I watched Juuhachi-gou as she finished her story. I know she had left out her many guerrilla battles with the Demons, I guess she was too curious about me to brag of any hollow victories.
"So that's basically how it happened." My attention immediately reverted her, she seemed calm as ever, but deep in her eyes I saw much sadness and grief over those she had lost and expected yet to lose before we were free of our hellish oppressors.
"But what about you how did you survive? "I could see that she knew her question brought back many painful memories, as most of mine seem to be nowadays, but she also knew it was important to share any information that could lead to our freedom.
"Well it's kind of a weird story, you see...
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'This is so boring.'
I was tempted to start trying to throw pencils at the ceiling tiles but I knew it wouldn't help.
'What did I do to disserve this?'
I mean honestly, here I was in Chazke Village in it's only school house listening to a seminar on the metaphysical realities of the mind and their relation to both the real and imagined world around us. In short I had been sitting in an uncomfortable chair in a stuffy room with a bunch of other bored people listening to some ancient professor ramble incoherently about things I still think he's making up as he goes along.
'I wonder if I could fake a heart attack? No, that wouldn't do any good I might give Sir Boresalot one too. I am in the back of the class, maybe I could take a little nap and no one will notice. I wonder if I ever make my students feel like this?'
I laid my head down the hard desk in front me. The only reason I had come here was so that I would have an excuse to visit Lime. I hadn't seen her since the Cell Games, but as it turned out she and her family had moved away soon after. Apparently there were to many people like Babon trying to rob and exploit people. It's sad really, that people can be so petty, even though Cell was only just destroyed they are right back where they were only hours before, taking advantage of the weak, poor, and ignorant. Sometimes I'm not sure which is really worse, after all there was only one Cell, but there are thousands of people just like Babon. I don't know why Lime's family left though, because there will always be another Babon anywhere you go...wait is someone calling my name?
"SON GOHAN!"
"WHAAAA!" I scream in surprise, because there right in front of me is Sir Boresalot himself.
"Am I boring you Mr. Son?"
"Boring? You? Of course not it's just that...I uh... have to go the bathroom that's it! Yes sir, I'll be right back!" I cheerfully announce before making a mad dash for the door.
I can hear the indignant cries of my fellow professors at my rather rude and unusual exit. Due to my sensitive Saya-jin hearing I also hear a few muttered, "Now why didn't I think of that?" from various colleagues.
I knew that I was going to have hell to pay for it later, but to me the price was well worth it. I smiled cheerfully as I exited the small building. I didn't know where I was going to go but anywhere was better than staying here.
'Maybe I'll just wander around till the seminar is over then I can go home and pretend I stayed for the whole thing. Speaking of back home I'm sure Videl will be waiting for me when I get there. We had been spending a lot of time together in the past few days since Majin Buu's defeat. Now Kassan was actually serious when she spoke of wedding plans. I'm not sure if that's exactly what I want, I mean Videl is a great friend, but then again so is Piccolo-san. I guess it would make mom happy, but still I'm not sure if I'm really ready for anything that's more than friends.'
I was so deep in my thoughts that I failed to notice a number of ki fluctuations all around the world.
'I'm old enough to decide for myself,' I think furiously. 'She has no right to tell me whom I can or cannot spend the rest of my life with. Then again I haven't really known Videl in the close sense for very long, I guess it could work out. I suppose only time will tell what destiny lies ahead...wait, what's that?'
I reach my senses out to their fullest extent feeling for any large ki, familiar or otherwise.
'What's going on?'
I can fell everyone's kis' fluctuating as if they're fighting, but I can't sense who.
'Something is seriously wrong.'
Although like any concerned friend my first instinct was to help the nearest ally to me, I had learned long ago that there's no use in going into a battle if you don't know what you're up against. I tried to sense around my friends and family alike, hoping to identify something, anything that could be threatening them.
'Please not more androids'
Finally after what seemed like an eternity I found it. They were all seemingly weak kis, but there was something familiar about them.
'It can't be!' Dende would have warned us...unless they knew to take him out first. That means Karrin's tower too, this I do not need.'
I remembered many years ago, barely months after we defeated Garlic jr., I sunk out of the house in the middle of the night to be with Piccolo-san. Of course I knew that if we actually spared my mom would find out just by looking at me, so instead we talked. I asked him about all sorts of things, his father, his past, and what he planed for the future. He was surprisingly open that night; I remember one part well.
"Piccolo-san," I quipped in my young voice. "I was wondering how come Garlic jr. was so strong, cause his ki was really tiny."
"Look kid there's one important thing you've got to know about all true Demons, they don't use ki, it's from magic that they derive their power."
"Magic, you mean it's real?"
He glanced down at me and quirked an eyebrow...well where one would have been if he had them.
"Of course, they get their power directly from Akuma, the Demon God himself."
"Akuma? But if he's real then does that mean Jouten-sama and Angels exist too?"
"Trust me kid, there is no such things as Angels, everybody out to get something and Jouten's servants are no exception."
I frowned, 'that can't be right, Okasan told me a story about an Angel that was with her when I was born. Otousan was out catching a fish when she went into labor. The Angel showed up out of nowhere and helped her through it; he took away the pain and helped along the birth. She says it took only mere minutes from when the contractions started till when I was born. After I was born the Angel kissed me on the forehead and handed me to my mother, she said, "Both blessed and cursed is your child. He is blessed with a purity beyond that of any mortal, but he is cursed to bring suffering and death to those he loves by his very existence, from this day until he purifies this world from the dark shadow that will cover it." After that the Angel just disappeared, moments later my father came home. Okassan says I'm the only one she's ever told that to, she was afraid no one would believe her, but I do.
"I know you are still a child, but trust me, when you are older you will understand."
"Piccolo-san, tell me more about the Demons, are they all gone now?"
"No kid I'm afraid not. Even though their home world was destroyed there are millions of them all around the universe, even here on Chikyuu."
"You mean like you?"
He scowled, I guess this was a more sensitive subject than I had thought.
"No Gohan I'm not a true Demon, I'm a Namek-jin. I have no magic, simply an understanding of its history passed on to me from my father."
"But everyone calls you the demon king, I don't understand."
"Gohan tell me do you consider Freeza to be like a demon? After all he has killed my people and destroyed countless worlds and civilizations."
"Oh, I get it. You're saying that even though you and your father are Namek-jin people think of you as demons because of what you've done."
"Exactly, in their eyes I am an evil so strong that I can only be classified as the incarnation of darkness, a demon, but I'm still a Namek-jin that is why I wasn't affected when Makyo-sei came close to Chikyuu."
After that he closed up again, but it didn't really matter to me, I just liked to be around him. I fell asleep in his lap all warm and cozy, that meant I sleep in way too late. When I got home my mother was furious at what I had done. After that there was nothing but studying till Marai Trunks arrived, I'm suppose I'm actually a little thankful for the distraction the androids caused, otherwise I'd probably still be studying.
However, this was no time for casual reminiscing, my friends were in danger and I had to do something. Once again, the same roadblock, lack of knowledge, stopped me. I knew nothing about how to fight against magic and, judging by what I was sensing, neither did anyone else. Even Piccolo-san was losing, but I didn't know what to do. Then I felt it, there was no mistaking it for nothing came close to the feeling of millions of lives being obliterated simultaneously.
'Now they're after the cities, I have to help any way I can'
I looked around me; all the townspeople were completely oblivious to the destruction that was to befall them. I knew what I had to do and without hesitation I began to implement my plan. First I would need somewhere to hide them; it would have to be large and strong enough to withstand the destruction of the surrounding countryside.
'But where could I put them that they wouldn't be seen, this may be a small village, but there's still a lot of people.'
I remember the old Shelter Dome Babon and his men had built near here. It was supposed to be strong enough to withstand Cell, but one small blast from me and it was gone. No, there was no structure, not even Capsule Corp., that could withstand a direct attack. There was however, another option.
'I've got to get everyone underground, which is going to be a bit of a problem But I think I can get them to take me, especially if I show them a little of what's coming. Now how to get everyone's attention at the same time. Well I always promised not to do this ever, but it looks like there isn't any other choice other than to just let these people die.'
I gathered as much of my energy as I could and I shot into the air. Once I reached about thirty feet off the ground I turned my back to the sun and called out the name an old but useful ki technique.
"SOLAR FLARE!"
Now that got some attention in a matter of seconds all eyes were upon me, those who at not been temporarily blinded by the attack anyway.
"ALRIGHT EVERYBODY LISTEN UP," I shouted to those bellow "I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO SOUND CRAZY BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LISTEN AND BELIVE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE."
Needless to say the human sense of self-preservation can do wonders when trying to convince a group of skeptics. I explained as best I could what was coming and where I planned to hide them. Many didn't believe, others were afraid not to. I took as many as would follow had them bring as much food and water as they could, and we left the city. I led them, flying ahead, as they drove as far away as they could in the time we had, before the Demons arrived, and there in the middle of the forest I began blasting. It was simply a hole at first, but so I shaped it into a rudimentary living space, it wasn't permanent just until it was safe to go somewhere else. I lead them down into the darkness of the newly created cavern just as I heard the beginning of the assault on the village.
I don't know how long we were down there, but the sun had set many hours ago. Even though the village had been destroyed long ago in a matter of minutes I was still worried that there might be some Demon somewhere still lurking about. The villagers were becoming worried, restless, and afraid. By the time morning came everyone's nerves were shot. I decided after breakfast to take anyone willing to help out and see if I could scavenge anything from the remains of the village. However this turned out to be a hopeless endeavor, for there was nothing but ashes left in the wake of the Demons. Those who had stayed behind never had a chance. But there was no time for regret; we needed supplies and a better way to hide immediately. I remember Bulma-san was working on a new device that would completely mask all ki within a small radius. Luckily I knew where the laboratory it was be tested in is, she had it built especially strong, because there had be and accident at Capsule Corp. that, had Vegeta not been there, would have leveled half the city. I approached one of the young men who had accompanied me, he seemed to be well respected by the locals and I would need someone to keep order until I returned.
"Excuse me, I didn't catch your name."
Startled, he looked up at me.
"My name is Larou Dour, Gohan-sama." He said while standing at rigged attention.
"Dour? That name sounds familiar. I know, your father was the one who got his entire army killed trying to defeat Cell."
"Yes, I am afraid my father was a bit eccentric when it came to war. I would never have gone against an opponent I knew so little about."
"What are you doing here?"
"After my father's terrible defeat our family was dishonored, after all he failed to do with any entire army what took just one man to accomplish. Therefore I moved away, to somewhere where I hoped I would not be recognized or mocked for my fathers mistake."
"Well I need you to do me a favor." I could see his eyes glitter in expectation; barley suppressed smile playing on his lips. " I have to go try to get some supplies for us, and until I return I'm gonna need someone to take command. Will you do it?"
"It would be an honor sir." He answered pulling of a snappy salute.
I nodded my thanks, and shot straight into the sky. My destination was
only a few hundred miles away so I reached it in minutes.