Dragon Ball: Altered Fates
DISCLAIMER: I don't own DBZ or Elfen Lied.
CHAPTER 4: Interesting Developments
Last time on DBAF, Gohan took Kaede on a trip to the city, where she met Yamcha and Bulma. Their fun was interrupted, however, when two goons tried to kidnap Kaede, but luckily, Gohan was there to stop them before they could do anything. Meanwhile, in a small, underground cave miles away, two figures received the news that Kaede had befriended our hero. Who are these two strangers, and do they have anything to do with the darkness surrounding Kaede? Find out now!
Kaede didn't know where she was; everything was dark. There were bodies scattered all around her, some with their heads cut off, others with their limbs torn apart, all with blood seeping out around them.
"W-Where am I?" she whispered. "What am I doing here?"
A soft voice whispered out to her, calling to her, beckoning her. It didn't seem to be coming from any of the bodies; it felt more like a manifestation of the void she was trapped in.
"You're here to fulfill your purpose, my dear," a menacing feminine voice purred.
"W-Who said that?" Kaede said, getting scared. "I must be hearing things!"
"Can't you feel it, dear?" the voice hissed. "The urge to kill, deep inside you... to lunge out at those around you, and cut them down like the vermin they are."
Kaede shook her head stubbornly.
"N-No," she said, though she sounded uncertain. "You're wrong..."
"Oh, am I?" the voice whispered. "Come, let me show you..."
"Go away!" Kaede yelled.
Then, in front of her, Tomoo and his gang of bullies appeared.
"Hey there, freak!" he sneered. "What's the matter? You gonna cry? Only humans cry, and you're not a human!"
"No, stop it!" Kaede yelled, clutching her head, as if in pain.
And then the bullies blew apart in a spray of crimson blood. Kaede screamed.
"What's happening? What's happening?" she cried. "This can't be real!"
"It can be real," the female voice said seductively. "That power is buried deep inside you, the power to kill and maim. Don't be afraid of it. Give in to it. It is your destiny to spread our genes to the lesser species, and then, kill them!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kaede screamed.
And then she woke up.
Sitting up suddenly in the bed, she leaned over, panting wildly.
"No," she whispered, still caught up in her dream. "No..."
And then she put her head into her hands and began silently weeping.
"Gohan..." she moaned. "I wish you were here. I need you..."
Meanwhile, at the same time, she couldn't know that Gohan was having every bit of difficulty in sleeping as she was. He lay in bed, deep in thought.
I've never had a friend like Kaede, he thought. Not Dende, not Krillin, anybody. She's so lonely. Even when she's around me, I can feel it. The poor girl... I want her to be happy, even when I'm not there. There's got to be something I can do for her. But what?
He sat up in bed, an idea coming to him.
Wait... yes, that's it! Suddenly, he smiled. That'll work!
And the half-Saiyan got up out of bed and headed for the window...
Later in the day, as Kaede was waiting for Gohan, she thought about her dream.
What was that? she wondered. Was it really a dream? It seemed so real... dreams don't feel like that. Am... am I going crazy? What will Gohan think of me if I go crazy?
Suddenly a pair of hands wrapped over her eyes.
"Guess who?" a voice said playfully. "Hi!"
And with that, he removed the hands, and Kaede turned around to find Gohan standing there.
"Hi, Gohan," she said, standing up and smiling shyly.
"It's great to see you again, Kaede," Gohan said earnestly. "I was worried about you."
"Worried about me?" Kaede repeated. "Why?"
"You just seem rattled by your experience," Gohan said. "I'm sorry I let those goons kidnap you. I should have got out of there sooner..."
"Oh, it's no problem," Kaede assured him. "Besides, you were pretty quick to save me."
"Aw, well, I couldn't let them hurt you, you know," Gohan said bashfully.
Kaede merely smiled wider.
"So what are we going to do today?" she asked.
"Oh yeah!" Gohan said. "I thought we could go on a picnic today, and then maybe later we could play a little, if that's all right with you."
"No, it's fine," Kaede said. "I'd love to play."
From high above in the sky, Piccolo floated, silently observing everything that was going on.
"So that's the girl that has Kami so worried," he mused. "Huh. She doesn't look like much. I doubt she could even stand up to Krillin. I wonder what's so dangerous about this girl anyway?"
Gohan had packed a big lunch, and he showed everything to Kaede.
She looked at all the food with wide eyes.
"Wow, all this food for us?" she said with some slight awe in her voice.
"Yup!" he said. "Well, dig in!"
Meanwhile, miles away, in that same underground location...
"I have heard from my contacts around the world," the same man from the previous night said. In the light he had silver hair. "It's confirmed; the number of horned babies being born is increasing."
"But how is that possible?" the other man from the night before demanded. "The Queen hasn't left the orphanage. There's no way she could have caused this."
"No, it is a most unusual phenomenon," the silver-haired man said. "Very strange. I have no clue what's behind it, but this may work out to advantage."
"Perhaps there is another Queen out there somewhere," the mustached man suggested.
"If so, then it only works out well for us in the end, my brother," the silver-haired man said. "We must accelerate our plans faster than we anticipated. How goes your projects?"
"Very well," the man with the mustache said. "It is only a matter of time before they are completed."
"Excellent," the man with silver hair said in a self-satisfied voice. "Continue with your experiments. We need them completed soon. They are the key to our grand plan, for with them, we can rise as the lords we truly are, and not even God himself can stop us."
"As you wish, brother," the mustached man said, somewhat resentfully.
"Come, let us go," the silver-haired man said. "There is much work to be done."
The mustached man followed the silver-haired man, a disgruntled look on his face.
You think you know everything, brother, but you know nothing, he thought disdainfully. But it is I, not you, who will rise from the ashes and lead our kind to a new golden age.
Miles away, in a small meadow littered with pretty flowers, Gohan and Kaede lay on the grass, looking up at the sky.
"It's so beautiful up there, Gohan," Kaede said.
"I know," Gohan replied. He looked over at the girl laying next to him. "Kaede?"
"Yes, Gohan?" Kaede asked, flipping onto her stomach to look at him directly.
"How are the other kids treating you?" Gohan asked. "Have they stopped picking on you?"
Kaede's face fell a little, but she nodded.
"Yes, ever since you beat up Tomoo and his friends, they haven't bothered me once," Kaede said.
"That's good," Gohan said, smiling.
"I think they're afraid to admit one boy beat them all," Kaede giggled.
They beamed at one another, not needing words to convey their happiness.
"It's not going to last, you know," the voice whispered silkily.
"Huh?" Kaede said, blinking in surprise.
"What?" Gohan said, his smile fading. "What's wrong, Kaede?"
"Our kind and their species can never coexist," the voice purred. "It would be easy just to... kill him now."
N-No! I can't! Kaede screamed mentally, the fear showing on her face. He's my friend! He cares about me!
"Friend? Bah!" the voice sneered. "He's using you, my dear. Your precious Gohan doesn't care about you. Their kind never do."
Kaede grabbed her head. "No! No!"
"Kaede, are you okay?" Gohan asked worriedly, grabbing her shoulders. "Kaede, talk to me! What's the matter?"
Kaede lowered her arms, remembering where she was.
"Uh, what's wrong?" she said. "Oh, nothing."
"Come on, Kaede," Gohan said. "You looked scared. I could feel your ki spiking. You were terrified."
Should I tell him? But how can I? she thought desperately. If I do, he'll think I'm crazy!
"I-I was just seeing things for a moment," Kaede lied. "It must be the heat."
Gohan looked up. "Well, it is a little hot. Do you wanna go someplace cooler?"
Kaede nodded. "Yes, let's go."
They retreated under an old maple tree, sitting with their backs pressed against the trunk, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze.
I wonder if I should give Kaede her present now, Gohan thought. I can't wait to see her face!
"Gohan?" Kaede asked.
"Hm?" Gohan said.
"What..." She gulped. "W-What would you do if one of your friends... was crazy?"
Gohan sat up straighter. "What do you mean, Kaede?"
"Well, let's just say one of your friends was hearing voices," Kaede ventured. "H-How would you feel?"
Gohan frowned, but said what he felt.
"To be honest, I don't really know," he said. "None of my friends are like that. But I'd try to help them nonetheless."
Kaede got a hopeful expression on her face. "You mean that?"
"Sure!" Gohan said. "But why are you asking, Kaede?"
Kaede hesitated.
"Well, Gohan..." she began. "Um, you see... it's l-like this..."
Just then, a voice interrupted. "So, having fun, you two?"
Kaede and Gohan turned their heads around and saw Piccolo floating above them, arms folded.
Instantly, Kaede slid behind Gohan, placing her hands on his shoulders.
"Who is that?" she said timidly.
He's got green skin and pointy ears! she thought. Is he some kind of alien?
"Oh, hey, Piccolo!" Gohan said brightly. "What have you been up to? I haven't seen you since we beat Garlic Jr.!"
"I just thought I'd drop by and say hello, kid," the tall Namekian said.
He glanced at the girl hiding behind Gohan.
Her power level isn't all that high, he thought. Yet, Kami is right. There is something slightly... off about her. What could it be?
Gohan looked between Kaede and Piccolo, then remembered his manners.
"Oh, Kaede, I'd like you to meet Piccolo," he said. "Piccolo, this is my new friend, Kaede."
Piccolo inclined his head.
"What do you say you stop by for some sparring later tonight, Gohan?" the green man asked.
"Hm, okay, sure," Gohan said. "I'll come around sometime after midnight."
"Be sure your mom doesn't catch you," Piccolo smirked. "And good luck with your new friend."
And with that, Piccolo uncrossed his arms and flew off.
Gohan glanced back at Kaede, noticing she hadn't let him go yet.
"What's wrong, Kaede?" he asked. "You don't have to be afraid. Piccolo's really nice once you get to know him."
"I-I don't know what's wrong with me," Kaede mumbled. "I just... I got so nervous I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry."
"Hey, no big deal," Gohan reassured her.
"Gohan, is..." She hesitated. "Is Piccolo an alien?"
Gohan tensed up. "Why would you say that?" he asked, trying to appear calm.
"He's got green skin and antenna," Kaede replied. "I-It's okay if you don't wanna tell me. I wouldn't mind if he was."
Gohan sighed. "That's kind of obvious, isn't it? Yes, Kaede, Piccolo's from outer space. He's from a race of people called the Nameks."
Does this mean I'm an alien too? Kaede wondered. Is that why I look so different from everyone else?
Gohan looked up and saw that the skies had turned orange and the sun was low in the sky.
"Oh, wow, Kaede, look at the time!" Gohan said. "I'd better be getting home!"
"Okay," Kaede said, wrapping her arms around Gohan, and burying her head in his shoulder. "I'll miss you."
"I know you will," Gohan said. "And that's why I've brought you a gift, to be there for you when I'm not around."
"A present?" Kaede asked, removing herself from Gohan. "For me?"
"Yeah," Gohan grinned.
He pulled off his pink bag and unzipped it. He reached inside with both hands and he pulled out...
"Oh wow!" Kaede said. "It's a cat!"
A tiny white kitten was sleeping in Gohan's palms, just big enough to fit in them.
Gohan laid the kitten in her trembling hands, and she brought the tiny little creature close to her chest, tears welling in her eyes.
"Oh, Gohan..." she whispered, gazing on the helpless little animal.
As she watched, the kitten woke up and stretched in her palms. The kitten opened its mouth and let out a cute mewl.
"Oh, wow, I love you already!" Kaede said, bringing the kitten close to her face and snuggling it.
The kitten purred, and Kaede felt her heart melting.
"Her name is Yuki," Gohan said. "I picked her up at the West City animal pound."
"Oh, Gohan, I love her already!" she gushed. She looked up at the boy in front of her with a worshipful expression on her face.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Gohan said naively. "Are you okay? You look pretty upset."
Kaede shook her head. "No, I'm... this is just..."
And she threw her arms around Gohan, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you," she breathed. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, Kaede!" Gohan said happily. "I've got to go, but I'll see you tomorrow!"
Kaede nodded. She reached down and held up one of Yuki's paws.
"Say goodbye, Yuki," she said.
The cat let out another adorable mewl.
Gohan laughed. "Goodbye, you two."
And with that, he lifted off the ground and flew away, unaware that he was being watched by Piccolo.
I hope you know what you're getting into, Gohan, he thought. I sense dark times ahead for all of us.
Is Piccolo right? Are things really as bad as they seem? And if so, how will this affect our heroes? There's only one way to find out! Stay tuned for the next update of Dragon Ball: Altered Fates!
