This chapter has been edited.

Chapter 9

Planet Namek, Pappuriko village, 3 weeks later

The sky was clear green, the three suns shone brightly and illuminated the open village well. White sphere shaped huts placed so as to form a circle with a large open area in the middle. The blue grass was healthy and vibrant, and grew everywhere on Namek. The green skinned people of Namek went about their daily chores in loose clothing meant to allow air to flow freely and help keep them cool. Some minded their farms, others went to draw water and a few remained as guards for the village. This setup was the standard all across Namek. An agrarian planet to be sure.

But here the guards were even more tense than usual. The normal villagers didn't know but the guards had been told and no one knew that more than Jepu. The news had come in a week ago… that some strange aliens had landed on the planet and began ransacking vilages. How long they had been there nobody was really sure. What was important was that they had no qualms about hurting people. They knew about the Dragon Balls and that was what they were here for.

When they began to attack nobody really knew. All of a sudden one of the farmers from a village that was attacked came back barely alive and spoke of alien invaders. The guards kept it hush hush and only the village elder was aware of what was going on. And somewhere along the line the members of the Dragon clan had raised an army of warriors to fight the enemy. A few guards had gone to join them.

Jepu sighed.

He had no interest in such nonsense. What could an army so hastily thrown together achieve? Sure something had to be done and quickly but rushing into things half assed is a guaranteed loss. It was common sense. People made mistakes and therefore to be successful all actions had to be planned well. That army no matter how well intentioned was doomed to failure. It was unfortunate that some people had to experience pain to learn how to think properly.

Jepu sat at the very centre of the village with his legs crossed. He sat there every day when he wasn't training. As captain of the guard he had to make sure he was always on top of things and that he was always ready for combat at any point in time. He'd been there for most of the morning and he would be there for a long while yet. He had heard how monstrously powerful the invaders were and he could not afford to rest too easy. It would have been amazing if they knew about the enemies beforehand and simply wished them away with the Dragon Balls but not many knew about the Dragon Balls. Such an attack had never been expected. No one was supposed to know about the Dragon Balls.

A brief breeze passed through the village and ruffled his clothing. Jepu was wearing a simple purple outfit tied at the waist with rope. Over that he wore a white robe with no buttons or sleeves. The outfit in question was sleeveless and loose. A shirt and a trouser all joined as one. On his feet were simple canvas shoes. Namek was all about the simple life.

For the next few hours that was all Jepu did: Sit and think. He was still alert, his focus remained unwavering, but his thoughts he allowed to roam. Day after day he had done this ever since he became captain, never changing his routine. Almost like a machine. Even though he had news of invaders a week ago he had changed nothing. There was nothing to change. He could not fight them rather he would defend his village as best he could. He would wait for the enemies to come to him; that was the sensible thing to do.

"Excuse me captain."

It was one of his men that he'd had on patrol ever since the news came in.

"What is it?" Jepu asked.

The guard looked slightly uncomfortable. "We found a space ship of some kind. Recently landed too according to Pep."

"Were you able to identify who was in it? Is it someone we should be preparing to destroy or someone who could be an asset?" Jepu questioned. "Better yet someone we can ignore completely- less work all around…"

"Well that's the thing… we don't know."

Jepu frowned. "Take me there."

Kin

Kin smiled as the ship finally touched down. It had been a stressful journey made especially stressful by the three injured Saiyans on board. Especially those two…

Kin looked over his shoulder as the back of the ship. Hiyori was sitting cross legged with her eyes closed. Seph was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall fast asleep.

And no wonder he was, because the last two members of the misshapen crew were both lying on bunks practically comatose thanks to the pills he kept giving them.

Naya demanded the most attention because she had a hole in her stomach that they didn't have the supplies to fix. After setting the course Kin had bandaged them all up as best as he could but being honest they were only alive because of those pills Seph had on him. After three weeks they had used his entire supply though. The plan was to find help on Namek before the effects of the latest pills ran out and they woke up. As it was, if her pill wore off Naya would never wake up. She would die pretty much on the spot.

Kin got off his seat and shook Seph awake. Seph didn't so much as open his eye lids.

Yeesh this guy is hard to wake up… we've got a limited amount of time here…

Kin shook him harder. This time there was some reaction but he didn't wake up. It took Kin thirty good minutes to wake Seph up by which time his patience had worn quite thin.

Seph yawned and stood up. "We've arrived?"

Kin ignored the question. "Where's your scouter? Can you use it to find a place we can get some medical help?"

"Hmm oh yeah. Yeah I can," Seph said, reaching up to click the side of the device.

Numbers flickered across his screen in some weird pattern Kin was unfamiliar with. Clearly the device was scanning for something.

"I can't actually find a place but I can scan for power levels. Then we'll just ask whoever we find for help or how to get help."

Kin nodded absently, he was busy watching Hiyori meditate at this point. I wonder how she's doing… she hasn't said a word since Veridia…

He wondered if perhaps she was suffering again. At the thought he frowned, he was sure they'd been through this… that she was fine now. Hiyori opened her eyes and Kin quickly averted his gaze before she caught him.

"We've got a cluster of power levels to the East. None of them are particularly high so even if we're wrong we should be safe," Seph said, after a few seconds.

"Ok that's great," Kin said. He looked at the two comatose Saiyans and then asked, "So how are we going to do this? Do we take them with us?"

"I'm an idiot and even I know that's not a good idea," Seph answered, shaking his head.

Kin gave him a blank look. Ah, so you know…

"What's with that expression? C'mon I'll go out and you stay with these three."

"You can't fly though…"

"Oh yeah," Seph said, scratching his head. "Well you go then. I'll stay here and watch them."

Kin resisted the urge to shake his head and walked out the ship.

Once outside he immediately shot into the air and swerved east, shunting pale blue ki. As Kin flew through the green sky he suddenly realized that Riku, Naya and Seph had never once called it ki. It was always energy, energy, energy. Well perhaps ki was a unique concept even though it referenced the same thing. It was odd how they needed scouters to sense energy as well, if he had known that Seph was just going to scan for power levels and make a guess he wouldn't have bothered asking him to check for places they could get medical help.

Ah well… at least they were safe that was something to be glad about.

Once again Kin found his thoughts drifting. The unknown person that had displayed such power on Veridia, was it here too? Was it watching? What was its interest in Riku and Naya? It was all very curious. Also the fact that Frieza was on Namek… what did he want from here? Usually the Frieza Force cleared out the planet and then had it sold… Frieza himself never came into the picture- until now. Kin was inquisitive and naturally he wanted to know these things. They had gnawed at his thoughts for the entire journey and they were no less troublesome now.

Also Riku and Naya's own goals were still unclear. They had never said why they were turning on Frieza neither had they said much of anything about their motivations or ambitions. So much was still unclear about them. Who were they? What did they believe in? What did they fight for? Where were they from? Could they be trusted?

The fact that Kin had no clear answers to any of those questions bothered him. All he knew was they were soldiers in the Frieza Force and they were Saiyans. He'd tried to get some answers out of Seph but the dark skinned soldiers answers were very haphazard to the point where Kin doubted Seph even knew what he was talking about. And the fact that despite all this he actually liked them was quite disturbing to him.

Up ahead Kin could see a cluster of oddly shaped white huts with spikes of some kind.

That must be the place Seph scanned.

Kin could sense several relatively low power levels. A few were comparable to his own back when he was on Veridia, after recovering from his injuries he had grown more powerful though.

Probably guards.

Kin took care not to fly right in and instead landed right outside the settlement and then walked toward it. Right when he got to the gate two green skinned natives dressed in robes leaped in his way, blocking the entrance. Not that there was an entrance now that Kin was actually paying attention. The settlement was literally just a cluster of the odd huts spaced out across a wide area. There was a large space left in the exact centre but not much else.

"Stop right there! Who are you?"

Kin raised his hands. "My name is Kin Dura. Nice to meet you."

The guards looked at him like they couldn't quite believe what they'd just heard.

Come to think of it, Riku and Naya looked at me like that too when we first met… I wonder why this keeps happening.

Kin mentally shook himself. Pay attention.

The guards seemed to have recovered themselves and demanded, "What business do you have here? You're not from Namek clearly."

"I need help. We just landed on this planet and two of my friends are in serious need of medical attention."

The two guards looked at each other clearly not sure how to deal with him. Kin wondered why that was… it was a simple as treating them or pointing him in the right direction wasn't it?

"One of them is dying," he added to make it more serious. "We can only keep her stabilized for so long."

"Well boy sorry we don't trust-"

"Well bring them then."

The guard who was speaking paused mid-sentence and looked behind him at the interruption. It was a short young Namekian dressed in plain white robes and brown canvas shoes.

Kin lowered his hands and said, "Ok but they're in the ship. I have a friend there who's watching over them."

"Elder Shinpa, it is not advisable-"

"Eh who cares," the younger Namek interrupted. "I've got a good feeling about this guy. No one that girly could be bad!"

Kin got a tic going on his forehead. That's your reason..?

The guards looked like they also disagreed with that line of reasoning. "But-"

Shinpa's jovial expression turned very serious in a matter of seconds. It was a gaze Kin was all too familiar with. It was the same look he'd seen in Riku's eyes back on Veridia when he'd stood up to him. At that moment, Kin knew without a doubt that Elder Shinpa, despite obviously being a child, was not going to be refused. His eyes looked completely merciless, ruthless… there was a vision in them of a future he wanted and he wasn't going to allow anyone to get in his way.

"Y-yes sir at once!" Both Guards knelt at Elder Shinpa's feet.

Suddenly all smiles once again Shinpa turned to Kin and said "So lead the way."

What strange people have I just come to for help?

Another part of Namek, Frieza's Space ship, Zithis Quarters

Zithis was looking out the window at his men camped below. The excess troops had been placed out on the Planet while the important or more powerful men had a place in Frieza's Space ship. This separation according to power and rank… he didn't like it. Frieza's whole system irritated him. The only reason he was here was because he knew he stood no chance against Frieza and he'd rather not die. Zithis was tired, very tired of all the killing. He was good at it because he was strong and, unlike most of the soldiers, trained. He was well aware he was considered a general alongside Zarbon and Dodoria. He was also aware that he was actually stronger than those two, stronger even than Ginyu. He had to be considering where he was from…

"Reminiscing are we Zithis? I'm more than willing to help with that though whether you'll survive or not is up for debate."

Zithis didn't turn. "I believe you failed then. You will fail again now."

A laugh. "Such confidence. I was holding back you moron."

Zithis didn't smile. "I proceeded to outperform you at every turn. The results speak for themselves."

A light snort was enough to show what his visitor thought of that.

"So did you come here to lose an argument or did you have something important to say? A message perhaps?"

Movement. Footsteps. The thud of someone sitting on his bed.

"I really want to kill you…"

"I thought we finished with that part of the conversation."

A sigh. "Those two are here. On this planet we're to take them out."

Zithis raised his eyebrow reflexively. "We?"

"Yes. You and me make we. Yes 'we'. Is the boss high putting us together? Probably. He certainly looks the part."

"You do realize there is no way to hide a conflict with them? Is this the best place? Also working with you of all people?"

"Oi that's kind of annoying. I'll seriously kill you."

Zithis ignored the retort. "They're considerably more powerful than Frieza as well. What chance do we have?"

"So are we. Don't stiffen up like that. You know what I'm talking about."

"I'd rather not have to resort to something like that to win. I don't need such a sad victory."

"Well seeing as removing them helps Frieza you're kind of still doing your job."

Zithis frowned. "Is that a joke? Once Frieza gets wind of how powerful I really am he'll view me as a threat and try to remove me. He did that with the Saiyans after all. I can't do both jobs."

"Then kill him too."

"Clearly you've not even thought this through."

There was a laugh, wild and slightly psychotic. "Hey that was the order. It's their fault if they weren't clear on how to deal with Frieza. Their fault for not checking if they could have both. Their fault for not seeing that they would have to sacrifice Frieza to defeat those two."

"Then again the order never said anything about killing Frieza," Zithis pointed out. "So who are they really sacrificing?"

He gave a small laugh. "They're trying to sacrifice me then."

"Oh dear you figured it out."

"You don't sound very sorry."

"I'm not."

There was silence in the room for a while. Zithis was honestly not surprised, this was how things worked with them. Then the other occupant spoke again.

"The bosses seem to believe you know where he is. Void Sethra."

Zithis glared through the window. A red glow began to emanate from him. "Choose your next words carefully…"

"Well you were the last to see him."

"The beginning fought the end. Whereas the beginning could always begin again even the end must have an end."

"Very poetic. But I must ask is there a beginning without an end?"

"You think I would save him. They think I saved him instead of killing him, is that why they're doing this? You seem to have forgotten who it is you're dealing with."

Zithis' voice had gotten hot with fury. He glowed even more brightly and the faint lines of tattoos could be seen on his face.

"No. They may have but I haven't… you know the job. Do what you want from there…"

Zithis finally turned to find his room empty.

"Ashura Root Zithis..."

In a cave somewhere on Namek

She was sitting at a stolen table on a stolen chair using stolen equipment to monitor the Frieza Force. It had been this way since they'd arrived on Namek and even long before that. It was how they had learned to survive. Survive until they grew strong enough to hold their own in battle with the monsters they had come to discover as enemies. Enemies that made Frieza look like a child let loose on a playground rather than an emperor who terrorized an entire galaxy.

"They're onto us," she announced.

A shadow stirred in the corner of the cave where the grass mats were.

"They can't honestly be hoping to engage us here can they? I thought they wanted that Frieza to maintain control of this galaxy. If we fight here everyone is sure to die."

"Including Riku," she said.

"This is bad. Maybe they don't need Frieza anymore," the shadow in the corner said. "Either way we can't afford to engage here. We have to be careful with so much at stake. I don't know if this is just a feint or whatever but we should retreat for now."

"I'm sure we have some time till they find us though," she guessed. "What do you think we should do with it?"

There was a silence as the shadow thought about it. For several minutes the cave was quiet, the only sound being that of her light breathing. The shadow eventually came to a decision.

"I'm going to teach Riku something he's going to need very soon if he's going to make it out of Namek alive."

"He's not strong enough yet," she objected.

The shadow laughed. A light and carefree laugh. It was clear he had no doubts as to Riku's ability as a fighter. Well it was no surprise considering who his teacher was… not even the Prince could hold a candle to that man in terms of martial arts.

"Don't you worry about that," the man in the shadows said. "Knowing Riku, he'll make it work."

Kin

When the guards saw Seph, Kin was very grateful for Elder Shinpa's presence . They had both suddenly attacked the dark soldier, leaving Kin torn as to how to react. To his credit Seph had managed to endure the onslaught long enough for Shinpa to bring his men to heel. Thankfully, Seph had also been able to force the fight back outside the ship to avoid wounding the injured any further.

Now Shinpa was looking at Kin very closely. "I didn't think you would be with the Frieza Force," he said. His voice was calm and even, betraying nothing of his thoughts.

Seph was standing at the entrance to the ship while Kin stood in front of Elder Shinpa. The two guards were behind the young Namek still tense and obviously itching to finish what they started.

"These people aren't with the Frieza Force," Kin said. "I came here gunning for Frieza's head actually. They agreed to help me."

The Elder smirked. "How convenient. Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

Kin frowned. "You're right it doesn't sound very convincing. IF I were lying it would be a tad bit too convenient that I'm gunning for Frieza."

"Would it help if I said Frieza tried to have us killed?" Seph volunteered.

Elder Shinpa frowned at this. "What proof of this have you?"

When Seph had told Kin Frieza was here he should have known that being soldiers of the force meant no one would willingly help Riku and Naya, which meant they wouldn't help him or Hiyori either. She was still inside watching over the two worst off Saiyans and trying not to exert herself too much.

"None," Kin said. "Look if we were really still with the force we could've just gone to camp with Frieza. I believe they have healing pods."

Kin looked at Seph to confirm and the dark soldier nodded affirmative.

At this Shinpa grinned wolfishly, "I figured. Let me see your friends."

Kin was so surprised that he almost didn't hear what the diminutive Elder said. The thought had already occurred to Elder Shinpa! This Namekian was very cunning clearly. He'd gone along with his guards just to see what Kin would say in his defense and also how truthful he was. Suddenly Kin felt he was being tested in several different ways right from when he showed up at the Namekian village.

This guy… he's way ahead of me… I can't read his angle at all…

Seph turned and shouted into the ship. "Hiyori we're coming in. Don't worry no more fighting."

Kin beckoned them into the ship. Once inside the guards stood next to the doorway watching the proceedings while Kin and Seph stood nearby the bunks the two Saiyans were laid on. Shinpa stood directly between both bunks. He first faced Naya with a blank expression.

"You the girl with the bruises," Shinpa said.

Hiyori stepped forward. "How can I help?"

Shinpa shook his head. "No I don't want your help."

Ignoring the confused look on Hiyori's face Shinpa held out one hand toward her. Green energy flowed from his hand and enveloped Hiyori's entire body. Once the light faded Hiyori was as good as new, almost as if she'd never gotten injured in her life.

Hiyori bowed low. "Thank you sir."

Shinpa nodded once all the while his gaze had never left Naya. "I'll start with this one first. She looks the worst off. It will take a few minutes."

Kin was honestly quite surprised at Shinpa's words. Naya had a hole in her torso and he said minutes.

You gotta stop being surprised Kin, the universe is a big place, he chastised himself. If you're gonna be running with this crew from now on you gotta get used to these sorts of things.

Shinpa stretched out both hands over Naya and began to work. His green ki enveloped Naya's body and made the entire interior of the ship glow green. It pulsed and undulated as he worked, concentrating over the hole in her body and swirling around it like a whirlpool of power.

As this happened Naya was visibly healing, Kin could see the hole closing up and her bruises disappearing. There was a faint cracking sound as her bones set themselves correctly and a grinding as they regrew where they had been destroyed. Kin was watching with a kind of horrified fascination. He didn't want to know what the squelching was…

After about five minutes Shinpa stopped and observed his work. Where before she was a battered mess Naya looked absolutely pristine… it was a truly stunning ability worthy of praise. For a second Kin wished he could do the same. Next to him Hiyori was watching with a far away look in her eye and Kin could only guess at what she was thinking. Seph on the other hand…

"Wow that's amazing…" he muttered.

If Shinpa heard it he gave no sign and simply turned to Riku, raising his hands once more. Once again green light illuminated the ship as Shinpa worked over Riku with his ki.

"This one is actually worse off than I thought…" Shinpa muttered as he concentrated his ki at various places on Riku. "Most of his bones are broken, one arm is dislocated… knees are but a memory. It's almost like he dove off of some sort of tower and hit the ground repeatedly until he couldn't dive anymore. His wrists are lame, several of his muscles are torn. His spine has been deformed too… like he hit his back against something."

As Elder Shinpa listed the injuries Kin remembered every single situation in Riku's battle with Sanza where he could have gotten those infuries. Kin suddenly realized that as powerful as he had seemed Riku was just another person and fighting like that wasn't good for you no matter who you were. Was this really what Naya wanted from Riku when she went after him?

"How does one even acquire injuries like these?" Shinpa asked them as he worked.

"We were stuck on a planet with a powerful enemy," Kin said. "He held him back."

Shinpa looked intrigued. "I see…"

It took about ten minutes for Shinpa to heal all the injuries. Once done he breathed out and said "It is finished."

"Thank you so much Elder Shinpa," Kin said with a respectful bow. "We needed him for when we go after Frieza."

"Hmmph," Shinpa snorted. "No need to hide it. You were genuinely worried for them, all three of you."

Kin rubbed his head. "Well I… uhhh…"

Hiyori looked off to the side and Seph just grinned.

"Makes me wonder what sort of people they are to command such care…" Shinpa said wistfully. "Ah well, what's done is done. Just one thing…"

"What is it?" Seph asked.

Shinpa pointed at Riku. "He's awake."

"Huh?"

Riku

The Root… is my survival

"Riku you're talented I'll give you that. I didn't expect you to be this much work to handle. Fantastic job!"

Covered in bruises…

"Sensei which part of that looked talented to you…?"

"Listen… you've got a talent for combat. Hone your instincts. To do that focus on the base of your power. Find the ki within you follow the flow until you find the root…"

….

Back to the basics, there are secrets to energy I haven't yet discovered. Abilities within reach that I never pushed for… the utilization of ki can still be taken further!

"Sensei why do you make me call you sensei? Also why do you call energy ' ki'?"

"It's a lot more than just energy Riku. Ki is the breath of life… the breath of the universe that makes all things as they are… master your breathing and it will definitely help you master ki… Master your emotion along with your senses- that is the power of the breath… "

"Sensei…. You didn't answer the first question…."

Second the Sacral… to draw out my senses and gain understanding of my emotions…

…..

Not enough there's so much more to learn. I can feel them in the ship. Kin is bored his energy is monotone and steady… Seph is sleeping his energy is very low and calm. He's not dreaming. Hiyori is also meditating, but her energy rises and falls erratically, like there's something within her struggling to get out… But it's not enough. I can still do more! How did I miss all this?

"Riku you're too focused on the fighting… you lose your temper too easily. You lack focus and it costs you many things in the course of not just battle but life as well… Look at Naya she's getting it…"

"That doesn't matter to me. I just want to be strong. I want to be able to take what I want from whoever I want whenever I need it…"

"Is that really it Riku…? Or are you too shy to say what you really want to be strong for…?"

"…"

"In that case show me…Take responsibility for your own life and your own decisions."

"More meditation…. Ugh…"

"Your ki has grown greatly. You can see it shining within you. Follow it's travel… it reaches for the sun at your centre. That glow is your power. Ki is not your power it is simply the essence with which your power can be transmitted and manifest itself. Let your ki flow through this power, flow through your centre…

This power is stubborn. You must not want it you must willit. A decisive and authoritative moment barred by no inhibitions. Anger will block you, accept the anger in your soul, accept that it is part of you and assume responsibility for it and all other things. Your mistakes, your failures, the things that make your soul ache… It is your will that you will control them all."

The Centre is my Power…. My will…

….

Not much has changed. Seph tried to train his ki again but he failed… Kin was watching. Hiyori was still meditating as usual. She hasn't stopped for days… I can feel Naya… her energy is so low….I'm powerful enough now that I can sustain myself just a bit… My ki has grown by contrast…. But there's still more…. I can do more…

"Riku… when I saw you, you defended Naya from me…. Do you care for her?"

"Don't say disgusting things sensei. I did it cause I wanted to. I didn't think about is so deeply. I do what I want to do so long as there's no reason not to."

"I see…"

"What's so funny?"

"You simply follow your heart…"

"Sensei I'm gonna say it right now, that sentence is rubbing me the wrong way…."

"Indeed, there are better ways to phrase it…"

"Oh would you stop chuckling already. I'll seriously kill you…"

"Begin Riku…. Your heart is strong but you are unsure. Even now not only do you doubt that your heart is strong, you doubt you can be anything. You doubt your strength, your intelligence, your sheer potential… I can see it but you cannot. You are not sure who you are or who you're supposed to be… you can't even tell what you want from yourself…"

"….."

"Follow the flow of the ki within you past the roots, and beyond even your senses, reach past the power and look for the warmth… the green warmth of a verdant field… Search deep and wide…. Find it and let your ki flow through it… You say what you like, and do what you please… but there is underlying motivation isn't there Riku? Would you disagree?"

"First time you've asked me."

"And the answer…?"

"I don't know. I've always gone with what felt right."

"This point in your ki is much harder to draw on than the others. It requires a reckoning with yourself… Riku you used to be a fighter who cared only about himself but I see in you an understanding of what it means to think of others…. You may not have kindness quite yet… but you do have empathy… draw on that… feel the ki move through your heart along with the feelings of those you have come to know…

"This is pretty freakin vague…"

"It will come to you… just go with what feels right…"

Beyond the Power lies the Heart, the Heart is my understanding of the lives of the living things around me alongside myself…

"Remember Riku, no matter how you behave you have someone who understands you… isn't that right Naya?"

…

Seph is angry. He's always angry. It's like he feels the world is just out to piss him off as much as it possibly can. He's seething about his failure to use ki. I could always tell when he was mad… but now I can feel it through his ki… Kin is confused about what's got into Seph. He can't even tell that Seph's upset… Hiyori has detached herself completely. As for Naya… she's empty… I pray she's not dying… or worse dead already….

"You did well in sparring today Riku… but I sensed hestitation in your movements…. What was the matter…?"

"I didn't want to hurt you."

"Is something wrong?"

"I was losing my temper so I decided to ease off you and let you win."

"…Riku how long have you been doing this?"

"I don't honestly know. It started when I removed Naya from… you know…"

"Ah I see… you feel that your anger is wrongly aimed at me. You feel that I do not deserve to be the subject of your rage…"

"Yeah kinda. I can't fight you like that, it wouldn't be right."

"Sit. We will meditate."

"Oh my God….."

"Follow the flow of ki to your heart as we have done before… now look beyond that. Go further…."

"There's a blue light. It's kind of soothing…"

"You have found the point where your ki expresses itself. Your Throat. When we first found the point of Power within you we used your will to access it. Here we will use personal intention. You must say what you mean Riku and only what you mean… do what you mean to and only what you mean to… the emphasis is control… regardless of what happens you must make up your mind to do only what you have decided to do. No more and no less. The key is discipline…"

"Discipline is not my strong point."

"Indeed, you are quite the wild child. However we are not referring to discipline in the traditional sense of obedience. We are talking about personal discipline whether misguided or not stick to what you decide. Do not waver. Let nothing distract you. Your anger has nothing to do with my teachings, however there is no denying that it is there… Take hold of it and decide what to do with it without regrets. Do this in all things…"

The Throat, the Expression of my ki through my intentions. I understand my intentions, I must go a step further and decide what I will do- and then do it. No regrets.

….

"Riku you've grown vastly more powerful since we first met. You are also more skilled than ever before. You have an eye for the situation."

"Are you praising me because you honestly believe that or because I lost?"

"Riku just because someone is better than you doesn't mean you're bad."

"Maybe so but it does mean I am nowhere near complete. I want to be the kind of person who can do anything he sets his mind to. As far as I'm concerned this is a failure."

"You're a difficult child my friend…"

"Tch."

"Riku… you are not wrong. However you must be objective about this, one man cannot master everything there is."

"Oh you're definitely right about that. I'm picky about what I devote my time to. I said whatever I set my mind to not everything there is."

"Even so someone with as wide a range of interests as you will find it to be too much. Riku calm down and analyse… follow the ki…"

"Are we really doing this here? Can't it wait till we get back?"

"You can do it as we walk. I will guide your steps."

"Tch."

"Now this time we search for the point where your ki influences perception. An indigo well through which your ki flows and assists your sight… I believe you have a strong connection to this one. You have an ability to visualize and analyze, you are observant, able to perceive… imagine, think, dream and last of all reason…

You know you are asking too much of yourself. You are able to see accurately what many refuse to see… you do not fear knowledge. Let this assist you… you cannot be the best at everything…. However what you can do is to use this ability to assist everything you do. No two people think alike. It puts a unique stamp on your abilities that no one can ever hope to match. And that is where true talent lies…"

The 3rd Eye. My ability to see the world as it is and not as I wish it to be… Accept it and then control it.

…..

It's so clear now. I can tell we're near Namek. Everyone conscious on the ship is anxious except for Hiyori. I can feel my own ki moving in me, faint but even. I have it down now. Mostly… but before we land there is one more thing I can do….

"Riku I've taught you many arts since we've met."

"Yeah and they've all got weird names. Really what planet are you from sensei?"

"Some random planet not worth talking about. That's not the point Riku. You are very withdrawn."

"Yes I am. I hate talking too much and I hate people who talk too much. I also don't like loud people."

"Follow your ki… no whining this time. We've found most of the various points within you that ki flows through. We have accessed them and your future utilization of ki will greatly depend on how you use these points. All users of ki possess them and use them to varying degrees whenever they utilise their ki. This final one is the most difficult one of them all. Find the violet aura within you… it is your Crown. The epitome of yourself… the ultimate you. The definite identifier of who you are… An existence that transcends the intellect…

Ties will block you. Anything that hinders you, anything that blocks the acceptance of who you are deep down will block your access to the Crown. Riku… who are you?"

"What else can I say? I am who I am. What else is there? I'm not always a good person, sometimes I'm downright evil. I know. People like you believe I'm nice. I suppose I don't honestly know. The main thing is that I exist. The fact is that no matter what anyone thinks, including myself… I am."

The Crown, the ultimate me… I have gained the mastery. I am.

"Everyone's crown is different. But you say, I don't know but I am. I exist therefore I am. Hahahahaha, I must say that does indeed fit you. Practical to the last. The phrase does capture the essence of who you are perfectly."

….

"Ah well what's done is done. Just one thing…"

"What?"

"He's awake."

"Huh?"

I opened my eyes and found myself staring at a ceiling.

"A ceiling this ugly could only mean I'm in Kin's ship," I said flatly.

"Thanks for that, I feel so proud of my ship now."

"Looks like you're still as much of an asshole as you were before you went under."

That would be Seph.

I sat up and looked around the room. There was a green kid between Naya and I. Kin, Hiyori and Seph were standing next to each other close to the controls of his ship and two green men were guarding the door to the ship. Their energy remained calm and relaxed… no not energy… ki. The guards were not hostile. I immediately dismissed them and turned my attention to the little one who was watching me with a blank expression.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Does it really matter?" he asked in return.

I smiled. "No not really."

The guards ki flared and without looking I raised a palm and released a solid pressure. They struggled to step forward and I knew without a doubt that they would not be reaching me. I was very much aware of the difference between their strength and my own. I had grown more powerful than ever and mastering the principles of my ki granted me further strength. If I fought Sanza right now I would win easily.

"You healed me," I said. "Thanks. Now we can get on with the plan."

Kin, Hiyori and Seph looked unsure as to what I was doing.

"What an ungrateful person I've helped," the little green man said with a smile. "He won't even offer to pay me."

I stood up and stretched my entire body, shaking out my limbs and just taking joy in how good it felt to be healthy and strong. I let the pressure on the guards die and they both fell over.

"I don't have anything to pay you with," I answered after stretching. "If there's something you want ask for it. If it doesn't bother me I'll let you have it. Otherwise don't expect any offers from me, I'm not a salesman."

"Hmmph, I see," he said, straightening his robes. "Well it's simple. I want you to destroy the enemies occupying our planet. You are Saiyans I believe?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Now where did you ever hear about Saiyans?"

I was curious, I wasn't aware that we had a reputation outside of the Frieza Force. Not many people seemed to know about Saiyans except those Frieza worked with or those he sold planets to.

"Need you ask? How green are you?" the kid laughed.

"Oi. You're the greenest one here. Literally the greenest one here in every sense of the word."

The boy's expression quickly became serious.

"The Saiyans were a fearsome warrior race that roamed the galaxy raiding other planets for food, clothing and technology," he said. "Once they had all three they didn't stop as far as the stories go. Most tales recounting Saiyan wars with other planets spoke of how the Saiyans simply got more and more powerful with every clash until they eventually overwhelmed their enemies."

Something about that last statement gave me pause for thought but I decided to file it away for later. Hopefully I wouldn't forget when I actually had time to think about it…

"Wow our heritage is kind of… bloody…" Kin observed with a frown.

Seph folded his arms. "No shit."

"I want to use that power," the boy said. "I want to use that fearsome planet conquering power to defeat the invaders."

I laughed at that. "You clearly didn't think this through very carefully. We may be able to conquer planets over time but Frieza goes far beyond that. He can destroy this planet with a finger. His strength is far away from even us Saiyans. Maybe you don't know this but in the Frieza Force the Saiyan Army is far from the strongest. You would have been better off appealing to Zarbon, Dodoria or Zithis although they'd all probably kill you before you said a word."

He frowned. Near the controls I noticed Kin's expression, he looked betrayed and Hiyori just looked blank. Seph was nodding with a derisive smile.

"Elder Shinpa," one of the guards said. "This was never a good idea. Let us return to the village-"

"You lie," the boy I now knew as Elder Shinpa said. "You were planning to kill Frieza with the blue clad boy."

"No I said I would get him to Frieza," I corrected him, leaning back against the bunk. "Fighting Frieza is all his gig."

The Elder looked confused now. Since I woke up his face had been carefully blank but now his confusion was plain on his face for all to see.

"Then what is it that you're after…?" Elder Shinpa asked. "I don't understand you."

"Not many do," I admitted. "I'm here to find out why my pod was sabotaged. I'm here to find out who knew about it. I am here to find out if I'm a soldier in an army or merely a pawn in a board game."

Elder Shinpa nodded. It seemed he was starting to get the picture. I didn't put too much faith in that though, a lot of people seemed to get it and then completely misinterpret me.

"And if you're the latter…?" he asked.

I grinned. "Imma fucking flip the board."

For a moment Shinpa looked genuinely scared of me for some reason but then his face was blank again.

"But first things first, the most important thing is to train," I said, looking at Kin. "As we are now, Frieza or no Frieza we're going to get destroyed."

I turned back to Shinpa. "We'll defend your village during our training however once we're powerful enough we'll leave on our separate missions."

"How lucky I am that your plans involve taking on the Frieza Force then," Shinpa said with a smirk.

I stood up again. "Indeed you are. Let's move people."

And just like that Kin, Hiyori and Seph started moving out. The guards looked like they wanted to argue but kept their mouths shut, Shinpa just watched me with the smirk still in place. As I passed by him I saw Naya lying on the bunk opposite mine and paused.

I flicked her on the head.

"Ow!"

"How long were you planning on lying there you lazy bum?"

She rubbed her forehead and kicked her feet furiously. "Ow! You said you wouldn't do that anymore!"

"You said you wouldn't provoke me anymore. We're even."

"Riku about that I-"

"Not the time or the place Naya," I said. "It's not important right now. I assume you heard everything."

She nodded, brown eyes turning serious.

"Then let's go."

I walked out the ship to join the others. There was the sound of Naya hopping off the bunk bed and then following after me. Shinpa and his men joined soon after.

I turned to Shinpa with my hands in my pockets. He was smiling at me for some odd reason. I had given him no reason to like me at all and here he was…

I sighed. "Ok. Lead the way."

Far southeast of Pappuriko

Jepu landed with his men and saw the guards clustered around the ship they had mentioned to him. It was small and white, sleekly shaped and obviously a high class cruiser. It had a pointed nose and wings with two thrusters built into them. At the back there was a single massive afterburner. It was honestly quite impressive as space ships went.

The guards remained silent as Jepu stepped up to the ship. They knew better than to speak when Jepu was thinking, especially over something as serious as this.

The ship had been hidden in a deep crevice and walls of rock surrounded Jepu on all sides. It was safe to assume the owner could fly as well, which meant they could use ki. In a word they were dealing with a trained fighter. Judging from the class of the ship they were rich to go with it, that or they worked with some seriously powerful individuals.

Jepu didn't like where his thoughts were going. He fiddled with the hem of his robes as he mused and paced around the ship. No matter how he looked at it this wasn't looking good for Namek. He was half expecting someone to fly up yelling about how the rebel army got taken out.

"Hmmm…" he said finally.

"What do we do captain?" one of the guards finally said.

Jepu frowned still looking at the ship. What to do really…

"Go back to the village and hope that Shinpa hasn't done anything to make our jobs harder."

"Yes sir."

The Namekians all took to the air and started flying back toward the village. Jepu sincerely hoped they would be careful, it had taken a while to get here because of the enemy flying around. They couldn't afford to get caught or even worse, tailed.

Jepu also prepared to leave and gathered his ki within himself. As he did so he didn't look back, neither did he think about the words scribbled on a corner of the ship. As he rose into the forever sunny Namekian sky Jepu made sure he didn't give anything away.

Good job finding my ship… when we last met you couldn't even find your face hehehe. Get in my way and I promise you a similar experience.

I'm watching you Jepu. My little maggot…

Indeed, it was best to pretend he never saw the message. She was on this planet now… nobody was safe…