Disclaimer
Prologue
ljv
***
Chichi Mao was six years old when she first realized that one day she would be a queen. She was six and a half years old when she finally realized what that meant. She ran away and it took the palace guards less than two hours to find her.
"Why?" Her mother asked her later, holding her daughter tight to her chest. "Why try to run away?"
Chichi clung even tighter to her mother, never intending to let go. "Because people hurt you when you have to be brave."
***
Given the Turtle Hermit's policy of only training male pupils, Chichi Mao understood, even at seven years old, that she should feel greatly honored that he had agreed to take her on as one of his students. Frankly, she felt anything but.
Even though she was young, she understood that the Turtle Hermit's training methods were unorthodox and were, often times, down right absurd. It has crossed her mind on many occasions to throw him to the sharks in the lake where he required had Krillen and herself to swim laps around the perimeter. She even wondered what would happen if instead of hauling weighted turtle shells up the mountain that the Turtle Hermit instructed she climb, that she hauled Master Roshi up instead and threw him off the highest cliff she could find.
Even as she felt herself becoming stronger, exceeding the expectations of herself and her master, she never felt quite good enough. She always knew, with unquestionable certainty, that she could be a better fighter. She also knew, with gut wrenching dread that she could not define a reason to, that one day she would have to be.
***
Bulma Briefs had never attended any formal schooling. Her mother had taught her what she could, but when it became apparent that ten-year-old Bulma was far more intelligent than the average child, Bunny Briefs had abandoned the task of educating her daughter.
Bulma, left to her own devices, had taken up to following her father around his labs. Initially it was only to alleviate her boredom, however, day after day she continued to return. It was there that she learned, from the other scientists, researchers, and engineers the basics of physics, chemistry, and mathematical theory. As the engineers worked on their projects, she would question them tirelessly. One of their answers would only inspire more questions. She learned the basics of machining mechanics, became interested in the complexity of quantum physics, learned computer programming and the theories behind material science. Her curiosity was tireless.
It was only by chance, when Bulma was thirteen years old did she hear the legend of the Dragonballs. One of her father's employees, a brilliant engineer from the other side of the planet, had mention in passing one of the legends of his homeland. Her curiosity fueling her, she had managed to ask him, in a broken form of his native tongue, more about these magical objects.
***
Upon the death of her mother, when Chichi was nine years old, her father nearly succeeded in burning his castle down. She had taken a break from her training schedule with Master Roshi, then. That was how Chichi first met Bulma Briefs. Her father, Dr. Briefs, had agreed to find a solution to the untamable fire. Bulma came along with her father in hopes of finding an orange ball, which she termed as a Dragonball. She claimed that it was engulfed in the flames of the Ox King's palace.
Because Chichi found Bulma Briefs to be wonderfully ridiculous and because she could not bear the idea of being in a home without her mother, Chichi agreed to help the blue-haired girl to find all the Dragonballs.
***
It was not Chichi's nature to try and be a hero. But the circumstances her life had led her to many occasions where she had to make a choice; choices that could save lives or destroy them. And she had always acted and decided to the best of her capacity and knowledge. She had never intended to be anybody's hero. So when she was credited with the defeat of the Red Ribbon Army, she was more surprised than anybody else.
***
Bulma Briefs was not a warrior. Traveling with Chichi Mao, however, had taught her a few things about fighting. Bulma understood how to aim a decent kick, how to land a powerful punch, and how to win a fight.
She was by no means as strong as Chichi but she could hold her own.
***
While Chichi was a late bloomer, she supposed it was lucky that she had hit puberty after she completed her training with Master Roshi. While she knew the Turtle Hermit would never approach her in an inappropriate way, he was an old pervert. And it was better to let old perverts stay out of the way of temptation.
It had not been uncommon for her to be mistaken as a boy in her early days of her training with Master Roshi. Her ambiguous gender, on more than one occasion, had been advantageous. At eighteen years old, however, Chichi was starting to see her mother's face every time she looked into a mirror.
Her mother had been a great queen and a beautiful woman. Chichi was expected to be much the same. When she entered martial arts tournaments, no opponent was willing to fight her. Not because they were intimidated by her strength, but rather, respectful of her beauty, cautious of her gender, and reverent of her title as the next queen of the Ox Kingdom. There were very few fighters on the planet who considered her to be a true contender; even less who offered her any sort of challenge.
***
Chichi Mao had made many friends and even more enemies. But with Piccolo Daimao, she could never be certain where she stood. He was the first opponent she had ever felt worth fighting. Even as she barely managed to defeat him, he always came back; sometimes with the demand for another battle. Other times, with no demand at all if only to observe her before silently going on his way. His presence, no matter its purpose, always left her uneasy.
Even when he came to her one day, speaking of a disturbance in the heavens and of a Saiyan enemy heading their way, she could not help but feel untrusting of his demand for a temporary alliance.
***
"You may not win. This fight could very well kill you."
She smiled; the line of her lips bitter and strangely kind. "Are you trying to scare me, Bulma?"
The blue haired woman stepped closer shaking her head once; the line of her full pout becoming a thin shadow across her face. "No." she paused, "I'm trying not to be afraid."
Chichi turned around to face her friend; a slight tugging at her lips. " How is that working for you?"
Bulma laughed. "It's not."
Chichi laughed as the tears began streaking down her face; fear and relief mixing horribly into one.
****
"What do we know about these Saiyans?" Bulma asked, frustrated and tired. She had been working all day, searching for answers, only to come up with nothing more than she already knew.
"According to these charts," a high nasally voice spoke, "they have no planet."
The aggravation was becoming unreal. "That's helpful." She mused bitterly.
The voice did not seem to notice her aggravation. "The supposed location of Vegetasi is nothing more than a small asteroid field with a weak center of gravitation pull."
More information that she already knew. She had to know more. She had to know anything that could be a weakness. They had to win.
****
"Can they be defeated?"
Piccolo did not answer immediately. "The entire Saiyan race was under the control of the Ice-Jins."
Chichi shifted, frustrated. "Can they be defeated by a human?"
Piccolo held Chichi's gaze. "It is unlikely."
She blinked, not expecting Piccolo's retort. She furrowed her forehead. "Well, I haven't lost yet."
"Perhaps one day you will."
"I defeated you, didn't I?"
Piccolo did not concede. He took off into the skies instead.
Chichi did not really mind. She had training to do.
****
"Are you ever concerned that you might not see the day you may become queen?"
Chichi raised her arms skywards, stretching her fingers as if to touch heaven's face. She rolled her head back as she closed her eyes.
Krillen watched her, amused and partially frustrated. "Did you not hear me?"
Chichi turned her head and opened her eyes so that she was looking at the man lying upon the grass.
"I heard you."
"Well?" Krillen prompted, propping himself up with his arm.
Chichi closed her eyes again and returned her head to its pervious position. She lowered her hands down to her sides. "No, I am not concerned. At least, not at the moment; my biggest concern," she paused to look at Krillen once more, "is to make it to next winter."
"After you defeat the Saiyans, though? What then? Will you finally go back home and take your place on the throne or will you continue training?"
"Krillen," Chichi sighed, "let us just enjoy the day. Is that too much to ask?"
Krillen blinked and then laughed softly as he plopped back down upon the grass. "I suppose not."
****
"Launch, how many guns do you need?"
"These are not just guns," Launch corrected in a flurry of loading heavy firearms into the back of a Capsule Corporation jet, "these are MI 256's and some of my own creation. These are the product of my genius. My babies."
Bulma glanced at Chichi before stepping forward. "I said bring the best of your collection. I can't realistically help you improve all of these weapons. It will be hard enough to try and figure out one weapon that will match up to a Saiyan."
Launch stopped from her flurry, looking up into Bulma's face darkly and challenging. "These are the best of my collection. Are you saying that they are not good enough?"
Bulma was about to retort but Chichi grabbed her shoulder. "It is best just to let her have her way when she is being a… blonde."
Launch gave Bulma a smug look before turning around to continue what she was doing.
"Bitch you mean." Bulma sighed out quietly enough so only Chichi could hear. "Fine, but just because she is a friend of yours."
"She saved your ass plenty of times from the Red Army if I remember correctly." Chichi chided.
"Perhaps," Bulma replied stiffly, "But she is still a bitch. Besides, that doesn't maker her friend."
"Then get a feather." Chichi suggested. "Make her blue."
Bulma frowned a little more. "I don't need an idiot bimbo either."
****
"How many are coming?"
"Our satellites have detected five pods. They will enter the earth's orbit in one month's time."
"How many per pod?" Bulma asked.
The young man sitting at the computer screen began to furiously tap away at the keys. "According to these calculations, these pods could comfortably fit one person – assuming the people or beings in these pods are about the size of humans."
"Is there any chance of shooting these pods down before they enter earth's atmosphere?"
The young man began typing furiously on the computer again. "I have only been observing these pods for the past two days, but that proposition seems unlikely. These are designed for space travel and thus have a defense system built around them. Any foreign object that comes in contract with them is deflected somehow. They seem to have a technology that is not available on earth."
As intrigued by this as Bulma was, she still felt heavy dread weigh down upon her shoulders. "Have you tried any missiles?"
The young man shook his head. "No, but we have tried rocket cameras that have all been deflected. Missiles would probably meet the same fate."
Bulma absorbed this information silently. She looked down upon the boy that was watching her expectantly. "Fire some missiles anyway. Might as well welcome these invaders right."
He blinked astonished and answered shakily. "I'll send the order immediately, Miss. Briefs."
****
"I don't like the idea of you fighting."
Chichi said nothing. This was simply a conversation she had heard many times before. Arguing now seemed to have no point.
Her father continued. "I don't want you getting hurt. You're the only child I have. You are the only heir to the throne. If something happened to you… this entire country would go into upheaval looking for the next heir."
"Dad…" she began. She did not know if she was prepared for the guilt her father was about to put her through.
"You're all I have left, Chi. Your mother dead - don't leave me too."
"I'm not going to die, dad."
"I should have never sent you to Master Roshi to be trained. I knew better. But your mother insisted. If only knew the kind of danger you get yourself into she would have never…"
"I'm the best this planet has to offer." She interrupted angrily.
"You're my little girl. You can't just risk yourself for the sake of everybody else. Let Krillen or that green fellow – Piccolo handle it."
"I'm stronger than they are."
"It doesn't matter – you shouldn't be fighting."
There was so much for Chichi to say, but her words would have fallen on deaf ears.
****
It did not seem to matter how long Krillen spent around Piccolo, his very presence was still extremely intimidating.
His gruff voice almost sounded like an acusation. "You have hid all the Dragonballs then?"
Krillen nodded. He hated he could not control the stutter in his voice. "Yes... we have hidden them in some of the most o-obscure places on the p-planet."
Piccolo nodded. "You know the location of every one then?"
This time Krillen did not trust his voice enough to speak. He merely nodded.
"Whatever happens at the battle, never allow all seven of the balls to be together. The Saiyans cannot get their hands on all seven of them."
A/N: My first attempt at a Goku(Kakarrot)/Chichi pairing. Definitely Alternate Universe. If anybody is still confused; Goku never came to earth. This is how others stepped in to fill that void.
Time: Relatively when the Saiyans decided to come to earth. Some alteration to make the story work.