Silver.
By J.Mo
Chapter One: The Horror of the Silver.
It was cold beyond imagination on Chikyuu. Every sane person on the planet was aware of that, yet it did not stop the young warrior from venturing through the bitter cold night to the Library of Reed. His lover's warm embrace awaited him there...
His master, Kami, did not know of his love for the young scholar of the Grey Hand and would probably forbid him to see him again if he found out. He peeked through the bushes and his eyes met the great stone library of Reed. It was an enormous building with high towers and long windows. It's doors were huge and it reached up to the sky. His eyes searched the windows for a light. He had promised to keep a light in front of his window so he would know where to go.
He climbed out of the brush and flew up to a ledge with a stone gargoyle on it. His eyes flashed when he found the window. It was bathed in a golden glow and became brighter and brighter, the closer he got. He pressed his frigid hands against the icy walls and pulled tiny golden key out of his pocket. With it he unlocked the window and slid it open, climbing inside.
It was deliciously warm inside, despite the cold colors the room consisted of. The walls were made of marble and there was a large four-poster bed in the corner, clear like diamond and looking as if it had been spun from fragile glass. The white sheets and curtains made the room feel and smell fresh, like it's owner. Yet, the owner himself was nowhere to be found...
The door opened to the bathing room opened with a creak and the aforementioned owner of the room walked in, wearing only a white nightshirt that barely reached his knees. He seemed preoccupied with himself and didn't see the Namek by the window. The Namek cleared his throat.
"Oh my..!" The young man looked up and while clutching his heart in shock, stumbled back against the door, closing it loudly. "Piccolo! What are you doing here?"
"I promised to come see you, didn't I?" Piccolo asked walking over to the young scholar. The boy looked up at him with huge eyes that made the Namek's stomach churn. He was so beautiful...
"Well, you were so late... I thought you weren't coming." He said sadly.
"Kami was being an ass about me leaving. I had to think of a new excuse to get away. He doesn't by the training bit anymore." Piccolo replied, and softly ran a finger down the young man's jaw. "You'll have to help me think of a new one, Gohan-chan."
Gohan shivered in response. Piccolo almost never called him that, only when he had done something wrong or was drunk or had taken a blow to the head. "Mmm.. Piccolo-san.. that feels so... wait!" He grabbed the hand that rested on his face and pulled him to the bed. "Sit here." The Namek was settled down on the soft bed. Gohan planted a kiss on his cheek and hurried over to his desk. Meanwhile, Piccolo enjoyed watching the boy's bare legs as he walked.
He came back with a book, of course that was all he looked at all day, and sat down on the Namek's lap. He opened the book and smoothed the crease in the page he had made to mark it. "Isn't it beautiful?" It was a picture, in full color, with a Namek and a human male embracing in it. The lines under it were written in an ancient language.
"It says... "
"... in the olden days when the sun was still gold and shone down on Chikyuu and the emperor was young there were two men, each from entirely different worlds. One was the Namek Father and the other a champion warrior human. Their worlds raged war against each other and yet, despite that they loved one another.
One day, the two were found in each other's arms and were convicted of treason against their worlds. The punishment was execution. But the Dragon God of Love was forgiving and they were sent to an eternal paradise together.
If the legend is correct, they reside there together forever..."
"Such a similar situation, hm?" Piccolo queried, touching the image softly. Gohan put the book on the ground and crawled to the head of the bed. He laid back and spread his arms invitingly to the Namek, who turned around and sat by the scholar's feet. He took one foot in his hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing each toe sweetly. Gohan gasped each time, his toes wiggling in response. He giggled. "Ticklish." Piccolo stated simply. His lips left the boy's foot and traveled up his leg, leaving wet trails behind.
Once he came to the boys thighs he stopped. Piccolo didn't want it to end so soon, it would be a waste of their precious time together. "Oh Piccolo.. what are you stopping for?" Piccolo looked up to see Gohan flushed and breathing hard. It made the Namek want to make love to him the whole night through. It was such a shame they didn't have that much time together.
The moment was absolutely ruined as the door rattled with a few sharp knocks. They both jumped apart, as though burned by fire. Gohan got up quickly and pulled on a pair of woolen pants as Piccolo jumped over to a closet, leaving it open just a pinch to see who it was.
"Hello? Who is it?" Gohan called out, hopping around while trying to pull his trousers on. Piccolo couldn't hear what was said on the other side of the door but Gohan had clearly decided that this person was worthy to gain entry. Worthy enough to spoil their moment... "Hello father."
The leader of the Red Crescents was here?! The last time he heard about them, they were on the other side of the world. How did they get back so fast. The Red Crescents were nomads so they could pop up anywhere, but Son Goku rarely ever chose a spot. They wandered. It must be important.
"I'm sorry to disturb you at this time, my son... but we have a problem. The Silver has destroyed yet another village of the Green Dragon.. their leader Vegeta and I have already made an agreement. The Red Crescents are to aid the Green Dragon against the Silver." Gohan's father came straight to the point. As always. "What I wanted to ask you was... will you join the Red Crescents? You're such an excellent warrior, Gohan and Pan.."
"No!" Piccolo smiled at the determination in his lover's voice. "Pan had the choice to stay with me and she refused! That was her choice."
"There's no need to be angry, son.. we just need your help. Pan was just angry, you can't blame her... you ran away from your destiny." Goku said as if it was the only way it was. He was obviously siding with his grand-daughter. Gohan let out a dignified snort. "Just come in and tell me why you need the help of a book-worm."
Goku's staff clunked on the marble floor as he approached a chair and sat down. Piccolo sucked in his breath, the chair was right next to the closet he was hiding in. Goku jerked his head about and it was as if he looked straight into Piccolo's eyes through the closet door.
"Tell me about the Silver... why do you need my help?" Gohan questioned, toeing the book he and Piccolo had been looking in under the bed.
"The Silver wants to dominate Chikyuu and take over the Emperor's place. Shard has made that clear by destroying villages that belong to the Green Dragon territory. I know it sounds strange, but we need to defeat the Silver. You are an incredible warrior."
"Than why did mother leave me with the Grey Hand when I was a baby? Didn't she know?" Gohan cried out, trying to explain to his father he did not want to fight. Goku, in return, gave him a wistful smile.
"To this very day I do not know why your mother left you in the care of these... non-warriors." He said the word as if it disgusted him. "She works in mysterious ways... I was able to keep her from getting rid of your brother though... I was frightened she would do such a thing again. At least Goten is the warrior his father is."
Gohan jerked the door open, and motioned for his father to stand. "I want you to contact Lord Vegeta and tell the other tribe's leaders there will be a council held here, in the Library... we will discuss this with all the tribe's leaders." Goku nodded to his son and strode out the door. "Farewell, son. I shall see you tomorrow."
Whether or not Gohan returned the goodbye or not, Piccolo could not hear. But the door did close very quickly and it was silent for a time. "You can come out of the closet now, Piccolo-san."
Before Piccolo could open the closet door, Gohan did. And with that he wrapped his arms around the Namek, pressing his face in his neck. "I don't want to fight.." He murmered sadly. Piccolo ran a hand lovingly through his hair, pressing his lips to the young man's forehead. Gohan became very needy when he longed to be comforted, and Piccolo was often quite clueless what to do. "Don't leave yet," He said, sinking to his knees. Piccolo went down with him and pulled him onto his lap. Gohan fell asleep before Piccolo could answer.
----
Lord Vegeta of the Green Dragon tribe rarely visited the tiny town of Shinobi but he knew it well.
It wasn't even a whisper of what it used to be. The houses were burnt down to the ground and the smell or scorched wood, metal and glass emitted off the ground.
"Lord Vegeta..." It was the captain of the guard. Vegeta hardly noticed him. "Lord Vegeta, sire... "
"Yes, what?" He snapped back, his mind cluttered. "How many survivors?" The captain didn't answer right away, he just sighed. Vegeta did not like that sound of that. "Speak up, man!" He cried, grabbing the man violently by the shoulders.
"None, sire!" The captain exclaimed. "Every living soul that was here is dead... the children were hung, the men were gutted and the women were raped and beaten to death. They stored all the bodies in the mill. The smell..." The captain's words faded out of the Green Dragon leader's head, as he dropped to his knees in the dirt. The ground was full of their dying screams and soaked in their blood.
"Get them all out, and bury them on the other side of the hill." He ordered, raking a shaky hand through his spiked hair. "Then take the troops back to Haraki, and tell the Great Lady to meet me at the Library of Reed by tomorrow. Hurry!"
The captain ran off, setting about his orders with great haste. The Silver had left no one alive. Had shown no compassion for any living being in the town. Not even the infants and the women.
Lord Vegeta of the Green Dragon tribe rarely shed a tear. He did not do so now either.
He would have his revenge.
Soon...
Next Chapter: The Council is held at the Library of Reed and three tribes gather to prepare for battle. Can they ignore the tension that lays heavy amongst them? Can they find the strength to defeat the evil Shard and his Silver army? And, will Gohan decide to fight alongside them?
A/N: I know, short chapter. It's too bad I couldn't think up more for the part with Vegeta in it, but he'll have a lot of dialogue in the next chapter; don't worry. Some of the chars. are OOC, but I had to make them like that or they wouldn't fit in their parts. Thanks to Marie-Claire, for beta-reading this chapter and the prologue. Special thanks to GlassHouse, for starting the designs of Chikyuu's world map (Silver style).
By J.Mo
Chapter One: The Horror of the Silver.
It was cold beyond imagination on Chikyuu. Every sane person on the planet was aware of that, yet it did not stop the young warrior from venturing through the bitter cold night to the Library of Reed. His lover's warm embrace awaited him there...
His master, Kami, did not know of his love for the young scholar of the Grey Hand and would probably forbid him to see him again if he found out. He peeked through the bushes and his eyes met the great stone library of Reed. It was an enormous building with high towers and long windows. It's doors were huge and it reached up to the sky. His eyes searched the windows for a light. He had promised to keep a light in front of his window so he would know where to go.
He climbed out of the brush and flew up to a ledge with a stone gargoyle on it. His eyes flashed when he found the window. It was bathed in a golden glow and became brighter and brighter, the closer he got. He pressed his frigid hands against the icy walls and pulled tiny golden key out of his pocket. With it he unlocked the window and slid it open, climbing inside.
It was deliciously warm inside, despite the cold colors the room consisted of. The walls were made of marble and there was a large four-poster bed in the corner, clear like diamond and looking as if it had been spun from fragile glass. The white sheets and curtains made the room feel and smell fresh, like it's owner. Yet, the owner himself was nowhere to be found...
The door opened to the bathing room opened with a creak and the aforementioned owner of the room walked in, wearing only a white nightshirt that barely reached his knees. He seemed preoccupied with himself and didn't see the Namek by the window. The Namek cleared his throat.
"Oh my..!" The young man looked up and while clutching his heart in shock, stumbled back against the door, closing it loudly. "Piccolo! What are you doing here?"
"I promised to come see you, didn't I?" Piccolo asked walking over to the young scholar. The boy looked up at him with huge eyes that made the Namek's stomach churn. He was so beautiful...
"Well, you were so late... I thought you weren't coming." He said sadly.
"Kami was being an ass about me leaving. I had to think of a new excuse to get away. He doesn't by the training bit anymore." Piccolo replied, and softly ran a finger down the young man's jaw. "You'll have to help me think of a new one, Gohan-chan."
Gohan shivered in response. Piccolo almost never called him that, only when he had done something wrong or was drunk or had taken a blow to the head. "Mmm.. Piccolo-san.. that feels so... wait!" He grabbed the hand that rested on his face and pulled him to the bed. "Sit here." The Namek was settled down on the soft bed. Gohan planted a kiss on his cheek and hurried over to his desk. Meanwhile, Piccolo enjoyed watching the boy's bare legs as he walked.
He came back with a book, of course that was all he looked at all day, and sat down on the Namek's lap. He opened the book and smoothed the crease in the page he had made to mark it. "Isn't it beautiful?" It was a picture, in full color, with a Namek and a human male embracing in it. The lines under it were written in an ancient language.
"It says... "
"... in the olden days when the sun was still gold and shone down on Chikyuu and the emperor was young there were two men, each from entirely different worlds. One was the Namek Father and the other a champion warrior human. Their worlds raged war against each other and yet, despite that they loved one another.
One day, the two were found in each other's arms and were convicted of treason against their worlds. The punishment was execution. But the Dragon God of Love was forgiving and they were sent to an eternal paradise together.
If the legend is correct, they reside there together forever..."
"Such a similar situation, hm?" Piccolo queried, touching the image softly. Gohan put the book on the ground and crawled to the head of the bed. He laid back and spread his arms invitingly to the Namek, who turned around and sat by the scholar's feet. He took one foot in his hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing each toe sweetly. Gohan gasped each time, his toes wiggling in response. He giggled. "Ticklish." Piccolo stated simply. His lips left the boy's foot and traveled up his leg, leaving wet trails behind.
Once he came to the boys thighs he stopped. Piccolo didn't want it to end so soon, it would be a waste of their precious time together. "Oh Piccolo.. what are you stopping for?" Piccolo looked up to see Gohan flushed and breathing hard. It made the Namek want to make love to him the whole night through. It was such a shame they didn't have that much time together.
The moment was absolutely ruined as the door rattled with a few sharp knocks. They both jumped apart, as though burned by fire. Gohan got up quickly and pulled on a pair of woolen pants as Piccolo jumped over to a closet, leaving it open just a pinch to see who it was.
"Hello? Who is it?" Gohan called out, hopping around while trying to pull his trousers on. Piccolo couldn't hear what was said on the other side of the door but Gohan had clearly decided that this person was worthy to gain entry. Worthy enough to spoil their moment... "Hello father."
The leader of the Red Crescents was here?! The last time he heard about them, they were on the other side of the world. How did they get back so fast. The Red Crescents were nomads so they could pop up anywhere, but Son Goku rarely ever chose a spot. They wandered. It must be important.
"I'm sorry to disturb you at this time, my son... but we have a problem. The Silver has destroyed yet another village of the Green Dragon.. their leader Vegeta and I have already made an agreement. The Red Crescents are to aid the Green Dragon against the Silver." Gohan's father came straight to the point. As always. "What I wanted to ask you was... will you join the Red Crescents? You're such an excellent warrior, Gohan and Pan.."
"No!" Piccolo smiled at the determination in his lover's voice. "Pan had the choice to stay with me and she refused! That was her choice."
"There's no need to be angry, son.. we just need your help. Pan was just angry, you can't blame her... you ran away from your destiny." Goku said as if it was the only way it was. He was obviously siding with his grand-daughter. Gohan let out a dignified snort. "Just come in and tell me why you need the help of a book-worm."
Goku's staff clunked on the marble floor as he approached a chair and sat down. Piccolo sucked in his breath, the chair was right next to the closet he was hiding in. Goku jerked his head about and it was as if he looked straight into Piccolo's eyes through the closet door.
"Tell me about the Silver... why do you need my help?" Gohan questioned, toeing the book he and Piccolo had been looking in under the bed.
"The Silver wants to dominate Chikyuu and take over the Emperor's place. Shard has made that clear by destroying villages that belong to the Green Dragon territory. I know it sounds strange, but we need to defeat the Silver. You are an incredible warrior."
"Than why did mother leave me with the Grey Hand when I was a baby? Didn't she know?" Gohan cried out, trying to explain to his father he did not want to fight. Goku, in return, gave him a wistful smile.
"To this very day I do not know why your mother left you in the care of these... non-warriors." He said the word as if it disgusted him. "She works in mysterious ways... I was able to keep her from getting rid of your brother though... I was frightened she would do such a thing again. At least Goten is the warrior his father is."
Gohan jerked the door open, and motioned for his father to stand. "I want you to contact Lord Vegeta and tell the other tribe's leaders there will be a council held here, in the Library... we will discuss this with all the tribe's leaders." Goku nodded to his son and strode out the door. "Farewell, son. I shall see you tomorrow."
Whether or not Gohan returned the goodbye or not, Piccolo could not hear. But the door did close very quickly and it was silent for a time. "You can come out of the closet now, Piccolo-san."
Before Piccolo could open the closet door, Gohan did. And with that he wrapped his arms around the Namek, pressing his face in his neck. "I don't want to fight.." He murmered sadly. Piccolo ran a hand lovingly through his hair, pressing his lips to the young man's forehead. Gohan became very needy when he longed to be comforted, and Piccolo was often quite clueless what to do. "Don't leave yet," He said, sinking to his knees. Piccolo went down with him and pulled him onto his lap. Gohan fell asleep before Piccolo could answer.
----
Lord Vegeta of the Green Dragon tribe rarely visited the tiny town of Shinobi but he knew it well.
It wasn't even a whisper of what it used to be. The houses were burnt down to the ground and the smell or scorched wood, metal and glass emitted off the ground.
"Lord Vegeta..." It was the captain of the guard. Vegeta hardly noticed him. "Lord Vegeta, sire... "
"Yes, what?" He snapped back, his mind cluttered. "How many survivors?" The captain didn't answer right away, he just sighed. Vegeta did not like that sound of that. "Speak up, man!" He cried, grabbing the man violently by the shoulders.
"None, sire!" The captain exclaimed. "Every living soul that was here is dead... the children were hung, the men were gutted and the women were raped and beaten to death. They stored all the bodies in the mill. The smell..." The captain's words faded out of the Green Dragon leader's head, as he dropped to his knees in the dirt. The ground was full of their dying screams and soaked in their blood.
"Get them all out, and bury them on the other side of the hill." He ordered, raking a shaky hand through his spiked hair. "Then take the troops back to Haraki, and tell the Great Lady to meet me at the Library of Reed by tomorrow. Hurry!"
The captain ran off, setting about his orders with great haste. The Silver had left no one alive. Had shown no compassion for any living being in the town. Not even the infants and the women.
Lord Vegeta of the Green Dragon tribe rarely shed a tear. He did not do so now either.
He would have his revenge.
Soon...
Next Chapter: The Council is held at the Library of Reed and three tribes gather to prepare for battle. Can they ignore the tension that lays heavy amongst them? Can they find the strength to defeat the evil Shard and his Silver army? And, will Gohan decide to fight alongside them?
A/N: I know, short chapter. It's too bad I couldn't think up more for the part with Vegeta in it, but he'll have a lot of dialogue in the next chapter; don't worry. Some of the chars. are OOC, but I had to make them like that or they wouldn't fit in their parts. Thanks to Marie-Claire, for beta-reading this chapter and the prologue. Special thanks to GlassHouse, for starting the designs of Chikyuu's world map (Silver style).