Chapter 65

"I'm here." Roshi announced to the dragon, Don, before him. Turtle was hiding under the porch, whimpering loudly. "Now what do you want?"

Don lowered his head to Roshi.

"My brothers and I heard a Genji DragonLore is staying here. We would like to talk to him."

"Why?" a new voice challenged. Don looked up to see Kuririn and his wife run out of the house to Roshi's side. 18 quickly noted the other two dragons around the island.

"We're surrounded…" she hissed to herself. "What the hell is this?"

"What do you want with Genji?!" Kuririn demanded. Don brought his head up a little higher and grinned.

"It's a private matter."

"If you heard about him from the news, it's wrong! He's being framed!"

"It's not about that." Don shook his head. "Now bring him out here. I'm not a patient god, and neither are my brothers."

"Well, sorry." Roshi denighed. "He's not here right now. He took off with Piccolo for flying lessons. I'll take a message…"

"Piccolo…" Don murmured to himself.

"Hey, Don!" Sei called, swimming to his brother. "Po found Genji's wolf fur, but no Genji."

"He's not here right now." Don explained. "Let's go. We can come back later." He started to head out to sea. "Where's Po?"

"Staring at some human girl."

"Oh no…" Don growled. "C'mon, let's go drag him away. Gods, I don't know what he finds so attractive about human females…"

Don and Sei swam to their peeping brother and each grabbed one of his shoulders in a claw.

"Leave her alone." Don advised. "You and her wouldn't work out."

"But she's really cute…" Po sniffed.

"We've got bigger fish to fry." Sei swayed. "Now let's go." They pulled Po away from the window. Marron leaned out on the sill, and waved an angry fist at them.

"You leave my Genji alone, or else!" she yelled, regaining some repressed courage. "You'll get in really big trouble!"

Don blinked at her.

" 'Your' Genji?"

"Yeah! He'll kick your…"

"As in he's your mate?"

Marron's face went red as she shut up.

"Well, I…uh… We're not really… I'm kinda… He… Me…uh…" she rambled, twirling her finger in a circle on the sill.

Don grinned, getting another brilliant idea from his genius mind.

"Sei…"

"Yeah, Don?"

"Nab the girl for me, will ya?"

Sei grinned too.

"Okay!"

"Huh?" Marron blinked. Suddenly, Sei's neck lunged foreword, and he grabbed her up to her middle with his jaws and lifted her away from the house. Marron was screaming all the while, and kicking her bare feet frantically.

"Don't swallow her!" Don sharply ordered. "We need her!"

"Sure." Sei nodded. He flicked Marron around in his mouth, then stabbed into her arm hard with two teeth. Marron shrieked in pain!

"Hey, you're hurting her!" Po complained. "I don't like it when cute girls get hurt!"

"What?" Sei growled through clenched teeth. "You want me to eat her by accident? She ain't gonna feel more pain than this, trust me."

"Marron-chan!" 18 screamed in horror.

"Let her go!" Kuririn shouted at the dragons. Don turned his head to the family on the beach and he grinned with pure evil.

"Give this message to Genji for us. He meets us on Grim Reaper Island in two hours. If he doesn't show, we eat the girl."

"NO!" 18 screamed.

"What?!" Po squeaked. "But I don't wanna…"

"Try anything or follow us," Don continued to the android, "and I'll tell Sei to swallow!" 18 stayed where she was, glaring daggers.

"You bastards are not going to get away with this! If you kill my daughter, so help me God, I'll…"

"Aaaaaaand Genji has to come alone." Don added. "Goodbye."

"No, stop!" Kuririn shouted, about to fly after them…

…but they quickly dove under the waves and out of sight. 18 angrily powered up a blast in both hands, but before she could fire…

"18, stop!" Kuririn grabbing her wrists. "You might hurt Marron by accident!"

"…" 18 gritted her teeth angrily, and fired her blasts into the air with a scream. Then, she collapsed against Kuririn and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Kuri-chan…" Her husband hugged her back.

"We couldn't do anything…don't blame yourself…"

18 suddenly tore herself out of Kuririn's embrace.

"Yes, we could have." She growled in a low voice. She stared at her feet for a moment before bringing her head back up. "Excuse me…" She flew off into the distance before anyone could bring up another thought. Kuririn sighed and sat on the beach hard, bringing his hands up to hold his head.

"Aw man…now what…poor Marron…"

"Now where is 18 going off to?" Roshi sighed. "That dragon said…"

"She heard him. She's not following them, she's just going somewhere to blow off some steam. You wouldn't know what it's like to lose a child to monsters like that."

"Hmmm…" Roshi thought to himself with a shine in his sunglasses. Then, he turned back to Kuririn. "Say, where is this Grim Reaper Island? I don't know of any place like that…"

Kuririn shook his head in unfamiliarity too.

Turtle then decided to come out from under the porch.

"I know where it is…" he said softly. "But…wasn't that where Piccolo took Genji for his flying lessons?"

"HUH?!" Kuririn and Roshi looked at Turtle with stunned faces.

/|\

"Congratulations, Genji." Piccolo coached dryly. "You're finally at my eye level. Keep going."

C'mon, kid! A little higher and you'll be able to look me in the face!

Genji continued to concentrate, no longer feeling the ground beneath his feet. He was hovering a few inches, and that was a great improvement next to his previous attempts. Giving his ki another push, he rose slightly higher. Piccolo kept quiet so that the boy could concentrate, but he was smiling slightly. Genji was all smiles, too.

Yes! I'm doing it! I'm flying! This is great! I'm flyin…

Suddenly, a vision flashed before his eyes…

…a dragon swimming to shore…

…Marron sobbing and screaming…

…Blood everywhere…

…"Help me, Genji!"…

**Marron!**

Genji's concentration broke, and he landed in the mud on his behind. Piccolo's smile disappeared and he sighed as Genji stood up.

"Alright, what happened now?"

**I saw something…dragons…and Marron…and blood…**

"Insight."

**Huh-what?**

"It's a demon ability. You are able to see things happening right now that will have impact on you in the immediate future."

Genji blinked a few times.

**Meaning like…some people see the future, but I see what's happening right now?**

"Yes. You see what is of importance to you only."

**I think I get it. Dragons and Marron…** He looked past his right shoulder and pointed. **I think they were coming from that way.**

"Well, let's take a break and go meet them." Piccolo suggested, walking in the direction of Genji's finger. Genji followed him from behind, careful not to step in any deep mud puddles.

**So, the island is sinking…** he said to himself, Piccolo's gaze not on Genji's eyes. **I wonder what brought it to this state…**

Whoops. Heh, heh. My bad.

Genji blinked a few times in surprise.

No, no. It's not like that. I did put potholes in the island, but they're there because of me. You know what I mean?

**You actually said "Whoops. Heh, heh. My bad." ?**

…

A fog started to roll in as Genji and Piccolo arrived on the nearest beach. Genji held his bandaged arms and shivered.

**Damn, it's cold… I wish I brought my shroud with me…**

"Your inside is accurate." Piccolo nodded. "Here they come."

He and Genji watched as three massive waves began to travel to the beach side by side. Genji watched in awe.

Those are dragon gods…