Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ New Dawn ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5

Days passed and Kethry got quickly into the rhythm of life with the Saiyan prince. Breakfast was served as soon as the sun started to peek over the horizon. Vegeta would spend much of the day by the pond, working out or throwing punches and kicks at an imaginary opponent. From time to time, water would explode as he sent what he called a ki (or chi) blast into the quiet face of the water. He had other names for the strange light blasts and would yell them as he aimed at the unarmed fish. Beyond this, her host spoke little, mostly communicating in grunts and looks. Except for the time when he offered her a change of clothes, he started very few of the talks they had. Her position of servant seemed to have been accepted but was never openly discussed. It was almost five days later before Vegeta so much as showed an interest in the person she really was.

"Girl! What drove you into my forest?" He was just finishing the last of the grilled fish Kethry had fixed for dinner. He set his plate on the ground before him and took up what Kethry had come to understand was a normal, princely pose for him; arms crossed over his chest and icy eyes narrowed. She could just picture him scowling down at someone from a throne. His cool, lofty manner and the way orders flowed from his lips let her know he was someone very used to having his way.

Kethry glanced up, using the back of her hand to wipe her mouth before speaking. "Well, that is easy and complex at the same time."

His eyes narrowed farther. "Do you not think my mind is able to understand?" His anger was a tangible thing; it crackled around him like a field, electric and dangerous to touch.

Mentally regrouping, Kethry chose her next words with care. "No, not at all. I just know it will seem like a stupid reason to you."

The smell of ozone faded from the air and a smirk came to Vegeta's lips. "You Earthlings are such a weak race." He waved a hand at her, indicating that she should get on with her tale.

Nodding, Kethry took a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking. "Well, like I said before, my parents left me when I was very young. From there, I was shuffled from foster home to foster home. I never seemed to fit into any family, because I was strong-willed and didn't want to submit to their so-called rules. This caused troubles for me as an adult, as well. I could never keep any job for very long, and those I thought to be my friends quickly turned their backs on me when I wouldn't whisper and plot with them. Men found me to be `snotty', as they put it. One day, it just became clear to me that, whatever I did, I would never find my true place in this world. Since I couldn't bring myself to slit my wrists or anything, I just walked into the woods, figuring nature would take care of me, the misfit that I am."

Vegeta watched her closely and seemed to take in every word. When she was done, he chuckled slightly. "They couldn't handle a bit of self-assurance, eh? But you are right in one thing, I do think your solution was a weak way of handling your situation. This is neither here nor there anymore." He leaned back against the tree he always sat under. "So, you are saying that there is no one to whom you need to return, then?"

Kethry shook her head. "I doubt anyone even knows or cares that I am missing."

A slow smile replaced the smirk, and the prince's eyes glinted in the fading light. "Very interesting"

This it seemed was the end of the conversation. For any try on Kethry's part to strike up any more talk was met with a distracted grunt.

More days went by and days turned to weeks. The quiet of the isolated forest worked its way into Kethry's tortured soul, healing wounds from words and actions long left open and raw. Beyond cooking dinner, carrying wood, and fetching water, Vegeta never really asked anything more of her. She took to walking around the pond, spending hours staring into its cool blue/green depths. The little fat she had carried melted away and was replaced by lean muscle. Her once pale skin took on a golden glow from the sun's kiss. Dulled eyes regained their emerald shine and her long, silver hair regained its luster. She was starting feel like a woman reborn, for here in forest she had found an acceptance she had never known before.

Kethry had been there little more than three weeks when she began to get concerned for the state of their foodstuffs. The second self was taking on an empty look. She brought up the subject at the dinner fire one night.

"Vegeta"

The prince blinked and raised his eyes from the fire; he often seemed to lose himself in some far-off time and place in the fire's wavering light. "Yes?" He sounded slightly miffed at having his thoughts disturbed.

Kethry tossed a stick into the flames. "We are starting to run short of supplies. How do you get foodstuffs out here?"

"How long have you been here?" He had a habit of not really answering her questions, only asking one of his own. Kethry's brow knitted as she worked out the time line.

"Three weeks, give or take a few days."

Vegeta nodded and returned his gaze to the dancing flames. It looked as if to him this closed the matter. Kethry waited a long while, hoping he would respond, but when she was sure he wasn't, she tried to open the subject again. "Vegeta, we only have a few days worth of food left."

The icy blue eyes turned back to her and Kethry suppressed a shiver.

"Do I seem concerned?"

"No, but…" He cut her off swiftly.

"You ask too many questions." His tone boded no argument, which meant the subject was closed, the end; so, Kethry dropped it.