Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Piccolo and Alaura Saga, Episode Four: Children Of The Dawn ❯ Twins Are Hard Work ( Chapter 3 )

"Yes, I can sense that their ki's extremely high for being so young," Piccolo said as he took the twins from their mother and examined them closely. Eresa giggled and grabbed at one of his annatae while Asere, the more reserved twin just watched her green-skinned father-figure with wide open blue eyes.

Her furry little friend had made an impressive leapt from the forest floor to Piccolo's shoulder and was currently gazing down with apt adoration at Asere, who reached a small pudgy hand to pat it clumsily on the head. It made a sort of purring sound and Asere smiled.

"Asere seems to have a sort of rapport with animals," Alaura said, sitting down on a nearby rock, crossing her arms beneath her breasts, "And I swear I saw Eresa move things without touching them!"

"Their power will be difficult to rein in," He said, "I fear raising these two will be more than taxing for you, Alaura, they've got saiyan blood…"

"What do you mean, taxing, Piccolo?" She asked, "I've raised a part-saiyan before, or are you forgetting about Neko?"

"Woman, just because she's off in school doesn't mean I could ever forget my own daughter!" He roared, making Asere whimper and Eresa reached over to pat her twin on the head to comfort her…or…more than likely, to silence her! Her little pet made a chittering sound and petted it's soft velvety paw across Asere's chubby cheeks. "I was about to say that with these two, due to their awaking powers, it may be harder than rasing a normal saiyan or even part-saiyan. You may need help around the house…"

"You used to help me around the house," She pouted, "Remember after Neko was born?"

"I have things to do now," He wouldn't look her in the eyes, Alaura heart ached that he refused to meet her gaze, "Chi Chi can help you, you should call her. She's very good with things of that sort…"

"Piccolo?" Alaura's voice was both a plea and a question, she looked at him over the heads of their children, "I'm sorry."

Instead of answering, instead of looking at her, at the tears forming in the corners of her eyes which would surely be his downfall, he said; "The twins will need guidance in order to control their powers, which will be great once they are old enough to use them toward any good. I do believe they were born for a special purpose, Alaura."

"Of course," She said, feeling suddenly cold, as if she'd just stepped from a warm bath into a freezing shower, "A special purpose…"

Her soft voice was monotone as she took the children from Piccolo, "Wouldn't Gohan be proud?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could call them back. But the look on Piccolo's face told her it was too late. But the shadow of hurt which passed across his feature was as great as it was quick and he replied;

"Yes, I think he would be," Then he said something which nearly made her drop the girls, "Why don't you take them over to the Son house and let Gohan see that which he has helped create..?"

By the Son house, Alaura knew that he was talking about Gohan and Videl's residence, not Goku and Chi Chi's. Videl's stomach was just beginning to bulge in the tell-tale signs of a growing pregnancy. Videl had accepted the other woman's apology about what had happened between Alaura and Gohan and they had become fast friend, in spite of everything which nature would have dictated they becoming bitter rivals. She had heard about the birth of the twins and was always calling and asking when would Alaura bring them by for her to see.

But, Alaura had always felt that the situation would be too awkward if Gohan were there so she never brought her girls over. But, now that Piccolo had suggested it…Maybe it was time for Gohan to see them.

She nodded and started to walk back with the twins. Asere's little pet scampered along behind, content to run along beside it's chosen bond rather than hitch a ride on someone's shoulder. Alaura had all ready begun to call it Scamper in her head and she was more than a little shocked when Eresa pointed to it and said, in her baby voice; "'Amper! `Amper!"

"That's right, Eresa!" Alaura cried, "Scamper. Good girl!"

At the praise her sister was receiving, Asere's face grew red with anger. She glared at her little pet, causing it to cower in mid-flight, and whimper before answering the undeniable call she silently and powerfully sent out to it by leaping up onto Alaura's shoulder where the child could grab it by the tail and yank it down into a fierce hug against her chest. "Mine!" Asere cried, trying to push her twin out her their mother's arms, "'Amper…mine!"

Eresa let out a yowl and raised a tiny fist. Before Alaura could do anything, she let it down with all her might upon her twin sister's head, knocking the other baby out of their mother's grip. Both animal and child fell to the ground with a thud. For a moment both mother and child blinked at each other, unsure of what just happened.

Eresa saw her twin sister sitting in a mud puddle, her normally powder-puff hair caked with dark wet dirt and a few brown dead leaves and started to cry. Asere, who hadn't uttered a sound after her sister had bonked her and knocked her out of their mother's arms, heard the distress in her twin's cries and joined her wails, much to the distress of their mother. Scamper wobbled out of the mud, shook itself off and licked Eresa's tear and mud streaked face.

Alaura snapped out of her stupor and scooped up her fallen daughter. She placed her upon her hip and began to run towards the house. She'd need to give Asere a bath but she knew that she couldn't just give one twin a bath, both would want to take one. She sighed and thought that maybe asking for help wouldn't be such a bad idea after all…

~*~*~

She had just gotten the girls in the tub, bubbles and everything, when the door chimes rang from across the house. She reached up and clicked a button on one of the many speaker systems she'd had installed though-out the hosue after the twins were born, and spoke into it; "Who is it?"

"Alaura?" Videl's voice could be heard from the speaker when she released the talk button. Asere and Eresa giggled and splashed about. Scamper curled up on the rug beside the tub and enjoyed the warmth, trying to ignore the random splish-splash of water upon his silky fur as the children played. Alaura handed a rubber ducky to Asere and the girl threw it at her sister, giggling and aiming for her forehead.

As she watched, Eresa raised her hands and the toy stopped in mid-flight to hover in the air before being thrown by an unseen force towards the water right in front of Asere. The water came up swiftly and splashed the other girl in the face.

Asere screamed and lunged at her sister, dunking her under the water. Alaura asked Videl to hold on while she separated her children with a scolding. "Knock it off, you two!"

"Sounds like you have your hands full, Alaura!" Videl said once she'd gotten back on the speaker, "Can I come in to help?"

"Please do!" Alaura said, "Just a second while I type in the…"

Suddenly, Eresa reached beneath the sudsy water with a feral grin on her normally impish face. Asere gave a shriek that made Alaura jump up from the toilet seat where she'd been sitting and bang her head on the suspended hanging cupboards. She fell back and caught herself before she could fall into the bathtub with her children.

Tears were streaming down Asere's face, mixed with the soap bubbles and Eresa, having let go of her sister's tail, stuck her tongue out at her. Asere hugged the tip of her wet brown furred tail to her and whimpered. Alaura shook her head at her twins and quickly punched in the access code to the front door on the pad on the wall next to the speaker to let Videl in.

"You two have got to stop this!" She hissed as Videl walked in the the bathroom behind her.

At the sight of the unfamiliar person, Asere scooted behind her sister and hide, peeking out because she was a curious as that creature that followed her around all the time, and waited to see what would happen next. If their mother motioned that this person with the large belly was a friend, than they wouldn't feel fearful. So, they waited.

Alaura embraced Videl quickly and sighed with releaf, "I thought raising Neko was hard! At least she was just one!"

"Saiyan twins aren't what you had in mind, are they?" Videl asked, patting her own stomach, "Thank Kami this little one is only one."

Alaura nodded as her little ones giggled and splashed each other, all animosity gone, as was the way of children. Eresa was showing Asere a trick she'd taught herself by using her tail to grasp onto the soap-dripping wash rag and scrub her own back. Delighted, her twin tried the same trick and, after a few failed attempts, finally got it right.

Asere looked at her twin and they both smiled secret little childlike grins, the kinds that parents think don't mean anything but which children know mean more than they will ever tell. Before either adult knew what hit them, Asere and Eresa jumped up and splashed them as hard as they could, laughing huge screaming laughs as they saw the stunned expressions on the adult women's faces.

"Asere!" Alaura cried, moving her soaked hair with her fingers so she could see between the tangled curtain of her blonde hair, "Eresa!"

Videl reached down and scooped both slippery twins from the tub and said to Alaura, "Why don't you go and lay down for a while, let me take care of these two…"

"Oh, I can't ask you to…"

"Oh, baka!" Videl scoffed, as Asere played with her short dark hair, "It will be good practice!"

Alaura smiled and nodded, feeling suddenly drained. Nothing sounded better to her than her bed at the moment. After kissing both her girls on their chubby cheeks, she left them in her friend's care and shuffled, like a creature much too old of her age, towards the bedroom she shared with Piccolo, her mind all ready shutting down in anticipation of sleep.