Untamed
By Silver Lady
Chapter 2- We´re not Alone in the Universe
The distant, muffled bellowing
broke the peaceful silence which only the soft murmur of the ship devices dared
to interrupt - until now. Within a matter of seconds,
the bellowing grew stronger and stronger, turning into an enraged scream that
seemed to make the face of the walls to vibrate, even from the place they were
seated. The scream was followed by a string of colorful curses mixed to
what seemed stuttering apologizes in another voice. A new sound, like the
clattering of pans, added the noises, while the stuttered excuses, by their
turn, changed into yelps of pain. The two little warriors remained a few
moments with their eyes closed, but, as much as they tried, it was clear that
their concentration was lost. The bald one was the first to open his eyes,
resignedly. He wasn't much taller than his five years old companion; at the
first sight someone could easily take him for another child, but he was
actually an adult man.
"It’s hopeless, Gohan,"
he sighed, as the black-haired boy opened his eyes, too. "We'll have to
wait until they finish this new fight, so we’ll start to train again."
'And then we'll only have a few minutes to
train before they´ll start to fight again,' he added in mentally, but
didn't voice the thought.
Gohan was likewise frustrated, but
his expression showed more confusion than annoyance.
"I wish they could fight in
their minds like us," he said. "That would be much quieter. I can’t understand why Oolong needs so bad to
see women without their clothes. Do you think that he wants to make sure that
they’re really women, Mr. Krillin? I heard Master Roshi say that Daddy used to
do that when he was young."
Five years old or not, Gohan was really Goku´s son. The serious, inquiring tone
used by the boy just increased the hilarity of the question, and it was in vain
that Krillin tried to suppress a laugh.
"Uh, no. Oolong doesn’t… well,
he’s pretty aware who’s a woman and who’s not, no doubt about this," he
managed to say, between giggles. The boy's round-wide, innocent eyes reminded
Krillin of himself, and he struggled to regain some composure. "That's all
I can tell you," He said, inhaling a few calming breaths. "Please
don’t ask me more about that. You mother would kill me if I explained you
further."
Gohan looked even more puzzled than before; however, any further questions he
could make were forgotten, because at the next second a small gray rabbit burst
into the control room, his big ears flapping behind him. As he ran towards the
boys, his soaked fur left a trail of small puddles. He screeched a halt at mere
inches of Gohan, the animal’s small body heaving at every breath he gave.
"H-help! Help me! Bulma´s
having a tantrum!" he managed to articulate.
"And what have you done now
to make her have a tantrum?" Krillin asked cynically. In response, the
rabbit scowled and shook himself, tossing the water off his body and over the
two small warriors, who winced and yelped in protest. With a puff of smoke, the
rabbit vanished to be replaced by a chubby pig clad in t-shirt and green pants
with suspenders, but still with big, floppy ears. He gave a last shaking as he
glared towards Krillin.
"Nothing! Why do you always
blame me for everything that happens in this ship?" his voice had a tone
of outraged innocence.
Krillin ignored that.
"So why are you all wet?"
he smirked, rubbing his arms to get them dry. "You were spying on Bulma in
the shower again, that's obvious."
Oolong glanced
nervously upon his shoulder and toward the door he had entered.
“Details, guys,
details! C´mon, are you going to help me or not?”
Just that
moment, they heard the sound of wet footsteps approaching. Without expecting no
one's response, Oolong instantaneously turned into a fly and ran, err, flied
off, so fast that the boys couldn't see the direction he had taken. A few
seconds later, Bulma stormed into the room. Krillin and Gohan almost jumped off
their skins when they saw her.
Her body was
still dripping from the shower, but it was decently covered by a knee-length
pink robe, whose shoulders were already soaking with the water that fell from
her damp, limp hair. Actually, she wouldn’t be a frightening vision by herself,
if it wasn’t the fact that her blue eyes were sparkling in fury and that her
right hand held a huge frying pan, which the crew suspected it was probably a
present from Chichi.
"Allright!
Where is he? Don't try to cover him up, boys! I warned Oolong that I wouldn't
let go next time. Can't a lady take her shower in peace?"
“Lady?” Krillen
echoed cynically. Bulma throwed him a glare that caused both the boys to
shrink.
“We don´t know
where Oolong is now.” Gohan blurted out “He turned into a fly and disappeared.”
Nodding understandingly,
Bulma simply crossed her shoulders and smiled.
"That's
allright. He has been transformed for a while, so his 15 minutes must be
finishing now. And this is the only way out of this room, so he'll have to go
through this door, soon or later. I'll just have to stand here and
wait..."
She was cut in
the end of her phrase by a low grunt. The trio turned their heads around to see
a quick smoke appearing from under the control panel and a small red, scowling
rocket flying toward the exit door, almost knocking Bulma off the way. However,
it had barely reached the threshold and the puff of smoke happened again to
show Oolong hovering for a mid-second in the air with a frustrated expression
before landind on the floor with a huff.
Three loud
bangs echoed throughout the whole ship, and it probably would have been heard
outside, if it wasn't the vacuum of the space. Krillin and Gohan stood still,
both feeling a mixture of fear and amusement in their faces as they watched
Oolong rub the bumps on his aching head.
"Next time
you'll try to replace my bath sponge I'll throw you in the toilet vase and
flush you down! I'm not kidding." Bulma threatened as she turned around
and strode regally toward the door, one hand modestly clutching to her robe and
the other still holding the now misshapen frying pan.
"I was
just trying to make you feel better!" the pig bellowed at her retreating
figure"You should be glad that at least I still see you as a
beautiful woman, since the rest of universe don´t!"
Krillen and Gohan
giggled at this. Very recently, they had visited Sheezoo, a very primitive
planet, in search of the one-star dragonball. The precious item, however,
happened to be among the most precious adornments of one prominent and brawny
golden-skinned warrior - a great type of man, actually, despite of his
baldness. Bulma had tried to flirt with him in order to get the sphere - that’s
what she had said- but the man had reacted with horror, at the 'pale, hairy,
two-breasted scarecrow' - as their electronic translators had registered. In
the end, Gohan had won the dragon ball by defeating the warrior in a duel, but
Bulma had spent three days moping around and mumbling about stupid blind
aliens.
At Oolong's words, she immediately stopped
dead in her tracks, turning onto her heels to tap angrily a bare, humid foot.
"I am
a beautiful girl!" she bellowed" And the Sheezojins are not the
entire universe. Only because the few members of a small planet have some
twisted notions of beauty, that doesn't mean that all the aliens we'll met will
think like that." she paused, then barreled on with a smile "Besides,
remember that there are lots different cultures spread throughout the universe,
many of which we have no idea about. So it's no wonder that some alien races
have a different way of thinking what is beautiful and what is not."
Oolong's smirk
grew wider.
"Yeah,
that must be quite a comfort. You didn't seem to think like this when those
people thought that even Krillin was prettier than you. Those amazons even
wanted to fight for the privilege of having him for their harems!"
“HEY!” Krillin
blushed slightly at that, but smirked “Not my fault if someone finally notices
my “beaute male”…”
He didn´t finish
to speak however, for their attention was turned by a scratching noise coming
from Bulma´s side. She had given them her back and was perusing through a box
of capsules. The trio gasped as they stood paralyzed in anticipated horror.
"Easy,
Bulma, you don’t need to do this… we were just kidding!” Krillin stuttered.
"Not fair!
I can't transform yet!" said the pig in terror as Bulma tossed a capsule
down. However, instead of the bombs, bazooka or whatever weapons they had
figured out, it appeared a bucket with water, a scrubbing and a few rags.
Calmly, Bulma picked up the cleaning stuff before turning again and walking
towards her friends.
"Allright."
the angry scientist snapped as she handed to each of them one of the contents
of the capsule" If you have time enough to invent pranks and no-fun jokes,
you have enough time to clean all this mess." she gave a stern nod towards
the puddles created by Oolong and herself, which were spread throughout the
control room and the hallways. Regally, Bulma turned again on her heels and
marched towards the door. Before leaving the room, she halted on the threshold
and turned her head to look at the trio upon her shoulder "When I'll come
back, it'll be better that everything is shining." And with this, she
finally left.
"We have
nothing to do with that!" Krillin bellowed after her, before grudgingly
grabbing the scrubber” I hope you're happy now, “he interjected at the culprit
for their situation. Oolong, however, looked revolted, rather of showing any
sign of shame or guilt.
"The only
thing that’ll make me happy is to go back to Earth!” he sputtered "Bulma
didn't have to be so cross; she supposed to be grateful to me for having paid
her some attention. I have nothing to do with this mission of yours, and I
wasn't even allowed to bring a few 'innocent' magazines to distract
myself."
"You can
borrow my books, if you like," offered Gohan as he knelt to dry the
puddles with a cloth.
Oolong shrugged
off the offering with a wrinkled nose.
"No,
thanks. The only book that could actually interest me would be one of feminine
anatomy, and very specifically. After all these weeks seeing nothing but
butt-faced aliens, I'm starting to forget how a girl's body is. When we'll
become to Earth, I'll probably fall for the ugliest witch that'll appear in
front of me, and I'll think she's a goddess!"
Krillin shook his head. Oolong was definitely hopeless. In at least one thing
he was right, however _he never should have joined them in the trip. After the
Saiyans' attack, when Mr. Popo showed Bulma the spaceship that had taken
Kami-Sama to Earth, they had discussed about who should go to save their planet
from the grim destiny traced by Turles.
For Bulma's
dismay, she was the first one to be chosen, because nobody else would be able
to fix the ship if it happened to break during the trip. But then, she
protested she couldn't go alone and pointed Krillin, one of the few survivors
of the terrible battle. Goku and Yamcha were terribly injured and the rest of
the Earth warriors were dead. However, Kameroshi butt in that only one warrior
wouldn't be enough to protect her against the dangers they would probably find
on space, and volunteered to go with them. His leering eyes set on Bulma
through his black glasses let clear that his real intentions weren't as noble
as his words. In despair, Bulma had glanced until she picked up Oolong.
Probably she had thought the little pig was the lesser of two evils, for at
least she could bully him in order to keep his hands off her. With Kameroshi,
that would be more difficult. In Krillin's opinion, however, that was trading
the kettle for the bottle. When Gohan begged to go with them, instead, both
Bulma and the shapeshifter breathed in relief, but then, Chichi was revolted
that the pig was low enough to allow a innocent, 'helpless' child to go in his
place, and there had been no way but Oolong going, too. A decision that didn't
make anybody happy.
The chose of
the crew remembered Krillin´s of the reason of their trip.
“One thing I
must agree with you, “ he sighed “ It´ll be a great relief when everything is
finished. I don´t even want to figure out what´ll happen if we won´t be able to
gather the black star dragonballs before the time is over.”
At this, a
saddened look appeared in Gohan´s chubby baby-face.
“Pity that
those Namek dragonballs were used months ago. They had three wishes, instead of
one, like the Earth balls. We could have used the second wish to bring
Mr.Piccolo, Mr.Tenshinhan and Chaos back.”
Krillin turned
his head to look at him. During the short time they had fought together the
Saiyans, he had grown attached to Goku´s son, and he knew how much the boy
missed his stern sensei. Gohan´s face had lightened up when the Ancient told
them about the two wishes… just to fell in, when he learned the two wishes had
already made five months ago. Touched by the gang´s disappointment and despair
by those news, the Namekians had told them about the black star dragonballs. It
was their only hope of saving Earth. However, those spheres granted only one
wish.
“Yeah, but
remember what Guru said… they promised that, within four months they will bring
our friends back. So you will see Piccolo again, anyway!”
”It´s true!” Gohan laughed, his face lightening up.
“Eww, I don´t know
why you like that green ugly guy so much,” Oolong shuddered “You should have
asked them to use the second wish to make Yamcha´s face back, too.”
A guilty
silence fell over the control room. They had forgotten the worst victim of the
Saiyan battle.
“Hate to admit
it, but that´s true. I had forgotten that.” Krillin said as he looked down at
the metal floor. And I am the one who, from all people, should have
remembered that, at the first place!
he thought guiltily. He would never forget those terrible moments after
they landed with Bulma´s airplane to retrieve the corpses of their friends
killed by Nappa, the giant Saiyan. Krillin had been the first one to get close
from Yamcha. For his surprise, when touched the body of his friend, the little
monk felt a slight movement. Yamcha was still alive! Krillen let out a happy
squeal that drew everyone´s attention. And then, as Bulma flied towards them
with Mutenroshi and Master Karin on her toes, Krillen turned the body upwards.
The trio froze instantaneously and horrified gasps. For minutes that looked a
lifetime, nobody said or did nothing. Then, Bulma´s face went white and she
fell forward before anybody could say anything, without a yell or word.
Apparently,
Yamcha had managed to struggle free off the saibaman's embrace and back away
from it few seconds before the vegetable monster exploded. However, he was
still too close to be affected by the explosion. Half part of his face had been
torn apart. He was now in coma, in the same hospital as Goku, but nobody was
sure if he would live. Master Karin had warranted that everything would be all
right as soon as he could get senzus for the two injured men. That had seemed
to lift Bulma´s spirit a little, and through a few days she apparently had
returned to her cheerful usual self, but now, thinking back, she seemed to
avoid the matter. A wave of guilt washed over him. During the entire trip, he
had several times lamented mentally that they had to take Bulma with them. The
young scientist managed to be a burden even worse than Oolong, with her
constant whining and bitching. She was always getting in trouble and needing to
be rescued. Nothing of this was new, but honestly, she was managing to be worse
than her usual.
“But… Master
Karin promised that Yamcha-san´s face will be as new when he´ll eat the senzu!”
Gohan said.
"Oh come
on kid, get real. There's LIMITS to everything! I was looking at the cat as he
said that… his forehead was dripping with sweat! How can we be sure that the sensu would even
work for..."
“Don´t listen
to him, Gohan.” Krillin cut off the pig´s rambling “ I believe on Master Karin´s habilities. It´s
natural that we´re all nervous _ especially Bulma. And if the senzu won´t work,
we may ask Shen-long when we´ll be back to Earth. Everything will be allright,
you´ll see.”he forced a smile.
“You must have
caught Goku´s optimistic virus, all of you” Oolong shook his head, then gave a
shrug “Well, how much long for the next dragonball?”
”We must be close, by now, for the last time I checked. Gohan, may I see the
dragon radar?” the monk asked, just to receive silence as response. Krillin
turned around to see Goku´s son staring absently at the space through the
window.
“What´s wrong?
Did you see something funny?” the little man asked with concern.
“No… It´s just
that I feel… I feel funny… like if we´re not alone.”
***
Vegeta frowned
and shut his eyes even tighter as he shrunk and embraced himself in a fetal
position, searching for any last remnants of his corporal heat. That blasted
Freeza, he had locked him naked into one of his ice cellars again! The last
time that had happened, he had been taken out of there just in time before he
risked to loose his members, but his tail had to be cut off. However, this
time, he didn´t believe he would be so lucky. Vegeta tightened his eyes even
more, not wanting to look at his hands or feet, In his mind, he already could
see his fingers and toes growing dark with gangrene…
His face was leaning
in a rough, irregular surface, in nothing like the floor of the ice cellar. His
eyes snapped open just to blink instantaneously because of the water that
didn´t stop entering on them. Slowly, he sat, brushing his face with one hand,
feeling the weight of something clammy and stuck onto his back - his own hair,
soaked and heavy with water. He took one breath then another, and blinked
again, as his thoughts slowly reorganized themselves in his mind. Gathering
courage, he raised his hands towards his face, to stare at them, as raindrops
incessantly drummed against their healthy, rosy skin. He glanced hurriedly at
his feet, though in the back of his mind he already knew it was unnecessary: he
wasn't on Freeza's cage, but in the same, abandoned planet he had been in the
last years!
Vegeta raised
his head, feeling the rain against his face, his eyes almost closed and no
smile in his mouth, despite his great relief. He was naked, yes, and cold, too,
but that was because of the rain, and not because the tortures of the insane
half-lizard. He was in opened space, stuck forever in that planet, yet somehow
free, for since the beginning of his long exile he never had seen the
surroundings of a cellar again. Well, at least something good in this wretched
situation. But... what use that could have for him?
A lightning
flashed through the sky, making him blink for some moments. How long had he
remained up there, at the top of the waterfall, after having allowed himself to
drown in despair and exhaustion? As he slowly stood up, a wave of shame and
self-disdain swept his mind. How could he let himself to break down like that?
Even if he had lost everything, he was still Vegeta. Even if he had to spent
one million of years in that forsaken place, no one or nothing could take that
from him.
The thought,
however, reminded him his lost of every hope of leaving, and he felt his
stomach sink. Perhaps, the former prince
thought absently as he looked at the landscape below, he should try to see what
was behind those mountains. Nothing guaranteed that he was the only intelligent
form of life living in that world… anyway,
to sit there forever wouldn´t take him anywhere.
Suddenly, he
sneezed. That wasn´t the best moment for existential thoughts. He could make
his plans later, in a dry place.
He had started
his way down the valley, when his sensitive ears caught something above the
rumble of the thunder and the hissing of the rain. A sound initially weak, but
that was gradually and ominously growing stronger at every next second. Oh no.
Vegeta gave a
quick glance above his shoulder a split second before starting to run, as
faster as the wretched wind allowed him. Because of the blasted rain, the river
had been getting thicker, until its waters could no longer be restrained by the
banksters and invaded the shores, taking down everything in the way. Vegeta had
seen lots of floods like that. Usually that didn’t worry him, because his cave
was in a higher place and out of reach from the hungry waters. He had even
taken advantage of the floods to get his meat. However, that was the first time
he was directly in the way of the danger.
A group of
trees was getting more and more closer . His only way was to climb one of the
trees, and hope that it would be strong enough to resist the force of the
water. His chance was minimal, the flood was too close, but like always, he was
confident. Vegeta could run faster than most of the animals. Frequently, he had
caught small saurians in the run, before pulling them by their tails.
But he wasn't
fast enough.
A wave of muddy
water hit his back with the crushing impact of a dinosaur's tail, taking the
air of his lungs and throwing him face-down. At a matter of seconds, the brown
water surrounded him before Vegeta had time enough to jump on his feet again.
Gulping water, he still braced, in order to try and keep his head out of the
waters, but the waves balanced him back and forth.
Then something
hit onto his head.
However, even
if he wasn't unconscious, he wouldn't have noticed another thing coming; maybe
the thunder and the roar of the flood didn't let him hear. The fact is that, he
didn't notice the sound announcing the arrival of something that would change
the destiny of that small, forsaken planet. Something that he had given up on
relying for hope several hours ago.
The sound of a
spaceship.