Chapter 4
Ranmata slowly opened his eyes then shut them as soon as the bright light stung him. A shadow covered his face and he opened then again to stare into bright blue ones.
"Tara?" he asked sleepily. "What do you want?"
"I'm going to hang around you today!" she announced happily. Suddenly something small and furry was dropped on his chest. He jerked up in surprise and glared at Tara as she laughed.
"What is that?" he asked frowning picking up the grey ball of fluff by the scruff of it's neck.
"It's Joey, our cat!" she scooped Joey up in her arms and cuddled the struggling kitten. It gave a strangled yelp as Tara rocked him back and forth.
"Er, can I see him?" Ranmata asked trying to save the animal from its fate.
"Sure," she held him out and dropped him on Ranmata's head. Ranmata quickly took it out of his wild black hair and held it in one hand. The kitten looked at him with green eyes; it's body barely big enough to fit in his hand. Ranmata let out a sneeze and stood up putting the kitten on his shoulder.
"Let's find your sister," Ranmata picked up Tara in his other hand and walked out the door. He first looked into the control room but it was empty. So were the rest of the bedrooms and the kitchen, med lab and the washroom. "Nerfa where the hell is Kara?"
"Don't swear," Tara scolded him still clinging onto his shoulder. He made a face at her as Nerfa replied to his question.
"She's in the engine room."
"Come on Tara, we have to work out SOME thing about this...what is it again?"
"It's NOT a thing!" Tara protested. "His name is Joey and he's a cat!"
Ranmata sighed and found the engine room behind the kitchen. There was Kara, leaning over the pulsing engine, her long hazel hair tied in a ponytail dressed in short jean shorts and a red tee shirt. She looked up at Ranmata and Tara before dismissing them and returned to looking at the metal engine through her thick glasses.
"Excuse me Kara but-" Ranmata began to explain his problem with the cat.
"Shhh," she held a finger to her lips. "This is unlike ANY metal I've seen. And I've seen quite a few."
"Yes," he said not really understanding what she was saying. "About Joey-"
"What about Joey?" she picked him up and Ranmata set Tara down.
"If you would let me finish-" he got annoyed.
"If you would only finish," she grinned.
"I'm trying-"
"Trying to what?"
"Trying to-"
"To what?"
"Speak!"
"Oh then go ahead."
"This cat has got to go or be put in-"
"Put in what?"
Ranmata growled and snatched the cat back up. Then he let out another sneeze. He turned and stalked out the room with Kara laughing at him. Tara grinned and followed him out.
"So, where you going?" she asked skipping to keep up with his long stride.
"To put this animal in a cage," his expression softened, as he looked sideways at the little girl. "I'm allergic to it."
"But Joey loves you!" Tara exclaimed. As if to prove her point Joey ran his tongue from Ranmata's cheek to his ear. "See?"
"But I DON'T love him," Ranmata said as he reached the fourth bedroom that was beside his own. He placed the kitten on the floor and shut the door. It was silent for a moment then Joey started scratching on the door meowing loudly.
Ranmata picked up Tara and put her on his shoulder. He walked back to the kitchen and ordered a huge lunch for himself and Tara. As they ate (well Ranmata inhaled it) Kara walked in and picked up a piece of toast from Tara's plate. Ranmata glared at her but was too engrossed in eating then anything.
He left quickly as soon as he was finished to view the history logs on the ship. He found them very useful, so far Nerfa had downloaded more then ten million different ships navigation and biological logs and with had mapped over three quarters of the universe and ten of billions of species, sentient or not. Also he had 4000 more languages he had to learn.
After he had left Tara turned to Kara. "Ranmata is nice, don't you think?"
"No, he's a stuck up jerk," she stated. "Look what he did to Joey!"
"It's only because he's allergic to him," Tara defended Ranmata. "Anyway, he's nice to ME!"
* * *
"Oh dear, this isn't good at all!" King Kai muttered. "I'll have to talk to Goku about this!"
Meanwhile, the Saiyan in question was shovelling food into his mouth at an alarming rate. Chichi was attempting to fill up his plate again but she couldn't get close enough. Goku realised this but instead of backing off he slyly switched plates with Goten as he paused for breath.
"Hey!" Goten yelped as he found his plate now empty. "Where's my food?"
"I'df knof," Goku mumbled out trying to look innocent as he continued eating. Goten looked around the table still wondering who would steal his food.
~ Goku! ~
~ Huh? ~ Goku though without taking his head from his stolen plate. ~ Oh hi King Kai! What's happening? ~
~ I sense an evil force heading to Earth! ~ The god said. ~ He'll arrive in a few months so start training! ~
~ Sure thing, ~ Goku finished Goten's food and brushed his face off then licked the leftovers off his fingers. ~ Say hi to Bubbles and Gregory for me! ~
"Well boy," Goku stood up as Goten realised that the plate in front of him was Goku's. "Let's get training!"
"Did you steal my food?" Goten glared at the Saiyan.
"No time for that!" Goku laughed nervously. "There's an evil force coming to Earth in a few months and we have to get ready."
"When did you find this out?" Chichi asked glaring at him.
"King Kai just told me," Goku grinned his nervousness growing under the angry glares of his wife and youngest son. "Well, um, let's go tell Vegeta!"
* * *
"Woman, where is my food?" Vegeta demanded. "I'm hungry and the Prince of Saiyan should NOT be kept hungry for long!"
"I liked you better when you were Veggie," Bulma muttered. The crisp remains of dinner was shoved in front of Vegeta who made a disgusted face.
"Veggie couldn't do this," he stood up and pressed her against the wall in a passionate kiss. Bra and Trunks walked in right then but to them it happened all the time so they ignored it.
"Let's do eat out," Bra saw the blacken strips of some food lying on a plate.
"I'm with you," Trunks replied and they were both out the door.
* * *
Later on the ship Ranmata put Tara to bed after she fell asleep in his lap again while he was going over his lessons. Pulling the blanket up to her chin he smiled the snuffled a yawn. He quietly left the room and went to his own. He flopped on the bed relaxing for a minute. Taking care of Tara while Kara lofted off was really draining him. He closed his eyes and drifted in and out of consciousness.
"Mreowww!" a pitiful voice yowled through the wall. Ranmata sighed and pulled his pillow over his ears to no success. "Mreowww!"
"I'm coming," he grunted and pushed himself up. Stumbling next door he opened it to be attacked by a furious ball of fur. The kitten sniffed his face as he lay on the cold floor. After deciding who it was she proceeded to wash his nose. "Stop that," he grumbled. "I'm trying to sleep."
"Sleeping on the floor," a voice behind him woke him up fully. "That gotta be uncomfortable."
"You going to sleep too Kara?" he asked as he pulled himself into a sitting position making Joey tumble to his lap.
"You bet I am," she grinned and opened the door to her own room beside Tara's.
"G'night," he mumbled before standing and walking into his own room. He fell on the bed again and Joey curled up in his hair. He just sighed and dropped off into sleep.
-------------------------
"Hello Saiyan," the cold voice entered his dreams again. Ranmata sighed and ignored it. "Saiyan, it is not good to ignore my warnings."
"Bite me," he sighed.
The face chuckled. "I always did admire your spunk. But now it is your death wish."
"Get bent," he said off-handily again. "And go away, I want to sleep."
"Very well," the voice sounded slightly miffed. "You'll need it for our fight tomorrow."
"Sure," Ranmata sighed as the dream faded and he slipped into a lighter sleep with no dreams.
---------------------------------
"Ranmata," a soft voice was shaking him. He opened his eye slowly and turned to face his visitor. Tara climbed on the bed with him.
"What is it Tara?" he asked.
"The Yowling was in my room and he didn't want a Tic Tac. Can I stay here for the rest of the night?"
"As long as you promise to let me get some sleep," he sighed as she cuddled in his arms quivering. Joey crawled over to her and he curled up on her arm. Ranmata yawned and fell asleep again.
Ranmata slowly opened his eyes then shut them as soon as the bright light stung him. A shadow covered his face and he opened then again to stare into bright blue ones.
"Tara?" he asked sleepily. "What do you want?"
"I'm going to hang around you today!" she announced happily. Suddenly something small and furry was dropped on his chest. He jerked up in surprise and glared at Tara as she laughed.
"What is that?" he asked frowning picking up the grey ball of fluff by the scruff of it's neck.
"It's Joey, our cat!" she scooped Joey up in her arms and cuddled the struggling kitten. It gave a strangled yelp as Tara rocked him back and forth.
"Er, can I see him?" Ranmata asked trying to save the animal from its fate.
"Sure," she held him out and dropped him on Ranmata's head. Ranmata quickly took it out of his wild black hair and held it in one hand. The kitten looked at him with green eyes; it's body barely big enough to fit in his hand. Ranmata let out a sneeze and stood up putting the kitten on his shoulder.
"Let's find your sister," Ranmata picked up Tara in his other hand and walked out the door. He first looked into the control room but it was empty. So were the rest of the bedrooms and the kitchen, med lab and the washroom. "Nerfa where the hell is Kara?"
"Don't swear," Tara scolded him still clinging onto his shoulder. He made a face at her as Nerfa replied to his question.
"She's in the engine room."
"Come on Tara, we have to work out SOME thing about this...what is it again?"
"It's NOT a thing!" Tara protested. "His name is Joey and he's a cat!"
Ranmata sighed and found the engine room behind the kitchen. There was Kara, leaning over the pulsing engine, her long hazel hair tied in a ponytail dressed in short jean shorts and a red tee shirt. She looked up at Ranmata and Tara before dismissing them and returned to looking at the metal engine through her thick glasses.
"Excuse me Kara but-" Ranmata began to explain his problem with the cat.
"Shhh," she held a finger to her lips. "This is unlike ANY metal I've seen. And I've seen quite a few."
"Yes," he said not really understanding what she was saying. "About Joey-"
"What about Joey?" she picked him up and Ranmata set Tara down.
"If you would let me finish-" he got annoyed.
"If you would only finish," she grinned.
"I'm trying-"
"Trying to what?"
"Trying to-"
"To what?"
"Speak!"
"Oh then go ahead."
"This cat has got to go or be put in-"
"Put in what?"
Ranmata growled and snatched the cat back up. Then he let out another sneeze. He turned and stalked out the room with Kara laughing at him. Tara grinned and followed him out.
"So, where you going?" she asked skipping to keep up with his long stride.
"To put this animal in a cage," his expression softened, as he looked sideways at the little girl. "I'm allergic to it."
"But Joey loves you!" Tara exclaimed. As if to prove her point Joey ran his tongue from Ranmata's cheek to his ear. "See?"
"But I DON'T love him," Ranmata said as he reached the fourth bedroom that was beside his own. He placed the kitten on the floor and shut the door. It was silent for a moment then Joey started scratching on the door meowing loudly.
Ranmata picked up Tara and put her on his shoulder. He walked back to the kitchen and ordered a huge lunch for himself and Tara. As they ate (well Ranmata inhaled it) Kara walked in and picked up a piece of toast from Tara's plate. Ranmata glared at her but was too engrossed in eating then anything.
He left quickly as soon as he was finished to view the history logs on the ship. He found them very useful, so far Nerfa had downloaded more then ten million different ships navigation and biological logs and with had mapped over three quarters of the universe and ten of billions of species, sentient or not. Also he had 4000 more languages he had to learn.
After he had left Tara turned to Kara. "Ranmata is nice, don't you think?"
"No, he's a stuck up jerk," she stated. "Look what he did to Joey!"
"It's only because he's allergic to him," Tara defended Ranmata. "Anyway, he's nice to ME!"
* * *
"Oh dear, this isn't good at all!" King Kai muttered. "I'll have to talk to Goku about this!"
Meanwhile, the Saiyan in question was shovelling food into his mouth at an alarming rate. Chichi was attempting to fill up his plate again but she couldn't get close enough. Goku realised this but instead of backing off he slyly switched plates with Goten as he paused for breath.
"Hey!" Goten yelped as he found his plate now empty. "Where's my food?"
"I'df knof," Goku mumbled out trying to look innocent as he continued eating. Goten looked around the table still wondering who would steal his food.
~ Goku! ~
~ Huh? ~ Goku though without taking his head from his stolen plate. ~ Oh hi King Kai! What's happening? ~
~ I sense an evil force heading to Earth! ~ The god said. ~ He'll arrive in a few months so start training! ~
~ Sure thing, ~ Goku finished Goten's food and brushed his face off then licked the leftovers off his fingers. ~ Say hi to Bubbles and Gregory for me! ~
"Well boy," Goku stood up as Goten realised that the plate in front of him was Goku's. "Let's get training!"
"Did you steal my food?" Goten glared at the Saiyan.
"No time for that!" Goku laughed nervously. "There's an evil force coming to Earth in a few months and we have to get ready."
"When did you find this out?" Chichi asked glaring at him.
"King Kai just told me," Goku grinned his nervousness growing under the angry glares of his wife and youngest son. "Well, um, let's go tell Vegeta!"
* * *
"Woman, where is my food?" Vegeta demanded. "I'm hungry and the Prince of Saiyan should NOT be kept hungry for long!"
"I liked you better when you were Veggie," Bulma muttered. The crisp remains of dinner was shoved in front of Vegeta who made a disgusted face.
"Veggie couldn't do this," he stood up and pressed her against the wall in a passionate kiss. Bra and Trunks walked in right then but to them it happened all the time so they ignored it.
"Let's do eat out," Bra saw the blacken strips of some food lying on a plate.
"I'm with you," Trunks replied and they were both out the door.
* * *
Later on the ship Ranmata put Tara to bed after she fell asleep in his lap again while he was going over his lessons. Pulling the blanket up to her chin he smiled the snuffled a yawn. He quietly left the room and went to his own. He flopped on the bed relaxing for a minute. Taking care of Tara while Kara lofted off was really draining him. He closed his eyes and drifted in and out of consciousness.
"Mreowww!" a pitiful voice yowled through the wall. Ranmata sighed and pulled his pillow over his ears to no success. "Mreowww!"
"I'm coming," he grunted and pushed himself up. Stumbling next door he opened it to be attacked by a furious ball of fur. The kitten sniffed his face as he lay on the cold floor. After deciding who it was she proceeded to wash his nose. "Stop that," he grumbled. "I'm trying to sleep."
"Sleeping on the floor," a voice behind him woke him up fully. "That gotta be uncomfortable."
"You going to sleep too Kara?" he asked as he pulled himself into a sitting position making Joey tumble to his lap.
"You bet I am," she grinned and opened the door to her own room beside Tara's.
"G'night," he mumbled before standing and walking into his own room. He fell on the bed again and Joey curled up in his hair. He just sighed and dropped off into sleep.
-------------------------
"Hello Saiyan," the cold voice entered his dreams again. Ranmata sighed and ignored it. "Saiyan, it is not good to ignore my warnings."
"Bite me," he sighed.
The face chuckled. "I always did admire your spunk. But now it is your death wish."
"Get bent," he said off-handily again. "And go away, I want to sleep."
"Very well," the voice sounded slightly miffed. "You'll need it for our fight tomorrow."
"Sure," Ranmata sighed as the dream faded and he slipped into a lighter sleep with no dreams.
---------------------------------
"Ranmata," a soft voice was shaking him. He opened his eye slowly and turned to face his visitor. Tara climbed on the bed with him.
"What is it Tara?" he asked.
"The Yowling was in my room and he didn't want a Tic Tac. Can I stay here for the rest of the night?"
"As long as you promise to let me get some sleep," he sighed as she cuddled in his arms quivering. Joey crawled over to her and he curled up on her arm. Ranmata yawned and fell asleep again.