5: A Saiyan's Tail
The crash was heard from where Basil and Jaco sat, and they both jumped to their feet. Basil was alert, her wide eyes searching for the source of the sound. No one really came to Planet Vegeta. Jaco arriving was something of a miracle, but Basil didn't expect anyone else to come. Could it be the Saiyans Jaco spoke so highly of? Basil thought, standing on the tips of her toes to see over the large mounds of cement and rock. Have they finally come? I'm so excited! Other Saiyans! Yay!
Without a word to Jaco, Basil darted off along the rocky path, her long hair waving wildly behind her.
"Hey, wait for me!" Jaco called and tried to match her speed but found it hopeless. Her legs were much longer, so her steps were bigger and covered more ground, thus she quite literally left him in the dust. "You can't just run off!"
"I can sense it!" She shouted back at him, smiling over her shoulder.
"Sense what?!" Jaco shouted back, already struggling to breath. It was fair to say that running wasn't really his strength.
"Their power levels!" She replied, her voice a jumbled mix of happiness and eagerness. "High power levels! It's them!"
"Them who?" Jaco called, then realized that she must be referring to Goku and Vegeta. Are they finally here? Well, it's about damn time! What took them so long, anyway? Jeez, you would think that those who saved the world 20 times over would at least be punctual.
Basil knew the area like a bird knows the inside of its cage. She bounded gracefully over large rocks and overturned Attack Balls like a horse on a track jumping over hurdles as it was trained to. Her tail uncurled from around her waist to provide better balance. She leapt from one boulder to another, completely forgetting about Jaco. Her mind rattled with excitement, and her heart was beating so fast and so hard that it hurt her rib cage. Other Saiyans! Finally! Oh, I can't wait! I hope they're cute. And maybe they can tell me what 'married' means.
She jumped over a half-collapsed house and landed on both feet like a cat, her tail flicking back and forth behind her. Her hair enveloped her as if it were a shield, nothing but thick black hair. She looked around, bouncing up and down like a kid on the playground. She held her hands close to her chest and spun in a full circle, her eyes sliding over everything until they landed on what looked like smoke.
Smoke? She froze, then cocked her head. Smoke...equals...fire. Fire? Fire! She launched into the air and flew across the rather short distance between her and the billowing black-and-grey smoke as if it were a checkpoint in a video game.
Jaco ran as if his life depended on it. He swung his arms harder to gain more speed, then slid to a halt when he saw a familiar figure flying toward an unfamiliar cloud of smoke. Smoke? Oh, great, did those idiots crash? Well, they did have Goku on board, so I suppose I can't really blame them. He sucked in a breath and continued to run. I'm too short for this!
Basil jumped to the ground with a huff and ran to the fallen ship. Her heart raced, and fear traveled through her faster than a Nascar vehicle on a race track. They might be hurt! What if I'm too late? What if the impact killed them? No, don't think like that, Basil! They'll be okay. You just have to help. Maybe they're stuck. Yeah, they're just stuck and need your help to get them out. That's all. Nobody is dying today!
Basil ran to the side of the ship that was the most undamaged and knelt down, working her hands underneath it until her fingers hooked on grooves that were deep enough for her hands to grip onto. Sucking in a breath and letting out a soft groan, Basil slowly lifted it up, hearing rocks and dirt scrape on the underbelly of the ship. In one swift motion, she hauled the ship into her arms, stumbled back a few steps, then tossed the ship into the air. It soared upwards, propelled only by her strength. Basil kept her eyes clued to the white and grey rectangle, taking a step to the side to align herself with it. Then, as it came plummeting to the ground, she shot up one hand and caught it. Holding it up with one hand, she used her free hand to punch a hole into the more damaged side, managing to rip off the layers of metal to expose the inside. She tossed aside the metal she tore, then held the ship at an angle, then began shaking it up and down to empty the contents. At first, nothing happened. So, she shook harder. Then, almost instantaneously, four bodies tumbled out and crashed to the ground with an unceremonious 'thump.'
Basil gasped and threw the ship aside, beaming down at the four strangers who lay before her. The ship clanged and bounced on the rough terrain before it settled in a small ditch, dust swarming around it like moths to light. The ground shook like a small earthquake, then all fell still. Until a gasping Jaco came limping up to Basil, sweat splattered across his blue forehead.
"I've been running forever!" He choked, then bent over with his hands on his knees. "I was running, then I fell into a hole, and I tripped over a bunch of rocks, and I-" he froze when his eyes landed on a pair of familiar white and gold boots. Slowly, he looked up to lock eyes with the man himself. Prince Vegeta. Jaco gasped and leapt backward, stumbling and falling flat on his behind.
Basil was in awe. She didn't bother introducing herself. She simply knelt down in front of Vegeta and looked right into his eyes. None of them said a word. They just...stared at each other. Vegeta looked her up and down, trying to place her face with a memory, but he came up empty. He didn't recall any memory of this girl, which meant he obviously never met her, which also meant that she must be younger than him. She did look fairly young, yet she was built and toned like a warrior. An average Saiyan body.
Basil crept closer and started sniffing him, the same way she did for Jaco. Vegeta tensed and leaned away from her, unsure exactly as to what she was doing. Why is she smelling me? It's as if she's some sort of animal. No manners or anything! That's no way to greet a prince!
She paid no attention to how tense Vegeta was. Basil continued her exploration of his body, lifting up his arms and poking at his armored chest, playing with his hair and fiddling with his boots. He wasn't sure how to react. He wanted to yell at her to get away, but then again, he also didn't want to scare her away. He was amazed that she was even still alive. She looked fairly thin and beat up, wearing only some oversized armor and clunky boots that clearly didn't fit her. As amazed as he was, he found that he was also concerned. She lived on this planet all by herself? No one to watch after her? That's insane. How did she figure out how to function? Clearly, she knows a thing or two. But I can't imagine how she felt when she realized she was the only one still alive.
Without a smidge of a warning, Basil suddenly tackled Vegeta, pinning him down by his shoulders and smiling wide. Vegeta snapped out of his thoughts and decided that he'd just about had enough. "What the hell?! Get off of me!"
"Are you Goku?" She asked with the biggest smile Vegeta had ever seen on someone.
"What? No, I'm not that clown. I'm Vegeta."
"Vegeta?" Basil repeated, then froze. "Wait...like King Vegeta?"
Vegeta hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, like King Vegeta, now get off of me!"
"You're strong," Basil said with a giggle. "You're a Saiyan, right? Like me? Jaco Galactic Patrolmen said that two Saiyans would be arriving to take me to Earth. A Goku and a Vegeta. Where's Goku? Is he here? Is he cute like you?"
Vegeta shoved her off and jumped to his feet. "Stop asking so many questions."
Basil lowered her gaze to the three other bodies who were getting to their feet. One in orange, one in grey, and one in blue. Are they all Saiyans? Jaco said a Goku and a Vegeta, but he didn't say anything about two more. They are cute, though!
Goku got to his feet and rubbed his neck, glaring at Vegeta. "Air feels nice."
"I'm no longer speaking to you, Kakarot." Vegeta snapped.
"Where'd the ship go?" Trunks asked, then froze when he saw Basil. "And...whose this?"
"Her name is Basil," Jaco quickly chimed in. "She's a female Saiyan. And she has no sense of boundaries."
"Tell me about it," Vegeta mumbled.
"Female Saiyan?" Goku said, then laughed. "Wow, haven't seen one of those in a long time. I think the last female Saiyans I met were Caulifla and Kale, right Vegeta?"
"Basil," Vegeta said, and Basil stood straight, locking eyes with him. "You...live here? As in...even after the destruction, you still remained here?"
"Yep!" Basil nodded. "Since I was 10. Man, you guys have some impressive power levels, even though you're not fighting anyone!" She looked at Trunks and bounded over to him, grabbing the handle of his sword and flinging it out of the sheath. "What's this?"
"Hey, that's special, don't touch that!" Trunks made a move to take it from her, but she jumped back, swinging the sword around like a mad man.
Goku and Vegeta watched, speechless, as Trunks and Goten chased Basil around the debris-strown area. Then they just watched in pity when Goten tripped over Jaco and took Trunks with him.
...
The group stood around the ship Basil had tossed aside as if it were nothing more than a measly toy. Smoke seeped through the metal and out the open hole Basil had made, as well as the cracks in the windshield. Sparks sprouted from the exposed wires every few seconds.
"Yep, this ship ain't going anywhere." Jaco declared, scratching his head. He poked the ship Basil had effortlessly tore apart, and sighed. "I don't think this even has hope of being repaired."
"Great! Now we're stuck here!" Vegeta shouted, and kicked the now overturned and destroyed ship they'd arrived in.
"Sorry." Basil said softly. "I didn't mean to ruin your ship. I wanted to help."
"That's not how you help people!" Vegeta snapped. "There's no way we'll fit in Jaco's ship, so this was our only way of getting home."
"Calm down, Vegeta," Goku chuckled. "We'll just call Bulma and ask her to come get us."
Vegeta stared at him. "Do you really think Bulma has an endless supply of ships?"
Goku opened his mouth to answer, but by the look Vegeta was giving him, he opted to keep his mouth shut.
"Let's get back to you," Trunks said, turning to Basil, who still held his sword protectively to her chest. "You're a full Saiyan, right?"
Basil nodded. "Yeah. Of course I'm a full Saiyan. Why wouldn't I be?"
"This is so much to take in." Goten said, pacing back and forth. "Does this mean we have another ally on our side?"
"Not yet," Vegeta said, and stepped up to Basil, their chests barely a few inches apart. He ignored the fact that she was taller than him by a whole foot and yanked the sword from her hands, tossing it behind him. Goten and Goku scattered and Trunks swiftly caught it with one hand.
Basil didn't know that she was supposed to be intimidated by the larger royal Saiyan, so she smiled and booped his nose. "You're tiny."
Vegeta glared at her. "Let me get a few things straight, Basil. I want you to pay attention."
Basil's smile instantly disappeared and she stood straight, her arms glued to her sides. She blinked at him, her face showing nothing but the utmost curiosity and attentiveness.
"I want you to tell me how you survived this long by yourself." Vegeta stated, crossing his arms.
"Oh, okay." Basil said, her smile reappearing. "I ate seeds."
Goku gaped at her. "Really!? You've only eaten seeds?"
Basil nodded. "Yeah. That was all that was available."
"That sucks," Trunks said with a shake of his head. "Wait till we get to Earth. My mom makes some pretty good food, and she'll be happy to make some for you."
"Really?" Basil beamed. "Yay!"
"Oh, don't talk about food." Goku pouted. "I'm starving!"
"You'll live," Vegeta called over his shoulder, not turning away from Basil. Then, without a warning, he grabbed Basil's tail from around her waist and held it tightly in his hand. Basil jerked and cried out, and started panicking. She had never experienced the type of pain that flooded through her in unwavering streams. Once, she had accidentally stepped on her tail and that had hurt a good deal, but this, somehow, hurt so much more. It was uncomfortable and unpleasant, like having an itch you can't reach. Her legs shook for a few seconds before she fell to her knees, her eyes wide and unblinking. Her voice died in her throat.
"Vegeta!" Goku shouted, running over to him. "What are you doing?"
"I have to remove it." He said without looking at any of them. "You know what happens when a Saiyan keeps their tail. She'll hurt thousands of people if we take her to Earth with it."
"You don't know that!" Goku argued. "You also can't take this decision away from her. It's her tail!"
"Regardless, she can't keep it. Taking her to Earth is already dangerous enough as it is. Earth has too many powerful protectors that could easily snap and go the other way. This Saiyan, while she doesn't have a very high power level, could still cause great amounts of damage as a Great Ape. I'm not risking that.''
"But that's not fair." Goten said.
"Life isn't fair, Goten." Vegeta snapped at him. He looked down at Basil, who was now curled into a little ball, shaking and quivering like a scared puppy.
"Come on, Vegeta. Just think about this for a second." Goku said, slowly reaching down to Vegeta's hand. "Would you want someone to remove your tail and you not have any say in it?"
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Don't play that game with me, Kakarot. You know just as well as I do the threat Saiyans pose. One with a tail is ten times that threat. When you became a Great Ape, you destroyed everything in your path."
"That was a long time ago," Goku said. "I don't have my tail anymore, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to keep it. Sure, I know I caused a lot of damage, but I still liked my tail."
"Remember what happened with Gohan?" Vegeta countered. "He went Ape, and you had to cut off his tail before that Turles guy killed him."
"Gohan did what now?" Goten asked, looking between Goku and Vegeta.
"That doesn't matter! Basil isn't Gohan and she isn't me. She might be different." Goku said defensively.
"I can't depend on a single 'might,' Kakarot."
"Try!"
"If you cut off her tail, she'll kill you."
Vegeta turned to see Jaco standing a few feet behind him with his arms crossed. "What?"
"You heard me," Jaco said with a glare. "She should have the right to decide. After all, she's only a kid. Probably around the same age as Goten and Trunks. And Saiyans are a traditionally angry race, so I can imagine she won't take this lightly. "
"You do know she's right there, right? We're talking about her like she's dead." Goten said.
"Gohan was only a child when he went Ape." Vegeta said pointedly.
"Why are we even still arguing about this?" Trunks asked. "Dad, you can't remove her tail. You're only judging this based off of what has happened in the past. Basil is clearly different."
"Don't start with me, Trunks." Vegeta warned.
While the two argued, Goku slowly began to slip Basil's tail out of Vegeta's hand. He was tense and alert, not taking his eyes off of Vegeta as he worked her tail free. But, then he instantly regretted his actions. Like he did when he usually made his own decisions.
Basil jumped to her feet the second her tail hit the ground, then she pounced on Vegeta like a lion attacking a zebra. He gave a shocked shout before they tumbled onto the ground, kicking up enough dust to envelope them in a thick cloud.
"Oh, crap!" Trunks made a move to help, but hit the deck when Vegeta came flying out of the cloud, crashing into Goten.
"She's on the rampage!" Jaco cried and dove behind a large rock.
Goku and Trunks assumed their battle positions as Basil emerged from the dust cloud. She no longer looked happy and peachy. Now, her eyes were filled with anger, and her hands were clenched in tight fists. Her tail was wrapped tightly around her waist, yet it twitched and flicked up and down a few times, as if it were adjusting itself, recovering from the painful sensation it had endured. She looked at each of the men that stood before her, her chest rising and falling quickly. Her eyes darted to Vegeta as he got to his feet, pushing Goten off of him.
Basil didn't wait for Vegeta to yell at her or grab her tail again. She jumped over both Goku and Trunks, landing directly in front of Vegeta. He didn't get a second to process what had just happened before Basil grabbed his arm, turned around, and threw him over her shoulder. He crashed into Goku and the two collapsed in a messy tangle.
Now she turned to Trunks, who was now the only one standing. He narrowed his eyes and unsheathed his sword. "Calm down, Basil. I'm not the enemy. None of us are your enemies. We're just-"
Basil shot a bright yellow Ki blast at his chest, sending him sliding back several feet. He gave a stiff groan and doubled over, gripping his chest with his free hand, his sword clenched in his other hand. Then Basil created a large, warping yellow orb in her right hand, the glow illuminating every surface within 10 feet. A powerful wind picked up as if she summoned it herself, blowing her long hair to the side. The orb grew in size subtly, the light enhancing to that of a spotlight. It looked similar to Goku's Kamehameha. Trunks gripped his sword tightly in his hands, taking a deep breath. Basil raised her arm to throw it at him, but Goten managed to nab her arm before she could send the death ball flying.
"Basil, calm down! We don't want to fight you!" Goten said in a calm voice. Whenever Bulla would cry, he would overhear Bulma use a soft and gentle voice to soothe her, and it always worked.
But Basil wasn't Bulla. She elbowed Goten in the side of the head and drop-kicked the orb at Trunks. He dove to the side to avoid it, and it collided with the ground with enough force that it created a divot the size of a school bus. The ground rattled and shook violently. The unsteady remains of buildings and houses collapsed.
Basil felt angry. For the first time, she felt a deep rage that boiled through her like a roaring fire. It was like Vegeta had flicked a switch she didn't know she had. A switch that had been buried so deep it might as well have been invisible. Her heart was beating to an impossibly fast pace, and her mind raced with fumbled sentences that weren't even complete. Just jumbled words thrown together in her haste to defend herself. At first, she wasn't threatened by the high power levels and the large bodies. She was friendly and welcoming, like her mother had taught her. But the second her tail was touched, memories of her past had flashed before her eyes. For a brief instant, she was harshly reminded of the trauma and relentless danger that being a female Saiyan brought. She had been touched like that before, when she was much younger, and she didn't like it. Her rage flowed through her body like a furnace, eating away at her sanity, giving way to destruction and madness. She whirled around in a circle, her eyes showing nothing but fear and panic. After all, she had never had to fight anyone before. The fact that she had lasted this long against Goku and Vegeta was beyond her. She knew they were strong. She knew she was not. The only advantage she had was the terrain. She knew the area better than anyone. That wasn't exactly coming in handy at the moment, though. She took a step back, looking frantically back and forth, then grew even more alert when Goku came into her line of sight.
He was taking slow, cautious steps toward her, his hands up so she could see he wasn't planning on attacking. He wore a big, reassuring smile, trying to calm her down while making sure she kept her eyes on him while Vegeta crept up behind her, taking even slower and even more cautious steps.
"It's okay..." Goku said slowly. "Look, I know you're mad. Heh, and that's okay! I get mad sometimes. Like, I got mad when Lord Beerus threatened to destory Earth. But I never lost control. You need to reign it in. Calm down."
Basil hung onto every word he said as if she would die without them, her breathing slowly beginning to grow steady.
Goku kept talking. "Oh, and I also got pretty mad when Turles hurt my son, Gohan. Turles is, er, was a space pirate from a long time ago. I've fought a lot of people, believe me. And sure, I've had moments where I let my emotions get the best of me. But, I mean, look on the bright side. I'm your friend now, and I don't let anybody hurt my friends."
Basil looked down at the ground, her mind reeling from everything he had said. Her arms fell limp at her sides, and she took several deep breaths before she turned around, kneed Vegeta in the stomach, and bounced over to Goku. "Okay!"
Goku blinked. "Okay?"
"Yeah...okay"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!" Vegeta shouted at the top of his lungs. "ALL THIS AND YOU'RE SUDDENLY PERFECTLY FINE!?"
Basil glared at him. "I really don't like that guy. Tell him that if he ever touches my tail again, I'll rip off something very important to him."
"Like what?" Goku asked with raised eyebrows.
Basil opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a whining Goten. "Dad, I can't feel my face!"
"THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!" Vegeta continued. "ALL I DID WAS TRY TO PROTECT THE EARTH AND THEN I GOT TACKLED AND THROWN AROUND LIKE I WAS NOTHING!"
"It was pretty embarrassing to watch, to be honest." Jaco said as he crawled out from his hiding place, having deemed it safe to come out.
"Says the one who hid the whole time!" Vegeta growled at him.
"Jeez, you don't look it, but you're really strong!" Trunks said, wiping dust off of his jacket sleeve. "I'm impressed."
"I'M ANNOYED!"
"I'm in pain!" Goten shot to his feet and stuck a finger at Basil's chest. "You hit me VERY hard!"
"I was defending myself." Basil explained. "After all, you came to my planet and tried to-" she looked dead at Vegeta- "CUT OFF MY TAIL, so I had to react in a defensive way."
Goku laughed. "Sorry about Vegeta. He likes to think he's in charge all the time."
"As long as my tail remains untouched, we'll be good." Basil smiled, giving Goku a thumbs up.
"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"
