Darkest Night

Ch 2: First Encounters

~Blaze

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Thank you all for the reviews and encouragements.. Greatly appreciated..

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Disclaimer: if I were the owner of these two fabulous animes would I be here writing in FF.net??

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I thought so

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Usagi awoke, the incessant robotic female voice alerting her she had landed. Groggily she wiped her eyes from the sleep.

'Damn machine.'

At the moment, she was currently thanking the peaceful slumber, greatly worshipping the potency of the sleeping gas; she had slept like the dead. Had she not, she'd likely go insane from the travel to Chikyuu-sei, that and the nightmares would surely have her bald by now.

Usagi stretched achingly, abruptly wincing, her wounds not healed. Sorely, she tenderly picked at her ribs, she hadn't had a chance to clean any of her cuts in her haste to escape, and she was sure they were infected.

She hissed, her ribs more sensitive than it really should have been. Stepping out of the pod, she again examined the broken bones. 'I need to get this fixed,' Usagi looked at her surroundings, as far as she could tell she was in the woods and dawn had just approached. Gingerly, she took a few steps away from the pod, amazed; the gravity here was lighter than back at the base.

Experimentally, she levitated to the air only to crash back down with a thud.

'There goes my transportation,' frustrated she couldn't fly; Usagi began the painstaking torture of walking.

'Damn, I don't even know where I'm going.'

Suddenly, she felt a presence and tensed, not at all ready to face the race that resided here. Though how she felt a presence she didn't know, it greatly baffled her, too bad she didn't manage to get a scouter. It would be nice to know if that person was strong or not. Turning towards the presence, she stood firm, unwilling to let some stranger get to her so easily. Upon his arrival, her stance faltered, lightly backing away from the towering stranger.

Her eyes had widened, what where the chances of seeing someone you were not at all suspecting?

"Kakarotto," she stated quietly, her eyes widened in stunned disbelief.

The man just tilted his head, a confused expression on his face.

"Ara… My name is Son, Goku," he spoke honestly and trustingly, not at all aware that she had spoken his name.

She stared at him, eyes hard, could it be possible? Greatly baffled at the Earth-saiyajin's demeanor, she didn't know what to think. It was unusual as it was crazy, did Kakarotto not remember what his heritage was? How the hell could a saiyajin forget who and what he was? From the day they were born saiyajins were ruthless and vicious as they could be.

Then again, she couldn't talk; here she was, freak of nature herself, and she didn't have a cruel bone in her body.

Inwardly she shrugged, continuing to study him, discerning whether he was a person she could trust. After all, her older brother wasn't so nice as she had originally thought him to be.

"Ano… Miss," the tall man questioned hesitantly, her wounds did not look great and something in him wanted her to get the medical help she needed, "can I take you to the hospital."

She stayed silent.

At a loss, Goku was torn, should he forcibly take her? Stepping forward, he stopped as the older lady's guarded look arose.

Suddenly he remembered Koran, he could get a senzu bean for her! Excited at the thought of helping the lady that so greatly intrigued him he left without a word.

Usagi watched him fly off confused, her hands still on her broken ribs. The pain becoming incredibly excruciating as the sleep gas, that also proved to be an anesthetic, receded.

Her head was rapidly beginning to spin, the dizzying sensation causing her to collapse to the ground.

Cursing herself again for such weakness, Usagi fell under black oblivion.

~~

Speeding back towards his desired destination, Goku thought of the lady that took his thoughts. She looked uncannily familiar, yet he had never met anyone that looked remotely like her.

Upon seeing the large crater, Goku searched around for the lady. His eyes landed on the unmoving form on the ground.

Goku felt the unfamiliar creep of panic get to him; he was lost… Rushing to her side he checked for breathing, her ki had dropped so low that it was hard to tell if she was alive or not. Sighing in relief, he noted the labored breath seemingly gasping for more air. He had managed to get her to chew the senzu bean, having forced her jaw to crunch and swallow the bitter flavored medicine. He waited, and watched as the bean did its thing and restored her of her health. Carefully, unaware of the extent of her wounds, he picked her up gently. Goku still couldn't believe how badly she looked beaten. Sure, he was a fighter, fighters got hurt all the time, but something told him that it wasn't because of fighting. Her eyes too had looked so haunted and tortured. He looked at the bundle in his arms. She really was a small thing. He noted that she did not wake and frowned at this; that was not a normal thing, she should have been healed of everything.

It must be exhaustion, he thought absently, as his burden continued to sleep soundly. He wondered where she came from. Goku looked at the small pod embedded deep in the crater. He had originally sensed a strong power, not strong enough, but at a par with Chao Tsu. Something furry brushed against his arms and he was shocked to find the thing he originally thought a belt was a furry brown tail.

Did that mean?

Could she be someone like him? He shook his head, he didn't know what to think anymore; all he knew was that he had to protect her.

~~

The light was blinding, honestly, did the sun have to be this bright? Usagi awoke for the second time that day. 'I better not be making a habit of this.' She arose from the sterile bed to look at her new surroundings. Terror stole her, did… did Kakarotto take her? Flashes of nightmares she wished to forget assaulted her.

She screamed.

A woman with aqua hair and blue eyes rushed in, full of concern, quickly going to the girl Goku had presented to her.

The blonde girl trashed about, eyes clenched shut and screaming widely as if evil itself was after her.

Going towards the girl, she encompassed her in a tight hug, murmuring reassurance and safety in her ears.

Slowly Usagi began to relax, this unknown act of kindness never before felt.

It was nice.

She opened careful eyes to face the one who gave her a feeling that warmed her cold heart.

A soft smile graced the lady's feature; Usagi couldn't help but smile back.

"Everything will be all right just relax," then, as an afterthought, she said, "oh, and my names Bulma Briefs."

The smile never left Usagi's face as she relayed her gratitude of thanks, "It's nice to meet you, my name is Usagi."

"I have a feeling, Usagi, that we'll be good friends." Bulma replied honestly, despite the notice that Usagi neglected to relay her last name.

Usagi extricated her self from the woman's arms, dully noting that the pain had gone, she gaped at her body, fully healed and without a scratch.

Seeing the wondrous expression from the younger girls eyes, Bulma laughed, already becoming fond of the stranger. The girl was so curious and wide-eyed; it was like she'd never seen the world before. Yet, behind those innocent looking eyes an aged expression laid deep within its depths, one full of knowledge of how cruel the world could be.

Who was this girl that Goku had brought her?

"Ne, Goku brought you here but he told me that he managed to give you a senzu bean before that," Bulma's frowned, her voice a little worried, "he told me that you were badly wounded… are you okay?"

Throughout the brief outline, Usagi's eyes widened. She remembered Kakarotto had introduced himself as Goku. Alarm swept her yet again; did he do something to her? 

Bulma's worry increased as Usagi seemed to enclose her self into this invisible shell, without thought, she attempted to ease Usagi, "Goku is a good man, you have nothing to worry."

Now how in the hell did that statement come up? It was absurd to think that Goku would be anything but. As she watched Usagi's expression, she surmised that Usagi was just wary of men in general.

Usagi relaxed, believing the kind-hearted woman's words (an: wait till she meets Bulma's bitchy side ::snickers::).

Mindlessly, Usagi grasped that Bulma was not speaking Saiyago, then, how was it that they could communicate so easily? The truth hit her like falling onto a heavily gravitated planet. She was speaking the language of the Chikyuu-sei.

Of all the stupid things to forget, Usagi mentally berated herself; Radditz came to retrieve their brother for his mission. The brother that her father assigned to Earth, her second language's origin she was taught, more like drilled, into. She frowned; she always wondered why he made her teach some language leagues away? Well, it was for her benefit she guessed, considering where she was now; didn't mean it still didn't confuse her.

She shrugged… Her chichi was weird that way.

Directing her full attention to Bulma, she realized the lady was babbling away. She sweatdropped, maybe Bulma wasn't as calm as she thought. She watched as the lady chatted non-stop and wove her hands intermittently around her. 

Slowly she backed away, thinking twice about the Bulma.

She turned around, silently thanking the kooky lady, ready to make a mad dash for escape. Only to stumble upon a soft wall.

'Strange, who would put a soft wall on the door way?'

"Hey," came an all to cheery voice, "you got better!"

That familiar voice again, the voice that made Usagi make a mad dash to the opposite end of the room.

Goku looked at her weirdly maybe she wasn't better…

Watching Goku, she saw the undisguised genuine concern. For her. This was no act. And in no way could this kind man be evil and corrupted as their older brother. No way could this kind soul be cruel. If he were, he would never look at her with such concern, would never have healed her wounds, and would have just left her to die.

Then and there, Usagi felt protectiveness. A maternal need to protect her brother from their fierce race. The sparkle and happiness that blinded his eyes need not be tainted with the corrupt and bleakness of how saiyajins, currently living like slaves, lived.

Usagi opened her mouth-

"-AAHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

The two saiyajins winced as their ears rang painfully. Goku's and Usagi's clasped their hands to their ears, desperately trying to block the screeching sound.

They turned their eyes to the hyperventilating Bulma, who had horrified eyes firmly attached to Usagi's waist; finally noticing the tail curled around her waist.

Nervously, Usagi unfurled her tail only to curl it back at her waist again, bringing more interest on the furry appendage.

Great… how was she going to get out of this one?

Bulma started to rant, "Oh kami not another giant monkey-

Was that what the humans called Oozaru?

"-damnit!! We can't afford having her turning on the light of the full moon destroying half the world-"

Usagi smirked, her saiyajin side showing full bloom, my father was a great scientist, he taught me how to control that urge.

"-we'll have to remove it."

Usagi's eyes snapped wide then narrowed, they were NOT going to remove the only thing that linked her to her saiyajin heritage! Even if she detested it more than she should.

"Bulma," Goku started reasonably, noting the rise of panic in Usagi's eyes, "don't be to hasty."

Twin blazing flints of ice snapped to the childish man, Goku gave a small nervous laugh.

"hehe… she might not-"

"I can assure you I will not turn into a 'giant monkey,' this is a deformity I was birthed to. My parents did not want to take it away," pretends to be exasperated and rolled her eyes, "saying it was unique."

Bulma's tirade stopped as she examined the girl closely.

"Very well, but if I even so much as hear a giant monkey out loos-"

"You have nothing to fear, as long as I've been on earth I have never experienced turning into one," Usagi answered truthfully. Well it was partly true, there was a specific term for turning into a  'giant monkey' and she never did turn while she was on earth.

Goku watched her, light mirth in his eyes, somehow knowing what Usagi had done.

Bulma just glared, "even still, if I hear a word, one word, I'll have Goku chop it off."

Usagi looked inquiringly to Goku? Did he train? It seems the saiyajin in him had not stamped down completely.

Maybe good would come from this trip after all.

And that good would be Goku… who would train her how to fight.

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Once again, I would love it for feedback/review/constructive criticism. I would like to improve myself as a writer.

Much mahalos

~Blaze