Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Variations of Fate ❯ Fear ( Chapter 1 )

The little girl hid beneath her covers, but it was obvious she was shaking. All hell had broken loose outside and she was frightened. She listened to the chaos steadily growing closer: the crashing, the screaming and other sounds of imminent danger, though in her young mind she only knew she was scared. A loud boom outside sent her tumbling out of bed, and in her haste she twisted the covers around her and pulled them off the bed. She tripped over the sheets and stumbled out the door, squealing like a banshee to her parents' room.

She flung the door open, screaming, "Mommy! Daddy! What's going on?"

She saw that her mother was taking things out of the dresser and that her father was not in the room she looked at her mother wide-eyed, "Mommy where's daddy?"

"Your daddy's getting the plane ready, Bulma. We're going on a trip."

"Because of the loud noises?" She blinked her eyes incredulously.

"Yep!" Mrs. Briefs smiled at her, "Bulma, run and go get your favorite stuffed animals."

"Why?"

"We're going to be gone a very, very long time. I'll go with you," she held out her palm to Bulma, who trustingly placed her small hand in her mother's, "Which do you want to take with you? Your teddy bear?"

Bulma's eyes shined and she nodded, "And my giraffe and my dragon," her face fell and she asked with a pout, "Can I take my blankie too?"

Mrs. Briefs smiled and picked up her bags with her free hand, "Of course!"

They walked back down the hallway to Bulma's room, where Mrs. Briefs set down her bags and grabbed a bag for Bulma's things out of the closet. She grabbed some of the clothes off hangers and out of drawers and stuffed them as far into the small bag as possible. She also took a few picture books from the shelf by Bulma's bed.

"Sweetie, would you give me your stuffed animals and blankie?" Bulma shook her head and grabbed the four items, hugging them protectively. "Please?" Bulma shook her head and glowered at her. Mrs. Briefs smiled at her though. "You can get them out again in the plane." The child's lip quivered, but she reluctantly handed them over to her mother who stuffed them into the bag. Mrs. Briefs held the bag out to her, "See, you get to carry it so no one will take them from you."

Bulma smiled and Mrs. Briefs grabbed her own luggage. Again she held her hand out to her daughter, and Bulma clasped her mother's hand as tightly as she could. They nearly ran into Dr. Briefs, who brought Bulma into a warm hug as he looked at his wife, "You ready to go?" She nodded. "Okay, good. I've got all the equipment packed. Let's go." He carried Bulma down the stairs and outside to the plane, Mrs. Briefs trailing behind him. "Huh. I realized I forgot something."

Dr. Briefs set Bulma down, and she whimpered irritably. Mrs. Briefs drew her daughter to her side as they watched him disappear into the house, waiting for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he reappeared with another bag in his arms, and Mrs. Briefs drooped over in relief. He smiled at them.

"All righty! Let's go, pumpkin," he opened the door and lifted Bulma and her bag into the cockpit before he and his wife climbed in. The propellers started. Then they took off, and almost instantly, Bulma was rocked to sleep by the vibrations of the plane's engines.

Mrs. Briefs stared out the window of the cockpit and down at her wristwatch. It was two-thirty A.M., yet she could smell the smoke billowing up from the destruction below. These Saiyans -- as the radio reported them -- had destroyed everything. Their city, their home: everything was in ruins. She looked over at her husband, and saw his face was contorted in anger, pain, and fear. She reached a hand over and covered his hand with hers. He looked at her briefly and gave a wan smile before turning back to steering.

"Damnit!" Dr. Briefs clenched his jaw, and slammed a fist onto the dashboard.

"Oh my. Honey, you'd better not do that. You'll wake Bulma!" Mrs. Briefs blinked at him, and looked down at her sleeping daughter. She brushed a strand of purple hair away from Bulma's face, stroking the soft, pale cheek.

"I know, I know," he said softly, and looked down at his daughter, "but I can't help but thinking these 'Saiyans' have somehow ruined Bulma's life. For God's sake, she's only three years old! She'll have to live with these damned Saiyan overlords her whole life!" Mrs. Briefs sighed, and her husband gave her a reassuring smile, "We're almost there."

Bulma woke up several hours later in a cool, dark place, though she could hear an echoing drip in wherever she was. She was warm and comfortable, snuggled between some pillows, but she was frightened.

"Mommy?" she whispered.

A lantern flickered on and Mrs. Briefs appeared out of the darkness beside a column of fused stalagmites and stalactites, "We're safe."

Bulma jumped when she heard a noise, even though it was familiar. It was distant, but not too far away. "Mommy what was that?"

"Someone your father brought in. He's bringing in refugees. That person was hurt by the Saiyans, and he probably won't make it," a dark cloud momentarily passed over Mrs. Briefs face, but it was enough for Bulma to notice.

"Saiyans?"

"Remember that big boom you heard last night?" Mrs. Briefs didn't wait for her daughter to nod, "Well, the city was destroyed. There is nothing left, and most of Earth's people are slaves to the Saiyans. The Saiyans destroyed our home! Your father says the Saiyans are from outer space. They look like people, but they're monsters!"

"Oh."

"You stay here, I need to go help with the refugees," the once carefree Mrs. Briefs was gone. Nevertheless, she managed a smile and added in a gentler tone: "When your daddy gets back, ask him about the Saiyans. Oh, and your stuffed animals should be next to you."

When Bulma saw her teddy bear, she smiled and hugged it tightly. With her teddy, she could forget about anything. For a time that day, she forgot all about the Saiyans and the world outside the refuge of the cave.

When he returned to the caverns and after hiding the plane inside, Dr. Briefs walked towards his family's cave and leaned against a stalagmite. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bulma playing with her teddy bear and her giraffe, creating with them some fantastic tale. He shed silent tears as he watched his daughter play, for he realized she would never have the unworried childhood he had.

They would all be in constant danger, no matter what they did. The Saiyans couldn't be stopped, unless ...

No, the idea was absurd -- impossible. No, it was ludicrous! The Saiyans would find all the refugees and kill them one by one, execute all of them. Or maybe not. Maybe they wouldn't kill everyone; maybe, just maybe, the refugees could unite and plan a rebellion. Death, Dr. Briefs decided, might be better than living in fear. There had to be a heaven. And if there was a heaven, there was a hell. And the damned Saiyans would pay for the pain and destruction they'd caused. They'd pay for destroying his daughter's childhood ... and her future.