Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Little Slave Girl ❯ Homecoming, At Last! ( Chapter 21 )

Pausing, the broom held tight in his hands, the young namekian looks towards the horizon, a strange expectant expression playing across his handsome features. A slow smile spread across his lips as he handed the broom he'd been using to sweep the garden paths atop the lookout clean of fallen leaves to Mr. Popo.

"They're back!" He cried, hardly controlling his own emotions, he was so glad to feel Ryven's ki amongst the returning party, "I can feel Rowyn, too! But there are some new people I haven't met before, I wonder..."

"Mr. Popo's just happy the girls are safe once more!" The dark skinned man grinned, "Mr. Popo has lost nights of sleep worrying..."

"Your not the only one, my friend!" Dende agreed, "They're very near the Earth! I can feel them!"

***

"I'm sooo tired of this!" Trunks complained, he was sitting next to Goten on the bridge. Chi Chi was in the back with the elven girls and Princess Yarrah. The newest member of thier little group; Tel, was helping Bulma work the controls so that it was easier to fly the ship. Though, she wouldn't say so aloud, Bulma appreciated the much-needed help. "All you can see for hours and hours is blackness and stars...I am sooo sick of all the stars!"

"Oh, lighten up!" Goku grinned over at him, Vegeta glared at them both from his spot in the corner of the room near the shadows where he wouldn't be bothered, "Your just cranky `cause you haven't had a decent meal in days."

"Yeah!" Goten piped up, making a face, "Just this gross-out space pre-packaged pureed crap they call food when it's not even ediable, really!"

"I've always said; both human and saiyan are flawed," Piccolo's low voice came from where he was floating towards the ceiling even with the gravity on normal, "Namekians know what a waste of time and energy having to eat all the time is. Just water and sunlight and the time saved can be put towards more important things; like training."

"Well, excuse me for being born human!" Bulma said, in her snotty voice she tended to save for when she was particually offended. She tossed a crumpled up sheet of computer paper at green and purple shape floating above her, which he ducked with little to no effort, shaking his head at her, "Not all of us were born into a perfect species!"

"Hey!" Vegeta snorted, "Speak for yourself, woman! Saiyans are perfection! Why..."

"Yeah!" Goten interrupted, not catching the death-glare aimed at him by his best friend's father, "Look up totally awesome in the dictionary and there will be a picture of my dad!"

Just then, before an all out quarrel could take hold of them, Rowyn stepped out of the `lift and entered the room. She'd slept for awhile and felt refreshed. She'd found a standard blue with white trim nightshirt that reached her ankles and a pair of matching blue and white socks that made her feel alot better than her tattered clothing. She had allowed Chi Chi to pull her hair up off her neck and braid into a plaited crown about her head.

She had to admit, with her hair needing washed something horribly, having it off her neck was a comfort!

The only thing that would make her feel a hundred percent better would have been a bath of some kind. But she knew that Bulma's ship wasn't built for long journeys so it had no shower or bath installed. If they had to use the toliet it was equipted with a standard Capsule Corp. space vessel elemination tank, that took her a few tries to get the hang of, afraid, at first, she was going to be sucked into space if she wasn't careful.

Though she didn't come to the bridge to daydream about the first few hours she'd been aboard or to wish for things that couldn't be at the time being. Piccolo opened his eyes from where he was meditating and flew down gracefully to the floor of the ship, landing in front of Rowyn. The young elf, for her part, did not avert her eyes when he looked hard at her.

So much had happened in such a short, yet seemingly long time, that had served to alter the otherwise timid little elf. Piccolo could feel it when he was near her, she had learned alot and her ordeal had made her stronger, more self-reliant he noticed right away and less apt to be frightened by someone merely staring at her. A feeling of pride coursed from Nail and Kami and, he had to admit, if only to himself, that he too shared in that emotion.

Yet, something wasn't right. He could feel that from the moment the small, dark-haired elf walked onto the bridge, Something was right at all.

"Ryven?" He asked, though he couldn't feel anything out of place coming from her, still, he was a father to her and fathers worried, "Is she...?"

"She's fine," Rowyn said, "Sleeping still, Chi Chi wanted to wake her up to get her eat something, but she basically told her off and Chi Chi's about to burst she's so mad...!"

"I don't care about that..." Piccolo stopped himself before he could say it, glancing sidelong at Goku, but Nail, inside his head, finished the thought.

** loud-mouthed harpy! **

** That isn't the least bit polite, Nail!** Kami scolded, though he snicked as well, ** I believe you've been trained better than that! **

"What's the matter, Rowyn?" He tried again, "I can feel something's wrong, so don't try to hide anything from me."

By this time, the others on the bridge had drifted closer, thier attention caught, waiting for the little female to answer.

"I wouldn't do that!" Rowyn cried, looking away, "It's...it's Tel!"

"Tel?" Piccolo asked, "The woman we rescued from an exploding ship a few hours ago? What about her?"

"I don't..." Rowyn tried to explain, but she had a hard time putting gut feelings into words, she didn't want to sound...paranoid or anything, "I don't know. I just have a...feeling. I can't really explain it..."

"Hmmm..." Piccolo turned away, seeming deep in thought. He was, actually, mentally touching Tel's mind with his out, carefully scanning to see if he could figure out where Rowyn's strange feeling was coming from. "Very odd..."

He closed his eyes, the darkness behind his lids helping him concentrate. Tel, pretty and young, yet hurting so much inside, emotional wounds which took far more time to heal than did ones of the flesh, felt him uninvited little rummage and suddenly slammed down all her barriers at once, making Piccolo certain she was no stranger to telepathy, and also that she had something she wished to keep hidden from them. He'd felt the sudden panic just before he'd been locked out.

"Well?" Vegeta asked, "Do we blast her into a million peices or what?"

"Don't be so crude!" Bulma cried, wishing he were closer so she could smack him one, "Piccolo?"

"I can't seem to read her," Piccolo said, shaking his head, "So, I suggest we just keep an eye on her."

"Don't you trust her, Piccolo?" Goku asked, looking just a tad bit confused as to what was going on, but, really, wasn't that pretty much how Goku normally looked?

"About as far as Bulma can throw me, Goku." Piccolo answered, before going back to his meditation, "But, who knows, I may be wrong."

***

They arrived a few hours later, Dende was waiting for them when they got to the lookout, Mr. Popo standing off to the side, waiting for a quieter moment to greet everyone. Amid laughter and hugs, Dende spied the new ones, axious to finally meet them face to face. He pulled away from an overly affectionate Trunks and moved to approach the tall thin young woman who'd had her hair cropped short to her head standing next to a young child who seemed to have no just blonde hair, but snowy-white hair!

He held out his hand to the older one, smiling at her in friendliness and welcome; "Welcome to planet Earth!" He said once he'd wrapped his own green-hued hand about her peaches and cream colored one, "My name is Dende. I am the gaurdian of this fine world. I hope you find it to your liking."

Tel nodded, slipping her hand out of his and moving both her hands to a position behind her back, where she stood. "Thank you very much," She replied, her eyes quinting at the afternoon sun, "Dende?"

"Yes." The young namekian, from that brief contact, had felt something...something more than mere wounds that needed healed. He wasn't sure what it was, but it made him think of darkness and he had to force himself not to shudder in front of her.

"Sorry," She smiled, not seeming to notice him suddenly being ill-at-ease, "I have trouble with names, sometimes. I guess it was just my luck to have been gifted with a very simple one."

"My name is Prince Yarrah!" The white-haired child butted in, shoving Tel hard with her hip, glaring at her, "You know that royalty is always introduced first, Commoner!"

Dende looked down at her and could feel the hurt and pain coming from this small child as well. He touched the top of her head and pulled his hand back as if he'd been burned. Oh...He cried to himself, What has she done...?! He would heal almost anyone if only they would ask, but he shied away from even touching anything that had the taint of murder about them. Such as this little one here. He couldn't believe it much less understand it. How could such an innocent, alright, if he was to be honest with himself she did come off a little like a spoiled brat, little child commit such...

He shook his head. No! He thought savagely, It can't be true! There is no way I will believe it! She's just a child who got caught up in things out of her control!

He didn't catch Tel and the princess exchanging a swift look with each other. No one had. Rowyn stayed close to Ryven and Piccolo, afraid to accidently end up alone with either the spoiled little princess or Ensign Tel. She could tell, as could Ryven, that something was not at all right with either one of them!

Ryven secretly hoped deep within her heart of hearts that Dende could heal them of the darkness that seemed to fill them and show them what it was to house illumination and love within them, rather. She hoped that Princess Yarrah, most of all, could be washed clean of her deed and given a new perspective on what, so far, had been her very short life.

Ryven felt fingers close over her own and turned to smile at the other elf she'd gained as a friend now and knew, more than anything, that she would have a loyal companion who would be there for her like a sister for as long as they both drew breath. As her wolf-friend, Snowblind, ambled up and nuzzled her other hand, then surprised her by taking Rowyn's free hand in his mouth and gently tugging it.

Ryven was never so happy to see Snowblind and was so glad that Dende had arranged for him to be atop the lookout as well, waiting, to welcome them all home. The sight of her wolf-bond was good for her weary heart and soul.

"He wants you to scratch his ears," Ryven said, not able to suppress a giggle, "It's his way of saying your accepted by him."

"I'm honored," Rowyn whispered, smiling, tears making her eyes sparkle, as she scratched the white wolf's large ears, "Snowblind."

At the same time, she sent to the wolf, as did Ryven, her own fingers curled into the thick fur along his ruff; ** Friends.**

** Nice friends ** The wolf sent, not words really, but a general all-around feeling of comradeship,

** Loyal Ryven...loyal Rowyn...**

Ryven bent down and rubbed her head against his own, agreeing. Rowyn smiled and watched, not quite that comfortable with the powerful creature that could snap her neck in two like an old twig as easy as he could look at her, as Ryven played with the wolf, reaffirming thier bond at the same time.

Niether elf or wolf caught the ficker of envy which flashed across Princess Yarrah's face before she turned her eyes away from them. Tel noticed and didn't say anything, she didn't even aknowlege what she had seen with a certain look. She kept her face blank, waiting for what was to come next.