Relief unlike any other swept though Bardock for the second time that day. He couldn't take much more of these suspenseful situations. She spoke in whatever-the-hell-her-language-was-called, and he didn't think he had ever heard sweeter words. Usagi stared at his happy face before the darkness prickling at the corners of her vision swept through like a title wave. Bardock scooped the child into his arms before she hit the ground.
"Stupid brat, why didn't you dodge?" His question went unanswered as he settled her in his arms. He was getting the hang of this holding thing. A bellow of fury shook the palace walls taking everyone by surprise. It seemed Nappa just woke up from his little nap.
"You little – little low level. When I get my hands on you, I'll tear you limb from limb. You'll beg me for mercy like the simpering little girl that you are!"
Fausha growled.
Bardock watched with his usual calm mien as the giant charged at him with bloody murder written in his eyes.
"That's enough, Nappa!" the king shouted. The elite ignored the order and continued to charge forward. King Vegeta growled deep in his throat before blasting out of his chair.
Bardock blinked in surprise as the king appeared in front of him and backhanded Nappa into the far wall. The elite surged to his feet, intending to continue what he had started but skidded to a halt when he noticed his king standing before him instead of the third-class captain.
"You have insulted me for the last time. Not only did you invite yourself to this meeting, hurt the brat without my ordering you, injure my royal ears with all of your bellowing; but now you have the audacity to disobey a direct order!" Spittle soared, testifying to his rage.
"But, your majesty, he –"
"–Now you question my orders, speak without permission, and address me with insolence!"
"I didn't –"
"Silence!" No one dared to breathe. "I am your king, and I will be obeyed. I have run out of patience in dealing with your stupidity." He held out his hand and formed a blue energy blast.
Nappa's eyes widened. "No, please your –"
"Saiyajins don't beg." He released the blast and watched with satisfaction as Nappa was slammed into the far wall for the third time that hour. He turned his back to the screams and climbed the steps to his throne. The same moment he seated himself, Nappa collapsed in a charred, bloody heap on the floor. He settled deeper in his throne and let a ruthless smirk chisel across the hard planes of his face. "I feel much better," he announced to himself.
Bardock gained a new level of respect for his king. He had heard the countless tales of his majesty's short temper, but that was very impressive. It also didn't hurt that such an expedient punishment was carried out on his least favorite person.
King Vegeta motioned to a servant. "Have 'it'," he glanced at the smoking lump next to the wall, "and the girl sent to Recovery; I don't want them bleeding on my floor." The servant bowed before collecting Usagi and rushing to the infirmary intending on sending someone else to collect Nappa.
Vegeta turned back to Bardock. "Now, will you accept the task of building the translator?" he continued as if nothing had ever happened.
The captain bowed, "I will, sire."
"Good. You will stay in the palace for the duration of this invention's construction and in the time it takes the medical personnel to retest your fighting rank." Bardock was surprised by the latter bit of news but didn't interrupt. "For showing such loyalty, your crew will spend these days free from all of their duties. All of this will begin immediately."
Bardock bowed, "As you wish, sire, but what of the brat?"
The king thought for a moment. "She will also stay in the palace until after I have questioned her to my satisfaction. Who she stays with after that, I leave for the blood tests to decide. Dismissed." The lower levels bowed low before leaving the throne room with smirks on their faces.
As soon as the double doors closed Fausha gave Orgos a disbelieving look. "You thought we may be," she deepened her voice, "'walking to our deaths' and instead we come out with a vacation." She laughed.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
Tora left the pair to bicker and walked next to his best friend. "It sucks that you have to work while we have fun."
Bardock smirked, "That's why I'm going to make that thing as fast as I can. There's no way I'm letting you bums enjoy yourselves for long." Tora's barking laugh echoed across the hall.
"Dr. Malaca, why is the brat's healing taking so long? Her injuries should have been taken care of in three hours at the most, not three days," King Vegeta addressed the elderly Saiyajin doctor.
"The girl's case is very unusual, your majesty. After doing extensive blood tests, we found that she is only half Saiyajin; therefore, the rejuvenation tank will only halfway repair the damage. Since we lack the proper knowledge of the species that makes up her other half, every precaution is being taken. We estimate that she will awaken within the day."
The king motioned for his advisor. "What is Bardock's progress on the translation device?"
"He completed it this morning, milord."
Vegeta was pleasantly surprised. "Already?"
"I was shocked as well. It appears he didn't want his crew to have too much fun without him."
Vegeta smirked, "And does the device work?
The advisor shrugged, "That remains to be seen, milord."
"Very well," the king returned his attention to the doctor. "When the brat awakens, inform the guards and have her escorted to me for questioning."
The elder man bowed, "As you wish, majesty."
Beep. . . Beep. . . Beep. . .
Usagi gritted her teeth when she became aware of the annoying sound echoing in her ears. The continuous noise – although it sounded murky, uneven, and from a distance – enhanced the throbbing ache in her head. As feeling slowly returned to her body, she recognized the familiar chill of metal on her arms, legs, chest, and head.
Floating. She felt as if she were floating through a kingdom of clouds on a warm, breezy morning where nothing could touch her. There were no worries here, no regrets, and no pain. There was only her, the clouds, and that damned beeping.
"I think she's coming out of it, Malaca."
"Good. Drain the liquid." Usagi heard strange grunts and growls before suddenly feeling heavy.
"Remember, Planthor, she doesn't understand our language."
The pain in her head lessened, but now she felt cold. Shivering, she forced her eyes open when a towel was dropped around her shoulders and nearly screamed when she saw a strange, yellow-polka dotted, green lizard creature. She stepped from the machine and took a few hasty steps away from the reptile. She didn't find him overly strange because she knew Piccolo and he had green skin, but that still wasn't something you wanted to see first thing in the morning.
A white door sparkled in the distance. Should she run for it? An old man motioned to a table where several articles of clothing were folded neatly. 'Oh yeah,' she thought while gripping the towel tighter. She couldn't travel inconspicuously wearing only a towel. Slowly, she edged her way to the table, keeping a cautious eye on where the two men were standing.
Malaca, the older Saiyajin, nodded to Planthor, his lizard-like assistant, who nodded in return. They had to contact the guards now.
Usagi quickly dressed and toweled dry her hair. She was debating if hairpins were really worth the trouble it would take to ask for when the white door opened and a group of big, hairy, stone-faced Saiyajins walked in. They quickly formed a circle around her.
"By order of the king, you are to come with us, brat."
Malaca stepped forward, "She doesn't understand you."
"Huh?" the guards looked at each other. "Why not?"
Commander Celeric swept into the room in time to hear the conversation. "This is the child that was brought in by Bardock and his team a few days ago."
"Oh yeah, I remember hearing about that."
"Well," Malaca continued after nodding to the commander, "She seems a little skittish, so don't do anything sudden. We don't want to have to catch her again."
The guards laughed, "Don't worry."
The commander studied the child's bowed head. "How can this wee bit of a thing be so fast?"
"Honestly," the doctor said while washing his hands, "I don't know. If I could just…"
From beneath hooded eyes Usagi watched the men converse. Since they were preoccupied, she might be able to slip out unnoticed. She needed to find Bardock. Closing her eyes, she reached out her senses searching for his ki just like Vegeta had taught her.
The soldiers stopped all conversation when their eye pieces began to beep.
"What is it?" Malaca asked.
"The brat's ki just rose a little."
'Found him,' she thought with triumph. He wasn't too far away. She was about to retract her senses when she felt one of the planet's strongest kis heading in her direction. The soldiers watched in confusion as the girl's head snapped around to the door. She seemed to be waiting for something. They looked at the door and then back at her.
"Okay. I think she's lost it," one of the soldiers mumbled.
Another one chuckled, "Hey doc, are you sure you didn't poke her too hard?" They laughed.
The commander and the doctor watched the child as she slid off the table and began to back away from the door. It suddenly opened, and in barged Nappa looking like a crazed animal.
"Amazing," Malaca breathed. "I think she knew he was coming."
"But, how could she without a scouter?" Celeric asked.
"I believe this girl holds many secrets," the doctor mumbled mysteriously.
"Where is the little shit head!" Nappa demanded while looking around frantically. "I heard she woke up. When I get my hands on her I'm going to – "
"You will do nothing! The king did not wait three days for this brat to heal just so you could kill her," the commander stepped forward successfully blocking the child from view. It was understandable that Nappa would be mad, but he had no one to blame but himself. Everyone had heard of the punishment the elite suffered at the hands of their king.
"You dare to talk back to me!"
"I will do more than that if you interfere with the king's wishes."
Nappa snarled, "Get out of my way!"
Usagi had had enough of the screaming. For all she knew, they could be debating over who was going to kill her. The other soldiers seemed engrossed in their arguement. After taking a deep breath, she bolted for the door.
"Commander Celeric, quick! The door!" But it was too late. The speedy blur was already down the hall.
"Damn, she's fast," a soldier nodded approvingly.
"Shit," Celeric rubbed his forehead. "I knew this was going to be a long day. I knew it."
"Get back here you little brat!" Nappa shouted before blasting after her.
"There's no way he's going to catch her," Malaca commented.
"That's what we're here for. Where's she headed?"
A soldier pushed the button on his scouter a few times. "Due East into town."
"Well, let's go get her."
Usagi zipped past the bug-shaped white skyscrapers. "Okay, he was in this area somewhere," she mumbled to herself. She glanced behind her at the glowing dot in the distance. "Great, he's gaining." Fear helped to heighten her senses. "There!"
She touched down at the building with a lot of flashing lights and strange markings that looked like writing. Many men and a few women were coming and going. She debated going in. A deafening bellow in the distance provided enough initiative for her to run.
"Commander, the brat stopped," a soldier reported. Their team was weaving through the buildings at top speed. Hopefully they would intercept Nappa before he damaged her too much.
"Where at?"
The soldier chuckled, "Brussel's Bar."
"What!"
Another soldier flew up to them. "Maybe she was thirsty after all that flying. She's so far ahead of us; she could probably have a beer or two before continuing on her merry way."
The comment was said in jest, but everyone worried. Brussel's Bar was a place opened to all level fighters. With the barely contained tension between the levels and a bountiful supply of booze, one could imagine the kind of fights that break out there on a daily basis.
"Let's hurry."
As soon as Usagi crossed the threshold a foul stench invaded her senses. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. It was dark inside because there were no widows. She frowned when she noticed that slight. Many tables were strewed randomly across the room. A bar with a dozen and a half stools was placed in the center of the room.
People, mostly men, filled every available seat. Words were flying through the air in shouts along with glasses and a few fists. She gulped. That wasn't the worst part. Everyone towered over her.
"Don't I feel small," she commented.
"What the hell are you doing in here brat? You know the rules. No brats allowed!"
She gulped when the middle-aged man behind the bar started screaming at her. This was not good.
Bardock absently twirled a small device on the table with his fingers, deep in thought. Tora downed his third drink in one gulp and belched loudly. "That hits the spot." Orgos grunted in agreement as he guzzled down his own jar.
"The two of you are disgusting pigs," Fausha commented while sipping the heated liquid in her cup.
"Oh lighten up, will you? Must you continue to nag even when we're on vacation?"
She grinned, "When you stop acting like a dog, I'll stop treating you like one."
He jumped to his feet. "Why you –"
"Heel, bitch, heel!" she baited with a grin.
"Knock it off you two. Our great leader isn't in the mood to scrape your guts off the floor," Tora reprimanded.
Orgos turned his chair and straddled it. "Yeah, what's with you, Bardock? You're not your usual obnoxious self."
"Just thinking."
Fausha raised an eyebrow when their captain refused to rise to the bait.
"That's your problem; you think too much!" Tora shouted as he pounded his friend on the back in an attempt at cheer. It wasn't working. Fausha's female intuition forced her to note the dark circles under his eyes, evidence of a few sleepless nights. They all knew he busted his butt to get that translator fixed as fast as possible, but there was something else keeping him awake at night.
"He's worried about something." Bardock stopped spinning his invention and glanced at her. "I'm right aren't I?" He didn't answer. "Of course I'm right! A female's always right."
Orgos snorted. "Here we go."
Tora waved them into silence. "What are you worried about?"
Bardock sighed. He might as well tell them if he wanted to be left alone. "The doctors got the result of that brat's blood test back yesterday."
"So?"
Fausha slapped Orgos across the head just as he went to drink. He started to choke and sputter. "Be a good doggy and don't interrupt."
"They said," Bardock continued, "that she's half Saiyajin and that we're related."
Tora raised an eyebrow. "You and the brat?"
He nodded, "And to top that off, she still hasn't woken up."
"So what does this mean?" Fausha questioned.
"It means I'm worried." He was about to say something when he heard the whisper from the next table.
"–brat's got golden hair."
Golden hair?
Since Usagi couldn't explain her presence to the man, she opted to just ignore him. She narrowed her senses to this room and ran right.
"What the – " People stared as she rushed past.
Sighing with relief when she finally spotted a familiar haircut, she called out, "Bardock!"
The Saiyajin in question turned in time to catch the speedy child. "She's with you Bardock?" old Brussel called out from behind the bar.
"Yeah."
"You know the rules."
The young captain rolled his eyes. "Can it, you old goat." Many of the people listening in on the conversation cheered in agreement. He sat the girl down on the table.
"How'd the brat get here?"
Bardock gave Usagi a questioning look. She chewed her lip and pointed at the door. He glanced behind him in time to watch Nappa's grand entrance.
"Where the hell is the brat!" he demanded over the growls that greeted him. Many of the Saiyajins present hated him. Some of the curious people turned to glance at the golden-haired child. Nappa followed the turning heads. "When I get my hands on you, brat, you'll be squealing for your mommy, like the pig you are."
Bardock and his team stood as the elite began marching toward them. Just then, the door slammed open again. "Nappa, if you touch one hair on that brat's head, the king will roast your ass, again!"
People made way for the commander and his team of soldiers who were breathing heavily.
"What's all of this about, Celeric?" Brussel asked emerging from his side of the bar. The commander was a favored regular on his down time, so the bartender knew him well enough to address him informally.
"The brat's supposed to meet with the king; she bolted when Nappa started chasing her."
"The king?" people whispered.
Usagi looked at Nappa in fear which quickly turned to interest when she noticed the madly beeping device over his right eye. 'I've seen one of those before.'
Flashback
"What's that Trunks?" Usagi asked while slurping from her straw.
He sat down at the kitchen table and set the strange device in front of them. He shrugged, "I don't know. I found it in mom's lab. You want to take it apart and see how it works?"
Usagi stopped swinging her legs. "Won't she get mad?"
He shook his head. "Nah."
"Okay!"
End Flashback
Bulma had walked in during the dismantling and told them that it belonged to Vegeta before he learned how to sense ki. 'So that's how he followed me.'
Usagi jumped off the table and, much to the shock of everyone, charged Nappa.
"Die, you little brat!" he shouted before firing a ki blast at her.
She dodged.
He fired again and again. Everyone in the bar watched in shock as the blond brat began to blur as she effortlessly weaved her way between attacks still slowly moving forward. With a leap she landed on his bald head. 'Quick hands. Quick hands,' she thought to herself as she easily twisted the scouter free.
"You little –" Nappa swung a second too late and ended up hitting himself in the head. With a growl he spun around in time to see Usagi wave his scouter in the air like a red cape taunting a bull before she backed out the door.
"Come back here!" Nappa turned to the commander. "Give me your scouter, weakling. Hurry!"
Celeric grinned and crossed his arms. "Go get your own." People bit back their laughs, and those who couldn't snorted into their drinks.
"Out of my way!"
Not five minutes had passed since the girl left when she reappeared leaning against the door frame of the bar gasping for breath. Celeric and his team had joined Bardock and his crew at their table during the uneventful five minutes after Nappa's parting. Even though Celeric was elite and thus Bardock's superior, they often drank together and spoke of politics and recent missions.
The activity of the bar seemed to stop when people noticed the strange blond child blocking the door for the second time that day. Her presence seemed to touch the Saiyajins as none other had. The starlight shined unusually bright masking the child's face and turning her golden hair silver.
When Usagi's breathing finally returned to normal, she pushed away from the wall and slowly braved her way through the sea of curious stares to the one man she trusted on the whole planet.
Bardock watched in silence as the child approached, noting the way she kept her gaze on the ground and her head bowed. She finally stopped when she reached his chair. Everyone waited to see what she would do. However, they were not expecting her to jump into the third-class warrior's lap and bury her face in his chest.
The shocked, horror-stricken look on Bardock's face was enough to send the Saiyajin throng back to their drinks howling with laughter. Bardock, a soldier having slaughtered millions, seemed to fear one child's hug.
"B-Bardock, you should see your face," Fausha blurted through fits of laughter.
He rolled his eyes while trying to pry the child from him. Usagi proved to be stubborn and held tight. He finally gave up, not wanting to hurt her just to be free from the strange sensation of being hugged.
"The brat's smart," Celeric commented while gulping down his drink.
Fausha grinned, "Of course she is. All females are."
"Really?" he drowned on, angering her with his lack of interest.
"Let's get the brat's opinion," Bardock said while reaching for the hearing aid-looking device he had been twirling earlier. Still, Usagi refused to be moved. He found it greatly disturbing that when he reached for her she stiffened and backed away from his hand. Something had happened to her alright, and he needed to get this translator on her to figure out what.
'Today hadn't been a good day,' Usagi thought. She wasn't in the mood to trust anyone. She buried her face in his chest, but otherwise showed no resistance as he tucked her ridiculously long locks behind her ear.
As if sensing his thoughts Orgos blurted out, "Yeah, what is with her hair? Since the hair Saiyajins are born with is what they'll always have, it must have been a pain in the ass for her mother to have to birth a brat and a fucking blanket of hair."
One of Celeric's men grunted in agreement. "It's all gold and straight. Without that tail of hers I'd have a hard time believing she's one of us."
"Half, actually," Tora corrected, "She's only half Saiyajin."
"No kidding?"
"At least she has hair," a bald member of Celeric's squad grumbled.
Everyone but Celeric laughed. "You don't think it will hurt too much to give birth to a long haired brat, do you?"
"That's right," Tora remembered, "Your mate's expecting, isn't she?"
The commander smirked proudly. Bardock, his tail twitching with anticipation, adjusted his invention to his satisfaction and motioned for silence. "Can you understand me, brat?"
Usagi jumped away from him; her eyes opened to wide to stare into his with shock.
Orgos laughed, "I'd day that's a yes."
Fausha elbowed him in the gut, "Shut up, dog, and let her speak."
Usagi blinked a few times trying to absorb everything happening around her. It felt odd to suddenly hear words where before there had only been grunts and growls. Bardock watched with patience and a great deal of satisfaction as she slowly looked around as if seeing the bar for the first time. Usagi could pick out bits and pieces from every conversation.
"And then she said –"
"– I win!"
"– more drink!"
"Give that back – "
"– owe me."
"– started it."
"Come back here!"
"Take this!"
"Why isn't she answering?" Tora asked.
"Think about it," Bardock explained. "In all this time, she simply blocked out everything because the words didn't make since. Then, suddenly, now, she understands; and everything she had ignored becomes noticed again all at once. I would think it's overwhelming."
Celeric studied the low class warrior thoughtfully, remembering the rumors of his immense wisdom. Bardock was indeed wise and very perceptive.
"Do you understand, brat?" he asked the child again.
Usagi broke away from the fragments of conversation and focused her big blue eyes straight into those of the Saiyajin whose lap she was sitting in. Bardock blinked in surprise when she suddenly smile at him and nodded.
"Good. Now, pay attention because I'm only going to say this once. That ear piece you are wearing not only translates what we say into your language, but it also contains a computer chip that subconsciously teaches you our tongue. So, in a matter of no more than a month you should be able to discard it completely. Because of this chip you are under no circumstances allowed to remove it without my permission," he stressed his last sentence and waited for her to nod in understanding before continuing. "It's waterproof, fireproof, ki proof, and, after taking your speed into consideration, pressure proof."
Tora whistled low, "Damn Bardock and it only took you three days to whip that thing up?"
Bardock grinned, "What can I say? I'm a fucking genius."
Celeric blinked in surprise. He was sure the king knew of Bardock's wisdom, but he couldn't wait to report of his intelligence.
"Don't take it off. Do you understand brat?"
Usagi nodded again. "Yes, sir."
Everyone at the table blinked. "Okay, so she understands us; but we still don't know what the hell she's saying," Orgos complained. Usagi giggled.
"Don't you think I know that idiot? Do you not know what faith and patience are?"
Fausha cheered, "Our great leader has returned to normal!" Celeric's team laughed at Bardock's nickname.
The captain pulled out another of his inventions, a huge, white Band-Aid looking thing. Usagi eyed it warily. He chuckled, "It doesn't bite. Let me just put it around your throat like this." Again, he fiddled with it for a moment and sat back. "This can withstand everything the earpiece can, but you can take it off when you sleep if you want."
"Well?" Fausha prompted.
One of Celeric's men shouted, "Say something brat!"
Usagi looked up at Bardock with a strange expression. 'I wish Trunks were here.' She could just see him saying, 'She doesn't have to talk to you weaklings' while pulling her behind him.
Bardock watched the many emotions pass through her eyes. He saw fear, then longing, and finally sadness. 'She's remembering something.'
"Yo, brat, we know you can understand us," Tora pressed.
Bardock's sigh was strong enough to part a sea. He stood, scooping Usagi into his arms, an action he was becoming used to, before marching to a sparsely populated corner of the room.
"What'd he do that for?" Celeric asked.
"It kind of makes sense," Fausha paused to sip from her drink, "The brat's only tried to communicate with Bardock since we found her, and he can somehow understand what she wants with simply staring at her."
Celeric nodded beginning to understand, "And when she escaped the palace, she ran to him for protection."
Tora finished, "So it's only right she would want to speak to him first."
"Leave," Bardock ordered a few older teens from the corner booth. He sat Usagi down on the table next to a puddle of beer and waited. "Why didn't you want to talk in front of them?"
Usagi shrugged and studied the older version of her brother's face. She decided to take a chance and trust him. With a quick prayer to Kami that this man wouldn't be like her mother, she opened her mouth to begin, "I hate meeting new people; they always judge and make opinions before ever really knowing anything."
Bardock blinked in surprise. This girl was too cynical and too observant for someone her age. "That's not always true."
She looked at him skeptically before averting her gaze to the ripped, blood-stained cushion of the booth. "I heard what your friends said about my hair."
"My friends?" he paused for a moment. "Yeah, I guess they are my friends or as close to what a Saiyajin can have as friends. Sorry to disappoint you brat – it's Usagi right? – but you're going to be meeting a lot of new people." She sighed and nodded. "You don't talk much do you?"
"Not to people who aren't worth spending the effort."
He raised an eyebrow, "Did you just insult me?"
She blinked in surprise. "No." Her eyes grew wide with horror. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I did."
Bardock raised both eyebrows. 'Did she just apologize?'
Usagi sighed and rubbed her arms in an attempt to ward off the cold. "I'm just scared of this place."
"Why?"
"Because Veggie says Saiyajins are mean, 'cause of that scary guy from before, and 'cause I've never been away from Trunks or Goten for this long."
Bardock rubbed his eyes and mentally groaned, since he didn't understand a word she just said. This was going to be a long conversation. "Okay, first, what scary guy from before?"
"The one I took the scouter from." 'Nappa? She feared Nappa? Well, duh, Bardock,' his mind argued, 'he did almost beat her to death.' Bardock watched her shudder. "He reminds me of my mom." 'Her mom?' He mentally stored that away for later.
"Oh, that's Nappa. He's not scary, just very stupid and very, very ugly." She giggled. "And there's that name again. Goten. Who's he? I remember you mentioned that before."
She grinned, "Goten's my little brother. You look just like him except for that scar." She reached out and traced the cross shaped mark on his cheek. He blinked in surprise. No one had ever touched him so casually like that before.
"So that's why you trusted me so easily?"
She nodded, "Where'd you get this?" she asked still looking at his scar.
"In a battle," he replied absently, his mind focusing on more important matters. "You were thinking about something right before I brought you over here."
"Trunks."
"And Trunks is…?" Bardock watched as her demeanor became brighter just at the mention of this person's name. Whoever he was she obviously cared about him a great deal.
Usagi started to swing her legs back and forth. "Trunks is my best friend in the whole universe. I've known him since I was I was ten minutes old." She giggled at Bardock's surprised expression. "He's super strong and threatens to beat up everybody except me, Bulma-san, and Veggie; and he could do it too. Everyone says he's got purple hair, but it's really lavender. And – "
"Lavender?" Bardock interrupted. He had difficulty imagining a kid with purple – no lavender – hair.
"Yep! And, well," Bardock watched as she became suddenly very serious and a little sad, "He's always there, you know? He's always been there to protect me and cheer me up. He's been my friend through everything. I owe him so much. Dieing wasn't enough."
Bardock had trouble figuring out the last sentence. "Dieing? You died because you owed him?"
She looked up, and he saw sad resignation. Her mouth twitched up into a humorless little smile that didn't belong on a child so young. "He was so sad, Bardock. They were all so sad. I– "
"Sad? Why?"
"Because Veggie died and Son-san was going to leave because he was dead. I had to do something."
"What?"
She smiled humorlessly again. "I made a bargain; my life for the lives of the last two full-blooded Saiyajins."
Bardock stared down at her in shock – his son and the prince? She sacrificed her life for theirs? Why? 'Because she felt like she owed them,' his mind supplied. The concept of self-sacrifice in a child, a female child as young as she, who obviously had no formal martial arts training was completely unfathomable.
She looked happy again, "And it worked! See? 'Cause I'm here with a halo and they're at home."
He frowned, recalling the affection she mentioned between her brother and the prince and herself. "But won't everyone be sad that you're gone?"
She blinked in confusion and thought for a moment. "Some might be a little, others won't be. Besides, I'm not important."
Bardock stared at her in shock. Not important? 'She really believes that?' Thinking back, he remembered every time she slipped behind him and out of sight. He thought of how she walked into the bar with her head bowed. Initially, he thought she was shy – if ever a Saiyajin could be – but now he wasn't so sure. Someone had put a great fear in this child's mind. Who was the mystery yet to be solved. He sighed. "This 'Veggie' is the prince?" She nodded. "Tell me about him."
"He's really cool! He acts tough a lot and can be really mean sometimes, but I know he doesn't mean it 'cause he still lets me watch him train."
Bardock smirked in amusement. "Really? He lets you?"
She nodded. "Trunks and Goten always go off and spar, but Veggie stays in that one room. I think part of why he lets me watch is because he's lonely. He'd get mad if I told him that though. He'll talk sometimes and tell me a lot of things."
"Like what?" Bardock asked while settling himself in the cushioned booth and propping his intertwined fingers atop his armored stomach.
"He'll tell me about Saiyajins and Vegeta-sei, battles he won; places he's seen. Sometimes he'll tell me things he did when he was my age." Usagi shook her head. She giggled. "He likes to fight with Bulma-san a lot. But that's okay because it's not real fighting."
Bardock frowned in confusion. Not real fighting? "Bulma-san is…?"
"Oh! That's Veggie's wife and Trunks's mom."
He frowned. "What's a wife?"
She looked confused. "Oh yeah, Veggie calls her his mate."
"He fights with his mate!"
"Not fist fighting, yell fighting."
Bardock blinked. "Oh."
"And you know what, Bardock-san?" she leaned forward and whispered. "Bulma-san always wins because she reminds Veggie of his fear."
"His fear?" Bardock leaned in until their noses were almost touching and whispered, "What does the prince fear?"
"Bulma-san says it's sleeping on the couch."
Bardock exploded with laughter.
Everyone at his team's table looked over in curiosity. "I wonder what they're talking about," Tora thought.
"There is something different about that brat," Fausha thought aloud.
"You mean besides the hair?"
She ignored that comment, "She had this strange hold over Bardock unlike anything I've ever seen in a Saiyajin. First, he was all quiet and worried; and now he's laughing like a loon."
"Bah! You think too much woman."
She glared at Orgos, "Or maybe you don't think enough."
"What's so funny? Krillen-san laughed a lot when I told him. He kept saying I'd understand when I'm older."
Bardock fought to get his breathing back to normal. "And Krillen-san is…?"
"Oh. He's the principal at our school." Bardock didn't understand that title but chose not to interrupt. "He's really funny. I stay with him while I wait for Gohan to pick me up, and he'll order pizza! He said that it's okay to have grown ups for friends. Mom would get mad if she found out, so promise me you won't tell?" Usagi asked and held out her pinky.
Bardock eyed it warily. "I promise."
"Nope, you have to pinky swear or it doesn't count."
He raised an eyebrow. "And this is?"
Usagi looked at him as if he were the dumbest person walking the planet. "You don't know what a pinky swear is!"
He squirmed in his chair and shifted his eyes away. 'I am a genius of my time,' he complimented himself egotistically without feeling one iota of remorse, 'then how come this child can make me feel like some untried youth who misplaces his space pod. "No…" he stated hesitantly.
She sighed. "Let me see your hand." Her small, pale fingers were in sharp contrast with his tan, weathered, callous-covered hand. She looped her pinky around his. Her finger was so petite it resembled a pale ring more than a finger. "Okay, now promise."
He rolled his eyes. "You certainly have the strangest customs. Okay. In the event that I should ever meet your mother, I promise not to tell."
She sagged in genuine relief. "Thank you."
Bardock sighed. 'First she apologizes, and now she's thanking me. This brat's got a lot to learn about Saiyajins.' He remembered what spawned the bizarre custom. "Who's Gohan?"
She blinked. "He's my older brother."
Bardock waited for the rest of her description, but she remained silent. "How old is he?" he probed.
"Seventeen, I think." She looked away from his searching gaze and at the swirl of smoke lazily drifting to the ceiling.
"Hmm…. Well, brat, you've answered all of my questions; now I have something to tell you." Usagi stopped swinging her legs and waited patiently. "You're father, Kakarot, is a full blooded Saiyajin right?" She nodded. "Well, he is also my son."
Usagi blinked. "So that means…?"
"I'm your grandfather."
Usagi looked confused before adamantly shaking her head in denial. "That can't be right; you can see me."
"What are you talking about? Of course I can see you."
She shook her head. "But, my other grandpa doesn't see me."
"Is he blind?"
"No, but for the longest time Goten and I thought he was."
"But he couldn't see you? I don't understand."
"I didn't either. He would visit sometimes and just look right through me. Once we were in the same room and he didn't say a word. I thought it was weird because he could see Goten and Gohan but not me."
Bardock clinched his fists under the table. 'He just ignored her?'
"Goten snuck up behind him and poked him in the eyes once just to make sure he wasn't blind. Sometimes Gohan doesn't see me either. Ever since…" she shuddered a little. "After a while I didn't really mind that my grandpa couldn't see me. Some people are just like that, I guess. So, you can't be my grandpa," she finished logically.
Bardock tilted her face up and leaned forward until their eyes filled each other's vision. "Guess what brat? I see you."
Usagi stared into his ebony eyes for a long time. For some odd reason his comment made her happy. She smiled up at her grandfather before launching herself into her arms.
"Aak! What in hell do you think you're doing?" Bardock half-heartedly swatted her away from him in horror.
Usagi loosened her grip from around his neck. "Giving you a hug."
"A hug?"
Her jaw dropped. "You don't know what a hug is!" He shook his head. She sighed, "Well I'll just have to hug you a lot to make up for all of these years."
"What is this hugging's purpose?"
She thought. "It makes both people feel better. It's like saying you're not alone."
"What a strange culture you grew up in. It sound's too emotional by half." He remained silent for a long while. "Are you ready to meet a lot of new people now?"
She picked at her pants, "Do I have to?"
He scooped her into his arms and headed back to his team. "Yes, you have to," he spoke to her mass of blonde locks.
"Welcome back, Bardock. We were just debating on if you had forgotten us or not."
Bardock snorted, "As if I could forget all of your ugly faces."
They laughed. "Yo, brat, what'd you do with Nappa's scouter?"
"I hid it."
Tora jumped to his feet. "She speaks! This calls for a celebration. Brussel, you old goat, bring us some more drinks!"
Fausha elbowed him in the gut. "Shut up and sit down, idiot."
Commander Celeric chuckled, "Such a way with words." He turned to address the child. "Where'd you hide it?"
She shifted uneasily but stopped when Bardock gave her a reassuring squeeze. "On the roof of that big building."
"You flew all the way to the palace!" She nodded. A strange silence swept over the warriors. Their faces became tense and twitched every few moments before they couldn't hold it any longer and burst into fits of laughter. "That dumb ass is probably still searching."
Bardock shook his head at the fighters. They were all almost drunk except for the ever watchful commander of course. "How'd you get so fast brat?"
"Bulma-san said it's because I'm like a blind person."
They all blinked. Bardock shook his head. He wasn't even going to try to figure out what that meant. Commander Celeric sighed as he finished off his drink and stood. "I guess we better report to the king. He gets impatient and probably wants my head to roll for taking so long."
"King?" Usagi asked.
"He's the guy you called Veggie," Bardock supplied also standing. "I'll go with you."
"That guy's the king?" She grinned, "He must be Veggie's dad!" She giggled, "He's got a beard!"
Celeric paused, "Dad? You knew the prince? Prince Vegeta?"
Usagi blinked at the suddenly serious faces. "Yes, sir."
"Did you ask her?" Celeric rounded on Bardock.
"No. I kind of figured everyone should know at the same time."
"Ask her now."
Shouts grew louder and the familiar sound of fist hitting flesh interrupted the conversation. Usagi watched as bets were placed and people cheered. 'They like watching people get beat up?' Another punch landed and the noise in the bar became deafening. Commander Celeric pushed his way through the crowd and pulled the fighting pair apart. People booed.
"Everyone shut up and listen!" The ground rattled from the echoing bellow. For once Brussel's Bar in the inner royal capital was quiet. Finally the commander nodded for Bardock to begin. Everyone looked at the third-class warrior and the blond-haired child with interest. It went against Saiyajin tradition for someone to break up a fight; only the king had such an honor. Usually the Saiyajins preferred to let two people end a dispute with their fists.
"Listen, Usagi, this is very important. Do you know someone named Frieza?"
The two men Celeric held stopped struggling and joined the rest of the throng in staring at the girl. Usagi tried to ignore everyone's burning gazes and concentrate. "The name sounds familiar." She scrunched her brow in thought. It was on the tip of her brain. "Is he important?"
Bardock took it as a good sign that she didn't know him. "He destroyed our planet and killed all but four of our race." A few growls echoed through the room before they were quickly silenced.
"Oh, that guy! I remember now. Yeah, he died."
"What!" some people shouted from the back of the room before they too were silenced.
Bardock fought to keep his face expressionless; he didn't want her to know how much her news alarmed him. "What happened to him?"
Everyone leaned forward. "He died a long time ago, before Trunks, Goten, and I were even born. Veggie likes to talk about it. I know because he gets this little grin on his face. He said that day the Saiyajin race was avenged. He said the power of a Super Saiyajin killed," she fought to remember his exact words, "that shit-eating, freaky, gay son-of-a-bitch."
Everyone grinned at her choice of words. "A Super Saiyajin?" Orgos asked.
"That's just a legend!" someone called out.
"It doesn't matter if the brat got it wrong; a Saiyajin still killed the little bastard and avenged our people!" another added. A cheer swept through the room faster than Super Saiyajins at dinner time.
Usagi tugged on Bardock's armor. "This is good news?"
"No brat. This is great news."
It seemed that great news spread fast. By the time Usagi, Celeric, and Bardock touched down at the palace, nearly everyone in the city knew.
Silence reigned throughout the throne room after Usagi haltingly related what she recalled as the death of Freiza and the life of Goku and Vegeta. She stood erect, flanked by her grandfather and the commander of the low-level forces, as she waited for their reactions. Her gaze was resolutely fixed on a minute notch on the jeweled throne above King Vegeta's shoulder. It looked as though someone had attempted to behead the monarch with a sharp sword, but missed . . . a mistake that probably cost them dearly. She didn't have to wait long before the first old general snapped from his outraged stupor.
"You expect us to believe a nobody female like you? As if a low-level soldier could rival the powers of our prince," he scoffed.
"She couldn't even dodge Nappa!" someone reminded.
"Completely pathetic."
"We're not so gullible as to be taken in by an infant's word."
One general jumped to his feet in exuberance and shouted with gusto, "She should be punished for her impudent lies!"
The idea was immediately seized upon. "Eighty lashes minimum!"
"No, let's pass her around the elites as a punching bag!"
"A body part should be removed at the very least."
The oldest of the generals' eyes lit up. "Her feet!"
Everyone groaned with annoyance.
King Vegeta let the elders ramble on and discuss various tortures that had proven useful in the past. His attention was held by that of the child who had been staring off into oblivion, contemplating whatever little girls contemplated. What really struck him as odd was her reaction to the various mutilations being suggested, or rather the lack thereof. Finally, his curiosity conquered his silence.
He held up his hand for silence. "I'm curious about something, brat." He waited for her attention to focus completely on him. "Why do you not flinch from these suggestions?"
Usagi frowned in confusion, weighing her emotions, and finally shrugged. "Pain is a part of existence. It will come whether I want it to or not, so why should I worry?"
King Vegeta frowned and was about to say something when a young soldier burst into the room at top speed waving a stack of papers frantically. "Majesty! I-It's horrible! We didn't . . . we only have . . . absolutely catastrophic!" the boy babbled incoherently in his haste.
"Cease this endless prattle and give me the damn message already." He would have blasted the fool out of existence the moment he presumed to barge in and interrupt a royal audience, but from the way the brat was carrying on the message was bound to be important. So the boy lived even though the King had virtually no patience with idiots.
The messenger gasped. "The moon!"
Heads turned as everyone stilled, already expecting the worst.
"It's coming in three days!"
AN: Oh, oh plot twist! Hmmm… I wonder what's going to happen now? Okay! It's time for you to tell me what you think so far. I'm going to try and get through the Vegeta-sei segment of this story as fast as I can because I know that ya'll are eagerly waiting for Trunks to re-enter the scene. So, my challenge now exists in that I have to have her gain inner strength through realistic means in as little words as possible. Hmmm….me not be wordy? What? Like that's going to happen. Review and tell me what you think of this interesting development!
REVIEW me your locations! I'm really interested in seeing where everyone lives and how many different people I'm reaching across the states and other countries. How many Yankee fans do I have and how many Rednecks? Hmm…an interesting question. Thanks!