Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT.

Chapter 2: Kame House

A small house isolated on a miniature island afloat in the middle of a vast sea, miles away from civilization, wouldn't sound appealing to any sane homebuyer. For a fleeting few seconds, the idea might be fun to entertain, but in the ultimate end, such a home was not practical. In fact, it sounded downright lonesome and even a little dismal. Accompanying one's own misery would surely be dark, dreary clouds, flashes of lighting, and a sea that was not fluid, but brown, brittle, and creaky like the front door of a haunted mansion.

Of course, at this point, the opinions of others did not truly matter. The house was not for sale, the hermit that lived on the island was perfectly happy, and the hermit's friends had developed a fond affection for the little, pink house. Yes, the building could have qualified as a shack by appearance, but to the Z force, it was a safety vault housing invaluable memories.

After all, it had all begun here for Gohan. And, maybe it was just nostalgia operating his body, but the young teen couldn't help but feel that getting kidnapped by his alien uncle was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. What adventures would he have missed out on? What friends would he have never met?

"Ho-ho! Just look at those curves! Oh yeah! Shake it! Shake it!"

"It seems like Master Roshi's still doing well," commented a flustered Gohan to himself, smiling nevertheless. He was about to knock on the green door when a slow, dull voice from outside greeted him.

"Gohan! Is that really you?"

"Turtle? Oh wow, you look the same as ever! Haven't aged a bit."

"Aw shucks, you don't mean that…" said Turtle, looking away bashfully at the compliment.

"No way, I mean every word," assured the half-saiyan. He patted the creature on the head. "So, is everyone else inside?"

"Nope. Just Master Roshi."

As if on cue, the old man hooted, "Hehehe! What a perfect set of lumps!"

Turtle sighed dolefully. "In his defense, he's drunk."

"Oh," said Gohan, not sure what to say. He chuckled nervously. "Er, so I guess he's watching one of those aerobic tapes? My dad said that he was really fond of those back in the day."

"Actually, he hasn't watched one of those tapes for a while."

Gohan gulped, wondering what the man was watching then. Thinking of nothing better to say under the awkward circumstance, he repeated, "Oh."

Seeing where the young teen's mind was wandering, the sea creature elaborated, "He's been really getting into the cooking channel lately."

"The cooking channel?"

"Yeah, he especially likes looking at the exotic fruit they use. He thinks that their shapes are…attractive."

The half-saiyan burst into laughter. "Haha, that Master Roshi! What an interesting guy. Gee."

"It's nice to see that you regard him with such respect," said Turtle while bowing his head. "I myself find it so hard to look past his inappropriate hobbies. Sometimes I forget that deep down, he's a really good person. You truly humble me."

"Well, I know that he trained my father in martial arts, so he must be a great person. I've never really seen him fight, but I bet he has some really amazing skills. Plus, my dad said that Master Roshi is actually sort of wise."

At that precise moment, Roshi began yelling, "Woo-hoo! Just look at the smooth texture of that skin and all of those sweet juices! Peel that thing to its core, baby! Alright!"

Gohan sweatdropped and tried to focus solely on the turtle. "H-hey, do you possibly know where Krillin is? I was kind of hoping to find him here."

"Hm, I think he went over to the East City area to meet up with Yamcha for some sort of lessons."

"Lessons with Yamcha? That sounds odd. Oh well, thanks! I guess I'll try to find them later while I'm getting my mom's groceries. Gee, and that reminds me that I still need to go see Bulma and Piccolo guys…"

"Wait, Gohan! Before you go, I think someone has been waiting for a rematch."

"Huh? What d'you mean?"

Bending down lower and following the turtle's head signals, the young teen finally sighted the crab perched upon the creature's large shell. It was the same crab that Gohan had met when he first arrived on the island as a child. Its small figure raced sideways, left and right, left and right, left and right, while its claw flung outwards, back and forth, back and forth. Delighted by the delicate critter's persistence and apparent enthusiasm after all these years, Gohan squatted down and outstretched his own fist.

"If it's a rematch you want, it's a rematch you'll get! Ready? Rock, paper, scissors!"

Aware of his acquaintance's limited capabilities when it came to hand gestures, Gohan stuck out his hand in the form of paper. Triumphantly, the crab continuously clenched its scissor-like claws. Then, it teetered around on Turtle's shell as if it were his personal victory stage. Between laughs, Gohan exclaimed, "Congratulations! You may be a sore loser, but at least you're a happy winner. Good match, old friend."

Gohan lifted himself up and walked backwards towards the shore to get one more full view of the island.

It was reassuring to know that no matter what changes life brought, the half-saiyan could always return to this island and be welcomed by the pink, pastel home, the tropical weather, the blowing palm trees, the white lawn chair, the forever good-natured Turtle, and Master Roshi, the elderly hermit who, sporting a Hawaiian shirt and turtle shell, had guided some of the most powerful warriors in their youth.

For Gohan, it had all begun here. He could never forget.

So, as the teen left the island, he imagined that he was a little boy, sailing away on the nimbus in his father's caring arms.