Chapter 9: The Demon King Consents.
Silence, pure and simple, was all that echoed throughout the darkened interior of the Check-In station. Usually full of a steady line of recently departed souls waiting to be judged by the Lord of the afterlife, the station was presently the very model of tranquillity. Times such as this were unbelievably rare, so much so that they only occurred once every few centuries or so. After all, the odds that not a single being in the entire known universe had recently died were too small to even warrant calculation. Nonetheless, miracles did happen, and it had become increasingly clear that such an event had just transpired.
Enma-Daiou treasured such peaceful occasions. From past experience, he knew fine well that they did not last, and he had learned to make the most of these minor intervals. He casually leaned back in his brobdignian chair and sighed long and hard, stretching his massive limbs in order to relieve the accumulated tension. It was times like this which made it all worthwhile. Unfortunately for him, they never lasted that long...
Four beings suddenly appeared in the centre of the station, in the area where the expectant soul usually waited to be assigned an area of the afterlife. They reintegrated in a flurry of movement, causing Enma Daiou to jerk upwards in his chair in a panic. Such an unexpected intrusion startled him. After all, no one ever entered the station without being admitted by one of the ogres which assisted him, and they were always announced beforehand. These four had obviously entered without permission. His unrequited anxiety, however, was soon assuaged when he recognized the erstwhile intruders...
"Piccolo!", he spluttered angrily. "What are you doing here!? You're supposed to be keeping watch down in Hell!"
The Namek slowly withdrew his hand from Tenshinhan's shoulder, and moved away from his companion, as did the other two members of their group. They had to make physical contact with Tenshinhan in order for the Shunkan Idou technique to transport them all. Unless there was tactile contact with the person performing the manoeuvre, they would not have been assimilated into the move, and would have been left behind while Tenshinhan moved onwards to wherever he had thought of. Simple enough, really.
"I've come to ask a favour of you, Enma," Piccolo coolly stated. "I trust you'll grant my request considering the role I've taken in Hell since I've arrived".
Enma Daiou was seemingly unable to reply for several moments, as he stared in disbelief at the unlikely group of long-dead fighters before him. He recognised the Saiya-jin and the Kanass he had met with only days before, as well as the human Tenshinhan, a fighter from the planet Earth. Then there was Piccolo, a Namek-sei-jin who he was more than familiar with. It was a fellowship he had never thought possible, that was for sure...
He cleared his throat.
"How, may I ask, did you manage to leave the confines of Hell?"
Piccolo smiled.
"Tenshinhan's Shunkan Idou. It can penetrate any barrier, no matter how powerful."
Enma Daiou's furrowed brow momentarily relaxed.
"I see. For a moment there I was worried that there might be a tear in the Gateless Barrier. I don't have to tell you that the prospect of all those damned beings escaping is not a pleasant one."
He slouched back in his chair and continued.
"You know, you could have just asked me if you wanted to leave. You aren't trapped there, remember? Even though it makes my job a lot easier, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to leave."
Several metres behind Piccolo, Bardock leaned over and whispered to Tenshinhan...
"What's he talking about? I thought the Namek was assigned to Hell when he was first judged."
Tenshinhan leaned over and whispered back.
"No, not Piccolo. He was originally assigned to the normal region of the afterlife, but a while after he was judged, Goku was tricked into going to Hell by some enemy on Earth. Piccolo simply caused chaos in order to be sent down there, then he and Dende created a portal to send him back to Earth. It's some kind of Namekian technique, from what I understand of it. Anyway, after that, Piccolo just decided to stay behind in Hell and keep the peace. They're all afraid of him down there, anyways..."
Bardock remembered how easily the Namek had held him at bay when he had attempted to attack him.
"That, I believe."
He turned his attention back to the ongoing conversation between Piccolo and Enma Daiou.
"Anyway, what's this favour you wanted to ask?" Nothing too spectacular, I hope? After all, my power up here isn't absolute".
"Nothing much". Piccolo folded his arms. "I just want to return to the living world for a short while. I need these 3 to come with me as well."
Enma Daiou nearly choked.
"Are you insane!?", he blustered, remonstrating wildly with his hands. "There's no way I an authorise something like that, especially not for four individual beings!"
"Come now", Piccolo calmly continued. "I think that neither the Kaio's or anyone higher in the hierarchy would object, especially considering all the work I've done since I arrived."
Enma Daiou looked like he was on the verge of suffering a major coronary, if such a thing was possible.
"Maybe so, and I know that certain people have been allowed to return to the living world in the past, but if the right people knew that you were even asking me that question, they'd have my head!"
"Look." Piccolo stated. "You know fine well that I could return without your permission if I wanted. Goku was able to teleport between both planes with his Shunkan Idou, so I'm sure that Tenshinhan could manage it as well. I'm only here out of respect for your position in the hierarchy up here. If anyone asks, just remind them that Hell would have erupted in countless minor rebellions in the past few decades if it weren't for my intervention. As influential as the Kaio's are, they don't have nearly enough power to control the majority of the beings in Hell, so I'd like to see how they'd manage if I ever, say, decided to leave."
Enma Daiou couldn't help but smile.
"You crafty old son of a bitch. I never thought I'd see the day when someone would have the tenacity to blackmail the Kaio's, but I suppose if anyone was going to do it, it'd be you".
Piccolo bared his fangs in a toothy grin.
"Exactly. If it really comes down to it, just say that you had no idea that I left. I'll take full responsibility. These three will as well, I'm sure."
He looked back at Bardock, Fionn and Tenshinhan. All three nodded in unison.
"It's settled", the Namek growled. "So, if it's all right with you, we'll be on our way. We shouldn't be more than 24 hours. Hopefully, no one will even notice that we've gone".
Enma thoughtfully stroked his beard, then gave his answer, in a booming voice which echoed through the relatively small interior of the station.
"Very well." He reached over and grasped his gavel, then brought it down with a deafening crash at the front of his desk. "I hereby grant you permission to return to the living world for a duration of 24 hours. Your movements are limited to the Northern Galaxy and the various solar systems within."
He paused and added.
"Good luck...old friend..."
Piccolo nodded in acknowledgment, then turned and paced back to Bardock, Fionn and Tenshinhan. Tenshinhan raised his right hand and placed two fingers on his forehead. Everyone quickly placed a hand on one of his shoulders.
"Try and search for Dende's ki level on the surface of the planet, first of all," Piccolo advised. "Then use it as a locater for the transport."
Tenshinhan nodded.
"You should know that I can't guarantee we'll reappear right beside him. I haven't acquired that much control over the Shunkan Idou just yet, but I'm almost certain that we'll arrive on the same planet as him".
"No problem". Piccolo reassured him. "Just get us there in one piece".
Tenshinhan smiled, then returned to searching the vastness of the cosmos for the single ki level he was looking for. It was an arduous process, and he had never understood how Goku had made it look so easy, but he eventually found his target- a Namekian ki that he had become familiar with during his years living on Earth.
In another sudden flurry of motion, the group of four warriors disappeared from the Check-In station...
Silence, pure and simple, was all that echoed throughout the darkened interior of the Check-In station. Usually full of a steady line of recently departed souls waiting to be judged by the Lord of the afterlife, the station was presently the very model of tranquillity. Times such as this were unbelievably rare, so much so that they only occurred once every few centuries or so. After all, the odds that not a single being in the entire known universe had recently died were too small to even warrant calculation. Nonetheless, miracles did happen, and it had become increasingly clear that such an event had just transpired.
Enma-Daiou treasured such peaceful occasions. From past experience, he knew fine well that they did not last, and he had learned to make the most of these minor intervals. He casually leaned back in his brobdignian chair and sighed long and hard, stretching his massive limbs in order to relieve the accumulated tension. It was times like this which made it all worthwhile. Unfortunately for him, they never lasted that long...
Four beings suddenly appeared in the centre of the station, in the area where the expectant soul usually waited to be assigned an area of the afterlife. They reintegrated in a flurry of movement, causing Enma Daiou to jerk upwards in his chair in a panic. Such an unexpected intrusion startled him. After all, no one ever entered the station without being admitted by one of the ogres which assisted him, and they were always announced beforehand. These four had obviously entered without permission. His unrequited anxiety, however, was soon assuaged when he recognized the erstwhile intruders...
"Piccolo!", he spluttered angrily. "What are you doing here!? You're supposed to be keeping watch down in Hell!"
The Namek slowly withdrew his hand from Tenshinhan's shoulder, and moved away from his companion, as did the other two members of their group. They had to make physical contact with Tenshinhan in order for the Shunkan Idou technique to transport them all. Unless there was tactile contact with the person performing the manoeuvre, they would not have been assimilated into the move, and would have been left behind while Tenshinhan moved onwards to wherever he had thought of. Simple enough, really.
"I've come to ask a favour of you, Enma," Piccolo coolly stated. "I trust you'll grant my request considering the role I've taken in Hell since I've arrived".
Enma Daiou was seemingly unable to reply for several moments, as he stared in disbelief at the unlikely group of long-dead fighters before him. He recognised the Saiya-jin and the Kanass he had met with only days before, as well as the human Tenshinhan, a fighter from the planet Earth. Then there was Piccolo, a Namek-sei-jin who he was more than familiar with. It was a fellowship he had never thought possible, that was for sure...
He cleared his throat.
"How, may I ask, did you manage to leave the confines of Hell?"
Piccolo smiled.
"Tenshinhan's Shunkan Idou. It can penetrate any barrier, no matter how powerful."
Enma Daiou's furrowed brow momentarily relaxed.
"I see. For a moment there I was worried that there might be a tear in the Gateless Barrier. I don't have to tell you that the prospect of all those damned beings escaping is not a pleasant one."
He slouched back in his chair and continued.
"You know, you could have just asked me if you wanted to leave. You aren't trapped there, remember? Even though it makes my job a lot easier, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to leave."
Several metres behind Piccolo, Bardock leaned over and whispered to Tenshinhan...
"What's he talking about? I thought the Namek was assigned to Hell when he was first judged."
Tenshinhan leaned over and whispered back.
"No, not Piccolo. He was originally assigned to the normal region of the afterlife, but a while after he was judged, Goku was tricked into going to Hell by some enemy on Earth. Piccolo simply caused chaos in order to be sent down there, then he and Dende created a portal to send him back to Earth. It's some kind of Namekian technique, from what I understand of it. Anyway, after that, Piccolo just decided to stay behind in Hell and keep the peace. They're all afraid of him down there, anyways..."
Bardock remembered how easily the Namek had held him at bay when he had attempted to attack him.
"That, I believe."
He turned his attention back to the ongoing conversation between Piccolo and Enma Daiou.
"Anyway, what's this favour you wanted to ask?" Nothing too spectacular, I hope? After all, my power up here isn't absolute".
"Nothing much". Piccolo folded his arms. "I just want to return to the living world for a short while. I need these 3 to come with me as well."
Enma Daiou nearly choked.
"Are you insane!?", he blustered, remonstrating wildly with his hands. "There's no way I an authorise something like that, especially not for four individual beings!"
"Come now", Piccolo calmly continued. "I think that neither the Kaio's or anyone higher in the hierarchy would object, especially considering all the work I've done since I arrived."
Enma Daiou looked like he was on the verge of suffering a major coronary, if such a thing was possible.
"Maybe so, and I know that certain people have been allowed to return to the living world in the past, but if the right people knew that you were even asking me that question, they'd have my head!"
"Look." Piccolo stated. "You know fine well that I could return without your permission if I wanted. Goku was able to teleport between both planes with his Shunkan Idou, so I'm sure that Tenshinhan could manage it as well. I'm only here out of respect for your position in the hierarchy up here. If anyone asks, just remind them that Hell would have erupted in countless minor rebellions in the past few decades if it weren't for my intervention. As influential as the Kaio's are, they don't have nearly enough power to control the majority of the beings in Hell, so I'd like to see how they'd manage if I ever, say, decided to leave."
Enma Daiou couldn't help but smile.
"You crafty old son of a bitch. I never thought I'd see the day when someone would have the tenacity to blackmail the Kaio's, but I suppose if anyone was going to do it, it'd be you".
Piccolo bared his fangs in a toothy grin.
"Exactly. If it really comes down to it, just say that you had no idea that I left. I'll take full responsibility. These three will as well, I'm sure."
He looked back at Bardock, Fionn and Tenshinhan. All three nodded in unison.
"It's settled", the Namek growled. "So, if it's all right with you, we'll be on our way. We shouldn't be more than 24 hours. Hopefully, no one will even notice that we've gone".
Enma thoughtfully stroked his beard, then gave his answer, in a booming voice which echoed through the relatively small interior of the station.
"Very well." He reached over and grasped his gavel, then brought it down with a deafening crash at the front of his desk. "I hereby grant you permission to return to the living world for a duration of 24 hours. Your movements are limited to the Northern Galaxy and the various solar systems within."
He paused and added.
"Good luck...old friend..."
Piccolo nodded in acknowledgment, then turned and paced back to Bardock, Fionn and Tenshinhan. Tenshinhan raised his right hand and placed two fingers on his forehead. Everyone quickly placed a hand on one of his shoulders.
"Try and search for Dende's ki level on the surface of the planet, first of all," Piccolo advised. "Then use it as a locater for the transport."
Tenshinhan nodded.
"You should know that I can't guarantee we'll reappear right beside him. I haven't acquired that much control over the Shunkan Idou just yet, but I'm almost certain that we'll arrive on the same planet as him".
"No problem". Piccolo reassured him. "Just get us there in one piece".
Tenshinhan smiled, then returned to searching the vastness of the cosmos for the single ki level he was looking for. It was an arduous process, and he had never understood how Goku had made it look so easy, but he eventually found his target- a Namekian ki that he had become familiar with during his years living on Earth.
In another sudden flurry of motion, the group of four warriors disappeared from the Check-In station...