A/N: 1. I hate stating the obvious, but I don't own anything of the dragonball series.
2. I own my dear little OC.
3. IMPORTANT: In my story, senzu beans only heal wounds, nothing else. It doesn't satisfy hunger or do any other miracle I don't know about.
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"What on earth!?"
Pate smiled faintly.,"Yup. That's the truth."
"And you are alive!", said Gohan in wonder. Pate gave a puzzled expression.
"Well that's what you told me, Gohan, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but Cell let you live? He spared you?"
"Did I look like he spared me? He...he smacked me about like I was nothing. He broke me like a twig, and it hurt...so much..." She trailed off.
"But now everything is okay." said Goku. "You are alive and well, and we'll never let anything like that happen to you again."
Pate looked up at him beseechingly. It was a wonder that she was not shedding a single drop of tear. "She sure is tough", thought Gohan.
A huge rumble broke the uncomfortable silence. Pate looked around wildly, her eyes struck with panic. But Gohan knew what it was. "Dad!", he exclaimed. "You surely aren't that hungry, are you?" "Well", started Goku. "It's been a while since I had my breakfast. " Gohan rolled his eyes.
"Yeah. More like a long two hours." Goku grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Um, excuse me", said Pate. Goku looked at her. She was shuffling her feet and chewing her lips. "Yes?", he asked kindly. A colour crept to her cheeks. Even someone as naïve as Goku didn't fail to notice it; she was blushing.
"Hey, there's no need to feel shy. Speak up!", he urged. The colour grew darker.
"I was...I was thinking...if you...if I...can get some water and...and..."
"And? "
"Some...some food", she finally confessed, her head hung low in embarassment."I have had nothing for 4 days."
"4 days! ", exclaimed Gohan."Aren't you hungry?"
"I am", said Pate, trying to keep her voice from trembling."Very"
"Well then", said Goku. "It's settled. You are staying at our house, for the time being. Now let's go. It isn't much far from here." Pate nodded, a huge smile on her face."Dad", Gohan interrupted."I'll get mom's groceries. I left them behind on the cliff. I'll be home in a minute. " Goku nodded and Gohan took off. "Oh, oh wow!", said Pate, her eyes wide."You can fly too!"
Gohan was quick to catch her words."Too? "
"Yeah, just like me! See! "
And without any warning she let her feet swing and she began floating and Gohan's jaw dropped."You. ...you...", began Gohan. "Can control your ki!", finished Goku. Pate raised a brow, "Kai? I have one?"
"No Pate, it's ki. It's the energy of your system. Man, this is unbelievable! Who taught you? " Pate shrugged.
"I did it myself. It was not much tough."
Another rumble broke off suddenly. "Dad!", said a frustrated Gohan. "It wasn't me! ", began Goku in protest. "Guys,it was me", sighed Pate. "I suddenly feel very cold and tired. Very hungry too. " Goku helped her to her feet. "We'll walk", He said firmly."You can't afford to use up any more of your energy. " Pate nodded in silence and got up to follow him. Gohan shot off in search of his groceries.
Minutes later they were standing in front of a cute dome house. "Chichi! ", called Goku. "We have a guest!" Chichi came out, her eyes fluffy from crying. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a girl instead of Gohan. Pate bowed low and introduced herself.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. My name is Pate. Nice to meet you. "
"Please Chichi", said Goku patiently."She has no home or relatives and she's been starving for the last 4 days. Chichi stood there, frowning, unsure of what to do. The last thing she wanted in such times of tension was a ragamuffin in rags who would easily spoil her son. But a part of her was somehow taking pity on her. A part of her wanted the strange girl to stay.
But Chichi was a mother. Her instincts kicked in and she nodded, finally smiling wryly."Fine", she said curtly."Lunch's ready." She earned a huge grin from Goku and laughed lightly. She didn't know what the smile was for, allowing the girl to stay or for the lunch. As if she cared. She just wanted to see him smiling to make her day. Her mood swung a complete 180 degrees. She hummed up a little tune as she laid the table, and didn't even scold Gohan on his arrival. Goku certainly knew how to work out wonders!
Lunch was good and, for Chichi, a busy one, as she had to serve three voracious stomachs instead of just two. Pate did not eat as much as the boys, but she tackled the food as if she hadn't eaten for days, which, ironically, was true. All through the meal, Pate kept looking across her shoulders with astonished eyes. Finally understanding the thing that aroused such great interest in her, Chichi said nonchalantly,"Oh, that? Those are the plates and cups that my dear husband and son broke during yesterday's dinner and today's breakfast. It happens all the time." As if on cue, Goku's glass shattered into three pieces. Chichi sighed. She knew it was useless to scold them; they could not help being insanely strong. Pate looked at the demonstration with wide eyes and nodded in understanding. She jumped off her chair and walked to the pile of broken things to inspect them, ignoring Chichi's grunts at her bad table certainly wasn't her day!
Pate stood and frowned. Gohan looked at her out of the corner of his eye, wondering how on earth she could put down a plate of her mother's gorgeous cooking midway through it. But he himself put his plate down, stunned. He saw two broken pieces fly up in the air. He nudged Gokh, who looked, his mouth full of food. His jaw hung open. The two broken pieces flew near to each other. A blue light glowed around them, they merged and an intact ceramic plate landed on the table top. Pate nodded in satisfaction. The other scraps soon met the same fate. Pate strutted back to the table and dug into her food again.
"Wha...what was that?", mouthed Chichi, her eyes the size of her newly resurrected saucers.
"Oh that", Pate gulped down the food in her mouth. "That's just a way of saying thank you. Aren't you happy? I thought you would be", she ended ruefully.
"Yes...but...no...but...HOW?"
