~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter 10~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extending the Invitation

(aka aaaaah crap.)

            Night had fallen on Arix'jyo-sei, and the Faceless Ones were once again gathered in the ship.  The quest for food and supplies had been brief and simple - the locals, being rather superstitious, had thought the four aliens to be some kind of divine beings.  They had given up the supplies with nothing but awe, accepting the bartering tokens from the crew as gifts from the gods.  Needless to say, Sassy and Ryl were still laughing about it upon their return.

            "-and then the chief guy actually got down on his knees to bow to Xe!  What an idiot!"  Ryl crowed as he wrapped up the story.

            "I thought he was quite intelligent.  I didn't kill him, did I?" came the quiet reply from the lounging assassin.  "He was annoying enough to deserve it…"

            "Yeah, well, Xe - you?  A god?  Not a chance.  I rest my case: the guy was an idiot."

            "Actually, R'lk'n'n, may I point out that in many societies Faelk-jins are indeed looked upon as fallen Kais?" floated the soft drawl in reply.

            "You're just full of yourself, Xe.  You're no more a fallen Kai than my sister, if you get my meaning…"

            Xe didn't get a chance to reply because said sister was attacking Ryl, ruining any chance that the scaled beings might be paying attention.  The scuffle lasted only until Hali decided that what she had to say was more important than sibling rivalry - In other words, the two were firmly ordered back into their seats within a few seconds.

            "Young Gohan, what do you plan to do now?" Hali inquired.  Just because he wasn't part of her group didn't mean she didn't feel somewhat responsible for him…  Children in her society were looked upon as sacred, and harming one was punishable by death - by her standards Gohan was an infant, and she felt more than a little bad to be simply dumping him on his ass right after being nearly killed.  She was tempted to invite him to join the Faceless Ones, seeing how well he would fit in - but that was a decision for all of them to make, not her alone.

            "I'm not sure… probably go home and get bored out of my mind.  There's a very limited field of options for me, and as much fun as I've had in space, there's no way for me to keep myself fed, etc.  I know absolutely nothing about space and the other planets…  Hell, I'll need help getting the coordinates for Chikuu-sei!"

            There was a moment of silence before Kitten suddenly tapped her temple, nudging Dae and lifting her eyebrows.  Dae caught on quickly, and the group was 'wired' together telepathically before three breaths could be drawn.

            :What is it Kitten?:   Hali inquired, concerned.

            :Well, I was thinking… maybe we should invite the kid to join us.  He's strong, dependable, and he gets along well with us.  I think he'd be an asset.:

            :I'm not so sure, Kitten,: Dae thought with a frown.  :He's a child…  I like him a lot, yes, and I think that he's strong enough to help out, but think about it:  I'm sure he's got a family worrying about him, and don't you think a mother might be a good idea at his age?:

            :Oh please, Dae!  Weren't you listening to his story?  The kid survived on his own in the middle of nowhere when he was 4.  I think that he can handle living with what'll basically amount to 5 older siblings and a surrogate mother.  Besides, by the standards of my race he's an adult, and should be allowed to make his own choices,:  Kitten shot back caustically.

            :This is a group decision,: Hali said quietly.  :I will invite the child to stay if you are all in favor of this move.:

            Ryl and Sassy exchanged a private glance before Sassy nodded and Ryl gave their approval.  Xe just shrugged and sat back, evidently not caring one way or another.  Dae and Kitten had a very brief staring contest, before Dae broke down and gave his assent.  The connection snapped with an almost audible crack.

            Gohan had been watching the facial expressions of the group for the last five minutes.  He could tell that there was some sort of conversation going on that he wasn't privy to… but what was it about?  No one had said anything after he'd made his comment about having nowhere to go but home, but by the fact that they excluded him from their conversation, he assumed he was the topic under examination.  And there's a comforting thought - a group of rather strong mercenary fighters have taken special interest in me.  I don't know whether to be highly flattered or very worried.  Probably both, come to think of it…

            Abruptly, Gohan sensed the conversation was over, and without preamble Hali spoke.  "We will take you back.  Later, I will have an important matter to discuss with you, Saiya-jin child.  For now, you are to collect your things from your ship, as well as any food you have left.  That shall be your payment.  We leave in three hours."  Hali stood and walked calmly out of the room, not even pausing to ask if he was okay with this new development. 

            "Excellent!" cried Kitten from his left. "Someone new to test my weapons on!"

            Dae gave him a look of extreme sympathy before standing and walking toward the cockpit.  "Good luck, kid!" he called over his shoulder.  Gohan's mouth twitched slightly when his Saiya-jin ears picked up the afterthought "you're gunna need it…"

            Xe glided silently from the room in Hali's wake, headed for the meditation chamber, and the Twins both headed for the sparring grounds with brief waves toward the demi Saiya-jin.  Gohan was left alone with Kitten.  Aaaaah, crap.

            Gohan was already getting used to following Hali's orders at the drop of a hat.  He wasted no time at all in heading back outside, Kitten trailing along behind him to take a second look at his ship.  Boarding up, he left Kitten to do her own thing, heading straight back toward his room.  He already had his capsule case, but he wanted to make sure that everything important was still collected.  Opening the case, he took stock of the capsules that were already in there.  There were his orange gis, his purple gis, his special set of Saiya-jin spandex and armor (courtesy of Vegeta), his books, his tool kit from Bulma, his portable GR… the food capsule was still in the kitchen, and he couldn't think of anything else that was necessary to grab. 

A glint of silver from the wall made him jump in horror - he'd almost forgotten his old sword!  It was getting a bit small for his taste, and he would've liked it a bit heavier, but it still had sentimental value and he wanted it with him.  Looking around again, his eyes fell on a family portrait taken right before Vegeta had come to Earth.  It was of his family - daddy's arm around mommy, and Gohan himself sitting on his father's shoulders, a book in his hand.  Gohan stared at the picture for a moment, biting his lip as he thought about his father the way he had seen him last…  Glowing from the Super Saiya-jin ascension, bloody, wounded…  He though about his mother – smiling, cheerful, strict…  Blinking back tears, the nine-year-old smashed the picture frame and removed the small picture, tucking it into the inside of his capsule case lid where it would always be close.  Now, was there anything else he was forgetting?

"Can we bring the toaster?!"

Kat: *sweatdrops* Uh oh!  From now on you'd better watch out for the toaster jokes…  They'll be a running joke throughout the entire story. ^__^  (Blame Lexi - it was her idea .)

Lexi: *smiles* and I'm proud of it! ^____^ LoL  Oh, and hey!  Brief cameo to anyone who can guess where the name for this planet came from!  It's a form of code… ^___^ "Arixjyo".

Kat: *rolls eyes* whatever.  Well, sorry that the chapters have been so short guys – it's hard for two really busy young women to collaborate on a story like this! /__\

Lexi: *pats Kat on the back* Ah, don't worry Kitty-chan!  They'll forgive us in a heartbeat when they see how long chapter 12 is! ^_____^

Kat: *smiles wanly* Or so we hope, ne?