The Power Of Love

SUMMARY: Vegeta becomes confused about his feelings for a blue haired human. The Saiyan warriors choose mates. A problem arises when it comes to Homto's choice of a mate.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragonball Z and am in no way connected to them. I only wish I was, than I'd have at least SOME $$$. I also do not own and am in no way related to the creators or producers or anything of the song Power of Love by Celine Dion. Please don't sue me. Seeing as how I am broke, sueing me would do you no good. =Þ

AUTHOR: Hidden Angel

Last time on A New Era:

"You are to oversee our new project. The ten warriors that you brought along, they shall choose human mates. They are all elite warriors. They should be able to produce some good off-spring. We will monitor the results of their mating. If the results are good, we shall keep that pathetic planet so that the mating can continue. If not, destroy it."

*****

"WOMAN! Why isn't this machine thing of your's working?"

Bulma sighed as she tried to calm the Prince down. "Vegeta, the gravity machine doesn't work because I'm not done with it. It's not complete. Get it?"

Vegeta frowned and glared at her. "Well hurry up and complete it damnit!"

She sighed. "I can't. I don't have the proper tools. They are at home. You didn't give us a chance to go home remember?"

"Fine! Let's go now!" He grabbed onto her waist and flew out the window. He wanted the machine done. It was suppose to hold the potential for him to train at an increased gravitational level. That would definitely help him grow stronger faster.

Bulma shrieked as she felt herself being lifted from the ground. She clutched at the only thing she could, Vegeta's muscular arms. She hid her face in his broad chest as the wind flew at them. Vegeta's arms tightened around her, almost as if afriad of dropping her. Slowly, she lifted her face to meet his.

Vegeta's dark, bottomless eyes met her blue, oceanic ones and time seemed to stop. Vegeta abruptly tore his gaze away from her, feeling that if he didn't, he would sink into the depths of her stare. "Which way is it woman?"

Bulma was speechless. His eyes had been so intense, so confusing. Had she seen care and compassion? Had she seen...no. Impossible. She had not seen anything of the sort. He was the Saiyan Prince, cold hearted and ruthless. She directed him until they touched down in her neighbourhood.

Vegeta all but dumped her out of his arms after his feet touched the ground. "Hurry up woman. I don't have all day."

Bulma glared at him as she picked herself up off of the ground, rubbing her stinging rear end as she stomped away muttering something about stupid Saiyans. Vegeta chuckled when she was out of earshot. She amused the hell out of him. He couldn't explain why, but he liked arguing with her and seeing her anger flare. And her eyes! Those bottomless pits of an ocean. They added to her beauty. Beauty? What was he thinking? That human was the ugliest thing he had ever seen. A little voice began to speak up. 'You know she's beautiful.' Shut up! Vegeta couldn't believe it. He was arguing with his own mind. 'Are you sure Vegeta?' Leave me alone. Violently, he shoved the voice aside.

Bulma stepped into her house, sensing that something was wrong. The door was unlocked which was weird since her parents always locked the door. This was the roughest part of the ghetto. It wasn't like them not to lock the door.

"Mom? Dad? Anyone home?" No response. This scared her. Usually at least one of her parents was home. She stepped past the living room and into the kitchen. No one. Fear began to creep into her body. There were only three other rooms left, their bedroom, her bedroom and the bathroom. Slowly she crept into her bedroom.

Someone smacked her roughly, sending her sprawling to lay beside her tied up parents. She screamed in pain as the attacker, rather the attackers, shut the door. "Look what we got here Mikoko. A very pretty little girl."

Bulma felt her parents struggling angrily against their bonds. She pulled closer to her father. "Nat, I think we can all have some fun with both women, don't you think? Since they can't pay our gang their protection fee, we'll show them why they need protection." The men began to laugh evilly as their comrades cheered them on. They advanced on the two ladies, Bulma and her mother. Bulma screamed out in fear as the man, Mikoko slapped her across her already red face. The man was struggling with the belt of his pants.

A sudden explosion caused everyone to pause and look around. The door that had been slammed shut was no longer there. Instead, in it's place, stood a fiery Prince.

Vegeta had heard the woman scream twice. Wondering what it was, he had taken off at top speed in the direction she had gone in. As he entered the house, he had heard the jeering of the men. His blood had boiled. How could anyone even think about trying to force themself on another person, especially when that person was his woman. If Vegeta hadn't been so upset, he would have lectured himself for thinkg of Bulma as 'his' woman.

All five men glared at Vegeta. "Who the hell are you shorty?" Mikoko yelled.

Vegeta took in the situation at once, not even aware that the man had just insulted him. When he saw the red mark on Bulma's face, something inside of him snapped. Without thinking, he powered up a ki ball in the palm of his hand.

"What the..."

Vegeta realeased the ki ball, disintegrating all five men on the spot. With them gone, he began to regain control of himself. Why had he done that? What did he care what they did to her and her mother? She was nothing more than a slave to him, or was she?

He glared at her coldly from where he stood and without warning, shot through the roof of the house and back to his castle. He wanted to be alone, wanted to think. She was confusing the hell out of him.

Bulma watched through the hole in her roof, a hand to her stinging cheek, as Vegeta flew away.

"Who is he Bulma?"

She turned around and smiled at her parents. She had a lot of explaining to do. She was sure they hadn't heard about the "aliens" yet. The area they lived in received the news very late.

*****

Chi Chi screamed in panic. The Saiyan, Homto, was advancing towards her quickly. She tried to run which only succeeded in making him laugh.

"Pathetic human female, why are you running? You will be my mate from now on. No need to run from me." Prince Vegeta had ordered them all to pick mates and told them he didn't care who they were. Homto had choosen this one. He found her very pretty and wanted to stake a claim to his property.

"HELP!"

Her father and the rest of the Z team came running (minus Bulma). "What do you want with her?" Her father stepped in front of her protectively.

"Move aside if you don't want to be hurt weak human. She is to be my mate."

"What if she doesn't want to be?" Tien received a piercing glare for his question. A few of the other Saiyans began to arrive, sensing there was going to be a battle.

Luma stepped up beside his comrade. "You humans have no say. It is an order from the Prince. Now move or die!"

"You make me sick. You call yourselves warriors."

"Shut up green man."

"Homto, forget it. Let's show them they have no choice."

The two Saiyans and a couple of their comrades attacked the Z team mercilessly. Homto bypassed everyone and appeared in front of Chi Chi. "You will be mine little human. Don't make it harder on yourself than it has to be."

Chi Chi's response was a kick to the lower region of his body (oowww...that has to hurt). Homto doubled over in pain. Decently recovered, he grabbed her and flung her across the hall. He was going to teach her a lesson or two about treating him right.

Chi Chi tried to prepare herself for the impact and the pain she knew was going to come. She shut her eyes tightly and balled her hands into fists. To her amusement, the pain she was expecting never came. She opened her eyes and was confronted by an angry looking Kakkarot.

Without looking at her, he put her down gently and flung himself into the fray of bodies. The Saiyans quickly pulled away with a startled look on their faces.

"Kakkarot! What are you doing? Are you a traitor?"

"No, I'm not a traitor."

"Than why are you fighting against us?"

His answer was as cool and calm as could be. "Because no one is allowed to touch Chi Chi. She is my mate."

NEXT TIME ON POWER OF LOVE: Goku confronts Chi Chi. Vegeta realizes how he really feels about Bulma.

Chapter4