* Goku and the others venture to Hineko's palace! Whoo hoo! I hope this chapters good, I have big plans for this story. ^-^


^Disclaimer: I only own Hineko, Generation 4 and Reido, nothing else. Not even DBZ. Who woulda thought?


"That must be it. Hitoshirezu Palace. Wow."
The dark stone palace loomed in front of them, a dark specter against an even darker sky. With the help of King Kai, Goku had managed to learn Gohan and Vegeta to the hidden rip in the barrier between their world and the demon world, where Hineko resided. Krillen and piccolo had stayed behind to try to hold things down on earth while Gohan, Vegeta and Goku tried to do something about Hineko. They had been directed to a desolate mountain rage in the far north, where a barely visible portal could be seen.
With a slight hesitation and some discussion about whether or not they should just attempt to stop the invasion from earth, Vegeta had grown tired of waiting around and rather forcefully pushed the others into the rip between worlds. After what seemed to them like a short fall, the three fighters landed rather ungracefully on cold ground.
Gohan didn't know what he expected the demon world to look like, but he certainly hadn't pictured this. The sky was red, heavily overcast with dark gray clouds that looked like they threatened rain. And the land sure did seem to need it. The soil was gray and crumbly, like crushed charcoal, with no grass at all. Despite the barren look of the soil, there were surprisingly many trees. Huge tall ones, with bare branches that were stripped of leaves. The only movement around them, save for the soft wind that rattled the trees, was a river, located to the east of the palace, with its banks very close to the palace wall.
Hitoshirezu Palace, Hineko's home, was a sight in itself. The huge building looked old, made of dark stones of all shapes and sizes that some how fit together like a puzzle. The building was rectangular shaped, with what looked like huge animal like claws at its four corners. The building looked like it had once been a larger rectangle; but that someone had shaped it down to include the claws. The ornaments were not separate from the main building, but seemed to flow from it.
The other noticeable feature was the large tower that jutted up from the palace. It rose high above the rest of the building, round with a roof the angles out in all directions. The windows in the palace reflected the strange light of the plains around them, making them appear as if on fire. The overall appearance gave Gohan the odd feeling that the palace was alive, and was just waiting to swallow them up.
"This is it? No wall? No guards posted at the entrance? This Hineko person must be pretty confident in her own power." Vegeta remarked gazing up at the magnificent structure.
"Yeah, I'd say. This place is just right out in the open. Doesn't look like there's any defense at all." Goku said. He too was staring in awe at the palace.
The three fighters stood in silence for a moment, taking everything in and trying to decide what to do next. It probably wasn't the best idea to stand around in the middle of a demon wasteland gawking at the palace of a power demon, but that was the furthest thing from there minds right then.
Gohan dragged his gaze from the sight to look at his father. "There doesn't seem to be anyone around. Maybe we can sneak in. Surprise her. Catch her off guard."
Vegeta crossed his arms and looked at the half saiyan. "Obviously she didn't become as powerful as everyone thinks she is by letting people sneak up on her. No doubt she knows we're here."
Gohan felt slightly embarrassed. Oh course she would know they were there. Vegeta was right. This was her territory. Just because they didn't see anything, didn't mean she didn't have hidden sensors somewhere.
"Unless…" Vegeta looked back at the palace. "Unless she's so powerful it doesn't matter if someone sneaks up on her."
The group fell silent again. What if Vegeta was right? What if Hineko was so powerful, that even if someone snuck up and attacked without giving her a chance to defend, she would not be affected by the attack?
"Well let's not think about that yet. First we have to get into the palace." Goku said, suddenly serious. "Come on."
The group started toward the foreboding building. They kept their eyes open, looking for anything that may pose a threat. The reached the palace with no trouble. The entire area seemed to be deserted. The area had an eerie stillness about it.
The doors to the palace loomed up in front of them, huge slabs of black metal, heavy and dark.
"So how do we…?"
Gohan abruptly fell silent as the huge doors suddenly and inexplicably swung inward. The room beyond was dark, with not a sign of life. The three exchanged a glance before shrugging to each other and stepping in. the stood inside for a moment taking in the surroundings. The room was pretty dim, but not as dark as it had seemed at first. The room was basically empty, save for a large staircase ascending into darkness.
"Oh, would you like some lights? Lady Hineko sees no reason for them, but do you need them?"
Vegeta whirled around, searching for the source of the unexpected voice. Nothing. Just an empty room around them. Without warning, the room suddenly was filled with light. Sitting in a corner, once hidden by the darkness, was what appeared to be a small griffin.
"There. Is that better? Can I get you anything else? Some food? Something to drink? Or maybe a painless death from Lady Hineko?" the griffin said in a mocking female voice.
A low growl escaped Vegeta's throat. "Who the hell are you?"
"I," it stared proudly, "Am Reido. And Lady Hineko has sent me to 'welcome' you."
"Welcome us? To what?" Gohan asked, instantly on the defensive. "Are you one of those Generation 4 people?"
"Generation 4?" Reido looked confused. "What are you babbling abo- Oh! You mean those green follows right? Actually their called Hespians. And they are Lady Hineko's creation. Generation 4 refers to their harvesting season."
"Harvesting season?" Goku questioned. "What is that?"
"Did you notice the fields beyond the palace? That is where Lady Hineko grows the Hespians. They are her own creation. Born from her own energy and raised in bulk in the fields. When they are mature, she harvests them and sends them out." Reido explained.
"Where is Hineko? We demand to see her now." Goku told Reido, looking her right in the eyes. Reido just laughed.
"You aren't in the place to make demands. While you are here you are at Hineko's mercy."
"Well then." Vegeta said, a smirk playing across his face. "We'll just have to force our way past you."
Reido took a step back, getting into a defensive stance. Then suddenly, she stood straight. It looked as though she were listening to far off music.
Then she smirked. "Your lucky. I could just kill you now, but instead I'll give you a test."
The small being snickered. "I hope your ready, because no body has ever passed this test. And those that didn't… well…." She gestured toward the back corner of the room. Piled almost to the ceiling was a pile of bones. Pearly white stripped of all flesh.
"Ha ha ha. But don't worry. Dying this way is much better than dying at the hands of Hineko."


*What does Reido have in store for our hero's? Can they pass the test? And if they do, will they be strong enough to handle the other horrors Hineko's palace holds? *



(A/N: I hope you guys like it so far! Things will start to pick in the next few chapters. Please review! I love getting feed back! ^-^)