Machina

Machina
By: Kichi
DISCLAIMER: Akira Toriyama created DBZ and all its characters. Not me. I
make no money from writing or posting this on the internet.
PAIRING: Vegeta and Bulma
ARCHIVED: www.geocities.com/kichisama666/index.html
RATED: R for swearing and violence (NC-17 for later chapters)
NOTES: ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. Radditz and Nappa die on Earth but Vegeta
is never able to get away and find out why, until years later during a skirmish
between Frieza and Cooler. He finds Earth but almost everything is destroyed by
the jouziningen. Except, of course, a little blue-haired scientist who finds him
after 17 and 18 kick the snot out of him. Woah.. Did I give away too much?
NAH!



Chapter 1 - Deus ex Machina

He fell out of the sky and slammed into the hard earth below without a
sound.
\"I think you killed him.\" 17 said with a light smirk. 18 shrugged.
\"Oh well. Wasn\'t he strange though? He had a tail!\" She mused.
\"Ha! He\'s obviously a genetic freak. Just like that Goku..\" her brother said,
she nodded in agreement.
\"Well, I\'m just glad that\'s the last of them. Those things always wear down
my energy.\" 18 said. 17 snickered.
\"Ho! Tired are we? Need a nap?\" he sneered. 18 glared at him angrily.
\"Go to hell Juuhachigou.\" She snarled and took off. 17 blinked in surprise.
He had only been joking.
\"Women!\" He huffed and flew after her.

Bulma sighed in frustration. Whoever that had been, his power had been
way above Goku\'s, but the chance that she could make it to him before he died
wasn\'t good.
Her ki-radar had informed her of a fight between the jouziningen and
someone that reminded her of a Saiyan. Whatever it had been, it was still alive
and if she could find it in time, perhaps she could help. After all, anyone who had
the balls to attack the androids was definitely on her side.
She gathered some medical supplies and tossed her jet capsule in front of
her. The Jet appeared with a loud ‘pop\'. She hopped in and began lift-off,
gunning the engines just as she rose above tree-level.
The tiny radar was similar in appearance to the Dragon radar but it
measured ki and the one she was following was slowly fading. She pushed the
pedal down, the engines screamed in protest and the frame of the ship began to
rattle.
\"Come on, you piece of shit! Go!\" she growled. It didn\'t speed the ship up
at all, but the ship ceased its nerve-wracking rattle. The radar began to beep
loudly and she slowed the craft and began her descent.

There had been a devastating attack on the area, the scorch marks were
still fresh and she could hear small rocks bouncing off of debris as the rubble re-
settled. This had once been a beautiful forest. She wished she\'d never seen it
before the destruction. To look on the twisted landscape now, you could never
tell that stately trees had once stood there.
The ground was blasted flat with large piles of rock and tree-fragments
littering the area like disrupted graves. It was a miserable sight. The sky
rumbled ominously and the roar of the wind sounded like a descending airplane.
But there hadn\'t been a man-made vehicle in the sky for almost a year- not
counting hers.
Rain began to pour down and she shivered, scanning the area. Where
was this individual she had come to find? From the corner of her eye she saw
movement and a sudden agonizing moan sent her scurrying over to a lump on
the ground.
She gasped in surprise when she knelt down next to what was obviously a
young man. His clothing and armor was in ruins and in some areas had been
burnt. Bleeding gashes and scrapes covered almost every patch of exposed
skin. Then something else caught her eyes and she gasped. A long, brown,
monkey tail shivered behind him. So, he was a Saiyan after all, but he was so
small compared to Radditz, Nappa, and even Goku! Who was he?
She returned her eyes to his face and pulled out a tiny antiseptic wipe and
began to clean the blood off of his skin. She quickly taped a cut on his temple
that had produced most of the blood, and then began to clean the black crust that
covered half of his face.
And as the blood was removed her eyes began to widen in surprise.
He\'s gorgeous! Bulma thought. His features were relaxed, but
occasionally a scowl would darken his features giving him that impression of a
pouting little boy.
But he wasn\'t a boy, his sculpted body was perfectly proportioned, each
muscle clear cut and defined, but compact, like the rest of him. Well, except for
the hair, she tousled it idly as she cleaned the blood from his face. Just like Son
Kun\'s, she thought sadly, Well, except for this. She pulled her hand away and
saw his blood on her skin. She gently felt his scalp and found a massive lump
that was bleeding lightly, matting the dark auburn locks.
Well, you aren\'t too big, this shouldn\'t be so hard. She thought. He
groaned again and his head tossed a bit but his eyes didn\'t open and after a
moment he relaxed again.
\"Hmm. No neck injuries apparent.\" She muttered to herself. She slid her
arm under his neck and tried to pull his head up- and after raising him up about
an inch she fell on top of him with a startled cry. \"What the hell?\" she cried and
sat up, then stood. She bent down and grabbed his wrist and pulled-
\"Shit!\" she cried trying to lift him. But it was impossible. He weighed a
ton. But how? He was so small! She went to his side and poked him. His
muscles were like stone, they were so solid. But still, he was maybe about as tall
as she was, at 5\'7 he couldn\'t weigh more than 180 pounds at the most by his
size. But it felt like he weighed more than two hundred. Bulma frowned.
\"How the hell am I going to get you home?\" she murmured to the
unconscious Saiyan. \"I can\'t just drag you to the jet.\" Maybe.. She ran to the jet
and began to rifle through her capsules. She pushed the plunger on the top and
tossed it and with a small puff a larger medical case appeared. She rummaged
through it and with a cry of triumph pulled out a bottle of smelling salts. Her
mother had been a fainter and so they\'d always had some around.
She took it over to the unconscious Saiyan and uncorked the vial, waving
it under his nose. The effect was startling. His eyes shot open, then snapped
shut again, and he shuddered violently. He tried twisting away but was unable to
move save his arms twitching feebly. She pulled the vial away and corked it,
noting with concern that he was still shivering. Slowly his eyes fluttered open
and he took several shuddering breaths. Then a pair of onyx eyes met hers and
she was startled by the fierce anger burning in them.
\"What happened?\" he croaked. A spasm of pain forced his eyes shut and
he choked harshly. He quickly turned away and a small gout of blood splashed
the ground.
\"You got into a fight with the jouziningen, don\'t you remember?\" he
blinked, his eyes slowly opening and closing and for a moment she feared he
would lose consciousness again. He took several deep breaths and from the
tensing of his muscles, she guessed he was trying to get up.
\"Don\'t move.\" She said softly, placing a dainty hand on his chest. He
immediately froze at the contact, his eyes shot open to glare murderously at her.
\"Look, I\'m sorry,\" she snapped, \"But your injured incase you haven\'t noticed.
And right now, I\'m the only one who can and will help you. So relax all right?\" he
sighed and closed his eyes. Bulma began to clean off the rest of the blood on his
face.
\"I remember a girl with yellow hair and a man with black hair. They both
had odd-colored eyes… like yours except lighter.\" He rasped after a moment.
\"That was them. This place right here-\" she gestured to the area
surrounding them \"This spot used to be a beautiful forest with massive trees.
The tallest in the country. And they destroyed it all. They\'ve destroyed
everything, killed all my friends, my family.\" She said softly, her voice trembling.
The Saiyan\'s eyes opened and trained on her. He studied her intently,
forcing her to break eye contact. She flushed in embarrassment and began to
clean a huge gash on his shoulder. He stiffened as soon as she touched it, but
made no sound or complaint.
\"I know someone like that.\" He said. At first Bulma didn\'t know what he
was talking about.
\"Radditz said that your planet was destroyed. You are a Saiyan right?\"
Immediately his eyes shot open and he struggled to rise. \"No, what are you
doing?\" he growled in fury over his inability to move and the ferocious, animalistic
sound halted Bulma in her tracks.
\"Radditz.. was here then!\" he gasped, his burning eyes boring into hers.
\"And Nappa?\"
\"Yes. Both of them. But they\'re dead. And we can\'t wish anyone back
anymore either.\" The Saiyan blinked and shook his head.
\"I know that. That\'s is why I came. To find out why. I needed them.\" He
grated.
\"Oh.\" Suddenly his eyes clenched shut and he was barely able to stifle a
groan of pain. He rolled onto his side and gagged and she saw black blood
splatter the ground. Suddenly a shrill beep made Bulma jump in surprise and the
young Saiyan flinched away as she jumped to her feet. Her jouziningen warning
device was going off. They had to be close. \"Shit!\" she hissed. The Saiyan\'s
eyes blinked groggily and she knelt down and shook him. \"Listen to me, you
have to get up and get in the jet! They\'re coming back!\" She tugged his arm with
all her strength and with a soft moan he struggled to rise. She supported him as
much as she could and they staggered towards the plane. The alarm grew more
shrill as they drew near and suddenly the Saiyan slipped out of her grasp as he
stumbled and his knees buckled. \"Shit!\" Bulma cried and grabbed his elbow as
he fell, forgetting his unusual weight, she fell with him. \"No Kami, no!\" she cried
as the alarm grew to a shrill unbroken whine. They had to be right above them!

\"Leave me alone! I don\'t want to hear your shit right now! I\'m going to
find something else to wear!\" 18 yelled at her brother high above the place they
had just beaten that strange alien to death.
\"Fine! Go ahead! See if I care! I wish you would shut off your stupid emotion
chip, you are so annoying like this!\" 17 snapped back. 18\'s eyes narrowed to slits
of fury.
\"The only person who is being an annoyance is YOU!\" 18 screeched before
flying off in the opposite direction.
\"Fine, whatever.\" 17 snapped. \"I\'m sure I\'ll have more fun without you!\" he
flew off in another direction.

He shuddered violently beneath her and just as suddenly the alarm began to
fade. Bulma breathed a sigh of relief and returned her attention to the Saiyan
beneath her. Sweat stood on his brow and he was shivering uncontrollably. His
breath hitched in his throat and he choked again. Blood began to leak over his
bottom lip.
\"Hey, are you awake still?\" she said, lightly slapping his cheek. His eyes
slowly opened and he nodded weakly. She threw open the door of her plane and
tugged his elbow until he slowly gripped the side of the jet and used it and her to
pull himself to his feet.
That small act seemed to take a lot out of him and he drew in quick, shallow
lungfuls of air. His skin was alternating between white and red and she prayed
he wouldn\'t pass out again before she got him into her home and to the infirmary.
\"Can you stay awake for a bit more?\" she said softly as she pulled him inside the
cabin and helped him to the co-pilot\'s seat. She didn\'t have anything for him to
lie down on unfortunately, but she reclined the seat for him and he lay back, his
eyes screwed shut as his cracked and broken ribs protested the movement.
\"I think so.\" He said softly, his eyes drifting close. She had to keep him awake
during the short flight and began to question him as they rose into the air and
took off.
\"What is your name?\" she said, his eyelids fluttered for a moment before he
raised his head and glanced at her.
\"Vegeta.\" Bulma frowned wondering why the name sounded so familiar. She
certainly didn\'t know anyone by such a strange name. Then she remembered.
Radditz had mentioned him.
\"Prince Vegeta?\" she gasped before she could stop herself. He tried to laugh
but all that came out was a wheezing choke.
\"How am I a prince of anyone anymore- I am the last of my race!\" he snarled
bitterly. Bulma frowned sadly, had Radditz and Nappa been his friends?
\"Your still a prince.\" Bulma mused. \"Even if everyone is dead. Weren\'t you
raised to be king one day? Or did you have older brothers?\" He eyed her for a
moment, as if perplexed.
\"A King needs only one son. Unless his heir is killed.\" He replied.
\"I take that as a no. Well the point is, that you were raised to be king one day,
right?\" she asked, taking her eyes off her path and gazing at him.
\"Yes.\" He said after another questioning glance.
\"Then that is a part of you, and it doesn\'t just go away because all of your
subjects are gone.\" She said with a faint smile.
\"No, it just loses its importance.\" He hissed, his brow furrowed in anger.
\"Maybe but-\" he silenced her with a short growl.
\"I do not wish to continue this discussion.\" He said softly, and she saw a flash
of pain in his eyes. She bit her lip and let the subject drop and returned her gaze
to the windshield. Capsule Corp was close. She dared another glance at her
passenger and saw his eyes slide shut and snap back open a second later as he
struggle to stay conscious.
She wasn\'t too worried anymore; they were seconds away from home. She
began landing procedure and the craft settled smoothly in her back yard. She
jumped out and ran to his door. She opened it and saw that his eyes were
clenched shut and he was shaking again.
\"Vegeta?\" she said softly. Open eye cracked open and he sat up and began
to slowly rise. She grabbed his elbow to help him but he growled and pulled
away. His feet hit the ground and his knees buckled as a wave of dizziness
washed over him. His surroundings grayed out and he could hear someone
drawing in quick, harsh breaths. He suddenly realized it was him, although how
he couldn\'t tell. He could barely hear anything and his whole body was growing
numb.

She gasped as he fell and gripped his elbow in an attempt to steady him, but
he slid from her grasp and lay on the ground gasping like a landed fish before his
whole body gave a violent shiver and he lost consciousness.
\"Shit.\" She huffed in frustration. He weighed too much! There was no way
she was going to be able to get him to the med center. She had to wake him up
again, but decided against it at the moment. If she let him rest a moment,
perhaps he would make it farther after he woke.
She sat down beside him and watched the color return to his face and his
breathing slow. His skin was darker than hers, and his hair had faint hints of
auburn in the light. He was maybe a shade darker than Yamcha who had spent
most of his early life in the desert. She wondered vaguely what his planet had
been like. What kind of person would Goku have been if he\'d grown up there? If
he would have turned out anything like Nappa or Radditz, she was glad he had
been sent to Earth.
He was really cute. But what the hell kind of person was he? She didn\'t
know, but she prayed that he wasn\'t an evil prick like Nappa and Radditz were,
but then again- he apparently knew them. She just hoped that maybe he would
feel enough gratitude to not kill her when he was healed.

A horrible smell assaulted him again and he almost retched. He could hear
his agonized gasps and felt a small hand rubbing his back.
\"…Ok. Just breathe, you\'ll be fine in a second.\" The human female assured
him. He hated this. Those fucking androids would pay for this humiliation. He
couldn\'t seem to focus. He was dizzy from lack of oxygen. Breathing was painful
and each hitching breath drew up blood. An involuntary moan escaped him as
another wave of vertigo hit him. The woman\'s voice was becoming unintelligible.

This wasn\'t good. His eyes were sluggishly opening and closing. She
smacked his face lightly, then harder when he moaned weakly. He was
struggling to wake. His head tossed and the pained expression on his face made
her heart clench in sympathy.
\"Come on Vegeta, you can do it. I know your tired but we have to get inside
so you can rest. I can\'t take care of you out here. We need to get inside.\"

Her soft voice drew him back. For some odd reason, he was compelled to do
as she asked. His eyes finally opened, and then closed to slits, but he was
aware. He slowly sat up with her help, took a few hitched breaths and painfully
got to his feet. If she hadn\'t been tugging his good arm the whole way up, he
probably wouldn\'t have made it. He swayed unsteadily and she quickly
maneuvered under his undamaged left arm.
Slowly they made it inside. Each time he staggered, she nearly panicked as
she struggled to keep him upright and walking. The wound on his shoulder had
reopened, and was steadily dripping down his arm and soaking into the cast
material. His skin was paling again and she thanked Kami when she spotted the
door to the med center.
She opened the door and helped him in, trying to hurry despite his pained
gasps. Finally she got him to the closest bed and sat down with him on the bed,
and still holding his arm got him on his back and tugged his legs up and onto the
mattress. She tugged his boots off and leaned against the bed a moment, trying
to regain her breath. The effort had been exhausting, and she wondered how
Vegeta was faring. His brow was furrowed as she turned her head to look at him
and he slowly opened his eyes, his expression clearing.
\"Can you sit up? We need to get your armor off.\" He frowned as if to say she
was asking too much, but he did as she asked anyway, he face revealing no
discomfort to her. To her surprise, he tugged the shoulder strap and the whole
entire thing began to stretch. She gripped the strap slid it off of him and then
over the broken arm with relative ease. She held the lightweight material in her
hands with an expression of awe. \"This stuff is incredible!\" she murmured.
Vegeta sat back with a sigh, but she shook her head and tugged him forward
again. \"Your shirt.\" She replied at his questioning glance. He frowned and
simple began to tear it when she had cut his sleeve off earlier all the way down
the side and shook his good arm until it flew off and landed on Bulma\'s head.
She bound his chest to keep his ribs from setting incorrectly and let him lie
down. His eyes slid shut immediately. Some color had returned to his face and
his breathing seemed to ease and deepen. She thought he was asleep, when
those dark eyes opened again.
\"You need to get some rest.\" She chided gently.
\"No.\" He gasped and she frowned, thinking him in pain. \"S-someone might
come looking for me.\"
\"You\'ll be safe here-\"
\"No.\" he rasped, struggling to sit up. She easily held him in place with one
dainty hand on his firm chest. He scowled at her hand, but it seemed more
annoyance at his own weakness than at her effrontery. \"You don\'t understand.
If he comes looking for me- he could kill you easily just for helping me if he was
in that mood! He\'s- he\'s a monster! Even worse than those stupid androids! He-\"
he faltered, paling again, and she gripped his elbows to stop him from falling
back too forcefully. She thought for a moment he might pass out again, as his
eyes rolled back in his head. With a visible shudder he grit his teeth and opened
those midnight black eyes, his gaze pinning hers again.
\"He what-?\" she prodded, even though she dreaded the answer.
\"He is the person who made me what I am.\" He snarled, his eyes boring into
hers. His glare was challenging her to rebuke him, and she realized that he was
more like Nappa and Radditz than she had first thought. Nappa and Radditz had
been very proud- of their near-extinct race and their own awesome abilities. She
could sense that pride was the only thing that had kept him from howling in pain
several times as she\'d treated his injuries.
\"He trained me to slaughter millions upon millions as if they were nothing-
as if they deserved it. I did everything he asked, so he wouldn\'t kill me and
everyone on my planet. But he did it anyway. I finally got away a little less than
a year ago and it took me this whole time to get
here.\" He raised his eyes to meet hers and she winced at the agony and fear in
those black depths. \"I- I don\'t want to go back. I\'d rather die. You shouldn\'t
have helped me. It will only get you killed if he comes here and finds me.\" her
eyebrows lifted in surprise at that, maybe he felt a bit of gratitude, even though
he had assumed that she was helping him for some obscure reason.
\"I\'m not as defenseless as I appear, Vegeta. And your insane if you think I
would have just left you there to die.\"
\"Why not?! Don\'t think I can or will repay you for this.\" he snapped his eyes
narrowed in suspicion.
\"I don\'t want anything from you!\" she spat, offended by the idea. \"I just
don\'t want those fucking androids to kill anyone else! I don\'t give a shit who it is!
They have taken everything and destroyed it for nothing more than their own
twisted amusement! Well I\'m sick of sitting here unable to do anything! I\'m
going to try and save anyone that they hurt, even you, Vegeta no Ouji! And if
there is any payment involved it\'s the satisfaction of knowing that I have taken
away their power of life over death for even one person!\" He frowned as she
finished her tirade. She really wanted nothing more than to defeat those
mechanical freaks even in such a small way? \"And as for this Frieza person-\"
she huffed, glaring at him. \"I could care less if he does come, I\'ll shoot him with
my fucking huge cannon!!\" she cackled. Her eyes slid over to Vegeta and saw
his eyes widen comically. \"Kami, Vegeta, lighten up!\" she said with a grin. \"I still
have to test it on the androids. And if it doesn\'t work they\'ll kill me and then I
won\'t have to worry about wether or not this Frieza person comes, now will I?\"
\"You are out of your fucking mind.\" he said and then yawned.
\"You might be right.\" she said with a soft laugh. \"These androids have
taken everything, why not my sanity too?\" He glanced at her out of the corner of
his eye. She was rather.. Attractive. Her lame attempt at humor was almost
amusing in itself. She was obviously not insane, he had seen insane people, and
they really looked crazy. She looked completely sane, maybe she was just
feeling the whip like he himself had on many occasions, literally and figuratively.
\"Well I hope it does, because if Frieza comes looking for me, especially
now, we\'ll both be dead and probably the whole planet with us.\"
\"Just sleep, Vegeta. You\'ll feel better once you heal a bit.\" He shook his
head stubbornly, and she somehow sensed that either he still didn\'t trust her, or
he was just too afraid. His earlier warning replayed in her mind. \"It\'s all right. I\'ll
make sure no one bothers you.\" He met her eyes again and she saw the
apparent confusion in them. \"Look I\'m not going to heal you just so you can die
from exhaustion. Either you lay back and close you eyes and try to sleep or I can
make you.\" He tensed suddenly, and she saw the flash of anxiety in his eyes and
winced. He was having a hard time deciphering her motives and obviously had a
hard time trusting anyone.
\"You can\'t make me do anything!\" he snapped defensively.
\"Drugs can make you sleep, not me. I can go get a needle, stick you with
it, pump you full of sedative, and you\'ll fall asleep in less than a minute. Although
you might not feel so good when you wake up. SO you might as well just listen
to me and go to sleep yourself.\" She said with a smirk. How many times had he
himself worn that very expression before he killed someone?
She almost slapped her forehead when he tried to back away from her.
\"Vegeta really. I just want you to get some rest so you can heal. I\'m not going to
try and hurt you.\" She pleaded. He seemed to relax then, and his eyes closed
wearily. Then moments later snapped open again. \"Vegeta…\" she said.
\"If Frieza comes.. Don\'t fight him. Just let him have me.\" He said softly and
his eyes slid shut. She watched him for several minutes as his breathing slowed
and grew even and when she was assured the he was finally asleep she went to
her kitchen to get some food.
She ate quickly incase he woke and after making a stop at the bathroom,
returned to the med center.
She smiled when she saw that he was fast asleep, and sat down on a
chair next to the bed. He couldn\'t be all that bad. He was willing to allow this
\"Frieza\" person to take him without a fight if he even came looking. If he really
was an evil bastard like Nappa and Radditz he undoubtedly wouldn\'t have even
bothered to warn her at all.
He suddenly moaned in his sleep and her hand reached out of its own
accord to caress his smooth cheek. He leaned into her hand and she sighed
sadly.
\"I\'m already attached to you and we just met. Has it been so long since
I\'ve had someone to care about? I\'m not even sure I should care about you.
You are kinda... Scary. But you are very, very cute. Which is a kinda odd
combination.\" she sighed again and shook her head. \"I just hope your worth the
trouble.\"


To Be Continued...





Well, that\'s it for chapter one. I wrote the first ½ page of this fic like 2
years ago and recently felt like working on it. And today I think I wrote like
7 pages. No lemon yet... they just mety damnit! PERVERTS! hehe just kidding!
Damn I\'m tired now too! Wish I could snuggle up next to Vegeta!
Any reviews would be much appreciated!

Kichi 9-6-2004