Saiya-jin Densetsu

Chapter 1
Vegita No Kanashimi Kioku
Vegita's Sorrowful Memories

The stars glittered in the night sky like a million sparkling diamonds nestled in black velvet. Their soft glow touched down upon the Earth, watching curiously it's inhabitants. Moonbeams filled the massive canyon like a river of molten silver, bathing the sharp crisp lines of the plateaus and jagged mountains iridescent white, illuminating the scraggly trees and brush like platinum sculptures. The celestial moonlight was ethereal in it's divinity, making everything it touched into an object of exquisite beauty. She caressed her lunar gentle glow on two men deep in the great canyon, making them seem as stone statues of ancient gods from antiquity...seeming purest of white marble in the fair light. One slept as a babe...the peace of a pure heart and mind at ease visible on his young face. The other simply sat still as the stones in the canyon....staring up at the sky.

He was arguably the most powerful Saiya-jin in all of the Planet Vejita-sei. Of course, those whom argued...tended to wind up injured...or dead. His skill and strength rivaled the legendary Kakkarot...a dangerous wild Saiya-jin, even as the young child he was...sent away to another world. He was Prince Vegita...named after the planet of deadly powerful Saiyans, Vejita-sei. He was worshipped, exalted...reveling in his glory. But...none of that mattered to him as much as one thing...one person dear to his heart.

"Veggie-chan! Veggie-chan!!!" he paused in his fighting practice and winced at the nickname. He turned to the source of the voice with a look of annoyance shadowing his features.

"Do not call me that." he replied gruffly.

"Ok, Veggie-ch....I mean Vegita!!!" The little girl giggled brightly. Her long black hair was pulled into an ornate braid, a tiara of her position as princess adorned her brow...glittering with many jewels and rare stones, set in gold and platinum. Contrasting oddly, almost comically, though...was the smaller version of his white and blue battle suit. The seasoned warrior turned away briskly allowing a soft tender smile to touch his lips. Very few things could lighten Vegita's spirit as much as this little girl. Though, he DID have an image to keep. He was always gruff around her...yet he would allow moments when he'd let tenderness show through.

The little girl stood at attention...her three foot stature small next to him...and yet she had a bold vivacity that brightened the people, even the world around her...a normally unseen trait for the warrior brutal people. As warlike and destructive as the Saiyans were....she was their secret little beloved Princess...spoiled beyond imagining. He allowed a slight smile as the four year old girl saluted him with a grave dignity that was oddly solemn on the bright spirited child. The heir prince of Vejita-sei crossed his arms and walked around her taking a severe inspection...just as he does to his own troops.

"Your posture is lacking dignity...stand up straight!" She pulled her shoulders back quickly at his barked ordered, standing with official starchiness, her long catlike tail wrapped tightly around her waist with tenseness. He circled around her with his hands clasped behind his back.

"You are a poor example of a Saiya-jin Senshi....yet I will teach you the proper way to battle. DO YOU HEAR ME?!" He shouted the last directly in her face...a tatic he finds often putting his soldiers into fits of fright. Remarkably, she did not even flinch...her young face set with bold determination. They went thought this routine every time before battle training, a tradition...amusing to many...but meaning a great deal to them.

"HAI!" She shouted back at him...equally as loud. He smiled grimly and turned away and walked a few paces away.

"Then prepare yourself." He suddenly whirled around with lightning speed, his leg sweeping low in a kick. He noted with some small pride as she nimbly leapt over his foot and spun with a kick at him. He blocked the kick effectively with his left arm and followed with a series of carefully controlled punches and kicks. She backflipped nimbly, rebounding off her hand and landing kneeling. He nodded in approval.

"Good...I see you have been practicing." He dashed towards her in a blur of motion, a dizzying series of punches and kicks. He paused as his feet and fists connected with nothing. Glancing around suspiciously...he narrowed his eyes.

"Heads up Veggie-chan!!!"

Suddenly his opponent hopped nimbly off the top of his head, landing behind him. Spinning around, he blocked the series of punches and kicks...pressing the small girl back with returned attacks. he gave her a mental point for cleverness. She may not be strong...and she may only be a child....for now....but she was fast, agile, and possessed a perfect balance. She would grow to be a powerful Senshi....if women were allowed to be fighters. He was training her in the most basic of martial arts...and already she excelled his followers even four times her age. It irked him...though...than he could not train her to be a true warrior. Normally the women were delegated with jobs that required intellect such as scientist, engineers, and the notoriously difficult career of diplomat. War and fighting were left to the men. It is what they were born for, It is what they were trained to do. It formed a balance within the men and women of Vejita-sei. Vegita believed...though...that when he became King, things would change...women would be allowed into the military.

Distracted by his thoughts of the future he had let his attacks falter. He grimaced as she snuck past his defenses and grabbed a hold of his monkeylike tail....yanking hard...pulling him off balance. Staggering back, he grittied his teeth in agony, biting back a pain of excurutiating pain. He swatted her hand...forcing her to let go and wrapped it around his waist protectively. He, however, did not feel it when her foot connected with his ribs, though he gave a feigned wince. He was tough...harder to bruise than stone, so he feigned pain sometimes to let her know her attacks were successful. He also slowed his attacks and parries...and lessened his strength in the sparring...so that she would learn rather than get thrashed. And learn she did! Despite her small stature and young age...he reluctantly admitted to feeling some discomfort. A sure sign that her fighting skill is indeed progressing. Then he stopped and stared at the little girl in front of him.

Her eyes gleamed with determination as she brought her hands held together at the wrist from in front of her to her waist...a sudden draw of the ki energy within flowing to her hands. The Saiya-jin prince's eyes widen. No...Impossible! She is still too young! And a woman at that!

"Kah....meha......meha!!!" The girl shoved her fists forward a small orb of pure ki power the size of a Ping-Pong ball flying straight at Vegita. The blast struck him in the chest...knocking him back a step. He could only stare at the girl. He felt next to no pain...and what there was of it washed away quickly. But the child, a girl no less, using one of the most potentially powerful forms of ki attack...totally left him speechless. Ki power control among men was quite common...yet it was less then rare to find it among women. And there was only about two in Vejita-sei's history who could harness it as an attack. He could only murmur softly...

"Tenshi..."

It was his coming of age celebration...he had turned 21. Although on the outside he was impassive...uncaring...acting as if it was as any other day, yet on the inside...he was excited. That was, in no small part, due to his sister whose bright merriment and energy about the occasion seeped into everyone...including her stalwart brother. She ran up to him and hugged him tight after the official ceremony.

"Congratulations Veggie-chan!!!" In his thrill of the moment...he let the silly nickname pass. In his first rare public show of emotion...he scooped up his little sister and hugged her tight, smiling with heartfelt love, holding his little sister in his arms. He blinked in the blinding flash of light as he heard the tell tale snick of a camera. His sister hopped down out of his arms and dashed into the crowd...giggling. Blinking away the ghostly after image spots of the flash, he tried to follow her, but she was lost in the writhing sea of people. He began to panic...searching desperately for his little sister. No one here would even dream of harming her...but still...he searched diligently.

"Veggie-chan!" He turned and hugged the source of the voice, immensely relieved. Tenshi hugged him back tight, giggling softly. "I have something for you!" he blinked and looked at the girl in surprise.

"For...me?"

She beamed angelically.

"Now close your eyes...." he did as he was told....curious as to what she was up to. He distinctly felt her small nimble hands slip something around his neck...thin....cold. Metal, with a noticeable slight weight as she leaned away.

"Okay, you can look!" She was beaming more brilliant than the sun as the stalwart soldier looks down...and blinked, reaching up to finger a beautifully crafted gold locket. On the front cover was a smooth piece of Onyx, rare Platinum tricarbonate diamonds glittering like seven stars in it. When he opened it up...a small hologram image of scenes of their good times together appearing floating in the air before him. On the inside of the Cover was inlaid in semiprecious stones like amethyst and jade a tiny scenery of his favorite mediation spot...overlooking the mountains and valleys of Vejita-sei. He felt something on the back cover. Turning it over in his hands he gasped, reading the delicate etching written on it: Ai to mirai wo shinjite. Believe in Love and The Future. The words shimmered and swam in his vision as he grasped the locket tight.

Tenshi blinked in no little confusion, brushing her hand against his cheek.

"Big Brother...are you hurt? You're crying!" He could only smile and hug her tight, murmuring softly in a husky voice.

"They are tears of happiness..."

"Tenshi." Vegita stepped up behind the quiet little girl peering into the training grounds. Yelping in surprise she turned around...caught again sneaking a watch as the military train. His face was cold...composed. The princess was nine, and looked up at him with bright luminous dark grey eyes. She resembled her beloved big brother very closely, their faces very much the same...yet hers possessed a lively flair...his a cold gruff demeanor. So very alike, so totally different. They both possessed a fiery spirit...though...most noticeable in their bold gray eyes. Minasenshi-chan called teasingly by the soldiers, 'Beautiful little Warrior'. She was...however...not allowed near the training grounds...as was customary with women. It never stopped her though. She always found ways to sneak in and watch the training...studying new moves in a secret hope that she too, could fight...just like her Vegita-san. The young girl steeled herself for the royal tongue lashing from her brother...about her fifteenth about this very topic. Though...she could tell by the tight lines around his mouth...the near hidden tinge of weariness deep in his eyes...that something was wrong. Her brother was a master at hiding his true intentions and thoughts beneath his usual stoic facade...but she personally knew there was more...knowing him better than anyone else. Standing up, she took his hand in hers, looking up into his eyes.

"What is it Veggie-chan?" After a brief sigh, he silently knelt before her. He pulled her close in a tight hug...in one of the rare shows of affection from her older brother. Hugging him back she could sense something wrong...something troubling him. When he leaned back she peered back at him curiously.

"Happy life-gift day, Tenshi." He smiled softly and pulled out a small object glittering from his pocket. Her eyes widened in wonderment. It was a golden locket...set with a blue lapis...seven tiny amber spheres set into it. She peered close and noticed that the tiny spheres had from one to seven stars in them. They were tiny replicas of dragonballs!!! He touched the amber balls in a special order and the locket sprung open...a tiny tune chiming in the air. She smiled in delight...peering at the tiny picture...of her and her brother, a soft sincere smile on his face...the first any had ever seen...except for her. It was the scene from his Coming of Age Day. On the back of the little treasure were words wri tten...Ai to mirai wo shinjite. . She beamed and hugged him tight.

"Oh, thank you, big brother!!! It's beautiful!!!" both their lockets gleamed in the light...a matching pair. He smiled...though it was strained. The overjoyed girl paused...sensing something amiss.

"Tenshi....Vejita-sei will be at war." There was news that she heard everyday. But...why, she wondered perplexed, did it bother him so?

"With whom, Big brother?"

"Freeza." Her eyes widened in alarm. The Saiyans were notoriously fearless...secretly called foolishly so by other races(rarely to their faces ,though)...but the name Freeza made them...uneasy.

"I thought we were allies with him."

"No one is an ally with him for very long." He shook his head.

"Does this mean you will be going off to war, Big Brother?" He only nodded silently. The girl rose up slowly, solemnly, and stood at brisk attention, snapping him a crisp salute.

"Take damn good care of yourself, then, Prince Vegita." He could only smile at her bravado and unfaltering faith in him...even if he himself was so unsure.

The crowned prince ran through the passageways of the great palace...dodging falling stones nimbly. No...Saiyan Prince no longer. King. The great king of Vejita-sei lies dead outside...slain by the hands of Freeza...the last rebellion failing horrifically. He dashed past rows of doorways...glancing in each one briefly, heading on. He had returned...against the advice of his closest associates...to the Palace. He had to. Believe in Love and the Future. As the great palace of the mighty Saiyan empire crumbled around him...he realized that the future was bleak. All he had left was love...in the sister more dear to him than the whole palace...the whole damn world.

Leaping from a window...he soared through the air, landing in a deft roll on the shaking cobblestone ground. Twisting nimbly to his feet like a cat, he dashed out into the courtyard, as fast as he could run...danger and warning pounding in his ears, like the drums of war. Klaxons blared, and another explosion rocked the palace. Praying to nameless gods he had never knew, never before believed in, he doubled his speed...the great double doors of his family's manor looming in sight. Almost There!!!

Everything went into chaos...light, a thunderous roar, explosion...a rain of stone and hellfire. He stumbled and fell, the ground bucking beneath his feet. Something clanged next to him on the cobblestone pathway...something metal. He blinked his dark eyes open, picking up the object with shaking hands...holding it up to the haze reddened sun...light gleaming on platinum and gold, glowing in the dark jewels like dying embers. His hands trembled, nearly losing hold of the object, blood gleaming in the dying light of the sun, dripping down to the ground slowly, ominously. A tiara. The Empirial Princess of the Saiya-Jin's tiara.

Panic welled within the seasoned elite warrior his blood turning cold...driving him near madness. Regardless of the flames and explosions around him...heedless of the boulders and stone falling from the sky like hail...he ran towards the crumbled remains of the manor.

"TENSHI!!!!!!" Suddenly something heavy and fast barreled into him in his mad dash, knocking him over, a huge stone smashing flaming into the ground where he would have been. He shoved the weight off of him blindly and rose to run reclessly into the fiery wreckage of the building.

"Prince Vegita!!!" a strong hand grabbed his shoulder, hauling him back. Turning around in an enraged roar he glared at the person. Or rather...their furry tail wrapped around their waist. He paused and looked up...quite a ways in order to look into eyes of the individual. The person was huge, a behemoth of a man, unusual for a Saya-jin with his mustachios and bald head, but clearly powerful and strong. He, however, shrunk from the burning eyes of the smaller man.

"Nappa!!! Tenshi is in there...we have to save her...." The big man shook his head and pointed to the tiara...and the blood soaked in it then to the collapsed burning wreckage.

"It's too late, we don't have any time. She is DEAD...Freeza is to blame..." Two pods sunk from the smoldering sky...falling silently, unawares to the distraught Prince. One of the transport pods landed behind Vegita, opening up soundlessly while Nappa stalled for a little time, distracting the panicked warrior. He was sworn to protect the Prince...and he was determined to keep him alive...whether his Liege liked it or not. He bowed to the smaller man.

"Forgive me, Prince Vegita...."

"What?" The small man turned and glanced at the pods in wary surprise...then fell over as the bigger man slammed both fists in the back of his head...his vision inking out....falling into darkness.

But, image aside, Bulma clearly Ruled the Rooster, and the Roost! Between rage and wheedling, he could never win an argument against this fiery tempered woman. He did not mind so much...and he had grown a liking to cooking and doing dishes. From Mighty Prince to Mellow Parent...how oddly this wheel of fate does turn. He no longer tortured himself as often with regrets of the past. If what had not happened occurred...he would likely not have met Bulma. He would not have had two such special children. He would not have had such a loyal friend as Goku.

"You didn't scare me." He snapped and turned away quickly...only to find Goku standing there peering at him curiously. Damn him and his speed. The thought was not severe, though, more a melancholy curse.

"Let us just get to the city. The sooner..the....better..." he stopped...narrowing his eyes and peering into the quiet canyon. He cocked his head. Frowning in thought he gestured silently to Goku...to listen. Memories...war...Vejita-sei...that day....Gods......

"SHADDUP!!!! "Goku blinked and nodded complacently. Obviously Vegita has been picking up a few temper habits from Bulma...and seems to be adding them to his own. Turning, the smaller Saiya-jin began to hover up the side to the plateau...Goku following shortly. The two paused as they came up behind a large boulder, hiding in it's shadow. The two peered around the side of the stone...watching a huge bulbous spacecraft right itself with whining engines. Goku placed a hand on Vegeta's shoulder as he began to tremble with rage...his Ki levels rising rapidly. Calm down, Vegita! What do you see. Do you know these Aliens? The enraged warrior glanced at the other at his telepathic message. Pausing, he nodded silently and pointed to the ship, controlling his anger. These ships....belonged to Freeza.

Goku's eyes widened in surprise. Vegita nodded silently in answer to Goku's silent inquiry. Turning, they peered out at the brigands and space pirates pouring out of the ships. Goku glanced at Vegita. Which one is their leader, do you think? They both watched silently as the rough crowd gave a thunderous roar...the dregs of the galaxies...a coalition of different aliens...and apparently not meaning a peaceful greeting to the people of the planet Earth. A deafening cheer filled the night sky, hundreds of weapons and fists raised to the stars. They began chanting one word...

Vegita's eyes narrowed grimly. Him. Goku's eyes followed where his finger pointed...a shadowy form silhouetted in the brightly lit hatchway. Then it stepped out into the night, surveying the hoard assembled. The two Saiya-jins leaned closer, straining their eyes to see the figure. Who he was, or what, was indecipherable, hidden under a cunningly crafted suit of armor. Black as midnight, trimmed in platinum, it gave one the terrifying impression of a ghastly hawk...sharp ridges rising from the shoulder plates, greaves, and gauntlets like sharp deadly feathers...honed to a fine point, a razorsharp edge. A black shimmering cloak hung from the heavy shoulder guards, the face of the person within hidden under a large full helm, resembling a hawk head, a black visor hiding the eyes. He raised a fist to the sky, a thunderous roar escaping from the impassioned rogue warriors, sending them into a near frenzy of loyalty. A small alien man came out...and Goku had to place a calming hand on Vegita's shoulder, hearing the low growl escaping from his throat. If they hadn't killed him before...they could have sworn that this was Freeza. The resemblance was startling.