((NOTE: I, as a fan of Dragonball Z, was left rather unsatisfied by the events of Dragonball GT. The following fanfiction was written by myself with input from others who also disliked the GT franchise. [Names can be provided of others involved upon request.]

This story involves original characters created by other people. I have obtained permission to use them from the creators, and have written them into the following tale. More information regarding these original characters will be provided upon request. Please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors, this has not been proofread thus far. All feedback is welcomed. Enjoy!))

PROLOGUE: A Self Imposed Exile.

The Prince stood alone on a high pinnacle of rock, his dark eyes staring down over the steep cliff face into the valley below. Monstrous storm clouds surrounded the mountain top and torrential rain turned everything into a dull, blurry haze. Forks of white hot lightning splintered the peak, but this raging tempest was nothing in comparison to the storm rattling through the Prince's mind.

It had been little over 15 years since the terror of Buu had been eradicated, and Vegeta had slipped back into his life of peace. Up until recently, this hadn't bothered him in the slightest, but a gnawing doubt had begun eating away at his mind. He often had vivid dreams, flashbacks to the day he had made his ultimate sacrifice, and they bothered him. "If I'd remained the proud warrior I had always been, and not become one of 'those people' (as he called the Earthlings), nothing would have stood in my way." This thought had run through his mind at such repetition it had been as though it was a skipping record.

As Vegeta glared down into the valley bathed in shadows, something clicked in his mind. "I have to get away from this life of normality and dull repetition. I need to be the way I was before. And I need to make the decision myself." He was referring, of course, to when Babidi invaded his mind and awoke the evil in his heart. The Wizard's plans to turn Vegeta into one of his thralls had backfired, the Saiyan's pride and love for his family allowing him to keep control of his actions.

But now... Did he love his family? Bulma, Trunks, Bulla... No. Of course he didn't. The only thing a Saiyan loves is battle, victory, strength. He needed to leave, to escape, to be free. A warrior needs nothing but a purpose to serve and opponents to destroy. This warrior's purpose was plain and simple: To be the best. Opponents? Well, that was easy: Kakarot.

The low-level clown had been the bane of his existence ever since he set foot on Earth, so many years ago. He'd been shamed and humiliated by the Earth's hero on many occasions, and in more ways than one. Goku had not only proven himself to be a stronger warrior than he in combat, but he'd also saved Vegeta's life, as though the Prince of all Saiyans were a helpless child. "Not anymore..." he said aloud.

A strong breeze kicked up around Vegeta as the Saiyan's blue aura exploded into life. The clouds above began to swirl, the very mountain shaking as though in fear. "No more of this worthless existence... I am a warrior Prince, and it's about time I acted like one!" The cliff face shattered into a million fragments of broken stone as Vegeta leaped from the mountain and shot like a rocket into the distance. The dark storm clouds above parted as he flew, seeming to make way for the Prince.

The sun's first light crept over the low hills surrounding West City, the windows of the dome shaped Capsule Corp building transforming into a bright orange glare. Fresh dew sparkled on the well manicured lawn, giving the impression that millions of tiny diamonds glittered from amongst the grass. The pink and orange sky was unblemished, save for a few tawdry wisps of cloud which gave no indication to the violent storms to the east.

A handful of cars zipped along the motorway, but otherwise, the city was quiet. A few hours would change that of course, when the citizenry moved about their daily business. The city would become a bustling hive.

In the skies, a bright speck of blue light glimmered over the horizon. The sleeping inhabitants of West City paid no heed to this, as they were yet to rise and begin their morning routines. As the light moved closer, it appeared as a human form, a long tail of blue aura trailing about behind him. Within moments, the Saiyan Prince had touched down in the yard of Capsule Corp.

Vegeta strode across the lawn, moving towards the row of ships in the far corner of the property. During his flight, he had made up his mind. He wouldn't just leave town. He'd leave Earth. Although he didn't want to admit it, challenging Goku right now would be folly. The Earth-raised Saiyan's power far eclipsed his own, and after years of training with Uub on Kami's Lookout, Goku's strength was now enormous.

More than ever, Vegeta now cursed his weakness, his decision to become a family man. If only he'd trained as hard, perhaps he could have eclipsed him by now. But no matter. He would move forward from here.

Choosing a ship to his liking, the Prince lowered the ramp and ascended the steps. When he took his seat, a computerised voice filled the cabin. "Greetings, Traveller, and welcome aboard Capsule Corp Vessel 3724. Where would you like to go today?" A slightly disgusted look touched Vegeta's face at the voice and it's polite tone. "Far away." He muttered.

A series of beeps and whirs. "Planet Farraweigh. Estimated arrival time, 4 Days." The ship said smartly. "Warning: Inhabitant Hostility suggests this planet is unsafe for exploration." The corner of Vegeta's mouth twitched upwards in a smile. This was a good start to his exile, he thought. "Take me there immediately." He demanded, sitting back in the chair.

Four days passed extremely quickly for the Prince as he trained harder and harder to reach new levels of strength. When he reached the planet Farraweigh, it took him less than 5 hours to eradicate every life form on the planet. Not a trace of civilisation was left. The story was the same with the following planet. And the next. And the next.

Sometimes, Vegeta was content to simply fight and destroy the strongest of the race. But more often than not, he left no soul behind. After a year of constant fighting and destroying, he began to grow tired of it. He hadn't had a decent challenge at all; all of these warriors were pathetic. Indeed, he thought so little of the Shambalan race, he detonated the planet from orbit, taking 100,000,000 lives in the process.

On a remote world, Vegeta thought perhaps he'd get his challenge. The reports on the planet said it was a violent world, filled with barbarian inhabitants whose bloodlust was insatiable. But, to Vegeta's great disappointment, he found nothing there. The planet had been stripped of life hundreds of years previously, only bulky bones and shattered remnants of the forgotten race remained. On his way back to the ship, Vegeta spotted a grinning skull, its teeth bared as though it had been snarling with rage as it had died. A cracked scouter lay beside it, and it bleeped feebly as Vegeta approached. A few feet away, the body of the Saiyan warrior lay slumped against a rocky outcrop, its armour crumbling and shattered. "Rest in peace, my Brother." He said quietly, turning his gaze from the skeleton and drifting into the skies towards his ship.

Now was the time to return, now was the time to put his new abilities to the test. A year of training at 500 times natural gravity, coupled with his constant fighting had allowed the warrior to reach a new pinnacle in strength. The ship darted away from the deserted planet, and Vegeta leaned over the gravity controls. "Here I come, Kakarot."