Kakarrot eyes began to twitch as he heard sounds around him and could smell someone close to him. He could smell a very sweet odor next him. The sounds were of a radio, a TV and a little girl's voice.
"Finally, I was hoping you'd wake up."
She was rubbing his head with a wet rag. She must have thought he had fever or something. Grandpa had figured out saiyans just had a higher body temp then humans.
He was in a warm bed he knew that much. The room was hot there was a fire was going on near him.
He was basically naked except for a pair on boxers cover his junk up under the blanket. His tail he realized was gone. It was hard to remember things in monkey form but that appeared to be an accurate memory.
What he could remember was that Tien had turned on him. The royal army had tried to nuke him. He had tried to crush Cheech to death. His stupid ape form tried to kill what he wanted. Roshi had blasted him with the mother of all Kamehameha's.
Now he where was here wherever here was and now, he was wondering how he got here?
There was a song on the radio of a British sounding man singing about a few ancient events.
On the TV the pundits were talking about the devastation on Papaya Island and apparently the World Tournament won't open for years as a result of all of the destruction.
Kakarrot started to open his eyes. It had been a while he knew that much. The girl seemed aware that he was coming back to consciousness. "Dad come quick I think he's waking up!" He was in a bedroom he knew that much. The color on the wall was pink. The smell off the sheet matched the figure it was the girl's room.
It must have been an old home to have a fireplace in a bedroom. Way before even Grandpa's time. Long ago maybe when the men of grandpa's stories lived. Alexander, Caesar, Augustus, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin and Mao. Men who had proved to Grandpa that in of this world of sheep there were some wolves. Who Grandpa had taught him to emulated.
Kakarrot eye's opened to see two deep eyes meet his. It was wonderful sight to wake up to for Kakarrot. The hair black was like Yurin and Chi-Chi. He had really liked that black hair, but the blue eyes told him this had to be someone new. She was in a salmon pink sort of robe with yellow trimming. She blushed as she stared at him.
Kakarrot could already tell this girl seemed to have a thing for him like Chi-Chi and Yurin. This could be fun but first he wanted to test her out.
Tanmen was blushing "So my name is Tanmen. What is your name?" Her eyes were filled stars and some sort of rosy eyed dreams.
Kakarrot finally having got irritated with the starry-eyed staring asked "Pff so why…" he burped. "am I here stalker?"
The spell broken her face turned from dreamily staring at him to a frustrated and angry look. She seemed about ready to smack him. "For your information jerk I happened to find you in the woods! Why I bothered to save you I have no idea!"
Tanmen stormed off with a huff. A smirk came over his face Kakarrot was going to like here he could tell. A black-haired man with blue eyes came in having heard the yelling and asked, "Geez what's going on here?"
"Dad our guest is up and he's a jerk!"
Dad came over to look at Kakarrot with his mischievous smile on his face. Dad was wearing a blue version of Tanmen's clothes. "Tanmen he's just kidding." He sighed. "You had to start her up, didn't you? You know you son gave us quite the scare. You been out for days. It's a shame we don't have any hospital's nearby. So, what's your name? Do remember who you are?"
Kakarrot was about to speak but then he remembered that his name was probably all over the news as a murderer. Thinking quickly, he spat out the awful name of that restaurant on the island "Son Goku. Sir my name is Son Goku."
"What an odd name. Son Goku?"
Kakarrot far more confidently "Yep that's what I said."
"So, tell me son what happened?"
Kakarrot thinking fast "Well you see. I fell…"
"What?"
"From a plane."
"Okay? Why were you…?"
"Naked right. Aw… I was pushed… out by bad men yes bad men"
"Okay?" He said quite sure that the boy was lying.
"No, I really was. My mind just not working right probably from the fall."
"Well okay if you feel like actual telling me what happened I'll be right here."
"No, it's true. How did I get here?"
"Well me and my little girl Tanmen if you didn't hear were out fishing when you came crashing to the Earth like a meteorite. We though when we found naked in a crater that you be dead by your heart just kept a beating. You were pretty bloody but the only big scar I could find was on your lower back."
"Right."
"I just can't believe that you are already talking and so aware. You're healing so quickly it's like a miracle."
"Let's just call it good genes. Now may I ask, where am I?"
"Bowl village you probably never heard of it."
"I can't say that I have." Kakarrot's arms went to his sides as he tried to pick himself up.
"Wait!" Kakarrot growled with pain as he collapsed back onto the bed. "You're still too weak to get up on your own." Kakarrot snarled while he looked at his aching limps. "There's no point in getting angry at them. You simply not ready to start moving on your on Goku."
Tanmen came rushing back into the room with a look of sadness on her face. "Dad the other elders want to talk to you about them."
Dad looked at her and said, "Stay with Goku I'll with deal with this."
Tanmen came to Kakarrot side as he left the room and by the sounds of it the house later.
Kakarrot puzzled asked Tanmen "What's going on?"
"Bandits. We used to pay protection money to a famous martial artist school, but they stopped returning our calls, then these jerks showed up. They demand food, gold and whatever else they want. They are some sort of deserters from some army. They have guns and always want more."
"Interesting which army?"
Tanmen angrily barked "I don't know does it matter?"
"Guess not."
"I hate them. At this rate everyone here will starve. It will be so long until the harvest."
"Really? So, you be been feeding me what little you do have?"
"Yeah."
Kakarrot bored "Speaking of food damn I'm hungry. You must have been feeding me only honey and milk, right?"
Tanmen with a miff brow nodded 'yes'
"Guess I couldn't chew." His tone getting a lot darker. " Tanmen what would you do to get rid of these bandits?"
Tanmen not either caring or noticing the change in tone from Kakarrot put on a happy smile "I'd do anything to get rid of these guys and save my village."
"Really? Anything?"
Tanmen angered by of his questioning of her love of her village. Tanmen sort of barked out "Absolutely!"
"Interesting. Well I'll tell you a secret, but you got to promise me to keep it between you and me okay?"
Tanmen excited nodded her head in agreement.
"Good. You see I'm a martial artist. A damn good one at that. I was in a fight before I landed here and if you help me. I could deal with your bandit problem."
Tanmen eyes went starry again she looked as though she was staring at a knight in gleaming white armor that was blinding her with its shining brightness. Internally and externally Kakarrot was smiling. She was like all the others easy not even trying to question all of this.
"Now what I need is meat and lots of it Tanmen. I won't be able to heal properly without any." It was a damn lie and he it knew it. According to the ship's data he was born with the ability live off of whatever. Whether it was bugs or rice. As long as he was eating regularly, he would heal. But she didn't need to know that.
Tanmen's face went sour "But we don't have all that much meat the bandits have taken almost everything. What meat we do have is for them."
Kakarrot put on a sad face "Well I guess I'll never fully heal. Shame I guess these men will just go on terrorizing the village forever."
Tanmen in a panic "I could take some and to give you some!"
Kakarrot faking concern "I would never ask you to do that Tanmen it would put you at such risk!" Inside he was chuckling maybe he over sold that a little too much. Hopefully she wouldn't catch on.
"You don't have to ask me. I'll get you your meat." Nah she was just another sheep. Easy as pie.
The door open and Tanmen's dad came in looking exhausted. Dad mumbling whether or not there will be enough.
Tanmen worriedly asked him "Is everything alright?"
"When they come tomorrow… Sweetie don't worry everything is fine. I promise." (He paused) "The sun will be going down soon I better get dinner cooking." He scratched his neck as he left the doorway.
Tanmen looked down at the floor she looked quite dejected.
He works really hard to please them doesn't he."
Tanmen crying "He's the go between with us and them. The elder is too old to get out of bed so dad hast to greet them. It's to the point when the other are listing their complaint's to dad. He doesn't take it well. He doesn't like to tell me the truth because he thinks I can't help or handle it, but I can. I can and I'm going to save him! I'm going to get you your meat!"
Tanmen looked a girl on a mission aside from her tears when she turned to Kakarrot. She was determined looking braver than most. There was a steel in her as she looked up to look at a picture above her bed which was of a woman in fatigues waving the peace sign a gun in hand smiling. Tanmen saluted the picture then sat beside Kakarrot.
The dinner that followed was short and quiet. Tanmen was in some sort or hero mode. Dad was quite depressed and Kakarrot didn't want to hand over any information. It was just a bowl of plain rice sticky and bland beyond reason.
The only highlight of the meal was that Kakarrot need not be feeded by another and no chop sticks like Shen had forced him to do. Nope this was done by hand and the other two didn't even look at him funny. They were off in their own worlds it was great.
Tanmen instead of sleep next to her father convinced him to sleep on a bedroll in her room. To keep Kakarrot company as she put it. Dad allowed it most likely not believing any harm of it. Tanmen pretended to sleep as she waited to be sure that dad had gone to bed. When she was sure of his snores she sprang into action.
Without the comfort of light, she managed to change into a sort of old Halloween costume ninja getup. In her young mind she probably thought it would help somehow. Kakarrot watching her in the dark he grined as she snuck out of the house through the window.
He waited for hours for her return wondering whether or not his little helper would succeed or not. The wait was agonizing as all hell. The rice had been not nearly enough to state his hunger and the boring laying wasn't any better.
The wind of the open window allowed a gust in and on that wind was the smell of meat of blood cold but still appetizing. Slowly and carefully a hand placed some sausages and a small rack of smoked ribs. It was a lot of a small girl to have hauled by herself. Kakarrot couldn't figure how she accomplished it but eager to reap the reward of her hard work.
Part off him wanted to just jump up at stuff it into his face right know but that wasn't going to happen. He come feel his toes twitch, however. And with the light of the moon on her back she came in.
Tanmen in black was cover with blood. The sight of which made Kakarrot blush with her determined glare. That one time he had seen Yurin covered in blood and Chi-Chi covered in blood was amazing, but this had the added benefit of not being her own. It improved their looks just a tad. He was glad she could see his reaction.
The meat went quickly. To Tanmen amusement. The math in her head must have stated that the faster he eats the faster he will get better. The meat was nearly frozen. She had chosen precooked meat probably assuming that his stomach was weak like human's are. When he was finished, he had made a mess of his himself.
"Tanmen?"
"Yes?"
"Who's that woman in the picture on the wall?"
"My mother. She's not with us. She was a Royal army soldier. Dad says she died a hero against that red menace. Nothing like those thefts and murders stealing from us. She had honor."
Kakarrot having put it together "So those soldiers are Royal?"
Tanmen cringed "Not all of them and not any more they are scum. They with every breath disrespect mom and everything she did for us." Her voice was trembling a bit with both anger and sadness.
Kakarrot in a commanding voice "Would you care for me to show mercy when I get better?"
There was silence he didn't have to look at her to sense what was going on. Her better angels were fighting her worst impulses. She was torn at what to say. All she needed was a push and she would say what he wanted her to say to him.
Kakarrot in a grin "It doesn't matter. I won't be better for a day or two more."
"Day or two?"
"Day or two. I'm a fast healer you see." He could tell she liked that statement. One of the few truths that he had bothered to give her.
Tanmen gave him a shirt to wear. She woke up early to clean the floor in case any of the cold blood was on the floor. She closed the window, changed back into her pajamas and laid back down to go to sleep finally. She didn't wake up too early she would wake up too late.
A loud band rang out waking both Kakarrot and Tanmen. Tanmen jumped practically from bedroll and raced to the door. Kakarrot looked miserable having been forced awake. He already could tell the gun. It was a rifle round. A type twenty-two standard issue for Royal infantry. Gero had made him memorize the sounds of guns for reference and operational purposes.
There was screaming from outside. In a rush Tanmen left despite having been told by her father multiple times to never go out were the bandits came. Kakarrot was about to ask her for breakfast but she was gone before he could. He started to move around in his bed testing his body. He could move around far more easily.
Tanmen rushed out into the cool morning air merely wearing her pajamas but could have cared less about the air or her look. There was a crowd around the village square with sad and long faces abounding.
They were whispering "Who could have taken all that meat?"
Another said, "Why would someone do something so horrible?"
Tanmen felt the urge to push through them so she did. No one seemed to have the heart to stop her. Apart of her already knew but beyond hope she hoped she was wrong. She was wasn't. Her wet and red eyes saw him in the dirt. He was gushing blood from a massive hole in his chest.
He was being comforted by his friend his eyes were fading.
A voice spoke "They killed him because we were missing a few pounds."
Was yelled out "Savages!"
His eyes looked at her he seemed to try and speak but the words were choked away by blood. His eyes went blank before her they did not shut.
Another voice spoke "They said they will be back tomorrow for what they are owed."
A man yelled out "Those gutless cowards!"
An old lady yelled out "O god Tanmen!"
The eyes came to her staring her heart sank. Tanmen thought "Did they know? Was this her fault?" In a panic she ran no one able to catch her or stop her. She was nearly blind with tears. She had no idea how she made it home or to her room.
Kakarrot was their standing his eyes a glow at his returning strength. He looked at her like piece of art. He knew it before she could speak. Her old man was no more. He figured there was going to be some sort of consequences for taking their food. Dumb girl hadn't realized they would weight it "O well" he thought.
Tanmen ran to him hugging him pressing as hard as she could into him. It hurt big time but Kakarrot didn't flinch or yelp. It looked he would be getting the answer he wanted today. In pained tears and in barely understandable tone she sorted of screeched "Oh Goku… They killed him!" With her head in his chest he was grinning. Her wet hot tears were soaking his chest, but he didn't care this was all too funny not to be smiling about.
He hugged her back and with a good face change in a faked sort of panic. "What happen Tanmen?" She looked up into his black eyes with so much anger, fear, regret, hate, sadness and to him without speaking laid out all of her hopes. He just became her world and he knew it. It was enough to make him to bite her on her shoulder right here and now.
In a heroic voice he spoke "I'll stop them I promise. They'll all go to jail and…"
In a calmer darker voice, she spoke "No." She was shaky, but she spoke determined to have her voice heard clearly unlike before. "No that's not good enough."
Kakarrot wanted to smile but kept himself from it. "By whatever do you mean Tanmen?"
"I don't want them to live anymore."
"But I thought that you wanted them to merely be stopped?"
"No."
Kakarrot smelled her hair to her surprise but she didn't react. "Now that's the right answer. Your father was a kind man he didn't deserve such an end, but they do." Tanmen was looking at him with some trepidation but continued to hold him.
"You are beyond right to feel this anger. They took from what was yours that they had no right too. For making you sad I will make them suffer." (She looked at him mesmerized. He seemed older and wiser then when she had put her head on his chest. He picked up one of her hands and looked at it.) "It is a shame that these hands are soft and unblemished. Your father wished to be a sheep not the wolf that your mother was."
Tanmen having calmed down asked "Who are you really?"
"I'm sorry but not who I said I was. I'm not nor will I ever be Son Goku. I was sort afraid off what you might thinking of me if you knew the true. My real name is Kakarrot. I was raised by the RRA and a man named Gero. And well I'm not really human. I apologize for the deception but as you can imagine I was afraid."
"Afraid of me?"
"Well I couldn't move besides you have a fire in your eyes. Do want to watch and see what I do to them?"
Tanmen looked like there were still parts of her not on board but they were silenced in an instant. "Absolutely!"
He knew this was going to be so much fun. Tomorrow she would his wolf not a sheep.
