Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Cousin ❯ A Place Called Home ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own DragonBall Z or any of it's characters. All original characters and fan fictions are © ErieDragon 2002.

Author's Note: We are now switching to my normal third person storytelling. I may start adding a few Japanese words, but I'll have a few brief translations.. -Sometimes all you need to say is "Aishiteru."-

~Makú ga aku.

The curtain rises. ~

~*~

She awoke, blinking profusely as she tried to regain her vision. Even with her eyes open, all was dark beside a dim, gray light filtering in through a small window. Soon, she could make out her surroundings as her eyes adjusted; quilted padding surrounded her on all sides, and the pattern broke only in a curved, baseball pattern to her left. Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation, as if she were lying sideways. She sat up, her face level with the window, which shed a dim light onto her young face.

She was inside a pod.

"Goodbye, my daughter," she faintly remembered her father's harsh voice, as if it were an almost forgotten dream. Her mother... Her mother had been dying. Who know how long the little girl had been there, perhaps her mother was already dead.

Either way, she had to get out of that suffocating ship.

Ona slowly pushed open the hatch, stepping out onto wobbly legs. She slipped, bracing her palms into the lower arc of the crater, which extended from her central spaceship. She got to her feet and progressed out of the artificially-formed basin and onto flat, grassy land.

Ona yawned and stretched, clearing her eyes of the debris sleep bestowed upon her. She took in her surroundings slowly; the trees were tall and thin, only wearing leaves and branches at the very top. The grass was made of various shades of blue; from emerald teal to deep navy, the long blades rippled in a soft breeze, creating a cyan rainbow across the small meadow.

The small, forest-haired girl crouched in the tall grass, her tail wrapped tightly around her small waist. She crawled through the grass, naturally uneasy in strange new surroundings. On the edge of the small prairie, Ona spotted a bizarre, four legged beast. It had a long snout with a big, black nose. It had wide, hooked ears and big, heavy paws to match. A thick mane fell in front of cunning black eyes, a tail of long, thick strands flowing behind it. She crept forward, when suddenly the creature's huge ears caught the sound, causing the large canine to turn and flee.

Ona shrugged and moved on, nearing the safety of the pole-like trees. Abruptly, there was a loud cheering sound ensuing from the clearing behind her. The small girl spun around, a herd of red and green hair moving towards her from across the meadow. The creatures, she now realized, were tall and thin, flaunting large mohawks of alternating red and green hair. They had huge, jutting jaws and steep, flat foreheads, merely features of a single individual's large, powerful head and neck.

The new arrivals charged across the small prairie until they came to a halt before Ona's crater. Their bodies were sleek but muscular, sporting clawed, reptilian hands and canine-like legs. Their scaly paws were large and powerful, while immense yet strong, dinosaur-like tails swished without effort behind them. Ona ducked low in the grass as the strange aliens examined her pod, and a few slid down into the crater to get a closer look. The young Saiyan crawled through the high reeds, listening closely as the creatures spoke in low, strange voices to one another.

Three of the aliens positioned themselves like sentries around her crater, while the rest of them gathered into a herd once more. The gathering began to walk across the prairie, aimed towards the trees just a few degrees away from Ona's hiding spot. She looked in the direction they were headed and spotted a long, thick snout resting behind one of the pole-like trunks. The creature ambled past the tree, digging into the ground with its nose nonchalantly. The small herd, which perhaps consisted of ten members, crouched in the grass as the canine-like animal wandered about, when suddenly she noticed the two front aliens brandishing wide knives.

They were going to slaughter this defenseless creature?

Ona had learned well from her mother. There was the traditional Saiyan rule: kill or be killed. But then, there was the kill only for food, kill only in self-defense, and always try to protect the defenseless. The little girl realized this, for her people, the Letas, had been vulnerable, but were such a kind people... She had always felt bad that her dad was such a heartless murderer, even if her mother had tried to tame him.

The herd of aliens advanced, holding their knives out like silver screwdrivers. The blades were flashy and beaded, dressed in a fine leather on the curvaceous hilts. Ona couldn't let this happen; the creature had no real flesh on its bones to speak of, not like a Horned Giggler. They were fat, muscular beasts who were so enormous, a single infant could feed a village for a week. What was the point? She had to stop them.

Suddenly, one of the creatures jumped up, dashing at the vulnerable, unsuspecting canine. Ona shrieked, pushing with all her speed to leap in front of the poor animal, and in the attacker's way. The alien leaped back in the nick of time, and the big-eared beast watched in shock. First one of the green-haired two-leggeds had attacked it, then another small two-legged had jumped in the way. Just a little too much for its primal brain to comprehend.

"Sanzahen tabkah nutiae santo?" One of the creatures still crouching in the thick meadow grass asked. Ona blinked, attempting to understand the strange language without avail. The attacker nodded and tucked its knife back into the sheath.

"Tandaru sunito kanta, tabkah serate banshu?" It inquired, obviously expecting her to grasp the new concept.

"I don't understand!" She cried, her five-year-old brain on the verge of overload. The mohawked creature shook its arms, taking a step away as if backing off. It bowed, as if acknowledging her and motioned to the big-eared beast standing behind her. Ona felt relatively assured that the creature now had no intent of harming the animal, so she stepped aside.

Amazingly, it walked towards the alien, which hastily snatched a rope from a pouch around its waist. The usually flighty animal stood perfectly calm as the previous threat wrapped the rope around its neck. The rest of the herd, which had been crouching patiently in the grass until now, stood up and approached the small cluster. Ona backed away as they huddled around the beast, one of the alien's jutting heads rising above the others as it sat upon the animal's back.

One of them turned around and watched her, then signaled with a reptilian hand. The group moved across the meadow, Ona in tow. She was following a group of aliens on a strange planet just after arriving in a space pod. This was going to be interesting.

~*~

"Man, Terii, you suck today!" Ona cried, dodging a poorly thrown ball of energy. Her yellow-haired opponent snorted, dropping back to the ground. He sat on his tail, while Ona crouched against the far wall of the training room. The two ten-year-olds glared at each other, until Terii stood up, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Fine, you win," he conceded, sighing. Ona leaped up, jumping into her victory dance.

That evening, the Saiyan girl sat on top of her cave, watching the stars. The people she had come to live with, the Gaijins, resided in small, artificial grottos along a steep mountainside. Below lay the deep, lodgepole forest, where her crater could still be seen. It was now covered in grass and weeds, but tonight she felt a strange pull to it..

Ona climbed off the cave's overhang, jumping into the air and flying slowly down the cliffs. The Gaijins were not martial arts masters or superb energy harnessers, but they could pack a punch and her Saiyan instincts had taught her a few things.

At the mountain's base stood a tall, dome-shaped building. It was made of simple wood beams, allowing all kinds of air and sunlight inside. Ona came to a halt at the wide entrance, immediately greeted by a big, cold nose. She climbed on the San's back, clutching the canine-like animal's long, black mane.

<Where are we going today, young master?> Tanjua asked, her tail swishing back and forth in the easy breeze. It was the full of night, but this was not a hindrance due to the light two small moons and one large one shed upon the planet.

"The pod, where I first saw you. I just want to see it again, I suppose," Ona replied, testing the theory. Tanjua nodded and continued to walk along on her soft, silent paws.

The crater was hardly noticeable among the tall reeds and bushes that had taken over the meadow. But the young Saiyan's well-trained eyes found it with ease, and she got right to sliding down the bowl-shaped crevasse. Her pod was covered in vines and shrubs, which were removed without resistance. The hatch groaned as it opened, revealing the intact interior.

Thinking back to it, this was quite a fascinating piece of machinery. Who knew what kind of mysteries it held! Ona grinned at the thought, climbing inside as she remembered her mother's old tech lessons. Being a computer geek and all, she had taught her daughter many useful tidbits, and now they were being put to use as Ona sat in the Saiyan seat. She attempted to bring the machine to life, tapping away at the buttons and periodically checking the status. The computer sputtered a little until the display suddenly blared a bright green, familiar numbers scrolling across the luminescent screen. The ten-year-old grinned, locating the enhanced computer's most recent files.

Every night, after her adopted parents had gone to bed, Ona would sneak out upon her San's back and fiddle around with the small spaceship. She accessed the many languages her mother had programmed into it, as well as a small chamber containing her papa's scouter and a few electronic Saiyan histories. The forest-haired girl also discovered her mother's side-passion; writing. There were strange, imaginative novels, which were unedited but still entertaining. The only problem was, there was a large file that she just could not gain access to. This would frustrate her to the point of explosion until Tanjua stuck her goofy head into the ship and licked his mistress' face.

~*~

Ona stepped back, wiping her hands together and examining her work. Something was calling her away, away from the Gaijins, and off into the universe. It had been against her for the past five years, causing her to work feverishly. She had a deep desire to leave Gaija, no matter how much she loved it there. Strangely enough, Terii had found the whole idea silly, but Tanjua insisted on accompanying Ona wherever she decided to go. To compensate, Ona had taken apart her pod and studied the components until she was ready to build her own spacecraft, suited to carry the small Saiyan and her large mount comfortably. She combined the pieces of her own spaceship with various metals and oils that some of the Gaijins mined, and had just installed the final engine.

Ona had been dutifully studying the various languages programmed into it, and was now fluent in over twenty of them. She was amazed at the vast knowledge her mother commanded, a powerful asset indeed.

As the Saiyan was transferring files from her old ship to her new one, her adopted mother, Sounhi, approached her. The grown, female Gaijin had a pinkish mohawk and a kind, soothing personality. This obviously hadn't rubbed off on her rude, rambunctious son, Terii.

"You're leaving us, aren't you, Ona?" Sounhi asked in her quiet, motherly way. Ona was about to argue when Sounhi's deep, dark eyes could only know the truth.

"Yes. Something's calling me away from here... I don't know why, how, or where to, but I have to at least try to find out," Ona replied, resting a hand on her well-built space machine. Sounhi nodded and patted her adopted daughter's shoulder, smiling.

"I remember when you first came to us... You defended Tanjua, and now he is committed to you forever. You learned our language, became one of us.. now you are leaving. I shall miss you, daughter," the older Gaijin said, smiling. Ona dipped her head in agreement.

"You too, Sounhi. Where is father?" She inquired. "Terii too. I'm thinking of leaving tomorrow night, but before then, I have to pack and store food." Sounhi grinned and spun around, putting a claw in her mouth and whistling. A tall, green-haired Gaijin and his son, Terii, appeared. They looked around curiously until they spotted Sounhi, where the call had originated.

"Yes?" They asked in eager unison.

"Yuso? Terii? I'm calling you all here to say... I won't be seeing you. I'm leaving tomorrow night, and I will spend the remainder of my time gathering my things for my trip," Ona told them, dropping her head in guilt. Yuso raised an eyebrow, approaching her first.

"Ona, do whatever you please. You have grown up since I first took you under my wing as a lost, little girl, and now it is time for you to return.. home." Yuso paused, having been one of the few Gaijins to hear Ona's Saiyan tales of Vegeta-sei and its people.

"I feel I am being called away... I am prepared for a long journey, but I will be joined by Tanjua," the forest-haired girl said, walking over to Terii. He had purposely kept his eyes off her, for he knew he would be losing his adopted sister and friend. "Bye, Terii. Take good care of Sounhi and Yuso for me," Ona told him, her voice calm and tinted with sadness at leaving her people. The yellow-haired Gaijin raised his eyes, smiling.

"I'll help you pack, sister."

~*~

Tanjua adjusted easily to his quarters, which was mainly a large pillow accompanied by wide, flat bowl. Ona had built her adjacent accommodations much like the Saiyan pod, which was comfortable and easy to maneuver. She had a small, orb-shaped object just to her left, which consisted of many small marbles strung on circular, metal wires all combined into a odd-shaped sphere. It was to entertain her ever-energetic tail, an appendage which her Gaijin friends and family had always found amusing.

The ship was ready.

It had very large energy tanks, which were filled with artificially-powered oils. The pod would be able to fly for months at a time, and she had reserves in case she needed them.

Ona climbed into the pod one last time, closing the hatch as she waved to all the crowded Gaijins. They watched in awe as the machine sputtered to life, the engines flickering on as it ascended into the air. She smiled, proud of her fine, operating work.

"Ready, Tanjua?" She asked, patting the head of her big, furry San.

<As ready as I'll ever be, little mistress,> he responded in amusement. The large pod jolted, hurtling through Gaija's thick atmosphere and into the vast, black depths of space. The two friends drifted off, heading to where, no one knew.

~*~

Ona awoke, her eyes heavy and drawn. She rubbed them free of sleepy-seeds, and quickly set about to peering outside the hatch. They had landed on a planet, but it was not a familiar one. The information left by her mother covered a few places and short descriptions, but this fit none of them. The teenage Saiyan tapped lightly into the pod's keypad, knowing her San was still fast asleep just a few feet away. The air was oxygen and nitrogen, which meant it was probably breathable. Ona sat up, opening the hatch.

Her feet touched solid ground. It wasn't rock hard, but instead seemed to be a vast landscape of raw desert. Off in the distance she could see a few small hills, but that was all. Ona climbed to the top of the crater, where she could get a better look across the flat expanse. The Gaijins were not what you would call a 'modest' people, for they had nothing to cover. Ona shivered in her light robe, and her pants were not in the best of shape. This place was not where she was intended to be, and she turned to make her way back to the ship.

Tanjua sat outside the hatch, cleaning his paws with a long, pink tongue. He looked up as his mistress approached and gave her a unique, San-like smile.

<Can we eat?>

The two devoured a small portion of the food Ona had stored on the ship, and the Saiyan was getting it ready to depart. Tanjua stepped into his side of the pod, walking in circles until he settled into the massive pillow. Ona leaned back, crossing her arms and closing her eyes as the craft departed, heading for another unknown place. She had set the coordinates farther into the distant regions of space, where only one of her mother's records indicated. They were going to the place she was born.

~*~

Ona yawned, opening one deep emerald eye. They were no longer in motion, but she could hear faint voices coming from outside her pod. Tanjua was still fast asleep, of course, so Ona took it upon herself to test the air and step out onto the dirt of her crater, which by now, she was accustomed to. The ship seemed to have landed on a thin strip of black tar, which was hard and painted with white and yellow lines. There were small, green patches of grass, and behind them sat wooden boxes with square windows and all looked identical, except for minor color differences.

There were multiple screams as Ona stepped above the crater, standing with one eyebrow cocked on the asphalt. She looked around, seeing several humanoid creatures without tails ducking behind wheeled, metal objects. The sky here was blue, and dotted with puffy white clouds. Bright, yellow sunlight streamed from behind the marshmallow-like vapor, making Ona smile from the warmth. The strange aliens wore long, thick clothing, which covered most of their bodies.

Man, they must be hot! She examined as the creatures ran, slow and clumsy.

"Tanjua! Come on!" The Saiyan called, her tail wrapping around her waist. Although these strange beings appeared weak, Ona had learned not to prejudge. Surprises were everywhere.

The yawning San came bounding from the pod with animalistic ease, Ona hopping onto its back. They walked quietly down the asphalt length, and the Saiyan felt her strange calling disappear. This is where she needed to be. Now, all she had to figure out was why...

~*~

"Breaking news!" The newscaster announced. "A strange spaceship has landed in a small neighborhood of the Western Capital!" There were pictures of helicopters swarming around the street, blocking all view of the anomaly itself. The world had reason to be suspicious of aliens and spaceships.

"What is all that racket?!" Came a demanding, scratchy voice. The blue-haired woman shushed him, intently watching the screen. Her bubbly, blonde mother followed suit over her shoulder, while her warrior boyfriend raised an eyebrow. "DON'T SHUSH ME!" The deep voice hollered, stepping into the living room.

He wore a pink, button down shirt and tight, yellow pants. Looking altogether moronic, the addition of tall, black, gravity-defying hair made the ensemble just plain ridiculous.

"Vegeta, shutup, will you?! A spaceship just landed, and it looks almost like yours... but bigger!" The woman with blue, broccoli-like hair exclaimed, pointing to the television. Vegeta snorted and walked over, leaning on the couch. The second he got a glimpse of the ship, he leaped back five feet and blinked wide eyes.

"An alien seems to have come out of the ship. Eyewitnesses say it was a teenage girl, who then mounted a giant dog and has just walked off camera. The two are moving quickly, and we now follow them exclusively in our channel 809 news helicopter," the news anchor informed them, the screen switching to a view of the street. Sure enough, a short, blackish-green haired girl sat on the back of a tall, dog-like animal. It had wide ears and a long, black mane and tail. The two looked completely nonchalant, as if they had no idea they were the center of mass attention.

Vegeta came closer, examining the television screen. He inhaled deeply and took a step back, watching the four faces that were now on him.

"She has a large energy and a tail," he remarked.

~*~

Ona growled, becoming annoyed by the large, flying whirlwinds that hovered over her. They had metallic skins and foolish, spinning wings.

<What are we doing here? Why?> Tanjua asked as he padded along, darting past the numerous grass patches and large, wooden boxes.

"I don't know. I think whatever drew me here is going to show up soon, though," Ona replied, glancing around. The San nodded, his ears flapping back and forth to compensate for the wind. "I don't think this is where we need to be. Go due east, and get these stupid giant flies off our backs," the Saiyan commanded, holding onto her mount's long mane. Tanjua nodded and ran off, leaving merely a cloud of dust for the poor television cameras to follow.

~*~

"Did you SEE that?!" The blue-haired woman gasped, pointing at the screen. Her mother nodded, gazing with wide eyes. Bulma looked around, realizing Vegeta wasn't hovering behind the couch like a bright pink wasp.

"Where'd he go?!" She demanded, knowing full well a loose Vegeta would be bad for the city's overall health. Her father, Mr. Briefs, shrugged.

"He and Yamcha disappeared while you were blabbering," he replied nonchalantly. Bulma growled, jumping to her feet and swinging a nearby coat over her shoulders. "They sensed something, and are going after it."

~*~

Ona shuddered. She knew when large energies were around, she could feel it in her bones... and now, there was a huge evil one coming towards this poor planet. The Saiyan figured out where it was most likely to be, and headed there without a second thought. Her San could run faster than she could fly, so she took time to think as they dashed across a white-capped ocean.

Gohan flew swiftly after he met up with Krillin. The two small fighters were headed towards the strange power, and were already detecting the source: Frieza. But there was another one with him, similar but larger. Both were extremely dangerous.

They soon joined forces with Tien and Choutzu, and the four landed in a wide expanse of cliffs and boulders. Vegeta and Yamcha were already waiting, the former crouched on a big rock, wearing a pink shirt with "Bad Man" printed in black letters on the back. Yamcha ran over to them, waving.

"What's going on? That's Frieza coming, isn't it?" Came the questions, and no one could give an answer.

"Did any of you see the TV broadcast?" Krillin asked, having watched it himself at Kame house with Master Roshi and Oolong. Yamcha nodded, while Gohan, Tien, and Choutzu remained in the dark.

"There was some girl and a big dog thing! They landed in a small neighborhood, then took off so fast even the helicopters lost them!" Yamcha declared. The five warriors began to talk rapidly, exchanging awed comments.

"It was a Saiyan, you imbecile," Vegeta growled suddenly. The congregation turned, staring at him.

"And she's headed this way," another voice added. They turned, seeing the flowing white cape of Piccolo standing on an overhanging cliff.

"Did I miss anything?!" A third, bubbly vocalist inquired, springing behind Yamcha.

"Bulma! What are you doing here?!" The scarred warrior cried. Bulma raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if it's Frieza, I thought I might as well see him before he blows up the planet!" She exclaimed in reply, bouncing up and down. Vegeta rolled his eyes and stared out over the vast desert expanse.

"I heard you say a Saiyan," Gohan interrupted, walking over to his Namekian friend. Piccolo glanced down and nodded.

"A Saiyan. Amazingly, she hasn't tried to blow up anyone or anything, and isn't flying... She's riding," the green alien responded, obviously confused and surprised.

"Indeed. She's quite powerful, too," Vegeta snorted, resting his chin on his palm. This gained the attention of the other Z fighters, who had previously been fussing over Bulma and her foolish appearance.

~*~

"Stop here," Ona commanded. Her San came to a swift halt, glancing around. "This is where the power's coming from."

<I can feel it, too. But over there... A bunch more. Not nearly as big, but there nevertheless. They don't seem evil, though...> Tanjua trailed off, motioning his nose towards a nearby cliff.

"I know." Ona glanced up, seeing a white and green figure standing beside a very short, blue one with long, black hair. She raised an eyebrow. They must have seen her by now.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a beam of blue energy struck the ground beside her. Tanjua leaped sideways, Ona just barely hanging on.

"What the.." She glanced up, seeing a tall, pink man with tall, black hair, his hand aimed at her. Should she fire back or show that she was peaceful? Ha!

Ona raised her hand, sending back a red beam with twice the velocity and size. Her opposition dodged easily, but the white and green figure grabbed him by the arm. The pink alien turned and pulled away, but the small orange figure had already disappeared.

Tanjua felt the command before it was issued, and ran in less than a second around the cliff and up the other side.

Bulma shrieked, causing Yamcha to spin around. Standing in front of a large, dog-like creature stood the forest-haired girl, holding a blubbering Bulma by an arm around her throat. Ona glared at the now-staring assortment of fighters, which included a small, pasty-faced doll, a three-eyed man, a boy in an orange gi with long, black hair, a short, bald monk, a pink shirted, spike-haired warrior, a green alien with a flowing white cape, and finally a stout, scar-faced man who was ready to blow her away as soon as she let go of the bubbly blue-haired woman.

~*~

"Sond! Kadua soberhi taneda kada!" The obviously alien girl cried, tightening her grip on Bulma.

"Let go of her!" Yamcha yelled back, prepared to form an energy beam. The Saiyan blinked, then grinned.

"I know this language," she said, as if suddenly forgetting her position. She let go of Bulma and Vegeta snapped his fingers in frustration.

"I was hoping you would carry out your threat," he snorted. Yamcha grabbed the flustered Bulma, pulling her aside and still glaring evilly at the newcomer. "Who are you?" Ona glared at the approaching man, who wore an atrocious pink shirt and had gravity-defying black hair.

"My name is none of your business, but I'm a..." she paused. "I'm a Gaijin." Vegeta took a step back, pointing to her tail. Gohan jumped forward, squealing.

"You're a SAIYAN, aren't you?!" He cried, eyeing her.

"What?! How did you know?!" She replied, horrified.

"Because the little brat's half Saiyan. I'm a full Saiyan, thank you very much." Vegeta growled, looking her up and down.

"WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!" Came a sudden scream, as Bulma charged over. Ona leaped back in a defensive position.

Indeed, Ona was a sight. She wore a light, gray robe, which hung over her breasts barely enough to conceal her nipples. The rest of her was completely bare, while a small rope hung between the two halves of the material. She wore low, ripped pants, which were pretty much just shorts by now. Clothing was usually not much of an issue on Gaija.

"What do you mean..?" Ona asked quizzically, examining her outfit.

"Ignore her. Who are you really?" The green alien said, stepping forward at long last. Ona shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

"You look familiar," Gohan commented, gazing at her face. The Saiyan took a step back, surprised by his sudden move.

"Yes, you do," Vegeta added, his voice losing its snarl-like effect momentarily.

The strange confrontation was harshly interrupted. The group turned, hearing the sound of sand and dirt being kicked up by a loud engine. The air was deafening as the ship landed, settling in a cloud of dust.

"HE'S HERE!" Krillin yelled, and the group hid beneath a cliff, excluding Ona and Vegeta. They raised their eyebrows harmoniously, obviously not put off by the enormously evil power that had just landed a few hundred yards away.

They remained that way for what seemed like hours, but was probably only twenty minutes. Meanwhile, Ona lightly explained about her planet Gaija and her friend, Tanjua. She told them her name, but that was about it, besides their persuasive prodding. A few questions brought her to why she came to Earth; Ona described how she had felt drawn here, and had even built her own pod to suit her purposes. Bulma gazed on in wonder... Another female technology genius. Perhaps not all Saiyans were that bad.

Finally, the smoke had relatively cleared and Vegeta got up, jumping to the top of the cliff.

"Vegeta! Where are you going?!" Krillin demanded. The Saiyan glared back.

"I'm going to see what's taking that asshole Frieza so long," he snarled.

"Frieza?" Ona asked. The name was strangely familiar... Oh well, as long as there was a fight!

"Yeah, Frieza! The biggest most dangerous tyrant in the universe! He should be dead, though.. Don't you know him?!" Tien broke in, speaking for the first time.

"The name's familiar. Either way, I'm coming. There's no one worth a challenge on Gaija," Ona snorted, coming up beside Vegeta. He shuffled uncomfortably... She was so young, and so pretty. A pure Saiyan, despite her greenish miscolorings. A Saiyan.. How did she survive? A female, nevertheless? Perhaps there was hope after all. She was pure, and had the true instincts of a Saiyan, unlike that fool Kakarot. All thoughts of salvage were lost on him.

"See if you can keep up," Vegeta replied, grinning evilly. Ona nodded and the two took off, leaving white and blue trails of energy.

"WAIT UP!" The others shouted.

~*~

The man hovered, staring at the remains of King Cold. The two approaching Saiyans stopped mid-flight, staring at the golden-haired, green eyed teen, who was now putting away his long sword. Vegeta stared, his jaw hanging open.

"Who's that?" Ona inquired, raising an eyebrow. "His hair is standing straight up!"

"You're observant," Vegeta remarked snidely, still not able to take his eyes off the boy. Yamcha, who was carrying Bulma, Tien, Gohan, Krillin, Chaotzu, and Piccolo finally arrived, all of them watching the stranger. He turned around and smiled, his hair suddenly losing its golden hue and falling in long, purple strands around his face. He was about to speak when his eyes fell upon Ona, who was watching him with wide eyes at his sudden change in appearance.

"Who are you?!" The man backed up, his purple vest sliding back on his shoulders from the weight of the sword. Ona raised an eyebrow.

"We were just about to ask the same question," Krillin said, stepping forward. Too many new people for one day, he thought. The purple-haired newcomer scratched his head.

"I.. uh.. can't tell you that. All I can say is.." He paused, considering. "Goku's coming, and I know where. I can show you." This was followed by numerous gasps, leaving Ona in the dark.

"Goku?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Kakarot! He's coming back! How do you know this, boy?!" Vegeta demanded, glaring at the poor boy.

"Uh... I just do. Follow me," he said, taking off into the air suddenly.

"Kakarot? That sounds familiar.. A Saiyan name," Ona remarked. Tanjua, who had been waiting just a short distance away stepped up to her, nuzzling her back with its snout. "I'm going to follow him, for so far I've trusted you perfect strangers." She jumped with ease onto the San's back and took off in a cloud of dust after the white trail. Vegeta, without a second thought, took off after her, soon followed by the hesitant Z warriors.

~Makú ga shimáru

The curtain closes. ~

~*~

Glossary: Gaijin - Foreigner

Dedications: Vegeta's Gyal - Thank you so much for everything. All your reviews, your awesome stories, and your inspiration. Here's that chapter ^_^

Schedule: Next chapter due Monday, April 29. To be notified of updates, email me with your request at maxchick@mad.scientist.com.

Something to Check Out: Visit my website, the ErieDragon, at http://www.freewebz.com/eriedragon. Posted there are my stories, my art, my friends' stories, poems, shrines, and everything else you could possibly want to know about DragonBall Z or my life in general.

And of course, read The Cousin's prequel, Even the Ruthless Fall in Love!

~Majin Niña~