Chapter 5: Unlikely Rescue
Trunks slept most of the day. He was purely exhausted after chasing his father all night. He scarcely noticed when Pan came in and lay down next to him that afternoon. Now, it was getting late, almost dinnertime, and Trunks' stomach wouldn't allow him to sleep through a meal. He was walking toward the dinning room when he heard crying coming from his parents' room. "Mom?" he said softly as he opened the door; Bulma was sitting on the bed, crying, "Mom, are you okay?"
"Oh, Trunks, I don't know what I'm going to do," Bulma replied as he sat next to her and he took her into his arms. She cried softly as he waited for the rest of the story and then, very softly, she said, "I'm pregnant."
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Vegeta sped toward the dragon radar signal as fast as he could. Suddenly, he felt in his heart he was desperately needed at home, but, being so close to his goal, he wasn't going to quit now. "Hold on, I'll be home soon." Christmas was only three days away, he had to hurry. He came to a small village that the dragon ball was obviously in, but as the sun began to set, he knew it would have to wait till tomorrow. He found some food for dinner and then found shelter in a cave in the nearby mountains. However, the cave was not empty.
"Who...who goes there?" a shaky female voice said as Vegeta stepped in the cave; his only reply was to stop into the light of the two girls' small fire, "Go...go away. We have nothing here. Leave us alone."
"You couldn't scare a mouse with that voice. Besides, I'm not going to hurt you. I only came in here for shelter from the cold for tonight. I did not realize someone else was already in here," Vegeta replied, noting how meager their fire was to protect them from the cold of the night. He also noted how famished they looked; they obviously had not eaten a good meal in quite a while. Though he tried for it not to get to him, these two girls seemed to touch his heart. It did not help that they bore a striking resemblance to Bra and Bulma.
"Look, Kaylie, he's not from the village, though I recognize him. I've seen him fight in the World Martial Arts Tournament. You're married to Bulma Brief of Capsule Corporation, aren't you?" the second girl spoke up.
"Yes, yes I am. My name's Vegeta," Vegeta replied, surprising himself as to how cordial he was.
"I'm Kaylie, and this is my twin sister, Ann," the first girl replied.
"What are you two doing here? This isn't a place for two young girls to be," he asked, once again taking in their meager surroundings.
"We had no choice," Ann said as she and Kaylie looked at the ground, "We live in the village but a few months ago, some mean came in and took the village captive. Our father was mayor. One night, he snuck us out and told us to go for help. We've tried to get help, but no one will come. We've been living in here for several weeks. We can barely keep the fire going and it's hard to get food. We don't know how to hunt. We've been living off fruits and berries."
Vegeta was unexpectedly touched by the girls' story. "Wait here, I'll return soon," he said and then left the cave. Shortly, he returned with some meat, fruit, and firewood. "Here, eat the fruit. The meat will be done soon." He added wood to the fire and then threw a small ki blast to enlarge the fire. Then he put the meat on the fire and turned back to the girls, who sat shocked. "Here, you two need to eat. Don't worry, I won't hurt you," Vegeta said, handing them the fruit. He couldn't understand why he was helping the two girls; it wasn't like him. Maybe Bulma was right. Maybe he did have a great compassion lying in his heart. He just had to figure out how to use it.
"Thank you," Kaylie said softly as they took the fruit; then she had an idea, "You're obviously really strong. Will you help us?"
Vegeta didn't know what to say. This was a job that one of the other Z Fighters wouldn't hesitate to take, but him? He wasn't of the helping kind, but somehow, he couldn't just leave these girls in this cave to die. "How many are there?" he asked, taking the meat off the fire.
The girls smiled as they took the meat he offered them; he was going to help them. "About 20. And they have two tanks," Ann replied.
"Hmm. An easy job. Plus, I need to get the dragon ball from their village. And besides, no on would know I helped them," Vegeta thought. He looked at the two girls again. They couldn't have been more than 18 years old. He remembered Bra, who was just 18 years old. If this were she, if these girls were his daughters, he would want someone to help them. "Bulma, you've changed me for keeps," he thought and smiled. "Okay, I'll help you out. But in the morning. You need to sleep. I'll have your village freed by lunch time," he told the two girls.
"You will? Thank you so much," Kaylie said and Ann echoed. Vegeta smiled as a weird, but warm feeling touched his heart. He was beginning to understand why Kakarot and the others helped people; it made them feel good to use their powers to help others.
"Hey, you have a son, don't you? I think I've seen him fight in the tournament as well," Ann asked as they finished the meal he brought them.
"Actually, I have two sons and a daughter. My oldest son, Trunks, is the one you've seen in the tournament. My daughter, Bra, isn't a fighter but a scientist like her mother. And my youngest son, Victor, is a fighter, but hasn't entered the tournament yet. He knows that Trunks and I are still stronger than him and he says he won't enter until he has a chance at winning," Vegeta answered, smiling with pride as he talked about his children.
"That's really cool," Kaylie said as she and Ann both yawned, fighting sleep, "We can't both go to sleep. They send out men sometimes to look for us."
"Tonight you can. Get some rest. I will keep watch," Vegeta said, knowing that even in sleep, his saiyan hearing would alert him to danger. The girls thanked him then curled up near the fire and were soon asleep. Vegeta added more wood to the fire before lying down to sleep himself.
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"Are you sure?" Trunks was shocked but tried to remain calm for Bulma.
"Yes. About four months. Why did Vegeta have to leave now? I need him," Bulma sobbed as her son held her close.
Trunks didn't know what to say. He remembered when his mother had been pregnant with Bra and then Victor. Vegeta had been there both times when Bulma found out and was with her the entire time. It was all Trunks could do to not say that his father would be back in three days. "Hurry, dad," Trunks thought as Bulma fell asleep in his arms.
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Vegeta woke just before dawn. He added fresh wood to the fire before leaving to get food for breakfast. By the time he returned, Kaylie and Ann were beginning to stir. "Good morning. Have some breakfast," he smiled gently, handing them each a coconut with berries in it, "As soon as you're finished, we'll leave." The girls nodded, hoping he would have the ability to free their village. "I have to make quick work this morning. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I still have one more dragon ball to find," Vegeta thought as he stood at the mouth of the cave. Before long, the girls were ready to show him to their village.
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"Halt. State your busine...why, Kaylie and Ann, the prodigal daughters return. And with another prisoner," the guard laughed.
"Hardly," Vegeta said with a smirk. He quickly took care of the single guard but was soon ambushed by the rest of the band. The villagers looked on worriedly but then were awed as Vegeta quickly took care of the entire band and easily destroyed the two tanks.
"Thank you, Vegeta. I knew you could help us," Kaylie said as she and Ann appeared smiling at his side.
"Kaylie? Ann?" an older gentleman said.
"Father!" they cried as they ran to him. "Father, this is Vegeta. He found us and then agreed to help our village," Ann said, stepping toward Vegeta.
"Thank you, sir. I could not express my gratitude," the mayor said, shaking Vegeta's hand.
For the first time, Vegeta knew the warmth of helping others. He blushed slightly and didn't know what to say. Kaylie and Ann walked up to him carrying a small box. "Nothing we could give you could repay you for what you have done. We found this one day when we were in the woods. Please, we wish you to have it as a small token of appreciation," Ann said as they opened the box. Inside rested the two-star dragon ball.
Vegeta took the dragon ball in his hand. "Thank you, this means more to me than you know," he replied. He had forgotten there was a dragon ball inside the village. "I must be going now."
"Goodbye, Vegeta. Your family is very lucky. You are a great person. Bulma is lucky to have you as a husband," Kaylie called as Vegeta flew off.
Her words hit Vegeta in the heart. This adventure of finding the dragon balls was becoming an adventure in finding himself. He sped off, following the signal for the last dragon ball - the one-star dragon ball.
Trunks slept most of the day. He was purely exhausted after chasing his father all night. He scarcely noticed when Pan came in and lay down next to him that afternoon. Now, it was getting late, almost dinnertime, and Trunks' stomach wouldn't allow him to sleep through a meal. He was walking toward the dinning room when he heard crying coming from his parents' room. "Mom?" he said softly as he opened the door; Bulma was sitting on the bed, crying, "Mom, are you okay?"
"Oh, Trunks, I don't know what I'm going to do," Bulma replied as he sat next to her and he took her into his arms. She cried softly as he waited for the rest of the story and then, very softly, she said, "I'm pregnant."
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Vegeta sped toward the dragon radar signal as fast as he could. Suddenly, he felt in his heart he was desperately needed at home, but, being so close to his goal, he wasn't going to quit now. "Hold on, I'll be home soon." Christmas was only three days away, he had to hurry. He came to a small village that the dragon ball was obviously in, but as the sun began to set, he knew it would have to wait till tomorrow. He found some food for dinner and then found shelter in a cave in the nearby mountains. However, the cave was not empty.
"Who...who goes there?" a shaky female voice said as Vegeta stepped in the cave; his only reply was to stop into the light of the two girls' small fire, "Go...go away. We have nothing here. Leave us alone."
"You couldn't scare a mouse with that voice. Besides, I'm not going to hurt you. I only came in here for shelter from the cold for tonight. I did not realize someone else was already in here," Vegeta replied, noting how meager their fire was to protect them from the cold of the night. He also noted how famished they looked; they obviously had not eaten a good meal in quite a while. Though he tried for it not to get to him, these two girls seemed to touch his heart. It did not help that they bore a striking resemblance to Bra and Bulma.
"Look, Kaylie, he's not from the village, though I recognize him. I've seen him fight in the World Martial Arts Tournament. You're married to Bulma Brief of Capsule Corporation, aren't you?" the second girl spoke up.
"Yes, yes I am. My name's Vegeta," Vegeta replied, surprising himself as to how cordial he was.
"I'm Kaylie, and this is my twin sister, Ann," the first girl replied.
"What are you two doing here? This isn't a place for two young girls to be," he asked, once again taking in their meager surroundings.
"We had no choice," Ann said as she and Kaylie looked at the ground, "We live in the village but a few months ago, some mean came in and took the village captive. Our father was mayor. One night, he snuck us out and told us to go for help. We've tried to get help, but no one will come. We've been living in here for several weeks. We can barely keep the fire going and it's hard to get food. We don't know how to hunt. We've been living off fruits and berries."
Vegeta was unexpectedly touched by the girls' story. "Wait here, I'll return soon," he said and then left the cave. Shortly, he returned with some meat, fruit, and firewood. "Here, eat the fruit. The meat will be done soon." He added wood to the fire and then threw a small ki blast to enlarge the fire. Then he put the meat on the fire and turned back to the girls, who sat shocked. "Here, you two need to eat. Don't worry, I won't hurt you," Vegeta said, handing them the fruit. He couldn't understand why he was helping the two girls; it wasn't like him. Maybe Bulma was right. Maybe he did have a great compassion lying in his heart. He just had to figure out how to use it.
"Thank you," Kaylie said softly as they took the fruit; then she had an idea, "You're obviously really strong. Will you help us?"
Vegeta didn't know what to say. This was a job that one of the other Z Fighters wouldn't hesitate to take, but him? He wasn't of the helping kind, but somehow, he couldn't just leave these girls in this cave to die. "How many are there?" he asked, taking the meat off the fire.
The girls smiled as they took the meat he offered them; he was going to help them. "About 20. And they have two tanks," Ann replied.
"Hmm. An easy job. Plus, I need to get the dragon ball from their village. And besides, no on would know I helped them," Vegeta thought. He looked at the two girls again. They couldn't have been more than 18 years old. He remembered Bra, who was just 18 years old. If this were she, if these girls were his daughters, he would want someone to help them. "Bulma, you've changed me for keeps," he thought and smiled. "Okay, I'll help you out. But in the morning. You need to sleep. I'll have your village freed by lunch time," he told the two girls.
"You will? Thank you so much," Kaylie said and Ann echoed. Vegeta smiled as a weird, but warm feeling touched his heart. He was beginning to understand why Kakarot and the others helped people; it made them feel good to use their powers to help others.
"Hey, you have a son, don't you? I think I've seen him fight in the tournament as well," Ann asked as they finished the meal he brought them.
"Actually, I have two sons and a daughter. My oldest son, Trunks, is the one you've seen in the tournament. My daughter, Bra, isn't a fighter but a scientist like her mother. And my youngest son, Victor, is a fighter, but hasn't entered the tournament yet. He knows that Trunks and I are still stronger than him and he says he won't enter until he has a chance at winning," Vegeta answered, smiling with pride as he talked about his children.
"That's really cool," Kaylie said as she and Ann both yawned, fighting sleep, "We can't both go to sleep. They send out men sometimes to look for us."
"Tonight you can. Get some rest. I will keep watch," Vegeta said, knowing that even in sleep, his saiyan hearing would alert him to danger. The girls thanked him then curled up near the fire and were soon asleep. Vegeta added more wood to the fire before lying down to sleep himself.
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"Are you sure?" Trunks was shocked but tried to remain calm for Bulma.
"Yes. About four months. Why did Vegeta have to leave now? I need him," Bulma sobbed as her son held her close.
Trunks didn't know what to say. He remembered when his mother had been pregnant with Bra and then Victor. Vegeta had been there both times when Bulma found out and was with her the entire time. It was all Trunks could do to not say that his father would be back in three days. "Hurry, dad," Trunks thought as Bulma fell asleep in his arms.
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Vegeta woke just before dawn. He added fresh wood to the fire before leaving to get food for breakfast. By the time he returned, Kaylie and Ann were beginning to stir. "Good morning. Have some breakfast," he smiled gently, handing them each a coconut with berries in it, "As soon as you're finished, we'll leave." The girls nodded, hoping he would have the ability to free their village. "I have to make quick work this morning. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I still have one more dragon ball to find," Vegeta thought as he stood at the mouth of the cave. Before long, the girls were ready to show him to their village.
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"Halt. State your busine...why, Kaylie and Ann, the prodigal daughters return. And with another prisoner," the guard laughed.
"Hardly," Vegeta said with a smirk. He quickly took care of the single guard but was soon ambushed by the rest of the band. The villagers looked on worriedly but then were awed as Vegeta quickly took care of the entire band and easily destroyed the two tanks.
"Thank you, Vegeta. I knew you could help us," Kaylie said as she and Ann appeared smiling at his side.
"Kaylie? Ann?" an older gentleman said.
"Father!" they cried as they ran to him. "Father, this is Vegeta. He found us and then agreed to help our village," Ann said, stepping toward Vegeta.
"Thank you, sir. I could not express my gratitude," the mayor said, shaking Vegeta's hand.
For the first time, Vegeta knew the warmth of helping others. He blushed slightly and didn't know what to say. Kaylie and Ann walked up to him carrying a small box. "Nothing we could give you could repay you for what you have done. We found this one day when we were in the woods. Please, we wish you to have it as a small token of appreciation," Ann said as they opened the box. Inside rested the two-star dragon ball.
Vegeta took the dragon ball in his hand. "Thank you, this means more to me than you know," he replied. He had forgotten there was a dragon ball inside the village. "I must be going now."
"Goodbye, Vegeta. Your family is very lucky. You are a great person. Bulma is lucky to have you as a husband," Kaylie called as Vegeta flew off.
Her words hit Vegeta in the heart. This adventure of finding the dragon balls was becoming an adventure in finding himself. He sped off, following the signal for the last dragon ball - the one-star dragon ball.