A/N: Hello, I just wanted to say thank you for giving this story a shot. I also wanted to warn people that, while this is a romance, it has some dark, graphic parts. I don't think they're too bad but I don't want anyone to be shocked when they come across them. I have rated this story 'M' for violence and adult themes in the future. And, Vegeta won't be making an appearance for a bit. But, I have to give some background before I throw him into the mix. So, Thanks again and I hope you enjoy
Disclaimer: This disclaimer will apply to this entire story as a whole. I do not own DB/Z/GT or any of its characters.
Breath
Chapter one
Breath, all she had to do was breath. It should have been easy; after all, she had been doing it for 23 years. But, the raging fire where her lungs used to be flared up and burned away the desperately needed oxygen she was fighting to get in each rattled breath. It began to spread throughout her body. The liquid flames crept into her limbs and danced there, burning her from the inside out. She would rather die this way though, if this was death. She couldn't bare to see another light be snuffed out in the eyes of those she loved. And, she would not have her fire extinguished by the same creatures that took such pleasure in the deed. She would rather die right here, in these woods, painfully and alone then end it quickly surrounded by the bodies of all she knew. The burning quickly shot up her spine and curled around the base of her skull, forcing her to stumble into the wet, brown leaves that littered the forest floor. She laid there for quite some time, shaking with ragged breathes. The slow burn remained throughout her body, coiling around every live nerve and exhausted muscle. It consumed all that was her. She was nothing but a vibrant flame, burning through the scenes of last days of her life.
They had come, not in the night, but in the bright, cheery day. She had thought she was ready for them. She had the battle won before it even began. How could they lose? She had known that they were coming and outfitted every defense she had with the best equipment she knew how to make. And, they had Goku. He was an incredible force to be reckoned with! But, so were they. They came by the millions. Though she knew, after seeing the devastation they caused, they only needed hundreds. Goku, their main defense, had been taken out early. Within 3 days of the invasion he had been killed and strung up from the ship that hovered over her beloved city. Within a week he was nothing but skin stretched tightly over bones. The ropes that bound his wrists over his head sliced through the decaying skin and the raw flesh had begun to rot down his arms. His orange gi hung limply around his form and was soiled with his excrement, attracting all things that feasted upon the dead, even the enemy. She had watched in horror as vultures and men alike pulled flesh from his body and sloppily consumed it, smearing his essence across their faces.
She was stationed inside Capsule Corp. watching the war on monitors she had rigged around the immediate vicinity days prior to the invasion. That's how she watched Goku, her best friend, deteriorate. The first time she had seen one of those abominable creatures soar up to his body and rip the flesh from his bone she had fallen to her knees and wretched until her body crumpled to the ground in exhaustion. Her stomach had turned up nothing, for she hadn't eaten in 4 days. When she finally had control of her body again she had run to the door that would lead her to straight to Goku. She was so close. She had turned the knob and was pulling it open when Yamcha, the love of her life, had grabbed her tightly around the waist and held her to him. He made her promises, empty promises, that everything would be ok. He promised that those beasts would pay and that they would be the ones to make them. She had fought against him so hard, but to no avail. He held her like that, gripping her to him with all his strength for hours, until she had finally fallen asleep. After that she had sat at her monitors for 2 days straight staring at her first and best friend. She so desperately wanted to get him down, to bury him properly and protect him from the evil that exploded around his limp form.
It had taken her weeks to finally decide to hunt the Dragonballs. Her family had begged her not to go. They had told her that she would die outside the protection of the reinforced building they currently resided in. She had been so distressed that she had screamed and hurled insults at them about their cowardice. Didn't they know that without Goku all was lost? And even if she did stay there with them, how long would it be before the enemy took out the force field around the building? She had to wish him back before they killed any more people. Apparently it had worked because they let her go with little protest in the end. In her weeks of studying the men that came she noticed they were looking for something. Every human they came across they questioned and then either killed with joy or transported back to the giant, hovering ship. She had not had the foresight to install microphones, so, she was at a complete loss for what their search would bring them. She just hoped it would not be the Dragonballs
Once she filled her capsules with every explosive and firearm she possessed she snuck out of the city via a tunnel that led her through the sewers. She had no trouble finding the Dragonballs, it had been a cinch. They had mostly been in desolate places where humans dared not venture, which worked to her advantage, being as the invaders seemed to be sticking to cities. She gathered the balls and made her wish without a moment's hesitation. In retrospect she probably should have just wished for the creatures to be banished and never return. She had just been so convinced that Goku could fix everything. And in a year's time she could resurrect everyone that had lost their lives. What she hadn't anticipated was Goku taking so long to return to the land of the living. She had camped out and waited at the place she had made her wish for two weeks and he had never made an appearance. She had thought for quite some time that he had returned to the site of his death and defeated all that crossed him.
She had raced home and when she arrived she was struck with despair. The city was empty and eerily quiet and her beloved home was in shambles. A huge part of the western wall had been blown away and curtains billowed out of broken windows. She had slowly approached the house with such stealth that the beings inside hadn't noticed her. Her parents and friends were bound in rope or by other men and they were screaming jumbled pleas, some yelling to stop the torture and kill them. While others were crying out, begging for their lives. But, the plea that had stopped her heart was the one from her mother, gently crying out 'Not my Bulma, please'. It was so swift she hadn't been sure that she had seen it, but the deaths of all she knew occurred simultaneously in front of her.
She had run. Run away from all the death and pleas and laughter. She had kept running until the sun sank low beneath the horizon and now here she lay, burning. The icy chill of the night air penetrated her jacket and stung at her delicate skin but she was oblivious to anything but the lithe flames that sang across her body. Was she to burn like this forever? Was this her punishment for making such a shortsighted and ineffective wish? She was to burn in hell even while she lived. As she laid there allowing her body to be consumed she listened to the night, trying to remember the last time she appreciated such silence. Usually she needed the world around her buzzing with creation and chatter. But now she wanted nothing more than to hear the earth turn and survive.
A haughty laugh in the distance caught her attention and the burning in her limbs snapped to the base of her skull and dulled slightly, allowing her to survive. She picked herself up and continued her frantic escape. The laughs faded and she couldn't tell if it was due to the distance she was putting between them, or the fact that they had noticed her. She hurtled over fallen trees and weaved through overgrown brush and the burning in her skull propelled her forward intensifying when she would slow. She knew they had found her. Even before they appeared, she knew. They laid in wait behind thick trees and heavy brush and were now watching her attempt at escape in amusement. The burning flamed forward painfully and licked the back of her eyes forcing her to stop. She stood erect and held her head high earning a whistle from the trees.
"I think she might be the one." A voice slithered out into the clearing where she stood.
"I think you may be right." Came a whisper to her left.
While the slick, slimy tones caressed each other she reached slowly into the utility belt that hung loosely off her hips and grabbed a yellow capsule that sat atop the stack she had placed in the large pocket that buttoned towards the front of the belt. She closed her eyes and listened intently to voices that were crudely observing every dip and curve of her figure. There were four men hiding in the trees that crowded the small clearing. At least that's how many voices she counted. Suddenly a voice was there; behind her and the hand it belonged to gripped her waist and slid up to painfully ravish her breast. She pressed the small button atop the capsule with a barely audible 'click' and let it lay in her open hand. When the capsule expanded into a ki gun, the pressure that was releases tore at the soft skin in her palm and burned huge, white blisters up her delicate, cream covered arm. Before the voice behind her could identify what was happening she spun around with such force he was knocked back and the last thing she saw before she pulled the trigger were soft, bright, brown eyes. Like Yamcha's.
The creature's head was blown back and was very nearly completely detached from the body. A few tendons and muscles were all that aided the man to stay complete. Tears sprang to her eyes and slid down her cheeks. This was the first man she would kill in her lifetime. And, there would be many more, she knew it. The days of her innocents were over. A new dawn was cresting on her life as a ruthless survivor and she wept for the loss of the kind hearted woman she once was. In her despair she fired her gun into every space she could see and sobbed loudly when she heard nothing approach her. She was alone in this world and only her hatred could fuel her. She would use it to her advantage and not let it cripple her. She roughly wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and lifted the gun once more. The fire that danced in the back of her skull burned brighter and this time it felt good. Hatred, fear, and sadness all met and formed a burning flame of revenge inside of her. She would have it, her revenge, even if it meant her death.
Suddenly she was charged by a small yellow man with red, feline eyes. She steadied herself and fired her gun excessively, missing every time. She was tackled by the small creature and he bound her hands tightly behind her back while she lay on her stomach before yanking her head up by her hair so she could meet his gaze. "May whatever God you pray to have mercy on you." He whispered in a voice that carried more than one tone. It echoed in her mind loudly before she felt a small pressure on her shoulder and was met with a world of blackness.
Ok, Thank you all for reading! I will have another Chapter up next week! Please let me know what you think, or any ideas that you may have!