A/N: So there was a lot of stuff I meant to say at the beginning of the story, but I'm just going to say it at the beginning of this story!
This story takes place roughly a year after Battle of Gods, but still before Bra (Bulla) was born... somewhere in that gray area.
I am currently rewatching Dragon Ball Z (hence the inspiration to start writing this fanfic), so if I make any major errors, please please please let me know!
Also, I do not own any of the characters or the world in which they live.
And lastly, the first chapters are really short. They are essentially establishing all of the information needed to know before this story really gets going, so don't worry!
Please enjoy!
The call from Vegeta brought Goku round again. "You better wish me back!" He lay there, trying to process what had been said to him and by the time he did, it was entirely too late. He popped up and looked around for the feisty prince. By the time Goku located him, Vegeta was only a speck in the midst of pure energy.
Goku screamed and powered up as quickly as he could and took off after the smaller man. He wouldn't let him make the sacrifice. It was Goku's to make. "Vegeta!" He shouted as he raced as quickly as he could. He wasn't going to get there in time.
Vegeta could feel the raw energy stripping his skin away as he pushed forward. Blood was coming out of his nose, tear ducts, and ear from the pressure that the little monster had created. He was getting so close to the energy ball, but he knew his death would be for nothing if he didn't get all the way to the goal. He feared for a moment that he wouldn't get to Ven.
As he got closer, the energy balls that were ripping out of the mass became harder and harder to dodge. One hit his shoulder, causing blood to spray out of the jagged tear. He grimaced in pain and kept going.
His thoughts went to the moment when Ven had pounced on Trunks, intending to consume him. The anger made him stronger and he flew forward, ignoring that his clothes were almost completely gone as well as most of his skin. The pain was becoming unbearable.
Bulma cupped his chin and smiled warmly at him. "I love you, you know?" She asked him as she kissed his forehead. He scowled and looked away. "I know you love me too." She whispered, undaunted by his rough exterior.
Just as Vegeta believed that he would die before he got to Ven, he saw the small bug-thing. The muscles of his bloody and skinless face formed into a grim smile. "Gotcha." He croaked as he he wrapped his raw hands around the thing. He noticed with the one eye he still had that some of the bones on his hand were exposed.
"Vegeta!" His mother called for him through the castle that he called home before Frieza had taken him.
"Yes, mother?" Vegeta asked as he peeked out of a corridor. His mother was his favorite person ever, but even his father mocked the relationship the two had, saying that it was too emotional. He looked around, making sure that no one saw him. The halls were empty, so he ran into his mother's embrace.
"I'm going away now." She said softly, trying to not sound sad. "I'll be visiting the realm and I'll be gone for a few years." She was holding back tears, he could tell. "You'll be a man when I return."
"Why?" He asked, confused. His mother was so strong. She had won King Vegeta's hand in marriage by fighting other women to the death. He couldn't understand why she was so sad.
"Your father… he." She stopped and steeled herself. "It is best." Is all she said. That was the last time Vegeta ever saw her. It was his sixth birthday.
Vegeta shoved both of his hands into the opening that he had created earlier. It looked like it hadn't healed at all. That gave the dying man hope. With a scream of both pain and frustration he began to pull apart the thing. He could hear a cracking, but he wasn't sure if it was his now frail bones, or the thing he was wrapped around. He hoped it was the latter of the two.
Bulma was soaked with the rain that was pouring down, but he could still she was crying. "I thought you were gone forever." She croaked out sadly as she looked at him. Her chin was trembling and she looked like she hadn't slept the entire time he had been in space.
Vegeta shook his head. "I just…" he paused. Emotions were not his thing, to say the least. In the doorway, he saw Bulma's parents. Her mother was holding a small child, that he could already tell was his. Though he had Bulma's eyes and her father's hair, the child looked just like him. It was these people, these people were the reason that he had been able to ascend. They, specifically Bulma, had given him strength. He took a step forward. "I will always come back." He promised.
With one last passionate cry, Vegeta ripped Ven's exoskeleton apart. As all of the energy that it had contained released, Vegeta felt peace knowing that his death would mean the safety of his family.
The hot flash of energy felt more like a warm embrace than the end.
The blast threw Goku back a hundred yards and he hit the ground with tremendous energy, causing the earth to split in his wake.
He lay there, staring up at the empty sky, desperately trying to search for the ki of the other Saiyan. He knew it was in vain, but he still couldn't give up. His body began to shake. The emotions tore through him like a tidal wave and soon he was screaming and crying and beating the ground below him.
Eventually he was spent and all he could do was breathe heavily and shake. He could barely process the information that was running through his mind. Vegeta was dead. Vegeta is gone. He had sacrificed himself and he had succeeded in saving Earth. Slowly, Goku stood and looked around. He needed to get back and tell everyone what happened. The weight of the news he carried was heavier than anything else he had ever carried before.
Hopefully you enjoyed! Please review!