Here's Chapter 88! Thanks to Ryo-chan wolfgirl, TheItchyCocoon, SuperSaiyanKnight, The Zelos Wilder, Roxashadow, Mskiki. Diosa de la muerte, icewolf, Dark Domination, ReaperPhantom12, Heseltine and Guest for all the reviews on chapter 87. And thank you to "William" for the review on chapter 33. LOL!

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its characters, Akira Toriyama does!

A/N: This fic finally reached a 1,000 reviews! Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read and actually review. A special thanks to those who have stuck by since this fic originally began.

…

Bulma was completely caught off guard by the conversation she had overheard as she entered the room that contained her much resented charge.

'His first thoughts were of Gohan but that doesn't make any sense Turles is just a cold-hearted…'

"Is there a reason for the loss of Turles's sight, Miss?" Daiz asked in a tight voice interrupting her musings.

The former heiress easily discerned the way he stressed the word 'Miss.' He refused to address her by name. None of Turles's crew spoke to her unless they deemed it absolutely necessary.

"It's actually quite common when there is trauma to the skull," Bulma stated.

She wasn't lying but she just wasn't telling everything either. There was a chance further complications due to the Saiyan's injury were causing the blindness. It would probably serve Turles right to be condemned to a life of darkness for his evil deeds the blue-haired native of Earth thought to herself.

"Is it going to be permanent, Miss?" the dark green-haired pirate pressed.

"There's no way to be sure unless further testing is done," Bulma said flatly.

Looking down at the Saiyan she saw that he was no longer lucid.

'Who knows maybe there's enough internal damage that Turles will just die in his sleep. Oh, that's horrible of me to think even for this fiend….'

A high-pitched feminine scream ended her train of thought. CHI-CHI!

The darling of Capsule Corps raced out of the room she was followed closely by Gartoas. Bulma was extremely surprised to find a life-form that for all purposes reminded her of a gigantic praying mantis that was a pale blue in color standing in front of Goku's widow with its two upper appendages placed on what Bulma presumed were its hips. The creature swung his head to face the two new arrivals then turned back to Chi-Chi.

"Have you quite finished screaming? I do believe my auditory functions will take a bit of time to recover from your most unnecessary display, " the mantis-being huffed as he smoothed non-existent wrinkles from his immaculate white uniform.

"Aw, Ah wuz hopin' tha wenches were avin' ah rematch!" Gartoas grumbled.

The burly former bandit merely snickered at the death glare he received from Chi-Chi. Zailora appeared before Bulma could react to the situation. She gave a graceful bow before the blue insectoid and to the azure-haired scientist's amazement the "mantis" returned the action.

"Doctor Mazzim, I'm so glad you could make it on such short notice," the she-pirate stated with a smile.

"Luckily I was not all that far away, but for you I would have gladly made a special effort, my dear."

'Doctor? And they KNOW each other? I'd better speak up before he tells them the real reason Turles is blind or Chi-Chi and I might be done for,' Bulma thought to herself.

"I find it rather strange that Turles was involved in such a catastrophe. His skill as a pilot is practically legendary," Dr. Mazzim sighed.

"He had some help with that!" Zailora growled looking meaningfully at Bulma.

"Someone else was at the controls? But of course, now that makes perfect sense!"

The aquamarine-haired scientist cleared her throat and successfully caught the alien doctor's attention.

"Doctor, might I confer with a colleague so to speak?" she asked sweetly.

Zailora rolled her eyes at that which didn't escape the medical professional's notice.

"Ah, one of those! I'll humor her for a bit no worries," the 'mantis' whispered to the she- pirate.

Bulma bristled as she caught the condescending comment but she kept silent.

"Let's make this quick shall we?" Doctor Mazzim suggested.

"I'm going to check on Turles ," Zailora announced.

'What is it with those two?" Bulma wondered.

….

Zailora entered the room containing the slumbering Saiyan.

"Daiz, you can go I'm back now."

"I, uh….I don't think he wants you here right now, Zailora," Daiz warned.

"Too bad, you can take a break or stay here but I'm not leaving."

"You're going to make him angry," the former royal went on.

"I'm staying! He'll just have to deal with my being here when he awakes," the female Kabochan announced airily.

With an exasperated sigh, Daiz threw his hands up in the air, "Fine! You're as stubborn as he is! I'm going out for a little air!"

Zailora just grinned in response. Shaking his head, Daiz left the room. The Saiyan shifted about and opened his eyes. His female crew member held her breath as Turles sniffed the air long and hard.

" Zailora! I specifically TOLD Daiz not to allow you to come in here!," Turles muttered angrily.

"Do you really think he could keep me out, Commander? Besides, he needed a break," the nobleman's daughter declared.

"Am I so pathetic and helpless now that my crew must watch over me like I'm an infant?" the dark-skinned Saiyan growled ominously.

"You are NOT helpless…"

"I'm blind and USELESS!" Turles barked.

He closed his eyes again. What was the use? Nothing was visible either way.

"Master Turles…"

"Enough! Why do you even bother?" the Saiyan pirate snapped.

"Because I love you!" Zailora blurted out.

There she'd said it. Now the chips would have to fall where they might. The dark green-haired female was losing her fight to keep back her tears.

Turles was silent for a moment then he turned his face to the wall.

"I don't deserve that emotion nor will I return it. You're wasting your time," he snarled.

A pair of soft cool hands cupped his chin and gently turned his head. He gave a fearsome growl but it didn't seem to faze the woman.

"Then I'll just take what I can get, you stubborn Saiyan!"

Turles shook his head in exasperation and pulled away even though needles seemed to press into his skull as he did so. He tried to avoid breathing in the woman's scent but he was failing miserably.

"That damned scent of yours!" he snarled.

"You mean this, Commander?" she leaned in and lightly pressed her cheek against his.

"Damn you, Woman!" Turles groaned. "I can still blast you into nothing, you do realize that don't you?"

"Yes, but you won't! "Zailora shot back.

He couldn't take in a breath without inhaling her intoxicating, enticing, delightful scent.

"I can't be what you want, Zailora."

"Just be what you are, that's enough for me," the female pirate whispered back.

The Saiyan's response was to bury his face into her hair. One arm and his tail wrapped around her….

…..

Daiz stepped into the room to see if Zailora needed anything. He swallowed hard as he took in the sight of the Kabochan female with her arms wrapped around the injured Saiyan. The green and black armored pirate bowed his head and walked out of the room.

"I guess the choice is pretty clear," he sighed softly. He thought he'd noticed a tavern on their way in…did he ever need a drink…

…

Gohan stared out at the stars, a myriad of thoughts and emotions churned through him. He was going to try to reason with his mother again but for now he struggled with the words he should say...

…

"What's your poison, soldier?" a feminine voice called out.

"Huh? Oh, right, I'll have a Querzaris. Aw Hell, make it a double!" Daiz snorted.

"Hmm, got a lot on your mind, soldier? I had to ask for your order three times!" the female bar-keep scolded.

"Yeah,,,sorry about that...," Daiz replied. His voice caught in his throat as he looked up at the woman who spoke.

Gray eyes twinkled at him in a pale- skinned pretty face framed by dark forest-green hair-she was a Kabochan!

"Judging by that hair you're royalty or I guess was royalty as I understand Kabocha doesn't exist anymore," the female tender of the bar declared.

"That's true, the planet's long gone. But I'm not royalty. There wasn't room in my brother's kingdom for two princes…..and that's all I have to say about that," Daiz said glumly as he took his drink and raised it to his lips.

"Good thing Father spirited my family away before the king passed on, eh? You don't look like one of Frieza's bunch. I'm guessing you're a merc or pirate. By the way, I'm Tainaz."

"I'm a little of both but definitely not one of Frieza's maggots. And I'm Daiz,"

"Very pleased to meet you, Daiz."

"I guess I need to be getting back," the male pirate sighed.

"Feel free to stop by again," Tainaz said with a smile.

"I probably will stop by again," Daiz said with a smile of his own…..

….

Doctor Mazzim was pleasantly surprised to discover that the blue-haired female did possess a rather high level of intelligence. He was quite curious of Zailora's obvious enmity towards the woman but he kept those thoughts to himself.

"I suspect the Saiyan's blindness may be caused by a cerebral contusion causing swelling and bleeding in the brain…" Bulma started.

"Yes, cortical blindness due to the trauma to the skull. Quite likely indeed, Miss…Bulma was it?"

"Yes, Dr. Mazzim."

"And have any steps been taken to assuage the bleeding?" the insect-like medic questioned.

"Uh, no…Turles isn't exactly the most cooperative…."

"Leave that to me," Dr. Mazzim chuckled.

Bulma pursed her lips. It didn't seem like Turles was going to be out of her life anytime soon…

…

An orange-furred rat-like being stumbled into Daiz as he left the tavern. The Kabochan ignored the obviously drunken creature. But the liquor-reeking life-form had studied Daiz closely.

'Ah, Master Salzar will be very pleased with the news I have for him….very pleased indeed!"

…

Until the next chapter! Please read and review!

daughterofrisingsun