DISCLAIMER: DBZ I do not own nor Hamlet either…does that make sense?

A/N - The end is finally here…I can't say much because I'll end up giving something away. All I can say is that I almost cried while I was writing this.

LYRICS: 'The Great Below' By Nine Inch Nails

Chapter 21: 'My Story'

~*~

~*~ If though didst ever hold me in thy heart, ~*~

~*~ Absent thee from felicity a while, ~*~

~*~ And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, ~*~

~*~ To tell my story. ~*~

- Hamlet from 'Hamlet'

~*~

"Please don't hurt my baby!" Bulma screamed in panic and Zarbon marched her along a cold and frigid hallway. One of his hands was twisted into her hair and the other hand was holding one of her arms behind her back at a painful angle. Frieza was strolling ahead of them carrying Raven who was wailing louder and louder, her small arms and legs waving frantically.

"Don't hurt Raven! Oh God, don't hurt her!" Bulma sobbed in terror as Frieza jiggled Raven and the baby began to shriek even harder. She lunged forward in a desperate attempt to get her baby back but Zarbon hauled her back. She struggled ferociously against his hold and Zarbon twisted her arm cruelly, breaking the bone with ease. The brittle snapping sound and the red daggers pain of pain that shot up her arm were enough to make Bulma howl in pain and all but collapse against Zarbon.

Ahead of them Frieza had entered a strange looking control room. He waited patiently while Zarbon dragged Bulma in with a smirk of pleasure at her pain. There were two doors that led off into others rooms, one of which was visible from the cold room through a large sheet of what looked like glass.

"This is an air tight room." Zarbon nodded at the room that was behind the glass. "I'm going to lock you in there and set off the sprinkler system, can you guess what's going to happen to you?" Frieza looked at her intently, his voice mocking.

"No…you wouldn't!" Bulma hung in Zarbon's grasp, hugging her mangled arm to her chest protectively.

"Yes, I would." Frieza grinned in sadistic pleasure. "It will take approximately five hours for the room to fill with water and you to die." Frieza snarled. "Unless of course your mate manages to find you in time." Frieza spoke as though he didn't consider Goku rescuing her as a very likely possibility at all.

"Goku…Goku will rescue me!" Bulma's breath was rasping in and out of her throat and her voice was desperate. "You don't have to put me in their…please don't! Please!" She tried to go to Frieza but Zarbon grabbed hold of her shoulder and squeezed until Bulma thought it would burst apart.

"But what fun would that be? No, I have a much better plan. You're going to call to Goku and tell him that your at the 'Frost Laboratories', then you're going to ask him to rescue you and then your going to tell him to tell Vegeta that I have Raven over in the Palace and that unless Vegeta shows up I'm going to kill her." Frieza yawned as if bored when Bulma shook her head vehemently.

"No! I wont do that! If you're going to kill me then do it! But I won't get Vegeta killed." Bulma ground out through teeth clenched in pain.

"You won't, eh?" Frieza shrugged. "What if I was to tell you that unless you do this for me I'm going to lock Raven in this room and let you watch her drown instead - how does that sound?" Frieza was practically yelling now, his eyes were burning with anger at her defiance.

"No!" Bulma sobbed and hugged her arm more tightly; she collapsed on the ground and began to sob. "I'll do it! Just don't hurt my daughter…don't hurt my little girl." Bulma closed her eyes tightly and opened a mind link with Goku…

~*~

Staring at the sea

Will she come?

~*~

[Goku? Goku!]

Bulma's scream ripped through his head and Goku roared in pain as he collapsed to the ground clutching at his head, his temples throbbing with the pain her mental scream had caused.

[Goku they're going to kill me! Frieza's going to drown me!]

He could hear Bulma sobbing and he reached forward through the bond trying to calm her down. He could feel Bulma's mind open to him and with a crash he plunged into her mind and instantly began to scream with her as he was torn from his body and sucked into hers.

His arm was broken! He was crouched on the floor and above him was Zarbon, smirking as he looked down at him! Goku tried to move, tried to get up and defend himself but he couldn't even lift a finger.

[You're seeing through my eyes Goku! Don't try to move…just listen to what I have to say!]

There was a desperate urgency to Bulma's tone that made him cease his struggles and lay still in her mind. It was hard to listen to what she said, her was body was going into shock and her mind was close behind it.

[Bulma…]

[Goku listen! I'm at the Frost Laboratories and you have to come and save me! They're going to put me and room and fill it with water and unless you can get to me before five hours is up I'm going to drown!]

[Don't worry Bulma! Vegeta and I will rescue you!]

[No! Frieza s going to take Raven to his Palace and unless Vegeta shows up there he's going to kill Raven! He's going to split you up and try and kill Vegeta! Then he's going to try and enslave you Goku…unless…unless I die and you die with me! Oh Goku help! Help!]

Through her eyes Goku watched as Frieza walked forward and grasped Bulma by the front of her shirt, he picked her effortlessly off the ground and began to drag her towards an ominous metal door.

[Bulma!]

Goku tried to hang onto her mind but Bulma's panic and fear was overwhelming him and pushing him back. With a last mental scream Goku was thrust from her mind and body and he tumbled back into his own. All the time her screams were echoing in his ears, getting louder and louder until Goku realised that it was him who was screaming. He could barely feel Bulma anymore and with a start he opened his eyes and focused on Vegeta who was crouched above him, his mouth was moving and forming words that Goku couldn't hear. Very slowly he got himself under control and he stopped screaming. He lay on the flor where he had dropped earlier and curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth and trying to block out that last horrible scream he had heard from Bulma.

"Kakarot? What's going on?" Vegeta looked wild with panic. His hair was messy and he looked frightened, worried and very un-Vegeta like

"Bulma…" Goku tried to talk he couldn't seem to speak. He tried again, this time with more success. "I have five hours to get to Bulma or Frieza is going to drown her. She's in the 'Frost Laboratories' wherever that is."

"The labs are right by the landing fields…once we land you and I can…"

"No!" Goku shouted, interrupting Vegeta. "Frieza is holding Raven hostage at his palace. Unless you show up there and fight him he's going to kill her. I have to rescue Bulma alone…and you have to fight Frieza alone." Goku's head dropped back to the floor and he contained the tears that stung his eyes.

"If that is what Frieza wishes us to do, then we have no choice but to do it. I have faith in you Kakarot. You will rescue Bulma and I will kill Frieza and get Raven back to you and Bulma." Vegeta nodded as he spoke but didn't sound convinced. "Yes, we'll be alright."

~*~

Is there hope for me

After all is said and done?

~*~

Bulma sat shaking in the corner of the room, staring at the one-way mirror that on the other side had looked like glass. She'd never felt as alone as she did now, knowing that her child was with that monster and that Goku and Vegeta were still a long way off.

"Are you ready my dear?" Frieza's voice crackled menacingly through some unseen speaker and Bulma slowly blinked and focused on the mirror. She felt a tear slide slowly down the curve of her cheek and follow the contours of her face until it slipped between her lips and she was able to taste the bitterness of her tear.

"You're going to pay for this Frieza." Bulma spoke with unwavering determination not to loose control of herself again. Her eyes, although blurry with tears, were as hard and cold as rock - and just as unyielding.

There was a pause and then Frieza's voice echoed eerily in the room again through the speaker. "As you say."

There was silence following his words and then the ceiling above her beeped twice and the air was suddenly full of a light drizzle. It coated Bulma in tiny droplets of water and covered the room in an instant layer of dampness. She looked down at the floor, watching as the tiny droplets began to melt together until there was a thin film of water completely covering the floor. Although she knew she should be feeling frightened, Bulma felt surprising calm inside.

"You really should be more frightened." Frieza's voice sounded again and Bulma looked back at the one-way mirror, a small bitter smile slipping onto her mouth as she wondered if he'd been reading her mind.

"I have hope." Bulma whispered brokenly and glanced away from the mirror, not wishing to speak to the monster outside any longer. "I have hope." She repeated softly.

~*~

Anything at any price

All of this for you

~*~

The water rose much faster then Bulma had imagined it would. Within an of hour of being forced into the cold steel room the water was at knee height and it was impossible for Bulma to sit on the floor. She leant against the wall with her arms wrapped around herself. She was so cold and numb that she couldn't even feel her injured hand. Her body was racked with fine tremors as the icy mist continued to rain down around her.

The water which was steadily rising was co cold Bulma knew that even if Goku got here before the water reached the roof she'd be dead from the cold before he could get her out of the room. Bulma closed her eyes and sobbed in terror at the thought of dying. It couldn't be her fate to die after everything she'd been through. She'd never been cruel or mean in her entire life, so why was she being punished this way? Was it because she'd allowed herself to love Goku after he'd taken Turles from her? Was this her punishment for loving Goku? Bulma opened her eyes again and took a deep breath; if this was her punishment for loving Goku then she'd willingly suffer it.

No matter what Goku had done to her, Bulma couldn't imagine not having him in her mind. Even the thought of losing him was enough to make Bulma cry aloud in terror. She'd lost Turles and lived through the pain thanks to Goku, but she'd never survive that kind of loss again.

Turles.

Bulma smiled despite the physical pain as she thought of the first man who she had ever truly loved. She still missed him more then she let on. Every time she looked at Raven she could remember that proud look in Turles' eyes when he looked at his daughter.

A tear trailed down Bulma's cheek as the familiar hollow pain in her chest made itself felt. Whenever she thought about Turles her mind would reach for his essence in her head and would find only Goku, and no matter how much she had come to love Goku he would never be to her what Turles had been.

~*~

All the spoils of a wasted life

All of this for you

~*~

"Kakarot?"

Vegeta's voice interrupted Goku's thoughts and the taller saiyan raised his head from where it had been resting in his hands. He could feel a myriad of emotions flowing from Bulma through the bond, but try as he might he couldn't fight his way into her mind to comfort her.

She must feel so alone…

Goku watched as Vegeta walked into the room where he had hidden himself away. The saiyan prince looked as vibrant as ever, no doubt the thought of engaging in battle with Frieza was keeping him sane. But then, Goku thought, Vegeta didn't have a mate who was radiating hurt and pain.

"What is it?" He asked quietly, keeping his eyes guarded; unsure wether Vegeta had come baring good news or bad news.

"We're within visual range of the planet Frost. We should be setting down within two hours." Vegeta seemed pleased and Goku made a concentrated effort to stand up again. For some reason his legs felt numb with cold and he had a nagging feeling that this feeling of numbness was yet another diluted feeling that he was picking up from Bulma.

"How long has it been since Bulma gave us the five hour deadline?" Goku asked gruffly, rubbing at his arm as though he could also feel the pain of Bulma's broken arm - which at times, he could.

"It's been a little over an hour. Don't worry, we're going to land in plenty of time for you to save Bulma and for me to defeat that scum bag." Vegeta growled angrily at the mere thought of Frieza and punched a hand into his paml for emphasis. Amazingly this action prompted a grin from Goku.

"I'm almost jealous." The larger saiyan admitted. "You get to take on Frieza all by yourself - it's going to be a once in a lifetime event."

"I know, believe me. I've been dreaming of the day that I could destroy Frieza ever since I was a small boy." Vegeta smirked. "Make no mistake Kakarot, the destruction of our home planet and the death of our race will not go unpunished. I will make Frieza beg for mercy before I finish him off."

While once Goku would have urged Vegeta to give Frieza a second chance there was a coldness inside of him that had eaten away at the decently and fairness that had once been so important to him. It was the same frosty coldness that he had felt when he had killed Dodoria and when he had killed Turles.

Goku smiled grimly and the emptiness began to spread inside of him.

~*~

All the world has closed her eyes

Tired faith all worn and thin

~*~

Frieza rocked the tiny baby in his arms; fully aware of the very strange looks he was getting from the other officers in the Palace's throne room. Raven had fallen asleep in his arms but was squirming in her sleep as though she was having a nightmare.

"What is wrong with this child?" Vegeta asked Zarbon in annoyance as Raven chirped in her sleep and her tail, which was wrapped securely round her waist, fuzzed up.

"I have no idea Master Frieza, perhaps it would be easier to simply destroy the child now?" Zarbon drawled in disdain, his lip curling in disgust as he glared at the tiny saiyan child. He couldn't understand why Frieza didn't simply kill it.

"Kill it? And loose my only leverage against Vegeta? Be smart Zarbon! That would be idiotic of me! If Vegeta is as strong as he claims I may need the child as a hostage. Although it is doubtful." Frieza smirked to himself at the thought of Vegeta beating him. "Tell me Zarbon, how much longer do you think the woman will survive?" The lizard lord seated himself on his throne and continued to rock the sleeping baby, oblivious to Zarbon's distaste.

"Not long. I think she'll probably be long dead before the saiyans can get her out of the room." The green haired man lounged against Frieza's throne, watching his master with a strange sort of obsessiveness.

Zarbon had been working with Frieza since he was a small boy. His planet had been one of the planets that Frieza had invaded and destroyed - only Zarbon had been spared the fate of his race. Over time he had come to view Frieza as a kind of father figure and anything that might replace him in Frieza's eyes as number one he viewed as a threat to be eliminated, and Raven was looking more and more like such a threat with every passing moment.

~*~

For all we could have done

And all that could have been.

~*~

Time was passing agonisingly slowly for Goku as they approached planet Frost. He could only imagine how painfully slow things must seem for Bulma. What was running through her head at this very moment? Was she thinking about him? About Raven? About Turles? Goku's lips briefly curled into a snarl as he thought of his twin brother. He still found it hard to understand why Bulma forgave him for everything that he'd done to her and to them. Turles had been a monster deep down; he hadn't felt remorse for destroying Earth for his own selfish reasons. He hadn't even felt bad about making Bulma feel bad; he'd only cared about what he wanted.

The ship jolted and shuddered around them, with his hyped up saiyan senses Goku could feel that she ship was entering an atmosphere and his head jerked up as though pulled by strings. They were there! They were finally at planet frost!

[I'm coming Bulma! We're landing now! I'm coming]

He didn't know if Bulma could hear his thoughts but he sent them to her anyway. He hadn't felt anything from her in quite a while. He'd even stopped feeling cold. She wasn't dead…he could still feel Bulma faintly in his mind; it was just that she didn't seem to be thinking or feeling anything. It was like she was frozen…or asleep.

Goku vaulted to his feet and jogged down the hallway towards the control room, almost running into Nappa who was heading the opposite way, a rather suspicious looking smirk on his face considering the circumstances. The burly saiyan snarled at Goku and continued past him, his heavy footfalls echoing loudly in Goku's ears long after he'd past him.

"Vegeta!" Goku all but shouted as he opened the door to the control room and bounced in as eager as a puppy. He knew he should have been worried about Bulma - and he was, it was just that the prospect of getting a chance to fight Frieza was exhilarating. A fight such as the one they were planning happened only once in ones lifetime.

"We'll have touched down within minutes Kakarot! Hold your horses!" Vegeta glared at him, but the look of excitement was present in his eyes as well. Even if he and Vegeta didn't see eyes to eye all the time they were both still saiyans and the prospect of a good fight was just as exciting to them both.

Goku sobered as something strange flickered through his mind. It was Bulma's presence and yet he couldn't seem to make sense of her thoughts. She was radiating nothing and yet her mind was so full of thoughts that he couldn't even begin to follow them. With a sick feeling in his stomach Goku steadied himself against a wall and focused on Vegeta's concerned face.

"I have to get to her soon Vegeta; I think she's dying." Goku closed his eyes and concentrated on reaching Bulma through the tangle of thoughts she had surrounded herself with.

~*~

Ocean pulls me close

And whispers in my ear

~*~

Bulma couldn't feel anything. She was conscious enough to know that she could no longer touch the floor of the room and that she was dog paddling to keep herself afloat, but she wasn't aware of much else except the freezing cold. She kept remembering things about Earth, things that shed taken for granted like coffee, trees, animals and the sky. Everyday things that she'd never once thought about now seemed so important.

The water was so cold. Bulma knew her entire body was being racked by small shivers even though she couldn't feel her limbs…but she was unable to warm herself up…and she was so tired…so very tired…if Goku didn't come soon she probably wouldn't see him again…it was so hard to keep her eyes open….

With a strangled gasp Bulma's head disappeared beneath the surface f the water…

~*~

Planet Frost was everything Goku had imagined it would be - barren, cold and lifeless. The entire planet was a solid sheet of ice with metal buildings gleaming in the light of the faraway sun. It was an unfriendly and inhospitable planet.

"To reach the building where I believe they're keeping Bulma you must follow this path into that building…" Vegeta gestured. "Then you must…"

"I can sense her energy! Dimly but its there!" Goku cut Vegeta off mid sentence and leapt into the air, flying straight towards the building where he could sense Bulma at breakneck speed.

Vegeta cursed. "Go with him Raditz, if he runs into any trouble he might you to help him." He shoved Raditz after his brother, the older saiyan was only too happy to oblige and hurriedly blasted off after Goku.

Vegeta turned back to look at the gleaming Palace which spiralled up into the sky directly in front of them. "Are you ready Nappa? It's time to make that tyrant pay for what he did to our people." Vegeta crouched, ready to hurry towards the palace when he sensed movement behind him.

"What are you…?" He started to turn around when a crushing blow hit the back of his neck and Vegeta fell forward into a crumpled heap with a surprised look frozen in his eyes, completely taken unawares by Nappa. The bigger saiyan picked up the prone body of his prince and proceeded to head towards the palace at a more leisurely pace.

"I'm terribly sorry, Prince vegeta." He spoke to the unconscious prince regretfully. "But Frieza was right when he said that you had become soft - allowing yourself to mingle with low class saiyans and humans. I'd rather see you die a warrior then spend your life being corrupted by the weaknesses of those around you."

~*~

The destiny I've chose

All becoming clear

~*~

Goku had never felt such a sense of urgency in his entire life. His entire body was trembling with the need to find his mate as soon as possible and to rescue her from the pain she was in. Bulma's ki was faint but still discernable amongst the other ki's that he could feel moving around the planet - swarming like hundreds of vile little insects. Her aura stood out like a glowing beacon amongst the others, and he used this to guide himself towards her.

Faced with the prospect of losing Bulma, Goku had come to several conclusions on the long trip to planet Frost. The first was that he'd always loved Bulma, even on Earth when he'd been married to Chichi he had been attracted to Bulma's fun loving spirit, not to mention her good looks. When he had been a boy he'd had a crush on her, but being so young and inexperienced he hadn't known how to show Bulma his feelings and by the time he had been old enough to know what to say to Bulma he'd met up with Chichi again and had found himself entrapped in a marriage.

Not that he hadn't loved Chichi, but Bulma had been his first love and he'd never quite been able to throw aside his affection for her. He could still remember when he'd taken off her underwear when he had been a young boy - his curiosity at what made 'girls' different to 'boys' having got the better of his at that age. The memory of Bulma's body however had stayed with him all through his life - although he'd never have admitted this to anyone.

When he'd left Earth with the saiyans he had resolved himself to never seeing his friends again, and while Chichi and Gohan had been at the forefront of his mind he had thought of Bulma several times - wondered what she was doing and how she was getting along. If he'd only known what Turles was doing he would have rescued her from him and taken her away with him.

Goku entered the building where he could feel Bulma's ki emanating from and flew down a long, winding corridor, not perturbed when he saw several Frieza-like creatures scuttling out of his way with indignant shrieks. He could feel Bulma up ahead…her ki was flickering dangerously now and Goku put on a burst of speed…

~*~

The currents have their say

The time is drawing near

~*~

Bulma felt herself sink beneath the surface of the water, this time however it seemed like far too much effort to move her limbs and swim back above the water. She was so tired - so tired that all she wanted to do was sleep. There was tightness in her chest and under her eyelids she could see colours dancing.

Dying isn't so bad, Bulma thought as she felt the tightness in her chest increase. She was so cold and tired that the thought of going to sleep seemed to be much more welcoming then the thought of fighting to stay awake. All she wanted was to escape this terrible chilling coldness and forget the horrible pain which had invaded every inch of her body.

Behind her eyes lids colours exploded and her mind began to scream at her to fight, to go to the surface and get air…but it was hopeless. Her body wouldn't obey her…and even if it was obeying her it seemed so much nicer to just lie here and sleep. Somehow she knew that the pain was going to stop soon…

In the room Bulma hung suspended in the liquid, her hair floated around her face making her appear like some sort of ocean goddess. A bubble of air escaped from between her blue lips, other then that there was no movement from Bulma her life slowly slipped away.

~*~

"Bulma, no!" Goku burst into the room as he felt her ki disappear. Inside his mind it was as if someone had pulled a plug and was allowing his Bulma to drain away, he could feel her essence flowing out of him in much the same way that it had blossomed inside of him. Only this was a much scarier feeling.

He punched the two-way mirror that allowed him to see her and a cascade of water exploded through the hole he had made. Goku easily kept his feet as the torrent swept over him and caught her body as it was pushed through the shattered remains of the window. The gush of water slowly lessened and Goku lay Bulma down on the ground. She was so cold and still and inside of his head her essence had almost totally disappeared. Goku sobbed as he pinched her mouth shut and breathed into her mouth once, twice, three times then he placed his hand above her heart and sent a faint electrical ki zap into her heart.

There was no response from Bulma so he tried again, giving her the breath of life before zapping her heart. Raditz came stumbling into the room just as Goku leant in to Bulma do repeat the process, he watched as Goku placed his mouth over Bulma's, this time just as Goku drew away Bulma's whole body jerked and she began to cough and splutter. Goku tipped her on her side and patted her back as she coughed up all the frigid water she had swallowed when she drowned.

Finally Bulma slumped onto her back, breathing hard as if she'd just run a marathon. Goku sobbed with relief as he felt Bulma came rushing back into his mind. He could feel pain radiating from her and he cautiously reached into her mind and read her thoughts. After a little while he drew out of her and hugged Bulma to him. He knew from her mind how much of a struggle it had been for her to wake up; death had seemed an easy alternative to fighting for her life - but she had had a reason to fight.

She had fought for him.

"Is she okay?" Raditz knelt down next to him and met Goku's eyes. Although they'd never been close they were still brothers and Raditz knew how close Goku ad come to losing Bulma's life and his own.

"I think she's going to be fine." Goku blinked as Vegeta's ki abruptly faded. Raditz also blinked in astonishment as they realised something bad must have happened. "You should go, Raditz…"

"No." The elder of the two brothers shook his head. "You're the super saiyan, you go and help Vegeta and I'll stay here with your woman." Raditz held to his arms and offered to take Bulma from him. "I'll take care of her." He persisted when Goku looked doubtful.

"Okay." Goku kissed Bulma's lips and said a silent prayer that they'd both survive, and then he handed her limp body to his brother and stood up. "Keep her warm and if she wakes up tell her I'm coming back." Goku took one last look at his mate before turning and forcing himself to leave her.

~*~

Washes me away

Makes me disappear

~*~

Vegeta very slowly fought his way back to reality, with astonishment he found himself being held against the wall of Frieza's throne room by glowing ki restraints.

"Good morning, Vegeta." Frieza strode cockily into view, a smirk plastered on his arrogant face as he watched Vegeta's futile struggles to free himself. "It's useless to fight the ki bands, they've effectively blocked you from raising your ki so escape is out of your reach I'm afraid." Frieza cackled as Vegeta's eyes widened as he realised two things; one that Frieza was in his final form and two, that Nappa had been the one to betray him.

"Nappa!" He exclaimed as he remembered what the bigger saiyan had done to him. "How could he have done this to me? I'm his prince!" He struggled even harder against the ki restraints, determined to break free and make Nappa pay. As he struggled the object of his current rage walked into his line of sight and Vegeta began to growl and curse like a mad creature. "Nappa you fool! You've betrayed your own people!" Vegeta strained against his bonds, panting with exertion as all his efforts got him nowhere.

"No my prince, it was you who turned your back on your people! You have disgraced your heritage by fraternizing with the earth saiyan and his mate. Not to mention that you allowed Turles, a true saiyan, to be killed by the earth saiyan! Oh no my prince, it was definitely you who betrayed us." Nappa ground his teeth. Although it irked him to see his proud prince restrained like this he knew that he had to eliminate Vegeta because of his weaknesses.

"What is this 'us' you keep claiming I've betrayed? You poor fool Nappa! Don't you realise that Frieza has twisted your mind and turned you against us?" The saiyan prince gave up fighting and merely shook his head in disappointment at the man who he had thought was his loyalist follower.

"I'm sorry my prince, I truly am." Nappa shook his oafish head before gathering his ki into a glowing ball of light in the centre of his palm. He slowly raised his hand and pointed it at Vegeta. "Goodbye my prince…"

~*~

I descend from grace

In arms of undertow

~*~

"Goodbye my prince…"

Goku saw Nappa with his hand outstretched towards a restrained Vegeta and didn't even hesitate as he hurled himself at the giant saiyan, easily shoving his fist through his back and ripping out his heart with a wet tearing sound. The red lump of muscle jerked in his hand, spurting blood onto Goku's chest plate before the heart stilled and Goku dropped it to the ground with a splattering sound.

He looked up to see Nappa stumble around to stare at him in surprise. For the briefest of seconds Goku was sure Nappa was going to charge him, but then with a groan he toppled over and lay on the floor, twitching as blood pooled around his quivering form. Goku glanced away from the dead body and quickly phased over to Vegeta's side. With a burst of power he quickly powered up to Super Saiyan, not bothering to slowly build his power as he usually did, and with minimal effort he jerked the ki bands free of the wall and Vegeta sprung forward, growling with anger as he powered up to super saiyan as well - lightning crackling around him as he made a show of his transformation.

Together the two saiyans turned to face Frieza who was watching them with an amused little smirk.

"I see you've changed the colour of your hair. My, how quaint." The tyrant laughed heartily. "You don't really thing you can beat me do you?" He asked quietly, gathering his own power as he readied himself to attack. "It was a pity you killed Nappa, he was proving to be quite useful you know." Frieza waved his hand nonchalantly as he didn't really care.

Goku growled and was about to leap at Frieza when Vegeta put a restraining hand on his shoulder and pushed him aside. "This is my fight Kakarot, stand aside." His eyes glanced warningly at Goku before focused his attention on Frieza. "Prepare to meet your end, Frieza!" Vegeta powered up as high as he could go and threw himself at the monstrosity that had ruined his childhood and had forced him to live the life of a virtual slave for most of his life.

Vegeta caught the look of surprise in Frieza's eyes a split second before his fist connected with his face. When he heard the sound of bones crunching under the skin of Frieza's skin it was the best moment of Vegeta's life. He'd been dreaming since he was a small boy of the when he would make Frieza pay - and that day had finally arrived.

In quick succession he slammed his other fist into the lizard lords stomach and when he doubled over in pain he brought both of his fists down on the back of his neck. Frieza made a garbled sounding scream and quickly swung his tail around, catching Vegeta in the gut when he least expected it. Frieza roared and sprung away from Vegeta while he was doubled over in pain. Quickly he dropped into a fighting stance and waited for the growling saiyan prince to make his move.

"I must admit Vegeta, you're better then I thought you'd be, but you have no hope of winning I hope you know." Frieza jeered, his eyes mocking the little saiyan prince. It was inconceivable to even imagine that he could be beaten by Vegeta - super saiyan or not.

"We'll see." Vegeta smirked, secure in his knowledge that this time he would win. Although he knew Frieza could not sense power levels Vegeta was sure that the monster must have some idea of how powerful he was. The ability to sense power levels was something that he himself possessed - it was one of the abilities that Goku had learnt on Earth and Vegeta had had Goku teach it to him when he had first joined them in space. He could sense that his own power level was slightly higher then that of Frieza's and it gave him an incredible sense of power.

Frieza laughed softly and abruptly went on the attack. Faster then Vegeta could sense Frieza launched himself forward and punched him twice in the face, hard enough to knock Vegeta flying, but not to do any permanent damage. When Frieza phased over him and prepared to hit him again Vegeta easily rolled sideways and missed the punch, at the same time he managed to kick Frieza in the chest and send him flying. He hit the wall on the opposite side of the throne room and cracks appeared in the stone behind him, spider webbing out in all directions. Vegeta howled a war cry and charged Frieza while he was stunned, kicking him twice in the head and punching him rapidly in the chest. When he was finished blood was dribbling down Frieza's face from his nose.

With a small groan Frieza slumped forward onto the ground and his ki died back to what was normal. Vegeta looked at him lying on the ground, surprised that he had won the fight so easily…perhaps he was stronger then he had thought. With a shrug he turned away, not wishing to look at the bloodied site of Frieza lying on the floor. He considered which attack should he use to finish him off - his Gallic Gun attack or the new Final Flash attack he had been working on…

"Vegeta, look out!" Goku's warning rung out and Vegeta's eyes widened as he felt Frieza's ki flare to life again. He turned back around in a flash but wasn't prepare to find Frieza standing up again so close behind him.

"Goodnight little prince." Vegeta whispered forebodingly, a chilling smile on his lips as he formed a ki blast and shot it at Vegeta's chest. Vegeta barely had time to raise his arms to shield himself before the small but powerful blast hit him, propelling him across the floor and crushing him against the wall. Vegeta struggled under the onslaught of the ki beam but the weight of it was far greater then had imaged. It was crushing him…crushing his chest…he couldn't draw a breath…

The pain died away abruptly as the ki beam petered out and Vegeta looked up to find Goku attacking Frieza, rapidly punching and kicking the once all powerful tyrant with a ferocity that Vegeta had never seen in the earth saiyan before. Unwilling to be left out of the fight of his life Vegeta ignored the throbbing of his chest and sprung back across the room and into the fight.

~*~

I will take my place

In the great below

~*~

Together the two super saiyans were more then a match for Frieza. They pummelled him with punches and kicks until he was bleeding from a hundred different wounds. Finally when they had beaten him to his knees they stepped back.

"Admit your defeat Frieza." Vegeta demanded, ruthlessly kicking him in the stomach and laughing when all Frieza could manage was a moan. He coughed up blood and glared at the saiyans from glowing red eyes that showed no fear for his fate. "Admit you are weak!" He jeered at Frieza - turquoise eyes alight with power.

"All I admit is this…" Frieza looked away from Vegeta and sneered at Goku. "It was me who sent Turles to your planet." The tyrant laughed at Goku's outraged expression. "I gave him the seed of the tree of might and gave him directions to your planet. I could sense how powerful you were even though Vegeta kept you hidden away for me, and I wanted to see if pushing your buttons would bring out your true power." Frieza coughed up more blood and chuckled again. "I had no idea that Turles would bring back that human bitch - although I must admit watching you slaughter your own brother over her was very amusing."

"It was you?" Goku was having trouble taking in everything that Frieza was saying. It was like some bad dream that he couldn't wake up from.

"Oh yes, it was me. I had no idea of course that you'd turn out to be this strong - I might have reconsidered my plan if I'd had any idea you were going to turn into a super saiyan." Frieza climbed to his feet, wincing with pain. "I achieved my overall goal though. I wanted to change you Kakarot. I wanted to make you into a black-hearted killer - and I succeeded. Your aura is as black as mine now - you have so many deaths weighted upon your shoulders that you're doomed to an after life in hell." Frieza cackled manically as Goku began to visible tremble in rage.

"Do not pay any attention to him Kakarot, he's just trying to get you angry." Vegeta commanded, grabbing hold of Frieza's arm and twisting it up behind his back.

"It's working." Goku hissed from between his teeth. Steam was rising from his body and a fine trembling began to vibrate along the floor as Goku's power level shot right up again.

Frieza had been playing with them all along! He was the one who had been behind the Earths destruction - not Turles! It was him who was responsible for everyone's death and now, now he was saying that he had been trying to change him into a killer all along!

Frieza watched Goku's emotions play across his face and followed them with ease. He chose his words carefully as he began to speak again - determined to push him over the edge. "It doesn't matter how much you try to deny what you are Kakarot, you will always be a killer. Just like me..."

"No. He won't be." A new voice rang out and all three heads turned to look at Bulma who was lying in Raditz arms who was standing gin the doorway. She was dry now but was shivering with cold, her broken arm curled protectively against her body at she glared at Frieza.

"Goku saved my life and saved the life of many other people! The only reason he ever killed was because he thought that by killing people and doing what the saiyans asked of him that he was sparing the lives of the people on Earth. I have looked in the very depths of Goku's soul and I know that he is still good - I wouldn't love him so much if he wasn't." Bulma glared angrily at Frieza. "You have failed Frieza." She spat in Frieza's direction and rested her head against Raditz head, her eyes burning with ferocity despite the tiredness in them.

[I love you.]

Bulma's voice rang clear in Goku's head and for the first time ever he felt Bulma open her mind to him completely, holding nothing back.

[Kill Frieza, Goku; end it now.]

Bulma nodded at him once before she closed her eyes and gave into her exhaustion, sliding into sleep.

Goku looked back at Frieza, his grabbed Frieza's other arm and looked at Vegeta. "She's right, you have failed." Goku smiled chillingly down at Frieza before he and Vegeta began to pull Frieza in two directions.

The tyrant began to scream as his body pulled taunt and his joints began to separate. The muscles and sinews tore free of the bones and with a tearing sound Frieza's skin began to pull apart. The screams of Frieza increased in Volume as Goku and Vegeta both gave a loud war cry and pulled Frieza in two with a mighty heave.

Frieza's insides splattered onto the floor, as did chunks of bone and litres of blood. With a disgusted grunt Goku threw Frieza's remains onto the ground and stepped back, swallowing hastily as he looked down at the terrible sight before him. He looked up and met Vegeta's eyes and an understanding passed between the two of them - they had finally done it; they had killed Frieza and ended his reign of terror.

~*~

I can still feel you

Even so far away

~*~

A baby's cry shattered the stillness that had descended upon the scene and Goku turned around to see Zarbon standing near Frieza's throne with Raven held in his arms. The green haired goons mouth was gaping open and shut as he looked at what remained of his over lord.

"No…No I don't…" Zarbon never finished his sentence as Vegeta phased into front of him, snatched Raven fro his arms and kicked Zarbon in the neck, snapping the bones as though they were mere twigs. Zarbon never made a sound as he fell to the ground, his body twisting and snaking on the ground as he danced a macabre death dance.

Vegeta held Raven close him and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked down into her bright blue eyes and for the tiny second he was certain he could see intelligence in them. Then the child closed her eyes and snuggled down into his arms.

"I think you've made a friend." Goku had taken Bulma from his brother's arms and was cradling her against him. He walked to Vegeta's side and looked down at his stepdaughter, he knew that in her sleep Bulma could feel his relief at her daughters survival and she sighed with relief from the safety of his arms.

"She loves you a lot." Vegeta whispered to Goku, looking at Bulma with affection. "Despite all your faults she loves you."

"I know." Goku smoothed a hand over her hair and smiled gently. He looked up at Vegeta with shining eyes. "Lets go home."

Together Goku, Raditz, Bulma, and Raven left the throne room led by Vegeta. Their footfalls echoing noisily in the large room as they crossed the floor in a slow procession, watched by ice-jins who had been drawn to the room by the sounds of battle. They slowly made their way out of the castle amidst the fearful looks and whispers of Frieza's people and boarded their ship; leaving behind them the bodies of the vanquished enemies.

Although there were hard times ahead for each and every member of the strange procession that left the throne room that day, the future that stretched ahead of them looked bright for once and that was enough to satisfy each of them.

The rest is silence.

The End

A/N - Well…did you like the ending? I certainly hope you all did because although it took me about 2 months to write I think the end result was pretty good. I am going to write a Raven/Vegeta fic after this - it will be called "Sweet Heavens" and if you email me I'll be only to happy to let you know when I post the first chapter.

Thanks for reading this - it's meant a great deal to me that many of you have stayed to read this fic to the end. As always I beg you all to leave me a review and give me your opinion of this fic.