Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dragonball V: A World Both Familiar and Foreign ❯ My one chance…. Gone! ( Chapter 1 )

DragonBall V: A World Both Familiar and Foreign

Author's Note: This is an alternate universe DB fic, DragonBall: Vertigo. The basic idea is that certain small events happen differently early in the series and they cause a sort of domino effect, changing even more events later on. This fic will primarily be a Gohan/Videl fic, but earlier on it will involve Vegeta/Bulma, as well as Krillin/18. Lemon warning, lots of lemony goodness throughout as well as other various citrus. Feel free to skip over the stuff you don't want to read if you want to, I won't feel insulted. J Now, to begin!

Required Disclaimer: I don't own the DB franchise, I've never worked for them, I'm not making any money off this, and I'm dead sexxy baby! Read and enjoy.

Chapter 1: My one chance…. Gone!

Sweat and blood poured down Vegeta's face as he glared at his opponent, a fellow Saiyan by the name of Kakkarot. Vegeta smirked, inwardly laughing at how the low class warrior was using the human name of Goku. Vegeta sniffed in disgust and spit, clearing his mouth of the blood that had welled up there from various blows he had received. Vegeta was about to attack again when Goku suddenly sank to one knee in exhaustion. The fighting spirit was still present, but Goku was nearly about to pass out from the strain. Vegeta admitted, only to himself, that he was nearly depleted of energy as well. "So Kakkarot, finally kneeling before your prince?"

Goku laughed softly, shaking his head. "I'll never kneel before you or anyone else, Vegeta. Why don't you just leave me and the Earth in peace?"

Vegeta snarled, advancing slowly. "Not before I gain immortality from those Dragonballs of yours. Then, I see no reason to cause any more damage to you or this pitiful ball of mud. I have bigger scores to settle."

Goku laughed out loud, stopping when the pain lancing through his broken ribs stole his breath. "Vegeta, you idiot! Remember Piccolo, that green skinned guy that Nappa killed? When he died, so did Kami, the creator of the dragonballs! With Kami gone, the Dragonballs are gone too. And even if they weren't, they had just been used to wish me back to life. You wouldn't have been able to use them for another year!"

Vegeta stopped cold in his tracks, staring at Goku in disbelief and horror. "You're… you're lying! They can't be gone! I need them!"

Goku shook his head. "No. They are gone. You have no further purpose here."

Vegeta's fists clenched in rage before he moved forward and punched Goku as hard as he could, sending the other man flying through the air to crash to the ground in a heap. "Idiot! You… no! Without immortality, there's no way I can defeat Frieza! What the hell am I supposed to do now, you damned clown!?"

Goku laughed, despite the pain he was in. He tried sitting up, but felt a sharp stab of agony in his spine a moment before he fell back limply against the soft dirt. "Frieza? Who is that, an ice cream vendor?"

Vegeta growled and sat down on the ground, no longer having the strength or even the rage to continue the fight. There was no longer any point to it. "He killed us all. Nearly every last Saiyan. All that were left were me, Nappa, Radditz, and you. Now there is only you and I. Ha… what a joke. Frieza will probably be here within a few years to blow this planet up, just like he did to Vegeta-sei. And now I can't even stop him. What a cruel universe we live in. Shit!" Vegeta half-heartedly punched the ground next to him, leaving an indention in the dirt.

"This Frieza sounds like a real tyrant. I can't say you sound much better, though." Goku observed, feeling grateful for the chance to rest from the battle. He was finally able to pull himself up into a sitting position, facing the Prince of the Saiyans.

Vegeta snarled and nearly resumed the attack on the other Saiyan before settling back, shaking his head in disgust. "Frieza is pure evil. He kills for the pure pleasure of it. He wipes out entire races because they're there! I've had to swallow my pride for half my life and serve him just to survive! Do not dare to compare me to that cold-blooded monster! Idiot!" Vegeta stood a bit too fast and sank back to his knees, his head swimming in dizziness.

Goku was silent for a few moments before he spoke again. "There has to be a way, Vegeta. There is always a way. We'll find it."

Vegeta was able to stand this time, anger reddening his face. "We!? Do not presume that just because I no longer feel like killing you that you are my friend! You disgust me. I no longer have a reason to stay here. I should be merciful and destroy this whole planet so that Frieza doesn't come and enslave you all. Perhaps I shouldn't bother though."

Goku frowned, knowing he'd have to fight again soon if it came to that. "There is another option, Vegeta. Stay here on Earth. Perhaps we'll find a way to defeat this Frieza. It's worth a try, at least."

Vegeta stared at Goku for several long moments before he shrugged in seeming disinterest. "It makes no difference now. We'll both be dead soon, regardless. The Saiyans die with us, Kakkarot."

Goku gave him a goofy smile. "Can't you at least call me Goku if we're gunna be dead soon anyway?"

Vegeta refrained himself from backhanding the simpleton. "Idiot! How the hell did you give me such a good fight, anyway? Fucking low class soldier. Bah!"

Goku gave him his trademarked Son smile, and nodded towards the horizon. "I'm hungry! Wanna get something to eat?"

Vegeta snarled a moment before his own stomach growled loudly. "Might as well. I hope this pitiful planet has some decent food, at least."

Goku nodded eagerly and took to the air, moving slowly because of all the pain he was in and the weakness he felt. "Come on then, let's go."

Vegeta shook his head in disgust and followed the younger Saiyan. 'Idiot probably thinks we're friends now. Only reason I don't go ahead and kill him is because he and that brat of his are the last Saiyans left besides myself. If we're going to die, we might as well die together. Of all the fucking luck… Nappa had to go and kill the one person he shouldn't have killed! I sure hope this planet has some good food… damn I'm hungry!'

*************

Krillin and Gohan stopped in midair on their way back towards Master Roshi's and stared back towards where Vegeta and Goku had been fighting to the death moments before. "You feel that, Gohan?!" Krillin asked the boy next to him in disbelief.

"Yeah!" Gohan said, shaking his head in wonder. "Dad and Vegeta… flying towards us together?! What could be happening, Krillin?"

"I don't know, Gohan, but do you think we should wait on them? I don't really want to see that Saiyan monster again, but there has to be a reason why they aren't still fighting. Their ki's are pretty weak though, they ran each other ragged at the very least." Krillin commented, wondering what could be happening with his best friend and the alien he had been fighting several minutes before.

"Yeah, we had better wait, Krillin. Dad may just be coming towards us to tell us something. They should be here in a minute anyway." Gohan observed, feeling grateful to Piccolo for training him in how to sense ki.

Krillin nodded and without another word they floated where they were, awaiting the arrival of the two full blooded Saiyans. Within a moment both came into view, blood and sweat still dripping from their faces that were in grimaces of pain and concentration. They both stopped several feet in front of Krillin and Gohan, Goku with a goofy grin plastered on his face and Vegeta with a derisive scowl. "Hey guys! Glad we were able to catch up to you. We're heading back towards Master Roshi's place, ok?"

Krillin and Gohan shared a confused look then Gohan gave voice to their question. "Dad… what are you doing with Vegeta? Isn't he still trying to kill everyone?"

Goku shook his head and laughed, instantly regretting it as his ribs started burning in pain once more. "Ouch! No, he's on our side now."

Vegeta snarled and snapped out angrily, "I am not, you imbecile! I just have no reason to kill you. It would be a shame for me to become the last of the Saiyans, anyway."

Goku laughed as Vegeta spit the last of the blood that had been draining into his mouth, his disgust evident in the gesture. "Well, whatever your reasons, we have a common enemy. Whether you consider us friends or not, we're still allies."

Vegeta scowled but remained silent. If he had his way, the father and son would be kneeling before him to pay their respects to their prince. But, Frieza's death at his hands was more important than whether or not these two bowed or not.

Gohan shrugged, unsure of how to feel about this new development. It was better than worrying about whether his father would be killed like Piccolo had been, after all. "Ok dad, if you say so."

Krillin didn't hide his resentment of the older Saiyan, though. "I don't like it. This bastard helped kill all our friends and nearly killed you! Now he's suddenly one of the good guys? I don't buy it."

Vegeta growled and nearly reached out to snap the bald man's neck. "Listen, shortie! I am not one of the 'good' guys! We share a common enemy, one that will be here within a few years to blow up your pathetic planet without another thought! One that slaughtered my people as if they were nothing! I may not have any reason to kill anyone else here, but I can make an exception for you!"

Krillin's fists balled up as he took a defiant stance, but Goku defused the situation with a stomach growl. "Can we talk about this later? I'm hungry!"

Krillin frowned and turned to fly towards Roshi's again without further argument. "Sure, Goku. That's probably for the best."

The rest of the trip to the turtle hermit's island was made in silence, though several glares and glances were exchanged. They landed in front of the house to see all the people that had been there standing in front of the house, nervously shifting about before they spotted the newcomers. "There's my sweet precious boy! Gohan! Come to mommy!" Chi-Chi yelled, running up and grabbing up Gohan in a fierce hug, oblivious to the Saiyan prince who was scowling at her.

"Mom!" Gohan said, his face flushing red in embarrassment as he tried to wiggle out of her embrace.

Chi-Chi turned and saw her husband and she let out another excited yell, throwing one arm around him and crying on his shoulder with Gohan squeezed between them. "Oh, Goku! I thought I'd never see you again! Don't you ever leave me like that again, you hear me!?"

Goku scratched the back of his head nervously and laughed. "Well, Chi-Chi… I was dead after all. It wasn't my fault."

"Can we skip the pathetic tears and get to the food already!?" Vegeta snapped, drawing everyone's attention towards him.

"You! You filthy monster! You hurt my little boy!" Chi-Chi cried, suddenly letting go of her husband and started to whack the prince with her balled up fist, much to his surprise. Gohan felt like crying as he was shaken about, still gripped tightly in Chi-Chi's other arm.

"Get your woman off me, idiot! I wouldn't want to hurt your mate!" Vegeta snarled, backing up from the hysterical woman to no avail.

Ox King grabbed Chi-Chi and started pulling her back, trying to talk some sense into her. "Chi-Chi! Stop, honey! Gohan is fine!"

Gohan felt like crying at that statement, but instead made his discomfort known. "Mom! You're hurting me!"

Chi-Chi stopped her attempts at bludgeoning Vegeta to death to turn to her little boy and hug him to her bosom again, crying over him. "Oh, my sweet precious boy! I didn't mean to hurt you! Can you ever forgive mommy!?"

Roshi was giving Vegeta a hard stare, much to his dislike. "Stop staring at me, old man!"

Roshi shook his head slowly and looked back at Goku who had one hand on his empty stomach and the other dangling limply at his side. "Chi-Chi, I think they need to get inside and sit down. They look like they're about to drop from exhaustion."

Chi-Chi carried Gohan into the Kame house, dragging Goku behind her. "You all must be hungry! Let me get you something to eat." Chi-Chi said, knowing her husband's bottomless appetite well.

Vegeta threw his arms up in exasperation. "Finally the woman makes sense!" He followed them in, ignoring the careful gaze of all the others there at the house.

As they were all eating, Goku and Krillin did their best to explain the situation, with comments and insults added by Vegeta. "This Frieza doesn't sound like a very nice guy." The Ox King commented, stuffing a roasted turkey into his mouth.

"You simple-minded fool! Frieza is the most evil and despicable monster that has ever lived! How much more plainly must I say it for you to understand!? Damn it!" Vegeta shouted, snapping the chopsticks he was using (which he had been having trouble with to begin with) in half accidentally.

Chi-Chi growled. "Leave my father alone! You have no right to speak to him that way!"

Goku tried to defuse the situation, once again. "Chi-Chi, Vegeta, calm down! No harm done. We can all see that Vegeta is very passionate about wanting to stop Frieza. I say we help him. If we don't, he'll likely be here within a few years to blow us up from space."

Krillin scowled. "I don't like it, but I see your point. Count me in."

Vegeta snorted. "Like you can do anything to help other than cook our meals for us. Ha!"

Krillin clenched his hand into a fist. "Now I may not be up to your level yet, Spikey-Hair, but I'll train just as hard as you to prepare for the fight! I don't know how much help I'd be, but I'll give it my best."

Goku interrupted before Vegeta could insult his friend again. "As will I. Though I don't really know where this Frieza might be. We need to come up with a plan."

Vegeta snorted. 'Well, if I'm going to die, I may as well die fighting. At least I'll die fighting beside the last of the Saiyans.' He turned to Bulma, holding up his empty glass. "Serving woman! Fetch me some more water!"

"I am not a serving woman, you freak! Get your own damned water!" Bulma snapped.

Vegeta chuckled, finding he liked this human's attitude. 'She's rather attractive, for someone who isn't even Saiyan. Too bad she's such a weakling, or she'd make a good mate.' Vegeta glared at his empty glass and started to get up when Bulma snatched the glass from his hand and went over to refill it from a pitcher of water. Vegeta blinked in surprise as Bulma handed it to him, a slight blush on her cheeks. Though from annoyance or something else, the Saiyan prince was unsure. Vegeta calmly took a sip of the water and set it down, when Bulma shouted at him again. "At least say thank you, you arrogant prick!"

Vegeta glared at Bulma for several long moments, trying to intimidate her into shutting up. It didn't work, as she glared back at him. 'Maybe she would make a good mate, after all.' Vegeta thought, then gave her a cocky grin. "My thanks, Oh Lovely Serving Woman."

Bulma gave Vegeta a look that if it could kill, would scorch the flesh from his bones. "I am not a serving wo-"

"More rice balls, Vegeta?" Chi-Chi interrupted, trying to keep things civil at the dinner table.

Vegeta took them silently, wolfing them down nearly as fast as Goku was.

"It's too bad the Dragonballs are gone. We could certainly use the help of the others." Roshi commented sadly, changing the subject.

"Those weaklings!? Why they couldn't help against…" Vegeta started, before Bulma interrupted him.

"I've been thinking about that. Kami and Piccolo came from another planet. Maybe the planet they come from has dragonballs also?" Bulma stated thoughtfully.

"Piccolo was a Namek. I recognized the species." Vegeta added, setting aside his insults of the deceased Z fighters.

"Do you happen to know where their planet is?" Gohan asked, eager to find a way to bring Piccolo back to life.

"Not off hand. It should be in my pod's navigational computer, though. I believe that planet was scheduled for invasion and selling sometime in the next two years." Vegeta replied, slowing down on his eating, giving Goku the chance to snatch some more rice balls from the serving bowl before Vegeta noticed and snarled at him and tried to catch up.

"Bulma, has the Capsule Corporation made a ship that can travel in deep space yet?" Krillin queried, staring at the Saiyans eating in shock. 'It must be a Saiyan thing.' Krillin thought as Vegeta, Goku, and Gohan nearly inhaled food into their mouths.

Bulma bit her lip thoughtfully, earning an interested look from the Saiyan prince. "Not yet, but I think my dad was building a ship. Perhaps we can have a look at the technology in the Saiyan pods to help the process along?" Bulma noticed Vegeta staring at her from the corner of her eye, feeling a warm tingly sensation move throughout her. 'Wow, even Yamcha never made me feel like this when he looked at me. Must be some sort of animal magnetism.' Bulma mused silently.

"Feel free to take Nappa's apart. It's not like he'll be needing it anymore." Vegeta said with a chuckle. Vegeta's eyebrow rose up slowly as he noticed Bulma's gaze focused on him.

"Right. Now to decide who will go. It will probably take a while for the ship to finish being built so we should train until then and on the way to the planet. Never know what we'll run into, after all. And after we use the Namekian dragonballs " Goku said thoughtfully, already envisioning the training he would put himself through to further increase his fighting abilities.

"That's simple." Vegeta scoffed. "I'll go. You and your brat should come along too. This is Saiyan vengeance on Frieza we will be fulfilling, after all."

"NO!" Chi-Chi shouted. Standing quickly and placing her fists on the table as if she were grinding the notion into dust. "My sweet little boy will stay here and study! He's been deprived of his education for a year now, and he'll not be kept from it one moment longer!"

Vegeta snarled at Goku's mate. "Stupid woman! This is Frieza we're talking about! He'll grind your planet into dust in moments and the brat's education will have been for nothing!"

"I don't care!" Chi-Chi protested, crossing her arms defiantly. "Gohan stays here."

Gohan objected. "But mom! Piccolo was my friend! You have to let me go so I can wish him back! He sacrificed his life to save mine!"

Chi-Chi swiped her arm through the air to emphasis her point. "No, damn it! That man took you from your mother a year ago and kept you in the woods! It's a wonder you even remember how to speak after that traumatic ordeal! You will not go, and that is FINAL!"

Krillin cleared his throat carefully, immediately getting glared at by both Chi-Chi and Vegeta. Krillin began to sweat, but spoke anyway. "I'll go. I can't let Goku go into danger by himself. I have to help protect the Earth, as well."

Vegeta snorted but shrugged after a moment of consideration. "Fine then. You'll have to keep up with our training though, or I'll kill you myself."

Goku grinned. "This is gunna be great! I've never been in space before! We'll need to bring lots of food though." To emphasis his point, he stuffed a roasted hen into his mouth and swallowed it, beating his chest to get it down into his stomach.

Gohan scowled and felt like crying. 'I'm not even going to get to be there when Piccolo gets wished back! I can't believe this!'

Krillin noticed Gohan's forlorn expression and patted his back sympathetically. "Don't sweat it, lil' bro. We'll have Piccolo back and Frieza taken care of in no time."

Gohan smiled sadly and nodded, not looking forward to studying non-stop. 'Well, I may have to study but I'll get out when I can to train on my own. I don't want to lose the skills that Piccolo taught me, after all!'

Goku smiled at the Saiyan prince. "So, Vegeta! Need a place to crash? You can sleep on our couch if you want?"

Vegeta looked horrified for a few moments before he shook his head. "I'd rather sleep in the woods than on your couch, Kakkarot! How dare you…"

Bulma interrupted the elder Saiyan, not wanting an argument to start. "There's plenty of room over at the Capsule Corporation. In fact, Goku? You and Krillin should stay there too. Dad was going to add a gravity generator to the space ship so that you could train if you ever needed to go somewhere, and it looks like this will be the perfect chance to use it!"

Goku scratched his head and gave her his trademarked Son smile. "Gravity generator? What's that?"

"It's a device that'll increase the gravity in the space ship to a specified amount. Basically it's sort of like your weighted training clothes, but more intense!" Bulma said with a smile. 'Yes… I am a genius!'

"Oh!" Goku said, reaching for the last rice ball and his smile dropping as Vegeta beat him to it. Goku stared sadly at the ball as Vegeta popped it into his mouth, who in turn smirked at the younger Saiyan. "King Kai's planet had gravity ten times greater than the earth. And once I got accustomed to it, my strength increased a lot! How high will this generator thing make the gravity?"

Bulma looked upwards, trying to remember. "If I remember right, it has a maximum of 100 Gs. There's no way you'll be able to train under gravity that high though, you'd be squashed like a pancake. But I imagine you might be able to get up to 40 of 50 before you reach the limit of your abilities. Krillin will be along though, and I doubt he'll adjust as quickly as you Saiyans, so you might want to take it easy."

"Pancakes?! Oh, I'm so hungry! Can we have pancakes, Chi-Chi?!" Goku asked, excited.

"The runt will keep up or he'll be squashed. It's as simple as that." Vegeta said with a smirk.

"I'll keep up. Just you wait, Vegeta." Krillin growled out, earning another smirk from the Saiyan prince.

"Alright then, it's decided. We'll start training tomorrow. Now… what's for desert?!" Goku exclaimed, looking around as if he were starving.

*************

Hope you enjoyed chapter 1 of DragonBall V! As you can see, there's already some changes. I know you're wondering where the Gohan/Videl stuff will come in to play. Don't worry, it'll come up. The story will get a lot better once the back-story is out of the way, but the next few chapters should still be pretty fun. Especially the next chapter. Teehee Review if you like, it'd be peachy keen!