Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Changing Horizons ❯ Hidden Beauty ( Chapter 1 )

Just to clear up any confusion with the author's notes: I have posted this story on Fanfiction.net under the penname JungleKitty82, so disregard any comments about reviews and such although I would love some here as well…

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of the characters seen in the show, manga, movies, etc. But Vegeta owns me.

Author's Note: Hey guys. I know it's been a ridiculously long time, but great forces were at work to keep me away from writing…. mainly my website, which conveniently decided to crash. Anyway, I know this chapter isn't very long, and I apologize for that. But I hope you enjoy it. The rating might change to NC-17 just because I think I'm planning on exploring the romance between Bulma and Vegeta. This will be my first lemon-ish type of story, although the same might be happening in my other fic, Another Life. It's really up to you guys, because if you think I'm doing a good job leading up to the "good stuff" then by all means, tell me. By the way, if anyone would like to help me by being a Beta reader, I would really appreciate it. Just contact me at let88b@mizzou.edu and let me know. Also, PLEASE REVIEW!! I appreciate the reviews I got and hope for more in the future, be they good or bad.

Changing Horizons

Chapter 1 - Hidden Beauty

Vegeta dodged the oncoming fist aimed at his face and caught the muscled arm attached to it with one gloved hand. His stoic expression didn't change as he snapped the weak, fragile bones that seemed to be inherent to the rather large man's race and dealt him a blow to the face that sent him flying across one of the larger piles of bodies that littered the pocked-marked ground. Another man rushed at him from behind and Vegeta, without even turning around, flipped the man over his shoulders and slammed him forcefully into the ground, the sound of the impact echoing through the deadly silence of the expansive battlefield. Vegeta watched as the man struggle to pull himself up, but his efforts were in vain; his back had been broken and after a few seconds of writhing in pain, the man's eyes became distance, and he ceased to continue breathing. Vegeta gave the man one final glance before heading towards the blazing remains of the once majestic buildings he and his men had dispassionately destroyed.

The weaklings on this part of the planet had put up a good fight. Between the energy blasts from their mechanical weapons and their sizable infantry, they had managed to keep the Saiya-jin out of their main holding for more than an hour. But that soon ended when Vegeta arrived. Vegeta had taken one look at the nearly ki-less men fighting for their lives and homeland, and had decided to end their suffering. Their deaths were inevitable; Frieza had ordered the planet purged of all life-forms and the consequences would be grave if he were to disobey. Vegeta didn't see a point in letting them think they had a chance. After allowing his aura to crackle to life around him, he rose into the air to summon the raw, potent energy that coursed through his being, and destroyed the human's holding in one powerful blast. His ears were deaf to the screams of terror, panic, and pain as the holding, and all that remained inside, were swallowed up by the giant ball of flame and energy. The sound of agony had been burned into his memory for all time yet now it did not affect him as it had the first time Frieza had ordered him to purge a harmless and unsuspecting world. The terror and chaos Vegeta and his men regularly inflicted on the countless worlds they had been ordered to destroy had become routine, and Vegeta was numb to any feeling except the violent release of the rage and frustration that had been building up inside him during his years with Frieza.

Frieza never cared how beautiful the planet was or even if the natives were intelligent enough to benefit him. He only saw what was necessary to build his empire and if something were to get in his way, then he destroyed it. Like these people of Chikyuu. The lives of millions of innocent people had become forfeit as soon as Frieza had discovered the abundance of Chikyuu's natural resources. He had dispatched his "pet Saiyans" to clear the world of inhabitants so it could be mined for the precious fuel that had become so rare in his part of the galaxy.

Vegeta scanned his surroundings carefully for signs of life. He despised the senseless killings as much as he hated being Frieza's lap dog, but he was very thorough. To leave anyone alive behind would open the opportunity for an uprising, which would force Vegeta and his company to return to finish the job. Vegeta had learned much too quickly that Frieza didn't tolerate mistakes. No matter who in his squad was at fault, Vegeta got the brunt of Frieza's wrath and because he refused to accept that life with the white monster was his inevitable fate, Vegeta was punished all the more cruelly. Vegeta had come to despise the long, and drawn out monologues that preceded his harsh and violent beating. Things at Frieza's palace had become a never-ending cycle. It would always start with a small mistake one of his squad members would make on a purging mission, or one of the more frequent scuffles that occurred between a Saiya-jin and one of Frieza's men. Vegeta was never involved in any of these. He kept to himself mostly, and it had become known to all of the scum that resided in Frieza's palace that the usually silent and stone-faced prince could not be prodded into any battles. Frieza knew this, had actually counted on this as he had Vegeta and his entire squad brought before him. He would go on for sometimes hours at a time about the importance of their acceptance of him as their ruler and their incompetence as soldiers. And then, as it always played out after his tirade, he would demand Vegeta kneel before him and swear the same oath of loyalty he had the day Frieza claimed the throne of Vegeta-sei. And Vegeta would refuse. Vegeta had vowed the day after his surrender that he would never bow before Frieza again, no matter what the consequences. Frieza then took pleasure in beating Vegeta into blessed unconsciousness. It was the only thing in his life now he looked forward to. That small gesture of defiance proved to his men, as well as himself, that he was still the prince he had been born to be, and that Frieza could not break him completely. Although his men would never dare to say it to their prince, they appreciated his strength of will and determination. He fought for and sacrificed himself for them all and they would continue to stand by him through the darkest hours of their existence.

Vegeta closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint the weak ki he sensed among the ruins. He had thought he had completely eradicated any life present in the area, with the exception of the few remaining humans that had attacked him on the ground outside of the main compound. The stragglers outside the compound who had been hiding from the Saiyans, had rushed at Vegeta in rage after he destroyed it, and for some reason one of the men who had attacked him stuck out in his mind. He had been a large scar-faced man, who vaguely resembled a Saiyan in his physique and coloring. He had stared at Vegeta as he killed his companions, the hate radiating from him almost a solid substance in his piercing gaze, and for some reason, Vegeta maintained eye contact with him as he dodged the punches and kicks aimed at him. The man hadn't yelled out a stream of obscenities as the others had before charging Vegeta and being slaughtered. The one angered cry that tore from his throat before he attacked Vegeta contained all the hate and anguish he must have felt for the prince after having his homeland destroyed: "Bulma!" His death was quick; Vegeta snapped his neck as soon as he dodged his first punch. But that one word echoed through his mind as he continued to search the ruins for survivors.

Vegeta's head snapped to the left as his sensitive ears picked up a slight scraping noise coming from behind a toppled and charred wall amongst the debris. He lifted himself in the air, as to avoid making noise on the crumbled stone and rubble underfoot, and floated over towards the source of the sound. As he was preparing to startle whoever resided behind the wall, his guard was completely thrown as he felt a blast strike him in his shoulder blade and nearly fell him to his knees. He whipped around fiercely and his stony expression couldn't suppress the shock he felt as he stared at his attacker. She was beautiful.

She stood before him, aiming some ridiculous-looking weapon at his chest, her face cold mask of contempt and her blue eyes burning. Her clothing was frayed and singed in places, and a layer of soot covered her skin, but the fearless countenance she emanated was breath-taking. The breeze behind her picked up, making her long, thick mane of blue hair billow out behind her. Without warning she shot at him again, and Vegeta batted it away before it even reached him. He took a step towards her, but she didn't back away. She continued to shoot at him as he advanced on her, and only when Vegeta was close enough to catch wind of her appealing scent did he notice the tears streaming down her cheeks. He didn't even try to knock the blasts away anymore; he just put up his ki shield and let them bounce off of it as he moved closer to her. She still maintained her ground even as he reached out and took the weapon from her trembling fingers, crushing it between his own. Vegeta stared down at her, his eyes traveling over the soft planes of her face, the smooth cheeks and supple lips, and most notably the wide, deep reservoirs of blue staring back at him. Her face remained cold, but her breathing became noticeably labored as he reached out and pushed a stray, aqua strand of hair out her face, his fingertips brushing lightly across her skin. Suddenly, with a growl of anger, she pulled out a piece of sharpened metal from within the folds of her clothing and thrust it at him. Vegeta caught her hand just as the metal tip was pressing into the hard flesh of his abdomen. He gripped her hand, increasing the pressure until she gasped and released the blade, letting it fall to the ground with a thud.

"Do you wish to die?" Vegeta said angrily to her as he grabbed her wrists and pulled her sharply against him, gazing intensely into her eyes. He wasn't sure why he was touching her like this or even why he hadn't killed her for daring to attack him.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. The tears leaking from her eyes fell in big drops onto the dry dust of the ground. "Please," she sobbed out, her once statuesque pose fading as he allowed her to pull away from him and crumple onto the ground. Vegeta continued to watch her, his eyes falling on the lush curves and slender legs that peeked out from beneath her garment, and then back up to the teary blue eyes that were now focused on him, pleading with him. "Do it!" she screamed at him suddenly. Vegeta was taken aback by the unexpected forcefulness of her voice. "Kill me now," she said in a more weakened tone. "You've killed everyone that mattered. So why not me too?"

Vegeta wasn't sure what exactly had begun to stir inside him at that moment, but whatever it was, it prevented him from following her request. He pitied her, just as he pitied all of the people whose lives he destroyed, but this was a different kind of feeling. For reasons unknown to him, he wanted to take this sad, broken, little creature into his arms and comfort her, comfort her in a way he had never been comforted. She wished for death, just as he had so many times before when he lay in the recesses of Frieza's dark and torturous dungeon after being "disciplined." He didn't know what he could do for her, but he was sure he didn't want to kill her. Leaving her alive might mean he was in for another beating by Frieza's hand, but that was something he dealt with on a weekly basis.

Vegeta reached down and pulled her into his arms, feeling her frail body shiver at his touch. She fought him for a brief moment, crying out and trying to flail her arms at him, but he wrapped his strong arms around her, almost crushingly, and her protests dwindled away into whimpers. He held her against him, inhaling her sweet scent for a second before lifting off into the air. He didn't know what he would do with her, although he knew he couldn't very well bring her to Frieza. Whatever he did, he would have to do it soon, because he and his squad were expected to be back at the palace to report their success of the mission within a day. He looked down at his small, huddled burden and was shocked to find her asleep in his arms. Running for her life and trying to survive must have taken a lot out of her. Vegeta pulled her shivering form closer as he thought of his next course of action. An ideal sprang into his mind and he picked up his speed, jetting off in the direction of the transport ship.

Next Up: Where is Vegeta taking the mysterious blue-haired girl? And how will he hide her from Frieza? Find out next time. And remember, reviews make me delusionally happy.