way over to Vegeta but he was stopped by his master, "No, no, the girl."

"What!" Vegeta had been prepared for the blow and now he watched helplessly as the man made his way over to his wife.

"Damn you, Frieza, you said you would torture me first!"

"Well, I lied. Did your soft heartedness made you gullible as well?" His laughter ignited the raucous snickers of the two henchmen.

Dodoria forcefully held up Mela's head and was charging a blast with his finger extended before her right eye.

"Please, Frieza. Do not do this, you can do as you wish to me. With her arms tied she is not a threat to you in the slightest."

"True," he said casually, "But this is quite fun to watch. I am going to rip out every bit of humanity you have - this is the only way that you can continue working for me."

Vegeta squirmed in a grand effort to escape the chokehold and in fake mercy he was thrown to one side, finally freed.

"You should say thanks to my spy for that nifty tip on how to detain the girl's powers, he has done exceptionally."

Vegeta followed the motioning hand of the tyrant and his entire body shook with rage upon noticing who the culprit was amongst the sea of men. His expression was of one who was plummeted with a ton of bricks as he noticed the sadistic smirk on the man's face.

"I will do anything for you, prince. This is the only way, I can assure you," Nappa said, his arms folded in a confident stance.

His body trembling in anger, he pounded his fists in the earth. Like a madman, he maniacally laughed as he raised his hand towards the fellow saiyan.

"Are you just going to stand there?" asked the purple alien next to him.

"He's only angry now, but my prince will not hurt m-"

"You imbecile, watch out!"

Nappa may have evaded the blast but he still paid dire consequences. His slow reaction had cost him his entire clump of dark hair and in its place was a red mark down the center of his scalp. Fanning his head as though it were on fire, he cried out in pain with tears coming to his eyes, "Do you know how long this is going to take to grow back?"

Clearly annoyed, Frieza warned, "Touch another hair on the General of your own race and suffer. You should only get rid of your teammates when their position can be replaced or I will hunt you down no matter where you are and exact my promise of torture. Do you understand me, Vegeta?"

"I don't work for you any more!" he bellowed.

"Is that so, monkey boy?"

Completely calmed now, Nappa tried to convince Vegeta, "Prince this purge is the only way to reawaken the real you. I have watched you lose your sanity for too long."

Vegeta charged another attack at his comrade but it quickly disappeared as he fell flat, grasping at his back in agony. Frieza was etching into his back with a sliver of energy as though he were a happy-go-lucky child discovering crayon to paper for the first time.

"Now, get up and kill the girl," he ordered.

"Never!" Vegeta growled.

Once again, Frieza unleashed another lashing and Mela shuddered at the sight. Her head dropped in sorrow and her eyes shone with a purple mist.

"Vegeta, listen to me," Mela said although her lips did not move. Turning his head throughout his ordeal to catch a glimpse of her, he did not understand the phenomenon and she warned him, "Don't give me away. Just listen."

His hands wobbled beneath him and eventually gave away and he fell flat, his shirt smoking in the aftermath. He saw Mela sitting with him at the brook just outside of the house speaking to him, their arms intertwined. He remembered that moment as though it were yesterday but what she was saying wasn't from that day, it was what she was saying now, "He will surely kill us all. It doesn't have to end like this for you."

He heard his own voice speak although he said nothing , "I told you countless times, I don't give a damn about who stands in my way. My only purpose in this life is to kill Frieza - nothing more."

Mela continued, "You have vowed to me countless times that you are the only one to defeat Frieza. If you die now, Frieza will only continue to wipe out world after world and wreaking havoc over the entire universe. I know in my heart that you are the only one who could help put an end to that monster!"

"Shut up!" he yelled as he struggled to his feet. The scenery before his eyes disappeared and he was faced with the tyrant once again. He charged an attack in his hand, his face showing no signs of any emotion.

In response, Frieza charged his own blast but his grew at a constant rate, "You and the Mrs. could be gone like that!"

"Well so be it!" he yelled.

"Vegeta!" Mela's voice ran through his head and he gave into the powerful hold on him and closed his eyes. Once again he was seeing himself with her as the waters rushed past behind them, the purple rays of the sun casting a healing glow about them. Their hands became one and they looked at one another lovingly, "I love you, Vegeta. The past three years of my life has been the best because of you. We will meet up again someday on the other side."

In anger he swung around his arm and directed the blast to Mela and he yelled inside his head, not even sure if she would hear him or not, "On the other side? You stupid woman - where I'm going is entirely different to where you're going. You want to take my first drop of blood away from me, woman! My son doesn't even get to have his first intake of breath and I have to let him go, just like that, without a fight."

Seeing that his orders were about to be fulfilled, Frieza's ever growing energy ball was reduced to nothing. The only powerful gusts of wind protruded from Vegeta's own blast as it swept Mela's long, pink hair wildly about her. She looked up at him, with tears running down her cheek but with a calmness about her. What she said next almost shocked him for indeed she had heard him, "This is your fight." She turned away her head as though in full acceptance of the impending blast.

Although his entire body shook, his hand remained firm but the blast in itself faltered, fluctuating in size. He heard Mela in his head once again, "Use our deaths as a reminder, as fuel to crush that bastard."

"Damn you woman!" he yelled angrily at her much to the surprise on Frieza and his men.

"Goodbye," he continued in a calm voice in his mind as he released the blast. Wearing the same emotionless expression, he stared at the still body on the ground.

"Is the goody-goody prince going to cry!" mocked Frieza and his men laughed in unison, "Now finish them off!"

Obediently, he charged another blast in his hand and he nodded ever so slightly before its release. The only persons that clued in on this was Sentee and a few of the Mezorans directly behind him, edging their hands closer to their person unbeknownst to their captors who backed off quickly. Seconds before impact, the boy succeeded in tapping on a button on a device worn just beneath his shirt, emitting a green glow and his entire body slipped through the earth. Similarly, a green glow was emitted on special accessories worn on the onlooking locals and they too were sunk below the depths of the earth. The entire house behind the boy crumbled away to nothing by the force of the explosion.

"Now stop wasting my time. I want this planet wiped clean in ten minutes!" Frieza ordered and with a bounding leap he retreated in his black seat, his men following his lead. Vegeta took to the skies and started unleashing several blasts of varying sizes consuming unsuspecting Mezorans and their homes.

Extremely weakened, the Great Ruler crawled out of a cave upon feeling the tremors and recognised Vegeta immediately. He also noticed several of his own people were slipping through the earth and he caught on that it was the glow of the special devices that they wore. Firing a very small blast, he knocked out a nearby man and made his way towards him, slipping on the device on his hand and narrowly escaping a fiery end.

Making his way through the ship as though he were walking on thin ice, Vegeta was greeted by a gleeful Nappa who tapped him on the shoulder with a proud grin, "Welcome back, prince."

Growling, although hiding it well, he answered, "I couldn't care less about that stupid girl, I assure you."

"Humph. I thought she was your wife?"

"You thought wrong, Nappa. I was going to kill her myself anyway, having the prince's child, please."

Nappa smiled broadly as Vegeta continued on his way, oblivious to his dark thoughts.

'Your blind loyalty has caused me a great injustice and yet you beam like the joyous jack you tend to be. I will get rid of you the first chance I get.'

Entering his room, the familiar darkness of space poured through the wide expanse of the window. Taking up a seat on the bed, he tapped on his scouter, "You said you pinpointed the exact location of the planet your brother was sent to, correct?"

Raditz's voice boomed on the other side of the device, "I've confirmed his life presence through the aid of a special race I encountered. It will be another month to get to the outskirts of the North Galaxy and one full year to reach the planet from there."

"Another saiyan at last, how convenient and I think I shall make him General effective immediately. Do try to convince him to join us in defending the fight for his people by any means necessary. And don't divulge any of what was said to Nappa, his loyalties seem to be divided of as late."

"Will do, no problem - that explains why you're using the regular frequency and not the encrypted one. I'll check in, in one year's time."

"Good." Vegeta threw the device off of his ear and tossed it aside. He could not evade the bright glow of the purple and brown orb outside.

"My father raised me to be a cold, ruthless killing machine because he knew I would one day have the power to defeat Frieza. I have grown pathetic by questioning my deeds and because of my slackness I caused Mela and my son's life but I should never have had them in the first place. From this day forth, I, Prince of all saiyans, will achieve the promise my father bestowed upon me and for Mela's sake. I am a cold-blooded murderer and so it shall stay on my heart forever, I do not deserve a family nor do I deserve forgiveness. My only purpose in this life is to fulfill my duty as the most brutal over a brutal race of warriors not save lives. I will never again allow myself to feel anything and I will enjoy killing as I once did in my youth. I will be the one to kill Frieza and anyone who stands in my way is history!'

END CREDITS : Author/Creator of the DBZ series and characters: Akira Toriyama

Author/Creator of this Story/Movie; Creator of characters Mela, Kilo and Sentee Mitra; an unborn Fahren; the Great Ruler; Vegeta's "mother"; Sharma; Ratio and an epic battle that would have seen the end of Frieza a whole lot sooner and not even by the hands of a saiyan : Chrissi B (c) August 2015