Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Aftermath ❯ Silent Arrival ( Chapter 1 )

I do not own DBZ

Takes place during the three years between sagas, please review!

Aftermath

Chapter 1 : Silent Arrival

He was given a brief reprieve from the nightmares. It had been over a month. A month of sleep had done him good. The constant feeling of aggravation and nervousness which he had known all his life had finally begun to ebb. Slowly, ever so slowly, the saiyan began to let down his guard. It was over. Two decades of slavery, of walking on eggshells, of plotting revenge was coming to an end. Although, it was not so easy a transition as one might think. Vegeta still felt strange living on a planet he had once attempted to destroy, being able to pass as one of them. To not feel hatred eminating from their very souls towards him was forgein to the prince. To walk the streets and be ignored by the ignorant humans who didn't seem to know or care who and what he was. He did this often, when his wounds and the woman prevented him from training. For hours he would wander unnoticed, he would sit and be passed by hundreds who never even turned their heads. This newfound anonymity was both comforting and chilling.

He could leave this dust ball of a plant at any time and yet he stayed. Maybe it was the woman, maybe the child, he told himself it was his pride, his uncompleted task of destroying Kakkarotto. For years he had been scheming to overthrow Freiza and now it was done. He needed a goal, the more unattainable the better, anything to keep him fighting. It as so easy to hate Kakkarotto, Vegeta had only to transfer emotion from one being to another. Now he would never be as ease, his nightmares would haunt the night until he breathed his last. This he could accept but still the question of where to go from here nagged at his brain.

Vegeta knew the others were coming even before he felt their ki signatures. All the long missions they had spent together prior to him being assigned to baby-sit Raditz and Nappa had taught him their characteristics and their actions thus became extremely predictable. He hesitated to call them friends, one did not have friends under Freiza, they were too much of a liability. They could turn on you at anytime, even the closest of brothers had been known to rat each other out. Freiza had interesting and innovative methods of manipulation. Worst of all, they could die; he learned early to cope with this. Every time someone left you must always assume you will never see them again.

When he returned to Capsule Corp a fresh nightmare lay waiting. After waking in a cold sweat, he felt it. Four ki's slowly but surely heading towards Earth. Vegeta climbed out of bed and quickly dressed. They would be landing shortly.

"Damn fools," he thought, "why are they coming here, can't they learn to think for themselves?"

More than once Vegeta commanded himself back into bed, or at least to the gravity room, and yet he found himself flying towards the spot he knew they would land. Taking his time, he arrived an hour later, landing silently on a ridge above the landing site. The four of them had made a fire, they were waiting for him. Was it possible that he had become as predictable to them as they were to him?

A voice called out from behind.

"What are you doing here?" It was the Namek

Vegeta only smirked and crossed his arms, taking his usual stance.

"I was just asking myself the same question," after another moment he began his decent towards the waiting group, quietly cursing himself for his weakness. Nothing but trouble could follow.