Old Laws

Almost a decade and a half had passed in what seemed like an eternity traveling through it, but looking back, seemed like a split second. Time had done none any favors, least of all those who did not make it off the planet Vegeta before it had blown up. Those who had certainly did not escape the claws of time, and weren't as young as they once were. The entire universe was aging, and with it fell the morality of the masses. Sin, death, and crooked hearts were as common as the stars, and as innumerable. Not one of them could claim perfection; none could even come close. It seemed however a hierarchy of pigs; those who tried to do good and be the best they could, with what little soul they had; then there were those who simply did not care whether good nor bad occurred from a result of their deeds, and then there were those who did evil things simply because they could. Everyone fell somewhere along those lines, and all were pigs, no matter how good or bad everyone tried to be. No one truly could escape that classification; everyone had their sin.

Perfection only resided in things without thought or conscience; the plants, trees, and flowers that filled the air of the plants. The sun, even as it set on the horizon of Earth, it too was perfect. Ironic; the perfect objects of the worlds lived to ease and preserve the lives of the imperfect and scarred. Should it not be the other way around? Should the pigs not serve the perfect things in this world, instead of steadily ignoring it and taking it's essence for granted? Perfection was such a rare thing, and it was treated as though it were always there, as common as grans of sand. Such things would never change. History made created that, and the progression of darkness ensured it yet.

Deadened eyes scanned the mountainous horizon of a coast line on this sickening green-blue ball named "Namek". It was a massive prairie-like expanse, with a few bubble-gum like trees dotting around the plains and cliffs. The whole planet looked under-used and over appreciated, populated about as sparsely as waterfalls in the desert. Planets like these usually got taken over and stolen, because greedier people come along and decide it belongs to them.

Ever seeking, ever looking were these pale green eyes, seeking out something which all hope for finding had evaporated many years ago. All trails had gone cold, some even passed off as false. Did he even yet live? Was this hunt just a drive to keep herself alive, was it a lie? Innumerable planets were searched, one by one, inch by painstaking inch. False information traded for everything she could give, many times greater than she would have liked to. Even the remains of a few detonated planets were searched; for a hair, a finger, anything that could link her to his essence, any sign that she could find of him. But yet, all these years, nothing.

A heavy sigh passed the thick lips, causing a cold cloud to quickly dissipate before her scratched and calloused flesh and dull, lifeless and faded brown-blond hair. Slim fingers flicked across the green screen of her radar, waiting yet again for the faint dead blip of an empty screen. Land mass after land mass had been searched, and like every planet of the hundreds she had searched, came up dry of signal, and pointless; but no. This time, there was a faint, steady response from the scanner she'd bought off an alien race many many years ago. This wasn't possible.

She powered off the scanner once again, then turned it back on solely to check if it was a glitch. Again, the scanner told her it found a signal. A little life flicked in to her eyes, and snapped over in the direction it had come. A village laid destroyed, but this did not concern her - the possible source of the signal was.

"Maybe it's not false..." she mumbled, charging her Ki before flying off in the direction her scanner told her. The closer she got, the stronger the signal became - but it was still weak. Her eyes darted about the landscape and horizon, seeking any sign, anything that would indicate to her that he was here, but - none came. Twenty minutes of searching out the weak signal began to frustrate the seeker, and she slid to a stop. Many times it had switched direction, confounding her logic until she finally gave up.

"Piece of shit, doesn't even work. I should have blown up that planet and it's useless blue-fleshed race, all four hundred of them. FUCK. What the hell do I do now?" the seeker exclaimed, letting her limbs fall limp at her sides in defeat. She knew she was using it correctly, at least how they told her to. Gain a sample of his energy or DNA, and it would let her know if a match was close, but - the thought cut short as suddenly as her breath did, when she noticed the radar's signal getting stronger once more. This time, it was coming towards her - and off on the horizon....

"He's here..." she barely spoke, shaking from the moment that was finally before her. She sped towards the tiny speck flying towards her, but a few seconds flying revealed something she wasn't expecting. A sudden flash of yellow Ki caught her attention at that moment. She banked to fly closer, curiosity filling her mind. There wasn't just one little speck on the horizon; as she got closer, there were many. A small collection of people, it seemed, were entangled in a battle. A child and a small, bald-headed man watched on as a massive purple man scrapped along with someone she couldn't quite see. There was a man in orange on the ground, also helplessly watching as the two fighters stared at each other, waiting to make the first move. The purple man cackled, and released another flash of yellow Ki, straight for the man in blue armor. He looked familiar, but the light from the Ki attack blocked out his face as she got close enough.

She landed on a nearby cliff top, poised to watch with cautious curiosity as the scene unfolded. The orange clothed man threw something at the other fighter, and just as strangely, the whole thing was all over. The purple fighter seemed to have completely lost his mind, and was - hopping away? She tilted her head with curiosity, watching the fighter leap away like a frog. Maybe the stress of a failed attack made the man snap - she had no idea what race he was; maybe it was some sort of cultural loss dance; resorting oneself to the lowest life form, out of respect for the victor. In any case, the purple man was gone, and the orange fighter looked like he wasn't going to make it much longer. They would have to get him to some sort of medical facility, and immediately.

Then, she focused in on the other fighter, the one whose face she failed to see. It was him.

Without hesitation, she flew from the cliff as fast as she could, and tackled Vegeta head-long, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Vegeta! My god, Vegeta, you're alive!" she called out, crying instantly upon the battered fighter's armor. Every eye was on her, staring at her as if she were insane.

"Uhhh, who's that, Krillin?" the young boy asked, turning to the small bald man beside him.
"I have about as good an idea as you do, Gohan. I haven't seen her in my life."

"GET OFF ME, WOMAN!" barked Vegeta suddenly, casting her off of him with a flex of his arm. She went sailing backwards, colliding with a cliff not too far behind the orange-clad man. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

Goku lifted his head slightly, trying to tilt it in the direction she'd flown. 'Who is that?' he thought, wincing from the pain that racked his body. 'She's strong, but she's holding most of her Ki back. I didn't know there were many people who could do that, besides me. But, what's with her? She's so numb - neither good, or evil - like she's totally hollow or something...'

At first, her heart broke in to a million pieces. He didn't remember her. Either that, or he'd not cared. But, of course; it had been thirteen years, and she did not look a thing like she did back then. Peeling herself from her newly formed hole in the cliff, she stepped out into the light.

"Vegeta - don't you see? Don't you know who I am?"

Vegeta cast annoyed eyes over at the crazy woman. She had the darkest of blond hair growing only out of the right side of her head. It was parted over, as if to try and cover the fire scars on her scalp. Her face was scarred as well, looking as though she had earned them over many many fights. Her left eye was mechanical, with a ring of sensors on the rim of the false green eye. This woman had been through a lot, and didn't look too many years younger than himself. Her Ki was present, but hidden, and it felt...empty. Why would such numb power come from such a beaten woman? What happened in her life that destroyed her so totally? Those eyes, the emerald green eyes; there was something vaguely familiar about them, but perhaps it was just fluke. Otherwise, he had no idea who the woman was.

As no recognition registered in his eyes, her heart sank.

"My prince - don't you recognize me at all? Am I so vastly different that you cannot even see who I am?..."

With a haughty huff and his arms crossing over his chest, Vegeta closed his eyes.

"If you're calling me THAT, then you must be someone who recognizes me from the past. Probably the kid of someone's family whose planet I blew up or something. I'm sorry to tell you, I don't remember much before my 25th year. But if you insist on being such a bleeding heart about me, then you can bugger off! I don't care who you are or what you want. We have a bigger problem here than some pathetic woman seeking some sort of servantry. Get out of my face. KID, get your father, and follow me. We need him in his top form if he's going to help me."

The girl took two steps back, almost staggering away from the reaction she'd received. Shock mounted on her face as years of pursuit crumbled away into one moment of cold rejection. He turned her back on her, and started walking away.

"Hey - don't worry about him." the little boy said, as he stood next to her. "He talks like that to everyone. What he really means is a little closer to 'I don't remember you so don't bug me, I'm too worried about our situation. I'll talk to you when I'm not so worried about my own tail.' Just give him some time. He's a complex guy, and you don't wanna piss that guy off. I'm Gohan; who're you?"

"I am Kaana. Kaana Breigh. I have searched for years for this man, leaving no stone unturned, no planet unscratched, and it all falls away from my grasp in this moment. It's not what I had pictured. What do I do now?..."

"If I may," Krillin interrupted, casting his glance over to Vegeta, who stood, impatiently waiting, just out of earshot. "Don't give up just yet. I dunno what's up his butt, but don't give in just yet. Maybe he'll remember you in time. But for now, I'd get off this planet. There's this evil creature here, trying to take over and kill everyone who stands up to him. If you wanna survive, I'd flee. Frieza's supposed to be the strongest man in the universe."

"You don't say?..." she replied, a hazy expression washing over her face. "Strongest...man? What did you say his name was?..."

"What, Frieza?"

"Frie...za..." a grim recognition washed over Kaana's face. "That's the name of the alien that destroyed my home; the alien that kidnapped Vegeta."
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AN: It is really important that I get feedback on my chapters from you guys; I NEED TO KNOW if you love or hate and what you think needs to change! Help me not to jump the shark again!!!!!