Since the day he could walk Prince Vegeta the fourth was little more than a puppet to the strings of fate. King Vegeta forced the young prince to put his body through torturous training that no child should ever have to endure. He was taught to trust in only himself and his own rapidly increasing power. The king raised his son to believe that all life in the universe was beneath him, and that he was truly special. He learned quickly the pledge of the saiyans; 'might makes right'.

It was a lesson he had learned perhaps a little too well. Even before his teen years Vegeta had grown more powerful and ruthless than his father, the King. When his father had seemingly perished at the hands of Frieza during a failed coup he decided it didn't bother him in the least. That only met that at last the seat of the throne was empty, and his for the taking.. But of course, why should things be any different just because the king was gone? His destiny was still not his own. Another master stepped up to tighten his collar and lead him by his leash. And it was none other than Frieza himself this time.

Vegeta assumed that perhaps with a majority of his army gone, Frieza's business with the saiyans would conclude.. How wrong he had been. He tried to feed the young prince some B.S. about how a meteor had unexpectedly hit the planet and detonated it's core on contact.. Vegeta was no fool. He saw through the blatant lie. Truth be told it didn't matter. Sure he was disappointed he would never ascend the throne and become king, but individually his people's lives met nothing at all to him. All that mattered was that he was a true saiyan. The prince of all saiyans. And he was the strongest. As long as he had his pride.. He would have purpose.

Frieza claimed himself a hero who wanted to protect and nurture the young prince as a tribute to his father. Initially Vegeta played along, purely for the sake of gaining more power. He had heard stories from his father about the godly strength of their emperor. Naturally he would jump at the chance to be around such a being and there was no denying the short term benefits were beyond his expectations. But as is too often the case in life, this seemingly beneficial arrangement he now found himself engaged in, quickly took a turn for the worst.

Saiyans were harsh, ruthless beings who wouldn't bat an eye at destroying entire civilizations if they felt so inclined. They desired only to fight the strong, to push themselves beyond their limits and they didn't care who they hurt along the way. Sure, by and large the saiyans as a whole were evil.. But Frieza was in a whole different league of dastardly and villainous. As it turned out the only reason he really wanted Vegeta around was as a pet. One that he tortured and abused at any given point in time through the many years of forced enthrallment.

Any time Frieza's mood would sour in even the slightest he would act out in any manner of deadly and cruel ways. Many were lucky enough to receive a quick death. But never Vegeta, his favorite toy. The saiyan prince could not be so fortunate. It wasn't just Frieza who enjoyed holding their power over the prince's head either.. As a saiyan he may have ranked at the top of the food chain but within the Frieza force, there were many who could and would go out of their way to make the prince's life a barely-living hell.

To Vegeta.. Frieza took something far worse than his life. He took his pride. The only thing that kept him going was his ambition of one day getting revenge against the tyrant. A rumor had come down from the top years ago that the reason Frieza had destroyed planet Vegeta in the first place was because he feared how quickly they grew and strength. He feared the coming of another legendary super saiyan, an old saiyan legend. The prince may not have been the strongest but due to his saiyan biology he began to rise through the ranks. He vowed he would find the secret to becoming the saiyan of legend. He was the prince after all.. It was his destiny.

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It had taken nothing sort of a miracle for Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz to get away from the acrosian emperor. And now the evil being was allegedly scouring the cosmos in search of the fleeing saiyans so that he may eliminate them. In Vegeta's mind this only further solidified his inclination that he was the fabled super saiyan that Frieza so feared. He would regain his stolen pride.

Frieza force spaceship: mess hall

"So you see…" Nappa's voice slowly drawed through the air as he finished explaining the origin story of the saiyan prince. "...While we all may have our reasons for doing this.. None of our resolve could ever measure up to prince Vegeta's. He'll do anything for the sake of power. As you know, saiyans get stronger in situations that are detrimental to our health. So Vegeta goes above and beyond to keep himself teetering on the brink of death. Even starve himself, and slave away in the training chamber for days on end…" He paused to gather his thoughts.

"More than any of us, he must defeat Frieza. Try to understand… He's not a bad man. He's just a little lost." The aged saiyan finished with a sigh. Even though saiyans remained in their physical primes for decades longer than most species, the man truly looked his age at that moment.

The Z-warriors were unmoving statues, soaking in everything they'd heard. They each wore somber expressions. An awkward silence filled the air for several moments. Then Kakarot stood, swiftly scooping up two trays of food. He marched off towards where he could feel the prince's fluctuating Ki.

"Kakarot..?"

"Goku!?"

"Brother..?"

The saiyan continued walking without even so much as a hint that he'd heard his allies' concerns. That was until his wife called out, "Hunny!?.." When he turned back to look at her the intensity of his fierce gaze caused her mind to go blank. She swallowed, rethinking her choice of words. It had been years since she'd seen that look, and the man's mind would not be changed.

"Just be careful ok?" She pleaded. He nodded and turned swiftly around, exiting the room with an inhuman grace and speed.

Vegeta's training chamber.

*RUMBLE*

*BOOM*

*CRASH*

"Gahh!" Vegeta gasped, as he crashed to the chamber ground, smoking and coughing up phlegm. "God.. *huff* *huff* Damn it.." He growled in between shuddering breaths. He winced as he punched the ground and forced himself to his feet. His shoulder sagged for a second and he huffed a few more times before drawing his arms close to his sides and beginning to power up. "Haaaa..!"

*Beep!*

*Beep!*

*Beep!*

"What!?.." The prince cursed. 'Who in the hell dares to interrupt me!? I swear if it's that idiot Nappa..!' He warned internally. "Come in!" He yelled angrily.

The doors unlocked and slid open with a hiss. There stood Kakarot with two full trays of food and a serious expression on his face. Vegeta frowned heavily, not sure what the man could possibly want. Kakarot wasn't as weak as the rest of them but he was still a third class saiyan, born to a peasant family. Not to mention the man seemed incompetent at best.. He was beneath the prince in every conceivable way.

"What do you want, clown?" The Prince huffed, wiping sweat and blood away from his brow. Kakarot looked the man up and down. Honestly he looked like shit. His armor was singed and cracked, with numerous cuts and bruises littering his body. The saiyan prince was pale and thin.. The man didn't even fully fill out his saiyan armor, despite his obvious muscle mass. How had Kakarot not noticed how malnourished and unwell his fellow saiyan was?

"You're gonna wanna hear what I have to say, prince. I can help you beat Frieza." The man said simply. The older saiyan's eyes narrowed before he schooled his features. "Oh really? You expect me to believe that?" He looked down at the food in Kakarot's hand. "Let me guess? I need to eat my vegetables and drink plenty of juice, is that it?" He mocked. "Beat it, I'm not hungry, and you're wasting my time." The man dismissed with a wave of his hand. He turned around to cross his arms, signaling the conversation was over.

Kakarot didn't buy it in the least. He noticed how the prince's gaze lingered ever so slightly on the steaming food, as well as the not so subtle rumble of his stomach audibly contradicting the prince's projected state of wellness. "You want power, Vegeta? I can give you that."

End of chapter 18.