TITLE: Ancient Power
AUTHOR: Echo the Nymph
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dragon Ball Z.
NOTES: This chapter starts out with a dream that is of repressed memories. Miura finally remembers how the accident really happened.
Chapter 4
~~
"Miura, there you are. You shouldn't have run off like that." Arden gently chided while picking her up from the cool green moss below her. She giggled softly, before another thought came to her mind.
"Tousan, do you know what my name means?" she inquired in her young voice. Her eyes looked up into his, shining with the hope of the young and innocent.
Arden thought for a minute, then realized it could do no harm to tell her. She didn't know that he was a saiya-jin, and wouldn't for years yet to come. "In my native language, your name means 'Noble Amazon'." He lifted off, holding his child in his arms. Miura laughed happily as they soared on through the blue sky. Mischievously, her father flew through a couple of clouds, causing her laughter to reach an even higher level.
The saiya-jin landed right next to the car. The sunlight of late evening gleamed off of the smoothly painted sides, catching the slight amount of glitter in the pale gold paint. "There you are. Let's go, so we can get home before dark." Yukari declared.
Why does Kaasan want to get home before dark tonight? There's nothing special about it. the girl thought wonderingly. For the next five miles, the drive was peaceful. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the car. The woman, although frightened and screaming, managed to keep her car on the road until the next blast hit it. Then they, excluding Arden who had braced himself for the impact, screamed in terror as the vehicle flipped end over end. It continued to roll down the mountainside, over the rough terrain. Then the car finally came to a halt, resting on its left side. Near the hood of the car was a large tree that seemed to lean precariously over them.
Miura screamed again as an alien's hand shot through the shattered window, shredded her seat belt and pulled her out. Arden screamed in rage as he leapt out of the car. His seat belt had been shredded by the fall and the glass that had shattered under the impact of stones upon it. Not only was his mate severely injured and unconscious, but now his offspring was being threatened by the same enemy that had knocked his pod off of its course. "Let her go." he growled. His tone was anything but kind. If the enemy had known more about saiya-jins that found a bond-mate, he would have realized how much trouble he'd gotten himself into. But no, all he wanted was for Arden and his family to die. Such peace disgusted him and he tightened his grip upon the child, causing her to whimper.
"Oh, so this is your offspring. She doesn't look very impressive. But then, what half-breed would?" his enemy hissed. The alien tightened his grip on the little girl again. She screamed in pain, as the pressure was causing her young bones to buckle. Arden noticed that her eyes were beginning to take on the appearance of a cat's. She was too young to use that form properly, and his parental instincts were screaming at him to protect her. And there was another instinct that was screaming just as loudly to protect his mate.
The full moon caught Arden's eye. Fortunately, he didn't get enough of the light to begin his transformation. "If you don't want me to go oozaru on you, then put her down now." The saiya-jin's tail twitched with suppressed anger. His obsidian black eyes narrowed and his mouth became set into a snarl that had frightened many of those who had wished to harm the prince that had been under his tutilage and was his charge for years.
The evil creature tightened his grip about the girl, causing her to cry out again. "You wouldn't want to try that. I can kill her very easily, even when you are transforming." He then got an evil glint in his eye. The alien threw the girl right at her father.
Arden caught her, then saw his enemy building up a ki blast. The saiya-jin warrior turned his back on him and took the full force of the attack on himself. "Tousan!!!" Miura cried as the explosion rocked the area. Her father fell, still protecting her with his own body. And also, he had saved her mother by taking the blast upon himself.
As the alien had left soon after he had attacked, the saiya-jin knew that it was safe to mentally comfort his child. Miura, don't cry. Someone of my race will find you, and he will help you. Then he closed his mind to his child. I hope that Bardock was right about this. If Vegeta doesn't come, then who will? Arden turned his attention back to his child. I will be with you, in one way or another. His words became faint, as though he were speaking from a great distance.
Then the saiya-jin went limp. Miura then felt his entire body weight on her little frame. Tousan. she called to him, but got no reply. She started sobbing in her sorrow. The sirens of approaching emergency vehicles drew her attention then. Maybe they can help my Tousan. She was hopeful, even though she could feel her father's body cooling in the night air.
~*~
The girl woke sharply, sitting up in her bed in fright. Nani? Where am I? Oh, that's right. I'm at Capsule Corp. Her mind turned back to the dream she had. So, that's how it happened. My otousan didn't die from the crash, he died protecting me.
Someone then roughly jerked her off of her bed. That particular person was suddenly blown across the room and hit the wall. He smirked and stood up. "That was impressive." Vegeta declared. His tone was the same as always, yet deep within he was impressed. She had promise for one who had never been completely trained.
"Gomen nazi, Vegeta-san." Miura whimpered. Fear was evident in her voice, as she didn't know what he planned to do now. As if startling her after she'd woken from a dream wasn't bad enough, she was unsure of how he'd react to what she'd just done to him.
"Relax. It seems that Arden taught you a few tricks. He was the only one of the Royal Guard that could do that to me." The Prince left the room, only causing more confusion for the girl. He had known her father? What was happening to her? All of the information she was getting was starting to put her into mental overload.
~*~
Miura finished washing the cups that had been used for lunch. She sighed softly, remembering what she had been told about her saiya-jin heritage. Hopefully, cat and monkey can get along. the girl thought with a shadow of humor. Then she pushed those thoughts away as she began to wash the plates. A faint floral scent rose from the dishsoap and a few bubbles rose from the sink. Easily, she rinsed the plate she had been working on and started on another.
The doorbell rang, causing Mrs. Briefs to bustle over to it. "Just keep going Miura. I'll be back." She opened the door, and was surprised to see a social worker she knew well standing rather nervously on her doorstep. "Mr. Bennet, how are you?" Her surprise showed in her tone, as he rarely came to Capsule Corp.
"I'm fine. Is your daughter here? I need to speak with her." he replied.
"Oh, do come in. Wait here, I'll get Bulma." Mrs. Briefs bustled off, going to get her daughter.
The younger woman came into the living room, her eyes showing some irritation. "What is it, Mr. Bennet?" she inquired. Irritation showed even in her voice, as she had been looking over a part of the gravity chamber that had malfunctioned.
He nervously launched into an explanation. "Well, Yukari Aiden is dead. Someone at the hospital slipped a toxin into her medicine. Another problem is that her daughter is too young to be on her own. We were thinking about putting her in an orphanage."
Anger flashed in the woman's eyes. "No, Mr. Bennet. Miura needs to have friends around right now. Yukari was a friend of mine since the day we met, and she asked me to look after her child. I won't go back on my word." Bulma declared, both anger and sorrow in her voice. Niether noticed Miura standing in the entryway from the kitchen. Her blue eyes grew wide with sorrow. Now she was alone, none of her family would have her because they had disliked her father. She ran from the room with a swiftness that would've startled one who didn't know of her heritage.
The social worker left nervously when he saw Vegeta coming into the room. Bulma shot him a grateful glance and went to check on their young charge. The poor girl was sobbing her heart out on her bed. "Miura, I know you heard what was said. I won't let them take you somewhere you don't want to go." she softly informed her. A gentle hand was placed on her back in an attempt to comfort her.
The girl sat up, tears still streaming down her face. "She was the only family I had left. Now I feel so alone." She averted her gaze, trembling. There was something that screamed in warning and sorrow, yet she didn't know what it was.
Bulma wrapped her arms about the teen girl, and gently rocked her, like she had for both of her own children. Slowly, the sobs that escaped her quieted and the tears slowed to a trickle.
Trunks frowned as he walked pass Miura's room. This was similar to what he had gone through each time his father had died from a battle. But his friend was alone, no other family could take her in. The young warrior desperately wanted to cheer her up.
AUTHOR: Echo the Nymph
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dragon Ball Z.
NOTES: This chapter starts out with a dream that is of repressed memories. Miura finally remembers how the accident really happened.
Chapter 4
~~
"Miura, there you are. You shouldn't have run off like that." Arden gently chided while picking her up from the cool green moss below her. She giggled softly, before another thought came to her mind.
"Tousan, do you know what my name means?" she inquired in her young voice. Her eyes looked up into his, shining with the hope of the young and innocent.
Arden thought for a minute, then realized it could do no harm to tell her. She didn't know that he was a saiya-jin, and wouldn't for years yet to come. "In my native language, your name means 'Noble Amazon'." He lifted off, holding his child in his arms. Miura laughed happily as they soared on through the blue sky. Mischievously, her father flew through a couple of clouds, causing her laughter to reach an even higher level.
The saiya-jin landed right next to the car. The sunlight of late evening gleamed off of the smoothly painted sides, catching the slight amount of glitter in the pale gold paint. "There you are. Let's go, so we can get home before dark." Yukari declared.
Why does Kaasan want to get home before dark tonight? There's nothing special about it. the girl thought wonderingly. For the next five miles, the drive was peaceful. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the car. The woman, although frightened and screaming, managed to keep her car on the road until the next blast hit it. Then they, excluding Arden who had braced himself for the impact, screamed in terror as the vehicle flipped end over end. It continued to roll down the mountainside, over the rough terrain. Then the car finally came to a halt, resting on its left side. Near the hood of the car was a large tree that seemed to lean precariously over them.
Miura screamed again as an alien's hand shot through the shattered window, shredded her seat belt and pulled her out. Arden screamed in rage as he leapt out of the car. His seat belt had been shredded by the fall and the glass that had shattered under the impact of stones upon it. Not only was his mate severely injured and unconscious, but now his offspring was being threatened by the same enemy that had knocked his pod off of its course. "Let her go." he growled. His tone was anything but kind. If the enemy had known more about saiya-jins that found a bond-mate, he would have realized how much trouble he'd gotten himself into. But no, all he wanted was for Arden and his family to die. Such peace disgusted him and he tightened his grip upon the child, causing her to whimper.
"Oh, so this is your offspring. She doesn't look very impressive. But then, what half-breed would?" his enemy hissed. The alien tightened his grip on the little girl again. She screamed in pain, as the pressure was causing her young bones to buckle. Arden noticed that her eyes were beginning to take on the appearance of a cat's. She was too young to use that form properly, and his parental instincts were screaming at him to protect her. And there was another instinct that was screaming just as loudly to protect his mate.
The full moon caught Arden's eye. Fortunately, he didn't get enough of the light to begin his transformation. "If you don't want me to go oozaru on you, then put her down now." The saiya-jin's tail twitched with suppressed anger. His obsidian black eyes narrowed and his mouth became set into a snarl that had frightened many of those who had wished to harm the prince that had been under his tutilage and was his charge for years.
The evil creature tightened his grip about the girl, causing her to cry out again. "You wouldn't want to try that. I can kill her very easily, even when you are transforming." He then got an evil glint in his eye. The alien threw the girl right at her father.
Arden caught her, then saw his enemy building up a ki blast. The saiya-jin warrior turned his back on him and took the full force of the attack on himself. "Tousan!!!" Miura cried as the explosion rocked the area. Her father fell, still protecting her with his own body. And also, he had saved her mother by taking the blast upon himself.
As the alien had left soon after he had attacked, the saiya-jin knew that it was safe to mentally comfort his child. Miura, don't cry. Someone of my race will find you, and he will help you. Then he closed his mind to his child. I hope that Bardock was right about this. If Vegeta doesn't come, then who will? Arden turned his attention back to his child. I will be with you, in one way or another. His words became faint, as though he were speaking from a great distance.
Then the saiya-jin went limp. Miura then felt his entire body weight on her little frame. Tousan. she called to him, but got no reply. She started sobbing in her sorrow. The sirens of approaching emergency vehicles drew her attention then. Maybe they can help my Tousan. She was hopeful, even though she could feel her father's body cooling in the night air.
~*~
The girl woke sharply, sitting up in her bed in fright. Nani? Where am I? Oh, that's right. I'm at Capsule Corp. Her mind turned back to the dream she had. So, that's how it happened. My otousan didn't die from the crash, he died protecting me.
Someone then roughly jerked her off of her bed. That particular person was suddenly blown across the room and hit the wall. He smirked and stood up. "That was impressive." Vegeta declared. His tone was the same as always, yet deep within he was impressed. She had promise for one who had never been completely trained.
"Gomen nazi, Vegeta-san." Miura whimpered. Fear was evident in her voice, as she didn't know what he planned to do now. As if startling her after she'd woken from a dream wasn't bad enough, she was unsure of how he'd react to what she'd just done to him.
"Relax. It seems that Arden taught you a few tricks. He was the only one of the Royal Guard that could do that to me." The Prince left the room, only causing more confusion for the girl. He had known her father? What was happening to her? All of the information she was getting was starting to put her into mental overload.
~*~
Miura finished washing the cups that had been used for lunch. She sighed softly, remembering what she had been told about her saiya-jin heritage. Hopefully, cat and monkey can get along. the girl thought with a shadow of humor. Then she pushed those thoughts away as she began to wash the plates. A faint floral scent rose from the dishsoap and a few bubbles rose from the sink. Easily, she rinsed the plate she had been working on and started on another.
The doorbell rang, causing Mrs. Briefs to bustle over to it. "Just keep going Miura. I'll be back." She opened the door, and was surprised to see a social worker she knew well standing rather nervously on her doorstep. "Mr. Bennet, how are you?" Her surprise showed in her tone, as he rarely came to Capsule Corp.
"I'm fine. Is your daughter here? I need to speak with her." he replied.
"Oh, do come in. Wait here, I'll get Bulma." Mrs. Briefs bustled off, going to get her daughter.
The younger woman came into the living room, her eyes showing some irritation. "What is it, Mr. Bennet?" she inquired. Irritation showed even in her voice, as she had been looking over a part of the gravity chamber that had malfunctioned.
He nervously launched into an explanation. "Well, Yukari Aiden is dead. Someone at the hospital slipped a toxin into her medicine. Another problem is that her daughter is too young to be on her own. We were thinking about putting her in an orphanage."
Anger flashed in the woman's eyes. "No, Mr. Bennet. Miura needs to have friends around right now. Yukari was a friend of mine since the day we met, and she asked me to look after her child. I won't go back on my word." Bulma declared, both anger and sorrow in her voice. Niether noticed Miura standing in the entryway from the kitchen. Her blue eyes grew wide with sorrow. Now she was alone, none of her family would have her because they had disliked her father. She ran from the room with a swiftness that would've startled one who didn't know of her heritage.
The social worker left nervously when he saw Vegeta coming into the room. Bulma shot him a grateful glance and went to check on their young charge. The poor girl was sobbing her heart out on her bed. "Miura, I know you heard what was said. I won't let them take you somewhere you don't want to go." she softly informed her. A gentle hand was placed on her back in an attempt to comfort her.
The girl sat up, tears still streaming down her face. "She was the only family I had left. Now I feel so alone." She averted her gaze, trembling. There was something that screamed in warning and sorrow, yet she didn't know what it was.
Bulma wrapped her arms about the teen girl, and gently rocked her, like she had for both of her own children. Slowly, the sobs that escaped her quieted and the tears slowed to a trickle.
Trunks frowned as he walked pass Miura's room. This was similar to what he had gone through each time his father had died from a battle. But his friend was alone, no other family could take her in. The young warrior desperately wanted to cheer her up.