Here's Chapter 83! Thanks to SuperSaiyanKnight, jomama25, Dragon1157, Diosa de la muerte, Ryo-chan wolfgirl, Dark Domination, Richard, icewolf, 15songoku, Guest, Amber and ceciliamarianamenezes for all the reviews on chapter 81.
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its characters, Akira Toriyama does!
….
Gartoas walked into the bridge area of Turles's ship. The bronzed face of the Kardanagan went pale as he caught sight of his crew-mate that had been thought to have been killed by Zarbon. Turles was snarling at the Kabochan as he carried the limp form of Zailora out of the bridge area. The beefy bearded pirate shook his head and held up his hand when Daiz would have followed.
"Well ya survived Zarbon after all, Whelp!" Gartoas gave Diaz a good-natured punch to the shoulder.
"It'll take more than that pretty-boy to take me out you old fart!" Daiz responded.
"Daiz, such disrespect!" Markelia scolded.
"Oughta be listnin' ta yer purty lil' friend there, " Gartoas snickered.
"We thought you were killed by Zarbon!" Gohan blurted out.
"That explains why Zailora reacted like that!" the former prince sighed as he turned to Gohan.
He whirled around to face Gartoas once more," But it doesn't explain why Turles was acting so strange."
"Bin' some changes since ya bin' er'…."
"What KIND of changes?" Daiz interrupted.
"It's best ya be sittin' down an' Turles er Zailora kin tell ya," Gartoas mumbled.
"Why can't YOU tell me? Why does it have to be…."
The Kabochan warrior stopped speaking, his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.
"Y-Y ou d-don't mean that…she wouldn't!….Zailora …"
Daiz clutched at the back of a seat, "Sweet Kami….tell me I'm wrong, Gartoas …"
The Kardanagan bowed his head and kept his silence.
"Daiz, what's wrong?" Gohan called out.
Gohan was frightened when he saw his friend turn ashen and start to tremble. Markelia clasped her hands and watched Daiz worriedly as well.
When Turles returned to the bridge area a livid Daiz was waiting for him….
….
Far away on planet Arturay:
Chi-Chi pushed a damp lock of hair back from her face. She'd been cooking for hours!
'It's almost like I've been cooking a meal for Goku!' the Ox-King's daughter thought.
A tear rolled down the ebony-haired female's face as her slain husband came to mind. It was followed by a stab of guilt as she'd been so busy that the Earth-raised Saiyan rarely entered her thoughts.
"Oh, Goku…" she sobbed.
"Chi-Chi, are you alright?" Makalo asked.
The Namekian was quite concerned as Chi-Chi dabbed at her eyes.
"I'm just fine, peeled too many Gadri roots I think," Goku's widow spoke up quickly.
Her assistant nodded apparently accepting her reply. Pungent Gadri roots were an equivalent to Earth's onions only they were blue in color. Three containers of the tear-inducing vegetable were peeled and sliced ready to go into the next round of dishes Chi-Chi would prepare….
In Other World:
"She looks so sad, Goku, maybe you should…" Tien began.
"I'm afraid I'd do more harm than good contacting Chi-Chi. You know how emotional she can get," Goku interrupted.
"Do we ever!" Krillin agreed.
"Bulma's taking good care of her," Goku added.
"I hope that damned Turles stays away from Bulma! If I ever get my hands on him I'll teach him a thing or two!" Yamcha growled.
"You better hope you don't have to face Turles again," Piccolo chimed in. "He's far more powerful than he was when we faced him before."
"Someday we might face him again, Piccolo," the son of Bardock mused.
"I hope he has to pay for everything that day," Krillin piped up.
"You said it!" Chiatzou agreed.
…
Daiz flew at Turles ," You son of a….!"
Gartoas snatched up Gohan and grabbed Markelia by the arm. He was herding them to the ship's exit before Daiz had even completed the expletive he hurled at the pirate commander.
"Time fer tha two o' ya ta get outta er' fer now!" Gartoas advised despite the protests of both Gohan and Markelia.
Daiz landed one punch but it didn't seem to faze the Saiyan warrior. A blow from Turles had the Kabochan gasping for air but absolute fury drove the former royal on.
"How could even you sink so low Turles? ZAILORA WAS MINE!" Daiz bellowed.
"We understood you lost to Zarbon, that you were no longer alive!" Turles shouted back as he gave his crewman a vicious kick in the ribs. Daiz grimaced, his brown leathern garment did nothing to protect him as his armor once did.
"That's a good excuse!" the dark green-haired pirate snarled as he snatched the tail at the Saiyan's waist and snapped it just before Turles pulled it away with a fearsome roar. Daiz found himself flying into the far wall….
Zailora awoke confused in her own quarters. She hadn't been in this room for days….She jumped up at the sound of Turles's furious roar and the angry shouts of Daiz. Everything suddenly came back to her in a flash. Daiz had returned!
The nobleman's daughter rushed out to the bridge area. To her utter horror Turles and Daiz were fighting! It was quite apparent that the Kabochan male was on the losing end of the battle. Bruised and bloodied, Daiz was desperately struggling to break the choke-hold that the Saiyan had locked around his throat. Turles had only a few scattered bruises and cuts but his tail drooped at an awkward angle. They were going to kill each other! And it was all HER fault!
….
"Brat, Ah think now'd be ah good time ta finish muh story," Gartoas mumbled.
"But what about Daiz?" the little demi-Saiyan protested. "Turles and Daiz were fighting!"
"This hardly seems the time to be telling tales!" Markelia fumed.
"Ya don' wanna be gettin' betwixt tha two. Turles n' Daiz gotta be settlin' it," the burly pirate insisted.
"What if the Saiyan kills Daiz?" the young Dayogien female demanded. Gohan looked aghast.
"Ahm hopin' e' don' , Lass. Ahm hopin' e' don'," Gartoas sighed. "Anyways…."
(Flashback)
Gartoas looked back at the ruins of the prison. He certainly wasn't going back there. With no ship to get off this blasted rock it would be to his advantage to accept the Saiyan's offer. He had never agreed to be a permanent fixture on the pirate's crew.
" Ah'll take ya up on yer offer. Fer now, " the beefy bandit informed Turles.
"Excellent. Wise decision," Turles replied.
The Saiyan pirate turned to the men behind him," Let's get this fruit loaded."
To the massive thief's surprise Amond tossed him a large basket and then the orange-skinned being pointed at the unholy tree.
"Ah don' recall agreein' ta be ah fruit-picker!" Gartoas complained.
"It's valuable stuff!" Amond chuckled.
"Why didn' ya jus' say so? Ow' much it go fer?" the Kardanagan asked.
Amond's thick black braid shook as the nefarious law enforcement slayer roared with laughter.
"It's valuable to HIM!" the orange-skinned behemoth snickered as he pointed in Turles's general direction.
"An' thet's ta be impressin' me?" Gartoas huffed.
"You'll learn real quick to keep Master Turles happy," Amond advised.
"Master Turles?" Gartoas snorted.
"Call him Master Turles, Commander Turles or simply commander but don't address him directly by name," Amond warned.
"Makin' yerself perty comfy real quick wi' Turles an' is' bunch, eh?" the bearded thief pressed.
"I've got nowhere to go and Turles is gonna let me give Frieza all the Hell I can manage," the enormous serial killer growled.
"Gotta beef wi' Frieza,huh?"…..
(Amond's Flashback)
The twin suns of planet Heliosator bore down on a huge black-haired orange-complexioned being as he turned over the rich dark soil that would later be filled with crops that would feed him and his small family. The muscles in his massive shoulders bunched as he worked. Amond enjoyed the warmth of the sunlight and the earthy scent of the soil.
A smile broke over his face as his mate approached with a refreshing drink for him. The female's skin had a similar hue to his own. But she was tall and slender. Her long black hair hung to her waist. She wore a pale purple garment that hung to her knees. Her ebony eyes shone with affection.
"Amond, you work too hard," she scolded good-naturedly.
"Bah! It's my duty to provide for my mate and my family, Hazlon," he declared.
Amond finished off the container of water from the stream just outside of their home. Two gulps were all that were required.
"I thank you for the refreshment. Now I must get back to my work."
Hazelon pressed a kiss to his cheek," The noon meal will be ready shortly."
Amond watched the willowy figure of his mate walk away. He grinned at the playful shouts of their children at play. They were miniature versions of their parents. Pestach was a curious four-year-old and he was known to constantly get into mischief. His younger sister, Hikari, was a shy two-year-old that idolized her older sibling.
Suddenly a strange ship landed a few feet away from the field where Amond worked. Hazlon shooed the children off to the wooden structure Amond had built with his own two hands.
Two strange beings in some sort of armor approached him. One was a deep blue reptilian creature garbed in black and brown armor. The other was a serpentine being in armor of pale blue and silver. Amond quickly noticed that the snake-ling had a haughty demeanor.
"You there, the great Lord Frieza has given you the honor of serving him. Prepare to leave this planet immediately to begin your service to the Supreme Ruler!" the serpent life-form commanded.
"I don't know this 'Frieza' and I have no intention of leaving this planet," Amond growled.
"That was NOT a request you over-grown buffoon! Lord Frieza commands and YOU will obey!" the blue reptile shouted.
"I have no time for your foolishness. I must care for my fields and my family."
"Oh? Is that so?" the snake-ling simpered.
Amond had a sudden sense of foreboding. Before he could make a step forward the snake-being raised his hand. A brilliant explosion reduced his home to ash. His mate…his children….
"Now that your petty concerns are taken care of, you can follow orders!"
Pure unadulterated rage filled the once gentle Amond. The hapless minions of Frieza didn't have a prayer…
(End of Amond's Flashback)
"It was the same all over my home-world, Frieza's troops wiped out everyone who refused to be forced into that ice-lizard's army. I destroyed THEM! I left my world and hunted down Frieza's filth when and wherever I could find them. When the Galactic Police interfered I began to erase them from existence as well. Turles understands my need for vengeance," Amond stated.
Gartoas watched as the two Beenz brothers carried off a basket each of the fruit from the Tree of Might.
"Ah wuz thinkin' thet race wuz extinct," the hefty thief commented.
"They were," Amond informed him. "Turles revived them using the fruit."
Gartoas shuddered but asked no further questions…..
(End of Flashback)
"What became of this 'Amond'?" Markelia asked Gartoas.
"Ah understand e' got imself kilt' on ah mission," the burly bearded pirate declared.
Gohan gave him a hard look for a moment but said nothing.
….
Daiz began to drool, his eyes rolled back…..
"STOP IT PLEASE! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM! TURLES! PLEASE! " Zailora screamed.
Turles flung Daiz to the floor. The Kabochan male rose to his knees as he coughed and rubbed his throat.
"Do NOT attack me again, Daiz!" the Saiyan pirate warned.
"I need to speak to Daiz, Commander. Alone please," Zailora insisted.
Turles glowered for a moment. "Very well, but know this Zailora, I will NOT allow you to renew ties with Daiz."
He said nothing more but turned on his heel and left the bridge area. Zailora faced Daiz who had now risen to his feet. She swallowed hard as she met his angry gaze.
"Daiz…." She started.
"SAVE IT! What did you do? Go running to Turles as soon as I was missing?" Daiz demanded.
"NO! It wasn't like that!"
"Did that kisama force you? I KILL HIM IF HE DID NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!"
"NO! For Kami's sake, no!"
"Then WHAT happened? " the dark green-haired male pirate barked.
"I waited for you!" Zailora exclaimed.
"Right, I can SEE that!" Daiz snapped
"That's not fair. Daiz. For six months I waited for word of you. Six months!"
"And then you and Turles got all cozy. I was out of my mind wanting to get back to you and I find this!" the former prince snarled.
"YOU brought a woman back with you!" Zailora accused.
"I rescued her from a monster!"
"If you say so!" the she-pirate huffed.
"Unbelievable! You think Markelia and I … I haven't looked at another woman! All I wanted was you!"
"You have no right to judge me, I thought you were DEAD!" Zailora fumed.
Tears rolled down the nobleman's daughter's face, "I mourned for you every day. I thought I had lost you forever….Turles and I both lost someone dear to us so…"
"Let me guess Turles couldn't wait to comfort you or was it the other way around?" Daiz interrupted.
The once royal winced as a hard slap struck his face.
"Okay, I guess I deserved that. How long have you….you and Turles.." the distraught warrior could not bring himself to finish.
"A little over a week close to two," Zailora said softly.
'That's when I waited and rescued Markelia…if I'd come without her…..I would have been here before…before…" Daiz gave an eerie howl and he stumbled for the exit.
"Daiz, wait please!"
"I…I need some air," Daiz rasped and he stepped out of the ship.
"He will need some time," Turles spoke up from behind Zailora.
"Please don't leave him here," Zailora pleaded.
"I will allow him three days to decide whether he wishes to remain part of the crew, but no more," Turles declared.
"Thank you! UGH! You smell like blood and sweat! You need a shower!" the dark green-haired female scolded.
"Saiyan women would appreciate such a scent," Turles remarked with a smirk.
"Are…are you disappointed that I'm not Saiyan? "Zailora inquired somewhat concerned.
"You'll do…for the moment," the Saiyan teased.
"You're horrible! Oh, your poor beautiful tail!" the she-pirate exclaimed as she noticed the injury.
"It will heal soon, Woman. Don't make such a fuss!"
Turles gave a sly grin," Since my tail is in no condition to do so…. I could use some assistance washing my back."
"Really, Turles…."
…..
Until the next chapter! Please read and review!
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