Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Distant Light Years ❯ King Of Earth ( Chapter 5 )

Warning: This chapter contains language, violence and weirdness.

Chapter Five: King Of Earth

Vegeta stared at the holographic head of the youngest son of Goku. He slowly scowled and his fists clenched, crushing the small grey cube in his olive hands. "This.. can not be." He growled under his breath before swiftly turning on his feet and walking stiffly in the direction of his docked ship. Ginger looked up from his post where he was counting the last few minutes of his life and hurried after the frosty prince with a sweat beaded forehead.

"Uh..uh Pri..Prince Vegeta, may I ask, what are you doing sir?" He stumbled after Vegeta who, of course, did not slow his pace for him. Vegeta closed his eyes in irritation. He growled.

"Not that you need to know but I am leaving this instant to Earth in my OWN ship!" Ginger started to panic, his arms flapping around his head like an AWAL chicken on speed. "But! Butbutbutbutbut.." Vegeta stopped dead in his tracks so that Ginger almost ran into him, then before Ginger could do any thing, Vegeta swiftly twisted around and slammed a one fisted punch into the irritating man's solar plexus. Ginger curled up with a breathless grunt, his eyes going cross-eyed as he fell to his knees clutching his stomach before keeling over with a whimper. "Don't piss me off again." Growled the disgruntled Prince as he turned on his heal and marched back down the hall to his ship. ~Pitiful human! The man doesn't even have a name tag!~

**

The silver ship blasted through space, entering the Earth's atmosphere in flaming glory as the outer hull was super heated to the point of endurance. Vegeta sat stiffly in his chrome chair. As close to nervous as he ever got. It was carefully concealed behind an emotionless facade. His ebony eyes focused on the closing land mass. Sweat slowly beaded down his face from his high widow's peak.

"Shit." He whispered, his teeth slowly grinding. Goten, 267 years old?! Most Saiyans never got to any age like that because they died in battle long before. But he knew his species were long lived, even though he had never met a Saiyan older than his father who had been near 190 when he was murdered by Frieza. He knew his father had been a relatively young King too. He growled low in his throat. Something wasn't right! He had known it! As soon as those ships had appeared he had sensed something had changed other than the obvious.

Satan City came into his sights and almost immediately he noticed the changes. "Kami.." he gasped. Before him, instead of the bustling little city of old there was a huge metropolis of beyond sky scraper sized palaces. Great silver edifices and dead black obelisks filled with working humans running their gigantic yet petty businesses. Millions, an infinitely uncountable number of hover capsule cars zipped about the buildings like flies to a rotting corps. The great buildings did in fact remind the Prince of jutting bones protruding from the delicate infrastructure of the many rolling paths and old unused road ways which were practically abandoned on the ground levels liike the base of a rib cage. ~No No No..~ Vegeta's thoughts cycled back on them selves, repeating the same monotonous chant, the denial of the all too obvious reality that had occurred in his "three month" absence.

"This is..impossible!" He gasped out, clutching the steering wheel so tight his hands dented it with a defeated groan.

Vegeta carefully circumnavigated the tricky hover paths that all the other vehicles used which were only marked by little floating white plastic disks which ran down between the lanes of traffic separating one isle of chaos from the other. "How is any one meant to drive in this Hell!" He stressed before blasting out of the traffic into illegal air space and heading into the original direction of Capsule Corps.

He heard the sirens before he saw them, and the loud speaker voice which rocked the air around him "PLEASE LAND YOUR VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY OR YOU WILL BE SHOT DOWN." Vegeta smirked as he sped up and snorted. "Imbeciles. They will be the ones up in flames." His swift flying silver ship dodged around various obstacles which were mainly in the form of buildings and other drivers. Then looming near the edge of Satan City CBD, he spotted about a dozen huge dome like structures which were the signature design of the Capsule Company Head Quarters.

"Finally!" He flamed as he landed the ship roughly, carving up a chunk of earth and flinging a wave of dirt over most of the ancient, gnarly old rose garden out the front entrance of the main building and his home. Cursing he wrenched open the panelled door to be confronted by a battalion of police hover vehicles and mopeds all with guns pointed at his chest. Vegeta looked down with a frown at the mass of red dots on his chest and gave an irritated grunt before walking up to the main door way. "DO NOT MOVE! LAY ON THE GROUND WITH YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD!" Blazed the authoritative voice from the front cop car. Vegeta stopped and glared at the building a head of himself with out turning around, he shouted over his shoulder.

"OR WHAT?!" He placed his hands on his hips in a cocky manor. "OR YOU WILL BE TAKEN BY FORCE AND ARRESTED." Came back the microphoned reply. At that moment, a couple came running out the front door. A middle aged man with short black hair and large, shocked black eyes holding the hand of a slightly younger woman with long lilac tresses and wide blue eyes. They stared in shock first at Vegeta then at the small army of police behind him. Vegeta narrowed his gaze as he noticed the two. ~Who are they?! And what are they doing in my house! Wait.. isn't that Goten..and that..~ His thoughts stopped working as he saw his daughter. She wasn't that little girl any more. His eyes went wide. "No.." How could this be?! This wasn't right! Why was she..could have Goten told the truth? He felt a strange pain in his chest as his eyes stared at them. If it had really been 250 years then ..Bulma! With a strangled gasp Vegeta ignored his mischief with the police and ran up, pass the two and into the house.

"BULMA!" He yelled, running up the stairs and sprinting with all his speed to the main bedroom. "BUMLA! ONNA WHERE ARE YOU?!" He opened the door to see a room much different to the one he had left behind. Bulma and his own belongings were gone, replaced by alien paintings and ornaments. Other peoples clothes lined the wardrobe and all the photos held unrecognisable faces. All but two. Slowly he moved toward the photo of an old greying woman with light blue eyes and a smile which held such sadness that it pulled at his heart.

"There you are onna.." He said almost too quietly for his own ears. He carefully picked up the gold plated picture frame and stared at the dusty glass. In the frame beside Bulma's photo was one of Goku with his large arms wrapped around the tiny shoulders of an infirmed Chichi. Of course Goku looked no older than the last time Vegeta had seen him, and even though he knew both photos were old he knew Kakarot would still look just as young.

He turned back to the photo of Bulma. She looked so..so old. And lost. Part of her was missing. He could see it in her eyes. He realised what part that was. It was hope. She had always had hope. Hope that every thing would be all right in the end. But now, when Vegeta looked down at the forlorn shade in the photo he knew, he just knew that the hope was gone. And that was why she had died. It wasn't the old age that had killed her, it was.. Vegeta looked up, the photo slipping from his fingers to shatter on the carpet beneath his feet. Him. He had killed her. "I didn't know.." He whispered. "I didn't know."

**

Bra had explained to the police who Vegeta had been, and that he was in the middle of a family crisis. They had left immediately, not wanting to stir the wrath of Vegeta down on their heads. Vegeta was still standing in the bed room when Bra softly walked in with Goten behind her. "Daddy?" she whispered. "Is that really you?" Vegeta didn't answer for several long minuets. He stood, staring at the photo of Bulma that he had freed from its broken glass prison. "Yes, of course." He said in a steady voice. He turned to look at his daughter. His eyes were cold, and they immediately flew to where her hand held Goten's.

"So, your together?" It was more an observed statement than a question but they both nodded. Vegeta turned his glare harshly on Goten, making the demi-Saiyan swallow before he remembered that he was much older than Vegeta now. Vegeta was a child to him. The realisation made him feel uncomfortable. Vegeta started to speak but then stopped and said something else. "Where is Trunks?"

Bra's eyes lit up as a grin graced her face. "Oh he'll be so happy to see you Daddy! You have no idea what he's done for you!"

She ran up to Vegeta and drew him into hug that Vegeta returned lightly. "What do you mean Bra?"

Bra winked and grasped his hand. "Come on! I'll show you!" Goten gave a shy grin as Bra dragged them both out side. "Come on! I'll fly you to the palace!" Vegeta's eyes flew up to meet his daughter as she lifted into the air. She was so old..he could see her age in her eyes, if not her perfectly youthful body. Yet still, she acted so similar to that little girl of..three months ago.

"Palace?" Bra laughed and flew faster towards the centre of Satan City. Vegeta and Goten swiftly caught up to her as they swerved around the buildings. It felt weird to him, flying like this out in public. Even though he had never really had a problem with it, Bulma always had before and so he didn't do it to appease her.

All thought where wiped out when he saw the building in the exact centre of Satan City. It was a huge spiralling palace, with twisting turrets and white walls. Crimson flags fluttered from the towers, the symbol of the Saiya-jin royalty spread proudly in the winds. Vegeta stared, it was almost an exact replica of his old home on Planet Vegeta from so long ago. Except here and there were obvious differences. Many of the wings were of human design and the swimming pools, sporting gyms and dojos were very different to any Saiyan fighting arena.

"Amazing.." He whispered. Bra grinned over her shoulder at him.

"This is where the King of Earth lives Daddy." Vegeta stared at her.

"The King of Earth?! There is no such thing!"

Bra nodded. "Not yet there isn't Daddy, but Trunks is the Prince of Earth, and I am the Princess, so what does that make you Daddy?"

*********

TBC…

Chow for the mo..

~Goddess of All Things to-do-with-her, Dynishra The Vampire~