There was something to be said about regret.
She hated it. She hated letting him go. It wasn't so much about being right anymore. That didn't matter. They had started something together – a friendship of sorts, fragile and indulgent. They were both lonely, she realized. In a way, they needed each other.
And – it occurred to her – being correct shouldn't be as important as being considerate.
Yeah. That was the core of the issue.
She was proud; perhaps a bit too proud. She didn't like being told she was wrong. She especially didn't like being shown up by fifteen year old boys with tails. It hurt her pride to admit that he might've had a point.
She was in one of her moods, she knew. She had been woken up by a sharp pain on her back and she'd been cramping ever since.
The turtle hadn't earned her sympathy because… well, it was a turtle.
Goku was annoying, weird and stupid, but he was her friend. The only one she had. And she wasn't ready to let go.
Bulma mounted the scooter and went after him. Soon she had caught up. Goku was carrying the blasted turtle with short strides. There were beads of sweat on his forehead. Bulma matched his pace with the scooter.
He didn't say anything when he saw her. He didn't tease her or brought up the argument from before. She thought she saw a tiny smile on his lips though.
Bulma wasn't sure, but she thought there was a lesson to be learned there.
So she followed him South, suddenly certain that only someone really stupid would abandon this kid.
It was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most beautiful thing Goku had ever seen.
The beach went on forever in both directions and he couldn't see the end of it. The sand was soft and warm under his touch. The water's edge was clear and he could even spot little fishes swimming in it. The sea went on forever as well—all the way South where it met the horizon.
Goku set the turtle down on the sand and stared amazed at the blue infinity. He had the sudden thought that if his journey ended there, he wouldn't be disappointed. He had always wanted to see the ocean. They had often made plans of going together. They hadn't. Goku couldn't say why.
"I'm almost home," Umigame told them. "How will I ever thank you? Oh, I know! Can you wait here for a moment? I will go and fetch my master so he can reward you. I am sure that he will."
Before any of them could speak, Umigame disappeared into the ocean.
"Wait!" Bulma shouted after it. "We don't have the time. We can't—aaaaand he's gone. Great."
Goku gathered some water with his hands and brought it up to his mouth. He drank it, and quickly spat it back out. "Ugh—Gross."
Bulma sat on the sand, shaking her head. Goku joined her. The hours went by. They watched the sun go up and down the sky. To Goku's surprise, Bulma remained silent the entire time, so he did the same, enjoying the nice day.
They were about to give up on the turtle's return when Goku spotted Umigame coming out from under the sea. The turtle swam toward them carrying an old man on its hull.
It was a very odd sight. The man had a bald head and a thick, white, fu manchu mustache and beard. He wore beach clothes — a palm tree printed shirt and khaki shorts, with flip flops and sunglasses. When Umigame reached the beach line, the old man stood straight with the help of a hard oak walking stick. For unknown reasons, he wore a turtle hull strapped to his back.
"Hello, children," the old man of the sea greeted them with a bow. He sounded very energetic for his old age. "I am Muten Roshi, the turtle hermit. I heard you saved my very best friend's life."
"Your best friend's a turtle?" Bulma muttered. "I see."
Muten Roshi smiled. Grant it, he had all of his teeth.
Bulma and Goku stood up.
"This boy saved me, Master Roshi," Umigame told him. "Without him, I'd never had found my way home."
Roshi zeroed on Goku. It was weird not seeing his eyes. It made it hard to read him.
"Yes. Strapping young lad, eh? I owe you my friend's hull. Not literally, of course. Although I could get you one, if you'd like. They're quite fashionable, see?" He gave a little twirl showing off his hull. "No, you don't like it?" he said, disappointed at Goku's reaction. "Oh, well, it's an acquired taste. Regardless, I shall grant you a wonderful reward for your deed." He looked at the sky and shouted: "Come to me, Immortal Phoenix!"
They waited.
Nothing.
"Um, master...? I believe the Immortal Phoenix has passed away…" Umigame put in. "A while ago, if I remember correctly. Do you not remember it?"
Roshi scratched his bald head. "Oh, that's right, Umi. Tainted birdseed, wasn't it? We lost a good friend that day... I take full responsibility for it. Great shame."
"You killed your Immortal Phoenix?" Bulma asked.
Roshi shrugged. "No matter. I've got it. Come to me, Kinto'un!" he called out.
Within seconds a puffy cloud appeared floating before their eyes. It was bigger than the turtle. There was a strangeness about it that made it look more solid than the usual cloud.
"Yes, hello, darling," Roshi gave it a little pat. "This is Kinto'un, lad," he said to Goku. "And it is yours now. Be good to it and it shall be good to you in return."
"What is that?" Even Bulma sounded impressed.
"It is the rarest of things. The last one in existence. Thinking about it…" Roshi stopped. "I don't suppose I should be giving it away so lightly..."
Goku encircled the cloud. "Whoa. Do I... uh, eat it?" he asked.
"YOU DO NOT EAT THE MAGICAL CLOUD!" the old man wailed. "Sorry. I didn't meant to shout. You do not eat the magical cloud, boy, alright? You ride it."
"Naturally," Bulma said.
"It'll take you wherever you wish to go," Roshi said. "It can reach the ends of the Earth and it never needs rest. If you so desire, it—"
"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there before you break into a song," Bulma stepped up. "Who are you? Why do you have so many magical items you're willing to part with? And where did you get the talking turtle?"
"Oh, I know a guy…" he muttered.
"Ah. Lemme guess… a guy who does genetic engineering? Tsk tsk. That's against the law. You'd have to have a permit for that. Do you?"
Roshi suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "I... eh... uh..."
Bulma pressed on. "If the cloud is so great, why would you give it away?"
"Alright, alright..." Roshi conceded. He looked from Bulma to Goku and back again. "There's a catch."
"Isn't there always?" she said.
The old man smiled in return. "I like you, blondie. Indeed, you are correct. Once it was written that it can only ride the flying nimbus, the one who is pure of heart."
It was like being hit by lightning. A force so strong Goku's knees almost buckled. The image of the blue-eyed woman returned. He saw her face weeping face, the blood on the ground, and something else. Something he hadn't seen before. She was talking to someone. Something.
Ka taea anake Kinto'un i te rere o te aur sudha hai. Find him. Across the universe if you have to. Find him and keep him safe.
"Well, I didn't come up with that, no. It was passed it on to me, as knowledge is. I got it from a one-eyed guy a few years back, didn't I? He made it a good price. He couldn't ride Kinto'un either. Of course, he didn't even know what it was. I took it to a professional and she cleared it up for me. Alas, it never took to me."
Goku was barely listening. His hands were shaking. The woman…! She had sent the magical cloud. For… for him? How was that possible? Common sense told him it wasn't, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was true. Kinto'un had unraveled another part of the puzzle that was his past and Goku couldn't wait to access the full picture. The woman was key; but there was more. He yearned for the more.
"Now watch and learn." With a head start, Muten Roshi jumped on top of Kinto'un, but his body went right through it. He landed hard on his back, on the sand, with a painful groan.
Bulma seemed pleased by that.
"Are you alright, master?" Umigame asked.
Roshi stood up slowly with the help of his walking stick. "Don't worry about it, Umi. It's the cloud that is broken, that's all."
Goku hadn't taken his eyes off Kinto'un. It belonged to him. A gift – not from the old man, from the blue-eyed woman. It had been meant for him, in another time, another world.
"Goku?" Bulma called. "Are you alright?"
There was only one way of knowing for sure. He lunged forward and the flying nimbus caught him midair. Goku raised his hands in victory. "Whoo! It works!"
Bulma was even more pleased with that. "So it's not broken! It just doesn't like you, old man," she told Roshi.
Kinto'un was guided by energy, Goku understood. He had to focus on what he wanted the cloud to do, where he wanted it go. It was easy. Almost natural.
Made for him.
It was as if Goku and Kinto'un were of one mind.
He soared in the air around Bulma. He felt so light, so alive.
"Incredible," Roshi said. He sounded intrigued.
"Okay," Bulma said, hands on her waist, "aren't you gonna give me something?"
Roshi looked her up and down. "Sorry, dollface. Only one magic cloud to spare."
"I don't need a moralist cloud. But if you were to offer me—" her eyes widened when she saw it.
Around his neck! There for the whole world to see! How could it be?
The orange globe hanging from his necklace. Tree red stars dancing within.
"That's a lovely necklace you got there," she breathed. "May I have that?"
Roshi glanced down. "This old thing?" he took it off his neck and swung the Dragon Ball in her face. "I found it on the seabed years ago. Doesn't do anything, if that's what you're expecting. Trust me, I've tried."
Bulma reached for it. Roshi pulled it away.
"Ah ah ah. If you want it this much, you know what it is. What is it?"
Well, now they were just testing her, weren't they? How many times would she have to say it? She wasn't in the mood for games.
In a swift movement that caught both men by surprise, Bulma pulled out a blaster from her pocket belt and shoved it in his face.
"You seem like a smart little man," she told Roshi. "I bet you know my dad. Leslie Brief? Yeah, that's right, you do know him. My dad knows a lot of people, too. Important people. And some of them would reaaally like to know about an old master who owns genetically engineered turtles that can talk? You must pay a lot of taxes for that, huh? And phoenixes are practically instinct, so you're not allowed to own them as pets. Or get them killed either. Oh and magical clouds! Wow, the market for that must be—"
"Bulma," Goku called out. He may not have known what it was that Bulma had in hand, but he got the gist of it. Weapon. Threat. Danger. Roshi was clutching a Dragon Ball protectively over his chest. "What are you doing?"
"He has the Sanshinchu. And he's gonna give it to me." Her tone was cold. Sharp.
Goku jumped off Kinto'un and approached his friend with caution. "Bulma, by force? That's not the way we do things. Come on. Put that thing down before somebody gets hurt."
For a moment he thought she wasn't going to listen. Bulma's hand twitched, and she lowered the gun. "How is it then that we do things, Goku?"
Goku turned to the old man. "What do you want in exchange for the Dragon Ball, Muten Roshi?"
The answer was quite unexpected. "You."
"I beg you a pardon?" Bulma exclaimed. "You want Goku?"
Roshi laughed. "Not right now, as you clearly are on a quest for something. But someday, boy. You come to me. Become one of my disciples. There is something about you. Strange. Familiar. Give me your word that you'll come and I shall give you this."
Goku couldn't fathom the man's interest, but the offer was a good one. Disciple to a master… He hadn't had someone to teach him since his grandfather had died. He missed it. Missed him. Perhaps this was one way of getting him back.
The deal was struck. Arrangements were made. The Dragon Ball exchanged.
Four out of seven.
Three more to go.
The faded sign by the road said – WELCOME TO ARU VILLAGE – but they didn't find that particularly encouraging. It had been two days since their meeting with Muten Roshi and they hadn't seen a single soul since. They had hoped Kinto'un would have made their journey faster, but were too soon disappointed to discover that Bulma couldn't ride it.
She had been especially wounded by that.
She needed a distraction.
Unfortunately, Aru Village was a ghost town. It had streets, asphalt, buildings, cars, everything that makes a town – except people.
The silence was so intense you could hear a pin drop.
Bulma didn't like that. She was wearing jeans today, combat boots and a regular white T-shirt with the Capsule Corporation logo printed on it. Goku wore exactly the same thing. It was the generic emergency clothes that came with the hoi-poi houses. It wouldn't make any fashion statements, but it was practical and it was comfortable.
They decided to call out, just in case. There was no answer.
"It's here for sure," Bulma said, checking the Dragon Radar one more time. "The Dragon Ball is definitely here. What the hell happened to the villagers?"
"They're here, too," Goku said ominously. Every now and then he did that. Said something odd and mysterious like he was commenting on the weather. It drove her nuts.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know," he said. "I just feel it. Them."
"Come here. Do you have a fever?" She put a hand on his forehead. Normal temperature.
"I'm fine. I just... I can sense all sorts of people. I don't know how to explain it."
As she watched, he marched to the nearest house and pounded his fist on the door. "Oi! Open up! I know you're in there. We're not gonna hurt you." He turned the knob, but the door didn't budge. "Why isn't it opening?"
"Must be locked."
Goku kicked the door off its hinges.
"Oh, very civilized, you brute," Bulma chastised. "If there were people here, which there obviously isn't, but if there were, they probably wouldn't be happy about you damaging their properties and—"
Before she could finish, from inside the house came a man. He had something in his hand. He swung it around and struck Goku in the head. There was a crouching sound, a scream and then silence.