A/N:
hi guys! I realized that I was a horrible author for multiple reasons. One was that I never, ever thanked all of you reviewers for helping me reach 600 and 700 reviews. That's just crazy. I've never had anywhere close to 700 reviews...and just seeing my story near 4 digits is absolutely mind blowing. Thank you all for your continuous support. It means more than the world to me. Honestly.
Also, I forgot to thank LPphreek for adding Make A Wish and Aftershocks to her community! Thanks! Also, thanks to Stephy-Lou Clark-Weasley for adding Make A Wish and This Time Around to her community as well. Thanksthanksthanks!
Enormous thanks and AHHHs to my awesome reviewers from last chapter: Nightlyangel007, Trixie-chan, g, joys, Laania, LunarJade, dyingdreamsv2, lilpumpkingirl, BlueHairedSaiyan, Many Voices In My Head (ooh! hope you had fun!), menga88, dbz-trunks-zbd, betty69blue, yourheartspeaksthetruth (thanks so much for the long review!), Thegirlwithcoolbesties, johncorn, Linneh, CreatorofHavoc (Piccolo is not forgotten! don't worry :D), MK08 (You may be on to something...), KayuraK, Katie Loom (ha, doesn't it? thanks for the multiple reviews!), 6teenana1 (The voices they have are of the ones of the body...if that makes sense), miikodesu, The Azu Soul Lilly, Greendragonsheart, Death101-Fox Version, Eure, Girness, Cara2012, jdboss1, elleelle (Yamcha only detected the ki was different. Bulma doesn't need that :D), omgover9000 (aw. yeah, he totally does it on purpose.), Naughty Cat (congrats!), PerfectLover, bimbosarahsurfchick (it was pretty! hope you're enjoying/enjoyed your surf trip!), ScoobyDoobyDee, and gue22 (thanks so much for your reviews. they were so sweet! i'm flattered!and i don't dislike Saiyaman...I just...errr...like SSJ2 Gohan.).
Other Notes: to avoid confusion on the body switching, fake Vegeta/ imposter vegeta refers to Ginyu in Vegeta's body. Purple alien usually refers to Vegeta in Ginyu's body. And if I refer to Vegeta or Ginyu by only their name it's referring to them not their bodies. Phew.
Disclaimer: Have not required the rights to DB, DBZ, or DBGT. Will work on that.
Shattered
A snap of energy flashed through the front of Gohan's mind. He cringed, mouth twisting in awe and fear. Never had he felt anything like this. Not from Vegeta or his father or himself. This ki...it's incredible. The young boy glanced to his father, seeing the same mouth-agape expression. It was terrifyingly strong, unbearably powerful. And Gohan knew without analyzing the ki too much that it belonged to Frieza.
"Piccolo needs help." Goku made a fist, this strange look on his face. Gohan couldn't tell exactly what his father was thinking. He seemed disappointed about leaving Piccolo alone; Son Goku hated abandoning his friends. And apparently, Piccolo was a fully fledged ally now. Not some demon king or temporary partner. Goku saw him as a friend, and with that, he was incredibly concerned over the Namekian's well being. But he was anxious more than anything. "Raditz, you should check on Vegeta."
Raditz frowned. "Kakarot, you should know better than to challenge Frieza on your own. The Namekian..."
"Could still be alive if I hurry. Krillin, go back to Bulma and the others. Do you remember where the space ship was?"
His best friend looked grim. Krillin's dark eyebrows knitted together in fear and worry. "You're asking us to leave without you?"
"Yes."
Gohan shook his head wildly. Was his dad insane? Did he not understand that he needed their help? That even if Frieza did kill him and they all managed to escape, that the tyrant would be hot on their trail after blood? It was a bad plan, reckless. "Dad, you can't do that."
Goku held strong. "Gohan, you need to go back to Earth."
"No. No way. You don't know what you're up against. Wish me back with the dragon balls for all I care, I..."
"There won't be any more dragon balls if we keep talking!" Goku's powerful voice echoed amongst them, causing Gohan to shrink back in surprise more than terror. His dad never yelled. Ever. Not even when his mom refused to cook for a whole week (though he was the grumpiest the youngest Son had ever seen). There was something wrong with his father. Something powerful and angry hidden behind his normal calm face. "Gohan..." Goku breathed heavily to settle his nerves. "I can't trust myself right now. I can't promise I'll protect you anymore. You need to leave."
"Kakarot, the Super Saiyan is nothing to be afraid of." Raditz moved up towards his brother, their faces only inches apart. "Embrace it. Let the power consume you. The legend says to give yourself over to its power. Let yourself completely go."
Was that what this is?
Goku's temperament now seemed unnatural to Gohan. But was it because he was on the brink of obtaining the Super Saiyan? Raditz and Vegeta had talked about it a lot, Vegeta more than anyone. At first, the Saiyan prince was somewhat resistant to its existence, but urgent need made him grasp at straws. Frieza needed to die, and the prince needed an unholy amount of power to kill him.
"I'm going to tell you a story."
Gohan blinked. Vegeta never told stories unless the empty threats and sarcastic insults counted. He normally grunted in Gohan's direction, considering the young Saiyan to be a waste of air and energy. Gohan had overheard on numerous occasions about how Vegeta was disappointed Raditz had returned with him and not his father.
What good was a frightened child? Especially when you wanted to kill an emperor.
He was left to train in the spaceship, sometimes alone against these weird green, screeching creatures that sprouted from the ground. Other times Raditz would train him, tuning his technique and how to manipulate energy. And other times, very rare times, Vegeta would invite himself in on the training session.
There was no teaching with Vegeta. But there was a lot of blood and even more sweat. Screams only incited the Saiyan prince more. True Saiyans don't scream. True Saiyans take each punch, each kick, each blow from their enemy with a smirk and a promise to return the punishment two-fold. It took a month before Gohan understood this, but when he did, Vegeta's respect for him showed, if only minimally.
Today was one of those days Vegeta had decided to honor Gohan with his presence. Vegeta had went slower with manipulating his energy, silently teaching Gohan a new attack. The beam of purple light was pretty, an exotic shade of energy that he never saw his father produce. He memorized the blast, the hand formations, as Vegeta powered the move over and over again. Gohan must have dodged the attack at least fifteen times.
After three hours of intense training, both Saiyans left together, which was different. Normally, Vegeta would immediately part ways from Gohan, directing the child back to Raditz's room or the rejuvenation tanks if he was especially injured. But today he made Gohan follow him back to his own quarters, a serious look on his face.
Gohan sat on his floor now, tail cleanly sliding across the floor. Vegeta seemed tense, more tense than usual. He knew that they were heading for Namek soon, and the thought of seeing his dad again excited the half-Saiyan. But Gohan respected his friends here. He wanted to help them. And Vegeta sensed that new loyalty.
"I think I've under estimated you. You pick up things quickly. Especially since you're half human. You're actually one step above useless."
That was as much as a compliment as he was going to get. Gohan couldn't help but smile. "Really, Prince Vegeta?"
"Hmph. Don't look so proud. You still have too much work to be done. But I've come to accept your Saiyan heritage."
Gohan was confused. Didn't Vegeta always know he was Saiyan? The little boy glanced at the furry tail behind him and then wrapped it by his feet, unconsciously reminding the prince that he had been a Saiyan all this time. "...Um, thank you?"
Vegeta threw a roll of bandages, hitting Gohan square in the head. Gohan flinched back and scrambled to pick up the roll. This wasn't anything new. The half-Saiyan grumbled and started wrapping his arm before asking, "What story did you want to tell me?"
"A story all Saiyan children learn. Stop doing that and pay attention boy!"
Gohan flinched and set the roll down. Vegeta could be rather bipolar. He crossed his legs and dropped his head. "Yes, sir."
"Good." The prince leaned back on his cot after wiping the slight blood on his face off with a towel. "There's a legend, a myth, whatever you call it, of the strongest warrior in the universe. Unlike what those blithering fools here on Frieza's planet think, this warrior is not from the Cold Empire, but a Saiyan."
He felt the need to interrupt but Gohan kept his mouth shut. He had already been told numerous times by the Saiyan prince himself that the Saiyans were the most powerful fighters in the universe. Gohan wondered what could possibly be different in this story.
Vegeta continued, "Some Saiyans are born with an innate ability, the ability to be a Super Saiyan."
"Ability?" Gohan quirked an eyebrow. "You mean like...a power up? Or some sort of genetic mutation?"
"I mean, Brat, a transformation. Like the Oozaru. Only much more powerful."
"Is it as hard to control?"
Vegeta was silent then, and Gohan knew he didn't really know the answer. He only knew an example. "The last and only Super Saiyan destroyed a whole planet-by accident."
Gohan saw his father, knew that Goku understood the risk of such power. The young boy no longer wondered if it was in his dad's reach. Goku had the chance to transform anytime, but he simply refused to. How different that was from Vegeta. The prince would gladly destroy a world if it meant he could transform, and here was Goku, purposely suppressing it. Gohan glanced at his uncle, and they both remained silent.
"I won't kill my family." Goku hovered off the ground. "But I will help Piccolo. Come with me and bring him back." Goku held out his hand to Raditz, and the older Saiyan grasped it tightly. Goku smiled, "You'll like Earth...brother."
"Maybe. If we ever make it there." Raditz flew up to join Goku and let go of his younger brother's hand. "Gohan, for some reason the Ginyu force is still active. Take care of them for me, will you?"
It was a hopeless battle, fighting with both his uncle and his father. Ki senses focusing away from Frieza, Gohan did see that all three of the Ginyus were all alive, and was even... "Krillin, could you go to Bulma right now. I'll go to Vegeta." Though he every intention of only stopping by. Vegeta was never too fond of help. He would do a quick check and then help his father and uncle.
"Thank you, son." Goku smiled and gave a slight wave right before he and Raditz flew off towards the monstrous power. Gohan followed the white trail of his family through the sky with his eyes.. Piccolo is still alive, but just barely. And this doesn't make sense. Why has Vegeta's power level peaked at 120,000?
The Saiyan prince's energy was supposed to be much higher than that. He could tell too, by the sudden bursts and lows of energy that the battle was still going on. Which didn't make sense. Vegeta always warned about delaying kills. They could sneak up on you just as Guldo had before, not only making you look like a complete idiot but also risking your life. A tactical genius, it was rare that Vegeta would make such a 'weakling, beginner's'' mistake, as he termed it. Something's not right.
Gohan gave Krillin a curt nod and they both jolted in opposite directions, neither prepared for what was to come.
That bastard.
He growled before moving his new hand to his chest, weirdly colored blood spilling out in rivers. He felt his mind fading in and out. Spots of light conflicted with his vision. He felt so weak, and not just because of the chest hole Jeice managed to make with his pathetic Crusher ball technique. That attack would have been nothing to Vegeta normally. But Ginyu's body was incredibly slow and weak. He had no idea how the buffoon captain ever worked it.
Shit.
The self-proclaimed fastest being in the universe was now taunting him. His snake like eyes glistened as he did some moronic dance and dropped in a fighter's stance. Vegeta wasn't ready for a tag team battle, not when he was trapped in this broken down excuse for a fighter. He coughed before speaking, still not used to his new voice. "Stop it! One of you should fight me at a time like true warriors. Stop taking breaks with one another because you're tired. It's pathetic. I thought you were supposed to be members of the Ginyu Force, not some newly planted Saibamen."
Burter glared, producing pointed fangs over his mouth, and turned back to his red comrade. "Jeice, let me take care of Vegeta first."
"Just remember not to kill him, Burta'. Cap'n Ginyu may wanna switch back." Jeice crossed his arms and smirked. "No one would want to be stuck with an ugly face like Vegeta's forever."
Idiots.
Vegeta rolled his now purple shoulders. This new body was atrocious. With long horns on his head and skin so clear on top that anyone could see the blood vessels of his brain, Vegeta doubted Ginyu would mind never getting this walking corpse back. The Saiyan prince's original body was a much better upgrade. He ignored the wound on his chest. Vegeta would force Ginyu to change back, and when he did, he would make sure to give Ginyu back something completely broken.
But not just yet. First, he needed to kill the two aliens in front of him.
Vegeta smiled. He sure it looked incredibly stupid on Ginyu's face, but words would be enough intimidation. "You're fools to think you have a chance of winning."
Burter snuffed, "Please, Vegeta. You were a weak, grumpy prince on Frieza's planet. Nothing more. The Ginyu Force is an elite fighting team. You're the one with no chance, especially against the Blue Hurricane!"
What a stupid nickname. The Saiyan prince rolled his eyes. "And what are you? Red typhoon?" Vegeta bit back a laugh.
"Psh, shows what you know, Vegeta. I'm the Red Magma!" Jeice grinned proudly.
His mouth almost dropped. How could it have gotten any stupider? These idiots are not even worth my time. "Don't sound too cocky." He held his hand out and immediately frowned. It was this weird shade of sickening lilac, veins protruding every which way. But no matter. Ginyu knew how to manipulate ki well enough. And if Vegeta knew the move then maybe...
Burter was fast. Vegeta's momentary hand distraction led to him squirming with pain. Burter shot his knee straight in the chest. The blue alien in front of him smiled maliciously before sending a flurry of many, though relatively weak, punches into the now purple alien's abdomen. Vegeta could feel each punch vividly, much more than he had in the past year or so. Though the Saiyan prince's tolerance for pain was extremely high, Ginyu's body was not hard enough to protect him as much as Vegeta was used to. Burter's punches probably wouldn't have made the Saiyan prince flinch, but now, each fist sent bolts of pain.
Vegeta curled a lip. "Stop it!" An air rush of ki expelled from his body and pushed Burter away. His enemy rolled through the air before stopping suddenly. Burter jutted forward again, and Vegeta's new eyes were too slow to catch him vanish. Vegeta was met with a sharp pain in his back, and he crashed forward, ten feet deep in a plateau.
This is ridiculous!
His body was giving out already, but Vegeta bit back the pain. His nerves were completely on fire, burning, breaking under the pressure of Ginyu's relatively weak frame and the surprise attack Burter somehow managed to unleash. Scoffing, Vegeta stayed embedded in the rock. He needed a plan. Now.
"Aw, now I won't get to do anything, Burta'." Jeice was whining from the plain in front of him. "Why did you have to go and knock him out already?"
"Sorry, Jeice. He's just incredibly weak. But you did get one attack on him. That must have helped."
Vegeta heard Jeice chuckle. "Yeah. He's an arrogant jackass, isn't he? I wonder if the Cap'n managed to get back his girl. I met her twelve years ago, you know."
The Saiyan prince's eyes bulged. He forgot that Ginyu was probably after Bulma. Kakarot better be with her and that idiot better not ruin my body. He only hoped they had figured it out. Ginyu was coming to Bulma as Vegeta. She isn't an idiot. She'll know. But he still couldn't fight back the tiny bit of doubt in his mind.
The reminder made him mobile. Vegeta moved his hand out of the rock, careful not to draw too much attention from the fighters in front of them. They were arguing now, something about who would get the credit for knocking him out and who would have to carry his body back to the real Ginyu. They're not even checking their scouters to see if I'm conscious. Vegeta couldn't help but grin. This would be too easy.
"Look, Burta'. Let's just play for it, okay?"
Burter sighed, "Fine, Jeice. If I win, you'll carry him back. Rock..."
"Paper..."
"Scissors..."
Vegeta held out his hand, palm stretched outwards. It was harder to get ki moving through his body, but he pushed it out, pumping energy into the center of his right hand. The pure ball of power shone brightly in his small, man-made crater, slicing through rock and reflecting hot blue light on his face. The strength funneled through him and he outwardly smirked. "Shoot."
Goku had to slow down to allow Raditz's company, but it was torturous. This power was intoxicating; it was the only way to describe it. Fighting always was is forte, his passion, but now, he could feel his body losing control. His muscles tensed and relaxed with each intake of breath. It was hard to concentrate, harder to stay calm. Unadulterated energy was pulsing through him, waiting to be released with fury. Stay in control. You can't let that happen. You're not a monster. You can't hurt anyone else. Sighing, Goku turned back to his brother and pointed down.
Both Saiyans stopped point blank. Frieza's ki was incredible, paralyzing. Goku had to push passed the enormous energy in order to try to get a glimmer of Piccolo. Which he did. The Namekian was weak, fading, but there was still time. They landed in front of the green alien protectively and immediately cringed.
Raditz was frozen, stunned at the mostly white alien in front of him. His mouth started twitching as Frieza frowned and looked at both of them, blood shot eyes filled with infuriated hatred. He scowled and smoothly said, "I thought I killed you. Both of you."
Goku glanced from his brother to the overlord in front of him. There were purple circles on the major points of his body: head, shoulders, stomach arms, and legs. They shone brightly in the three suns, as if they were some organic armor. Lines cut straight from the corner of his eyes, straight down his cheekbone. This was Frieza. Powerful. Brutal. Merciless. Goku could feel the excitement start to boil. "You must be mistaken. This is the first time we've ever met."
"Pardon me. I've killed so many monkeys that they all start to look the same." Frieza glanced from Goku to Raditz. "He is a Saiyan, isn't he?"
"Yes. We're both here to kill you." Raditz clenched his fists and swiped back a piece of his hair. His dark eyes were unwavering, and Goku felt akin to his brother. They were both fighters, warriors. And, hopefully, together they could bring Frieza to justice.
Frieza gave a slight laugh, "Remember when you said that last time Raditz? I can still see the hole in your armor."
"That was before. We Saiyans come back stronger every time we're near death."
"Well, I guess this time I have to make sure you're dead. I won't make that mistake again."
"Errrr...RAH!"
Goku flinched, "Raditz! No!"
But his brother was already off, pure white energy framing his body as he pounced forward. The third class Saiyan clumsily swung at Frieza, but the tyrant just snap vanished, causing him to hit nothing but air. Raditz froze and swerved around, attempting to hit the lizard creature. But Frieza once again created an afterimage. Raditz was swinging at shadows.
Goku gritted his teeth. The scene playing out in front of him was painful. He's just toying with him. Frieza's ki is enormous. Raditz doesn't stand a chance. And as much as he wanted to help his brother, Goku knew he would need backup himself. The tall fighter tore his eyes away from the two flying fighters and flew over to Piccolo. His green body seemed exhausted, wasted. Goku tensed as he saw the arms by his side, severed completely. "Piccolo..." He dug through his pockets, but he didn't have any Senzu. Kneeling down, Goku placed Piccolo's head on his lap, relieved to hear the Namekian groan from the movement. "Thank Kami, Piccolo. You're alive."
Piccolo squirmed and went on his own knees, eyeing Goku with slight disgust. "Kami didn't help me." He looked down and concentrated his energy. With two wet rips, Piccolo regenerated both of his arms and fell back into the dust.
"Nice trick." Goku smiled and offered his hand. "But there's no time to rest. Raditz is fighting Frieza right now but he won't last long."
"I'm surprised he isn't dead already." Piccolo grabbed Goku's hand and wobbled to a standing position. "And I still have another trick up my sleeve. Frieza's preoccupied?"
Goku turned to the sky. Raditz was heaving, hands on his knees, body keeled over in exhaustion. But the overlord hadn't broken a sweat. Frieza was hovering stationary. His red eyes were only focused on Raditz a couple yards away. What's he up to? The Saiyan didn't allow himself to think about it. "Yeah, for now."
"Good. Watch closely." Piccolo swung his arms apart, producing purple ki blasts that remained stagnant in the air. Within seconds, the purple blasts were surrounding Frieza, pausing under Piccolo's command.
Goku heard a startled "WHAT!" escape Frieza's mouth before the blasts collided with their target. The multiple explosions were deafening, showering the land with bright light, dust, and debris. The Saiyan glanced to Piccolo. The move was impressive, and the Namekian noticeably relaxed. He was tired, that last move probably holding the last bit of ki he had left. But Goku remained stolid, focused.
Nothing was that easy.
Her blood was cold when she looked at him. Yamcha could easily sense it. Hell, she could sense that his energy was all wrong, but that wasn't because of any training she had. She knew Vegeta, how he felt, how he acted. And this wasn't him. There was something off-putting about the way he carried himself. It seemed less sturdy, less regal if anything. And the way he spoke...it was completely wrong. Add the fact that he was wearing a scouter again, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that this wasn't the Saiyan prince.
But who the hell was he?
"Bulma, please." He held out his hand again, jerking his fingers up and down as if to beckon her to his side. He certainly did look like Vegeta. Same impossible hair, same dark shrouded eyes. But no. It wasn't him. Frieza's soldiers had their tricks, and this must have been one of them.
"I'm...good, right here, Vegeta." Bulma wouldn't play his game, not fully. She saw Yamcha glance at her with concern, but the blue haired genius shrugged it off. "Why don't you go help Goku or something?"
The Vegeta imposter only looked confused. He was mumbling to himself, frustrated, but quickly stopped. "You there! Yamcha...umm...tell Bulma to come with me! Your...errr...Our friends are in desperate need for her help!"
The two humans gave each other sideward glances. Yamcha shrugged and walked over. "You know what, Vegeta?" The bandit cracked a smile and then sent his fist flying across the imposter's cheek. The fake Vegeta fell back, butt slamming on the ground harshly.
Bulma's mouth dropped open. Okay. This was definitely not Vegeta. "...Yamcha!"
"Sorry, I've wanted to do that for a while." Yamcha shouted turning to Bulma and then back to the fighter in front of him. "Who are you?"
If the doppelganger answered, Bulma wasn't listening. Krillin was already landing next to her looking as confused as Bulma felt. "Mind telling me what's going on?"
Bulma shrugged, "...it looks like Yamcha just decked Vegeta in the face." The words were gibberish to her. Her mind was baffled. There were two options circling through her. Either someone was able to mimic Vegeta's appearance or had somehow stolen his body. And it was that thought that made her grab Krillin's gi in desperation. "Where's Vegeta!"
"...I thought you said..."
"I know what I said, Krillin! That isn't Vegeta! Vegeta wouldn't have ever let Yamcha hit him! What's going on! Where is he?"
"Bulma, calm down..."
"Stop telling me to calm down!" She was frustrated, tired of being on the sidelines, taking the easy, safe way out. It was the safe way that had her leave Vegeta on Karbos. It was the safe way that had stopped her from telling him about the dragon balls or Earth in the first place. Safe was what made her settle for Yamcha. Safe was what was holding her back. It was her irrational side, the side that wanted adventure, that had her meet Goku. It was her outbursts, her somewhat annoying shrieks that kept her strong, that got her that perfect wish. And now, it was that side of her that she wanted people to listen to. "That freak over there isn't him! Which means he could be dead! Either you're going to find him for me or I'm about to leave you all and get him myself! You hear me, Krillin?"
The tiny man gulped and nodded. "I'll find him, Bulma. But Yamcha needs help first."
Bulma took a breath and refocused on her ex-boyfriend. He was now squaring off against the imposter, and Bulma had to shake her head to suppress some other thoughts. She had been afraid of this, the two men fighting over her. Though she wasn't one to be selfless, she had to remind herself that they weren't fighting for her, not in the way she had originally pictured. "I don't care." It felt heartless to say, but she couldn't help it. "Vegeta could be dead right now."
"Such little faith in me is disheartening."
Both Krillin and Bulma edged back at the new voice. Neither of them recognized it, and turning around, Bulma did no better at identifying who it was that spoke. This monster was disgusting to look at. With horns and veins and sickening eyes, she had never seen any alien like that. But something was keeping there. For some reason, she wasn't afraid.
"Get back, Bulma." Kirllin shakily stood in front of her, arms spread wide. "Go back and hide with Dende."
The purple alien breathed, "Where is the young Namekian? I hope he still has his healing abilities."
How...how does he... Bulma didn't move back. Instead, she glanced to where Yamcha and fake Vegeta were staring each other down. She watched as the familiar Saiyan threw a sloppy punch, which Yamcha easily dodged.
"Hmph." The new alien grunted. "Pathetic worm can't even use my body correctly. What a waste."
"Vegeta!" She ran up to the alien and moved into a hug, but stopped when she saw the blood on his armor. "...what happened?"
"We'll talk later. " The purple alien moved to the side, revealing the body of a red alien behind him.
Bulma recognized it instantly. "Isn't that...that guy from Karbos?"
The purple alien nodded.
"Wait, wait, wait. What is going on? Who are you? And who's that?" Krillin pointed to the fallen Jeice and then crossed his arms. "And what's a Karbos?"
"Forget it." The purple alien carefully maneuvered over to where Dende was hiding, scrunched behind a rock. The Namekian screamed, but his mouth was soon covered by a withered, purple hand. "Quiet fool. Stand guard and join the humans over there." The purple alien flinched as Ginyu finally managed to maneuver Vegeta's body. The Saiyan's fist collided with Yamcha's cheek.
Bulma turned to Krillin, practically bouncing. "See! It's Vegeta! He's safe Krillin! He's alright!"
The former monk raised an eyebrow, "You sure about that?"
"Oh shut up. He'll be him again. I'm sure he has a plan to get his body back."
"Ignoring how ridiculous that sounds Bulma, I hope you're right." Krillin scratched his head. "Because that sure is a hard face to love."
The new, unimproved Vegeta watched as Dende scampered over to Krillin and Bulma and then tossed Jeice's body forward to grab the two fighter's attention. It worked easily. The fake Vegeta immediately turned and grimaced. "What's going on?" Dark eyes glared. "Vegeta..."
Vegeta held up his now purple arms. "No! No! It's Jeice! "
Bulma's blue eyes widened. Is that part of his plan...or is it really Jeice? She glanced down to the red alien, practically lifeless on the ground. And if that really is Jeice...than Vegeta...
Vegeta's imposter clenched his fists, angry. "Impossible! How could you be Jeice?"
"Vegeta couldn't work your body. It was far too advanced for him. He just yelled that...Swap! or whatever you say, and we changed bodies! But I managed to knock him out." The purple alien kicked the body on the ground."
But the fake Vegeta still wasn't convinced. "If you're Jeice, prove it."
The purple alien sighed and steadied himself on the ground. He looked back briefly to Bulma, Krillin, and Dende, and then forward. His weird eyes settled on Yamcha, who was wiping the blood trickling down his nose. The purple alien raised a wrinkled, tattered hand and shot a small ki blast towards the black haired human, burning through the orange gi and causing the bandit to fall back again in pain. The horned monster gave the fake Vegeta a confused look. "Is that good enough?"
"Alright, Jeice. You can use Vegeta's body until we put yours into the rejuvenation tank, deal? But that chest injury better be minor."
"It's fine."
The fake Vegeta nodded his head and shouted, "SWITCH!"
There was a sudden flash of blinding light between the two bodies, and Bulma had to cover her eyes in shock and fear. It is Vegeta...I know it. But she couldn't help but be a little anxious. When the light cleared, she immediately glanced over to Vegeta's body, looking for any signal to see if it was him again.
The purple alien spoke first. "Well, Jeice..." His hand fell down to his chest. "I don't know how you ever thought this was manageable. You're carrying the body back to Frieza's ship. Hopefully there's a tank for us to use."
"It is manageable." And when he smiled, that dark half-smile, Bulma sighed in relief. Vegeta flashed in front of the purple alien and jammed his fist through his armor and chest. "At least compared to that."
His purple body fell to the floor, lifeless.
Bulma cringed at the action. It was brutal, violent, but, she realized, necessary. They were safe. Crisis avoided, all thanks to him. It was then she remembered what had happened. "Yamcha..." She grabbed the Namekian's hand and dragged him to her ex-boyfriend. Yamcha held on to his burnt shoulder, shivering in agony but very much alive. Thank goodness. "Can you heal him?"
The little Namekian nodded and held out his hands. Soon the bandit was back on his feet. He glared at the Saiyan prince who was busy creating another energy blast. Yamcha scowled. "And what, may I ask, was that for?"
Vegeta shrugged and let loose the blue light on Jeice's unconscious body. His eyes momentarily locked onto Bulma, reading her face, looking for her reaction. She knew he didn't want her to see him kill, so she tried to remain calm, but if she had to be honest, it was terrifying. This was life or death. Plain and simple. And it was plainly obvious that she was no way in Hell prepared physically or mentally for this shit.
The Saiyan prince looked back to the bandit. "Sorry, I've wanted to do that for a while."
As the smoke cleared, Goku steadied his feet in the ground, digging deeply into Namek's dirt. He's still alive...I still sense him.
"Dad!"
Crap. Goku turned his head, "Gohan, what are you doing here?
"Vegeta was already gone when I got there." His son landed between him and looked back, "Are you okay, Mr. Piccolo?"
The Namekian nodded. "Don't worry about me, Gohan. Focus on yourself."
"Is Uncle Raditz fighting Frieza...by himself?" Gohan edged up, "I'm going..."
"Stop it." Goku placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Don't rush it."
Raditz was already floating down. He was exhausted from the pure chase. Frieza hadn't even attempted to punch him. He knows he's too strong. One punch and Raditz would be knocked out already. Frieza seemed to want to kill them slowly. This was fun for him.
In the shadows of the dust fog, Frieza's white body slowly came into vision. His long tail whipped back and forth, and the alien attempted a smile. It was sickly, sinister, a shade of anything joyful. Goku tightened his shoulders even more. He was beginning to understand just how evil this guy was.
One long finger raised, Frieza sent a thin purple beam straight from the tip. It burrowed through air and was directed straight for Piccolo's straining chest. Gohan immediately flew off, screaming. "Piccolo! No!"
"Gohan! Stop it!" Goku's heart was tipping through his chest. His body wasn't reacting fast enough, too stunned, floored by his only son running in front of the Namekian. Only his voice was moving, "GOHAN!"
The energy beam finally collided into the new shield, killing him instantly. The Saiyan fell to the ground, black hair covering his now cold, pale face. Goku didn't understand. His normally calm, fighter's mind was shattered, destroyed.
Gohan breathed and rolled to the side, pushing his uncle's lifeless body gently to the ground.
A/N:
Note: (well isn't that redundant) "Switch!" is what Ginyu shouts in the manga I own (VizBig volume 3 for all you fact checkers :D). I think he says something like "CHANGE NOW!" in the anime, but I didn't feel like searching through episodes to see exactly. So I used that.
Also, as you may have guessed, I am slowly approaching the end of this story. Not sure how many chapters are left, but there are a couple. But we're reaching a turning point, and I am thrilled to work on the next chapters for you. See you in (roughly) a week! Thanks everyone!