Children of the Dragon

This is the first time I have ever written a fanfic. I have been having a great deal of fun with the attempt and I hope that it is an enjoyable read to any who chooses to give this story a try.

Premise: I am a fan of the Dragon Ball series and I really liked the character Launch (also known as Kushami or Lunch, depending on what language version of the series you are dealing with). I have often thought though that it was strange that she could sneeze and become a completely different person. Then one day this story came to me.

Chapter 1

Nighttime stole over the mountains, the sun slowly began to set and Kushami shivered from her position before the door of the capsule home. She made no move to return within doors though. Her boys were still training outside and though her initial intention had been to call them inside to eat dinner, she now found herself loathe to interrupt their training. She smiled as she glanced at her boys, eagerly sparring, trying so hard to get stronger. Tien's motivations were simple enough. He wanted to defeat Goku.

She sighed, a soft sigh of longing as she watched him, muscles rippling under smooth flesh. He was a glorious sight to behold. She certainly never tired of watching him train. She had changed too. This she acknowledged with only mild discomfort. Living in the mountains with Tien had made her happy. She had felt less of a need to be on the move, to steal, to cheat people. As if deep down that had never been what she had really wanted to do anyway.

She frowned as she pondered that. She couldn't remember when she had begun to steal. She had no idea what had happened to her that could create such a void of missing memories within her. She used to tell herself that it didn't matter. That if she had ever had a family they must have run out on her a long time ago. She didn't want to admit that maybe she had run out on them.

Of late she had begun to feel this sense as though she was forgetting something that was terribly important. She had failed somehow. Failed to remember what was important? Or was it that she had failed to do a specific task? She didn't know but she gritted her teeth against the vicious headache that was beginning to attack her as she thought on her failure. Every single time her mind broached this particular subject she felt the intense pressure begin to build in her head. It was as though it were a deterrent, a block of some kind. Like the road blocks the police use to try to put out for her when trying to catch her.

"I hate blocks." She muttered to herself as she ran a shaky hand through her strawberry blond tresses. Then she allowed herself to look once more at the sky. She felt an ominous feeling over take her as she stared at the dual colors. To the west of her the sun was setting. It was a deep red blazing ball in a sky painted orange, pink, and indigo. Meanwhile the east held shades of blue and deep purple. She could see a star twinkling in the sky, the first star.

She shivered as she remembered a voice from long ago explaining that that star was the Dragon Star. "The Dragon Star." Kushami whispered as she stared with longing at the bright star. She knew the voice; it was so familiar to her. She felt as though the person had once held her close, told her stories.

"Kushami!" Chiaotzu called out to her as he flew toward her and landed a few paces from where she stood.

The blond slowly shook herself from her thoughts and reluctantly pulled her eyes away from the bright star. "Hey kiddo. Looked like you boys were doing good there today. Ready to eat?"

Chiaotzu nodded his head and smiled at her. "Tien is getting stronger." He promised her and he smiled clearly pleased with his part in helping Tien to train.

Kushami smirked. "Well naturally he is when he has you there to help him." She had not always been this nice to the immortal child. Still they had taken her in and put up with her antics. She was grateful to Chiaotzu and Tien and she had wished to show them that she cared in some way. Being nicer had seemed like the right thing to do at least for the boy. Tien had been more difficult to show that she cared. He had never been terribly trustful of her due to her criminal past. He had hated how she use to lie, steal, and cheat. It was part of why she had given it up. She had done it to please him.

'Not that anything I do pleases him.' She thought perhaps a bit harshly. Tien was not cruel to her but nor did he treat her as she hoped. She wanted so much from Tien. She was beginning to think that she wanted far more from him than he was willing to give her. She looked away from Chiaotzu then to stare at her heart's great desire. Tien.

He was looking at her with curiosity in his eyes and she was slightly taken aback to find curiosity there instead of his usual kind indifference. She didn't know what to make of that so she simply gave him a tough girl grin and then said to him "You should get inside and start eating while it's still warm. You can take a bath afterward tough guy."

With that she turned away from him and sauntered inside of her capsule home. The house was a gift from Bulma whom she still liked to keep in touch with. Her old capsule house had been destroyed by a waterfall years before. She didn't often like to think of that day. Tien had saved her that day and she had felt his arms wrapped tight around her. It would have been more wonderful if they had been wrapped about her without her life being in danger, but hey a girl couldn't be too picky. He had not held her since that day much to her great regret.

She entered the kitchen and smiled at the nicely set table. She had learned a few things over the past year and one of those things was how to cook as well as her counterpart. Ranchi the dimwitted blue haired beauty that she turned into was a fine cook and a fine housekeeper. Kushami was trying to learn to be almost as efficient if only to please Tien.

She was grateful for Chiaotzu's boisterous spirit. He kept a consistent chatter through dinner and kept her smiling and laughing. She caught Tien staring at Chiaotzu with affection and she caught Tien's eye and gave him a genuine smile. She liked the way that he seemed to look at the boy as though he were a little brother. They had once been students together beneath the same master so she supposed it was a sort of brotherhood. She had seen evidence enough of that between Krillin and Goku when they had both been students of Master Roshi the Turtle Hermit.

She followed Chiaotzu's lead when it came to making conversation throughout dinner because she didn't think she had it within her to come up with topics on her own. The past few days she had become introspective, withdrawing slightly from her boys and yet hovering near them basking in their presence. Being near them gave her comfort, gave her the strength to try to face that strange block that was bothering her.

"I hate road blocks." She muttered again and then suddenly she heard the silence, realized that Chiaotzu had ceased speaking and so had Tien. They were both staring at her. Her green eyes locked on Tien's for a moment and held his gaze. His dark eyes were hooded and she had seen that look enough times to guess what his thoughts might be. He had heard road blocks and suddenly wondered if she was planning some sort of heist. Though it hurt her that he thought she might be she supposed she shouldn't blame him. She had alternated of late between being in their presence and least out of sight.

"Road blocks Kushami?" Chiaotzu asked of her. He knew what road blocks were but he didn't know why she had muttered darkly about them. "Are you remembering something from your past?"

Her gaze swiveled away from Tien and she stared at the immortal child with surprise. His question had caught her, held her spellbound for a moment. "Yes." She said softly to the kid. "I am, but…" She trailed off as Tien stood.

"He doesn't need to hear about your criminal past." He said in a voice that was calm but held that stern edge that told her that she had better do as he said.

She wasn't afraid of Tien, at least not physically. Despite the fact that he was a trained assassin she knew that he would never be able to bring himself to harm her physically. The trouble was the man's opinion mattered too much to her. She wasn't sure when that had happened but she had given him that power. She had handed him the keys to the city that was called Kushami, not that he even seemed to know it.

Chiaotzu gave her a sympathetic look and spoke to Tien. "But we don't even know if she was going to say anything about her criminal past."

"I wasn't." Kushami muttered as she too stood up from the table. She started gathering the empty plates before she stalked off to the kitchen. The plates had been a gift from Chi-chi, Goku's pretty wife. If they hadn't been a gift from the Ox-King's daughter then Kushami was positive she would have taken them outside, despite the fact that it was dark and used them for target practice. She put the plates down beside the sink and then she turned on her heel away from the kitchen sink. She marched straight out the kitchen door into the night uncaring at the moment that all of her best guns had been left in her capsule case in the house.

"Who does he think he is?" She asked the nighttime sky. "Huh? I'm not the only one with a checkered past. That Tien was a trained assassin for Kami's sake!" She exclaimed releasing some of her pent up frustration. She leaned against a rock that had over the last year become her favorite. This spot, not far from the domed house, was where she went to think when something was upsetting her. She sat on the ground leaning against the rock and let her anger flow away. She stared up at the night sky and watched the Dragon Star.

"Doragon." The name came to her in a startling realization. Someone had once told her that the star was named Doragon. She snarled then in aggravation. "Why am I sitting here plagued over the name of a stupid star?" She demanded of herself. "It's not like I work in the astrology department at Capsule Corp." She murmured but the heat left her words as she looked up at the sparkling star. Somehow looking up at the star eased the pain in her head. She felt a tear slip from her right eye and was startled by the cool wetness. She hadn't realized that she was close to tears.

It was late in the night nearing midnight when she felt herself being lifted from her position of laying against the rock. In her half-awake state she managed to cuddle closer to the warmth of the person carrying her. She inhaled his scent and contentment overcame her. Tien had come to find her and had chosen to bring her inside without waking her to disturb her. She sighed with happiness no longer able to summon anger at him. Perhaps she could be angry at him tomorrow but she doubted it. She rarely stayed mad at Tien for anything. The longest she had managed to stay mad at the man was for a single day. It had been a miserable day for Oolong, Yamcha, Puar, Master Roshi, and Turtle whom she had terrorized.

There was a pause in his movements and he pulled her closer against him as he managed to balance her in his arms and also open the kitchen door. She fought the urge to smile against his neck that he was actually able to accomplish the deed without dropping her or propping her against the outside wall. She opened her eyes and glanced toward the kitchen sink. All of the dishes that she had used to cook with and used to serve dinner with were clean and in the dish strainer. She smiled at Tien and raised a hand to his cheek. He was half way between the kitchen and dining room and he froze between the two rooms as he felt the contact of her fingers against his skin.

"Thank you Tien, for coming to get me. I didn't mean to fall asleep out there." She said in a voice that was still husky from sleep.

Tien nodded his head. "I've told you not to do that." He reminded her, but his voice lacked anger. "You never know who or what is lurking about."

She resisted the urge to smile at his show of concern. "Wouldn't it be better if someone made off with me? Good riddance right?" She asked of him as he gently sat her down on the sofa. She was happy with the change of position because now she could easily see his face, his dark eyes. She placed her hands on his arms to hold him there, kneeling by the couch, half over her as he had placed her there. She needed to know if that was how he felt about her. She needed…

"I'd be worried. I wouldn't know what had happened to you. If you had decided to go off on your own or if someone had tried to hurt you." Tien answered her. "It wouldn't be good riddance Kushami. If someone made off with you, I'd come for you."

He was so close, his breath fanned her face as he spoke and she stared into his dark eyes spell bound. "Tien." She whispered his name and felt herself moving closer to him. She closed her eyes as her lips touched his. Her lips trembled against him as the months of longing coursed through her. She felt him stiffen as she slowly moved her trembling lips against him. She feared for a moment that he would reject her and she began to pull back. "I'm sorry…" She whispered to him but then she could say no more. Tien's arms had gone around her and his lips were molding over hers gently demanding that she give herself to him.

She sighed when he released her lips and she buried her head in the crook of his neck reveling in the feel of him. Her mind was reeling from his kiss. Tien had finally shown her that he returned her affection. He had kissed her. He had truly kissed her. "Road blocks?" Tien breathed the word against her hair shattering the moment and it was her turn to stiffen in his embrace.

She pulled away slightly yet his arms did not slide away from her. Instead his hands remained at her lower back and she recognized immediately that he would easily be able to maneuver his hands to hold her in place if she tried to bolt. The look in his eyes was hard and serious and she knew then that he would seriously hold her down if she tried to bolt. He wanted answers. "I hate them." She whispered.

"Planning another crime spree, Kushami?" Tien asked after a long moment of silence.

Kushami felt pain flutter in her chest. She shouldn't blame him. He knew what she was capable of, he knew all about that part of her checkered past after all. "No." She denied it with vehemence because despite his knowledge of her past it hurt her so fiercely that he thought she would do such a thing now. She had been good while living with him, had given up that life. She didn't really want to return to it. Didn't he know that? Couldn't he see that when he looked at her? 'Clearly he can't.' She thought with bitterness as she noted the lack of belief in his eyes.

"You cannot come back here if you do Kushami." Tien told her firmly. "The others may put up with your shenanigans but I won't. You won't bring that kind of trouble to Chiaotzu and me. Our deal was…"

"That I can stay so long as I don't get in trouble with the law and so long as I stay out of the way of your training." She cut him off with a biting tone of voice and a heated glare. "I remember our deal and I have never reneged upon it." She was angry with him, angry enough to need space from him. Oh she saw the irony! She had spent a great deal of time trying to get into the man's arms and now she needed him to release her so she could flee from him.

She placed her hands on his chest and pushed, determined to be rid of the feel of his arms curved around her. He stared at her for a long moment, his dark eyes bored deep into her own and then he released her and stood up. She wasn't satisfied until he had moved across the room. "So long as we understand each other Kushami." Tien managed to say to her before he turned down the hall that would lead him to what she liked to think of as the "Boy's Hall" for down the hall was Chiaotzu's room, Tien's room, a small gym, and a game room.

Kushami watched him go and felt bitter disappointment burn her throat and sting her eyes. He had assumed still that she was plotting some crime. He didn't understand and he had not asked to. It was always like this. Tien had not known how to deal with her at first. She didn't think he really knew how to deal with women unless he was fighting them. So it had been awkward at first. Then Tien had begun to figure out a way of dealing with her. She didn't always like his way of dealing with her. He presumed too much and then issued orders to her. She had never liked being ordered about. Not even when she was a child.

She blinked in confusion. It had been a very long time since she could remember anything about her childhood but suddenly the memory was fresh and clear. A beautiful woman with blue hair had stood before her and ordered her to chant a song, to chant it quickly and do it correctly. She hated being ordered to do it. Something had felt wrong about it. She didn't want to do it quickly; she was afraid she would somehow mess it up and then the woman would be very angry and punish her. She didn't know why she had to chant the song, didn't understand why the woman made her do it, but Kushami was certain that the chanting of that song had changed her life in ways that she could not yet wrap her head around.

Kushami slowly arose from the couch and stumbled on unsteady legs toward the simple set of stairs that led to the upper level of the domed house. The upper level held her bedroom and a few spare rooms for guests and for storage. She paused at the wall beside the stairs and flicked off the lights for the living room. She then began to move up the stairs leaning on the balustrade in order to keep moving. She yawned and felt weary more weary than she had felt in her whole life.

Tien had kissed her but he did not understand her. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, kept waiting to find that she had once again committed some crime. Was he looking for a reason to be rid of her? She couldn't help but wonder as she entered her bedroom. She stripped off her green tank top as she went and dropped it into the bin she kept for dirty laundry beside the bathroom door. She flicked the light on in the bathroom and smiled when she looked about her. The room was glistening clean, thanks to the blue haired version of herself she was sure for she didn't remember cleaning the bathroom that day. Her bathroom held the best shower and the best bathtub. It was large enough to fit herself and Tien easily, not that she had much hope anymore of getting Tien to test it out with her.

She sighed as she went to the sink and opened the medicine cabinet. She quickly found that which she sought, her toothbrush and toothpaste. While she brushed and flossed her teeth she let her mind wander back to her favorite topic, Tien Shinhan. Was he trying to get rid of her? Was that why he found it so easy to believe she was planning a crime spree? If he were that tired of her he could always tell her to leave, to hit the road and never come back again. She wasn't sure she'd willingly do it, but he could say so if that was what he was truly thinking.

She growled in aggravation as she threw away her used dental floss and slowly closed the cabinet. She washed her face swiftly, scrubbing harder than usual due to her aggravation with Tien. When she was done she turned the water off and picked up a dry towel and patted her face dry. She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Though she was not a vain woman she could admit that she was actually rather pretty. She had fine features, pretty green eyes, strawberry blond hair that was naturally thick though fine and quite curly. She had a nice body. She was an active girl. Since giving up her life of crime she had refused to become a couch potato. She cleaned the house and she engaged in various outdoor exercises. She had taken recently to rock climbing and before that she had enjoyed climbing the few trees in the area. She was attractive, willing, and the only girl for miles so why was it that Tien could only kiss her and then pick a fight with her? Why wasn't he in her bed panting her name?

She growled low in her throat before she departed the bathroom. She swiftly grabbed herself a tank top to wear to bed. She took off her bra and then donned the tank top. She shimmied out of her shorts next and deposited both bra and shorts in the dirty clothes bin. Then she grabbed the long button up shirt and put it on. It had turned chilly that day and she didn't need to catch a cold overnight.

She then picked up the journal book that she had bought on impulse a few years ago at a market. Well, the blue haired nitwit had bought it with money gifted to her by Master Roshi. The blue haired idiot had used it as a journal, stories of her life with Master Roshi were written on the pages in the gentle looping handwriting of her blue haired counterpart. Kushami bit her lower lip as she reread the last few pages of writing. It was recently written, perhaps two days ago but she couldn't be sure. The pages told of a dream that Ranchi had been experiencing.

Kushami felt chills rush over her spine as she once more reread the story as it unfolded in Ranchi's looping hand writing.

The dream happened again. I have lost count of how many times I have had it. Each time I see more. It's strange to dream that way isn't it? Shouldn't I have more control if it is my dream? I dream that there is this woman before me and she's so beautiful. Her hair is the same shade as my own and her eyes are a beautiful pale green, unlike my own blue eyes. I have seen her before in my dreams. Often she is rocking me back and forth, holding me and giving me comfort. Sometimes she has been singing a strange song. It's a song that she wants me to memorize but I don't know why. I only know that the song fills me up. It is beautiful and yet there is something ominous about it.

Last night she held me. She rocked me back and forth and said that I had to sing the song at the right moment because it would save my life. I don't know why she was so frightened but she shook as she held me and I had the feeling that she held me more for her own comfort than for my own. Her fear was a living breathing entity in the room and it was inescapable. I wanted so desperately to awaken but I couldn't. Then there was a crash and she stood up, holding me to her. She reached out a hand toward the ground and I watched as a blond haired little girl around my own age took that hand. Then we were rushing from the room, running as fast as the woman could go while holding me and pulling the little blond haired girl along.

We entered a large room that reminds me of those great halls you see in castles. She set me down on the floor and I looked at the blond haired girl. She had the woman's pale green eyes but her hair was blond. Despite that there were similarities of our features. But the blond haired girl was scowling in concentration and she looked so fierce and determined while I felt only fear and I am sure it showed on my own features.

"Sing the song. Do it now and quickly." The woman told us and I watched as the blond haired girl flinched. We looked at each other for a moment and it took me a moment to realize that I was looking at that girl waiting for her to take the lead. There was something familiar in that moment as though I often waited for the little blond haired girl to lead.

We joined hands and began to sing. We were urged on faster, faster and faster. I felt as though ice flowed through my veins as I continued to sing the song trying to master it at the speed and tempo that she desired. I barely noticed the doors opening and armed men entering the room. I barely noticed anything around me until I stumbled over my words in my haste. Then it happened, a bright light as I felt pulled forward toward the blond haired girl.

Then I awoke to early morning sunlight shining upon my face. I rushed to the bathroom to bathe and then get downstairs to cook breakfast for Tien Shinhan and Chaiotzu. I tried to shake the dream and the feelings it gave me by cleaning my bathroom. I scrubbed until everything sparkled and yet it has not been enough. So I have chosen to write it down in this journal. I don't know why I dreamt of that woman again. I don't know why I dreamt of that strange song and why I felt as though I were being pulled toward the blond haired girl. I wish I knew who she was. I cannot shake the feeling that she is real and someone that was once very close to me.

Kushami slowly closed the book and pondered the words written there. For the first time that she could remember she wished to sit down with her blue haired counterpart and have a serious conversation. Sure there had been times that she had wanted to talk to the blue haired version of herself. Primarily to yell at the girl for getting them into what Kushami had thought were silly situations at the time. Now Kushami was willing to admit that the blue haired version of her had done a lot for them. It was the blue haired one that was beloved by Master Roshi, Oolong, Krillin, Goku, Chi-Chi, Yamcha, and Bulma. They weren't as fond of Kushami but they accepted her, it had been that or a gun in the face.

She sighed at that depressing thought. Tien had accepted her in this incarnation though. He didn't really trust her and they were working on that, at least she thought they were. Still the point was he had accepted her. It was her and not the blue haired version that he had been willing to accept as a living partner. He knew the blue haired came with her of course, but it was her blond haired Kushami that he had agreed to let stay. That meant the world to Kushami. Tien was perhaps the first person who had ever wanted her around.

That meant more to her than anything. The things she was willing to do for that man astounded her at times. She was willing to clean house. She was willing to learn how to cook some of the most delectable meals and she had memorized all of his favorites. She had even swallowed her pride for him and nicely asked Bulma for this house which was modeled with Tien and Chaiotzu's needs in mind as well as her own. She had given up her life of crime for him. She had thought giving up her criminal past would be difficult. She had thought it would be incredibly hard to keep her from planning a new heist, picking a pocket while at the market, robbing a bank. Instead it had been easy. It brought her back to her thoughts of earlier that evening. It was as if robbing people had never been what she had really wanted to do.

Kushami sighed and slowly placed the book back on the nightstand. She then arose and turned the light switch to the off setting. The room was now in darkness except for the moonlight that bathed the room creating shades of gray. She crawled into the bed and beneath the covers and looked toward the window for several moments. She had insisted upon a window in her room in case she ever had to make a fast get away. Bulma hadn't understood it but she accepted it and added it into the structure of the house. Kushami smiled a little and felt gratitude toward Bulma for the window and for the house itself. She had offered Bulma money for the home but she had been turned down. Instead Bulma had made a gift of the house to her due to their long years of friendship. It was the first time that Kushami thought that Bulma may actually like her as well as her blue haired self.

As she closed her eyes she thought again of the dream she had and how it resembled pieces of the dream that the blue haired nitwit had dreamt. The woman with the blue hair had urged them to sing the song, chant it faster and faster. Kushami yawned as she rolled over in her bed. She felt herself drift for a time between sleep and wakefulness before she tipped over the edge into sleep.

The blue haired woman awaited her there. "Kasia there you are." She said in a voice that dripped with displeasure. "Hurry child we have to get your sister."

Kushami now known as Kasia in the dream followed the woman to what looked like a nursery or playroom. Toys were scattered upon the floor and a blue haired girl with wide blue eyes stared at them curiously. She watched as the adult woman trembled and then scooped the little blue haired girl into her arms. "Raisa you have to sing the song at the right moment. If done correctly at the right moment will save your life." She promised. Then they were leaving the room, the woman was holding the girl Raisa but she held the hand of Kasia and forced her to run.

Kushami ran fast and felt as though she were about to stumble at any moment, yet she kept her pace running behind the woman, panting with the exertion. Then they were in the great hall and Kushami felt chills race through her. The woman put the blue haired girl, Raisa, down and then she ordered them to sing.

Kushami looked at the floor not wanting to sing. There was something about this that felt so wrong. It was as though she would have to give up herself. She would no longer be her own person. She would join with Raisa and they would both cease to exist. Then the blood would be joined again and the great threat would sleep. She frowned as she thought about it. If she and Raisa joined the great threat would sleep but the others wouldn't. Which was the greater threat?

Kushami looked up into the scared blue eyes of Raisa and she nodded with determination. She would protect Raisa. She reached for the girl's hand and was relieved when Raisa gripped hers tightly. Then they began to sing at the same time, chanting the song together, and gaining speed as they went, faster and faster just as the blue haired woman commanded. She didn't want to finish the song. She felt in her gut that to finish the song was to silence the wrong enemy. Then Raisa tripped over her words and they were drawn together in a bright light. They were melding, merging, becoming one being. Kushami screamed as the two morphed together into a single body.

She woke up screaming, hands holding her arms tightly as she struggled in the bed linens. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she inhaled harshly and she opened her eyes to see Tien staring at her with a look of overwhelming concern. She leaned toward him and he eased his hold upon her upper arms. She sobbed against his chest unable to stop herself from crying over what she had seen and experienced in her dream.

Dream? She wasn't sure she could call it a dream anymore. Something about it made her believe it was real. Road blocks. Somehow her memory was blocked and was resurfacing in her dreams? Was that it? And in the dream there were two of her. There was Raisa the blue haired girl with blue eyes and then there was Kasia and she knew that she was supposed to be Kasia. She had never dreamt that she was Raisa.

"Kushami." Tien's voice murmured to her and the tenderness in his tone stirred her. She hugged him tightly, sniffling and hating herself for being so weak while in front of him.

"I'll be fine. I just need a minute. Just a minute." Kushami promised him.

Tien frowned and he ran a hand over her blond hair, lightly caressing her strawberry curls. "Take all the time you need." He said gently as he cradled her close.

Kushami managed a nod and took a few shaky breaths. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Was that real? Had that really happened to her? If that were so then what she had always believed was true and the blue haired nitwit was not her at all but literally a different person.