Okay, I've updated 'The Reunion' a few times since last updating this. So, I figure it's about time I did something on this one. I just get such enthusiastic reviews on my other story it's easy to get chapters up. (hint, hint) Anyway, here's chapter 11 with some new Misao action! Hope ya like!
Disclaimer: Not mine. Still. Darn.
Kaoru…the Saiyan??
Chapter 11: New Worlds and New Roles
Kaoru resumed sparring with Goku the next morning. She didn't really feel any different with her new tail, but she did notice the slight increase in power. She easily kept it wrapped around her waist. Out of sight, out of mind.
"Goku! You're not attacking me, you're just playing! Stop it and fight!" Kaoru angrily began punching at the multiple images of Goku as he raced around her.
"Kaoru, you need to calm down. Concentrate on my energy. You'll find me." Goku gently prodded the princess.
Kaoru closed her eyes and just felt things out. She suddenly punched straight in front of her and snapped her eyes open when she connected with something. Goku was in front of her, panting from where she knocked the wind out of him. "Good job. Let's take a break. I'm hungry!"
Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Why does that not surprise me?" She landed lightly on the ground and strode past Kenshin, not even looking in his direction.
Kenshin glanced at Aoshi, who had been observing the practice with him. "I really messed up this time, Aoshi."
Aoshi merely nodded. "Kamiya-san is extremely angry with you. I've never seen her hold a grudge for more than a few hours."
Kenshin looked down at the ground and turned inside to fix lunch. He had to make it up to Kaoru, had to let her know he cared, but not interfere with her training. He set about making lunch, half his mind on that task, the other half on what to do for Kaoru.
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Lunch came and went quickly and Kaoru and Goku were outside once again. Kaoru grew bored with the sparring quickly. "It's the same training everyday. I need something more if I'm going to improve, Goku."
Goku just nodded in agreement. "You're keeping up with me far too easily. I know! Hang on. I just need to speak with the others."
Kaoru hovered, doing solo training exercises while she waited for Goku.
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Goku found Vegeta and Piccolo in the woods nearby, meditating. "Hey, guys!"
Both snapped their eyes open to see what Goku had to say. "Do you think it's time to go
to the next level?"
Vegeta frowned at him. "Do you think she's ready for that?"
Goku drew his brows together. "Well, we only have five months left. If we don't push her now, we won't get anywhere in time."
Piccolo spoke next. "The Room of Spirit and Time. That's our only option at this point."
Goku and Vegeta both nodded slowly. Goku started off toward Kaoru again and called over his shoulder. "Be ready to leave by tomorrow night. The sooner the better."
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Kaoru paused to wipe her forehead and looked down to see Kenshin over by the laundry tub. Her features softened and she couldn't fight it anymore. She was still furious, but still hopelessly in love with him. She flew down and landed lightly right in front of him.
Kenshin looked up startled and stopped scrubbing. He stood up and waited for Kaoru to speak.
"Kenshin, I'm still completely angry with you. You drew your sword on me. There was no need for that. I know you wouldn't have hurt me, but it still broke my heart that you did it. I can't be friends again, not yet. But, I want us to be able to talk to each other without glaring and trying to knock the other over with our ki."
Kenshin looked shocked. "I never tried to knock you over with my ki."
Kaoru looked at him confused. "Oh really? Must've just been me then. Anyway, that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is I won't forget, but I will forgive you. If this fight with Nakago ends badly, I don't want to die with us still fighting."
She looked at the ground, suddenly looking like the Kaoru she was before this all started. Kenshin's mind registered what she just said. If it ends badly… "Kaoru-dono, why would it end badly? I'm sure Vegeta, Goku, Trunks and the others will help. With all of you fighting, you should win."
Kaoru looked at him, pained. "You don't understand. There's a whole honor system in place with their fights. One on one. If one person is knocked out or can't continue, then someone else can step in, but not until that time. They don't all fight one person at the same time. Even with a madman, it's all about honor. And…I still need to kill someone. I don't know if I can do that."
Kenshin's mind began forming a plan, but could he do it? After all this time, it didn't seem like he could, but for Kaoru, he would do anything. "I'm sure everything will be fine, Kaoru-dono."
She nodded slowly and then noticed Goku standing a few feet away. "Kaoru, it's time to go to the next level with your training." Kaoru stood in front of Goku and he began backing away. "Just stay there, Princess. I need to show you what you'll be doing next."
Kaoru and Kenshin glanced at each other and then looked back to Goku. He let out a loud yell and his whole body was surrounded by a bright yellow glow. His hair had turned blond and stood up straight and his eyes were now a greenish-blue color. A strong gust of wind blew towards Kaoru and Kenshin and they put up their arms to shield themselves. The wind died down and they both stared again, wide-eyed.
"Goku? What are you now?" Kaoru couldn't quite believe what she was seeing.
"I'm a Super Saiyan now. There are four levels to Super Saiyan, but I'm guessing you'll only hit the first two in the amount of time we have." He grinned at her and she just kept staring, mouth hanging open.
Kenshin spoke for her. "Super Saiyan?"
"Yep. Once a Saiyan is strong enough, they can transform into this. Their power grows exponentially with each stage. It's what Kaoru desperately needs to defeat Nakago."
Kaoru's mind started functioning again and she looked at Goku, determination written across her features. "Let's get to it, then."
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Kaoru's Super Saiyan training was with Trunks and Gohan the next morning. Piccolo, Vegeta and Goku all thought it best since they were closer to her age and could relate better to what would make her angry. Both groups were gathered in a field in the countryside with no people around for miles. All of them wanted to witness the transformation when it happened.
Gohan and Trunks stood to the side and Kaoru was in the middle of the field. She closed her eyes and began to power up as far as she could go. Then, the yelling started.
"Think about all the innocent people Nakago has killed."
An increase in Kaoru's ki.
"The children that died by his hands."
A bigger increase, but still not enough.
"Come on, Kaoru! You need to get angry!"
Kaoru fell to the ground, trying to catch her breath. "It's…too…much. I'm exhausted all ready. I don't think I have enough in me to do it."
Gohan and Trunks tried to encourage her, but anger her at the same time. Gohan smirked at her. "Come on, Kaoru. I was 11 when I went Super Saiyan!"
Kaoru glared at the young man and stood. "Okay, let's try again."
She began her power up again and could feel a deeper power that was just out of reach. She kept pushing and pushing. The morning passed and then the afternoon. Just before dark, Trunks struck the nerve that almost opened the floodgates, so to speak.
He stepped closer so only Kaoru could hear him. "Kaoru, think about what happened with Kenshin that one night."
An anguished shout and a bright glow emanated from Kaoru's body. Everyone watched awestruck as Kaoru's hair flashed between black and gold. She couldn't hang on to it though and it faded and she fell to the ground.
Vegeta scowled. "Pathetic. The Saiyan princess can't even reach that which is her birthright. You're a disgrace to the Saiyan race! I can't believe we wasted our time to
come here looking for you."
Kenshin began to step forward, but Goku caught his arm and shook his head. "Just watch. He's helping her."
Vegeta continued his assault. "You're not worthy to call yourself the Saiyan princess or my sister. No wonder he rejected a weakling like you."
That was all it took. Her hair flashed again and settled on gold this time. Her eyes went totally white and then the color reappeared, a deep and dark forest green. Her hair was too long to stand up straight so it stayed as it always did.
Vegeta smirked. "You did it."
Goku and all the offspring began jumping in the air, shouting joyously. Kenshin stared, dumbstruck. Sano and Misao joined the Z gang in their jumping and shouting. Megumi smiled at her friend and Aoshi…no change, but he was probably happy on the inside! The Z women smiled, used to the Super Saiyan transformation by now.
Kaoru looked down at the soft glow around her and smiled. She pulled some hair around to look at it and when she saw the blond she shrieked in happiness. "I did it! I'm a Super Saiyan!" Then she remembered Vegeta's hurtful words and an angry glare came across her face.
Vegeta noticed and went Super Saiyan himself. The two flew at each other, the speed unimaginable. Goku and the other Saiyans watched closely, all celebrations over. Kenshin tried, but only caught glimpses every now and then, not used to the speed they were fighting at. Kaoru's body hurtled towards the ground, hit hard and she sat up slowly. Her bottom lip was bleeding and she was obviously done fighting for the night.
Vegeta landed, a small gash on his face. "You actually landed a punch. We'll be leaving tonight for our planet. You can't finish your training here."
Kaoru's mind reeled. He went from one subject to the next without even a pause. Finally, she made sense of what he said. "What? Your world? Why?"
Piccolo looked at her. "You've come a very long way, but it isn't enough. In our world, there is a room that you can go into and inside a year will pass, but to the outside world, it's only 24 hours. We need to make use of that room. However, a person can only spend 2 days or 2 years, however you look at it, inside. Vegeta, Goku and myself have used up our time inside. If we were to enter we would be trapped. I do know of some people who could enter though." He glanced at the two teenage Saiyans. "Trunks and Gohan still have one day left to use. And then, I'm pretty sure I know someone else who could spare a day."
Kaoru absorbed all the information and agreed, but on the one condition they knew she would have. "I want all my friends to come too. And Yahiko. We'll need to get Yahiko."
Goku nodded and disappeared to go get the boy and the rest headed back to the dojo to pack.
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Megumi gave Kaoru a hug. "Sorry I can't come with you, but I need to look after my patients here."
Kaoru nodded in understanding and smiled at the doctor. "We'll bring you back something nice."
Megumi smiled and watched as everyone gathered in a circle. Yahiko got in between Kaoru and Kenshin and grabbed a hand of each, looking like a child again.
He had almost lost his Tokyo Samurai composure when he saw Kaoru again, running over to hug her and blinking hard so he wouldn't cry. Now he was a bundle of nerves, practically bouncing on his feet in anticipation.
Goku made sure everyone was gathered. "Are you sure Megumi? Last chance." She smiled a bit sadly.
"My patients." Dr. Genzai came up behind her.
"Go on. Have fun." Kaoru had been by a few times, explaining what was going on to the old doctor. "I know what's happening and I know that this is something that you don't want to be left out of."
Megumi looked at him. "What about you? Don't you want to go?"
Dr. Genzai chuckled. "My old bones wouldn't make it through the trip! You go with your friends. I'll be fine here."
Megumi hesitated for only a few seconds before impulsively hugging Dr. Genzai and jogging over to the group. "Okay, I'm going too."
Goku placed his fingers to his forehead. "Hang on, everyone." They all held on to each other tightly, flashed and were gone.
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They materialized on a flat, white tiled surface. Plants were everywhere and a large temple-like structure sat in the middle.
Sano looked around and whistled. "Your planet sure is tiny."
Vegeta growled. "This is the Lookout, baka. This is where the Guardian lives."
Misao looked around. "Guardian?"
Trunks walked in front of the group, looking for something. "Each planet has a guardian that protects it and watches out for trouble. Dende is this planet's guardian and good friend to Gohan."
Finally, Trunks spotted what he was looking for. "Dende! Over here!"
A medium sized green man, obviously the same species as Piccolo, rushed over to the group. "Welcome to Earth! My name is Dende, the Guardian of Earth."
He was soft-voiced and very gentle. Without a doubt, a kind person. He looked at them knowingly. "I know why you're here and you can't use it just yet."
Goku was quick to complain. "Dende, we need to get her into training."
The green man put up a silencing hand. "You have five months. The chamber will only take 2 days. I want you to relax for one week before coming in here. She has been training since you all went to her planet. It's taken its toll on her and she doesn't seem to be the same person she once was. Allow her to center herself again and then you can enter."
Piccolo nodded in agreement. "Yes, I see. Very well. We'll return one week from today."
Dende and Misao looked at each other and Dende called out. "Wait!" He ran over and grabbed Misao's hands and a small jolt of electricity went through both of them. "I knew it! You're one of us!"
Misao looked confused. "Huh? One of you, what?"
Dende looked her in the eye. "You're a healer. I know there's a doctor in your group already." He gave a nod to Megumi. "But, also in most circles with a fighter, there is a healer. One who has the power once they are born to heal using only their own powers. You are that healer, Misao."
She still didn't look convinced. "But, I'm a fighter myself. Why do you think it's me?"
Dende pressed on, unfazed. "Just because you're a healer, doesn't mean you can't fight at all. Healers can still defend themselves, but they will never be as strong a fighter as others. And as for thinking it's you, it's because of the jolt when I grabbed your hands. When two healers touch each other, you feel this connection. So, it's you. The healer for this group."
Misao's eyes were wide with disbelief. "What does this mean?"
Piccolo answered. "It means that while Kaoru trains in fighting, you'll be training in healing. We'll need a healer on the battlefield." He noticed Megumi's put off expression. "Megumi, don't feel like your spot has been taken over. With a healer, the effect is instant and the healing is complete within seconds. But, a healer can only heal for so long before they exhaust themselves. And since Misao just found out about this, she'll get tired quickly. We'll still need you in case she exhausts herself before the battle ends."
Megumi nodded once. Dende addressed everyone. "I would like all of you to return in one week. There's a lot you all need to learn about Nakago and what will happen."
Everyone said their good-byes and took off for Capsule Corp.
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A/N: There you have it. My Misao idea. I think it could be interesting. Poor little Misao always seems to be left out in some way. I think I'll do a 'Misao kicking butt story' later. Hmmm. Anyway, please leave a review! Thank you to all who have been doing so and to my one loyal reviewer who has reviewed every chapter, jay, thanks a million! Hugs & Kisses to all!
