Here's chapter 16! Hope ya like!
Kaoru...the Saiyan??
Chapter 16: Another Year Gone By
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Kaoru sighed as she looked at the vast white space. "It's too soon to be back in here. I only had one day outside of this dump!" She whined and turned pleading eyes to Kobitoshin. "Couldn't we stay out just a bit longer?"
Kobitoshin chuckled and raised his hands. "I'm sorry, Kaoru. This is for the good of an entire universe, just remember that. I'm sure you'll agree that a little discomfort is better than planets being wiped out and entire civilizations meeting their doom."
Kaoru slumped her shoulders in defeat. "I hate it when other people are right." She straightened and turned her full attention to the young kai. "Okay then, what's first?"
Kobitoshin just smirked at her. "I fight just like you do. Normally the Saiyans are stronger than I am, but in this case I do believe I was brought in for brains and not brawn. I also have the ability to intimidate not with power, but with presence. These are the things I'll teach you."
Kaoru nodded. "Alright, let's go then."
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Kenshin sat with his back against the wall, pondering. Piccolo came up next to him and slumped down. "What's on your mind? You've been sitting here thinking for three hours now."
Kenshin sighed and hung his head. "I don't know how to help. Well, I do know how, but I don't know if I can do it or if I should do it. It's been so many years and I was beginning to feel somewhat cleansed. However, I cannot allow Kaoru-dono to kill."
Piccolo's eyes widened in disbelief. "Kenshin, I've heard of your vow. You can't possibly be telling me you intend to break that vow."
The red-head looked at Piccolo with an apologetic smile. "I've come to realize over these past few months that I can't take back what I've done. No amount of non-killing will bring back the lives I took. I've also discovered that some people cannot be changed through words or kindness. Nakago is one of those people. While I feel sympathy for his past, I cannot condone the actions he has taken on others. My hands are already stained. The best thing I can do to help is to prevent Kaoru-dono from staining her hands as well. I will allow her to fight Nakago, but I will deliver the killing strike."
Kenshin stood and left to go rest in one of the rooms on the Lookout, leaving Piccolo with his thoughts. The green man shifted uncomfortably, the weight of Kenshin's decision bearing down on him. He flew off to find the others. If Kenshin is allowed to kill, Kaoru will never forgive us. I don't intend to incur the wrath of a Saiyan princess.
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Aoshi sat to meditate, Misao close on his heels. Aoshi peeked at her through his bangs. "Misao, you don't like to meditate. You've tried to join me before, remember?"
Misao grinned at him shyly. "Aoshi, I've done tons of meditation over the last year. That's pretty much what all my training was! I can handle it." She set herself next to Aoshi gracefully and closed her eyes, her hands in a prayer position.
"Misao, you don't pray in meditation."
"This is how a healer meditates. The meditation is not meant to clear the mind or find answers, it is meant to channel energy. To find one's energy and direct it, we put our hands together so we have a center to focus on."
Aoshi almost gaped at her. That year not only matured her physically, but mentally she was a different person. Still innocent and in love with him, but more intelligent and calm. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate, but couldn't. He kept feeling her ki rise and fall, the flow and direction it was going in forever changing.
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Kaoru panted after the last near fatal attack from Kobitoshin. "Kaoru! I told you to attack me!"
"I can't! You have this presence and this holy power and I can't force myself to go after you! It's intimidating."
"That's the whole point! You have to overcome your mind and just do what has to be done!"
Kaoru looked at him wide-eyed. She repeated his phrase under her breath. "'You have to overcome your mind and just do what has to be done.'"
Kobitoshin stopped his scolding and looked questioningly at his student. "What's wrong, Kaoru?"
"I've never killed before. I must kill Nakago. A man like him can't be contained in a jail cell."
The young kai's gaze softened. "Kaoru, I know this is hard. I myself have a difficult time when I know I must do away with my enemy permanently. But you have to remember why they need to die. If no jail can hold them and they have taken so many innocent lives, there is nothing that can be done for them."
Kaoru turned tear-filled eyes to him. "What gives us the right to end their lives?"
Kobitoshin turned away, having no answer to her question.
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Piccolo met up with the other Saiyans in the sky above the Lookout. "Goku!!"
Goku stopped in mid-punch and looked down to see Piccolo flying quickly towards them. "Piccolo? What's wrong?"
Piccolo stopped and floated in front of Goku. "It's Kenshin. He is willing to break his non-killing vow to keep Kaoru from staining her hands with blood. If he is allowed to do so, Kaoru will never forgive us."
Vegeta snorted. "About time that idiot showed some backbone. If he wishes to marry a Saiyan princess he'll need to be stronger than he is now. A weakling who won't kill is useless in battle."
Goku furrowed his brows, ignoring Vegeta. "We'll have to do something, but I don't know what."
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Aoshi kept peering at Misao from the corner of his eye. She looks so calm and at peace with herself. Whatever happened in that room did her a world of good it seems.
Misao was very aware of Aoshi's stare, but gave no indication. I just need to keep channeling. It's for the good of my friends. It will save their lives. It's for the good of my friends. It will save their lives. The words became a mantra, fueling Misao's desire to master her own energy.
Aoshi decided to go find Kenshin, meditation clearly a lost cause at the moment. He wandered from room to room inside the Lookout, searching for the swordsman. He peeked inside one room at the end of the hall and found him standing in the center of the room, eyes closed, sword unsheathed.
"Battousai."
At Aoshi's low utterance, Kenshin's eyes flew open. Aoshi stumbled back a step, shocked to see the legendary manslayer before him. The once gentle, violet eyes were completely amber, the danger in the small man easily felt even for an inexperienced fighter.
Light footsteps were heard running down the hall and Aoshi turned to see who it was. Misao shoved Aoshi aside and burst into the room. "I could feel your ki all the way out there, Himura! What the hell are you doing?!"
Kenshin glared at her. "I'm doing whatever needs to be done to help, Kaoru."
Misao stomped up to Kenshin, no fear in her at all and slapped him hard. "WAKE UP, BAKA!!"
Battousai's eyes widened and violet began to seep through. "Misao-dono, I'm sorry."
"Just what do you think you were planning to do? Kill Nakago yourself?"
The guilty glance he shot her made Misao roll her eyes. "Oh, for Heaven's sake! You would have just gotten yourself hurt and then I would have had to go and heal you and Kaoru would have never forgiven us because you broke your oath and then she would have panicked that her sweet Kenshin would be gone forever and it would have just opened up a whole big can of worms and it would be ALL. YOUR. FAULT."
Misao punctuated her last words with a finger jab to Kenshin's chest. He listened to her rambling with a mixture of relief and guilt. Sure it was nice that he wasn't expected to handle the death of Nakago and break his vow, but then there was the issue of Kaoru having to do it herself and whether or not she could handle such a predicament. Kenshin sighed and sat on the bed. "I'm sorry, Misao-dono. I just want to help Kaoru-dono. She has never killed before and sessha didn't want her to go through that. I'll just rest a bit. I'm probably just too tired."
Misao pushed some hair behind her ear. "You're right. I don't think you've slept in two days. Get some sleep and then we'll see how you feel later."
Kenshin laid down and Misao placed a hand over his forehead. Kenshin shot her a questioning glance and she just smiled at him. A short burst of warmth shot from her hand and Kenshin was sleeping deeply within seconds. Aoshi looked at her in awe.
"You just stood up to the Battousai. What did you do to him though?"
"He wasn't going to sleep any time soon. And if he did it would just be a light nap. I just relaxed him so he would get a nice deep sleep."
Aoshi smiled and shook his head. "It's times like these that I wonder what I did to deserve you."
Misao's eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks. "What?"
Aoshi never said sweet things to her before. Emotions were a no-no to the great Shinomori. "You heard me, Misao." The hint of a smile playing around his mouth made Misao feel like crying.
"I love you, you big lug." She hugged him tightly and Aoshi returned it. She pulled back to look at him and Aoshi eyed her apologetically. "I know you can't say it yet. But, that doesn't change the way I feel and I'm not going to hide it from you."
Aoshi smiled a small smile at her and hugged her again, placing a small kiss on her forehead.
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Kaoru finally got a blast in while sparring with the young kai. His fighting style seemed to center more on energy blasts than hand to hand fighting. "I finally got you!" She shot a beam again and groaned when she found him behind her.
"Actually, I got you." Kaoru grumbled at the smug look on his face. "But, you have gotten better at intimidation and presence. I think you'll do fine."
Kaoru wanted to be mad, but it was hard when you were being praised. "Really?"
The violet man nodded. "You have three months left with me and already you've mastered what I was trying to teach you, but now we have to find your Super Saiyan transformations again. In here, you won't harm anyone by powering up all the way. I'll just stay by the wall so I don't get blown off into the room somewhere. It's an infinite space and I don't want to get lost."
Kaoru grinned and stood a ways off. She shouted back to him. "Get ready for it."
She began the yelling and she began to glow, not the Super Saiyan glow but one that signals great power within the person. Kobitoshin felt he was being crushed into the wall, but didn't complain, what he was witnessing too great to be interrupted.
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Kenshin paced in front of the door to the room. "Isn't the year up yet?"
Dende shook his head. "You start to worry as soon as you wake up. It isn't healthy."
Kenshin shot a menacing glance to the young guardian. "Answer the question."
Dende checked his pocket watch again. "They have about 15 minutes left. Just relax! It's the same as last time. They'll emerge when the time is right. And a kai is with her this time. She'll be just fine."
The old kai nodded. "Yep! We kais are completely dependable."
Kenshin sighed and sat in the chair he vacated moments ago to pace. Misao glared at him. "You leave that chair to pace again, Himura and I'll tell Kaoru to beat you up. You've been up and down for the past hour and it's getting aggravating."
Kenshin merely nodded and resigned himself to twidling with his sword.
As predicted by Dende, the door opened after 15 minutes and the two stepped out. Kaoru's clothes were no longer training clothes, but a very pretty kimono. "Hi, guys. I was just sick of wearing training gear all the time. I'm still a woman after all. So, Kobitoshin was nice enough to put a kimono on me instead of repairing my training outfit."
Goku and Vegeta pulled Kaoru aside after she greeted everyone. Goku spoke first. "So, did you get to go Super Saiyan yet?"
Kaoru grinned sat him. "Of course. I'm the Saiyan princess. He was a little worried that it couldn't be done once you went through the unleashing process performed by Old Kai, but we figured it out."
Vegeta smirked, pride in his sister filling him.
Dende and the two kais turned to everyone. Old Kai began to walk in front of them, like a commander with his troops. "I'm sure that all of you will do fine. You have done all you can do in your training. Take the next month to keep your skills sharp and rest up. Spend time with your loved ones. The next battle will be a hard one. I have faith in you, though."
With those words said, Kobitoshin put a hand on the old man's shoulders, waved and then they were gone.
Dende smiled at everyone. "I guess this is goodbye. Misao, you're a strong person. I know you can handle the healing. The rest of you, please be careful and support Kaoru. She has the toughest job. Take care of each other."
Goku waved. "We'll see you later, Dende."
They all grabbed onto Goku and transported back to Capsule Corp.
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A/N: Ta Da! I actually updated in a decent amount of time! (Teary-eyed) I'm so proud of me! Anyway, enough tooting my own horn. Hope you enjoyed and tell me what you thought! Please review and I'll appreciate it immensely! The end is almost here! Hugs & Kisses!
