15: Piccolo's Observations Of The Female Saiyan By Nightfall

Night fell on planet Earth. The heavenly body of blue-white glow enveloped the Earth, bathing it in its brilliant light like a blanket. Crickets rose from their silence and began to sing their songs. Birds ceased their endless flying and resorted to the warm comfort of their nests. Cars continued to drive along the winding roads with unwavering determination, for business never sleeps.

Upon arriving back on Earth after a full day of training on Beerus's planet, the three Saiyans flew through the sky, heading towards the great West City. Vegeta had explained that it would be wise to have Basil checked by Bulma, just to make sure her body was adjusting correctly to the wild excitement the day had brought. It was clear she was fine on the outside, but they wanted to make sure she was fine on the inside as well. Vegeta had no doubts about how fit and athletic Basil was, but after being by herself for so long and then suddenly being thrust into a populated civilization in a matter of hours, who knows how her body was handling everything. As he flew, he glanced over at her. She was soaring with her arms spread wide, a huge smile plastered onto her face. Her hair, even though it was contained in tight braids, billowed behind her like a cape.

I've never met a Saiyan like her, Vegeta thought. She's reckless, easily distracted, and far too young and simple minded for combat. Though, I must say, she handled herself fairly well back on Planet Vegeta. She's strong, I'll give her that much. She certainly needs more training on simple combat methods, but I see a solid future for her. Earth doesn't need any more haphazard Saiyans like Kakarot, but I have a feeling that she's somewhat smarter than him. Oh, god, I hope she's smarter than him.

...

Bulma walked around Basil, tapping her chin as if she were some kind of professor. "Hmm. Well, I don't see anything out of the ordinary."

"That's a good thing, right?" Basil asked, looking to Vegeta and Goku.

Goku nodded. "Sounds good to me."

The three Saiyans, along with the scientist Bulma, stood in the main laboratory of Capsule Corp, the dome-shaped building home to many technological creations, most created by Bulma herself. The building had three stories, along with a basement. The monolithic style of the edifice set it apart from the many other buildings beside it. Capsule Corp stood out without really trying. It wasn't tall, thought it was large. And, as everyone knew, those who owned it were insanely rich. Vegeta didn't complain about that factor. Sure, he didn't have a whole lot of need for money, but it was nice knowing he was better than everyone else.

Up against the side wall farthest from them, Vegeta spotted the blueprints for what Jaco's new ship was going to look like and chuckled to himself. Ah, right. We left his ship on Planet Vegeta.

Bulma walked over to a large computer that panned half the wall and typed in some random numbers. "You two got used to Earth in a matter of seconds. Why would it be different for Basil?"

"I don't know," Vegeta said honestly. " I want to make sure she's ready for when Turles comes for her."

"What if he doesn't come after us?" Goku asked.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Why wouldn't he? He made it perfectly clear that he wants Basil for his own personal...desires."

"Ew." Bulma turned and crossed her arms. "Why are men so gross?"

"We're standing right here." Vegeta said, glaring at her.

"Okay, so?" Bulma asked.

"Turles wants me?" Basil said, then frowned. "I don't understand. Why did he attack us like that, anyway? I thought he was a friend."

"I told you a thousand times, he's not a friend." Vegeta said with a huff. "How is that so hard for you to understand?"

"But he was a Saiyan!" Basil protested. "Saiyans are good guys!"

"God, you're naive." Vegeta groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Turles is not a good guy. He's a power-hungry space pirate working for no one but himself."

"Goku, didn't you fight a guy named Turles and his goonies years back?" Bulma chimed in. She came up to Basil and held up a palm-sized scanner to her forehead. Basil flinched and stared at the strange piece of technology as it beeped, the scanner popping up with a reading of her internal body temperature, as well as her heartbeat and other vitals. Bulma squinted at the data she received, then shrugged and turned back to her computer, setting the scanner on the side table beside her.

Goku scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, but it was a real long time ago. I mean, I remember him beating the snot out of me when he ate that weird fruit, and then he tried to make Gohan join him because of his "potential," or something. He was tough to beat. I had to go all out, and then some."

"Weird fruit?" Basil asked, then frowned. "What weird fruit?"

"This fruit from this Tree of Might thing." Goku explained. "He ate it, then got a huge power boost. It made it hard to fight him."

"This fruit sounds interesting," Vegeta chuckled.

"Don't you even think about it, Vegeta." Bulma said with a glare. "The fruit comes from a tree that sucks the life out of whatever planet it's on. It'll kill the Earth if you plant that tree again."

"Kill the planet?" Basil said with wide eyes. "Oh no! That's terrible."

"Exactly." Bulma nodded.

Vegeta sighed. "Why must you ruin all my fun?"

"The tree itself was nearly impossible to take down. It took all the Z Fighters power, and even that was hardly enough." Goku said, then slouched. "Just thinking about that battle makes me tired."

"Does he plan to take over Earth again?" Bulma asked. She caught Basil trying to use the scanner to get the inner readings of a cup and took it away.

"I don't think so," Goku replied. "He's more of a "nothing tying me down" kinda guy."

"So he just wants to take Basil with him on his planet-killing sprees?" Bulma gaped, then shook her head. "Man. Why are all the bad guys so twisted nowadays?"

Vegeta shrugged. "It's in the job description, Bulma. But, as bad as he is, I have to admit, he has a good idea."

Goku and Bulma gasped in dramatic unison, while Basil began her ever-important mission of pressing every button her eyes landed on.

"Oh, don't be so theatrical. While half-Saiyan offspring are powerful in their own right, pure-blooded Saiyans are even more dominant."

"You're agreeing with him?" Goku said, his eyes wide.

"I'm just saying he has a good idea!" Vegeta said defensively. "It's not like I would ever do something like that."

"It's a terrible idea, Vegeta!" Bulma argued. "He wants to force Basil to have his children!"

"Terrible idea, sure. But it's also logical. She's the only female Saiyan still alive in this universe. It makes sense for him to want to remake the deceased Saiyan race. To rehabilitate what was wrongly stolen from us."

"I don't know, Vegeta." Goku scratched the back of his neck. "I read a book once where it was men who gave birth, so why doesn't he just do that? That way, he'll leave Basil alone." He smiled gleefully. Right up until Vegeta slapped him upside the head.

"What the hell kinda books are you reading, you clown!? Men can't give birth! We don't have the right...stuff for things like that."

"Where did you get a book like that, anyway?" Bulma asked with a laugh. "It's absurdly incorrect, yet very interesting. I'd love to see you with a big, pregnant belly, Vegeta."

"Don't you dare get any ideas, Bulma." Vegeta growled at her

"It was just a book Chi-Chi had out one day! I was bored, so I decided to give it a read, that's all!" Goku held up his hands. "I didn't understand most of it, only the part about the role switching thing."

"I question your wife's interests greatly," Vegeta said soflty, almost like a whisper to himself.

Basil, on her quest of button-pushing, came across a small, rectangular-shaped device with a long antenna protruding from the top right corner. Three small dials sat on the upper front, while two switches sat on the left side. She had never seen a device such as the one she held, so she decided to push these buttons as well. The second her slim finger made contact with the middle button on the front of the device, a crackling female voice spoke in a calm yet loud tone.

"Attention, all available officers. We have a robbery in progress. I repeat, we have a robbery in progress. All units, please respond."

"Huh?" Goku cocked his head to the side. "What's that?"

Basil quickly gave it to Bulma. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it mad!"

"No, no, it's fine. This is just Krillin's Walkie-Talkie thing. He must have left it here from earlier." Bulma said with a chuckle.

"Earlier?" Vegeta echoed with a raised eyebrow. "What exactly was Krillin doing here?"

"Relax, babe. He was just here to get his hover-bike fixed." Bulma said dismissively, then resumed her tampering with the small radio. She turned up the volume and twisted the knob once more before the voice spoke again, this time more clearly yet retaining the same tone.

"Attention all available officers. A robbery is currently in progress in central West City. Be advised, the suspects are armed and considered dangerous. We need all available units."

"She sounds angry," Basil said quietly. "Is she mad that I pushed her button?"

"No, you're fine, Basil." Bulma tossed the radio to Goku, then patted Vegeta on the head. "In Krillin's absence, you and Goku can take care of those robbers."

"What?" Vegeta said in shock. "No way! That's not my job in the slightest."

"Oh, come on, Vegeta!" Goku nudged the shorter Saiyan. "We're heroes, aren't we? It's are job to protect the humans."

"From outside forces, not from themselves." Vegeta said pointedly. "They caused this mess, they should be able to sort it out themselves. Let's just give Krillin his stupid radio and continue on with our business."

"How very heroic of you," Bulma said with a sigh. "Look, how about this. Either you and Goku handle this mess, or you won't get that...special thing...you enjoy so much."

Vegeta was silent for what seemed like a whole minute, then he roughly snatched the radio from Goku, turned on his heel, and stomped away. Goku grinned and hurried to follow.

"Hey, what special thing was Bulma talking about?"

"None of your business, Kakarot. Shut up."

...

Piccolo sat on the top of a large rock face, his arms crossed stiffly over his chest. His eyes were closed lightly as he let his mind empty itself from the events of the day. The night air was still but cool, and in the absence of wind it gave the area a silence that was so strong you could hear a leaf fall to the ground from miles away. Light grey clouds of all sizes floated at a snails pace through the star-filled sky. Piccolo always liked sitting by himself to not only let his mind wander, but to really take in the beauty and grace of Earth. It was no wonder every villain they had encountered wanted the planet for themselves. It was very populated, sure, but the beauty couldn't be hidden or snuffed out, no matter how hard one tried. Piccolo let out a gentle breath and slowly opened his eyes, turning his gaze to the clouds and stars above.

There wasn't a plane in sight. The sky was clear and free to be itself. Piccolo watched the progression of the clouds, his chest rising and falling at such a slow and peaceful pace that it almost appeared as if he wasn't breathing at all. He was a master at sitting still for long periods of time, as Goku liked to say.

Basil, Piccolo found himself thinking her name and shook his head. So much can go wrong from bringing her here. It's so strange that after all these years of fighting and destruction and death, that an actual Saiyan was stranded on a dead planet. She mentioned that she ate seeds to survive. Plain seeds for over 50 years? It doesn't seem believable. Yet, she clearly has a Saiyan tail, and is blank and ignorant enough to prove that she was alone for far too long. He sighed lightly. It's just like having a second Goku wandering around.

As if the mere thought of her name summoned her, the one and only Basil plopped down beside Piccolo. She wore what was becoming her usual smile, her hands on her hips. Her tail flicked happily behind her, barely brushing the grass. "Hi, Mister Piccolo!"

Piccolo glared up at her. "When did you get here? And why are you alone? You should be with Goku."

"Oh, well, I was, but then they had to do something involving this girl named Robbery, and Miss Bulma said I couldn't go with them because it was dangerous, even though I really wanted to, so she said I could either stay with her in her lab or go to you, since I'm staying with you, so I chose you, isn't that great? Now you won't be all alone!" She sat down beside him, spreading her legs out in front of her.

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "I like being alone, Basil. I set up the house you'll be staying at. It's beside mine. Go get some sleep."

"But I'm not tired at all." Basil whined, stretching her arms over her head. "I wanna explore more."

"No. You've had a long day. You need rest. Tomorrow is going to be just as active." Piccolo said, closing his eyes again.

"Really? Can I train with Mister Lord Beerus and Mister Whis again?" She asked hopefully, scooting closer to Piccolo, her tail wagging like that of a dog's.

"Yes, now go to sleep." Piccolo muttered. Her child-like nature was reminding him of when Gohan was a child. He had bonded with Gohan more than he had with anyone in his entire life. But now, here was Basil acting as if she were a replacement for him. While he would never admit it, aiding in raising Gohan was the highlight of the past years. Perhaps I could raise and train Basil as I had for Gohan.

Basil yawned loudly and scooted closer still to Piccolo. She curled her tail in between her legs and rested her head on Piccolo's shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" Piccolo asked, looking over at her with raised eyebrows.

"You told me to go to sleep." Basil said with an innocent stare.

"Not on me. You have a house down there." He pointed off the cliff to the two houses that looked like marbles from their vantage point.

Basil pouted. "But I'm cold."

"You have blankets in your house."

"But then I'll be lonely."

"I'm not as far away as you think I'll be."

"I like you."

"What?" Piccolo stared at her with wide eyes, unsure if he had heard her correctly.

Basil smiled. "I like you. You're nice. And I like your green skin. Did you know that green is my favorite color? Well, that and red. I really like red. Red is a pretty color."

"You don't like me." Piccolo stood and turned away from her, shaking his head. "You haven't had connections with anyone in so long that you simply think you like me. You don't even understand the meaning of what you're saying, anyway."

"Yeah, I do!" Basil jumped to her feet and bounded over to stand in front of him, crossing her arms the same way he was. "I know what 'like' means. I 'like' the color green. I 'like' food."

"It's not the same, Basil." Piccolo said with a sigh. "You can't say you like someone in the same sentence as saying you like food."

"Why not?" Basil asked. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's not bad. You don't like me. You hardly know me." He said.

"Oh." Basil said, then scratched the back of her neck. "Is that a human rule? Humans are complicated. Bulma said so."

"Bulma is correct." Piccolo nodded. "Humans are a very complicated species. They have emotions and feelings. Things I never spent time focusing on."

"I don't know many feelings," Basil said with a shrug. "I know love, because I love food."

"That's not real love, Basil." Piccolo rubbed his temples. "Loving food is not the same as loving someone. Everyone loves food because we need it to live."

"Oh." Basil nodded slowly. "But...how do you know when you love someone?"

Piccolo chuckled. "That's complicated as well. You'll know the feeling when it comes to you. But that won't be for some time."

"I have to wait more?" Basil groaned. "I already have to wait to get that Super Saiyan form Goku and Vegeta always talk about. I really don't like waiting."

Piccolo placed a hand on her shoulder. "Waiting is a good thing. It builds character."

"Character?" Basil repeated. "What does that mean?"

"The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual." Piccolo said.

"What does 'distinctive' mean?" Basil asked with a raised eyebrow.

Piccolo sighed heavily. This may take a while.

...

The two sat on that cliff for hours, simply talking. Basil actually managed to make Piccolo laugh with her simple-minded nature and blunt statements. Piccolo noted that she said whatever thought came to her head. Anything her mind conjured up came out of her mouth a second later. She was amazed by the things that Piccolo hardly noticed anymore, like the size of the trees or how loud cars were or the way the wind blew in different directions. He watched her wide, absorbing black eyes soak everything in like a life-sized sponge, retaining all the information she was receiving as quickly as she heard it.

She's quite interesting, Piccolo thought to himself. How she tries so hard to be at the same level as everyone else, despite just arriving on Earth hours earlier. Female Saiyans aren't as strong as the males, but Basil seems like she might be a different story. Her strong desire to go Super Saiyan by simply hearing about it proves that she's a determined young girl with strong ambitions. I can admire that. She really is like a little Gohan. I'm impressed with her eagerness to learn new things, though she is very impatient. But, if I were in her shoes, I'd be impatient to learn new things about a new home world. But her naivety will get her killed or worse once Turles comes for her. I need to make sure she understands the difference between good and bad. It may take some time, but I want her to be strong. I want to make sure she can handle herself on the battle field and not get distracted by a butterfly or a blade of grass.

He looked over at the female Saiyan who now sat holding a ladybug. She watched closely as it crawled along her index finger, then crawled down her arm and back up. The smile she wore made her seem years younger. Her tail wagged back and forth slowly, the tip grazing Piccolo's arm every now and then.

I've only known her for a few hours, but at this point, I'll protect her just like I did for Gohan. I won't let anything bad happen to her.