Reposted with additional author's notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dragon Ball Z characters created by Akira Toriyama and am not profiting from this work. It is just a story that I'm writing because I love these characters. However, this fiction contains numerous original characters that are my creation so please don't use any of them without my permission.
Here is a more detailed Summary:
After the Cell Games four adventures will begin....
A chance encounter at a bar and a valuable gift puts Yamcha in contact with a super natural creature. Setting off on an adventure in a desert half a world away, far from home, he will meet with untold dangers and mythical creatures in pursuit of riches and a peaceful heart
Chaitozu's restless heart sends he and Tenshenhan back to Mifan where an ancient evil awaits. Will the eternal child be able to save his kingdom from the clutches of four powerful foes? Does Tenshenhan's long hidden abilities and orgins hold the key to victory?
Krillan is called to keep his promise to help 18 (See My Short Story Questions) when she had nowhere else to turn. Together they will delve into her mysterious past in search of her pre-android beginnings and uncovering a little bit more than they bargained for.
Young Dende must attend the annual Assemby of the Gods leaving the people of earth in the trusty hands of PICCOLO! With the ever faithful Mr. Po Po as his guide in the heavenly realm the young god will uncover a supernatural plot that could have universal repercussions.
Join these under appreciated characters on their separate journeys of self- discovery that just might effect the world, the universe and each other.
Hi there! This is going to be my next epic! This story is 100% saiyajin free! Don't get me wrong. I love the saiyajin characters. Just look at my other fictions if you don't believe me! This is my attempt at tributing the more often forgotten fighters of DBZ and to hopefully write something fresh instead of clichéd or containing elements common to fan fiction. I'm using elements of Japanese, Chinese and Middle Eastern mythology as well as these neglected characters to make it different. There is a little Piccolo in it though but the crux of the tales center around the 10 characters mentioned above.
As always any questions and comments are welcome.
NOTE: I have made Puar's sex male because I have read many conflicting reports of his/her sex. I obtained the male determination because a site and a manga I obtained called Puar a he. I am aware that Puar is a she in the Funimation Dub but I'm going with what I think AT's original intention was.
Unsung Heroes
By: Lil Songbird
1.1.1.1.1 Prologue
1.1.1.1.1.1 Yamcha
The bar was more busy than usual tonight. Not that he cared. He was here to drown his sorrows, to numb his grief with alcohol. He had never felt worse in his life, that is if you could call it a life. It was more of a joke than a life. Downing the last of his beer Yamcha wiped his mouth.
"Bartender" he slurred clumsily pulling another wad of cash from his pocket and slapping it on the counter "I want ash many beers ash thish can buy."
"I don't know buddy you've had too much already," the man said from the counter.
"No I haven't" he said, "I still feel lousy."
"If you keep drinking the way you are right now you'll get alcohol poisoning" the man replied gently. "Let me call a cab for you."
"What makes you think I care if die" the inebriated man replied pounding the counter "jus' give e another beer."
"Yamcha" Puar squeaked worriedly "you shouldn't talk like that. You can't die. Let's go home."
"It's not like anyone would care" the man slurred to the cat.
"Listen, things won't seem as bad when you get the alcohol out of your system" the bartender stated. "Listen to your friend."
"What do you know?" Yamcha shouted in an uncharacteristic display of anger. "You wanna to know how bad thing are, I'll tel' you. I left my job on the West Capital City Baseball Team to save the worl'. They said I could come back but I went there yesterday an' they said I've been gone too long to go back. They want young blood for the team now. They don' need me."
"My girlfriend an I broke-up wile I was trainin' an I thought it would e like normal. We always fought and made-up, but this time she found someone else, a deranged killer that wants to rule the Earth. She claims he cud understand each other better than we cud and we jus' weren't right for each other. She don' need me."
"The wors' part is that the big battle I trained so hard for was so far out of my league I had to jus' watch as one of the best men I know sacrificed himself. I was of no help. I was too weak to do much of anything." Yamcha slammed his fist again busting a hole in the counter shocking the on- lookers before resting his head in his hands. "I'm a loser," he said in a voice shaky with unshed tears. "I'm not good for anything."
"It sounds to me like you could use a little distraction" a short, breaded man at the counter said. "I have just the thing."
Yamcha looked drunkenly up at the man frowning. "Really?" the scarred man asked sarcastically.
Removing the ring on his finger the man placed it on the counter. "This is part of a much greater treasure. I need a strong man that can defend me with a sense of adventure to help me find it. I think you'd fit the bill very nicely" he said gesturing at the hole in the countertop "and since you are free at the moment you might like to come."
Yamcha picked up the ring and looked at it. It was a golden, ruby encrusted ring with strange writing on the band he couldn't make out. He wasn't sure if that was due to his foggy mind or the writing. "Why should I help you?" he asked.
"I'll give you a cut of the treasure for your trouble" the man replied. "I just thought it might do you good to make yourself useful instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself." The man produced a card from his pocket ignoring the glare that his last remark had earned and handed it to the fighter. "Call me if you change your mind. You need a job and I'm offering to pay you handsomely," he said getting up. "Consider the ring my first payment."
Yamcha watched the man leave and looked at the ring he held in his hand curiously turning it over in his clumsy fingers. Putting the object on his finger he rose up in his seat. "Com' n Puar" he said. "Les go home," he said stumbling from his stool.
Puar floated over and tried to steady him as he walked out of the bar onto the street. He swayed over to a lamp stand and leaned against it for support. The light glinted off the ring on his finger catching his attention so he held it out in front of him to examine it once more. "I thin' that guy is crazy to jus' give this away to someone he probably won' see again" the fighter said staring at it. "Its probably worth a fortune" he said rubbing it with his finger as he spoke "but it will pay our bills for awhile."
Suddenly as he spoke a cold wind blew past him and formed itself into a curling column of mist. The mist coalesced forming what appeared to be the soft outline of a woman before the misty apparition metamorphosed into a living breathing being. She was pretty, with dark chocolate skin, large blue eyes, blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and ears that came to a point. Clutching the pole before himself Yamcha blinked at the figure. "I guess I did over do it Puar" Yamcha slurred "I'm seein' thing."
"If you just saw a woman appear out of no where you aren't seeing things" Puar squeaked rubbing his eyes.
"You aren't seeing things," the woman clad in harem dress chirped happily floating above the man as he paled in shock. "I'm the Jin attached to that ring and I am bound to serve you as long as you wear it. I will grant you three wishes." She watched in surprise as the man's eyes rolled back into his head, he slumped over falling to the ground while the little cat dove under him and broke his fall. "I've never had one do that before" she said with a shrug and a giggle.
"Please" said Puar obviously straining under the man's weight. "Help me get him home" he begged the woman.
"I suppose I could do that but it will count as a wish," she said.
"I don't care please help," the little cat repeated.
"Very well" the woman replied and the street was empty once again.
***
Tenshenhan & Chaiotzu
Chaiotzu sat at the edge of the cliff staring out at the clouds that blanketed the world below him contemplating his latest worry. He was worried about the Earth now that its greatest hero was gone and whether anyone of the remaining beings truly had the power to fight against whatever danger lay ahead. He had slowly recently begun to realize how obsolete his abilities were becoming. Tensenhan had been right to leave him behind when the androids came. His ESP was not strong enough to control the caliber of fighters that had been threatening the earth lately and he wondered if there ever would be one again.
"Are you okay Chaiotzu" Ten asked his longtime best friend.
"I'm just worried" Chaiotzu said frankly. "Do you think that I'll ever be able to fight again and make a difference?"
"I think that there has to be someone, sometime that your abilities will affect again," Ten told him truthfully. "There is no other fighter I know of that has your abilities."
"Maybe" the boy answered unconvinced. "I do know one thing though, I think I should give up the crown at Mifan."
"You've got to be kidding Chaiotzu" Ten rebuked "you can't do that. Those people depend on you."
"I'm not around much anymore though and if I am I don't think I'd make a difference" he replied slumping his shoulders.
"You tried to give up the crown before the androids came because you wouldn't be there for three years and they wouldn't accept it then" Ten reminded him. "What makes you think they'd accept your resignation now?"
Chaiotzu got up and turned to face his friend. "I have to try Ten," the boy said seriously. "I only was made their emperor because I was able to protect them and now that I can't it doesn't make any sense I should still rule."
"If you really want to try we can go after we visit Ku'nlun" the triclops relented.
"No Ten" the boy replied, "I think that I should go back now by myself."
Ten forked his eyes incredously. "You have to come with me Chaiotzu," he reminded the boy "as my wu you have to be there."
"Maybe I shouldn't be your wu anymore" the boy said. "You know I can't defend you anymore than I could defend Mifan."
"Chaiotzu you know that's impossible" Ten said in surprise. "For as long as we both live the pact stands."
"We've both died more than once" the boy said "isn't that grounds enough to break it?"
"Even if it did both of us would have to agree to it" Ten answered gruffly "and I'd never accept it."
"I'm sorry Ten" Chaiotzu said simply turning his back to him and starting slowly down the mountain on foot.
"Chaiotzu!" Ten called after him getting no response. Cursing Ten ran after him and fell into step with his short strides. "If you're this determined to go back to Mifan I'll go with you but then we have to go back to Ku'nlun immediately and I won't here anymore of your stupid excuses."
Chaiotzu smiled in spite of himself. "You're a good friend Ten," he said gratefully.
Ten smiled in return as they walked together down the mountain in companionable silence. Neither had to say a word, for the friendship they had forged transcended the spoken word. Sometimes they would go days without exchanging hardly a word finding the comforting presence of another being that understood their need for solitude enough in of itself. What had begun as merely a bodyguard job for Tenshenhan nearly 20 years ago had become a way of life. Oddly enough, the one he had been paid to protect had ended up protecting him on a number of occasions. Now, for this friendship either was prepared to die for the other and lend support when it was due. It was for this reason Tenshenhan refused to let Chaiotzu go by himself to Mifan and for this reason Chaiotzu no longer protested his accompaniment.
"I wonder what its like there now" Chaiotzu wondered nervously.
"I don't know" Ten replied. "A lot can happen in three years."
***
Krillan
The former monk pulled his face into a twisted mask of concentration as he stared out at the blue expanse that stretched into the horizon. He powered- up up disturbing the waters that began to lap at his ankles wetting the hem of his trousers. Oblivious to anything around him, Krillan pulled back his arms cupping them to the side.
"KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!" he cried before releasing the energy into the now turbulent ocean.
He watched the energy wave cut a path through the waters as was his daily ritual not really seeing it. Sighing he closed his eyes and brought his aura up about him preparing for the large wave he knew would come.
"Not too bad" he heard a voice say startling him from his reverie. Immediately snapping into a fighting stance he spun around towards the voice whose owner for some reason had gone undetected. What he saw shocked him. The blonde woman smirked, a graceful hand planted on her hip, standing on the beach before him dumbfounding him with the quirk of an eyebrow. Her cerulean eyes darted behind him and she smiled before taking off into the air puzzling the man still numb from surprise. Suddenly he heard the sound of water rushing towards him.
"Damn!" Krillian muttered as the wall of water swept over him before he could prepare for it.
18 landed back down on the beach as the water reseeded and watched with a curious concern as the human man coughed and gagged pushing the water from his lungs. The man looked up at her remaining on his hands and knees taking in deep, calming breaths with a puzzled stare.
"Android 18" Krillan said at last breathless, however it wasn't due to the fact that he had just nearly aspirated a great deal of water, the reason was the way the faint star-light and the lights from Kame House shone on the golden head and in the azure eyes of the woman who stood in half-shadow before him. "Why are you here?" he finally stuttered.
Silently she knelt down in front of him and removed a piece of seaweed from off the top of his head. "I'm here to collect on a promise you made," she said with a smile.
"Promise?" he asked puzzled.
"The last time I talked to you, you said that if I ever needed any help just to ask," she said standing up. "Don't tell me you forgot."
"Of course not" Krillan said quickly standing. "I'm just surprised you actually took me up on it," he continued nervously wringing out his shirt. "The truth is" he said quietly "I doubted I'd ever see you again."
"I'm surprised I came here myself" she said quietly. "The truth is I had no one else to turn to. 17 disagreed with what I'm about to do and I don't have any friends to speak of, so I thought I'd take you up on your promise."
"Well" Krillan said a bit crushed "I'm glad you came to me, even if I was your last choice."
18 turned and regarded him for a moment still puzzled as to why he seemed to care about what she thought of him. "The reason I've come here is for a personal reason" she said uncomfortable with all that she needed to disclose to ask for his assistance. "Ever since I was activated for the first time I have had no memory of anything in my past. I know that both 17 and I were human once and that he is my brother, but nothing more and I need help to find it."
"Brother?" Krillan questioned. "I thought…"
"I know," she said with a smirk "you thought he was my boyfriend."
"Well," Krillan ventured softly the color of his cheeks visible even in the darkness "I'm kind-of glad he isn't."
"Don't get any ideas" 18 qualified turning from him blushing slightly in spite of herself.
"No need to worry about that," he said laughing nervously as his own expense. "I know a beautiful girl like you would never go for a guy like me."
"You enjoy downgrading yourself don't you?" 18 accused confused.
"No" Krillan said. "I'm just saying the truth is all. I don't have any delusions. I'm short, I'm not much to look at, I'm not famous and I don't have any money either. Those are the things girls like."
"You aren't the reason I said that" she said. "I'm an android and I'm not programmed for emotions like you feel. I just don't want you mistaking my reason for coming here. You've been very kind to me so far and I don't want you getting hurt."
"I wouldn't give up on emotions just yet," he said with a bit of a smile. "You just expressed one right now. If you can care and have compassion then you must be capable of deeper things as well." She began to speak in protest but he raised his hand. "Don't get the wrong idea," he stated, "I don't expect anything from you but I hope we can at least be friends. I just don't want you giving up on experiencing anything in life. I've seen you afraid, sad and even sympathetic so I know you can feel."
"You're a strange man Krillan," she said trying to calm the thoughts that ran amuck in her head with his words. "Your willing to help me without getting anything in return."
"I'm not so unusual" he said blushing slightly. "There are a lot of decent people out there that will give you a chance if you let them."
An awkward silence fell between them as they both stared out into the sea as the dark clouds began rolling in.
"It looks like a storm is brewing" Krillan observed. "If you don't have anywhere to go we have an extra room in the house."
18 thought for a moment. "I don't really want to go back home so I'll take you up on that. I don't like the idea of getting wet."
"Okay" Krillan said happily. "Just make sure you lock your door," he cautioned.
"Why is that?" she asked following him.
"Well," he said laughing nervously rubbing his head. "Let's just say that you don't want to have any uninvited guests during the night. There are a couple of peeping toms in the house."
"Don't worry" the blonde android said cracking her knuckles with an evil grin, "I can take care of myself."
****
Dende
The young god of the earth stood on the edge of the look out stifling back tears. His friends were all so sad and it pained his heart that there was nothing he could do. It was the ones that he knew the least that worried him the most. His friends from Namek all were handling the loss of Goku pretty well. Piccolo was somewhat saddened but he was strong. Gohan had his mother and she had him. Bulma had Vegeta's support, albeit somewhat understated. The others though seemed to have taken it the hardest and were somewhat isolated. He only hoped that the recent developments helped take their minds off their grief.
"Are you okay Dende?" a calm voice asked.
The little namek looked up into the kindly dark face of Mr. Po Po.
"I'm okay" the boy reassured him. "It just is hard seeing people suffering and not being able to stop all of it."
"It is a heavy responsibility that you've taken on in your young age but I know you will be successful" the being said with a nod of his turbaned head.
"How many gods have you served Mr. Po Po?" the boy asked.
"Well" he said scratching his head. "It's been a long time. Let me see…I think…I think I have served with at least 100."
"100!" Dende exclaimed, "You must be really old!"
"Yes" he said laughing, "I'm actually about 2,000 years old."
"What!"
"You see I'm an immortal magical being, a Jin to be exact" he replied.
"What's a Jin?" Dende asked with curios awe.
"Well," Po Po replied. "We are spirits that live on the earth but we are bound by a curse. All of us are connected to some object and when someone comes into possession of that object we are bound to serve him or her until we have granted them three wishes. When a young man discovered the box to which I was attached he first wished to be a god so I helped him gain this position. He soon realized the heavy responsibility he had taken on and wished for wisdom and with that wisdom he realized he did not have enough knowledge to make the best decisions. He realized I had much knowledge being as old as I was so he wished I would be forever bound to serve every god of the earth from that day forward. Since then it has been both my pleasure and pain to serve each successor to the best of my abilities."
"I'm glad I have you to help me" Dende said with a smile "and to be my friend."
"I hate to break up your little touchy feely moment but I was under the impression I was supposed to start baby-sitting today" a gruff deep voice announced.
"Piccolo!" the boy exclaimed happily.
"Don't worry you were right" Po Po told the namekian warrior. "Dende we really should be going now" he looked down and saw the worry on his young charge's face. "Don't worry Piccolo will take care of things just fine while we are gone to the Annual Meeting."
"What's the matter kid?" Piccolo scolded. "Don't you trust me?"
"Oh no," Dende said earnestly "it's not that. I'm just nervous about this meeting."
"You'll do just fine Dende" Po Po encouraged.
"Yes" Piccolo said in a gentler voice born of the part of him that now contained Nail "you'll do just fine." He turned his head and added curtly, "Just leave already."
"I'm ready Mr. Po Po," the boy announced bravely puffing out his chest and straightening his stance. Smiling Mr. Po Po called forth his magic carpet. Climbing aboard he gestured for the boy to follow. Dende floated up to the carpet and settled on it lightly laying his staff on his lap. "Good luck Piccolo," the boy said waving as the carpet fazed out and vanished into thin air.
The warrior sighed and shook his head. He had wanted to refuse the stint as temporary god of the earth when Mr. Po Po had approached him but the Nail part of him wanted to ease Dende's mind and the Kami part of him welcomed the chance to return to the job for a time, and his own practical side told him it was in his best interests to take the job rather than let it fall to someone else's incompetent hands so he found it impossible to refuse.
"Well I guess this is it," he said absently watching the birds playing on the wind that lifted up his cape. "Two weeks of babysitting a planet full of idiots" he sighed "and for some reason I have a sinking feeling that I'm going to regret it."
Authors Notes:
General:
You are always welcome to review via ffnet or my email address. If you leave a review here if you leave your e-mail I will write you back! I promise.
If you have any ideas you'd like me to use or comments they are welcome too. I may post and share questions I think might help others.
Notes on this story:
Yamcha's story:
Yes Yamcha now has a Genie. I use the term Jin because that is the actual correct way to say it. The western corruption of the plural form of the word Jinni is where we get it from and I decided I like Jin better. Po Po's explanation of what a Jin is is pretty much it except for the fact most Jinni are mischeivious and malicious tricksters. If you ever read Arabian Nights stories you will see that Jinni often tried to kill their "masters" indirectly or entrap them. Yamcha's is no acception. Evil Grin
Ten & Chaiotzu's Story:
I bet you are wondering what a wu is and Ku'nlun is. I will be explaining both of these things as the story progresses. They are both from a Chinese myth that I think gives a pretty good explanation for what Ten actually is.
Krillan's Story:
Yes you guessed it, this story involves Krillan and 18 getting together, but it is an action/adventure story. I'm not big on just writing romances because frankly I find the plots for most contrived so in general I include romance as a sub-plot as I'm doing in this case. The main crux of this tale is trying to find out 18's past and how it leads them to uncovering something much bigger than that.
Dende & Po Po:
Yes Mr. Po Po is a genie and I got that information from Planet Namek. I agree whole-heartedly with it and if your not sure why just look at how he dresses and he does majical things. His magic carpet is straight out of the Arabian Nights for crying out loud. Despite the fact that he is neither malicious or mischeivious he fits the bill to a tee. You know what they say "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it must be a duck."
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dragon Ball Z characters created by Akira Toriyama and am not profiting from this work. It is just a story that I'm writing because I love these characters. However, this fiction contains numerous original characters that are my creation so please don't use any of them without my permission.
Here is a more detailed Summary:
After the Cell Games four adventures will begin....
A chance encounter at a bar and a valuable gift puts Yamcha in contact with a super natural creature. Setting off on an adventure in a desert half a world away, far from home, he will meet with untold dangers and mythical creatures in pursuit of riches and a peaceful heart
Chaitozu's restless heart sends he and Tenshenhan back to Mifan where an ancient evil awaits. Will the eternal child be able to save his kingdom from the clutches of four powerful foes? Does Tenshenhan's long hidden abilities and orgins hold the key to victory?
Krillan is called to keep his promise to help 18 (See My Short Story Questions) when she had nowhere else to turn. Together they will delve into her mysterious past in search of her pre-android beginnings and uncovering a little bit more than they bargained for.
Young Dende must attend the annual Assemby of the Gods leaving the people of earth in the trusty hands of PICCOLO! With the ever faithful Mr. Po Po as his guide in the heavenly realm the young god will uncover a supernatural plot that could have universal repercussions.
Join these under appreciated characters on their separate journeys of self- discovery that just might effect the world, the universe and each other.
Hi there! This is going to be my next epic! This story is 100% saiyajin free! Don't get me wrong. I love the saiyajin characters. Just look at my other fictions if you don't believe me! This is my attempt at tributing the more often forgotten fighters of DBZ and to hopefully write something fresh instead of clichéd or containing elements common to fan fiction. I'm using elements of Japanese, Chinese and Middle Eastern mythology as well as these neglected characters to make it different. There is a little Piccolo in it though but the crux of the tales center around the 10 characters mentioned above.
As always any questions and comments are welcome.
NOTE: I have made Puar's sex male because I have read many conflicting reports of his/her sex. I obtained the male determination because a site and a manga I obtained called Puar a he. I am aware that Puar is a she in the Funimation Dub but I'm going with what I think AT's original intention was.
Unsung Heroes
By: Lil Songbird
1.1.1.1.1 Prologue
1.1.1.1.1.1 Yamcha
The bar was more busy than usual tonight. Not that he cared. He was here to drown his sorrows, to numb his grief with alcohol. He had never felt worse in his life, that is if you could call it a life. It was more of a joke than a life. Downing the last of his beer Yamcha wiped his mouth.
"Bartender" he slurred clumsily pulling another wad of cash from his pocket and slapping it on the counter "I want ash many beers ash thish can buy."
"I don't know buddy you've had too much already," the man said from the counter.
"No I haven't" he said, "I still feel lousy."
"If you keep drinking the way you are right now you'll get alcohol poisoning" the man replied gently. "Let me call a cab for you."
"What makes you think I care if die" the inebriated man replied pounding the counter "jus' give e another beer."
"Yamcha" Puar squeaked worriedly "you shouldn't talk like that. You can't die. Let's go home."
"It's not like anyone would care" the man slurred to the cat.
"Listen, things won't seem as bad when you get the alcohol out of your system" the bartender stated. "Listen to your friend."
"What do you know?" Yamcha shouted in an uncharacteristic display of anger. "You wanna to know how bad thing are, I'll tel' you. I left my job on the West Capital City Baseball Team to save the worl'. They said I could come back but I went there yesterday an' they said I've been gone too long to go back. They want young blood for the team now. They don' need me."
"My girlfriend an I broke-up wile I was trainin' an I thought it would e like normal. We always fought and made-up, but this time she found someone else, a deranged killer that wants to rule the Earth. She claims he cud understand each other better than we cud and we jus' weren't right for each other. She don' need me."
"The wors' part is that the big battle I trained so hard for was so far out of my league I had to jus' watch as one of the best men I know sacrificed himself. I was of no help. I was too weak to do much of anything." Yamcha slammed his fist again busting a hole in the counter shocking the on- lookers before resting his head in his hands. "I'm a loser," he said in a voice shaky with unshed tears. "I'm not good for anything."
"It sounds to me like you could use a little distraction" a short, breaded man at the counter said. "I have just the thing."
Yamcha looked drunkenly up at the man frowning. "Really?" the scarred man asked sarcastically.
Removing the ring on his finger the man placed it on the counter. "This is part of a much greater treasure. I need a strong man that can defend me with a sense of adventure to help me find it. I think you'd fit the bill very nicely" he said gesturing at the hole in the countertop "and since you are free at the moment you might like to come."
Yamcha picked up the ring and looked at it. It was a golden, ruby encrusted ring with strange writing on the band he couldn't make out. He wasn't sure if that was due to his foggy mind or the writing. "Why should I help you?" he asked.
"I'll give you a cut of the treasure for your trouble" the man replied. "I just thought it might do you good to make yourself useful instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself." The man produced a card from his pocket ignoring the glare that his last remark had earned and handed it to the fighter. "Call me if you change your mind. You need a job and I'm offering to pay you handsomely," he said getting up. "Consider the ring my first payment."
Yamcha watched the man leave and looked at the ring he held in his hand curiously turning it over in his clumsy fingers. Putting the object on his finger he rose up in his seat. "Com' n Puar" he said. "Les go home," he said stumbling from his stool.
Puar floated over and tried to steady him as he walked out of the bar onto the street. He swayed over to a lamp stand and leaned against it for support. The light glinted off the ring on his finger catching his attention so he held it out in front of him to examine it once more. "I thin' that guy is crazy to jus' give this away to someone he probably won' see again" the fighter said staring at it. "Its probably worth a fortune" he said rubbing it with his finger as he spoke "but it will pay our bills for awhile."
Suddenly as he spoke a cold wind blew past him and formed itself into a curling column of mist. The mist coalesced forming what appeared to be the soft outline of a woman before the misty apparition metamorphosed into a living breathing being. She was pretty, with dark chocolate skin, large blue eyes, blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and ears that came to a point. Clutching the pole before himself Yamcha blinked at the figure. "I guess I did over do it Puar" Yamcha slurred "I'm seein' thing."
"If you just saw a woman appear out of no where you aren't seeing things" Puar squeaked rubbing his eyes.
"You aren't seeing things," the woman clad in harem dress chirped happily floating above the man as he paled in shock. "I'm the Jin attached to that ring and I am bound to serve you as long as you wear it. I will grant you three wishes." She watched in surprise as the man's eyes rolled back into his head, he slumped over falling to the ground while the little cat dove under him and broke his fall. "I've never had one do that before" she said with a shrug and a giggle.
"Please" said Puar obviously straining under the man's weight. "Help me get him home" he begged the woman.
"I suppose I could do that but it will count as a wish," she said.
"I don't care please help," the little cat repeated.
"Very well" the woman replied and the street was empty once again.
***
Tenshenhan & Chaiotzu
Chaiotzu sat at the edge of the cliff staring out at the clouds that blanketed the world below him contemplating his latest worry. He was worried about the Earth now that its greatest hero was gone and whether anyone of the remaining beings truly had the power to fight against whatever danger lay ahead. He had slowly recently begun to realize how obsolete his abilities were becoming. Tensenhan had been right to leave him behind when the androids came. His ESP was not strong enough to control the caliber of fighters that had been threatening the earth lately and he wondered if there ever would be one again.
"Are you okay Chaiotzu" Ten asked his longtime best friend.
"I'm just worried" Chaiotzu said frankly. "Do you think that I'll ever be able to fight again and make a difference?"
"I think that there has to be someone, sometime that your abilities will affect again," Ten told him truthfully. "There is no other fighter I know of that has your abilities."
"Maybe" the boy answered unconvinced. "I do know one thing though, I think I should give up the crown at Mifan."
"You've got to be kidding Chaiotzu" Ten rebuked "you can't do that. Those people depend on you."
"I'm not around much anymore though and if I am I don't think I'd make a difference" he replied slumping his shoulders.
"You tried to give up the crown before the androids came because you wouldn't be there for three years and they wouldn't accept it then" Ten reminded him. "What makes you think they'd accept your resignation now?"
Chaiotzu got up and turned to face his friend. "I have to try Ten," the boy said seriously. "I only was made their emperor because I was able to protect them and now that I can't it doesn't make any sense I should still rule."
"If you really want to try we can go after we visit Ku'nlun" the triclops relented.
"No Ten" the boy replied, "I think that I should go back now by myself."
Ten forked his eyes incredously. "You have to come with me Chaiotzu," he reminded the boy "as my wu you have to be there."
"Maybe I shouldn't be your wu anymore" the boy said. "You know I can't defend you anymore than I could defend Mifan."
"Chaiotzu you know that's impossible" Ten said in surprise. "For as long as we both live the pact stands."
"We've both died more than once" the boy said "isn't that grounds enough to break it?"
"Even if it did both of us would have to agree to it" Ten answered gruffly "and I'd never accept it."
"I'm sorry Ten" Chaiotzu said simply turning his back to him and starting slowly down the mountain on foot.
"Chaiotzu!" Ten called after him getting no response. Cursing Ten ran after him and fell into step with his short strides. "If you're this determined to go back to Mifan I'll go with you but then we have to go back to Ku'nlun immediately and I won't here anymore of your stupid excuses."
Chaiotzu smiled in spite of himself. "You're a good friend Ten," he said gratefully.
Ten smiled in return as they walked together down the mountain in companionable silence. Neither had to say a word, for the friendship they had forged transcended the spoken word. Sometimes they would go days without exchanging hardly a word finding the comforting presence of another being that understood their need for solitude enough in of itself. What had begun as merely a bodyguard job for Tenshenhan nearly 20 years ago had become a way of life. Oddly enough, the one he had been paid to protect had ended up protecting him on a number of occasions. Now, for this friendship either was prepared to die for the other and lend support when it was due. It was for this reason Tenshenhan refused to let Chaiotzu go by himself to Mifan and for this reason Chaiotzu no longer protested his accompaniment.
"I wonder what its like there now" Chaiotzu wondered nervously.
"I don't know" Ten replied. "A lot can happen in three years."
***
Krillan
The former monk pulled his face into a twisted mask of concentration as he stared out at the blue expanse that stretched into the horizon. He powered- up up disturbing the waters that began to lap at his ankles wetting the hem of his trousers. Oblivious to anything around him, Krillan pulled back his arms cupping them to the side.
"KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!" he cried before releasing the energy into the now turbulent ocean.
He watched the energy wave cut a path through the waters as was his daily ritual not really seeing it. Sighing he closed his eyes and brought his aura up about him preparing for the large wave he knew would come.
"Not too bad" he heard a voice say startling him from his reverie. Immediately snapping into a fighting stance he spun around towards the voice whose owner for some reason had gone undetected. What he saw shocked him. The blonde woman smirked, a graceful hand planted on her hip, standing on the beach before him dumbfounding him with the quirk of an eyebrow. Her cerulean eyes darted behind him and she smiled before taking off into the air puzzling the man still numb from surprise. Suddenly he heard the sound of water rushing towards him.
"Damn!" Krillian muttered as the wall of water swept over him before he could prepare for it.
18 landed back down on the beach as the water reseeded and watched with a curious concern as the human man coughed and gagged pushing the water from his lungs. The man looked up at her remaining on his hands and knees taking in deep, calming breaths with a puzzled stare.
"Android 18" Krillan said at last breathless, however it wasn't due to the fact that he had just nearly aspirated a great deal of water, the reason was the way the faint star-light and the lights from Kame House shone on the golden head and in the azure eyes of the woman who stood in half-shadow before him. "Why are you here?" he finally stuttered.
Silently she knelt down in front of him and removed a piece of seaweed from off the top of his head. "I'm here to collect on a promise you made," she said with a smile.
"Promise?" he asked puzzled.
"The last time I talked to you, you said that if I ever needed any help just to ask," she said standing up. "Don't tell me you forgot."
"Of course not" Krillan said quickly standing. "I'm just surprised you actually took me up on it," he continued nervously wringing out his shirt. "The truth is" he said quietly "I doubted I'd ever see you again."
"I'm surprised I came here myself" she said quietly. "The truth is I had no one else to turn to. 17 disagreed with what I'm about to do and I don't have any friends to speak of, so I thought I'd take you up on your promise."
"Well" Krillan said a bit crushed "I'm glad you came to me, even if I was your last choice."
18 turned and regarded him for a moment still puzzled as to why he seemed to care about what she thought of him. "The reason I've come here is for a personal reason" she said uncomfortable with all that she needed to disclose to ask for his assistance. "Ever since I was activated for the first time I have had no memory of anything in my past. I know that both 17 and I were human once and that he is my brother, but nothing more and I need help to find it."
"Brother?" Krillan questioned. "I thought…"
"I know," she said with a smirk "you thought he was my boyfriend."
"Well," Krillan ventured softly the color of his cheeks visible even in the darkness "I'm kind-of glad he isn't."
"Don't get any ideas" 18 qualified turning from him blushing slightly in spite of herself.
"No need to worry about that," he said laughing nervously as his own expense. "I know a beautiful girl like you would never go for a guy like me."
"You enjoy downgrading yourself don't you?" 18 accused confused.
"No" Krillan said. "I'm just saying the truth is all. I don't have any delusions. I'm short, I'm not much to look at, I'm not famous and I don't have any money either. Those are the things girls like."
"You aren't the reason I said that" she said. "I'm an android and I'm not programmed for emotions like you feel. I just don't want you mistaking my reason for coming here. You've been very kind to me so far and I don't want you getting hurt."
"I wouldn't give up on emotions just yet," he said with a bit of a smile. "You just expressed one right now. If you can care and have compassion then you must be capable of deeper things as well." She began to speak in protest but he raised his hand. "Don't get the wrong idea," he stated, "I don't expect anything from you but I hope we can at least be friends. I just don't want you giving up on experiencing anything in life. I've seen you afraid, sad and even sympathetic so I know you can feel."
"You're a strange man Krillan," she said trying to calm the thoughts that ran amuck in her head with his words. "Your willing to help me without getting anything in return."
"I'm not so unusual" he said blushing slightly. "There are a lot of decent people out there that will give you a chance if you let them."
An awkward silence fell between them as they both stared out into the sea as the dark clouds began rolling in.
"It looks like a storm is brewing" Krillan observed. "If you don't have anywhere to go we have an extra room in the house."
18 thought for a moment. "I don't really want to go back home so I'll take you up on that. I don't like the idea of getting wet."
"Okay" Krillan said happily. "Just make sure you lock your door," he cautioned.
"Why is that?" she asked following him.
"Well," he said laughing nervously rubbing his head. "Let's just say that you don't want to have any uninvited guests during the night. There are a couple of peeping toms in the house."
"Don't worry" the blonde android said cracking her knuckles with an evil grin, "I can take care of myself."
****
Dende
The young god of the earth stood on the edge of the look out stifling back tears. His friends were all so sad and it pained his heart that there was nothing he could do. It was the ones that he knew the least that worried him the most. His friends from Namek all were handling the loss of Goku pretty well. Piccolo was somewhat saddened but he was strong. Gohan had his mother and she had him. Bulma had Vegeta's support, albeit somewhat understated. The others though seemed to have taken it the hardest and were somewhat isolated. He only hoped that the recent developments helped take their minds off their grief.
"Are you okay Dende?" a calm voice asked.
The little namek looked up into the kindly dark face of Mr. Po Po.
"I'm okay" the boy reassured him. "It just is hard seeing people suffering and not being able to stop all of it."
"It is a heavy responsibility that you've taken on in your young age but I know you will be successful" the being said with a nod of his turbaned head.
"How many gods have you served Mr. Po Po?" the boy asked.
"Well" he said scratching his head. "It's been a long time. Let me see…I think…I think I have served with at least 100."
"100!" Dende exclaimed, "You must be really old!"
"Yes" he said laughing, "I'm actually about 2,000 years old."
"What!"
"You see I'm an immortal magical being, a Jin to be exact" he replied.
"What's a Jin?" Dende asked with curios awe.
"Well," Po Po replied. "We are spirits that live on the earth but we are bound by a curse. All of us are connected to some object and when someone comes into possession of that object we are bound to serve him or her until we have granted them three wishes. When a young man discovered the box to which I was attached he first wished to be a god so I helped him gain this position. He soon realized the heavy responsibility he had taken on and wished for wisdom and with that wisdom he realized he did not have enough knowledge to make the best decisions. He realized I had much knowledge being as old as I was so he wished I would be forever bound to serve every god of the earth from that day forward. Since then it has been both my pleasure and pain to serve each successor to the best of my abilities."
"I'm glad I have you to help me" Dende said with a smile "and to be my friend."
"I hate to break up your little touchy feely moment but I was under the impression I was supposed to start baby-sitting today" a gruff deep voice announced.
"Piccolo!" the boy exclaimed happily.
"Don't worry you were right" Po Po told the namekian warrior. "Dende we really should be going now" he looked down and saw the worry on his young charge's face. "Don't worry Piccolo will take care of things just fine while we are gone to the Annual Meeting."
"What's the matter kid?" Piccolo scolded. "Don't you trust me?"
"Oh no," Dende said earnestly "it's not that. I'm just nervous about this meeting."
"You'll do just fine Dende" Po Po encouraged.
"Yes" Piccolo said in a gentler voice born of the part of him that now contained Nail "you'll do just fine." He turned his head and added curtly, "Just leave already."
"I'm ready Mr. Po Po," the boy announced bravely puffing out his chest and straightening his stance. Smiling Mr. Po Po called forth his magic carpet. Climbing aboard he gestured for the boy to follow. Dende floated up to the carpet and settled on it lightly laying his staff on his lap. "Good luck Piccolo," the boy said waving as the carpet fazed out and vanished into thin air.
The warrior sighed and shook his head. He had wanted to refuse the stint as temporary god of the earth when Mr. Po Po had approached him but the Nail part of him wanted to ease Dende's mind and the Kami part of him welcomed the chance to return to the job for a time, and his own practical side told him it was in his best interests to take the job rather than let it fall to someone else's incompetent hands so he found it impossible to refuse.
"Well I guess this is it," he said absently watching the birds playing on the wind that lifted up his cape. "Two weeks of babysitting a planet full of idiots" he sighed "and for some reason I have a sinking feeling that I'm going to regret it."
Authors Notes:
General:
You are always welcome to review via ffnet or my email address. If you leave a review here if you leave your e-mail I will write you back! I promise.
If you have any ideas you'd like me to use or comments they are welcome too. I may post and share questions I think might help others.
Notes on this story:
Yamcha's story:
Yes Yamcha now has a Genie. I use the term Jin because that is the actual correct way to say it. The western corruption of the plural form of the word Jinni is where we get it from and I decided I like Jin better. Po Po's explanation of what a Jin is is pretty much it except for the fact most Jinni are mischeivious and malicious tricksters. If you ever read Arabian Nights stories you will see that Jinni often tried to kill their "masters" indirectly or entrap them. Yamcha's is no acception. Evil Grin
Ten & Chaiotzu's Story:
I bet you are wondering what a wu is and Ku'nlun is. I will be explaining both of these things as the story progresses. They are both from a Chinese myth that I think gives a pretty good explanation for what Ten actually is.
Krillan's Story:
Yes you guessed it, this story involves Krillan and 18 getting together, but it is an action/adventure story. I'm not big on just writing romances because frankly I find the plots for most contrived so in general I include romance as a sub-plot as I'm doing in this case. The main crux of this tale is trying to find out 18's past and how it leads them to uncovering something much bigger than that.
Dende & Po Po:
Yes Mr. Po Po is a genie and I got that information from Planet Namek. I agree whole-heartedly with it and if your not sure why just look at how he dresses and he does majical things. His magic carpet is straight out of the Arabian Nights for crying out loud. Despite the fact that he is neither malicious or mischeivious he fits the bill to a tee. You know what they say "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it must be a duck."