A/N: I'm still alive!
And I have officially breached the 50K views benchmark. Yeay, I guess? I thought the increase in views per day, views on upload, favourites and follows would slow down.
I was wrong.
Seriously though, thank you all for supporting me. Makes me want to go that extra mile in polishing my story.
To guest Just So You Know: I could say that Videl is quite a bit stronger than a normal Human, and now knows how to use her energy as well, but in the end, I knew about that, but kinda ignored it for the sake of improving the story.
Same goes for the conversation while falling. After all, the characters regularly have conversations while flying at extremely high speeds.
Besides, I'm not sure if falling at that speed is actually dangerous. People do it all the time. Though, I admit, not for nearly as long. But it's not the fall itself that kills you.
To shadowwriter01: Yeah, Gohan does have a bit of blame, doesn't he? He's not a perfect god, and that's kind of the point.
Bringing Cell up when the Red Ribbon Army was mentioned? Hm, why didn't I think of that? Oh well, in the end, it doesn't really matter.
To MindForgedMan: Yeah, Gohan could have brought in all the cults already. If he knew where to find them. The world, or even just Satan City (or Golden City) is a big place. He has no idea where they are, and can only act when they show themselves in public.
At least, for now.
To everyone telling me to update (also includes all other stories): Keep repeating that, it will make it go faster.
Jokes aside, this chapter lagged behind for quite a bit. I wasn't sure on how I was going to do things, and I didn't like some characterisation much either. Not to mention I burned through all of my chapters. I like being ahead a little, it allows me to write coherently and polish a little better.
I also decided to get rid of a couple of future plots. In the end they didn't contribute anything to the overall story.
I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.
Chapter 12
Choice
After leaving the studio, Erasa was walking back to Sharpner's place. At least the guy was thoughtful enough to leave her a key.
Her live interview had gone well. She focused on Gohan's feelings towards being worshipped and why he didn't like violence. She kept her mouth shut about his alien origin. That detail was not hers to share, she knew that much.
She had been allowed to talk for quite a while, and enjoyed everything about it. The feeling was far better than she could have imagined. The entire audience held their breath while she spoke. Her words had weight, meaning. Power. Sharpner's disapproval had been completely forgotten. Drowned out in her own importance. At least it was at the time.
Now she found herself unable to take her mind off of him. Why did he just leave? They could have talked, made a compromise, anything. Nope, he grabbed his stuff and ran off.
To a place be believed he could learn how to do whatever it was Gohan did. Like flying and shooting lasers.
As she continued walking down the street the high of the interview started wearing off, and the guilt was beginning to set in. His arguments had made a lot of sense.
Of course she wanted to impress Gohan, but he wasn't here. She didn't even know for sure if he would hear her words.
And now Sharpner was gone too. Just like he said, she was on her own. Maybe even with a target on her back. after all, she was still associated with Videl just as much as she was with Gohan.
'Why didn't I just go with him?' She wondered to herself. 'If it really meant that much to him, surely my interview could have waited.'
She shook her head at herself. It was no use thinking about that anymore. He left, and she was going to have to move back to her place. After all, it would be rude to stay in his house after he had left.
So she decided she was going to gather her stuff, and whatever was left, and leave this evening.
Looking down the street, it suddenly felt a lot longer. More dangerous.
For the first time since this all started, she felt really alone.
Her light walk turned into a brisk jog.
Sharpner looked on as the asphalt flew below him. Sand as far as the eye could see. His hitchhiking had proven to be successful, as a cargo driver had mercy and let him ride as far as the next town. Which, given the number of buildings in the distance, was drawing near.
Not one minute later, the truck came to a stop. He thanked the driver and got out. As the vehicle behind him drove off again, he looked over his new surroundings.
In hindsight, he was pretty lucky. This town wasn't too far from his final destination, and he had reached it in just a few hours.
From here he was going to have to walk the rest of the way through the desert. According to the map, there was a large oasis six to eight hours walking from here.
And at that oasis was his destination. The Crane Hermitage.
As she turned the corner to her street, Erasa felt her body turn to stone. She had been here just yesterday, and everything was fine.
She forced herself forward, and approached the building that now only vaguely resembled her house.
The front door was wide open, with clear signs of forced entry. And almost every window was broken.
'A break in?' She asked herself. She got a little closer, stopping at the doorway.
The furniture was smashed to pieces. The wallpapers ripped off. The floor ruined.
Not a break in, demolition.
She didn't have to see more. She turned and ran. Sharpner's warning rang louder in her ears than ever before. She was a target now.
His throat burned. How stupid he was not to buy water. There was a freaking village right there, full of people who knew about the desert, but did he ask? No, he had to be stubborn and think he knew better. Videl was rubbing off on him.
At least he was nearly there. Or should be, if he had been going the right way. He most certainly hoped so.
Once again he scanned the horizon. 'Hold on, what is that? It looks kinda… green. And in the right direction too.'
So he walked faster.
And he was right. It really was the place he was looking for.
It didn't take him much longer to reach the place. It was surrounded by a tall wall, high enough to be a house of its own. He went around, and soon enough he found a gate. A closed one.
"Hey!" Someone called from above. He looked up to see someone standing on the wall above the gate. Someone wearing green and yellow. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for the Crane Hermitage." He answered.
"You found it." The reply came. "What do you want?"
"I want to study here." He replied.
"Don't waste your time." The guy at the top said. "The master isn't taking more students."
"Can I at least talk to him?" Sharpner called. This was not going well.
"No." The man said. "Go back."
"No." He echoed. "I didn't come all this way to be stopped at the gate!"
The man didn't reply. Instead he jumped down, from at least three stories up. He didn't land though, but remained hovering just above the sand.
Sharpner had definitely came to the right place. It made him all the more determined.
"What do you have to prove your worth?" He asked. "And why are you on foot?"
"My car ran out of petrol, so I had to walk." He replied to the second question, but not the first.
"Couldn't you afford more gas?" The man asked.
"I'm kinda broke." Sharpner replied. Not a total lie, considering he did have some of Videl's jewellery, so it wasn't like he had nothing of value. Besides his car.
"Join the club." The man replied. "Though we only became broke after paying for our lessons." He landed on the sand. "Sorry, but you're wasting your time."
Sharpner took a good look at the guy. He was in his early twenties, and not particularly fit. His bare arms were bloated, and a little gut pushed through the fabric.
Surely he'd make a better student than this guy.
"I'd like to talk to the master anyway." Sharpner said.
"Fine." The man flew up again. "I'll take you to him."
Sharpner kneeled on a little pillow. The room was both rich and bare. The floor was smooth wood, yet many colours making a pattern. The walls brick, but again, patterned in colour.
The pillow he was sitting on was embroidered with what he assumed to be the Crane symbol. If he got in, he'd likely be wearing that symbol for a while.
Finally the door opened, and someone came walking through. A man wearing green and yellow, a weird hat shaped like a bird, and grey hair spreading out like wings.
The man observed Sharpner for a second. "At least you know proper etiquette." He replied. "Most don't even sit properly. Now then, you want to become my student?"
"Yes. Please." He nodded politely.
"My teachings are not cheap." The old man told him. "What do you have to offer me?"
"Nothing but myself." He replied.
"Yourself?" The man asked. "And do tell me, why would I want your worthless self?"
"You have a lot of money already, but what kind of students do you have?" Sharpner decided to take a gamble. The guy from before was a bit overweight. Nothing against fat people, but it's not a sign of dedication.
The old man gained a small grin. "You're not stupid, are you? Very well, I will give you a test, and if you can pass it, you will become my student."
Sharpner leaned aside, letting the beam pass by. Sure, it could kill him if it hit.
If.
Sure, the man he was fighting could fly and shoot lasers, and was most certainly able to wreck him if he got hold of him.
If.
Sharpner stepped aside slightly. His opponent came flying with his fist stretched out a-la superman style.
So our blonde held out his own fist, and made the other fly against it.
This guy might have the powers, but he was no martial artist. Just a guy who knew a few tricks. Not particularly hard to deal with, though definitely annoying. And dangerous.
Said guy was now on the ground clutching his left eye. He's gonna look like a panda tomorrow.
A slow clap reached Sharpner's ears. The Crane Master was walking towards him from across the courtyard. There was grass underneath their feet, and tall trees at the edge, shielding them from the blistering sun. Buildings on one side, and a small lake on the other.
"Impressive." The master stated. "I believe you may have talent after all." He turned around, and started walking towards the lake. "Walk with me." He commanded.
Sharpner did as he was told, and made a few quick steps to catch up with the other.
"I will take you on as a student." The elderly man said. "Not one of those pretentious pricks like the one you were fighting, but my actual student."
"I am honoured." Sharpner said evenly, though on the inside he was doing backflips.
"Good, you should be." His reply came. "There are free rooms in there." He pointed to a different building. "Have your pick, and leave your stuff there."
"Yes, sir."
"It is Master Shen to you." He bit. "Which reminds me, what is your name?"
"Sharpner."
"Another stupid name." The old man muttered to himself. "What is wrong with parents these days?"
'Says the guy named Shen.' Sharpner reflected, though he was pretty sure he shouldn't say that out loud.
Said guy addressed him one more time before walking away. "My brother will take care of your first lesson, so be back here in ten minutes."
"So, you're the newest recruit?" A man approached Sharpner in the courtyard. A man with the upper half his face replaced by metal.
"Yes, I am." He answered.
"That is Master Tao to you, brat!" The man snapped. "My brother told me you might be able to get further than the nitwits we've been having so far."
"Tao?" Sharpner ignored the rest. "As in Mercenary Tao?"
"Ah, so you've heard of me." The man took a small grin of pride. "And you must have heard about the strength I possess. If you really are as promising as my brother says, then you too can raise to such heights."
That statement gave Sharpner mixed feelings. On one hand, he knew that Mercenary Tao had a legendary reputation, bordering on the superhuman. And that was before Gohan proved the claims Hercule made about the superhuman wrong.
On the other, those very same tales never painted him in a good light. They called him a mercenary, but he was more of an assassin. And Sharpner wasn't sure if studying under such a man was a good idea.
But he did promise that power, that legendary strength.
"Take your stance." Tao said, sinking into a low stance himself. "And show me your mettle."
Sharpner took his own stance.
"Lesson one, avoid death." Tao stated. Before Sharpner had time to think on those words his opponent struck.
He tried to avoid it, but Tao was simply too fast. A metal fist collided with his face. It made him flail backwards.
"Pathetic." The mercenary stated, looking down. "I got my hopes up too, but I could kill you using nothing but my tongue if I so pleased. Now get up, and do better!"
It was late evening. Erasa was wondering what to do with herself now. She looked on the internet, but it was tedious and she had no idea what she was actually looking for. Just something to help her reach Gohan.
Sure, she could go to his home in the 439 mountain area, but Gohan had made it very clear he did not want visitors, and she wasn't willing to cross that line just yet.
The heard the doorbell go off. Her first thought was Sharpner, but no, the guy had a key.
Her second thought was of Gohan. But he said he wouldn't be coming back.
It rang again.
'But who else would…' She stopped in the middle, and thought of a fourth person.
'Videl! Did she finally come back?' Erasa felt a bolt of joy go through her heart.
She jumped up at the thought, and nearly ran to the door.
Yet, once there, she got a strange feeling in her gut. It was a feeling she never had before, and couldn't quite place it. But she could make one thing out of it. There was something wrong.
So, rather than open the door straight away, she called out. "Who's there?"
"It's a delivery." A male voice answered. One she didn't recognise.
"This late?" She asked.
"We had a few delays, and are working overtime." The reply came.
Erasa thought for a second. 'Wouldn't a real delivery service come back tomorrow?' She asked herself. 'Also, we?'
Then she remembered that this door came with a spyglass. And she peered through it.
'Delivery, my ass!' She mentally commented. There were at least six guys there, armed with baseball bats and hammers. And a prybar. She remembered how she found her own home earlier.
"One second." She called back, trying to buy as much time as possible. "I… I left the keys in the other room."
"Alright, just hurry, we have more places to visit." Her reply came.
She made a point of stomping away. Luckily she hadn't unpacked everything yet. She slammed her stuff back into her backpack. Unfortunately, she was going to have to leave her suitcases behind, but those were only just clothes. She grabbed herself some spare clothes and opened the back window.
'I'm sorry Sharpner.' She thought as she went out, and fled into the night.
Sharpner laid down on the bed. When he decided to make his way here, he had not expected this. Before he only had the bruise under his arm, now he had several on his back, chest, arms, legs and face to match it.
Tao was a merciless teacher. Was he even a teacher? Sharpner didn't remember being taught anything, besides the pain of being hit over and over again.
Block it, the guy said. Easy for him to say, his limbs were made of metal.
Ah well, at least he got a good meal, and though he was told to rise early, he also went to bed early, so he could expect a good night of rest. And this put him at ease a little. It meant that the two did know what they were doing. Good food and plenty of rest were just as just as important to martial arts as hard training was.
Hopefully, tomorrow he would fare better.
So much for faring better the next day. When Sharpner woke up the next morning, he knew three things. One, his face was swollen, two his arms were bruised, three, he got sunburned.
Walking the desert on foot was looking worse and worse in hindsight.
Nonetheless, with the promise of gaining power, he got up, dressed himself again, and walked out.
He looked up and down the hallway, trying to remember which way he was supposed to go.
Before he thought anymore of it, he heard footsteps. Master Shen came walking around the corner.
"Ah you're up." The old man said, looking a little disappointed for some reason. "And here I was looking forward to kicking you out of bed."
"You told me to be up at this time, so I'm up." He replied simply.
"I'm getting the growing suspicion you're no stranger to martial arts." Shen said as he walked up to him.
"No, I'm not." Sharpner admitted. Hiding that would most certainly get him into trouble.
"Do tell, what school were you from?" Shen asked the expected question.
"I used to practice Satan Style." He replied. "But I quit a while ago." He then lied.
"Why did you quit?"
"I realised I wasn't becoming stronger at all." He kept lying.
"Damn right you weren't!" Shen said with malice. That man surely hated Hercule, as Sharpner was expecting him to, which was why he lied in the first place.
"As for you, you will need some proper garments." The master continued. "And take a bath, I could smell you before I could see you."
After a nice bath, which he must admit was something he really needed, he spent some time in front of the mirror. In order to wash his hair he had untangled his braid, and now he wondered if he should put it back in.
'Screw it, why not?' He asked himself, and proceeded to spent a bit of time putting the thing back in. Which actually worked on his first try, though nowhere near as neat as the one Erasa had made.
He let a hand slide over his chin. He was getting a bit of a stubble, barely visible thanks to his blonde hair. Still, he'd like to shave, but it didn't look like he was getting that chance.
Once he was done, he made his way to the courtyard again, where he found Tao waiting for him, along with a few other people. Seven men, and four women. Seemed like The Cranes weren't as gender biased as one might have expected.
Then again, Sharpner supposed when you could use energy, muscle strength didn't matter as much, so there'd be even less reason to be biased.
Some of the other students were sparring, others were hitting some kind of wooden pole, and again others were floating overhead, swirling small bits of light around themselves.
These weren't people who were ripped off with a couple of fancy tricks, these were serious students.
And now, Sharpner was one of them.
"Finally." Master Tao addressed him. "There's a pole, you know what to do." And he turned his back, deeming the blonde not worthy of more attention.
Sharpner shrugged, and took place by one of the poles. What were those things anyway? He was pretty sure he didn't see them here yesterday. They were three metres tall and partly wrapped in some kind of rope.
"Howdy." A guy also standing at the poles greeted him. "You're new, right? It's been a few weeks since anyone joined. And now I finally get to push someone around as well."
He must have been the new guy before. He was wearing the green and yellow uniform, had short brown hair, and was pretty fit, though not as large as Sharpner.
"The poles are simple." The guy said. "Hit them hard, and if you do it hard enough, the rope will become denser. Like so."
He struck the pole hard with his right fist, and it trembled in place from the impact.
"Alright." And Sharpner gave it a try. He struck out hard with a right punch.
It was like hitting a wall of solid marble. Neither the pole nor the rope budged in the slightest. A wave of pain shot through his hand.
"Nice try, jackass!" A girl called from his back.
"You might want to use some wrappings." The guy said helpfully, pointing to a nearby table with several white bandages on them.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" He asked, slightly annoyed.
"I didn't feel like it." The guy turned his back to him, and hit the pole several times in a row. The thing trembled and shook under the heavy impacts. And this guy didn't use any wrappings.
Nor did anyone else.
Hurt in his pride, Sharpner hit his pole again, though nowhere near as hard. It didn't stop it from hurting though. He could hear the others laughing behind him.
Admitting defeat, he went to wrap his hands.
With the white cloth around his hands, he went back to hitting the pole for who knows how long. There was little noise, and less talking.
Finally, after what felt like hours, and when his hands were ready to fall off, master Shen came. He didn't say anything though, he just watched, then left again.
"Is breakfast ready yet?" The brown-haired guy next to Sharpner asked out loud.
"It's ready when it's ready." Someone in the sky replied impatiently.
"Why?" One of the girls stopped her spar, and walked up to the poles. "You boys getting tired? Or maybe your iddy biddy handsies are having ouchies?" She asked in a mocking tone. Several snickers were heard behind her.
"Hey, those things are pretty hard, you know?" Sharpner returned, not willing to back down.
The girl just huffed, and pushed him aside with ease, making him fall on his back. He was about to tell her what he thought of her, when she raised her leg, and gave the pole a powerful kick.
A crack echoed over the courtyard, and the two pieces of pole with rope trailing behind them were flung through the sky. The lower one flew sideways and hit the wall. The upper part was send up slightly, and was spinning as it came down again.
The girl caught the thing by the wooden part in one hand as if it were a twig, then swung the thing around, hitting Sharpner against the side of the head with the roped part.
His vision switched to black, and all sounds were suddenly halted. He didn't even feel any pain, just a jerk of his head being flung sideways, and was vaguely aware of his body hitting the ground.
Then the pain came. Not the worst he even head, but definitely in the top ten.
His vision returned, as did his hearing. He reached up to the painful spot to check for blood.
Clean. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as it felt? It felt pretty bad though.
He saw a foot step just in front of his face, then felt a jerk on his tank top as he was picked up. The girl lifted him to face-level with one hand, still holding the pole in the other.
"You are just pathetic." She said softly, then threw him back.
Sharpner found himself airborne for a few moments, until he hit the ground. He rolled automatically for a bit in an effort to regain his footing, but met with a tree halfway there, hitting his head once again.
He needed a little time to regain his bearings. It felt like the world was spinning around him.
At around afternoon, at a place north of north city, a small village laid in a large valley between the mountains. It was a small place, everyone knew everyone, and outsiders seldom came by.
But even here the news of the Golden God had reached, mostly as rumours. Though they were dismissed at first, more and more came in, each more convincing than the one before it. Until King Furry did his live speech before the world.
But being so remote, even this news did not truly affect the villagers. To them, it was news from the outside, and had little to do with their lives, though it was heavily debated.
But that was about to change, for it was this very village that got a strange visitor. A young lady riding on a golden cloud.
She shivered. It wasn't as warm as she had hoped. But it was warmer than up in the sky. And this place was remote, so it was unlikely she'd be recognised, she hoped.
Perhaps she could lay low here and find a way to earn her bread as she sorted herself out.
She looked over the edge of her nimbus, into the small lake below. For what must have been the first time since that fateful day, she looked at her own reflection. And she was shocked at what she saw.
Her cheeks had fallen, her neat black hair became ragged and messy, and her eyes had bags underneath them.
She also saw a smudge of dirt on her forehead. 'How long has that been there?' She asked herself, wiping it off with her wristband. Come to think of it, she hadn't had a bath since she left the time-chamber, and taking one just became her third highest priority, just below getting something to eat, and figuring out if people here would recognise her.
She leaned forward a little more. Though they were adjusted to her size, she found Gohan's clothes to be looking weird on her own frame.
Her arms had became thinner, and yet more defined, as had her neck. Then again, the only thing she had eaten since this all began was one burger, and two senzu beans. Add the stress into it, and yeah, she figured she must have lost some weight.
Most women would be happy to lose weight, and fat in particular. Not Videl. Fatty tissue was the only thing hiding her developed muscles, and gave her a somewhat feminine look, despite all her other boyish tendencies.
She let her hair grown out for the same reason, as well as wear shorts, showing off her legs, though that one was pretty recent, after they had softened to satisfactory levels. She most definitely did not want to give up her martial arts, nor working with the police, and putting on dresses, wearing pick or doing other stereotypical girly things was just not to her liking. But being mistaken for a boy was humiliating.
She turned sideways slightly. She was grateful for having the shirt, since she no longer had to worry about embarrassing herself by accidentally flashing people, but it also hid her already small bust.
If she kept her voice lowered, she might just be able to pass off as a guy.
Yeah, before she had worried about her looks, and looking feminine. Now she couldn't care less, and even considered it a good thing. Though she could have done without the weight loss.
Looking girly? She had watched her life crumble away, saw her home be set ablaze, heard her name being demonetized, was chewed up and spat out by the city she had risked her life to protect, and finally felt her own strength fail her.
She now lived in a world that would gladly see her pay for a crime she never committed. If she was discovered, she'd get the death penalty. If she was lucky.
Who cares about looks anymore?
She was brought out of her musings when her view of herself disappeared, replaced by soft brown sand speeding by.
It was here that she stopped, and slid off her cloud. "Thanks for the ride, Nimbus." She said as it flew off again.
"I'm talking to a cloud." She reflected out loud. "I've fallen low, haven't I?"
Not willing to explain how she got a cloud, and remembering the shit she gave Gohan for it, she decided to just walk into the village on foot.
It took her a minute, but it also let her stretch her legs a little, and get her blood flowing again. Boy, did she feel stiff.
Someone passed by, an elderly man. He looked at her with suspicion. She shrugged and moved on. A woman carrying a large bag passed as well. She downright glared at the stranger.
'Is this place really that secluded?' She asked herself. Sure, it looked like the modern age had skipped this part of the world. The houses were wood, made in a way she had only seen in history books. And the road was barely paved, but then again, it was mostly rock in the first place.
In fact, she half expected to clear the corner and see an old saloon.
Wouldn't that be something?
So she walked into the main street, and immediately her eye fell on something. No saloon, but there was large sign with the word 'tavern'.
Meh, close enough.
She went in. She felt hit in the face by the stench of tobacco and alcohol. It was musky inside, like the place needed a good scrubbing.
It was noisy too. People were sitting here, drinking, talking. Not just men, plenty of women here as well. The place was packed.
No one paid attention to the boy that just walked in. In fact, there were even several children running about as well. No wonder it was so noisy.
She did get a few strange looks as she walked by the people. Most of them just shrugged and went back to their business.
Videl walked up to the bar uninterrupted. In stories, bartenders were usually a good place to learn about certain things. And since she didn't have a better alternative, that's where she started.
"Well, hello stranger." A man holding a bottle of wine addressed her. "What brings you way out here?"
"I was forced to leave my old place." She admitted. "I'm looking for a place to stay while I get my life back in order."
"From Sa… Golden City, are you not?" The man asked, correcting himself quickly.
"Yeah, with all the violence and such it wasn't safe to stay." She replied. Well, it was kind of true. It could have been true. It was true, actually, it just wasn't her but Gohan who made the decision she should leave the city.
"What about your parents? It's not good for a kid to walk the world by himself."
'Kid?' She asked in her mind, feeling her anger bubble up. Sure, she wasn't tall, but she wasn't a freaking kid!
"I'm not a kid." She replied calmly. "I'm just short for my age. Now, where can I find a place to stay?"
"Depends on how much money you have." The man replied. "Down the road is a hotel for tourists, though it is expensive. Although, now that all the guests have ran out of town faster than Old Man Hurlock confronted with soap, you might get a discount. I've also got a few cheap beds upstairs, if you're not picky.
If you're broke, and you look like you're broke, Old Man Hurlock sometimes lets wanderers stay at his farm, but you'll have to do a few odd jobs to make up for it. I got to warn you though, I doubt the man has even seen a proper bath in his lifetime."
Well, that went certainly well. Videl guessed some stereotypes do have a ground in reality.
"Thank you." She nodded politely.
"Don't mention it." He reached under the counter and grabbed an empty glass, which he put down in front of her, and poured her some of the bottle he happened to be holding. "Here, have one on me. You look like you need one."
"I'm not sure if that's ok." She hesitated.
"I won't tell your mommy if you won't." The man smiled, and walked off to serve someone else.
Videl emptied her glass in a single go. It was cheap wine, and not a big glass at that, so it wasn't that impressive. And she had drank alcoholics before, bank when her father was still…
… taking Gohan's credit.
She shook her head slightly. That life was over now. Videl Satan was gone. Which reminded her, she still needed a new name.
Mark? Sure, take your father's old name, that'll be a good cover.
Azura? Nah, too exotic.
What else is there?
"…Hercule…"
She looked up, her ears having caught her father's name.
"I'm telling you." A woman spoke to two women and three men at a table. "It's a shame they didn't get to execute the bastard."
"Execute?" Videl mumbled to herself. She suddenly felt worried.
"But if that's what the Golden God wants, then wouldn't that be the right way?" A second woman argued.
"Who cares what he wants, what about what we want?" The first replied. "That lying asshole made the whole world believe that our true saviours were tricksters! I want to see some punishment!"
Clearly something had happened while Videl was gone. She spied around the room. She hadn't been recognised, but asking questions now would be suspicious. After all, she was the one from the outside, and in this secluded place she should be the one with the knowledge of news from the outside. Or at least, so these people would reason.
Videl low-key scooted a little closer, to overhear better.
The third woman huffed at the first. "Didn't you declare just two weeks ago you'd gladly sleep with Hercule, and refused to call it cheating?"
"You WHAT?!" The guy next to her, presumably her husband, yelled.
"Relax, I was just a little drunk." The woman replied quickly. "But that's what I mean. He took the credit from a little kid, and abused our trust and gratitude. He and his spawn should not allowed to roam freely."
'But what did I ever do?' Videl bit her lip. This just felt so unfair. At the same time, for the first time since this whole thing started, she also felt worried for her father. She had been out of contact for over nearly two weeks now.
But up until now, the thought of him being in even more trouble than herself hadn't even crossed her mind. Sure, what he had done was horrible, but execution? He wasn't a monster. Sure, he was arrogant and greedy, and loud, but he was also the guy that raised her by himself. The one who would sit by the side of her bed when she had a nightmare until she fell asleep.
The man who legitimately won the World Martial Arts Championship. Who stepped forwards when Cell threatened the world. Though, in hindsight, he may only have done that because he was pushed by people who knew him.
She wasn't sure. She supposed she was going to have to ask him if she saw him again. When she saw him again.
The people at the table continued talk about whether or not her father deserved to die, but Videl wasn't listening anymore. She decided she had heard enough, and walked out of place. And promptly remembered she didn't know where this unclean Old-Man-Whatever lived.
So she walked right back in, and asked the first person she came across.
It was past afternoon. Sharpner was busy carrying large stones through a river. It was waist deep, and had a fairly strong current. Luckily the bottom was thick blubber. He sunk into it up to his ankles, and made pulling his feet free a real chore, but at least he wasn't swept away.
After all, the rocks were not allowed to get wet.
There was a bridge nearby, but he wasn't allowed to use it.
He actually finished his task an hour ago, but when he told master Shen so, what did the man say? "Put them all back again the same way."
It was humiliating. And worst of all, the side of his head was throbbing, and he had gained an annoying headache.
Well, it couldn't be from thirst, despite the hot sun and intense heat, his already sunburned skin not helping matters. The river was clean enough to drink from. Shen even specifically mentioned this.
And the constant stream of cool water went a long way against the heat as well.
If only it wasn't so bright. His headache made it painful to look, and hard to think clearly.
She swept the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand, and let out a sigh. That pile of firewood was getting pretty big.
Sure, Old Man Hurlock told her to chop as much as she could before dinner, but she was burning quickly through all of the logs.
She found herself on the large courtyard of a farm, with horse-stables to her side, a garage next to it and the actual house behind them. On her other side were a lot trees. Tall ones. Probably the source of the wood she was chopping.
Speaking of which, she put up the last piece of wood on the chopping block, and with a single swing she clove the thing in half. It was a big piece, so she split both halves yet again.
"There." She said to herself, and set the axe in the chopping block. She looked at her handiwork. It was a pretty big pile of firewood now, and seeing it, knowing it was a big pile of logs just before, made her feel satisfied in herself.
"Yeah, that's right, I did that." She said proudly. And promptly looked around, spying to see if there had been anyone near to overhear her talking to herself. Luckily, there wasn't.
She let out a large sigh, partly of relief, and partly out of sheer satisfaction. What time was it anyway? It couldn't be dinner already, there was no way she had spend four hours on this.
To be fair, she did notice it going rather easy, far more than she had expected. But then again, she did have training with Gohan, and up on Korin Tower afterwards. She knew she had grown much stronger, but did not yet know how much.
Perhaps sometime later she could to a little test to see. For now, laying low was her top priority.
It was time to look up the owner of this place, and let him know she had finished up.
So she walked to the main house, where, to her luck, the elderly man was sitting on his front porch, reading his newspaper.
Old Man Hurlock, or Farmer Hurlock, as he preferred to call himself, was at the least in his early eighties, yet still walked as upright as young man, though aided with a cane. He was tall, almost as much as Videls father. When the barkeeper warned her the old man did not bathe, he wasn't kidding. It was a nauseating smell, even worse than the pile of straw and horse-dung, carrying far into the wind and taking hours to get out of your nose. He was also masculine, he had taught her how to split the wood correctly by demonstrating it himself. And he had this weird accent of his.
"Ey, lad." He address Videl, or Azura, as she introduced herself, for the lack of a better name. "What'ya doin 'ere?"
"I'm done with the chopping." She replied, making sure to be upwind.
"Then ya pick a new pile, an do tha one." He ordered.
"I'm done with all of the piles." She declared.
"All of'em?" He looked taken aback. "It aint been an hour yet, ya can't be done alrea'e."
"Come look for yourself if you don't believe me." She replied casually.
"Oh, ya better be done now, lad, I aint in a joking mood." He declared, but stood up anyway, and with large steps walked himself to the back of the horse stables.
"Well, I'll be darned." He said once he couldn't find a pile of unchopped wood. "Ya keep that up, lad, and I'll have to start payin ya." He scratched his chin, which made a raspy sound, since he clearly hadn't shaven in a while either. "Damn, ya got me at a loss 'ere, lad. I aint countin on ya doin it that fast. I could sent ya to da stables but nah, let da shit-heads shovel da shit, they aint good for much else." He chuckled to himself.
Said shit-heads were two guys, friends, who had been staying at the place for three weeks already. Videl caught something about them being on a touring trip and ending up broke, landing here.
There was also the man's grandson, who was out on the land. But then, he was an actual farmer, not a straggler like the three of them.
"Ya know what?" The old man addressed her. "Why don't ya go fishin? I got a rod an some old bread ya can use. We don't like to eat old bread, but the fish, they lovin it." He turned and walked back to the house, Videl making sure to stay on his upwind side. "There's a lake a small walk away." He pointed at the distant hills.
"Well, I've never done that before." Videl admitted.
"Fishin is easy, ya throw some bait out and wait or em to snatch it." He brushed it aside. He went in the house and opened the closet just around the corner. Videl could see several fishing rods, some long and new, but the one he passed her was basically a stick with a line tied to the end.
"Ere ya go." He said, passing her a bag of old bread as well. "Just go over the hill, and ya see a big rock at the edge. That's where's good fishin. An don't worry about catching anything, ya earned ya dinner already."
Shen walked towards his newest pupil. He didn't see anyone in the river, but also no rocks on the other side. He did see someone sitting on one of the rocks.
Sharpner had seen him coming, but he didn't pretend he wasn't catching his breath. Come on, those things were heavy. He believed he had earned himself a breather.
Shen disagreed. "Get up!" He snarled. "What are you doing, lazing around?!"
"Just catching my breath." The blonde replied.
"I said, get up!" Shen commanded again. "This isn't that garbage Satan Style, and you will not be skip out on your training here! Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, master." Sharpner willed himself back on his feet.
"Good!" Shen turned around. "Follow!" He commanded. "You may have come to become stronger, but you clearly have no idea what you're asking for." The master started.
Sharpner disagreed, but knew better than to speak up.
"But I will show you." Shen continued.
He brought Sharpner to a part of the complex he hadn't been before. Of course, he only arrived yesterday, but still.
There were some of the other students here, as well as master Tao. One of those was the girl that hit him in the head.
"Shen." Tao greeted his brother.
"Tao." Shen said back stiffly. Those two definitely had a strained relationship. "Our newest student doesn't have an idea of what it is we do here. Why don't we give a little demonstration?"
"Ah, sure." Tao nodded. And he looked back at two of the students. "You two, show the greenhorn what we're all about!"
The two grinned and took for the sky, ready to show off their powers.
"Hey greeny." The pole-swinger addressed Sharpner. "How's your head?" She asked mockingly.
"Just fine." He replied casually. "How's your ego?"
This didn't go down well, judging by the twitch and the glare, but he didn't care, as his attention was on what he saw in the sky. Or rather, what he didn't see in the sky.
One of the students fired a beam, a dull yellow light. It missed, and flew out of view. The other fired some kind of wave, also dull yellow, also missing.
They were clearly showing off, and all things considered, it looked rather nice.
"This is the power we promise you." Shen said proudly. "A power that even surpasses the Golden God."
Stronger than Gohan? Sharpner highly doubted that. One of the students seemed to take it up a notch, as blue wisps of light surrounded the body, at least a few metres across.
Gohan's had been as large as a city. He shook the earth with his presence. He didn't even show off, but simply did a job.
Stronger that the Golden God? These people were less than a candle to Gohan's supernova.
These people weren't strong. They only pretended they were. No, not even that, they merely thought they were strong. They knew a few fancy tricks, and had an above average strength. With that they lulled themselves into an illusion of strength. Just like those fools who weren't serious students did.
Just like Sharpner himself once did.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Shen asked him.
Sharpner nodded silently, but on the inside he disagreed. It certainly looked impressive, that he did agree on, but it just…
…felt empty.
About three hours later, Videl leaned back, letting the sun warm her. While chopping wood she had worked herself warm, but also worked up quite a sweat, and after she sat down to fish, she actually found herself becoming a little chilly. But now the rays of the sun were making up for it.
Fishing from the shore wasn't working out, so she decided to call her nimbus, and had it hover her just above the water in the middle of the lake.
She caught at least five fish already. Not much for three hours, but most of them kept getting away, or nibble the bread off the hook rather than biting.
But it sure was relaxing. And gave her time to think. 'As if I hadn't done enough of that on the way here already.' She thought to herself.
But unlike on her way here, where their thoughts were mostly her worrying about food and a place to stay, now she was thinking mostly about her father, and Gohan.
Of course it was mostly Gohan. The guy had literally changed her life with a single action. And he didn't even mean to, that's how powerful he was. That is how large the difference was.
She sighed softly. It was no use thinking that. And yet, it kept coming back.
She felt a tug on her hand. Her rod was pulling down. Finally, she caught something.
Rather than try to pull it up, which would be hard anyway since the line was tied to the end of the rod, she had her Nimbus lift her up, only reeling in the fish once it was above the water. It was so easy that way.
'Fish number six.' She reflected to herself, as she added the fish to the bucket.
"Oy, lad!" Someone called. A familiar voice, in a strange accent.
She snapped over to the side, where she saw an elderly man standing at the shore.
And she was still on her Nimbus Cloud. 'Busted.'
No point in hiding it anymore, so she simply flew over to the shore.
"That's a Nimbus Cloud, innit?" He asked her.
"Yeah, it is." She replied, surprised. "How do you even know that?"
"Me uncle used to have one, lon time ago." He answered. "I tried ridin it, but I fell straight through, as did everyone else. Ya need a pure heart for those."
"Yeah, I suppose you do." She replied.
"An ya ridin one?" He then asked. "Ya lad be pure of heart?"
"Yeah, I am." She replied, a small smirk taking her mouth. "I am pure as it can be." She added, not being able to keep a smug tone out of her voice.
One moment she was sitting on a soft cloud looking at the elderly farmer, the next she found herself engulfed in something cold, sitting on something much less softly, and had a painful behind.
The water wasn't that deep, so she could just stand up, letting it reach up to her bellybutton. First thing she heard was the howling laughter of the old man, resembling the bleating of a donkey more than anything else, and no doubt at her expense.
Luckily for her, she didn't have to endure this humiliation for very long, as the old man ran out of breath and started coughing instead. So much, Videl started to worry for a second, but then that slowed down as well.
"I got to hand it to ya." He said to her, still grinning. "I heard of 'pride comes before da fall', but now it's more like pride causin da fall."
"Yeah, yeah, it's very funny." The irony was not lost on her. Worst of it all, there was nothing she could blame it on, only the cloud, and she'd never get away with that one.
"Hey, what?" The man sounded surprised. "Ya'sa be guised lass?"
'What?' She asked in her mind, having only understood the word lass, which was probably…
She looked down. Yep, her wet clothes were clinging to her body, making the two little bumps on her chest pretty obvious.
"You don't say." She replied in a far drier tone than a soaked person should be able to deliver.
"What ya doin pretendin to be a lad?" He asked her.
"I thought it'd be safer." She admitted. Well, it wasn't really a choice, but that was the main reason she didn't try to change it, so it was kinda true. "The roads are a lot more dangerous lately, you know?"
"Ah yes." He suddenly had a sad look. "Very dangerous times. From Golden City, aint ya? An ya fled da violence, aint ya?"
"Is it that obvious?" She asked, surprised he was able to figure that out.
"Why else would a disguised lass flee so far?" He returned. While they had been talking, her Nimbus Cloud had slowly been floating down, her rod and her bucket still on it.
The old man took the bucket. "Ah, ya caught some." He noted. "Ya lass has done more than da shit-heads had done all week."
"Eh…" She shifted her eyes a little. "Please don't tell the others about this." She then asked meekly.
"Ah, don't sweat it, lad." He said as he turned and walked off. "Farmer Hurlock aint a snitch. Now, ya stay here an dry up, I'll save ya a plate."
"Thank you." She made a small bow, even though he couldn't see.
"Don't sweat it." He repeated.
Feeling a little more at ease now, Videl walked to the shore. Yeah, she was going to have to wait to dry up. She didn't really mind eating a little later. It wasn't like she was hungry anyway. Probably because of that second Senzu Bean.
She figured laying in the sun on her Nimbus would help her. But there was one little problem. When she tried to lift herself up, her hand went through again. Just like it had before, with Gohan's.
"Your traitor." She mumbled half-heartedly. No, she couldn't really be angry at the cloud. The old man was right, pride had caused her to fall, because she had allowed herself to become impure again.
So she did the sensible thing. She sat down in the sun, back against the rocks, and calmed her mind, while letting the sun dry her a little.
It was cold, the water not having helped in the slightest, but she didn't let it get to her.
She took a few deep breaths. She was still new to this whole meditating thing, so it took her awhile, but she had all the time in the world.
But not the patience. After a few tries she gave up, and leaned back. Once again her thoughts went back to Gohan. She wondered what he was doing right now.
In an office just outside of Golden City a young man was sitting with his feet on his desk, leaning so far back he nearly toppled his chair backwards.
He was in a good mood. Most people had lost a lot these days, but he actually made it big. He saw his opportunity, and made himself a fortune. The best part? It was completely legal. In just a few days he had gone from lower management to millionaire.
Yeah, he was expecting his life from here on to be quite pleasurable.
Then his secretary came walking in his office. "Sir, there's some people here who want to see you." The woman told him.
"Do they have an appointment?" He asked arrogantly.
"No sir." She replied.
"Then I won't see them." He replied, stretching out and leaning back. "I'm a busy man. Schedule them for sometime next week or something."
"But sir." She protested.
"No buts, now get out!" He commanded.
And the secretary slunk out again.
Showing up without an appointment. Who did they think he was? He was no longer some yes-man. He possessed over a hundred million now, and he deserved to be treated with respect.
The door was thrown open again. "You can't go in there!" He heard his secretary call.
"Watch me!" A different voice answered. It was a woman, with dark eyes, and black hair. She had a good figure, and her clothes did nothing to hide that fact.
A little old for his taste, but perhaps he could make an exception.
"Busy my ass!" She snapped at the man.
"My apologies." He said insincerely. "I believed you were someone else." He sat up properly, and gestured to the chairs in front of him. "What can I do for you?"
"You could start by returning the money you stole!" She started, clearly pissed about something. Ah, once brought down, those made the best ones. He decided he was going to have her after all. "And then you could tell me the names of your accomplices! And maybe I'll let you off easy!"
"Temper, temper." He said in a soothing voice. "I have never stolen anything. Why don't we just sit down and talk it out one on one, shall we?"
"That's going to be a bit of a problem." A male voice replied. There was a guy here too. Her husband? Nah, he looked too young. Probably her employee or something.
"Why would it be?" He asked politely.
"Stop playing games, we're not here to do business." The woman answered him.
"I don't see why we wouldn't be able to mix business with pleasure." He said, looking at the woman, who looked offended.
"Now you listen here!" The woman started, but the guy stopped her.
"Mom, don't let him play you." He said to her in a tired tone, pulling her back. And he reached into his pocket.
'Mom?' The millionaire thought. Oh, this was going to be good. Not only was he going to nail her, he was going to gloat to the son about it.
Speaking of the son, he had thrown down a paper. Bank account details, and from a fat account from the looks of those numbers.
Wait, he recognised some of the numbers. His eyes flashed up to see the account in question.
It was his own personal account.
"How did you get this?!" He demanded.
"Some people at the bank were kind enough to give it to me." The son replied evenly. "I know for a fact you have stolen millions, and now you're going to give it back."
"I didn't steal anything." He protested. "It was all legal. But you getting your hands on this is most definitely not. Maybe I should inform the police. Or perhaps I could be persuaded not to." He said, with a sly grin at the woman.
The son stood up, and with a single move he threw the heavy desk aside. He wanted to protest, but he was grabbed by the front of his shirt, and lifted up. He hit the arm, and tried to kick, but all met the same result. It felt like this guy was made of stone.
He looked into the dark eyes. They were brimming with anger and power. And that face, it looked familiar.
"One hundred twenty three million, nine hundred forty seven thousand, one hundred seventy two zeni." The guy summed up. "That is what you have seized in my name. And now I am here to collect."
"Your name?" He repeated. He felt fear squeeze his heart. But that was impossible. It was supposed to be untraceable. It was supposed to be legal, and no one would be able to reverse it.
That is what he was told. And at the time, he believed it. He had looked over the documents, and seen it was all in perfect order. No lawyer would be able to make a case against it.
Not even the Golden God himself. Or so he was told.
But he never expected Son Gohan to just show up on his doorstep.
"It was seized in your name, but not for your person." He told the other the excuse they had been spinning up. The one little loophole that allowed them to pocket the money.
"It was never yours to take." Gohan replied in a cold anger. He let go, making the guy fall flat on his arse. "You will return everything, down to the last zeni, and you will give me the names of everyone involved!"
"The law is at my side." He replied confidently. True, his case was a perfect one. "There is nothing you can do against me. Now leave, or will I have to make a lawsuit of threat to my person against you?"
"And what makes you think that anyone would risk crossing my son?" The woman joined in, sounding pretty angry.
"He is not a god." He declared proudly.
"For all the good it will do you, he might as well be." She returned. Interestingly, she didn't refute the argument. Yet this didn't settle well with him.
"I am protected by the law." He argued.
"Certainly." Gohan agreed. "Just like a pedestrian is protected by the law from the cars on the road. But tell me, what good will the protection of the law do you when you find yourself underneath a ten ton truck?"
He swallowed. Hard. It took all of his will power not to dirty his undergarments then and there.
The boy reached into his pocket again, and threw down a sheet of paper to the floor. "Transfer the money to this account, and send the names of the others with it. You have until midnight."
He turned around to walk away, meaning they were done here.
"I can't do that." He tried. "I've invested a part of it, I don't have it anymore."
"Then make do." The powerful boy replied.
"But I'll be ruined. Bankrupt." He pleaded.
"I don't see how that is our problem." The mother answered coldly. And continued to her son as they walked out. "Just one more. Let's get this over with."
As soon as her clothes were no longer clinging to her skin, Videl made her way back to the farm. She wasn't dry yet, but her figure was no longer showing, so it'll have to do.
Just past the door she was approached by a man she didn't recognise. Must be the grandson. And indeed, he introduced himself as such, and identified her as Azura, the one who did a day's worth of chopping within the hour.
They were still at the table, and she could join in immediately. Boiled potatoes, boiled beans and a small piece of boiled beef.
She had to hide her disappointment. But then, she was well aware that the average person did not eat as well as she had the last seven years.
So she sat down and crammed it down. And despite being in serious need of seasoning, it wasn't that bad. And she actually managed to clean her plate. Perhaps that Senzu Bean was starting to wear off.
"Worked up an appetite, didn't you?" The grandson commented once she was done.
"Ere." The grandpa threw her something. A small roll of cash. "Go an get yaself somethin nice. I don't think I saw any luggage on ya when ya got ere."
"What?" One of the other two freeloaders looked offended. "He's getting money? We've been here for way longer."
"Cause you shitheads aint doing anythin worth payin!" The man shot back.
Videl decided to just pocket the money. She made a mental note to get a radio, as well as another set of clothes. Oh, and some underwear, since she was still going commando.
A toothbrush? And some other toiletry supplies. According to her schedule, she was due…
… about five days ago. Fear gripped her heart for a second, but she dismissed it. There was no way she was pregnant, that had a condition she had yet to fulfil. Though she did get close back in that warehouse. And she wasn't exactly awake as Gohan carried her away.
But no, she did not believe him to do something like that to her. No, she was probably just late, with the stress and all.
Actually, she found herself being glad for it. After all, she didn't exactly have the means to deal with that properly, nor was she able to hide it. And boys don't bleed. Well, it wasn't normal for them, so explaining would be very hard.
Thus, toiletry and underwear rose to the very top of her list. But how to get them? She was supposed to be a guy now, it would be really weird to buy women's underwear, not to mention other things.
What to do?
Vegeta grabbed himself a towel on his way to the kitchen. He hadn't had a workout like that in a long time. Then again, he hadn't had a sparring partner in his own league for years either. Even if that partner was more than just a bit rusty.
He scowled at the back of the teenager. That kid had actually grown weaker than he was seven years ago. Not to mention his fighting style was completely wrong. It was fine when he was a kid, but now he was taller, had longer limbs, but he had not adjusted the way he moved.
But that's what training is for.
He was in the middle of his evening session when Gohan suddenly dropped in. To his credit, 150 G had hardly affected the guy, even untransformed, while Trunks had trouble with it.
He smirked proudly to himself. Though his son couldn't ascend to the second level he was still pretty sure the kid could give Gohan a few rounds for his money.
"So, you two finally done?" Bulma was waiting for the two of them. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Sorry Bulma, we got a little distracted." Gohan grinned an apology. What was he apologising for? What did he expect when he walked into the GR and practically demanded a spar?
"I noticed." Bulma commented in her own sarcastic, sexy, way. "So what's up with you? It's not like you to just start training again."
"Well." Gohan hesitated. "Something King Furry said to me had me rethinking a few things. I neglected my training because there was no longer a threat. After all, I only ever trained in preparation for upcoming menaces. But I have been thinking. I am one of the protectors of this world, whether I like it or not. And now I got the whole world looking up to me. Maybe I should be taking my training more seriously."
Bulma looked over at Vegeta. Neither of them had really expected this.
"So, err..." The kid grinned awkwardly. "Do you happen to have a gravity chamber I can borrow?"
"Well, I still got Vegeta's old gravity pod. It doesn't go as high as the inbuilt one though."
"It'd be a great help."
Videl bundled herself in her blanket. Ah, so comfy. And hiding her topless body, just in case someone walked in on her.
It was dark outside already. She had just taken one of the best baths she ever had, though she did have to keep it short out of fear of being discovered. But so nice nonetheless. She also scrubbed her red and purple gi, which was hanging to dry just across the room.
It was a small room, and a bare one, but as a freeloader she didn't expect much.
After dinner she had gone to the village and sought out a few stores, and did the one of the things she hated the most. Shopping.
It was necessary. She didn't have enough money for everything, so she had to prioritise. Women's supplies, along with two panties were on top. Everything else she could ultimately do without, but that was something she really needed. Or was going to need.
Luckily, no-one had batted an eye at her buying products and panties. That's where she realised that guys buying stuff for their wives/girlfriends wasn't all that strange.
Next was a small radio to listen to the news with, so she could get up to date with what had been going on while she was gone. She got the cheapest one, and it was a portable on batteries. Very useful.
Next was a brassiere, but that's also where her money ran out.
Perhaps tomorrow, she told herself. For now, it was sleeping time. She was actually pretty tired.
She wasn't all that worried about being walked in on. Unless she was planning to sleep till noon, no one was going to bother her. She checked. Still, she was waiting for her shirt to dry so she could use it as a pj. No way she was going to sleep in a strange place in just panties. Even with a shirt was pushing it, but she just didn't have anything else.
She tried to pass the time by listening to her new radio.
Some news was broadcasted, about Gohan's talk with the king. Apparently that had happened. She was starting to realise she had a lot of catching up to do.
The program didn't tell her anything though. And now it had ended, moving over to music instead.
She wasn't really listening, instead reflecting on what to do. What she could do. She was here now, but how was she going to leave? Her Nimbus no longer carried her.
The song switched to a new one.
Well, she could walk out. She was pretty sure her new strength would last her a lot longer. But then what? Was she to spend the rest of her life on the run, pretending to be guy, hiding in fear and always being afraid of being discovered?
But what did she have to go back too? Her home was burned down. Her friends had abandoned her. Was she going to have to spend the rest of her life fighting against the world?
'I kept everything inside, and even though I tried, it all fell apart.'
Her life was gone. Videl Satan had died in that warehouse. Azura was going to have move on, and forget about it.
'What it meant to me, will eventually be, a memory, of a time
I tried so hard, and got so far.
But in the end, it doesn't even matter.
I had to fall, to lose it all.
But in the end, it doesn't ev…'
The song came to a sudden end as the radio smashed against the wall and shattered into countless pieces.
She grit her teeth, tears streaming down her cheeks. That had hit closer to home than she could endure.
She sat back down, wrapped her blanket around her, and wept silently.
Shen stomped through the halls. It was time already, but his newest student turned out to be tardier that he thought.
He kicked open the door, and wanted to start yelling, but there was no one to yell at.
Yet this was clearly the right room, the bed even looked like it had been used, and not even that long ago too.
The new guy wasn't tardy, no, he was a spineless coward, and had run away.
"Wow." Yamcha poked at the body. "What even is that?"
"I don't know." Tien admitted. "It kind of looks like how they described Frieza's third form, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it does." The former bandit agreed. "Think it was one of his kind?"
"Well, Humans and Saiyans look alike, but we don't consider them to be the same species." Tien gave his opinion. "No, I think this guy was something else. But how did he get here? And why did he attack me?"
"Didn't he say anything? Besides the whole 'I'm here to kill you' speech?"
"No, nothing." Tien replied. "Though he didn't exactly have time to talk either. He wasn't as powerful as I thought he would be. But look." He pointed to the forehead. "I could have sworn there was some kind of figure here, shaped like an M."
End of Chapter
And that's it for Ch12.
I'm a little sorry for taking so long, I just seem to have misplaced most of my free time.
Thank you for reading, and please, tell me what you thought. I'm still trying to improve as a writer.
Special thanks to MrChuckMan.