The clear blue waters roared as they slapped against the wet beach sand. Even from the small bathhouse, Vegeta could hear the soothing sound. Sometimes on a stressful day, all he needed to do was close his eyes and listen to the waves drape over the beach. It was so therapeutic.

Maybe that's why his grandfather had decided to move down from the tall mountain to live at the beach. The old man was always making sacrifices for him, and though Vegeta was not very good at expressing it, he really was grateful to have such a nourishing father figure.

It made the thought of losing him hurt even more. Vegeta knew that Gohan wasn't his real grandfather. He had never even met his own real father. In fact, Vegeta had never even met anyone like him; a human boy with abnormally spiked hair that always grew back the same way, superhuman strength, a body that seemed indestructible, and a thick, long tail that protruded from his lower spine.

Still, Gohan had never treated him any different than if he were a 'normal' boy. And that never made Gohan any less of a grandfather to Vegeta.

He splashed cold water over his head, still full of thoughts. The last visit to the doctors in West City still rang in his head. His grandfather had contracted a rare, incurable heart virus that was slowly killing him, sapping most of his energy. Still, the old man refused to go down without a fight, even continuing Vegeta's schooling and his training up until now.

But the strain was becoming more and more visible. Vegeta dried himself off and walked out to the delicious odor of the large meal that Gohan had prepared. Stomach growling, he hurried to sit under the large tree where they always ate.

Even as he ate, Vegeta could feel the electricity in the air between the two of them, from all that was left unsaid. He also noticed that his usually frugal grandfather had gone all out today, cooking all of Vegeta's favorite dishes. Even though he gulped down plate after plate, the food seemed oddly unsatisfying today.

His normally talkative and attentive grandfather just seemed tired and distant today, and seeing him like that gave Vegeta an unnerving chill. Their eyes met and his grandfather gave him a rueful smile.

"I remember the day I found you," he said. "You were all alone, crying and starving in that strange pod in the middle of nowhere."

Vegeta looked up at him, unable to take another bite.

Gohan smiled, looking at something far and unseen.

"I found it peculiar how you never once caught a fever, or how you could eat ten times the serving of a grown man. I remember the time when the typhoon brought the house down on us and you picked it up with your own hands. Vegeta. You have always been special, and you will always hold a special place in my heart."

Vegeta gulped against the lump in his throat, becoming irritated at his weak emotions.

"One day," his grandfather continued. "When you were eight years old and you saw other children your age for the first time, you asked me what you were. I couldn't give you a clear answer then but now… Well… This might begin to answer some questions."

Gohan pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Vegeta.

Vegeta suspiciously took the small white cloth and unraveled it, producing a polished medallion with his name on it.

"Your name is the only word I could understand," Gohan said. "It isn't much, but it's a first step to finding out who you are. When you do, you will understand your destiny."

"You think this means something to me? I already know who I am," Vegeta said. "I'm your son."

Gohan beamed proudly at the boy.

He opened his mouth to respond when he suddenly froze. Grasping for his chest, Gohan fell away from the table, squirming in pain.

"Grandpa!" Vegeta caught his grandfather, who wheezed with pain. "Oh no!"

Vegeta lifted his grandfather up and took him inside the house and laid him out on his bed.

"Grandpa," Vegeta begged, holding his grandfather's hand.

"Grandpa!"

The old man coughed violently as Vegeta stared in panic.

Gradually the pain subsided and Gohan leaned his head back against his pillows, exhausted.

"Vegeta," his grandfather said, weakly. "My time is here. It's time for me to join our ancestors in the Otherworld."

"No," Vegeta shook his head in frustration. "You can't give up like that! You have to live, Grandpa! You can't just leave me!"

"I… will never leave you… son." Gohan coughed. He lifted his hand and pointed weakly at a dark blue box sitting on his desk. Vegeta picked it up and brought it to his grandfather's side. Gohan opened it, revealing an orange orb with four red stars. "When I am gone, take this Dragon Ball in your hand and go to an island east of Gengoro Island. There you will meet my master, Roshi. He will continue to protect this dragon ball. He will complete your training."

"Why? What's so important about this dragon ball?" Vegeta asked. Here his grandfather was dying in his arms and he wanted to spend his last moments talking about over-sized jewelry.

"The secret of the Dragon Balls is a burden I would never put on you, son. Please..."

His grandfather opened his eyes, full of tears. "Remember your training, Vegeta. And remember… me..."

Eyes still on his son, Son Gohan took a last long breath and expired.

Vegeta kneeled at his grandfather's bedside, not able to grasp or believe that his grandfather had finally died. His hands closed around his grandfather's, as if by sheer will he could bring him back to life. But this was the day Gohan had been preparing him for since his diagnose. Now he had entrusted Vegeta with a mission, to go find this Roshi and deliver the mysterious Dragon Ball.

His head spun and tears swelled in his eyes, spilling over his cheeks. He dropped the Dragon Ball to the side and held onto his grandfather, trembling and convulsing with raw emotions. Only the animals heard his primal, sorrowed screams.


Far in the distance, a bright white streak pierced the morning sky. A stark white hovercraft burst from the clouds, coursing down towards the mountainous island below. The pilot slowed down as the craft hovered over the water.

Bulma Briefs loved the ocean. Ever since she was a little girl, she loved going with her father, the famous scientist Dr Briefs on his presentations at cruise ships and beaches. There was no better feeling in the world for Bulma than to put on a cute bikini and sip on a cocktail on the beach, watching the sunset. The only thing that would make those summer sunsets better would be to have the perfect boyfriend at her side.

True, she never failed to have a horde of men staring at her or flocking around her, but Bulma knew all too well that most of the time they were just after her money. At just sixteen, she must have already broken up at least a dozen times.

"Jerks," she said to herself as she piloted her hovercraft to land in a small clearing in the middle of the forest. With the Dragon Balls, she would be able to wish for the perfect boyfriend, a loyal, handsome, loving boyfriend that would stick with her for more than just her good looks or money.

The engines whined as the craft touched down on the grass. It was oddly quiet here, Bulma noticed. The few animals that were in sight ran away and sought shelter among the trees. "They must not have much air traffic up here," she shrugged. She climbed over the side of the hovercraft and slung her backpack over her shoulders, stretching her muscles for a moment.

She thumbed the power switch on the Dragon Radar and it beeped wildly.

"There you are!" She cried triumphantly. The Dragon Balls in her bag glowed and hummed as they always did when brought near another Ball. She had only started collecting the wish-granting orbs just a week ago and already she had found three. At this rate, she would have her perfect boyfriend by this time next week. She giggled and leaped for joy at the thought, wondering what that boy would look like.

A loud roar shook the ground behind her, bringing her out of her thoughts. Frightened and wide-eyed, Bulma slowly turned towards the sound of the roar. A giant two-legged dinosaur stared down at her hungrily.

"Oh," Bulma said to herself, trembling. "So that's why all the animals were running..."

The dinosaur roared again and dashed towards her. Bulma shrieked and ran as fast as she could into the forest. I knew I should have landed at the beach! And not up here in this creepy jungle. Why do these bad things always happen to meeee! She cursed at herself.

Just ahead, the forest trees started to hang low and were packed together. That would definitely make it hard for the monster to follow her in. Turning sharply, Bulma ran as fast as she could. The monster behind her gave off a frustrated roar as it crashed and tangled with the low trees. Slowly, the roars and the beast's stomps faded, and Bulma dared herself to look back.

Far from her, the dinosaur fought, tangled by thick trees and vines.

"Ha-ha!" Bulma laughed, sticking out her middle finger at the beast. "That's what you get!"

When Bulma turned back around she only saw the boy with spiky hair and purple robes as she smashed headfirst into him. The last thing that she was able to remember before blacking out was tumbling away hard over the side of the cliff and falling fast as the green treetops below suddenly rushed up at her like a large emerald wave.


Vegeta held the last polished stone to his forehead, his head full of sad thoughts and memories. Tears fell softly on the stone as he set it down, finishing the grave he had made for his grandfather. Today the world had lost a truly great man. Martial arts had lost a legendary master. A boy had lost his father. Taking a step back, Vegeta bowed reverently at the grave. The shiny medallion that Gohan had given him now hung from a silver chain around his neck, glistening in the sun.

"I will never forget you, grandpa."

Vegeta had been so lost in thought that he did not even see the girl that emerged from the forest and ran head first into him. The blow must have been like running into a brick wall, because it sent the girl spinning and tumbling over the edge of the cliff. Vegeta only had a split-second to realize what had just happened. They were near the top of Mount Paozu. There was no way the girl could survive a fall from this height. The only one that could survive was him.

"Damn it!" Vegeta cursed, dashing over the side of the cliff. Without a second thought, Vegeta dove after her.


AN:

Thank you all, readers and fellow writers, especially those that leave feedback and reviews. Thank you for reaching the end of chapter three. As you might start to see, things happen in a very different order than in the original story. Unlike Goku, who didn't really understand that his grandfather had died (seemed to think the DB was his grandpa!) Vegeta actually gets to experience this loss. It wasn't an easy chapter to write because it is wrought with emotion, but I feel it will help Vegeta's arc. I actually cut out 2/3rds of Bulma's part, because it's so light that it felt like it ruined the tone of the chapter. So I decided to end it there and save most of Bulma and Vegeta's first encounter for the next chapter, which will be posted here very soon. I hope you all liked this chapter and will stick around for Chapter 4!

Until next time!
Up next: Review Responses

Guest - chapter 2 . Jul 19
"This should be in db super not dbz."

Hello, Guest! Welcome to ! Thank you for taking the time to read my fanfic. To answer your review, I actually considered publishing under the DBS section, mainly because only a handful of characters we meet in Super make an appearance here. The reason I published under the DBZ section is because although the story will cover from DB, DBZ and DBS, the bulk of the story will be centered around the events that occurred in DBZ (ie. Saiyan Invasion, Namek, Androids, etc). Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you will stick around. If you decide to join the site and publish a Dragon Ball story, please let me know so I can read it. Thanks again!

WatermelonShark - chapter 2 . Jul 19
"So, I'm surprised. Caulifla and Kale weren't exactly the characters I'd expect to pop up here. Vegeta seems like he'll be interesting, since I smell a more flawed version of Goku (more like a less evil version of Cell Saga Vegeta, to be honest) in the future. I'm curious to see how Kakarot plays into everything. Any plans for Tarble and Cabba?"

Hi! Thank you so much for your review! I really enjoyed reading it. On the inclusion of Caulifla and Kale, their role will be much more prominent and necessary to the story in later chapters. There are about 4 or 5 DBS characters that I incorporated into the story while it's in its "DB/DBZ" phase, but shouldn't be more than that. They're just characters that I found interesting and wanted to use them earlier than when they appear in the show. I would name the others for you, but I feel like that would spoil what's to come! ;)

As for Vegeta, 'flawed' is definitely a good word to describe him in this story. At least, that might be the way some people see him, including himself. He will have a long struggle and as I mentioned in the Response section last chapter, I don't ever intend on him becoming this super joyful Goku clone. He will have to struggle against his saiyan blood and his own impulsive, violent personality to find peace and balance throughout most of this story, which leaves plenty of room for character growth, in my opinion. The goal is to get him to the point that he is in at the end of Super, meaning, loyal to his family but still dedicated to reaching past his and Goku's limits.

As for Goku, all I can say is that it's so much fun writing about him in the early drafts. He did not bump his head, of course, so now he will have all of that untapped Saiyan potential available from the start. But just like Vegeta in the original story, there will be more to Goku's story arc further along the line.

Unfortunately at this time, neither Tarble nor Cappa make an appearance, at least not for the first two-thirds of the story. Like I mentioned, as far as DBS characters outside of the DBS timeline, I'm only using about 4 or 5 of them. Maybe once we venture into DBS territory, we might be able to use them. We'll see.

Thank you so much for your review! Please stick around for the next chapter! See you then!

AsokaBaadshah - chapter 2 . Jul 20
"Very well written and entertaining first two chapters! I look forward to reading where you go with this story."

Hi Asoka! Thank you sooo so much! Awesome review. I'm so glad you liked the story so far. I'm not very experienced writing anime-based fanfics so I was definitely nervous about it at first. But with awesome supporters like you, I feel inspired to keep on writing! If you have any stories you would like for me to read/review as well, let me know! Thank you so much for the support. I hoped you enjoy chapter 3. Chapter 4 will be up very soon!