as she could, but not even a dry croak could be heard from her.




Vegeta didn't notice much of it. Something had caught his attention. While the storm was raging outside, as if the world were to be drowned in a new deluge, two auras appeared that he knew well enough.


A strange excitement seized him. Maybe they could explain how he got here ... maybe they could bring him back ...

A rumbling sound behind him made him spin around.


Only now did he see that Zoe had collapsed completely exhausted and injured on top of that.


Despite his reputation, he ran anxiously in her direction and dropped to his knees next to her.


Laceration on the forehead ... small cuts on the hand ... with a short, practiced look he took in all her injuries, felt in her aura how exhausted she was.


Her closed eyelids flickered briefly before she opened her eyes and said a word softly.


"Delia ..."


Vegeta didn't know what that meant. Any trained doctor would have immediately ordered her to rest, banned anything that might upset her. But Vegeta was everything else ... just not a trained doctor.


“What?” To his astonishment, he tried very hard to speak softly and as calmly as possible, while unconsciously stroking her head.


Again it seemed to be difficult for her to speak.She spoke so softly that he had to bend down to understand what she was saying.


"The monster ... it killed her ... Delia ... ran away ... to ... protect us ..."


Vegeta swallowed. Apparently animals seemed to have a sixth sense for such things. One of Bulma's father's animals had once saved the professor from a laboratory fire by simply not letting him in. Bulma had talked about something about the cable fire that hadn't particularly interested him ...


"What ... was that ... thing ... Vegeta?"


The young woman looked at him helplessly and desperately, and the Saiyajin did not know what to answer.


"I ... I have no idea. But I think we should get out of here until it comes back ..." he said finally.


Zoe indicated a nod and made to want to get up.


Vegeta shook his head. She couldn't go where he wanted to go.Still kneeling next to her, he put her arms around her neck and picked her up. He had survived the attack of the monster relatively unscathed and had all the power of his normal form available again. In some ways this monster had helped him too ...


Annoyed, he shook his head and registered at the same time how the young woman snuggled into his arms and closed her eyes again.


Somehow he liked the fact that she trusted him so much and didn't even ask where he was going to take her.


He walked slowly through the patio door into the garden and looked again for the auras he had felt before. They were still there.


Gently he got off the ground and quickly gained height.


The monster was about to lick its wounds ... and it was time for her to do the same.


Concerned, he looked down at Zoe and instinctively pulled her a little closer to him to protect her from the wind and the rain and to warm her through his body.

She was tough, she would hold out ... she had to hold out! If only because she had saved his life ... twice already!


Slowly but it was time to return the favor ...




--- TO BE CONTINUED ---




Chapter 8.: Old Friends