Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Don't sue please.
Another Chance
Chapter 3
Everyone was silent for a moment. Then suddenly, a door opened. Ariel was a little surprised; she hadn't realized they were in a room. She could see the bright blue sky, and they were surrounded with all kind of plants and flowers. We're on some kind of patio, Ariel thought.
"Would anyone like some tea?" A man, clad like he stepped right out of 'Aladin', with black skin, smiled friendly at her.
"Yes, please," Ariel smiled back.
"Ah, a Saiyan with manners! That's a nice change!"
Ariel had to laugh; Vegeta looked positively livid, and Piccolo was obviously mocking him. And then, once again, they were locked in a battle of throwing insults.
"Let's take it outside, Namek! Let's see if you fight as well as you talk!"
Ariel rolled her eyes, and asked Dende softly: "Is he always like this?"
"Unfortunatly, yes..."
Vegeta then looked at them: "You, girl, do not try me. I can do things to you that would make you wish you had never said a single word!"
Ariel was dumbfounded, for a moment. Then she glared at him. "You know, you're really an psycho! Better leave me alone!"
"No, I won't leave you alone!"
"That's...that's creepy! You know, where I come from, I could have you arrested for stalking or something!"
"Really," he sneered, "well, where I come from, I could have you killed for disobeing your prince! But, considering you're the only female Saiyan left, I have to take other... measures... to make you understand."
"Vegeta!" Dende looked sternly at Vegeta, "it will you do no good to treat her that way; remember, although she is Saiyan in her physical form, mentally she's human. So, she doesn't know anything about Saiyan customs, social structure and rangs. It's better to keep that in mind."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes, and took a step towards Dende. Piccolo quickly stood before him. "Don't even think about it."
Vegeta smiled cruelly. "And what would you do about it? I am by far your superior. You don't stand a chance against me."
"Be reasonable, Vegeta."
"Fine, but if one of you eve talk that way to me again, you'll face the consequences.
With that said, Vegeta walked to a corner of the large garden, where he leaned back in the shadows. Ariel had follwed the whole conversation with growing anxiety. Surely, Vegeta was arrogant, stating all that, but Piccolo respected him, and Dende too, maybe even feared him, although just a little... What could he do, that he was so sure of himself. These people were full of mysteries; maybe it all had something to do with their flying capabilities? She could only guess... But she would find out soon, she thought.
Dende saw Ariel's worried expression.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't really understand you. There's something about you, and Piccolo and Vegeta, which I don't get..."
"Ah," Dende smiled, "you mean our ki."
"Ki?"
"That's how we call it. Ki is kind of our lifeforce. Every living being has it. Only, some are in better contact, and control, then others. Some also have larger ki than others. You can also train your ki, so you can use it."
"Use it for what? Flying?"
"Exactly. And there are some other uses. If you have enough ki, and have a good control over it, you can manifest it outside your body. It can come in different forms, and how stronger your ki is, the stronger the ki outside your body is... Many use it in fights, using ki-attacks. It can be very destructive. That's why, you will have some training to do. Because you are a Saiyan, you have quite some ki. You have to learn how to control it, so you won't hurt people;because, when you feel a strong emotion, like rage, it could come out like a sort of ki-attack, even though you don't mean to. You could hurt many people by accident."
"Excuse me, what is a Saiyan? Apparently, I am one, and Vegeta is too. And I have heard some things about them, not all good, I can say. Oh, I do know one thing," she grapped the furry appendix, and held it up, "they have tails."
"Yes, they do. Saiyans are a race of warriors, and lived on a planet called Vegeta, named after their kings. Some years ago, a tyrant called Frieza destroyed the planet, also nearly destroying the race. Only a few were left. One of them was their prince, Vegeta. He lived for years serving under Frieza, but secretely he was planning a revolt-"
"More like revenge. Plain, simple revenge." Vegeta stated it in a toneless voice, never looking at them.
"Erm, ok. For his... revenge, he gathered all the Saiyans left alive. So, he sent Radditz for his younger brother, who was sent to earth when he was a baby to purge this planet-"
"Purge? What do you mean with 'purge'?
"Destroying all intelligent live on the planet, making it ready to be sold to the highest bidder, usually a race who had used up all the natural resources on their homeplanet. My father and Frieza had an 'alliance', and purging was one of the things the Saiyan's had to do, to keep their end of the bargain. Saiyan children were sent in space pods to planets to purge them. They were picked up after the job was done."
Ariel looked shocked. 'You mean, they killed countless of people, so the planet could be sold? Didn't anybody cared what happened to those people?" Ariel shuddered.
"No. They weak die, and the strong survive."
"Maybe you have taken Darwin's 'Origin of species' a bit to literally?" Ariel muttered under her breath, earning strange looks.
"Right... As I was saying, Radditz was sent by Vegeta to earth to retrieve his little brother Goku, to the Saiyans known as Kakarot. Goku was sent here on the eve of the destruction of Vegetasei, and apparently, reports of this purge were lost, because Frieza never sent anyone to kill Goku. Because that was what he did to the Saiyan children who were sent to purge; he sent some of his men to kill them after they completed the job. Frieza actually feared the strenght of the Saiyans, he feared that one day, they would overpower him. He was afraid of the Legend of the Super-Saiyan. He took precautions by destroying the entire race, save the prince, which he found had some promising capabilities."
"He liked to save a few, just so he could keep having his fun with us."
"Fun?" Ariel asked, even though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.
Vegeta shifted his body somewhat, so he could look straight into her eyes. "Yes, fun. He liked to humiliate us, sending us on missions that we couldn't finish in the given amount of time, just so he would have another excuse to ridicule and punish us. Punishment always ended with spending a nice amount of time in a Regeneration Tank. But I won't burden you with the details. I think some are a bit hard to stomach for you..."
I did asked for it, didn't I, she thought by herself. "Well, thank you for your explanation."
Vegeta just looked at her. "Any time."
"Ok," Ariel said: "What exactly is a Super-Saiyan?"
"A Saiyan can become a Super-Saiyan, when he reached a certain level of strenght. Then, all that is needed is a trigger; some kind of emotional turmoil, to unleash his power. His power increases ...fold. A Super- Saiyan's hair turns gold, and his eyes a kind of greenish blue. That are the most striking chances."
"Can that really happen?"
"It can," Dende quickly reassured her, "because several Saiyans reached that level, one of them is Vegeta. And they even attained higher levels of power. But, I'll explain that later. Let me finish my story first." Dende quickly told her the whole story, in a very summarized version, and Ariel listened on with growing amazement, and confusement. How could all this happen. It sounded all so unreal to her; the power some beings could assemble, and how much happened to this earth, and the universe as a whole. It dazzled her.
Dende concluded his story by telling the end of the so called 'Cell Games': "...and since then, the world is living in peace. But it's only time before something happens again."
"So... I was next?" Ariel tried to joke.But she really didn't feel like joking right now. She felt totally lost. How was she ever supposed to build a life in this crazy world?
"I do not think you are a danger to us or to the world! It's quite the opposite. I don't know how, or when, or why, but your presence here, in this dimension, it's a good thing."
"Well, I'm glad that you don't see me as a threat."
Dende smiled at her. "Never. Now, did you have any questions about the things I've just told you? It must seem so strange and far-fetched for you."
"It sure does... I don't have any questions right now, but I'm sure I will have them, once it all starts to sink in. But those dragonballs... Unbelievable..."
"Don't hesitate to ask us anything. Even if I have to retell everything ten times, I wil do it gladly. Now, I hope everything has become somewhat clearer to you, although I think you still have many questions. Don't hesitate to ask anyone. I'm sure everyone will be glad to be of service. I do believe we must think now about some practical issues. For one, where will you stay?"
"Uhm, good question."
"She stays at Capsule Corp, of course."
"Mmm, that might be an option, but..."
"You don't have a say in this. I will train the girl, therefore, it's the most practical solution."
Ariel didn't really like the idea of living in the same building as Vegeta. He surely had some control issues. And being trained by him...
"Capsule Corp... was that the building where I woke up?"
"That building is part of Capsule Corp. Capsule Corp is a very large company, and the woman and 'doctor' you have met earlier, are the owners. They have invented a lot of things that you have never seen before, I'm sure." Piccolo looked somewhat thoughtful, "Bulma would probably love to have you in her home. Another specimen of an alien race to study."
Ariel immediatly responded to that: "Uhm, I don't really like to be studied. I'm not some kind of guinnea pig or something."
Piccolo was quick to agree to that. It was an excuse, he knew that. She didn't dare to say no to Vegeta's obvious command. Maybe she was worried that he would throw a fit or something. Sometimes, he acted like a spoiled brat! Piccolo snorted.
"Of course not. But, maybe it is wise to go back to Capsule Corp first. From there, we can figure out what to do. Maybe you can stay here, at the Lookout. I think Dende won't have a problem with that."
"Of course not, I would be delighted."
"Absolutely not," Vegeta hissed, "I will not let her stay here, and let her mind be filled with all kind of nonsense!"
"Relax, Vegeta. Nothing has been decided yet. Now, shall we return to Capsule Corp. I bet the rest is waiting for more news." Piccolo moved towards Ariel and helped her up. She looked at him. "Are we going to fly again?"
"Yes."
"Ohh... well, that's ok. I mean, if that's the way you guys travel, I better get used to it. And besides, I always liked a rollercoaster ride, so I think I will eventually like it. You know, when I get over the whole 'I- can-fall-to-my-death-if-you-let-go-of-me' thing."
"Don't worry, I won't drop you."
"Can't we just get a move on?"
"Wait! I have just one more question. I heard that little man say something about tails and... transformations?!"
Vegeta grunted. "Saiyans with a tail can transform in the light of the full moon in their animal form, which is called Oozaru. Basicly, it is a giant monkey, and your power is increased tenfold." (A/N Am I doing the right math here? I totally suck at it so... If this is wrong, please let me know.)
Ariel looked a little pale. "You mean, once every four weeks, I change into King Kong?"
"I don't know who this 'King Kong' is, but you don't have to worry yourself about it. I destroyed the moon." Piccolo reassured her.
"Oh, but do you have forgotten about the way we can imitate the light of a full moon? It is sometimes very convenient." Vegeta chuckled at seeing the look of terror on Ariel's face.
"Don't you come anywhere near me!" Ariel backed up a few steps.
"Don't worry, girl. You have first some training to do, before you can transform without going on a rampage. I will decide when the time is right."
"I do have a say in this, ok?! And I don't really want to transform into anything. You go ahead, but count me out!"
Vegeta chuckled again: "We'll see about that."
"Right... Vegeta, leave the girl be. Let's get a move on." Piccolo walked outside, with Ariel on his heels. When they came outside, she gasped: there was nothing to be seen, only the bright blue sky. She walked somewhat closer to the egde of the platform. She could very faintly see the earth. "Wow, it's very high up here. Luckily, I'm not afraid of heights,... well, " she looked a little bit uncertainly down at the earth, "usually I'm not..."
"Well then, there's no need to stay here," with that said, Vegeta moved in, lifted Ariel up in his arms and jumped off the Lookout.
"WHAT?!! AAAH! VEGETA!!!!" Ariel shrieked, and clamped both her arms around Vegeta's neck, and burried her head into his chest. She heard him chuckle softly.
"You just wait! When we get down there I'm going to kill you!" She only heard more chuckles. "I really hate you for this! And don't you dare to drop me!"
"Relax. Just enjoy the ride."
"You... ARGH!" Ariel was so mad, and yet so freightened by his sudden stunt, that she couldn't think of a decent insult to throw at him. She peeked at the ground, but when she saw the ground coming at her with a freightening speed, she once again hid her face against his chest.
"I really hate you," she mumbled. Vegeta heard her, and tightened his grip on her.
"Silly girl. Why would you hate me?"
"What? Do you have to ask?! Are you oblivious or something? The way you're treating me, or everyone else for that matter, isn't exactly the way to make friends!" She practicly yelled that.
"Where do I need friends for? Friendship, feh. You weaklings call it friendship, giving a nice name to the fact that you need those people to survive. Me, I don't need anyone to survive."
"You have a pretty lonely live, then." Ariel stated. The only answer Vegeta gave was a snort.
She dared to take another look down. They appeared to be flying horizontally now, but still with great speed.
"Are we almost there yet?" Ariel asked.
"Almost."
"Ok."
Suddenly, Vegeta began to descend, and soon, they were on solid ground again. But he still held her up in his arms.
"Ahum, can you put me down now?"
"Are you sure? I think this is quite cozy."
Ariel looked completely baffled. "C-cozy?" She tried to stiffle her laughter, but she didn't succeeded well. When she finally gave up her attempts, and burst out in a fit of giggles. Vegeta abruptly dropped her.
"Don't you dare laugh at me!"
"Cozy?" *gniffle* "Are you sure you know that word?" And she succumbed to another fit of laughter. The word 'cozy' coming out of him, it was just hilaric.
"Hm," Vegeta glared at her, then turned around, and started to walk towards a building she recognized.
She stood up, and wanted to go after him, when suddenly Piccolo landed next to her.
"Are you alright?" Piccolo looked worried at her.
She smiled, touched by his concern. "Yes, I'm ok. A little bit shaken..."
"Good. When I saw him jumping off the Lookout with you, I thought he was planning on giving you your first lesson in flying."
"He didn't. I think he knows that if he tried anything like, you know, drop me, that I would never, ever, talk to him again. If I had survived, that is."
He chuckled. "He's not totally stupid."
Ariel lifted her eyebrows as to say 'are you sure?'
Piccolo chuckled some more. "Come on, and we'll get you introduced to some people."
Ariel looked a little anxious.
"Relax. You have survived Vegeta. You can handle anything."
"Uhh... ok." Ariel followed Piccolo, but still felt a little anxious. She wasn't really looking forward to meeting new people. Ok, she had seen some of them before, but they had been wary of her, and she had not liked the look in their eyes, regarding her like some dangerous animal.
Piccolo noticed her hesitating. "Come on, they won't bite."
Ariel swallowed, and stepped inside the building. Inside there were people, who were obviously waiting for her. Some were talking softly, but when she came in, everyone fell silent. Then, everyone started to talk at once.
"Quiet!" Someone shrieked. Ariel winced. Did she have to be so loud? She looked at owner of the voice. It was the blue-haired woman again, Bulma.
"Ok," Bulma said, taking charge, "we are all dying to know what's going on, even more so after he," she pointed to Vegeta who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, " was kind enough to give us a few meaningless answers. So, what the hell is going on?!" She yelled, making everybody in the room cringe.
"Woman, stop your shrieking! Be a little less annoying."
Bulma didn't acknowlegde Vegeta, but she flushed a little. Wether she was embarresed or angry, Ariel couldn't tell.
"Well, come on!"
"Calm down. Be quiet and we'll tell you." Piccolo snapped at Bulma. Apparently he hadn't much patience with her. Bulma frowned, but did keep her mouth.
"Now, you can-" Piccolo was interrupted when suddenly the door opened, and a woman, a teenager and two small boys walked inside.
"Finally, we're here. It took hours to get here. Hi mom, dad!" One of the boys, with short lavender coloured hair, spoke up, and he waved at Bulma and at ... Vegeta? Ariel was stunned. Dad? He was a father? Now that was a very interesting development!
"Oh, hi Trunks, " Bulma said absently. But Vegeta didn't even acknowledge him. The boy, Trunks, didn't seem to notice.
"Yeah, mom! If only we would have flown a little faster than 8 miles per hour, we would have been here hours ago," piped the other boy up. He had black spiky hair. His mother looked rather peeved.
"I think we went fast enough!! Remeber, we could have walked." The woman looked rather annoyed. "Ok, we're here. So, where is she?"
The woman looked around. It gave Ariel some time to study her. She had black hair, which was twisted in a knot, and she was wearing rather weird looking clothes; wide pants which were mostly covered by a tunic of some kind. She had a frown on her face, and looked rather impatient.
The woman finally spotted Ariel, who stood half hidden behind Piccolo. "So, that's the female Saiyan you are all so afraid of?" The woman snorted. "Look at her! She's shorter than Vegeta (who looked pretty pissed off), and she looks quite uncomfortable. Actually, she looks like a pretty decent person to me."
Ariel smiled at the woman. She looked decent? She could live with that.
"So, what's your name?"
"Ariel. Ariel MacLean.
"That doesn't sound like a Saiyan name."
"No, it doesn't. And if you shut up, I can tell you what the deal is."
"I think Ariel is a pretty name!" The little blue haired boy said softly.
"Ahem! I'm sure that's the genral opinion here, but can we get down to business now," asked Bulma impatiently.
"Gladly," Piccolo snarled, "now, I'll make things short, since no one seems to be able to keep his mouth shut for a minute! Ariel is not what you believe she is. Yes, she has a Saiyan body, but the spirit, or soul, that's human. She lived in a very different dimension, but she died there, in a accident. Powers, that are far beyond our knowledge, wouldn't let her go to waist; apparently, she's something special. She has come here, with a purpose, although nobody, not even King Kai and Dende, know what kind of purpose that is. Now, she has to learn to live with her new body, and with her new live! I expect that everyone will help her, and not bother her with stupid questions. Let her get used to this, to us, at her own pace." Piccolo eyed Vegeta, who smirked back at him.
"See," said the woman, "nothing to fear."
"Indeed, ChiChi. Nothing to fear. And now I think it's time for some introductions, because you all know her, but she doesn't know you."
"Ok. Hi, I'm ChiChi. And this are my two sons," she pointed at the teenager and the black haired boy, "Gohan and Goten."
Gohan smiled friendly at her: "Hi! Nice to meet you!"
"Yeah," said his little brother, "we heard all about you, but you don't seem like an evil guy, err, girl!"
"Goten!" His mother said sternly.
"Sorry mom."
"I'm Trunks, and Bulma is my mother, and Vegeta is my father, and that man over there is my Grandpa, and the lady next to him my Grandma!" Trunks pointed enthusiasticly at his family.
Bulma smiled somewhat at Ariel. "I'm glad we meet again, under better circumstances. Luckily you're not hysteric anymore."
Ariel looked at the woman, not believing what she just said. Yes, she had been upset, but not hysteric. Ariel said coldly: "No, I'm not."
"There are more people to meet," ChiChi said quickly, and she introduced her to the rest of the small crowd. She came to know the noseless man as Krillin, who had a beautiful girlfriend named Eighteen. There was the scarred man, Yamcha, and the three eyed man with his small friend, Tien and Chiaotzu. They all looked at her, trying to determine what she was.
It was Krillin who stepped forward and extended his hand. Ariel took it, and smiled gratefully at him. Krillin grinned back. "Well, if Piccolo says you're okay, then I guess you are."
"Thanks," Ariel said happily. Maybe they weren't so bad after all.
Ok, Chapter 3 done. How did you like it? (Let me know!) I hope you have gotten through it all. It was certainly a long chapter (for me, that is), and that's also the reason for the delay. That, and my little sister who has occupied the computer for the last week. For schoolwork. I hate the Second Fase (a new way of learning and teaching the ministery has come up with to make school even harder for the students. Don't come and do highschool in Holland! You are warned!) I am saving, to get myself a labtop. I finally have a goal in my life.
Ok, enough rambling. I like to thank everyone who's reading this story and told me what they thought. THANKS!!!
I've been playing around with the idea of finding someone who wants to beta my stories. Someone who can point out the errors in my grammar, and who gives my hints about my work. So, if anyone's interested... let me know.
Another Chance
Chapter 3
Everyone was silent for a moment. Then suddenly, a door opened. Ariel was a little surprised; she hadn't realized they were in a room. She could see the bright blue sky, and they were surrounded with all kind of plants and flowers. We're on some kind of patio, Ariel thought.
"Would anyone like some tea?" A man, clad like he stepped right out of 'Aladin', with black skin, smiled friendly at her.
"Yes, please," Ariel smiled back.
"Ah, a Saiyan with manners! That's a nice change!"
Ariel had to laugh; Vegeta looked positively livid, and Piccolo was obviously mocking him. And then, once again, they were locked in a battle of throwing insults.
"Let's take it outside, Namek! Let's see if you fight as well as you talk!"
Ariel rolled her eyes, and asked Dende softly: "Is he always like this?"
"Unfortunatly, yes..."
Vegeta then looked at them: "You, girl, do not try me. I can do things to you that would make you wish you had never said a single word!"
Ariel was dumbfounded, for a moment. Then she glared at him. "You know, you're really an psycho! Better leave me alone!"
"No, I won't leave you alone!"
"That's...that's creepy! You know, where I come from, I could have you arrested for stalking or something!"
"Really," he sneered, "well, where I come from, I could have you killed for disobeing your prince! But, considering you're the only female Saiyan left, I have to take other... measures... to make you understand."
"Vegeta!" Dende looked sternly at Vegeta, "it will you do no good to treat her that way; remember, although she is Saiyan in her physical form, mentally she's human. So, she doesn't know anything about Saiyan customs, social structure and rangs. It's better to keep that in mind."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes, and took a step towards Dende. Piccolo quickly stood before him. "Don't even think about it."
Vegeta smiled cruelly. "And what would you do about it? I am by far your superior. You don't stand a chance against me."
"Be reasonable, Vegeta."
"Fine, but if one of you eve talk that way to me again, you'll face the consequences.
With that said, Vegeta walked to a corner of the large garden, where he leaned back in the shadows. Ariel had follwed the whole conversation with growing anxiety. Surely, Vegeta was arrogant, stating all that, but Piccolo respected him, and Dende too, maybe even feared him, although just a little... What could he do, that he was so sure of himself. These people were full of mysteries; maybe it all had something to do with their flying capabilities? She could only guess... But she would find out soon, she thought.
Dende saw Ariel's worried expression.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't really understand you. There's something about you, and Piccolo and Vegeta, which I don't get..."
"Ah," Dende smiled, "you mean our ki."
"Ki?"
"That's how we call it. Ki is kind of our lifeforce. Every living being has it. Only, some are in better contact, and control, then others. Some also have larger ki than others. You can also train your ki, so you can use it."
"Use it for what? Flying?"
"Exactly. And there are some other uses. If you have enough ki, and have a good control over it, you can manifest it outside your body. It can come in different forms, and how stronger your ki is, the stronger the ki outside your body is... Many use it in fights, using ki-attacks. It can be very destructive. That's why, you will have some training to do. Because you are a Saiyan, you have quite some ki. You have to learn how to control it, so you won't hurt people;because, when you feel a strong emotion, like rage, it could come out like a sort of ki-attack, even though you don't mean to. You could hurt many people by accident."
"Excuse me, what is a Saiyan? Apparently, I am one, and Vegeta is too. And I have heard some things about them, not all good, I can say. Oh, I do know one thing," she grapped the furry appendix, and held it up, "they have tails."
"Yes, they do. Saiyans are a race of warriors, and lived on a planet called Vegeta, named after their kings. Some years ago, a tyrant called Frieza destroyed the planet, also nearly destroying the race. Only a few were left. One of them was their prince, Vegeta. He lived for years serving under Frieza, but secretely he was planning a revolt-"
"More like revenge. Plain, simple revenge." Vegeta stated it in a toneless voice, never looking at them.
"Erm, ok. For his... revenge, he gathered all the Saiyans left alive. So, he sent Radditz for his younger brother, who was sent to earth when he was a baby to purge this planet-"
"Purge? What do you mean with 'purge'?
"Destroying all intelligent live on the planet, making it ready to be sold to the highest bidder, usually a race who had used up all the natural resources on their homeplanet. My father and Frieza had an 'alliance', and purging was one of the things the Saiyan's had to do, to keep their end of the bargain. Saiyan children were sent in space pods to planets to purge them. They were picked up after the job was done."
Ariel looked shocked. 'You mean, they killed countless of people, so the planet could be sold? Didn't anybody cared what happened to those people?" Ariel shuddered.
"No. They weak die, and the strong survive."
"Maybe you have taken Darwin's 'Origin of species' a bit to literally?" Ariel muttered under her breath, earning strange looks.
"Right... As I was saying, Radditz was sent by Vegeta to earth to retrieve his little brother Goku, to the Saiyans known as Kakarot. Goku was sent here on the eve of the destruction of Vegetasei, and apparently, reports of this purge were lost, because Frieza never sent anyone to kill Goku. Because that was what he did to the Saiyan children who were sent to purge; he sent some of his men to kill them after they completed the job. Frieza actually feared the strenght of the Saiyans, he feared that one day, they would overpower him. He was afraid of the Legend of the Super-Saiyan. He took precautions by destroying the entire race, save the prince, which he found had some promising capabilities."
"He liked to save a few, just so he could keep having his fun with us."
"Fun?" Ariel asked, even though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.
Vegeta shifted his body somewhat, so he could look straight into her eyes. "Yes, fun. He liked to humiliate us, sending us on missions that we couldn't finish in the given amount of time, just so he would have another excuse to ridicule and punish us. Punishment always ended with spending a nice amount of time in a Regeneration Tank. But I won't burden you with the details. I think some are a bit hard to stomach for you..."
I did asked for it, didn't I, she thought by herself. "Well, thank you for your explanation."
Vegeta just looked at her. "Any time."
"Ok," Ariel said: "What exactly is a Super-Saiyan?"
"A Saiyan can become a Super-Saiyan, when he reached a certain level of strenght. Then, all that is needed is a trigger; some kind of emotional turmoil, to unleash his power. His power increases ...fold. A Super- Saiyan's hair turns gold, and his eyes a kind of greenish blue. That are the most striking chances."
"Can that really happen?"
"It can," Dende quickly reassured her, "because several Saiyans reached that level, one of them is Vegeta. And they even attained higher levels of power. But, I'll explain that later. Let me finish my story first." Dende quickly told her the whole story, in a very summarized version, and Ariel listened on with growing amazement, and confusement. How could all this happen. It sounded all so unreal to her; the power some beings could assemble, and how much happened to this earth, and the universe as a whole. It dazzled her.
Dende concluded his story by telling the end of the so called 'Cell Games': "...and since then, the world is living in peace. But it's only time before something happens again."
"So... I was next?" Ariel tried to joke.But she really didn't feel like joking right now. She felt totally lost. How was she ever supposed to build a life in this crazy world?
"I do not think you are a danger to us or to the world! It's quite the opposite. I don't know how, or when, or why, but your presence here, in this dimension, it's a good thing."
"Well, I'm glad that you don't see me as a threat."
Dende smiled at her. "Never. Now, did you have any questions about the things I've just told you? It must seem so strange and far-fetched for you."
"It sure does... I don't have any questions right now, but I'm sure I will have them, once it all starts to sink in. But those dragonballs... Unbelievable..."
"Don't hesitate to ask us anything. Even if I have to retell everything ten times, I wil do it gladly. Now, I hope everything has become somewhat clearer to you, although I think you still have many questions. Don't hesitate to ask anyone. I'm sure everyone will be glad to be of service. I do believe we must think now about some practical issues. For one, where will you stay?"
"Uhm, good question."
"She stays at Capsule Corp, of course."
"Mmm, that might be an option, but..."
"You don't have a say in this. I will train the girl, therefore, it's the most practical solution."
Ariel didn't really like the idea of living in the same building as Vegeta. He surely had some control issues. And being trained by him...
"Capsule Corp... was that the building where I woke up?"
"That building is part of Capsule Corp. Capsule Corp is a very large company, and the woman and 'doctor' you have met earlier, are the owners. They have invented a lot of things that you have never seen before, I'm sure." Piccolo looked somewhat thoughtful, "Bulma would probably love to have you in her home. Another specimen of an alien race to study."
Ariel immediatly responded to that: "Uhm, I don't really like to be studied. I'm not some kind of guinnea pig or something."
Piccolo was quick to agree to that. It was an excuse, he knew that. She didn't dare to say no to Vegeta's obvious command. Maybe she was worried that he would throw a fit or something. Sometimes, he acted like a spoiled brat! Piccolo snorted.
"Of course not. But, maybe it is wise to go back to Capsule Corp first. From there, we can figure out what to do. Maybe you can stay here, at the Lookout. I think Dende won't have a problem with that."
"Of course not, I would be delighted."
"Absolutely not," Vegeta hissed, "I will not let her stay here, and let her mind be filled with all kind of nonsense!"
"Relax, Vegeta. Nothing has been decided yet. Now, shall we return to Capsule Corp. I bet the rest is waiting for more news." Piccolo moved towards Ariel and helped her up. She looked at him. "Are we going to fly again?"
"Yes."
"Ohh... well, that's ok. I mean, if that's the way you guys travel, I better get used to it. And besides, I always liked a rollercoaster ride, so I think I will eventually like it. You know, when I get over the whole 'I- can-fall-to-my-death-if-you-let-go-of-me' thing."
"Don't worry, I won't drop you."
"Can't we just get a move on?"
"Wait! I have just one more question. I heard that little man say something about tails and... transformations?!"
Vegeta grunted. "Saiyans with a tail can transform in the light of the full moon in their animal form, which is called Oozaru. Basicly, it is a giant monkey, and your power is increased tenfold." (A/N Am I doing the right math here? I totally suck at it so... If this is wrong, please let me know.)
Ariel looked a little pale. "You mean, once every four weeks, I change into King Kong?"
"I don't know who this 'King Kong' is, but you don't have to worry yourself about it. I destroyed the moon." Piccolo reassured her.
"Oh, but do you have forgotten about the way we can imitate the light of a full moon? It is sometimes very convenient." Vegeta chuckled at seeing the look of terror on Ariel's face.
"Don't you come anywhere near me!" Ariel backed up a few steps.
"Don't worry, girl. You have first some training to do, before you can transform without going on a rampage. I will decide when the time is right."
"I do have a say in this, ok?! And I don't really want to transform into anything. You go ahead, but count me out!"
Vegeta chuckled again: "We'll see about that."
"Right... Vegeta, leave the girl be. Let's get a move on." Piccolo walked outside, with Ariel on his heels. When they came outside, she gasped: there was nothing to be seen, only the bright blue sky. She walked somewhat closer to the egde of the platform. She could very faintly see the earth. "Wow, it's very high up here. Luckily, I'm not afraid of heights,... well, " she looked a little bit uncertainly down at the earth, "usually I'm not..."
"Well then, there's no need to stay here," with that said, Vegeta moved in, lifted Ariel up in his arms and jumped off the Lookout.
"WHAT?!! AAAH! VEGETA!!!!" Ariel shrieked, and clamped both her arms around Vegeta's neck, and burried her head into his chest. She heard him chuckle softly.
"You just wait! When we get down there I'm going to kill you!" She only heard more chuckles. "I really hate you for this! And don't you dare to drop me!"
"Relax. Just enjoy the ride."
"You... ARGH!" Ariel was so mad, and yet so freightened by his sudden stunt, that she couldn't think of a decent insult to throw at him. She peeked at the ground, but when she saw the ground coming at her with a freightening speed, she once again hid her face against his chest.
"I really hate you," she mumbled. Vegeta heard her, and tightened his grip on her.
"Silly girl. Why would you hate me?"
"What? Do you have to ask?! Are you oblivious or something? The way you're treating me, or everyone else for that matter, isn't exactly the way to make friends!" She practicly yelled that.
"Where do I need friends for? Friendship, feh. You weaklings call it friendship, giving a nice name to the fact that you need those people to survive. Me, I don't need anyone to survive."
"You have a pretty lonely live, then." Ariel stated. The only answer Vegeta gave was a snort.
She dared to take another look down. They appeared to be flying horizontally now, but still with great speed.
"Are we almost there yet?" Ariel asked.
"Almost."
"Ok."
Suddenly, Vegeta began to descend, and soon, they were on solid ground again. But he still held her up in his arms.
"Ahum, can you put me down now?"
"Are you sure? I think this is quite cozy."
Ariel looked completely baffled. "C-cozy?" She tried to stiffle her laughter, but she didn't succeeded well. When she finally gave up her attempts, and burst out in a fit of giggles. Vegeta abruptly dropped her.
"Don't you dare laugh at me!"
"Cozy?" *gniffle* "Are you sure you know that word?" And she succumbed to another fit of laughter. The word 'cozy' coming out of him, it was just hilaric.
"Hm," Vegeta glared at her, then turned around, and started to walk towards a building she recognized.
She stood up, and wanted to go after him, when suddenly Piccolo landed next to her.
"Are you alright?" Piccolo looked worried at her.
She smiled, touched by his concern. "Yes, I'm ok. A little bit shaken..."
"Good. When I saw him jumping off the Lookout with you, I thought he was planning on giving you your first lesson in flying."
"He didn't. I think he knows that if he tried anything like, you know, drop me, that I would never, ever, talk to him again. If I had survived, that is."
He chuckled. "He's not totally stupid."
Ariel lifted her eyebrows as to say 'are you sure?'
Piccolo chuckled some more. "Come on, and we'll get you introduced to some people."
Ariel looked a little anxious.
"Relax. You have survived Vegeta. You can handle anything."
"Uhh... ok." Ariel followed Piccolo, but still felt a little anxious. She wasn't really looking forward to meeting new people. Ok, she had seen some of them before, but they had been wary of her, and she had not liked the look in their eyes, regarding her like some dangerous animal.
Piccolo noticed her hesitating. "Come on, they won't bite."
Ariel swallowed, and stepped inside the building. Inside there were people, who were obviously waiting for her. Some were talking softly, but when she came in, everyone fell silent. Then, everyone started to talk at once.
"Quiet!" Someone shrieked. Ariel winced. Did she have to be so loud? She looked at owner of the voice. It was the blue-haired woman again, Bulma.
"Ok," Bulma said, taking charge, "we are all dying to know what's going on, even more so after he," she pointed to Vegeta who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, " was kind enough to give us a few meaningless answers. So, what the hell is going on?!" She yelled, making everybody in the room cringe.
"Woman, stop your shrieking! Be a little less annoying."
Bulma didn't acknowlegde Vegeta, but she flushed a little. Wether she was embarresed or angry, Ariel couldn't tell.
"Well, come on!"
"Calm down. Be quiet and we'll tell you." Piccolo snapped at Bulma. Apparently he hadn't much patience with her. Bulma frowned, but did keep her mouth.
"Now, you can-" Piccolo was interrupted when suddenly the door opened, and a woman, a teenager and two small boys walked inside.
"Finally, we're here. It took hours to get here. Hi mom, dad!" One of the boys, with short lavender coloured hair, spoke up, and he waved at Bulma and at ... Vegeta? Ariel was stunned. Dad? He was a father? Now that was a very interesting development!
"Oh, hi Trunks, " Bulma said absently. But Vegeta didn't even acknowledge him. The boy, Trunks, didn't seem to notice.
"Yeah, mom! If only we would have flown a little faster than 8 miles per hour, we would have been here hours ago," piped the other boy up. He had black spiky hair. His mother looked rather peeved.
"I think we went fast enough!! Remeber, we could have walked." The woman looked rather annoyed. "Ok, we're here. So, where is she?"
The woman looked around. It gave Ariel some time to study her. She had black hair, which was twisted in a knot, and she was wearing rather weird looking clothes; wide pants which were mostly covered by a tunic of some kind. She had a frown on her face, and looked rather impatient.
The woman finally spotted Ariel, who stood half hidden behind Piccolo. "So, that's the female Saiyan you are all so afraid of?" The woman snorted. "Look at her! She's shorter than Vegeta (who looked pretty pissed off), and she looks quite uncomfortable. Actually, she looks like a pretty decent person to me."
Ariel smiled at the woman. She looked decent? She could live with that.
"So, what's your name?"
"Ariel. Ariel MacLean.
"That doesn't sound like a Saiyan name."
"No, it doesn't. And if you shut up, I can tell you what the deal is."
"I think Ariel is a pretty name!" The little blue haired boy said softly.
"Ahem! I'm sure that's the genral opinion here, but can we get down to business now," asked Bulma impatiently.
"Gladly," Piccolo snarled, "now, I'll make things short, since no one seems to be able to keep his mouth shut for a minute! Ariel is not what you believe she is. Yes, she has a Saiyan body, but the spirit, or soul, that's human. She lived in a very different dimension, but she died there, in a accident. Powers, that are far beyond our knowledge, wouldn't let her go to waist; apparently, she's something special. She has come here, with a purpose, although nobody, not even King Kai and Dende, know what kind of purpose that is. Now, she has to learn to live with her new body, and with her new live! I expect that everyone will help her, and not bother her with stupid questions. Let her get used to this, to us, at her own pace." Piccolo eyed Vegeta, who smirked back at him.
"See," said the woman, "nothing to fear."
"Indeed, ChiChi. Nothing to fear. And now I think it's time for some introductions, because you all know her, but she doesn't know you."
"Ok. Hi, I'm ChiChi. And this are my two sons," she pointed at the teenager and the black haired boy, "Gohan and Goten."
Gohan smiled friendly at her: "Hi! Nice to meet you!"
"Yeah," said his little brother, "we heard all about you, but you don't seem like an evil guy, err, girl!"
"Goten!" His mother said sternly.
"Sorry mom."
"I'm Trunks, and Bulma is my mother, and Vegeta is my father, and that man over there is my Grandpa, and the lady next to him my Grandma!" Trunks pointed enthusiasticly at his family.
Bulma smiled somewhat at Ariel. "I'm glad we meet again, under better circumstances. Luckily you're not hysteric anymore."
Ariel looked at the woman, not believing what she just said. Yes, she had been upset, but not hysteric. Ariel said coldly: "No, I'm not."
"There are more people to meet," ChiChi said quickly, and she introduced her to the rest of the small crowd. She came to know the noseless man as Krillin, who had a beautiful girlfriend named Eighteen. There was the scarred man, Yamcha, and the three eyed man with his small friend, Tien and Chiaotzu. They all looked at her, trying to determine what she was.
It was Krillin who stepped forward and extended his hand. Ariel took it, and smiled gratefully at him. Krillin grinned back. "Well, if Piccolo says you're okay, then I guess you are."
"Thanks," Ariel said happily. Maybe they weren't so bad after all.
Ok, Chapter 3 done. How did you like it? (Let me know!) I hope you have gotten through it all. It was certainly a long chapter (for me, that is), and that's also the reason for the delay. That, and my little sister who has occupied the computer for the last week. For schoolwork. I hate the Second Fase (a new way of learning and teaching the ministery has come up with to make school even harder for the students. Don't come and do highschool in Holland! You are warned!) I am saving, to get myself a labtop. I finally have a goal in my life.
Ok, enough rambling. I like to thank everyone who's reading this story and told me what they thought. THANKS!!!
I've been playing around with the idea of finding someone who wants to beta my stories. Someone who can point out the errors in my grammar, and who gives my hints about my work. So, if anyone's interested... let me know.