Author: Becky L. Sly
Title: What If: Namek
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Rating: T (there will be cusswords, violence and some non-explicit sexual situations that may not be appropriate for all readers)

I just own the plot. All characters belong to Funimation, Toei Animation, and Akira Toriyama.

WHAT IF: NAMEK

by Becky L. Sly

Chapter 1 – The Planet Namek

Bulma was absentmindedly poking at her food with her fork while she listened to Krillin and Gohan's discussion. They shared some terrifying news. They had seen this so-called tyrant, Freeza slaughter an entire village of Namekians just to acquire his fourth Dragon Ball. The boys barely escaped from the grasp of one Freeza's henchmen; a pink monster named Dodoria. Luckily, they hadn't encountered Vegeta yet. Although there was no sign of the Saiyan Prince, they weren't sure if Vegeta and Freeza were working together. Fortunately, to their relief, Bulma had gotten news from Earth, and Goku would meet them on Namek in just six days.

They were at a Capsule Corp. accommodation Bulma had set earlier that day. The boys had just returned from the field and brought a little Namekian kid with them. What were they thinking? Bulma thought as she glanced at the poor kid sitting right in front of her. He was staring at his plate of food with wide eyes.

"You should eat," Krillin murmured, nudging softly at the arm of the Namekian kid with his elbow. "I know this food isn't very good, but you need to get your strength back."

Bulma snorted angrily at Krillin, who gawked back nervously. "Not very good?!" She hissed, snapping her closed fist on the table in frustration. "You could show me a little appreciation for once!"

Krillin swallowed hard while Gohan and the Namekian child stared at Bulma. "No… I-I wasn't talking about the food… It's the best food I ever had!" Drops of sweat ran down the fighter's temple. Gohan snickered beside Bulma and Krillin shot him a nervous glance.

Bulma huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm sure he's just too upset to eat." She glanced back at the alien kid, who turned his gaze once again at the food.

"I'm sorry, but we don't eat," the Namekian child murmured under his breath, his eyes locked onto his plate. "We Namekians only drink water."

Bulma raised her eyebrows, considering the remark. However, Krillin was faster to reply.

"But… we saw fields full of vegetables near your village."

"The fields you saw were of Ajisa plants," the green-skinned boy murmured, glancing at Krillin. He told them the whole history of his planet and how his race had suffered in the past from near extinction.

"...The elders remember the time our planet was filled with these plants. We farm them now to nurture the land in hope this will bring our home life again."

The Earthlings listened to his story, sympathetic to his woes. Bulma observed the child in front of her. Although his eyes were sharp, she could notice his hands trembling over his lap.

"You know, I just realized," Gohan spoke, glancing at the green kid with a soft smile upon his face, trying to lighten the mood a little. "You haven't told us your name yet!"

The Namekian boy lowered his head, his voice barely audible. "I'm sorry... My name is Dende." Dende glanced back at the Earthlings in front of him. "And who are you? What brought you to the planet Namek?"

Gohan turned to the Namekian and told him who they were and where they were from. He told him why they wanted to gather all Dragon Balls, and also their experience with the Saiyan warriors in the past.

"But why did these invaders come here?" Dende whimpered, his gaze fixed on Gohan's.

"Vegeta probably told them about the Dragon Balls," Gohan murmured.

"And who knows what Freeza is planning to wish for once he summons the Eternal Dragon," Krillin commented absently, placing both of his arms behind his neck.

A tense silence hung in the air. They all returned to their plates in front of them, but suddenly the hunger was gone. They could only wonder what evil wish Freeza could possibly have.

"I have an idea!" Bulma exclaimed suddenly, rising from her seat at the table. Everybody's gaze locked onto her. "Freeza needs all seven Dragon Balls to grant his wish, right? We just have to pick one to hold back his plans until Goku arrives here!"

Everyone stared at the girl with their eyebrows raised. Krillin sighed heavily before answering.

"I don't think we'll be able to fight them."

Bulma crossed her arms in front of her chest, frowning at the fighter. "We may not be able to fight them directly, but if we find one Dragon Ball and hide it, they won't be able to make any wishes!"

"That won't be enough," Gohan murmured under his breath, his expression tense, his gaze set on his plate on the table. "It won't stop them from looking for the missing Dragon Ball and killing everyone in their way."

Dende stared at Gohan, and the young fighter could see the intense fear in the Namekians 's eyes.

"That Freeza seems pretty cruel and merciless," Krillin murmured, while scratching his chin. "And we have no idea where Vegeta is at the moment."

"Please…" Dende's voice brought the Earthlings back to reality. Bulma glanced at Dende and noticed the tears forming in his eyes while he was grasping his garment's sleeves firmly. "We need your help! Please, tell me you will help my people!" He begged, a single tear running down his soft cheek.

Krillin approached the Namekian, placing his hand softly over his shoulders.

"We will try," said the fighter. "But Goku is our best chance against them."

Dende nodded at Krillin's words. Suddenly, a thought came to mind.

"I know someone that can help us!" He exclaimed cheerfully, closing his fists, then stood up from his seat. "I will bring you to the eldest Namekian!"

They all stared, surprised by Dende's words.

"Who is he?" Krillin asked.

"He's very wise! He's the father of all Namekians!" Dende continued, his eyes sparkling with hope.

Bulma frowned at his remark. "He is the father of all… Namekians…?"

Dende glanced at the girl and nodded, hesitantly.

"Yes… he spits the eggs out of his mouth." He murmured and Bulma simply stared at him with wide eyes.

"So… I got it!" Bulma said, smiling. "What you're saying is that 'he' is actually a female!"

Dende stared at her as if she were speaking an incomprehensible language.

"Female?" Dende repeated the word awkwardly. "What is a female?"

Bulma was slack-jawed. She listened as Krillin snickered beside Dende.

"Looks like you're the only girl on the planet, Bulma," Krillin joked and Bulma snorted at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest and diverting her gaze from the guys.

"About the Eldest Namekian," Gohan murmured from the other side of the table, getting Dende's attention. "How can we meet him?"

"I know where he stays," the little Namekian said, hesitantly. "But we should probably get there quickly. The others that attacked my village will probably search for him."

Krillin raised his eyebrow. "Does the eldest Namekian have a Dragon Ball?"

Dende nodded in response to the question. Krillin and Gohan stared at each other, realizing that they must act quickly in order to stop Freeza's plan. The two fighters rose from their seats and headed towards the front door of the Capsule Corp. accommodations they were in. They walked outside the cave, followed by Bulma and Dende.

"We should get to this Elder Namekian soon," Krillin murmured, glancing at Dende. "Freeza's henchmen will have a hard time trying to find him without their scouters."

"We must go before it's too late! We must warn him!" Dende exclaimed, running towards Krillin and pulling on his shirt. "Please, you must help me! Please, come with me!"

Krillin placed his hands over the Namekian's shoulders. "All right. Let's go, then," he said, eliciting a soft smile from Dende. "Lead the way, I'll follow."

"Right!"

"I don't think it'll take too long," Krillin murmured, glancing at Gohan. "You'll have to wait here with Bulma until I come back." Gohan nodded to his commands.

In the next second, both Krillin and Dende rose from the ground and stopped mid-air to glance at Bulma and Gohan for a moment before they flew straight towards the Elder Namekian.

Bulma and Gohan watched as they disappeared in the green sky, both hoping that nothing would happen until their return with the Dragon Ball.

"Don't worry, Gohan," Bulma whispered, placing her hand softly over the kid's shoulder. "Our plan will work out."

Gohan stared at her, quiet for a moment.

"I hope so."

Vegeta was flying steadily in the air while Dodoria's words were humming inside the prince's mind. Vegeta could still taste the bitterness on his tongue after he killed that fat scumbag. Although Vegeta's power level had lowered now to its normal state, he could still feel his anger boiling inside his whole body.

Now he knew the truth. His homeland planet wasn't destroyed by a massive asteroid rain as he first learned from Nappa. It was Freeza's doing all along. He had slaughtered his whole race because he was afraid of them. To that thought, Vegeta knew exactly what scared Freeza.

"He was scared of the legendary Super Saiyan," Vegeta murmured to himself while still flying, his mind lost in thoughts. He had heard that story many times when he was a young prince. Nappa had repeatedly told him and Raditz about the legend of the Super Saiyan on the nights they were having their meals at a campfire on some alien planets.

Vegeta clenched his teeth. "You'll pay for this, Freeza."

He knew deep inside his heart that he was the one determined to be the Super Saiyan. He knew deep down that Freeza would pay for everything he had done to his race, his planet and himself. Freeza would be killed by a Saiyan's hand.

Vegeta felt his anger boiling up again inside his chest. His power had risen immensely since his fight on Earth, and he felt as he was untouchable now. However, Vegeta knew better. Freeza was beyond his reach and the only way he could kill Freeza was if he gathered the Dragon Balls first and wished for his immortality.

The Saiyan Prince continued his flight, his mind picturing again the moment he killed Dodoria. He smirked again, feeling his anger ceasing a bit. He hated those bastards that followed Freeza almost as much as he hated Freeza. Vegeta smirked with the thought that now he was able to finally defeat them. He was determined to kill them all, surer than ever that he needed to gather all the Dragon Balls before Freeza.

"I want to see those bastards try to find the Dragon Balls without their scouters."

Dodoria had given Vegeta valuable information. Freeza's army had no more scouters, and Vegeta himself destroyed the last one of them as well. They were all blinded, which gave the Saiyan a good advantage. Especially after he had learned how to feel the power levels in the field without any tools.

"Now, I just have to practice."

He interrupted his flight for a moment, standing in mid-air. He glanced around him, observing nothing else than the blue grass that covered the majority of the planet's surface, and a green river that ran beneath him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to focus his mind and hone in his instincts. He couldn't sense anyone's energy nearby. He sighed again, still with his eyes closed, trying to keep his mind concentrated. Then, he sensed a glimpse of higher energy. He opened his eyes all of a sudden, losing track.

"Fuck," he closed his fist tightly. "I just felt it!"

With his eyes open, he tried to focus again. He felt something, much lower than the energy he just felt, but it was definitely something. It wasn't as high as Dodoria's, but it was still powerful. It reminded him somehow of the same kind of energy he had encountered on Earth.

Vegeta widened his eyes as the realization hit him. He resumed his flight again, flying at full speed towards the direction of the energy he was sensing.

"Damn it, Dodoria," he hissed, his sight focused on the path ahead of him. "He was telling the truth about the Earthlings!"

He couldn't believe that the Earthlings managed to arrive at Namek in such a short period of time. However, it didn't matter. Vegeta was stronger than he was on Earth and it wouldn't give him a hard time killing those grubs.

Then, Vegeta saw his target. He glanced at the ground and found a familiar ki. He lowered his pace and flew down towards them. As he approached the ground, one of them turned to face him abruptly. Vegeta recognized him right away.

"Kakarot's brat!" His mouth curled in a snarl and his brows drew low, watching as the kid jumped away from the Saiyan's reach. He glanced over the kid and noticed a woman with him. He had never seen her before, but her power level was so low that it almost intrigued him why she was there in the first place.

When his gaze met hers, Bulma was startled. She felt her legs trembling and she lost her balance, falling on the ground. She could feel a knot forming inside her throat, her hands shivering in fear as the cruel Saiyan walked slowly towards her and Gohan.

"Ve-Vegeta…?" Gohan stammered, taking a step back, feeling Bulma on the ground behind him.

Vegeta smirked at them. His smile was almost lethal.

"Well, well… look who's here."

Vegeta stared at the Earthlings in front of him. Kakarot's son was bewildered, glancing back at the Saiyan, making Vegeta's smirk grow larger. The Saiyan Prince gazed over the head of the boy, finding the woman shivering on the ground. Her big blue eyes found his. He could almost taste her fear in his mouth.

"What two weaklings like you are doing here?" Vegeta asked, stepping slowly towards them. Gohan stepped back, Bulma at his heels. The girl tried to crawl back away from the terrifying Saiyan, her gaze fixed on Vegeta's movements.

"No-nothing that concerns you," Gohan stammered, feeling his legs going numb.

Vegeta snorted at the boy. "Oh? Nothing, hm?"

Gohan swallowed hard. He could feel Vegeta's power level and he knew that he was no match for the Saiyan.

"I'm looking for the Dragon Balls," Vegeta hissed, crossing his arms against his chest, his gaze locked on Gohan. "Have you seen any?"

"N-no…"

"Really?" Vegeta answered with a smirky smile. "I happen to think that it's a big of a coincidence to find you, whose planet had Dragon Balls doing nothing, so far away from home."

Vegeta stepped closer to Gohan. "You better not be lying to me," the Saiyan murmured, his expression hard. "Or else, the Earth girl behind you will pay for that."

Bulma froze in her place. She was trying to crawl slowly away from them. The knot in her throat was burning up inside her. She was holding her tears back as hard as she could.

Gohan frowned at Vegeta, closing his fists. "I'm not lying!" The boy cried out. "We have no idea where the Dragon Balls are!"

"So, you are after the Dragon Balls after all!" Vegeta taunted, ceasing the distance between him and the boy. "Where is Kakarot?"

"He's not here," Gohan murmured, facing up at the Saiyan who was right in front of him.

"How neglectful of him," Vegeta smirked, lowering himself to the same height as Gohan. "You know, we Saiyans have to take care of each other." Vegeta placed his glove over Gohan's bowl-cut hair, petting it slightly. The boy was slack-jawed, staring at the prince with his eyes wide.

However, before Gohan could say anything else, Vegeta punched him in the stomach. The pain was so intense it was dizzying. The boy tried to cough, but it only made the pain increase more. He could feel his guts burning inside him. Gohan collapsed on the ground, curling up in a ball.

"We are like brothers, you know." Vegeta hissed, a huge grin upon his features.

Gohan was trembling on the ground due to the intense pain. He tried to roll around and face the cruel Saiyan standing next to him. He glared at Vegeta through his thick bangs.

"Wait… until my father… gets here."

Vegeta raised his eyebrows. "So… Kakarot is coming here."

Vegeta kicked Gohan right in his already injured area. The boy howled in pain, spitting blood onto the blue grass. Vegeta kneeled again, grabbing Gohan's clothes and raising the boy up to his height.

"You better start talking, brat!"

Gohan was feeling dizzy with the pain. He stared at Vegeta's deadly eyes, trying hard as he could to not cry out in pain. His mouth curled in a snarl and he spat in the prince's face.

Vegeta's eyes grew darker. With his thumb, he cleaned the bloody spittle off his left cheek. Without saying a word, Vegeta tossed the boy into the air, throwing him straight at the rocky walls of the cave. Gohan's body cracked as he hit the wall. He dropped down heavily on the ground.

Bulma was choking, attempting to breathe normally while watching the whole scene. Her eyes followed Vegeta's steps as he walked towards Gohan. She knew he was going to hurt Gohan even more, and she felt useless knowing she had no strength to help the little boy.

"Please, don't hurt him," she whimpered, feeling her cheeks growing damp with her tears. Vegeta, however, hadn't listened to her words. He reached the boy and once again grabbed him by his garments.

"Now, let's try again, boy," he hissed at Gohan, who could barely open his eyes. "WHERE ARE THE DRAGON BALLS?"

Bulma closed her eyes, unable to see what was coming. She knew she was the next one to suffer under Vegeta's hand. She could swear that only one hit from him could be enough to kill her. Earlier that day she was so happy with the news that Goku was on his way to Namek, but it was pointless now. She would be dead by the time he arrived.

She cried again as he heard Gohan groaning in pain. If only Vegeta hadn't found them, Krillin would have arrived with a Dragon Ball and they would have been able to hide it away from Freeza and Vegeta.

Bulma opened her eyes all of a sudden as a thought came to her mind. Vegeta didn't know about Krillin and Dende. He had no idea that they both were already headed towards the Eldest Namekian to gather a Dragon Ball. Perhaps, their plan could still work.

Bulma rose from the ground, wiping her tears away with the back of her sleeve. She knew what she needed to do; she needed to distract Vegeta and get his attention away from Gohan.

She surveyed the ground for something she could use to hit him. She eyed a few pieces of rock and grabbed a handful of it. She stared at the Saiyan in front of her, his stance showing that he was ready to hit Gohan again. Using all the strength she had, she threw it towards Vegeta, hitting the back of his head.

"Stay away from him!" Bulma screamed at the prince, who turned on his heels to stare at her, still holding Gohan by his collar.

"Was that supposed to harm me?" Vegeta murmured archly, tossing Gohan on the ground one more time. He started to walk towards Bulma, his full attention on her. "Not a wise call."

Bulma swallowed hard, feeling her hands sweating. She stepped back, trying to keep herself away from him. Vegeta continued to walk slowly toward her.

"You want the Dragon Balls...?" Bulma asked hesitantly, her heart beating rapidly inside her chest. The question caught Vegeta off guard for a moment, making him stop his current pace.

"What?" He asked her huskily. Bulma swallowed hard again, trying to calm her mind. She knew she had to keep up with her plan to distract Vegeta.

Bulma narrowed her eyes. "You want the Dragon Balls? I can help you find them."

Vegeta stared at her bewildered. However, his attention was caught by Gohan, who had grunted something behind him.

"Bulma… don't…" Gohan groaned behind them, raising his arm up in the air, as he was trying to reach for Bulma.

"Gohan, shut up!" Bulma snapped.

Vegeta smirked at her. "I can see that you have the guts, woman," he murmured slyly. "Now, what were you saying about the Dragon Balls? And don't be stupid. Killing you would be shamefully easy."

Bulma put her hand inside the front pocket on her vest, searching for something. She pulled her hand out, holding a device on it.

"I have this," she showed Vegeta the device on her hand, making the prince divert his gaze from her eyes to her hand. "It's a Dragon Ball radar."

Vegeta gazed at her again, raising an eyebrow. He glanced at the Dragon Ball radar again, hearing it beeping in the woman's hand. He observed as it showed a green map on the screen with small green dots that glowed, probably showing the exact location of each Dragon Ball. His mouth practically watered with excitement. With that device, he would gather all the Dragon Balls in no time.

"Now, why should I believe you?" Vegeta crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I'll tell you!" Bulma spoke up angrily. "We've already collected the Earth's Dragon Balls many times, all thanks to this." She swung the device on the air. "Besides, as far as I can see, that Freeza guy already has four Dragon Balls!"

Vegeta widened his eyes at that remark, eliciting a grin from Bulma.

"Do you really want to just keep flying around alone and blind, trying to find the remaining ones before a whole army?" She teased him, making Vegeta grunt cholericly.

"You may be strong, but you can't cover much ground." Bulma continued. "You don't have time to spare, it's only a matter of time before Freeza finds all of them." She said as an impulse.

"Hmm. You've got my curiosity. Now hand that locator over!" Vegeta demanded.

"Not so fast" she murmured, bringing the radar closer to her chest. "If you promise to leave Gohan alone, I promise to help you." Bulma murmured, glancing at Gohan, who was still lying on the ground. C'mon Gohan, remember our plan! Vegeta's next words brought Bulma back from her thoughts.

"What if I swipe it from you and kill you both?" Vegeta hissed, with a smirk still upon his face. Bulma's eyes widened at him for a moment, before an idea ran through her mind.

"You could do that," she said, stepping away from him slowly. "But you know, there's just one little problem with that."

Vegeta snickered. "And that is?"

Before Vegeta could even blink, Bulma raised her hand holding the Dragon Ball radar. She furiously hurled it at the ground, breaking it completely as several parts of the device were tossed in the air.

"It's broken!"

Vegeta grunted in frustration, not believing what she had done.

"What the fuck, woman?!" He screamed at her, his eyes glowering at her blood-thirstily. "I'm gonna fucking kill you both!"

"Wait!" Bulma cried out, stepping away from his lethal grasp. "I can fix it! In fact, I'm the only one that can fix it!" Bulma screamed, staring deeply into his dark eyes.

Vegeta growled at her. "How can you fix it?"

Bulma gestured angrily at him. "I'm the one who invented it! I can fix it whenever I want to!" She stomped angrily on the ground. "You promise to leave Gohan alone, and I'll fix it for you."

"How do I know you are not lying?" Vegeta closed the distance between them, grabbing Bulma by her vest and raising her from the ground slightly. She instantly grabbed his hand, trying to protect herself. She gazed at him, feeling her heart beating in her throat.

"I don't lie!'' She hissed and Vegeta felt her breath on his mouth. He stared at her, searching her eyes for any sign that she was lying to him. Her big blue eyes were staring feverishly at him. He glanced at her face for a moment, analyzing her delicate pale skin and her blue hair locks that were covering her eyes. He had never seen a woman with such features before.

"You better be serious, woman," he said, tossing her on the ground. "Now, grab all this crap before I change my mind."

Bulma nodded at his words and she quickly crawled over the place where she had smashed the Dragon Ball radar. Crap. It was going to take her hours to fix it, but hopefully, it would be enough time for her to plan another move to distract the Saiyan Prince.

She glanced at Gohan, who was crawling towards her. She wished she could tell Gohan what her plan was, but she didn't know how to communicate telepathically. She continued to pick up all the little parts of the broken radar from the blue grass. She ran her fingers into her pocket again, searching for an empty capsule that she could use to compress the broken parts. She quickly clicked the lid of the capsule, observing as it absorbed all the components from her hand.

"Okay," Bulma murmured as she raised herself from the ground. "Now I just need t-" She was caught off guard as Vegeta shortened the distance between them again. Without any effort, he raised Bulma from the ground and tossed her over his shoulder as if she were a backpack.

"Vegeta!" Bulma screamed, scratching across the Saiyan's armor, trying to find purchase. "What are you doing?"

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to let you fix it here, while you and the brat over there are planning to plot against me?"

Bulma felt her heart skip a beating. "No…?"

"I thought so," The prince murmured cockily, raising his feet from the ground. "We are going to search for the Dragon Balls while you fix it!"

Bulma shivered over the prince's shoulder. She felt the breeze swaying her hair as Vegeta lifted them up in the air. She glanced at the ground, seeing it becoming smaller and smaller as Vegeta continued his levitation.

"No… no…" Bulma whimpered, her voice muffled since her torso was pressed firmly against his shoulder. She could feel his left arm around her waist, his hand holding her hips roughly.

"You work for me now, Earth woman." Vegeta murmured huskily as he blasted at high speed and flew away with Bulma. Her agonizing scream filled the air for a moment before it was completely gone.

A dead silence surrounded Gohan, who had finally been able to get up to his knees. He could feel the hot tears of anger blurring his vision as he watched Bulma disappear from sight.

"Bulma, what have you done?"

A/N: If you remember the Namek and Freeza Saga from Dragon Ball Z, you probably noticed I made a few changes regarding the original canon here and there in this chapter. My whole idea with this fic is to write through both Namek and Freeza Saga as the original canon, creating new encounters and events that lead to this new "what if" scenery. So, if things look different but not so different, that's because! I hope you enjoy it!

This chapter hasn't been beta'd yet. EDIT 28/03/2020: RoyalBlueRoses beta'd this chapter! Yeah!

EDIT 26/06/2020: This Fic has a nice Cover now! Yeah! This amazing art was created by the artist VEGETApsycho! You should definitely check her work out! It's amazing and full of the most adorable Vegebul fanarts! You won't regret it! XD

Reviews are always welcome and much appreciated! Thank you so much in advance to anyone who takes the time to write one!