Ascension

Numbers continued to scroll across the red screen in front of his left eye as he ascended through the planet's atmosphere. Higher and higher he flew, yet surprisingly he grew closer to the sources of the power readings on his scouter. Bafflement and curiosity clouded his mind until his outrage was all but forgotten. At least, it was until he reached the strange floating palace in the sky. He had never seen such a place before, but his wonderment was cut short when he heard the telltale sounds of battle coming from its flat surface.

Frieza wasn't surprised when he saw the two saiyans battling on the Lookout, but he hadn't expected to find other warriors who were extremely strong – strong enough to put even his elite squadron (now deceased) to shame. For a moment he entertained the idea of recruiting them to replace the Ginyu Force, but he dismissed that thought. He wouldn't trust just anyone to hold such a high rank in his army; he needed be sure of their absolute, unrelenting loyalty and allegiance to him first. There were actually four smaller battles going on at once: Vegeta was fighting a large animalistic creature, the tailless saiyan who blinded him was fighting an enormous demonic-looking creature, a small boy was fighting another enormous brute with skin the same color as the late Captain Ginyu, and there was a Namekian – possibly the most surprising thing Frieza had seen all day – fighting a blue-skinned man with hair similar to the saiyan prince's, except pure white rather than coal black.

Deciding to settle in and watch the fighting for a while, Frieza hovered over the Lookout and landed on one of the high towers of the palace overlooking the demolished courtyard. To avoid short circuiting his scouter, he turned it off and tossed it aside. He already had the information he needed. Vegeta was weaker than he had been at his peak during their fight earlier, the tailless saiyan had a power nearly double that, the boy had a remarkable power level of about 300 thousand, and the Namekian was at 150,000 and falling. Though there was no way to be sure, Frieza assumed this fight had been going on for quite a while, which would explain the amount of destruction and the power levels that were dropping rather than rising.

'Well, this should be interesting,' he thought gleefully as he watched the saiyan prince take a hard punch that sent him sailing into the side of the central palace. 'But if any of those idiots gets too close to killing him I'll have to step in. I don't care what enemies he's made since he deserted, he's mine.'

…

The others were privy to Frieza's unexpected and unwanted arrival, but there was little they could do about it at the moment. Vegeta's ki spiked when he saw the lizard, giving him a slight edge against Mustard as he blasted him with a series of ki attacks. Goku ducked under a punch aimed at his head and caught a quick glimpse of the tyrant. Both of them were puzzled as to why Frieza would come, only to stay back and watch their battle against Garlic and his men play out. Frieza's presence did nothing for them mentally; with someone lacking in honor and abounding in sadism and cruelty, they had to be ready for an attack from any angle while trying to fight off these men who simply wouldn't die.

Goku phased behind Garlic Jr. and spun around, kicking him hard in the side of the head. Garlic fell to the floor, and while he was recovering, Goku flew over to where Gohan was blocking more punches from Vinegar than he was throwing. "Son! I need you to get out of here, right now!"

Gohan blocked another punch, but in his moment of distraction Vinegar was able to give him a devastating kick to the gut. He slid across the Lookout floor several yards before coming to a stop. "Why, Dad? I want to stay here and help!"

"Because Frieza is here," Goku said after phasing over to help his son back to his feet. "I don't know what he's doing, but I can't fight knowing you're in danger."

Shaking his head stubbornly, Gohan raised his hands above his head and started gathering energy. "I'm not leaving you, Dad. You need me."

Before Goku could protest further, Garlic Jr. phased behind him and swung a fist at his head, missing by less than an inch as Goku cocked his head to the side. He reached up, grabbed the demon's extended arm, and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him into the floor. The tile cracked and broke around him, leaving a body-shaped hole in the floor when Garlic jumped back to his feet.

Frustrated with his son's obstinacy and the resilience of Garlic Jr., Goku called out to his brother mentally, "Raditz, have you found the others yet? Don't know if you felt him, but Frieza's here. You've got to get everyone to safety."

There was a short pause before Raditz replied, "Yeah, me and Nappa just found them. Do you think we can get away without him noticing?"

"I don't know, but you've got to try. Tell them what's going on and get them out of here."

"Whatever you say, brother." Raditz cut off his telepathic link with his brother and sighed, turning to Nappa. "We got a big problem. Frieza's found the Lookout and they're all busy fighting this Garlic idiot and his henchmen. Kakarrot said to get these guys out of here right away."

Nappa looked around the strange room, wondering what it could possibly be used for. There was a circle drawn on the floor, clocks all over the walls, and a giant pendulum oscillating back and forth through the room. Pushing aside his curiosity, he knelt down next to Bulma, who was barely conscious. "Bulma, it's me, Nappa. Listen, Vegeta's having trouble with Frieza. I'm going to take you and your parents away in the spaceship, got it?"

Though his words sounded muddled to her, Bulma shook her head violently. "No way! I'm not leaving, and that's final!" Pushing him away, she struggled to her feet, supporting her weight by leaning against the wall. "Raditz, what's going on? Who were those men? Were you even there?"

Raditz frowned as he pulled Chi-Chi and Master Roshi to their feet. "The men you fought were Garlic Jr.'s lackeys. They're all outside fighting Kakarrot, Vegeta, Gohan, and Piccolo. But we have bigger problems to worry about, namely the fact that Frieza is here at the Lookout, every human on Earth has gone homicidal, and we have to get you all out of here to somewhere safe."

Chi-Chi, who had only just regained consciousness a few minutes earlier, perked up when she heard that her son was fighting at the Lookout. "Wait, you said Gohan's fighting? Here?"

Raditz hesitated, not liking the look in her eyes. "Yes."

The brunette woman exchanged a glance with Bulma before turning back to her brother-in-law. "And you expect me to leave?" she yelled. Pushing the stunned saiyan aside, Chi-Chi grabbed Bulma's hand and ran out of the room. She really had no idea which way to go in the mazelike palace, so she went in random directions until she finally found a doorway that led to the outer courtyard where all the fighting was taking place.

"Chi-Chi, what the hell are we supposed to do?" Bulma asked when she saw the four pairs of fighters beating each other senseless.

"I don't know!" Chi-Chi snapped. Then, pointing to their right she said, "Look, there's Gohan. Oh, my little baby! Look at that monster he's fighting. Come on, Bulma, we have to help him!"

Without waiting for a response, Chi-Chi darted over to where Gohan was fighting Vinegar in a relatively intact portion of the Lookout. Though she was sure she would regret her decision, Bulma followed after her. Once they reached the fight, Chi-Chi immediately leaped onto Vinegar's back and wrapped her slender arms around his neck, trying to strangle him so he would stop attacking her son. Counting on the element of surprise, Bulma dove between his legs and kicked his groin with every ounce of strength she could muster as she slid under him. Then, she jumped to her feet and started forming two ki orbs in her hands to fire at his exposed abdomen.

"Woman, what the hell are you doing?"

Bulma turned her head when she heard her mate roaring at her from across the Lookout. She never saw the fist that collided with her sternum, nor did she see the foot that swept her feet out from under her. Coughing, she sat up and pressed her hands against her chest, praying that she wouldn't feel anything broken. Luckily, it was just sore. She was definitely going to have a giant bruise there. Shakily, she rose to her feet just in time to be knocked to the floor again when Chi-Chi crashed into her.

'This was a very, very bad idea,' Bulma told herself as she again forced herself to stand. While she was relieved to see that Vinegar's attention had been diverted by Gohan resuming his fight, she was a little irritated that he thought she and Chi-Chi were such pushovers he didn't have to keep an eye on them once they were knocked down.

"Hey, you big freak!" she screeched. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

Gohan caught him with a left hook and followed up with a roundhouse kick that floored him. While his opponent was down, the demi-saiyan rushed over to the two women. "What are you doing? You're going to get yourselves hurt!"

"Don't you take that tone with me, young man!" Chi-Chi yelled. Her face was flushed as she stomped over to where Vinegar was still lying on the ground. Putting all her strength into her kick, she swung her foot forward, aiming for his ribs. But Vinegar was too fast and caught her leg before it hit, then pulled her off her feet and threw her to the ground.

The young warrior was about to defend his mother when Vegeta appeared next to him and grabbed his shoulder to restrain him. "Brat, we're switching opponents as of now."

Looking up at Vegeta's stern expression, Gohan nodded before turning and running over to where Mustard was staggering back to his feet. Once he was out of earshot, Vegeta turned to the two women with a fierce scowl. "What the hell are you fools doing? Trying to get yourselves killed?"

Bulma frowned. "What would you have us do? Run away like a couple of cowards?"

Vegeta nearly roared with frustration as he jumped in front of Bulma to stop Vinegar from kicking her into the next dimension. "That's exactly what you're going to do!"

"Excuse me?" Chi-Chi shouted. "I'm not letting my baby fight alone!"

"Would you shut up, you insufferable harpy?" Vegeta screamed, raising his voice above hers. "Find Nappa, get your asses in the spaceship, and get the hell off this planet!"

Bulma opened her mouth to yell back at him, but she was cut off when he lunged at her, knocking her to the floor roughly. She was about to scream at him for it when she saw an orange-clad body shoot by, bowling over Vinegar before he could start another attack on them. Eyes wide, she looked up at Vegeta and swallowed hard. This wasn't a fight she could keep up in. This wasn't a friendly spar, it wasn't a training session. It finally struck her that she was involving herself in a life-or-death battle against inconceivably evil creatures.

"Fine, I'll go, Vegeta," she murmured. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "After I've helped kill this creep."

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. "No, you will go immediately and leave 'this creep' to me." His eyes shifted over to where Frieza was still standing, watching. A fresh wave of unease swept over him when he saw the lizard perched up on the tallest tower of the palace, his tail twitching and coiling behind him with amusement.

Bulma followed his gaze until she, too, saw the alien tyrant. "Is – is that Frieza?" she squeaked. Behind her, Goku threw a powerful ki blast at Vinegar to keep him away from Chi-Chi. The shockwave nearly blew her off her feet, but she held onto Vegeta for support.

Vegeta nodded solemnly. "Yes, and now he's seen you and he will do everything in his power to use you against me. Foolish woman, you must leave now!"

"I hate to interrupt this moment, really," Vinegar said as he grabbed Vegeta by the neck and lifted him off the ground. "But I never did like soap operas."

Growling, Vegeta struggled to free himself from Vinegar's grasp. Though his power was greatly depleted, first from his battle with Frieza, then his fight with Mustard, Vegeta managed to pry the fingers off his neck. As he dropped down to the ground, he kicked his adversary in the gut and punched him several times, pushing him back a few paces. He was shocked when Chi-Chi ran up beside him and got a few good kicks in before being swept aside.

Chi-Chi rolled a few feet before climbing back to her feet and turning to run back to the fight when she saw someone heading toward her – fast. She screeched, jumping out of the way of the body, only able to tell once he reached her that it was Piccolo. Wincing when his body hit the floor, cracking the tile around him, she stood up and stepped closer to him. He didn't move, so she assumed he was down for the count. That meant there was another of Garlic's creeps lurking around somewhere, waiting to jump back into the action against anyone he could find.

Bulma whirled around when she heard Chi-Chi's scream, sighing in relief when she saw she wasn't being attacked. Then she felt a finger poking her left shoulder, startling her. She jumped, spinning around and lowering herself into her fighting stance. When she saw who it was, she immediately relaxed. "Chiaotzu, what are you doing here? I thought you were inside with the others."

The small doll-like man shook his head. "No, I wanted to come and help."

Smiling, Bulma nodded and turned around in a circle, surveying the area. Not far from where she was standing, Vegeta was still busy fighting Vinegar. Chi-Chi was standing back for the moment, also looking around. The other two fights were still going. "Okay, here's how you can help. I think I can kill this guy if I can find a weapon of some sort. Then, you can use your telekinesis to help me out, right?"

"Sure thing, Bulma!" Chiaotzu left her to find her weapon, turning to the closest battle and focusing his mental energies to slow Vinegar down to give Vegeta the advantage.

While Vegeta was busy holding Vinegar back, Bulma searched around for anything she could use as a weapon. She ran over to the central palace – or what remained of it – when she saw a piece of twisted metal sticking up out of the wreckage. Tugging it out of the rubble, she held it up and swung it around, testing its weight. Satisfied, she focused her ki and extended it through the piece of metal, making it into a makeshift weapon.

"Vegeta!" she called over to the saiyan prince, "Throw him over here!"

Vegeta looked over at her and saw what she was holding. He didn't know if it would work, but he caught Vinegar's leg when he tried to kick him and spun him around a few times, letting go at just the right moment to send him over to Bulma. He smirked when she brandished her weapon, forcing it straight through Vinegar's chest with a spurt of purple blood. Bulma dropped to the floor as soon as she stabbed him, ducking under his body as he continued flying across the Lookout as if in slow motion.

"That should take care of him," she muttered. She rolled over, grinning at Chiaotzu in thanks for helping with the finishing blow.

Chi-Chi ran over to Bulma and hugged her when she saw the giant man go down, presumably dead. "That was brilliant, Bulma!"

"Yeah, now let's get out of here!" Bulma said. She looked around again at all the fighting, fear replacing her feeling of smug triumph.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere!"

Both women screamed when Vinegar pushed himself up to his hands and knees, then yanked the metal bar out of his chest and threw it aside. Before their eyes they could see his body healing itself, making it as if he was never injured. Not even a scar marked the spot where the metal pierced his body only a minute earlier.

"B-but how?" Bulma stammered. "You were dead!"

"Not for long." Vinegar grinned, pointing up at the dark sky. "See that bright star there? It's called the Makyo Star, and that's where we get our power. Long as it's aligned just right, we're unbeatable."

"That explains some things," Chi-Chi muttered, stepping back away from the fully recovered, very much alive man. Bulma backed away with her, both of them looking around frantically for help. But this time, no one was paying attention to them as anyone who witnessed Vinegar's fall surely thought he was dead and they were out of harm's way for the moment. Vegeta was helping Gohan fight Mustard now, Goku was back on the other side of the Lookout exchanging blows with Garlic Jr., and Chiaotzu had disappeared to help somewhere else. The only person left watching them aside from Vinegar was Frieza, and he wasn't likely to help their cause.

"Now where were we?"

Bulma, laughing nervously, answered, "We were just about to start running away." Spinning on her heel and grabbing Chi-Chi's wrist, she sprinted toward the palace, back the way they had come, leaping over piles of rubble and crawling forward when the floor shook beneath them. It felt like they were running for a lifetime when it reality it was only a few short seconds before Vinegar phased in front of them, a ball of ki held in his right hand.

"Which one of you wants to die first? I'll let you pick."

The women screamed again and turned to run away in the opposite direction, but they weren't fast enough. As soon as their backs were turned, Vinegar threw the ball of ki, making a direct hit.

The two saiyans both froze when they felt it, the surge of power indicative of a ki attack and the disappearance of another, much smaller ki. Goku was the first to look over, his heart dropping when he saw what happened. There, he saw Vinegar standing with his hand still outstretched, laughing boisterously over his kill. Slowly, Goku's eyes followed the hand, already knowing who the victim was. As if in a daze he caught Garlic Jr's fist, holding it away from his body with unusual ease.

"Chi-Chi…"

Unknowingly he squeezed the fist held in his hand until bones cracked and blood spewed out between his fingers. He felt like he was falling into a bottomless pit, his heart hammering in his chest and bile rising in his throat. Falling, sinking, drowning in darkness, in despair. In a single instant his life came crashing down around him as his life mate was taken from him. She never should have been there, never should have been hurt, but he should have been there to protect her and get her away safely. He felt her leave this world, as if feeling a part of his own body dying with only a void left behind. Now she was gone and he had nothing to fill his heart but insuperable regret. In the span of ten seconds he felt more emotion than his mind was able to contain. He tried to push it out, to make the pain ease, but that only left him feeling empty.

But then the emptiness became overwhelmingly oppressive, surrounding him on all sides and closing in. His breathing became ragged as he fought to control himself. For a minute all he could hear was his pulse rushing in his ears as his heart pounded in his chest. His skin felt like it would melt off his body from the heat of his energy bubbling just beneath the surface, ready to explode. It was agonizing, and yet it was exhilarating. He needed to let it out, needed to free himself. A fire of fury ignited in the pit of his stomach where there was nothingness before. The fire swelled and burned, becoming a physical ache in his gut. With a sudden influx of power he broke free from the shackles of his previous limitations, his rage pushing him far beyond what he ever imagined was possible.

As he fell into the torrent of emotions, riding the waves of his fury, the air around him crackled with sparks of electricity and the floor around his feet cracked and broke. His vision faded to red, then cleared until every feature of his surroundings stood out with perfect definition, as if he was truly seeing for the first time. Every sensation was bright, vibrant; he felt like he was being reborn into something greater than before. At first he held himself in check, wary of the changes he might undergo, but the call to give in was too great. Like a siren his emotions beckoned him to give in, let it all go, become this new man, this higher being.

His aura erupted around him, morphing into a brilliant gold light that flared around him, the physical manifestation of the raw fury burning in the core of his being. Surplus ki flooded through his veins, infusing every muscle fiber in his body. He could feel primal power boiling in his blood, bringing both a sense of relief as well as a deeper feeling of rage, rage that he wanted to dive into, indulge in, surround himself with. It was liberating, empowering. He could feel his strength growing, crossing boundaries he thought would kill him; he needed this power, and he was going to use it to avenge the death of his mate. Never before had he so fully given into his emotions, and never before had he known such pure hatred as that which was threatening to steal away his very self. Time slowed to a crawl as he pivoted his body to face his kill, the one responsible for this transformation.

He appeared in front of Vinegar so fast no one saw him move, not even Frieza. Holding his hand out, palm facing the giant man, he gathered a glowing orb of energy that easily incinerated Vinegar's body, leaving nothing more than a wisp of smoke where he once stood. The next second he appeared behind Mustard, swinging around in a kick that took the creature's head off his shoulders effortlessly. Blasting the remains into ash, Goku flew over to the opposite end of the Lookout and disabled Spice in three quick punches before firing a beam of ki that engulfed him completely.

Those remaining were left gaping as Goku slowly, steadily stalked over to where Garlic Jr. was left standing, cradling his mangled hand while trembling with anger. Vegeta was the first to form words, though even he was unable to raise his voice above a whisper. "The legendary…"

Gohan, who was left hovering in the air ready to kick his opponent, landed and looked over at his father. He glowed with an ethereal light, his wild hair upswept in a golden flame as if it, too, was charged with unfathomable power. "Daddy?" He was too stunned by his father's strange new appearance and merciless killing to even think about his mother's sudden death.

"Gohan," Goku said, his tone hard and unrelenting, so unlike his normal self, "Get the others out of here now. No arguing!"

While Gohan ran back into the palace to find Raditz, Nappa, and all the others who were hiding from the danger, Goku fixed his cold glare on Garlic Jr., the true mastermind behind his wife's death and the first immortal to die. His piercing teal eyes sent a shiver of fear running down Garlic's spine before he regained control, taking his stance against the super saiyan. In a flash he was sent flying high above the Lookout from a single punch.

Meanwhile, Frieza decided it was time for him to step in. Since he no longer had any live entertainment playing out before him, he would have to resume his battle with Vegeta. He landed a few feet in front of the saiyan prince, a smirk growing on his black lips. "Well, Vegeta, it seems you couldn't hide from me, after all. Though why you would lead me here of all places, I couldn't begin to guess. Did you want me to exploit your petty attachments?"

Vegeta growled when he saw the tyrant's red eyes fixed on his woman. With one swift movement he placed himself between Frieza and Bulma, set on defending her if it killed him – and, considering Frieza's power, it would. "You still think you'll beat me? Even if you do, you will still die at the hands of a saiyan. Kakarrot has ascended to the legendary super saiyan, you idiot!"

Frieza clucked his tongue as he began circling around the prince. "And how does that make you feel, monkey? To know that you, the 'Prince of all Saiyans' has been surpassed by a third-class piece of trash?" The lizard burst into laughter as he taunted Vegeta, thoroughly enjoying his frustration and helplessness. "And how does it make you feel to know that you have to rely on him to defeat me, even knowing that super saiyan or not, he still hasn't got a chance!"

Vegeta took a step forward menacingly, his ire building with every word Frieza spoke. "I won't have to rely on him because I can kill you myself."

"You always did talk big," Frieza spat, slapping Vegeta to the floor with his tail. "But you could never back it up."

Leaping back to his feet, Vegeta powered up and charged at Frieza. He saw no point in holding back, not when he was so severely outclassed and when he was so desperate to get Frieza away from the Lookout. He got a solid punch on Frieza's chest, but he was kicked away as if he were utterly powerless. Flying through the air, Vegeta groaned and allowed himself to fall off the Lookout, hoping the lizard would follow him. Though he could have stopped himself or slowed his descent, he let himself keep falling hundreds of feet. Up above, he could see a golden flame darting through the air back and forth. Kakarrot. A super saiyan. It was disgusting, it was humiliating, but most of all it was infuriating. How the hell did he ascend to the legendary? Why at that moment? It didn't make sense, and Vegeta's confusion only angered him more.

When he didn't feel Frieza chasing after him, he became concerned. He left Bulma up there with him, how stupid could he be? Stopping his freefall, Vegeta thrust his ki under him and flew back up to the Lookout. There, he was surprised to see Frieza was nowhere near Bulma, but rather being kept on the defensive as Goku switched between beating him and Garlic Jr. One super saiyan against two immortals, could he win? Taking his opportunity, Vegeta ran over to where Bulma was standing, watching the fight instead of making her escape.

"Woman, are you insane?" he growled, grabbing her shoulders. "How many times do I have to tell you to get the hell out of here?"

Bulma frowned, pushing his hands away. "Don't tell me what to do, Vegeta! It looks like Goku's got things under control. What happened to him anyway? He's blonde!"

Shaking his head at her idiocy, Vegeta started pushing her toward the central palace to find Raditz and the others. He could feel their ki still inside, which only further irritated him because he wanted them to get away to safety. When they reached the main entrance outside the guardian's throne room, they were nearly bowled over as the refugees came running out, hoping that they would have safety in numbers. They were led by Raditz and Gohan with Nappa was bringing up the rear.

"Vegeta!" Raditz said when he saw his prince. "You're okay! But whose power…?"

"Your brother," Vegeta spat. "Hurry up, while Frieza and Garlic are busy, get them away from the Lookout. Hell, take them off the planet!"

Those who hadn't yet seen Goku's transformation turned to the fight and stood watching in awe. Most of the time Goku was little more than a golden blur skimming through the sky, balancing his fight with Garlic Jr. and Frieza with ease. If they hadn't been immortal, they would have been showing greater fatigue than they were, and surely more wounds. Atypical of the earthling saiyan's normal behavior, he was showing ruthlessness that would have made Vegeta proud any other time. As it was, his success against Frieza only made the prince more upset. Why couldn't he have been the one to transform if anyone? Why Kakarrot? Why?

Disregarding his tumultuous thoughts for the moment, Vegeta shoved Bulma over to Raditz and phased out of sight, reappearing behind Frieza and blasting him in the back with a strong beam of ki. Frieza, though surprised, was hardly fazed by the attack and spun around, punching Vegeta in the jaw. The lizard flew along with Vegeta before overtaking him, crashing his fists down on his head, and ramming his knee into his chest.

"Oh, no! Vegeta!" Bulma cried out, seeing him so easily hurt. It didn't even look like he was trying to defend himself as Frieza continued beating him.

Raditz caught her arm and pushed her over to Nappa. "No, Bulma, you can't stay here. Go with Nappa. I'll stay here and help him."

In a matter of seconds Vegeta felt like every bone in his body was broken, shattered. He could barely breathe for all the blood in his lungs. Every move he made to attack Frieza felt sluggish, forced, and he was unable to ever hit his target. He could hear Frieza mocking him, but the words jumbled together and lost meaning as he fought to remain conscious. Frieza seemed to be everywhere at once, always a step ahead and always just out of reach. He could block and dodge every kick and punch Vegeta threw, he could deflect any ki attack. Untouchable, undefeatable. Every blow that landed on his already battered body sucked away another large portion of his energy. His limbs felt like lead weighing him down. There was no way to win.

He collided with one of the few remaining palm trees, breaking clean through the trunk after Frieza threw him with his tail. Damn that tail, if only he could cut it off somehow. Who was he kidding? He still wouldn't be able to win. What was he thinking trying to kill an immortal? It was absurd. Stupid. Rolling onto his stomach, he pushed himself slowly up to his hands and knees, coughing up blood and panting heavily.

Closing his eyes, he rose to his feet using more will than strength. He swayed, nearly losing his balance and toppling over. When he opened his eyes, he didn't see Frieza in front of him as he expected. No, instead he saw a cascade of spiky black hair. Raditz. His brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Why would Raditz be standing there?

Frieza smirked when he saw the low-class saiyan standing between him and the saiyan prince, his lips turned down in a determined frown. "Well, well, look what we have here. It appears you saiyans are more like roaches than I thought. Kill one and it comes back for more."

Raditz snorted. He'd long since lost count of how many people thought he was dead. Not in the mood to banter, he replied with a ki blast to the face. After the explosion, he phased over to Frieza and dropped into a sweep kick, flooring the tyrant before blasting him with another beam of ki. He jumped into the air, gathering energy in both hands, readying his trademark attack, when Frieza shot out of the cloud of smoke and dust and fired lasers from his eyes. They barely missed Raditz, singeing some of his hair.

"I should have killed every one of you monkey pests from the start!" Frieza yelled as he caught up with Raditz and punched him hard in the chest. Fragments of his armor cut into his body from the impact. He yelled in pain, covering his wound with his hands. While he was riding the throes of agony, Frieza kicked him down to the Lookout, killing him in two fast blows.

Vegeta stood by, watching helplessly as his comrade and friend was fatally wounded after being so easily overpowered by his former tormentor, the tyrant he feared he would never be free from. When he saw Raditz's lifeless body crash into the floor several yards from him, he dropped to his knees, jaw going slack. He berated himself for letting this happen. Before his very eyes Frieza killed yet another of his race, one of the few left for him to lead and protect. But it was more than duty to him; since his last torture at Frieza's hands, both he and Nappa had been more than comrades, more than servants to the throne. He depended on them when he was helpless and lost, they were his anchors when he lost himself in the depths of insanity. It was his need to avenge Raditz that brought him back to Earth in the first place. Now, now he was really going to die even though he had been there. Useless. Failure. Worthless. Weak.

His hands clenched into fists and pounded against the cracked tile, leaving bloody smears on its polished white surface. Damn it all, he was unworthy to be called the Prince of all Saiyans. He let his people down again, and he would never be able to satisfy their cries for vengeance. Even in death they called to him, pleaded for him to spill Frieza's blood. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't uphold their pride and he couldn't save the last of his race. Maybe Kakarrot was their only hope now. Pathetic! A third-class dog who could barely be considered saiyan. The savior of their race? The one to kill Frieza at last?

He felt his frustration pushing him to the edge of his sanity. How many times had he failed that day? How many more times would he fail before he was finally killed? Through blurred vision he looked over at Raditz's still form. It was almost too much to bear. He turned his gaze back to the floor in front of him, hardly noticing as teardrops splashed on the tile, intermingling with his blood. He felt a tightness in his chest as emotions swelled inside, gnawing at him, seeking an outlet. Out of habit he held them in check, forcing them back, trying to remain in control. He couldn't let emotions cloud his judgment, break his focus.

"There, there, Vegeta," Frieza's icy voice crawled over his skin, "There's no need to be afraid to die. I promise I'll make it quick."

The saiyan prince lifted his chin, giving his last show of defiance as he met the tyrant's gaze, unwavering as Frieza lifted his hand, pointing his index finger at him. This was it: the moment of his death had finally come. He swallowed back the lump in his throat and waited silently for his executioner to fire.

"Bang." Frieza's finger glowed red for a split second before a narrow beam of ki shot out, aimed directly at his heart. But it never hit.

Vegeta snarled as he fell to the floor, the world seeming to spin around him. The coppery taste of blood seeped into his mouth from biting his lip when his chin hit the ground. He felt oddly cheated as he spat out the blood. "What the fuck?"

He scrambled to sit up, his eyebrows arching when he saw who pushed him out of the line of fire. The person who died in his place. A puddle of deep red blood grew until it surrounded his hand, mixing with his own blood. He felt every safeguard he erected in his mind crashing down as he finally slipped over the edge. Rationality fell away as pure, unadulterated emotion took hold of him.

'Now where did that one come from?' Frieza was, at first, annoyed that he hadn't killed Vegeta when he meant to, but when he saw the expression of horror on the prince's face, he considered it a lucky accident. At first a slight chuckle rumbled in his chest, but it soon burst into euphoric laughter. Unintentionally he struck the lowest blow imaginable. In his mirth, he hardly noticed the change overcoming the saiyan prince. At least, not until tremors began to shake the Lookout. Pieces of debris rattled and lifted off the ground and bolts of unnatural lightning lit up the night sky.

"What? What's going on? What is this?" Frieza stepped back from Vegeta, his eyes widening when he saw the saiyan's onyx eyes flash teal and his hair flickered from black to gold. Even the fur on his tail changed to the strange color. "Not him too!"

Vegeta growled so loudly Frieza could feel its vibrations several feet away. He took another hesitant step back, fearing what he had created. Suddenly he felt something land on his back, then arms wrapped around his neck in an ineffective stranglehold. At first he was too shocked to fight back, but then he wrenched the arms off and threw the culprit into a pile of rubble. He snarled when he saw that it was the blue-haired female Vegeta was protecting earlier. Foolish woman!

The saiyan uttered an unearthly howl as his ki broke free from its constraints. He felt power like never before coursing through him, like water bursting through a dam. Frustration, rage, helplessness, protectiveness, need. They all washed over him in a burning wave of power and emotion. He opened his teal eyes, glaring at the cause of his pain. Through his emotions his mind reached a new kind of clarity. Every sense was heightened, his strength continued building; he could perceive his reflexes quickening, his speed racing. But above all else was the need. The need to kill the sadistic bastard who killed his mother.

A/N: No comment.

Beta'd by lilpumpkingirl

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