Disclaimer : Do not own DB/Z
Chapter two; The New Guard?
The Ox King's large feet ran through the forest with much ease, slamming every large tree that stood on his path away as if they were tiny branches sticking out of the ground. "ChiChi?!" his loud voice yelled. Yet there was no reply, he scanned his surroundings and could hear the smaller feet of his guards gaining up on him.
"Sire, she might be out of the forest by now." One of the guards said.
He abruptly turned to the guard and scowled with impatience, "Why would my daughter go outside the forest?!"
The guard swallowed hard, "She said she was going to wait for her fiancé by the lake…." He muttered.
Again the Ox King growled but said nothing; he rushed out of the forest and ran out on the sandy lands that lay outside of the forest. His loud voice once again calling out for his young daughter while the other guards tried their best to keep up with their King's large and fast steps.
In the distance a child screamed, "Aahh someone get him away from me!!" his heart stopped beating the moment he realized that that voice belonged to no one else other then his young daughter, "ChiChi?" he breathed but did not wait a second longer, he and the guards rushed into the direction the scream came from. In the distance seeing a dinosaur rushing after something they could not yet see.
The Ox King pushed himself further, his heavy feet pounding against the solid sandy sound leaving the rushing guards far behind him. He knew exactly what the creature was chasing; he pushed all of his energy and powers in to the force of his legs. Trying to go faster and faster but it didn't change any of the distance. Both the T-Rex and his daughter were running as fast as they could as well.
Suddenly his eyes caught sight of a yellow smudge in the air, "Wha…" he managed to mumble as he gained in closer and closer. Seeing an image of something that appeared to be a boy riding on top of a yellow moving cloud, before he could even do anything else the boy and the cloud hovered up closely behind the T-Rex.
The boy jumped off the cloud and with one fierce movement slammed his feet straight in the neck of the dinosaur. The T-rex wobbled up front and fell face first in to the ground, the impact moving the whole world under his feet.
The Ox King couldn't help it, his feet stopped dead on their track. His heavy heart beating against his chest as he saw the cloud disappear into the sky and the boy happily skipping about over the by now surprisingly dead T-Rex. In the distance he could hear him say something and a reply came from a girl, from his baby girl.
His eyes once again darted up to the sky, the cloud that was there right in front of him only a few minutes before wasn't that strange to him at all. In fact…
He knew he had seen it before.
The guards had by now finally joined up with their king, their wide eyes starring at the dead T-Rex. "Sire… did the animal just fall down by accident?" one of the three guards asked dumbfounded.
But the Ox King did not reply, slowly he walked up to the dead body. He could hear ChiChi saying, "You're going to eat him now?!"
But the boy didn't reply, he quickly turned around and from the top of the T-Rex looked directly at the Ox King and his guards.
"Hello!" the boy waved and smiled.
Seconds later, "Papa!" ChiChi screeched and rushed to her father, jumping up and attaching herself around her father's large arm. Her father placed his free hand on her tiny body as she sobbed silently against his arm.
"ChiChi." The King began, his confused thoughts about the boy were temporarily forgotten as his father instincts took over, "Why did you run away like that?! You could have gotten yourself killed!"
"I know papa," came the muffled reply of his daughter who was pressing her tear stained face into his arm. There was silence for a while, other then the boy skipping over the body of the T-Rex, not one moment looking at the Ox King and the others that stood below.
"Guards, take my daughter home and don't leave her out of your sight for one second." The Ox King ordered, however his daughter immediately dropped herself on the ground and glared at her father, "I don't need those stupid guards." She said stubbornly, "Once I find Ré I don't need any one else to protect me, besides, I can fight!" her face turned red, "You should know, you taught me how to fight yourself!"
Her father sighed, "ChiChi, it will take him two days to come back with his father by th-" she cut him off, "You promised I would be able to spend some time with him nearby the lake." she crossed her arms, "It is not safe, you will stay in the village where we can keep an eye on you."
ChiChi glared at her father and turned away from him, her angry eyes starring at the dead body of the dinosaur, looking up she noticed that Goku was about to slam straight through the neck of the dinosaur. Suddenly an idea popped up in her head, "Fine, how about I take some one with me then?" she asked her father who was about to turn to the boy himself, "What?"
She pointed at Goku, "He's a fighter, he told me just before you came here. He's very strong." The young princess stated.
The Ox King shook his head, "He's just a boy." He said, dismissing his daughter's new plan. "Who just killed a full grown T-Rex with out breaking a sweat?" ChiChi added.
"Come on daddy, they won't be looking for me at the lake and when they do end up finding me and-"
"I said no ChiChi!" he father's loud voice shut her up instantly, he sighed and turned around, "Boy!" he called up to Goku, who looked down, his face completely covered with blood and his mouth full of raw meat.
The Ox King gulped along with the guards, "I-er… I was wondering if you would like to join us to our Kingdom…" his voice drifted of slightly with each drop of blood that fell down his chin.
"What for?" Goku asked as he had just swallowed the heap of meat he had consumed. The Ox King smiled uneasy, "To thank you for saving my daughter's life, that's why."
"Oh." The boy replied and reached out in the open gap he had just created on the dinosaur, ripped another hand full worth of meat and stuck it in his mouth. "Tawts awight." He said in between chewing once his mouth was empty he turned back at the King, "I ought to be on my way, once I finish eating I'll leave an-"
"Then why not let us take your food, prepare it any kind of way we can for you and then have you on your way to where ever you're heading?" the Ox King quickly said, "We have great cooks back in the castle who would be more then happy to give you the meal like you like it best!"
Goku raised an eyebrow, briefly turned to the raw meat covered drenched in blood. It was tasty, but back in the days he was travelling with Bulma, she had given him many sources of cooked food and that tasted just even more delicious.
The idea of the giant below him didn't sound that bad at all.
He jumped of the T-Rex with ease and landed right next to ChiChi, he grinned at her the blood belonging to the T-Rex dripped off his chin.
"That's disgusting!" she screeched at him, but Goku turned to the Ox King, "That sounds like a great plan!" Goku exclaimed, not noticing or even care to notice the princess's comment.
"Alright then," the Ox King moved to the boy, "My name is the Ox King, father of ChiChi." He reached his hand to the boy, "the name is Goku!" Goku exclaimed and his tiny hand wrapped around the large finger of the Ox King, shaking it in the progress.
--
A few hours had passed since the king and his daughter returned. Cooks all over the village were called for as they started to cook and prepare every eatable part of the dead t-rex they had managed to bring to the village.
Goku devoured everything they sat down in front of them, earning many gawking faces and disgusted moans from servants and guards around them. The Ox King looked on surprised at the young boy, amazed by his large appetite. He had imagined having the cooks prepare several meals for the boy to take with him on his journey.
But by the looks of it, one whole T-rex seemed enough to give the boy one good meal.
The Ox King took one good look at the scene in front of him. He smiled slightly as he watched every adult around them look at the young boy with either disgust or utter puzzlement. Every one stayed away from him, maybe because they were afraid that if they got to close the young boy would accidentally eat them instead.
And the only person who dared to come close enough was his ChiChi, resting on her elbows as her big eyes looked on with amazement. She was really caught up with what she saw, like someone was showing her how to make a puppy of tiny balloon strings or something.
"Do people ever feed you?" ChiChi asked incredulously, Goku simply nodded in between his eating, "Ow couwse!" he managed to say. ChiChi just looked on with awe.
"Where do you leave all of that food in your body?!" the girl once again asked incredulously, her big eyes roaming over the food that lay up in front of him while he asked for more and more.
"Just in my stomach!" he replied and picked up another bowl of food, beginning his… well it seemed his 20th filling.
"Ohkay…" she said, stood up and reached over to grab some chips herself. "You don't mind do you?'" she asked him, through it all she still managed to feel a little hungry herself. The disgusted views up on this boy's eating manners had disappeared and pretty much easily accepted by the young Princess.
"No, help yourself!" Goku said with a grin and headed to the last plate.
He reached over and picked up the bowl filled with chips and handed it to ChiChi, "These are very good, you can have them if you want!" he said. More then willing to share the wonderful meals with her.
"Thanks." She smiled and began eating.
They kept on eating in silence, other then the sound of the scrunching noises belonging Goku's eating. ChiChi's stomach was already filled more then enough after she had finished eating the chips and eaten a few nacho's, now she turned to look around her. No longer finding Goku's eating habit that amazing, her bored eyes landed on her father.
He seemed to be miles away with in his thoughts, his large arms folded in to each other as his eyes were starring at something that must be lying right in front of Goku. ChiChi bent over to see if she might have missed something, but couldn't find anything she thought would hold her father's thoughts like that.
Little did ChiChi know that her father was sinking into very deep thoughts concerning the young boy they had just met today? He had noticed a few things about the young boy. The yellow cloud, his orange Gi and the pole he was wearing on his back.
He knew every object the boy had in his possession and was wearing. He knew it all to well since he had touched them all when he was but a mere young man himself.
And now, he was waiting, waiting for the boy finish the meal to ask him the questions that had by now pretty much fogged every other thought and what not in his head. And as if on cue, the boy stopped and placed the last empty plate on the table.
He leaned back, sighed happily and patted his stomach. "This is the best meal I have eaten in a long time!" he exclaimed as he lazily placed his hands behind his head.
"We're pleased to know that your stomach is by now more then satisfied." The Ox King spoke as the servants began on clean up the table. "Goku." The Ox King continued after a long silence, "I have a question to ask you."
Goku looked up as did ChiChi, "What?"
"The Gi that you're wearing, who gave it to you?" the Ox King asked in a serious tone.
Goku blinked and looked briefly at his clothes, "My sensei did." He replied.
"Your sensei goes by the name of Master Roshi, doesn't he?"
Goku smiled, "You know him?!" he asked with enthusiasm.
The Ox King nodded, "That I do." He said, "In fact, he trained me once. Together with this other man who I was friends with at that time."
Goku raised an eyebrow, "Do you perhaps know any one by the name of Son Gohan?"
Goku jumped to his feet, "Yes!" he exclaimed, causing one servant to drop the pile of plates he tried to bring back to the kitchen. The plates all shattered about on to the marbled floor; however, no one cared to notice other then the servant himself who was by now sighing and cursing something.
"He's my grandpa!" Goku continued earning a shocked expression from the king. "Truly?"
ChiChi blinked as Goku nodded eagerly.
"Well that's amazing! Tell me how is your grandfather doing?! I haven't had the chance to visit him in such a long time!" Goku sat down silently, his happy cheerful face never leaving, not even after he said, "He died."
The Ox King stared at him dumbfounded, "Son Gohan is dead?"
Goku nodded, "Yes."
"I can't believe it. I am sorry to hear this…" he mumbled, feeling a stab of guilt jabbing in his heart.
"Its okay, his spirit is with in the four stars Dragonball, I am out to find it." Goku said, "But I am having a hard time with it, since emperor Pilaf is out to get all seven Dragonballs and makes it harder for me to find my grandpa. I have to find all of the seven so he won't try to make grandpa disappear again." Goku continued as if his story was filled with facts every one knew about.
"Dragonballs?" ChiChi asked and Goku nodded, "Yes, you know, orange balls that have stars on it. You know which one is what by seeing the number of stars."
"And why is this emperor Pilaf out to get all of them?" the Ox King asked.
"Once you've collected all seven balls, you can call out for the dragon; he will give you one wish." Goku said.
"Really? You can wish for anything?" ChiChi asked.
Goku nodded, "Yes, once you have made your one wish the Dragonballs turn into stones and are blown out all over the world. They won't turn back to normal until a year later."
The Ox King called for one of his servants, bent over to the servant's hearing range and softly spoke to him. Both the children could not hear what he was saying and looked on with curiosity as the servant left the dinning room.
"A little over a year ago, something crash landed straight through my bedroom ceiling and ended up rolling over to my balcony. I thought it was odd to have a round ball falling right out of the sky, picked it up and just placed it some where else. A couple of days ago I suddenly found something else."
Again Goku jumped up, "Is it a Dragonball?!" he said, a huge grin covering his young face. "I think so." The Ox King said and waited for the servant to come back. Soon enough the servant did return with the object in question resting in his hands, he walked up to the Ox King and handed it over into the large hands of the giant.
Goku beamed with the delight the moment the sun greeted the Dragonball and the reflection shined brightly in to the sky.
"It –is- a Dragonball!" Goku said happy, "Please, Ox King, could I have it?!" he asked as politely as he could.
ChiChi looked at the Dragonball and then quickly studied Goku's face, clear to all that Goku was very much eager about having that Dragonball. A plan suddenly lit up in her young mind and she had to make that plan move right away.
The Ox King looked up, "I don-" "Papa!" his daughter caught him off and earned surprising looks from both of her father and Goku. "I don't think you should just give that away…" she gulped hard. A part of her knew she was being unfair towards Goku, if she would actually go through with her little devised plan, after what Goku had saved her life he deserved pretty much everything what he wanted.
But, she had no choice, besides, she knew even when her plan would succeed, in the end he would get his Dragonball and she would still get to be with her Ré.
She gulped hard, already feeling a bit ashamed of what she was about to say, "I think he should deserve that Dragonball." She said, trying hard not to appear to be nervous and tried even harder to avoid Goku's semi hurt face.
"What do you mean? Saving your life wasn't good enough?" her father asked surprised.
"Well.. I er.." she smiled sweetly, "The meal he has just been given already was a huge gift." The young princess said.
Her father raised an eyebrow, "What should he do then?" he asked a little surprised.
Goku looked a little dumb founded and let him crash land in to the seat again like a bag of salt.
"Guard me on my date with Ré." ChiChi quickly said and was highly angered by her father who rolled his eyes at this comment. "Papa, you know I will go on this date. With or with out your permission, you know I will find my way to go outside of these walls and I will find him no matter what you say." She hated to be this disrespectful towards her father, or this bluntly uncaring towards Goku. But she just had to see Ré, he had been writing to her for such a long time, being her fiancé they had done nothing but talk about their future and about the day she would finally meet him again.
She was only five years old when they had gotten introduced, ever since then he was to far away to be with her and the letters were pretty much the only things that she could hold on to.
He had written to her about when they would meet he would take her to this special place his father used to take him when he still lived nearby the Ox King lands. He told her it was located at the lake which lay in the middle of a tiny forest. This forest was found in the middle of the sandy lands she had been heading to earlier that day.
Ever since he had written about that years ago she had been looking forward to the day would finally come. Day dreaming of what would happen once they got there, about what the place looked like and if he was as charming as he was in his letters.
Now with the threat of that stupid army called, 'Red Ribbon Army' she was being denied to pay him a visit. She was so angry when the guards first showed up with the news that they would be with her all the time until the threat was over. This angered her the most; she was not willing to share anything with these guards. They were adults, they were… well it was just wrong.
But Goku, being the kind hearted boy he was, or from what he has shown them this far. He would keep his distance; he would take her to the lake and protect her if necessary and she would still have her magical moment with her future husband.
Maybe even that one single first kiss she had always had been dreaming about.
Warm shivers went down her spine the moment that thought appeared in her mind and for just a short lived while she forgot about her father looking at her with question.
Her father looked down, all too aware of his daughter's free spirit and strong will. She was right, she was stronger then she looked. Though not strong enough to handle off soldiers on her own, she was however good at finding her ways through the lands with out getting noticed by any one. She had done this before, done it today and knew that she would do it again.
He looked up at Goku, not sure if he was doing the right thing by saying this.
"Young Goku." The Ox King spoke in the corner of his eyes he could see his daughter beam with delight, "Would you please, protect my daughter on her date with her fiancé? In return, once you return her safely to the castle grounds. I shall give you the Dragonball you have been eagerly waiting for."
Goku raised an eyebrow, looked at the King and then at his daughter, who's eyes were now beaming so powerfully Goku briefly wondered if they would fall out of her head if she kept them open that much.
Shaking out of his short lived thoughts Goku nodded, "I will protect your daughter." He said and bowed at the Ox King.
ChiChi fought hard to hold back the loud scream that was now trying to force itself free from her throat's tight hold. She managed and felt her self bouncing up and down on her chair with happiness.
She couldn't wait.
To Be Continued…
A/N : I know this might not seem exciting, the real good (well, uhm, WAYYY better then this one any way) chapter will be up next week. Made sure I was going to update that a lot faster, this will be about the one and only kiss that got stolen! (Oih, I am letting out WAYY to much.. but I am in a good mood)
Please review people!