BGL: O.k. I decided to do a Toriko story because I love Zebra….. Please enjoy!
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"Oi! Put me down kid!" A small child in Komatsu's arms struggled.
"I don't think you should be calling me a kid Zebra-san!" Komatsu was running for his life with a small Zebra in his arms. Currently a stampede of wild Pork Bun Pigs were chasing them. Thanks to little zebra taking a bite out of one, but that doesn't explain Why Zebra was now child.
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The four heavenly kings and Komatsu were on another food mission, to explore the mystery island that surfaces every 100 years.
"Toriko-san… the island looks huge." Komatsu gaped at the island through is binoculars.
"Yes which means we'll find plenty of delicious ingredients here." Toriko drooled
"Hopefully we find some worthy of my taste here." Sunny flipped his hair
"We all should be careful as we enter the island." Coco chimed in.
Zebra just grunted in response as the boat reached the shores of the island. The island was full off vegetation, and many animal sounds. They headed toward the forest, where a trail seemed to start.
"Waah… Toriko-san look up there." Komatsu pointed to a grove of trees.
"HHHOOOO! Those look delicious." Toriko drooled looking at the pair shaped fruit. "Sunny!"
"Honestly using my talents to pick fruit, how unruly." Sunny used his hair to pick the fruit. While Zebra shook the trees to knock even more down for himself.
"Waah! These taste just like honey and melon." Komatsu tasted
"Hhhhmmm…. Such a smooth texture and a beautiful color, this is what I call a perfection." Sunny gleamed
"Yes perhaps we should collect some for research 'honey melon pair' sounds like a good name." Coco packed some away.
"I Agree Coco-san." Komatsu smiled as he packed some away himself.
"OI! ZEBRA! QUIT EATING THEM ALL SAVE SOME FOR ME!" Toriko grabbed the taller king by his collar.
"Go get your own Toriko…." Zebra ate the last one he had.
"Toriko-san we still have plenty of time to look around for more food." Komatsu tried to calm the two before they broke out into a fight.
"Haaa… I guess your right Komatsu." Toriok shrugged, the group continued there search until they were attacked by a Five horned Lizard. The kings made easy work of it, and Komatsu grilled its meat.
"HHAAAAA! It's so tender and has slight sweetness to it that brings out its flavor." Toriko chewed happily.
"To think such a delicacy could come from such an ugly creature." Sunny chided while he ate.
"OI KID SECONDS!" Zebra yelled
"Hai!" Komatsu yelled as he put some more slices of meat on the heated stone.
After they ate they continued their search to find more fruits and strange creatures. Until they came upon a pond with a waterfall. That had huge bushes with clusters of fruit on them like grapes. Komatsu went to pick one but they were hard as a rock.
"Why are they so hard to pick?" Komatsu pulled on one.
"Let me try." Toriko grabbed one and nearly yanked the whole bush by its roots. "Wuaahh…. It really is hard to pick."
"Maybe if we cut it?" Komatsu suggested.
"VOICE CUTTER!" Zebra yelled. The bushes shook at the impact but no fruit fell.
"Well that is interesting." Coco came up to inspect the fruit, "the fruit itself feels hard as a rock, is it even edible?" Coco turned it and found a black seed that seemed to be soft. He plucked it off the hardened fruit and snap! The fruit came off the bush. "Interesting, seems there is a special way to harvest these."
"I see, so we pull the black seed and… Wwaahh!" Komatsu pulled on the fruit a little too hard and it landed in the pond.
"Yes that's seems to be how we get them but the fruit itself is still hard." Coco scratched his chin.
"Uhm Coco-san… look the fruit got bigger in the pond." Komatsu now picked the wet fruit up. "Aah and it's not hard any more.
"Hhmm…. "Coco dipped his in the pond, "I see so it was like there were dry, by moistening or soaking they become soft and edible..." He plucked one to taste, "It has a sugary taste to it but it is also sour, very interesting."
"But Coco-san it's also very juicy, this will make an excellent beverage, but what should we call it." Komatsu put a finger to his chin in thought
"Perhaps the youth berries, cause for some reason I feel so rejuvenated. Like I was a year younger." Sunny shined a little too brightly.
"OI! Zebra don't eat the whole bush." Toriko yelled while packing some away.
"Shut up!" Zebra ate another cluster in one go.
"Oi! We need to just take some samples with us and leave some here, don't be greedy." Toriko grabbed the other by the back of his shirt.
"Oi… you wanna fight Toriko?" Zebra grabbed the others arm squeezing it.
Toriko growled in response and through a punch, but poof. The taller king vanished in a puff a smoke. "Z-ZEBRA!" Toriko panicked.
"Wah! Zebra-san where are you?" Komatsu yelled.
"Down here you idiots!" A child like voice called to them. Every one looked down to see small child standing in a puddle of clothes with a shirt covering his waist.
"Zebra…." Coco looked shocked at seeing the most feared king turned into a small child. "It would seem that youthful berries is a good name for these. Eating to much of it makes and even bigger change in your age."
"That's what you get for being greedy." Toriko laughed as he picked Zebra up.
"Put me down Towiko…." Zebra froze at how he pronounced Toriko's name.
Coco and Sunny chuckled at the cuteness, while Toriko just grinned holding Zebra up over his head. "Hehhehe…. What's my name little Zebra."
Zebra glared, attempted anyway, at the blue haired man. "BAKA!"
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After Zebra was turned into a child a huge Cerberus Tiger attacked and separated them. So Komatsu was now stuck with a chibi Zebra. "TORIKO-SAAAAAAN!"
"Put me down I can fight." Zebra struggled he didn't like being carried everywhere.
"No you can't, don't you remember what happened when you tried sound bazooka?" Komatsu yelled.
Zebra just huffed and turned his head, "that was just an accident."
"No it wasn't it was too small and had no affect!" Komatsu came to a halt at the edge of a cliff. "WAAAH! WE'RE TRAPPED!" Komatsu turned around to the hogs that were running towards them at full speed. The weight of their hooves was causing the ground to shake and soon… Komatsu felts his left foot slip off the edge of the cliff. He clung tightly to Zebra as they fell. This was it was this the end, but there was so much food and cooking that he wanted find and taste. Komatsu cried as they fell, "TORIKO-SAAAAN!"
As if on cue Toriko caught them in mid air. Komatsu cried tears of joy "TORIKO-SAN!"
"Hey are you guys alright?" Toriko smiled, relieved that the two were O.K.
"Hai…" Komatsu smiled
Zebra grunted, "took you long enough."
Toriko landed and set Komatsu on the ground, who readjusted Zebra in his arms. "There we go… Sunny! Coco their over here." Toriko yelled to the other two kings as they ran towards then.
"Komatsu are you alright?" Coco asked in concern.
"Hai! Thanks to Toriko-san." Komatsu smiled, they were all back together again. But, He looked down at the small tuft of red hair. "What about Zebra-san, will he change back?"
"I don't know… we will have to wait and see. I will also do some studying when we get back." Coco ruffled Zebra's hair. "Until then Zebra you can't really do anything with out supervision."
Zebra swatted at Coco's hand "Quit it… and put me down!"
"Hai…hai" Komatsu set the small child on the ground. Zebra looked at himself in a nearby puddle. He was definitely a child; he was half the size of Komatsu. He knew he was going to hate this, being vulnerable and crap.
Suddenly the ground started to shake, and the birds and animals started to scatter. "What's going on?" Toriko asked
"The island it must be getting ready to go down again, its best we get back to the boat." Coco stated. Toriko picked Zebra up and everyone made a mad dash for the boat. They made it just before a wall of water encased the island as it sunk.
"So that's how all the animals and plants survive, but how is it done?" Sunny questioned
"I guess that is the mystery…" Coco smiled
"Put me down To- BAKA!" Zebra struggled in Toriko's arms.
"Not until you say my name." Toriko smiled he wanted to here little Zebra say it again, it was so cute.
"NO!" Zebra kicked at Toriko's chest.
"Toriko-san be nice, Zebra-san is just a child… well for now anyways." Komatsu watched as his partner held the little boy out in front of him.
"Don't worry Komatsu I'll take good care of him." Toriko rubbed his cheek against Zebra's
"Wait Toriko why do you get to watch Zebra while he's like this?" Sunny whined "I was hopeing to dress him in some fashionable clothes."
"I don't think Zebra would like that Sunny, plus I think it is best if he does stay with Toriko. Cause I may need your help for research on this fruit." Coco patted Sunny's shoulder. "We can always go and check up on them." Coco smiled.
Sunny just pouted and crossed his arms, "fine, but I am still buying him some clothes to wear." Coco just smiled at the king; they snapped there heads back at Toriko as they heard a shriek.
Toriko was sitting down with his legs crossed and Zebra in his lap. "Come on all you have to do his say my name."
Zebra struggled and push at that much larger hands and fingers wiggling around his ribcage. "Ba-baka! Stahap!" Zebra tried to hold in the childish giggles, just because he looked like a kid didn't mean he wanted to act like one.
Toriko just grinned "Come on…. Say To-ri-ko…"
"No!" Zebra grabbed at the elders hand and chomp. Toriko hissed in pain as Zebra bit his hand and mad a break for it.
"Zebra get back here!" Toriko gave chase around the boat.
"Ah… Toriko-san, Zebra-san be careful, it's wet." Komatsu warned.
Sunny turned to Coco and pointed at the scene. "You still think it's alright for Toriko to watch him." Coco watched in amusement, but soon turned to worry as he saw Zebra fall and hit his head.
"That's not good…"
"Zebra!" Toriko came to halt behind the child that sat up.
Zebra held his head, it hurt like hell. But there was no way he…was… gonna cry. He sniffed as big tears started to stream down his face, it really hurt. Soon everyone plugged there ears at Zebra's crying.
"Zebra… its O.K…." Toriko picked him up and tried to calm him down. Rubbing Zebra's head trying to soothe the pain. "Sshhh…its O.K…. pain pain go away." Toriko chanted until all heard was soft hiccups. He sat down still rubbing the little boys back. He reached over to pull his bag by his side. Toriko maneuvered Zebra into a sitting position his lap, searching his pack for the Honey Pair they had picked earlier. "Here wants some?" Toriko offered, Zebra took it and sniffed as he bit into it. Toriko wiped at the tears that were still falling. "There all better…" Toriko smiled down at Zebra, who just looked at him.
He did feel a lot better, not that he would tell this idiot that. Instead Zebra leaned back into Toriko's chest and finished eating his fruit; he even started to nod off.
"I think Zebra will be fine if we leave him with Toriko…Although I am quite jealous at the moment." Coco smiled
"I am too…" Sunny smiled. "We should make daily visits."
"Agreed."
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BGL: O.K. I hope you haven't fainted from the adorable scene at the end. But more to come. R&R PLEASE!