.

He dumped the boy unceremoniously on the ground and stepped back, his arms folded across his chest. He didn't have to wait long for the two Namekians to emerge from the confines of the palace.

He smirked at the looks of surprise on both of their faces. Piccolo stopped short and his eyes widened as he stared. "Vegeta is that…" he began.

"I don't think it's him," that was Dende now, the small god spoiling all of his fun. "Not entirely," he amended. Dende stepped over to the injured boy, crouching down, his hands already glowing.

"Dende, is that wise?" Piccolo asked, alarmed, and Dende raised his head. A small smile lit his face.

"It's okay, Piccolo," he said. He then turned back to his patient. He frowned slightly, then sighed. "I can't repair the tail," he said regretfully. He finished and stepped back again, and they all watched as the boy twitched and moaned softly. He looked up at Vegeta. "It was good of you to let him live."

Vegeta grunted. Ever since Dende got his god powers he felt like he could look right through him. It was irritating to say the least.

The boy sat up, touching his head with a three fingered hand as they watched him. The boy looked up at the two Namekians with wide eyed alarm, then turned and saw Vegeta. He let out a low cry and leapt to his feet, scrambling back from all three.

"It's okay, we're not going to hurt…" Dende began, stepping forwards.

Piccolo deflected the energy blast before it could hit Dende.

The boy panicked, full out, sending energy blasts at all three of them.

They weren't nearly strong enough to cause any of them harm, except maybe Dende, but it was enough to put Piccolo into defensive mode.

"Stop it!" the large Namekian roared. In two seconds flat he had the boy back on the ground of the palace in a choke hold. The boy cried out, biting and scratching before giving up and relaxing in Piccolo's hold with a small moan of fear.

Piccolo leaned down so that he could talk to the boy quietly. "We're not going to hurt you, but if you keep attacking us we will," he said. "If I let you go, I need your word that you won't attack us."

The boy looked up, towards Vegeta. "He hates me," he said.

"He might," Piccolo replied. "But he also brought you here to heal you."

It was like all the fight had gone out of the boy at that. "He did?" he said, utter confusion in his voice.

"He did," Piccolo confirmed. The look the big Namek shot Vegeta told him he'd better not do anything to frighten the boy again. Vegeta snorted and turned away, showing them his back.

The boy stared at Vegeta's backside for a long moment. "I promise," he said.

Piccolo let him go slowly, and stood. The boy sat up.

Dende approached then. "My name is Dende," he offered, crouching down next to the boy. "What's yours?" he asked.

The boy looked up at him, confused. "I don't…" he stopped, then started again. "Frieza," he replied.

Dende gave him a gentle smile. "You don't have any other name?" he asked.

The boy shook his head. "They never gave me one," he said. "I'm just Frieza."

"Okay," Dende sat down next to him. The boy shifted but stayed put, wide eyes studying the Namekian with curiosity. "Tell me about yourself. Where are you from?" Dende asked.

Piccolo decided the crisis was over and the boy wasn't about to attack again. He looked up to find Vegeta standing against one of the trees now with a scowl and his arm folded across his chest.

Piccolo approached with a swish of his cape. He spoke when he neared in a low enough voice that the others could not hear him. "I'm surprised you didn't kill him on sight," he said.

Vegeta was silent."I almost did," he said finally. The fact that the boy was there, and looked like Frieza in every way except size set his teeth on edge.

"What is he?" Piccolo asked.

"A clone," Vegeta replied shortly. "Why anyone would want to recreate that insufferable monster is beyond me."

Piccolo seemed to accept that. He stood, silently for a moment, watching the boy and Dende talk. "What are you going to do with him?"

"Me?" Vegeta replied. "I don't plan do to anything with the brat. Send him back the way he came!"

Piccolo gave him a look.

"What?" Vegeta exclaimed. "What am I going to do, take him home with me?"

"Would you prefer he run around on the planet unsupervised?"

Vegeta grit his teeth. "Let Kakarrot take care of him," he snapped.

"Again," Piccolo said in an amused tone of voice. "Would you prefer he run around unsupervised?"

Vegeta twitched. "You can't honestly expect me to even care what happens to the copy of that freak." He looked over where the Frieza clone sat next to Dende, and now he could see that his shortened tail was moving back and forth happily as he spoke to the young god.

"If you didn't care, you wouldn't have brought him here," Piccolo pointed out.

Vegeta glared. "Shows what you know," he said. "Maybe I just want to use the brat. It'd be fun to turn him into my own personal slave," there was venom in his voice.

He got a raised eyebrow ridge at that, but Piccolo didn't reply, just nodded once and looked away again.

Vegeta calmed down, glowering as he thought. If what the boy had said was true, he couldn't send him back into space. Even if Frieza wore body armor most of the time, the resemblance between this boy and Frieza's first form was enough to make it so the boy would never be safe. Except maybe on a planet of pacifists, like Namek, and even then they were going to remember the creature that killed most of their race. If he was stronger, maybe…

"You could train him," Piccolo offered, almost as if he had read Vegeta's thoughts. "He has a lot of potential."

"I thought training children was your job," Vegeta returned nastily. He didn't even bother mentioning the fact that training the miniature Frieza would make him just as powerful as the fully grown one. It wasn't like a fully grown Frieza would be a threat any longer, they had far out stripped his power years ago.

Piccolo glanced at him. "I can train him if you want me too," he said.

Vegeta sighed and shook his head. "I'll take him," he grumbled, pushing away from the tree.

"Brat," he said when he approached. The boy scrambled to his feet, then looked everywhere but at Vegeta. Vegeta's lip curled. "Look at me," he snapped.

The boy raised his head slowly. Vegeta's jaw set as those very familiar red eyes met his own. He was going to have to get used to it. And quickly, if he intended to train the boy. He briefly wondered if he was insane for even considering it… Frieza had made his life a living hell for 25 years and now he was going to help the pathetic weakling child version of that horrible lizard? "You're coming with me," Vegeta told him.

The boy took a step back. "Can't I stay here…?" he tried. He shot a desperate look at Dende. Vegeta made a disgusted sound and blasted off into the air.

"Go on, go," that was Piccolo now, stepping forwards towards him. "He won't hurt you," he added.

The boy chewed his purple colored lip momentarily, then reluctantly lifted into the air to follow Vegeta.

.