When Cooler was but a boy, his mother fell pregnant. Cooler had only been alive for a century or so, barely a preteen by the standards of most species, he was an excited young man then.
He was going to be a brother after all.
He looked up towards his father, who was walking with him towards his mother's hospital room. The tall Arcosian male stood proud in his Second Form, the almost bull-like horns grazing the ceiling as he strode forward, leaving a slight scraping sound behind the pair as they walked. Cooler ran alongside to catch up with his father, the elder Arcosian's long stride being almost too much for the much smaller boy in his Fully Reduced Form to keep up with. Almost, the boy had something his father lacked in that form- the ability to float just above the ground. Now, taking to the air, he was quickly outpacing his father.
His father's face that day was full of concern, worry. At the time, Cooler didn't grasp why. What was there to worry about? He was going to be an older brother today! And his father would have another son, what was there to be concerned about?
Cooler would learn the answer soon enough.
But at the time, the little boy raced alongside his father, excitedly wagging his tail around like some kind of animal, uncaring of how it was perceived by others. The tiny purple appendage wagged in the air behind him as he looked back towards his father, excitement written on his features. He was going to be an older brother! He'd always wanted to be a brother! To have someone he could show off to, someone who would look up to him with admiration! Someone he could show the ropes of handling an Empire one day, someone he could rule alongside when they both became of age! A baby brother!
Cooler had never been so excited before in his life. "C'mon Papa! We're going to miss it!"
He was going to have a baby brother.
Queen Cold had decided, for whatever reason, to carry the baby to full term rather than place it into a Nursing Pod and allow it to grow without her. Cooler didn't know why- even those weird Saiyan-things put their children into Nursing Pods, why should the Queen of the universe be made to carry to term? It was weird, but he didn't care too much. Sure it meant he didn't get to see his mama for a few days as she started giving birth, but today was the day- his baby brother was finally fully born! Or so his father said when he'd come to get him from the Palace. His father hadn't been there to see his brother be born like he had been for Cooler, some important meeting had come up, but he'd cut it short when he heard the news.
As they grew closer to the room his mother was staying in, the building suddenly shook, an explosion erupting from in front of the pair. Cooler was thrown backwards and out of the air, but Cold was quick to catch him, his tail curling around his son automatically, holding him up. "Be careful Cooler." Cold snapped at him. His tone was forceful, irritable. Cooler's father was always like that, but today was different. He seemed even more hostile now, as he retracted his tail and broke into a run.
Cooler didn't know why he did, not at first.
His eyes slowly widened as he looked to where his father was running.
His mother's room.
The explosion had come from there.
Without a second thought, Cooler sprang into action as well, fearful of his mother's wellbeing. He blasted forward, his aura setting ablaze as he used a bit of his power and managed to catch up with his father just as he passed into Queen Cold's room. The young lad landed behind his father and quickly ducked past his leg, looking around for his mother. Spotting her, he rushed over while his father went to a different corner of the room and snatched something out of the air quickly.
The Queen had been thrown back into the wall, which was cracked and dented as if it had been hit by some kind of bomb, though she seemed fine when her eldest son arrived, if a bit dazed as she touched her head. She looked up towards Cooler with a gentle, tired, smile. He knelt down next to her, concern on his small face and tears welling up in his eyes. "Mama, are you okay? What happened? Where's my little brother?" His thoughts were to her first, which only seemed to cause the tired Queen to smile wider as she reached her hand up to softly touch her son's face. As she did, Cooler's head instinctively turned and his eyes met her arm, catching the deep ivory color of her skin and following it down towards her hand which was adorned with black fingernails. His eyes trailed up from her arm towards her face, catching glimpses of two purple Bio-Gems sticking out in her chest and head. Her face was soft and sweet, her soft pinkish colored eyes making their way into Cooler's own as her dark colored lips spoke.
"I'm fine, Cooler. It's sweet of you to worry about me." The woman then looked over towards her husband, shooting him a glare that even Cooler gulped at. It was one that she had used on him on many an occasion, and it signaled that The Queen was not happy. "Unlike some people." She frowned at King Cold, who turned to face them with a roll of his eyes.
"I knew you'd be fine." Cold replied, well, coldly and shrugged off her concerns. "My main concern was the newborn." He said as though it was obvious, and it technically made sense but Cooler couldn't help but to feel like he didn't care at all about his own wife. "Whoever attacked you will suffer greatly; I can assure that much." Promised the Emperor of the Universe, causing his eldest son to shrink away. Whenever Father got angry, it was best to make yourself seem as small as possible. Unconsciously, his other arm came up to hug his mother.
Before he could however, Queen Cold's hand fell onto Cooler's shoulder and she lightly rubbed it before using him to help herself up. At her gentle touch, a wave of comfort passed over the eldest of the two sons. "Well, I suppose you sh-should get to punishing then..." The Queen found her own way back onto her hospital bed and let out an immediate sigh when she did so, flipping her legs back onto the soft sheets and then curling her tail over her waist, lying back and shutting her eyes, clearly exhausted. "After all... You're holding him..."
Cold's eyes went wide, and Cooler's went to look at the small bundle his father was holding. "The child?!" Cold asked incredulously. "Its just been born!" His voice filled with a sort of unbelieving mirth as he looked at his wife. "Your humor had never really appealed to me, Sleece." A grim look was crossing the King's face now as he glanced between his wife and the bundle in his hand, his eyes betraying a sense of... Concern.
"You... You aren't serious? A child could not have resulted in that!" He tucked the tiny thing tighter in between his right elbow while his left hand moved to direct both Sleece and Cooler's attentions towards the massive hole in the wall beside the hospital bed. "Not at this age. You must have-"
"No." The Queen said with an icy stare. "You should be proud. Your son is extraordinarily powerful. Just as you were when you were born."
Cold's face scrunched up at her look, but it softened as he looked down to the small thing in his arms. His eyes... His eyes betrayed his true feelings. Worry... No... Fear had overtaken his look now, mixed in with the sort of gentleness a father has for his child. "Cooler." The Emperor called to his eldest son, his tone calm yet firm, ensuring that disobedience was not an option. "Come here and test out your New Model Scouter." He commanded, and the boy reached up to touch his face. He'd forgotten the device was there, its soft blue lens not changing much about the stark white hospital. "And... meet your new baby brother." He added, his tone a bit embarrassed that he'd had to phrase it that way.
Cold stepped towards Cooler and sat on the hospital bed next to his wife while Cooler came closer to hop onto his father's unused lap, mostly so he could actually see the tiny bundle. It was a small thing, even smaller than Cooler's Fully Reduced Form. The tiny horned Arcosian tapped the device on his eye and it began scanning the small being. As it did, Cooler took in his appearance. He was in his True Form, as all Frost Demon children were upon birth, and he seemed to take after their mother most. He was thin, with stark white coloring and purple bio-gems. Momentarily, Cooler pouted. It wasn't fair that he took after mother, especially after he might have hurt her!
But then a crack ran up his Scouter. "Eh?!" Cooler noticed it and jumped back, forgetting the device was on his eye. After a second, it exploded and Cooler was stunned. So too was Cold.
"W-Well?" Cold demanded after a second of hesitation. Then, as if already knowing the answer, he added- "What did it say?"
Cooler shook his head for a moment and his hands shook as well as he began to brush away the bits of his Scouter, which had been completely reduced to bits.
Unfortunately for him, Cold took this action poorly. "YOU DIDN'T READ IT?" Snapped his father, roaring in Cooler's ear and startling the boy which caused him to leap away from his parent in fear.
"N-n-n-no! I-I saw it Papa, I promise I did! It's just..." Cooler hesitated for a moment, before suddenly deciding that wasn't a good idea as Cold's glare intensified. "It was really big, like... Really really big!" He promised. "It wasn't even done scanning when the Scouter exploded! But I saw where it stopped... It was at one million... Or more!"
Cold's face turned from hot irritation to stone cold concern. Cooler couldn't tell what his father was thinking then, but Cold didn't speak as he stood up. Wordlessly, he offered the child to Cooler.
At first, Cooler didn't understand what his father was doing, but he caught on quickly as the child began to whine. Cooler took the small thing and began to shush him as his Father glanced at the Queen and promptly left. Something was obviously wrong, but Cooler didn't put his focus on that. Oh no, at that moment he was far too caught up in the tiny bundle in his arms.
His brother had begun to fuss, his father's shout having apparently been enough to rouse the small thing from its rest. His soft cooing cries caused the boy to begin to bounce him up and down, trying to calm him down. "Hey there..." He says softly, sitting back where his Father had been sitting next to his... Their mother. "Its okay... Papa can be a little scary sometimes..." He glanced towards his mother to see if she was still asleep. It looks like she was still out of it, tired out from giving birth no doubt. "Well... actually he can be kind of scary a lot of the times... But... It's okay.." Cooler cooed, and the tiny bundle stopped crying and looked up at him, its own small pinkish colored eyes looking into Cooler's. "It's okay because... I'm not going to let anything bad ever happen to you. You're my baby brother now... I'll protect you..."
"Always."
Cooler looked through the one-way glass of the infirmary, observing his sleeping younger brother. The insignificant sound of beeping machinery alerting him to the fact that Frieza was still alive. To the Arcosian's right, several glimmering buttons of multiple colors sat against a large rectangular box. The unusually dark screen of the box was now lit up with diagnostics relating to his little brother's condition, showing that he was stable. At least for now.
He swirled his wine around as he turned around to face his second in command, a blue skinned humanoid with blonde hair and a particularly strange accent. Salza, the leader of his Armored Squadron, stood at attention, waiting for his Lord to address him.
'As he should.' Cooler thought calmly but chastised himself a bit. There was no reason for Salza to act this way with him, he was much more formal with his men than Frieza or their father was. So then that begged the question why Salza was standing like he was, and Cooler realized it. His own anxiety had been leaking out in his posture, the cracks forming in the wine glass were also beginning to give away how he really felt. He took a moment and relaxed. It would seem odd if he looked too high strung, of course. Upon his own relaxing, Salza followed suit, taking on the more comfortable position he usually held when alone with his Lord.
"So, what was so important that you felt I should see it personally, Salza?" Cooler questioned, taking a drink from his glass. "Because from where I'm standing, it appears that my brother is set to make a full recovery. Minus a few... Appendages." Briefly, Cooler questioned what could have caused Frieza to loss almost all of his limbs. And in his True Form no less! Something terrible must have occurred on that planet... Something that posed a threat to not only Frieza, but himself and their father as well.
"Zat is ze thing, my Lord." Salza replied, stepping up. "He should be at perfect health, however, zere seems to be some kind of psychological aspect to his condition as well. Somezing is preventing him from sleeping regularly. He fights to remain conscious; we have had him on board for more zan zree days now und he has refused to sleep for two of zem." He directs Cooler's attention back towards his little brother. "Ze only reason he is unconscious now is because his body finally forced him to sleep more zan a few hours ago. Which is concerning in itself, but what is more concerning is ze reason we have identified for his unwillingness to sleep." Salza paused and searched the panel on the monitoring device in front of them for a moment before spotting a smaller red button. "At your command, we have been recording ze room to attempt to glean any information on what happened on Planet Namek until we can have a proper interview with Lord Frieza. As a result..." He pushes the button, and Frieza's breathing comes through. Its out of sync with the real thing, proving to Cooler that this was a recording.
"Simian Bastard... No... Get-Get away... No... Leave me be! S... Super" The recording was sped along until Frieza appeared to be dreaming. "No! No! Stop... Monkey! Please! Get away from me! F...Fa... Father... help..." Cooler frowned deeply, what could he be dreaming about? What could be scary enough to warrant Frieza begging father for help...? "You can't be... You can't be... It's not possible A...Super... A Super... A Super Saiyan!"
"A Super Saiyan?" Cooler questioned, his frown deepening. "That Legend that he wiped the Saiyans out for? Is he having a nightmare about that?" Cooler looked to Salza before answering his own question. "Why would he be having a nightmare about that?" His face was scrunched up as he asked, a hint of concern and... A dark pit forming in his stomach as he thought about the implications. Surely he couldn't have...
"Well... It is possible zat he encountered a Zuper Zaiyan on ze planet." Salza admitted. "Our records show zat Prince Vegeta had arrived on Namek and was engaging ze Ginyu force before ze last of ze Scouters were destroyed. Additional recordings recovered from ze event also make note of a possible second Zaiyan."
"Are you insinuating that Vegeta did this?" Cooler asked, though his tone was less angry and more... Uncertain. "No... If Vegeta had the ability to do this much damage to my brother then he would have finished the job, don't you think?" He asked. "It wouldn't be like him to let Frieza live..."
"I agree. Zere is no reason why ze Prince would allow Lord Frieza to live assuming he was ze one behind Lord Frieza's crippling." Salza nodded. "Which could point to a secondary cause of some kind. Perhaps he encounter some form of Super Namekian? Zey are not unheard of, Lord Slug could have been visiting home..."
"That is possible, we have not received information regarding Slug in some time..." Cooler admitted, his thoughts briefly drifting back to that ancient green skinned alien. "Still, his mutterings of a Super Saiyan are a cause for concern. If the stories are to be believed, a Super Saiyan is said to be a warrior of unbeatable power. Find me again once my brother has awakened. And make a download of the recording for our records. I want to talk to Frieza directly in regards to this... Super Saiyan..."
"Of course, Lord Cooler!" Salza replies with a salute as Cooler turns to begin leaving before he stops and pauses.
"And another thing. All of the Scouters are currently undergoing repairs, is that correct?" Cooler questions his subordinate, who nods.
"Yes my Lord, mine, Dore's and Neiz's are all accounted for, as well as ze extra ones we keep as spares. We have moved zem to Maintenance at your request." Salza replies, his face like stone. "Our estimates state zey will be fully repaired in zree days time."
"Very good. That will be all, Salza."
When Frieza and Cooler were very young, they visited the capital of Father's Empire. Cold Planet One, set at the center of it all. It was warm, temperate planet that the Frost Demon Empire had conquered many thousands of years before either of them were born. The planet had since been the seat of the Empire ever since Lord Whiteout came to it from Arcose, being stunned at its year-round beauty thanks to the planet being tidally locked to the star. It was the first world the Arcosians had ever gone to, and they found it to be the most beautiful thing they had yet seen.
The gorgeous planet was home to the Royal Family ever since, although in recent memory the Palace had been used less and less. Cooler had only visited twice in his lifetime and this was Frieza's first visit to their supposed home. As the Empire expanded and the number of Arcosians in the universe began to dwindle as a result of war, disease, infighting or other things, the Capital World had begun to fall into disarray and disuse as the Royal Family found need to live out on other worlds or on spacecraft during longer wars.
It had been almost two decades since his little brother was born, and by now Cooler was growing a bit older, losing some of the childish edge he'd held when his brother was born twenty years prior... But that didn't mean he was above playing with him.
Arcosian Children aged fast in the first few decades of life. It was imperative for them to do so, because they would need to learn some forms of independence from their mother as to not drain her of her resources too quickly should they be born in the heavy winter age. So by now, Frieza was already walking, talking, and able to enter his reduction forms. Although that last one had been taught to him for other reasons than it usually was for children his age. Frieza had in fact been born with a monstrous power. Cooler's 1 Million estimate had been a gross understatement.
In reality, Frieza had a strength equivalent to their father's in his Second Reduction Form- One Hundred and Twenty Million, such a power had been a shock to all. It was rare for Arcosian children to be born so powerful, and especially for one who took after Queen Cold more, her power level was a measly hundred thousand after all! By all rights, Frieza should have taken after his mother in that regard too, not been enough to rival his father as a spawn! If he trained, there was no telling how far his power could rise...
But such thoughts were not on Cooler's mind as he raced along the soft white marble floors of the Palace, skidding against the smooth surface since he wasn't wearing any shoes. He was in his Final Reduction Form, and the small horned being raced along the surface with his much smaller little brother just behind him.
"It's not fair, Cooler!" Frieza's tiny voice shouted after him. "You're bigger than me!" Frieza had also entered his Final Reduction Form and was also chasing after, the smaller Arcosian barely managing to keep his grip against the slippery floors.
"All's fair in a game of tag, little brother! If you can't keep up, why don't you just transform into Father's taller form?" Cooler demanded with a laugh as he took a corner.
Frieza prepared a retort, that much he remembered, but then-
He lost his balance and a crash sounded out, a sound like the shattering of a vase or...
Cooler stopped dead in his tracks before turning to face his little brother, who had taken the very same corner as him only to run into the stone pillar resting against it. On that pillar had been a bust, a stone statuette of Lord Glacia, his Father's Father. Cooler had met him just once when he was very small, and that memory had stuck in his mind ever since. Glacia had been an imposing figure, far more horrifying than Cold... Or at least that had been the case when Glacia was alive.
And now, that bust was on the ground, the stone shattered into a million tiny bits of rock. Cooler's eyes widened and he began to hyperventilate, his heart began to beat loudly, filling his ears as blood surged through his body as fear took him over. That had been one of his Father's busts, a priceless family heirloom. A reminder of the past set into stone so it would last forever...
Frieza began to tear up, equally scared. He hadn't faced Father's wrath often, but Frieza wasn't afraid of that. He was much more afraid of getting in trouble at all.
Cooler didn't know that yet though, and quickly came over to his little brother, shushing him. "Hey, its okay Frieza. We can just open a window or- or say a breeze did it or something. Father doesn't know yet..." Cooler tried to come up with some kind of clever lie to get both of them out of trouble, his brotherly instincts kicking in as he observed his scared younger brother.
But then he heard it, the telltale thumping of their father's footsteps against the ground as he hurriedly made his way over to the noise.
Cooler looked between himself and Frieza and the bust for a moment. He knew they didn't have long before their Father arrived. He knew there wasn't enough time to make up some excuse about how they'd just found it like that.
He shut his eyes and after a moment, he took a deep breath in. "Its okay." Cooler said softly. "I'll take the blame for it."
This caused Frieza to stop his concerned little cries and look up at him, his tiny red eyes going wide in... Confusion.
Their Father rounded the corner not long after, discovering the two boys and the shattered bust below them. He inhaled sharply. But rather than yell, he closed his eyes and spoke... Pleasantly. Using his dealmaking voice, that's how you knew he was really mad.
"What happened here, boys?" He asked calmly, which only caused Cooler to gulp as he shakily took a step up. He steeled himself, preparing to take whatever punishment his father would give him. He took a deep breath in and looked up towards his father, who's steely look caused him to look down, too scared to meet his gaze.
He prepared to speak. "I-"
"IT WAS COOLER, FATHER!" Frieza suddenly screamed out. "HE- HE PUSHED ME INTO THIS! I JUST WANTED TO PLAY A GAME WITH HIM AND HE SHOVED ME!" Frieza was still on the ground as his shouts caught their Father's attention, and his pointing finger drew Cold's attention back towards the shattered bust. Teary eyed and sniffly, it was difficult not to take Frieza at his word.
Cooler looked back at Frieza with wide, shocked eyes. That wasn't true! Sure he was going to take the blame but that wasn't what happened! Why was Frieza making it sound so much-
Cooler's thoughts stopped as his world went white.
An instant later he found himself laying against the ground, his father's tail retracting from his head, where now stood a large purple welt.
'He hit me.' Cooler realized. 'He hit me... And it wasn't even for the truth...'
King Cold stepped over his other son and picked up his youngest. "That should teach you better, Cooler. Don't strike your brother, and if you do you'd better hope you don't break anything as well." Cold hissed down at him, putting Frieza up to his chest so that he could rest between his father's head and shoulders.
Cooler laid there, and the last thing he remembers seeing was Frieza offering him a devious smile as they turned the corner and vanished.
'Frieza lied.'
Cooler had always been weak. Ever since Frieza was a boy, he found that he simply didn't respect his supposed elder brother. He had taken advantage of his love for his younger brother in their early years but had stopped doing so once Father handed the Empire over to him. Frieza had cared, in some respects, for Cooler- they were family after all, and after mother passed, they were... Able to keep one another in good spirits.
But Cooler's weakness had disgusted Frieza. He'd never grasped why exactly it was that Cooler so easily put his trust and love into him, it was really a mistake if he was honest. Love in general felt like weakness to Frieza. Love did make you weak in fact, Frieza had never felt less powerful than he did when their mother died.
Well... Until today at least.
Down half his body and one arm, Frieza was possibly almost as weak as he was when Queen Cold passed away. Maybe.
Yet once again, his brother was here to save the day. He smiled a bit at that thought, perhaps he should start being nicer to Cooler. Once Father inevitably died, they would be all they had left after all. They'd need to start families of their own, and Frieza wondered what being an uncle would be like. No matter, that wouldn't be for quite some time yet. For now, he focused on the present. Cooler had rescued him from the hellish expanse of space. It had taken longer than he would have liked- seven months or so by Cooler's estimate- but at last he was back on the inside of a ship, living somewhere warm and being fed decent food again.
Too bad about the kidneys though, he would love a glass of wine. No matter, he'd just have to get cybernetic ones later, then he could drink as much as he'd like without suffering any effects! Oh how wonderful that would be!
He refocused his thoughts on the situation at hand and focused on the blue skinned man in front of him. He reminded him of Zarbon... Or was he more like Jeice? He could pass for either's species but upon closer inspection... Jeice was definitely a member of this individual's species. Although this one was of a different racial group. Blue skin and blonde hair, a wild departure from the former Ginyu Force Member's white hair and red skin.
This one must have been the leader of Cooler's personal Squadron, a group supposedly strong enough to rival the Ginyu force with only three of them. So... That made him Salza. Frieza frowned as he observed this man. Something was strange...
Then he spotted it, he wasn't wearing his Scouter! The energy detection device was missing from his eye. How strange, surely he couldn't have misplaced it. An error like that in Frieza's presence would have netted one of his subordinates a blast through the chest! Although... He may have been more lenient towards Zarbon, Dodoria or the Ginyu Squad.
"Soldier! Where is your Scouter?" Frieza called to him, now sitting up a bit in bed in an effort to look more intimidating. Knowing he didn't look very frightening in his current state, Frieza added in a harsh glare, digging his eyes deep into the soldier's until his eyes broke and darted away.
At his look, the high-ranking officer quickly stood up straighter as a bit of sweat came to form over his brow. At this, Frieza darkly smirked. It was so wonderful watching them do that, how their faces filled with such worry and terror at the merest thought of something happening to them. It was really quite a show they put on. Frieza adored watching his soldiers squirm under pressure, and it seems that Cooler's were no different in spite of Cooler's supposed reputation as a more lax employer.
"Z-Zay are under maintenance at ze moment, L-Lord Frieza." The man said, fear gripping his voice, his eyes unwilling to meet Frieza's after they turned tail earlier, a fact which only served to delight the Galactic Tyrant even further.
'Good' Thought Frieza, 'They still know their place.' His joyful realization however did little to help his current annoyed mood. "What? Are all of them broken?" He hissed. "Surely my brother knows better than to be entirely off the grid!"
"I do, in fact, know better, Frieza." Cooler announced as he walked into the room, which seemed to, for some reason, cause his inferior officer to relax just a bit. A sign of disrespect towards Frieza which was quickly met. Salza collapsed to the floor in agony in the next instant, holding his left shoulder as Frieza's extended finger smoked. Such disrespect towards himself could not be tolerated. His only regret was missing something vital. Oh well.
Cooler glared at Frieza for this and stepped in front of his subordinate. "You, on the other hand still have quite a lot to learn, it seems. You might be the Emperor of the Universe, brother. But this is my ship and these are my men." Cooler growled down at his younger brother, but Frieza simply glared up at him.
"Indeed, I am the Emperor of the Universe, so it is only natural that I should be afforded the proper respect our Father had when he was in command of The Frieza Force." The ivory skinned Arcosian shot back, his voice dripping into a low, warning, whisper in the last few words, forcibly reminding his elder brother who was really in charge of their armies, even if he operated this portion of the army. "Now, I don't particularly care if you want to allow your insubordinate officer to live, but I demand to speak to Father immediately! Bring me a functional Scouter or bring a more respectful subordinate to wheel my bed into the communications room but waste my time no longer! I've wasted enough time aboard this heap you call a ship as it is." Had he both of his arms, Frieza would have crossed them. Lacking such an option, he instead opted to continue glaring at Cooler and his subordinate.
His insult, however, appeared to incense Cooler, who's eyes widened with hatred and fury and his hand clenched into a fist so tight that his knuckles turned a vibrant shade of purplish pink as he desperately held himself back, the dark purple appendage shaking with such rage that even his subordinate appeared terrified.
Frieza caught his reaction but smirked darkly. Cooler wouldn't dare hurt him. After all, imagine the consequences if their Father was to find out.
And Cooler knew this too. He'd learned his lesson on Cold Planet One all that time ago, just as Frieza had learned his. Learned of how weak his brother was and how easy it was to take what he wanted from him.
"You can't call father on the Scouters." Cooler managed to speak through gritted teeth, and eventually he breathed a sigh and regained control over his shaking fist, relaxing it. "While you were gone, they were scheduled for an update. They won't be ready to use for three days. And before you ask, the long range communicator is also damaged." Cooler states and Frieza opens his mouth, smugly intending to make a comment about the state of Cooler's ship but the purple skinned Frost Demon cut him off. "And before you add yet another comment about how my ship is a "worthless heap", I would like to inform you that the only reason my communications device is broken is because a certain younger brother threw a temper tantrum in the middle of space!" Cooler's tone had quickly devolved from calm to vindictive to a near-snarl as he informed Frieza, his voice raising into a small shout. "So in this case, you've only got yourself to blame for being unable to reach our father."
At those words, Frieza half flinched away. His internal monologue repeating those words over and over again. Yet again Frieza had acted in self-sabotage, his reckless actions having led him to being trapped in space with his Brother for what could be a number of months still. "Grr..." A small growl came from his lips as he returned his attention to Cooler, who breathed out an irritated sigh. Frieza stymied his own intrusive thoughts and focused himself. He couldn't call Father yet but there might be a chance to do so once they reach a more suitable planet.
"In any case, I should be able to still send out messages using the shortwave emitter, although live calls will be impossible. So I was going to have Salza here use this to record our conversation so I could send it out." He set down a device he was carrying in his other hand onto a small table on the side of Frieza's bed so he could see it, Frieza had neglected to look at the device when he was looking at Cooler's hand earlier. It was a thin, white, cylindrical device not unlike ancient Scouter's he'd seen records of a very long time ago, as if it were some kind of spyglass but without any glass attached to it, rather a simple speaker system.
Frieza repressed a smirk, he knew what this was but wanted to play a bit of a joke on his older brother, something to lighten the mood perhaps. And so..
"...What is it?" Frieza asked with an uncomprehending expression, being uncharacteristically idiotic in this moment, which only seemed to cause his older brother even further annoyance as he quickly explained, not noticing the small smirk on Frieza's face:
"Its a recording device, something actual captains use to keep a log of the days eve-" Cooler spotted his brother's look and his pink eyes seemed to turn red with fury. "RRRGH! YOU KNEW, DIDN'T YOU!?" He demanded, and Frieza let out a cackle, holding onto his side with his hands as it... Really hurt to laugh.
"Of course, I knew! I manned my own ship! Sure I didn't fly it but I've kept records before, I'm not as lazy as you make me out to be in your head, brother." Frieza said with a smug grin on his features, enjoying his light pranking of Cooler. After all, what fun was there to be had outside of that? He couldn't hurt Cooler, nor could he wipe out his minions, so he might as well enjoy a bit of light ribbing instead. Of course, Frieza was telling a bit of a lie. He'd recognized the device, but hardly used it. Usually he'd assign that task to Zarbon, Dodoria or Appule if the other two weren't available.
Cooler was steamed but he managed to calm himself down after a few short breaths. "Alright brother, you've had your fun now take this seriously." He picks the device up and passes it to Salza, who had managed to stand back up. Momentarily, the Brench seemed... Confused. And Frieza realized he looked that way because he didn't expect Cooler to make him work with his arm like that! A giggle found its way to Frieza's lips as he watched his older brother's incompetence make itself known and place itself on full display.
"Well Cooler, it looks like you should learn to discipline your men more. I find the best way to do so is by... Example." He extends his hand towards the Brench again but Cooler steps between them while using his other hand to shove the device into Salza's undamaged arm.
"That won't be necessary, I will personally ensure punishment later." He said, turning his head to glare directly into the Brench's eyes, causing the alien to shrink back in total... genuine... Fear.
Maybe his brother wasn't so incompetent after all...
Salza accepted the device without further protest and leaned himself against the wall so that he could activate it and begin his recording. Cooler took a seat on a chair next to Frieza's bed and both brothers were momentarily stricken with a... horrible nostalgia. The beeping of Frieza's heart monitor pulled them back, pulled them away somewhere else...
But both resisted this memory, not wishing to relive it.
Salza spoke first, speaking after the silence had become deafening. "M-My Lords, z-ze recorder is active." He managed to say, and both brothers were shaken from their memories.
Cooler spoke next. "Right... Well.." He cleared his throat. "For starters, this log will be sent to our father directly following our conversation. So, speak any messages you have for him now."
"Ah, yes. Hello Father. As you can tell, I am alive following what occurred on... Namek. Given that we're being recorded, I suspect myself and Cooler will be going over those wretched events soon enough, so I won't bore you with the details right now. Instead, I will state that you should prepare the Royal Scientists for our arrival. I will have need for their extensive cybernetic services as soon as I arrive." Frieza would tell the recorder respectfully.
"Right you are, little brother. So... Tell me what happened on Namek." Cooler's eyes opened and the pair of red things focused on Frieza.
Taking a calming breath of his own, Frieza began.
"As you know, I set off on a quest to Planet Namek hunting for a secret of my own. I'm not ashamed to admit that I didn't inform either of you of the true purpose of my visit, but given that the Dragon Balls are supposedly inert now... I was searching for the ability heard about over the Scouters a few... A year ago now. Finding the Namekian homeworld, I set out to attain Immortality." Frieza said, as seriously as he was able to, aware that it sounded a bit preposterous. Immortality? A fools desire if ever there was one, but he had been seeking it out, and that information was important to understanding why certain events played out like they had. He kept his voice low and quiet, forcing the soldier to get closer to better pick it up. "Unfortunately, that trip was marred by pitfalls and troubles. I think it all started when a few of those green skinned upstarts decided to destroy my Scouters. Yes... That was when the trouble began. Then those... Earthlings came out of the woodwork."
"Earthings?" Cooler asked, looking for clarification. "Could they have been what we heard Vegeta and Nappa engaging with on Earth before their Scouters vanished?"
"Its possible, given that they managed to outwit and possibly kill Dodoria." Frieza admitted with a half snarl. Truthfully speaking, he didn't know what had become of his pink colored second in command, but it mattered quite little, he supposed. "Speaking of Vegeta, he'd arrived on the planet as well and began making a mess of things. I'm not sure how he'd managed it without us noticing, but he must have destroyed a Namek village and stolen it's Dragon Ball without our knowledge... Anyway, quite a lot of things I don't want to discuss happened between that and... I assume the last thing the Scouter's ever broadcasted to you."
"You mean the battle between Captain Ginyu and... I assume the Earthlings? Or do you mean your battle with Vegeta?"
"The latter." Frieza confirmed calmly, though his heart began to sink as he started recounting these events, not wishing to remember... Certain parts. "I called the Ginyu Force down to clean up the mess Zarbon, Dodoria, Vegeta and those pests made for me, but by then the Earthlings and Vegeta went and teamed up and killed them all! Well, most of them at least." He growled softly. "I have my suspicions that Captain Ginyu was killed by... A second Saiyan's arrival. That one..." Frieza's voice momentarily shook, getting thrown off balance by flashes of memory, flashes of nightmare. One With Golden hair and Blue eyes...
He shook himself free of his memories and felt sick for a moment before managing to go on, suddenly wishing he'd known about this interview ahead of time so he wouldn't have eaten. "The arrival of the Saiyan who was apparently raised on Earth- Earth..." His teeth suddenly grit, and Frieza was coldly, violently, reminded of his plans for revenge. Revenge on the Simian that had caused him such suffering for the last few months! "Make sure you note that mudball planet down. When I am fully healed, I intend to go to that rock and turn it INTO ASH!" Frieza hissed, losing control of his anger. The ship shook as his aura began to expand around his body, but Cooler stood and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down. I'm sure father will be more than happy to accommodate your revenge when it's time." Cooler said, and Frieza couldn't see his face but he could hear him rolling his eyes at the notion of Frieza's vengeance.
That was fine, let him think as he wishes. After all, it won't matter once Frieza obliterates that Monkey and his home world.
"Right... You're correct. In any case, I am happy to report that magic isn't a total sham. Those Earthlings managed to summon the Namekian Dragon using the Orbs and wished back some other Namek before bringing him to the planet. Why they didn't wish for Vegeta's immortality eludes my understanding, but it doesn't matter as I arrived too late to attain any wishes of my own, and Vegeta had apparently not gotten his wish either." Frieza took some, small, satisfaction in knowing that the Prince was out there seething in fury about not being immortal. "As you know, I then engaged Vegeta in battle, and was requested that I took on my second form. At that point, if I recall correctly, I lost the Scouter and you lost all ability to understand the battle from that point forward." Frieza stated, looking at his brother as he sat down. "Is that correct?"
"Engaging someone in your Second Form? My my, Vegeta must have gotten far stronger than he was when I'd last seen him to prompt such a reaction from you. And then, I assume, somehow you were pushed to your First Reduction Form and your True Form, correct?" Cooler questioned, speaking clearly and concisely as to make sure he gets all the details right.
"Indeed. I was forced to enter my First when that Namekian Warrior arrived. I'm not sure how, but he was a match for me in my Second Reduction Form but was only marginally useful against First. Unfortunately, you know how I feel about that hideous thing so I shed it and re-engaged them in battle in my True Form. It was wonderful at first, I watched as their faces filled with raw comprehending terror as they slowly began to understand the magnitude of my true power." Frieza struck a pose showing off his slender Final Form... Or what remained of it at least. "But then... That Saiyan.." Yet again, Frieza found his voice unable to stop shaking, be it from rage or... Fear. "The one from Earth arrived just as I was about to finish off Vegeta." Frieza hissed again, recalling Goku's normal features more. "His name was Son Goku, and when I find him again I will kill him. He... Isn't like other Saiyans." Frieza says quietly. "At first, he was a spectacular plaything. I took my time toying with him, I gave him a bath, I tormented him and his friends-" He chuckled nostalgically, fondly recalling the cruel memories before his downfall. "It was a good time..."
His eyes closed, his light smile vanishing as he was starkly reminded of a different event.
"And then he hit me with that attack. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but he'd been charging it while I was toying with the Namekian again. It was... Massive. Blue in color... And it came down upon me with such power that I was certain that I had perished."
A memory washed over Frieza.
He remembered the moments after, how he found himself at the bottom of the sea, the crushing depths and darkness, the lack of air and choking, stifling pressure from the water... and worst of all... That feeling.
That feeling like he'd been killed and this... This was hell.
Nothing but crippling darkness, the pain in his body, aches and suffering incarnated combined with that damn crushing pressure...
But then the daze washed away from him, and Frieza saw it. Light from above, a sign to return back to the land of life, a sign that it wasn't his time to leave this world yet, that he still could leave his mark and not become but a speck, but a tiny dust mite on the grand tapestry of forever. He swam his way to the surface and breached, gasping for air and hearing... Their voices.
He'd crawled up the mountainside and stood above them, teeth gritted in anger, hand extending down, locking on to the first one he saw.
The Green Man fell first.
His eyes reopened.
"I killed that Saiyan's bald friend next. After I blasted the Namekian I took glee in killing the man who had earlier sliced my tail off... And then..." Frieza went silent for a long time. Memories washed over him again as his faced scrunched up in what he thought was utter hatred...
But all the other two men saw in his eyes...
Was fear.
"That Monkey... He underwent some kind of transformation." Frieza's eyes closed again, and he saw it. That man... That Ape... That...
"Super Saiyan." Frieza's voice shook, but he steadied himself, focusing not on his fear but on his anger. It worked, just barely, to convince the others of his rage towards Son Goku. "That damn monkey legend was... Real... A pure hearted-" He spat those words, as if they were tainted by some invisible force. "-Saiyan."
"So what happened then?" Cooler pressed, causing Frieza to turn to him with a snap of his teeth and dark, warning growl.
"What do you think happened, Cooler?" Demanded the younger brother, who's power spiked alongside his fury, reacting to its master's change in mood like the waves to the moon. "He. Did this. To ME!" Frieza said, gesturing with one hand towards his body. "I thought for certain that he'd kill me! That I'd die on that... Wretched world!" He hissed the words, looking down at his one remaining palm as his rage seethed through him. "Then... I blew it up. I thought that if I did then he would die in the resulting explosion but somehow that idiot survived. He stole one of the Ginyu pods, I spotted him on my own ascent as I left the planet." His rage began to subside as a new feeling overtook him. "I would have blown him up, but Namek erupted before I had the chance to do so..." Frieza said this part far more quietly than any of the others. As if... As if this part was laden with his shame.
For a time, Cooler was silent.
"And how did you manage to escape the planet? If your current state was caused by him, you couldn't have had that much energy le-"
"We're done." Frieza interrupted him coldly, waving his hand to shoo Cooler away. Not wishing to tell him about... That part. "That's the story, the full story. And I won't be telling you any more of it." His eyes turned to face Cooler, his glare warning- no... Daring him to press for more information.
"Fine." Cooler stated, wisely standing up and approaching Salza, who offered him the recording device. "Enjoy your rest now, brother." Cooler said as the pair turned to leave. "I shall have Dore bring you your meals from now on, he might be more to your... Liking."
And with that, the Emperor of the Universe was all alone.
He laid back and shut his eyes, recalling... A better time.
For the first time in months, Frieza smiled as his dreams took hold...
It was more than sixty years ago by now.
Frieza was still young, barely even a hundred and forty years old, yet his Father had chosen him to take over for him.
His father was fairly old by this time, although he would still live for possibly another three hundred- perhaps more- years, he was still seven hundred years old, it only made sense that he'd choose to retire eventually, especially when he had such a capable son. Now seemed like an opportune time to retire and pass on the Empire to one of his sons, especially now that his Queen had passed away and there would be no further children born of King Cold.
Thus, it was decided that this would be the day of their coronation. For some reason Frieza found strange, people seemed to find it odd that Cooler hadn't been picked for the role of Emperor.
'Tch.' He'd scoffed. 'Cooler as Emperor? Cooler couldn't begin to handle the challenges which face Father. Cooler is weak, I am clearly the superior choice.' A thought that Frieza was not unwilling to voice out loud whenever he encountered people with such strange feelings, silencing them with his words or his threats against them. They all shrank away from him in fear, as well they should. He was to be The Emperor of the Universe after all, it was only natural for them to hold a healthy fear for their leader.
Cooler stood outside of the coronation chamber, unwilling to enter even at Father's behest. It didn't matter to Frieza what his older brother did. 'Let him sulk.' He thought. 'After all its all he's good for.' He was far too soft to lead. Cooler had taken a different path when it came time to lord over what few subjects Father had allowed him, choosing to take after their Mother more...
Frieza's teeth grit a bit at that thought, recalling her own weakness. Only a fool would trust those inferior to them to make the right choice, to know how to lead. Such action had costed her her life, and would cost Cooler his chance to rule.
"Frieza." Cooler greeted him as he approached the doors. "I wanted you to know that... Well, I hope that we can put some of our differences aside." Cooler offered him his hand to shake, a drole concept to Frieza, who simply looked at it as if it were a foreign thing. And, technically, it was. Still, Cooler continued on. "I might be the older brother, but I'm willing to accept my place at your side, given the strength difference between us. It has always been my dream that we may rule together, as broth-"
"My side?" Frieza asked, a bit of an incredulous smirk coming over his face. "Together? As brothers?" A stark, frozen laugh would echo from the younger of the two brothers, causing Cooler to retract his hand just a bit... but not out of range. "Oh, dear me, brother! It seems you are under the impression that I respect you enough to have you rule with me." Frieza said with a chuckle, and suddenly used his tail to bat his hand away, an action which didn't surprise Cooler but... Seemed to... Hurt him.
Frieza on the other hand felt nothing... No... He felt elated. "Unfortunately, I don't." He smirks at him, delighting in the look of pain crossing his older brother's face. Oh how he must have felt that day. "You see Cooler, this is why. You are weak. And weaklings don't deserve a place at my or at my Father's side. You couldn't even stand up to me as a child, and you refuse to dish out proper punishments for your men. Your weakness, Cooler. That is what makes you unfit to rule." He brushed past his brother, who stumbled back in shock and pain. He really must have felt injured by that one. Good, maybe he learned something.
Frieza opened the doors and took one final look back at his weakling of an older brother
And stepped into a new life as Emperor of the Universe.
A/N: I shall do these chapters biweekly or so. One chapter of Defrost, one chapter of something else, one chapter of Defrost, one chapter of something else. This way I'll be able to finish all of my stories one by one until Defrost is the only one that remains.
For now, at least.
I will also be doing reviews a bit differently as well. Unlike my other stories where I address every review that I come across, I will only be addressing ones that I find to be of particular interest or ones asking me questions about the story itself here, and I will try to strike a balance between reviews on Fanfiction and ones on A03 in an effort to be fair. So please feel free to leave some kind of comment, I would still love to hear what you think and of any suggestions you might have to improve the story going forward. I may or may not incorporate ideas from the audience into my story, but I will warn you all now that I already have most of the plot written down in advance so no major sweeping changes will happen unless I seriously fall in love with the concept.
With that said, I will now be addressing our first (and currently only) review
Surfing cipher: imma say this first I have come because of the sick cover
I'm glad you like it, its just my profile pic though (which doesn't show up for Ao3 viewers so come visit us over here at FFN to see it), and I do intend to change it if I ever find something that makes for a better picture. Its hard to find good covers for Fanfictions, unfortunately.
Welp, that's all for this week so... Until Next Time True Readers!
Oh, and also our word count for this one is OVER NINE-THOUSANDDDDDD *Breaks Scouter*
The quiet beeping disturbs him, alerting him, awakening him.
The troubled old being slowly opens his eyes, his rest disturbed. He was a massive thing, with soft light purple skin contrasted against a white carapace, with two long horns jutting out behind him, with a deep blueish black Bio-Gem set on top of his head, completing his "crown". A crown matched only by armor as ornate as it, with a long red cape draped over his shoulders, signifying his royal status.
He sat tall, standing at almost seven feet, more if you counted the horns. Though in his throne, he seemed just a bit less imposing, at only six and a half. His tail, long and slender, ringed as it was, was curled around his waist, the tip lazily beginning to tap against his leg with impatience. Who could have dared to disturb him, especially now, with his favored son missing? His armor glimmered in the low light, the reflective dark blue material serving to shine back the low light of the monitor which sat in front of him, the device who's ringing had roused this ancient behemoth of a King.
His hand slid forward, black fingernails running themselves against a simple to access button on the monitor, answering its call. The screen would flash, static filling it for but an instant before it slowly came into focus- informing the ancient one that this was a call from quite a distance away.
"Father." Would greet a slender looking Arcosian, with a similar white crown and Bio-Gem, though he lacked the horns which completed the crown. His eldest and least favored son, Cooler, was calling him. The behemoth frowned visibly, his own beady red eyes burning into Cooler's, demanding, ordering him to speak without saying a word himself. Yet... the other Arcosian did not shrink... In fact, he didn't even appear to move, nor did his face fall like it usually did, eyes unable to meet his gaze...
Something... was...
Wrong.
"Regrettably I must inform you that our searches of the Namekian ruins bore fruit. We have uncovered my... L-Lord Frieza's ship's Black Box." Cooler stated, barely able to hold himself together, his own voice shaking with something other than fear. Cooler had always been weak, but one weakness he shared with his father was a love... A love of his brother.
'No...'
King Cold's eyes went wide, and his chest turned to solid frozen ice as Cooler continued.
"I am sorry..." His eldest son's eyes filled with... Sorrow, and Cold felt his heart drop into his stomach. "Sorry to report that... Lord... My brother, Frieza, has passed away." He took a moment to collect himself as pain overtook Cold's features as well. How could this have happened? His son? Killed? It wasn't possible! Frieza should have been the most powerful being in the entire universe barring himself and a few others... What could have done this to him?
"We have recovered his final words. Taken before his death, Frieza must have been attempting to activate his ship's flight functions before the planet erupted, but was not... Fast enough to manage it." Cooler pressed a button and Frieza's final words began to play, the last words King Cold would ever hear from his son.
"A Super... Saiyan... Help...Father... help... me.."
And they were of him pleading for his Father to help him.
"A Super Saiyan." Cold's deep voice rumbled with danger, with hatred and fury and... sorrow.
The Super Saiyan would pay.
End