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Chapter Text

There are a few moments where you drift half into consciousness where you start to feel and hear things around you. Almost like you’re still dreaming, it seems, or as if you want to crawl back into the comforting dream you had been in. Your eyes are closed, but slowly, you start to recognize the cool substance enveloping your body; you feel something closed around your mouth; you feel as though you are floating, not standing on solid ground nor lying on a bed. But you’re still hungry for the dream you just exited, wishing to go back. 

Now, however, you have an itch to open your eyes. So you do. Something heavy tries to hold them closed, but you push through, and your now fully conscious brain registers that the world around you is green. And you really are floating.

The original curiosity of what surrounds you is quickly drowned by a new feeling: fear. Something heavy and tight is wrapped around your mouth, connected to a tube which you assume supplies you with oxygen. You thrash around in the thick, liquidy substance that your body is being kept in, struggling to see where the tube leads to.

It appears you’re inside some sort of giant glass enclosure. The breathing tube is not the only one hooked up to you – several more are suctioned into your back. There is one tube-like thing near your lower back which you don’t recognize for a moment: your tail. It moves slowly in the green goop.

You feel a primal urge to get out, to escape. You are not comfortable being confined. It’s in your blood, your need for freedom. Whatever this urge is, whether it be pure need or anger or anxiety, it gives you the adrenaline boost you need to break free. You take one final gulp of air before ripping the tube away from your mouth. There’s a stinging sensation immediately, but you cannot dwell on it for long. As soon as your fingers discard the tube, you ball them into a fist and start punching the glass. With every strike, you feel your power grow. Cracks start becoming visible in the glass. Your hand has a heartbeat, but you couldn’t care less. You must get out.

With one final blow, the glass explodes upon impact and the green goo immediately bursts through, pulling you with it. Your body slaps onto cold tiles, cool air hitting your skin for the first time in you don’t know how long. You take a long, needy gasp, coughing out the thick liquid you were held in. You now lay in a puddle of the slop, your body wet and your heart racing. Glancing around, you recognize you are in some kind of laboratory. There are other glass enclosures filled with green liquid, but no life forms are detected in any of them.

You are the lone experiment in a science lab. The lone living one, at least.

It takes a moment for your ears to adjust as well, having been stuffed with goop for god knows how long. But when you adjust, regaining your hearing, the foggied sound of blaring sirens fades in. Sirens. For you. With almost comedic timing, a group of armored men burst through the door on the far side of the lab. They carry weapons and waste no time running up to you and surrounding you. They’re accompanied by scientists in lab coats, yelling to each other words you can’t make out. The soldiers aim weapons at you, all wearing the same neutral armor. You aren’t sure what exactly they fight for, but then again, you’re unsure of everything.

You stare up at these soldiers, all different races but one uniform uniting them, as they aim their weapons at you. You’re absolutely helpless. You’re weak and confused, and being surrounded by so many people, who apparently view you as some sort of threat, that doesn’t help you at all.

You open your mouth to speak, to question, but you cannot form a single word. Surely these soldiers and scientists realize they don’t need to go to these lengths? You’re assuredly not a threat. You can’t speak, can’t hear, and can barely see. Your emotions are all over the place. You’re utterly overwhelmed.

And then… the crowd splits.

Someone is yelling. Someone loud. And as you’re looking up, the soldiers split down the middle of their clump to allow someone to move through to you. He’s angry and commanding – and clearly, the soldiers fear him if they bend to his will so easily. He is in front of you in a few moments, and you understand immediately why people are so afraid of him. He stares down at you as if you’re vermin. His arms are crossed, legs far apart, mouth set in an unsettling sneer. His hair is tall, and his widow’s peak is sharp and far back. He looks short compared to the other people around him, but his attitude makes up for what he lacks in height. But when he speaks, he sounds – to you – like he’s underwater.

“Looks like we have a containment breach,” he sneers. 

You manage to make eye contact with him, still groggy and out of it. “I don’t know what’s going on,” you gargle.

“Stand. Don’t make a fool of yourself in front of these second-class Saiyans,” the man orders.

You squint your eyes at him, but oblige. You feel weak on your legs, allowing your tail to stretch out and wrap around you. It’s natural, normal. You’re about the same height as this man, but a little taller – tall enough to look down at him. “Don’t speak to me that way,” you utter.

He snarls, but turns back to the soldiers surrounding you. “Well?” he exclaims. “What are you doing, just standing there in the presence of royalty? Your princess has returned, at the same time as your prince is here too! Bow to us!”

You watch in awe as everyone either bows their head, their upper body, or kneels down to you and the man with the attitude. 

You. The Saiyan princess.

Chapter Text

Ten Years Earlier

“I just don’t know what to do with you.”

You sigh at your father. “I don’t know why anything needs to be done with me.”

“You’re a liability, Y/N,” King Vegeta responds exhaustedly. “Things are different now. With Frieza here.”

“You’re a king, Father,” you declare. “Why are you letting him boss you around?”

“You know you’re not supposed to talk like that,” he warns.

You growl. “I don’t care. It’s ridiculous. I don’t want to do his dirty slave work.”

Your father frowns. “I know. You’re a princess, anyway. A woman. Frieza doesn’t care about the women.”

“So?” you scoff. “I still want to be a fighter. But not for him. It’s him I want to fight.”

“Y/N,” King Vegeta admonishes. “You cannot be saying things like that.”

You take a deep breath. “Alright, I’m sorry.”

Your father meets your gaze. “I’ll figure something out,” he says.

“Don’t lock me away in a tower like in princess-fairy-tales.”

“I’m only asking you to trust me.”

There’s nothing for a teenage girl to do around this palace. Most of your free time is spent in your room, whether it be sleeping or painting or sparring. Yes, sparring – you did say you want to fight. And you do, in the confines of your own bedroom. You reuse an old mannequin used to display your daily outfits as your target practice, and you’ve smuggled a multitude of weapons into your room to use them – swords, knives, blaster-guns, you name it. The mannequin has gotten beaten up pretty badly over the years; you can barely tell it used to be a mannequin. 

You’re poking at it with a dagger when there’s a knock on your door. “Y/N!” Your older brother Vegeta’s voice barrels through the walls.

You sigh, throwing a sheet over the mannequin and tucking the dagger into your belt. You tug the door open. “What is it?”

Vegeta shoves his way into your room and you snarl. He thinks he’s so entitled to everything – it’s why you sometimes wish he had been sent away instead of your younger brother, Tarble. 

“I hate when you do that,” you utter.

“Sucks. Meanwhile I just got back from another mission,” Vegeta boasts. “A whole planet is gone. All thanks to me.”

You furrow your brow. “Why do you feel such pride for being a slave, brother?”

He grumbles. “A slave? This is my mission. What I was born to do. I’m a warrior, Y/N, and all you do is sit here and look pretty all day.”

“Well I’d rather be fighting,” you argue.

“Shame you’re a woman. You have a higher power level than most Saiyans.”

You arch your brow at him. “So I could be of use? I could fight?”

Your brother shrugs. “You could if you were a man.”

You shove his shoulder. “Get out of my room!”

Later on, after meandering around with no purpose due to boredom, you catch your brother with Nappa in the hallway below. You want to bother them, especially because Nappa has always been one of your favorite people, but you overhear them having a rushed and desperate conversation.

“I don’t know. That’s just what I was told.”

“And? How will that be managed? How will Y/N be told?”

You hold your breath. What are they saying about you?

“I don’t know. I couldn’t care less. It just gets her out of my hair.”

“She’s your sister, Prince Vegeta.”

“And she should have been sent away long ago. We have no need for a queen. If she stays here, just as things are, she’ll no doubt be a liability.”

“I don’t mean to question you, but she does have a high power level, doesn’t she? She could fend for herself.”

“Not the way things are. If things get worse, how will she train? How will she fight?”

“But you do believe she’s powerful.”

“There’s no doubt about it. But someone unskilled won’t help. It’s why my father wants to do this.”

“Don’t you think it could hurt her?”

“She’ll be too powerful by the end of it to recognize what pain is.”

Chapter Text

Present Day

You’ve been led up through many hallways and winding staircases to a room familiar to you. You can’t place where you recognize it from, but you make no notion of knowing it anyway.

You’ve followed the prince here – your brother, you assume – as well as a large, bald man who serves to be the prince’s aid and partner. They are both wearing Saiyan armor, you notice. It’s one of the many things you recognize, but one of the few you truly understand. 

The bald man speaks out from under his long mustache. “Everything is set. There’s a bath drawn for you in the ensuite.”

“We’ll be waiting down the hallway when you’re ready. Be clean. Don’t embarrass your ancestors,” the prince barks. “There’s armor laid out for you on the bed. Be fast.” With that, he slams the door behind you, causing you to flinch. You’re left to your own self in this room.

Another door is on the adjacent wall, and when you push it open you find the drawn bath that the bald man mentioned. You strip off the gross, damp clothes you wore in that chamber of goop and let yourself sink into the water. It’s warm and bubbly, kissing your skin eagerly as you loosen in its heat. It reminds you of baths as a child, when you were too young to wash yourself, so your aide would help wash you in a tub that seemed so much bigger to a small girl. You close your eyes, letting the nostalgia of the memory envelop you like the warm water you lay in.

That’s it. Your first real memory.

Your eyes spring open again, staring directly at the ceiling. You had an aide as a child, as a young princess. She did for you what your mother could not – an absent mother, you remember, a mother you don’t know at all. Do you look like her, you wonder? Do you look anything like your brother at all? Your father?

You use some soap to quickly clean off, then massage it into your hair as well. Once you’re rinsed and finished, you pull the stopper to the drain and stand, the cold air hitting you like a meteor. Luckily, there’s a towel set out for you. You wrap it around your body and step out, the tile floor nearly icy beneath your bare feet. You walk over to the mirror as you start rubbing yourself dry with the towel. Your face. Your body. Your features. Things you’ve rediscovered, yet you didn’t even realize they were lost. There’s some resemblance to the prince: the shape of your nose, the arch of your brows, the color of your hair. You don’t have a widow’s peak like he does. You’re probably a few inches taller than him, and more muscular than you remember. You’ve aged. So has he.

How long were you in there?

Once you’re dry, you head out of the bathroom and into what you assume to be your old bedroom. As your brother mentioned, a nearly-identical Saiyan armor suit adorns your bedsheets. It’s easy to slip on – the material of the undersuit is spandex, and the bulkier armor that you put over your chest and shoulders fits like a glove. There are boots beside your bed, thick and heavy, which nearly reach your knees. You pull them onto your feet and tap your toes in them, making sure they fit just right. They do, thankfully.

Before leaving, you glance around the old room. There’s a dresser/bureau which has a lot of clothes in it – clothes fit for a princess, you realize, but not clothes that would fit you. You used to be so different. You still don’t know how long you were in that chamber, swallowed by goop, but it was long enough that you’re much bigger and more muscular than you were when you were a princess. You close the dresser and turn to leave, accidentally knocking something over in the process.

You glance down after the thud, recognizing something that was covered in a sheet. You discover that it looks almost like a Saiyan abdomen, like a mannequin, and upon lifting it back up, determine that it is… or, used to be. It’s falling apart, discolored, covered in slices and stab marks. You run your fingertips over it, letting your hands recover memories of years lost. 

I wanted to be a fighter.

You remember the discussions, the arguments, the pride in being a Saiyan – but so much pride that princess wasn’t enough. You wanted to be out there with your brother, conquering planets, but not really. You had a secret, selfish dream – to destroy Lord Frieza and free your race. Your father had been against it; your brother, too prideful to see any other future than the one he had laid out for him then. 

It is far in the future. Your brother is different. The planet is different. Lord Frieza must be, too.

You are the next greatest Saiyan weapon.

You throw the door open and try your hardest to remember where the location that your brother planned to meet you is. Strutting down the hall, you glance around, trying to get a sense of better memory of your home. When you were very young, you and your brother used to play in this hall. Your aide would monitor you both. You remembered it was a fighting game – you would chase each other, run and hide, wrestle. One time in particular, he was so desperate to win he pulled on your tail, sending you crashing to the ground and wailing. “Vegeta!” you had yelled, which grabbed your aide’s attention.

Vegeta.

You stop in your tracks. Your brother’s name is Vegeta. How had you possibly forgotten? Your arrogant, stubborn, prideful Vegeta – your best friend and arch nemesis since day one. “Vegeta,” you whisper, tasting how his name sits on your tongue for the first time in years. “Vegeta.” Like a broken record, yet a sound so sweet you don’t want it to go away.

Hushed voices lurk around the corner, pulling you out of your thoughts. This happened often when you were younger – overhearing people speak and eavesdropping because you were nosy. This time, you recognize the voices: Vegeta and his aide, the bald man.

“She had no regard for either of us. She’s changed.”

“Well of course she’s changed! She’s more of a weapon than a princess now, you fool.”

“I understand, Prince Vegeta. But it’s so unlike Y/N. Are you not worried that she barely acknowledged you? When she escaped, it was like she’d entered a completely foreign world.”

“She was probably just shocked!”

“Prince Vegeta, I saw the way she looked at you. She had no idea who you were. She was confused. And she had no regard for me, either. She used to be so sweet with me, but now… it’s like I’m a stranger to her.”

Your heart sinks when you hear those words. Clearly, this man and you were somewhat close. And Vegeta, stubborn as he is, is quiet for a moment. The man’s words hit him close to home; he’s thinking about your interaction.

You take this moment as an opportunity to reveal yourself to them. You try to be as discrete as  possible, but you’re still a bit clumsy after not having used your legs for so long. Your brother and the bald man immediately look up at you, and your face goes red with embarrassment.

“I didn’t mean to take so long,” you mumble.

Vegeta huffs. “Whatever. We have places to be.” He turns on his heel, presumably marching towards the exit. The bald man looks after him, about to follow, when you open your mouth again.

“Vegeta.”

The prince stops in his tracks, his head slowly revolving on his neck to look back at you. There’s fire in his eyes, as always, but something else as well: surprise. It’s the same look spelled out all across the bald man’s face, as he has turned back to look at you too. 

Vegeta stands straight. He looks at you in awe for a moment, then back at his companion. “I told you she didn’t forget,” he grumbles.

“No,” you interject, “he was right. I’ve forgotten everything. But you, Vegeta… you’re hard to forget.” You muster a smile. He does not reciprocate, but he doesn’t have to. 

You’re his sister. You understand.

“But you did lose your memory,” the bald man mentions. You nod. “What have you remembered?”

You think. “I’m the princess, and a Saiyan, and Vegeta is my older brother. And… Dad put me in that chamber to change me, make me stronger. So I could fight. I wanted to fight,” you recall. I wanted to fight Frieza, you think, but choose not to say aloud. 

“Your name?” Vegeta asks.

You can only shrug in response.

“Y/N,” mentions the bald man. You breathe a sigh of relief – the most important part of your identity, come back to you. “Do you remember me?”

“You and Vegeta fought together,” you mention. “I wanted to join you two.”

“Nappa,” the man introduces, and it feels as though a hundred memories come back at once, overwhelming you. You loved Nappa; he was like a cousin to you and Vegeta. He was always loyal and very strong.

“I remember you having hair,” you tease. Nappa smiles back at you, kind and nostalgic.

Vegeta grunts. “We have places to be,” he barks, and you follow him down the hallway and out of the castle, Nappa close behind.

Chapter Text

Ten years earlier

“Time and time again, you monkeys surpass my expectations.”

Lord Frieza gives a little giggle, amused at the atrocities committed by your brother and his team. You sit in your throne next to your father, your brother’s momentarily empty next to you, trying not to strangle the life out of the insufferably infuriating dictator who has assumed rule over your planet. Everything about him makes you hate him more. If you were in your father’s position, you’d go nuts. Hell, you already are, and you’re not even king!

“Thank you, Lord Frieza,” Vegeta projects, still down on one knee as a sign of respect to the frost demon. His comrades, Nappa and Raditz, are on their knees in bows on either side of the prince.

“Very good. I’ll send out your next assignments within the day, monkeys.” Frieza giggles again and is off. “Farewell!”

As he exits, your lip twitches in a sneer. It isn’t a secret that you hate Frieza. It’s not like anyone likes him, but the other Saiyans fear him – and you can’t lie, you almost do, too. You try to stay quiet in the open about your hatred, but behind closed doors, you are absolutely free of fear. You fiddle with the necklace sitting on your chest, scowling all the while

“Y/N, don’t make that face,” your father mutters aside to you.

“You’ll get us all killed,” Vegeta calls from across the room as he climbs to his feet. You sigh, rolling your eyes in response.

“Listening to you kiss his entire ass makes me sick,” you grumble.

“Y/N,” your father sternly says.

Glancing back at your brother and his comrades, you see a look of shock on Vegeta’s face, surprise on Nappa’s, and… almost amusement on Raditz’s. Raditz, your brother’s age, has always intrigued you. The fact he, as a mid-class warrior from a low-class Saiyan family, is fighting alongside your brother – the prince – astounds you. You can’t imagine what his power level must be. Does he compare to your arrogant brother in terms of power and strength? You don’t know, and aren’t sure if you ever will, but that won’t stop your curiosity.

Your father clears his throat. “We need to discuss some things,” he discloses to you and your brother. “Nappa, Raditz, you are dismissed.” The other two men nod and head out, but Nappa gives a look to your brother, and then to you. He knows.

You know, too.

Whatever he and your brother were talking about that you overheard recently… that’s what this is about.

Your father stands, and you do as well. Your brother walks closer to both of you. There’s a sad look in your father’s eyes, almost grieving something you’re unaware of now. He swallows. “I’ve come to a decision,” he begins, “and believe me, I did not come to it lightly.”

You take a deep breath. “What is this about?”

“I don’t know how safe it is for us to keep this dynamic. I want you to be safe, Y/N. But the way things are going… I can’t say I see that happening. I don’t know how safe anyone will be.”

You set your brow. “Father. What are you saying?”

“You want to fight,” Vegeta interrupts. Surprised, you make eye contact with him. “You’re untrained and unsteady. But your power level is admittedly high for a female. Our army needs someone like you… someone like what you will become.”

“You want me to train?” you ask, turning back towards your father.

He hesitates. “Not… exactly.”

You’re about to interrupt, ask what that means, but your brother pipes up before you have the chance. “You’re going to be our next greatest weapon, Y/N. A bio-mutated Saiyan warrior.”

As flattered as you are, you’re mostly disturbed. “Why wasn’t this discussed with me?!” you exclaim. “Why am I the test subject of this experiment?”

“It’s the only way to protect you,” your father elucidates. “And it’s the best way to increase the power of our army.”

“I don’t need protection,” you object. “I’m perfectly capable of fighting, I’ve trained myself–”

“You are nowhere near ready to take on Frieza with your minimal at-home training and fighting skills,” Vegeta admonishes. “If that’s what you want to do, you should consider this. You’re a woman. You’re not meant to fight. But Father has found a way.”

Exasperated, your dad looks at you with pleading eyes. “You’re a huge hope for our race,” he mentions.

You bite the inside of your cheek, unsure of what to make of this discussion. “Why me?” you ask again quietly.

“You’re the face of our people. You’re loved by all Saiyans,” the king explains. “If war breaks out now, you could be one of the first targets. If Prince Vegeta and I are taken down, you will be the last hope. We want you safe. The Saiyans want you safe. Please, Y/N. You must at least consider.”

Your father is right. All you want is to defeat Frieza, and of course you can’t do that alone right now. You probably wouldn’t be of much help at all right now. What choice do you have? This could be what defeats Lord Frieza. This is what’s best for your family, for your people. You may be mutated, changed… but that’s what could spark a real change, isn’t it?

You take a deep breath and slowly exhale. “What do I have to do?”

Chapter Text

Present day

“Frieza thinks you’re dead,” Vegeta explains as you make your way to your pods. Your mission today is to conquer another planet for the frost demon – something you do not want to partake in, but you must go with your brother nonetheless. He has already given you a scouter – it’s green, and you fit it over your ear so it covers your left eye. You can see power levels with this – and Vegeta’s, while you have nothing to compare it to, seems pretty high. “He’s thought that for the last ten years while you were in containment.”

Ten years? you think, only now having it revealed that that’s how long you were away. Mutating. “What about our people?”

“As far as I’m aware, that’s what they knew, too,” Nappa clarifies. “Was it something they believed? That’s a different story.”

“Just ask the Runt. He'll be coming along with us,” Vegeta scowls.

You remember how Raditz used to be called that. Your heart flutters at the thought of him, for some reason, and you can’t help but wonder how he’s been. He’s just as regular a civilian as any other Saiyan – you shouldn’t be surprised that the secret wasn’t revealed to him. It isn’t like you two were close or anything; he wasn’t even close with your brother, but they fought together, conquered together. He was the closest thing Vegeta had to a friend other than Nappa. Not that they particularly got along, but it was good enough.

“You still work with Raditz?” you ask, trying not to sound surprised. 

Vegeta huffs. “Yes. Somehow he’s still alive,” he mutters, unamused.

“I guess he’s not that much of a runt,” you quip, to which Vegeta growls at.

“Shut up and get in the pod, woman. The coordinates are already coded.” He hops into his space pod, not waiting for you or Nappa to follow suit. “I’ll see you fools–” he calls as it snaps shut, keeping him and his air supply untouched by space– “when we land.”

You watch as he heads off, impatient for the mission, regardless of whether or not you and 

Nappa are following. Nappa gives you a look, and you can’t help but smile.

“Ten years and he hasn’t changed at all,” you utter. Nappa stifles a laugh and you both climb into your separate pods.

When you arrive at the set coordinates, landing not too far from your brother’s pod, as well as Nappa’s, and another without a Saiyan inside, you climb out into thick vegetation, only finding your way through the brush due to the path left by another, much bigger Saiyan. You hear maniacal laughter before you see the culprit – sounds of a mess, and two sets of laughs. Landing in the clearing, you find your brother ahead of you, wiping a mess from around his mouth and laughing. To his left is another Saiyan chuckling alongside him, clearly amused with whatever just unfolded.

“Vegeta, what are you doing?” you call, disinterested and bewildered. 

Both Saiyan’s heads snap in your direction, clearly unaware that they were being observed. Vegeta looks miniature compared to his comrade, who has a big build, bigger hair, and a personality almost as big as your brother’s. You try not to look surprised, but your race doesn’t change as they age – Raditz looks just as recognizable as he did ten years ago. The moment you see him, you associate this look with that name. You know it’s him, but don’t remember very much about him. Are you recognizable to him? You have the same face, but your body looks different, and so does your hair. You’re stronger now, built to be a weapon. A secret weapon. Which is exactly why Raditz meets your eyes with a look of bewilderment.

His smile immediately drops when he sees you, mirroring Vegeta’s reaction. Your brother immediately starts yelling at you, telling you you’re ruining his fun and to get to work, use your skills, blah blah blah. You can barely hear him over the loudness of Raditz’s expression. He makes no effort to move or speak, just stares at you with wide eyes and furrowed brows. You don’t want to look away.

“Are you listening to me, woman?!” Vegeta sounds far away. Out of the corner of your eye, you see him advance towards you – he’s about to strike you, but you turn to face him just in time, your incredible reflexes allowing you to block his strike and instead, strike him back. A second later, as he’s wincing and grabbing his side, you gasp.

“Oh my god, Vegeta, I didn’t mean to!” you exclaim, rushing over to him. “Are you alright? I’m so, so, so sorry. It was just my first instinct. I really didn’t mean to–”

He brushes you off of him, spitting at your feet. “Whatever. We know you work, at least,” he mutters.

“Who the fuck is that?” Raditz raises. It’s the first thing he’s said since you arrived. 

Behind you, Nappa stumbles into the clearing. “What’s going on?”

“She attacked me,” Vegeta asserts. 

You shoot him a look and turn back to Nappa. “No, he tried to attack me first. I just blocked his strike. I didn’t mean to hurt him… it was just my reflexes,” you explain.

Nappa chuckles. “Those ten years in the chamber definitely did something.”

Behind you, Raditz scoffs. “Okay, yeah, let’s just ignore Raditz when a random woman shows up to complete a mission with us,” he mocks.

Nappa furrows his brow. “I’m surprised you don’t recognize her.”

“Considering you spent all day staring at her whenever you came to the palace to report to Frieza,” Vegeta quips.

You make eye contact with Raditz again, and you stare at each other in silence. You’d forgotten how comforting his eyes used to be, the secret somewhat-admiration you used to have for him. It makes the fluttering in your chest come back. Why do you feel this way? 

You can pinpoint the exact second he realizes who you are. This realization leads to what seems like… anger. Discombobulation. “No. Y/N died ten years ago. You said she did.” He shoves a finger in Vegeta’s face. “Your father broadcast it across the planet. We mourned her. All the Saiyans mourned her.” He swallows and glances over at you. “That is not Y/N.”

“Get your fat finger out of my face,” Vegeta growls, swatting his hand away.

“It’s nice to see you too, Raditz,” you breathe. You understand his anger – knowing the leaders of your society lied about something so important would be heartbreaking. You’re heartbroken it happened in the first place. If your leaders lie about something that big… What else are they lying about?

It was the best thing that could have been done for you, though. And overall the best for your people. You can protect them now.

“We have a mission to complete, you know,” Nappa huffs from behind you. He directs this attitude at Raditz, who rolls his eyes and begins moving through the jungle towards where you believe civilization to be.

Your brother assumes the lead, with Nappa joining him by his side and you following close behind. How ridiculous, they thought, it would be to have Raditz lead the group. Raditz the Runt. You aren’t even sure why they call him that. You and him walk side by side, and you can’t help but feel that he’s… anxious. Scared. 

“King Vegeta told us you died,” Raditz mutters so quietly you can barely hear it.

You don’t look at him, but you respond. “I remember. I didn’t want that.”

“So why?”

You sigh. “It had to be done. It wasn’t my choice.”

He knows he can’t argue with you there. “Why was it done?”

“I don’t know if I can say,” you hesitantly respond.

He’s silent for a few moments, but he pulls a chain out from underneath his shirt, clipped around his neck. There’s a flashy charm on the end, but you only see it sparkle in the light – you can’t catch a good look at it. He makes sure you see it before tucking it back beneath his armor. “I kept it all this time.”

You don’t know what he’s talking about. You have no idea what that is.

“Runt! Are you addressing the princess improperly?!” Vegeta barks, turning on his heel. Raditz freezes for a moment, but pushes past soon after. Him and Vegeta are very no nonsense with each other, you’ve realized. They always have been. And Vegeta has always been no nonsense when it comes to the subject of you.

He’d never let a lower class Saiyan near his sister.

Chapter Text

Ten Years Earlier

You only ever really get quick glimpses at Raditz when he visits the castle after a mission. He reports directly to either your father or Lord Frieza himself, whenever that cretin decides to grace you with his presence. But your day is always made better when you see Raditz in the great hall.

You like exchanging short glances with him. Like there's something going on that only you two know about – your little secret. And that’s exactly how you feel this is. Your older brother’s friend is your secret little crush. Your secret, unrealistic little crush.

You’ve understood the concept of crushes, but it’s not regular for your species to feel true attraction and affection. Couples are together solely to reproduce. It’s why your mother isn’t in the picture. And it’s given you a skewed version of what love should be – but you’ve heard tales. The stories of other species, whose hearts flutter in their chests when they see someone they love. And you feel that little flutter every time you and Raditz briefly lock eyes. Does he feel that flutter? Do any other Saiyans, which you’ve been taught otherwise? Or do they feel it and just repress it?

Today, you know Raditz and Nappa will be joining your brother in reporting to Frieza. They’ll all be in the great hall, you and your father sitting at the top with Frieza. When Nappa and Raditz are dismissed and leave your brother, they’ll have to walk out – past one of the guards standing at the entrance of the hall. You have a plan, and you must execute it perfectly. You don’t know when your next chance to see him will be. After all, your staged “death” is supposed to be next week. They’ll lock you away for god knows how long. By the time you get out, you might not have a chance.

You approach the guard before you have to be in attendance. Frieza will be here any minute. “Excuse me,” you whisper. The guard is at attention.

“Yes, your majesty?”

You hand him a folded slip. “When the Saiyan Raditz leaves, please give this to him. Tell him it’s urgent.” The guard nods in acceptance. “This is to remain confidential,” you warn.

“Of course, your majesty.”

You’re sitting on your throne as always when he arrives. Your first instinct is to play with the necklace sitting on your chest, but it wouldn’t be ladylike of you, sitting on your throne and fumbling with your necklace. You subtly rub your fingers together instead, your hand aching for the charm on the chain. Is it just you, or does Raditz look particularly magnificent today? He catches you looking, but you don’t look away. He does first. Frieza is lecturing the men, but you have a feeling Raditz isn’t paying attention. 

“I’m sorry, monkey, do you have something to say?” Frieza taunts. Raditz’s eyes go wide, and your face goes red with embarrassment. “Yes, monkey, you!” Lord Frieza directs his words at the long-haired Saiyan. 

“Nothing to say, my Lord. I apologize,” Raditz mutters dejectedly. 

Frieza lets out a harumph before continuing. “This is your only warning, monkey. You’re lucky I like you.”

Raditz bows to the frost demon to appease him. You’ve seen Frieza’s wrath firsthand – Raditz really did get lucky. You can’t help but feel a little guilty. Raditz stares at the floor for the rest of the time he’s in there.

When Frieza is finished, he lets out his signature annoying-bitch giggle and leaves hastily. You hear your brother scolding Raditz as Nappa stands and watches – you turn an ear to them. It’s all you do nowadays: eavesdrop.

“Are you insane, Raditz? He could have killed you.”

“It won’t happen again.”

“Damn straight it won’t. I better not catch you making eyes at my sister again. Don’t act stupid. You know what you were doing.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“You’re a runt. A mid-class warrior. You think that’s gonna land you the princess of all Saiyans? Well, you thought wrong.”

Raditz doesn’t respond. A pit forms in your stomach when you hear your brother’s cruel words. You want to tell Raditz not to listen, that it’s not true, but it’ll all be for naught anyway.

“You’re dismissed.”

Raditz wastes no time getting up and leaving. He doesn’t bother to look back. The pit in your stomach deepens as the door shuts behind him. Your brother, on the other hand, is still far away from you. He looks in your direction, and even from far away, you can tell there’s fire in his eyes. 

You stand and begin for the courtyard, not telling anyone your plan. “Where are you going?” calls your father. 

You huff. “Away.”

“To your room?”

“Sure,” you call back, nearly at the back door to the throne room.

“She’s just disgusted by Raditz’s advances,” your brother chimes in.

“I am not. He wasn’t advancing anything,” you scoff.

“Oh really? I know you saw the way he looked at you,” Vegeta grumbles.

“Shut up Vegeta,” you yell before leaving. You exit the room and look both ways, making sure no one is secretly watching or approaching. You mentioned you were going to your room, but that’s not true at all – no, you’re meeting Raditz in the courtyard outside of your room, and to get there, you have to head the opposite way.

You’re heading down the hallway when you hear your name being called and freeze. “Princess Y/N?” It’s Nappa. You slowly turn towards him.

“Nappa? What is it?”

“Where are you going?”

You stare at him in silence. He knows what’s going on.

“Nappa, please don’t tell anyone.” You take a step closer, pleading.

He offers you a weak half-smile. “That’s all you had to say,” he utters. “Your secret is safe with me, your majesty.”

You smile. “Thank you forever, Nappa.” With that, you turn back around and hurry towards the courtyard.

When you arrive, you’re face-to-face with Raditz’s big hair. He doesn’t realize you’ve arrived until you clear your throat – he startles, turning to face you. “Princess Y/N,” he mumbles, his eyes wide. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes,” you admit. 

“You could’ve gotten me killed before,” he breathes.

“I didn’t mean to,” you protest. “It’s not my fault you can’t stop staring at me.”

He averts his gaze. This is the first time you’ve seen him be so submissive. Usually he’s big and bold, arrogant and rude, but he’s softer with you. At least, for now.

“Why did you call me here?” he mutters. “Your brother will kill us both.”

“That’s why he doesn’t have to know,” you say quietly.

“You always look at me like I’ve done something wrong.”

You furrow your brow. “That’s not how I intend to look at you,” you object. “You’re so far away, you must not be seeing me correctly.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You don’t dislike me?”

You shake your head. “There isn’t a Saiyan I dislike. I’m not like Vegeta.”

Raditz lets out a soft chuckle. “You’re right. You’re nothing like him.”

“When’s your next mission?”

“Tomorrow. I leave midday,” he informs you.

You anxiously reach up, grasping the charm around your neck. “Will you be reporting to Frieza here at the palace?”

“I’m not sure yet,” he explains. “I don’t always report back to him. Sometimes just your father. Sometimes even your brother and Nappa.” He exhales. “I’m lucky to be in good standing with Lord Frieza. But he doesn’t give second chances.”

“We’re all lucky to be in good standing with him,” you murmur. “He’s not the only one you’re in good standing with, though.”

Raditz’s mouth almost curls upward into a grin – something so slight you barely even notice it. In the few mere seconds you stare into each others’ eyes, you feel like years pass. You see so much more than chocolate irises – you see a dedicated man, a courageous one – you see endurance and strength and a warrior.

“I should probably go. I don’t want to be caught,” he mentions, pulling away from you – you didn’t even realize how close you were. You feel your cheeks burst into flames. 

“Oh, yes. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Raditz questions. “You’re the princess. I’m grateful to even be in your presence.”

This admission makes you heat up even more. “So you’re saying you’ll see me again?”

He smirks. “If you’ll allow it, your majesty.”

Chapter Text

Present Day

After begrudgingly helping your brother and his team take over the planet, you can’t help but feel that Raditz isn’t who you always thought he was. He seemed to enjoy what he did – ruining the lives of the native people who lived on this planet, enslaving them, turning them to Frieza. Since you’ve been gone, he’s really turned into a typical Saiyan warrior. But maybe this is who he always was. That thought process just isn’t believable, though. His arrogance is much like your brother’s, but he and Nappa still dog Raditz for being lower class. 

You can’t lie, it feels good to be powerful – you’re truly the weapon you were built to be, less of a princess and more of a warrior, like you always wanted – but you despise the means taken to get to this spot. You hate what you must do in order to reach the top. In order to get close enough to Frieza to obliterate him.

“Lord Frieza called us back to Planet Vegeta,” Nappa quips after the four of you have sieged another village.

“All units,” Raditz adds.

Vegeta scoffs. “He can’t tell me what to do. I’m having fun here, can a prince not enjoy himself from time to time?” He rolls his eyes at the prospect of obliging Frieza’s wishes. It almost makes you smile.

“Vegeta’s right,” you agree. Nappa and Raditz turn to you, almost surprised. “What? It’s not like I love the guy. That’s something I didn’t forget.”

Nappa shrugs. “I’ll take orders from the prince, not the frost demon.”

“Well, I’m not going back alone,” Raditz chimes in.

Vegeta makes eye contact with you, and you can tell by the look on his face that he appreciates you backing him up. “Well, I’m hungry. Woman, come with me, we’ll find something to eat.”

You realize now that you haven’t had true sustenance since before you were locked away in the chamber. Your mouth waters at the prospect of food, making you surprised that you haven’t been hungry – and have had energy this whole time. 

“Nappa, Runt, go west and conquer the remaining villages. If anyone opposes you, show them that Saiyans mean business,” your brother orders.

“Yes, sir,” the two men say in unison, and Vegeta begins marching off in the opposite direction that Raditz and Nappa are heading in. You hurry to catch up with him – for someone so small, he’s actually quite fast.

After a few moments of quiet, you find words rising in your throat, having the urge to spit them out before Vegeta. “Do you remember when we were kids, and we used to play-fight in the halls?”

Vegeta sneers. “I was never playing,” he chuckles. “I was trying to exterminate you.”

“That either makes you very weak, or me very strong,” you smirk.

He responds with a snarl.

“My aide hated it,” you reminisce.

Vegeta barks out a laugh. “She hated our fights. She was so strict for no reason,” he remembers. You continue walking, chuckling to yourselves for a few moments. “Is it true,” Vegeta quizzes, “that you don’t remember her name?”

You draw your mouth in a line, being unable to think of her name for the life of you. “I don’t remember a lot,” you admit. “The memories are still coming back to me.”

“Her name was Toma,” Vegeta mutters. He slows his pace. “But you remembered me?”

You’re hard to forget. “When I broke free, and you showed up… I had no idea who you were. I had no idea why I was surrounded, and why the soldiers were listening to you. I only knew you were the prince because you said so. I only knew I was the princess… because you said so. And I didn’t realize you were my brother until I connected it myself. But… I didn’t remember your name, or your personality, or the memories we share. None of it,” you explain. “I mean, obviously, the memories started coming back to me. Certain things triggered them. I remembered, when I took a bath, how Toma would bathe me. And that made me remember our mother, or our lack of one. And I didn’t remember what I looked like, but I looked in the mirror and looked like you. And I walked down the hallway, and remembered how we played. And how I’d yell your name. And I remembered your name.”

A look of astonishment adorns Vegeta’s face. “You’re rambling,” he says.

He used to say that a lot, you realize, unlocking more memories. You particularly remember staying up late with him, yapping about the curiosity of Saiyans and romance over a late-night snack. You chattered, “I just don’t understand. Did Dad not feel anything towards Mom? Will you or I never feel love? Why is that so? What’s the point of reproducing if you don’t care for the person who’s fifty percent of your offspring?” to which your brother responded, “You’re rambling.”

You smile. “I remember I rambled a lot.”

“Some things never change,” Vegeta says with some semblance of a smile.

“I’ve noticed that, too.”

You and Vegeta are walking back to the pods with full bellies and smiles on your faces, only to see that Raditz and Nappa have made it back before you. Raditz is a bit scratched up, but Nappa seems fine – expected as a result of conquering another village. But you look closer and see them trying to fix something, working on one of the pods. Its metal is ripped apart, and they’re poking and prodding around inside. There’s smoke coming from the area they’re working on.

“What’s going on here?” calls Vegeta, resigning his smile for a furrowed brow and frown. He strides towards the other Saiyans, and you’re on his tail to find out what’s the matter.

Nappa moves to look at you. “Your majesties,” he greets. “The mission is complete, and we were going to start the pods up to head to our next target, but something is wrong with Raditz’s. We’re trying to fix it.”

“How did this happen?” you quiz, pushing past Nappa and your brother and moving next to Raditz to get a first perspective of what the issue is. There are tangled wires and small, flashing lights inside the hatch, and the smoke is coming out of some compartment behind the wires. 

“I don’t know. I tried to start it and it wouldn’t budge. I saw the smoke and opened the hatch,” Raditz explains.

“Let me try something.” You reach into the hatch, but Raditz’s eyes go wide and he grabs your hand, pulling it out. You look at him with astonishment. Did he just–

“The wires might be live. Don’t reach in there,” he warns.

“I’m a bio-weapon, I’ll be fine,” you respond, shaking him off of you and reaching around inside the hatch. Torn wires prick at your skin but don’t electrocute you – you attribute this to the changes that were made to you while you were in the chamber. You’re resistant to so much now. You twist at the screws keeping the back compartment closed, prying it open and squinting to see inside. It’s the system overdrive – the system has started failing due to faulty parts and no maintenance. You mention your findings to the group and brainstorm what to do. 

“Well, is it usable?” Nappa asks.

“It might be able to get you to the next place, or back home, but not both,” you deduce. “She’s out of commission after the next trip. We don’t want you getting stranded in space.”

Raditz looks completely baffled. “How do you know all of this?”

You grin. “I got bored just sitting in my throne, of course I went and learned things.”

“Did Vegeta?” Raditz cracks.

Vegeta is obviously not amused.

“He’s not an idiot,” you argue. “Sure, he’s a bitch, but he’s a smart bitch.”

“Shut up! Both of you!”

You look back at Raditz and smile as your brother has an outburst. “Okay, okay, let me see if I can patch this up to get you back home. You can commission a new one there. I can’t fix it, but I can stall this so it doesn’t explode while you’re inside of it.”

“Prince Vegeta and I will head back home to make our reports to Lord Frieza. Meet us back there when you can,” Nappa announces. Hands occupied, you can’t wave, so you give him and your brother a nod to send them off. They hop into their own pods, start them up, and before you know it they’re in the atmosphere of this planet, heading all the way back out. 

You’re still fiddling around inside the hatch to make the temporary fix. The wires spark at your skin, and it’s annoying, but you’re not in pain. This isn’t something a regular Saiyan could do – but you’re nowhere near a regular Saiyan.

You make one final twist, a last poke and prod, and the smoke starts slowing down. It eventually stops – you’re not sure how long that will last – so you take the opportunity to shut the hatch and seal it back up. You give it a little pat and smile at Raditz, who’s towering over you right now. “She’s hopefully all good. She’ll last till we get home, as long as you don’t go off course.”

“Okay. Thank you,” he says quietly. You offer him a smile and start heading to your own pod, but you stop in your tracks when he speaks up again. “You really lost all your memories?”

You shrug. “They’re coming back. Slowly, but surely,” you offer. “You were the first person I really recognized. And I know I liked you. I don’t remember, but I just felt that I did.”

He hesitates. “I pray you do remember,” he mutters. “I’ll see you back on Vegeta.”

You offer him a wave and watch as he gets into his pod. You follow his actions and start up your own. The coordinates are already set to Planet Vegeta – and you even have little trackers on the map of where your brother and Nappa currently are. They’ll be there soon. You’re closing the lid and sealing air inside, preparing for liftoff, when out of the corner of your eye you see some movement.

You turn your head towards the movement and to your surprise, Raditz is standing outside of his pod, waving his arms at you, and you nearly jump in surprise. You take a moment to open your pod and stick your head out to speak to him. “Raditz? What’s wrong?”

“It’s not starting,” he yells. “It’s completely dead.”

“Shit.” You completely turn off your pod and jump out, jogging back over to his. You don’t even stop to chat or wait for him to exit, you head right over to the panel and pry it off the side again. A plume of smoke immediately hits your face, and you duck, escaping the smoke and hacking your lungs out. Raditz approaches quickly yet cautiously.

“What is it?”

You cough, swatting the smoke away, trying to clear the air. “It’s a bust,” you let out. “I thought the fix would last – thank god it happened now instead of when we were in space.”

“I don’t have another way back to Vegeta,” Raditz voices.

You take a quick glance over at your pod, fully maintained and brand new. Your ride here was its first real usage. It’s reliable, and a way to get Raditz home. The only issue… it would be incredibly cramped.

“Yes. You do.”

Chapter Text

Ten Years Earlier

Raditz didn’t report to Frieza today. 

He must have just told your brother, but Frieza wasn’t around, so neither was Raditz. And, well, you wanted to see him. 

The palace library has records of every being who has ever lived on this planet. Raditz has to be in here somewhere. You spend your evening trying to find where he could be, and finally, finally, you find it. 

You nearly miss dinner because of this search. As you hurry down the hallway to the dining room, you lift the skirt of your dress to keep yourself from tripping. You’re out of breath with messy hair by the time you make it, and you barge into the room impatiently just as the main course is about to be served. Your father and brother look at you with bewilderment, surprised you decided to show up.

“We weren’t sure if you’d be coming,” your brother sneers. 

You take a deep breath and smooth out your hair and dress before formally sitting at the end of the table. If your mother was present, she’d be on the other end. But she’s not. You fiddle with your necklace when you remember her – it’s what you always do. A habit you have no intention of breaking.

“What were you so busy with, Y/N?” your father queries.

You clear your throat before speaking, waiting for your meal to be set in front of you before opening your mouth. “There are some things I want to finish before I… go away.”

“Like what?”

You shrug, twirling your fork between your fingers and blankly staring at the food in front of you. “I don’t know. Just things I haven’t gotten to do.”

Your relatives eat in silence. You only play with your food. The lost appetite is a result of your nerves for the future, and your excitement for sneaking out to see Raditz later. 

“How long will it take?” you ask, looking up at your father. He pauses. “The process. How long will I be away?”

He purses his lips beneath his facial hair. “I’m not sure. We’re working with a team of scientists – the best in the galaxy. They are sworn to secrecy. But they will know what’s best. I don’t think the results will be conclusive as to how long you’ll stay there for at least a few weeks.”

You make an effort to swallow a mouthful of food. It’s important for a warrior to eat, you remind yourself. “Father?”

“Yes, Y/N?”

“Why must you tell our people I’m dead?”

Your brother even looks up from his succulent feast at this question. Are you defiant for asking? You don’t think so. But Vegeta looks so surprised, and so does your father. It takes him a moment to gather an answer for you.

“If they believe it, so will Frieza. It’s important that he believes it the most,” your dad delineates. “The only way there will be absolutely zero doubt is by lying.”

“We shouldn’t lie to our subjects,” you protest. “They admire us. They look up to us. It’s wrong to lie.”

“It’s wrong to allow our people to be enslaved by a sadistic frost demon,” your brother growls.

You can’t argue with him there.

“You like going out on those missions,” you hiss.

“I like being a powerful Saiyan and a powerful example. I don’t enjoy being subjected to slavery when I am the prime fighter of the ultimate warrior race.”

“Well, what if it doesn’t work? What if we do all of this and I can’t defeat him? What if we lied for nothing, broke the hearts of all our subjects for nothing?” you cry.

“You’re rambling,” Vegeta mutters under his breath.

Your father side-eyes him and sighs. He folds his fingers together. “It’s a risk we have to take, Y/N. There are sacrifices you must make, lies you must tell, for the wellness of our people. The outcome will be far greater than the heartbreak. I promise you that.”

You swallow. This still makes you sick to your stomach, although you must admit there is truth to your father’s words. You stand from your chair, a practically-full plate of food still in front of you. “I understand. I’d like to be excused.”

“You don’t want to finish your supper?”

“I’m not hungry.” You push your chair back in and shuffle towards the door. “Goodnight.”