So They Say; Dirait-on
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the original characters (if any) and the fic all of this is in. That is all.
Chapter Seven
It was a quiet place; an island many miles from the largest continent and the largest cities. There were many people living on this island on different parts of it, broken into three different cities that would light up each night after the sun went down over the edge of the horizon. These weren't big cities or had a large population; just enough to enjoy life as it was so peacefully after Cell. There seemingly wasn't anything to shatter this peace for hundreds of miles around.
There were simple people that lead simple lives in the cities, going about life like they had for many years. People that went to work almost every day of the week almost like it was a part of their daily lives, while the kids went to school to learn things that they could not learn any where else. There were several people that took off of work for the day to browse the shops that lined the streets of new and old. Some walked alone to the next stop, some with a friend or a group of people that walked into a ice cream parlor; some even had a dog or a cat with them as they left random pet shops.
There was always something to offer in one city or another, the shops and lifestyles varying from place to place. People lead different lives in different parts of this island, sometimes wondering what other's did in their weekends. Very few tried to live different lives, only to discover that they could no longer live outside their own routines or their own cities. It was just the way they were and nothing could ever change that.
And, yet, there was a wilderness outside these cities that few even bothered to go out of. Several roads linked the three cities together, allowing others to sample another's way of life. Few people ventured out of their home city at night or early day to see what was on the outside, only going if they had to. It wasn't out of fear or other beliefs but a chilling reminder that there was always something that could be out there in the untamed land, watching and waiting for the one wrong move.
There was something that was lurking out in this particular wilderness that none knew of, watching everyone closely from a distance. This something wasn't even aware of itself at the present moment, becoming used to the new-found freedom that it had. What would it do to the innocent people who went about their business without a thought as to what lurked outside their homes at this very moment? How would it go about enjoying the life it never had a chance to touch even for a single moment in time? No one knew or seemed to care either way for this creature that was created by human hands.
This was this something's chance to be what it wanted to be without hindrance as it slowly descended upon the ground, it's fate awaiting it.
"I'll take her to Bulma's now if you don't mind. The sooner she leaves, the sooner we don't have to worry about her," Tien snapped as he took the two bags from behind the couch without much thought to what he was actually doing. Roshi and Oolong bad broken themselves away from the TV after whatever show they had been watching was long since over, staring at what was happening like it was something new on TV. Chaotzu was standing in the middle of the doorway, watching Tien as he turned around to face the small being.
"Why can't she stay here for a little while longer?" He whispered softly as his friend walked up to him without word and with the bags in his hands. Tien stared out of the door, watching the blue ocean move like it always had in the years before this day. Rose stood on the edge of the beach with her back turned towards the house and her arms clasped over her chest. She was staring at nothing in particular, perhaps just watching the waves gather at a distant point before rolling up to the shore. Or she was just watching the sand move in the wind, moving against her bare ankles like the watery waves against a lone seagull. Whatever she was doing, it wasn't paying attention to those that were standing at the doorway, ready to go.
"Let's go, Rose. It will take several hours to get to Bulma's. It might even take a little while longer, depending on certain things," Tien informed her blandly after a few moments of silence between them. He ignored Chaotzu's presence, pushing past him in order to get outside into the fresh air. Rose turned her upper body to the side, her emerald eyes watching him move towards her without much thought to those that were watching him from inside the house.
"What certain things?" She asked coolly, her eyes flickering slightly.
"How many people see us in the air and how fast you want me to go," He said curtly and without his usual smile. "The faster I fly, the faster we can get there. Now, climb upon my back."
"What? Why?"
"Look, do you want to get off of this damned island or what?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then the only way you will get of it fast enough is to hold onto my back and I can fly you there. Either that or you can swim to Capsule Corp. Your choice."
Rose gave him a look of pure hatred, her body turning around slowly to face him. She stood there for a moment, considering the few options she had before she walked over towards Tien with a walk that would melt any guy's heart. He didn't say anything to her as she uncrossed her arms when she got behind him all the way and without any word to him as well. Once she placed her arms around his neck, he tightened his grip on the bags so that he wouldn't lose either one although they seemed a lot heavier this time around then when he first came this way around.
"I suggest you hold on tight because the force of gravity might throw you off just a bit," Tien told her when he was sure Rose had a firm grip around his neck. Although he really didn't care what happened to her up to this point, it would be useless to have her fall off of him and into the water below if it didn't seem like he care. Besides, there were still a few things that he wanted to know from her and didn't want her to be dead before she could tell anyone.
Before Rose could say anything to that, Tien pushed himself off from the ground, the wind knocking her breath from her lips. It took a moment or two of struggling to get the much needed oxygen back to her lungs but, ,by then, they were at least a mile or two away from the island already. Rose took in a deep breath and a peek down below them, her eyes twitching over the height that they were at.
"Um, can't you go a little bit closer down to the water?" Rose asked nervously, moving her eyes away from the water.
"We are at a safe enough height to where if I lose my balance somehow," Tien paused as if he was trying to implicate the girl on something before continuing one, "I'll have enough time to regain it without falling into the water."
"And me?" She inquired, glancing back at the island which now was seemingly farther away then it had been before. "What would happen to me if you somehow lost your balance?"
"It depends, really."
"On what exactly?"
"If you hold onto me tightly enough, you'll be fine," Tien said with a short laugh. Rose tightened her grip around his neck, forcing him to choke some. As if to retaliate against that, Tien began to drift down towards the water, slowly turning onto one side. Rose let out a small shriek, her now dangling legs moving quickly around his waist so that she wouldn't fall into the ever moving water.
"Pull up, damn it!" She growled when they were flying nor more then a foot above the water. She loosened her grip around his neck, in which case Tien turned his body the right way around. He was trying not to laugh at her, which was harder to do then to just hold it in. He continued to skin along the water for another couple of minutes before moving back up towards the same height he had been at before. "Don't do that again. Why, if something had happened there to make you lose your balance..."
"...we would have crashed into the water, possibly breaking a few bones in the process or worse," He finished for her. "It is a tricky business, flying. Need to know how to do it right before you can go long distances without help. Of course, it isn't hard to learn how to do if you have someone that can teach you how to do it right. Someone like yourself could probably learn how to do it in a week or two, depending on how fast you want and can learn."
"Teach me, then," Rose said as she let go of his neck and slid her hands to his shoulders. "If it is that easy, then teach me."
"Do you want to go back to the island?"
"No. You could teach me at your friends place," She opted with a light smile. Tien shook his head on that.
"I doubt Vegeta would like me to come there every day for a week or so to teach you how to fly. Even so, there is a greater doubt he would teach you anything," He added before the woman could say anything else on that.
"If you took me somewhere, would you teach me? Each day, I mean. I am sure your friend wouldn't mind," Rose offered swiftly. "And, to give thanks for teaching me, I can tell you a little bit about the place where Gero created one of the Androids. At least, give you an idea about it."
"Deal then," Tien said quickly before either once could change their minds about it. "So, where did Gero create it?"
"Tsk, tsk, Tien. I will tell you after you teach me how to fly. It is only fair and I promise I won't back out, either. It would be kind of hard for me to leave you hanging, now wouldn't it?"
Tien grumbled something under his breath that she couldn't hear, thoughts racing through his head. He would finally get some more information from her; that is, if she lived up to her word. There was something that he didn't trust about her and, yet, he didn't know what that something was. He knew that she was still a total stranger to him now, but that wasn't it. He had known people for a lesser period of time and had a certain level of trust with them.
He attempted to push that thought out of his mind as they continued on without word, the wind telling them everything that they needed to know.
Back on the island, Chaotzu was till standing inside the doorway, fuming that he had been ignored like that by his friend. He knew that Tien wasn't in the right mood to be that talkative, but he still should have been able to say at least two words to him and the others inside the house. Getting Rose off of the island was more important to him then it was talking to one of his friends at the moment.
Behind him, Roshi insisted that he at least call Bulma to warn her that Tien was coming with Rose. He figured that Tien had been lucky last time to not have encountered Vegeta first or Bulma on one of her bad days. If she was warned in advanced that she was getting two visitors, then maybe she could stash the Saiyan somewhere for the time being. So, that was exactly what he was doing: talking to Bulma about the current situation. From what it sounded like on Roshi's end, there seemed to be a mixture of pure surprise, delight, and 'what the hell was he thinking' coming from Bulma's end. That somehow didn't deter Roshi from telling her otherwise.
"I can't believe her," He mumbled ten minutes later when he put down the phone onto the hook. Oolong poked his head from inside the kitchen, an interested look appearing on his face.
"What was that all about?" Oolong asked as he took a bite into the sandwich that was in his hand. "Couldn't sweet talk her into coming here for us?"
"Bulma said she didn't think that Tien would bring her so quickly to Capsule Corp. From the way that she said, she thought Rose didn't want to come. But she agreed to let her stay there for a month or so before Rose has to leave." Roshi looked thoughtful for a moment before a wide grin came across his lips. "If we can't get Bulma to come here, maybe Rose could come back, looking better then before."
"It wouldn't be better if she didn't come back at all," Chaotzu put in blandly, looking hover his shoulder at the two who were inside. "Then we wouldn't need to worry about who knows what about anything. After all, she could be lying to us about it. We can't be sure."
"Even if she is, ,don't you think we would be wiser just in case she isn't?" Oolong asked after he swallowed what was in his mouth. "It would be a precaution."
"To what? Living in fear of something we don't know if it is true or not?"
Roshi opened his mouth to say something about this then stopped short when he noticed the look on Chaotzu's small face. He remained quit instead, giving Oolong a sideways glance before looking down towards the ground. There was an awkward silence that followed as Chaotzu turned his head back towards the ocean without word. Tien and Rose were out of sight now, going towards Capsule Corp. with a blinding speed. I hope he knows what he is doing, Chaotzu thought bitterly as he continued to stare at the distant horizon in total silence.
It hadn't taken him long to get to the Capsule Corp. building complex; a couple of hours was all that it took to get there. Rose had insisted that Tien had to go as fast as he could without really going too fast. There were times, however, that she had ordered him to go a little bit slower, but he ignored some of those requests. He wanted to drop her off with Bulma as fast as he could so that he could get back to the island without any more problems. By now, Tien was kicking himself for agreeing to teach her hw to fly. It would, at least, get him a little bit more information then he knew at the present time.
Tien had gone slower through the city, stopping on one rooftop before jumping quickly onto the next. He did this several times with Rose's gasps and cries of surprise. He ignored those as well, concentrating on what he had to do at the present moment. It took him several more jumps onto rooftops before finding one that had a dark alley next to it. tine casually flew down into it, silencing Rose all the way down. Once he landed, he walked to the entrance to the alley and made sure that no one would see them coming out of it. When the coast was clear, he walked quickly out of it and with her still clinging to his back.
He had walked to and a half miles before ordering Rose off of his back. It took some coaxing but she finally got down onto the ground after several minutes of doing so. She followed Tine closely the rest of the way to the building complex where they were met by a half angry, half nervous Bulma Briefs. She, at first, didn't seem thrilled at the idea of seeing Tien again, but after careful explaining about Roshi and Oolong, Bulma's expression softened a great deal.
"I know what it is like to have those two come after you," Bulma said with a light smile as she beckoned the two inside the housing building of the complex. Tien went first behind Bulma while Rose lingered for a moment before quickly following suit. Once inside, her eyes went wide as she looked around everywhere.
"Wow. So this is Capsule Corp.," Rose mused, turning around several times before realizing she had been left behind. She hurriedly caught up with the two, who had not heard her musing. The three moved down one of the many corridors of the building, shortly coming upon the kitchen. Bulma stepped in further into the room then the other two, placing her hands upon her hips as she stared at the nearly finished turkey that sat upon the counter.
"Can't Vegeta clean up his damned mess?" Bulma grumbled to herself. "I can't believe he almost ate the whole thing and it is not even dinner time. We have to get food almost every single day of the week. Damn Saiyan. I suppose you can either wait until dinner or eat something now before he does again for the fifth time since noon."
"Um...what's a Saiyan?" Rose asked innocently from next to Tien. Bulma clamped both of her hands overtop her mouth, turning around to face her two visitors. Tien gave her a look while Rose looked even more confused then ever before.
"Don't worry about that right now, Rose," Tien said carefully as he set the two bags onto the ground and started to back up. "Listen, I will be back in two days to start your training, okay?"
"Training? What training?" Bulma asked irritably as she placed her hands back onto her hips.
"Tien is going to teach me how to fly in exchange for me teaching him something," Rose said nervously, looking from one person to another. Before Bulma could say or ask anything about that, Tien gave a wave and a wink before dashing away down the same path that they had just gone across.
"He did that to me earlier. Something is wrong with him," Bulma muttered as she rolled her eyes at this. Rose didn't notice as she placed her own eyes down upon the ground, silently wishing for this to be over and done with as soon as possible.
To Be Continued
Author's Note: I have Internet connection again, so yay?
