Disclaimer: Akira Toriyama and J.R.R. Tolkien own most of the characters that will show up in this story. I do own Nindy, Raven, Regar, Gigita and some others.

Author's notes: Thanks to all reviewers, it's really motivating to read your thoughts on the story. Anyhow, in this chapter the Dragonball Z characters will finally come into the picture. 

Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Adopting Darkness

"Daddy, can I go play in the woods now, please?"

"Okay then, but be back within the hour!"

"I will! Bye daddy."

"Bye Pan."

Pan skipped into the forest happily, looking around with gleeful eyes. A squirrel with its children crossed the worn path rapidly. Little Pan kneeled to watch them. She stretched her hand to lift one of the tiny squirrels. The other ones abruptly stopped in movement.

"It's okay, I won't hurt any of you," she muttered, slightly taken aback.

The squirrels suddenly went to sit on Pan's legs and the little one she was holding grasped its tongue past her cheek. She laughed heartily and stroked its tiny back. Mother-squirrel apparently wanted to travel further and gestured to the others to follow. The baby-squirrel hopped out of Pan's hands and the family moved out of sight. A warm smile appeared on the little girl's face and she rose into the sky.

"I can flyyyyyyy!" she shouted happily as she flew with widened arms, the wind caressing her fragile form with meek coldness. She stopped moving forward but kept floating in thin air, lying on her energy as if on her cozy bed. Her eyes closed and she yawned.

Unexpectedly she felt another ki near her presence, a strange one. It was coming from beneath her somewhere. Her dark eyes wandered down to meet a bright turquoise stare.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Nindy. What's your name?"

"It's Pan."

"How come you can fly?"

"My grandpa taught me how."

Pan's eyes widened as Nindy rose to meet her height.

"Oh my God, you can fly too! Who taught you?"

"I taught myself."

"Cool," Pan beamed.

Nindy smiled and swung her tail.

"You have a tail?! Will you come with me to my place? My dad used to have one; I dare to bet he'll find you having one as well very interesting!"

"Sure."

And so the two girls flew toward the Son-house, amazement meeting them as they arrived.

"Dad, mom, this is Nindy. I just met her, she can fly too and she has a real tail, cool huh?" Pan babbled excitedly.

Gohan and Videl scrutinized the girl their daughter had brought to them, surprise covering their faces.

"Well, hi Nindy," Gohan began, "I'm Gohan and this here is my wife, Videl. Where do you and your parents live?"

"The woods are my home, the wolves my relatives. I have no parents," Nindy responded, not granting her trust to Gohan, refusing to give the little information her medallion and vague past memories gave her.

"Have you ever had an orphanage as a home then?"

"No sir, I've lived in the woods here for all my life."

"How come you understand our language then?" Gohan said, sneering slightly.

"I wasn't completely isolated from civilization," she snarled back in a catty way.

"Gohan, what's with you so suddenly?" Videl snapped, "You mustn't be so forward, she's just a kid!"

"Yeah you're right, I'm sorry honey, I honestly don't know what got into me."

Videl heaved a sigh.

"It's okay... Anyway, why don't you girls come in, dinner is almost ready."

"You're inviting me over for dinner? Really?" Nindy asked in disbelief.

"Of course I am!" called the amused, but adored, reply.

"Thank you! Unless... You're not mocking me right?" came a scared voice.

"No, I'm truly not. There's no reason to be so afraid and insecure, we mean no harm, honestly. You can trust us," Videl smiled sweetly.

"Okay... Sorry for bothering you with my distrust," Nindy mumbled underneath her breath with downcast eyes.

Videl cast her one more smile and then turned to the kitchen.

Nindy followed Pan and Gohan to the living room and sat back next to Pan at the white leather couch. The young half-Saiyan settled himself in his comforting chair that matched the color and substance of the couch meticulously and he eased himself in front of the two pre-teen girls.

"Hey Nindy, have you by any chance ever heard of a race called the Saiyans?"

"Yes I have, my mother was a full-blood Saiyan, or so I was told."

Both father and daughter winced in surprise at those words.

"Who told you?" Gohan asked incredulously.

"The people who took me and whom I ran away from."

"Your ears are pointy," Pan-chan suddenly remarked, "It looks cool, sorta like Dende's and Piccolo's only not green," she laughed.

"Everyone in the village where I was obliged to be has them."

"What are those people then?" Gohan asked confused.

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. So it's in vain to do so. I'm sorry."

"How old are you actually? About nine I presume?" Gohan changed the subject.

The guess was weighed by both her height, the grave look her face carried and her way of talking. If it wasn't for her small, extremely slim figure he'd have guessed twelve.

"Actually, I'm six."

Once again Nindy managed to elicit deep surprise.

"Cool, I'm also six," Pan replied happily, "When's your birthday?"

"The 12th of December."

"My birthday is also on the 12th, only of June."

"Nice, that means we differ exactly half a year," Nindy smiled.

"I'm older!" Pan grinned.

"You wouldn't think so if you didn't know any better though," Gohan muttered underneath his breath, suppressing a grin.

"What were you saying dad?" came a curious tone.

"Never mind, it's not important."

"Tell me now!" Pan teased stubbornly.

Father and daughter romped for a bit, making frolic laughter fill the living room.

"Dinner's ready!"

Gohan got to the dinner-table first, followed by Nindy and then Pan.

"Say Gohan, why don't you tell Nindy about the Saiyan-families here?" Videl asked in an attempt to make conversation.

"Okay, just a sec, I want to finish my fifth plate first!"

Videl giggled at her husband's reaction.

When Gohan swallowed his last bite, he began.

"There are two Saiyan-families here on Earth, ours is one of them.

I'm a half-Saiyan; my dad, Goku, is a full blood. Then there is his rival for life, Vegeta, also a full blood, who is married to Bulma Briefs, leader of Capsule Corporation and a very good friend of ours.

Pan here has 25 percent Saiyan-blood; she's a pretty tough fighter. Bra, a friend of hers and the youngest child of Bulma and Vegeta, has 50 percent Saiyan-blood, but she chose not to train. Trunks is Bra her older brother, he's also a half-Saiyan.

And last but not least there is Goten, my younger brother and Pan's uncle. So, that's about it with the Saiyans here. We form a team, save the planet and the universe and such, the usual stuff."

Nindy smiled at him and then Gohan returned to his meal, victimizing his sixth plate.

The next day...

"Let's proceed to Dende's lookout now that you've met all of us, 'kay Nin?"

"Okay," Nindy replied softly.

And so the entire Z-group rose, higher and higher, until finally reaching the place that surveyed all the events on Earth. Dende, Piccolo and Mr. Popo were already waiting for their arrival.

"Hey you guys, what's the deal; is something wrong?" Dende asked worriedly.

"Well, not necessarily," Goku replied, "But we just wanted you to meet Nindy here and we were wondering if you perhaps could tell us a little more about her history."

A grumpy Vegeta pushed Nindy forward agitatedly; Nindy on the other hand was quite uptight and felt rather timid.

"Hi Nindy," Dende began friendly, "I'm Dende, as you've heard, and I have taken the task of guarding the Earth upon me, Kami had that task before me but he fused with Piccolo, who's right next to me here. We're Namekians, from the planet Namek. But anyway I'm sure Gohan and the others have told you quite a lot already. Anyway I'm guessing you're partly Elfish, considering your ears?" he smiled.

"Yes I am," she responded, feeling somewhat more comfortable.

"You – you're kidding us right? I mean, everyone knows that there's no such thing as Elves, they're like, fairy-tale creatures, but so not real!" Trunks beamed incredulously.

Dende laughed heartily.

"Sorry you guys, they so are. Only the population of them on Earth is tremendously small. I heard that most of them have left ages ago, in search for a better planet."

"Oh my God... So, is this Nindy-girl half-Saiyan and half-Elf then?"

"I have a mind and mouth of my own thank you," Nindy snapped, "But I'm 29 Human anyway, mister know-all."

"Geez, watch your temper!" Trunks snarled back.

"Ehm, you guys?" Goku meddled, "We really don't have time for arguments right now, it's not really why we came here in the first place so... Mind quitting?" Goku asked smiling sheepishly, his hands rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Whatever," Trunks replied, turning his head away from Nindy.

He's so arrogant, she thought to herself.

All the others were watching the situation either humored or astonished.

"Well, anyway," Videl broke the silence, "Back at our place Nindy told that both her parents had died, so that includes her Saiyan-mother. Would that mean we have nothing to worry about?"

"I suppose so," Goten smiled.

"Not so soon you pathetic Earthlings, this girl could have planned a conspiracy to lure all of us, she could've lied about her parents' death, she could have been brainwashed!"

"Oh please Vegeta, get real," Bulma rolled her eyes.

The Saiyan-prince was about to rage at his wife but Bra shot him a puppy-dog-eyes look which forced him to bottle it up. That daughter of his...

"Anyhow, Videl and I were talking for a bit last night, and Nindy, we were just wondering, would you like to stay with us, as a new home and new family?"

"You really mean it?"

"Of course I do squirt!" Gohan laughed.

A huge grin placed itself on Nindy's face.

"Thank you!"

Videl and Gohan smiled at her and Pan began to bounce around the lookout screaming "YAY!", swiftly making laughter erupt from several mouths.

Back at home...

Nindy silently sat in her new room, at her new bed. She lied her head down on the silken sheets, calmly breathing its blossom-like scent that filled her nostrils with sweetness. Unexpectedly a totally different smell came, assaulting her nostrils deeply. And it wasn't only a smell... She tasted it with her fragile tongue, a metallic stench which somehow felt disgusting and made her enter her ecstasy at the same time.

It was the stain of blood. As in trance she swallowed, and it filled her mouth once again, and again, and again.

The front door slammed closed.

"Daddy, mommy, I'm bleeding, it just started out of nothing!"

Worried parents ran toward their daughter. Blood was covering a deep wound in her right fore-arm, but yet it didn't seem to be seeping out.

"We'll bandage it for you, don't worry honey, you're gonna be just fine."

"Did you fall or something," Gohan asked concerned.

"I already told you, it started out of nothing!"

"That's impossible sweetie. You must have blacked out or something."

"I did not!"

"It's okay honey, you're just still a bit upset. Now come here and let me dab the wound for a bit."