Will to Survive
Chapter 1
Visits
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ nor do I make any money from it. If I did then I wouldn't have to worry about paying for my college education next year. ^_~
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
The shallow puddle sat at her feet and she stared down at it, as if it held all the secrets to her life and her future. But the muddy water communicated nothing to her and soon enough she was forced to move on. The press of bodies all around her was enough to make her want to scream but no one would pay attention if she did. It was her lot in life to toil through the dirty streets, making a living as best she could with what little she was given.
The air was cold and seeped through her thin dress easily. It was difficult to maintain clothing when any money that could be earned was quickly spent on an actual meal. As the darkness on the streets deepened she moved away from the open, crowded streets and made her way to her small hovel by taking side streets and filthy alleyways. The coins in her pockets jingled and she smiled to herself.
'This was a good day. I can actually eat well tonight and maybe get a warm, dry place to sleep as well.'
A haul like she had in her pocket didn't come along often. After all, the people that carried this much money rarely came down to the streets where she worked.
'I'll just use some of this tonight and hide the rest for another day. That was I'll have some for the next slow day."
The young woman moved off down the darkening area whistling a happy little tune.
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
In the richer side of the town a large townhouse stood comfortably in a row with its neighbors. They all looked the same, with solid brown stone and several steps leading up to the double doors of oak. Each door had of the house had glass set in them. The glass was located at head height and portrayed small birds in play. It was a beautiful door and a lovely house.
Inside the house was even more lovely. Each room contained furnishings that were handpicked with loving care by the mistress of the home. She had an eye for what would fit in her home and exactly where it would be located. She knew how to position each item so that the light in the room, no matter where it came from, would strike it in the best way.
That same mistress who lovingly picked every piece of furniture in her home was at that precise moment glaring down at her servant with something very much like disdain.
"How could you possibly allow that to happen?! You were careless, you admit that, and now you have come to ask me to help you out? I can't believe you! How could you let this happen?"
The young man who stood in front of her with his head bent and his eyes cast to the floor grimaced at the tone his mistress was directing towards him.
"I am sorry mistress. I didn't even notice until I got here, although I think I know who's responsible. I just need to borrow some money until I can track the girl down and get my money back."
"A girl? A girl stole you wages from you? Why were you carrying them around anyway? And why were you in that part of the town?"
"I can't tell you, but please, I need the money. And I am certain that I can find that girl and get back my money."
"No, it's probably being spent even as we speak, most likely all you would be able to do is turn her into the authorities."
The woman stopped her pacing and turned towards her servant and held one delicate finger in front of his face.
"I will give you more money on one condition. You will go back and try to find that girl. Then you will bring her here. I wish to speak with her. Do not question me. Just do as I tell you too."
"Yes Ma'am" hank you."
With that the young woman went to her purse and pulled out some money, which she promptly handed over to the dark-haired man who served her.
"Just don't lose it when again. You may leave."
The man turned and fled from the room quickly, ecstatic that he had not only escaped from his mistresses wrath but that she had also felt generous enough to give him more money.
The young mistress of the house looked at the door as it closed behind her servant. As she sank down on her bed she ran her hands through her curly blue hair.
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
The morning dawned bright and clear and the young thief woman stretched herself out in her temporary bed. She could have gotten used to such accommodations, but she got the so rarely that she took pleasure in it each and every time. Usually her bed consisted of a hard, cold ground, and several pieces of discarded newspaper, if she could find them.
Even though she would have liked to sleep more or just lie on the soft, if lumpy, surface for a while, but she knew that she had to get up and start 'earning' more money. She liked such luxuries, although she knew that people like the man who had unintentionally paid for her food and lodgings would not have considered the cramped, shabby room and lumpy bed a 'luxury.'
Still, it was nice for her and more than she could hope for most days. If she could get just a little bit of money, the amount she usually got each day, then combined it with what she had left over from the previous day then she could sleep in the bed again one more night.
She really hated stealing, but she had so little to offer that no one would give her an honest job. At least that's what people assumed when they looked at her. True she didn't have the nicest clothing and she was always pretty filthy, but that didn't mean she didn't have skills other than picking peoples pockets.
She was certain that she had lots of skills, although she'd never gotten the opportunity to try any others.
She dragged herself off of the mattress and put her flimsy shoes back on. As she walked out the door she hoped that she would be walking back into it that night.
Out on the street few people were stirring. It had snowed the previous night and it was freezing out. She shivered but had nothing else to keep her warm, so she wrapped her small shawl around her little frame and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She was so busy stomping her feet for warmth and watching the snow puff up from under her feet that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her, although it might have had more to do with the muffling effect of the snow than her own preoccupation.
Two hands reached out and grabbed her shoulders, yanking her about to face a dark-haired young man about her own age.
"I knew I could find you. What did you do with my money?"
She opened her mouth in honest shock and bewilderment. 'How does this man know it was me? I could have sworn he didn't even notice me and yet he recognized me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a flower seller and I was just on my way to pick up my daily flowers to sell. Please excuse me."
"Don't even try that with me. I know it was you. Well, she was probably right. You've spent it already haven't you? It doesn't matter right now. Come on."
She dug her heels into the ground to stop his dragging her, but the snow slid away under her shoes and all she could do was try to pull her arm out of his grasp. Unfortunately for her, that didn't seem to be working either.
"I'm not going with you! You have no proof that I stole from you! You can't turn me into the authorities without proof!! They'll arrest me and throw me in jail just because you're accusing me!!! You can't!!"
Goku turned back to the room and shook his head.
"Listen, I'm not turning you in. I wanted to yesterday when I realized my money was gone. I was mad and ashamed that you managed to steal from me but I calmed down and I wouldn't have turned you in even if my mistress hadn't told me not to. So come on."
"You're a servant? You work for some rich creep and his spoilt wife huh? But why didn't she want you to turn me in?"
Goku turned back to the woman and leaned in close to her.
"Don't talk that way about my mistress. She's a good, kind woman. I have no clue why she wanted to let you go free or why she wants to talk to you, but you will not talk about her that way."
She nodded her head in understanding and stopped struggling. It really was useless to fight him; she couldn't get away. As they walked into the part of town that the upper society dwelled in she saw more and more officers. She would have hailed one and claimed her was kidnapping her, which of course he was, but she knew that he might turn her over if she did. She would rather face him and his mistress than prison.
"Could you at least tell me your name?"
"Goku."
"Where does this mistress live anyway?"
"We're almost there."
"How did you find me?"
Goku threw a quick smile over his shoulder at her before looking ahead once more.
"I can't tell you that. But anyway, we're here."
Goku pulled her up to the double doors of a large townhouse that she was certain she would never be able to tell apart from the rest on the street and wondered how he did. The doors opened as soon as Goku knocked on the door and he dragged her past a butler who stared at her with obvious disapproval and contempt.
The furnishings everywhere took her breath away. She'd never been anywhere near a place this expensive and she figured she could feed herself and sleep comfortable for a whole month with just a few of the knickknacks on the shelves.
Goku withdrew his hand from her arm and stepped away from her quickly. She looked up and gasped as the prettiest woman she had ever seen entered the room.
"This is the mysterious young thief then? Well, I think you'll do fine."
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
AN: Well, what in the world is Bulma planning? I know but you'll just have to speculate until I write the next chapter. ^_^ It might and it might not be what you're thinking. Anyway, I plan this to be a G/CC but I may make it into a V/B as well.....maybe....depending on how it goes. I'm not sure of the title for this, so if anyone has some suggestions, just let me know. ^_^ Thanks. Also, if you want to be on my DBZ mailing list then e-mail me at hibari_heza@fangirl.org See ya. ^_^
Chapter 1
Visits
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ nor do I make any money from it. If I did then I wouldn't have to worry about paying for my college education next year. ^_~
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
The shallow puddle sat at her feet and she stared down at it, as if it held all the secrets to her life and her future. But the muddy water communicated nothing to her and soon enough she was forced to move on. The press of bodies all around her was enough to make her want to scream but no one would pay attention if she did. It was her lot in life to toil through the dirty streets, making a living as best she could with what little she was given.
The air was cold and seeped through her thin dress easily. It was difficult to maintain clothing when any money that could be earned was quickly spent on an actual meal. As the darkness on the streets deepened she moved away from the open, crowded streets and made her way to her small hovel by taking side streets and filthy alleyways. The coins in her pockets jingled and she smiled to herself.
'This was a good day. I can actually eat well tonight and maybe get a warm, dry place to sleep as well.'
A haul like she had in her pocket didn't come along often. After all, the people that carried this much money rarely came down to the streets where she worked.
'I'll just use some of this tonight and hide the rest for another day. That was I'll have some for the next slow day."
The young woman moved off down the darkening area whistling a happy little tune.
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
In the richer side of the town a large townhouse stood comfortably in a row with its neighbors. They all looked the same, with solid brown stone and several steps leading up to the double doors of oak. Each door had of the house had glass set in them. The glass was located at head height and portrayed small birds in play. It was a beautiful door and a lovely house.
Inside the house was even more lovely. Each room contained furnishings that were handpicked with loving care by the mistress of the home. She had an eye for what would fit in her home and exactly where it would be located. She knew how to position each item so that the light in the room, no matter where it came from, would strike it in the best way.
That same mistress who lovingly picked every piece of furniture in her home was at that precise moment glaring down at her servant with something very much like disdain.
"How could you possibly allow that to happen?! You were careless, you admit that, and now you have come to ask me to help you out? I can't believe you! How could you let this happen?"
The young man who stood in front of her with his head bent and his eyes cast to the floor grimaced at the tone his mistress was directing towards him.
"I am sorry mistress. I didn't even notice until I got here, although I think I know who's responsible. I just need to borrow some money until I can track the girl down and get my money back."
"A girl? A girl stole you wages from you? Why were you carrying them around anyway? And why were you in that part of the town?"
"I can't tell you, but please, I need the money. And I am certain that I can find that girl and get back my money."
"No, it's probably being spent even as we speak, most likely all you would be able to do is turn her into the authorities."
The woman stopped her pacing and turned towards her servant and held one delicate finger in front of his face.
"I will give you more money on one condition. You will go back and try to find that girl. Then you will bring her here. I wish to speak with her. Do not question me. Just do as I tell you too."
"Yes Ma'am" hank you."
With that the young woman went to her purse and pulled out some money, which she promptly handed over to the dark-haired man who served her.
"Just don't lose it when again. You may leave."
The man turned and fled from the room quickly, ecstatic that he had not only escaped from his mistresses wrath but that she had also felt generous enough to give him more money.
The young mistress of the house looked at the door as it closed behind her servant. As she sank down on her bed she ran her hands through her curly blue hair.
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
The morning dawned bright and clear and the young thief woman stretched herself out in her temporary bed. She could have gotten used to such accommodations, but she got the so rarely that she took pleasure in it each and every time. Usually her bed consisted of a hard, cold ground, and several pieces of discarded newspaper, if she could find them.
Even though she would have liked to sleep more or just lie on the soft, if lumpy, surface for a while, but she knew that she had to get up and start 'earning' more money. She liked such luxuries, although she knew that people like the man who had unintentionally paid for her food and lodgings would not have considered the cramped, shabby room and lumpy bed a 'luxury.'
Still, it was nice for her and more than she could hope for most days. If she could get just a little bit of money, the amount she usually got each day, then combined it with what she had left over from the previous day then she could sleep in the bed again one more night.
She really hated stealing, but she had so little to offer that no one would give her an honest job. At least that's what people assumed when they looked at her. True she didn't have the nicest clothing and she was always pretty filthy, but that didn't mean she didn't have skills other than picking peoples pockets.
She was certain that she had lots of skills, although she'd never gotten the opportunity to try any others.
She dragged herself off of the mattress and put her flimsy shoes back on. As she walked out the door she hoped that she would be walking back into it that night.
Out on the street few people were stirring. It had snowed the previous night and it was freezing out. She shivered but had nothing else to keep her warm, so she wrapped her small shawl around her little frame and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She was so busy stomping her feet for warmth and watching the snow puff up from under her feet that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her, although it might have had more to do with the muffling effect of the snow than her own preoccupation.
Two hands reached out and grabbed her shoulders, yanking her about to face a dark-haired young man about her own age.
"I knew I could find you. What did you do with my money?"
She opened her mouth in honest shock and bewilderment. 'How does this man know it was me? I could have sworn he didn't even notice me and yet he recognized me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a flower seller and I was just on my way to pick up my daily flowers to sell. Please excuse me."
"Don't even try that with me. I know it was you. Well, she was probably right. You've spent it already haven't you? It doesn't matter right now. Come on."
She dug her heels into the ground to stop his dragging her, but the snow slid away under her shoes and all she could do was try to pull her arm out of his grasp. Unfortunately for her, that didn't seem to be working either.
"I'm not going with you! You have no proof that I stole from you! You can't turn me into the authorities without proof!! They'll arrest me and throw me in jail just because you're accusing me!!! You can't!!"
Goku turned back to the room and shook his head.
"Listen, I'm not turning you in. I wanted to yesterday when I realized my money was gone. I was mad and ashamed that you managed to steal from me but I calmed down and I wouldn't have turned you in even if my mistress hadn't told me not to. So come on."
"You're a servant? You work for some rich creep and his spoilt wife huh? But why didn't she want you to turn me in?"
Goku turned back to the woman and leaned in close to her.
"Don't talk that way about my mistress. She's a good, kind woman. I have no clue why she wanted to let you go free or why she wants to talk to you, but you will not talk about her that way."
She nodded her head in understanding and stopped struggling. It really was useless to fight him; she couldn't get away. As they walked into the part of town that the upper society dwelled in she saw more and more officers. She would have hailed one and claimed her was kidnapping her, which of course he was, but she knew that he might turn her over if she did. She would rather face him and his mistress than prison.
"Could you at least tell me your name?"
"Goku."
"Where does this mistress live anyway?"
"We're almost there."
"How did you find me?"
Goku threw a quick smile over his shoulder at her before looking ahead once more.
"I can't tell you that. But anyway, we're here."
Goku pulled her up to the double doors of a large townhouse that she was certain she would never be able to tell apart from the rest on the street and wondered how he did. The doors opened as soon as Goku knocked on the door and he dragged her past a butler who stared at her with obvious disapproval and contempt.
The furnishings everywhere took her breath away. She'd never been anywhere near a place this expensive and she figured she could feed herself and sleep comfortable for a whole month with just a few of the knickknacks on the shelves.
Goku withdrew his hand from her arm and stepped away from her quickly. She looked up and gasped as the prettiest woman she had ever seen entered the room.
"This is the mysterious young thief then? Well, I think you'll do fine."
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
AN: Well, what in the world is Bulma planning? I know but you'll just have to speculate until I write the next chapter. ^_^ It might and it might not be what you're thinking. Anyway, I plan this to be a G/CC but I may make it into a V/B as well.....maybe....depending on how it goes. I'm not sure of the title for this, so if anyone has some suggestions, just let me know. ^_^ Thanks. Also, if you want to be on my DBZ mailing list then e-mail me at hibari_heza@fangirl.org See ya. ^_^
