Chapter Text
In the dark, profound depths of the galaxy, remnants of Planet Namek float among the vast universe. A mountain of jagged rocks and trees, a reminder of a world that once flourished with life. Amid the gloomy scenery, a body lies in the zero-gravity area, on the brink of death, with its body cut in half and most of its brain matter exploded off.
“I, Frieza… humiliated… by that Saiyan ape…”
Inside a nearby ship, several miles away from the body, aliens scatter across the busy floors, machines running and working tirelessly as they approached the pieces of what once was the planet.
“Your majesty…” The trembling voice of one of the members of the force broke the heavy silence that filled the chamber. He nervously stepped forward, his eyes darting to the towering figure seated before him. The colossal man stared intently out of the window, his gaze lost in the dark outer space. “It seems… planet Namek has been completely destroyed,” he continued, "No one could have survived… not even your-” The minion's words caught in his throat as he quickly closed his mouth shut when he heard the furious growl that rolled off the man.
The giant man stood abruptly, “Might Frieza have met his doom? My clan is feared throughout the universe. What fool dares challenge our supremacy?” He shrugged his shoulders and placed his hands behind his back, smirking as he thought, ‘I will afford him the honor of defeat at the hands of King Cold himself.’
“Majesty! Look-” One of the others in attendance looked at the screen, ushering him to the electronic screen where Frieza’s mauled body was being displayed and located.
“Bring him aboard now! Or I’ll send the lot of you cretins to join him!”
It took several hours of nonstop surgical work between several onboard doctors before Frieza could be restored back to a stable condition. His body was already demolished beyond repair. The only way to fix him would be replacing everything he had lost with mechanical body parts, which the doctors had to do in fear as King Cold, Frieza’s father, watched them closely.
A simple mistake would warrant their heads being chopped.
Once Frieza’s eyes opened, his ruby eyes looked around, recognizing the familiar surroundings of his father’s ship. The minions around him looked at him in shock, surprised, and relieved for their lives that their lord had awakened.
Frieza paid them no mind, turning to his father with a growl, “Father, we’re going to Earth… right now! The Super Saiyan must die!”
It took them several hours, but their ship soon arrived near the mid-sized planet called Earth. “Behold, father, there is the Earth, dead ahead,” Frieza smirked, playing around with his new mechanical parts. His arm was now able to rotate whichever way he desired, and his tail waved excitedly, making loud clanging sounds every time the metal hit against the floor. “But we’ve gone to the bother of visiting my assailant at home, and he’s nowhere to be found. How rude!”
King Cold leaned back on his ornate throne, a satisfied smile playing on his lips as he scanned the small planet before him. It reeked of low power levels, aside from the few stronger ones that lingered. “What a measly little ball. Come, let’s just destroy it,” he mused.
Beside him stood Frieza, with an intimidating presence that was misrepresented by his tiny frame. Although many mistook him for a mere shadow of his father, those who truly understood the dynamics of their lineage knew that Frieza harbored a vast well of power, far surpassing his father's. His small stature was a misfortune in his gene pool, hiding the fierce strength he truly harbored.
"No, father... Your Frieza demands satisfaction. I have yet to treat this Super Saiyan to the nightmares of my ultimate form. Not to mention," He placed his hand to the window, glaring into the huge orb and focusing on the one power level he could recognize anywhere. "It seems my little puppy has gotten lost. I must personally retrieve him."
-
Gohan quickly put on his old armor that he’d just so happened to save from Planet Namek. It was the armor that Vegeta had lent him. It was sturdy and flexible, awesome to fight in. And considering how close Frieza’s power level was to Earth, he needed as much flexibility as he could.
He took off almost instantly. He heard his mother yell after him, but he didn't pay her any mind. He’d have to apologize to her later and study extra hard to make her proud. But at the moment, if he didn’t take part in this fight, he could lose everyone he loved to Frieza.
“How…? This is impossible! We’re in big trouble here, Dad!” He flew through the skies, his speed much faster than it used to be. His eyes lit up slightly at the sensation of Krillin's power and looked towards him. “You’re also feeling all this crazy strong energy, right?”
“Whether I like it or not!” Krillin huffed, catching up to Gohan with a frown. “I’d know Frieza’s vibe anywhere!”
Worry gnawed at Gohan as he chewed on his bottom lip. “I don’t get what’s happening, Krillin. Does this mean my dad didn’t defeat Frieza back on Namek, or what?”
“I’m just as confused as you are, Gohan. But we are going to get to the bottom of this. We’ll take him on, even if it’s all of us. As long as Y/N stays unaware, we’ll surely beat him, right?” He tried to look hopeful, but the furrow of his eyebrow said otherwise. He was scared. There was no denying that. “Don’t… Don’t worry,” he rummaged through his pockets and tossed a small bag towards Gohan. “Take a look, Yajirobe gave it to me a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been holding on to it just in case anything like this happened.”
Gohan curiously opened the miniature bag. His tense, wide eyes sparkled with a glimmer of hope as he peered inside. It wasn’t much, but in times like these, when they were about to fight for their lives, it was nice to hold onto something for reassurance. "A senzu bean..."
A couple of miles away from them, Vegeta and Yamcha arrived at an isolated and deserted place. They looked around frantically, up at the sky, and towards the plain dirt path.
“Frieza’s ship will be landing here any minute now.” Vegeta looked up at the sky with balled fists. His usual angry frown was much deeper and pronounced.
“Yeah? How do you know?” Yamcha spat, looking at him warily until Vegeta looked back at him with fury, which made him immediately flinch and back down.
“Do you question me, you halfwit?! I actually fought him. Can you say the same?” Vegeta growled, getting interrupted before he could go over and smack him by a familiar high-pitched voice.
“Surprise!” Bulma giggled over the loudspeaker in her helicopter. “Hey, Vegeta! Hey Yamcha! Hope you guys don’t mind us dropping in!” She waved at them with her usual cheeky smile, alongside Puar, who raised his tiny hands.
The helicopter slowly lowered in front of them, to which Puar excitedly jumped out and greeted Yamcha, but was taken aback by his scolding. “W-What are you doing here? Are you both crazy? Do you not know the gravity of the situation?”
“Duh, of course I do. I mean, if Frieza put his mind to it, he could pop this planet like a water balloon, right? Might as well have a front row seat!” Bulma smirked as she got out of the helicopter, placing both her hands on her hips, which drew a chuckle from Vegeta, who looked at her amusingly.
Yamcha sighed in defeat. His worry had now tripled with her presence there. “Ugh… at least tell me he’s-”
“Yeah, yeah. I checked before coming. He is taking one of his ridiculously long naps. Y/N doesn’t know a thing. When his head hits that pillow, not even a huge rock falling on top of him can wake him up.” Bulma dusted off her shirt, looking towards the newly arrived people behind the two.
“So Vegeta… You’ve decided to show your face on Earth again.” A gruff voice called from behind Vegeta. Tien stood there, fully clothed in winter clothes, most likely having rushed here from the outskirts of where he was staying with Chiaotzu, who stood beside him.
Vegeta simply smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Hardly… but I always thought actions speak louder than words. How can you stand the sight of him, Yamcha?” He glared at Yamcha, turning back to Vegeta, who challenged him with a laugh. “Bring it on!”
“Whoa! Hey! Cool it! This isn’t the time, ok Tien, c’mon.” Yamcha stood between the two. He knew this would happen. Vegeta was the reason the three of them had been stuck in Other World, and later with King Kai. Their lives were so easily taken because of Vegeta, and now they were expected to work alongside him. But it was either this or their planet being blown to bits.
“Whatever, mask your power levels if you fools don’t want to die again. Frieza’s minions can use their scouters to track us down. At least the Namekian is keeping a low profile.” Vegeta glanced over to the side, where Piccolo stood, his cape moving with the waves of the wind as he looked towards the distance with a frown.
He slowly turned around, his frown directed at Bulma, who stared back at him feistily. “You are certain he won’t intervene? His master’s presence alone would send him on a killing rampage. And we would be his targets. Not even Goku would be able to stop him… If he were here.”
“Gosh! Enough of that, I told you, that won’t happen!” She pouted, crossing her arms.
“Yeah, not with the sleeping pills I shoved in his throat before coming here.” Vegeta slyly commented, which caught Bulma’s attention.
“What? What? How many did you give him? That could be dangerous!” She rushed over to him, a worried look on her face as she grabbed onto his arms and shook him. “What kind of pills were they? They weren’t the ones I keep in the kitchen, right? Because those are deadly-”
“Let go of me, woman!” Vegeta roared, trying to pry her off of him, yet he was suspiciously gentler with his movements.
“Hey… Guys? Did we rush in at a bad time?” Krillin landed and nervously looked at Bulma and Vegeta arguing in the distance as he walked up to the rest, who had separated themselves from the two.
“Never mind that! Gohan, is Goku back?” Yamcha could feel his knees weaken as Gohan shook his head with a frown. “Oh no! If he’s still gone when Frieza gets here-”
Piccolo and the rest stopped in their tracks, all of them flinching at the same time as they turned around. “He’s here!” Piccolo yelled.
They watched a huge ship fly past them up in the sky, most likely landing a few acres away from them, from how fast it looked to be descending.
Vegeta grumbled, pushing off Bulma, who hurriedly went to hug Puar, who was equally as scared. His balled-up fists drew blood on his palms as he looked back at everyone else. “Listen up! Nobody is allowed to fly! We’re going in on foot so we can keep our power levels hidden!”
“P-Piccolo, wait! Let me get this straight… Frieza is the most powerful opponent any of us has ever seen, right?” Yamcha hurried over, his brows furrowed into a worried expression. “So what’s the point of us sneaking up on his ship then? We’re nothing but bugs to him! Seriously, tell me I’m wrong! How on Earth are we going to defeat this guy-?”
“Would you quit your whining?” Piccolo scoffed, looking down at Yamcha with a disappointed look, yet as stern as he looked, the sweat drops rolling down his forehead were obvious. He was equally as terrified. “If you’d prefer to run and hide, then suit yourself. But we already know what lies in store for us.”
Vegeta chuckled, looking at him with a mocking smile. “Are you finally catching on? Your backwater planet is doomed!”
-
“Landing successful! Your highness…! You may disembark at your leisure.” One of the minions announced.
King Cold groaned in satisfaction as he got up from his chair, standing tall beside his son, who wore a frighteningly wicked smirk on his face. Both of them elegantly left the ship, landing softly on the dirt floor of the planet and looking around curiously. “So this is Earth, the planet my pup has been running around in? I’ve destroyed worse.”
“We didn’t come all this way to toy with the Earthlings, my son. We’re here for that Super Saiyan who hurt you. We shall crush the life out of him. Anyone who threatens our supremacy must be utterly conquered!” Words spoken like a true tyrant, King Cold was, after all, the one who’d initially enslaved the Saiyans. It would only be fair for Frieza to have inherited his evil mischiefs from someone who encouraged it, and that was him.
“Considering he won’t be here for another hour, maybe wiping out the Earthlings would be a nice touch. I would love to crush his spirit before I finish him off. How many can we get in an hour, I wonder?” Frieza’s shoulders shook with each chuckle he took, “I guess there’s only one way to find out.” He began laughing manically, a wide smile on his face as he laughed out with his chest. “Hurry, Goku! Hurry! I’ve crawled back from the brink of death itself to reap my revenge upon you!”
King Cold ushered the many soldiers behind them to move out, their mission being to find any of the Earthlings and take them out on the spot, but before they could move towards fulfilling such a request, they were immediately sliced open, their body parts falling on the floor and scattering across the dirt path.
A young man stood in front of them, placing his sword back into his sword scabbard. His eyes burned with disdain, a familiar hue that Frieza had seen so often.
“All right, you have our attention. What brings you here?” Frieza said unamused, staring at the purple-headed brat in front of him.
The boy's gaze was firm as he looked towards the two. “To kill you two. What else?”
“Sorry, could you repeat that?” King Cold stared at him with a raised brow, dismissing the words he’d heard as there was no way the man in front of them truly believed he was capable of such foolery.
“I said… I am here to kill you!” He raised his voice, his fists balled up, yet his expression remained calm and collected.
“He’s serious, Father. Oh, I’m terrified.” Frieza’s surprised expression turned into a mocking smile before turning to his father. “Aren’t you?” They both chuckled, laughing at the ridiculous words of the boy in front of them. “If only you knew with whom you are picking a fight-”
“Oh, I know.” He smiled as he watched Frieza turn to him in surprise, “Yeah, you’re Frieza. It really shouldn’t be that surprising. Truth is, I’ve known about you for years.”
“Ah, you flatter me. It seems my reputation precedes me. Even on the likes of this worthless rock. Well, not completely. It seems someone failed to tell you I am the strongest being this universe has ever seen.” Frieza placed his hands on his hips, a smirk displayed on his prideful face as he closed his eyes.
“It seems someone failed to tell you you’re going to die here.” The boy stared at Frieza’s fiery glare as he growled at him, but not before it was replaced with a laugh.
“I grow bored of this. How about this, I’ll kill you myself. Not that you merit the attention, but it is a charitable honor I shall grant you.” He rolled his shoulders back and forth as he got ready to eliminate the purple-headed brat in front of him.
“Someone like you? Please, don't make me laugh. You look like you’ve seen better days, metal-face.” He chuckled, watching Frieza’s offended face. “If you were smart, you would’ve stayed home. But now that we’re here… we’re gonna do this. You’re already dead.”
“I’m already dead?” Frieza laughed. “Curse your insolent tongue. Daddy, this primate requires discipline.”
King Cold had his back to the boy, not finding him at all threatening and finding it all a waste of time. “Nobody talks to my son that way… Go ahead, finish him off.”
“Make sure to come at me with everything you’ve got. Cause I don’t plan to go easy on you like Goku did.” This caught Frieza’s attention, making him flinch at the familiar name.
King Cold, confused by Frieza’s flinching, whispered over to him. “What’s a Goku?”
Frieza huffed out, “He’s the Super Saiyan. The one we came here to kill…” He took a daring step forward, “Oh, but of course! You and he are in league!”
“I’ve never met the guy… But I’m a fan of his work.” He took a step forward as well, keeping eye contact with Frieza. “Hey, wanna hear a secret? Goku… is not the only Super Saiyan.”
“Hmph, of course he isn’t,” Frieza scoffs, folding his arms on his chest. “My puppy is one as well. However, I seem to have lost track of him. Once I find him, I shall destroy this rock of a planet.”
“You speak of Y/N? Yeah, right, have fun searching the deepest parts of the ocean for him. You will not. But that wasn’t who I was referring to. In fact, you are looking at one right now!” He smirked and mockingly folded his arms as well.
Frieza was initially shocked, then laughed again. “You almost had me there! You, sir, are a consummate bluffer in the face of defeat-” His laughs suddenly stopped as rocks began to rise and wind started to blow in front of them, drawing his and his father's attention to the source.
The boy stood there, his hair moving with the wind as he balled his fists to transform. “No…!” Frieza cried out, a terrified look on his face as he remembered the events that had transpired while he’d fought Goku, the way his hair had glowed just the same as the boy in front of him, the same stance, the same yell, and the same glare in his eyes. He visibly shuddered, his mouth agape and unable to move. “It-It’s those eyes! He has… the same eyes!”
-
“It has begun!” Vegeta announced, all of them looking towards the source of the huge explosions in the distance.
“C’mon!” Krillin was ready to jump up and fly to the scene when Vegeta grabbed him and tossed him harshly onto the ground, scolding him. “Get down here! What did I say?! You think you can just fly past their scouters…? They’d blast you right out of the sky! Go wherever you please, but you damn well better walk!”
Krillin didn’t react with malice, though. He balled his fists and hit the floor, causing the rock floor to break whilst he closed his eyes in defeat. “Yamcha was right… Without Goku here, we are doomed. He’s going to come back here and wonder why there’s nothing but a bunch of rocks where the Earth used to be!”
They all stayed quiet. Whether they had it in them or not, they knew he spoke the truth. It was a feeble dream to think they could take on Frieza, and with the four huge power levels they felt in the distance, there was no way-
“Wait! There’s a new-oh no, oh no-!” Krillin screamed, this time flying towards the source of the powers, not caring about Vegeta’s previous scolding. However, instead of being angry, Vegeta followed suit, also flying there with an irritated and anxious frown. When Piccolo followed as well, everyone followed behind, a quiet silence following along as the seriousness of the situation had now doubled.
“Hold on, guys-! Oh no, you don’t!” Bulma held onto Yamcha before he could fly off and held tight. “Yamcha, what’s going on? Why is everyone-”
“Be quiet, Bulma.” He swallowed loudly, holding her tightly with a bruising grip as his face paled. “Y-You said… he was asleep.”
-
“W-What are you?!” Frieza was cut off by Y/N, who grabbed his face and smashed his lips with his. He held him tightly, his rough hands clutching Frieza’s mechanical hips and bucking his own hips against him while his fluffed-up tail swished back and forth happily.
“L-Lord Frieza! I knew-” He separated their lips to speak before once again attacking him. “-you were going to come back for me!”
Overwhelmed with a mix of relief, embarrassment, anger, and frustration, his face turned beet red as he pushed Y/N off of him, causing Y/N to fall to the ground. He intended to step on Y/N's chest to keep him down, but his mechanical leg slightly malfunctioned, instead pressing down on Y/N's crotch.
“My son… not at the battlefield.” King Cold turned away, his back to the situation, as a mellow look crossed his face.
“Agh! Y/N, crouch, now!” Frieza screeched, taking off his leg and baring his teeth in anger, yet the red blush across his face betrayed his presumed menacing look.
Like a machine, Y/N crouched in front of him, his eyes not leaving his lord, looking up at him with dazed, bleary eyes. His tail continued rapidly swaying, and the obvious tent in his pants made Frieza cringe.
Meanwhile, the purple-headed boy, who moments ago had transformed into his Super Saiyan form, stood stunned. His revelation to be a Saiyan had been interrupted and diminished by the presence of Y/N, but as quickly as shock came, also came fear and panic.
Coming from the future, he knew he had to keep a low profile so as not to interrupt the events of what transpired in the past, as even the smallest change could completely change history. But with his reluctant confrontation with Frieza because of Goku's late arrival and now Y/N in front of him, he was mentally cursing himself.
Y/N wasn’t supposed to see Frieza, let alone be aware of his arrival on Earth. Frieza was supposed to be killed by Goku the moment he arrived back from space, a fact kept from Y/N.
The one rule his mother had made sure to carve into his mind, the one crucial piece of information he needed to stay true to every timeline… and he had already fucked it up.
His name was Trunks. The son of Bulma from the future. He was seventeen years old, and he had come to the past to warn Goku and the others of the unfortunate events that would happen in the future to prevent them and hopefully save everyone from eternal doom.
Everyone he knew had died, and he found it in himself to save at least one timeline where he and his mother could live peacefully without the worry of Cell killing them. As he understood from his mother's stories, Goku was the strongest, but he was taken down by a heart virus before he could defeat Cell, the monster responsible for everyone’s death. But there was also the faceless man she’d often talk about.
Y/N, a Saiyan much stronger than Goku, and also… his father.
She’d venture on and on about the kind of person he was, a quiet and respectful man. With the way she’d describe him, he often wondered what it would’ve been to meet his father in person. But those were just dreams, after all, his father was dead by the time his mother even found out she was pregnant with him.
Y/N had supposedly allowed himself to be killed, shoving Bulma out of the way of an attack from Cell. She deemed him mentally okay up until the point he found out about Piccolo's demise and the vanishing of the Dragon Balls. She described it as madness eating at him. He starved and cried in his mother’s arms for days, so much so that he lost his sense of who he used to be. They had yet to understand why exactly he spiraled into madness, but he was like a hero to his mother, and he respected him because of that.
However, as he stood several feet away from his own father, he couldn’t help but… recoil in disgust.
He looked like a total mess. His face was flushed, his hair was tossed around, and he was panting like a pervert. Trunks couldn’t help but look away. He’d always been proud of being the son of someone so strong, proud of his smart mother and powerful father, who died as a great man. Now he wondered if all those things his mother told him were flat-out lies.
He heard several voices behind him, to which he quickly turned to upon hearing one familiar high-pitched voice. Bulma, his mother.
But just like Trunks, everyone turned back to Y/N and Frieza, who’d begun bickering. Y/N tightly clung to his leg, his drool getting all over Frieza’s mechanical leg as he cried. “L-Lord Frieza! I thought you died! I-” He hiccuped, his teary eyes never leaving Frieza’s, even after sensing the nine other power levels nearing them. “I’m so glad!”
“Y-You idiot, you can’t just-” Frieza kept glancing up at everyone who was now staring, trying to desperately kick off Y/N, but to no avail. “L-Let go of me, now!”
“I fear this is a dream! I can’t! You look so real, and that lovely smell! I-I think I am going to-”
“Quit this foolish act, Y/N. Be a good dog and follow your master's orders. I allowed you to follow my son because you were fit to do so… do not make me second-guess that decision.” King Cold cleared his throat, not yet looking at them, but it was clear he was uncomfortable.
Truth was, he wasn’t in control of who Frieza had by his side, but he liked to feel like he had such authority every now and then. Especially when he knew his son adored him. And given how close the two were, King Cold already deemed Y/N as a fit son-in-law. It warmed his old heart. But of course, he’d never allow anyone to know that.
Y/N whimpered upon hearing King Cold’s domineering voice, kneeling once again and looking down in shame.
Y/N’s relationship with King Cold was a special one, besides the one he had with Frieza. He respected the older male for being the great father to his precious lord and having conquered so much. Their respect was silently mutual.
“I’m sorry for acting so out of order. It seems that with our time apart, I have forgotten my manners. I will accept due punishment, Lord Frieza.” There was a slight tremble to his shoulders, but he sounded much calmer now. Y/N slowly looked upward, his brows straight, looking firm despite his shining eyes that traced Frieza’s mechanical body.
With clenched teeth, Frieza clicked his tongue and averted his gaze as he whispered. “What the hell have they done to you… You became much daring, you perverted animal.” He grabbed a handful of Y/N’s hair and forcefully brought him to his feet. “At least you didn’t forget who your master is. Get up, you are not weak enough to kneel.”
Y/N dusted himself off, taking his position beside Frieza and turning to the crowd. The rest of the Z fighters had joined the other Saiyans' side, and now, both sides stared at each other intently.
“Now… how should I deal with you all?” Frieza mused, his eyes purposefully falling onto Vegeta, who fumed with anger, but also fright. With a smirk, Frieza extended his arm, his small, pointed finger stretching towards Bulma’s direction. “My sense of smell is quite keen. In fact, I smelled that horrendous scent sticking to you moments before you started humping my leg, Y/N. Is this who you worshipped before I arrived?”
Y/N stared blankly at Bulma. The lies and the manipulation…they were no longer needed. Frankly, he never cared about her, and he finally didn’t have to act like he was a weakling like her.
As he opened his mouth to speak, Trunks swung his sword towards Frieza, swiftly cutting off his mechanical arm.
The click of his tongue made everyone turn their attention to him as they soon realized that he was attacking with the intention to kill, had it not been Y/N who pulled Frieza out of the way in time before Frieza’s whole body was cut in half.
Y/N slowly looked up, and so did Trunks. The staredown between them was intense.
Krillin swallowed audibly. His gulp echoed in the winds as the silence stabbed at them. The fighters had forgotten to breathe, their eyes never once leaving the scene of what was happening.
They were screwed.
They had no idea who the kid in front of them was, but it did not matter whether or not his hair was golden or if his sword was sharp. Not when Y/N powered up in seconds, his h/c hair now a glowing yellow tint, and his stare, a predatory warning. The same one he had when he killed Krillin, attacked Gohan, and fought Goku with.
Frieza remained in shock, much like everyone else around him. His mechanical parts shook, and the few remaining patches of skin glistened with sweat. “He just-” his voice broke. In Y/N's arms, despite the embarrassment of the situation, the events that had unfolded, from being defeated by Goku to almost facing death again, felt like a spear to his pride. He couldn't help but let out a small whimper as he turned to Y/N in tears. His shattered mechanical arm sparked with electricity due to severed cables, and his lips trembled as he spoke to Y/N, inadvertently garnering sympathy from the Saiyan, “I-I don't want to die.”
His words were heartfelt, real fright from the deepest parts of his dead heart.
Y/N gently caressed Frieza's cheek with the back of his hand, looking down with a tenderness that he hadn't shown in the entire year they had been apart. "Don't worry, Lord Frieza. I’ll take care of everything.”