His friend's story was a long one, full of all sorts of things that made his head hurt - but at the end of it, it was pretty clear how he felt about the matter.

"No," he rejected immediately. "We're not wishing on you. We'll just find another way."

Upa gawked. "But... but why not?"

"Weren't you listening? If anyone but Kagome makes a wish, it gets all messed up and twisted and she's left completely powerless and in a lot of pain," he reminded. "And if she does make the wish, then she would be the one we'd be having to use the dragon balls to bring back to life. Like I said, we'll just find another way."

The priestess gaped at him, completely stunned, but her face slowly melted into a teary smile. "Thank you."

He grinned at her. "I don't know why you brought it up, it wasn't even an option!"

The other boy was quiet for a long moment, but finally nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he sighed. "Goku's right. Daddy wouldn't want it like that."

He didn't really like that she seemed so surprised and happy that they didn't want to use her - but from her story, it sounded like that wasn't really a common reaction. And now, with the new information shining some light on a few of the things that she had kind of skipped over before, he was starting to think that he could really see pieces of the world that she had come from in the way that she lived her daily life.

Again, he wasn't exactly pleased with some of the things that he was picking up on. But he would keep his mouth shut until she was ready to talk about it more.

"Why don't you try to climb Korin Tower?"

Goku blinked, drawn from his thoughts, and turned his gaze to Upa. "What?"

"Oh, I think you can both make it!" the other boy grinned.

They all stared up at the tower for a minute, but Goku slowly started to feel himself get excited. "That's right... if we climb all the way to the top, we'll get to drink the water that'll make us super strong! Won't we?"

"If the stories are true!" Upa confirmed brightly.

"Uwah... I wish we could ride Nimbus up there," the boy admitted. "But we have to make it all the way up by ourselves, don't we?"

"Yes," the other boy agreed. "That is the only rule."

He gave a determined nod. "Alright. Kagome, are you ready to go?"

The priestess hesitated a second. "Are you sure that you want me to come with you?" she checked warily.

Goku snorted. "Of course! We're partners, aren't we?"

She beamed at him. "Alright, then," she agreed. "Just let me change into something else while these clothes heal themselves, and then we can go. You might want to change too, Goku," she pointed out, jabbing a finger at the gaping hole in his shirt.

He laughed sheepishly. "I, uh... don't have any other clothes?"

She shot him a look. "... Just... go wash your face or something."

With another sheepish laugh, he ran off to do just that.

"Okay!" the boy cheered as they met back up at the base of the tower a little while later, both cleaned up a bit and her wearing an outfit almost exactly like the last but green instead of blue. "Now let's go!"

Kagome chuckled in amused agreement, the two of them removing their weapons and propping them next to each other against the monument. They wouldn't really be needing them where they were going, and even just a small bit of extra weight was still extra weight. His friend murmured something to her sword as she set it down, and it gave a quiet rattle in reply.

"Good luck!" Upa told the pair. "And be careful!"

"I bet that Tao guy will come back to get our dragon ball," the boy warned as he tied a small bag with said ball in it to his belt, "so you should find somewhere safe to hide until we get back, okay?"

"And please, look after our bags?" Kagome requested.

"We won't be long." Goku added.

"Watch your step," the smaller boy nodded, moving back to give them some room.

The priestess walked over to the opposite side of the tower from him, and he heard her take a deep breath. "Ready?"

"Ready," he confirmed. "Meet you at the top!"

He darted up his side, swinging himself along like a monkey, and he managed a peek over onto his friend's side to see her actually running along the stone vertically. His eyes went wide and he nearly slipped, but he caught himself at the last minute.

Someday, he was going to know all her secrets. In the meantime, he chuckled to himself quietly as they went, he would just try to enjoy learning them one at a time.

xxxx

The climb was long and hard, bleeding all the way from early afternoon into night with still no end to be seen. Kagome was starting to regret not bringing at least one of her bags and stuffing it with food, so she knew for a fact that Goku was probably dying of hunger. She'd cut off the excess reiki usage not too far in, in preference of climbing the more conventional way - but still... after that fight earlier in the day, she had been low to start with.

As it was, she was rather interested to learn that one of the changes in her energy was that it flowed more easily to the rest of her body than it had ever before. Circulating an extra little boost to her muscles had never come more readily.

"I think I'm just... gonna take a little nap..." her companion spoke up after a while.

She nearly panicked, but even she had to admit that she was completely exhausted. Her brain was still somewhere about twenty or thirty feet below them, trying to catch up. "Can you sleep without falling?" she demanded seriously.

His only response was a light snore, and she shook her head in tired amusement as she concentrated on shifting her reiki's properties slightly so that it would hold her to the tower.

Sending up a quick prayer that it would be enough, she also drifted to sleep.

Goku groaned loudly and smacked his face against the stone a couple of times as the sun rose the next morning, waking her up and signaling the resume of their climb. Both were still dragging, but one's determination to reach the top fueled the other's. They talked when they had the breath to spare, but mostly they traveled in silence.

Finally, the end was in sight.

With one final burst of energy, they pulled themselves up through two of the holes that led inside and collapsed right next to each other.

"Finally..." Goku panted tiredly, "here... Now where's that water...?"

"I don't know," she groaned as they both stood. "But I could sure use a drink."

"Maybe it's hidden somewhere?" he suggested, recovering much too quickly to be fair. Really, she just wanted to pass out for a couple of days and there he was just bouncing right on back like it was nothing.

She was right, back in the pirate lair. He really was rubber.

"What are these?" the boy wondered, walking over to a collection of large, lidded clay pots. "Is it in here?"

"No clue," she responded, lifting the lid off of one while he did the same with another.

Well, it was definitely water... but something about it felt off.

"Hey!" her companion gasped. "Mine has Bulma in it! Bulma!"

Her eyes went wide, her own pot filling with the image of the Western Citadel - or more specifically, the small library just off of the family wing where the children received the majority of their tutoring. And there, just like she remembered them, were Rin and Shippou.

"Wait a second, can she hear me?" Goku wondered, drawing her attention momentarily away from the scene. "Bulma! Bulma, I'm up here!"

She turned back to her own pot. "Rin?" she tried hesitantly. "Shippou?"

Both seemed to jolt and look around.

The priestess let out a slow, quiet breath. "I love you guys," she murmured with a soft smile. "Just remember that, okay?"

They glanced at one another, eyes wide.

'Did you hear that?' the girl whispered uncertainly.

The redhead nodded slowly. 'You did, too?'

Goku suddenly laughed. "She's so silly!"

She chuckled at his antics. "I'm fine," she insisted to the two quickly, feeling that time was short. "So I want you to just worry about looking after each other and the great Lord Fluffy. Okay? I love you."

"Hey!" her friend yelped. "Where'd the water go?"

As she watched, the pot that she was staring into dried up. A single tear slid down her nose, dripping into the bottom silently.

"What's in this one?" Goku continued curiously, moving to the next container.

She sniffed quietly and wiped her eyes, walking over to join him as he pulled the lid off.

"It's us!" he announced with a laugh. They were flying on Nimbus, talking to each other. "But how can we be there, and here all at once?"

'I come from a different world!' the mini-her growled. 'A different dimension, Goku!'

Mini-Goku gaped at her in awe. 'Cool!'

The priestess winced. "Unless it's already happened..."

'Gah!' the her in the image roared.

"Already happened?" the Goku beside her questioned, even as the one in the water reached out and tugged on smaller-Kagome's sleeve with a 'Hey!', which was immediately responded to with a sharp 'What?'

The priestess covered her face with a hand, but found herself glancing back down when the boy next to her yelped.

"O-oh," he stuttered, flinching and rubbing at his head as the two in the image kissed.

"Yeah," she sighed, turning back away as the water dried up immediately after her past-self's embarrassed screaming and mini-Goku's 'Owwwww!'

"... Next one?" he offered sheepishly.

She shook her head wryly. "Sure, sure..."

They walked over side-by-side, the boy pulling the lid off eagerly.

Both screamed when the giant centipede burst from the depths of the clay, though, and she may or may not have wailed something like "Oh gods, not again!" Either way, she blamed this one entirely on Goku.

Images swam past her vision as the not-quite-demon squeezed them tightly, pictures of people that she knew followed by people that she didn't.

Inuyasha and Kikyou. Sango and Miroku. Sesshoumaru, Rin, and Shippou. Tao. Bora. Upa. Then, finally... an old woman perched on a crystal ball? Followed directly by... Inuyasha again? But why was he wearing that mask?

She dropped to her knees as the centipede abruptly disappeared, leaving them at the top of Korin Tower once more. "What the hell?"

"... Whoa," Goku gaped beside her. "Weird. What was that all about?"

"Relax, kids - don't stress out. You just had some visions, that's all. The big three: past, present, and future," a voice spoke up out of nowhere.

The boy next to her started looking around quickly. "Hello? Who is it? Where are you?"

"I can barely hear you," the voice grunted. "Just come on up."

Goku met her eyes. "Huh?"

She glanced around a moment, finally pointing towards what looked to be a doorway without the door. "I'm guessing stairs," she murmured weakly.

Why would Inuyasha be in her 'future'? He was dead. She'd been to the grave.

It couldn't have been him. She was just mistaken.

She and her companion both made their way to the arch and glanced outside, her guess being proven right as their eyes landed on a flight of stairs.

"I guess we're still not at the top yet," she groaned tiredly.

Goku frowned. "Maybe the sacred water is up there?"

"One way to find out," she grumbled. "C'mon."

xxxx

They reached the top of the stairs quickly, coming out into a wide, open space with a fountain in the center.

"Okay," Goku called out. "We're here. Where are you? Hello?"

"Well alright, it's about time you joined the party," the same voice from earlier spoke.

"Party?" the boy repeated.

"Enough hiding," Kagome huffed. "Show yourself."

The voice laughed. "Take the blinders off, girly. I'm right here."

Finally, they both looked over to see... a white cat with a wooden cane?

"You're pretty spry for kids your size," he grinned at them. "I enjoyed your climb."

The priestess glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're tiny, toots," the cat snorted. "Let's face it: you may be done growin', but you sure ain't any taller than five-foot-nothin'."

"Look," Goku interrupted. "We're not here to play games. We need the water."

"Come closer," he instructed.

They did so, the boy more readily than the girl. "My name's Goku," he introduced himself to the feline. "And this is my partner, Kagome. We need the sacred water; can you help us?"

"Hm," the cat scoffed. "Like I haven't heard that one before."

The boy fought a grumble. "What's your name?"

"Korin," the feline informed them. "Keeper of the tower."

Goku gaped. "Korin? Then you have the sacred water?!"

"Of course," he huffed, reaching up and stroking his whiskers with a teasing grin. "We're surrounded by sacred water. Every drop on this planet!"

"Seriously?" Kagome blurted out. "Because that would actually explain a lot!"

They both turned to stare at her disbelievingly, and she went red.

"... Forget it..." she mumbled, avoiding their gazes and scuffing her toe against the floor in embarrassment. "Just... yeah."

"... Anyway," Goku continued, shaking his head. His friend could be kinda strange every now and then. "We need it. That's why we're here; we were told that if we climbed this tower, we would find water that would make us stronger. Please! It's important."

"Oh? And what would you do with this strength?" the cat prodded.

"I would use it to help my friends," he stated with conviction.

"And you?" the feline turned to Kagome.

"I would use it to protect the ones I cherish," she spoke softly. "So that I never had to see anyone get hurt because of me again."

He nodded. "Those are some noble statements for a couple of children."

"Ugh!" the priestess groaned. "For the love of the gods! I'm twenty already!"

"And you really think that makes you an adult?" the cat snorted. "From where I'm sittin', you're both just a couple of snot-nosed brats."

"What does age have to do with it?" Goku questioned.

The feline scoffed and turned around, walking away from them a few paces. "Ask me again when you're older." He stopped, though he didn't face them again. "Look, kids, no hard feelin's. It's just not your time."

"Not our time?" Kagome growled. "Pal, my time is so far away that it's not even funny. And Goku, he may not have many years on him - but what he does have, he's got in spades. Can you say the same thing for even half of the bozos who tried making it up here and fell down somewhere along the way?"

"We climbed the tower," the boy spoke softly, reaching up to briefly squeeze her hand in appreciation. "Now please, give us a drink. That is the rule, right?"

"Are you certain the sacred water is what you need?" the cat pressed.

Goku nodded determinedly. "Mhm!"

The priestess, however, hesitated. "No," she admitted after a moment. "I'm not certain. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is; that's practically my motto. But we did make it all the way up here, and I'm going to hope that that's payment enough for whatever we climb back down with. I want to be able to stand tall and face anything that comes our way."

The feline slowly turned back around. "Is that from your heart?"

The boy glanced up, meeting his friend's eye for a moment before grinning at her and giving Korin a nod for the both of them. "Yes, sir!"

"... I... say no," the cat stated after a few moments of suspense.

"What?!" Goku yelped.

Kagome gave a short growl. "What's your game?"

Korin just laughed, long and loud.

"I don't understand!" the boy finally declared irritably. "Why did you waste our time? We didn't even get to see it!"

The feline snickered. "You mean the sacred water that's on top of the fountain?"

They both glanced over, seeing the jar that the cat was pointing to.

"Wha-?" Goku spluttered. "B-but, I thought - I mean, you said..."

"Ahem," Korin cleared his throat. "If you're done fallin' all over yourself, maybe we can continue. Why do you want more strength?"

"Oh, see, we've been collecting the dragon balls," the boy explained, trying to figure out how to simplify it, "and that's how we met Bora. He gave us the four-star ball, and then he was killed by this mean-"

"Yeah, yeah," the cat interrupted. "Alright, alright. Easy on the speech, okay? You're hard on the ears."

"Don't talk?" Kagome snorted. "You just asked him to!"

The feline sighed. "Just lock your jaws for a minute, would ya?"

They both went silent, though the priestess crossed her arms irritably and turned to stare out at the sky with a low grumble.

"You have to defeat Tao the mercenary to retrieve your dragon balls and then collect the other three so you can wish Upa's father back to life," Korin stated after a long moment of quiet. "Is that the gist of it?"

"What?!" Goku yelped. "How could you know all that when we didn't even say anything about it?!"

The cat stroked its whiskers again. "I... read... minds! But don't worry kid, there weren't that many chapters." He paused for a moment and glanced up at Kagome. "Though you, on the other hand, have led quite a surprising life there, missy."

She paled.

"Don't worry," the feline shook his head. "I'm not the kind of cat to take advantage of this sorta knowledge. Rest easy."

"Amazing," Goku murmured.

"Thanks, but you're an easy audience," the feline chuckled. "Pure minds are like lookin' through glass."

"So it's alright, then?" the boy questioned, turning back to the sacred water. He ran up to the fountain excitedly. "Don't worry, I'll get it!" he announced, scaling up the structure with only a couple of slip-ups. "This is great! I can't wait to see how strong it makes us."

"How does it look up there?" Korin called.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Fine," he assured. "I've got it!"

The cat grinned. "Are you sure?"

"No problem!" Goku declared, reaching out to take the jar.

He was knocked off the fountain not a second later.

"Wha-! You said we could have the sacred water!" he barked at the feline.

"If that's what I said, then don't mind me; have all you want," Korin stated. "Go on, what are you waiting for?"

Kagome growled. "Is there a particular reason you're screwing with us?"

"It's okay," the boy frowned determinedly. "I'll just try again!"

He darted for the jar quickly, only to get knocked out of the way yet again.

"What's the big idea?!" he growled frustratedly. "You said we could drink, didn't you?!"

"That's right," the cat agreed. "If you can get around me."

"Alright then, two can play at that game!" Goku announced, taking a deep breath and pointing off in a random direction. "Look!"

With the feline's attention diverted, he leapt again - only to get smacked by the cane.

"Goku!" Kagome called worriedly, rushing to help him back to his feet.

"Not that this isn't any fun," Korin spoke as the boy held his aching face, "but before you play the game, maybe you should read the directions." He lifted his cane, hooking the jar with it and binging it down from its pedestal. "Come on, it's right here. Keep your eyes on the prize! We're gonna do this one at a time, got it? Girly, you sit this one out; I see you makin' a move and you're both disqualified. It'll be your turn to try soon enough."

The boy growled. "You liar! We're gonna get that bottle, count on it you hear me!"

"Come on!" the feline goaded. "Oh, it's gettin' heavy!"

Goku gave a shout and charged, Korin immediately dodging out of his way. The same thing happened three more times before they paused, the boy's eyes wide and uncertain. This was the second time in as many days that he was staring down an opponent that he just knew he couldn't beat at his current level.

"I understand if you wanna give up," the cat grinned. "No hard feelings! Maybe little Miss Genie over there'll have better luck snaggin' the bottle than a monkey."

He growled and tried again, getting close so many times but never quite reaching it.

After a few more minutes of the fruitless pursuit, he stood there panting. "You're too fast! I can't catch you!" he gasped.

"That's right," Korin agreed disappointedly, "if you keep that attitude. You can't achieve what your mind can't conceive. All you're doing is reacting to me! Learn to anticipate your opponent's actions!"

"... Okay..." he wheezed, already tired.

"Unless of course you feel like tapping out," the feline offered flippantly, glancing over at Kagome. "Girly, you wanna try takin' his place? Looks like the kid's done."

Goku gave an angry shout and rushed him, and the struggle continued anew.

He fought hard, the wind picking up around them and a massive storm brewing. Kagome kept vigil just beside the stairs, barely far enough inside to keep from getting wet as the rain pelted down from all directions. She hadn't moved in over an hour already, just kept sitting there with her legs crossed and her eyes closed.

"You can't be that tired," the cat mocked as the boy laid flat on his back some time later, struggling to catch his breath. "Come on, we're just gettin' started! You're embarrassin' yourself in front of the lady, kid."

He forced himself to sit up. "Korin... tell me - has there ever been anyone who was able to climb the tower and get the bottle from you?"

"Yes," the feline admitted easily. "But only one, about three hundred years ago."

"U-uwah..." Goku blinked as he stood, stunned. "Exactly how old are you anyway?"

There was a flash of lightning. "Eight hundred years, give or take a few."

"Eight hundred years?!" the boy yelped. "Oh, wow! You're really old!"

"And yet somehow his tail still hasn't split," Kagome wisecracked, not even opening her eyes. "That does make one wonder."

"What?" Goku questioned uncertainly, both of them staring at her confusedly again.

"Where I'm from, they say a cat's tail splits after they get to a certain age," the priestess explained with a weary sigh. "It's supposed to gain supernatural powers and immortality. That Korin is eight hundred and still a one-tail would get him laughed right out of the West."

"You do know you're probably gonna reach at least eight hundred, right missy?" the cat snorted. "I'd show a little more respect."

She made a face.

"I'll tell you something else though, kid," the feline continued, turning back to Goku. "The only person who ever succeeded in drinking the sacred water..." There was a loud crash of thunder, light flaring out temporarily to fill the space around them. After a long pause, Korin finished his sentence: "... was the man you call 'Master'."

Goku gaped. "Wait! W-what are you saying?"

"Judging by the way you move, I'd say your teacher is the old turtle hermit. Roshi," the cat announced.

The boy's jaw dropped.

"Hang on, you're talking about Master Pervert?" Kagome cut in, sounding stunned. "I mean, I guess it's easy enough to sense that he has strong ki, but - how old is he?"

The cat shrugged. "Not my place to tell, girly."

"Is that how he became so strong?" Goku questioned, voice awed and incredulous in equal measures. "By drinking the sacred water?"

Korin nodded. "That's right."

"So it's not a complete sham?" the priestess wondered to herself.

"Wah..." the boy murmured. "I can't believe Master Roshi was the first one here!"

"Believe it or not, it's true," the feline confirmed. "He was a tricky one."

"Why do you say that?" Goku asked. "Was he really fast? How long did it take him to get the bottle from you?"

The cat held up three fingers.

"Whoa!" the boy reeled. "Just three minutes?"

"No, sir," Korin grinned.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that it was more than three hours, too," the girl joined in.

The feline snickered. "Three years, kids."

"T-three years?!" Goku spluttered, beginning to panic. They didn't have that much time! They still had to get the other dragon balls and bring Bora back! "I-it really took that long for Master Roshi to get to the sacred water?!"

"That's right," the cat confirmed with a laugh. "Now how long do you think it's gonna take you two?"

"Stop that!" the boy barked. "It's not funny! We have to get that extra strength right now, we don't have much time! Our friends are in trouble!" He gave a low growl. "I'm going to get that water from you whatever it takes!"

Korin held his gaze for a long moment... and then yawned. "Ah, the rain always makes me sleepy," he sighed, rubbing his face. "The bottle will be right here whenever you want it, so... just let me know." He gave a thorough stretch. "And try not to worry so much! Three years can go by pretty quickly. Though, well, with the two of you it might be more like six."

Kagome nearly tripped him when he walked by her towards the stairs, but he leapt over her leg-sweep without even paying it much attention.

"Careful, missy. I'm pretty sure we didn't switch out yet," he drawled.

Goku was starting to get really frustrated. "That's it, I'm getting that water! I'm getting it right now!"

He tried to use his afterimages to give him an advantage, but all he got was a headache and laughed at more for his trouble. His friend ended up helping him back to his feet, the two of them following the feline back down the stairs - where he very promptly passed out from hunger and exhaustion.

He was woken up by the promise of lunch, only to get tossed a bean. One bean.

"Just try it," Kagome suggested quietly from her place kneeling by the door. "He called them Senzu Beans. They actually do make you feel full."

The boy hesitated, but... well, he may not trust Korin entirely, but he did trust her.

"Alright," he agreed slowly, popping the bean into his mouth and eating it. To his surprise and amazement, it was just like the priestess had said - he really did feel full even with it being just the one.

"You feel lightheaded and weak," the feline spoke as he rifled around in one of the cabinets, "but your appetite isn't a problem. At this altitude, the air is much thinner than you're used to, so all that wasted energy you're throwin' around is bringin' you back down. See, you should move like you speak: with purpose and clear direction. Commit your mind and focus. Distraction is the route of all failure."

Goku gaped into the cupboard that had been left open, the running water and the floating dishes. He reached out and poked it curiously.

"Hey, what's this?" Korin continued speaking. "Garbage?"

"Uh-huh," he mumbled, right as Kagome yelped out a sharp "No!"

"Then why keep it around?" the cat goaded, obviously ignoring the girl. Goku quickly turned around, only to let out a scream when he realized what the feline was holding.

"My grandpa's dragon ball! Wait, stop!" he shouted desperately.

It was too late, though. Korin had already thrown it right out off the tower.

"Nooooo!" he wailed, running to the window and watching it fall. "What are you doing?!"

Without another word, he swung out through the holes in the center of the floor and started climbing back down. He had to find it before those Red Ribbon guys did.

xxxx

A/N: Wild Korin appears! I love this character. He's absolutely hilarious. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

Edit: 8/26/16