So You Wanna Take Over the World: Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't DBZ or any of it's characters. I do own Lien, though. ^^

***

You might say I got sidetracked. And I will not lie, despite the fact that I had to put things on hold due to certain circumstances… I still have the urge to be in control. It's not the same as before. I've mellowed out quite a lot over the years but the thought of having control over the world is still very much intriguing. There is that nagging little problem, however.

His name is Goku. Not to mention Gohan. Not only would I never want to hurt my one time student, I doubt Goku would allow the whole 'taking over the world thing' with grace. I will have to work my way around the both of them. Another reason for a student. A human one. I'd have to do this the legal way… After all, you can't just steal kids and use them as pawns. I'm sure there has to be some kind of unwanted kids out there. I'll just have to figure where I can get one of those. Luckily I have access to one thing that most people don't. The Lookout. What once was Kami's is now Dende's. Thankfully I like the kid more than I liked the old man. So up to the lookout I will go.

***

You can't really 'see' the ENTIRE world from up here. There are a few places that are just too remote to bother with, really. And who needs to see anyway, when you can sense. Perched on the lookout, near the edge, I close my eyes and stretch my mind out beyond the limits of my physical body. I search through the many life energies that assault me at once. There are billions of people, so it takes a lot of training to get a clear ki reading from all of them. The ones at the forefront of my senses are, obviously, my friends and allies. They are stronger than the majority, so it's only natural. I push those energy signatures to the back of my mind and seek out weaker readings.

Children have an all together different ki signature than that of adults. Instead of weaker, they are slightly stronger. Children are far more receptive to new ideas, concepts, and all have some sort of telepathic ability. But, because of the environment in which they grow up in, practically all of them lose these abilities. Thank God. I'd hate to think of what humans would do if they retained these powers from sweet, innocent childhood to power hungry, greedy adulthood. Chaos is the only word that even begins to describe what would happen.

Again, I have gotten sidetracked. Growling at my inability to concentrate, I focus entirely on finding just the right ki signature. To the east… nothing. North and South brings a blank as well. I stretch my power to the West. I immediately sense pain and worry, and begin to brush past the area and on to another… when I feel a tug. As though a cord were attached to my insides and someone was tugging on the other end. It was not a painful feeling, but it was annoying. Insistent.

'Hello?'

I gasp involuntarily. As a small, high-pitched voice speaks again into my head. I almost pull out from shock, but force myself to stay. I listen more closely and hear it again.

'Hello? I know someone's there. Is it the angel?' I examine the energy of the person sending me these thoughts and wished I hadn't. It feels diseased… but it's a child's signature. And it is quite strong for a human. Nothing spectacular… but… 'Please, answer me.' The child's voice calls out again, the diseased, pained psyche pressing into mine. It almost hurt. The kid sounded frightened so I sent an answer back.

'Who are you?'

'My name's Lien.' Came the answer. I smiled in spite of myself. This was very intriguing. A pause, and the child spoke again. 'What's your name?'

'Piccolo.' I replied. A soft, childish giggle filled my head, like tiny bells ringing.

'Hn. That's funny. Are you the angel?' Lien's energy peaked suddenly, violently and leveled off. As though she'd been badly startled. 'I can't talk to you angel. I… I have to go. Please come talk to me tonight. It's lonely at night.' She withdrew from the conversation on her own.

'Wait!' I tried to find her again. But, she was lost again in the millions of energies. More than a little frustrated, I dove back into the 'energy pool'. But there was nothing. She was gone.

***

Back on the lookout, back into my own head, with only my thoughts, I was breathing heavily. And it was very cold. No that was wrong. The air was not cold. I was. I was shivering. My teeth were chattering. I looked around, bewildered and disoriented. To my left stood Mr. Popo.

"Are you all right, Piccolo-sama?" He asked, sounding concerned. "Should I fetch Dende-sama?" I held up a hand.

"No… I am fine, Mr. Popo… just meditated a little too long today." He nodded, smiled at me and walked back to the flowers he had been tending to. I still felt a little sick, so I made my way to the inside of the lookout for a glass of water. Dende was standing beside the faucet, already holding a full glass of cool water. He held it out to me and I took it thankfully.

"Piccolo?" He asked as I gulped down the last few mouthfuls of water. I set the glass down and gave him my full attention. "D-did you sense anything unusual in your meditation just now?" I looked at him, careful to keep my expression blank.

"No." I lied. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh… no reason. It's just… well, never mind." He smiled sheepishly, but it was obvious that the smile didn't extend to his eyes. Dende was afraid. "I guess being guardian can make a guy paranoid. Well, just let me know if you…"

"I will let you know if I feel anything strange. Don't worry, kid. You're not paranoid. On this planet, it's good to be cautious…"

I had no idea how true those words were.

***

A/N: Hello, everybody! Whew… it feels good to write again. My writers block is wearing off little by little and I have a couple of new ideas for this story. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon, and thanks to the peeps who reviewed the first chapter. ^^ See ya at Chapter 3! ~~Uzume