Chapter 1: Fate's Beginning

Age 735

Doctor Briefs and his wife looked around the cavern that had recently been discovered by their excavation robots, their two year old daughter squealing in excitement at the machines working around them. They had been searching for this particular chamber for almost two decades. Doctor Briefs was a brilliant roboticist and had once considered geology and ancient legend to be completely unrelated. That was until twenty years ago when he met a gorgeous blonde high school student who was convinced otherwise. Three years later she had discovered something which had him convinced that her theory bore further investigation. That discovery was what appeared to be a landing craft from some sort of spacecraft. They believed that to be the case as it held similar designs to their infant space crafts but was much smaller, only long enough for a single fully grown man, and it seemed to have no fuel tanks. Truthfully they had originally believed it to be an old prototype missile or bomb. What had changed that perception had been that it was hollow and had some life support systems. For four years they studied it and could only learn that it was in fact a short range craft from space. They had two theories about it, which may or may not be contradictory. Doctor Briefs had believed that it was proof of alien life beyond the range of their perception, perhaps an extinct neighbor race. The young blonde geologist believed it cemented an ancient origin myth that a righteous warrior had used their infant planet as a battleground to vanquish a powerful demon, and that at the end of that battle, though victorious, the warrior would perish to rise again if the demon ever returned, and that his power led to the evolution of mankind. In the end they had decided to explore both options. A young woman from the budding space program in Central City volunteered to be launched into space in the ancient vessel, and the Briefs, for the Doctor had married the stubborn blonde, would excavate the area around where the vessel was discovered in hopes of finding the mythical warriors tomb that was said to have formed around him.

The couple's thirteen year old daughter suddenly called out, she had found something. Making sure their younger daughter was with them, the pair went over to inspect what their older daughter had found. Tights, the thirteen year old, had found a statue of a man. He sat cross-legged on the ground and appeared to be only just larger than some of the larger men that were working on the crew under the Briefs. He seemed to have a tail and was quite well defined despite being what appeared to be a natural stone formation, though he was faceless after the ages that had passed. Tights had already proven to be a prodigy for languages which was why she was so excited by her discovery. Behind the stone figure was an image of a great tailed ape and there was something written beneath the image. It was not written in any language known on Earth, however Tights was certain her strange little friend, Jaco, would be able to help them decipher it. They were delayed from contacting him however when Mrs. Briefs brushed the statue and suddenly cried out as though in pain. Tights and her Father watched in awestruck fascination as Mrs. Briefs swelled up as though experiencing an accelerated pregnancy. Which it turned out she was. Tights was told by her Father to take her sister Bulma back to their current residence and to send the on-site doctor to their location. Tights did as she was told, and less than an hour later, her parents came in, carrying a baby boy with brilliant blue hair, and they told her his eyes were the same color. What her parents didn't tell her was that while the baby was being born, a disembodied male voice had sounded around them.

"My Essence has been born unto your world. He must be trained for in his lifetime the Majin shall return. He will be a prodigy in all he applies himself to. He may never be the strongest or the most powerful, but his skill and knowledge will unite the other two. This is the gift bestowed to him by his mother. What he has inherited from me is a warrior's instinct. As he grows he will gain a more thorough understanding of himself and others." The voice was deep and animalistic and faded as soon as it had appeared. Another thing that they hadn't told her, which was also the reason they hadn't mentioned the voice in the first place, was that only her mother had actually heard the voice, and that it had faded when the baby had left her womb….

Age 745

"This is it Ladies and Gentlemen! The finals of the Twentieth Tenkaichi Budokai!" The Ring Announcer screamed into his microphone. A twelve-year-old Bulma watched from beside her parents and twenty-three year old sister. She gulped softly, feeling nervous about what she was about to watch. "Who will be our CHAMPION? Will it be the untouchable King Chappa!?" There were two distinctive groups that were equally loud and pronounced that responded to this, one cheering, the other booing. Bulma could tell the cheering section was smaller, though they seemed to hold Chappa in a reverence befitting his title of King. "Or the ten year old highlight reel Azure!?" This time the response was deafening as the ones who had booed Chappa were joined by the majority of the crowd who had remained silent when Chappa had been introduced. Bulma felt her own nerves calm when she heard the resounding support her brother was getting. "Chappa has won each round with ease and has yet to even be hit by his opponents, but his opponent has visibly improved every time he's clashed with an opponent! Will Azure's Lightning Learning be enough to score a win over Chappa? Or is Chappa just too far beyond Azure's level for any hope of victory?" The announcer paused to let the audience settle down a bit. "I don't know the answer! So without further ado…" He pointed to Chappa. "Fighter, are you ready?" A harsh glare and a sharp nod were his response. He turned to Azure. "Fighter… Are YOU ready?" An eager bounce was his response. "Well then, let the match….. BEGIN!" The Announcer made a grand chop with his arm and quickly exited to the ringside area so he could continue his commentary duties.

Bulma watched with baited breath as Azure rushed Chappa only to suddenly leap backwards with a startled look on his face. Chappa hadn't moved but something had triggered his instincts to dodge. Chappa graced Azure with an arrogant smirk then began a rush of his own. Bulma held her breath without realizing it as for two solid minutes, Azure dodged, blocked, redirected, and occasionally absorbed a rapid assault that seemed as mere blurs of color to her. But just as fast as it had begun, it stopped. Chappa lashed out with a lightning fast kick and broke straight through Azure's guard, catching him in the jaw and launching him straight into the air. What followed were thirty seconds that could only be described as severe child abuse. Chappa proved that he had not been fighting at his peak thus far and nailed a helpless Azure with every shot, all while screaming at him that he had asked for this by entering the tournament and not surrendering when Chappa had been named his opponent.

"The winner, and Champion of the Twentieth Tenkaichi Budokai… King Chappa!"

Age 749

A fourteen year old boy with waist length blue hair sat in his families expansive gardens tinkering on a custom, single passenger jet he was developing to work with and optimize the hover board he had designed and refined over the past several years. Behind him his blonde mother entered the grounds with a tray of tea and cookies.

"Azure?" Mrs. Briefs asked in shock at seeing her only son was home. "I thought you left with Bulma several days ago?" Azure suddenly dropped his tools and spun to face his mother.

"She already left!? How long have I been working out here!? Why didn't she get me?" Azure was still ranting and shouting at no one as he rushed out of the gardens and jumped onto his hover board taking off into the skies. Mrs. Briefs knew he would figure out his own meal once the panic and focus subsided and allowed him to realize he was hungry. It used to worry her that he could work for weeks without stopping if left alone. The only thing that reassured her was that he had taken to carrying a house capsule that had a fully stocked, restaurant grade, kitchen that he was more comfortable using than even their most senior chefs.

Azure was flying at breakneck speeds and at suicidal altitudes to give him as much visual range as possible to spot his sister. He started to question if he should lower his altitude and slow down though when he spotted a pair of kids flying on a cloud, followed by an old man wearing a turtle shell on his back, sitting on a rapidly spinning black turtle with a ring of fire around it. Azure realized they had both landed near Frypan Mountain which was right in front of him. Deciding he should land and check if they've seen Bulma, assuming he hadn't hallucinated them, and that he really needed to eat, Azure began landing. He just dismounted when a bright beam of light crashed into the burning mountain, causing it to explode. Hunger once more forgotten, Azure slowly crept up towards where he thought he saw the others land and hid himself when he sensed they were near. Peeking around the corner Azure saw Bulma talking to a giant, a tiny kid with spiky black hair and monkey-like tail, a talking pig, a young girl in an armor-bikini-thing, and an old man, who was shirtless for some reason. Stepping out of his cover, Azure calmly approached the group, his instincts telling him that they were alright.

"Oi, Bulma!" He called as he grew close enough. "You going to introduce me?" Azure's answer came first in the form of a decently sized rock whizzing past his head and an irate Bulma yelling at him for ignoring her and not coming along when she left, which he apologized for absently. He was more concerned with the yelp he's thought he'd heard from where the rock had landed. Azure's attention refocused when Bulma began running through introductions of her companions. Goku, the monkey-tailed boy with the spikey hair, Oolong, the talking pig. Goku was supposedly super strong, and it sounded to Azure that Oolong should have been born a chicken. Gyumao, the giant and guardian slash leader of this area, and his daughter Chi-Chi, the girl in the armor-thong and laser helmet, Azure subtly adjusted his position to be out of her immediate line of fire.

"Bulma, you're so mean, not introducing me too." The old man pouted after Bulma had introduced everyone else, including Azure to the others. He had put his shirt back on now and was starting to pester Bulma for leaving him out. Azure thought about imposing himself to separate them but could tell the old man was no threat to Bulma so decided to leave him be.

"Oh alright. Geez!" Bulma swatted the old man before turning back to Azure. "Azure this old letch is Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit. Letch, this is my brother Azure, runner up in the last Tenkaichi Budokai, which was held when he was ten by the way." Azure grimaced at that part. He didn't like to think about the last tournament since he held a deep rage at the winner of that particular tournament. Not because he had lost, but because of how. Azure had known everything Chappa had screamed at him was true, but there was a difference from being a sportsman and warning an inferior opponent, and being a dick who just berated them. Azure would often tell people to guess which one Chappa was. Azure distracted himself by sizing up the legendary Turtle Hermit. Azure had thought of seeking out a master after his loss, but he could find none strong enough to be able to offer him anything to strive for and could only find rumors about the Turtle and his rival Crane. Suddenly a loud grumbling was heard and Bulma looked between Goku and Azure. "So whose stomach was that?" She asked, surprising both boys. Azure didn't answer and instead pulled out his trusty capsule.

"Who's hungry?" He asked as he walked inside the unassuming house that appeared. Goku began chanting that he was, and the others also followed them inside, though much more politely. Azure quickly prepared several dishes and while they were in a stage where he could neglect them for a few minutes he gave Bulma, Chichi, and Oolong some simple instruction for the various dishes and went to grab a quick shower. He returned to the kitchen just as he was needed and expertly finished and served the meal. The table had to be moved outside since Gyumao couldn't quite fit inside comfortably and the group ate and chatted about various things. Azure asked Bulma, Goku, and Oolong about what had happened before he caught up. Bulma asked him how long it had taken him to get the message that she was already gone, and Oolong asked what it was like growing up with Bulma. As Azure finished eating what he needed, he sensed another presence approaching and decided to slip away to check it out. He found a small scared girl sneaking towards the table, she was armed with a child's slingshot which she held at the ready. Azure stepped into the open and called out to her. She screamed, jumped, spun around and fired all at once.

"You're not a bad shot with that thing." Azure whistled as he stood back up, having bent backwards to avoid getting hit in the face by the rock shot from the slingshot. "You are scared though, so tell me, why is a scared little girl out here all by herself?" The girl hesitated for a moment, apparently waiting to see if Azure would retaliate for getting shot at. When it became clear he wasn't going to, she hardened her face as much as her age allowed and took one step towards Azure.

"I am looking for the famous Gyumao. Do you know where I can find him?" She asked with only a slight amount of fear in her voice. Azure quickly glanced past the girl before focusing on her and matching her movement of one step closer he replied.

"And why are you looking for him? I can tell by your voice that he scares you as much as whatever caused you to come here ready to shoot. So why subject yourself to that level of fear?"

"It's none of your business!" The girl screamed as she quickly gathered up a second stone to fire at Azure. Her movements told Azure she would run if she got the shot off so he sped over to her and caught her hand before she could get the shot ready.

"You made it my business when you shot at me." Azure said darkly. "I can tell that you aren't just here because of some stupid dare from your friends. You are here for a reason. Tell me why!" Azure's face had darkened with seriousness. The frightened girl in his grasp went shock white and started to shake slightly.

"I came here to ask him to save my village." She said, barely louder than a whisper. Azure's eyes flashed dangerously. "The King's greed has turned him into a monster, we're being forced from our homes just to mine the land to the point that it can no longer sustain our crops. Our people are starving and those who aren't are little more than thugs who abuse us if they think we aren't pulling our weight! It's gotten bad enough that despite the rumors about Gyumao, our people would rather live under him than Gourmet!" Azure was glaring at a point above and behind the girl by this point.

"What do you think?" He asked. The girl blinked in confusion and turned to look at what the strange boy was talking to. She barely stopped herself from shrieking when she saw the giant man wearing an angry expression.

"I think that Gourmet needs to be stopped. I realize the hypocrisy coming from me, but I have learned my lesson. However I doubt I can take him out alone." Gyumao said, voice deep with anger, though some of it was directed at himself.

"Good thing I want a shot at him too then." Azure practically growled. He released the girl from his grip and walked back to his capsule house to pack it up.

"I will come with you both also." Roshi said as he stepped up to Gyumao's side. He turned to Bulma. "Why don't you take Goku and Oolong and finish your adventure. We'll send Azure after you once we finish up with Gourmet." Bulma sighed and pulled a watch-like object from her pocket.

"Fine, just give this to him, it will display the location of my dragon radar. That should be good enough for him to find me." She handed the device to Roshi and turned around. "Old man. Make sure Azure is able to catch up to us okay?" Roshi would have teased her, but he could hear the genuine concern in her voice.

"I promise." Roshi said, hoping he would be able to keep that promise. After Bulma had left, and a short argument with Goku, Roshi turned to see Azure emerge from his Capsule House with a plate of food. Azure returned the house to its capsule and walked over to them.

"So what do we call you?" Azure asked the girl they were helping as he handed her the food he had prepared. "And make sure you eat that, I can tell you haven't had a proper meal in a while. No complaints." The girl took the food obediently and introduced herself as Penny. While she ate, she gave them information on what she knew of Gourmet's forces.

"So, we have an unknown number of goons, the Major who is massive but not a giant, Raven the seductive mercenary, and Gourmet himself." Azure tallied off to himself. "Getting the villagers to safety is a priority, and a problem if they aren't willing to accept the reality of leaving their homes. I suggest we try to slip in undetected and blend in with the miners." Azure said to Roshi. "While working we can smuggle some villagers out at night to Gyumao who can bring them back here for safety. I can make a call and have construction crews here to rebuild some of the larger structures to use as shelters for the time being, and a team of specialized chefs that can make sure the meals will help the villagers recover from any malnourishment. I can also have some doctors here to check the overall health of the ones we get out."

"Do that then." Gyumao said decisively. "It would also be nice if we had one or two others who we could trust to help with defending the area and overseeing things here." Azure looked at Gyumao for a moment before snapping his fingers and sending his house out again. Without a word he walked inside. Several minutes later he emerged.

"Ok, I have my other sister, Tights, on her way. She can oversee the facilities here and will be bringing some of her friends to help with security. They insisted they would only defend the villagers though and would not help take down Gourmet. Which is fine with me." Azure told them when he returned. "I also already placed the call to my dad to get the others I mentioned over here as soon as possible. They will be here by tomorrow morning. Gyumao, Chi-Chi, you two stay here and wait for them. Roshi and I will slip in tonight and have people ready for you tomorrow night."

"Sounds good to me." Roshi said, standing up and stretching his back, earning several loud pops. "Just one thing, what about Penny?" Azure turned to the girl and then shrugged. "We need her to tell us where the village is, and blending in would be easier with some help. I will leave it up to her however if she comes with us or stay here where it will be safe." Penny insisted she could and would go back with them, though she might end up getting sent back with the first group.

~A/N~

I do not own Dragon Ball.

It starts...

Yes, I am incorporating the movies into the story. Hopefully you enjoy the product. This is only the beginning, and the introduction to Azure. There is more to come, and in the meantime we can all sit and wonder how Ao's past will effect Azure's future.