Here's Chapter 23! Thanks to Ali, Ryo-chan wolfgirl, Gohandominates, icewolf, firelifeblizzard, Nimarin Driggen, Laania, Chimera prime, DarkRider007,and humancygrax for all the reviews on chapter 22. I SO appreciate each and every one of you!
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its' characters, Akira Toriyama does.
A/N: Yep, Saiyansweetheart is STILL posting chapters for me. Please forgive any typos! Sorry for the tardy update but my dear assistant had limited computer time for a bit.
….
Daiz shook his head. Both he and Gartoas had been certain that Turles would have erupted in anger when Gohan had demonstrated empathy for the loss of the pirate commander's former teammate. Surprisingly Turles had accepted the boy's gesture. But his response had only lasted for a moment, he quickly returned to the gruff Saiyan they were familiar with.
"Accordin' ta' Commander Turles, we're gonna get an addition ta' the crew" Gartoas grumbled.
"Good. Maybe they'll pick up your slack" the former prince snickered.
"Hmph! Ya wish ya could pull muh weight!" the burly Kardanagan snorted.
"No one EXISTS that can pull your weight!" Daiz snickered.
"Ya spoilt royal pain…." Gartoas began.
"Here's some pain!" the dark green- haired Kabochan taunted as he aimed a blow at his bearded crewmate's jaw.
At that moment, Gohan sent the ship into a sharp turn. The odd angle took the two unsuspecting pirates right off their feet. Gartoas tumbled right on top of Daiz. As luck would have it Turles chose that very moment to appear.
"GET OFF OF ME, YOU OVERFED OAF!" Daiz bellowed.
"AW, QUIT YER WHININ' YA SCRAWNY INSECT!" Gartoas barked.
"In the future, DO try to control yourselves until the two of you are behind the closed doors of your personal quarters. We'll be landing in an hour" the Saiyan full-blood remarked with a smirk. His flustered red-faced crewmen glared at each other.
…..
Gohan eyed Turles curiously as he noticed the smirk on the commander's face but he said not a word.
"I'll handle the landing, Brat. Get ready for the morning meal" Turles ordered.
The little half-Saiyan scampered off to obey. His small stomach growled at the thought of the delicious repast he would soon enjoy. Someone else was going to join the crew today. Gohan could hardly wait to see what they would be like.
"Ya started it!" Gartoas whispered. He was trying to avoid catching Turles's notice.
"And I can FINISH IT too!" Daiz hissed back.
"Whispering sweet nothings to each other. How romantic!" Turles teased.
"Now Master Turles, Whatta AH done' ta' deserve such sayin's?" the massive Kardanagan pirate complained.
The Saiyan commander's mocking laughter was his only reply.a
"For starters, your face is a crime!" Daiz needled.
"Yer's ain't gonna be so purty ifn' ya keep runnin' yer trap" Gartoas snarled.
"Gartoas, you think Daiz is pretty?" Gohan asked in complete innocence.
Turles couldn't resist. "Of course he does, Brat!"
The two adult pirate teammates groaned and smacked their foreheads. They'd walked right into that one!
…
"Are we meetin' our new crewman purty soon, Master Turles?" the huge bushy-haired pirate questioned as he sliced the large slab of meat on his plate.
"You'll be meeting them soon enough" Turles responded. He gave no further information.
Gohan looked excited at first and then concerned. Would the new crew member like or just be annoyed with him?
Daiz seemed to read his thoughts.
"You'll be fine, Squirt. Turles won't let anyone bother you. You can count on that" the green-haired pirate whispered.
The half-Saiyan child shot him a grin and continued eating from his piled-high plate.
….
Queen Raychalla was holding a meeting on planet Quarshrim with several renown bounty-hunters. She hated having the unsavory beings in her palace. But Turles was going to regret his betrayal. Tears welled up in her brilliant blue eyes for a moment. The pirate queen's anger would not allow her to shed a single teardrop. How could Turles have done such a thing? She had trusted him!
'I'm such a fool! I fell for a lying thief!' the pale-skinned royal thought to herself.
'A very good-looking, smooth-talking thief! ' Raychalla mused. She had to force her attention back to the moment at hand.
Two gargantuan green armored blue reptilian beings sat silently beside a smaller creature. The hooded figure with glittering red eyes made chills run up and down the white-haired female's spine. It seemed to emanate the very essence of evil. As the black hood fell back, it revealed a gray-scaled snake-like life-form. He was a Sarhassan. His forked tongue flickered as he spoke.
"So the Saiyan pirate is to be delivered to you alive at all costs?" the serpent being questioned.
"Yes! You'll not receive a single zeni if he is killed, Salsir" Raychalla warned. She wanted to exact her revenge personally.
"And what of the boy? The half-breed?" Salsir pressed.
The queen gave a long sigh as she considered the boy. Then her expression hardened, Turles favored the little half-blood somehow. Perhaps it could possibly cause the ungrateful Saiyan pain to lose him…..
"He would have made an adorable pet but do as you will with him" Raychalla said coldly.
Pleased with her response, the Sarhassan gave an evil hiss of satisfaction. He had plans for the filthy little Half-blood….
…
"YOU DID WHAT?" Bulma screeched in utter disbelief.
"I already TOLD you and I'm NOT repeating myself!" ChiChi huffed stubbornly.
"You had a great job at a wonderful restaurant! How could you go and drop HOT FOOD on someone?" the exasperated scientist exclaimed.
"YOU didn't have to dress like a…a BIMBO and get PAWED ON!" the Ox-King's daughter shot back.
"I'm sure it couldn't have been THAT bad!" Bulma insisted.
"Then YOU go take that job! The skimpy clothing shouldn't bother YOU in the least!" ChiChi snorted.
"And just WHAT do you mean by that?" her blue-haired companion growled.
"Ladies, Ladies! It grieves me to see such lovely creatures engaged in such a heated discussion!" a thin gray reptilian figure in a purple robe declared as he entered Bulma's lab.
"Artruay!" Bulma gasped.
ChiChi covered her mouth with her hand. Would Bulma's benefactor force them to leave now? She struggled against the wave of panic that suddenly seized her.
"My dear Bulma, I'm sure I can find another position for your friend at the restaurant tomorrow! No worries now" Artruay insisted.
Bulma gave a sigh of relief. ChiChi couldn't shake the feeling that her troubles were just beginning…
…..
"You're seriously going to allow that she-devil back here?"
"Now, Kqarsayla. There has to be something Chi-Chi can do in the kitchen. Just keep her tucked safely away from our guests" Artruay instructed the enormous bald orange four-armed scowling female.
"Master Artruay, Why is it so important to keep that "Chi-Chi" on here?" Kqarsayla sniffed.
"Because her friend Bulma will help me impress someone who is quite powerful. Quite powerful indeed" the gray reptile declared.
"We'll be far better off in his favor than those who incur his displeasure. You won't fail me, correct?" the restaurant's owner implored the female in his employ.
"As you wish, I trust that you know what you're doing. I'll put Chi-Chi to work in the kitchen tomorrow" Kqarsayla sighed.
"I knew I could count on you!" Artruay praised.
…
"Ain't seen hide nor hair yet o' anyone supposin' ta be tha new crewman" Gartoas huffed.
"Maybe they got a whiff of you and changed their mind" Daiz snickered.
"Shut up afore' Ah knock yer' lice outta yer' hair!" the bearded pirate warned.
Gohan rolled his eyes, here they went again!
"You couldn't knock a…" the former Kabochan prince stopped in midsentence.
Gartoas turned to see what had captured his teammate's attention.
Turles entered the ship accompanied by a slim female in pale blue and silver armor. A long braid of dark-green hair hung to her waist. Green eyes flashed from her light-skinned face. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she regarded the two male pirates.
The sputtering Kardanagan's glance went from Daiz to the female and back again. They could almost pass for twins!
"This is Zailora, the latest addition to our crew" Turles announced.
…..
Chi-Chi looked down at her shriveled hands in despair. She had been washing large platters, beverage containers, serving trays and eating utensils for hours on end. Was she really going to be expected to do this every day? Even when Chi-Chi had prepared meals for Goku, she had never had to clean such a staggering amount of dishes. Hundreds of patrons frequented the restaurant.
Massaging her aching back with her hands, the weary brunette female reached for another huge pile of serving trays. Kqarsayla burst into the kitchen as swiftly as her portly form would allow. Her four arms were flailing about in agitation.
"One of the cooks just stormed out of here! What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" Kqarsayla wailed.
"Can't YOU fill in?" Chi-Chi suggested.
"I CAN'T BOIL WATER! I couldn't possibly make the amount of food needed here!" the orange- skinned being moaned.
"CAN YOU COOK?" the rotund female pleaded.
"I-I'm not sure I could! I don't know the menu or any of the dishes served here" Chi-Chi protested.
"HAH! Most of our patrons can't even READ the menu!" the four-armed being snorted. "Just throw something half-decent together!" Kqarsayla begged.
Goku's widow stood biting her lip.
"PLEASE! You won't have to wash another dish again!" the bald orange female bargained.
"Okay…I'll try!" Chi-Chi sighed.
Looking into one of the kitchen's refrigeration units, the Earthling female suppressed a gag. A huge yellow something with long thin tentacles lay on one shelf. Gathering a few ingredients that seemed somewhat familiar, Chi-Chi set out to attempt to put a few dishes together…
…
Daiz could barely believe his eyes "Y-You're a Kabochan!"
"Yes. It's been a while, Prince Daiz" Zailora declared.
"I'm no longer a prince, just a pirate" the former royal said flatly.
"Of course, Kabocha no longer exists and we both know why" the Kabochan female chuckled.
"Ah WOMAN? Seriously, Master Turles? How am AH supposin' ta be workin' wi' ah blasted female?" Gartoas complained.
"You could always try to make Daiz jealous" Turles taunted.
"Commander, Why da ya plague me so?" Gartoas moaned.
"Because it's so much fun" the full-blood Saiyan snickered.
…
A beaming Kqarsayla entered the kitchen and congratulated an exhausted Chi-Chi.
"Everything you prepared was fabulous! Our guests are absolutely raving about their meals! No more dishes for YOU!" the four-armed female announced.
"Really?" Chi-Chi asked pensively.
"Of course! You won't be receiving the same pay…"
The brunette female hung her head in disappointment.
"I wasn't finished! You'll receive TWICE as much pay and I'll give you an assistant cook to help you!" the plump orange being said airily.
"THANK YOU!" Chi-Chi cried out.
"No, my dear. Thank you!" Kqarsayla insisted.
…
"I see you like to read, Brat" Zailora said to Gohan.
"Yes, Ma'am!" the boy said quickly as he looked at the green-haired female over the cover of the book he was holding.
'Polite little thing!' the Kabochan female thought.
"Me too, Brat" the woman informed him.
"You can read some of my books anytime you like, Ma'am!" Gohan told her.
"I'd like that. Now don't call me Ma'am. I'm just Zailora, okay?"
"Okay!" the little half-blood agreed. He hoped he'd found a friend…..
…
Okay. A little bit longer chapter to make up for the late update. What did you think? Please let me know!