EPIC Side Story: Dragon Ball

Chapter 25: Sentiments

Finding the young Saiyan sleeping on his Grandfather's old bed, Vahn took a moment to simply observe Goku's sleeping face. He knew Saiyans matured in stages, but, seeing the inordinately tiny Goku curled up in a faux fetal position, he couldn't help feeling it was too soon to send him off for training. Now that he was here, there was no reason for Goku to spend the rest of his life training. He may enjoy fighting, sure, but it was the expectations of others and the threats to the people he cared about that compelled him to become Earth's greatest protector.

Now that he was intending to adopt Broly, another inherently kind-hearted individual, Vahn was half-tempted to just take Goku with him. He would surely get along with the slightly older Saiyan, and, due to the latent power possessed by both, it was only a matter of time before they exceeded the counterparts Vahn was familiar with. After all, he would be right there watching over them…

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Vahn extended his hand to ruffled Goku's hair, saying, "It's time to wake up…" in a deep yet soothing tone. In response, a smile developed across Goku's face, as, despite not being a morning person, breakfast was something he had come to look forward to.

"Good morning, Uncle Vahn. Did you sleep well…?"

Chuckling softly, an affectionate smile developed across Vahn's face as he softly replied, "Indeed…" before immediately following it up with a marginally more stern, "Go wash your face. Breakfast will be ready shortly. Once you've eaten, I'll fly you over to Master Roshi's place."

Though a hint of melancholy briefly appeared in Goku's expression, it was immediately replaced by a wide smile as he answered, "Okay~!" before promptly departing through the open doors with his Power Pole in hand. There was now a compound surrounding his Grandfather's hut. This included a small training dojo, a kitchen, and an open-air bath. The latter was Goku's destination, so, making use of his Power Pole, he vaulted over the encompassing wall, shouting, "Yippee~!" before plunging into the warm waters on the other side.

Shaking his head in mock exasperation, Vahn decided to leave Goku to his antics as he made his way towards the kitchen. Today's breakfast would be the last he prepared for the young Saiyan for at least eight months. As a result, Vahn wanted to make it special, so, after erecting a few barriers to prevent entry and bar snooping, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them to reveal golden irises and cat-like pupils…

"Ara? What's this~?"

In a distinctly feminine voice, 'Vahn' looked around with a curious gleam in his eyes until a notably deeper tone answered, ("It's good to hear your voice, Rindo.")

Touching the tip of his chin and tilting his head to the side in a manner that didn't suit him in the slightest, 'Vahn', channeling the Ego of Rindo, tilted his head to the side and asked, "Dragon Steak? Is that you~?"

Though he didn't immediately answer due to Rindo referring to him as her favorite ingredient, Vahn eventually explained, ("I've temporarily linked our consciousnesses. Today is an important day for a young friend of mine so I wanted to prepare a special dish to see him off. Can you cook something that will aid in the unlocking of a person's potential?")

With 'her' nose quite growing to a point, Rindo puffed out her chest to spontaneously produce two ample bosoms as she enthusiastically replied, "Of course I can! I'm Rindo, the Greatest Goddess of Cooking that has ever existed! Just leave it to me~!"

Rolling up her sleeves, Rindo, now appearing identical to herself, tied her vermillion-red hair up into a ponytail before sending a shudder through Vahn's soul as she whipped out a fillet knife and sliced off a piece of her/his forearm. Before the aforementioned piece of flesh could hit the cutting board, however, it promptly transformed into an onion. This caused her characteristically snaggletoothed smile to expand to inhuman proportions as she playfully noted, "This is a lot more convenient than asking…"

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Though the scene of Rindo preparing ingredients was reminiscent of a scene he had witnessed in Azathoth's dimension, Vahn was able to calm down once she actually started cooking. It was almost like he had descended to the deepest depths of the Abyss only to find himself standing at the gates of Heaven. Watching her cook was like witnessing an Archmage preparing a Grand Ritual, and, even though he possessed all of Rindo's thoughts and memories, Vahn couldn't imagine himself reaching her level any time soon…

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With breakfast coming to an end in record time, largely due to the fact that Sarina and Goku had entered a frenzy the moment they bit into Rindo's cooking, Vahn demonstrated the basics of using Ki to achieve flight before escorting his adoptive nephew to Kame House. Along the way, they saw Krillin rowing around in search of Master Roshi's house, so, after dropping Goku off, Vahn doubled back to create a powerful current that quickly swept the young monk towards the island.

Not wanting to be a Helicopter Uncle, Vahn only observed the initial interactions between Goku and Krillin before promptly teleporting back to Grandpa Gohan's house. There, he found Sarina lying on her back, as, despite her propensity for dieting, she ended up eating more than five times the usual amount.

"You okay…?"

Groaning in response to Vahn's words, Sarina grumbled a soft, "Just don't touch my belly…" before extending her hand so he could help her up.

Helping the raven-haired beauty to her feet, a teasing smile developed across Vahn's face as he promptly placed his hand on her belly. This earned him a perfunctory glower from her, but, upon hearing him inquire, "How far along are you…?" her expression immediately became bashful as she meekly replied, "Don't tease me…"

Though there was nothing Sarina could say or do to prevent him from teasing her, Vahn knew when to draw the line. Thus, in response to her words, he planted a kiss on her forehead before retracting his hand and asking, "You ready to go? If we delay for much longer, our green-skinned friend might start walking around completely naked…"

As Vahn had been keeping her up to date on Cheelai's actions, an amused giggle emanated from Sarina's throat as she wrapped her hands around his neck and asked, "Is that such a bad thing~?"

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Vahn answered, "Yes, actually. As much as I can appreciate the sight of an exotic beauty, there's a time and a place for everything. Besides, I intend for her to be a surrogate mother and potential partner for Broly. You're not the only one who watched that spinoff series. Though I'm certain our children would be equally as adorable, I didn't exactly come here to collect every notable female in the original cast…"

Recalling the awkwardly adorable scenes of Broly trying to be a good father, a smile developed across Sarina's face. She also knew Vahn wanted to avoid having too many children while they were in the Actualized World, so, after a moment of deliberation, she nodded her head in acceptance and approval. There were still plenty of other girls she could share her 'burden' with, so, even if Cheelai was taken out of the picture, it wouldn't increase the strain on the rest of them by too much…

Noticing the threads of pink appearing in Sarina's aura, Vahn's smile gained a teasing undertone as he lowered his hands from the small of her back to her butt. This caused the faint blush on Sarina's face to develop into a full-blown flush. The temperature of her body rapidly increased, and, though she was enthralled by the promise of imminent intimacy, she couldn't help thinking, ("I should have wished for infinite stamina…")

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Arriving at their manor in the early afternoon, Vahn allowed Sarina to rest in their bedroom before teleporting to the kitchen. Cheelai was currently in the process of preparing lunch, and, due to the last three days passing without incident, the only pieces of clothing she was wearing were a pair of magenta panties and a bright pink apron.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself…"

Though she was more than a little startled by the sound of Vahn's voice, Cheelai merely tensed for a moment before setting the stove to simmer and half-turning to get a look at him. When she saw his appearance, a wave of relief washed over her face, as, with each passing day, she had imagined him to be uglier and uglier.

"I was honestly beginning to think you weren't going to show…"

Having already prepared for the worst, Cheelai attempted to put on a brave front by approaching the table separating her and Vahn before leaning forward. Her breasts were quite large despite her small stature, so, without a bra to contain them, they dangled to an almost unreasonable degree as she further accented them by crossing her arms.

Without breaking eye contact, not even for a moment, Vahn just smiled in response to Cheelai's antics, saying, "Though you aren't wrong to regard yourself as a beautiful woman, that isn't the reason I invited you here. In fact, I'm pretty sure I made the job description clear when I sent the first and third letters…"

Feeling a mixture of bashfulness and shame in response to Vahn's calm and composed response, Cheelai righted herself before covering her breasts with her left hand and forearm. She was about to apologize, but, before she was able to, Vahn snapped his fingers, instantaneously changing her clothes into something more suitable for a conversation as he stated, "It's fine. Though I make an effort to prevent them, misunderstandings like this are quite common."

Pulling out a carbonated drink that was popular on Cheelai's homeworld, Vahn slid it across the table before taking a seat in the chair he manifested from his Inventory. This prompted Cheelai to take a look behind her. A similar yet slightly taller chair had appeared there, so, after a moment of hesitation, she mirrored his actions before grabbing the fizzy beverage and emptying more than half the contents in a single go.

Waiting until Cheelai had addressed the spontaneous parching of her throat, Vahn adopted a considerate yet professional demeanor as he asked, "Have you calmed down…?"

Shaking her head, Cheelai surprised Vahn by fearlessly answering, "Not really. I kind of had my own thing going on before you spontaneously appeared out of thin air. This might come off as rude and offensive, but you could have at least sent someone to check on me. I mean, three days without any kind of follow-up? I was starting to think I died and fell into some kind of purgatory."

Recalling that the Cheelai he was familiar with was also a delinquent who readily spoke her mind, the smile on Vahn's face became marginally more sincere. This unnerved the green-skinned woman, but, now that she knew he hadn't invited her here for her body, Cheelai's confidence and self-worth were rapidly rebuilding. She had previously been on the verge of accepting her status as someone's pet, so, now that she had a chance to recoup a bit of her dignity, she balled her hands into fists and made her grievances known without averting eye contact…

Surprising the green-skinned beauty, Vahn effectively took the wind out of her sails by nodding his head and answering, "Fair point. I'll keep that in mind if something similar occurs in the future. For now, shall we discuss the terms of your employment? I've arranged quite a number of benefits but I'm open to compromise if you have any requests. Of course, you also have the option to refuse. In that instance, I'm prepared to provide you with enough resources and credits to get you grounded on a planet of your choice…"

Pulling out a beverage for himself, Vahn allowed Cheelai a moment to process his words. She had expected to be threatened or coerced into working for free, so, hearing the options he listed out, a profoundly bewildered look briefly marred her face. Unfortunately, this was immediately replaced by a look of skepticism as she incredulously inquired, "You're telling me I can just up and leave? No repercussions…?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Vahn answered, "That largely depends on you. I have no influence on your life the moment you leave this place. If you get into trouble or experience misfortune as a result of the choices you make, those would unquestionably qualify as repercussions. They simply wouldn't have anything to do with me."

Though she would have normally interpreted such words as a threat, Vahn's casual dismissal of her half-naked figure gave Cheelai the impression he wasn't particularly concerned with her. She didn't know why he had chosen her, but, if she did accept his proposal to move to another world, she had little doubt he would send her on her way. After that, she would, once again, be on her own…

"Let's discuss terms…"

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is a doting father even when the child isn't his…','Ara~?','Being alone is sometimes worse than death…')