Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Echoes Across Time ❯ Part 03 ( Chapter 3 )

I do not own DBZ that privilege belongs to Akira Toriyama it's owner and inventor.

:What a person is thinking:

::Mind to mind conversation; mental telepathy for those who want to get technical.::

Chapter 4

The future Goku studied his one time rival who was wearing a bemused look upon his face. He was standing off to the side in his customary pose with his arms folded as if daring to be impressed. He was the Prince of the legendary Saiyens whose planet had been destroyed years before by Frieza.

Vegita, an individual who was driven to be the best. Who was once driven by his pride, allowing this to blind him to all that he cared for. It had served as thing to trap and goad him into doing rash things. At times this great pride had cost him dearly.

Taken on the surface he seemed to be a very shallow person. Underneath, there was a great potential, if he allowed that part to surface. He could do so much if he was not blinded by his pride. His one great point of weakness that had been used against him in the past.

How much has the Prince really changed? This was the gamble that Goku was contemplating as he returned the other's stare. The Prince of the future had changed and feared losing the earth. Did this younger, less mature one, understand the price of loss? Had he really learned something from facing Buu and seeing the loss of his family?

Would he be persuaded by this child's losses? Or would he shrug it off and say that the child was better off without a family?

Teancha, as if sensing his thoughts, stirred restlessly in her sleep. She made a few whimpering sounds and he laid his hand upon her forehead. She batted away his hand away with a little protest.

:She is reliving the nightmare despite King Kai's attempts to bury the past. She is so strong. So determined.:

The ground beneath his feet began to stir and rocks began to rattle. A small tree in the distance snapped in half. The ground began to shake under his boots.

A look of utter shook appeared across the Prince's face before it disappeared beneath his usual facade of carelessness.

" Mind explaining what that was, Kakarrot?"

Ignoring his one time rival for the moment, he leaned down to gently shake awake the girl, " Teancha," he called softly so he would not startle her. Waking her abruptly from a nightmare was not a good idea he had learned. She would attack with her ki instinctively and probably send all of them to the bottom of the ocean without realizing it.

" We have arrived at our destination," he kissed her softly on her forehead brushing her long, silver locks aside.

There was a whimpered protest and a portion of the island sank into the sea. Goku winced while Vegita sucked in a shocked breath.

" I felt that ki. It came from that child," he pointed an accussing finger at the small figure that was beginning to stir, " That much from one so young is," he swallowed and licked dry lips, "impossible," the word was a whisper.

Goku closed his eyes as if he were in pain. He had hoped that the barriers put up by King Kai would have lasted years rather than a mere handful of days. She was so powerful that when she became upset her life-force skyrocketed, kicking into overdrive, within seconds. He could not figure out how she did it.

Under normally conditions it took a great deal of focus and energy to accomplish what she was doing. The worst part of it was that she had no control. A very dangerous combination. He had been trying to teach her some of the very elementary levels of control but these slipped whenever she fell asleep.

He locked eyes with the disbelieving Prince.

" We have an emergency on our hands. Unless Teancha can get her ki under control she could accidently destroy this world. I wish that I could go into greater detail for you, but I can't. A great deal is at stake," he blew out a breath gazing down into the trusting green eyes that looked up at him. Her long silver mane hung down to her waist. The locks were fine and soft beneath his large hands.

She had come to trust him solely in the few weeks that they had been together. Would she hate him forever for what he was about to do? He ripped his eyes away to glance over at his one time opponent who was looking at him waiting for him to do his worst.

" Tean," he addressed her even as he was eying the Prince trying to gauge his mood. " I need for you to go exploring around the beach while I discuss some boring grownup stuff with Vegita."

The little girl shift her gaze to the man who stood off a little ways with crossed arms. He was wearing a humorless expression on his face.

" Does he ever smile," she whispered the question eying him with skepticism.

Goku gave her a little smile, " Now that I think about it I've seen him smile only a dozen times. Don't let that scowl of his get to you. Beneath it all he can be one of the good guys."

She snorted a look of cunning entering into her bright eyes. A little smirk appeared on her face as she considered his words. Goku was very familiar with that look in her eyes by now.

" Teancha," he said reprovingly as she began to gather her ki sending it flying after her target with swiftness.

Retaliation was swift in coming. Suddenly she jumped in surprise, crying out as she whirled around rubbing her bottom.

" That hurt," she accused glaring with a dark scowl upon her small features.

" Next time it will hurt a lot worse," the Prince promised from where he stood.

" Tean," Goku placed his hands upon her thin shoulders, " This is very important," he stressed.

She cast a glance upon the golden sand at her feet feeling really small and unsure of herself. She nodded, " Yes, grandpa." Before leaving she threw a dark look over her shoulder.

" Down to business, Kakarrot. What don't you want to say with the brat present?"

" There are a few details that I have to explain and you must hear me out before jumping to any conclusions."

Vegita raised an eyebrow seemingly unimpressed with his old time rival's words. "Spit it out or stop wasting my time."

The Saiyan from the future clenched his hands into fists trying to find patience. He had forgotten how short of patience this younger Prince Vegita was.

" Suffice to say that Teancha is a direct descendant of yours," the other snorted in disbelief, " She is not from this time zone and neither am I."

Vegita narrowed his black eyes but remained silent.

" I can't care for her since I am no longer of the mortal realm. She lost her entire family in a tragic accident a few weeks ago. Or someone would make it appear to be one. They pulled down an entire mountaintop to make sure they would all perish," he could feel his own anger rising with the retelling.

" Unfortunately, hers was not the only family targeted. There were two other families that suffered a similar fate, only in their case," he closed his eyes taking in a deep breath, " there were no survivors."

" Get to the point, Kakarrot," he demanded grinding his teeth.

He locked eyes with the Prince of the Saiyans trying to send the words home. Ram them into his heart where they would penetrate his armor.

"All the victims were of Saiyan descendant," he could feel Vegita's eyes trying to bore into his soul, " Of yours and mine bloodline. Our families are being targeted. Being wiped out. One family at a time. That's why I brought her here for safe keeping. She is the only one who has survived these attacks."

The Prince wore an expression that made Goku step back in pure reflex. He did not want to be on the receiving end of what he had in mind at that moment.

:Maybe I should have left that part out about the families being--"

He felt hands grab the lapels of his gi as he was brought up forcibly, " You are very certain about this. That my bloodline is being targeted?" He stressed each word with emphasis.

He nodded silently not trusting himself to speak. He had rarely seen Vegita this upset. Ready for blood.

" What do you want me to do with a child?" he let go walking away and turning his back.

" Train her up so that she can confront this hidden enemy."

The Prince laughed humorously, " Train up that insolent brat? She has great potential but no discipline. This enemy would sense her then seek her out and destroy her."

" Not if you trained her right."

" Is that all we have left to defend ourselves in the future? Untried children!"

" What are you not telling me, Kakarrot?" He swung around to throw a ki blast at the unsuspecting Goku, sending him flying some distance to slam into a tree, uprooting it in the process.

Surprised at the abruptness with the attack he shook his head looking up when a shadow stood over him. Vegita was wearing a thunderous expression that would have sent anyone cowering for cover. He was holding one of his more powerful ki power globes within his hand ready to strike. He was so focused upon his immediate target he actually thought Goku had finally slipped into the abyss of craziness.

" Teancha. No! Stand down. Do not release that wave. Or you will kill your grandfather. Do you want to see us disappear beneath a pile of rocks? Do you want us to die as well?" His voice was brutal.

Thinking that it was the lowest of tricks he continued to stare at his rival with blazing eyes. Out of the corner of his left eye he detected movement. He whipped around sharply and almost swallowed his tongue.

The girl was glowing a bright, white color. Seeming to pulsate, as she floated there, effortlessly, a few feet from the ground. There was a very dangerous gleam of determination in her green eyes.

He had not even felt her approach. How was it possible? He knew that she was generating a great amount of power, yet he could feel nothing from her. Nothing. And she was holding a great deal of ki within her hands.

This concludes part 3. Will Vegita take on the task of training Teancha or will Goku be forced to turn to someone else? Find out next time in part 4..

Please keep up the reviews so I know whether to continue or not. Have any good hints on who the enemy should be? Kind of hit a little snag on that part.