Machina
By: Kichi
DISCLAIMER: Akira Toriyama created DBZ and all it's characters. Not me. I make
no money from writing or posting this on the internet.
PAIRING: Vegeta and Bulma ARCHIVED: RATED: R for swearing and violence (NC-17 for later chapters)
NOTES: ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. Radditz and Nappa die on Earth but Vegeta is never able to get away and find out why, until years later during a skirmish between Frieza and Cooler. He finds Earth but almost everything is destroyed by the androids. Except, of course, a little blue-haired scientist who finds him after 17 and 18 kick the snot out of him. Woah.. did I give away too much? NAH!
Chapter 1 - Deus ex Machina
He fell out of the sky and slammed into the hard earth below without a sound.
"I think you killed him." 17 said with a light smirk. 18 shrugged. "Oh well. Wasn't he strange though? He had a tail!" 18 mused.
"Ha! He's obviously a genetic freak. Just like that Goku.." 18 nodded in agreement. "Well, I'm just glad that's the last of them. Those things always wear down my energy." 18 said. 17 snickered.
"Ha! Tired are we? Need a nap?" he sneered. 18 glared at him angrily.
"Go to hell Juuhachigou." she snarled and took off. 17 blinked in surprise. He had only been joking.
"Women!" He huffed and flew after her.
Bulma sighed in frustration. Whoever that had been, his power had been way above Goku's, but the chance that she could make it to him before he died wasn't good. Her ki-radar had informed her of a fight between the androids and someone with an astonishing ki that reminded her of a Saiyan. Whatever it had been, it was still alive and if she could find it in time, perhaps she could help. After all, anyone who had the balls to attack the androids was definitely on her side. She gathered some medical supplies and uncapsulated her jet. She hopped in and began lift-off, gunning the engines just as she rose above tree-
level.
The tiny radar was similar in appearance to the Dragon radar but it measured ki and the one she was following was slowly fading. She pushed the pedal down, the engines screamed in protest and the frame of the ship began to rattle. "Come on, you piece of shit! Go!" she growled. It didn't speed the ship up at all, but the ship ceased its nerve-wracking rattle. The radar began to beep loudly and she slowed the craft and began her descent.
There had been a devastating attack on the area, the scorch marks were still fresh and she could hear small rocks bouncing off of debris as the rubble re-
settled. This had once been a beautiful forest. She wished she'd never seen it before the destruction. To look on the twisted landscape now, you could never tell that stately trees had once stood there. The ground was blasted flat with large piles of rock and tree-fragments littering the area like disrupted graves. It was a miserable sight. The sky rumbled ominously and the roar of the wind sounded like a descending airplane. But there hadn't been a man-made vehicle in the sky for almost a year- not counting hers.
Rain began to pour down and she shivered, scanning the area. Where was this individual she had come to find? From the corner of her eye she saw movement and a sudden agonized moan sent her scurrying over to a lump on the ground.
She gasped in surprise when she knelt down next to what was obviously a young man. His clothing and armor was in ruins and in some areas had been burnt. Bleeding gashes and scrapes covered almost every patch of exposed skin. Then something else caught her eyes and she gasped. A long, brown, monkey tail shivered behind him. So, he was a Saiyan after all, but he was so small compared to Radditz and Nappa! Who was he? She returned her eyes to his face and pulled out a tiny antiseptic wipe and began to clean the blood off of his skin. She quickly taped a cut on his temple that had produced most of the blood, and then began to clean the black crust that covered half of his face. And as the blood was removed her eyes began to widen in surprise. He's gorgeous! Bulma thought. His features were relaxed, but occasionally a scowl would darken his features giving him that impression of a pouting little boy. But he wasn't a boy, his sculpted body was perfectly proportioned, each muscle clear cut and defined, but compact, like the rest of him. Well, except for the hair, she tousled it idly as she cleaned the blood from his face. Just like Son Kun's, she thought sadly. She pulled her hand away and saw his blood on her skin. She gently felt his scalp and found a massive lump that was bleeding lightly, matting the dark auburn locks.
Well, you aren't too big, this shouldn't be so hard. She thought. He groaned again and his head tossed a bit but his eyes didn't open and after a moment he relaxed again. "Hmm. No neck injuries apparent." She muttered to herself. She slid her arm under his neck and tried to pull his head up- and after raising him up about an inch she fell on top of him with a startled cry. "What the hell?" she cried and sat up, then stood. She bent down and grabbed his wrist and pulled-
She grunted with the effort of trying to lift him. But it was impossible. He weighed a ton! But how? He was so small.. She went to his side and poked him. His muscles were like stone, they were so solid. But still, he was maybe about as tall as she was, at 5'7 he couldn't weigh more than 180 pounds at the most by his size. But it felt like he weighed more than two hundred. Bulma frowned.
"How the hell am I going to get you home?" she murmured to the unconscious Saiyan. "I can't just drag you to the jet." Maybe.. She ran to the jet and began to rifle through her capsules. She pushed the plunger on the top and tossed it and with a small puff a larger medical case appeared. She rummaged through it and with a cry of triumph pulled out a bottle of smelling salts. Her mother had been a fainter and so they'd always had some around.
She took it over to the unconscious Saiyan and uncorked the vial, waving it under his nose. The effect was startling. His eyes shot open, then snapped shut again, and he shuddered violently. He tried twisting away but was unable to move save his arms twitching feebly. She pulled the vial away and corked it, noting with concern that he was still shivering. Slowly his eyes fluttered open and he took several shuddering breaths. Then a pair of onyx eyes met hers and she was startled by the fierce anger burning in them. Then the look melted to be replaced by one of astonishment. "What happened?" he croaked. A spasm of pain forced his eyes shut and he choked harshly. He quickly turned his head and a small gout of blood splashed the ground.
"You've been hurt. You're lucky to be alive, after fighting those monsters. I'm amazed they didn't blow your ass to pieces while you were unconscious." he blinked, his eyes slowly opening and closing and for a moment she feared he would lose consciousness again. He took several deep breaths and from the tensing of his muscles, she guessed he was trying to get up. "Don't move." She said softly, placing a dainty hand on his chest. He immediately froze at the contact, his eyes shot open to glare murderously at her. "Look, I'm sorry," she snapped, "But your injured incase you haven't noticed. And right now, I'm the only one who can and will help you. So relax all right?" he sighed and closed his eyes. Bulma began to clean off the rest of the blood on his face.
He used every ounce of will not to squirm away. He'd never seen such an exotic and beautiful girl in his life! Sure, there had been plenty of women he'd considered attractive, but there had always been something about them that had repulsed him. Most likely it was the fact that most of them had been whores, or terrified slaves. But this girl… she was no slave of that he was certain, she wouldn't dare rebuke him, or probably even speak to him. And if she was a whore he would know also, there was no mistaking them.
He didn't know why she was helping him, but oddly enough, he was sort of relieved. He was sure that battle would be his last. If you could even call it a battle. It had been more like him getting his ass kicked for no reason (for once.
"I remember a girl with yellow hair and a man with black hair. They both had odd-colored eyes… like yours except lighter." He sighed after a moment, staring into those beautiful blue eyes. Hers were much darker, and much prettier. He frowned suddenly, 'Why the hell am I thinking this? She's a weak ningen'
"That was the jouziningen. This place right here-" she gestured to the area surrounding them "This spot used to be a beautiful forest with massive trees. The tallest in the country. And they destroyed it all. They've destroyed everything, killed all my friends, my family." She said softly.
Her eyebrows rose as he continued to stare at her and she suddenly felt her face grow hot. He had never seen blue hair. And it looked so shiny and soft. The odd impulse came into his head to touch it and see if it really was as soft as it looked, but one arm felt broken, and the other just hurt. He tried anyway, and grunted suddenly as he painfully realized the bone was snapped as he saw it bulge beneath the skin.
"Shit." She hissed, noticing as well. "Hold still." She ran over to her pile of capsules and tossed one to the ground. She found a tiny can and brought it over. She then found a pair of scissors and after carefully removing on of his gloves she cut his sleeve off at a tear on his shoulder where he'd sustain another wound, that was still bleeding. "Ok. This is going to hurt so get ready." She cautioned. His expression grew mildly bored and she wondered how someone could be so stoic in the face of such pain. "Ready?"
He nodded and she grabbed his arm and re-set the bone, thanking Kami that it hadn't already begun to mend. His face grew alarmingly pale during the process, but not a sound passed his lips. She was surprised, to say the least. She would have screamed like a baby. And she suddenly found herself admiring his strength as well.
She took the tiny can and pressed a button on top and warm liquid hit his skin. She covered his arm with the stick substance and it began to expand and harden.
"What the hell is it?" he asked and found that his arm was held perfectly still within the soft casing.
"It's a cast. It will peel off in about a week and then I can put another one on, but I probably won't need to. You probably heal just as fast as Son-Kun did." She said with a sad smile. "It will keep your arm still so the bone can heal straight." She added and he nodded mutely, his eyes closing a moment as weariness swept over him.
She dipped a clean hand towel in antiseptic liquid and began to clean a huge gash on his shoulder. He stiffened as soon as she touched it, but made no sound or complaint. Then she attended to the lump on his scalp.
"Radditz said that your planet was destroyed. You are a Saiyan, right? You have a tail like Son-kun did-" Immediately his eyes shot open and he struggled to rise. "No, what are you doing?" he growled in fury over his inability to move and the ferocious, animalistic sound halted Bulma in her tracks. "Radditz.. was here then!" he gasped, his blazing eyes boring into hers. "And Nappa?"
"Yes. Both of them. But they're dead. And we can't wish anyone back anymore either." The Saiyan blinked and shook his head.
"I know that they're dead. That's is why I came. To find out why. I needed them." He grated. "Oh." She said softly. Suddenly his eyes clenched shut and he was barely able to stifle a groan of pain. He rolled onto his side and gagged and she saw black blood splatter the ground. Unexpectedly a shrill beep made Bulma jump in surprise and the Saiyan flinched away as she jumped to her feet. Her android warning device was going off. They had to be close. "Shit!" she hissed. The Saiyan's eyes blinked groggily and she knelt down and shook him. "Listen to me, you have to get up and get in the jet! They're coming back!" She tugged his good arm with all her strength and with a soft moan he struggled to rise. She supported him as much as she could and they staggered towards the plane. The alarm grew shriller as they drew near and suddenly the Saiyan slipped out of her grasp as he stumbled and his knees buckled. "Shit!" Bulma cried and grabbed his elbow as he fell, and forgetting his unusual weight, she fell with him. "No Kami, no!" she cried as the alarm grew to a shrill unbroken whine. They had to be right above them!
"Leave me alone! I don't want to hear your shit right now! I'm going to find something else to wear!" 18 yelled at her brother high above the place they had just beaten that strange alien to death.
"Fine! Go ahead! See if I care! I wish you would shut off your stupid emotion chip, you are so annoying like this!" 17 snapped back. 18's eyes narrowed to slits of fury.
"The only person who is being an annoyance is YOU!" 18 screeched before flying off in the opposite direction.
"Fine, whatever." 17 snapped. "I'm sure I'll have more fun without you!" he flew off in another direction.
He shuddered violently beneath her and just as suddenly the alarm began to fade. Bulma breathed a sigh of relief and returned her attention to the Saiyan beneath her. Sweat stood on his brow and he was shivering uncontrollably. His breath hitched in his throat and he choked again. Blood began to leak over his bottom lip.
"Hey, are you awake still?" she said, lightly slapping his cheek. His eyes slowly opened and he nodded weakly. She threw open the door of her plane and tugged his elbow until he slowly gripped the side of the jet and used it and her to pull himself to his feet.
That small act seemed to take a lot out of him and he drew in quick, shallow lungfuls of air. His skin was alternating between white and red and she prayed he wouldn't pass out again before she got him into her home and to the infirmary. "Can you stay awake for a bit more?" she said softly as she pulled him inside the cabin and helped him to the co-pilot's seat. She didn't have anything for him to lie down on unfortunately, but she reclined the seat for him and he lay back, his eyes screwed shut as his cracked and broken ribs protested the movement.
"It's possible." He said softly, his eyes drifting close. She had to keep him awake during the short flight and began to question him as they rose into the air and took off.
"What is your name?" she said, his eyelids fluttered for a moment before he raised his head and glanced at her.
"Vegeta." Bulma frowned wondering why the name sounded so familiar. She certainly didn't know anyone by such a strange name. Then she remembered. Radditz had mentioned him.
"Prince Vegeta?" she gasped before she could stop herself. He tried to laugh but all that came out was a wheezing choke.
"How am I a prince of anyone anymore- I am the last of my race!" he snarled bitterly. Bulma frowned sadly, had Radditz and Nappa been his friends? "Your still a prince." Bulma mused. "Even if everyone is dead. Weren't you raised to be king one day? Or did you have older brothers?" He eyed her for a moment, as if perplexed.
"A King needs only one son. Unless his heir is killed." He replied.
"I take that as a no. Well the point is, that you were raised to be king one day, right?" she asked, taking her eyes off her path and gazing at him.
"Yes." He said after another questioning glance.
"Then that is a part of you, and it doesn't just go away because all of your subjects are gone." She said with a faint smile.
"No, it just loses its importance." He hissed, his brow furrowed in anger.
"Maybe but-" he silenced her with a wave of his hand.
"I do not wish to continue this discussion." He said softly, and she saw a flash of pain in his eyes. She bit her lip and let the subject drop and returned her gaze to the windshield. Capsule Corp was close. She dared another glance at her passenger and saw his eyes slide shut and snap back open a second later as he struggle to stay conscious.
She wasn't worried though; they were seconds away from home. She began landing procedure and the craft settled smoothly in her back yard. She jumped out and ran to his door. She opened it and saw that his eyes were clenched shut and he was shaking again.
"Vegeta?" she said softly. Open eye cracked open and he sat up and began to rise. She grabbed his elbow to help him but he growled and pulled away. His feet hit the ground and his knees buckled as a wave of dizziness washed over him. His surroundings grayed out and he could hear someone drawing in quick, harsh breaths. He suddenly realized it was him, although how he couldn't tell. He couldn't hear anything and his whole body was growing numb.
She gasped as he fell and gripped his elbow in an attempt to steady him, but he slid from her grasp and lay on the ground gasping like a landed fish before his whole body gave a violent shiver and he lost consciousness.
"Shit." She huffed in frustration. He weighed too much! There was no way she was going to be able to get him to the med center. She had to wake him up again, but decided against it at the moment. If she let him rest a moment, perhaps he would make it farther.
She sat down beside him and watched the color return to his face and his breathing slow. His skin was darker than hers, and his hair had faint hints of auburn in the light. He was maybe a shade darker than Yamcha who had spent most of his early life in the desert. She wondered vaguely what his planet had been like. What kind of person would Goku have been if he'd grown up there? If he turned out anything like Nappa or Radditz, she was glad he had been sent to Earth.
He was really cute. But what the hell kind of person was he? She didn't know, but she prayed that he wasn't an evil prick like Nappa and Radditz were, but then again- he apparently knew them. She just hoped that maybe he would feel enough gratitude to not kill her when he was healed.
A horrible smell assaulted him again and he almost retched. He could hear his agonized gasps and felt a small hand rubbing his back.
"…Ok. Just breathe, you'll be fine in a second." The human female assured him. He hated this. Those fucking androids would pay for this humiliation. He couldn't seem to focus. He was dizzy from lack of oxygen. Breathing was painful and each hitching breath drew up blood. An involuntary moan escaped him as another wave of vertigo hit him. The woman's voice was becoming unintelligible.
This wasn't good. His eyes were sluggishly opening and closing. She smacked his face lightly, then harder when he moaned weakly. He was struggling to wake. His head tossed and the pained expression on his face made her heart clench in sympathy.
"Come on Vegeta, you can do it. I know your tired but we have to get inside so you can rest. I can't take care of you out here. We need to get inside."
Her soft voice drew him back. For some odd reason, he was compelled to do as she asked. His eyes finally opened, and then closed to slits, but he was aware. He slowly sat up with her help, took a few hitched breaths and painfully got to his feet. If she hadn't been tugging his good arm the whole way up, he probably wouldn't have made it. He swayed unsteadily and she quickly maneuvered under his undamaged left arm. Slowly they made it inside. Each time he staggered, she nearly panicked as she struggled to keep him upright and walking. The wound on his shoulder had reopened, and was steadily dripping down his arm and soaking into the cast material. His skin was paling again and she thanked Kami when she spotted to door to the med center. She opened the door and helped him in, trying to hurry despite his pained gasps. Finally she got him to the closest bed and sat down with him on the bed, and still holding his arm got him on his back and tugged his legs up and onto the mattress. She tugged his boots off and leaned against the bed a moment, trying to regain her breath. The effort had been exhausting, and she wondered how Vegeta was faring. His brow was furrowed as she turned her head to look at him and he slowly opened his eyes, his expression clearing. "Can you sit up? We need to get your armor off." He frowned as if to say she was asking too much, but he did as she asked anyway, he face revealing no discomfort to her. To her surprise, he tugged the shoulder strap and the whole entire thing began to stretch. She tugged the strap slid it off of him and then over the broken arm with relative ease. She held the lightweight material in her hands with an expression of awe. "This stuff is incredible!" she murmured.
Vegeta sat back with a sigh, but she shook her head and tugged him forward again. "Your shirt." She replied at his questioning glance. He frowned and simple began to tear it when she had cut his sleeve off earlier all the way down the side and shook his good arm until it slid off. She bound his chest to keep his ribs from setting incorrectly and let him lie down. His eyes slid shut immediately. Some color had returned to his face and his breathing seemed to ease and deepen. She thought he was asleep, when those dark eyes opened again.
"You need to get some rest." She chided gently. "No." He gasped and she frowned, thinking him in pain. "S-someone might come looking for me."
"You'll be safe here-"
"No." he rasped, struggling to sit up. She easily held him in place with one dainty hand on his firm chest. He scowled at her hand, but it seemed more annoyance at his own weakness than anger at her. "You don't understand. If he comes looking for me- he could kill you easily just for helping me if he was in that mood! He's- he's a monster! Even worse than those stupid androids! He-" he faltered, paling again, and he gripped his elbows to stop him from falling back too forcefully. But he remained conscious and his gaze pinned hers again. She saw fear in his eyes. And she couldn't imagine anything that could scare someone like Vegeta. She shivered as his fear seemed to infect her in that brief moment of eye contact.
"He what-?" she prodded, even though she dreaded the answer.
"He is the person who made me what I am." He whispered, his eyes averted. Shame suddenly radiated from him and she realized that he was not at all like Radditz or Nappa. They had been like two crude beasts unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. Vegeta was menacing, and a little scary himself, but he apparently knew that he had committed actions were not exactly honorable. And even regretted it. Nappa and Radditz had been mad and mindless of the pain they caused. Or reveling in it. "He trained me to slaughter millions upon millions as if they were nothing- as if they deserved it. And I did everything he asked, so he wouldn't kill me and everyone on my planet. And he did it anyway. I finally got away a little less than a year ago and it took me this whole time to get here." He raised his eyes to meet hers and she winced at the agony and fear in those black depths. "I- I don't want to go back. I'd rather die. Maybe you shouldn't have helped me. It will only get you killed if he comes here and finds me."
"I'm not as defenseless as I appear, Vegeta. And your insane if you think I would have just left you there to die."
"I deserve it!" he snapped suddenly and then looked away. But she had already seen his eyes grow impossibly bright as tears threatened to surface. Her heart clenched in sympathy, and she carefully chose her response.
"Vegeta, if you truly felt no remorse for any of your actions, then I would say you deserve it." She answered honestly. He said nothing, but merely sighed as his tears dried before they had a chance to fall. What the hell was wrong with him? He had always been in control of his emotions. Well, except for the ones he allowed himself to display such as anger. But now he had control of nothing! He was weak and in pain and impossibly tired, but he had to warn this lovely female. He didn't want her to die for him. She didn't deserve that. She had helped him with no apparent motive other than the need to help someone who was hurt. Perhaps the fact that her enemies had beaten him had sped the decision; he had no way of knowing. And he really didn't care. She was beautiful and she treated him with respect. It was odd. He was used to forcing another's respect through fear and raw power. What had he done to earn her respect?
"How can you say that? I just told you, I've murdered billions of people!" he cried, and she smiled, and gods he had never seen anything more beautiful! When had a woman ever looked at him without that taint of fear in their gaze?
"Yes, and you also told me that you did it to keep your family and people alive!" she said, completely unaware of her effect on him. He shook his head, bewildered. She couldn't simplify it that way. It was too terrible!
"You do not understand." He said softly, not knowing why he wanted her to understand. He knew it would inevitably push her away, and despite his sudden reluctance, it was probably for the best. "There is no honor in slaughtering defenseless people. Women and children-" she silenced him with a finger on his lips. "I understand. But you did what you had to, to survive."
"But I enjoyed it-" he protested, shaking his head.
"It is enough for me that you regret it Vegeta." She said. "Beating yourself up about it isn't going to change the past. You can only make the best of the present and try to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them." Her gaze was turned inward as if she had also come to this realization not too long ago.
She was right, of course, and part of him very much wanted to agree. It would be so much easier that way. But he had to be honest, he had enjoyed killing because it was his only outlet. He had taken pride in the efficiency and ease with which he killed in Frieza's damned name. He was proud of his skill as a fighter, but his honor had been destroyed as payment for his atrocities. Few things measured a Saiyan's life: strength, pride, and honor. He had forfeited all honor as Frieza's slave and his pride had taken innumerable lashings. And he was tired. Tired of killing hordes of innocents, tired of bowing to Frieza's every whim and perverse torture. And he was tired of hiding behind the mask of apathy. "But why?" he said softly. "Because. If your were as completely awful as you want me to think you are, you would go about convincing me in other ways." She said with a wink. His face flooded with color. She was right again. Damn it! His usual method was a senseless beating, and even if he wasn't in any condition to fight, he had learned a nasty repertoire of stinging insults, which he frequently rained down upon any who annoyed him.
But- she had saved his life, he had no doubt! He would have died if she had not come to his rescue! He hated to be indebted to anyone, but somehow he couldn't even be angry with her for it. His emotions were becoming overwhelming and if he didn't calm down he was going to lash out at her the only way he knew how.
She couldn't help but noticed the violent emotions raging inside him. He even blushed! She wasn't quite sure what to make of that. He averted his gaze to stare at the bandages that covered his wounds, and apparently didn't know what to say if his struggle to form words was any indication.
"Just sleep, Vegeta. You'll feel better once you heal a bit." He shook his head stubbornly, but she somehow sensed that he was afraid to sleep. And his earlier warning replayed in her mind. "It's all right. I'll make sure no one bothers you." He met her eyes again and she saw the apparent confusion in them. "Look I'm not going to heal you just so you can die from exhaustion. Either you lay back and close you eyes and try to sleep or I can make you." He tensed suddenly, and she saw the flash of anxiety in his eyes and winced. He was having a hard time deciphering her motives and obviously had a hard time trusting anyone. "You can't make me do anything!" he snapped defensively.
"Drugs can make you sleep, not me. I can go get a needle, stick you with it, pump you full of sedative, and you'll fall asleep in less than a minute. Although you probably won't feel so good when you wake up. SO you might as well just listen to me and go to sleep yourself." She said with a smirk. How many times had he himself worn that very expression before he killed someone?
She almost slapped her forehead when he tried to back away from her.
"Vegeta really. I just want you to get some rest so you can heal. I'm not going to try and hurt you." She pleaded. He seemed to relax then, and his eyes closed wearily. Then moments later snapped open again. "Vegeta…" she said.
"If Frieza comes.. Don't fight him. Just let him have me." He said softly and his eyes slid shut. She watched him for several minutes as his breathing slowed and grew even and when she was assured the he was finally asleep she went to her kitchen to get some food.
She ate quickly incase he woke and after making a stop at the bathroom, returned to the med center.
She smiled when she saw that he was fast asleep, and sat down on a chair next to the bed.
Well, that's it for chapter one. I wrote the first ½ page of this fic like 2 years ago and recently felt like working on it. And today I think I wrote like 7 pages. Damn I'm tired now too! Wish I could snuggle up next to Vegeta!
Any reviews would be much appreciated!
And for those of you reading this on this is the only chapter I will be posting here. It's all NC-17 from her on out!
It will be on my website: Red Paper Demon, and that's it I think. So fear not, you'll just have to go elswhere it read the rest!
Kichi 9-6-2004
PAIRING: Vegeta and Bulma ARCHIVED: RATED: R for swearing and violence (NC-17 for later chapters)
NOTES: ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. Radditz and Nappa die on Earth but Vegeta is never able to get away and find out why, until years later during a skirmish between Frieza and Cooler. He finds Earth but almost everything is destroyed by the androids. Except, of course, a little blue-haired scientist who finds him after 17 and 18 kick the snot out of him. Woah.. did I give away too much? NAH!
Chapter 1 - Deus ex Machina
He fell out of the sky and slammed into the hard earth below without a sound.
"I think you killed him." 17 said with a light smirk. 18 shrugged. "Oh well. Wasn't he strange though? He had a tail!" 18 mused.
"Ha! He's obviously a genetic freak. Just like that Goku.." 18 nodded in agreement. "Well, I'm just glad that's the last of them. Those things always wear down my energy." 18 said. 17 snickered.
"Ha! Tired are we? Need a nap?" he sneered. 18 glared at him angrily.
"Go to hell Juuhachigou." she snarled and took off. 17 blinked in surprise. He had only been joking.
"Women!" He huffed and flew after her.
Bulma sighed in frustration. Whoever that had been, his power had been way above Goku's, but the chance that she could make it to him before he died wasn't good. Her ki-radar had informed her of a fight between the androids and someone with an astonishing ki that reminded her of a Saiyan. Whatever it had been, it was still alive and if she could find it in time, perhaps she could help. After all, anyone who had the balls to attack the androids was definitely on her side. She gathered some medical supplies and uncapsulated her jet. She hopped in and began lift-off, gunning the engines just as she rose above tree-
level.
The tiny radar was similar in appearance to the Dragon radar but it measured ki and the one she was following was slowly fading. She pushed the pedal down, the engines screamed in protest and the frame of the ship began to rattle. "Come on, you piece of shit! Go!" she growled. It didn't speed the ship up at all, but the ship ceased its nerve-wracking rattle. The radar began to beep loudly and she slowed the craft and began her descent.
There had been a devastating attack on the area, the scorch marks were still fresh and she could hear small rocks bouncing off of debris as the rubble re-
settled. This had once been a beautiful forest. She wished she'd never seen it before the destruction. To look on the twisted landscape now, you could never tell that stately trees had once stood there. The ground was blasted flat with large piles of rock and tree-fragments littering the area like disrupted graves. It was a miserable sight. The sky rumbled ominously and the roar of the wind sounded like a descending airplane. But there hadn't been a man-made vehicle in the sky for almost a year- not counting hers.
Rain began to pour down and she shivered, scanning the area. Where was this individual she had come to find? From the corner of her eye she saw movement and a sudden agonized moan sent her scurrying over to a lump on the ground.
She gasped in surprise when she knelt down next to what was obviously a young man. His clothing and armor was in ruins and in some areas had been burnt. Bleeding gashes and scrapes covered almost every patch of exposed skin. Then something else caught her eyes and she gasped. A long, brown, monkey tail shivered behind him. So, he was a Saiyan after all, but he was so small compared to Radditz and Nappa! Who was he? She returned her eyes to his face and pulled out a tiny antiseptic wipe and began to clean the blood off of his skin. She quickly taped a cut on his temple that had produced most of the blood, and then began to clean the black crust that covered half of his face. And as the blood was removed her eyes began to widen in surprise. He's gorgeous! Bulma thought. His features were relaxed, but occasionally a scowl would darken his features giving him that impression of a pouting little boy. But he wasn't a boy, his sculpted body was perfectly proportioned, each muscle clear cut and defined, but compact, like the rest of him. Well, except for the hair, she tousled it idly as she cleaned the blood from his face. Just like Son Kun's, she thought sadly. She pulled her hand away and saw his blood on her skin. She gently felt his scalp and found a massive lump that was bleeding lightly, matting the dark auburn locks.
Well, you aren't too big, this shouldn't be so hard. She thought. He groaned again and his head tossed a bit but his eyes didn't open and after a moment he relaxed again. "Hmm. No neck injuries apparent." She muttered to herself. She slid her arm under his neck and tried to pull his head up- and after raising him up about an inch she fell on top of him with a startled cry. "What the hell?" she cried and sat up, then stood. She bent down and grabbed his wrist and pulled-
She grunted with the effort of trying to lift him. But it was impossible. He weighed a ton! But how? He was so small.. She went to his side and poked him. His muscles were like stone, they were so solid. But still, he was maybe about as tall as she was, at 5'7 he couldn't weigh more than 180 pounds at the most by his size. But it felt like he weighed more than two hundred. Bulma frowned.
"How the hell am I going to get you home?" she murmured to the unconscious Saiyan. "I can't just drag you to the jet." Maybe.. She ran to the jet and began to rifle through her capsules. She pushed the plunger on the top and tossed it and with a small puff a larger medical case appeared. She rummaged through it and with a cry of triumph pulled out a bottle of smelling salts. Her mother had been a fainter and so they'd always had some around.
She took it over to the unconscious Saiyan and uncorked the vial, waving it under his nose. The effect was startling. His eyes shot open, then snapped shut again, and he shuddered violently. He tried twisting away but was unable to move save his arms twitching feebly. She pulled the vial away and corked it, noting with concern that he was still shivering. Slowly his eyes fluttered open and he took several shuddering breaths. Then a pair of onyx eyes met hers and she was startled by the fierce anger burning in them. Then the look melted to be replaced by one of astonishment. "What happened?" he croaked. A spasm of pain forced his eyes shut and he choked harshly. He quickly turned his head and a small gout of blood splashed the ground.
"You've been hurt. You're lucky to be alive, after fighting those monsters. I'm amazed they didn't blow your ass to pieces while you were unconscious." he blinked, his eyes slowly opening and closing and for a moment she feared he would lose consciousness again. He took several deep breaths and from the tensing of his muscles, she guessed he was trying to get up. "Don't move." She said softly, placing a dainty hand on his chest. He immediately froze at the contact, his eyes shot open to glare murderously at her. "Look, I'm sorry," she snapped, "But your injured incase you haven't noticed. And right now, I'm the only one who can and will help you. So relax all right?" he sighed and closed his eyes. Bulma began to clean off the rest of the blood on his face.
He used every ounce of will not to squirm away. He'd never seen such an exotic and beautiful girl in his life! Sure, there had been plenty of women he'd considered attractive, but there had always been something about them that had repulsed him. Most likely it was the fact that most of them had been whores, or terrified slaves. But this girl… she was no slave of that he was certain, she wouldn't dare rebuke him, or probably even speak to him. And if she was a whore he would know also, there was no mistaking them.
He didn't know why she was helping him, but oddly enough, he was sort of relieved. He was sure that battle would be his last. If you could even call it a battle. It had been more like him getting his ass kicked for no reason (for once.
"I remember a girl with yellow hair and a man with black hair. They both had odd-colored eyes… like yours except lighter." He sighed after a moment, staring into those beautiful blue eyes. Hers were much darker, and much prettier. He frowned suddenly, 'Why the hell am I thinking this? She's a weak ningen'
"That was the jouziningen. This place right here-" she gestured to the area surrounding them "This spot used to be a beautiful forest with massive trees. The tallest in the country. And they destroyed it all. They've destroyed everything, killed all my friends, my family." She said softly.
Her eyebrows rose as he continued to stare at her and she suddenly felt her face grow hot. He had never seen blue hair. And it looked so shiny and soft. The odd impulse came into his head to touch it and see if it really was as soft as it looked, but one arm felt broken, and the other just hurt. He tried anyway, and grunted suddenly as he painfully realized the bone was snapped as he saw it bulge beneath the skin.
"Shit." She hissed, noticing as well. "Hold still." She ran over to her pile of capsules and tossed one to the ground. She found a tiny can and brought it over. She then found a pair of scissors and after carefully removing on of his gloves she cut his sleeve off at a tear on his shoulder where he'd sustain another wound, that was still bleeding. "Ok. This is going to hurt so get ready." She cautioned. His expression grew mildly bored and she wondered how someone could be so stoic in the face of such pain. "Ready?"
He nodded and she grabbed his arm and re-set the bone, thanking Kami that it hadn't already begun to mend. His face grew alarmingly pale during the process, but not a sound passed his lips. She was surprised, to say the least. She would have screamed like a baby. And she suddenly found herself admiring his strength as well.
She took the tiny can and pressed a button on top and warm liquid hit his skin. She covered his arm with the stick substance and it began to expand and harden.
"What the hell is it?" he asked and found that his arm was held perfectly still within the soft casing.
"It's a cast. It will peel off in about a week and then I can put another one on, but I probably won't need to. You probably heal just as fast as Son-Kun did." She said with a sad smile. "It will keep your arm still so the bone can heal straight." She added and he nodded mutely, his eyes closing a moment as weariness swept over him.
She dipped a clean hand towel in antiseptic liquid and began to clean a huge gash on his shoulder. He stiffened as soon as she touched it, but made no sound or complaint. Then she attended to the lump on his scalp.
"Radditz said that your planet was destroyed. You are a Saiyan, right? You have a tail like Son-kun did-" Immediately his eyes shot open and he struggled to rise. "No, what are you doing?" he growled in fury over his inability to move and the ferocious, animalistic sound halted Bulma in her tracks. "Radditz.. was here then!" he gasped, his blazing eyes boring into hers. "And Nappa?"
"Yes. Both of them. But they're dead. And we can't wish anyone back anymore either." The Saiyan blinked and shook his head.
"I know that they're dead. That's is why I came. To find out why. I needed them." He grated. "Oh." She said softly. Suddenly his eyes clenched shut and he was barely able to stifle a groan of pain. He rolled onto his side and gagged and she saw black blood splatter the ground. Unexpectedly a shrill beep made Bulma jump in surprise and the Saiyan flinched away as she jumped to her feet. Her android warning device was going off. They had to be close. "Shit!" she hissed. The Saiyan's eyes blinked groggily and she knelt down and shook him. "Listen to me, you have to get up and get in the jet! They're coming back!" She tugged his good arm with all her strength and with a soft moan he struggled to rise. She supported him as much as she could and they staggered towards the plane. The alarm grew shriller as they drew near and suddenly the Saiyan slipped out of her grasp as he stumbled and his knees buckled. "Shit!" Bulma cried and grabbed his elbow as he fell, and forgetting his unusual weight, she fell with him. "No Kami, no!" she cried as the alarm grew to a shrill unbroken whine. They had to be right above them!
"Leave me alone! I don't want to hear your shit right now! I'm going to find something else to wear!" 18 yelled at her brother high above the place they had just beaten that strange alien to death.
"Fine! Go ahead! See if I care! I wish you would shut off your stupid emotion chip, you are so annoying like this!" 17 snapped back. 18's eyes narrowed to slits of fury.
"The only person who is being an annoyance is YOU!" 18 screeched before flying off in the opposite direction.
"Fine, whatever." 17 snapped. "I'm sure I'll have more fun without you!" he flew off in another direction.
He shuddered violently beneath her and just as suddenly the alarm began to fade. Bulma breathed a sigh of relief and returned her attention to the Saiyan beneath her. Sweat stood on his brow and he was shivering uncontrollably. His breath hitched in his throat and he choked again. Blood began to leak over his bottom lip.
"Hey, are you awake still?" she said, lightly slapping his cheek. His eyes slowly opened and he nodded weakly. She threw open the door of her plane and tugged his elbow until he slowly gripped the side of the jet and used it and her to pull himself to his feet.
That small act seemed to take a lot out of him and he drew in quick, shallow lungfuls of air. His skin was alternating between white and red and she prayed he wouldn't pass out again before she got him into her home and to the infirmary. "Can you stay awake for a bit more?" she said softly as she pulled him inside the cabin and helped him to the co-pilot's seat. She didn't have anything for him to lie down on unfortunately, but she reclined the seat for him and he lay back, his eyes screwed shut as his cracked and broken ribs protested the movement.
"It's possible." He said softly, his eyes drifting close. She had to keep him awake during the short flight and began to question him as they rose into the air and took off.
"What is your name?" she said, his eyelids fluttered for a moment before he raised his head and glanced at her.
"Vegeta." Bulma frowned wondering why the name sounded so familiar. She certainly didn't know anyone by such a strange name. Then she remembered. Radditz had mentioned him.
"Prince Vegeta?" she gasped before she could stop herself. He tried to laugh but all that came out was a wheezing choke.
"How am I a prince of anyone anymore- I am the last of my race!" he snarled bitterly. Bulma frowned sadly, had Radditz and Nappa been his friends? "Your still a prince." Bulma mused. "Even if everyone is dead. Weren't you raised to be king one day? Or did you have older brothers?" He eyed her for a moment, as if perplexed.
"A King needs only one son. Unless his heir is killed." He replied.
"I take that as a no. Well the point is, that you were raised to be king one day, right?" she asked, taking her eyes off her path and gazing at him.
"Yes." He said after another questioning glance.
"Then that is a part of you, and it doesn't just go away because all of your subjects are gone." She said with a faint smile.
"No, it just loses its importance." He hissed, his brow furrowed in anger.
"Maybe but-" he silenced her with a wave of his hand.
"I do not wish to continue this discussion." He said softly, and she saw a flash of pain in his eyes. She bit her lip and let the subject drop and returned her gaze to the windshield. Capsule Corp was close. She dared another glance at her passenger and saw his eyes slide shut and snap back open a second later as he struggle to stay conscious.
She wasn't worried though; they were seconds away from home. She began landing procedure and the craft settled smoothly in her back yard. She jumped out and ran to his door. She opened it and saw that his eyes were clenched shut and he was shaking again.
"Vegeta?" she said softly. Open eye cracked open and he sat up and began to rise. She grabbed his elbow to help him but he growled and pulled away. His feet hit the ground and his knees buckled as a wave of dizziness washed over him. His surroundings grayed out and he could hear someone drawing in quick, harsh breaths. He suddenly realized it was him, although how he couldn't tell. He couldn't hear anything and his whole body was growing numb.
She gasped as he fell and gripped his elbow in an attempt to steady him, but he slid from her grasp and lay on the ground gasping like a landed fish before his whole body gave a violent shiver and he lost consciousness.
"Shit." She huffed in frustration. He weighed too much! There was no way she was going to be able to get him to the med center. She had to wake him up again, but decided against it at the moment. If she let him rest a moment, perhaps he would make it farther.
She sat down beside him and watched the color return to his face and his breathing slow. His skin was darker than hers, and his hair had faint hints of auburn in the light. He was maybe a shade darker than Yamcha who had spent most of his early life in the desert. She wondered vaguely what his planet had been like. What kind of person would Goku have been if he'd grown up there? If he turned out anything like Nappa or Radditz, she was glad he had been sent to Earth.
He was really cute. But what the hell kind of person was he? She didn't know, but she prayed that he wasn't an evil prick like Nappa and Radditz were, but then again- he apparently knew them. She just hoped that maybe he would feel enough gratitude to not kill her when he was healed.
A horrible smell assaulted him again and he almost retched. He could hear his agonized gasps and felt a small hand rubbing his back.
"…Ok. Just breathe, you'll be fine in a second." The human female assured him. He hated this. Those fucking androids would pay for this humiliation. He couldn't seem to focus. He was dizzy from lack of oxygen. Breathing was painful and each hitching breath drew up blood. An involuntary moan escaped him as another wave of vertigo hit him. The woman's voice was becoming unintelligible.
This wasn't good. His eyes were sluggishly opening and closing. She smacked his face lightly, then harder when he moaned weakly. He was struggling to wake. His head tossed and the pained expression on his face made her heart clench in sympathy.
"Come on Vegeta, you can do it. I know your tired but we have to get inside so you can rest. I can't take care of you out here. We need to get inside."
Her soft voice drew him back. For some odd reason, he was compelled to do as she asked. His eyes finally opened, and then closed to slits, but he was aware. He slowly sat up with her help, took a few hitched breaths and painfully got to his feet. If she hadn't been tugging his good arm the whole way up, he probably wouldn't have made it. He swayed unsteadily and she quickly maneuvered under his undamaged left arm. Slowly they made it inside. Each time he staggered, she nearly panicked as she struggled to keep him upright and walking. The wound on his shoulder had reopened, and was steadily dripping down his arm and soaking into the cast material. His skin was paling again and she thanked Kami when she spotted to door to the med center. She opened the door and helped him in, trying to hurry despite his pained gasps. Finally she got him to the closest bed and sat down with him on the bed, and still holding his arm got him on his back and tugged his legs up and onto the mattress. She tugged his boots off and leaned against the bed a moment, trying to regain her breath. The effort had been exhausting, and she wondered how Vegeta was faring. His brow was furrowed as she turned her head to look at him and he slowly opened his eyes, his expression clearing. "Can you sit up? We need to get your armor off." He frowned as if to say she was asking too much, but he did as she asked anyway, he face revealing no discomfort to her. To her surprise, he tugged the shoulder strap and the whole entire thing began to stretch. She tugged the strap slid it off of him and then over the broken arm with relative ease. She held the lightweight material in her hands with an expression of awe. "This stuff is incredible!" she murmured.
Vegeta sat back with a sigh, but she shook her head and tugged him forward again. "Your shirt." She replied at his questioning glance. He frowned and simple began to tear it when she had cut his sleeve off earlier all the way down the side and shook his good arm until it slid off. She bound his chest to keep his ribs from setting incorrectly and let him lie down. His eyes slid shut immediately. Some color had returned to his face and his breathing seemed to ease and deepen. She thought he was asleep, when those dark eyes opened again.
"You need to get some rest." She chided gently. "No." He gasped and she frowned, thinking him in pain. "S-someone might come looking for me."
"You'll be safe here-"
"No." he rasped, struggling to sit up. She easily held him in place with one dainty hand on his firm chest. He scowled at her hand, but it seemed more annoyance at his own weakness than anger at her. "You don't understand. If he comes looking for me- he could kill you easily just for helping me if he was in that mood! He's- he's a monster! Even worse than those stupid androids! He-" he faltered, paling again, and he gripped his elbows to stop him from falling back too forcefully. But he remained conscious and his gaze pinned hers again. She saw fear in his eyes. And she couldn't imagine anything that could scare someone like Vegeta. She shivered as his fear seemed to infect her in that brief moment of eye contact.
"He what-?" she prodded, even though she dreaded the answer.
"He is the person who made me what I am." He whispered, his eyes averted. Shame suddenly radiated from him and she realized that he was not at all like Radditz or Nappa. They had been like two crude beasts unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. Vegeta was menacing, and a little scary himself, but he apparently knew that he had committed actions were not exactly honorable. And even regretted it. Nappa and Radditz had been mad and mindless of the pain they caused. Or reveling in it. "He trained me to slaughter millions upon millions as if they were nothing- as if they deserved it. And I did everything he asked, so he wouldn't kill me and everyone on my planet. And he did it anyway. I finally got away a little less than a year ago and it took me this whole time to get here." He raised his eyes to meet hers and she winced at the agony and fear in those black depths. "I- I don't want to go back. I'd rather die. Maybe you shouldn't have helped me. It will only get you killed if he comes here and finds me."
"I'm not as defenseless as I appear, Vegeta. And your insane if you think I would have just left you there to die."
"I deserve it!" he snapped suddenly and then looked away. But she had already seen his eyes grow impossibly bright as tears threatened to surface. Her heart clenched in sympathy, and she carefully chose her response.
"Vegeta, if you truly felt no remorse for any of your actions, then I would say you deserve it." She answered honestly. He said nothing, but merely sighed as his tears dried before they had a chance to fall. What the hell was wrong with him? He had always been in control of his emotions. Well, except for the ones he allowed himself to display such as anger. But now he had control of nothing! He was weak and in pain and impossibly tired, but he had to warn this lovely female. He didn't want her to die for him. She didn't deserve that. She had helped him with no apparent motive other than the need to help someone who was hurt. Perhaps the fact that her enemies had beaten him had sped the decision; he had no way of knowing. And he really didn't care. She was beautiful and she treated him with respect. It was odd. He was used to forcing another's respect through fear and raw power. What had he done to earn her respect?
"How can you say that? I just told you, I've murdered billions of people!" he cried, and she smiled, and gods he had never seen anything more beautiful! When had a woman ever looked at him without that taint of fear in their gaze?
"Yes, and you also told me that you did it to keep your family and people alive!" she said, completely unaware of her effect on him. He shook his head, bewildered. She couldn't simplify it that way. It was too terrible!
"You do not understand." He said softly, not knowing why he wanted her to understand. He knew it would inevitably push her away, and despite his sudden reluctance, it was probably for the best. "There is no honor in slaughtering defenseless people. Women and children-" she silenced him with a finger on his lips. "I understand. But you did what you had to, to survive."
"But I enjoyed it-" he protested, shaking his head.
"It is enough for me that you regret it Vegeta." She said. "Beating yourself up about it isn't going to change the past. You can only make the best of the present and try to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them." Her gaze was turned inward as if she had also come to this realization not too long ago.
She was right, of course, and part of him very much wanted to agree. It would be so much easier that way. But he had to be honest, he had enjoyed killing because it was his only outlet. He had taken pride in the efficiency and ease with which he killed in Frieza's damned name. He was proud of his skill as a fighter, but his honor had been destroyed as payment for his atrocities. Few things measured a Saiyan's life: strength, pride, and honor. He had forfeited all honor as Frieza's slave and his pride had taken innumerable lashings. And he was tired. Tired of killing hordes of innocents, tired of bowing to Frieza's every whim and perverse torture. And he was tired of hiding behind the mask of apathy. "But why?" he said softly. "Because. If your were as completely awful as you want me to think you are, you would go about convincing me in other ways." She said with a wink. His face flooded with color. She was right again. Damn it! His usual method was a senseless beating, and even if he wasn't in any condition to fight, he had learned a nasty repertoire of stinging insults, which he frequently rained down upon any who annoyed him.
But- she had saved his life, he had no doubt! He would have died if she had not come to his rescue! He hated to be indebted to anyone, but somehow he couldn't even be angry with her for it. His emotions were becoming overwhelming and if he didn't calm down he was going to lash out at her the only way he knew how.
She couldn't help but noticed the violent emotions raging inside him. He even blushed! She wasn't quite sure what to make of that. He averted his gaze to stare at the bandages that covered his wounds, and apparently didn't know what to say if his struggle to form words was any indication.
"Just sleep, Vegeta. You'll feel better once you heal a bit." He shook his head stubbornly, but she somehow sensed that he was afraid to sleep. And his earlier warning replayed in her mind. "It's all right. I'll make sure no one bothers you." He met her eyes again and she saw the apparent confusion in them. "Look I'm not going to heal you just so you can die from exhaustion. Either you lay back and close you eyes and try to sleep or I can make you." He tensed suddenly, and she saw the flash of anxiety in his eyes and winced. He was having a hard time deciphering her motives and obviously had a hard time trusting anyone. "You can't make me do anything!" he snapped defensively.
"Drugs can make you sleep, not me. I can go get a needle, stick you with it, pump you full of sedative, and you'll fall asleep in less than a minute. Although you probably won't feel so good when you wake up. SO you might as well just listen to me and go to sleep yourself." She said with a smirk. How many times had he himself worn that very expression before he killed someone?
She almost slapped her forehead when he tried to back away from her.
"Vegeta really. I just want you to get some rest so you can heal. I'm not going to try and hurt you." She pleaded. He seemed to relax then, and his eyes closed wearily. Then moments later snapped open again. "Vegeta…" she said.
"If Frieza comes.. Don't fight him. Just let him have me." He said softly and his eyes slid shut. She watched him for several minutes as his breathing slowed and grew even and when she was assured the he was finally asleep she went to her kitchen to get some food.
She ate quickly incase he woke and after making a stop at the bathroom, returned to the med center.
She smiled when she saw that he was fast asleep, and sat down on a chair next to the bed.
Well, that's it for chapter one. I wrote the first ½ page of this fic like 2 years ago and recently felt like working on it. And today I think I wrote like 7 pages. Damn I'm tired now too! Wish I could snuggle up next to Vegeta!
Any reviews would be much appreciated!
And for those of you reading this on this is the only chapter I will be posting here. It's all NC-17 from her on out!
It will be on my website: Red Paper Demon, and that's it I think. So fear not, you'll just have to go elswhere it read the rest!
Kichi 9-6-2004