|
Gokuh had decided it was a beautiful day for fishing. The sky was clear, and the biggest fish in the lake near his home would be deep down in the water and active. He waded in to the water letting himself get used to the cold and then dived down deep. It was only moments before he spotted his prey, a catfish twice his size. He figured that it might feed him for the day. As he approached the fish, he felt a slight disturbance. Was it someone's ki? It seemed too feint to be anything to worry about. He continued towards his prey, bracing himself for the moment when the fish would finally notice him. It did, just at the moment Gokuh grabbed hold of the powerful tail as the fish turned about to stab at him with its spiked dorsal fin. Suddenly, the fish was yanked sharply from his grasp and was pitched upward in a swirl of bubbles. For a moment Gokuh saw what seemed to be the shape of a person in the water before him, and then suddenly he was gripped around the waist and was propelled upward. The next thing he knew he was at the surface of the lake, gasping for breath, blinking in the sudden brightness of the sun. He was struggling to make out the figure in front of him, its arms upraised, and a wicked smile was all he made out before he was literally smothered with a kiss. He backpedaled frantically in the water, only to be reeled back in by the thing around his waist. He heard laughter, and then he was being pushed under again, and again he was smothered in a strong embrace. He was off guard, but once he was able to assess the situation he was able to use his strength to rise back to the surface, and finally he got a clear view of his 'attacker.' Oddly, the face seemed familiar. In front of him was a woman, about his height. She was still laughing. “who are you?” he demanded, realizing he didn't sound as threatening as he'd wanted to because he was still sputtering from the water and reflexively struggling against the thing binding him. “Hello Kakarott,” she replied. At the mention of this name he finally realized what was wrapped around him and grasped at it, the feel of coarse fur affirming his realization. He gained purchase and flew skyward as the Sayian woman let loose a peal of laughter which was peppered with cries of pain. He settled back down to the ground and let her rise to her feet, but he didn't loose his grip on the tail. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled to speak because although she was in obvious pain, she was still laughing. “Oh, good, you're even feistier than I thought…” She took several gulping breaths, and finally regained a sort of composure. “Ok, I concede. Release me.” “First, tell me who you are, and what you want,” he demanded. “I am Vegeta, Queen of all Saiyajin. As the strongest left of your race, I have chosen you as consort.” He dropped the tail, more out of surprise than anything. “Uh, aren't you a little tall and, well, feminine to be Vegeta?” It was all he could think of to say. She was laughing again, brushing droplets of water from her upswept hair, which was bound tightly with some sort of scarf. She was equipped with a scouter and saiya-jin armor, though it was obviously of the older style and had seen much use. It suddenly dawned on him that she did look an awful lot like the Vegeta he knew, as she managed to keep an obviously smug grin through all her giggling. “Of course, you have met my little brother,” She said, stressing the word little. “ I suppose he's still the same little jerk he always was. Don't let him fool you. As firstborn, I am the one true ruler of the Saiyajin, and he will forever be no more than prince. So, anyway, I've come to rescue you from this pitiful planet. I already have prime real estate elsewhere. Come with me and we'll replenish our race and a new day will arise when we will affirm our nobility and strength to the whole universe.” She was slowly advancing on him again. He took a step back for every one she took forward. “Look, that's a really nice thought but I'm married. I have a family. My name is Gokuh, and in my experience I don't have much reason to trust anyone who calls me Kakarott. Why don't we just talk this out…” He trailed off. Her face was now a mask of rage. “What is this, a joke? I am the only surviving woman of your race, and of royal blood no less. Do you mean to tell me that you have married one of these pathetic low level earthlings?! You are Kakarott? The same Saiyajin - a super Saiyan no less - who put Freiza to shame? Aren't you?” She was advancing faster now. He began to power up his ki, trouble was obviously not long for coming. “Are you saying that whoever this… this mite is she could be more desirable than a strong woman of your own kind? That must have been some crack on the head you had.” “How did you know..” he started to ask. “I have been listening.” She interrupted, tapping the earpiece of her scouter. “Some time ago, an acquaintance of mine jilted me… he dared steal from me,” her continence revealed yet more rage for a moment. “I should've expected no less from a low level soldier, a simpleton. He came to this planet expecting to find you and have you join us. I listened to the ensuing battle. I know you beat him, justly. I know you have an extremely powerful son, but I never guessed that you would have actually married one of these earthlings… I thought that surely…” She suddenly became more contemplative. “Power down. I have no wish to fight you…yet.” “Good,” replied Goku, powering down, “because I really don't have time to argue with you. I have to train for…” 'Vegeta' rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I have other business on this planet, namely recovering what is rightly mine. Take that and feed your family.” She motioned to the fish lying on the shore. “Be vigilant, though. I will return and perhaps we will see if there is a future for us, even if that means I have to justify my request through combat.” With that, she took off skyward and in a second was no more than a mote against the clear blue. Kami looked doubtfully at the visitor standing next to PoPo. “You're here to, as you put it, bargain with me?” “Well, yeah. You're Kami, Guardian of Earth, right?” asked the cricket as he lit a very small stubby cigar and scratched the back of his head with his long barbed back leg. “My partner said I'd fare better than her at first… less threatening, you know.” Kami sighed inwardly. All this talk of androids and impending doom, and this cricket shows up thinking he can haggle for some kind of favor. He looked to PoPo, hoping for some kind of input, perhaps an explanation as to how a cricket managed to walk right into the sanctuary without being noticed for hours - long enough to fill the indoors with a lingering stale stogie funk. PoPo seemed to be pretending to tend to the flowers. Bejita-kireru flew in the direction of Eugene's ki. Hopefully the cricket would be finished with his negotiations and she could begin to train for the upcoming fight that she knew would erupt as soon as her brother got wind of her little introductory speech to Kakarott. He was probably already seething over the fact that Kakarott had been the one to defeat Freeza. She didn't have first hand knowledge of the battle; the scouters had ceased transmission from the planet Namek long before it had taken place. Reliable sources had informed her that though Freeza lived through it, it was a humiliating defeat nonetheless. Anyway, she was sure from all the ravings she had heard from her brother in the past over the scouter, he'd practically explode knowing someone else was contesting his superiority. Hopefully he'd show her how much he was capable of. It was too bad she had to take a dive this time. Of course, it was entirely possible that he'd simply overwhelm her, but she didn't think it was likely at this juncture. She sighed… too bad she had to take a dive, it was just too bad. The cricket's ki was getting closer, but her scouter read otherwise. She hadn't actually needed it to read ki for a while, just to listen in to the communications. It wouldn't have done much good, the readout for ki had been screwed up since she was listening in on Namek, apparently due to some kind of overload. For some reason the readout kept indicating 42. She finally ended up looking in over a balcony over a high tower. The cricket's ki was up higher yet from this place, but something smelled really good from inside. She shouldn't have let Kakarott have that fish, damn him. She alighted on the balcony and poked her head in the door. She was hungry. The cricket could wait. “Whatever's cooking smells really good,” said Goku as he let himself in. “Well you smell like a fish!” replied ChiChi. “Yeah, there's plenty. Something really stra…” “Enough! Bathe first!” ChiChi held her nose and shooed him out of the kitchen. Gohan started to get up from the kitchen table and paused. ChiChi was too busy with the cooking to it seemed, and Gohan managed to slip out behind his father - who did reek of fish… but something else, too. It made him uneasy. The scent was like all the other Saiya-jin he'd encountered thus far - enough in itself for concern, but it was somehow different. “What happened at the lake, dad?” “Oh, it was really strange. Did you know Vegeta has a sister?” “No. I didn't.” “Yeah. She said she was the heir to rule the Saiya-jin - all four of us.” Goku chuckled. “Boy, is Vegeta going to be mad if he comes back here anytime.” “But dad, aren't you worried?” “Nah. She only seemed to want to bother me, really. It's nothing I can't handle.” “But you said Vegeta would be mad. What if they get in a fight? People could get hurt… the two of them could end up destroying a lot if they went all out.” “Well… then we just won't tell Vegeta that she said all that stuff. I think she was leaving, anyway. I hope. We have enough to deal with as it is with these androids that are supposed to show up.” Goku had stoked up a good bed of coals and got in the hot bath. Gohan headed back in the house. He was too big to share baths with his dad anymore, and he still had some studying to finish up, if he could keep his mind on it. Karin was somewhat startled when she just walked right in. Yajirobe was more than startled when he realized she was heading right for all of the food he'd just spread out. He took an offensive stance and she reacted by quickly forcing both palms toward him, sending what looked like a ki blast in his direction. He realized too late that he couldn't dodge it, and perhaps the lavish spread wasn't worth dying for after all. He then realized that the impact he was bracing for hadn't happened, and he was floating, suspended in what seemed like a bubble just above her head, sword and all. All this had happened before Karin had opened his mouth to speak. “Cat. I'll be joining you for lunch.” She grinned. “Why don't you tell me what is the proper way for an Earth woman to act in such a situation, I gather there is some semblance of ritual attached?” Karin agreed. It didn't seem like such a bad request. Yajarobe seemed to be speaking his mind on the issue, but outside the bubble he couldn't be heard, and all the wild slashing he was doing with his sword wasn't freeing him. A nice QUIET lunch wouldn't hurt for once. He considered telling her to climb the tower properly - for a moment. Then he looked at Yajirobe again. The woman wanted lunch, not senzu. He showed her to the table. Half an hour later, the strange woman had gotten the hang of correct posture and proper demure eating habits as well as the art of small talk, all the while balancing on the mass of hair on her head the sphere containing Yajirobe, who was scowling horribly, his eye on every bite as it disappeared. Bejita-kireru fussed with the small cups and carafe of drink the way the cat had shown her was proper with the tea, but he was giving her a look of amused exasperation now, as if this wasn't necessary. Dividing her concentration between these rituals, which Eugene had informed her were somehow important to Earth people, and keeping the fat man in suspension wasn't the perfect training exercise, but it would suffice. Even though she still felt ravenous despite clearing the table, and the fat man had resumed his struggling and cursing, she kept in mind the fact that no opportunity to sharpen her mental concentration was wasted, for that was where physical strength would eddy from like a rushing river when needed. Besides, if Kakarott had married an Earth woman, all the nuances of their mannerisms were apparently attractive to him, and she must learn the part if she in turn were ever to be so. Though not a bachelor, per-se, he WAS the last eligible man of her race. Perhaps someday perpetuating the Saiya-jin blood, rather than diluting it as he'd done, would actually be important to him. It was unlikely, though. He was really less a Saiya-jin than she was. Her father's descriptive terms for her rang in her mind - “Bah! You are only a Saiya-jin on the outside, daughter, inside it seems you're all Truffle.” Even the laughter that followed the statement, given more to it's preposterousness by the use of the derogatory term for the race bulldozed to make way for the Vegita dynasty, summed up all he felt for her. That had been when she finally realized that there was an undercurrent of sarcasm when the others called her “princess,” and that even if by some miracle it turned out that she herself was actually the legendary Super Saiya-jin, her father would probably still scorn her just for starting out so weak. She was destined to be nothing more to him but the Legendary Super-Disappointment. The Fat man wobbled somewhat in his prison, which was beginning to stretch into an oblong shape at the thrust of his sword, and she realized that in her resentment, she'd let her concentration slip. She quickly re-aligned the bubble, and downed the drink. The alcoholic tang of it caught her off guard for a second. She must have made a sour face, because the Cat chuckled and poured her another cup, which she sipped from this time because it seemed to be more “proper” than just sloshing it back. “Cat, what do they call a creature such as yourself?” she asked, tentatively testing out the banter he had referred to as “small talk.” “Karin is my name, otherwise I suppose I'm just called a cat. And you?” “My given name is Bejita-kireru, but I never really use it because it is not the name I was called as I grew up. The name I go by most often is Malus…” “Which, you should know, translates to 'monster' in the dead language of an extinct people,” interrupted a familiar voice from behind her. She turned to face Eugene who had apparently just appeared, tapping his back foot impatiently, negations hopefully finished. “I'll never forget,” he went on in the 'holier-than-thou' tone he affected so often, “the look on her face when she finally learned to read said language and discovered that fact. She was actually surprised! To think, after destroying every sentient inhabitant of a planet, it was news to this barbarian.” She furrowed her brow in annoyance. “Yes, every sentient being on the planet but you, Sensei.” She finished off what was left in the cup and turned back to Karin. “Lucky me,” she mumbled. “Yes. I should think so,” said Eugene as he hopped up on to her shoulder, trailing stogie smoke. He nodded to Karin. “Excuse us for the disturbance,” he said as he lifted his front limb to the space between his faceted eyes and disappeared with the female stranger. Yajirobe dropped to the floor on his rump. He glared at Karin. “How could you…” “Relax,” said Karin, “there's more in the kitchen, although I guess we're lucky she didn't smell and consequently consume that also. Besides, have you ever seen a woman, much less one like that, when denied a craving for food?” he asked; but Yajirobe's full attention was already on the ice-box. “When will you teach me instantaneous movement?” she asked as they re-appeared at Kami's lookout. “Hrumph! Sometimes I'm sorry anyone ever taught you bukujitsu,” sneered the cricket. “Maybe when you're able to concentrate on someone's ki for long enough without thinking about eating.” “Ahem!” Kami approached, looking Bejita-kireru up and down. “So this is your student?” “Yes,” replied Eugene. “And she WILL make a very fine impression on you if she wants to be wished back from…” Kami held up his hand. “No need. I will decide presently. Come with me.” He gestured to Bejita-kireru to follow as he entered the sanctuary. She entered the strange small room as the Kami had directed her to. At first she was confused. This looked like no more than discreet vacation quarters. How was she to find the answer to his question here? She was sure it was some kind of a test - perhaps even a trick. “Malus,” he'd said. “Do you believe this, that you are no more than a monster?” “It's better than being no more than the shame of my family, born an outcast,” she'd retorted sharply, forgetting for a moment that she'd been addressing a god. She was instantly sorry she'd done so. It was the first time she'd actually seen a Namek-seijin in the flesh. She knew better than to think that he deserved any less than her respect. Perhaps he could sense this, as he seemingly ignored her crassness. “I should hope that you prove to be a bit more than either,” he went on. “What you and your teacher are asking of me is nowhere near simple, even if it is insurance that this planet will remain safe. It will cause more than a little bit of trouble for me, you realize this?” He was intently staring at her with such a serious look. Of course she knew. For her part, her eyes still flashed in abject of defiance. He unexpectedly chortled, “Do you think Lord En-ma will respond to your churlish attitude? Perhaps this is simply a waste of time.” Then he'd directed her to this room with instructions to stay here for nearly four days. Perhaps he had given all the consideration to her he would spare, and this was some way of making her a prisoner? The place made her uneasy. It had a familiar smell, or rather, non-smell. Very similar to the place Eugene had taken her when he'd saved her life, and cursed it. A loop in time was how he had described it. “The perfect hiding place for heavenly contraband.” As she stepped over the rear threshold of the room, she was met with vast nothingness. She was beginning to understand somewhat. It must be a test of some sort. She disembarked from the shelter of the room and began to walk straight into the void. She walked for what must have been hours. Nothing… she hadn't noticed that the glaring white-out had changed slightly, to more of a mist. Before long she was on solid ground. Frozen ground, bitterly frozen. Before she knew it, this began to engulf her, paralyzing her extremities. She fought to move on, forward, but seemed to be rooted in place. The feeling was suffocating. Looking down she saw that she was literally rooted to the spot by tendrils. She reflexively opened her mouth and let loose a blast at her feet. The tendrils receded momentarily, only to resume their grasping from somewhere above. As the wrapped about her, their warmth calmed her gradually. She knew this feeling. Her energy would be sucked from her before long, unless she locked it up within herself. She would not be cursed twice! She heard a voice somewhere - “I know your tricks damn you!” it whispered hoarsely, then she realized that the voice was her own, and her heart rate and breathing were slowing without her concentration willing it. She could feel the core of all the power she had ever possessed collapsing on itself and redoubling at her heart as her body and consciousness slipped slowly into dormancy. Her outward aura expanded into a sphere encompassing her body and the tendrils were pushed away. The warmth increased; opposite to the result of the technique when she willed it's use. But she did want to use this now, did she not? If not the result would be that she'd be left a dry husk… “You must leave the room in ninety-six hours… it is all the time I can allow you.” Somewhere in the dimming of her mind's eye she heard the Kami's warning. “It's easy to become hopelessly trapped in these loops unless you know the intricacies of their weaving…” This, Eugene's warning about the place he'd hidden his sapling tree, the place where she'd first allowed it to tap her power, to see her own potential cycle through its roots and limbs and fruit and then again through her body when Eugene fed her the pome, the forbidden act restoring her life and strength only to begin the whole cycle yet again. “Wake, damn you!” Her own whisper again urged her. Yet another trick of the sylvan spirit that had claimed her as its slave long ago… “Fight!” This last influence of her psyche, perhaps the base influence of the psyche of all the Saiya-jin, broke the trance that she had unwittingly forced herself into, the trap the room had laid for her. Energy exploded from the kernel it had become at her breast and out through the spherical blue aura enveloping her. Shards of what she had thought to be the 'reality' of the Tree of Heaven rained down in a blizzard like sparkling glass blasted to dust. Yamucha alighted at Kami's place and was relieved to see Kami already out surveying the gardens with PoPo. He hated going into the sanctuary, there was just something creepy about it, especially after spending so much time at Kaio-Sama's planet. It just seemed to remind him that he had once been, for all practical purposes, a dead man. “What is it that you wish of me?” Kami asked without even taking his attention from the particularly nice orchid PoPo was showing him. “Seems that we're rather popular today, hmm?” he said to PoPo, who nodded emphatically. Yamucha bowed, even though Kami's back was still to him. “I have come to seek your training, Kami-Sama. I know that you have said that you have already…” “Yes I have taught you everything I have to teach you,” Kami snapped, seemingly exasperated by so many interruptions on this day. He finally regarded Yamucha. “But I do have an idea, since you seem to be a glutton for punishment, that is.” “I will be honored to receive any training which Kami-Sama has to give,” Yamucha replied, dipping into another deep bow. “Well then,” Yamucha caught a rare glimpse of amusement cross Kami's wrinkled features. “Go into the sanctuary and enter the Room of Spirit and Time. Within you will find a woman of the Saiya-jin race.” Yaumacha must have shown outward doubt, because Kami suddenly frowned sharply. Yamucha bowed deeply again and apologized. Kami cleared his throat, glanced at an hourglass situated at the threshold of the sanctuary, and continued. “Tell her that her time inside has expired, and bring her out, willing or not.” He emphasized this last part, and Yamucha thought he saw that look of amusement for another fleeting second. “Once you emerge, you are to find her sufficient quarters for the duration of her visit here. I believe you will gain something from this (ahem) task.” Yamucha had expected the word “ordeal,” and he supposed he couldn't be far from wrong. Nonetheless, he bowed and thanked Kami before he headed into the sanctuary. Upon entering the Room of Spirit and Time, Yamucha braced himself for a scene not unlike the first time Kami had instructed him to visit the Room. Instead of the scorched vista of a past Vegetasei, he seemed to be in a steam room. He squinted in the thickness of the air, trying to make something out. Just as he thought he saw a feminine silhouette, he had to double over in pain, realizing that he found himself suddenly lodged into the plaster of the ceiling of the place. He fell to the floor in a heap, thinking that the family jewels might be forever useless. Before he finished the thought, his head spun with a brain-shattering slap to the side of the face. “Even the damn illusions on this planet have no class.” He barely heard her from the ringing in his ears; he certainly saw nothing before she'd snapped a towel around herself. He silently thanked the god who'd sent him in here. It was a peek he'd probably end up being killed for. He held up his hand in submission. “Kami-Sama says that..” It came out in a falsetto squeak. He was still numb from the waist down, but he cleared his throat and managed to try again. “Kami-Sama says that your time in the Room is up. He sent me to get you out.” “You people really are fragile as babes!” she exclaimed. She was smiling now and actually helped him up off the floor. The towel slipped as she bent over and he quickly made to cover his eyes. He'd have been on the floor again if her grip wasn't so strong. Now she was laughing uncontrollably, and in trying to keep him on his feet, she let the whole towel just drop. He thought he was going to die, or at least pass out right there, but she was suddenly gone, leaving him to struggle to lean up against a wall. He heard her voice from the next room, “I guess I'd better put something on then, or you'll be trapped in here forever, huh?” He felt his face burning, but at least he was now able to stand on his own. “You know, I though I'd already figured out the answer to the Kami's question, so I went ahead and used the extra time to clean up, but I guess I didn't learn a damn thing because I sure as hell thought you were another trick of this room. Heh, can't always be right, though, right?” Somehow the thought that Saiya-jin women at least went on and on talking like human women entered his mind, but then again he figured that he'd best off not make any assumptions too quickly. |