Chapter one.
Blackfire grimaced as her boot sunk several inches in the mud. The rain was pouring down, flattening her already slick hair around her skinny frame. She had to struggle with each footstep as the mud threatened to not release its grip from her legs. She raised an arm to block the rain from blocking her vision and fixed her sights in front of her. The teenager's eyes focused on the man in front of her. He was slightly taller than her and wore saiyan armor. A long red cape decorated his back, the bottom of it stained brown from it trailing in the foot deep mud that covered the disgusting planet. He trudged on, seemingly unaffected by the torrential downpour that beat down on both saiyans. "Ummm King Vegeta?" she called out softly, her voice almost drowned out in the roar of the storm, "Exactly why are we here?"
The King of Saiyans briefly glanced over his shoulder and slowed down his pace to accommodate for Blackfire's slower progress. "Training," he grunted gruffly. Blackfire narrowed her eyes in annoyance that the saiyan was obviously holding back on information. She held back a sharp retort though. The King had almost become a father to her, even though the saiyan king never showed such compassion back towards the teenager. The thick forest around them started to thin out though, and the rain fell even heavier as the trees disappeared completely and the pair entered into a clearing. The ground was filled with grass and Blackfire was all to happy to finally get out of the mud. Her mentor had stopped dead and was staring ahead of him with a frown on his face. The young girl came up beside him and squinted to see what he was staring at. Ahead of the two saiyans stood a giant stone temple of sorts, shaped like a pyramid.
Vines covered the stone fortress and the door on the front was closed up tight. She glanced over at King Vegeta. His right arm was up to his face as he scanned the area in front of him. "Is there anybody in there?" she whispered.
Her mentor gave her a disapproving glare. "Don't tell me you left your scouter in the pod," he rasped out angrily. A fierce wind blew up and the rain shifted, blinding blots of water buffeted Blackfire in the face and she brought up an arm to shield herself. She wasn't about to admit that she forgot to bring the scouter entirely.
"Can I use you-" she stopped as the saiyan king silenced her with a glare. He turned back to the temple, muttering angrily to himself. "Sheesh, is it too hard for you to show any emotion besides anger?" the teenage saiyan muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" King Vegeta asked distractedly, still keeping his eyes on the temple. Judging by the look on his face, there was obviously someone or something inside. But what exactly did it have to do with the King of Saiyans?
"No-nothing," Blackfire uttered guiltily, grabbing her right arm with her left and turning her eyes away. The last thing she wanted was to anger the King. Angering the King usually resulted in bruises. Fist sized bruises. She did not intend going through another beating. It was true that Blackfire had a temper. Perhaps it was because she was completely alone in the world. No mother. No father. No love. She was a complete orphan. The only reason she was alive was because of a saiyan woman took pity on her as a baby, abandoned in a trash bin by her "mother". The only thing that the young teen wished for in life was to find her real father. She could already guess that her mother was some lowly hooker. But perhaps her father was something greater. Did he even know of her existence though? Did he search for her? Her heart longed for it to be true, no matter how foolish it seemed.
Her attention was ripped back to the real world though as the saiyan leader grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and shoved her forward. She let out a startled yelp and stumbled, however she did not fall. Flashing a dirty look at her mentor, she rubbed her now sore shoulder angrily. Vegeta took no notice however and jabbed a gloved finger forward, pointing at the stone sanctuary ahead of the pair. "Go there," he ordered, in a gruff voice. Blackfire narrowed her eyes, something was clearly on King Vegeta's mind. Sensing her next question, the king of saiyans swept on. "Just deal with whatever opposition you find there and bring me the orb."
"The orb?" Blackfire echoed, mystified. "Care to explain?"
King Vegeta snorted. "You'll see its power soon enough when you touch it. It's called the orb of truth. Bring it to me!" His final words were obviously a dismissal, so the teenage orphan merely bowed her head and started off towards the temple. She turned around once, but King Vegeta was already gone.
A small sigh escaped Blackfire's lips as she neared the giant stone slab that blocked the entrance to the temple. At least it was sheltered here. The outcrop above her shielded her from the rain that showed no signs of stopping. "How could anyone even live here?" she asked to herself. The teen expected no answer, and none was given. The saiyan turned her attention to the stone in front of her once again. Gripping it with both hands, she grunted, trying to slide it out of her way. The massive stone did not budge however and she was forced to quit, her breath coming out in gasps as she fought to get her breath back. Taking a step back, Blackfire raised her right arm. A purple glow emitted from her hand and quickly formed into a ball of deadly energy. With a loud yell, she pushed the blast forward and released the deadly payload towards the rock in front of her.
The explosion that followed was quite bigger than Blackfire had expected and she was pushed back, her boots tearing into the ground as she struggled not to be swept away from the torrent of degree and dust that resulted in her attack. The young saiyan coughed, and narrowed her eyes, attempting to see past the blanket of smoke that was now blocking her view. It was only a matter of moments, however, when the debris settled. Blackfire felt her jaw drop. The stone didn't even have a scratch! "That's impossible," she gasped to herself, stepping back forward so she could inspect the giant rock blocking her path. "How can this thing stand up to an energy blast?"
"Perhaps it is because it's protected by an energy shield?" A voice above her caused her to jump backwards and look up. "Didn't think about that did you? Of course, you saiyans aren't exactly known for your brightness." A figure floated above the young orphan, completely hidden in a black shroud. "I already know why you're here. You monkeys will never get your filthy hands on the orb of truth." Lightning stabbed the sky at the stranger's last words, briefly lighting up the field that surrounded the stone temple. The rain that was falling didn't seem to hit the cloaked figure. In fact, it seemed to splash around some kind of bubble around it. "Hmmm?" the figure questioned, seemingly reading what was on Blackfire's mind. "I guess you are a little smarter than the rest of your lot. Yes, I am protected by the same technology."
"Blackfire's eyes flashed and a growl escaped her lips. "Who are you?" she asked against the pounding rain. The figure however was silent. "Very well then!" the saiyan shouted, cocking back her arm. "Then you will let me inside that temple!" Once more a bright purple orb formed. With one quick motion, the young teen fired the blast at her opponent. However, it simply exploded before it even hit the figure.
"Not to smart, are we?" sneered the cloaked enemy. "Didn't I just say that I'm protected from energy?" The saiyan teen ignored his snide remark and continued firing away, each blast never hitting home. Her right arm cocked, Blackfire stopped for several seconds, charging up a more powerful blast. However, in that split moment, the figure vanished, reappearing beside the saiyan teen.
"Wha-" her cry of exclamation was cut of by a crushing blow to the back of her skull. Pain seared throughout her body and flooded her head until the edges of her vision blurred from the incredible force. Blackfire fell into the mud like a sack of potatoes, her clothes quickly soiling in the disgusting substance. However that was the last thing on her mind as she gave way into the dizzying darkness of sleep.