Note: I added bits and pieces from a practice story that I had written in another post.
A Father's Realization
Spoiler:
Vegeta freezes up in horror as he watches his son get impaled by the very menace who had been taunting them for the past ten days. A million thoughts zoom through the Saiyan prince's mind as he watches his son's life slowly fade away.
"After all that we had gone through, this is how it ends.." the prince thought. Despite possessing the persona of a cold blooded killer, he still secretly cherished all of the great things that his son had opened him up to during the two years they had spent together.
Burdened with turmoil, he is suddenly hit with a lively flashback.
As the door opens, the prince's heart suddenly tenses with apprehension. Surely it wasn't the thought of having to train for two years straight that had him overwhelmed with such anxiety was it?
As he takes another step forward and walks past him, it all became clear. He was the one yet again controlling his emotions as if they were his puppet. That look of confidence on his face, that expression of contentment that he resented so deeply. Just a glimpse of that low class face, was enough to promote the fear of failure, and cause trepidation.
However, everything was about to change in just two days; as the prince of Saiyans, he shall reclaim his birthright and free himself of the emotional torment that he was constantly subjected to by an unworthy scum... With that goal in mind, he confidently steps into the room.
Upon entering, the prince begins to wonder.. "What the hell is so spectacular about this place anyway. It's just an open space of absolutely nothing...Could two years in this dump really be equivalent to days out there?"
As he begins to carefully examine his surroundings, the only other person in the room with him suddenly speaks up.
"Well we better get started.... Look, I totally understand if you prefer to be alone, but just know that I'm here if you need anything...dad."
Disgusted by his son's softness, Vegeta retaliates.
"Hmph, I strongly advise that you keep your damn distance. It'll be in your best interest boy."
With that the he ventures off into the depths of the room and begins training in isolation.
As his mind falls back into reality, he is suddenly consumed by indescribable confusion. Feeling himself descend deeper and deeper into a mad pit of chaos, something inside him snaps. An odd but familiar sensation begins to consume him. It was almost exactly how he felt when it first happened; when he first transformed. The feeling of anguish, hopelessness, that internal cry out for help in desperation. It was happening all over again. This time, however, he was completely immobilized.
It was as if the ability to move itself had been disabled by all the shame that had finally caught up to him. The shame that was brought forth by Kakarot. The one who possessed the ability to outshine even his greatest accomplishments with his undeserving talent. Milestones that required blood, sweat, and tears to reach, casually swept aside by his natural gift. He made him sick with resentment, and the very thought of him made his blood boil.
But was it really the humiliation that was driving him to the damn near brink of insanity?
As his thoughts deepened, the prince was inundated with another flashback.
Standing around in the emptiness of the room he powers up in anger.
"Damn you Kakarot!!!!!"
As the enraged prince amplifies his aura of ki, the white room suddenly turns into a fiery inferno.
"Father!!!" Trunks yells as he rushes over.
He begins to panic as he sees his father's body engulfed in flames. But as he draws closer, the flames instantly disappear. Before he could even figure what had happened, he is knocked to the floor with a swift backhand to the face.
"What the hell did I tell you about keeping your damn distance boy?! Vegeta scolds furiously.
After pausing and hesitating for a moment, Trunks finally sums up the courage to try and reason with his dad. If there was anyone that was going to free his father's soul, it was going to be him, and he was determined to do it before their time in the room was up.
"It doesn't have to be this way dad... You don't have to constantly live in torment. Let it go." said Trunks while wearing a stern look on his face.
Not quite sure what his son was babbling about, Vegeta looks at him with annoyance.
"Your resentment towards Goku.. let it go dad. It's only.."
"Shut your damn mouth! Don't you dare patronize me. Who the hell are you to snoop around in my affairs hm?" Vegeta aggressively shouted with a grimace.
"This may not mean much to you, but in my eyes, there's not a warrior in this universe who wields the same degree of honor and dignity as you.. and I'm proud to call you my father.." countered Trunks with a look of sincerity simmered in deep pain.
As those words echoed on in his head, for the first time in years, the prince's unhealthy obsessions pertaining to his rival suddenly began to diminish. They were instead replaced by the pain of true loss. His son, whom he had outwardly rejected this entire time, was now gone. The one who had shown him that it was okay to grieve over defeat, while giving him the strength to prevail over his own doubts was now a mere memory that lingered on...
Such a cold and hurtful sensation that he never knew his emotions were even capable of feeling was now eating him up alive. Losing the one person who saw past his personification as a cold blooded killer and who had genuinely cared for him was not only numbing, but excruciatingly painful at the same time.
"Could this sentimental rubbish that I'm feeling be the pain of loss...? Should I at least hold him one last time...? Is it too late to set things right??"
With these questions plaguing his mind, he knew he only had one option at that point. He had to kill the one responsible for his son's death.
After realizing just how much his son meant to him, the prince regains his mobility and begins screaming in despair. It's as if this uncontrollable cry of pain was his soul's way of involuntarily releasing the desolation that he'd been bottling up all these years. From being a pawn to that loathsome Frieza, to becoming a mere second to that scum Kakarot, and now finally this.. the death of his beloved son. Someone whom he had secretly, yet genuinely learned to treasure.
As the golden aura around him intensifies, the prince ascends to a level that he had never even envisioned. His strength must have at least doubled. With currents of electricity sparkling all over him, he was awe-struck by this subtle but new form that he had assumed.
He couldn't believe it, the time he and his son had spent together in that dreaded Hyperbolic Time Chamber seemed to have actually paid off. He had done it, he had actually surpassed Kakarot.
On top of that, after enduring two years of pain, confusion, anger, and even tears, the prince had transitioned from a selfish warrior who only fought for his own pride to an honorable hero who was driven by the desire to avenge his son.
With his body flowing with unfathomable power, and his memories filled with the challenges he and his son had to overcome together in that chamber, he prepares to obliterate the seemingly invincible biological android who took his son's life.
"This is for you.. my son.." the prince thinks to himself as he charges at his opponent full force.
"After all that we had gone through, this is how it ends.." the prince thought. Despite possessing the persona of a cold blooded killer, he still secretly cherished all of the great things that his son had opened him up to during the two years they had spent together.
Burdened with turmoil, he is suddenly hit with a lively flashback.
As the door opens, the prince's heart suddenly tenses with apprehension. Surely it wasn't the thought of having to train for two years straight that had him overwhelmed with such anxiety was it?
As he takes another step forward and walks past him, it all became clear. He was the one yet again controlling his emotions as if they were his puppet. That look of confidence on his face, that expression of contentment that he resented so deeply. Just a glimpse of that low class face, was enough to promote the fear of failure, and cause trepidation.
However, everything was about to change in just two days; as the prince of Saiyans, he shall reclaim his birthright and free himself of the emotional torment that he was constantly subjected to by an unworthy scum... With that goal in mind, he confidently steps into the room.
Upon entering, the prince begins to wonder.. "What the hell is so spectacular about this place anyway. It's just an open space of absolutely nothing...Could two years in this dump really be equivalent to days out there?"
As he begins to carefully examine his surroundings, the only other person in the room with him suddenly speaks up.
"Well we better get started.... Look, I totally understand if you prefer to be alone, but just know that I'm here if you need anything...dad."
Disgusted by his son's softness, Vegeta retaliates.
"Hmph, I strongly advise that you keep your damn distance. It'll be in your best interest boy."
With that the he ventures off into the depths of the room and begins training in isolation.
As his mind falls back into reality, he is suddenly consumed by indescribable confusion. Feeling himself descend deeper and deeper into a mad pit of chaos, something inside him snaps. An odd but familiar sensation begins to consume him. It was almost exactly how he felt when it first happened; when he first transformed. The feeling of anguish, hopelessness, that internal cry out for help in desperation. It was happening all over again. This time, however, he was completely immobilized.
It was as if the ability to move itself had been disabled by all the shame that had finally caught up to him. The shame that was brought forth by Kakarot. The one who possessed the ability to outshine even his greatest accomplishments with his undeserving talent. Milestones that required blood, sweat, and tears to reach, casually swept aside by his natural gift. He made him sick with resentment, and the very thought of him made his blood boil.
But was it really the humiliation that was driving him to the damn near brink of insanity?
As his thoughts deepened, the prince was inundated with another flashback.
Standing around in the emptiness of the room he powers up in anger.
"Damn you Kakarot!!!!!"
As the enraged prince amplifies his aura of ki, the white room suddenly turns into a fiery inferno.
"Father!!!" Trunks yells as he rushes over.
He begins to panic as he sees his father's body engulfed in flames. But as he draws closer, the flames instantly disappear. Before he could even figure what had happened, he is knocked to the floor with a swift backhand to the face.
"What the hell did I tell you about keeping your damn distance boy?! Vegeta scolds furiously.
After pausing and hesitating for a moment, Trunks finally sums up the courage to try and reason with his dad. If there was anyone that was going to free his father's soul, it was going to be him, and he was determined to do it before their time in the room was up.
"It doesn't have to be this way dad... You don't have to constantly live in torment. Let it go." said Trunks while wearing a stern look on his face.
Not quite sure what his son was babbling about, Vegeta looks at him with annoyance.
"Your resentment towards Goku.. let it go dad. It's only.."
"Shut your damn mouth! Don't you dare patronize me. Who the hell are you to snoop around in my affairs hm?" Vegeta aggressively shouted with a grimace.
"This may not mean much to you, but in my eyes, there's not a warrior in this universe who wields the same degree of honor and dignity as you.. and I'm proud to call you my father.." countered Trunks with a look of sincerity simmered in deep pain.
As those words echoed on in his head, for the first time in years, the prince's unhealthy obsessions pertaining to his rival suddenly began to diminish. They were instead replaced by the pain of true loss. His son, whom he had outwardly rejected this entire time, was now gone. The one who had shown him that it was okay to grieve over defeat, while giving him the strength to prevail over his own doubts was now a mere memory that lingered on...
Such a cold and hurtful sensation that he never knew his emotions were even capable of feeling was now eating him up alive. Losing the one person who saw past his personification as a cold blooded killer and who had genuinely cared for him was not only numbing, but excruciatingly painful at the same time.
"Could this sentimental rubbish that I'm feeling be the pain of loss...? Should I at least hold him one last time...? Is it too late to set things right??"
With these questions plaguing his mind, he knew he only had one option at that point. He had to kill the one responsible for his son's death.
After realizing just how much his son meant to him, the prince regains his mobility and begins screaming in despair. It's as if this uncontrollable cry of pain was his soul's way of involuntarily releasing the desolation that he'd been bottling up all these years. From being a pawn to that loathsome Frieza, to becoming a mere second to that scum Kakarot, and now finally this.. the death of his beloved son. Someone whom he had secretly, yet genuinely learned to treasure.
As the golden aura around him intensifies, the prince ascends to a level that he had never even envisioned. His strength must have at least doubled. With currents of electricity sparkling all over him, he was awe-struck by this subtle but new form that he had assumed.
He couldn't believe it, the time he and his son had spent together in that dreaded Hyperbolic Time Chamber seemed to have actually paid off. He had done it, he had actually surpassed Kakarot.
On top of that, after enduring two years of pain, confusion, anger, and even tears, the prince had transitioned from a selfish warrior who only fought for his own pride to an honorable hero who was driven by the desire to avenge his son.
With his body flowing with unfathomable power, and his memories filled with the challenges he and his son had to overcome together in that chamber, he prepares to obliterate the seemingly invincible biological android who took his son's life.
"This is for you.. my son.." the prince thinks to himself as he charges at his opponent full force.
