A/N: HI, SO I COULDN'T RESIST STARTING THIS. It's an A/U, Goku/OC set in college but not entirely. Just mostly. I was going to do a high school fic but I hate writing about high school and so far, all of my female protags have been drop-outs. Goku will be mostly IC in this and I will put in as many people as I can from DBZ. I've never really done this type of fic before so I'm hoping it goes well. It isn't going to be particularly dark, either. I also am aware that my stories start slow but I like to build tension and get you accustomed to the protag before jumping into the plot. The first 2 chapters will set the stage.

What kind of Goku do you guys want? Darker, like in my other OC stories, or lighter, like in the anime? He'll go between both but I'm debating if I want to make him kind of an asshole or not.

Warnings: Sexual content, swearing.

Pairings: Goku/OC; otherwise all canon.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

-MalRev

DEEP - SIX

1 - How To Meet People

From the moment I was born, I was destined for greatness.

Or so my parents told me. I grew up in a big city near the coast where it was easy for a little girl to feel insignificant in the big picture of things. We'd all walk down the street together and I would marvel at the different sights and sounds, eyes widening when a car zoomed past or a street vendor offered us grease-soaked hot dogs. I was a reserved kid and took to hiding behind my dad's leg.

They sent my brother and I to a big private school where Owen bloomed but I grew worse and worse, recoiling into my bedroom at night to hide from the jeering and loneliness. That was about the time my parents realized I needed a purpose in my life, and soon I was sitting at the table listening to them tell me how special and unique I was. It made me feel better, even if it was a lie.

We decided I would become a pharmacist when I graduated to high school. They sheltered me, pouring their energy into placing me in an important college while Owen began to feel the effects of their negligence. That was when it was decided the Hayworth siblings would be attending the same high-admissions college in the boonies, the only place my older brother could get accepted.

I screamed and threw a fit like never before when my parents tried to tell me. It wasn't fair—my brother had everything at his feet and threw it away to act like a jackass, which in turn dragged me down. But mom was particularly insistent and told me she hoped I could get him to straighten out his act and go down the right path; like my hard work would inspire him. Owen wasn't destined for greatness. Owen was destined for a career in fast food.

One month after my 18th birthday, I found myself sitting alone in a dorm room.

People were laughing and playing loud music and none of my friends from back home were sympathetic to my plight. I wasn't a complete loner and had tried to meet new people as I got older, attempting to network my way to a job in a pharmacy. Thankfully there was one just down the street from West University in the sprawling West City nestled at the foot of Mt. Paozu. It was a weird place that felt both urban and entirely rural at the same time.

I turned over on my orange bed sheets and groaned into the pillow. Owen Hayworth, why are you such an insufferable brat?! I could've gone anywhere I wanted like mom and dad said but instead I had to babysit my older brother while he presumably got drunk and hit on loose college girls.

There was a knock on my door and I unwillingly slid out of bed to answer it, admiring my decorative touch along the way. I'd gotten all sorts of colors in my small room but my favorite was orange. It was kind of an eyesore.

Owen was slumped against my doorframe, blue eyes drooping from either alcohol or drugs. I glared frigidly at him and a goofy smirk crossed his face as he reached up to comb back his blonde hair. He was the pretty one in the family—tall and lean like an athlete but too lazy to become one—and he had mom's gentle disposition that I lacked.

My brother put his hand on top of my freshly brushed brown hair to push me aside and peer around my room curiously. "Hey, Ellie. Whatcha doin' in here all by yourself?"

"That's Amelia to you," I snapped, slapping his hand away. "I don't want to hang out with them when they're all rowdy so I'm talking to Mila and Anna about how bogus it is that mom and dad made me come here. Maybe I'll socialize tomorrow when there are less drugs floating around."

"Aww, Amelia, you gotta come meet my friends. I told them my favorite little sister was comin'."

"Only little sister." I folded my arms and glared up at Owen, agitated. "Wait until I tell mom and dad their 20 year old son is getting wasted in the hallways."

He blinked, frowning. "Wah? Me? I ain't drunk. C'mon, Ellie, let's go meet people."

Before I could protest any more I was dragged into the crowded wing of Northwest 1, where a bunch of other science majors were casually drinking in the hallways. I gawked openly as my brother pulled me along, shocked that WU wasn't the dry campus it had promised in the advertisements. My baggy sweater and leggings suddenly felt inappropriate amongst the well-dressed city kids.

"They're drinking in the halls!" I whispered to Owen, aghast.

"Huh? Well, yeah, you've got a cool resident assistant on this floor." He stopped before a cooler and pushed a bottle of Heineken in my hands, winking. "I'm not gonna tell if you aren't."

I turned red with anger. "Owen Taylor Hayworth, if you don't stop this instant—"

"C'mon, if you're gonna make me smart then I'm gonna make you popular."

We pushed through the crowded hallway into the common room for my entire floor, where even more young people were laughing and mingling under the influence. It was a foreign place for me. I clutched my arms awkwardly while Owen introduced me to people who were in various states of inebriation, from a bit of extra color to being full-blown hammered and unable to hold themselves up right. A few of the guys were too loud for my liking but none of them were grabby.

After a while I managed to slip away from my brother and sat on a couch to nurse my beer. It wasn't half bad and mom and dad would never find out. I clutched the neck with my blue fingernails and watched the party before me, trying to convince myself it was okay to get wasted on a school night.

College was a completely different animal. I curled my legs underneath myself and wondered if my parents had insisted I go with Owen because they were afraid I wouldn't adapt. It made sense because I certainly felt uncomfortable watching everyone casually interacting and probably would've hidden for much longer if I hadn't been forced out.

A girl collapsed beside me, soaked in sweat and holding a red cup. She had blue hair that came as a shock to me and azure eyes that gave her an alien beauty. She tipped the cup to her lips and ran a hand through her hair like she was exhausted before noticing me staring. She was drop-dead gorgeous.

I quickly looked away but the stranger laughed and patted my arm.

"You're Owen's little sister, right?" she yelled over the din.

Tight-lipped with embarrassment, I could only nod. Now they would all think I was some kind of freak who would never fit in. Good going, Amelia.

The girl pointed to her voluptuous chest. "My name's Bulma! I'm a senior here and I'm pretty good friends with your brother. You look kind of uncomfortable, though!"

"I'm not used to this kind of thing," I explained in a loud tone, gesturing at the dancing.

"Oh, I get it! He told all of us you want to be a pharmacist?"

"Yeah, that's the plan, if it all works out right. What are you majoring in?"

"Engineering," Bulma replied, nodding her head to the music. "My dad owns Capsule Corporation and I'm gonna inherit the company someday, so he insisted I come here to make it look good on paper." She grinned at me and winked. "If it all works out right, that is."

I was beginning to like Bulma. She had an intelligent air about her for some reason.

So I grinned back and took a casual gulp from my Heineken, struggling not to grimace at the taste. "I've never heard of that company before. Do you guys only work out of West City?"

The music suddenly changed to an even louder song and Bulma raised her hands in the air to cheer with the others, sloshing a clear alcohol over the side of her cup. She was wearing a skirt and halter top that looked awfully expensive but accentuated the curve of her stomach. I turned back to my drink and she collapsed again on the couch, rubbing her face.

"Yeah, we only sell in the area," she finally said. "It's technology the rest of the world isn't really ready for yet. I like you, Ellie. Your brother said you were cool but he was so drunk I didn't know if I could believe him. It's good to see another brainiac going to this stupid school."

Owen appeared to my left and slumped over the arm of the couch, nearly on top of me. He groaned. "Lee-lee, big brother feels sick. Tell mom I need chicken soup, pronto."

"You idiot!" I seethed. "I told you to cut it out!"

Bulma burst out laughing. "I've never seen anyone talk to you like that, Owen!"

He peered up at her with heavy eyes. "Ellie is a real pain in the ass."

When I rolled my eyes at my brother and started rubbing his head, I couldn't help but notice Bulma was staring at me with renewed curiosity. She was drinking idly from her cup with her blue eyes narrowed slightly like she was considering something important. I tried to be nonchalant under her intense gaze.

Soon I found myself hobbling Owen back down the hall to his side of the floor, South 1, where he would presumably vomit in the bathrooms for the rest of the night. Bulma was supporting his other side and people were laughing while we walked past while my brother quietly groaned and staggered along. Yes, college was most definitely different from high school.

I produced Owen's room key from his pocket and lugged him inside to toss him on the bed, scowling at the mess scattered around his floor. Bulma patted him sardonically on the cheek and we left him to his drunken stupor, making sure the door was locked behind us when we left. The party was still going strong and showing no signs of stopping but I was ready for bed.

To my surprise, Bulma escorted me back to my room and helped me avoid the really drunk people along the way. She was really friendly—I hadn't expected that at all when I set foot in the WU dorms.

"You're gonna tutor, right?" she asked as I unlocked my door.

"Uh, yeah, I've gotta do it for my community service." I smirked at her and she leaned on the wall. "Why, do you need some math help?"

She snickered. "No, not me, but you'll probably meet one of my friends. Sweet guy. I think he'd like you, and that's saying something." She drank more from her red cup. "You'll fit in pretty well here, Ellie. Stop by my dorm tomorrow and let me know how things went—I live on the top floor, 303 West 2. Maybe we can celebrate your first day a bit better than this."

Before I could ask anything about her mysterious friend, Bulma vanished.

I locked my door behind me and poured the remaining beer down my little sink, promptly hiding the can in the top shelf of my closet to obscure the evidence. My thoughts were a bit fuzzy and I hardly managed to change into my pajamas before I passed out in bed, exhilarated with the night's events.

It was the beginning of my climb up the roller coaster.