Just In Time A Dragonball Z fanfic written by Stella Quetzacotl First created: Aug 5, 2001 Last modified: Aug 5, 2001 ~~~~~Legal Stuff~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is a work of fiction written for entertainment purposes only. All characters in Dragonball Z are the exclusive property and copyright of Akira Toriyama, FUNimation Inc. etc etc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~Text Conventions~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [This is a character thought] *This is emphasized text* /This is a statement in telepathy/ Goku woke up suddenly as his ship's console began to emit a high-pitched, hoarse beep. He switched the sound off and peered out the ship's sole viewport at the little blue and white marble that was his destination. [Home,] he thought. [Man. It's been way too long.] Proximity indicators screamed shrilly, making Goku jump. Hurriedly he turned it off and twisted to look behind him, but only blank wall met his gaze. [Darn it. Wish this thing had more windows.] He pressed his face to the viewport, trying to get a better look at whatever it was that was bearing down on him on radar. [It's some sort of ship,] he thought, [at least according to the radar screen. I wonder what - ] Then the familiar sense hit him. Goku sat back, eyes wide with shock. [I don't believe it. It can't be. How did he survive?] As the bigger ship pulled up alongside, Goku reached out with his senses, trying to get a better feel. [I hope I'm wrong, I hope I hope - ] But there was no mistaking it - *he* was reaching out too, and for a moment their senses touched. /Hello, Frieza,/ Goku thought grimly. Ghostly, the return thought floated back to him. /I-it's you!/ /What, you thought a little thing like destroying the planet I was standing on was going to kill me? Come on, Frieza, you know better than that!/ Goku chided. The brag *was* a little reckless of him - if he hadn't had the insanely good fortune to find a working ship on Namek just before it blew, he *would* have been destroyed along with the planet - but no sense telling Frieza that. Never pass up a chance to psyche out your opponent. Goku pushed his senses harder. /I don't blame you, though - I'm wondering how you escaped the area, myself./ Frieza felt different than before - colder, if that was possible, smaller in a way. /You sure didn't *walk* away from Namek's graveyard./ /I am indestructible,/ came the sullen reply. /Your pitiful powers and that measly little display of fireworks were nothing to me./ "Now who's bluffing?" Goku said aloud. To Frieza he answered, /All I know is I left you maybe one-fourth the evil alien you used to be. Maybe less. I'm willing to believe that you're able to survive all that, if you're as tough as you claim - but are you expecting to fight me with just one arm and half a face?/ There was a telepathic chuckle. /You'll find out. As will your little friends./ A flash of red seared Goku's retinas and the big saucer fired its rockets, sending it spinning towards Earth. "Darn it!" Goku hit the throttle. His own engines flared into life, but even as his ship jumped forward like someone had taken a needle to its rear, Goku knew he'd never catch Frieza's ship - it was just too fast. As the ship faded into a dot against the planet's surface, Goku narrowed his eyes. "All right, then," he said aloud, "I'll see you on the surface, Frieza." Gohan swallowed past a throat suddenly gone dry as sandpaper. Frieza's troops - replacements for the Ginyuu Force, the boy guessed - began to spread out from the crater as he watched, holding their weapons before them. He didn't know what those weapons were or what they could do, but he didn't want to find out. Gohan crouched in the dust, willing himself to calm down. The last thing he wanted was for Frieza to sense him right now. "Whatcha think they're looking for?" Krillin whispered from beside him. "I don't know," Gohan whispered back. "Maybe my dad." "They're looking for us," Piccolo rumbled from behind them. "I heard Frieza giving orders. He wants to have all of us destroyed before Goku gets here." Gohan twisted his body to look at his teacher. "You mean my dad's coming?" Hope began to bubble up in him. "I don't know," the Namek answered. "Frieza seems to think he is. And for all our sakes - " Piccolo lowered his head - "I hope he's right." Gohan nodded. In front of him, Vegeta snorted. "We won't need Kakorrot," he said. "Frieza was permanently weakened in the battle on Namek. He's probably still too strong for most of *you* - but - " He looked over his shoulder and grinned. "I'll be able to handle him." "What makes you so confident?" Piccolo asked sullenly. "Use your eyes, Namek. Frieza's wearing prosthetics." Vegeta pointed at the distant figure. Gohan squinted. Indeed, all of Frieza's limbs except for one arm were encased in a thick metal, trimmed with the same material as Gohan's Saiyan battle uniform. As he watched, red sparks issued from Frieza's joints and died away. Gohan blinked the spots out of his eyes. "I don't get it. Maybe he did get most of his body replaced, but how does that make him any weaker than before? If anything, he feels *stronger*." Vegeta glared at him. "Your mind is playing tricks on you, boy." He turned back to watch his longtime employer. "There's no way any machinery is a match for pure Saiyan might." The other Z-Fighters looked around at each other, eyebrows quirked. "Where have we heard *that* before," was the essence of the message passed around. "I found ya!" Krillin yelped and jumped back, almost colliding with Gohan. Standing on the ridge to their right was one of Frieza's troops, his blaster drawing a bead on Krillin's head. The group froze, staring at the alien apparition. He was a lizardlike being with pebbled blue-green skin and a wide mouth, dressed in Saiyan armor and wearing a scouter. "Uh... oh..." Gohan hiccuped as Krillin crept along the ground away from the alien. "Hey!" screamed a voice from behind. Gohan winced. "Bulma..." Bulma swept her newly permed curls out of her face and glared at the mercenary from the far edge of the ridge. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not polite to point, you oaf?" The creature whirled to aim his weapon at the woman. "Bulma, get down!" Yamcha shrieked, and leaped for him. The human warrior's tackle swept them both off the ridge and sent them tumbling into the crater, the lizard-warrior firing blindly as Yamcha fired punch after punch into his jaw and diaphragm. Gohan ran to the edge and watched as they rolled, their shouts mingling until the little half-Saiyan could no longer tell whose voice was whose. The two came to a stop only when they hit the spaceship, the alien mercenary's back hitting with a sickening crack, and Yamcha landed a few more good punches on him before he realized he was already unconscious. Slowly the Earthling got up, gasping for breath and wiping at his scratches. "My, my," said Frieza from behind him. "What have we here?" Yamcha froze. "I don't remember meeting you on Namek," the evil alien continued, "but you must be one of Goku's friends. Am I right?" He approached a few steps and Yamcha turned, panic in his eyes. "Well, in any case, you seem to have... er... punished one of my men, and I can't have you backwater chumps doing that." He raised an arm. "No!" Gohan powered up and flew, equal parts scared-little-boy and pumped-up-warrior. Piccolo swiped at him, trying to catch him before he attacked Frieza, but his fingers met only air where the boy had been. He grunted and followed his student, shedding his turban and cloak in midair. Krillin caught them, fell over under their weight, then tossed them aside and raced to catch up. The rest followed. As the Z-Fighters landed in a semicircle formation around Frieza, a big purple alien whose body shape was reminiscent of Frieza's second form stepped forward. "Huh. Are these the friends of that Saiyan you seem so interested in?" he asked. His voice was a lilting tenor, something like a cobra singing 'Ave Maria'. "Yes, Father, of course." Frieza's answer was a little snippish. "Wh-what?" Vegeta did a double take. "His *what*?" "D-did I just hear wh-what I th-thought I heard?" Krillin stammered. "I don't believe it," Tien breathed. Frieza glanced at them. "Oh, where are my manners." He pivoted, turning his back on Yamcha for the moment to face the others. "This is my father, King Cold. You have him to thank that I'm not still floating amidst the wreckage of the planet Namek." The purple guy nodded. "Charmed." The general reaction was silence and stunned blinking. Vegeta gritted his teeth. "So you're King Cold," he said. "I've heard about you." "Oh? I'm flattered," King Cold purred as Yamcha attempted to tiptoe past Frieza to rejoin - or hide behind - his friends, but Frieza shot him a glare and he froze again, back pressed against the spaceship. "You began the empire that Frieza continued," Vegeta was saying. "You were as strong as he is in your day - but they say you've weakened in your old age." King Cold glared. "Possibly, but not so much that I couldn't take care of you," he growled. "Remember that." "Don't mind him, Father," Frieza purred. "That's just Vegeta, he's always been that way. Saiyans - you know." He waved a hand dismissively. "Too bullheaded for their own good." Vegeta growled wordlessly and doubled his fists. "By the way, Vegeta," Frieza added, giving his former lapdog a once-over, "what is that you're wearing? I mean, really, Vegeta. Pink?" The evil alien started to laugh. Vegeta looked down and grimaced. He'd forgotten he was wearing a pink shirt. [Curse you, Bulma,] he thought. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. Personal taste is personal taste." Frieza pantomimed wiping a tear of laughter from his eye - a gesture solely for his audience's benefit, as he lacked tear ducts. "Never mind that," Vegeta barked. "If you came to fight, Frieza, then fight!" He stepped forward in a fighting stance. "Oh, very well. If you're that eager to die." Frieza lashed his metal tail around himself and disappeared. Vegeta gulped, surprised, but before he could do much else Frieza hit him in the kidneys from behind with a lotus kick. Gohan yelped at the sudden voracity of the attack. "Vegeta!" Yamcha finally managed to sneak around behind to rejoin the group. "So that's Frieza, huh?" he asked Piccolo. "Yeah." "Man." Yamcha furrowed his brow. "No wonder." The Z-Fighters grew silent, watching as Frieza pummeled Vegeta back and forth like a tennis ball. [How is he doing this?] Vegeta demanded of himself, trying to defend himself from Frieza's punches and only partially succeeding. [There's no way! No robotic technology is this strong! It's just not possible!] But his bruises gave the lie to his words. Frieza was as strong or stronger than ever. Vegeta yelled as another punch found its mark on his jaw, snapping his head back. Strangely, his spine insisted on going along for the ride, and once it was on its way his legs suddenly decided to jump on the bandwagon. The net effect was Vegeta crashed to the ground, and before he could rally his body enough to get up again he found Frieza kneeling on his chest, gripping his collar in one fist. "Goodbye," Frieza hissed, and drew his arm back. Vegeta shut his eyes. There was a loud smack and the pressure of Frieza's knee left his chest abruptly. [I must have died instantly,] Vegeta thought, [I don't feel a thing. Wait a minute - ] "It's Dad!" he heard Gohan shout, and he opened his eyes. Goku, in Super Saiyan mode, was bent over Vegeta, one fist extended. He was dressed in some ridiculous outfit - Vegeta didn't even want to meet the idiots who thought *that* fashion statement up - and Frieza was clambering his way painfully out of a Frieza-shaped hole in the crater wall on the far side. Goku straightened and looked over his shoulder. "Hey, guys," he greeted, grinning. The Z-Fighters erupted in cheers and celebration. Goku turned to Vegeta and held out a hand. Vegeta took it, glaring, but for the first time that Vegeta could remember, Goku wouldn't meet his eyes. "What is it, Kakorrot?" Vegeta asked as the Super Saiyan pulled him to his feet. "I owe you an apology, Vegeta," Goku answered, sounding sheepish. "You warned me that Frieza would never change, but I guess I just couldn't imagine someone being beyond redemption. That's why I didn't kill him when I had the chance." Vegeta eyed his rival. "Just finish the job now, and we'll call it even." Goku nodded. "Right." He turned to address the others. "You all better get back," he said. "This could get rough." The Z-Fighters stopped celebrating long enough to retreat back to the relative safety of the ridge. Vegeta spared one last moment to shoot a meaningful glance at Goku before following. Goku turned back to Frieza, who was staring at him from near where he'd hit the canyon wall. Red sparks issued from his joints, spreading from one side of his face and his shoulder across his chest down the length of his body. "Y-You..." Frieza stammered. Goku sank into a fighter's crouch. "Come on, Frieza." What was left of Frieza's face twisted in rage. He attacked. It only took about a sixth of Goku's concentration to block or evade Frieza's attacks, so he used the rest of his brainpower to contemplate his next move. [Having to destroy Frieza isn't going to be fun,] he mused. [I just can't get totally behind the concept, I don't know how Vegeta does it. So I'm just going to have to make it quick. Do it as fast and painlessly as I can. Heck, it shouldn't be too hard, he's half-dead already...] Goku snap-kicked on autopilot and sent Frieza spinning into a crowd of his troops. They went flying like bowling pins as Frieza made another impression on the crater wall. Awash in red sparks, Frieza pulled himself free of the rubble. "How - how did you get so powerful?" he demanded, half angrily and half fearfully. "You aren't even using the majority of your strength! You weren't nearly this strong when I fought you on Namek!" "Well..." Goku mused, "you did kinda beat me to a pulp right before I became a Super Saiyan. Besides, I've been learning how to control my power ever since then. I'd say I was using about a third of my potential fighting you on Namek." "You - you're lying! That's impossible!" "You know, Frieza," Goku said, "you say the word 'impossible' way too much." "Why you - " Frieza flew at him, in an easily dodgeable charge that sent him flying past Goku and almost into the crater wall again. "No one toys with me and gets away with it!" Frieza wheeled and charged again. [It's time,] thought Goku. [Now or never.] He focused himself. "Kaa... mee.... haa... mee... " Frieza backpedaled in midair. "No - NO!" "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" Goku snapped his hands forward and forced himself to keep his eyes open as the blue light blinded him. Gohan threw an arm in front of his face, shielding his eyes from his father's explosive attack. [Dad's gotten stronger,] part of him noted, the part of him that stayed objective in times like this when the rest of him was caught up in the moment. [A lot stronger.] The force of his father's Kamehameha beat at his senses, its sheer power so overwhelming that Gohan was unable to sense anything else - the power signatures of his friends, of the mercenaries, of the big purple guy, of Frieza (most especially Frieza), and even of his father were all overshadowed. As the blue light faded, Gohan blinked the spots from his retinas and looked for Frieza and his father. Goku was still standing as he'd seen him last, arms forward, wrists together in the Kamehameha attack posture. Big Purple - King Cold, Frieza had called him - was standing pressed against the spaceship, staring openly with his jaw dropped, and his troops were scattered about the crater, doing fair imitations of him. Gohan didn't see or sense Frieza anywhere. Goku relaxed with a sigh. "May you rest in peace, Frieza," he said quietly to the spot where Frieza had been. There was nothing there now, of course - just a few stray molecules of carbon, or nitrogen, or whatever it was Frieza was made of. The Z-Fighters stared, not sure what to think. Frieza, the evil warlord who had plagued them for what seemed like ages, was finally dead. King Cold recovered quickly. "So you're Goku," he said, swallowing his fear. As the Super Saiyan turned to him, he looked away to avoid being fixed in his cold blue gaze. "My son has told me so much about you. I must say I found his embellishments quite intriguing." [Embellishments?] Goku thought. "You seem pretty calm for someone whose son just got killed." King Cold made a dismissive gesture. "My son was a weak and greedy creature," he said flippantly. "His demise at the hands of a Saiyan comes as no surprise." He took a step forward, reaching out his hand. "Allow me to make you an offer, Goku," he purred, hard white teeth glinting against the glow of Goku's battle aura. "Join me. Take Frieza's place at my right hand. We can rule the universe together. No pleasure will be denied you." Goku just looked at the proffered hand. "You know, it's funny," he said, smiling slightly. "Frieza made the same offer to me on Namek, when I fought him the first time." He looked up and met King Cold's eyes at last. "And my answer now is the same as it was then. I'd rather die." "Well, if that's the way you really feel..." King Cold looked affronted. "It shall be as you say." He raised a hand and filled it with red-orange energy that crackled with black lightning. The energy ball flashed and doubled its size, then doubled again. King Cold jumped into the air, gave a wordless roar of rage and hurled it at the planet's surface. "For you, Frieza!" he yelled as the deadly ball shot to the earth. Or almost to the earth. At the last second Goku shook off his horror and surprise and the horrific vision of Namek's death to lunge forward and bat the offending attack away like a volleyball at the beach. The energy fired upward, momentarily free of gravity, and struck King Cold in the chest. He had time for one short, bloody scream before the energy ball tore him apart. Goku looked away, fighting the urge to curse. [I didn't want to kill him,] he thought helplessly. [There's already been too much bloodshed for one day.] "Way to go, Dad!" Unable to contain himself any longer, Gohan hurled himself from the ridge and into his father's arms. Goku shook off his melancholy long enough to give his son a hug. It took his mind off King Cold's death for now, anyway, although Goku knew he was going to have nightmares for weeks. As the other Z-fighters left the ridge to greet him, Goku let his Super Saiyan power slip off like a weighted shirt. Black-haired and black-eyed once again, Goku turned to the mercenaries, still frozen unbelieving in their tracks. "I don't want to fight you," he called to them. "Leave this planet. Live the rest of your lives in peace." So set free, the mercenaries scrambled for the ship. Vegeta landed beside Goku, powered up to attack the fleeing aliens, but was stopped by Goku's hand on his shoulder. "Let them go, Vegeta," Goku said quietly. "They're not worth it." "Haven't you learned anything, Kakorrot?" Vegeta hissed, jerking away. "Let an enemy walk away alive and they'll come back to destroy you!" Goku shrugged. "They're not our enemies. They were just forced into Frieza's army - like you." The Saiyan prince winced as if given a hard blow. "Besides, there's already been too much death. I don't want to add to it." Vegeta scowled, but subsided as the ship lifted off. Goku was a Super Saiyan, after all, and as much as Vegeta hated to admit it he'd probably last about five seconds against Goku's full power. "So where were you, Dad?" Gohan asked, conveniently changing the subject. "I'd like to know that, myself," said Bulma, being floated down gently by an ego-bruised Yamcha. "You've obviously been training," Piccolo added. "And I'd like to know where you got that outfit," said Vegeta. Goku opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak a new voice cut into the fray. "Excuse me - Goku?" Goku looked up. Standing in the blown-clean circle where the ship had been was a young man with lilac hair and blue eyes, sporting a purple jacket and a sword strapped across his back. He looked nervous and sullen and determined. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, "but could I talk to you for a moment?" His eyes flicked over the others, lingering on Bulma and even longer on Vegeta. "Alone?"