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 Eight

He never thought he would have to see her ever again in his life, but he was doing just that at this very moment. Seeing her yet again. A promise was a promise in his view and he was going to get a little bit more information at the end of her flying lessons then he had done so before. What was the real harm of putting up with her for a week at the most? It wasn't like he was going to spend forever with her, trying to coax what little information she might have to tell him. In the very end, it would be worth every moment that he desperately did not want to spend. At least, he hoped so.

Once Tien had come back to Roshi's island after dropping the girl off at Capsule Corp., he was greeted by an angry Chaotzu that looked like he was about to do more damage then he was capable of doing. There had been several angry words exchanged between them, nothing more then that at that present time. Everyone had been silent for the most part for the remainder of the two days, hardly even acknowledging each other's presence. It was good to have some silence in between all of the yelling and demanding that had gone on two days prior. After everything was said and done, he would make it up to them in any way that he could find.

Now, as he went back to the place he had been dreading to go to since the twilight hours of that day, Tien felt a nervous feeling begin to boil at the pit of his stomach. It wasn't because he probably had to face an angry Bulma that had been jilted by him leaving so soon twice in a row or a threatening Vegeta that could probably kill him just with a look; he just didn't know what he was getting himself to with these training sessions. Sure, Rose looked harmless indeed on the outside, but what if she wanted to learn more then just flying from him? There was only so much Tien could teach her without going overboard with it and risking more then just his life. He barely knew Rose, figuring she would do more bad then good if she learned more then she had to. He just had to teach her the flying bit and he would be fine. For now, at least.

Tien took in a sigh as he slowly drifted down towards the pavement in front of the Capsule Corp. building complex. There were few people walking along the streets at this hour, and for good reason too; the clouds above had started to turn darker with rain, moving about the sky as they blocked the sun from view. It was a bad sign that was showing itself completely, one that Tien did not heed as he quickly walked along the sidewalk, his eyes glancing up at the buildings of the complex. Genius had created these very bricks, the same genius in which made Bulma Briefs be at the same strength as any grand fighter. Without her help, many of the things the small band of hero's knew would have never reached their ears and the places they had gone to would have never been reached. Things would have been different if it was not for her.

"Tien?" A light voice called from somewhere behind him. Tien stopped walking, turning his head slightly back to see Rose running towards him from one of the buildings. He was somewhat put to rest that he did not have to face Bulma for he would have a hell of a time explaining as to why he had left so suddenly twice in one day. "It is about time you got here. Been waiting for you."

"Really?" He answered, turning to face her completely as she came to a halt in front of him. Their eyes met briefly before he turned his away. "Why were you waiting? For how long?"

"Not that long, really." She shrugged. "Besides, I think Bulma is out for blood today. Now I see what you mean about Vegeta. He's been a real pain about training and things."

"You have no idea," Tien mused in a low tone so that she would not hear him, surprising a smile from her. He may not know Vegeta as well as the others, but he knew enough to last him for the rest of his life. Course, he didn't know what Bulma had told rose about the Saiyan, yet he hoped it was enough to satisfy her for a while.

"So, teach me how to fly. I've been waiting for a while," Rose prompted almost a little too eagerly. Tien looked down at her with raised eyebrows. He didn't want to assume that there was something else that she wanted to know, but for now he wasn't going to ask her about it.

"Not around here I'm not. A little risky in more ways then one," He informed her, glancing up at a passing couple. "Like I am sure you know by now, there are some people that don't like what they don't know while some are too fascinated by it for their own damn good."

"I have learned that already by now."

"That is why I need to start and finish your training where there are few if any people lurking around to know what is going on. Besides, the weather doesn't look too good around here, and I don't want to interfere with whatever training Vegeta has planned for himself today."

"Where would we go then if now here? Somewhere in the city?""

"No. Even if we were to hide ourselves good enough for you to learn, there is always that risk, greater if it is around more people. I'll take you there myself. Climb onto my back," He prompted her. Rose looked purely disgusted at the thought of having to rid one Tien's back again, but she compiled without any heard complaint. Once he was sure she was clasped firmly upon his back, Tien pushed off of the ground quickly without any words from either one of them. There had been several people around him when he was on the pavement and he kicked himself for allowing people to see him take off when he had just told Rose otherwise. It is a mistake I will have to make up later. I can not go back on what I tell her or what I do, He thought to himself, keeping his face forwards and his lips in a tight line. From now on, he would have to be careful about what he did or it might cost him more then he would ever know.

****

There were beautiful plains that stretched far into the wilderness that sat in a remote area hundreds of miles away from any cities. The untamed lands looked peaceful and quiet, not like the large cities in which many people dwelled in. Here, in a place that wasn't overcrowded with streaming bodies, animals could run free without fear or any kind of interference in their lives. They lived, unhindered, in the blades of grass like they always had for countless generations.

A lone mountain range stretched across three sides of this barely known territory, allowing only one side for seafarers to access it. There were very little who were determined enough to actually scale the mountains which surrounded the remaining side for fear of their own lives. They left the light blue sky and pearl white clouds touch the peaks for the time being until another brave soul dared to cross the sharp rocks.

This is why Tien had once, after Cell's defeat, had come here so often to train with Chaotzu. There weren't any peering eyes to watch what was going on, and that was the way they had liked it. Now, as he landed upon the ground with little trouble, he would teach Rose how to fly in the very same place. He hoped he would only have to spend enough time with her to get the information he needed before he didn't have to worry about her any longer.

"We're here," Tien said lightly as Rose climbed off of his back as she walked to his side, her flaming hair turning every which way in the wind with her eyes taking in the things around her.

"Pretty," She said without emotion in her voice. "Far away, but pretty."

"Take a good look around you because you'll be practicing little in the air today," He informed her, sitting down in the same spot where he had been standing and beckoned her to sit in front of him.

"What do you mean I am not flying today?" Rose asked with heat in her voice as she stared down at him. "I thought you were going to teach me how to fly."

"I am, but you can't just jump into the air and expect to automatically know how to fly," Tien said just as hotly as the girl continued to stare at him. "There are certain things you must do and learn before you even begin to fly. It takes time and practice to be able to go into the air. Understand?"

"If you say so." She shrugged as she moved her body in front of him before sitting down as well, facing him. "So start already."

"Don't be impatient about learning how to fly. Sometimes impatience can lead to things that you just don't want to think about. Just watch what I am about to do before we do anything." He put his hands in front of his chest, not more then two inches apart from each other with his palms facing each other. Rose stared at his facing palms, her irritability growing more by the second. Just as she was about to speak on behalf of the impatience, static began to crackle from between Tien's palms. It was small shocks at first, becoming increasingly more vibrant and quicker then before. In the middle of the space between his hands, a glowing orb of light, roughly the size of a marble, appeared. It stayed that way for a moment or two before it became bigger and bigger until the orb was nearly touching his palms. Then, just like it had appeared, the orb faded down into nothingness, the static disappearing not long after.

"What the hell was that?" Rose stammered, sliding away from him as much as she could without creating a big gap between them. She was far enough away so that she could still see and understand him without being too close to him.

"That, Rose dear, is energy," Tien said as he placed his hands upon his knees. The woman gave him a confused look, not understanding what he was telling her. He sighed, knowing this might a little bit more then he had expected. "This energy lives inside of every living being and can determine how strong you are. However, this same living energy can also be your downfall in more ways then one. If you are too strong, those that can sense it can pinpoint your location without much thought. If you lose all of your energy, then you...." He stopped, not knowing really how to say the next word to her. There were certain things that you just don't tell someone when they were about to learn how to fly.

"Then what happens if this 'energy' is lost?" Rose demanded. Tien fidgeted in the place that he was sitting in, his eyes dropping down to the ground. "You know that you can tell me unless it is something that is beyond your words."

"They die," He said in a hushed voice, his eyes looking up at her from an angle. She now had a eyebrow raised, the confused look on her face disappearing. It now had a amused look on it, her lips moving into a half smile.

"Is that all? Death itself?" She scoffed, letting out a chuckle. "And here I was, thinking it was something very horrible or something when all it is dying."

"What, you don't care if someone's energy is lost completely?"

"Tien, death is one of the grandest adventures of them all. There is no way that you can cheat death or try to stop it unless you are immortal or something along the lines of that. You don't know what you are going to do, who you will be, or where you are going until you die and experience it for yourself." Rose shook her head. "Besides, sometimes death is a good thing. Sometimes losing a person or thing saves more then what you know of."

Tien opened his mouth to say something to her then closed it swiftly. He knew she was right in saying those words, but he had seen too many people die because of many different things. He just didn't want to see some more innocent people die because of things that were well beyond their wall of knowledge. If Rose knew half of the things that he knew, then this situation would be different. But, she didn't know or he assumed she didn't know, so he had to act like she was hearing things for the first time in her life.

He turned his three eyes up towards the mountain range, each moving along the distant ridges that formed the three sided barrier along those shore lines. He thought about the things that he had learned for the first time and wondered if Rose would have the same trouble he had when learning. This was, however, a different situation and a different time, therefore calling for different reactions.

"Well?" Rose demanded, breaking Tien out of his trance. He moved his eyes back to her, noticing the look that was now upon her face, which was a expression of pure impatience.

"Well what?"

"Are you going to teach me out to fly or are you going to keep stalling?"

"I told you before, you can't just assume that you know how to fly if you just jump into the air," Tien said sourly, crossing his arms over his chest. "First, you have got to know how to control that energy that I just showed you. I want you to do the same thing I just did."

"And exactly how am I supposed to do that?" Rose snapped, the sides of her mouth twitching.

"You have to pull the energy from the pit of your stomach, forcing it through your arms and into the palms of your hands. Then you will have your energy. Once you learn how to control that, you can be able to use to fly."

"Sounds easy enough to me," Rose said, moving her body in a way that she was sitting comfortably on the ground below her. Moving her hands so that her palms were facing each other but no more then an inch or so apart, she concentrated on trying to put her energy between her hands. Tien watched her attempt this, a small feeling of wonder escaping him. If she can do this on the first try, I will be very much surprised, He thought, his eyes moving over her face.

Her emerald green eyes were deep in concentration, her arms shaking from making her energy appear in her palms. Despite the fact that storm clouds were moving in from where they had been before, small beads of sweat were trickling down her face and into her clothing. She continued to attempt to force her energy out of her body for another ten minutes before she choked and placed her hands onto the ground. Rose looked up at Tien, her eyes alive with fire.

"How come you were able to do it, and I wasn't?" She demanded coldly through gritted teeth. Tien stiffened a laugh at the sheer look that was on her face.

"Rose, I have been flying for years and this is your first lesson. I didn't expect you to know how to summon your energy at will on the first try. It takes practice, time, and patience to be able to learn how to fly. And a lot of secrecy," Tien added swiftly with a smile before she could say anything.

"How long do you think it will take me to learn?"

Tien shrugged at that. "As long as it takes you, I suppose. Now, try it again until you can get it right. Remember to take your energy from the pit of your stomach."

Rose nodded, moving her hands back into position she had them in before. Her eyes moved onto her hands as if she expected a orb of energy to be there when she did. A few moments passed, the wind moving around them slowly. Tien was beginning to become bored at waiting for her to attempt to bring her energy forward when he heard the distinct sound of energy crackling. At first, he thought it was the storm that was brewing above him when he looked up at it, but when he returned his gaze back towards Rose, several static shocks began to move over her hands. They were small, nothing compared to what he had seen before, but it was something none the less.

Rose didn't seem to quite know what was going on as she continued to push her energy out of her hands. The static grew quicker, but not in size, as the wind picked up around them. Suddenly, a small green orb appeared in the middle of her hands. It grew to about a half of an inch before it disappeared from the center of her facing hands. The static slowly died down, the wind around them going to almost a calming state. The girl looked up at him when she placed her hands down onto the ground excitedly, her eyes going wide.

"Did you see that? I got my energy out!" She said hurriedly, her voice raising. "Can I fly now?"

"That was good, but that was only a small amount of your energy. You need to try that several more times before you can lift yourself out of the air," Tien said with a approving nod. "The more that you are able to control your energy, the better you can fly. Do you understand? If you do, try it again."

Rose didn't answer as she lowered her head to the ground, a sigh escaping her lips. Moving her hands back to the same position, she got ready to bring forth more of her hidden energy, her mentor watching her. Tien hoped that she wouldn't give up by the end of the day or he would never know the secrets that this girl held.

****

Chaotzu peeked out of the window that overlooked the ocean in the living room of Roshi's house, an action that wasn't even noticed by Roshi nor Oolong. Both were playing a game of poker on the kitchen, hardly even noticing the storm that was beginning to brew just outside the house. The waves were starting to hound the shore more then they had an hour ago, which wasn't the thing that was beginning to worry him at the moment. It was the fact that Tien hadn't come back yet he was supposedly giving Rose at this moment, which was nearly six hours ago.

He sighed, moving over towards the couch, briefly glancing over towards the kitchen. Roshi was swearing something under his breath while Oolong was racking in the small bills that had been once piled in the middle of the table. He would have smiled at this at any other given time, but today was different as he sat down upon the couch and stared at the doorway to the stormy outside. He had no idea why he was so worried about Tien since Chaotzu knew his friend could take care of himself. With the last few days of either arguing or ignoring the other, each wondered if anything could survive this.

Just as Chaotzu was about to settle down into another round of "Where's Tien?", the door opened suddenly, letting in a wild gust of air. This made the two inside the kitchen turn their heads into the living room as Tien himself came barging in, cold and somewhat wet. He quickly closed the door behind him, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he leaned up against the doorway, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he noticed three pairs of eyes staring at him blankly.

"What?" Tien asked dumbly, looking at each in turn. Chaotzu had to smile, something that made his friend weary at what he was thinking. "I didn't expect this storm to actually start up. I would have been here sooner, but the weather suddenly turned."

"Sure it did," Roshi snickered, eyeing Tien from the kitchen before he and Oolong got back to their game. Chaotzu didn't say anything as Tien moved to the other end of the couch, settling down upon the cushions.

"How did her first lesson go?" Chaotzu asked innocently, hoping that his question wouldn't spark up a argument between the two friends. The other didn't say anything for a moment, then turned his three eyes over towards him.

"Went well, I think. She might be able to fly in the next couple of days, a lot sooner then I expected," He answered as truthfully as he could. In fact, he wasn't sure if Rose would be training in the next couple of days. Whatever energy she was trying to bring out, it was taking a lot out of her. That was to be expected since it had been her first training session and she probably had never been asked to bring forth her energy on command. "After this week is over and done with, I--we--won't have to worry about her any more."

"I hope so," Chaotzu said in a low voice, turning his eyes towards the window, hoping that his friend was correct on his words.

To Be Continued