Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Ball VE: The Keeper Saga ❯ Chapter 1

Dragon Ball Vegeta's Era: The Keeper Saga

 

Chapter One

 

 

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, it belongs to Akira Toriyama. I do, however, own the plot of DBVE and all of the original characters that might appear.

 

Author's Note: This story completely and utterly ignores the abomination that is GT, so please do not write any “helpful” reviews telling me that bits of the story directly contradict GT.

 

~*~

 

“Do not presume to tell me what to do,” Vegeta said, his voice soft and deadly quiet. He knew from experience that raising his voice would do no good, so didn't see any reason to yell.

 

“You are impossible!” the woman across from him screamed, not sharing her husband's abilities at volume control.

 

“Will you stop that infernal shrieking?” he growled, the pitch of her voice grating on his sensitive hearing. He had finally admitted to himself that he loved Bulma, but he really wished she wouldn't make so much noise. “I swear, sometimes your voice is the most annoying thing on this miserable excuse for a planet.”

 

Bulma moved toward him faster than he would have thought possible for an untrained human and slapped him with all of her strength. It wasn't anywhere near enough to hurt him, but it still made her feel better.

 

She gave a startled squeak of surprise as he suddenly growled and lunged at her, pinning her to the floor with very little of his strength. In all of the time they'd known each other, he'd never hurt her physically.

 

“You're staying here for the party tomorrow, and that's final,” she calmly insisted, staring up at his growling visage.

 

He snorted, his expression relaxing to one of amusement. “I most certainly am not. Why should I care that that bastard, Kakarot, is going to be one year older? He is still an imbecile with the mind of a child.”

 

He blinked and cocked his head slightly, looking thoughtful as his own words sparked an idea. Bulma used his momentary distraction to get one leg over his hip and twist herself so that she was now pinning him.

 

He looked up at her in amusement, one eyebrow raised as if to ask what she planned to do now that she had him “helplessly” pinned.

 

“You'll be here for the party tomorrow, Vegeta,” she said huskily. “You just need a little convincing.”

 

…

 

In the living room, Trunks and Goten were watching TV when Vegeta came down dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and a pair of tight jeans. Five-year-old Bra was tucked under his arm like a happily wiggling sack of potatoes.

 

“Change the channel, brats, the show's coming on,” he said, sounding gruff, but oddly mellow at the same time.

 

Goten snickered slightly as he handed the remote to his best friend's father. It had taken him a while to figure out why Vegeta would randomly be so relaxed, but once he had, it never failed to amuse him.

 

Vegeta snorted and glared at him in mild annoyance as he took the remote, changing the channel to his favorite show, Fifi, the Giant Weremonkey. He dropped down on the couch, settling Bra on his lap.

 

The show was about an insane scientist named Fifi who had been bitten by a werewolf right before accidentally injecting herself with the DNA from a monkey which had been subjected to growth hormones. On the full moon, she would turn into a giant wolven weremonkey, much like the Saiyan wereform, and would try to take over the world. She always ended up saving it from others instead.

 

Vegeta loved it and insisted on watching it every night. Trunks had his own suspicions about why his father liked it so much. He himself found the show a bit disturbing, but was amused by the fact that it was based on a “legend” that matched some of Goku's early adventures.

 

The two young men went off to do something more interesting, leaving Vegeta to watch his show with his daughter and to plot for tomorrow.

 

…

 

Bulma was not happy. Vegeta had left before dawn, muttering something about a present for Goku. It was nearly time for the party, and he wasn't back yet.

 

If he doesn't get back in time, he is so dead.

 

…

 

Vegeta grabbed the last dragon ball and put it in a pile with the other six, preparing to summon the dragon. He already had both of his wishes planned out.

 

I wonder what Kakarot and the women will think of their presents? A weird grin appeared on his face as he contemplated it.

 

…

 

“Hi, Bulma!” Goku said cheerfully as Bulma welcomed them into the house. He was about to step inside when his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he passed out.

 

“Goku!” both Bulma and Chi-Chi cried out, bending down over him. Bulma reached a hand towards him, then froze at what she saw. The telltale signs of wear and age that had decorated her hands were gone.

 

She looked over at Chi-Chi, meeting the other woman's eyes. Goku's wife looked no older than twenty-five.

 

“Bulma, you-“ Chi-Chi began, her voice soft with awe. She was interrupted by a soft moan from Goku.

 

“We need to get him to one of the spare bedrooms,” Bulma said. She called Trunks and Goten over to carry the unconscious Saiyan up the stairs.

 

…

 

“Your wishes have been granted,” the dragon announced. Vegeta nodded, wondering what was happening due to those wishes.

 

…

 

“How much longer until planet-fall, Lieutenant Effarin?” the alien female asked.

 

“Only a few hours, Captain.”

 

“Good,” Captain Rekkaia said, sitting down in her command chair. Soon, the Saiyan would be theirs.

 

…

 

Vegeta flew towards home, his expression oddly smug and contemplative at the same time.

 

A gift and a bit of revenge, all rolled into one. Ignorance truly is bliss, Kakarot.

 

…

 

Goku came to with a moan just as Chi-Chi placed a cold compress on his head. He was immediately assaulted by knowledge and incredible guilt.

 

How could I have hurt so many people like that and still consider myself to be a good person? How could I do all of that to Chi-Chi?

 

“Goku, are you okay?” she asked worriedly.

 

Goku sat up, clutching his head. “I'm fine, Chi-Chi, my head just really hurts,” he assured her. His voice was different. A bit deeper and more adult sounding.

 

“Goku, you sound different.”

 

“Chi-Chi, I'm so sorry,” he said softly, tears starting to slide down his cheeks.

 

“Goku?” Chi-Chi was becoming alarmed.

 

“I'm so sorry,” he repeated. “I left you all those times, and it didn't even occur to me how you'd feel about it. I knew you'd be sad, but I didn't realize you'd feel abandoned. I always abandon everyone. You, Uub, the boys. Everyone. Oh, Kami, Vegeta's been right about me all along. I am an idiot. Or at least, I was.”

 

“Stop it. You aren't an idiot.”

 

“Not anymore. I don't believe this. Vegeta is a better father than I am, and a severely abusive megalomaniac raised him. Grandpa Gohan may have been a weird old man, but at least he raised me with love. And I still turned out to be a bad, neglectful parent.”

 

Chi-Chi slapped him. “I don't know what's gotten into you, Goku, but you're a good husband and father.”

 

“Intelligence is what has gotten into me,” he explained with a low, bitter laugh. “They're right, you know. About ignorance being bliss. It really is.”

 

Chi-Chi stared at him in shock as he fell back on the bed, burying his head in the pillows and crying over his lost innocence.

 

…

 

Goten paced nervously in the living room of Capsule Corp. He was extremely worried about his father.

 

“Calm down, Goten,” Trunks said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. “Everything will be alright.”

 

Goten was about to say something when the doorbell rang. Gohan had arrived and was waiting on the front porch with Pan. Videl was home with their infant son, who was running a fever.

 

“Damn it,” Bulma snarled, appearing in the living room just as Goten let his brother and niece in. “My dragon ball radar is gone!”

 

“B-Bulma?” Gohan stuttered, staring at her. “You look young…”

 

Bulma sighed. “I know. My idiot husband gathered the dragon balls and made some wish to make me and Chi-Chi younger. He used the other wish to do something to your father, but we don't know what.”

 

“We'll be able to find out soon. I can sense his ki coming towards us,” Trunks announced grimly. He trusted and loved his father, but there was no telling what he might have done to his long-time rival.

 

“I know what the wish was!” a young voice chimed from the stairs. Bra came bouncing down to the living room, a huge grin plastered on her face. “Daddy wished for Kakiku to be smart.”

 

“How do you know that, sweetie?” Bulma asked, not bothering to correct her. It had taken her a year-and-a-half just to get the little girl to stop calling Goku “Kakarot”.

 

“Daddy told me while we were watching Fifi yesterday.”

 

“Fifi?” Bulma repeated, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she imagined her husband talking to their daughter while ogling some blonde bimbo.

 

“It's a show, Mom,” Trunks quickly explained. “Fifi the Giant Weremonkey. She's a scientist who was bitten by a werewolf and accidentally injected herself with a DNA sample from a monkey they'd been giving growth hormones to. She ends up transforming into a giant monkey/wolf thing that looks like an Oozaru, and she's almost always in that form in the show.”

 

“Oh, so he watches it because it reminds him of home,” she said, calming down and looking a little sympathetic. He always tried to hide it, but she knew that her husband often suffered from homesickness.

 

Trunks decided not to mention what Vegeta's first reaction to the transformed Fifi had been. He was pretty sure his mother would freak if she ever found out that his father found giant monkeys attractive. Trunks himself had found her wereform oddly enticing, which had disturbed him greatly.

 

…

 

Vegeta landed in the front yard of Capsule Corp., his wife, Chi-Chi, and assorted part-Saiyans waiting for him.

 

“Daddy!” Bra squealed, running up to him and launching herself into his arms.

 

“You have some explaining to do,” Bulma said icily.

 

“What the hell is that?” Trunks asked suddenly, interrupting before Vegeta could even begin to explain himself.

 

They all looked up at the dot in the sky that was rapidly growing larger.

 

…

 

In the command center of the approaching shuttle, Captain Rekkaia sat in her chair, a thoughtful expression on her face. She knew she should be with the main ship, but hadn't been able to resist the urge to go along with the ground team.

 

“Soon,” she whispered to herself. “Soon we will have the perfect specimen for our studies.”

 

…

 

Vegeta put Bra down and shifted into a fighting stance, the other fighters following his lead.

 

“Bulma, take Bra and Gohan's brat inside and stay there with them,” he ordered. Normally the blue-haired inventor would have argued, but now was not the time, and she knew it. She took Bra's hand in of hers and Pan's in the other before turning towards the house without a word.

 

Before she could enter, Goku came out, Chi-Chi right behind him. Bulma was shocked to see that he had obviously been crying.

 

“Goku, are you alright?” she asked uncertainly.

 

“Dad, you're awake,” Gohan said, turning to look at his father. He was just as shocked as Bulma at Goku's appearance. His eyes were haunted, as if he had been forced to look within his own soul and hadn't liked what he had seen.

 

Vegeta had turned as well, and Goku ignored his son to lock eyes with the Saiyan prince. “I don't know whether to thank you or to hate you for what you've done to me, Vegeta,” he said quietly.

 

The smaller man nodded slowly. “You can decide that later, Kakarot,” he said gruffly. “We have more important matters to deal with right now.”

 

“Yes, we do,” Goku agreed as the ship prepared to land.

 

Hitting the ground with a gentle thump, the ship settled, and six blue-skinned creatures with white hair and long, horse-like tails emerged. Their feet were hooves, and their faces seemed to be a mixture of equine, bovine, and human.

 

Bulma felt herself relax and didn't bother to go into the house as she'd been told. How could such sweet and gentle-looking creatures possibly be a threat? Everyone but Vegeta and Goku apparently felt the same way, as they all relaxed and powered down.

 

“What the hell do you think you are doing, brat?” Vegeta barked as Trunks took a step forward.

 

One of the creatures, a female, frowned slightly and pulled a small, glowing ball from a pouch hanging from her belt. She chirped and trilled at it a few times, then it slowly floated from her hand to hover about a foot in front of her.

 

“Calm down, Dad,” Trunks said while this was happening. “They aren't a threat.”

 

Vegeta growled. “You don't know that for certain.”

 

Trunks ignored him and moved a little closer to the aliens. “Hello. My name is Trunks.”

 

The female alien chirped and the ball began to glow. “I am Captain Rekkaia,” a feminine voice said from the ball.

 

“Wow, a translation device of some sort,” Bulma said, moving closer to get a better look at it. Vegeta glanced back at her with a frown, wondering why she was outdoors.

 

“Yes,” the alien said, sounding pleased. “We have come for the best of the Saiyans.”

 

Goku tensed at that. He was good at judging people, and he didn't trust these aliens at all.

 

“What do you want with my Goku?” Chi-Chi demanded angrily.

 

“Goku?” Captain Rekkaia repeated, sounding confused.

 

“His Saiyan name is Kakarot,” Bulma explained, suddenly thinking these creatures might be a threat after all. What did they want with Goku? Were they yet another group bent on killing him for some reason?

 

Rekkaia still looked puzzled. “We have come for the best of the Saiyans. We are the Keepers. We prevent species from being gone by taking members of them and breeding them so that there are more. We study them to bring understanding to ourselves and others.”

 

“You're running a big space zoo,” Gohan said incredulously. “And you want my father as a part of it!”

 

The alien seemed even more confused with each thing they said. “This one is your male parent, correct?” she asked, indicating Goku. Gohan nodded. “Why would we want him? We have made a female using samples from the destroyed home world, but now we require a male of good material as breeding stock.”

 

“Good material?” Bulma repeated. “You mean good genes?”

 

Rekkaia nodded happily, her eyes briefly squeezing shut as she chirped. “Yes,” the ball translated.

 

Everyone slowly shifted their gazes to look at Vegeta, who was growling softly. If he had still possessed the length of his tail, it would have been lashing behind him.

 

“I don't think so!” Bulma yelled suddenly, marching forward. She shoved past Vegeta, knocking the startled Saiyan off balance and sending him sprawling in an undignified heap. “My husband is not breeding stock, is that understood?”

 

Rekkaia just blinked her large eyes, looking sad. She chirped something at the ball, but instead of translating, it shot a beam at Bulma, sending her flying backwards. Her unconscious form slammed into Vegeta who had just gotten back to his feet. He caught her with a grunt, but managed to stay upright.

 

Vegeta gently laid his mate down on the grass, then charged towards the aliens. Rekkaia trilled at the ball and it swung out directly in front of Vegeta's face. He skidded to a halt, unsure of what to do about the thing.

 

Rekkaia gave it more commands and it shot a beam of bright light the size of Vegeta's head right at his face. He screamed once, instinctively bringing his hands to cover his eyes, before falling to the ground unconscious.

 

“Vegeta!” Goku yelled in sick horror, blinking spots out of his eyes. The light hadn't even been aimed at him, and his eyes were aching from it.

 

Oh, dear Kami, I don't even want to think about the damage that must have done to him, Goku thought, preparing to go Super Saiyan. Before he could do so, Rekkaia let out a series of clicks and chirps. The ball seemed to glow even brighter for a split second before pain exploded through his head and darkness descended.

 

…

 

Bulma came to just as Rekkaia commanded the ball to shower a beam of energy on the unconscious Saiyans and half-breeds. There were sounds of ripping cloth as they regained their tails.

 

Bulma slowly sat up and looked around. Everyone except for her and Chi-Chi was unconscious, and the other woman was tied up. Vegeta and Bra had also been tied up, and were in the process of being carried into the ship.

 

Rekkaia stood with her arms crossed over her chest, watching proudly as two of her people began to gather hair, tail, and skin samples from Goku, Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and Pan. When one of the aliens got to Gohan, it began to chitter and chirp excitedly.

 

Rekkaia walked over and had the ball scan him, her own voice becoming excited at the results. She chirped out several orders, and Gohan was tied up as well and carried to the ship.

 

“Why are you taking them?” Bulma asked angrily.

 

“The best Saiyan is being taken to breed,” the lead alien explained. “The female child is to be studied, as is the other male. Part of his genetic makeup is neither Saiyan nor of your species.”

 

“What you're doing is wrong! They're thinking and feeling beings, you can't just force them to breed while you poke and prod them.”

 

Rekkaia just looked at her, puzzled. “We are the Keepers. We keep species from being gone. Our work is good.”

 

With that, she signaled to the others and they headed back to the ship. Bulma watched as it left, barely noticing the tears that slowly slid down her cheeks.

 

…

 

On a high mountain cliff several miles away from Capsule Corporation, two figures watched silently as the alien ship rose through the atmosphere. One of them was tall, clothed in practical fighting garb. The other was short, hidden within the folds of a gray, hooded cloak. The taller of the two stood comfortably within what most would consider his companion's personal space, but neither seemed to mind.

 

“The Shades should be making their move soon,” he commented, his furry brown tail slowly swaying behind him. At first glance, he seemed to be one of the very Saiyans who had just been kidnapped, but he was at least a decade older and had the look of a hardened warrior.

 

“Yes,” the cloaked man replied softly. “Gather the others and do what you can against the Shades.”

 

“And where shall you be?” the taller man asked. He was one of the few who would dare to so casually question the cloaked one.

 

“That is not important now. Just go.”

 

“As you command, Ackay Ayanni,” he said with a bow. Then he brought his fingers to his forehead and vanished.

 

The cloaked figure held out his hand, a staff of ebony wood appearing within his grasp, the top of which was fashioned into a pair of clawed hands clutching a shining amethyst.

 

The cloaked one nodded once to himself in satisfaction, then began to slowly sink into his own shadow.