"The Bounty Hunter"
By: Coldfire
'A new day, a new chance to earn more creds…' the young woman thought to herself as she sat at the control panel of her ship, looking down at the small planet that was home to her latest bounty and smirked. Life was just too easy at times. Getting up she stretched cat-like and made her way towards the back room and looked at the table where her captive was strapped down with beams of light. The mark she had placed on his brow glowing ever so lightly and he was still unconscious and would stay that way until she removed the mark. Until then it would look like he was sleeping. 'One of the very last of the saiyans… to think, your race were the most feared and powerful in the entire galaxy and now… you're nothing but a myth. Too bad, so sad.' Lightly she caressed his cheek with a gloved finger, smirking as the face he seemed to frown and made her way to the teleportation booth. "Fakk 2"
The computer beeped and the picture of a young woman with light blue skin and deep blue hair cropped at her shoulders appeared. Her eyes opened to reveal a solid white color, no iris or pupil of any kind. "Yes captain?"
"Keep an eye on our captive until I return. If anything goes wrong contact me."
"Understood captain."
Coldfire nodded and pressing a button on her belt faded from view and teleported herself to the small planet. Pressing another button the picture of a grown man with spiky black hair and goofy grin dressed in an orange gi appeared along with statistics. Different colored eyes scanned the information before she pressed the same button and made the hologram vanish. Looking around she began to head in a direction, her face a mask void of emotions.
Nestled in the lush wildness there was simple house with smoke coming form the chimney to show that someone lived there. Outside a man and a child seem to be fighting each other but they were actually sparring, throwing punches and blocking kicks. Their movements were graceful and so quick that resembled blurs. Both had looks of concentration and focus so that nothing could distract them but they were also alert for just about anything.
Goku dodged a kicked from Uub and blocked a punch, allowing a brief smile to grace his face. "You're getting stronger, Uub!"
"With all thanks to your training," the young man said with a smile and raised his arms to block a kick from his teacher. Even since the fight with Majin Buu ended a few years ago the saiyan had taken him in, teaching him about fighting and how to use his own ki energy in battles. He felt so honored to be learning under him he did his best and practiced everyday so he could be ready to help if another enemy came. But this new threat, a woman from outer space who called herself Coldfire was a puzzle to him. She had only come for Vegeta and trapped everyone else but then she turned around and made a deal. If they could prove to her that he changed then he would be let go but if they couldn't convince her then he would taken away forever and she would destroy anyone with saiyan blood so that the race would stay dead. He didn't like that very much.
"Goku! Uub! It's time for lunch!" Chichi called out to them from within the kitchen, getting the food ready as she smiled and hummed under her breath.
Goku signaled for his protégé to stop and called back to his wife. "Thanks Chichi! Well I say we both deserve a break. All this training gave me an appetite." To prove it his stomach growled rather loudly, making Uub laugh and made Goku gave a big grin, scratching the back of his head.
"I must say you two are indeed strong fighters."
"What the-" Both fighters whirled at the sound of a female voice and located the person leaning casually against a tree and watching them rather boredly. "It's you!"
"Sensai, is this the woman you told me about?" the young man asked as he pointed to the young lady.
Coldfire chuckled dryly under her breath and made her way towards them, taking her time and rested her hands on his hips. She wore skin tight jeans with tears criss-crossed everywhere. Combat boots were unlaced at her feet and she wore a rather small tube top of lime green with a matching denim vest over it that also had its share of tears. Her hair was loose about her shoulders, the red and blue strands hanging a bit past her shoulders while the violets strands were almost hidden underneath that grazed just below the back of her neck. Bleached bangs still hid her right, lime green eye from view but her right, icy blue was unhidden. She still wore the black glove on he right hand while the other was left bare. She stopped before them and looked them over, not really impressed at what she saw and nodded her head.
"Kakarott? Or should I refer you as Goku?" she asked, her voice a rough purr as she tapped gloved fingers on her hip, the other reaching up to run slender fingers through her slightly spiked hair.
"Goku if you don't mind. Where's Vegeta?"
"Oh no worries he's safe, for the time being. I really suggest you don't try to locate him because my ship has specific instructions. Nor will you find his ki energy. Not with that brand on his head."
"What do you mean?"
She slowly reached up to pull her glove off and held her hand out to them to see. On her palm was a tattoo of a flaming letter 'c' overlapping a flaming letter 'f', both capitalized. The flames with an icy blue color with the letters were white and both very faintly outlined in a grayish-black color.
"My mark has paralyze people and can suppress energy. Although I didn't realize that the prince's energy was so strong I was forced to give him a drug that will keep him out for as long as I want, she explained and pulled the glove back on, flexing her fingers in the soft leather.
Goku narrowed his eyes but did nothing. 'At least Vegeta is alive but for how long?' he thought to himself. Then he remembered what she had said the before she left. "I take it you want us to prove Vegeta is a good guy?"
"So you remember then. Yes that is the plan; I'll ask you some questions and you'll have to answer them truthfully. Once done then I'll leave you to your daily duties. If you would please follow me now." She turned around and took a few steps towards the wooded area.
"Hey wait! Where are you going?"
"I prefer if we had this conversation in private," she said over her shoulder and continued walking, not bothering to see if he would follow or not.
The fighter stood there, debating whether or not to go and took a few steps forward. He looked down at his protégé as he stepped before him. "I'll be right back."
"But what if this is some kind of trick?" he asked a bit worriedly. "What if she turns around and does the same thing to you? And what about Ms. ChiChi?"
He smiled and patted his head. "I'll be fine and if ChiChi asks… tell her I went for a while. Don't worry, I'll be right back." With that he walked around him and headed into the trees, following the young woman into a clearing and stood there, looking at her as she stared right back at him. They continued to have the staring contest for a while longer until the woman tilted her head a bit, flicking bangs from her face only to have them fall back into place.
"So tell me Goku, how did you first meet Vegeta? And what did you think of him then? Has your opinion of him changed over the years?"
The young man blinked a bit, wondering what kind of question she was asking but settled for telling her the truth. "It was a long time ago. I didn't even know I was a saiyan until Raditz came down. After he and I were killed it took me a year to come and help my friends. That was the first time I meet Vegeta and his pal Nappa. I thought he was wrong for trying to destroy the life on the planet and I couldn't just stand by and watch him destroy everything I care about. I actually thought he was just some big bully who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. But I knew that deep down he had to have some good inside him." He took a deep breath and thought long and hard about the third question.
"Now… well… he's a great sparring partner and he has a lot of experience! Not to mention he's one of few who could match my appetite." He laughed at his own joke but stopped when he didn't get a response from the bounty hunter. "Ehe okay… but deep down he's a great guy. He means well in his own way."
'Interesting…' she thought to herself and asked the next of question. "You saw the damage he's caused and the power he holds, can you honestly say you trust him not to turn around and kill you without a moment's hesitation?"
"Oh course I trust him! When we were on Namek and had to go up against the Ginyu Force he helped me recovery after I was seriously hurt! Not to mention he helped me fight against Frieza as well. After that it was the Androids, Cell, and Majin Buu to name a few so yeah, I trust him."
She seemed to huff but said nothing, crossing her arms over her chest and rested her weight against a tree, balancing with perfect ease on one feet while the other was planted behind her. "But he was once a ruthless prince of a powerful race that cared only for money and power, destroying all that stood in his way. Do you think he'll ever return to that kind of life style?"
"Honestly? No I don't think so. Sure he had power and wealth but he didn't have friends or a family. Now he does and I don't think he would want to give it up for everything. If anything he ahs more power now than he did before but so far he has used it just to protect his family and our planet." He remembered when Gohan and the others told him how enraged Vegeta was when he had killed Trunks fro the future timeline during the battle with Cell after he had committed kamikaze. It was the first time they had ever since him that upset which only proved that beneath his tough exterior that he really cared about his son.
"I see…" she said softly, just barely audible for his sensitive hearing and rubbed her chin with a gloved finger and regarded him with focused eyes. "Last question. Do you care whether he lives or dies?"
"Yes I care," he said with no hesitation.
"Why?"
"Because he deserves to lead a good life after everything that's happened to him. What he did in the past was wrong and I know that it's too late to say sorry but give him a break. It's been years since he became the Dark Prince and I think he should just be left alone to enjoy life with his family. Don't you have a family that you care about?"
Coldfire's eyes widen as she snapped her head up to look at him, her posture tense and rigid as faded memories entered her mind. Quickly she pushed them away but couldn't help to growl at him as she stood away from the tree and snapped, "I'm asking the questions here and don't you ever ask me about my family!" Turning around she lashed out with her right fist, smashing it at the tree and stood there as most of the trunk splintered on impact and the rest fell to the ground with a very loud thud. Birds took off for the sky, cawing loudly and Goku looked at her with wide eyes. She was very sensitive about that topic of family and didn't bother to push the subject. The girl took a deep breath and straighten up, looking at her tight fist as her knuckles were white from the stain and said over her shoulder, "That's all I wanted to know." Without another word she walked off into the tree and soon vanished from sight.
Goku continued to stand there, his gaze looking at the fallen tree and he became thoughtful. He had picked up a barrage of emotions ranging from anger to sorrow that he had never known before. Something happen in her past and he was sure it had to do with her family but what was it? The thoughts fled though when he stomach growled once more, growing impatient as it wanted to be fed right now.
"I better go back before Chichi comes looking for me," he said to himself and headed back to his house where his wife and protégé were waiting.
Just a bit away from the older Son household, close to the outskirts of the city limits was another simple home that belonged to Son Goku's eldest son, Gohan with his wife, Videl and their daughter, Pan. Everything was going along just fine as the ladies had left for the city to do some shopping and that left Gohan some time alone so he could meditate and think about this girl who called herself Coldfire.
'I don't get it. She was perfectly ready to kill all of us but when Pan and bra ran up to her something changed. For a moment… I almost swore that she looked ready to hug Pan but why?'
"I highly suggest you keep you stop trying to figure me out and pray to whatever deity you pray to that your answers won't sigh away your friend's death sentence," a female voice spoke up, a mental voice also touched his mind but it was more of a hand that cuffed him none to lightly, causing him to suddenly fall over and skid a bit in the grassy lawn. Taking a moment to gather his wits he looked up and found himself being stared down by the woman with hands planted firmly on her hips and looking down at him with hard eyes.
"Let me tell you this right here and now, do not even begin to try to understand my life or my actions," she snapped, leaning a bit down to glare at him better and growled, her upper lip curled up to reveal two sharp canines clenched tightly together. She still wore her torn jeans and vest with the small top and boots that made her seem like a bad girl. The wind played with her multi-colored strands, bowing up to reveal both her eyes, which seemed to flicker with flames but quickly died out. She sighed deeply and took a few steps back, straightening and crossed her arms over her chest. She tapped gloves fingers impatiently on her upper arm, waiting for him to get more comfortable and began firing questions.
"I'm going to be quick so listen 'cuz I hate repeating myself. How did you first meet Vegeta, what did you think of him then? And has it changed over the years?"
Gohan took a deep breathe and answered her questions. "I first meet him when I was about eleven… myself, my mentor Piccolo and my dad's best friend Krillian along with some others were the only ones who had stood up to Vegeta. We were trying to buy time to wait for dad to come back from the afterworld but… they killed Tien, Chaozu, Yamcha, and Piccolo. Back then I don't know what I thought of Vegeta but Nappa… I couldn't believe he was so heartless. Now I think Vegeta is a great guy. He's even saved me a few times and yeah he may act tough but that's just the way he is."
"You seem to have thought about this for a while," she murmured under her breathe, running a hand briefly though her hair and let her eyes drift almost shut. "Next question, can you honestly say you trust him all the destruction he caused first hand?"
"Yeah… like I said he saved my life before. He's not all that bad he just acts like it."
"You have a point… surely somehow or another he you about how proud and ruthless the saiyan race was before their destruction. If there was a way to bring them back do you think he would go back and become what he once was?"
Gohan thought long and hard about it but he couldn't come up with an answer. "I… don't know… I should hope not because that means he'll be giving up his family. He may not look like he cares about them but he does! Or why else wouldn't he protect them from every danger that he could?"
She looked at him from beneath the fall of soft bangs and jerked her head to the side, making the strands fall back just for a few moments. Final question, why do you change whether he lives or dies?"
"Because it isn't right. What he did is in the past and he's more than made up for it by helping saving this world more than once. Isn't that enough?"
"Maybe so, but maybe not. You're answered my questions so our time is up." Nodding her head she whirled on her heels and walked off, letting the shadows of the tree hide her until she had vanished completely. The next place to visit was a home in a city called West City. She hated big crowds but sighed and took to the air, feeling so at ease at being able to fly without the use of wings or such.
"Yamcha I wanna thank you for visiting, this mean a lot to me," Bulma said as she and her old boyfriend sat in the living room.
"Hey don't worry about it Bulma, I know you care about Vegeta a lot but things are bound to work out in the end," he said reassuringly, patting her shoulder.
Outside Coldfire looked at the dome house, cocking her head to the bit. "Strange structure." Shrugging her shoulders she made her way to the front door and rang the bell. Looking around the door opened to reveal a little girl with soft blue hair done in a braid and bright blue eyes wearing a cute red dress and matching ribbon on her braid.
"Hi lady!" she said brightly, obviously remembering her.
"Um hi. Is your mom home?" Coldfire asked a bit nervously.
"Uh huh! She's with uncle Yamcha. I'll show you!" Without waiting for a reply she took her gloved hand in her own and pulled her inside. The young woman could only let herself be led by the child into the home, robots everywhere cleaning the windows and a cozy atmosphere. It was warm and friendly she couldn't help but smile just a tiny bit. They stopped in the arched doorway that led into a large living room and the little girl pronounced loudly, "Mommy! The lady who took daddy is here! She wants to talk to you!"
A older woman with short blue hair and bright blue eyes stood up, followed by a young man with short black hair and dark eyes with some scars on his face. Fr a moment the three adults just looked at each other and bra watched with curiosity. "Bra why don't you go play in the yard while we talk."
"Okay mommy! Bye lady," she smiled and ran to go outside.
"Cute girl. Looks just like you," Coldfire said as she looked at them and nodded. "You know why I'm here so the sooner you answer my questions the sooner I can leave here."
"Wait, before you say anything how's Vegeta?" Bulma asked worriedly.
"He's alive, and he's fine."
"How do we believe that?" the older man said with a frown.
She hissed at him angrily, sharp canines revealed and gloved hand formed into a tight fist. "How about I drag you to the ship by your ear and prove it! I keep my word about everything but you want truth? Fine!" Reaching down she pulled out a small box and spoke into it. "Fakk 2!"
"Yes captain," a female voice said from the other line.
"Show me a visual of our captive, Prince Vegeta of the Saiyan race and his status."
"Affirmative." The box blinked before showing a holographic image of Vegeta, still held to the table with beams of light but was breathing deeply, still alive and just looked to be in a deep sleep. "Status report: everything is normal, vital signs are functioning properly."
"Thanks. See?" She flicked the box off and replaced it on her belt once more. "Happy?"
"Hey Looks I'm sorry-"
"Let just get this over with I still have some more people to see." She plopped herself down on the chair, waiting for them to sit and asked her survey of questions. "When you two first meet Vegeta what did you think of him and what about now?"
Bulma cleared her throat some, holding her hands tighter tightly in her lap. "Well the first time I saw him I first thought of how scary he was. I was terrified of him but now I just see him as a loving husband and father. He may not act like it but I know he cares for us as much as we care for him!"
Yamcha smiled a bit as he patted her shoulder. "Vegeta… I'll be honest I thought he was a insensitive jerk and I wish that Bulma had wanted to marry someone else but… as long as he makes her happy I can't complain," he said with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
"Interesting… You both saw what he could do with those powers of his. Are either of you the least bit afraid he might turn around and kill you all?"
"Of course not! Bulma practically shouted as she stood up and looked down at the girl. "I have complete faith in him that he would never do such a thing! Why would he want to kill the people who love him!"
"Bulma calm down, okay?" Yamcha waited until she calmed down and sat back down but still looked furious. "Look, I really don't think he would do something that insensitive. He has a family, a son and daughter who look up to him and I think the last thing he wants to do is to set a bad example for them."
"I understand what you mean but there is always a chance," Coldfire said with a sigh, tapping her fingers on the chair's arm. After a few moments of silence she returned to asking her questions. "Since you already answered my next question then let me ask this, it shows that you two care whether he lives or dies but why? And don't give me bull about how he's a devoting husband/father."
The woman and man looked at each other but it was Yamcha who went first. "He may not seem like much but he's done us a lot, what with helping protect our planet and helping us defeat our enemies. He's a powerful warrior and I don't think it's fair to do this to him."
"Vegeta is a wonderful and caring man, I don't want to loose him again and the kids love him as well. We'll do anything to keep him here," Bulma said with tearful eyes and didn't bother to brush them away.
Coldfire sat there for a few more moments, watching the pay of emotions play on her eyes before she closed her eyes and shook her head, letting the strands fly about her face before she ran a hand through them, letting both eyes shine unhidden before the white bangs fell back into place as she stood up. "That is all I wanted to know. Thanks and see ya both around." Giving them a mock salute she turned around and made her own way out. Bulma resisted the urge to run up to her and demand she returned Vegeta but stayed and tried very hard not to let the tears fall. Yamcha comfortly squeezed her shoulder, telling her silently that everything would work out in the end no matter what.
Once outside Coldfire took a deep breath of air and sighed deeply, not caring as multi-colored strands and for a moment her guard was down so her thoughts were to wander. Why was she beginning to care about the fate of her latest captive? Why was she remembering so much of her broken past? She quickly whirled on her heels when she heard a faint crying and followed it to he back of the large dome-shaped house. In the backyard was a little girl with blue hair tied into a braid with a red ribbon. She was dressed in a matching skirt and jacket and sitting in the grass. On slow, almost hesitant feet she walked towards her to see what was the matter.
Bra sniffed as she looked at her scrapped knee and wished her daddy was here with her. He always told her that she should try not to cry and be a brave girl. "Daddy…" A lone tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek.
"What's wrong?" She turned around and look up at the lady who took her daddy away and rubbed the tear away with the back of her hand.
"I-I fell down and hurt myself." She watched as the lady walked up and knelt before her, reaching out to gently look at her knee and flinched before she touched it.
"Hey now don't make that face, or you might get stuck with it." The bounty hunter smiled when Bra giggled and reached into her pocket, pulling out a mini cube different colored spots (think Rubix Cube). "Here."
"Ooh what's this?" the little girl asked happily, taking it both hands and tried to figure it out.
"It's called a Mecha Cube. The object of the game is to try and get all the colors onto the same side but it's not that easy. Watch." Taking the cube she pressed a blue square and they watched as it blinked and turned red while a red spot on the other side shifted to blue. "Its mainly a game of luck but fun to try."
"Oh wow!" Bra took it back into her hands, blue eyes large with glee as she tried to get the same colors on one side and didn't notice as Coldfire went to cleaning her scrap and wrapping it in a bandage. "Look! I got one side all red!" she pointed out happily.
"Wow you're doing better than I ever did," she said with a small laugh. "Why don't you keep it?"
"Really?? Thank you so much!!" she said happily as she launched herself into her arms and hugged her tightly. Coldfire was startled but slowly wrapped her arms around the child and tentively hugged her back. Somehow this felt right…
Trunks silently watched form a slight distance at what was going on but didn't see any reason to interrupt. She wasn't hurting Bra and if anything seemed slightly changed. Maybe their father had hope after all…
Author's Note: Okay this was long over due and I promise to get the next half up when I can. So for now enjoy this and tell me what you think. But thanks to a review left by Mr.Poop I have changed the original outcome of this fic. It may or may not contain a lemon as a side story but we'll see where that goes. Be on the look out for Boba Fett from the Star Wars' movies will be doing a guest appearance in future chapters. Enjoy and I'll get the second half out as soon as I can.
