Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ RipTide ❯ 10 ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10

Maugrim gave low growl as he lay on the lush red rug before the blazing fire in the hearth, his jet black fur shining in the firelight.
"Oh, thank you," Hitomi said politely as Natsumi handed her a mug of hot tea. Natsumi sat down on the one-seater couch closest to the fire and closest to Maugrim while Hitomi sat on the one in the center.
"A very poisonous and sharp plant cut the boy: the Kisouki. I applied an antidote and antibiotic for his wound. He'll have to keep the bandage on for at least two weeks. It will hurt if he moves his arm, but it shouldn't affect his movement," Natsumi spoke in a soft, kind and velvety voice. Hitomi kind of anticipated this from the stories she heard from the tavern.
"Thank you, Natsumi," Hitomi finally spoke. Both the alchemist and Maugrim looked at her. Maugrim actually seemed to smile. Natsumi gave a short, light laugh, "It seems we've become quite famous, haven't we?" She looked in the direction of Maugrim who gave a low rumble. Natsumi reached down and stroked Maugrim's head, earning a pleasurable rumble from the black beast.
"Are you two the only saiiyans here?" Natsumi broke the silence and Hitomi looked up.
"Yes, how did you know?"
Natsumi's tone sounded of one of humor, "Well, besides your furry belts, no one in their right mind would venture the woods at this time of night without a good source of light. And the half moon in the sky isn't enough for the naked eye. What were you doing out here anyway?"
Hitomi looked sheepish, "My friend and I wanted to find out about the rumors of 'Natsumi and Maugrim'. I guess they're true."
"So they are."

~*~
Daylight was a short period of time on Perilin, so it was always met with happiness. The daytime brought out the bright colors of the forests and the plains, and the sparkling waters of the ocean. Light gave life after the death darkness of night. In a lone cottage on the sea cliff, this was proved once more, with the help of an alchemist's potions.
Adrian sat up in bed groaning, rubbing his arm and then wincing at the pain he felt. He didn't recognize where he was, and Hitomi was nowhere to be found. Adrian's insides went tight. He had never trusted strangers, and to find himself waking up in an unknown dwelling was a nasty shock that only succeeded in making him mad. He got up and pushed open the door to his room and stomped out.
The only one in the house at the time was Maugrim, who was lying with his head on his paws in the middle of the floor, facing the doorway. But he looked up sharply when Adrian stormed out, with a slightly trapped look on his face that said 'I am out of here, or here is dust.'
Maugrim was on his feet in an instant, and Adrian stopped short, shocked into immobility to see the great wolf in front of him, inside the house no less. Something flashed through his mind; they must have found the house of Natsumi. But was she dangerous? Would Maugrim permit him to leave and look for Hitomi?
Maugrim, instead of showing signs of hostility, gave two short, harsh barks. After a minute, Adrian could here the sound of footsteps approaching the front door.

Adrian froze in place as the door slowly creaked open and daylight poured in. He had to shield his eyes with his unharmed hand as two figure stepped in from the light.
"Adrian, you're up. I thought you were gonna stay in bed forever," Hitomi walked up to him with grin, glad to see that he was already getting better. Adrian smiled to his comrade, but his glance was wary on the woman standing beside her. Pale brown skin, violet eyes, long raven hair and a friendly smile.
"I take it you must be Natsumi," Adrian acknowledged her. Hitomi shook her head and stood beside him, "Actually, that's just the name the natives gave her when she first arrived here."
Adrian blinked and looked at 'Natsumi'. She smiled a smile that seemed to reflect the sun's warm rays, "My name is Zafira."

Maugrim snorted and shook his head. Zafira smiled and went over to stand beside him, stroking the shaggy fur of his neck. "What, did I ruin your fun?" she said with a smile.
Adrian hardly noticed these curious words. Zafira... he thought to himself. Why does that name sound so familiar...?
But before he could answer his own question, his own stomach growling interrupted him. Maugrim pricked up his ears and stared at Adrian in surprise. Hitomi shook her head and Adrian blushed, but Zafira chuckled.
"You must be hungry after such a long nap. Here, have a seat and I'll get you both something to eat."

~*~
Several minutes later, Adrian and Hitomi found themselves slurping down a delicious broth like they hadn't eaten in days. The soup tingled and bubbled going down until it warmed their very insides through and through.
All Zafira had was something to drink, but she watched the teenagers eat with a blend of curiosity and amusement on her face.
Adrian kept getting bowl after bowl, his movement apparently unhindered by his unusable arm. However, once Hitomi had eaten a few bowls, she turned politely to Zafira. "So, what's the story with you guys? I mean, you really are famous. How'd you get here? And where'd he come from?" she added, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at the big wolf.
There was a crunching sound. Whatever Maugrim was eating was getting blood all over the carpet.

Zafira shook her head at Maugrim, "Maugrim, you could show a little more etiquette with the cubs here."
Adrian raised a brow at Zafira, "Your name sounds very familiar. You're a saiiyan, so you must've seen the king and queen once."
Zafira had to resist the urge to laugh while Maugrim rolled his eyes.
"I was queen," she said nonchalantly, causing the young prince to spit out his broth and both teens to gawk at her. Adrian looked at her in disbelief, "You're pullin' my leg right?"
Zafira turned him, "Adrian. Prince Adrian is it?" Adrian lowered his eyes at her, "We have met before, haven't we?"
The smirk never left Zafira's face, "Your father is King Vegeta, yes?"
"Uh huh."
"Did he ever tell you about his parents?" Adrian nodded, but then he looked Zafira in her eyes. There was something strangely familiar about them...
A soft lullaby..
A soft, warm laugh..
Warm arms wrapped around him as he was sung to sleep..
"Grandma?"

Hitomi dropped her spoon, "Queen Zafira?"
Zafira could only smirk while Maugrim snorted and rested on the rug.
"You mean that I've been under the roof of my own grandmother's house and I didn't know?!" Adrian cried. Zafira smiled, "Well are you going to stand there or are you going to give me a hug?"
Adrian, still speechless, got up to give her a great big hug.
"Mom and Dad always told me you were gone. They never told me what they meant," Adrian looked her in the eyes. Zafira could only smile warmly, "Maybe there were certain things about me and their past that they didn't want you to know."
She gently pulled from her grandson's arms to pick up the dishes from the table.
"Like what? That my grandmother's a famous alchemist? What's so shameful about that? I mean, you're no longer tied down to being a monarch, you should be allowed to do what you want," Adrian argued. Zafira merely chuckled, "If you only knew, child."
She picked up the dishes and walked into the kitchen.

~*~
"So you have a little sister too? Is she as pretty as her mother?" Zafira asked curiously as she lay on her side in the grass. She had taken the teens out into the forest near the lake to bask in the sun's warm rays. Adrian snorted, "Yes, but under that cute exterior is an annoying little brat."
Zafira smiled. Vegeta must have his hands full with these two!
"But what about you? Why did you leave? And where's grandpa?" Adrian asked, eager to know more. Hitomi sat silently, the closest to the lake, listening. She watched the queen with interest. For a grandmother, she didn't look a day over 30. The science books weren't kidding when they said saiiyans aged slowly. Zafira sighed and sat back, "Your grandfather got itchy feet."
"Huh? You mean he didn't like to stay in one place," Adrian spoke. Zafira nodded, "He felt cooped up in the palace and wanted to go exploring again. So he chartered a ship to leave and took me with him."
Adrian was awed, his need to explore was definitely in the genes.
"We've probably been halfway around this galaxy and back. I never knew Sdhoirm had so many acquaintances," Zafira gazed out on the lake.
"What happened to him? Isn't he here with you?" Adrian raised a brow.

Zafira smiled. "Ask 'Maugrim'."
Adrian blinked. "Maugrim? What does he have to do with it?"
They all turned their heads towards the big storm wolf, who had just pounced on a rabbit and was holding the still-struggling creature underneath one big paw. He hadn't been listening to their conversation. Sensing their eyes on him, he turned and looked at them curiously.
"Let it go," Zafira told him firmly. "Come here for a minute."
Maugrim obediently lifted his paw and watched the terrified rabbit streak away through the grass. Then he got up and padded over to lie down next to Zafira. She sat up and fluffed the fur on his back.
"They wanted to know what happened to Sdhoirm," she told him with a smile. "I figured no one could explain it better than you."
Maugrim turned his head sharply to look at her, but Zafira just lifted an eyebrow. Maugrim snorted stubbornly and put his head on his paws. Adrian and Hitomi glanced at each other, wondering what was going on.
"Did Maugrim kill Sdhoirm?" Hitomi asked slowly, taking a shot in the dark.
Maugrim's head shot back up again, and Zafira burst out laughing. When she had finished, she exclaimed, "Goodness, no! Sdhoirm is fine. And if Maugrim wasn't so stubborn, you'd find out just what happened to him." She pushed lightly at the side of Maugrim's head.
The big wolf whined, but finally rose reluctantly to his feet and moved into the grass a few feet away. Turning to face them again, Maugrim stood and waited.
Suddenly, to Adrian and Hitomi's complete surprise, the wolf began to glow. His entire body became a white shape with no distinguishing lines or limbs. He became so bright that the teenagers could barely look at him, but they were too fascinated to cover their eyes.
Then their surprise turned to shock as Maugrim's glowing body began to change form. First it appeared that the wolf stood up on his hind paws, but his forelimbs became arms and his hindlimbs became real legs. Instead of the wolf, the glowing shape had taken on the form of a man, tall and strong. When the glow finally faded and died away, Adrian and Hitomi realized that Maugrim wasn't a wolf...he was a Saiyan. It had to be Sdhoirm.
Sdhoirm had a lion's mane of spiky black hair, and loose black clothing that hung from his strong arms and broad shoulders. His skin was golden tan, just like Vaya's, a black length of cloth was tied around his waist, and his boots were black as well. His eyes were black as midnight, but they still held that almost all-knowing inner glow, and a constant life sparkle that hinted at boundless energy.
Tilting his head back, Sdhoirm stretched his arms and his fingertips to the sky. Then he sprang up and performed three back-handsprings and a backflip.
"It feels great to be back in my own body again," he said happily. His voice was unlike any other male Saiyan's...it was velvety smooth, without the slightest rasp at all. He stopped his gymnastics and looked back at them. "But I'm going to get you, Zafira, for spoiling my game."

Zafira had to fight back a giggle, "Stop being a such a big baby, Sdhoirm. It's not like everyone on Perilin knows our secret. And besides, you knew the cubs would find out sooner or later."
She looked to the kids who were still gawking at her mate. Hitomi looked at the tall saiiyan with awe and wonder. So this was the famous Sdhoirm who used to fight alongside Vegeta's father. His voice was so much smoother than your average saiiyan's, and he was handsome. She could actually sit there and admit that. Judging by his clothes and the way he carries himself, he must be the kind that fights only when he feels the need to. She looked at him with a smile, she liked him already.
Sdhoirm returned her smile with a cocky grin and returned to the group to flop down on the ground next to Zafira. "So what are you to doing here, anyway?" he asked curiously. "If I remember correctly, Vegeta wouldn't even allow you to be left in a room by yourself, Adrian."

Zafira looked over to the two children, "You forget, Sdhoirm, Adrian was only a few weeks old at that time."
Sdhoirm smirked. "You think that made a difference?"
"Apparently not." Adrian smiled at the two, "Actually, I left without really consulting Mom and Dad."
Hitomi scoffed, "He left in the dead of night and left us with nothing more than a letter of his reasons why he took off. Gohan and I found him in a trade junker and the thing took off before I got the chance to get out."
Zafira's eyes lit up, "Gohan? How is he?"
"Probably a nervous wreck. Who do you think has to break the news to my parents?" Adrian spoke. Zafira and Sdhoirm stifled their laughter.
"We were never really told much about you," Sdhoirm said, looking at Hitomi. Adrian smiled, "Hitomi here was hired to be Vitani's baby-sitter."
Hitomi nudged, "That's royal caretaker of the princess."
"Judging by our calendar, the madness has passed. Are you mated?" Zafira asked lightly, though out of the blue. Hitomi blinked, "Um, no. I choose not to get involved in mindless sex-fests."
Zafira and Sdhoirm looked at each other.
Sdhoirm shrugged it off. "Vaya didn't like it either. Although...I think that she had always had sort of a crush on Vegeta, and was just too shy to do anything."

"Really?" Zafira looked at her mate with interest, "Well Vegeta was always shy around Vaya. When I first introduced them he could never form a complete sentence in front of her."

"I noticed." Sdhoirm smirked. "Let me guess...it wasn't like that with you two at all," he said, pointing to Adrian and Hitomi.
The two teens looked at each other and blushed and looked away. Zafira smirked and nudged Sdhoirm, "Why'd you ask them a question like that, dear?"
"Because I felt like it." He said it as if this were the most natural reason in the world.
To direct the conversation away from himself and Hitomi and their awkward relationship, Adrian directed the subject back to his grandparents. "Well, how did you guys meet, then?"
The two elder saiiyans looked at each other with knowing smirks.
"Probably similar to the way you two met."

~*~
"So, how have things been in the palace?" Sdhoirm asked as he walked with King Vegita through the gardens of the Vegetaseii Palace during sunset.
"The same as usual: business, planet trade and more business," the king said with boredom. Sdhoirm chuckled and shook his head, "Ah, the life of a king."
"Shh" Vegita whispered. Sdhoirm blinked, "What? What is it?"
The two ventured quietly where a large fountain stood with a statue of an oozaru saiiyan in the center. Standing at the base was Zafira, clad in her general armor. She folded her arms as she watched the sunset, a stern look donned her usually peaceful features as the breeze blew at her hair.
"Who's that?" Sdhoirm squinted his eyes, getting his first look at the woman. Vegita smirked and crouched down, admiring her, "That, my friend, is Frieza's general: Zafira."
Sdhoirm's eyes lit up, "Ah, so that is the revered saiiyan general everyone's been so worked up about."
Vegita and Sdhoirm both got up and slowly approached her. She slowly turned to the two with a mildly smug look, "You know, spying is very rude, king or no."
The king smirked and brushed past her to stand at her other side. Zafira merely smirked, "So, come out of your vast kingdom to mingle with the outsider, hmm?"
"Actually, I came here to talk with my friend. But since you're here, I think it would only be proper for me to introduce you," the king gestured his hand towards his comrade. Zafira turned to him and acknowledged him with a nod.
"Zafira, meet my good friend Sdhoirm. Sdhoirm, meet Zafira. The saiiyan general everyone's been so worked up over," Vegita quoted his friend, earning a raised brow from the general. Zafira turned to the king, "Is that what the people think of me?"
Sdhoirm flashed an innocent grin and shrugged, the king doing likewise. Sdhoirm watched as the two looked into each other's eyes, both with smirks on their faces. They seemed to each know something that he didn't. He raised his brow at this. From that moment on, he knew there was an attraction between the two. She never even truly acknowledged him until after Cyrene's death and her rise as queen.

~*~

Adrian and Hitomi raised eyebrows at each other.
"If you hardly gave Sdhoirm a second glance, and had a thing with the king, then how did you guys get to know each other in the first place?" Hitomi asked Zafira curiously.
"We really didn't get to know each other until after Queen Cyrene's death," Sdhoirm spoke up. Adrian and Hitomi looked at him. Zafira smiled in spite of herself, "The king began to show more interest in me after the royal medical staff reported that Cyrene was infertile. I, being attracted to the king already, didn't resist his advances and we had an affair. Cyrene suspected and...ahem...caught us in the act and challenged me to a duel."
Adrian and Hitomi hung on her every word. Zafira shrugged indifferently, "I won, became queen and got pregnant. After the wedding and coronation, I saw Sdhoirm more often, him being the king's childhood friend and all."
"Oh." Adrian nodded his head in understanding. Hitomi did the same.
Just then, Sdhoirm turned around to face the horizon over the sea. The sun was beginning to set, throwing golden streaks over the ocean and a golden curtain over the sky. He got to his feet.
"We'd better get inside," he said seriously. "It'll get dark very quickly. And, as I'm sure you two are well aware of, unpleasant...things sometimes wander these areas at night." He winked at Adrian and Hitomi. The two nodded knowingly and got up.