AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This fanfiction is spun from a very old backstory behind some fan art I drew all the way back in 2006. I had always wanted to write it, but I didn't consider myself a storyteller so I never tried. Thank you Undo 64 for inquiring about the story behind my fan art and inspiring me to finally give it a shot.

About two months into writing this I FINALLY began watching Dragon Ball Super (I still haven't finished). I noticed some coincidental parallels between my story and several episodes, so I was inspired to incorporate some references to the show.

Special thanks to my brother-in-law Tomitaka for cross-referencing my Japanese and giving me helpful suggestions.

This fic contains swearing, nudity, and violence.

You can see some of my artwork for this fic here: atrenbeath/gallery/70153444/dragon-ball-fan-art but be warned some of the images may hint a little at spoilers.

Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super are all owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Shueisha, and Akira Toriyama.

_Prologue_

The planet was dead.

That was the simple conclusion the young man, who appeared to be around 20, had arrived at. Dead planets were not unheard of, but this one should have been home to a highly advanced civilization teeming with life. The silence was suffocating in its intensity. He crossed his arms over his white and gold armor and took in the environment, its atmosphere a murky blue-green in color. Even though the planet's sun and solar system were intact, the sky was obfuscated by thick cloud cover preventing much light or warmth from reaching the planet. The ground was coated in slick, dark ice, and his breath was visible in the frigid air.

The lone figure had followed his provided coordinates and now stood amongst the frozen trees on the outskirts of an immense city, its jagged structures and towering spires glittering like icicles against the darkened sky. It was the planet's capital, but like the other cities he had flown over, it appeared to be devoid of life. It was as though the entire planet had been struck by a sudden and catastrophic ice age, albeit a very unnatural one.

The soldier's tail tightened around his waist unconsciously. He looked up at the tall trees surrounding him, still covered in their foliage. The icicles that hung from the encapsulated trees had the appearance of smokey, translucent stone. Levitating up a bit, he grasped one of the tree limbs and snapped it off. Levitating back down, he hefted the object experimentally. He then swung the tree limb over his head and brought it down hard upon the ground. The entire piece shattered like glass, the particles sparkling in the meager light before disappearing into the darkness. He straightened and arched an eyebrow in curiosity. It was bizarre; it was as though the object trapped within the ice had been touched by liquid nitrogen, its composition fundamentally changed. He had already bore witness to many strange anomalies throughout the universe in his line of work, but this was new to him. His hand drifted up to a device that covered his left ear and eye and activated it.

"Nappa. Radditz. Did you find anything?" he demanded.

"No, Prince Vegeta," Nappa answered. I've scoured the entire Western half of the planet.

"I haven't found a thing in the Southern hemisphere." Raditz replied.

"Where does Frieza get his information anyway?" Vegeta grumbled to himself. "This was supposed to be one of the most prosperous planets in this quadrant. We can't exactly do our jobs and purge the planet for buyers if there's nothing left to purge…and nothing of value to obtain, for that matter."

"If we report back that this place was scrubbed of its resources Frieza could have our hides," Raditz muttered nervously in a crackle of static.

"Hn. Maybe. Depends on his mood," Vegeta replied, though he wasn't terribly concerned. Frieza still had use for his Saiyans. At worst they would suffer a humiliating beating. So long as they didn't blast the planet into oblivion they would have the proof they needed that this was out of their control. Whether or not that fact would work in their favor remained to be seen. "Both of you continue to transmit your findings back to base."

"Yes Prince Vegeta," Nappa and Radditz replied.

Vegeta flicked the scouter off when he heard - and felt - a deep, low rumbling. It sounded like it belonged to a large animal. Frowning, he looked off in the direction of the not too distant city when he caught sight of what must have been some immense creature barely breaching the tops of several buildings.

Vegeta's ever present scowl softened into a look of awe briefly before again hardening. "What the hell?" he whispered to himself, more out of curiosity than anything else. Apparently there was some life here after all. Levitating into the air, he flew towards the city.

He had seen countless alien animals in his travels, but it was very odd that such an enormous beast was living in an ecosystem that couldn't logically support it. Most of the gargantuan animal was obscured by the structures, but its great crest of black hair rose above them intermittently as it slowly lumbered through the desolate city. At one point, a long, pale tail rose up to whip at the air before lowering down to again be concealed below the city line. As Vegeta approached, a single, baleful red eye peered at him from between the buildings before turning its head and lumbering on.

Vegeta halted in mid air less than a mile out of the derelict metropolis, and an inexplicable chill went up his spine. He quickly activated his scouter to get a read on the creature as it disappeared behind the taller buildings. Suddenly a deafening howl ripped through the silence, startling the prince as the vibrations shook him to his very core. The scouter was still calculating as the roaring intensified, and a deep purple light shown between the buildings and illuminated the cloud cover. The rumbling suddenly stopped, and the light winked out.

Vegeta continued to wait impatiently for the scouter to deliver a reading, but none came back. His eyebrows drew together in confusion. He then blasted towards the city and touched down in seconds.

Tilting his head back, he took in his surroundings. Many of the acicular buildings were still standing, and like the rest of the land the towering edifices and spires were completely encapsulated within the strange, dark ice.

He turned his attention to the Cimmerian streets and again activated his scouter. Slowly, he turned 360 degrees while he waited for a reading. Nothing. The fractures in the rimy pavement, a result of the creature's treading, were the only indication it had been there. It was as though it had simply…vanished.

Vegeta scowled. Did I just imagine seeing that creature? He strained his hearing for several long moments. "Oh to hell with this," he muttered, again activating his scouter. There must have been something in the planet's atmosphere. This place was getting to him. "Nappa, Radditz. Finish up your recon and meet me at the planet's capitol. We're done here."

In spite of harboring some lingering anxiety over how Frieza would respond to this bizarre news, he was more than eager to leave this eerie place behind him.

_The Present_

Earth, Age 773

Six years had passed since the Cell Games, and the little blue planet had been enjoying an unheard of time of peace. As had become the annual custom in Satan City, an extravagant event was held in honor of Hercule Satan's spectacular triumph against the biologically engineered evil. The city spared no expenses: parades, floats, games, food vendors, reenactments. Everything was poured into the celebration which only seemed to become more elaborate every year.

People far and wide from neighboring cities and beyond flocked to attend the grand event, including the Z Senshi and their families. Holding no grudge against the fraudulent Satan, they enjoyed the festivities for what they were as they spent time with family and caught up with friends. Aside from birthdays, attending the event ensured a reunion between the people who had since settled into this extended time of peace as they focused on raising their families and living their lives. There was one person however who never attended the event, not that anyone ever expected him to - his own family included.

Months passed since that annual celebration. Currently the gravity simulator was engaged at 450 times Earth's normal gravity. Vegeta, clad in his usual black spandex shorts and gym shoes, was completely consumed in his brutal training regimen. He had been at it for 10 hours, not even stopping to eat.

Getting lost in all-consuming physical exertion was the only way to outpace his thoughts. He was fully powered at Super Saiyan 2, a feat he had managed not long after Cell was destroyed and his old arch-rival had passed on to Otherworld. It was only a matter of time, in retrospect. He had all the insatiable rage and unfulfillable desire in the world to fuel the transformation. Goku had died with honor, while Vegeta was forced to watch the battle of a lifetime from the sidelines.

He had fallen into a period of inactivity after that as his mind attempted to process the abrupt departure of his rival and a life stretching before him without a clear objective. After a while however, he eventually fell back into his old routine. Routine, after all, was the only thing that ever made sense to him. While it had been months since the anniversary of the Cell Games, Vegeta found his mind still lingering on it longer than he ever had in the past. Time had not made things easier. If anything, it seemed to make things harder. It was like a wound that, rather than healing over time and scarring, it remained open to slowly turn septic. Sometimes he still couldn't believe that he would never be able to settle the score with that clown.

Kakarot, he brooded as his thoughts lingered on the dead idiot. Was our rivalry so beneath your notice? Was I? To simply turn down being wished back as though it was no big deal. That bastard had no idea what he was doing to him. Vegeta's ki flared in rage at the mere thought, and he laid into the training bots, destroying them all within seconds. He dropped to the floor before walking over to the control panel and disengaging the simulator in disgust, dropping his transformation a moment later. The grueling workout had barely taken the edge off.

"Continuing on at Super Saiyan 2 with this inadequate equipment would just be a further waste of my time," he muttered as he bent down to pick up a towel before wiping his face and chest. He threw it over his shoulder, opened the door, and exited down the ramp.

After Goku had died during the Cell Games and Gohan's power soared to new heights, Vegeta had found himself yet again in the position of second best. Long since then however Gohan had failed to push himself in his training; he just didn't have the fighting heart. Coupled with his father's absence and his overbearing mother's drive for his education, Gohan's strength had all but plateaued while Vegeta never slowed down in his training.

What a waste, he thought with a shake of his head. Gohan would have made an excellent sparring partner, though Vegeta's pride would have never allowed it. Chi-Chi wouldn't have allowed it either, for that matter. He headed towards the house that had become his home nearly a decade ago.

Bulma was just getting herself a canned coffee from the fridge when Vegeta entered. She left the fridge door open and stepped back as he made his way towards it, letting her hand trail down his back affectionately when he stooped down to dig out a bottle of water. He didn't acknowledge her.

"Hey you," she she said, smiling. "I'm taking Trunks to the zoo this afternoon. I know it isn't your thing, but I'd really like you to join us this time."

Vegeta straightened and chugged back the water while she spoke. If you wanted to look at an animal in a cage you could have just stayed home, he thought accompanied them to that "zoo" once before and that was enough for him. Throngs of obnoxious humans and their noisy young milling about, gawking at wan looking beasts in enclosures. Those captive animals were a little too relatable right now.

He lowered the bottle and gave a terse shake of his head, not looking her way as he left the kitchen to go upstairs for a shower.

Bulma huffed and trailed after him. His non-verbal answer was no surprise. He almost never joined them in doing anything remotely social, not that she would ever stop extending the invitation. He had always been one to keep to himself, but he had become more and more reticent in the past few months. Lately, his withdrawal had been extending to the only two people he allowed in his circle. It wasn't an observation that gave Bulma any comfort. She almost never pressed him into social activities, but she felt this instance warranted it.

"Hey, Vegeta," she began hesitantly, as he began climbing the stairs. "Is something wrong?" She followed behind him. She didn't want to push his buttons if she could help it, but he would never open up willingly. He had been moping around for months now.

"Nothing is wrong, woman."

"Come on, Vegeta don't use that line with me because it won't work," she sighed as she followed him into their bedroom.

"I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"Things."

"Well what sort of things?"

"Nothing you would understand," he snapped over his shoulder.

Bulma recognized that edge in his voice and backed off before he shut down completely. "Alright," she said in surrender as he entered their adjoining bathroom and closed the door.

She walked over and leaned up against it for a moment, crossing her arms. "You can talk to me you know, if you change your mind." There was no reply, only the sound of the shower starting. With a weary shake of her head, she left the room to get Trunks and enjoy their afternoon together.

When they returned early evening Vegeta was gone. Bulma fumed silently to herself. It was typical of him to up and leave without notice, and it was something she had come to begrudgingly accept from him over the years, not that she had ever liked it. There had been an uptick in his sudden departures, however. Coupled with his withdrawal, and it only increased her concern. There was something going on with him, and the longer his sullenness wore on, the longer it ate at her.