Date: 24th of December.
Year: 2647.
The Past…
"It's Christmas! I can't believe that it's Christmas. I wonder what I got from Santa?" Karika said to herself as she got out of her bed.
As Karika raced towards the Christmas tree, she nearly tripped over her pet dragon Jezebel. Under the Christmas tree there was a lot of presents. Karika didn't know which one to open up first, there were small ones, there were big ones, and there were even odd shaped ones. Piccolo appeared in the doorway of Karika's cave, he saw that Karika looked happy instead of looking miserable.
"Good morning Karika, Merry Christmas! What did Santa Clause get for you?" Asked Piccolo in a very happy mood.
"Santa got me heaps of stuff, but I didn't want to open any 'til you were up." Karika said.
"Well now that I'm up, you can start opening your presents now." Piccolo said.
After Karika had finished opening her presents, she went into her room to get a surprise for Piccolo. She had saved up all of her pocket money and bought Piccolo a present.
"I think that it is unfair that I get to unwrap presents and you don't. So here's a present just for you." Karika said while giving Piccolo his present.
'I haven't had a Christmas present before, no one ever gave me one. Before I met Karika I never even celebrated Christmas. She's a special kid.' Piccolo said to himself. When he finished un-wrapping the gift, he saw that it was a sweater, with a scarf. He gave Karika a big hug and said "Thank- you Karika, since you gave me a surprise present I'm going to give you yours. Close your eyes and I'll take you to your present."
Piccolo carried Karika to the door of her cave and said, "Ok, you can open your eyes now."
Outside stood a small, pink bicycle, a basket in front with a pretty bow.
"Thank-you Mr. Piccolo! I always wanted a bicycle! I love you very much!" Karika said to Piccolo with hugs and kisses in between.
" I have another surprise for you, how about we go and visit Goten and the others and give them their presents that we bought for them. Does that sound ok to you?" Asked Piccolo.
"Oh could we please, pretty please with a cherry on top. Jezebel hasn't seen Ickorus for a long time, so can we go?" Karika asked Piccolo.
"Yeah sure, why not; we're going to visit the guys." Piccolo said cheerfully.
"Quick gather up all of their presents, wake up Jezebel, get dressed, and put your coat on; the sooner we leave, the sooner we get there." Piccolo said.
They loaded up the presents on Jezebel, and made sure it wouldn't fall off of her back, and they were on their way to visit some friends of theirs.
When they arrived at Goku's house, they both saw that all of the Z team was outside either sitting around or playing tip.
Piccolo saw Goku and shouted out to him "Hey Goku, you got room for three more visitors?"
Goku was glad to see that Karika and Piccolo had come to their party after all. Everyone's attention was now on Piccolo, Karika and Jezebel. When they landed there were a lot of hugs, kisses, giving out presents, and questions asked.
It was starting to get a bit chilly outside, and everyone agreed to go inside and sit next to the fireplace.
Karika asked ChiChi "Um, excuse me ChiChi, could Jezebel come inside out of the cold. She's house broken, and she won't get in your way?"
"Sure why not, as long as she doesn't lick people. Come on let's go inside." Replied ChiChi.
"ChiChi, how come Vegeta, Bulma, and Trunks aren't here yet? Aren't they coming to your party?" Asked a curious Karika.
" Well Bulma said that they are coming very soon, why do you want to know sweetie?" Said ChiChi, "Is it because of Trunks?"
"Yeah, I think that I have a crush on him or something like that." Replied Karika.
"Hey it looks like Bulma, Vegeta and Trunks are coming after all. Look over there, do you see that car zooming down the path way back over there. Want to greet them with me?" ChiChi said to Karika.
ChiChi and Karika waited outside for Bulma, Vegeta and Trunks to arrive. Trunks was so happy to see Karika again. Karika helped Vegeta and Bulma to carry the presents for them and to bring them inside. Everyone started to sing Christmas Carols while eating a slice of ChiChi's Christmas Cake and cookies. They were all glad that there were no bad guys around for the time being. There was finally peace on Earth and all that they cared about now was to have fun.
At that moment Karika sat straight up in bed and said to herself "It was just a dream, why am I dreaming about my third Christmas with the guys. It doesn't make any sense. Do I miss them or something?"
Karika rolled over and saw that Jezebel was lying on the rug next to her bed.
'Why am I thinking about Trunks and the other guys, I told them that I was going to visit my home planet or what was left of it and I would come home to earth very soon. Well I'd better get up and do some more training in order to spar with my friend Kokoro. He must be pretty strong by now. Great! Finally a real challenge to look forward to!' Karika said to herself.
Karika had a nice warm shower to wake herself up. After she got dressed, she decided to fix herself something to eat.
Just then a message come through to the screen in front of the controls. The voice said "Hello is anyone there, this is a restricted area turn your ship around immediately or we would be forced to open fire upon you. I repeat, this is a restricted area turn your ship around immediately or we would be forced to open fire upon you."
Karika dropped everything and raced towards the controls and replied "Yes, I'm here please don't fire on me I simply want to visit your planet and my home. My name is Karika; my mother was the Queen Sayajin Rebels. I mean no harm to you…"
"Karika is that you? Princess, it's me Kokoro, do you remember me?" Kokoro asked.
'Kokoro? It must be him.' Karika thought to herself. Then said "Computer, activate visual contact on the main screen." On the screen in front of her, a familiar face appeared.
"My, how much you have grown since I saw you last. I'll activate the tractor beam to pull you into the docking bay. I look forward to seeing you there. Over and out." Kokoro's transmission ended.
"Oh I almost forgot, they can't see me in this clothing. I'll have to change into my sayajin armor that Bulma gave me." Karika said to herself and rushed off to get changed.
"Gee, I wonder if they would accept me as their princess? They must have another person ruling for them. I hope I fit in." Karika said to no one in particular.
As her ship landed she briefly went over the sayajin culture in her head. The door opened to reveal sayajin space pods in different sizes, all lined up ready for departure. Karika started to walk down the ramp but stopped to see some soldiers armed with riffles and some with none. They lined up straight and parallel to each other. A red carpet rolled down the center of the walk way, a figure walked down the middle.
When it was about half way it said to Karika, "Princess Karika, you have come back to us. Now our empire will rule once more as it was with our Queen. It is I, Kokoro, your training mentor, your friend. It is good to see you again."
"Kokoro, is that really you? You've changed a lot, and what's with this royal treatment, huh?"
Karika questioned.
After saying that, Karika heard a loud pounding noise, and turned around. She saw Jezebel bounding towards her, then stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw all of the men with guns. Jezebel growled and snorted out smoke. The soldiers looked towards the dragon and started to shake in their boots at seeing the little dragon.
Karika bent over and whispered in Jezebel's ear, "It's alright, they won't harm me nor you. They are just welcoming us to their planet." The dragon eased her guard and sat quietly down beside Karika. "Everyone this is my friend Jezebel, as you can see she is a dragon but she is quite harmless. If you oppose a threat to either me or herself she might toast you, but don't worry she won't I assure you." Karika said to everyone.
"You must be hungry, follow me to the dining hall where you'll be served, come." Kokoro said to Karika.
Both Karika and Jezebel followed Kokoro into the dining hall where they saw a long table full of different kinds of food. They immediately got into eating as much food as they could possibly can.
"This food is really yummy, I have to get the recipe for the sauce of the turkey you cooked. Isn't this delicious Jezebel? Better than our last meal on earth." Said Karika while taking a breather. When they finished all of the food on the table, their stomachs were contented.
"You know what I feel like now, Kokoro?" Karika asked Kokoro.
"What is that Karika?" asked Kokoro.
"A good sparring session. May I choose any soldier or do you have one set aside for me already?" Suggested Karika.
Kokoro said to Karika "Indeed I do, we'll have a competition to see if my men are ready to face a strong opponent. Karika please don't hold back on them." Then said to his soldiers " Men I want you to ignore Karika as being a female and our princess, just think of her as one of your fellow soldiers." Kokoro said. "Let the battle begin!"
Karika threw off her sayajin armor that covered her chest area, and revealed her training outfit.
The first opponent for Karika was a weak-looking Private. He cracked his knuckles and loosened himself up.
Karika just stood there ready and waiting for the sayajin soldier to warm himself up. Karika suddenly made the first move, since her opponent wouldn't go.
The Private was having a hard time keeping up with Karika's speed. Then all of a sudden Karika kicked into hyper mode. No one could see the two figures anymore, everything was just a blur.
The sayajin soldier tried to surprise Karika with his Garlic Gun attack but Karika saw it coming and evaded the move. In return she did her 'Cold Shot' move. The entire sparring arena became white as Karika's move hit the ground, right in front of the soldier.
As the dust settled down, and the white light faded, the spectators saw that the soldier wasn't moving. Karika descended from her position to stand on firm land. The soldier was in shock. The paramedics carried him away.
"Well done, I'd never thought you'd beat our second strongest warrior here, but I was mistaken. Was that the Cold Shot move I taught you when you were just an infant? You still remembered it, and I see that you were able to increase its strength. I congratulate you on your victory, but now you must defeat the strongest warrior of us all, me! I too have increased my power and strength." Kokoro said to Karika.
"We'll just see about that good friend. After this fight can we eat again, 'cos I'll be starving by the time I finish scraping your body parts off the ground when I'm through with you!" Karika said back to Kokoro. 'I'd better not get too angry in beating Kokoro or I might shift into Super Sayajin mode, and won't they be surprised." She said to herself.
"Aren't we a little bit too optimistic? I bet you won't even match up to my new power princess. Oh and don't wait until I'm all warmed up, you can attack me at anytime you like," Kokoro said to Karika, "Sure I'll get the cooks to whip up a meal to feed all of us. We'll have a banquet to honor your arrival, Princess. We'll invite our people to join us. But right now we have a battle to start."
As the battle started Kokoro made the first hit, it was right in Karika's guts. This made Karika angry and blasted off then disappeared without a trace. Kokoro never really had much patience for waiting. He thought that he saw Karika but it was too fast to trace. Then next minute, Karika appeared behind Kokoro and used her tail to wrap around his neck and flinged him towards the ground. Karika was amazed to see that Kokoro managed to get up after that blow. Before Kokoro had a chance to get his bearings back to normal, Karika used another move, but this time it was different.
"Hey Kokoro, check this one out will ya!" Karika said to Kokoro "Haa-doo- yaa-ken, haa!" As Karika said this, she didn't realize that she had turned Super Sayajin all of a sudden. The spectators were amazed to see that their princess was a Super Sayajin.
"Huh? What's this? Holy Shit! I've got to get out of here before she kills me!" Kokoro said while he panicked.
"Ha ha ha! Fooled ya didn't I. Did you really think that I would do such a thing to you?" Karika asked Kokoro. 'Oh crap! I've turned super sayajin but I didn't even get angry. I'd better do something 'cos they are all staring at me strangely.' Karika then said to herself, as she lowered her fighting level but just enough to get out of super sayajin mode.
"Ha, ha, ha. Did I mention I could turn super sayajin anytime I want? Sorry I didn't, I didn't want to scare you." Karika said in a sorry tone.
"Don't worry about it. I always knew that there was something special about you, since the day you were born. Come on everyone lets get washed up and be ready for our banquet. Where would you like to stay princess? We can organize a bedroom suite for you, including the works. What do you say?" Asked Kokoro.
"If it's OK with you guys, I would like to stay in my ship. Besides I'm waiting for a call from a friend, he said that he would give me a call soon." Karika replied.
"Sure it's alright with us. See you in a little while." Kokoro said as he walked out of the arena. "We can finish off our sparring session another time."
"No need, 'cos I just won. You walked out of the ring, so I win. Rules are rules." Karika said.
"Fine then you can have this small victory now but..." Kokoro's sentence was broken off by an announcement the computer made over the PA, "Unidentified space pod approaching planet New Vegeta. Waiting for next command."
"Karika, quickly come with me. I'll show you how the control tower works." Kokoro told Karika.
When they arrived in the control tower there was a visual on the screen. Trunks was trying to get permission to land in the docking bay but he wasn't allowed. Trunks said, "Please my space pod needs to land so that I can refuel and repair the damages. I also need to heal myself I am bleeding very badly. I ohh…" Trunks blacked out.
Karika realized that Trunks wasn't kidding around. He had a tear in the hull, the system was going haywire and Trunks looked terrible. Hoping that he could still hear her Karika said to Trunks, "Trunks don't worry we'll use the tractor beam and pull you into the bay. I've missed you sweetie. I will be waiting for you there over and out."
'Karika? Was that her? She called me sweetie again, I guess she's not angry with me anymore.' Trunks said to himself in his mind. He managed to hook himself up to the rejuvenator machine inside the space pod.
"My princess, we can't just let anyone to land here on New Vegeta. And how do you know that young man that you just spoke to, is he a friend?" Kokoro asked Karika.
"Yes, I do. You see he is my boyfriend. He is like me; he is a demi sayajin. I'll tell you more later but right now we have to get down to the docking bay immediately." Karika said to Kokoro.
As the space pod landed Karika and the rest of the soldiers lined up armed and ready to assist. They waited a while for the door to open but when it didn't Karika got a bit scared and ran over to see what's wrong.
Karika looked inside through the window and saw that Trunks was in a bad state. She ordered two of the soldiers to carry him out of his pod, and to put him in the rejuvenating chamber. Karika helped the two soldiers carry Trunks into the chamber room, then ordered them to leave. Karika took all of Trunks' clothes off except of his briefs and boxers. Then heaved with all of her might to put Trunks in a sitting position inside of the rejuvenating chamber. Trunks woke up, he said wearily to Karika "Karika…. I'm so glad to see your pretty face again…" Then Karika said softly to Trunks, "Shhh. Don't try to talk now my love. Wait until your better and then we can talk. OK." And with that she gave Trunks a light kiss on his lips, then closed the lid of the chamber. Trunks closed his eyelids as the chamber filled up with a liquid, which helps to heal the wounds. He soon went into a light sleep.
1
2 A while later…
"Can you believe it Jezebel, I mean Trunks is here with us. For once he isn't out fighting bad guys or in another timeline." Karika said to Jezebel. Just then a young woman approached Karika while holding a dress and said, "My princess, I had many maids to make this dress just for you. Kokoro would like me to ask you if you need any help to get ready for the banquet? I would offer my service along with a few others to help you get ready."
Karika was astonished. "Uh, sure if you like to I'd be honored."
"No my princess it is I who would have the honor." The maid said, after saying that she signaled the others to come in. They got started straight away.
The two soldiers that carried Trunks into the rejuvenating chamber came back to check on how Trunks was doing. He was nearly done. They waited until he was done and all of the substance was drained out before they opened the door. Trunks hesitated for a moment then stood up. One of the two soldiers said to Trunks "I see you are well again, we have been assigned to get you ready for the banquet which is held soon. If you could follow me we will get your tux that is your size."
"Where's Karika? I need to talk to her, it's about the Z team, they need her help back on planet Earth." Trunks said o the man.
"Please sir you must get ready, it is also part of Princess Karika's orders. She is nearly ready, please we are just following orders." The other soldier said to Trunks.
"OK. I'll get ready. Uh, by the way do happen to have a jewelers store nearby? I need to get a Christmas present for a certain lady, if you catch my drift." Trunks said to both of the Soldiers.
One of the soldiers went to a jeweler shop and asked the jeweler for an engagement ring for the princess. The jeweler picked out a very special ring; it was a 24-karat gold ring with 3 rose coloured diamonds surrounding a single white diamond. Even though the soldier didn't have any money to pay off the bill, the jeweler said "This one's on the house especially if it's for Princess Karika."
The other soldier went with Trunks to pick out a tuxedo for him to wear to the banquet that evening. The soldier found the perfect one for Trunks to wear.
It was time for the banquet to begin and Karika had just finished getting ready with help from a handful of maids. The maids had an hour of free time on their hands so they gave Jezebel a bath. Whenever Jezebel hears the words 'bath time' she tries to escape but usually she gets caught. The maids had a lot of fun giving Jezebel a bath, drying her, and making her look nice.
Karika was finishing up doing her nails when she heard a knocking noise at her door. One of the maids answered it and saw Trunks standing there in his tuxedo with a bunch of roses in one hand and a small box in the other. Trunks asked, "Is the elegant princess Karika ready for her date?"
The maid giggled for a bit and said, "Sorry, yes she is almost ready. Princess Karika said that you are charming, and I see that what she says is true. Please come in." And with that she let in Trunks and said "Please make yourself comfortable while I'll summon the princess."
The maid rushed into Karika's bedroom and said, "My princess, Trunks is here and he has a bunch of roses and a little box. It could be a present of some sort. You'd better check it out."
Karika asked the maid, "Do I look OK? I mean what if he isn't attracted to me now? What if he doesn't love me anymore? What if…"
"Look the only way to find out those answers is to ask him. Now go." The maid said as she urged Karika to go into the lounge area.
Karika walked out into the lounge room and said to Trunks, "Hi, are you feeling much better? You look nice in a tuxedo, you should wear one more often."
Trunks walked up to Karika and gave her a hug and a kiss on her cheek. He walked back to the couch and picked up the bunch of roses and gave it her and said, "Here, these are for you my dear. I got one of my friends to buy them especially for you."
Karika accepted the roses and said, "Thank you, these are wonderful. But I don't have anything to give to you. What can I do to return you a favour?"
"All you have to give to me is your beautiful smile that radiates from you." Trunks said to Karika while looking into her eyes. "You mean the world to me. You are like the sun, and all of the planets revolve around you, I am one of those planets."
"You were always a sweet-talker you know that Trunks. That's what I love about you. I love your hair, your smile, your attitude, and those gorgeous blue eyes of yours." Karika said before she gave him a kiss on his lips. Then said, "Oh no I think we're going to be late for the banquet. Come on we have to hurry."
"One of my friends said that the place that they are holding the banquet is a fair distance away. So I ordered a limousine to take us there." Trunks said to Karika. And at that moment a white limousine pulled up in front of Karika's ship, and a man stepped out and opened one of the doors and just stood there waiting. "Shall we go my love?" Trunks said charmingly to Karika. Karika just nodded as Trunks escorted her to the limousine. Inside the limousine was champagne, a stereo playing soft music, and a mini t.v.
2.1 When they arrived at the banquet, the chaffer helped Karika out of the car. As Trunks approached Karika, she saw a box shaped object in his pocket but she just ignored it. Both Karika and Trunks walked up the isle which had a red carpet laid down for them.
When they went inside they both saw a massive amount of people on the ballroom dance floor. Before they went onto the dance floor Trunks said to Karika, "Karika, my love, before we dance there is something I must ask you." Then paused and signaled a man up at the front to lower down the music so that everyone could hear his speech. Trunks continued, "On this special night we celebrate the returning of the princess but also another very important occasion," Then said to Karika with love in his voice "My lovely Karika would you do me the honor of being my wife?" After Trunks said this he got down on one knee and presented a small box. Everyone was waiting for Karika's answer.
A soldier from the control tower quietly asked Kokoro for his permission for the guest's parents to see what was going on. Kokoro said, "Yeah sure, go ahead but hurry they're missing out on the good parts."
A screen wide enough to fit the guys from earth opened to see what was going on. They saw Trunks on one knee holding a box with a ring inside. Bulma realised what was happening and started to cry. Trunks' little sister asked her mom what was wrong and Bulma replied, "Your big brother just proposed to Karika. He loves her so much that he wants to marry her."
Bulma started to cry just a little bit louder and everyone said to her, "Shhhhhh!" Then Vegeta (Bulma's husband) said to her "Be quiet woman. Calm down, everything is going to be fine. I know how you feel, it's alright." He hugged and kissed her to calm her down and they both looked back at the screen.
Karika was speechless; all she could say was "Oh Trunks, I don't know what to say."
Then Trunks said to her, "Please say yes, if you say no it would break my heart in two."
"Well then, yes I will marry you." Karika said. When Trunks heard this he stood back up and took the ring from the box and placed on her finger. They both hugged each other and kissed.
Everyone around them shouted out with cheers. The guys back home on earth also shouted cheerfully, some were even crying, some were trying not to show that they were crying.
When Karika and Trunks stopped kissing they saw that they had visitors watching them on a viewing screen. Trunks said, "Hi mum, dad, sis, guys; what you doing watching us?"
Bulma said, "We were sent a message saying that there was going to be a proposal over there and it had something to do with my little man. Your father and I are very proud of you…" Bulma stopped and looked at her husband Vegeta and smiled.
Vegeta looked at Bulma hugged and kissed her, then whispered in her ear, "Did I tell you that I love you gorgeous."
Then Goten butted in and said, "I knew you two would make a good couple ever since the very beginning. Have you thought about having a child yet? What the…?"
His older brother (Gohan) tackled him to the ground and started to pound his head with his fist cut him off. Then said " Hi there little sis, well I shouldn't call you little sis any more since your all grown up and everything. Don't mind Goten he is in one of those moods again but he's resting now. I'm really happy for the both of you. Oh, mum and dad want to say something to you, see you later OK. Bye."
Gohan stepped back to let his mom and dad talk to Karika and Trunks. Goku said, "Hi there you two love birds! Trunks I know that you'll take good care of Karika for us. When you two decide to come back to earth there is going to be a big celebration just for you after the fight, that's gonna happen soon. Well your mother wants to talk to you now Karika. We love you lots."
Goku stepped back and let his wife talk but also placed his hands on her shoulders for comfort. ChiChi said, "I can still remember when you were just a little girl when Piccolo had you in his arms. You were hurt really badly, he said that you hadn't eaten anything in weeks. But Piccolo said that I make the best cooking and that was what you needed, a good decent meal to get your strength back. Gohan liked playing with you and so did Goten. I can also remember when you and Gohan had the sparring match. You knocked him out cold. That was when I realised that you were a special kid. You even did the chores around the house for weeks until you moved out and lived in the desert all by yourself for a year or so. Piccolo found you again and you were in the worst shape we've seen. Even worse than Goku when he had to fight Vegeta. I was amazed when you decided to live alone out in the wilderness all by yourself. But I knew that you could look after yourself…" ChiChi took a breather and started to cry then turned around to Goku and let it all out, Goku wrapped his arms gently around her and gave her a hug.
Goku finished off his wife's sentence and said, "What your mom and everyone her is trying to say is that we care about the both of you. And no matter where you decide to live we just want you to know that we love you and we are proud of you. Karika I think there is someone who wants to talk to you." Both Goku and ChiChi moved back to allow Piccolo to speak.
Karika noticed that Piccolo was wearing the sweater and the scarf that she gave Piccolo for Christmas when she was a little girl. Then Karika said, "Hey there Mr. Piccolo, I see that you still have my present I gave to you when I was a girl. Does it still fit you?"
Piccolo smiled and said, "I've become rather attached to it especially the scarf, yes they still fit me don't worry. I have something to say to you, you see before your mother was taken away she made me promise her something. She made me promise that I would take care of you while you grow up and that you'd be brought up properly. Those were her wishes. As I look at you now I see a beautiful young woman with a big heart. I hope you take very good care of her Trunks." Piccolo stopped for a moment then noticed that he had tears rolling down his cheeks. Gohan went up to Piccolo and placed his hand on his shoulder for support. Piccolo just smiled back at Gohan.
Karika and Trunks noticed that in the background of Bulma's house there was a Christmas tree with decorations on it, and all over the entire place. The two had been out in space for such a long time that it was Christmas already. They just smiled at each other and looked back at their family. Trunks placed his arm around her waist for comfort.
"Well we'd better let you two enjoy the rest of the celebrations. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And have a good time tonight." Vegeta said to Trunks and Karika as he winked towards them and smiled, then the transmission was cut.
Trunks and Karika looked at each other and smiled too. Then Trunks asked Karika, "May I have this dance my princess?" Karika smiled and nodded. The people parted to allow the princess and her prince dance in the middle of the floor. Karika enjoyed dancing with Trunks because somehow he just sweeps her off her feet.
To be continued…
Year: 2647.
The Past…
"It's Christmas! I can't believe that it's Christmas. I wonder what I got from Santa?" Karika said to herself as she got out of her bed.
As Karika raced towards the Christmas tree, she nearly tripped over her pet dragon Jezebel. Under the Christmas tree there was a lot of presents. Karika didn't know which one to open up first, there were small ones, there were big ones, and there were even odd shaped ones. Piccolo appeared in the doorway of Karika's cave, he saw that Karika looked happy instead of looking miserable.
"Good morning Karika, Merry Christmas! What did Santa Clause get for you?" Asked Piccolo in a very happy mood.
"Santa got me heaps of stuff, but I didn't want to open any 'til you were up." Karika said.
"Well now that I'm up, you can start opening your presents now." Piccolo said.
After Karika had finished opening her presents, she went into her room to get a surprise for Piccolo. She had saved up all of her pocket money and bought Piccolo a present.
"I think that it is unfair that I get to unwrap presents and you don't. So here's a present just for you." Karika said while giving Piccolo his present.
'I haven't had a Christmas present before, no one ever gave me one. Before I met Karika I never even celebrated Christmas. She's a special kid.' Piccolo said to himself. When he finished un-wrapping the gift, he saw that it was a sweater, with a scarf. He gave Karika a big hug and said "Thank- you Karika, since you gave me a surprise present I'm going to give you yours. Close your eyes and I'll take you to your present."
Piccolo carried Karika to the door of her cave and said, "Ok, you can open your eyes now."
Outside stood a small, pink bicycle, a basket in front with a pretty bow.
"Thank-you Mr. Piccolo! I always wanted a bicycle! I love you very much!" Karika said to Piccolo with hugs and kisses in between.
" I have another surprise for you, how about we go and visit Goten and the others and give them their presents that we bought for them. Does that sound ok to you?" Asked Piccolo.
"Oh could we please, pretty please with a cherry on top. Jezebel hasn't seen Ickorus for a long time, so can we go?" Karika asked Piccolo.
"Yeah sure, why not; we're going to visit the guys." Piccolo said cheerfully.
"Quick gather up all of their presents, wake up Jezebel, get dressed, and put your coat on; the sooner we leave, the sooner we get there." Piccolo said.
They loaded up the presents on Jezebel, and made sure it wouldn't fall off of her back, and they were on their way to visit some friends of theirs.
When they arrived at Goku's house, they both saw that all of the Z team was outside either sitting around or playing tip.
Piccolo saw Goku and shouted out to him "Hey Goku, you got room for three more visitors?"
Goku was glad to see that Karika and Piccolo had come to their party after all. Everyone's attention was now on Piccolo, Karika and Jezebel. When they landed there were a lot of hugs, kisses, giving out presents, and questions asked.
It was starting to get a bit chilly outside, and everyone agreed to go inside and sit next to the fireplace.
Karika asked ChiChi "Um, excuse me ChiChi, could Jezebel come inside out of the cold. She's house broken, and she won't get in your way?"
"Sure why not, as long as she doesn't lick people. Come on let's go inside." Replied ChiChi.
"ChiChi, how come Vegeta, Bulma, and Trunks aren't here yet? Aren't they coming to your party?" Asked a curious Karika.
" Well Bulma said that they are coming very soon, why do you want to know sweetie?" Said ChiChi, "Is it because of Trunks?"
"Yeah, I think that I have a crush on him or something like that." Replied Karika.
"Hey it looks like Bulma, Vegeta and Trunks are coming after all. Look over there, do you see that car zooming down the path way back over there. Want to greet them with me?" ChiChi said to Karika.
ChiChi and Karika waited outside for Bulma, Vegeta and Trunks to arrive. Trunks was so happy to see Karika again. Karika helped Vegeta and Bulma to carry the presents for them and to bring them inside. Everyone started to sing Christmas Carols while eating a slice of ChiChi's Christmas Cake and cookies. They were all glad that there were no bad guys around for the time being. There was finally peace on Earth and all that they cared about now was to have fun.
At that moment Karika sat straight up in bed and said to herself "It was just a dream, why am I dreaming about my third Christmas with the guys. It doesn't make any sense. Do I miss them or something?"
Karika rolled over and saw that Jezebel was lying on the rug next to her bed.
'Why am I thinking about Trunks and the other guys, I told them that I was going to visit my home planet or what was left of it and I would come home to earth very soon. Well I'd better get up and do some more training in order to spar with my friend Kokoro. He must be pretty strong by now. Great! Finally a real challenge to look forward to!' Karika said to herself.
Karika had a nice warm shower to wake herself up. After she got dressed, she decided to fix herself something to eat.
Just then a message come through to the screen in front of the controls. The voice said "Hello is anyone there, this is a restricted area turn your ship around immediately or we would be forced to open fire upon you. I repeat, this is a restricted area turn your ship around immediately or we would be forced to open fire upon you."
Karika dropped everything and raced towards the controls and replied "Yes, I'm here please don't fire on me I simply want to visit your planet and my home. My name is Karika; my mother was the Queen Sayajin Rebels. I mean no harm to you…"
"Karika is that you? Princess, it's me Kokoro, do you remember me?" Kokoro asked.
'Kokoro? It must be him.' Karika thought to herself. Then said "Computer, activate visual contact on the main screen." On the screen in front of her, a familiar face appeared.
"My, how much you have grown since I saw you last. I'll activate the tractor beam to pull you into the docking bay. I look forward to seeing you there. Over and out." Kokoro's transmission ended.
"Oh I almost forgot, they can't see me in this clothing. I'll have to change into my sayajin armor that Bulma gave me." Karika said to herself and rushed off to get changed.
"Gee, I wonder if they would accept me as their princess? They must have another person ruling for them. I hope I fit in." Karika said to no one in particular.
As her ship landed she briefly went over the sayajin culture in her head. The door opened to reveal sayajin space pods in different sizes, all lined up ready for departure. Karika started to walk down the ramp but stopped to see some soldiers armed with riffles and some with none. They lined up straight and parallel to each other. A red carpet rolled down the center of the walk way, a figure walked down the middle.
When it was about half way it said to Karika, "Princess Karika, you have come back to us. Now our empire will rule once more as it was with our Queen. It is I, Kokoro, your training mentor, your friend. It is good to see you again."
"Kokoro, is that really you? You've changed a lot, and what's with this royal treatment, huh?"
Karika questioned.
After saying that, Karika heard a loud pounding noise, and turned around. She saw Jezebel bounding towards her, then stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw all of the men with guns. Jezebel growled and snorted out smoke. The soldiers looked towards the dragon and started to shake in their boots at seeing the little dragon.
Karika bent over and whispered in Jezebel's ear, "It's alright, they won't harm me nor you. They are just welcoming us to their planet." The dragon eased her guard and sat quietly down beside Karika. "Everyone this is my friend Jezebel, as you can see she is a dragon but she is quite harmless. If you oppose a threat to either me or herself she might toast you, but don't worry she won't I assure you." Karika said to everyone.
"You must be hungry, follow me to the dining hall where you'll be served, come." Kokoro said to Karika.
Both Karika and Jezebel followed Kokoro into the dining hall where they saw a long table full of different kinds of food. They immediately got into eating as much food as they could possibly can.
"This food is really yummy, I have to get the recipe for the sauce of the turkey you cooked. Isn't this delicious Jezebel? Better than our last meal on earth." Said Karika while taking a breather. When they finished all of the food on the table, their stomachs were contented.
"You know what I feel like now, Kokoro?" Karika asked Kokoro.
"What is that Karika?" asked Kokoro.
"A good sparring session. May I choose any soldier or do you have one set aside for me already?" Suggested Karika.
Kokoro said to Karika "Indeed I do, we'll have a competition to see if my men are ready to face a strong opponent. Karika please don't hold back on them." Then said to his soldiers " Men I want you to ignore Karika as being a female and our princess, just think of her as one of your fellow soldiers." Kokoro said. "Let the battle begin!"
Karika threw off her sayajin armor that covered her chest area, and revealed her training outfit.
The first opponent for Karika was a weak-looking Private. He cracked his knuckles and loosened himself up.
Karika just stood there ready and waiting for the sayajin soldier to warm himself up. Karika suddenly made the first move, since her opponent wouldn't go.
The Private was having a hard time keeping up with Karika's speed. Then all of a sudden Karika kicked into hyper mode. No one could see the two figures anymore, everything was just a blur.
The sayajin soldier tried to surprise Karika with his Garlic Gun attack but Karika saw it coming and evaded the move. In return she did her 'Cold Shot' move. The entire sparring arena became white as Karika's move hit the ground, right in front of the soldier.
As the dust settled down, and the white light faded, the spectators saw that the soldier wasn't moving. Karika descended from her position to stand on firm land. The soldier was in shock. The paramedics carried him away.
"Well done, I'd never thought you'd beat our second strongest warrior here, but I was mistaken. Was that the Cold Shot move I taught you when you were just an infant? You still remembered it, and I see that you were able to increase its strength. I congratulate you on your victory, but now you must defeat the strongest warrior of us all, me! I too have increased my power and strength." Kokoro said to Karika.
"We'll just see about that good friend. After this fight can we eat again, 'cos I'll be starving by the time I finish scraping your body parts off the ground when I'm through with you!" Karika said back to Kokoro. 'I'd better not get too angry in beating Kokoro or I might shift into Super Sayajin mode, and won't they be surprised." She said to herself.
"Aren't we a little bit too optimistic? I bet you won't even match up to my new power princess. Oh and don't wait until I'm all warmed up, you can attack me at anytime you like," Kokoro said to Karika, "Sure I'll get the cooks to whip up a meal to feed all of us. We'll have a banquet to honor your arrival, Princess. We'll invite our people to join us. But right now we have a battle to start."
As the battle started Kokoro made the first hit, it was right in Karika's guts. This made Karika angry and blasted off then disappeared without a trace. Kokoro never really had much patience for waiting. He thought that he saw Karika but it was too fast to trace. Then next minute, Karika appeared behind Kokoro and used her tail to wrap around his neck and flinged him towards the ground. Karika was amazed to see that Kokoro managed to get up after that blow. Before Kokoro had a chance to get his bearings back to normal, Karika used another move, but this time it was different.
"Hey Kokoro, check this one out will ya!" Karika said to Kokoro "Haa-doo- yaa-ken, haa!" As Karika said this, she didn't realize that she had turned Super Sayajin all of a sudden. The spectators were amazed to see that their princess was a Super Sayajin.
"Huh? What's this? Holy Shit! I've got to get out of here before she kills me!" Kokoro said while he panicked.
"Ha ha ha! Fooled ya didn't I. Did you really think that I would do such a thing to you?" Karika asked Kokoro. 'Oh crap! I've turned super sayajin but I didn't even get angry. I'd better do something 'cos they are all staring at me strangely.' Karika then said to herself, as she lowered her fighting level but just enough to get out of super sayajin mode.
"Ha, ha, ha. Did I mention I could turn super sayajin anytime I want? Sorry I didn't, I didn't want to scare you." Karika said in a sorry tone.
"Don't worry about it. I always knew that there was something special about you, since the day you were born. Come on everyone lets get washed up and be ready for our banquet. Where would you like to stay princess? We can organize a bedroom suite for you, including the works. What do you say?" Asked Kokoro.
"If it's OK with you guys, I would like to stay in my ship. Besides I'm waiting for a call from a friend, he said that he would give me a call soon." Karika replied.
"Sure it's alright with us. See you in a little while." Kokoro said as he walked out of the arena. "We can finish off our sparring session another time."
"No need, 'cos I just won. You walked out of the ring, so I win. Rules are rules." Karika said.
"Fine then you can have this small victory now but..." Kokoro's sentence was broken off by an announcement the computer made over the PA, "Unidentified space pod approaching planet New Vegeta. Waiting for next command."
"Karika, quickly come with me. I'll show you how the control tower works." Kokoro told Karika.
When they arrived in the control tower there was a visual on the screen. Trunks was trying to get permission to land in the docking bay but he wasn't allowed. Trunks said, "Please my space pod needs to land so that I can refuel and repair the damages. I also need to heal myself I am bleeding very badly. I ohh…" Trunks blacked out.
Karika realized that Trunks wasn't kidding around. He had a tear in the hull, the system was going haywire and Trunks looked terrible. Hoping that he could still hear her Karika said to Trunks, "Trunks don't worry we'll use the tractor beam and pull you into the bay. I've missed you sweetie. I will be waiting for you there over and out."
'Karika? Was that her? She called me sweetie again, I guess she's not angry with me anymore.' Trunks said to himself in his mind. He managed to hook himself up to the rejuvenator machine inside the space pod.
"My princess, we can't just let anyone to land here on New Vegeta. And how do you know that young man that you just spoke to, is he a friend?" Kokoro asked Karika.
"Yes, I do. You see he is my boyfriend. He is like me; he is a demi sayajin. I'll tell you more later but right now we have to get down to the docking bay immediately." Karika said to Kokoro.
As the space pod landed Karika and the rest of the soldiers lined up armed and ready to assist. They waited a while for the door to open but when it didn't Karika got a bit scared and ran over to see what's wrong.
Karika looked inside through the window and saw that Trunks was in a bad state. She ordered two of the soldiers to carry him out of his pod, and to put him in the rejuvenating chamber. Karika helped the two soldiers carry Trunks into the chamber room, then ordered them to leave. Karika took all of Trunks' clothes off except of his briefs and boxers. Then heaved with all of her might to put Trunks in a sitting position inside of the rejuvenating chamber. Trunks woke up, he said wearily to Karika "Karika…. I'm so glad to see your pretty face again…" Then Karika said softly to Trunks, "Shhh. Don't try to talk now my love. Wait until your better and then we can talk. OK." And with that she gave Trunks a light kiss on his lips, then closed the lid of the chamber. Trunks closed his eyelids as the chamber filled up with a liquid, which helps to heal the wounds. He soon went into a light sleep.
1
2 A while later…
"Can you believe it Jezebel, I mean Trunks is here with us. For once he isn't out fighting bad guys or in another timeline." Karika said to Jezebel. Just then a young woman approached Karika while holding a dress and said, "My princess, I had many maids to make this dress just for you. Kokoro would like me to ask you if you need any help to get ready for the banquet? I would offer my service along with a few others to help you get ready."
Karika was astonished. "Uh, sure if you like to I'd be honored."
"No my princess it is I who would have the honor." The maid said, after saying that she signaled the others to come in. They got started straight away.
The two soldiers that carried Trunks into the rejuvenating chamber came back to check on how Trunks was doing. He was nearly done. They waited until he was done and all of the substance was drained out before they opened the door. Trunks hesitated for a moment then stood up. One of the two soldiers said to Trunks "I see you are well again, we have been assigned to get you ready for the banquet which is held soon. If you could follow me we will get your tux that is your size."
"Where's Karika? I need to talk to her, it's about the Z team, they need her help back on planet Earth." Trunks said o the man.
"Please sir you must get ready, it is also part of Princess Karika's orders. She is nearly ready, please we are just following orders." The other soldier said to Trunks.
"OK. I'll get ready. Uh, by the way do happen to have a jewelers store nearby? I need to get a Christmas present for a certain lady, if you catch my drift." Trunks said to both of the Soldiers.
One of the soldiers went to a jeweler shop and asked the jeweler for an engagement ring for the princess. The jeweler picked out a very special ring; it was a 24-karat gold ring with 3 rose coloured diamonds surrounding a single white diamond. Even though the soldier didn't have any money to pay off the bill, the jeweler said "This one's on the house especially if it's for Princess Karika."
The other soldier went with Trunks to pick out a tuxedo for him to wear to the banquet that evening. The soldier found the perfect one for Trunks to wear.
It was time for the banquet to begin and Karika had just finished getting ready with help from a handful of maids. The maids had an hour of free time on their hands so they gave Jezebel a bath. Whenever Jezebel hears the words 'bath time' she tries to escape but usually she gets caught. The maids had a lot of fun giving Jezebel a bath, drying her, and making her look nice.
Karika was finishing up doing her nails when she heard a knocking noise at her door. One of the maids answered it and saw Trunks standing there in his tuxedo with a bunch of roses in one hand and a small box in the other. Trunks asked, "Is the elegant princess Karika ready for her date?"
The maid giggled for a bit and said, "Sorry, yes she is almost ready. Princess Karika said that you are charming, and I see that what she says is true. Please come in." And with that she let in Trunks and said "Please make yourself comfortable while I'll summon the princess."
The maid rushed into Karika's bedroom and said, "My princess, Trunks is here and he has a bunch of roses and a little box. It could be a present of some sort. You'd better check it out."
Karika asked the maid, "Do I look OK? I mean what if he isn't attracted to me now? What if he doesn't love me anymore? What if…"
"Look the only way to find out those answers is to ask him. Now go." The maid said as she urged Karika to go into the lounge area.
Karika walked out into the lounge room and said to Trunks, "Hi, are you feeling much better? You look nice in a tuxedo, you should wear one more often."
Trunks walked up to Karika and gave her a hug and a kiss on her cheek. He walked back to the couch and picked up the bunch of roses and gave it her and said, "Here, these are for you my dear. I got one of my friends to buy them especially for you."
Karika accepted the roses and said, "Thank you, these are wonderful. But I don't have anything to give to you. What can I do to return you a favour?"
"All you have to give to me is your beautiful smile that radiates from you." Trunks said to Karika while looking into her eyes. "You mean the world to me. You are like the sun, and all of the planets revolve around you, I am one of those planets."
"You were always a sweet-talker you know that Trunks. That's what I love about you. I love your hair, your smile, your attitude, and those gorgeous blue eyes of yours." Karika said before she gave him a kiss on his lips. Then said, "Oh no I think we're going to be late for the banquet. Come on we have to hurry."
"One of my friends said that the place that they are holding the banquet is a fair distance away. So I ordered a limousine to take us there." Trunks said to Karika. And at that moment a white limousine pulled up in front of Karika's ship, and a man stepped out and opened one of the doors and just stood there waiting. "Shall we go my love?" Trunks said charmingly to Karika. Karika just nodded as Trunks escorted her to the limousine. Inside the limousine was champagne, a stereo playing soft music, and a mini t.v.
2.1 When they arrived at the banquet, the chaffer helped Karika out of the car. As Trunks approached Karika, she saw a box shaped object in his pocket but she just ignored it. Both Karika and Trunks walked up the isle which had a red carpet laid down for them.
When they went inside they both saw a massive amount of people on the ballroom dance floor. Before they went onto the dance floor Trunks said to Karika, "Karika, my love, before we dance there is something I must ask you." Then paused and signaled a man up at the front to lower down the music so that everyone could hear his speech. Trunks continued, "On this special night we celebrate the returning of the princess but also another very important occasion," Then said to Karika with love in his voice "My lovely Karika would you do me the honor of being my wife?" After Trunks said this he got down on one knee and presented a small box. Everyone was waiting for Karika's answer.
A soldier from the control tower quietly asked Kokoro for his permission for the guest's parents to see what was going on. Kokoro said, "Yeah sure, go ahead but hurry they're missing out on the good parts."
A screen wide enough to fit the guys from earth opened to see what was going on. They saw Trunks on one knee holding a box with a ring inside. Bulma realised what was happening and started to cry. Trunks' little sister asked her mom what was wrong and Bulma replied, "Your big brother just proposed to Karika. He loves her so much that he wants to marry her."
Bulma started to cry just a little bit louder and everyone said to her, "Shhhhhh!" Then Vegeta (Bulma's husband) said to her "Be quiet woman. Calm down, everything is going to be fine. I know how you feel, it's alright." He hugged and kissed her to calm her down and they both looked back at the screen.
Karika was speechless; all she could say was "Oh Trunks, I don't know what to say."
Then Trunks said to her, "Please say yes, if you say no it would break my heart in two."
"Well then, yes I will marry you." Karika said. When Trunks heard this he stood back up and took the ring from the box and placed on her finger. They both hugged each other and kissed.
Everyone around them shouted out with cheers. The guys back home on earth also shouted cheerfully, some were even crying, some were trying not to show that they were crying.
When Karika and Trunks stopped kissing they saw that they had visitors watching them on a viewing screen. Trunks said, "Hi mum, dad, sis, guys; what you doing watching us?"
Bulma said, "We were sent a message saying that there was going to be a proposal over there and it had something to do with my little man. Your father and I are very proud of you…" Bulma stopped and looked at her husband Vegeta and smiled.
Vegeta looked at Bulma hugged and kissed her, then whispered in her ear, "Did I tell you that I love you gorgeous."
Then Goten butted in and said, "I knew you two would make a good couple ever since the very beginning. Have you thought about having a child yet? What the…?"
His older brother (Gohan) tackled him to the ground and started to pound his head with his fist cut him off. Then said " Hi there little sis, well I shouldn't call you little sis any more since your all grown up and everything. Don't mind Goten he is in one of those moods again but he's resting now. I'm really happy for the both of you. Oh, mum and dad want to say something to you, see you later OK. Bye."
Gohan stepped back to let his mom and dad talk to Karika and Trunks. Goku said, "Hi there you two love birds! Trunks I know that you'll take good care of Karika for us. When you two decide to come back to earth there is going to be a big celebration just for you after the fight, that's gonna happen soon. Well your mother wants to talk to you now Karika. We love you lots."
Goku stepped back and let his wife talk but also placed his hands on her shoulders for comfort. ChiChi said, "I can still remember when you were just a little girl when Piccolo had you in his arms. You were hurt really badly, he said that you hadn't eaten anything in weeks. But Piccolo said that I make the best cooking and that was what you needed, a good decent meal to get your strength back. Gohan liked playing with you and so did Goten. I can also remember when you and Gohan had the sparring match. You knocked him out cold. That was when I realised that you were a special kid. You even did the chores around the house for weeks until you moved out and lived in the desert all by yourself for a year or so. Piccolo found you again and you were in the worst shape we've seen. Even worse than Goku when he had to fight Vegeta. I was amazed when you decided to live alone out in the wilderness all by yourself. But I knew that you could look after yourself…" ChiChi took a breather and started to cry then turned around to Goku and let it all out, Goku wrapped his arms gently around her and gave her a hug.
Goku finished off his wife's sentence and said, "What your mom and everyone her is trying to say is that we care about the both of you. And no matter where you decide to live we just want you to know that we love you and we are proud of you. Karika I think there is someone who wants to talk to you." Both Goku and ChiChi moved back to allow Piccolo to speak.
Karika noticed that Piccolo was wearing the sweater and the scarf that she gave Piccolo for Christmas when she was a little girl. Then Karika said, "Hey there Mr. Piccolo, I see that you still have my present I gave to you when I was a girl. Does it still fit you?"
Piccolo smiled and said, "I've become rather attached to it especially the scarf, yes they still fit me don't worry. I have something to say to you, you see before your mother was taken away she made me promise her something. She made me promise that I would take care of you while you grow up and that you'd be brought up properly. Those were her wishes. As I look at you now I see a beautiful young woman with a big heart. I hope you take very good care of her Trunks." Piccolo stopped for a moment then noticed that he had tears rolling down his cheeks. Gohan went up to Piccolo and placed his hand on his shoulder for support. Piccolo just smiled back at Gohan.
Karika and Trunks noticed that in the background of Bulma's house there was a Christmas tree with decorations on it, and all over the entire place. The two had been out in space for such a long time that it was Christmas already. They just smiled at each other and looked back at their family. Trunks placed his arm around her waist for comfort.
"Well we'd better let you two enjoy the rest of the celebrations. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And have a good time tonight." Vegeta said to Trunks and Karika as he winked towards them and smiled, then the transmission was cut.
Trunks and Karika looked at each other and smiled too. Then Trunks asked Karika, "May I have this dance my princess?" Karika smiled and nodded. The people parted to allow the princess and her prince dance in the middle of the floor. Karika enjoyed dancing with Trunks because somehow he just sweeps her off her feet.
To be continued…