single word.


"VEGETA!"


The man seemed genuinely surprised, even if he tried not to show it. After all, a complete stranger was sitting here in front of him, who addressed him by name.


"Yes. May I know how you know me from? I've never seen your face before," he said unfriendly, while again failing to get up.


When Zoe grabbed it this time, her hand wasn't slapped away.The Saiyan seemed to have realized that he needed help (Veggie would never do it, I know ...), and so, with Zoe's support, he managed to get back on his feet again, even if she was still leaning on her.


When both were more or less secure, Vegeta spoke up again.


"You haven't answered my question yet. How do you know me?"


Zoe thought feverishly what to answer him now. How would he react when he found out that he was nothing more than a cartoon character, the pipe dream of some inventor? More importantly, how on earth was she going to explain how he got here?


Vegeta was getting impatient now.


"Did you swallow your tongue?"


Zoe looked up into his angry black eyes. She didn't bother to fool him or smile at him encouragingly - it wouldn't do any good.


"No. It's just pretty complicated and I don't know where to start right now.Besides that, I'm wet to the bone and I'm pretty much doubting my sanity right now ... "


Vegeta's angry and waiting look didn't change in the least, so Zoe just kept talking.


"I suggest we take you to my house first. You are injured and I can take a look at your wounds and treat them ... it's not far from here. Can you walk?"


While she was still speaking, she wondered which devil she was riding to take him home with her, and whether she could use her name. After all, he always attached so much importance to his blue-blooded origins.


He didn't seem to care at all, though.


"As long as everything is explained to me. This is more than strange ...", he said and slowly sat down, still leaning on Zoe.


Not another word was said on the way to the house. Zoe was still rushed to think about an explanation, but also began to be seriously worried about Vegeta.He really had to be pretty weak, otherwise he would never have let her support him in his life. And yet there was still so much strength in his hand that was on her shoulder that she thought he would crush the joint at any moment.


It wasn't exactly easy walking with him through the yielding sand beneath her feet. Every step that was already causing him problems was made twice as difficult by the soft surface. When they finally got to the tarmac, walking was easier, but Zoe found that the Saiyajin, although slim and not that much taller than herself, had a considerable weight that was now mostly on her own.




When she got home, she first unlocked the door and didn't bother to be quiet this time either. Delia came running up, however, barking and looked reproachfully at the two people who so brazenly disturbed their sleep.

Zoe first put Vegeta on a chair in the kitchen, where it currently has the least effect when he, wet as he was, dribbled over the floor. With the best will in the world, she couldn't have taken him any further, even if the bathroom would have been a better solution. Her shoulder would probably not have gone along with that. It still ached now, as if it were in Vegeta's vice-like grip.


Still, she didn't have time to breathe deeply. Even as soaking wet as her unusual guest, she stormed into the bathroom and first of all got towels and a first-aid kit. Following a flash of inspiration, she finally took a pair of boxers and her father's bathrobe with her.


When she came back into the kitchen, the Saiyajin was still sitting like a pile of misery on his chair and looking around while he was being studied carefully by the Labrador.


"It would be best if you get rid of the wet clothes first," said Zoe and held out the pants to him.Vegeta nodded and took the garment. Before she could describe the way to the bathroom for him, he had already begun to peel off his dark blue combat suit.


Embarrassed, she turned around. She really should have brought him to the bathroom right away!


A little embarrassed, she grabbed one of the towels and began to towel her hair dry. Her always unruly mane, which was usually hard to control, was wet to her head and around her shoulders. It had a strange color: a dark red that was reminiscent of the color of a garnet, but streaked with fine black streaks through and through. What others spent hours at the hairdresser's for, however, had been given richly by nature.


When Vegeta was done with changing, she turned back to the Saiyan.


Well, when viewed in the light, his body was covered with bruises and abrasions, and a long gash was visible on his left upper arm.Zoe was sure he also had some bruises, if not broken bones.


All in all, no serious injuries for him ... he had already fought with broken limbs and holes in his body without having to rely on the help of anyone else. So why was he so weak, or why did he feel so powerless that he had accepted her help?


Vegeta watched with Argus eyes as she felt his upper body with gentle touches and her pitch-black eyes did not seem to miss any small thing, no matter how old a scar.


Those eyes - somehow they reminded him of someone ...


Again Zoe pressed lightly on a spot on his skin and the Saiyajin winced noticeably. There she met him when she stumbled on him.


"Ouch! What's that supposed to be?" he growled not a second later.


Zoe looked up in confusion into his apparently always angry eyes, which were just as jet black as hers.Now he also admitted that he was in pain ...


"Sorry, I didn't mean to," she said finally and continued even more carefully.


"It doesn't seem to be broken ... If you don't mind, I'll clean the grazes and take care of the cut."


She found it better to ask his permission first before proceeding with her 'treatment'. He hadn't looked particularly enthusiastic when she touched him.


"Go ahead ..." Vegeta looked bored. Or maybe he was just exhausted.


She carefully dabbed the abrasions with a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant and, if necessary, covered them with a plaster.


Even now the Saiyajin never let any of her hand movements out of sight.


"Looks pretty professional," he broke the silence unexpectedly, causing his 'nurse' to look up briefly.


"My mother is a doctor.You get all sorts of things, "she finally said while she continued.


"I've also had all kinds of experiences with injuries like abrasions, bruises or sprains ... you could say I made them up," she continued with a laugh and turned to the cut on his upper arm. Maybe it wasn't so bad if she distracted him a little.


"As a child I always had something. I didn't fall on my head, but I wasn't afraid of anything. Not even of children who were three heads taller and five times as heavy as me ... but I'm always pretty light escaped."


Vegeta looked at the hands that were feeding him. There were several long scars on both arms that didn't look like harmless child injuries.


Zoe was finished with her work and handed Vegeta the bathrobe satisfied.


"So, done. Sit down in the living room.I'll change clothes for a moment, and then I'll try to explain this chaos here ... "


She led the Saiyan into the next room, where he leaned back on the couch as if he were at home here.


Zoe took a hot shower in the bathroom. In the end she had gotten a little cold in her wet clothes.


When she came back into the living room in her sleeping clothes and a warm, fluffy bathrobe, she still wasn't sure what to say to him.


When she got to the couch, however, she saw that this problem had taken care of itself for the time being. Vegeta fell asleep peacefully.


With a crooked grin she looked at the man who was sprawled here on her sofa.


Already crazy ... more of a dream than reality. Still smiling, she took a blanket and spread it over his resting body.


Why, and above all, how did he get here?And why did he mess up her life of all people?


But then she decided to stop thinking about it. It wouldn’t lead to anything anymore anyway and besides, she would somehow manage to at least explain the thing with his Manga origins.


But now she just wanted to go to bed.


"At least the trip was worth it in that regard," she murmured softly as she turned off the lights and then disappeared tiredly into her room.








--- TO BE CONTINUED ---


Chapter 2.: A Saiyan in my house! Full chaos ahead!?!