Here's Chapter 63! Thanks to Masenko56, Diosa de la Muerte, Dark Domination, icewolf, Scimitar X, Ryo-chan wolfgirl, SSJ2 Silven, Dragon1157 and Hoshi124 for all the reviews on chapter 62. And also thanks to The Forgotten Phoenix for the review on chapter 1.
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its characters, Akira Toriyama does!
A/N: Sorry for the late update I've been under the weather a bit. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
...
A puzzled Gohan walked over to a scowling Daiz. He wondered what had the dark-green haired pirate fuming.
"Master Turles said for me to see you about my orders for today."
'Of course, HE still gives the orders. Rub it in why doesn't he?' the Kabochan thought irritably.
"Go play with Ember!" Daiz huffed.
The little half-blood did a perfect imitation of his father and stood scratching his head with a mystified look on his face. Playing with the Charladon was his duty for the day?
"Well get going!" the former prince barked.
Shrugging his shoulders, the youngster took off to follow what seemed to be very strange orders.
"Not wise ta be takin' it out on tha brat, ya know," Gartoas warned.
"I'll speak to him shortly," Daiz mumbled.
"Ya need ta be speakin' ta yer woman," the burly Kardanagan advised.
"Does she have an announcement to make?" his angry crewmate asked.
"Gettin yer feathers riled up fer nothin if ya ask me..." Gartoas began.
"I DIDN'T ASK YOU!" Daiz snapped.
"Ah don' know what ya thought ya saw, but Turles wuz reachin' fer tha woman e' lost. Are ya plannin' on losin' yers?" the bearded pirate pressed.
"Is that what she told you? She's only had time for Turles since he and Gohan returned," Daiz muttered bitterly.
"Ave' ya forgot tha woman's ah healer? Mebbe she's just doin' er' job?" Gartoas shot back.
...
Turles stared blankly at Arquiris for a moment.
"Why would Zailora be here at such hours?"he demanded.
"She felt it was her responsibility. I never imagined her as a healer. But I doubt you would have settled down so quickly when the fever struck had she not been here, Lord Turles," the turtle-being mused.
The dark-skinned Saiyan suddenly felt embarrassed. He hadn't felt the ivory-haired queen's gentle touch. Nor had he held onto Raychalla's hand...it had been Zailora all along. It was the fever that had made him imagine otherwise. Now that he paid attention, the faintest trace of the Kabochan female's unique scent still lingered in the room.
"No. Do not send for her," the pirate commander ordered.
A smirk came over the Saiyan's face as he recalled the lone female in his crew boldly standing up to him and daring to curse at him as well. While he respected her nerve, such behavior could not be ignored. The smirk was replaced by an evil grin, the she-pirate was going to have to account for her actions...
Maybe devising a suitable penalty would prevent his thoughts from wandering where they had no reason to be.
"You may go, Aquiris," Turles said in a weary voice.
"As you wish, Master Turles," with a low bow, Aquiris exited the room.
The incessant beeping of the monitor thoroughly irritated the bed-ridden Saiyan. He had no intention of lying flat on his back a moment longer. Throwing back the bed-coverings took more energy than he could have imagined. A very annoyed pirate sat on the edge of the bed he'd been wasting countless hours in. His armor was just across the room...
His vision blurred for a moment. Suddenly it seemed that the floor was rushing up to him, a quick arm wrapped around his waist prevented his fall. Color suffused his countenance when he realized to whom that arm belonged. Had he seriously become that weak?
'Thank Kami for all that extra training I've put in or I could have never held up someone of Turles's size" Zailora thought.
"You can LET GO!" Turles snarled.
"And have you fall flat on your face ? I'll let go when you get back in that bed where you belong for now!" Zailora said in a surprisingly commanding voice.
"Woman, I have NO intention of getting back into that bed!"
"I should just LET you fall! Maybe then you'd understand that even YOU have limitations at times!" the Kabochan shot back.
"YOU DARE!..."
As a wave of dizziness cut his words short, the somewhat disoriented Saiyan instinctively seized the waist of the woman beside him.
"Come on, Commander! Stop being stubborn and help me get you back into bed before we both end up on the floor. I don't think you want to explain that," "Zailora pressed in a much softer tone.
The Saiyan warrior wasn't sure whether to be furious or amused by the woman's words and actions. Didn't she know how easily he could end her life?
With a fierce growl, Turles reluctantly allowed the female pirate to begin guiding him back to his much resented sheet-covered place of confinement.
Daiz walked into the doorway of Turles's room just in time to see the unlikely pair walking with an arm around each other's waists. Obviously he didn't need to see anything more...
...
Chi-Chi smiled and stretched as the shuttle landed. She was finally back 'home' and she'd never have to lay eyes on that horrible feline medic from Hell again... A high-pitched scream roused Bulma from her unplanned nap. The azure-haired young scientist was slack-jawed with amazement at sight of the Ox-King's daughter.
Chi-Chi's arms and legs were covered with short black hair that practically appeared as if she 'd grown a pelt to cover her limbs. Bulma was reminded for a moment of her father's beloved cat, Scratch. Out of of sheer impulse, she couldn't help but touch the literal "fur" that had mysteriously sprouted.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I'M NOT SOME KIND OF PET! " Chi-Chi exploded as she swatted Bulma's hand away.
"At least Gohan didn't have to endure his mother looking like a Yeti! WHY ME? Was I just born to suffer?" the widow of Goku moaned.
Suddenly she gasped "It was that awful talking spider! HE DID THIS! I'm ...I'm probably going to turn into ...A GIANT TALKING SPIDER! My poor late Gohan will have hundreds of horrible brothers and sisters!..."
"Chi-Chi! Be serious!" the former heiress of Capsule Corps reasoned.
"Have YOU got an explanation, Miss Smarty-pants?" the irate brunette snapped.
"NO! But I know who'd better have a reason for this foolishness!" Bulma huffed...
...
Dr. Sqzaris was munching on a piece of orange fruit held in one of his hairy appendages when the visi-sceen in his office flickered to life. The image of a very perturbed Bulma appeared as well as the human female known as Chi-Chi.
"LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME!" Chi-Chi howled.
As he took in the livid Earth-born woman's appearance, Dr. Sqzaris began to sound as if he was snickering at her plight. Within seconds, the Gerarachnid had burst in genuine laughter.
"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?" both females raged.
"S-Sorry! He-heh! Oh please forgive my ...heh! Em! I mean no disrespect but ...she looks like a Sqneir-cat in desperate need of a dermatologist..all she needs is the ears at the top of her head!"
"Doctor Sqzaris! This is hardly professional behavior!" Bulma scolded.
"I did not mean to lose my professional bearing, Ms. Bulma. It's just..." the Gerarachnid doubled over in a fit of giggles.
"DO something about THIS! You over-sized hairy insect!" Chi-Chi screeched.
"I am NO insect, Madam! You clearly have an extremely sensitive physiology the Sveltriates that corrected the melanin imbalance have caused a reaction in your epidermis. A short round of Cletenis should bring things back to normal. It's really quite simple."
"WHAT?"
"What the good doctor means is that the treatment for those awful itchy spots caused a reaction in your skin. I can give you a short treatment that should.." the aquamarine-haired scientist began.
"I AM NOT TAKING ANOTHER "TREATMENT"!" the Ox-princess bellowed." For all I know you have been in cahoots with these horrible doctors!"
"Chi-Chi! I can't believe you!" Bulma sputtered.
"I seriously doubt that Ms. Bulma is anywhere near my level of expertise" Dr. Sqzaris sniffed.
"Now wait just a minute! I was one of the brightest minds on our planet!" Bulma shot back.
"I'm sure that didn't take much effort on your part" the spider-being said airily.
"Dr. Squaris, Please report to operating room 237!" a metallic voice in the background declared.
"You'll have to excuse me. This 'horrible doctor' has work to do."
The image from planet Grizet faded.
"OOOHHH! That conceited..." Bulma fumed.
"Bulma! Let's get that treatment started!" Chi-Chi shouted.
"Really?"
"I almost licked my hand!" Chi-Chi wailed.
...
Turles glared at the dark-green-haired female that stood across from the bed that he was now lying in once again. He inwardly cursed the light-headed sensation that kept him from standing for more than a moment.
"Are you satisfied now, Woman?" the disgruntled Saiyan growled.
"No! You're STILL calling me 'woman'! I have a name, Commander," Zailora retorted.
'I could think of a FEW names to use at the present time!' Turles thought to himself.
To add insult to injury, the Saiyan pirate's stomach decided to declare its lack of nourishment at that precise moment with loud emphasis.
"Oh you poor thing! You haven't eaten since you got here!" the Kabochan female fussed.
"Kami, Just kill me now!'
"I'll get you something! I know just the thing!" the she-pirate disappeared before the aggravated former leader of the Crusher Corps could utter a protest.
'What in the Seven Hells of Tarkachia possessed me to hire a woman as part of my crew?' Turles berated himself.
He tried to think of what Zailora had explained about the poison from the Kanir's claws but he had tuned her out for the most part. He did recall her saying that most did not survive the toxin's effects. So he was cursed with enduring this insufferable weakness instead of his demise. From the Saiyan point of view dying would have been preferable. Turles fought against it but his eyes grew heavy and he slept once more.
...
Chi-Chi literally twirled about as she examined her now fur-free arms and legs.
"Bulma, You're a genius!" the ebony-haired woman crowed as she enveloped her friend in a hug.
"Exactly!' Bulma replied. She was still quite miffed over the Geraracnid' medic's comments.
Looking about her lab, the former heiress was relieved to have some sense of normality once more.
"It so good to be back to work!"
"Work?" Chi-Chi said. "Oh no! I've got to get to the restaurant ! I MAY NOT HAVE ANY WORK!"
Bulma shook her head as her companion sped off. The fiery brunette's employment was still secure. Artruay had explained Chi-Chi's situation to the restaurant's manager being quite careful to leave out the lurid details of course.
...
Turles awoke with a start. He must have been dreaming of hunting. The scent of blood from a fresh kill was so real it still seemed to waft in the air. Succulent raw meat in a pool of warm salty/sweet blood sounded very appealing. Spongy but tasty marrow... Somehow the scent grew even more apparent. The dark-skinned Saiyan was astonished to see a servant enter his room carrying a large platter of deliciously raw meat!
"Lord Turles, I apologize for bringing this in such a state but the young lady demanded that it be served so," the short amphibian-like servant explained nervously.
Zailora again. The Saiyan rolled his eyes but he was not about to refuse the appetizing gift.
"It will do," Turles replied.
Summoning a burst of energy, the pirate seized the platter and began to devour the contents. The green-skinned servant paled as he watched the ravenous Saiyan consume the crimson-dripping meat. He politely excused himself when Turles cracked open the bones and feasted on the marrow.
After consuming every blood-drenched morsel, Turles felt a great deal like his former self. His strength was slowly returning. Another meal like that and a bit more rest and he could get out of this damned bed! The amphibian servant shuddered when he returned for the platter which now contained only a few hollow bones and not a single droplet of blood. Turles smirked at the servant's revulsion.
Zailora burst into the room "Well, even your color's looking better! I think that was just what you needed!"
"So you grew bored with harassing me and decided to terrorize the kitchen staff instead," the Saiyan quipped.
Before she could respond, Turles asked a question that she was totally unprepared for.
" Isn't Daiz wondering where you've gotten off to by now?'
A look of abject sadness came over the Kabochan female's face," No, I don't believe Daiz cares where I am."
The pirate commander's eyes narrowed at her answer. What could have happened between her and Daiz? He wasn't blind he was quite aware that the two had paired off some time ago.
"I...I have to go!" the she-pirate fled from the room.
This was precisely why he had never allowed females on his crew, Turles mused.
...
Daiz glowered at the setting sun of planet Teylazhar. The day's end signaled the start of another night without Zailora. But what did she need him for? It was quite clear who had her attention now. He wished he could believe what Gartoas had told him. But he had seen his female counterpart with her arm wrapped around the Saiyan with his own eyes. After all, it had been her intention to snare Turles when she had initially became part of the crew. He was obviously just the stepping stone for her to reach that goal.
The former prince drew a long ragged sigh, it was going to be a long night.
...
Turles stirred from his sleep as he sensed someone enter his room. When he opened his eyes, the small worried face of Gohan stared back at him.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping at this hour, Brat?"
"I wanted to see that you were all right, Master Turles," Gohan spoke up. "Everything's falling apart without you!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Daiz is always in a rotten mood, Zailora's always sad and Gartoas tells me that we aren't supposed to get involved. Can't you fix things, Commander?" the little half-blood implored the Saiyan pirate.
"We shall see, Gohan. There are some situations even I am powerless to change," Turles declared.
"But you'll try, won't you, Master Turles?"Gohan pleaded.
'I AM getting soft!' the Saiyan full-blood thought to himself.
"Yes, Gohan. I'll try."
...
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