Here's Chapter 93! Thanks to Stardestoryer5, TheItchyCocoon, SAIYAN GOD VEGETA, Diosa de la muerte, LostHero171, SuperSaiyanKnight, Dark Domination, 15songku, Ryo-chan wolfgirl, The Zelos Wilder, molotovarsonist, Prince1234, Darkfire Kitten, Caedus vitiate, hash, Bardock's Other Son and Invader Cole for all the reviews on chapter 92.
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its characters, Akira Toriyama does!
A/N: SO sorry for the late update! Illness and a rather nasty injury kept me from concentrating on writing for a while. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
...
Zailora walked over and took the distraught youngster from her fellow Kabochan. She wrapped her arms around Gohan and whispered soothingly to the sobbing child. No one questioned her when she quietly removed the youngster from the scene of his teammate's demise.
Bulma frowned but didn't dare to protest. It should have been Chi-Chi's place to comfort Gohan not the female pirate's. Where was Chi-Chi anyway?
Dr. Mazzim stood shaking his head before declaring gravely," The mercenary employed a hidden weapon with a poisoned blade."
"He deserved better," Daiz growled.
In a surprising display of strength, the former prince swung the fallen Kardanagan up on his shoulders and carried him from the room.
"What happens now?" Bulma whispered.
"We wait," the mantis-being sighed gesturing to the motionless Turles.
The blue-haired scientist shuddered in spite of herself. What would become of her and Chi-Chi when Turles awakened? A barely audible gasp came from the blue-eyed beauty as another thought crept unbidden into her mind….
What if Turles DIDN'T awaken?
….
Bulma stood staring in utter disbelief at the sight before her. This was the last place she thought she would have found Chi-Chi! The Ox-king's daughter had neatly combed and arranged the deceased Kardanagan's unruly wild black hair and beard. It seemed she'd even taken the trouble to buff his armor up a bit in addition to placing his hands folded over his chest.
"It's the least I could do after the big brute helped me and Gohan," Chi-Chi hurriedly explained.
"Where is Gohan?" Bulma questioned.
"The pirate woman gave him a sedative he was extremely upset and he's resting now there wasn't anything I could do so…"
"You tidied the big oaf up," the young genius finished.
"Show a little respect, Bulma. He has passed on," the brunette scolded. "I suppose he must have been kind to Gohan or he wouldn't have taken the loss so hard. All this time my poor baby's been dependent on a bunch of cutthroats and ruffians for his care. It's no wonder he's adopted the behavior of a delinquent in order to secure their approval," Chi-Chi muttered irritably.
Bulma sighed and shook her head slowly. She feared there were a lot more changes that had occurred with Gohan than Chi-Chi realized…
….
Zailora stepped into the room that held the Saiyan pirate. She swept back a few ebony spikes of hair that had fallen into his face. It felt as if her heart would stop beating when a strong hand shot out and seized the wrist of her right hand.
The dark green-haired woman held her breath as the slumbering Turles suddenly opened his eyes.
"No one ever told me there were angels in Hell," he whispered softly.
"You big flirt…" the she-pirate began then she gasped.
"You can see!" the Kabochan female exulted.
"Only shadows," Turles replied.
"It's a start…"Zailora squeaked in surprise as the Saiyan effortlessly pulled her up onto the bed beside him.
"You just had surgery!" the nobleman's daughter scolded.
The pirate commander had wrapped his arms around her and was nuzzling her cheek before nipping at the nape of her neck.
"And your point is?" Turles murmured into her hair as he drew in her scent purring softly.
"We lost Gartoas!" the flustered woman blurted out.
The dark-skinned Saiyan immediately halted his amorous actions while a low growl emanated from his chest.
"When did this occur?" Turles snarled.
"An hour ago, a group of mercenaries attacked. The coward used a hidden weapon, a poisoned blade to be exact."
"Was he made to account for his actions?" the now furious spiky-haired warrior demanded.
"Gohan ended his life," Zailora answered quickly.
The Saiyan gave a curt nod of approval.
"Where is Gohan now?" Turles questioned.
"He-he took the loss of Gartoas rather hard. I gave him a sedative so he is resting now," the she-pirate admitted a bit nervously.
An annoyed snort was the reply. No doubt Turles viewed Gohan's response as being too soft.
"If only there was a portion of the fruit remaining after the destruction of our ship," the onyx-eyed warrior mused.
"What could that do to help Gartoas now?" the Kabochan female wanted to know.
"The fruit from the Tree of Might had a very special quality…..a forbidden ability if you will…" Turles began.
"Would this be enough of it for whatever you're hinting at?" Zailora asked as she pressed a small chunk of something dry and leathery into his right hand.
The startled Saiyan recognized it immediately by its scent and texture it was a dried piece of fruit from the Tree!
"You gave me one of the fruit when I was injured on Kalashirr. Half was sufficient so I've had it since," the female pirate revealed.
"It just might be enough…."
Zailora bit her lip at the sight of the utterly wicked smile that Turles now wore.
Just what was Turles up to?
…..
Daiz found himself at planet Arturay's pitiful excuse for a tavern once again. Turles's second in command slowly nursed the drink he'd ordered quite a while ago. It was hard to believe that he'd never hear the burly Kardanagan baiting him ever again. The potent beverage stung at his throat but his recent loss stung far more. He raised his stone mug in a silent salute to the fallen former bandit.
A familiar voice uttered his name. As he looked up a slight smile lit his face as the pretty Kabochan bar-keep came into his line of sight.
"Taimaz, how nice to see you again," the once royal said quietly.
"You as well Daiz, why are you huddled back here in the corner looking like you've lost your best friend?"
"Maybe not the best but a friend all the same," Daiz replied.
"Wha…? Oh Daiz! I'm SO sorry! I was just teasing…I didn't mean…You must think I'm just heartless…" the embarrassed female bar-keep stammered.
"It's all right. You had no way of knowing," the dark green-haired warrior assured her.
"Care to have a little company? I switched shifts with Mirles and…."
A low rumble sounded from the Kabochan female's direction that was quickly followed by a loud growl. Her face turned crimson as she pressed her hands against her midsection trying to suppress the noisy protests of her empty stomach that steadily grew louder.
Daiz burst into laughter at the mortified tavern worker," It seems that someone could use a morsel or two to tide them over."
"Hey! I had to work straight through my breaks and….."Taimaz started to sputter.
"I could use a decent meal myself. Would you care to join me?" the grinning male pirate interrupted.
A brilliant smile lit the tavern worker's face," I'd like that. I like'd that very much."
…
Bulma gave a tired sigh and decided to end her work for the day on the project she detested. The former heiress scowled at the craft she was being forced to construct for Turles and his crew. For a moment the toyed with the notion of placing something within the ship that would destroy it once it left the planet. But for Gohan's sake Bulma dismissed the idea, the little demi-Saiyan had made it clear that he would not abandon the notorious pirate. No doubt Turles would thoroughly inspect the ship upon its completion and she would endanger herself as well as ChiChi were he to find something suspicious.
"Quitting so soon?" Dr. Mazzim quipped.
"We've been at this for hours!" the blue-haired genius exclaimed.
"I suppose time flies when one is sufficiently engaged in constructive activity," the medic declared.
Bulma chuckled at the mantis-being's remark. She'd been annoyed at first when he had offered his assistance expecting him to be a nuisance that would just get in the way. The Earthling female quickly discovered to her immense delight that the mysterious doctor was quite the skilled worker. With their combined efforts they had made significant progress on the exterior of the planned ship.
Plopping down into a cushioned seat Bulma turned her attention to the insectoid that seated himself across from her.
"Where does a medic learn to work on interstellar spacecraft?" she asked.
"It has been a necessity to obtain various skills in order to survive. I once lived a peaceful existence that I thought would last my entire lifespan but Fate chose to deny me such a thing. I'm not proud of all my actions but I am trying to atone for my misdeeds by doing my utmost to preserve life rather than to destroy it," Dr. Mazzim replied.
His response deepened her curiosity the bluenette pressed further," I've observed you training. Are you also some sort of fighter?…."
"My skills are only meant for defense," the medic suddenly cut in. "Now you must excuse me. I should be looking in on my patient. Have a most pleasant evening, Miss Bulma."
With that the alien doctor abruptly left the room. He had seemed quite upset at her last comment. Dr. Mazzim was obviously hiding something…..
…
Gohan stirred in his sleep and practically bolted from the bed when he looked out the nearby window. Night was beginning to fall, how long had he been asleep? Then tears threatened at the backs of his eyes as he recalled Gartoas's demise. The loss of the huge wise-cracking Kardangan still caused an ache in his chest.
Another thought suddenly occurred to the little half-blood. Turles! Had anyone told the pirate commander what had happened?
'Turles had his surgery today! Is he awake now? Did he even survive?' Gohan's panicked thoughts had him racing from the room to the medical ward.
A sheepish demi-Saiyan looked up at Dr. Mazzim from his place on the floor where he had landed as he rounded the corner and ran right into the mantis-being.
All four of the medic's upper appendages were placed on his hips. At least Gohan guessed the alien had hips.
"And just where is the fire that you're so anxious to escape from?" Dr. Mazzim wanted to know.
"S-Sorry, sir! I wanted to check on Turles!" the son of Goku sputtered.
"Indeed! It so happens that I am headed that way. You may come along if you can assure me that you won't attempt to mow me down in the process," the green insectoid offered.
"Thank you, sir!" Gohan spoke up quickly.
The medic nodded and began the long walk to the medical ward. Gohan was amazed at how quickly Dr. Mazzim made his way through the hall. He almost had to break into a run to keep up. Surprisingly the unlikely pair walked into a room that contained no sign of the Saiyan pirate. No monitors hummed all the machinery had been shut off. Other than rumpled sheets and a pillow the bed was empty.
"Where's Turles?" the little half-blood shouted.
Suddenly a grief-stricken look crossed the Earth-raised child's face.
"He's gone isn't he? H-He d-didn't survive the surgery did he? They came and took him away! TURLES IS DEAD!" Gohan howled.
"Get a hold of yourself!" the alien doctor scolded. "To my understanding Turles is very much alive. Zailora was with him. I'm sure if we find her then we'll find Turles as well. When you manage to calm yourself we'll search the building for them. Fair enough?"
"O-Okay!" the son of Chi-Chi choked out.
…
Zailora looked over at the small tube containing a miniscule amount of fluid. Efforts to reconstitute the portion of dried fruit from the Tree of Might had yielded very little of its juice. Several hours had slowly ticked by. Turles stubbornly refused to cease attempting to extricate still more of the elusive liquid.
The nobleman's daughter wondered if it had been a wise decision to assist the pirate commander to the blue-haired woman's lab. Her eyes grew heavy and her head drooped…..
Dr. Mazzim shook his head as he checked the last few rooms left in the building that had been taken over by Turles and his crew. It was if the Saiyan and his female crewmember had vanished into thin air. He was followed by a weary Gohan who yawned with every step he took. Bulma's lab was all that remained. What could they possibly want in there? He opened the door and stepped inside Gohan was close behind.
Turles was slumped over a desk snoring away. Zailora was curled up in a chair beside him, her head resting on the Saiyan's shoulder. Gohan gaped at the sight of them. The alien medic seized the demi-Saiyan by his small shoulders and propelled him out of the room despite his protests.
"Turles is alive and well so you can turn in for the night. The hour is late, Gohan," Dr. Mazzim advised.
"But why is he in there? What's Zailora doing in there too?" Gohan wanted to know.
"You can find out from Turles himself at a decent hour! Now go to your room or I can put you in with the lab creatures for the night," the mantis-being threatened.
Gohan gave a squeal and headed in the opposite direction to his own room. He wanted nothing to do with the bizarre life-forms that composed the lab animals. Though he seriously doubted the medic would follow through with his threat.
….
Zailora yawned as she carried a small vial half-filled with red-orange fluid to the room where the Kardanagan pirate lay cold and still. She had finally managed to convince Turles to return to the medical ward and rest. He had been determined to personally administer the essence of the Tree of Might to Gartoas. But Turles eventually agreed that she was more than capable of doing so. Would it bring the fallen pirate back to life as the Saiyan claimed he had brought back the two diminutive members of the Beenz race?
The Kabochan grumbled as she turned the head of the rapidly stiffening form of Gartoas. With a grimace she tugged at his hairy upper lip and poured in the contents of the vial taking care to not waste a drop. She held her breath and waited.
Zailora took in a breath and let it out in a long sigh. Nothing happened, absolutely nothing. Gartoas remained still and lifeless….
…..
Until the next chapter!
daughterofrisingsun