Chichi tried to hold in a yawn as she stepped out through from the
wooden Chikyuu City Temple doors to the front porch, right hand holding up
the extra long folds of her skirt. The simple though irritatingly long
priestess kimono dragged along the floor as Chichi bent over to pick up the
large bundle of newly donated clothes that laid along the porch railing,
the rough woolen pouch scratching her arms as she held it against her chest
to search of its contents.
Pulling out a ripped and tattered cloth from the pouch, she growled." A rag?!? What do these people think, that we're a garbage disposal??"
Chichi shook her head angrily, throwing the rag down to the floor, intenting to use it as a cleaning rag. Kicking the rag away from her grumpily, Chichi turned to return inside the temple when the far off sound of a horse caught her attention.
' Pilgrims so early in the morning?' Chichi snorted to herself. ' Not one's THAT religious enough.........'
Out of the early dawn fog, the ghostly form of a limping black horse materialized out of the morning darkness, the lithe form of a severely drenched woman accompaning the dark mare. Chichi knitted her eyebrows in concentration. The form of the horse was familiar, the woman even more so. The realization hit her quickly as the strange woman neared.
Dropping the morning's donations thoughtlessly, she ran down the temple's front steps towards her. " Bulma? Dear gracious woman, whats wrong with you!" Bulma looked up tiredly at her childhood friend, the crooked smile didnt reach her exhausted eyes. " What in hell made you ride out so early in the morn-" Her sentence was choked off suddenly, her attention focusing on the limp form lying on the mare's back.
" Before you say anything, he's NOT dead." Bulma tiredly passed by Chichi, who was still stunned by the unmoving form.
" Who is he?" Chichi turned, expecting an answer. Instead, watched quietly as Bulma disappeared within the temple doors. Turning back to the lone figure passed out on the mare, Chichi creeped to the hooded stranger, lifting up the blanket to get a better view of Bulma's new 'friend'.
Chichi curled her lip in disgust at the sight of the dired blood and dropped the blanket over him again. " Man, you ugly."
" I suggest you dont say that," Bulma replied as she came back out into the porch, carrying out extra set of blankets in her arms. " You never know if he can still hear you."
" You want me to get Yamcha?" Chichi asked, " We have a spare bed in the back that he can lay in........ " Chichi took another look underneath the blanket at the man's wounds once more. " And we need to get him stiched up quick, those types of injuries tend to scar severely."
Bulma looked up from wiping away more blood dripping down from her charge's temple. " Um, yeah. The sooner the better."
Chichi calmly walked up the front steps and stood at the doorway into the temple. " YYYYAAAAMMMCCCHHHHAAAA!!!!! Get your butt out here on the double, Mister!!" Her scream rattled the walls as inside, deep within the temple, a mna's frightened groan rang out.
Running outside, the scar-faced temple assistant that was Yamcha, stood crouched in front of Chichi, trying to catch his breath. " Im here *breath* I'm*breath* here...."
" Stop acting so stupid and help us get this man into the back room."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Inside, half-hour after arriving from the woods into Chichi's temple, Bulma sat beside the wooden cot holding her strange dream man. He gradually began to gain conciousness, but every time Bulma tried to ask him a question about himself, he would always sink back into black oblivion for another few minutes.
" Hand me the basin would you, you changed the water right?"
Chichi walked from across the back room, the wooden jug she held to her chest filled with water splashed with every step. " Of course, of course. You know you should at least change your clothes before he wakes up." She smiled ruefully and raised her eyebrows mischieviously at her teal headed friend. " It would be totally inappropriate for you to be seen in that nighty by a total stranger."
Bulma blushed, and wrapped herself in a simple burgandy kimono lined with an almost tanned colored slip that Chichi handed to her, and sat back down by his side. She had wrapped up his ribs previously, enlisting the help of Yamcha to help hold him up. He had awoken once then, cursing his head off at the pain.
" You know, I'm afraid that sleeping tea I've given him worked a little too well." Bulma replied offhandedly as she prepared another roll of bandages, preparing to work on salvaging his left arm. " I would like to talk to him before the day ends."
" Who knows, maybe you will." Chichi opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a strong knock on the front doors, following someone calling out. A man perhaps. Chichi rolled her eyes. " I'll get it."
Being left alone once again with the man caught Bulma off guard, she didnt know what to think about him. Threading a needle with animal sinew, Bulma sterilized it by running it across the lit flame of a candle nearby. Unknown to Bulma, the man lifted a groggy eyelid at the smell of burning metal and animal flesh.
He watched silently at her tender handling of his injured wrist before speaking. " Sinew is quite a strange medical equipment. Are you sure you're experienced enough to handle this?"
Bulma looked up quickly, her questioning gaze turning into a smile. " You're awake......finally. Welcome to the land of the living, stranger."
" Well?" He ignored her and looked from her to the needle and thread then back to her.
" Yes, Animal sinew is tenfold more beneficial for allowing the skin to heal naturally. Besides, it minimizes scarring."
Vegeta turned his head away on the pillow, " Scars won in battle should not be hidden, woman."
" You didnt exactly win these scars in battle though, did you?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
" You ask too many questions. Shut your lid for a while, it would do us both a lot of good." His lip curled into a smirk as he settled further down into the pillowed cot. Bulma couldn't help but laugh out loud in amusement. The man in front of her had spunk, the kind of pompus "stick up the ass" personality that she absolutely detested in people, but evidently found it becoming and fitting to the arrogant, wounded soldier.
" Your charming personality absolutely astounds me, stranger. I can tell you're a complete social butterfly." Bulma retorted sarcastically as she motioned to him. " Come on, sit up. I need to check your bandages, I think your ribs are healing on schedule."
Clutching his doubly large hands in her petite ones, Bulma helped him up into a sitting up position and propped him up with three thick, full sized pillows. "As does your repulsive looks astound ME. I've never seen anyone so horrendous before."
Stiffning up in offense, she glared daggers at him. 'What a jerk! I rescue him and this is how he repays me?!' As he opened his robe for her to take a look at the bandages around his chest, Bulma took the opportunity to take her victim's nipple in her fingers and gave it a firm pinch and twist. He yelped in defense, smacking her hand away.
" I'm sure that you tell that to all the pretty temple maidens you meet, dont you honey?" She growled lowly at him, Bulma's teeth clenched together in anger, slightly insulted." Now behave before I stab you with the needle."
The somewhat violated and aggitated Samurai sat scowling in silence, angry that he had to put up with an annoying onna, loud as hell, too. " Maybe if you wouldnt provoke me, woman, I would think about behaving for you!" He glared down at her, burrowed his eyebrows in anger when she ignored him, her focus soley on his now unbound chest and the dimming bruises on his ribs.
" What do they call you here, Onna?" He asked finally, bored with the silence and the sound of his own thoughts in his mind.
She looked up from checking and changing the bounded bandages to gaze at him nearly eye to eye and smirked." Bulma, daughter and future heir to the Briefs inheiritance." Bulma moved on from his chest to his still open wounded forearm,proceeding to wrap it in fresh and new white bandages. "And what may people call you, stranger?"
For the life of her, Bulma could swear that he puffed up his chest proudly and she had to look away to avoid laughing in his face." I am Vegeta, general of war to the Yamamoto clan, the largest and invincible band of militia known to Japanese history."
Bulma's eyes widened with realization." What?!? Are you serious?! You're associated with the Yama-"
Bulma's sentence died in her throat with the sudden burst of Chichi walking into the room, her expression showing that she was pissed. " There is a soldier outside wishing-no, pleading- to speak with Vegeta." Chichi finally looked over to Vegeta lying in the cot who stared at her menacingly. " I suppose that would be you?"
Vegeta tensed, his hand instictively reaching to his waist where his steel curved edge sword and dagger should have been and cursed loudly when he didnt find them. " Damn it, Onna! Where did you put my weapons?!"
Suddenly blank for a moment, Bulma stuttered, glancing around the room for the requested weapon." Um, they're over there, by the fire place...... Why, what's wrong?"
Limping quickly off the cot,and holding a hand against his ribs to push against the pain, Vegeta stalked over to the fire place. Removing two weapons from their resting place against the screened fire railing, he again hopped awkwardly to Chichi. " What ever you do woman, dont let any one in! " He whispered harshly, pushing her out towards the door, but she would not budge.
"But I already told him to come in.... He know's your inside with us! What's going on here?"
" Oh, Shit....." He cursed, more frustrated with Chichi and his slowness thanks to his injuries instead of frightened.Hiding behind the large and thick wooden door of the back room, he held his sword ready to attack upon entrance.
" Yeah, um. Hello?" A voice rang out from outside the door in the hallway of the Temple. Bulma stood helpless, watching and wondering wether she should warn the oncoming soldier about Vegeta's secret ambush from behind the door. " Miss?? Where did you run off too? I kinda lost you Ma'am......"
Bulma could tell from Chichi's face and breathing that she was going to hyperventilate; and soon. Glancing back at the door, the uniformed Samurai warrior walked in through the door. He had no time to say a word before he was pounced on suddenly from behind from Vegeta, dagger poised ready to slice his throat.
Some where , inside the back room, Chichi shrieked and fainted.
Pulling out a ripped and tattered cloth from the pouch, she growled." A rag?!? What do these people think, that we're a garbage disposal??"
Chichi shook her head angrily, throwing the rag down to the floor, intenting to use it as a cleaning rag. Kicking the rag away from her grumpily, Chichi turned to return inside the temple when the far off sound of a horse caught her attention.
' Pilgrims so early in the morning?' Chichi snorted to herself. ' Not one's THAT religious enough.........'
Out of the early dawn fog, the ghostly form of a limping black horse materialized out of the morning darkness, the lithe form of a severely drenched woman accompaning the dark mare. Chichi knitted her eyebrows in concentration. The form of the horse was familiar, the woman even more so. The realization hit her quickly as the strange woman neared.
Dropping the morning's donations thoughtlessly, she ran down the temple's front steps towards her. " Bulma? Dear gracious woman, whats wrong with you!" Bulma looked up tiredly at her childhood friend, the crooked smile didnt reach her exhausted eyes. " What in hell made you ride out so early in the morn-" Her sentence was choked off suddenly, her attention focusing on the limp form lying on the mare's back.
" Before you say anything, he's NOT dead." Bulma tiredly passed by Chichi, who was still stunned by the unmoving form.
" Who is he?" Chichi turned, expecting an answer. Instead, watched quietly as Bulma disappeared within the temple doors. Turning back to the lone figure passed out on the mare, Chichi creeped to the hooded stranger, lifting up the blanket to get a better view of Bulma's new 'friend'.
Chichi curled her lip in disgust at the sight of the dired blood and dropped the blanket over him again. " Man, you ugly."
" I suggest you dont say that," Bulma replied as she came back out into the porch, carrying out extra set of blankets in her arms. " You never know if he can still hear you."
" You want me to get Yamcha?" Chichi asked, " We have a spare bed in the back that he can lay in........ " Chichi took another look underneath the blanket at the man's wounds once more. " And we need to get him stiched up quick, those types of injuries tend to scar severely."
Bulma looked up from wiping away more blood dripping down from her charge's temple. " Um, yeah. The sooner the better."
Chichi calmly walked up the front steps and stood at the doorway into the temple. " YYYYAAAAMMMCCCHHHHAAAA!!!!! Get your butt out here on the double, Mister!!" Her scream rattled the walls as inside, deep within the temple, a mna's frightened groan rang out.
Running outside, the scar-faced temple assistant that was Yamcha, stood crouched in front of Chichi, trying to catch his breath. " Im here *breath* I'm*breath* here...."
" Stop acting so stupid and help us get this man into the back room."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Inside, half-hour after arriving from the woods into Chichi's temple, Bulma sat beside the wooden cot holding her strange dream man. He gradually began to gain conciousness, but every time Bulma tried to ask him a question about himself, he would always sink back into black oblivion for another few minutes.
" Hand me the basin would you, you changed the water right?"
Chichi walked from across the back room, the wooden jug she held to her chest filled with water splashed with every step. " Of course, of course. You know you should at least change your clothes before he wakes up." She smiled ruefully and raised her eyebrows mischieviously at her teal headed friend. " It would be totally inappropriate for you to be seen in that nighty by a total stranger."
Bulma blushed, and wrapped herself in a simple burgandy kimono lined with an almost tanned colored slip that Chichi handed to her, and sat back down by his side. She had wrapped up his ribs previously, enlisting the help of Yamcha to help hold him up. He had awoken once then, cursing his head off at the pain.
" You know, I'm afraid that sleeping tea I've given him worked a little too well." Bulma replied offhandedly as she prepared another roll of bandages, preparing to work on salvaging his left arm. " I would like to talk to him before the day ends."
" Who knows, maybe you will." Chichi opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a strong knock on the front doors, following someone calling out. A man perhaps. Chichi rolled her eyes. " I'll get it."
Being left alone once again with the man caught Bulma off guard, she didnt know what to think about him. Threading a needle with animal sinew, Bulma sterilized it by running it across the lit flame of a candle nearby. Unknown to Bulma, the man lifted a groggy eyelid at the smell of burning metal and animal flesh.
He watched silently at her tender handling of his injured wrist before speaking. " Sinew is quite a strange medical equipment. Are you sure you're experienced enough to handle this?"
Bulma looked up quickly, her questioning gaze turning into a smile. " You're awake......finally. Welcome to the land of the living, stranger."
" Well?" He ignored her and looked from her to the needle and thread then back to her.
" Yes, Animal sinew is tenfold more beneficial for allowing the skin to heal naturally. Besides, it minimizes scarring."
Vegeta turned his head away on the pillow, " Scars won in battle should not be hidden, woman."
" You didnt exactly win these scars in battle though, did you?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
" You ask too many questions. Shut your lid for a while, it would do us both a lot of good." His lip curled into a smirk as he settled further down into the pillowed cot. Bulma couldn't help but laugh out loud in amusement. The man in front of her had spunk, the kind of pompus "stick up the ass" personality that she absolutely detested in people, but evidently found it becoming and fitting to the arrogant, wounded soldier.
" Your charming personality absolutely astounds me, stranger. I can tell you're a complete social butterfly." Bulma retorted sarcastically as she motioned to him. " Come on, sit up. I need to check your bandages, I think your ribs are healing on schedule."
Clutching his doubly large hands in her petite ones, Bulma helped him up into a sitting up position and propped him up with three thick, full sized pillows. "As does your repulsive looks astound ME. I've never seen anyone so horrendous before."
Stiffning up in offense, she glared daggers at him. 'What a jerk! I rescue him and this is how he repays me?!' As he opened his robe for her to take a look at the bandages around his chest, Bulma took the opportunity to take her victim's nipple in her fingers and gave it a firm pinch and twist. He yelped in defense, smacking her hand away.
" I'm sure that you tell that to all the pretty temple maidens you meet, dont you honey?" She growled lowly at him, Bulma's teeth clenched together in anger, slightly insulted." Now behave before I stab you with the needle."
The somewhat violated and aggitated Samurai sat scowling in silence, angry that he had to put up with an annoying onna, loud as hell, too. " Maybe if you wouldnt provoke me, woman, I would think about behaving for you!" He glared down at her, burrowed his eyebrows in anger when she ignored him, her focus soley on his now unbound chest and the dimming bruises on his ribs.
" What do they call you here, Onna?" He asked finally, bored with the silence and the sound of his own thoughts in his mind.
She looked up from checking and changing the bounded bandages to gaze at him nearly eye to eye and smirked." Bulma, daughter and future heir to the Briefs inheiritance." Bulma moved on from his chest to his still open wounded forearm,proceeding to wrap it in fresh and new white bandages. "And what may people call you, stranger?"
For the life of her, Bulma could swear that he puffed up his chest proudly and she had to look away to avoid laughing in his face." I am Vegeta, general of war to the Yamamoto clan, the largest and invincible band of militia known to Japanese history."
Bulma's eyes widened with realization." What?!? Are you serious?! You're associated with the Yama-"
Bulma's sentence died in her throat with the sudden burst of Chichi walking into the room, her expression showing that she was pissed. " There is a soldier outside wishing-no, pleading- to speak with Vegeta." Chichi finally looked over to Vegeta lying in the cot who stared at her menacingly. " I suppose that would be you?"
Vegeta tensed, his hand instictively reaching to his waist where his steel curved edge sword and dagger should have been and cursed loudly when he didnt find them. " Damn it, Onna! Where did you put my weapons?!"
Suddenly blank for a moment, Bulma stuttered, glancing around the room for the requested weapon." Um, they're over there, by the fire place...... Why, what's wrong?"
Limping quickly off the cot,and holding a hand against his ribs to push against the pain, Vegeta stalked over to the fire place. Removing two weapons from their resting place against the screened fire railing, he again hopped awkwardly to Chichi. " What ever you do woman, dont let any one in! " He whispered harshly, pushing her out towards the door, but she would not budge.
"But I already told him to come in.... He know's your inside with us! What's going on here?"
" Oh, Shit....." He cursed, more frustrated with Chichi and his slowness thanks to his injuries instead of frightened.Hiding behind the large and thick wooden door of the back room, he held his sword ready to attack upon entrance.
" Yeah, um. Hello?" A voice rang out from outside the door in the hallway of the Temple. Bulma stood helpless, watching and wondering wether she should warn the oncoming soldier about Vegeta's secret ambush from behind the door. " Miss?? Where did you run off too? I kinda lost you Ma'am......"
Bulma could tell from Chichi's face and breathing that she was going to hyperventilate; and soon. Glancing back at the door, the uniformed Samurai warrior walked in through the door. He had no time to say a word before he was pounced on suddenly from behind from Vegeta, dagger poised ready to slice his throat.
Some where , inside the back room, Chichi shrieked and fainted.