Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Little Slave Girl ❯ Goku! ( Chapter 5 )

Rowyn sat at the mouth of the cave those she still secretly thought of as her masters brought her to three days ago.

She was busy braiding a garland of wildflowers together, her mind off somewhere far as her fingers worked with dexterity not many could match, though she did not think of herself of any great worth nor her talent.

Ryven was still asleep with Snowblind, in the shelter of the cave. It was still quite early, even for Rowyn who was used to rising hours before the crack of dawn to begin her duties.

She'd stirred early enough to catch Piccolo just ending his nightly meditations and he'd looked at her with subtle annoyance, as if she'd been the one to disturb him. Since he loathed being interrupted during his moments of mental repose, night, while others slept, seemed the best time to do it.

Rowyn watched the sunrise in the distance, making the leaves on the trees surrounding them glow a pretty auburn hue, like fire in the leaves, and placed her garland beside her. She saw shapes against the sky as her dark eyes lifted above the tops of the trees.

Her sensitive ears also heard Ryven moving about in the cave and Snowblind gave a soft bark that showed he was awake as well. Rowyn looked fearful at the sky. One figure she knew, but the other was new and therefore she felt she had to be wary.

She scrambled up and ran back into the cave, ducking down behind the blankets and furs she'd slept in the night before, waiting.

Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt as if she would throw up if she'd eaten anything yet. Ryven looked at her askance as she tied her cape about her shoulders and donned her boots.

"What's wrong?" She asked, she had sensed Piccolo returning as well as someone else, Goku, someone no one should have been afraid of…unless they were looking for a fight, that is…or didn't have enough food… "Rowyn?"

Rowyn wouldn't speak. She simply buried herself deeper, trying to hide, shaking with undo fear. Ryven sighed and left her there. There was really nothing she could do at the moment and went out to greet the being she called father and Goku.

"Goku-san!" Ryven bowed politely to the dark-haired saiyan warrior, before he smiled and she ran over and hugged him, "How are you?"

"Hey, kiddo!" Goku said, laughing, "Good to see you. I'm all right. I hear you have a friend here who knows how to cook?"

"Cook?" The little blonde elf looked up at him, her head cocked to one side in confusion, Rowyn hadn't ever cooked anything as far as she knew…

"Um," Piccolo cleared his throat, giving Ryven a `I had to tell him something' look that she understood right away, "Where is she, Seito?"

Ryven pointed over her shoulder towards the gaping mouth of their shelter, saying; "She saw you two arriving and got all freaked out…"

"Oh, so she's in there?" Goku asked, bounding with his boyhood exhilaration, into the cave, "Yoo-hoo! Rowyn? Are you in here?"

"Goku-san!" Ryvn cried out, trying to stop him, "No! You'll scare her even more…"

Piccolo and Ryven both ducked into the cave and peered over Goku's massive shoulder, he was crouched down on his heels, looking at the lump of shivering bedding which was Rowyn. Goku reached over and pulled the bedding away, revealing Rowyn, who stared up with large, bright-dark eyes, "Aaaw, Why are you so scared, little one? I won't hurt you."

"Rowyn-chan!" Ryven said, "Come out! This is Goku…he's a friend."

"I hear you can cook!" Goku said, smiling broadly. Rowyn's mouth curved upwards slowly and she met Goku's eyes.

"That depends…" She said, warming to his friendly, childlike manner.

"On what?" He asked, as she wondered, to herself, how his hair stayed that way…

"On what, exactly, you want me to cook." She answered and his grin widened even more, if that was possible…

"Oh, Gosh!" He exclaimed, "Let's see…ummm…how much time do you have, well, I like…"

Piccolo and Ryven groaned to them selves as Goku began to list off his all-time favorite foods, which of course, was everything he had ever eaten in his entire life. The list would have been much longer had he not run out of fingers and toes to count them on.

But, by the time he had finished, Rowyn was giggling behind her hands, unsure of what to make of him but liking him none-the-less.

"Please, forgive my laughter," She said to him, "You are just very…odd…to me."

Goku shrugged, "Don't worry, I get that a lot…"

"Piccolo told me that he thinks you'd like to come live at my house," Goku said to her, raising a dark eyebrow, "Is this true?"

She nodded. "It would please me," She said carefully, "If it would please you."

"Only if you can cook!" He said, and added, shrugging, "If not, I guess Chi Chi can teach you, she's good at that sort of thing."

At the mention of that bothersome woman's name, Piccolo shoved an urge to groan down his throat.

** Let's just hope she doesn't teach her how to scream and throw things…** Kami whispered inside Piccolo's head.

** She might just pick up Chi Chi's habits, regardless. ** Nail bit off.

I highly doubt that, Piccolo thought to them, Although, I am fairly certain Chi Chi would frighten her terribly…

** A dust devil frightens her. ** Nail said harshly, snorting.

** So, we ease her into the situation slowly, ** Kami said, a bit arrogantly, but that was to be expected, being as he was the guardian of the earth for so many centuries, ** Introduce her to Goku, let him clear the path, so to speak, with his wife so that she will accept her when she comes…**

Piccolo mentally nodded. He could not have put it better himself. Rowyn needed a friend straight away inside the Son house, someone she knew would be there for her to talk with when she got lonely or Chi Chi scolded her, and if there was anyone who was perfect at friendship, it was Goku.

He looked over to see Goku looking, with rapt fascination at Ryven's belt, the grass and pebble one Rowyn had made for her and asking Rowyn all kinds of questions as to how she had made and how long it had taken her and what she was thinking when she decided to create it.

"Could you make me one, too?" He asked, though he knew he couldn't ever wear it, not and still fight, it would be ruined, but maybe he could give it to Chi Chi as a way apologizing for walking out earlier when she'd still be screaming at him.

He'd forgotten what it was she had been angry about in the first place. Probably had a nightmare that he'd left her for Bulma again.

She seemed to have that dream a lot, he'd noticed, and he always woke up with a headache due to her slamming her fists against his skull in her half-asleep rage at him for even daring to cheat on her…even if was only a nightmare on her part!

His wife did crazy things like that sometimes, Goku reflected, as Rowyn shoved a lock of her hair behind one pointed ear, Sometimes he wished he still thought getting married was some kind of food and had refused to try it!

Goku loved his wife. No, that wasn't entirely true. Well, he loved her as he would any fellow living, breathing creature who was his friend also and as the mother of his children, well, he respected her for that role as well as for the job she did cleaning and cooking for him.

He feared, with all the children being male, and Bulma busy so often with her husband and family, that Chi Chi had been growing irritable for lack of female company to alleviate her boredom while he was training elsewhere.

Having Rowyn come live with them would be a good idea, he thought, smiling at the little elf, A very good idea.