The city was noisy with people bustling around, pushing past us both ways. Everyone had a turban on their head, most likely protecting them from the rays of the sun. The turbans were every color imaginable, plus some I'd never seen before. The robes that the people wore where the same. Very bright and multicolored.
As for the locals themselves, there didn't seem to just be one race, though you could tell which ones were native to the planet. There were people of different color, shape and sizes mixed together to form the crowd we walked through.
Lining the sides of the streets, vendors sat in their booths, yelling at us to buy something as we passed. Each vendor seemed to have something different to sell as we passed by. Some had jewelry while some had clothes. One even had really weird looking fruit. But I didn't see anyone selling spare ship parts.
"This place is amazing," Gaea said, looking around in awe. I nodding, smiling.
"Maybe we should find a place to spend the night," Trunks suggested, looking over at pottery booth.
"Sounds good to me!" Goten said.
I looked around some more, my tail swaying behind me. If felt weird to have it out in the open like this, but as Mar and Bulla had said, I was technically the alien here. And with this mix of races, no one seemed to mind at all.
A glint of something shiny caught my eye on a table. It was another jewelry vendor, but this stuff looked really neat. I walked away from the others and over to it, gently picking up the piece that was shining.
It was a golden bracelet with two deep blue gems encrusted in it. I ran my finger along it, feeling the swirled design etched into the metal. The bracelet looked like it should fit a toddler's wrist, but I doubt this was something a child would wear. Though I had never seen this before, it felt familiar.
I looked around at the other pieces. They were all fashioned the same, telling me that this wasn't some random collection the seller had put together over the years. No, these pieces were from the same set.
"That is one of my favorite pieces on this table," a voice said, startling me. I jumped, almost dropping the bracelet, and looked up.
An elderly man with tanned skin was smiling down at me, looking very much like a human. His eyes were a softy ebony color, much like Dad's, my brother's and Gaea's. His hair was mainly jet back, but I could see some white along the edges and some dashed in the middle. He, just like his wares, was familiar.
"I didn't mean to frighten you," he apologized. I shook my head.
"No, it's alright. I didn't see you there."
He smiled again. "Like I said, that is one of my favorite pieces on this table," he said. "The blue in those stones remind me of water. And we both know how important water is to survive."
"So, you're saying the bracelet is important?" I asked, intrigued. The man's smile grew slightly.
"To the right person, this entire collection is." He waved his hand over the table, gesturing to everything.
I looked back down at the bracelet I was holding. I examined it again, turning it over in my hands. As I did so, something on the inside caught my eye. I looked closer and gasped slightly. There, carved into the band, was the Saiyan Crest.
"I knew I recognized you," the man said. I looked back up. His smile had changed into a smirk. I saw something move behind him. I didn't need to ask to know that it was a tail.
"You're a Saiyan..." I said in awe. This was cool! What were the chances of coming to a completely new planet and finding an unknown Saiyan?!
The man nodded. "Yes, I am. And until now, I thought I was the last of our race."
Now it was my turn to smirk. "Well, you're very wrong, sir. There are about seven of us left. "
"Seven?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice. I nodded.
"Yeah. Granted, most of us are hybrids, but yes, there are about seven."
The man chuckled. "I knew Frieza could never truly wipe us out. We, after all, are the strongest race. Tell me, child, is the prince still alive?"
"Alive and healthy," I replied. "And, Vegeta even has a family of his own now."
"Amazing... And is it true that Frieza has been killed?"
I nod. "Yes, it is. He's been dead for..." I count back in my head. "Almost twenty years."
The Saiyan smirked. "It's about time that overgrown lizard got what was coming for him. He'd been asking for that long before our race worked for him."
"Yes," I agreed. "He did."
Still smirking, the man stood up from his chair and bowed to me. "I am Ares, former adviser to King Vegeta himself."
Smiling, I bowed back. "Nice to meet you, Ares. I'm Rosamoona, granddaughter of Barrdock."
"Barrdock?" Ares asked, standing up straight again. He was easily six feet. I nod again.
"Yes. Kakarrot is my father."
"Barrdock," Ares repeats, sitting back down. "There was a true Saiyan. He stood up to the tyrant when no one else would. You should be proud to carry his name."
"Of course," I responded. For the first time since discovering who Ares was, I remembered the bracelet in my hand. I looked back down at it, still slightly confused. "What is this?"
"That," Ares said, "is a taillet."
"A taillet?" I asked as I held back the amused smile that was tugging at my lips. The name was comical.
"Yes. Females of our race would wear them on their tails. They were mostly worn by the higher class women, though almost every family owned at least one."
I nodded. It made sense, and that would explain why it looked too small for a wrist. A Saiyan's tail was smaller than their wrist.
Without thinking, I brought my tail around to in front of me and slipped the taillet on. It slid on till about halfway before stopping. It felt weird but natural at the same time.
"Mooney! There you are!" I heard Dad call. I looked over my shoulder as Dad walked up to me. "We were starting to worry about you!"
I rolled my eyes, but smiled. "I don't see why. I can hold my own."
Dad chuckled, ruffing up my hair. He looked up and noticed Ares, who was smirking at him.
"Who're you?" Dad asked, tilting his head slightly.
"His name is Ares," I said, smiling. "And, he's a Saiyan!"
Dad's eyes widened and he looked from Ares to me and back. "Really? You're a Saiyan?" he questioned.
Ares chuckled, amused. "Indeed, I am. And you're the son of Barrdock. There's no mistaking it. You're the spitting image."
Dad chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "You know, a lot of people say that... So, what're you doing here? And what's all this stuff?"
"After Frieza blew up Vegeta, I had nowhere else to go. I was out with Prince Tarble, you see, so I was able to escape the blast. When I learned of the death of our race, I was distraught. I flew aimlessly around space for a long while in my pod before landing here when the gas ran out. I've been here ever since," Ares explained. "As for the items on the table, these are pieces of Saiyan jewels that we would wear for important matters. Unless, of course, you were of the higher class. Then you would wear this all the time."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up a second," Dad said. "Prince Tarble? Who's that?"
"Prince Vegeta's younger - and only - brother. He was sent away for the same reason you were, Kakarrot," Ares said. "He wasn't deemed strong enough. King Vegeta was worried about him, so I was sent to watch over him until he returned home. But, alas, that has never happened. I honestly do not know where the boy is today. I'm ashamed to say I lost him after learning of Vegeta's demise."
"Wow, Vegeta has a brother?" I asked. "That's so cool! What does he look like?"
"Much like the Prince himself," Ares replied, smiling.
"We have to find him, Dad! I bet he'd be happy to see his brother again!"
Dad chuckled, rubbing my head again. "Sure thing, Mooney. After we get all the Dragon Balls, we'll look for Tarble. Hey, maybe Vegeta would like to help us!"
I smiled, nodding, and turned my attention to Ares again. "How would you like to come with us back to Earth? You wouldn't have to be alone then! You could be with the rest of us."
Ares blinks, clearly surprised at my offer. "I-"
"It wouldn't be right away, of course," Daddy added. "We have to finish finding the Dragon Balls so Earth doesn't blow up first! But you're more than welcome to join us on the rest of our trip as well as come to back to Earth with us!"
The Saiyan looked between Dad and I. We were both smiling, probably like idiots, waiting for Ares' answer. Finally, he smiled back at us.
"Thank you both. That is a very kind offer. I would be more than happy to come with you back to Earth."
"Great!" Dad said. "Mooney, go tell the others we have an extra member to the team. I'll help Ares pack up his things."
Nodding, I gave them both another smile before turning and slipping through the crowd to where Trunks, Gaea, and Goten were waiting.
"Jeez, it's about time, Rosey. What took you so long?" Goten asked. "And where's dad at?"
"He's currently helping the newest member of our team back up," I replied, my tail swaying slightly to music someone was playing down the street.
"What?!" the three of them exclaimed. "Who is it?"
"Another Saiyan," I said simply, still smiling.
"Another..." Gaea started, tailing off. I nodded.
"Yep! And he's coming back to Earth with us when we're done!"
"You didn't happen to tell him about Planet Vegeta, did you?" Trunks questioned. I shook my head.
"No. I figure we'll tell him later. Right now I'm beat! Let's just find a room and worry about the Dragon Balls tomorrow."
As they nodded, Trunks moved next to me and wrapped an arm around me waist. I leaned into him, a smile resting on my lips. So what if the trip wasn't off to best start? We'd get through it and make it back to Earth in plenty of time. School, after all, would be starting soon. And I didn't want to miss my Senior Year.
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I feel really bad about taking forever to update! I'm sorry! But here's this chapter! It kinda sucks, but at least it's up!
Picture to the side of Vegeta, Tarble, Gure, and Baby Trunks!