And here is the next chapter. Now there will be a little filler…most of it pertaining to Gohan and Zelena's training. There won't be too many fillers seeing as I know how much people hate fillers. Just enough to get some character development in with my OC.
All of the oddities surrounding my OC continue in this chapter. So, without further adieu…
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Dragon Ball Z/GT series or its characters. Akira Toriyama owns it. Not me. Nor do I own any of the quotes that appear at the beginning of each chapter.
CLAIMER: I do own any characters that were not in the series.
Please enjoy, no flames, but I will accept constructive criticism.
Chapter 9: Explanations
"In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe
And enough shadows to blind those who don't."
-Blaise Pascal
The wind whistled as a familiar green man adorning purple and white soared across the forest. The sky was still a vibrant shade of blue. The planet remained blissfully unaware of what transpired that day.
The female Saiyan was clung to his torso in fear; she was not accustomed to flight.
Air cooled considerably as one ascended into the sky. Spring accurately described the temperature; on the ground, it felt as though it were the middle of summer. Zelena had not said a word since they had left the others in the field. The green man was such an intimidating individual; and yet, she still felt safe when in his presence. She did not understand the fear the others displayed upon seeing him. His appearance was a little odd, though.
But there were pressing matters weighing on her mind. Her memories. Zelena could not remember a single thing. She could only recall the battle between Goku, the green man, and the dark haired male. There were even words in her vocabulary with hidden definitions.
Why do I have a tail and those other people didn't? They looked like me, but they didn't have tails. But the kid has a tail… That and she did not understand why she decided to leave with Piccolo. The short man was right. She did not know him; but she was not acquainted with the others either. But her instincts told her to leave with Piccolo. Why?
She watched as they flew over a long, radiant forest. Soon the lush forestry melted into something that was unfamiliar.
"Piccolo," she called, "what is that?"
He glanced downwards and then back to the path ahead, "A city."
The city was quite large. Tall, mainly white and yellow, buildings protruded from the concrete paved roads and sidewalks. Tubes ran from one place to another, allowing for faster travel. Vehicles with the ability to hover in midair soared from one destination to the other. She was fascinated with the sight.
"Are we going to the city?"
"No." He replied in a flat voice.
You don't have to be so rude. The city sped away as they continued onward. It was replaced with dunes of sand that rose high into the air. The temperature began to warm up, causing Zelena to feel uncomfortable.
Lush green grass sprouted from the ground within minutes of entering the desert. Tall plateaus pushed upward from the land. Trees and shrubbery dotted the land. Eventually they came to a large pond. Piccolo skidded to a stop while in midair and slowly descended into the water. Before touching the clear liquid, his right arm extended outward, dropping the female Saiyan into the cool water.
A splash sounded as she hit the cold water. The young woman leapt to her feet; the ripped and torn kimono clung to her skin. She tried to shake the water off, but she had little luck in doing so.
Piccolo held the unconscious boy at arm's length, his eyebrows furrowed, "Wake-up. You've slept long enough," he called to the sleeping child. He did not receive the response he had been hoping fear. Groaning in irritation, Piccolo released the back of Gohan's bright yellow shirt. The tiny child sunk like a rock. The adults watched as tiny bubbles surfaced.
Surprised by his current situation, Gohan awoke from his slumber and jerked his head from the water, gasping and coughing.
"Get up! There's no time to waste." the older male barked as if he were commanding a soldier.
Zelena's maternal instincts slowly began to kick in. She looked at Piccolo disapprovingly, "C'mon, be a little gentle. He's just a kid."
"He won't learn anything if I baby him…neither will you." He did not look away from the now terrified child as he spoke.
Gohan began jerking his head back and forth, slowly backing away from the tall green man, "W-where am I!? Where's my dad? Dad?" he began wadding through the water in circles, sobbing and screaming for his father, "Daddy! Help me! THE BAD PICCOLO MAN HAS ME!!! DADDY!" When he was several meters away, Gohan ceased his running and simply cried. "HELP ME DADDY!!!"
She pitied the poor boy."That's enough," Piccolo motioned for the woman to follow him as he made his way to the center of the pod, "We don't have time for this!" Gohan tried to flee from the green man, but Piccolo stooped down and griped the back of his head, holding him in place.
He hoisted Gohan into the air by his head and stomped towards the bank. The Saiyan woman followed him silently.
Once the boy and female were standing in front of him, Piccolo quickly put a stop to the child's pathetic sniveling, "Shut-up!" he clenched his hand into a fist, "If you make one more sound, I'll give you something to cry about!"
"What an arse…" she muttered, her tail swishing back and forth in annoyance.
He glared at her fiercely, "Watch it," then turned his attention back Gohan. The boy forced his weeping to come to a stop; he quietly sniffled and whimpered instead.
"Good," he dropped the threatening pose, "Now, kid, I want you to listen carefully," this message was meant for the child, so Zelena focused on something else rather then her future mentor, "Your father is dead."
That one sentence caught the little boy's attention. He gazed up at the tall man with wide, puffy tear stained eyes. "Wha?"
Without a moment's hesitation, he launched into his explanation, "While you were unconscious, he died while he tried to defeat the man who kidnapped you. He gave up his life in order to save yours."
The adult female watched as the shock settled in. Slowly, the tears began to sting Gohan's eyes. "Uh…Daddy…" his voice cracked and his face twisted with emotional pain.
"Don't you dare cry!" Piccolo snapped. He reached out as though he were about to strike him with his palm.
That was the final straw. The light haired woman stomped up to the green man, eyes narrowed dangerously, "Will you just let him cry already?" He looked at her with surprise, "The poor kid just lost his dad! Give him a moment to collect himself!"
"Will you shut-up and let me finish talking!? I'm not done yet!"
She sighed and stepped back, eyebrows knitted together in irritation. Shaking the annoyance away, Piccolo crossed his arms, the stern expression never falling from place. "Now, your father told you about the dragon balls, right?" Gohan's tiny head bobbed up and down, "Well, his friends are planning to use them to bring your father back. Until then, you and Zelena will stay here and undergo my training, understand?"
His voice rose in volume, "The both of you are going to learn how to fight. Goku and I just barely managed to defeat that Saiyan today! And now, two more Saiyans that are even stronger then the one we just fought are coming to Earth in one year. We won't be able to defeat them alone, so I need the both of you to cooperate. We can use all the help we can get."
"But how…" the female began, only to be interrupted by a frantic Gohan.
The little boy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, "But I can't! I'm just a little kid! I'm too young to fight with grownups!"
"Listen, you might not be aware of it now, but you have an incredible power deep down inside," she could tell that the man was becoming fed up with Gohan's constant whining, "If you learn to control that power, then you can become one of the strongest fighters on Earth."
He shook his head in disagreement, "No! I don't have any power!" He insisted.
A wide grin tore Piccolo's jaw in half, "Allow me to demonstrate." His clawed hand dropped onto the child's head.
"Piccolo!" the woman with chestnut-pink colored hair snapped, "Stop it!"
"Shut-up and watch." Gohan trashed around as Piccolo reared his arm back. With incredible strength, the adult male threw little Gohan at one of the tall, thick plateaus.
Gohan cried as he was sent soaring towards the plateau, too afraid to do anything. The Saiyan woman was afraid that the small child would suffer severe damage until he threw his hands out. Ivory light engulfed his entire body; a look of determination twisted his cute features. The blast was propelled from the small child; it swam forward and struck the plateau, completely blowing the mound of rock away. Gohan landed on his rear in the grass, gazing at what he done in awe. Only a shallow crater remained.
"Wow," the female breathed, "he's pretty good."
She followed the man as he went to join the awestruck child. The woman knelt beside him, a soft smile on her face, "You're really good at that light trick Gohan."
"I…I did that?" he asked, still finding it difficult to accept.
She nodded her head, "M-hm."
"It's very rare for a boy your age to have such power," Piccolo began, eyes still glued to the shallow crater, "You used this same power to help your father earlier. But if you plan to use it, then you must learn to control it. That is the reason we're here," from the change in his tone, it was obvious that he was speaking to the both of them now, "I'm going to help you both to unlock your potential. Zelena…"
Her eyebrows narrowed after hearing the name, "Zelena?"
"Yes, you. Earlier today…"
"Ugh…please don't call me that," she sighed, looking very displeased with the name, "Zelena sounds stupid."
Piccolo glared at her as if she were the most annoying being he had ever met, "Well blame your parents not me. Now, as I was…"
But she ignored him. The woman was deep in thought, trying to think of a name that would suit her, "Hmmm…maybe I should choose…no…hmmm…"
"Hey!" the green man barked angrily, "Are you even listening!?"
Casually, she turned to him and replied, "No. Not really."
"Well you better start because what I'm telling you is more important then renaming yourself!" his constant yelling was beginning to grate at her nerves.
Forcing herself to stand tall, the woman did not back down from the challenge, "I'm getting sick and tired of you constantly yelling! That's all you've been doing today! I won't listen to anyone who treats me like some lapdog. Now, please let me think of a new name, alright?"
A vein in Piccolo's head twitched, "Oh you'll listen to me, or else I'll throw you at another mountain! Now, I'll give you five seconds to come with another name or else I'll continue to refer to as Zelena no matter what you say! Now, one…two…"
"Hey that's not…!" she began.
"Three…four…"
Panic settled into her mind, causing her to scream the first word that came to mind, "ROXAS!!!"
"Huh…?" Piccolo stared at her for a moment and then shook his head, deciding not to ask, "Whatever…just shut up. Right. Now."
The tone in his voice suggested that obedience would be the intelligent path. The newly christened Roxas closed her mouth, too nervous to argue with the intimidating male. This fight isn't over yet. She was not sure where this rebellious nature was coming from. It did not feel right to her. But Roxas is a cooler name then Zelena. That other name sounds stupid.
"Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," he glanced at Roxas pointedly before continuing, "Earlier today, Roxas, I sensed an extremely high power level. When Goku and I arrived at the field, we found you beaten and unconscious; the Saiyan suffered from some damage as well. He told us that you fought with him. I know that power level belonged to you. But now…I'm not sure why, but you don't even know what fighting is anymore. So, I want to teach you to control your own power as well," he smirked, flashing his sharp canines, "besides, having a Saiyan on our side should give us an advantage."
Her eyebrows knitted together, "What's a Saiyan?"
"You," He deadpanned. "Hopefully, you and Gohan will be ready within a year."
"But…" the little boy gazed at him with cute, innocent eyes, "…I don't want to fight. I wanna be an orthopedist."
Roxas blinked, starring at the child with a confused expression, "An ortho-what-ist?"
The males ignored her. "Hm…is that so?" he found the boy's vocabulary to be quite impressive, "There's nothing stopping you from achieving that goal. But you have to help us defeat the Saiyans first. If we don't stop them, they'll kill everyone on Earth, and then you be able to grow up to be anything."
He has a point. The thought of being eliminated after only one year of life did not sound very pleasant. But what will I do after we beat the Saiyans? I have nowhere to go, and I don't know anything about this world.
"But I'm scared…"
Piccolo's expression grew harsh and commanding once more as he bared his sharp canines, "YOU'LL BE FAR MORE AFRAID OF ME IF YOU DON'T DO EXACTLY WHAT I SAY!!!" Gohan cringed as the weight of Piccolo's demands began to press down on him, "NO MORE WHINING! IT'S TIME TO START YOUR TRAINING! NOW TAKE OFF THAT COAT!!!:
"B-but…" Gohan whimpered, his eyes threatening to leak, "…why do we have to train with you?" He began to unbutton his coat, "Why can't I train with my dad when he gets back?"
His voice was lower in volume when he replied to the boy's question, "Well, there's no telling how long it will take to find each and every dragon ball. Second, the two of you are going to have to learn fast. Unlike your father," he glanced at Gohan specifically as he said that, "I am not going to go easy on either of you. Got it?"
"Understood," By that time, Gohan had finished shedding his bright yellow coat. He folded it neatly and then turned his attention to the older male, "So what're we doing first?"
His smirk was unsettling. "First, you both need to learn how to take care of yourselves," he looked to Roxas directly, "I don't know what you've been doing before we met, but your still undergoing the same training as the kid. I want the two of you to take care of each other. Help each other survive out here in the wilderness. If you two can survive out here for six months without my guidance, I will teach you both how to fight."
"I-I won't be alone will I!?" Gohan was about to panic.
Piccolo fought to roll his eyes at the boy, "No, Zelena will be here with you. However, I expect her to treat you as an adult. Not like a child," he glared at her, "Don't you dare baby him woman."
"I won't, yeesh…" she rolled her eyes. What's this guy's problem? I won't baby Gohan completely, but I'm not going to treat him like a piece of dirt like this guy would.
"And beside, even if she wasn't here, you still wouldn't be alone," the five-year-old wore a hopeful expression as he spoke, "because there would be plenty of lions and tigers to keep you company." His face fell immediately.
Roxas decided to cheer the boy up. She pat his small head, consoling him, "But don't worry, I'll be here. We won't get eaten by lions and tigers."
"A-are you sure?" he sniffled.
She nodded, "Positive."
But the child remained pessimistic, "But…I'm still a-afraid."
"Don't worry," the green male chuckled, "You'll laugh at your fears when you're older," his gaze shifted to the wide open field around the trio, "You may not realize it now, but you two have everything you'll need to survive."
The ki fluctuated inside of Piccolo's body, causing him to slowly drift into the air, "Well, I need to go begin my own training."
"But wait!" Gohan called to the man, "What about our needs? We don't have any food o-or water or beds! What are we supposed to do all day? What about my homework!?"
Man he has a lot to worry about. This kid's a nervous wreck. Roxas silently debated as to what 'homework' was.
"I thought I said that I wasn't going to go easy on you," those were his exact words. But reasoning with a child is more of a challenge then with a fellow adult. An example would be the differences in Roxas and Gohan's reactions towards being left alone in the wilderness without any supplies other then the clothes on their backs. "I'll be back in six months."
Without another word, the green man cloaked in white ascended into the deep blue sky, disappearing from sight. Gohan called out for him, but he did not heed the child's pleas. Roxas sighed and placed her arms behind her head. I wonder how long six months is…
End of this chapter. The reason behind the name change to Roxas will be explained. Until then, she will be refereed to as Roxas for quite a while. Please review and I shall update soon…