Disclaimer: JK Rowlings and various companies own some of these characters. Some belong to Akira Toriyama and various companies. How do you tell the difference? Well, if they have unusual hair, big appetites, and a lot of physical strength, chances are they're Akira Toriyama's. If they are magical, or extraordinarily mean to magical folks (think Dursleys) they are JK Rowlings. The only characters in this story that are mine are hardly worth mentioning, cause they don't really have an important role. So, you can't really accuse me of sticking a Mary Sue into the story now, can you?
The nitty gritty? Okay. Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowlings and various others such as (but not limited to) Scholastic Books and Warner Brothers. DragonBall and DragonBall Z was created by Akira Toriyama and is owned by same, as well as Bird Studio, Toei Animation, and Funimation now has their fingers in that pie too. As well as, I'm sure, a few others.
Very Special Thanks go to my original beta readers (and artists as it turns out. Yes, I have had tremendous luck picking beta readers, haven't I?) Indigo, who started me on this whole road by creating the idea with me and helping me to run with it. She has been a saint about this, going far above and beyond the call of duty to hold my hand while I whined pitifully and annoyingly about my lack of inspiration and other things. And to Sabrebabe, who fed my addiction to DBZ and Vegeta quite nicely and wrote stuff about how she liked it. And, special thanks goes to someone else and he knows who he is. Also, to my husband Todd who gave me some great ideas and also knew when to nod and go, "Uh huh" when I was babbling.
Also, HP fans, take note. The prologue is pretty much DBZ based, though you don't have to be a DBZ fan to read it, it will just make it clearer if you are. However, the rest of the story takes place pretty much in the Harry Potter Universe.)
They say that someone's entire destiny can be changed by the simplest of acts. The decision to walk to school or work a different route could end up with someone meeting someone who they might never have met otherwise.
Sometimes, a simple decision can change the lives of many, in ways they never dreamed possible in one way, but in another way, the way they come to know as their lives; it seems normal. After all, they never knew what could have or would have happened if this...decision that changed everything never happened.
This is the story of such a change: How a seemingly simple act, brought about a change in two worlds that were never meant to come together, but did. None of the folks involved ever realized their futures together were never meant to happen. Because they did happen, at least in this tale.
Readers, you are most likely familiar with some of the characters in this story. But I ask you to put aside a lot of what you know and let the story unfold before you. This is a completely different world now, and while some things may seem to be familiar, others may seem quite different. So just relax, read, and involve yourself in the events that unfold.
By Darqstar ([email protected])
Prologue
It wasn't cold on the planet, but the boy was still shivering. He pulled his cloak tight around his shoulders. It must be cold, he thought, lying to himself. That's the only reason why I would be shivering. That is the only excuse I will find acceptable.
The planet was quiet. In fact, some would even say it was deadly quiet. It had been such a noisy planet...before.
The boy looked past the small clearing he was sitting in. The stares of the dead waited beyond the small space he had claimed as his own to have something to eat before he returned back to his home planet. He stared into the open eyes of the former final survivor of this planet. You were brave, he thought. You rushed me, even though you knew it was suicide. You already knew my power, but you made one final attempt to avenge your people. Yes, you were brave; it's too bad you were also stupid.
The dead man said nothing; they never did. There were some who believed that the dead could speak, send one final message before they passed on to whatever future awaited them, but the boy never believed that. Dead was dead.
Which means, the boy thought. That I'll never hear from father again.
He shivered again. There must be a breeze. He ignored the fact that nothing around him moved or gave any indication of any sort of wind. His fingers clutched at his cape, pulling it around his shoulders.
I should leave this place and return to Lord Freeza. He knew Freeza would take care of him. Freeza had been taking care of his planet and his people for a long time. It wasn't Freeza's fault that a passing asteroid had destroyed his planet, and almost wiped out the boy's entire race. Only a handful of them remained. Only those who were off planet at the time. If Freeza had known, he would have stopped it. After all, the Saiya-jin were the best planet acquisitionists he had.
And... maybe we were a little too good.
He almost looked around, before he realized that the voice, even though it was unfamiliar, came from inside his own head. He closed his eyes for a brief second, trying to blot it out. He didn't want to be having these thoughts.
If anything, closing his eyes, made the voice stronger. You know the truth, it told him. Deep inside, you know the truth and you should face it.
He opened his eyes and let another voice fill his head, the voice that said the things he wanted to hear. No, that's not true. Freeza was sorry the planet was destroyed. He sent his condolences to me. Freeza doesn't change for anyone. He wouldn't be sorry if he were the one. He wouldn't lie either. He has no need to lie. And why would I be spared?
Yes, these thoughts were better. All he had to do was not close his eyes and that other voice wouldn't come.
Yes, it will.
Great, now the first voice seemed to have found its way even with his eyes open. Fine, he thought, with the second thoughtvoice. Thoughts have never hurt anyone and if these thoughts of mine must have their chance to speak in my head, then so be it.
You know the truth, The first thoughtvoice continued. You know it. A passing meteor did not destroy your planet; Freeza destroyed it. Because the Saiya-jin race was proving it could be a true threat to Freeza.
Well then, thoughtvoice two countered. Why was I spared?
Because Freeza happens to like you. Not for you, but for the power within. The greatest warriors of the Saiya-jin race are your ascendants. The best of the entire race lies within you. To Freeza, you're an interesting little pet. A nice, strong, trained monkey. Nothing more.
He closed his eyes, which momentarily burned beneath the lids. He couldn't fool himself. Both voices were part of him. And the one he wanted to hear the least was probably right. He may have been young, but he wasn't stupid. He had suspected for a long time that Freeza, who outwardly acted pleased with the Saiya-jin, inwardly was worried by them. They were becoming too powerful too fast. If they all banded together, they could overthrow him.
If one Saiya-jin, one who was able to become the legendary Super Saiya-jin, decided to, they could destroy him.
Another "breeze" shot through him, making him shiver again. He was the one most likely to achieve that status. After all, it was his family line that produced the first one. Supreme Elite. And he was the strongest Supreme Elite the Saiya-jin race had seen in a long time. If anyone would finally break the barrier that his ancestor had broken, all those many years ago, it would be him.
He knew now what the plan would be. Unless he was totally subservient to Lord Freeza, if he ever showed signs of achieving this honor, he would be destroyed. Freeza was hoping he'd be able to keep Vegeta, "under his control."
"No one controls me," he growled, unaware that he had spoken out loud. Not that it mattered. There wasn't anyone here to complain he was disturbing the serenity. "Someday, I will return to Lord Freeza, but that will be on my terms."
He left his clearing, using energy blasts and old-fashioned kicks to move aside the bodies, till he came to his ship. He studied it carefully.
He wasn't an engineer, but one couldn't be The Prince of All Saiya-jin without picking up a bit of knowledge along the way. He opened the ship and found the control panel.
Two and a half hours later, a little more time than he would have liked, he was done, or at least as done as he could be. He sat down in the only seat the ship contained. Its spherical design was strictly for one person only. "Computer!"
"Y-y-yes?" The computer voice was different now. He wasn't surprised; he had done a half-assed job on a lot of his "modifications." The stammering was a sign of this, not a true show of fear or respect.
"Are we totally disconnected from Freeza's main systems?"
A brief hesitation, the lights on the control panel flickered as the computer attempted a slow diagnostic. Then, finally it spoke, "Y-y-y-yes. Y-y-you are c-c-c-omp-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-"
He kicked the control panel, sharply, but not too hard. If he gave it everything he had, he would disintegrate the unit. That wasn't quite in his plans. "Stop it!"
"Thank you." For a moment he almost would have sworn the computer was grateful, not just generating the "appropriate response." "As I was s-saying, you are c-c-comp-p-letely shut off from all of L-l-l-l-ord F-f-f-f-reeza's s-systems."
He nodded. "Well then, from now on, you listen to me."
"O-o-of course," the computer agreed.
He smiled despite himself. This little problem with the computer's speech center made it sound much like Napa when he, The Prince, was pissed off. He rather liked that. "Fine," he said. "We're leaving."
"O-of course," the computer agreed. "W-where a-a-re we g-going?"
"As far away from Freeza as I can possibly get," Vegeta muttered.
"Th-that w-w-would b-b-be the Z-z-z-zonize qu-quadrent, wh-wh-ich-"
"It's just a figure of speech!" Vegeta growled, louder than he intended. "There are other places we can go to that will serve my purpose just as well."
"W-w-well y-you d-don't h-h-have to y-y-yell about I-it. H-how w-was I t-to know?"
The computer actually sounded hurt. I must have really done some major damage, Vegeta thought. "Never mind," he snapped.
"E-e-easy f-for y-you t-t-to say." The computer voice sounded sulky now. "Y-you c-c-could s-s-say y-you're s-s-s-sorry. B-b-but I s-s-suppose that would b-b-be t-t-to m-m-much t-to ask of-of y-you th-th-the al-almighty P-p-p-p-p-prince of a-a-a-"
"Will you shut up?" Vegeta roared. As soon as I figure out where I'm going, and get there, I am going to reprogram this ship with a huge energy blast! His foot shot out and he gave the control panel a terrific kick.
Whether the computer could read his mind, didn't like being told to shut up, or felt threatened by the kick, Vegeta would never know for sure. He did know that after the outburst, the computer got silent, which was just fine by him. He needed to think.
Only a handful of survivors, he pondered. Nappa, would be with Freeza, of course. Nappa was waiting on Freeza's ship for Vegeta to return. He remembered Bardock's son, Raditz was on a mission when this happened, so he would probably have survived. Maybe a couple others, but all of them would be working for Freeza. So, I can't depend on them.
As distasteful as he found it to do so, he spoke to the computer again. "Computer, do you still have in your data, any of the Saiya-jins that were sent off planet before the destruction?"
There was a long pause. "T-there was only o-one," the computer finally answered.
He knew that wasn't true. The damage he did when modified the computer must have erased a lot of the information. But, it was too late to change that. "Fine. Who was it?"
A hesitation. Vegeta half expected it to demand he say, "please." If that was the case, he might be stranded on this planet forever, with nothing but the dead for company, cause he would blow up the stupid pod before he said, "please" to a computer. Or, for that matter, please to just about anyone or anything. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled.
Finally, the computer spoke. "K-k-k-kakkarroto, y-youngest s-s-s-son of B-b-b-b-bardock was s-sent be-be-be-before the duh-duh-duh-duh-destruction."
"Where was he sent?"
"E-earth?"
"Earth?" He rolled the unfamiliar name over his tongue and nodded. "Then that's where we're going."
Hesitation, then, "Th-th-there is a s-s-s-m-m-mall p-problem-m-m."
"Oh? And what is that?" He fought against blowing up the computer. He was tired of this, he just wanted to get on with it.
"Wh-wh-when y-you m-m-m-m-messed w-with m-m-my p-p-p-rog-graming, y-you d-d-d-damaged the-the-the w-w-warp d-d-d-drives."
"Are you saying you're unable to travel?" Oh, wouldn't that be Just Swell?
"N-n-no," the computer said, "B-b-but s-s-s-peed will-will b-be a p-p-p-p-rob-b-b-lem. E-e-earth is f-f-f-f-far aw-aw-aw-away."
He frowned. "Okay. Given the damage done to the warp drives, will we be able to reach earth at all?"
"I-I-it's p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-"
He kicked the control panel one more time, feeling a bit frustrated that he had to hold back his strength. He would have loved to put his foot right through it.
"Thank-you," the computer said, its synthesized voice doing a darned fine imitation of gratitude. Vegeta rather liked that. It's too bad there aren't more people who would be grateful when you give them a good, swift, kick. "As I was s-saying," the computer continued. "It's p-possible, b-but it-it will t-take a-awhile. Th-the p-p-problem w-will b-b-be l-life s-support."
He nodded, even though the computer really couldn't 'see' him do it. "Do you know any way around it?"
"I h-have e-enough p-power t-to t-take you t-to e-earth, b-but it w-would b-b-b-be b-b-best if you w-were p-p-put in c-c-cryogenic f-f-freeze. Th-then th-the d-drain on th-th-the l-life support s-system w-would b-b-be m-m-minimal."
"Can I trust you to navigate us both to this- Earth when I'm in cryogenic? I won't be able to be of any help to you." Hardly aware he was doing it, he reached out and kicked the control panel again.
"Th-thanks." The computer responded. "Y-you d-d-did a lot of d-damage t-to my s-speech c-center a-and t-to the w-warp d-drives, but I-I'm s-still fairly f-functional. W-we c-can do it. I c-can do it."
He didn't have to think about it, there was no real option. He needed to go to Earth, he needed to find Bardock's young son. Sure, he would be nothing more than a third class warrior, and therefore, for the most part useless, but he would be better than nothing. Someday, with two of them, they would be able to take out Freeza and Make Him Pay Dearly for what he had done. "Fine, set a course for Earth." He settled in the seat as comfortable as possible, crossing his arms over his chest. He would be in this position for a long time.
"A-as you w-w-wish."
The ship rose from the ground, taking off through the sky, leaving the deceased natives behind. Even as they were traveling, the ground below getting smaller and smaller, the ship was already preparing Vegeta for cryogenic state.
He was completely under before the ship left the atmosphere.