The Rising: Darkness Falls
By: Pearl
DBZ
December 19, 2003

A/N: Hey all! After a prolonged absence (due to Chemistry), I've come up with a new fic! YAY! It's kinda dark (hence the title), and may be a series...I dunno, haven't decided yet. Hopefully you'll like it, and I pray that it's even better than my last fic, "Ten Things I Hate About You". Enjoy!

Disclaimer: **Sigh** Now, why on Earth would I write stories that make absolutely no money if I owned the show? HUH??!

Chapter One: The Beginning...

Soft snow-white flakes drifted lazily to the ground. The sun had long since set over the horizon, letting the moon use its celestial light to shine on the surface of the planet. Cars whirred past, children played in their front yard, people walked on the sidewalks. One particular trio stood out among the rest, consisting of a man, a woman, and a child.

The man, for as long as he could remember, had never really taken the time to enjoy the weather. Sure, he loved the cold, and for this reason winter had become his favorite part of the year. But being who he was, from a different place, the whole "winter package" was still new to him. The woman beside him, young and beautiful, held onto his right hand, warm and tight. It was indeed a rare thing for him to even consider allowing this public display of affection. And the child, their child, held onto his left hand, another rare and precious moment for the family.

Groups of carolers graced the snowy-scene, their singing hinting at the particular holiday that was days away. The humming of "Silent Night" brought about a peace throughout the neighborhood. The family continued to walk, his wife deciding that it would be nicer than driving for a change. He really didn't care, though he would've liked to get home by the faster transportation. His mind reminded him that he had one particular date with the gleaming, newly updated Gravity Room. Ah, yes...to be training again.

"Mom, I'm hungry," whined the child. His lavender hair bounced slightly with each giant step he took to match his father's. Vegeta scowled. Hadn't they just fed the brat an hour ago?!

"Alright hon, we'll be home soon enough. I think your grandmother has some cookies in the oven." She winked at her son, brushing a few stray strands of blue hair behind her ear.

Vegeta let out a breath, watching as a cloud of hot air left his mouth and disappeared into the chilly night. He had never liked the mall, having had a bad experience years before. Plus, holiday shoppers tend to get on his nerves. Never a "people person", the pushing and shoving of last-minute shoppers often caused him to lose his temper and get them kicked out of some stores. Not that he minded; the sooner they got kicked out, the better. He pouted, suddenly remembering that the Onna hadn't let him Final Flash that one snotty "Santa's helper" to the next dimension. Oh well, there was always next year...

The tall dome known as Capsule Corp to some, but home to the small family appeared over the slight hill in the road. The crunching of snow beneath their feet turned into clicks as their boots hit pavement. Yet the sensitive hearing of the two Princes picked up more footsteps behind them. Vegeta stopped, causing the other two to stop. The carolers had stopped singing. Children had stopped laughing. Dead silence filled their senses, Vegeta still not daring to turn around. His dark, midnight eyes shot around the area; his strong hands letting go of his wife and son.

"Go home," he murmured, still facing in the general direction of Capsule Corp.

"Geta-san-" Bulma whispered.

"Take Trunks and go. Now." He commanded, voice soft but firm. Something wasn't right, and his senses screamed at him. A slight tingle raced up his back, making it seem much colder than it really was to him. "Come on Trunks," Bulma stated, reaching for the boy's hand. He jerked back, taking a step behind his father. The older man's eyes widened, his hand immediately grabbing his blue-eyed son and bringing him forward.

"Aw, dad! I wanna go with you! Come on, its not fair. I've fought Buu...I can handle anything!!" Crossing his arms, he glared up at his father with the glare that had graced all men in Vegeta's family.

"All the more reason for you to go with your mother. I'd feel better if there was someone at home, WITH HER, to protect her."

"But Dad-" Trunks bit his lip, stopping because of the glare being sent to him. Whining, he knew, would get him nowhere. With a slight sigh, he nodded, dropping his arms to the side, taking his place by Bulma. They began to walk away, no good-byes or hugs, a feeling of a precautionary check around the house on their minds.

"Take care of her," the Prince whispered, an eerie feeling of finality taking hold. Trunks glanced over his shoulder, a puzzled look passing over his face. Vegeta offered a small smile, one that said everything would be fine. His son shot one back, much bigger than his father's. After all, the Saiya-jin no Ouji was indestructible.....

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

The forests near his home were dark, the moon trying desperately to shine its soft beams through the canopy of the trees. The ki signature of whoever had been following his family lead here. Oddly enough, Vegeta felt as though he knew the person, or thing, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It didn't matter though. Whoever was stalking his family would pay dearly. The Saiya-jin Prince loved privacy, and protecting it wouldn't be difficult. He paused, landing a few feet away from a tall, lanky shadow.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Why, it's Prince Vegeta!" Chuckles of various tones echoed from the darkness of the woods. "So good of you to join us Prince. Though I am disappointed that you didn't even bother to bring your lovely family-"

"Who are you?" Vegeta growled, powering up slightly. The mention of his family brought a stiff reminder to check the two ki signatures that he had died to protect. Both were at their normal levels, healthy and safe.

"Hn, wouldn't you like to know? However, that's not important now. The main question is what do we want. Well Your Majesty, we're here to take over the world."

Vegeta snorted. "Ha...You're joking. Earth has had many fools try to take over it, and believe me, these bakas have not succeeded. What the hell would you want with Earth anyway?"

"My, my, so full of questions. You'll find out soon enough. Perhaps you'd like to know that we've found those orange orbs known as the...oh, what do you call them? The ones with all those red stars?"

"The dragonballs..." Vegeta cursed under his breath.

"Yes, those. We're missing two, but don't worry. We'll find them. Now, I suggest you prance back to your little friends and prepare for battle. You would like the challenge....would you not?"

The warrior's dark eyes scanned a few feet ahead of him. He could take them on, but without the knowledge of their strength and number, he couldn't hope to wipe them all out. With a burst of ki and a growl sent their way, Vegeta flew off into the starry night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~

Well, that's the first chapter, though there isn't much action at the moment. I promise that it'll get much more interesting, and definitely action packed!!! YAY! I guess I can give you guys a bit of a preview:::

Chapter Two: It Starts.....

Vegeta flies back home and has Bulma call an emergency meeting of all the Z Senshi, giving them an update of all that happened. The Son family moves in temporarily, bringing the prized four-star dragonball to be guarded with the one-star. With chaos erupting in the streets, can they hope to survive this new enemy?

So, there ya go. I hope to update soon, whenever an idea pops into my creative little mind. Please review!!!

Till Next time!

Ja Ne, ~*Pearl*~