Author's Note:This is an Alternate Universe story but I'm trying to keep everyone in character and I haven't altered the basic abilities and powers of Saiyans or humans. Most things you might notice out of place will have their explanation in later chapters. Also keep in mind Bulma is seventeen and Vegeta is eighteen when Freiza's army invade Earth.

Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ, just a starving college student. I'm also borrowing from sensei AT, this nice fellow named Yajirobe. He is the chubby guy who cuts Vegeta's tail off the first time he fights on Earth. I've always liked his I-don't-give-a-f-about-anyone-else-but-me attitude and it fits right into my story.

Chapter 1

The purge

Explosions taking place miles and miles away could be heard from the headquarters of Capsule Corporation where Bulma, her parents and seven CC´s employees anxiously waited for any news from the Z fighters.

This nightmare had started a week ago when alien soldiers invaded Earth, taking its inhabitants and their governments equally by surprise. Upon landing they destroyed Earth´s military bases, war ships, airplanes and every defensive structure they came across while surveying the planet. By the time people realized what was happening, it was too late. They had no equipment to fight or defend themselves from the invaders. The lucky ones were immediately disintegrated by powerful ki blasts while other less fortunate souls suffered cruel games and tortures at the hands of the ruthless aliens.

Only the Z fighters managed to stop the madness and successfully defeated the first contingent of invaders. The wounded, beaten warriors even had a brief celebration on the grounds of Capsule Corporation while they debated how to bring those who had been murdered during the purge back to life. But the celebration didn't last much, in the midst of their blind joy they didn't notice the arrival of the pink abomination.

He looked like a demon straight from the pits of hell, taller than any of the other warriors and twice as wide. His face and arms covered with warts of different sizes and shapes. His lips were purple and fish-like. He casually introduced himself as Dodoria, second Lieutenant of Lord Freiza and then spoke simple but deadly words that would be imprinted in Bulma's mind for eternity. "I've come to clean this mess".

In an effort to save the lives of the civilians inside Capsule Corporation, Goku grabbed the alien's attention by blurting out insults at the creature's unusual looks and then flew off as fast as he could to get them to fight somewhere else. The rest of the surviving Z fighters, Tien, Yamcha and Krillin ordered the occupants of the building to get inside and stay there until further notice and then followed Goku and the pink monster.

It had been two hours since the warriors left and now the occupants of Capsule Corp. sat silently waiting in the living room of the big house trying to make sense of what they could. Suddenly the explosions stopped and an eerie silence invaded their surroundings. They looked at each other as if trying to get an explanation but nobody dared to speak yet. Then the quietness of the room was interrupted by a loud thud on the grounds outside the building. Bulma rushed outside only to spot a bleeding Yamcha rushing her way.

"Get inside, now!" screamed the scar face warrior.

"What happened, what's going on?" Bulma tried to question.

"We lost!. Goku is dead and everybody else too. The pink monster will trash the whole planet. He's coming this way, the monster is coming this way, hurry up, get inside the bunker!" Yamcha continued to yell.

Bulma immediately rushed inside yelling the same instructions to her family and company workers and they all went downstairs to hide in the high security bunker designed for CC to test maximum security prototypes. The bunker was located below the building's basement; the only access was through an elevator that descended 10 meters into the ground. Once down below the visitors found themselves in front of a huge closed door 12 feet wide and 15 feet long which worked with a complex security system that didn't let anyone in or out without the use of 12 digit passwords, fingerprint and eye recognition. This was probably the safest place on Earth right now but with the rush of adrenaline clouding their minds, neither Bulma nor her father could remember the complicated password to get in. Finally Bulma remembered her emergency password and promptly shoved her father to the side and proceeded to type the code into the keypad. To her relief the system accepted the code and she quickly put her fingertip and eyes in the recognition device. Once the process was complete she stood back, holding her breath and hoping for the best.

"Come on, come on, open up," she nervously repeated to herself.

After some nerve wracking seconds that seemed like hours, the bunker's door slowly began to open and everybody rushed trying to get in. Once they were all inside Bulma repeated the same process to close the doors.

"Yamcha" the blue haired girl slowly whispered as she noted for the first time that Yamcha hadn't followed them.

"Wait, wait!" a masculine voice was heard from outside the almost closed doors and Bulma's heart brightened with hope for a brief moment until she recognized the familiar, chubby figure of the warrior sliding through the narrow opening and collapsing on the floor, bloody and visibly beaten. In the heat of the moment she hadn't noticed Yajirobe's arrival at her house, right behind Yamcha.

Normally she would´ve scolded the wounded man for not stepping up to the plate and help the equally wounded Yamcha fight that monster, but how could she do that right now?, if it had been up to her she would've dragged Yamcha down with them too. Bulma put her hand in her heart as tears began to roll down her cheeks "Yamcha, why are you so stupid? Why did you have to go back?" she repeated almost in a whisper. Her legs were starting to shake and she decided to better sit down on the floor and hope for the best.

And then, the unthinkable happened.

"Oh my" a delicate voice exclaimed. "I forgot to bring Whiskers down with us".

"Oh dear!, You shouldn't go outside alone," came the voice of the old man who followed the blonde woman.

Still in shock for the imminent loss of her boyfriend Bulma didn't notice her parents making their way out of the bunker and into the elevator through the thin space between the bunker walls and the thick door. By the time she reacted, they were already out of the bunker and the elevator up on the first floor. She panicked, trying to type the passwords and open the door again but her mind was still clouded and she kept missing the code, causing the system to block in one more than one occasion. When she finally managed to open the door they were gone. The elevator stood empty in front of her. She started yelling for her parents to get back into the bunker but nobody answered. She thought of taking the elevator and go look for them to drag them down but stopped at the sound of explosions from the surface. The people inside the bunker were beginning to panic, at first screaming at her and then begging her to close the door before the pink monster found them but she was still in a state of shock. Three of the male employees began frantically trying to close the bunker door manually but couldn´t move it an inch. At the last moment Bulma regained control of herself and typed the necessary code.

That was the last memory she had of her parents. Their ashes were later found a few feet from the rose garden where Whiskers, the family cat, liked to take his afternoon naps. A burnt down red Jimmy Choo high heel lying near a pile of ashes was the only clue indicating the last remains of the unlucky couple.

"Why?" would be the question hunting Bulma's sleepless nights in the following months and years. Why did those monsters have to kill all those innocent people? Why did that monster have to kill her parents? Wasn't enough the dead of billions to placate the demon's thirst for blood? Why did he have to kill a defenseless woman and an old man? Why did he have to kill her fiancée, her best friends, her family, her conscious, her humanity?.

And on darker nights even worst questions would hunt her nightmares. Why didn't you try to save your own parents Bulma Briefs?, "Because there was nothing I could do!"She would often yell back at the voices in her nightmares. Why didn´t you try to run after them when the door opened? "Because I didn´t stand a chance!" Your fiancée didn't stand a chance either, and yet he died trying to save you!. "But I was afraid!" Do you think he wasn't afraid ? "I... he... it´s different, damn it!". Why, why is it different? "Be-because... he was a warrior... and I... I am a coward.

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Months later in another part of the Universe

"Welcome home Prince Vegeta!" said the teenage Saiyan guard as he kneeled down in front of the young prince.

"This isn't our home soldier, never forget it" he calmly replied.

The boy nodded in agreement at the Prince's words and added "The King and the Council await inside the Palace"

"Good. When will the ceremony take place?," asked the Prince.

"Tonight Sire. The King instructed to delay it until you were safely among us."

"The King has a strange timing to worry about his son's safety," retorted the Prince but the young guard remained stoic, choosing wisely not to take part in any quarrel involving the royal family. "Soldier," said the Prince, "take the prisoners I brought to the dungeons and destroy the ship immediately. Tonight we'll mourn the death of Vegita-sei, tomorrow we'll honor her memory with the blood of her enemies"

"Yes, sire!", responded the guard, trying to hide the mix of pride, relief and hope quickly spreading through his stoic features. "Anything else you want taken care of Your Highness?" continued the younger Saiyan.

"There's one more thing. Among the prisioners there's a green lizard named Cui, he's unconscious right now but I´m sure the other prisoners will gladly identify him for you. Don't touch him. I'll take care of him personally," said Vegeta before heading to the building where the Council and the King awaited.

A.N. Soooo… this is the setting for my story. It was quite short but I didn't want to mix it with the rest. Things will turn a little graphic and smuttier in later chapters but I´ll let you know in advance.

Please read and let me know what you think and if you like the story concept or not!. Constructive criticism is also welcomed. In other words, reviews make my day!.