© 2002 SaiyaSith
Disclaimer: I am not Akira Toriyama. I don't make money for this.
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Zaymi found herself awakening in a gentle glade. Soft grass surrounded her and fragrant flowers were everywhere. The former Pet Watcher smiled; she was home. This was the second time she had come to awareness in this glade. The first was several years before, when her soul was too weak to join her Progenitors on the physical plane. Somewhere down on earth, a woman had miscarried and Zaymi came to this Garden to grow up.
A guardian spirit stood beside her and offered a hand. "Welcome home, little one." The spirit said. Other guardians floated down into the glade awaiting their charges that were due to arrive soon. A sense of peace filled Zaymi and she took a deep breath before rising. It felt a little odd to be back in a human body after all this time. With a sudden frown, Zaymi remembered Vegeta. She looked across the expanse of sky at King Enma's palace and hoped the Neko-Kai's report helped judgment to go in his favor this time around.
Zaymi and the spirit walked out of the newcomer's glade and into the hamlet of the infants. The main clearing was home to the recreational area where tiny babies of every race in the universe played to help them gain enough strength to survive life on the physical plane. Just past the hamlet was a larger area for the older, stronger souls who were getting ready to be born.
As Zaymi stepped through the area divider, she was suddenly tackled by a dark-haired boy. "ZAYMI!" He shouted. "You're really back!!!" The younger child was grinning and laughing as he held his best friend and mentor in his embrace. "It's so good to see you!" He squealed.
Zaymi ruffled the child's hair and smiled back. "It's good to see you too, kid." She turned her head to the side and gave her friend a quizzical look. "I'm kind of surprised you're still here, though. You were almost strong enough to be born when I left."
A thoughtful expression settled on the boy's features for a moment before he replied. "Well," He paused as if trying to find the right words, and his toes traced a circle in the dirt. "I decided to wait and be born of Saiyan lineage. You've got to go through extra training to become that strong of heart..."
Zaymi grinned and pulled the child into a hug. "There's nothing to be ashamed about wanting to honor your Progenitors, kiddo. You should be proud of them." She gently put her fingers on the boy's chin and turned his head to face her. "I know what I'm talking about. Your Progenitors were exceptional people."
A sad smile graced the younger face. "Did you take care of them like I asked?"
"Of course! Could I do anything less for you??" She finished her question with a round of tickles that left them both breathless on the grassy hillside.
The spirit guardian escorting Zaymi stepped closer to the pair. "I hate to break this up, but it's time for you to report."
The boy gazed at his mentor with melancholy. "This is the last time I'll see you, isn't it?" He asked.
Zaymi stood and looked down at her friend. With a smirk, she said simply, "Don't bet on it, kid." She gave the child a final wave and then followed the guardian down to the center of the heaven, the Kodomo-Kai's palace.
Zaymi arrived to find the sanctuary in a state of frantic disarray. She had never seen things so hectic. "What's going on?" She asked the spirit who led her here. The guardian was speechless and only shook his head to indicate that he didn't know. The spirit's task was complete, so it left her and went in search of instructions.
Zaymi made her way to the Neko-Kai's temple on the side of the great Kodomo-Kai's palace. Someone shouted what sounded like "Majin Buu" and Zaymi shook her head in disbelief. There was no way that monster could have survived Baka's blast! She thought to herself. She walked down the isle of the temple and stared into one of the gazing pools used for observing Earth. To her horror, she saw that her pet's sacrifice had been in vain. Majin Buu was not only alive, but HFIL-bent on destroying the world! No wonder the palace was in an uproar. There was about to be a child-soul overload!
The next several days left no room for Zaymi to meet with the Kais. She was asked to help in the infant hamlet due to the massive influx of human babies that had arrived. Neither Zaymi nor anyone else thought much of her mission in those crazed moments. Taking care of a million babies was an incredible task all in itself. When the crisis was finally over, a very relieved Kodomo-Kai petitioned the Grand Kai to send more babies to Namek. The dragon balls had become quite popular, and the Namek race was now especially prized in the heavens.
Once all the souls were safely back on Earth, the time had come for Zaymi to discuss the results of her mission with the Kais. She had spent several days preparing herself for their judgment, and was hopeful that they would view her favorably. Zaymi held her head high and marched into the courtyard of the Kai for what would become the last time…
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A/N: I can't believe I made it this far! This is the first story I have seriously written, and it's almost over! Wow. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. They have been so encouraging and much appreciated!!!
I hope this chapter made clear some undercurrents that I played out. Zaymi was sent to Earth on the direct request of the tiny Saiyan Prince. I want to flesh out their relationship, but that'll be a short side story done probably after I get more done on "A Whole New World". I hope that my description of the afterlife for babies didn't offend anyone. I just have a hard time accepting that those little souls just don't get a chance…
Anyway, I'm rambling now. I did want to mention that Neko is Japanese for "cat" and Kodomo is Japanese for "child or children" Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be the last, save for epilogue. Thanks again for hanging in there with me! ~SaiyaSith