wisher's beware: wisher's beware

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The stars were all out tonight. The city’s lights were dim for once. Most in the city were asleep or close to it. Inside the capsule corporation it was the same. It was a cool night. Not cold really. But Bulma was in bed, all bundled up in the blanket. They were all around her, like it ten below zero outside. Vegeta didn’t notice the temperature. He never really did. He watched her shivering. His weak, little human was cold.

He moved into bed and processed to unwrap her from the blankets like an early Christmas present. Bulma resisted, trying to keep the covers around her.

“Vegeta! Stop it! It’s cold!” He wasn’t listening to her screams. He tuned her out after a while. Once free he pulling her against him and covered them both with one blanket.

“There. Better?” Bulma pushed herself against his warm skin. He was always warm. He had a higher tempter than humans did. But, only by a degree or so. But, he was still always warm. Bulma moved even closer.

She looked up at him. Her head in the crook of his neck. Slowly she moved her arm up to his face. He was so handsome when he didn’t scowl. He was still handsome when he did but, still there was no comparison there.

“Vegeta?” He didn’t answer verbally but, he did look down at her. “Why didn’t we do this years ago?” Vegeta moved his mouth to hers. He didn’t have an answer nor did he care. Bulma didn’t care now either. He twisted so she would be under him.

A dark figure was outside the window, looking in. He narrowed his eyes, seeing them like this made this blood boil and his heart drop. Vegeta shouldn’t be here at all, in his mind. He believed he shouldn’t be on earth or even exist for that matter. He flew away from the window, disgusted with what he was seeing and with himself.

X)(X

He flew back to the desert away from everyone. All but one companion. His little blue cat, Puar. His only true friend. The only one who stood by his beliefs

“Yamcha? You okay?”

“Sure Puar. Sure. Never better.” He walked past his friend into the desert home. Confused, but said nothing. Puar shrugged and flew after him back inside.

Yamcha sat at the table as Puar set a meal down in front of him. It was the same meal he had for a month. Corn meal grits and eggs on toast.

“Again?” With the look on his face, Puar was lucky to be facing the other way.

“It all we got Yamcha. I thought you liked it.”

“I did. For the first hundred times!” Yamcha tossed his plate the floor. The plate broke spilling the floor on the floor. “I’m going for a walk. Don’t follow me!” He went out the door.

“Yamcha!” Puar went after him outside. He was long gone. “Yamcha.” Tears fall down to the ground as Paur flew back to the house to clean up the mess.

X)(X

He found himself back at Capsule Corporation. He was standing outside the building. He was just looking at it for the longest time. While outside, Yamcha made up his mind. He would do it and everything would be right. The dragonballs would make everything right. The dragon radar was inside there. He could slip in, grab that, and slip out. He hoped Vegeta was too busy as the moment to notice a weird sound or two.

For such a big business C.C. had minium security. Then again the business people that came that saw Vegeta and his training methods would consider sneaking in a complete and painful way of committing suicide. Yamcha was sure he would be able to as Bulma was keeping his attention. That thought burned him up and strengthened up his resolve.

He tried opening the window but, it was locked. But, a little extra strength was all that was required to brake it. Still unsure of Vegeta’s hearing ability, Yamcha did it quietly. A small ping of a noise and he slid the window up. Sliding through the opening, he looked around. Yamcha knew the lab was on the second floor. The same floor as Bulma and Vegeta’s bedroom. It was on the other side of the hall but, if he got caught. He would be in a ready bad way. And who knows what Vegeta would do after Bulma got done with him.

Yamcha started up the stairs keeping his ki low and footsteps soft. His mind was telling him to get out of there and ask for it in the morning. But, there would be too many questions. And everything that was wrong had to be fixed. That night. That minute. That second. Now. This very instant.

Moving quickly and silently down the hall he got to the lab. He opened the door see it on the shelf in plain view. Like a child in a candy store he swiped it off the shelf and opened the window to the lab. Jumped out of the window and flew off not caring if Vegeta felt the energy spike or not. He figured he wouldn’t do anything while with Bulma until that morning. But by morning. He planned to already have used them and got his wish.

X)(X

Vegeta felt the scarred human’s ki spike very close to building. It nagged at his mind. His instincts told him to stop him but, his mind and body wouldn’t have it. Not now. He pushed it to the back of his mind.

X)(X

Yamcha came out of the water holding a dragonball in his hot little hand. It took him half the night but, he got them. All seven were on the beach of a out of the way island. He knew what he wanted and it was the only way. Back stroking all the way to the island, he kept thinking on how great his life would be with Bulma without the prince ever being there. A nice peaceful life. With almost a dopey grin Yamcha reached the shore. He stood with glee and stepped on a starfish, landing straight on his face with a huge thud.

Rubbing the sand off his face he dusted himself off. Once sand free again, Yamcha looked down at the dragonballs at his feet. Rubbing his cold hand in anticipation and looking at the sky.

“Arise Serlong. By name I summon you! Come forth a grant my wish . . . es.” He added quickly as the dragon now granted two wishes instead of one like it did a long time ago.

Even seeing it many times before he was still partly in awe at the dragon forming. But, he still wished it would hurry up a little. The lights around it’s form faded showing the green scales of the eternal dragon.

“You have summoned me mortal! What is the wish you desire?” Yamcha had a grin you could see a mile. Now he could wish Vegeta was never born.

“I wish for Vegeta to have never existed!” The dragon paused.

“I can not do that. It’s beyond my power to erase someone life in entirely who has been in galaxies over the universe. Make a new wish.” *No, no, no, no! There’s got to be a way to make this work. Think! Think! Come on! Got it!*

“If you can’t erase him. Can you turn back time so Vegeta never came to earth?” The dragon’s eyes grew red.

“Your wish is within my power. However..” Yamcha happy mood snapped at the word however. The dragon never said however before. “Your wish will take some time. One of your earth days. In one earth day you can make your second wish.” Yamcha nodded happy with glee.

The world and fabric of time and space seemed to twist around them. Yamcha closed his eyes as he felt sick. Like it was moving faster than anyone can fly. The air was squeezed from his lungs and the darkness was coming for him.

                                                                  ***

Yamcha opened his eyes seeing it was still night. Things looked the same. He was on the island. The dragonballs were the white stones but, we a light imprint of the stars on them. Something that they never had before. Probably because they were charging for tomorrow.

Yamcha was too excited he jumped into the air, taking off for Capsule corp. On the way he looked down in the ocean. He did a double take and stopped, hovering above the water. He was younger, and his hair was longer. He was in his upper twenties again. Like before he died and the whole planet namekic ordeal. This was even better than he hoped for. Two wishes in one. As he was admiring his new look, he didn’t notice the small group flying above him.

X)(X

Above the desert bandit a small group of warriors stopped looking down at the figure above the water. They growled to each other in same language and flew down to him. Yamcha looked up in time to be grabbed.

“Whoa! Hey! What the . . . what are you?!”

“Ygu, Human!” Yamcha was stunned into silence. He never personal seen aliens like them before. Their grips on his arms were hard. Cutting the blood flow even. These boys meant business and the worst part was, his power was back to the level it was when he was this old the first time. He wasn’t strong enough to fight them off. Not even close.

It wasn’t long when he came to capsule corporation. But, it looked different. There was a tall wall around the building and there was a tower in the middle of the roof that was grossly over done. And had corpses on creatures and people decorating the outside of it. It made Yamcha stomach lurch and the sight on it. And the other building around it were leveled to the ground and had high posts like watch towers.

Flying over the walls he saw humans among other species in chains and rags. They were digging at the ground, braking rocks, getting whipped, yelled at, dragged around by their feet and carrying heavy loads on their backs.

“Ah! Another human. Test his power level.” The two warriors dragged the scared one to a huge chamber. Yamcha struggled but, to no use. They through him in there and shut the door. As Yamcha got to his feet, electrical surges went through him painfully. It made his ki rise without his consent. Finally it stopped and Yamcha fell out of the chamber almost passed out. He was stirring and trying to rise.

The alien warriors were looking at the scene. They turned back to him with surprised looks on their faces.

“He’s another stronger ki master it seems. He’s stronger in ki and body, like the few others here.” The technician nodded and reset the machine.

“Put him in the rock area with the others.” The two warriors complied with the demand taking the still winded Yamcha to the rock breaking area. He was dropped to the ground as he was starting to regain fully conscious again. He looked up seeing all his friends in their younger forms working on breaking rocks and digging dirt.

“Goku! Krillen! Tien! Choaisue! Piccolo!” All turned seeing him. They rushed to his side helping him up.

“Yamcha! My man, how you get away for so long? They rounded us up after the first and only battle.”

“Battle?” Krillen looked at the pure confusion on his face.

“Did they hit you in the head too many times? When a warrior of Frieza came. He sent his guy named Zarbon on us. Kicked are butts like we didn’t have any power at all, remember?” Yamcha could only shake his head

“Well. It will come to you. Anyway, he’s nothing to this Frieza fella here or so we have heard. We never seen him yet but, he renamed this planet Frieza one eighteen.” Krillen explained with a grim face. Goku chimed in.

“Yeah. They keep calling me Saiyan whatever that means. If I don’t answer to it. They shock me with teasers until I do. But, they don’t call anyone else that here. I have no idea with it means.”

Yamcha was in awe. Frieza had taking over the planet like he had to so many others in his conquest. So if Freiza took over earth that means without Vegeta coming here, we never trained for them. And Radditz apparently didn’t come down, meaning that Goku didn’t die and train with king ki, meaning he didn’t get the abilities and power he gained there. Great! This world is so messed up! I have no idea that Vegeta was so damn important besides having Trunks. Damn it to hell and back! I have to fix this mess! I need to back to the dragonballs. I still have wish left. No! No! No! Damn it again! I have to wait a day before I can. I need to get out of here. Undo all this before anything else happens.

The guards of the area were watching them hard but, never said a word. With the ki dampers all around the area there was little to worry about but, they didn’t like them talking in the small group like that.

“Hey! You’re here to work not talk! If you want to be fed you better get to work.” Yamcha saw Goku wince in distaste. If Goku acted that way to a food comment then the food must be really bad. It made him wish he ate the meal Paur made for him.

Goku picked up the rock pick and started chipping away at the rock. He saw at Tien was feeling around the ground and Choaisue put the tool in his hand. His mind kicked in telling him that Tien must be hurt or something. Grabbing a shove, he moved over to them. As he stuck the dirt pretending to be busy.

“Tien. What happened to you?” A grin smile was placed on his friends lips. The smile didn’t look right on his face. It was too fake on all levels.

“I tried to stop a guard from hurting an older gentleman as he fell from exhaustion. I was punished by hot pokers in all three eyes. I’m blind permanently now. Choaisue is my eyes now mentally and physically. I see things through his eyes sometimes or he mentally becomes my eyes.”

“Right, I help and protect him. This way was are not separated.”

Yamcha cringed at the tale as his mind played it out for him. This place was terrible.

“So what are we doing here?”

“Digging and finding minerals in the ground. We have to fill on two from those contains a day before we can even rest or sleep. We only have one meal day and, I we can barely stomach it too. I don’t know what it is but, sometimes I wish I was a Namekic.” He said with humor at the humorless situation they were all in.

“Have you tried to escape here?”

“Yes. Many times. But, there seems no way out unless you can fly and use your ki. The ki dampers are everywhere. I heard they’re coming out with ki collars in the next week.”

“How about Bulma? Is she okay?”

“Yes. . . she is the one making the collars.”

“What!” He covered his mouth as the guards were looking at him annoyed. He pushed the shove deep into the ground trying to play it off. After a few tense minutes they looked away and Yamcha started again. “Why? Why is she making them?” Yamcha was able to keep his voice to a harsh whisper this time.

“She is the smartest person here. If she didn’t, they would kill all the people here including us. She doing it to protect us and everyone. Although some would prefer death over this.”

For what seemed like days they worked silently. Yamcha was still digging as Choaisue of picking them the freshly moved dirt separating the minerals and materials from the dirt. And the dirt went into the other container.

“Why are we collecting dirt for?” Choaisue looked at him.

“A planet somewhere far away needs suitable landscaping and earth’s soil and dirt has the ability to grow things and support life.” Yamcha thought for a moment.

“So were striping Earth of it’s resources?”

“Yeah. Killing this word so a place that killed there’s had a second chance to do it all over again. It’s not right.” A loud whistle sounded and all dropped them tools except Yamcha. He watched as the humans and others races of species not from earth where going into the building in single file without talking.

“Meal time. It’s more depressing than slave labor here.” Tein said as Choaisue took him hand to lead him to the line. Yamcha followed everyone in almost terror on what he would find.

Armed guards were throughout the halls every four feet on both sides as he could see. Everyone including the Z-fighters kept there heads down not looking at the guards. Piccolo pushed Yamcha’s head down as they entered the building. Yamcha had enough wits about him not to fight it and go with the flow. As they entered what used to be the living area in the residential area they formed up against the wall and sat in rows. Filing in like well-trained soldiers or programed robots they all had no outward complaints.

Robots set trays in front of him with their food on it. It looked like colored mashed potatoes with less substance to it. Yamcha watched as the everyone was digging in without restraint. Yamcha dipped his finger into the stuff, since they had to utensils. Once it hit his tongue, he almost threw up right there. That was the most foul stuff he ever had to his life. Sneaking a glance at Goku he saw he was thinner and such. He was eating it like the others. But, he always required large amounts of food.

He remembered Bulma telling them that. Vegeta apparently told her about the different kinds of Saiyans systems. Third classes systems burning energy around the clock as the higher classes could turn their’s off and storage energy for later. Apparently, she asked when she noticed Vegeta eating normal sized meals half the time.

Yamcha switched his tray with Goku’s as the guards back’s were turned. He couldn’t eat this stuff and Goku needed to extra energy to function. Goku gave him a weird look. Yamcha gave a look that said ‘Just eat it.’ After a moment Goku compiled.

It was no more than fifteen minutes when the whistle went off again. Lunch time was over. Time to go back to work. They followed the same path in reverse back to the yard.

Going back to work Yamcha looked at the sky. He couldn’t see the moon or stars. He couldn’t tell what time it was. He hoped it was close to bed time.

“You! Scarred one! I know you’re new but this is not your break time! I want that contain full by noon. You have one hour!” Yamcha almost fainted. It was eleven in the morning! He felt like crying. His arms were going to fall off.

X)(X

Bulma wiped the sweat away from her eyes. She hated doing this but, little choice was given to her. She tried to hold off the production of the collars. She was done a week ago but, she said there was glitches in the high levels of power and it could short it out completely. But, now they were breathing down her neck. Frieza was coming down and he wanted them done by the time he was there. She couldn’t stall much longer. She prayed to the no longer living Kami that the people of earth could forgive her someday.

She heard footsteps coming her way. She moved her long hair out of the face. She was annoyed with the part of his side flaring up in the strange style it did but, at the moment had to will to cut her hair short again. He hovered over her work hoping it wasn’t whom she thought it was.

“Well hello there.” The unmistakable accent of Zarbon. Frieza’s right-hand man. Although he was handsome with the long braided hair and male model face, she quickly turned her feelings into disgust as he thrashed and enslaved her friends. “How are the collars coming, deary? Frieza will be here tonight.” Taking a deep breath, she answered the question.

“They will be ready to duplicate within the hour.” Bulma said was no emotion. She was being as blank as possible.

“Will then. That’s good to hear.” She heard him coming closer and she held her shivers in. “With Frieza pleased. You may be able to get out of the lab a little. With an escort, of coarse.” Implied means and such was in every word he said. “I never was much into mammals like species. But, with that blue hair and eyes. It’s working for me.” He leaned down to the side of her face. “I think I’ll have you. Once Freiza is through with your brain that is. So until then.” He felt it at that and he turned and left the room.

Bulma sat there for long moments until her stomach rose in her throat too much and she ran to the wash facility in a hurry. She was physically ill at the thought of him touching her in anyway.

X)(X

They managed to fill the contain in the hour like the guard said and was gave another to do before they would call it a night. Yamcha was surprised to hear that the Guards were more lenient than usual. If this was lenient he hate to see them on a normal day or in a bad mood. “Tien! Rock ahead!” Tien stopped feeling around and felt the rock. Keeping one hand on it he moved around it. Yamcha noticed that he seemed to get around just fine even in this rock and hole filled area. “Hole to your left.” Tien compensated for that and came back. He felt for the rock and followed it back around.

Tien moved over to the others with leading hand of choaisue. Again they pretended to work. They all got really quiet.

“So what is the scoop, Tien?”

“Frieza is coming tonight. And the collars are ready. We are to be displayed in front of him to see if he thinks we should live or die.”

“We have to fight back or escape then. There is no way that monster is going to let us live.” Krillen said stating the obvious as usual.

“Without ki we can’t make it over the walls. And we can’t get within ten feet of the guards without them blasting the stunners on us. I’m out of ideas.” Piccolo told them. Yamcha looked at Tien and Choaisue.

“Hey how far do they let you get when you overheard them?” Tien wasn’t sure of the exact distance.

“I guess about five or six feet. They didn’t say a . . . I got it. Choaisue?”

“Right. I need some cover guys.” Forming a circle around Choaisue, keeping him from view as he mentally became Tien’s eyes.

Tien vision was clear instead of the blackness that was always with him. He looked around with turning his head to give the appearance of blindness still. The guards were having a shift change. It was the perfect time for attack. He wouldn’t get another chance like this. He felt along the ground as the one guard come through the door to relive the other guard.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” The new guard looked at Tien. “What’s with him?” The other looked at him and then back at his replacement.

“He’s blind. Harmless. But, keep your eye on the Saiyan and the scarred one. He just got here. He’s not broken at all yet.”

“Frieza will make sure of that later.”

“Yeah. I almost feel sorry for these idiots. Almost!” Both shared a hearty laugh as they both turned towards the reinforced door. Tien got up and ran fast using his body like a battering ram and knocked the two down. The others were on them before they could regain they weapons and wits.

With the two knocked out they went through the door quickly knowing that the other guards would come soon. Unknown to them there was a figure that took care of the guards on the walk way of the wall.

“Well. I guess not everyone is broken yet. There may be hope for this place yet.” He drew one of his blades and sent it through the eye of a coming guard. Without as much as a groan, the guard fell to the floor. Going over to the downed guard, he reclaiming his blade from the skull of his enemy. He jumped down off the wall. Picking off guards that were coming after him he could help but think that these guards were too easy.

After tracking Frieza since planet Frieza thirty-nine he final found his new place to stay. Frieza was going to pay. Pay in blood and tears for all he had done.

These warriors that he saw take down the guards were interesting and might be useful as a distraction. Frieza was going to be here later. He needed to get rid of the backup he had here and even the odds. Frieza had a ruby ring that neutralized the ki damping field. Along with a few duplicates he had give to his high-ranking officers and warriors. He needed to disable that if he was to have a chance of fighting him. But, first he needed to take care of those in the yard.

He saw enough suffering and bullying here in the short time he was there. It was too much like home, back when he was younger. Shaking his head, he knew this had to stop. He had no love for these people but, the suffering was the same. No matter the race or species. Plus the system would put out an alarm that would assemble the guards, making them all on one place for easy and quick total elimination.

X)(X

“Does anyone have a clue where we are going?” No one answered Krillen’s question. I figured the answer was no. They remodeled Capsule corporation like a fortress. Nothing looked familiar here. It was cold, dark, and even clammy. “Um . . . not that I’m complaining but, where are the guards at. It’s a bit too quiet.”

“Yeah. I was noticing that too. It’s like they disappeared.” A clock chimed in the of the rooms making everyone but, Yamcha jumped just a little.

“I feel like a coward. Jumping at every little noise.” Piccolo said grimly. “Come on. We can’t stay here. If we get caught now. We are dead as . . .” The wall in front of them exploded from the inside out.

Dodoria, Frieza’s second in command, under Zarbon. Everyone looked stepped back and kept stepping after he broke through the wall.

“Dead is right. I don’t know how you did it. But, you will pay for it. It will take weeks to train more.” Slightly confused but, more scared and outmatched they watched the pink, overweight creature that was bursting with ki.

“This guy is about as strong as that Zarbon guy! How are we going to get past him?!” Krillen nearly yelled as he panicked.

“Anyway we can. You with me?”

“To the grave buddy.” He looked at the pink bulging warrior in front of them. “Which might be in a minute.” Both run in a charge with a battle cry. One wave of his hand, Dodoria knocked them both back with a small ki wave. Krillen had the wind knocked out of him and Goku struggled to get to his feet holding his burning chest.

The others ducked under the attack, they watched as it cracked the wall. The attack was weak but, too strong in their ki less conditions.

“You guys make me laugh. You can’t win. No one can stop Frieza.”

“Really? I don’t believe that.” They others watched as Dodoria stopped breathing and turned around at the sound of the voice. Yamcha too was not breathing either. He knew who that was by the voice alone.

A figure was leaning against wall throwing a dagger into the air and catching it by the blade only to toss it into the air again. He kept doing so in rhythm never stopping for a moment.

“No! You’re dead! I saw you die!”

“Really. For a dead man. I seem to be doing a lot of damage.” Dodoria brain seemed to catch the meaning of his words.

“You! You’re the one who’s been killing all the guards! Not them.” As the dagger come down the figure grabbed it the handle with ease.

“You actually grew a brain cell since we met last. If Nappa was still alive. I would owe him a Vegetasin coin.”

“You cocky bastard! Frieza will kill you this time.” The figure pushed off the wall stepping into the light of the hall.

“Yeah right. No one can kill the prince of Saiyans. Not even Frieza.”

Yamcha noticed the differences in him. Vegeta looked nearly the same as he did when he come to earth. There were only two changes he would see. One was that he had a mask on covering most of his face. It was strange as the mask covered all but, the mouth and nose area. You could see his eyes too because of the slits for them. The mask-covered cheeks and both sides ended on shape points off the both sides of his chin. It was made directly for his face as it snugly covered the rest of his face.

The other was his outfit that looked a lot like army survival vest with blades, shorter then one in his hand in all the pockets. He had two holsters for the longer long on his left thigh and upper right arm. The Vegeta he knew never used weapons. He didn’t even know if Vegeta could use weapons or not. It never come up.

Dodoria stepped out to Vegeta. The tension in his back looked like he would break it in two. Curling his hand again, he sent the same attack at Vegeta he did with Goku and Krillen. Vegeta easily ducked under it like a limbo bar and lunged out with both of his daggers drawn.

Dodoria staggered back putting his hands under his massive head. Vegeta found the neck under all the bulk. Blood was poring out as it was a fatal wound. Vegeta smiled as Dodoria fell it his knees.

“Why don’t you laugh? Maybe you realize getting cut isn’t funny, hm? Or is it funny when it’s someone else getting cut?” Vegeta kicked him in the jaw knocking his back towards the stunned others. He wasn’t moving and his ki presence was gone. His spirt had moved on. He was dead.

Vegeta looked at them as he wiped off the extra blood on the blade on Dodoria’s skin. Placing the blade back in the holster in his arm he addressed the Z-fighters.

“You have guts. But, without your ki you’re barely stronger than the weakest human. You think you can stop Frieza like that?”

“We have to try.”

“Then you will die in vain. But as warriors.” He turned to go.

“Then help us. You want the same thing.” Yamcha yelled out surprising everyone but Vegeta, who was for the most part ignoring him.

“No. I work alone. You would only slow me down. And I don’t have time to babysit a bunch of weak humans and misfits.” Vegeta turned away.

“Wait!” Goku yelled out. “You said you were the prince of Saiyans!”

“Your point is what?” High annoyance and angry was present but, that didn’t deter Goku one bit. Nothing would.

“What is a Saiyan? They keep calling me that but, I don’t know what that is.” Vegeta turned back to look at him. Even with the mask, you could see the eyes widened, like he was seeing something he didn’t notice before.

“So you are. The look like Bardock. Ah! Yes. I remember now. Radditz’s little brother. Bardock’s second son. Named Kakarot.” Vegeta looked into a pleading eyes. He really didn’t know what he was. Deciding it couldn’t hurt he turned back around, giving in. “Fine. Come. I explain it on the way.”

X)(X

The collars were all duplicated and waiting to be picked up. Bulma was now working on a device the would stop the collar’s effect and the dampers too. She had been working on it secretly for months now. She was nearly finished. She would beat Frieza’s plan.

Lifting the finished produce up she smirked and placed in inside her shoe for safe keeping. Now she had the trump card.

“What a nice view.” She was instantly up and turned around as Zarbon’s voice. “The collars done?” She nodded her head in their direction. He turned seeing them all on the table. Hundreds of them. “Wonderful. You should be proud. Beauty and brains. You will go far.” Before Bulma could react Zarbon’s communicating device went off. “Zarbon here.” There was silence and static for a moment before voice come over it.

“ . . .Ve-geta . . . is here . . . ali-ve.” A voice over device barely said. Zarbon paled a lighter shade of blue.

“What!?” There was nothing else. He put the communicator back on his belt. He looked at he table not really seeing it. “Impossible. Frieza killed him. I saw him do it. He can’t be alive. He couldn’t lay still while Frieza was doing that. No one is that obvious too pain. No one!” He calmed himself after his little tirade and looked right at Bulma. “Sit tight. I’ll be back.” He ran out the room leaving Bulma to herself again. She sat down thanking this Vegeta person for showing up but, part of her was wondering why this name sounded like she should know it.

“Ve-ge-ta?”

X)(X

“A warrior race?” Goku said confused but a lot of what Vegeta told him made sense. He loved to fight, needed food like he needed the air, had a tail, and had a larger ki than anyone the lived here. It seemed to fit.

“Exactly. You and I are the last of ours kind.”

“No. My son too.”

“You have a son?”

“Yes. Gohan. I guess his a . . . half . . .saiyan. His mother is human.” Vegeta narrowed his eyes not liking the sound of this.

“A hybrid? If Frieza knows that he is possibly dead by now.”

“No! He’s not dead. I can feel him. He’s okay!” Goku said hysterically. Vegeta was unfazed but confused. *He can feel him? Must be a strong father son bond of some kind. Or maybe a human thing and Kakorot is picking up on it.* Vegeta didn’t realize he was still talking as he was thinking at that statement. “I have to find him. I have too.” Vegeta had his teeth gritting as he was highly annoyed with the so-called Saiyan behind him.

“Alright enough!” Vegeta yelled out turning to Goku. “Your making me regret saving your pathetic ass. Go to the last floor before the tower. If they do things the same here he’ll be up there. Since he’s not on the field he has to be younger. Probably in line to be brainwashed into loving Frieza and such like they do to all children.”

“Brainwashed!?”

“Children are the future. But, Saiyans are resistant to their technique. You better hurry. They kill those it doesn’t work on.” Goku ran ahead. “The other way.” Goku backtracked going the other way.

“How did you know that?” Vegeta took a scouter out of his pant’s pocket. Looking around he answered.

“I downloaded the blue prints of the building into my scouter here. This why I know. I make it my business to know.” Yamcha watched this Vegeta. *This Vegeta is a tab more patient and tempter controlled. Never though that was possible. Then again the others here are more jumpy and scared of their shadows. I guess anything is possible.* Vegeta ignored the ones behind him as he turned his head around like he was looking through the walls. “Missed a few guards up top and Zarbon is in the lab areas. Better take care of him next. But, I bet he knows I’m here now. I’m wasting too much time.” Vegeta ran ahead with speed unmatched at current power levels.

“Okay. I know he saved us and all. But I don’t like him much.” Tein said crossing his arms. As he and the others followed Goku. Without ki the guards up there might give him so trouble.

X)(X

Bulma backed up against the lab table as Zarbon was coming towards her. His leer was enough to tell her what was on his mind.

“Frieza is, in your time an hour away and the area is in lock down. Um? . . . what to do in the downtime?” His voice mocked a questioning tone. Bulma knew exactly what he wanted to do. She tried to think.

“W-what about that V-Vegeta guy. Shouldn’t y-you get him?” Her voice was shaking so bad anyone could tell she was scared out of her mind.

“We are in lock-down. And I’m the only one with ki capability. He’s not going anywhere and neither are you.” He grabbed her around the waist.

X)(X

Vegeta was going down the hall as an alarm sounded. He knew that alarm by heart. Lockdown. Behind him sheets of metal come down every ten feet. Without his ki he would be trapped. He couldn’t risk that. He ran down the hall hearing the metal barriers coming down behind him. The one behind him came down brushing the top of his hair. The one in front started to go down, he dived under the bottom of it. The thing slammed down catching right Vegeta’s foot. He managed to slip his foot out of his boot as the metal forced it’s way through the material of the heel of it.

He smirked taking his foot out of the other boot. He got up looking at the unhindered hall. He was in the science hall. Tapping his scouter the found Zarbon’s ki next to a small human ki. Really close. Almost on top of it. Taking out his favorite blade he made a beeline for Zarbon. He was next, then Frieza.

A female scream caught his attention. It was a scream he know anywhere. Unbridled fear. Vegeta followed the scouter and pushed down the door. Zarbon had the blue-haired woman’s shirt in two pieces. The girl was crying in shame and such as Zarbon looked rather pissed off. Vegeta curled up his lip.

“You owe me a new pair of boots.”

“How you get past the lockdown!?”

“I use to work here. I know what that sound means. Let’s just say I hailed tail down that hall.” Zarbon lost his composure and his grip on the blue-haired one. She slunk off to the corner of the room as Zarbon body changed.

“You know. No matter how many times I see that. It still disgusts me to the highest level. You are truly a hideous monster.”

“For someone that looks like you. You have no right to call me hideous!”

“What can I say? Compared to you I’m still a dream. You’re just a nightmare.” Zarbon ran at him intent on running him down like a mad truck. Vegeta crossed his arms and moved at the last second. Zarbon’s face went through the wall. Vegeta looked at the collars and smiled. “These the ki collars?” Bulma only nodded using her arms to cover herself as she looked down at the floor. He took one and waited as Zarbon pulled his ugly face out of the hole.

Zarbon opened his mouth using a ki attack. Something Vegeta did not know he could do. Not every creature could produce them out of the mouth.

“Wha . . .?!” Vegeta was sent across the room, smoke coming from where the attack hit. A small cling sounded making Bulma look up and at the unmoving figure. Tears started to form again as there was no one else to help her. This monster just killed that man and still seemed in the mood for her.

“Well. I have the trash taken care of. Frieza will reward me for not destroying the body. He’ll love to put him on the wall and watch him rot.” Bulma tried to become one with the wall. He was pressing her into the wall, almost indenting her form into it. Seeing no way out of this, she closed her eyes wishing it would be over quickly.

A metal click was all Zarbon needed to stop his fevered lust of the Blue haired woman. He felt it next. One of those ki collars was around his neck. Turning, he hissing in surprise.

“But . . . !”

“What’s this? An even playing field?” Vegeta punched him the jaw and grabbed him by the collar too just to get him on his feet. “No. Not so even. Who’s got the advantage now?” Vegeta threw him across the room into portable machines. “Stay down.” He said barely turning to her. She only nodded and hunched down small as possible.

She watched as now Vegeta was treating him like a rag doll. This Vegeta person was brutally strong without ki. With ki, he had to be monsterly powerful. She hunched down farther as Zarbon was thrown in the table. Landing on the pile of ki collars, turning them into scrap metal. Without missing a beat, Vegeta picked up the winded Zarbon up over his head in pure brute strength alone.

“Let’s see if you can still fly with that on.”

“Vegeta! Please! Let’s talk about this! I can help! Together we can stop Frieza!” Vegeta only rolling his eyes in annoyance. Zarbon was pleading for his sad excuse of a life.

“For once in your life. Just be quiet!” With that he threw him through the wall watching as he plummeted to the ground. With his hearing he was sure he heard yelling, crying and spat as he hit the ground. Vegeta looked down at the body of Zarbon. “I think that an improvement over his transformation form.”

Vegeta took off the vest seeing the damage. He trump card was ruined. He outfitted his vest with a one-shot ki shield. It would only wok once. Unfortunately, it was used up.

“Thank you. But, how did you survive the attack? Ki against ki less is fatal.” Vegeta ignored her for the moment checking the damage. He’s skin was burned in a round circle in a nasty second degree burn. It stung like hell.

“I guess that one time shield wasn’t strong enough.”

“You’re hurt!” Vegeta rolled his eyes. *Tell me something I don’t know lady.* She grabbed his hand and lead him to the table. Why Vegeta was allowing this, confused him greatly. “Can you take this off?” Vegeta still confused, grabbed the collar of his shirt and stretch the material down to his waist. He looked down at the burning circle low on his chest. Why Zarbon stuck low was the question though. He should have stuck higher than that.

Bulma looked as he hided face and gently touched the fresh wound watching Vegeta’s chest muscles twitch but mostly stayed still. He seemed his was use to all kinds of pain. But, it was hard to tell with his face completely in the shadows.

Taking some medical supplies, she started rapping the injury for him. Vegeta kept his eyes on her. He didn’t understand why she was doing such a thing. He finally decided it was because he saved her. But, only because she was next to Zarbon. If she wasn’t, he wouldn’t have bothered . . .right? Now Vegeta wasn’t so sure. He felt like in a another time, another life, another world even he did know her. But, that was impossible. There was no way.

Bulma ripped off the last piece of medical tape. She smoothed down the edges of the tape around his wound. She couldn’t do much for the pain she knew he was in.

“It’s the best I can do.”

“It’s more than I expected.” Vegeta stood pulling his spandex like suit back up and put his arms through trying not to wince as fresh pain went through him like a knife. She moved to his vest seeing the device wired to it. It was junk now.

“Nice. But, unstable. One time only though?” Vegeta pulled at his outfit, getting in back in the right place. The hole in the material showed the nice patch she did.

“Yeah. The materials were what I could find at the time. I didn’t have time to prefect it.” Bulma dug out her trump card.

“But, I have.” Vegeta looked at her seeing the small device. She looked back at him and smiled. “I have all the materials at my disposal. I had to hide and lie to get this made though.” Vegeta looked at the small circular object.

“Electrical neuron stimulus?”

“At first. But it became too . . . unstable. So instead I made it an Electrical impulser. So Instead of making them produce. I made it were it was easier to produce so where the blocker had little to no effect.”

“Nice but, if the field is turned off somehow. The person who has it could destroy themselves with their own power.” Bulma blinked hard. She didn’t even think about that. She was impressed.

“Wow! You know your stuff!”

“I’m not just another . . . pretty face with fighting ability.” Bulma looked at him. He was hiding his face in the shadows. He was ashamed? Embarrassed?

She tried to think. Was something wrong with his face and he didn’t want to be seen? She did not see too much of him during the whole time. Even in the fight her view was blocked by Zarbon’s body or she was looking down. He seemed to stand in the shadows when possible. Like he didn’t like to be seen.

Bulma moved to him as her feelings and curious nature were getting the better of her. She sat down next to him. She smiled just knowing he could see it in the dim lighted area of the lab. She reached over feeling cold metal on her finger tips. He was wearing some kind of mask.

“Are you trying to be so kind of super hero?”

“What?” His voice was gruff and highly annoyed.

“The mask. Are you wanted or something?” Vegeta turned his head away.

“It’s not your business. Stay out of it.” Bulma winced at the volume and the tone of his voice. The almost hurt tone more than anything.

“You’re right. It’s not. I apologize.” This caught Vegeta off guard. He recovered quickly and stood up going to the hole in the wall. He looked down seeing Zarbon’s body still didn’t move. Taking his scouter out he checked the ki. There was nothing. He was gone. He had to make sure. People had a habit of showing up at the last moment.

Vegeta looked up seeing nothing but, the darkened sky of the afternoon. It was black as midnight because the dust and smug choked out the light of the sun. The water’s were polluted now. He could smell the grime and such that was in the water it’s self. This had happened too many times to too many worlds. His word did not suffer so. It was only stamped out of existence with a flick of Frieza’s wrist. Vegeta gave up his life, his freedom, his self worth for nothing. Nothing at all. He couldn’t even show his face anymore after Frieza for so many reasons. But now he was. Years later. He needed to stop this or die trying. He would not live with the shame one more day.

Bulma stepped up by him. A lot had happened and it wasn’t the worst to come yet. Frieza was coming. No doubt he was going to be angry.

“I have some friends that are strong. They could be of some help.”

“Let’s see. A Saiyan, Namekic, bald human, scarred human, three eyed man, and a white faced little kid.” Bulma was taken back.

“Well, yes. Goku, Piccolo, Krillen, Yamcha, Tien, and Choaisue.” She stopped noticing something. His man had a tail. A tail like Goku did then he was a child. “A tail?” Vegeta looked at her.

“So?”

“Goku had one long ago.”

“Of coarse he did. He is a Saiyan.”

“You’re a Saiyan too?” He nodded. “Great. What exactly is a Saiyan?” Vegeta rolled his eyes. *Here we go again.*

X)(X

Goku hold his son in a tight embrace. Two guards were down and out. Gohan was the one who defeated them. His hidden powers came out when he got scared.

“They tried to tell me Frieza was good and they put me in the room with no light or food or nothing. But a voice saying how good Frieza was and I was in there for hours and hours . . .” Goku listened to his son ramble on. Vegeta was right, they did try to brainwash him into loving Frieza. When it didn’t work, they were going to execute him.

Gohan got so scared and his power over rid the ki damping field for a moment. But, it was enough to kill the guards in the room before they could kill him. He was upset when he found them dead on the floor. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m Sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Goku held him by the shoulders ready to shake him if needed.

“Gohan. It’s not your fault. It’s okay.” Goku said slowly and sternly as possible without getting demeaning.

“But, I killed them daddy! I killed them!”

“You didn’t mean that! You couldn’t control your powers! Your fear made it react.” Gohan calmed slightly but, the water works didn’t come close to stopping.

“I want my mom!” Goku held him closer.

“I know.” He put his head on top of his. “I want your mom too.”

X)(X

Bulma watched as Vegeta hacked into the mainframe through the lab computer. Vegeta was going through the fire walls and locks like they weren’t even there. The short alarm went off and the sound of retracting metal. The lockdown was over.

“You’re good.”

“It works better went you know the system. Plus being a prince. I had to learn all kinds of skills and not all of them in fighting techniques.” Vegeta talked as he was typing still. He needed another trick up his sleeve.

His vest was totaled and almost useless besides the knifes and short blades in the pockets. “Now I need to rewrite some defense programs and voice control and I think we might have a fighting chance.” Bulma looked over his shoulder as the programs. It was in a different language. Bunch of scrabbles of gibberish.

“Can you read that?”

“I’m Saiyan. Not Icejin. Of coarse I can’t.”

“Well sorry for breathing in your presence. I wouldn’t know what you do know and what you don’t know.”

“Shut your mouth. You make it too hard to concentrate with you screaming like that.”

“Well excuse me. Mister phantom of the opera!” Bulma winced as he opened her mouth without thinking. She was making fun of the mask but, she didn’t know why he was wearing one. Something could be wrong with his face and didn’t want to be pitted or something. That would not be a smart thing to make fun of if he was hiding it for that reason.

Vegeta blinked behind his mask. He hadn’t been on earth long. Just long enough to learn the language and figured out where Frieza was holding up at. It took a couple of Earth days. He wasn’t planning to be long either. Earth sayings were weird anyways.

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Bulma let out a sigh. All she needed was someone who’s strength and power to be angry at her.

“No. Nothing. Forget it. Not important.” Vegeta rolled his eyes. He knew it was some kind of insult but, earth sayings were not his thing. Nor did he wish to learn.

“Whatever.” He said in an over his shoulder of way.

X)(X

Goku felt out Chi-Chi’s ki in a small building that was added on just lately. It was all young and attractive women inside. He saw Chi-Chi in a outfit that would be too little was beach ware. It was a harem. Even Goku knew what was going on here. He wasn’t that naive.

He recognized a few girls in there. Krillen’s girlfriend Marron. The one side sweet the other side crazy with machine gun triggered by a sneeze Launch. And of coarse his lovely wife Chi-Chi.

“Goku!” Chi-Chi ran into his arms holding Gohan’s hand. Goku looked at the chain around her wrist. It was slightly rubbed raw. Probably as she tried over and over again to slip her hand out with no luck. Grabbing hold of the chain Goku pulled hard.

The metal gave a sound of protest. Chi-Chi was confused. He should be able to rip it off but, he was having problems.

“Hang on.” Goku took hold of the shackle and pulled on the chain again to break it at the fused link connecting the two together. It took all his strength to brake the small link on the shackle.

“Are you okay? You normally brake things on accident. But here you couldn’t brake it without really trying.” She stopped looking him over. “And you’re skinny! And you too Gohan! What have they been doing to you?!”

“A lot Chi-Chi. A lot. But, it’s going to stop.” Chi-Chi put her head on his chest. Goku looked grimly at his family. *At least I hope it will stop.*

“Bulma. She was here and the beginning. But, they took her away soon after we got here. Is she okay? Do you know?”

“I only heard that Frieza is using her to create ki collars and such. She didn’t have a choice.”

“But, she’s alright.”

“I’m sure. Her ki is strong. Besides you don’t hurt anyone who is useful.” *Again I hope.*

X)(X

Bulma watched the sky out the hole in the wall. There was a dark shape coming closer. It was starting to take shape. A round kind of shape. A man-made shape. A ship.

“Vegeta! I think he’s here.” Vegeta was behind her so quick she almost was startled out of the hole. She stepped out of the way as she heard him growl. Growl like a huge dog.

“That’s him! I know that ship anywhere.” He went back to the computer. “Come on. There’s got to be something here we can use against him before he gets here.” Vegeta sighed as he deleted more of Frieza voice commands from the mainframe. “Frieza is too confident. He has no defense measures for those in the sky. He’s too cocky. That will be his weak point.”

“Can you lift the anti-ki field?”

“Not without Frieza’s access code. And with the ring he has I don’t think it is able to turn off besides pulling the plug of the power source.”

“Can you do that?”

“Sure. If I had Frieza’s access code!” Vegeta said trying to remain cold headed. But, with his Saiyan tempter. That was very hard to do.

“What about Frieza’s two henchman. Zarbon and that pink thing? They would use ki.”

“Yeah. I know.” Vegeta said annoyed and a tab angry. Bulma growled at him.

“That’s not what I mean! How could they use ki with they didn’t have rings or anything on them!?” Vegeta hit his fists on the panel of the computer out of rage and complete annoyance.

“Implants at the base of they necks that sent out a signal to left them alone. We not have the time or full resources to do the same! You happy now!?”

“Thank you! That’s all I wanted to know!”

“Your welcome!” Both were in each others face. Both moved so fast both weren’t sure how moved how much. Both were gritting their teeth at each other.

Both leaned back a little. Vegeta snuck at peak out the window seeing the ship only ten minutes or so away from landing. “We don’t have time for this.” Bulma took a breath and nodded.

“You’re right.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “But this isn’t over.”

“Sure it isn’t.” Vegeta went back to the computer.

Bulma held her device between her fingers. She was going to give it to Goku. But Vegeta here, was stronger. She always heard them talking about how strong the Saiyan prince was. Back when they thought, he was dead. Around twenty thousand ki points. And Goku’s read-out wasn’t even half that strong. She seen the reports when people weren’t looking. He was only in the hundreds.

“Vegeta? With your ki. Would you have a better chance of beating him?”

“Yes.” Vegeta tone was confused. That was a highly stupid question to ask in his opinion. Everything would be easier if he could use ki including that.

Bulma nodded without him seeing it and stepped to the side of him. “This is going to hurt then.” Bulma turned the swirled chair to her. Vegeta was caught off guard by the impulsive and gutsy move. She pulled the stretchy material up and pealed the tape down showing the wound again. She looked up and smiled at Vegeta’s partial confused expression. “Distraction.” She kissed him as she pushed the device in the wounded flesh on his chest. The weaken skin gave and the device slipped inside his skin. She had him grunt in pain but, he didn’t pull away from the pain or the kiss.

She moved away as she felt she stayed longer than she had too. Trying to keep some kind of professional charm, she smoothed done the tape again.

“There. Can you raise your ki?” Vegeta cleared his mind and tried. A blue-white aura appeared around him that grew darker as he ki rose. The ki made the wound a little less tender somehow. It felt good to have ki capability again. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Vegeta nodded once in confirmation.

“Are we interrupting something?” Bulma looked over seeing everyone in the doorway. She blushed heavily and turned away.

“How long where you they’re for?”

“The part where you said. ‘This is going to hurt then. And turned him around.” Bulma was glad she turned away.

Vegeta decided to break into the conversion as he continued typing and searching for something he could use.

“Frieza is on his way. About five minutes before he touches down. We don’t have much time before he realizes something going on.”

“Where were you guys?” Bulma said turning as he got her blush response under control.

“We found Gohan upstairs and Chi-Chi, Marron, Launch, and many other girls in a little side quarter of the building. When we got back, this alarm went off. Metal walls trapped us in the hallway.” Bulma turned to Vegeta.

“Can we use the lock down?”

“Yes. But, he’ll knock them down like they were cardboard. But, it well give us some time. A few minutes at best.” Vegeta pulled up the screen and set in the command. When Frieza walked in the building that lock down would occur. It wasn’t much but, they had to use all they had.

Vegeta took out his ace card out of his in the lining vest pocket. A mini-explosion device. It was enough to take out this whole building and the neighbors too. With Frieza ki he would survive it if he just set the bomb in the building. He would practically have to be wearing it or it being inside his body for it to kill or incapacitate him. He was expecting to die tonight. But, like a good Saiyan, he was determined to take Frieza with him.

                                                                     ***

Vegeta was able to pull up the security video seeing Frieza confused by overly not caring about his dead men. The lock down walls came down and as Vegeta said. Frieza was knocking them down like they were paper cutouts. He was heading straight for the labs knowing that main computer was the most likely to be used by an outsider. Vegeta turned away for the control panel looked at them still sitting in the chair.

“I suggest you all hide for the moment. Away from the building. Another street would be good.”

“You can’t fight him. Even with your ki your no match.” Bulma told him as if he didn’t already know that.

“Would you rather fight him?” Vegeta said expecting no answer from her. She only looked down at the floor. “There’s a back exit down the hall. Use it. You will have break the lock. It’s weak one though.”

“But . .” Bulma was cut off.

“I come here to stop Frieza. There is no turning back for me. This ends tonight.” Goku grabbed Bulma by the arms.

“Sorry Bulma but, he’s right.”

“Put me down! We can’t just leave! Goku! I swear if you don’t . .” Her voice got smaller and smaller as they went down the hall. Vegeta felt small spikes of fear as he was coming face to face with a strongest being in the universe. Forcing them down, he centered on his warrior side. His Saiyan bloodlust for victory. Vegeta leaned against the wall waiting for the evil one to come. It wouldn’t be long.

X)(X

Yamcha watched as tears were going down Bulma’s face as Goku was carrying her. It was because she knew Vegeta didn’t have a chance. He somehow had his ki in the ki less field. He could feel it earlier when the raised it but, Frieza was so much stronger without raising it.

Goku and the others felt they ki returning as they pasted the anti - ki field. Bulma set Bulma on the ground. She was beating his chest with her small fists.

“We can’t leave him to die! He saved me from Zarbon! Saved all of you from that pink blob! Frieza was going to execute you! We can’t just . . . we can’t go. . he’ll be . . .” Bulma tears won the battle as she fall against Goku’s chest.

“I know Bulma. I’m going back.” Chi-Chi looked at him like he was crazy.

“Yeah. Me too.” Gohan said proudly.

“No, you’re not either!” Gohan shivered as his mother’s voice rang out. “You are not going to face that evil tyrant. I forbid it!”

“But! But! They need me mom!”

“My little boy is not going to fight that tyrant. That is final!” Gohan looked to his father for help. He smiled down at him.

“She’s right Gohan. Besides I need you to stay here and protect your mother. And the others.” He leaned down to his ear. “Keep an eye on Bulma.” Gohan nodded looking down.

Krillen moved up to Marron. She was almost oblivious to what was going on here. She looked down at her boyfriend.

“Well . . . Marron. I’m going back to fight Frieza. I don’t know if I’ll make it through this.” Marron rapped her arms around Krillen, smothering him between her breasts. A huge crimson blush formed on Krillen’s cheeks.

“Oh Krillen! This is so romantic!” Everyone sweat dropped at the statement.

“We are wasting time.” Piccolo said walking back to Capsule corp. The Z-fighter started backtracking to Capsule corp.

“You better come back Goku! If not I have the dragon bring you back and I’ll put you on a strict diet until Gohan is in collage!”

“Wait!” Bulma called out. “I was finished with the collars. But, they were destroyed.”

“How does that help us?” Yamcha asked. Bulma put her hands on his hips.

“If you shut up a minute. You know by now! As I was saying. One was put on Zarbon as he was thrown through the wall. It might still work. If you put it on Frieza. Then . . .” Goku didn’t let her finish.

“Got it Bulma. Let’s go!” They hightailed it back.

X)(X

Frieza clicked his tongue as he looked at Vegeta. Small shivers ran down Vegeta’s back at he saw the sadist gleam in Frieza’s eyes.

“My, my, my, my. Look what we have here. You’re still alive. And sporting a lovely mask now. I guess I made it where you can’t show you face anymore.” Vegeta pushed himself off the wall. He would not get angry. Not now. He needed to stay in full control. If the monster here before him was going to die. He needed to do this right. Play his cards right.

“Talk. Talk. Talk. That’s all you ever do besides scaring what you believe is dead. Like a coward.” Frieza seemed to not hear Vegeta as he started talking before Vegeta finished his last sentence.

“You killed my precious Zarbon. And Dodoria too. And all my soldiers and guards here. You have been a very bad boy, Vegeta. If you still worked for me you would be put on the wall and whip you for an hour.”

“Just an hour, huh?”

“I always thought of you as a son. Even as I was slashing, ripping, burning your once upon a time pretty face. You didn’t move the entire time. I was so sure you were dead.”

“I didn’t come here to reminisce, Freiza.” Vegeta stayed calm at his mind for screaming for blood.

“You come to kill me. Or try to. You can’t win. You know that. You were smart for a Saiyan when you pride didn’t get it the way.”

“Then I’ll just leave my mark. On you.” Vegeta pulling a short blade out of his vest. With a flick on his thumb five blade fan out like a cards in his fingers. “Like you did on me.” Vegeta threw his blades. The entered the wall where Frieza was moments ago.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” The voice came from right behind him. He could feel his breath.

“I was hoping.” Vegeta swing his fist hitting air. Frieza was playing with him.

X)(X

Running over the downed doors going back to the lab area where Frieza and Vegeta were fighting. Although from their kis up there, it seemed that this Frieza guy was kicking Vegeta around without trying. Vegeta was at his maximum as Frieza was barely powered up. This fight was a total mismatch from the get go. And they were worst off. Krillen, Tein and Choaisue went to find Zarbon’s body on the grounds.

X)(X

Vegeta body hit the wall, denting it but, he didn’t go all the way through. His eyes widened in pain but, it couldn’t be seen with the mask in place. His body was protesting to movement of trying to get it his feet. A white fleshy tail hit him in the back with force that could break a brick wall. He managed to stay on his feet but, pain was burring his vision. Fanning out his blades in his right hand, he throws almost blindly to the side of him.

As his eyes cleared, he saw Frieza pulling out two blades his tail. His face was twisted into fury. Like he couldn’t believe, he dared to hurt him.

“You fiflthy Saiyan. I will make you wish you were never born!”

“Looking at . . . your face. I already do.”

Vegeta barely got that out. Only a few hits and he was on the mat. Without his ki he was sure he would be dead in one hit. He couldn’t take too many more hits like that last one. One more might do him in for good. Vegeta could barely move his right arm now. He couldn’t throw a blade or punch with that arm for the life of him. Which right now it surely did. Vegeta watched as Frieza raised his arm pointing one finger at him.

“You know with Saiyans. I learned something. I kill a Saiyan race you to destroy the nest. To kill a Saiyan prince though. You have to get to the ‘heart’ of the matter.” A small pea size attack formed in his fingertip. Although small, that attack was deadly, like most of his attacks. “Or perhaps the root of the problem.”

Vegeta finally registered that he had a hand around his neck up against the wall. He could breath fine but, his eyes wouldn’t focus with the fresh pain going up his back. The small sized ki attack was now between his eyes. Vegeta couldn’t focus his eyes enough to even see it.

“Maybe if I remove this. You can see better.” Frieza dissolved the attack and felt around the back of Vegeta’s head. Vegeta was trying so hard to get his body to respond but, it wouldn’t move. He knew he had a least one shattered disk in his back up high. Vegeta heard a load snap like sound of connector of his mask. “I heard a click.” He laughed darkly as he slowly took the straps off around his ears. “Lovely craftsmanship. Made it yourself, did you? I noticed you did have great metal working talents. Always a little bland but, it works for you. But, besides the points at the bottom this mask makes me want to yawn. So let’s get rid of it.” Frieza seemed want to make the moment last.

Dropping the mask to the floor Frieza looked at the uncovered face with wide eyes. His grip softened as he moved away.

“Frieza!” He turned dropping Vegeta to the floor. Frieza eyes flashed horribly as he saw the other Saiyan. He never saw him before but he knew a Saiyan when he saw one.

“You Saiyans are like cockroaches. I can’t seem to get rid of you annoying pests on matter what I do. I beat and tortured him. Then left him for dead and he came back. Now you show up here on this planet. Any more I should know about?!”

“Shut up. I won’t stand by watching you destroy this world!”

“You don’t have a choice nor a chance in the matter. I was going to kill all of you higher power ki masters. But now I will chain you out on the wall that’s around my tower. I’ll keep you all alive to watch your precious world slowly become nothing more than a floating rock in orbit. Won’t that be wonderful?”

“You’re sick!”

“No. No dear Saiyan. I am the most powerful being in the universe. I am mighty and you are not.” Frieza laughed hard as a man would believing he had won.

Blood came out of his mouth as a long ki blade came out of his chest. He turned seeing Vegeta with mask back on and standing on his own power. The palm of his hand smoking slightly as Krillen held up a bag pouch.

“That’s it for the Sensu beans.” Frieza pulled the ki blade out of his chest causing more reddish black blood to spout out of his gaping wound. He breathed hard with fury in his cold marble like eyes.

“Now. I going to put your head on my throne!” Frieza powered up a blast in the blink of an eye.

Frieza smiled seeing the hole where Vegeta once was. He laughed seeing there was nothing left of him. Frieza turned seeing the two bald ones and the floating china doll how moved before the attack. Then again he wasn’t aiming for them. Yet.

“Now. That’s how you kill a Saiyan.” He turned his back on them knowing they could do little even in a group. “A fitting end to a worthless race. And to a worthless monkey prince. Disgusting mammals they were!” He opened his eyes seeing two uncovered feet connect with his face.

Vegeta wasn’t destroyed. He sensed the attack coming and jumped out the hole he made with Zarbon not long ago. The weakened bricks were strong enough and held his weight as he heard Frieza boastful speech. He waited for the right moment to flip back in with a surprise attack.

“You always did talk too much.”

“Stinken monkey! How dare you hit me!” Vegeta only smiled pointing behind him at the one tower. Frieza narrowed his eyes seeing the ki damper generator was destroyed. In a minute’s time the whole area would be ki functional again. Frieza though was partly unfazed. He was still stronger than all of them in his first form and he knew it. “Big deal, Saiyan. Your little friends here make no difference. You can’t win this.”

“Maybe I’ll surprise you.”

“I don’t think so.” Frieza eyes flashed making the computer and devices behind Vegeta explode.

The others were blow out of the room and into the hallway by the blast. There ki still wasn’t functional and was not able to physically take the bang out of the boom of the explosions. The alarms were off again as the lockdown was initiated once more. Goku felt his ki push through once again. Yamcha and Vegeta were still in there.

Yamcha raised his head seeing Vegeta pull out a jagged piece of metal out of his lower back. From what the mask didn’t cover Vegeta wasn’t showing pain. It reminded him of the time Vegeta pulled himself out of the wreckage of the gravity capsule. He was in pain. His body alone was covered in cuts, scrapes, and bruises. All he wanted was for him and Bulma to leave him alone. He wanted to become stronger at all costs. This Vegeta only wanted to kill Frieza and was willing to die to so it. He didn’t know how he knew that. He just did.

The bloody metal hit the floor with a wet thud. Blood was running down Vegeta’s back. He was worst than Frieza it seemed. Vegeta wasn’t going to last much longer. Yamcha got up and looking around for something to help him. But, there wasn’t much. He watched as Frieza hit Vegeta across the jaw with enough force to break in clean off. Vegeta hit the wall hard enough to break all the bones in his back if he was human. Being Saiyan he only bruised most of the them. Seeing one of Vegeta blades, this dimension’s Vegeta liked to use. Picking it up, he rushed Frieza. The knife was caught in mid strike as Frieza caught him by his tail. Using his tail like a whip, Frieza threw him into the other wall.

“Like I said Vegeta. I am mighty and you are not.” Frieza looked down seeing the bottom of Vegeta’s chest was rapped up a bit. “My, my, Vegeta. Coming here and hurt too. You were always full of Surprises.”

Nails ripped off the vest and the front part of Vegeta spandex like suit from the waist up. Frieza smiled seeing the bandage area like it had a bull’s-eye painted on it. Slowly he peeled the tape off careful. As not to hurt him.

“Nasty ki burn here. That had to hurt a little.” Frieza pushed his hand into the wound. Vegeta’s eyes lite up from the pain. Even with the mask you could see that. “Normally I abhor such brutality but, in your case. I will make an exception.” Vegeta’s whole body convulsed in painful spasms. “Hm? What’s this here.” Vegeta felt the building ki pressure leave his body. Frieza out of his curiosity, removed the electrical impulser. He ki power returned to normal levels making his body feeling normal again. With the ki constantly going higher he body couldn’t handle the stress. Like he said. If the ki field was turned off a person could destroy himself with their own power. He’s statement was nearly proven true. He never thought he would think Frieza for saving him by taking that out. Painfully so but, effective none the less.

Frieza held the metal device in front of his face. Looking it over. He was confused greatly. Frieza was not a scientific genius or a genius at all really. He was strong enough to make other’s do that for him.

“A ki increaser I suppose. That would be clever but, didn’t do you much good, now did it?” Vegeta watch as he dropped it to the floor as Freiza cooed Vegeta like a child. Then he dug his fist back into the wound. “Anything else in here?” Vegeta breathing in wet gasps as Frieza’s hand brushed his internal organs and other tissues.

Three small blasts hit Frieza in the back leaving small pink like spots as small of a pea. Frieza turned his head seeing the scarred one. Yamcha only saw a strange shine when he body felt like it was on fire. Frieza smiled at the screams. It was a weak attack but, he didn’t want to kill the scarred one. His screams were delightful to hear. Turning back to Vegeta he saw his eyes slowly dim. Removing his hand, Vegeta fell to the floor.

“You could have stayed away from me. I never would have believed that you were alive after that. But, no. Your Saiyan pride made you come here and face me. Maybe you wish to die in some great battle with the one who destroyed your race. Easily!” Vegeta coughed hard as blood was choking his airway. Salvia was thick in his mouth as he tried suck in enough breath to keep him in the land of the living. Although death at the moment was looking better and better with every passing yet painful second.

Beginning a true Saiyan, Vegeta refused to stay down, even if it was shorten his life with every movement. Frieza only planted his foot on his back pushing him back down to the ground.

“The joke is on you Frieza.” The voice was smashed against the floor was could barely understand it. Picking him up by his hair he leaned him backwards.

“And what was that princing?” Vegeta summoned all his strength as he reached into the vest pocket. He smiled showing blood strained teeth.

“We are both . . . going out with a . . . bang.” Vegeta shoved his mini-explosion device inside the ki blade wound. Frieza dropped Vegeta digging at his own chest. Vegeta looked at Yamcha who was final back to reality. “Get lost, you idiot.” His body gave out and his mind followed. Yamcha know Vegeta wasn’t one to gave warnings often and jumped out of the hole in wall flying at he cleared the bricks. He saw the others in the street they left Gohan and the girls in. Bulma seemed to be hunched over.

Yamcha landed on the ground seeing parts and metal over the ground. It was that collar she was talking about.

“Yamcha! What happened?”

“Not sure but, Vegeta told me to get. . .” A rumbling stopped him as they turned seeing a mushroom cloud coming from what use to be Capsule corp. “He . . . wasn’t kidding about the bang.” Bulma looked at him not concerned about her child and adulthood home being blow up before her eyes at the moment.

“What?”

X)(X

Everyone moved to the wreckage of the once powerful company building that now laid in ruins at their feet. Rubble of the building and surrounding area were on fire in small pieces. Nothing seemed to be worth saving or try to save even. Bulma looked around strangely numb at the damage. The houses around the building were vacated a long while ago. Housing for Frieza’s soldiers and such. Pieces still seemed to be falling from the nearly solid black mid-afternoon sky.

“Bulma?” Yamcha walked out to her seeing her distant demeanor.

“They are both gone, aren’t they?”

“I don’t think either could survive that.” Goku said with a strange mixer of happiness and grief. Happiness that the monster was gone but, sadness that the man who saved them, who knew why he was different from everyone else, who stopped the odious monster died with him.

Bulma had tears down her face as she walked to a perched piece of concrete. She sniffed a couple of times as she looked at them.

“That monster hurt him so much. I only know he for barely over an hour and I could sense it. I could hear it in his voice.” She was rambling and she knew it. But, she didn’t care. “All this isn’t fair. I never got the chance to repay him or even give him a true thank you for saving you guys and me. The whole world from that . . . thing called Frieza for that matter.” She wiped her tears off wit the back of her hand.

“Well, at least he get one he wanted. The end of Frieza. He ki is gone with no trace. Only a few bits and pieces here in the ground is all that is left of the lizard creature.” Yamcha said trying to calm her with reason.

“How can you be so casual about all!? Your alive because of him. You heartless, insensitive, ungrateful jerk!” Yamcha moved back a little. That didn’t come out the way he meant it too.

“I didn’t mean it that way!”

“Of coarse you didn’t. You never mean it. You never mean anything you do!” Chi-Chi moved forward helping her up.

“Come on. Your welcome at our house.” She looked at the ground. “If it’s still there that is.”

Yamcha turned back seeing the world he wanted. But, this was not what he wanted at all. The planet of almost a dead rock, the sky is polluted so bad that you wouldn’t see the sun or stars, many people were killed outright for being tired and weak from the Frieza’s men had them do. All because life didn’t go his way. A Vegeta no one really knew saved them and destroyed the monster. Died a hero. This was all wrong. He had to change it all back. Made it as it was before.

Yamcha turned seeing Goku flip over a huge slab a concrete with his brute strength. Running over he saw what was up. Vegeta’s body was under it.

“Vegeta! You okay!” Bulma was at his side lifting his upper body up just a little.

“De-define. O-ok-ay.” He coughed hard and more fresh blood started dripping off the corners of his mouth. Every breath he drew in caused spasms of pain and spurting of blood. Blood was getting on Bulma’s outfit but, for once she did not care what happened to her clothes, since most of them were destroyed anyways.

“Your not okay.” She whispered softly.

“No? Really? You think?” Vegeta said with a sarcastic tone but, his voice was as load as a harsh whisper.

“You can still be mean at a time all this!” Vegeta cracked a small smirk.

“It’s a gift.”

“Don’t talk. Your killing yourself faster.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Vegeta took a deep breath that caused him more pain the good. “. . .I wasn’t . . . expecting to live after today. By the way.” Vegeta opened his palm showing her electric impulser with fresh blood smeared all over it. “It worked great.” Yamcha looked at it.

“Wait. Didn’t frieza rip that out of you?” Vegeta eyes closed as he energy was too low to keep them open anymore.

“He did. But, . . . as I . . . push my explosive device into him. I reinserted it inside myself to survive the blast. I . . . wanted to make sure Frieza . . . died . . . before I . . . did. Then went . . . hit the ground. Take back out again.” Vegeta words were choppy and his sentence barely making sense. It was on the line of life about really to fall.

Vegeta lifted his arm up o his face feeling the mask’s edge. He tried to left it up as his arm gave out. Bulma looked on in concern.

“Vegeta?”

“Do me a favor. Take this stupid thing off my face. It-it’s starting . . . to annoy me.” Bulma was surprised as he seemed adamant about keeping it on but, if that is what he wanted. Bulma reached around felling the strap of the mask and the connector too. Undoing the connector the mask slipped down his face a little catching itself of his nose and the points of the mask on his chest. Feeling uneasy, Bulma lifted the mask off and gasping slightly as she saw his face for the first time.

Yamcha was confused. He face was the same as the first time they met. Nothing was wrong with it. Not a thing. Could the Sensu bean healed the damage? He had taking them before and the scars of his face never healed. They were older but.

Bulma looked him over hard. She couldn’t see anything even out of place. In fact. She felt her face heat up as she found he a bit attractive. The strange widow’s peck he had seemed to pull his whole strange hair style together. It framed his face a lot like Goku’s wacky hair suited him.

“So . . You are wearing this thing why?” Vegeta looked at her with a weak confused look. Bulma remembered her compact mirror in her pocket all the sudden.and fished it out. She opened it and brought it to his face.

Looking at his reflection Vegeta was still confused in a different way. The look melted away as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back all the way.

“I guess . . . there was enough skin left for my healing abilities to work with. Looks like I do . . . get . . . the final . . . laugh . . . after . . .” Bulma felt his body go lack.

“Vegeta?” She rocked him back and forth gently, trying to wake him back up. She set him fully on the ground and looked at Goku with pleading eyes. Goku only looked away. That said it all. He’s ki was gone. He was gone. She brought his face to her chest crying hard. “Thank you.”

No one tried to take Bulma away. He sat there for a long time before asking Goku to his and Chi-Chi’s house. She was so quiet, it scared the others a bit. Krillen took Marron by the hand and flew off. Tien and Choaisue too took their leave. Piccolo looked down at the body of the prince. He stride over and picked up the body of the dead Saiyan.

“Piccolo?” He didn’t turn towards him as he talked.

“A warrior burying another warrior. I believe it would be appropriate.” Piccolo looked at the tail rapped around his waist. “Too bad though. I would like to know more about Saiyans.” Yamcha watched as Piccolo flew off to with Vegeta’s body.

Yamcha stood there for a while doing nothing but getting angry. Everything that could go wrong, did. This world he wished for was a nightmare. A complete nightmare. He needed to get out of this world. Yamcha walked away from the wreckage without purpose. Nothing could be any worst than this.

He stopped as he saw Frieza walk out of the rubble without a scratch but, he felt no ki. No life. No nothing.

“Stupid human. I’ll enjoy gutting you like a fish.” Yamcha stumbled back tripping. He looked down seeing Frieza’s arm. It was burning and ripped at the joint. Looking back at Frieza he saw he had both his arms. It didn’t make sense. He was sure he didn’t regrow limbs. He wouldn’t needed to become half machine if he did.

“You never should have made the wish, Yamcha.” Yamcha looked over seeing Puar sitting on Frieza’s shoulder. “Having fun yet?” Yamcha watched as Frieza fazed into inches from his face.

“Time to wake up.”

                                                                                 ***

Yamcha breathed deep and coughed out sand moments later. He looked around seeing he was on the island. He foot next to a starfish that he stepped on. Sand of all over his face. The dragonballs were still in the same position. It was all a dream. Thank Kami it was a dream. Went he stepped on that starfish and knocked his head on the rock. He had a dream. Or a premonition. Yamcha’s drive for the wish was gone. If anything like that happened then. He didn’t want to think about it. This was reality. He needed to deal with it.

Yamcha nodded and threw the dragonballs into the ocean. He would return the radar tomorrow and hope Bulma wouldn’t let Vegeta kill him. Or the other way around.

“I hope Puar isn’t too mad at me.” Yamcha slowly took off for home.