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Games Without Frontiers Hans plays with Lotte; Lotte plays with Jane Jane plays with Willi; Willi is happy again Suki plays with Leo; Sacha plays with Britt Adolf builds a bonfire; Enrico plays with it * Look at them. Out in the yard so careless. That one is my son, the eldest. My wife called him Trunks, erasing any trace of my people in his title. The little one, she's my daughter, Bra. The spitting image of her mother, the personality of a manipulative predatorial animal. That's my girl. Looking at them out there now, you'd never think that a generation before, there were such tortured souls and such strict rules of conduct. Their behavior would never have been so patiently tolerated then. Simply the fact that they know me and so casually interact with me so freely is en evolution within itself between their generation and mine. Which do I think is better? Oh...that's a tough one and I would never admit to either. It's not my concern to worry about. My life has already been lived. Theirs is just beginning. What would they prefer? This life of course. I don't think anyone would want what I went through at either of their ages. What type of statement was that? Am I jealous of my own offspring? HA! That's such nonsense. But, I suppose even nonsense can be a reality. But can you blame me? Look at everything they have. They have the world before them to do as they please without a care. Such close friends who love them just for being and not for status, power or title. What do I have? Oh, I have a lot NOW. Got a wife, a good one. Got my children. Got Kakkarrot, but don't you go telling him I said that. Wouldn't want his head to get too big. But you can gather it wasn't always this way, nor that I could ever imagine I'd be here. As me as a young man and I would laugh...or blow you up...whichever I was in more of the mood for. As me as a teenager, and I'd roll my eyes. Yes, that language is so universal. As me as a child, and if I didn't like it, I'd play dumb and turn up my nose....oh wait, I still do that, don't I? * Whistling tunes we hide in the dunes by the seaside. Whistling tunes we piss on baboons in the jungle It's a knockout. * I can remember it like it was yesterday, one of the few times I got to relax on my own planet. I must've been four....which to you people on Earth would be like being about maybe 6 or 8. I was by myself initially. I had snuck out under the, at the time, watchful eye of my care givers. Those being my mother, father, Nappa, and that damn nurse. Upon hearing voices, I ducked behind a hill. I wasn't afraid, but curious. Two other children was what I saw. I didn't know them personally. Two common Saiyajin boys. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, rough housing and tumbling over each other in the grass. I was not deprived of that. My father, however, seemed most pleased when I strived to become his number two. " Over here, Edamame!" One shouted. He hid on the opposite side of my dune. He was too close for comfort yet I remained still. " No fair, Scallion! That was too fast!" The voice was that of Edamame I guessed. Weakling. To complain about the superior skill of his companion. No matter to me though. I was a Saiyajin prince...far more superior. " Then speed up!" Scallion replied. " How do you ever expect to advance at your rate?" Edamame didn't answer. But apparently he tried a surprise attack which resulted in being flipped over the hill...and on top of me! " Hey, Scallion! I found a runt!" I got up, offended they dared to be so casual with me. " You will NOT refer to me in that manner, you fool!" Yeah, sure, both boys were twice my age. So what? Scallion and Edamame didn't seem to realize who I was. " The sprout has quite a mouth on him." Scallion chuckled. Here, I had two options. One was to make new friends that would have grown to serve me eagerly. Two...was my choice. My father chose my friends for me...grown men and women who would serve me and fight at my side faithfully...and these boys were just too common. " Of COURSE I've a mouth and I'll gladly use it to put you in your place!" The two glanced at each other in amusement. I simply stood proud as my father had always insisted of me. This allowed me to show off my insignia. " Oooooh, look. It's Prince Vegeta," From Scallion. " The prince?" Edamame questioned. I crossed my arms to defend my authority. " He's so small. He has to be...what...three?" " I'm FOUR! And what I lack in size I make up for in power!" " Care to put your money where your mouth is?" Edamame provoked. " C'mon, Scallion...we can take him." " I'm all for fair fights," Scallion replied. " Not only is it below me to beat on babies...but I'm not about to chance angering Lord Vegeta by bullying his son." Despite his intelligence, something about his remark offended me. Fear of my father...while it was indeed to my advantage, it sickened me. I hated to be known simply as " Lord Vegeta's son" or " His Majesty's boy." Sure, I was proud to be his son...my pride overflowed at the knowledge that the most powerful and feared Saiyajin on the planet was my sire. But dammit...I have my own name...his name...my name. If my father had the decency to call me by name, than so too should everyone below him...which was everyone. Sorry...now I'm veering off my anecdote...my fight with Edamame...right... * If looks could kill, they probably will In games without frontiers War without tears * I obliged Edamame. Stood tall and even was gracious enough to let him take the offense. He was so sloppy...it was hard not to laugh. I dodged him easily, unaware the eyes of Scallion on me were not alone. It wasn't long before I became bored with this joke. Now the offense was on my turn. I was swift to release a ki blast, sending Edamame a good distance. I did not kill him as I normally would have. I felt gracious. Edamame groaned from the blast, sounding his surrender. Scallion paled suddenly and ran over to him. " Edamame! Get up! We have to go!" " Hnnnn..." Surely I wasn't THAT intimidating. Geez! No...no I wasn't. I was aware of it the moment the shadow cast over me. I swung around to see my father scowling down at me...and at the boys. " Father...I..." oh, if looks could kill...I felt the venom of his stare burning deep within my stomach. It took every ounce of willpower to not wet myself. The boys had become frozen in their fear. " Vegeta, we've been looking for you for an hour!" " I..." I could feel my tail sneaking between my legs. He glanced at the boys, " Go home!" No need to tell them twice. They were off and I began to wish I could run too. My father grabbed my wrist and dragged me along to where I saw Nappa appear over a hill. " Do not allow this to happen again, Nappa," he growled, " Your job is to watch him. If anything had happened to him, I swear I would have made you suffer in ways even your worst nightmares couldn't foresee." " I'm sorry, Sir." I was dragged all the way back home...and tears threatened to seep from my eyes. My pride was hurt...and would hurt more along with my backside at this rate....the moment we were alone, I knew he'd make himself very clear. I feared nothing...except him. " Stop it!" He bit out at me. Boy, did I try. " I said STOP IT!" I sniffled and wiped the stray tears away. " I'm sorry..." " Don't ever scare me like that again!" I scared him? Yes, this is how my father told me he loved me...being so hard on me when I did wrong....he never used the words....he always showed it in other ways...and ways I recognized. To think...I became just like him. * If looks could kill, they probably will Games without frontiers War without tears War without tears Jeux san frontieres War without tears * My entire makeup has changed now, I guess. I once knew nothing but such rage and hate. I traded it all for something a little more permanent and worth much more to me. My wife has learned to adjust to my ways. She says I still have a lot to learn though...but she loves me anyway. My son...you think I don't notice? He's become his mama's boy. But, just watch. I bet at my word, he would drop everything to have my attention. He's smart. Smarter than me in some ways. He looks so much like me. Hard to tell sometimes. Got a lot of his mom's genes. I'm proud of him. But no need to go telling him that. He's well aware of it. It's interesting to just observe him. I can't really do that with my daughter. Forget it. She may look like her mother, but she's a dead wringer for being my evil female clone. She acts JUST like me...if not worse, since she can make me sit, stay, roll over and jump through flaming hoops at the slightest command. Kami, I'm trained...whipped to a pathetic level. " Daddy, I want a car, a tv, a cell phone, a pony, and surround sound stereo, and how about a Malibu vacation?" What do I say? " What model? Hoe big? What color? What breed? Pick it out, and not on your life." Hey, I'm still her father and I still have to put my foot down somewhere. I don't mind if my son goes out and gets a life but I'll be damned if my little girl grows up before she's 50! Don't tell anyone, but I'm trying to hold on as long as possible. My father and I were close despite my independence. But, as independent as I was...no child should have to be grown up at 5. * Andre has a red flag, Chiang Ching's is blue They all have hills to fly them on, except for Lin Tai Yu * Those horrible words still keep me awake at night. " Planet Vegeta was destroyed." It was all gone. My parents, my people, my kingdom. I became...just like everyone else. I refused to accept it. NO! I was born to be a Saiyajin Prince! I don't care WHAT happened or how much. No one was going to rob me of this one precious thing I had. My blood, my lineage and my pride in it. Do you know the worst part? No, of course not! I haven't told this story before! The worst part was...I wished it. I was angry and was quite harsh with my father before I left. But...they were just empty angry words...like all sons have with their fathers. I never meant for anything bad to....REALLY happen! To hear those terrible words...I think I went mute a while. I had to give it up though. Kami, if I didn't yell at Nappa I was going to go crazy! I spent 30...friggin...YEARS with this man! But, hey...Nappa's company or Frieza's...let me THINK! * Dressing up in costumes, playing silly games Hiding out in tree-tops; shouting out rude names * I can remember one mission. It was shortly after I lost my world. I don't think I had fully recovered yet. And on top of it all...the rumors began to circulate. I was on some planet...I can't remember which. I remember though, that I was sitting under a fruit tree. I felt a piece of fruit drop onto my head...which of course made me look. Residents...a pair of lemur-like humanoids. They both laughed down at me. " What is so FUNNY?!" I demanded. I was in no mood for games. This, for some reason though, made them laugh harder. " ANSWER ME!" " Doesn't have humor, does he, Claus?" The female asked her companion. " Someone pull your tail, Kid?" From the one called Claus. " NO!" My guard must have been down, despite what I thought, for in the next moment, Claus was behind me...grabbing my tail and giving it a firm yank! Of course I yelled! That friggin HURT! Tails are, after all, one's personal property. " What the hell did you do THAT for?!" " Just for FUN, Monkey-Man!" The female giggled. " Hey, Lito," from Claus, " Y'know he looks kinda like one of them Saiyajin type people...cept only smaller." This annoyed me. " I'm big enough a Saiyajin to put you in your place!" Lito chuckled, " He sure talks big." " Bet he's ALL talk," Claus smirked. I fired a blast, which they dodged...the tragedies affecting my performance. Both were able to get close enough to me. One would yank my tail while the other would slap the back of my head hard. This NEVER happened in drills! I'm not sure how, but they managed to make me fall flat on my seat and escape back up the tree. They continued to laugh crudely at me. " Some Saiyajin..." Lito teased, " He's just a little boy with a big mouth." " No wonder his planet got blown up," Claus joined in. Between my injured pride and feelings, and my anger...it made my face hot and my chest hurt. No, I couldn't cry now. There was no one to go crying to. It was just me...and I had to be stronger now. I was only five...but I had to be a man if I was to survive. * Whistling tunes we hide in the dunes by the seaside Whistling tunes we piss on baboons in the jungle It's a knockout * Y'know, it's hard enough to have your entire world...universe altered and destroyed...everything you ever knew and hoped for...expected...gone in the blink of an eye. But, what compassion to go down with it. What is inhumane torture? To be a survivor...and to have someone to constantly remind you. My children will never know that torture. To be taken in by your own enemy...manipulated. I won't stand for it. My father wanted to give me the world and it was taken from me...like candy from a baby. Years with Frieza made me become a stronger person. Why didn't I just give up and end it? That's not what Saiyajins do. We don't just give up. I wanted to live long enough...become strong enough...to one day make him sorry. That would avange me, my father...my people. So, to fuel the fires of my anger, vengeance, and hatred, I became cold. I learned VERY quickly never to become close to ANYONE. I know my enemies would use them against me...as Frieza used my father against me....and me against him...to make us cooperate. I've so rarely seen my father afraid...and this was one of those situations. Despite it all, I did retain SOME compassion. Like in almost all Saiyajin battles, I would be sure to destroy every last one. Mistaken for me being bloodthirsty...born to be a heartless killer of men, women and children...I let them think that. Truth was...it was compassion. Real men fight hard to protect what they love...despite pain, torture...so every man should fall with a sense of dignity. Die for what they believe in. What does that leave but women who mourn fallen husbands, sons, brothers, fathers...don't separate them. Children? Oh yes...I've done that too. It was never really easy either. As a boy, I took down other boys and girls my age...moreso boys. These were boys and girls...who could've easily been me. They wouldn't understand what was happening and would cry for their parents. As I grew into a man, it became more of an act of mercy. No child should ever be put in the position to be taken advantage of the way I was. No child should grow up...to be like me. * If looks could kill they probably will In games without frontiers War without tears * Coming to Earth wasn't easy either. Yet, it was also what became my escape. The bully I was, my plan was to make another planet hurt to make me feel better. Well, we all know what happened to THAT idea. I was never really good at making friends. Never had a use. I was the very essence of M.E.A.N....guess that makes Kakkarrot a puzzle. How can he STAND being how he is? And yet he can outdo me again and again. Maybe I should act like an idiot too...that's probably his secret. Such a contrast between us...Contrast between he and his father too. I can't imagine Bardock being a man who would act...like THAT. Kakkarrot...Saiyajin yet not. I suppose he's alright though. His sons too. Makes me jealous sometimes. He's so free with his feelings...my son is lucky if I do anything remotely similar. But, no matter...I'm still the better man. I'd like to see Kakkarrot fair with a daughter! Ha! Yeah, he's man enough to turn Saiyajin boys into men...but I'd like to see him turn a little girl into a young lady. Yeah, raise a girl like my little spoiled brat precious little pumpkin jewel. Uhm...you didn't hear all that. But, y'know...sometimes even I can't do it either! * If looks could kill they probably will In games without frontiers War without tears Games without frontiers War without tears War without tears * I envy my son sometimes...he has a best friend. I never had that growing up. Sometimes I wonder if Goten might as well be MY son with him and Trunks being so inseparable. Goten's a good kid though...I guess. He and my son are a terrible pair...but somehow...that just makes it all work out. Kinda like me and Kakkarrot. Oh no...did I just say that?! I envy Kakkarrot sometimes too...and not just for those dumb reasons I mentioned earlier. He gets to see his grandkids...kid. Oy, that makes me feel old. My father never got to know the privalage of seeing his grandchildren. Kakkarrot's father either. I wonder what they would say. Bardock would probably accept his family with little problem. As dopey as the lot is...they still are overall Saiyajin...I...think. My father...he's probably be in shock at first...then laugh and insult my son...who would take it and brush it off. He's insult my daughter...who would try to bite his face off. Knowing Bra, she would. Doesn't matter HOW human they look...they have Saiyajin hearts. * Jeux sans frontieres * I guess I can cope. If not for all the pain and suffering, I may not have gotten anything I have now: A wife like Bulma, who is strong on her own and...well...we won't go there. My son, Trunks...wise, crafty, strong, powerful...my boy. My daughter, Bra...her mother's spitting image...her father's fire. THAT'S what a Saiyajin princess is made of! Kakkarrot and his family. We have our differences. But, despite contrast, they are also my compliment. And, my title means little to nothing to them. Good in the sense that...his feelings and actions are genuine...not some lame attempt to kiss my ass. Strange...he does what he does and I do what I do. We disagree and get over it. WHY CAN'T I HATE HIM?! And believe me, I've tried. He's just....too goddam likable! Like...some really big kid! Well, I think I can be happy like this. THIS is an adventure I don't mind. And I got lots of good people to journey it with me. And, in a way, I can do for my children...what my father wished to do for me. This may not be Vegetasei but I can still give the world to my children. I think that works just fine. Yes...just perfectly fine. END
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