Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Child ❯ Chapter 1

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, nor am I claiming to, so please don't sue me!

Author's Note: Ohhh! Halloween! Yay! This is a bit of an odd one, with some strange notions…I may end up doing some sort of side story in the future…I don't know yet.

Special thanks to Eric Jacobson, Kat8125, and ssjblackguy for beta-ing. Vegetababe, I hope you get well soon!

Dark Child

"Bulma dear!" Mrs. Briefs called out to her daughter, who was eating breakfast in the kitchen. "Don't forget to place our order with the caterers today! You know what they said last time!"

"Yes mother! I know we have to give them at least a week and a half to prepare this time!" Bulma laughed, thinking of the gigantic amounts of food they always ordered for Capsule Corporation's parties. The Halloween bashes were, by far, Bulma's favorite though. She absolutely loved getting all decked out in costumes, and seeing what other people had chosen to wear. It was just so exciting!

On the subject of costumes, the young woman realized that she still had to go pick up her dress from the tailor's shop today. She was going as a noblewoman of the 16th century, or somewhere around there, and she had had a gown made, a replica of what the richest ladies would have worn.

Vegeta sat at the table thinking about the short conversation that had just transpired between the woman and her mother. Caterers. He liked that word…it meant that massive amounts of delicious food would soon be delivered to Capsule Corporation. Sipping his water, he watched as Bulma picked up the phone and punched in the number to her favorite caterer.

"Yeah, hi, it's Bulma…Yep, Capsule Corp's big Halloween Party is coming up…Yep, you know the drill." She laughed, picked out some specialty dishes for the party, and hung up the phone, a satisfied smile on her face. "Well, now that that is done, all that's left for me to do today is go pick up my costume!" She looked over at Vegeta, remembering that she had neglected to tell him about the upcoming festivities. "Kuso…" she swore quietly. Vegeta hated all of the parties, so she had long since stopped forcing him into attendance, but she couldn't very well leave him to answer the door for trick-or-treaters…he would probably blow them into oblivion and horde the candy for himself…

"Don't forget to take Vegeta shopping for his costume!" Mrs. Briefs' voice sounded from the other room.

"What???" Bulma gasped, looking at the Saiyan, who stared right back at her.

"Costume?" He said, simply, one questioning eyebrow raised. His tail twitched in annoyance, curling itself tighter about his waist. It had grown back a few weeks ago, while he had been in the infirmary after a particularly nasty accident in the gravity room.

"Of course!" The ditzy blonde wandered into the kitchen. "You're Bulma's date for Capsule Corporation's Halloween costume ball!" She tittered, clapping her hands together. "Ohhh! But what will you go as? Bulma's going as a noble maiden! You should go as her Prince!"

Vegeta almost choked. "I'll do no such thing." He growled, baring his fangs.

"Well…" Dr. Briefs muttered, walking in. "He could go as a Vampire…he's certainly got the teeth for it." Bulma shivered; eyeing the overdeveloped canines as they retracted, back up into his gums. He certainly did have the teeth for it…

"What in seven hells is a Vampire?" The Saiyan grumbled, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"A Vampire," Bulma began, "Is a fabled creature of olden times, said to be 'undead' meaning that they're not alive, but they're not dead either. They're really strong, and pale, with black hair and widow's peaks. And they can't go out in the sunlight or else they die. They suck the blood from people by biting them with their big fangs, in the neck." She poked herself in the crook of her neck and shoulder, where Vampires bite.

Vegeta seemed slightly taken aback, and his eyebrows furrowed in thought. Biting in the neck? That sounded curiously like the Saiyan way of claiming one's mate. Was it possible that Saiyans, or perhaps some relative of the Saiyan race had once inhabited Chikyuu alongside these humans, and had simply been misinterpreted as some sort of monster? He remembered hearing once, a story about nocturnal Saiyans, who were born with a certain defect that would not allow them to go outside during daylight hours, because of the Sun's damaging rays. *Xeroderma pigmentosum…or Porphyria…that's what it was called on Chikyuu…

"Tell me more." He demanded, simply.

"I don't have time." Bulma snorted. "And I'm not your personal slave. If you want to know more, I think there's a book or two about Vampires somewhere in the library." She shrugged, leaving the kitchen to go shower. Vegeta sat, quietly finishing his breakfast, thinking about this new development. Yes…he would go find this book the woman spoke of, and learn more about these 'Vampires.'

And after she left, he realized that he still had not found out how exactly he had been roped into going as Bulma's date…

Vegeta wandered into the large library, feeling very out of place among the ceiling-high shelves, all full to the brim with books on every subject imaginable. He looked around, completely unsure of where to begin his search. Raven eyes scanned the room, settling on a lone computer, set on a small table against the wall.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that this computer had every single book in the library catalogued and included a nifty little search engine so that one could easily find books on a certain topic.

"Vampire…" Vegeta muttered, typing the word, then clicking the 'search' button. A list of five books and their exact locations popped up on the screen. Smirking to himself, the Saiyan gathered up the texts and shuffled out of the room, opting to do his research in the privacy of his own chambers.

Mrs. Briefs passed him on his way down the halls, but he paid no heed to the strange look she sent his way. It was not everyday that the Saiyan no Ouji was seen traversing the halls with a stack of five heavy volumes in his arms. But, being Mrs. Briefs, she simply shrugged, realizing that the Saiyan was very unpredictable, and would often do things simply because everyone expected him to do the opposite.

Locking the door behind him as he entered, Vegeta set the stack of books on his bedside table and opened the first one, an encyclopedia.

"Vampire…" he read the definition. "A reanimated corpse that is believed to rise from the grave at night to suck the blood of sleeping people…feh." He snorted, skimming through the short paragraph. Tossing the encyclopedia aside, he picked up the next book, one with a picture of a pale man with black hair and bloody fangs, hiding in the shadows. "Dracula…no thanks."

Vegeta looked through the pile of three, and picked out the last one. The huge, leather bound volume stunk of age, and a musty scent wafted into his nostrils with every turn of the yellowing pages. "This one could be of some interest…"

Only one true nostril…feed on the blood of the living by making two small puncture wounds in the neck, using sharp fangs, to suck out the blood…retractable fangs…acute vision and sense of smell…superb hearing…transform at will into bats, rats, mist, and even the shadows themselves…pale, sickly pallor…intense strength…deathly allergic to garlic…the cross…the only true death for a Vampire is to be driven through the heart with a wooden stake…

Myths about the so-called "Vampires" jumped out at the Saiyan, and his brain worked quickly, making sense of several of the vampire characteristics. The biting could be attributed to the Saiyan claiming ritual. It was not uncommon for a Saiyan male to bite his mate on the neck, leaving his mark so that other males would know she was claimed already, and not available. It was very possible that wild human imaginations had distorted this fact to make his porphyric ancestors into some sort of monster…the present day humans did that enough to him…

Vegeta himself, and all other Saiyans had sharp, overdeveloped canine teeth, "fangs" which could be retracted into the gums in order to prevent one from tearing one's mouth apart by accident… As well, he and his race were gifted with acute senses, and amazing physical power, while being stealthy enough to make it seem as if one became a shadow, or vaporized in a cloud of mist.

While most Saiyan were a healthy tan color, the xeroderma would cause the 'Vampires' to stay away from the sun, resulting in the pale, sickly skin, and Vegeta knew that garlic worsened the symptoms of porphyria, so that would explain the deathly allergy to the stuff. Even Vegeta, a normal, healthy Saiyan, could not stand the stuff.

"A wooden stake?" Vegeta snorted. "How pitiful! Any creature would die, being stabbed through the heart with any sort of instrument!" he laughed. "Silly human imaginations running wild, I suppose. One true nostril…I can't explain that…but it's probably just another stupid myth…"

It was too odd…the stories Vegeta had heard as a boy, about the porphyric Saiyan, matched so closely to this human 'Vampire' legend…Was it possible that the diseased Saiyans had been sent off planet, to Earth? It was possible…Perhaps it was meant as some sort of experiment. Vegeta knew, for a fact, that Vegetasei had been far more susceptible to UV rays that Earth, as the former planet's atmosphere had been considerably thinner…Perhaps they had wondered if Earth's thicker atmosphere would be enough to shield those Saiyans with the rare genetic disease…

If that was the case, it had obviously not worked…

"It has to be…" Vegeta muttered. "I don't see any other possible explanation for the similarities…but wait…what about tails?" Vegeta turned a page, and the dark eyes of a 'Vampire' stared up at him. There was a picture drawn on to the yellowed, brittle page, of a man dressed in a dark suit, a cape wrapped about his shoulders.

"Rahj Taeron" Read the finely scripted caption beneath. Vegeta's eyes widened, and he almost dropped the book in his surprise. Rahj was a Saiyan name. A Saiyan name…But still…where was the…

"Kuso…" Vegeta cursed, more in fascination than in anger…the man had a strange, furry looking belt wrapped about his waist.

***

"Perfect!" The tailor exclaimed, as Bulma twirled in her dress. "How is it?"

"You've really outdone yourself this time!" She laughed, pinching her waist. "It fits perfectly! It doesn't need to be taken in or anything!" She admired her form in the gigantic mirror on the wall. "I feel like a medieval princess!" she giggled.

"You look like one too!"

"I love it!" Bulma squealed. "Oh! I might be back here with a friend of mine soon, if he ever decides what he wants to be."

"He? Tell me Bulma, do you have a new love interest?" The tailor giggled, leering at her.

"Well…I…" she blushed. She had to admit, she was physically attracted to the Saiyan…who wouldn't be? "He's not exactly a love interest…I mean, the guy would never go for me."

"But you would go for him?"

"If you had ever seen him, you wouldn't even have to ask…" Bulma sighed, and both women giggled after a moment. "I'd better change back into my normal clothes. I've got a bit of shopping to do…" Bulma retreated back into the little dressing room, separated from the main store only by a thick velvet curtain.

***

"I don't get it…" Vegeta grumbled, flipping through the pages of the old text. "Why do none of these books mention anything about tails? The only thing that does is that picture! Is it true that maybe these 'Vampires' are not really porphyric Saiyans?" He slammed the old book shut, a cloud of dust being pushed from between its pages. He was determined to find out more about these so-called creatures of the night, but he couldn't do that here. "Transylvania…" He muttered to himself, recalling the place that had been spoken of so many times in the ancient volume.

***

"Mom! Do you know where Vegeta is?" Bulma called out as she walked in the door, loaded with the garment bag her dress was in, as well as several other bags that contained the finishing touches of her garment. "I still need him to decide what he wants to go as to the Halloween Party! We've only got a few days left before Halloween!"

"Sorry honey! I haven't seen him since breakfast."

"But the gravity room isn't even on! Where could he be?" she whined, stamping a foot.

"Well, I saw him heading to his room with a stack of books this morning, but that was hours ago!" Mrs. Briefs giggled.

"Books? Oh! He must have decided to take a look at that Vampire book I told him was in the library…but why should he care about some silly old legend?" Bulma muttered, making her way toward Vegeta's room to see if he was still there."

"Vegeta…you in here?" She pushed open the door and flicked the light switch on. There was no Vegeta, but there was a pile of books on his bed. One, however, caught her attention. "What is this? I didn't know we had this…" She picked up the old volume and flipped through some of the pages, grimacing at the musty odor. "Hmm…" she giggled, coming to the picture of Rahj Taeron. "A real live Vampi-" She stopped talking suddenly as her eyes widened, taking in the sight of Rahj's furry belt. "Oh my Kami…"

***

Vegeta's raven eyes scanned the sidewalks as he walked through the tiny village, his sneakers making only the slightest sound on the cobblestone street. People shrank back from him, as he made his way through the drizzle and fog. It was chilly out, but Vegeta was fine in the sweater and jeans he wore. Saiyans were tough.

A little girl shrieked and hid behind her mother's skirt, clutching at the fabric and peeking out as she watched Vegeta go by.

"What are you doing here?" An old voice croaked, and Vegeta's keen eyes quickly picked out the hunched old figure among the shadowed awnings of the little marketplace carts. "It is daylight. Why are you outside?"

"What exactly do you think I am?" The Saiyan took a few steps toward the old woman, who held her ground. The other villagers grew increasingly nervous as his tail unwound itself, to sway gently by his feet.

"You know what you are, Vampire." She said. "You have the tail. Only true vampires have such things. They like to keep it a secret, but here, we know."

Vegeta laughed. "If I am a Vampire, how come I have not died in the daylight, ne?" He examined his tail. "Tell me that, woman."

"Sorcery, perhaps. Some of you are able to use magic, or so I am told."

"You mean like this?" Vegeta smirked, forming a ball of ki in his hand. With a bark of laughter, he tossed it from hand to hand, threw it up in the air and caught it, then absorbed it back into his body. The people around him gasped and stepped back.

"Yes, like that." The old woman smiled slightly. "But I have never actually heard of a Vampire who can be in the daylight."

"I am Saiyan." Vegeta said simply. "And so are these 'Vampires' of yours. Only different, though I would not expect you to understand."

"I understand everything, Dark Child. You are not of this world." She said, decidedly. "And you look for your past here."

"Tell me old woman, where can I find these 'Vampires' of yours?"

"The tailed ones come out only at night, to feed on the blood of the young."

"Bullshit." Vegeta snorted.

"If you do not believe, Dark Child, stay till night. See them for yourself."

"And how do you know they'll come tonight?"

"Marienna has been bitten, but she is not one of them yet. They will come for her, but the village men will be waiting for them. They will not let those beasts take Marienna."

"Can I see her?" Vegeta asked. "I want to see the bite." The old woman looked at him for a moment, warily, before nodding. "Follow me."

Vegeta followed the old woman into a small building, a little shop of some sort. She led him into a back room, where a girl lay, asleep under the covers of a large bed, pale and sweating. "She is sick." He said.

"She has been bitten." The old woman snapped. "And she will die unless the creature who did this to her is destroyed."

Vegeta watched silently, as the old woman bent over the girl's body, gently shaking her until hazel eyes fluttered open.

"Rahj?" She murmured, one hazy eye fixing on Vegeta. "No…you're not Rahj. Who are you?"

"May I speak to her alone?"

"I don't trust you, Dark Child."

"You have my word that I will not harm her. I am a man of honor." Vegeta said quietly, fixing her in his gaze. She nodded awkwardly, and left the tiny room.

"Who are you?" Marienna asked her question again.

"My name is Vegeta."

"Vegeta…I have heard your name before. Rahj and the others, they speak of a man named Vegeta."

"Tell me something, this Rahj you speak of, he is a vampire?" The prince sat down on a small chair beside her bed.

"That is what the villagers call them. He calls himself and the others Saiyan." Marienna hugged herself as she let out a sudden fit of coughs. "Are you a Saiyan too? You look like them…but different."

"I am Saiyan." Vegeta said. "But…a different type of Saiyan. You see, Rahj and the others you speak of, they are a rare group."

"I don't understand."

"It is complicated…Tell me something else. Did Rahj explain to you what that bite means?"

Marienna nodded. "I tried to tell the villagers, but they don't want to listen…" she whimpered.

"Then you were perfectly willing to be bitten?" Marienna nodded again.

"They're not evil like Grandma says. They don't feed on anyone's blood…they don't."

"I know." Vegeta watched the girl shiver. She was suffering because the villagers wouldn't let Rahj take her…She would die if she were not reunited with her mate soon. "I'll help you." Vegeta covered the girl up. "Tonight, Rahj will come to take you back, and I'll see to it that you two get out of here safely."

***

"Oh my…" Bulma put the book down on the bed, backing away in confusion. "Saiyans are Vampires…or Vampires are Saiyans?"

She flopped down on the bed, face in hands, to think. "Okay…so Vegeta's been living here for almost a year, and he hasn't fed on the blood of my family or I…so obviously he's not a Vampire…but that one in the book…Maybe…maybe Saiyans are distant cousins to Vampires….or maybe Vampires are some sort of Saiyan subspecies…"

She jumped up. "My Kami! This is amazing! Vampires really exist, and they're from outer space! But wait…I can't tell Vegeta that I know…or else he'll probably be mad that I was invading his privacy or something…damn it…"

***

It was dark when Vegeta awoke, to the sound of fire crackling, and people yelling. He looked out the grimy window of the little room the old woman had given him and sighed. The villagers were preparing to fight his brethren. He had promised to help that girl, but only because she was mated to a Saiyan.

Pulling on his pants and sweater, Vegeta grabbed his sneakers and shuffled out the door, putting them on as he went. The old woman met him in the hallway, breathless and excited. "You have come to see the Vampires." She said. "You will not be disappointed. We can see their torches. They are coming and we will kill them!"

Vegeta pushed past her and continued to Marienna's room. The girl was sitting up in her bed, pulling on some clothes. "He's coming for me Vegeta. He'll be here soon and he'll take me away from this awful place to live with him." The prince rolled his eyes and reminded himself that this Rahj of hers was a Saiyan. That's why he was helping.

"Come on, we're going out there." He helped the weakened girl from her bed; half carrying her down the hall.

"What are you doing? She's not allowed to go outside! Leave her in her bed!" The old woman shouted, trailing after Vegeta, but he ignored her.

***

Rahj paced impatiently back and forth, waiting for the right time to strike the village. They had his mate…and nobody took a Saiyan's mate away from him. He snarled, looking up at a huge portrait of his ancestor, Rahj Taeron the First. He cursed the old portrait for a moment, wishing that he had not inherited the damn porphyria…then he could go and live a normal life with Marienna and wouldn't have to steal her away…

"Rahj, we're all ready to go."

"Fine. We'll get moving right away then."

Rahj knew the villagers were waiting to kill him, along with his men, but he wouldn't let that happen. He would slaughter every one of them if it meant being with Marienna. Curse the girl...it would have been easier if he had just fallen for one of his own kind…but he loved her so.

He saw his little human mate standing among the throng of villagers, pale and sickly because of their forced separation. She was walking forward, toward him, with the aid of someone else. Some male was holding her! A male! Holding his mate!

Rage bubbled up in his belly, and with a soulful battle cry, he leapt from the tiny cliff, throwing himself at the unidentified male. Before he knew what happened, he was thrown backwards, his body hitting a tree, and cracking it in half with the force of the blow.

"Trogh sorrineh!" The male growled. Rahj's eyes widened as he pulled himself away from the fallen tree. Calm yourself!

"Re…Reh bomeh sorr?" Wh…Who are you?"

Vegeta released Marienna as the other 'Vampires' jumped off of the tiny ledge to stand behind their leader. He told her to go sit down somewhere, and she nodded, walking a few feet to sit on a soft patch of grass.

"Reh oph sorr ubrich Te nar?" Who do you think I am? Vegeta stepped into the light of the torches.

"H…Haiye Vegeta…" Rahj whispered, awestruck. P…Prince Vegeta… He dropped down on one knee and brought a fist to rest over his heart in the traditional salute. The rest of his crew followed shortly after, realizing that another Saiyan, a royal elite at that, was standing before them. Their Haiye…their Prince.

"Te hanto yast grephn hancou uu sorr." I believe this girl belongs to you. Vegeta motioned for Marienna to stand up, and she did, rushing to Rahj with a squeal. An angry roar went up from the villagers, and a few rushed forward, but were quickly deflected by Vegeta's fists, and in one case, his foot.

"Stay back." He growled angrily, his tail lashing behind him. "She is no longer your concern."

"Demon." The old woman hissed, coming forward from the throng of angered villagers. "Only a demon would ally himself with the Vampires."

"Feh…" Vegeta snorted. "Whatever you say." He smirked and began to power up, creating a ball of ki in his palm. Eyes wide, the villagers ran, screaming, away from his 'sorcery.' "Ophn'a rae" Let's go.

Rahj nodded weakly, and turned, scooping up his mate, to lead Vegeta and the crew back to the old castle where his ancestor, Rahj the First, had taken up residence after his arrival on Earth.

***

"Mom, have you seen Vegeta around anywhere?"

"Hmm…no…But I did hear him mumbling something about Transylvania…" she giggled. "Men talk about such strange things sometimes!"

"T…Transylvania? Bulma gasped. "But the Halloween Party is in two days! Mom…He can't do this to me!"

"Well just go get him!" Mrs. Briefs giggled, placing a newly washed plate in the drying rack. "I mean, how hard can it be to find him? It's only Transylvania."

"Damn him…" Bulma grumbled, stomping away. "Damn Saiyan bastard. I'll find him alright, and when I do, I'm going to pound that sexy smirk right off his face…Oh my…sexy?"

***

Okay! Obviously, that is not the end of the story…but well, I decided that it would be best to cut it into two chapters, simply because, by itself, the whole thing is incredibly long, and I don't want to bore anyone. I'm sorry, I know that most of you wanted this as one big fic, but the next half is even longer than this one, and I felt it was just too long to post all at once. In the future, the entire fic will be up at my site, but not until the second half is out. The conclusion will be posted next Wednesday, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed the starting. I hope you'll like the rest too!

*Xeroderma pigmentosum

I realize that not many of you will know what this means, so here's the brief definition. I got the basics from Online Medical Dictionary at:

http://www.graylab.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?xeroderma+pigmentosum

Xerode rma pigmentosum is a rare, inherited disease, which causes an increased sensitivity to ultraviolet rays, which increases the risk of cell mutation caused by UV rays, such as premature aging, various eye and skin abnormalities, and skin cancer. People with xeroderma pigmentosum must be kept completely away from UV light.

Porphyria is a disease very similar to xeroderma pigmentosum, and also causes one to be extremely sensitive to UV light. A victim of porphyria cannot produce heme, and while garlic is a natural aid to the production of heme in a healthy person, it worsens the symptoms of porphyria.

*Thanks to Dictionary.com for the definition of "Vampire."