Chapter 8 Tempting Fate
Thursday, June 12, 6:45 pm
Roshi tossed his towel onto a chair and plopped down onto his bed and laid his head back. He held the small orange ball up so that it eclipsed one of his room's lights. Staring through the four stars of the Dragonball Roshi sighed. The young man had a lot going through his mind at the moment, and holding that single remaining Dragonball helped him to relax.
Roshi tossed the ball up towards his ceiling and caught it. Goku Jr. had found the four star ball during the same Budoukai that Pan had claimed to have seen Goku at. In the four hundred years since that Budoukai, no one had found another one. The Dragon Radar always showed one ball. Just the one.
Getting up from his bed, Roshi walked to his computer and sat down. "Open Electronic Journal files; Son Goku Jr. Search for any entry involving his finding the four star Dragonball." Roshi directed his computer.
"One entry found."
Roshi opened it and started reading.
May 10, 891
I have been thinking about this ball I found at the Budoukai. My sister has confirmed that it really is a real Dragonball. This has me thinking. I found the four star Dragonball. Goku's Dragonball. This is Goku's Dragonball. I have to tell myself this because it is a rather hard to believe coincidence. I have lived my entire life hearing of my namesake. I have seen millions of pictures of him. Is it really a coincidence that I find a Dragonball that is or was always associated with Goku, and then run into a man who looked exactly like what Goku looked like? He died almost 100 years ago. Or at least he went away. Grandma says it was him. No one can convince her that it was not. It does not matter that the man looked like he was my age. It does not matter that he should be almost 150. She believes it was him.
I am starting to as well. He told me that the Dragonballs were taken away because Earth had grown to depend on them too much. He said that once Earth again depended on itself they would be back.
I found the four star ball, how long until we find the rest? And just what did he mean by depend on itself? Nothing has threatened the Earth since Goku left with the Dragonballs. Is this a dire prediction that there will be a threat? Or is it just something else? I wish I had the rest of the Dragonballs so I could wish for understanding. Until then, I guess I will just have to ponder.
* * *
'Goku Jr. wrote that four hundred years one month and two days ago, and we still haven't found another Dragonball.' Roshi thought as he stared at the screen.
Roshi walked over to one of his numerous shelves and looked at the various pictures and keepsakes that he kept in his personal shrine to his ancestors. 'The only reason I am training as hard as I am because there is a new threat coming to Earth. An actual threat is coming to Earth, and Buu is for the first time since Goku's time not here to deal with it.' Roshi sighed and collected his thoughts. 'I have read that journal entry enough to have practically memorized it over the years. If that was a prediction it was at least four hundred years in the making. I just hope I am doing enough training so that the prediction can come true and the Dragonballs actually have a chance to come back. Having them would make life so much simpler.' Roshi shook his head. 'Of course, it was thinking like that that got them taken away in the first place.'
"You have an incoming phone call." His computer said to bring him out of his thoughts. Roshi put the Dragonball back onto its pillow in the alcove and looked at it for a few moments ignoring the computer.
"Hi, Oh you want to talk to me? Let me check. Nope I guess I am not in here. Please leave a message and I will get back to you eventually," the computer toned before starting to record a message.
"Hey, are you still alive? We've been trying to call you all week. I think this is the twentieth message I have left and I would have thought that you would have at least made the attempt to call me back." Kit's tone sounded rather annoyed.
"Answer." Roshi spoke over the speakers as he quickly walked over and sat down. "Sorry, I'm here, just been a bit preoccupied lately. What's up?"
"Ha..iii Roshiiii" Mariah said as her voice pitched up and got caught in her throat.
Kit and Mariah sat staring at him through the video screen. Mariah was blushing quite heavily and even Kit had an odd look on her face.
Mariah whispered something into Kit's ear and the two of them started laughing.
"What?" Roshi asked naively.
Kit shot him an odd look and then whispered something back to Mariah.
"What? What the heck is so funny?"
"Roshi do you always answer a vidphone in your underwear?" Kit asked finally.
Roshi looked down at himself. "These are shorts, and no. I just got done training for the day and was relaxing." Roshi said as he sweat dropped and reached over to where he had placed his shirt. After pulling on the extremely loose fitting shirt he looked back to the screen. "So, what are you two conniving girls calling about?"
Mariah put a hand over her chest and gave Roshi her best innocent look. "Us? Conniving? What would give you that idea?"
"Well the fact that you two are together is proof enough for me. So, what's up?
Kit glanced at Mariah and then at Roshi. "Mariah's blood pressure. Now I know why you wear such big, loose clothes all the time."
This caused Mariah and Roshi to both turn several shades of red. "Well yeah. Given the way both of you two are drooling and carrying on, the only way to get girls off of me would be to rip them off with a pry-bar. Not to mention do you have any idea how vile girl slobber is? It has cooties and germs and millions of other nasty things in it. No, seriously, what's up?"
"Girl slobber? Roshi that got old when we used to chase you boys around when we were ten." Mariah laughed.
"Well he is a guy, you know." Kit joined in. "You can't expect his maturity to be bigger than his shoe size."
"Yeah whatever, you guys are just saying that because you want me. I mean who wouldn't want me?" Roshi teased back.
"Oh, and now the little boy is developing an ego. He must be taking lessons from Rock." Kit shot back.
"No, he isn't quite as bad yet. He didn't follow his ego with a degrading comment." Mariah laughed.
"That's because he lead off with it. Girl slobber, my tail!"
"Ok! OK! Did you two just call me to pester me and make sure I was alive or is there actually a point to this conversation?"
Mariah grinned from ear to ear. "Actually, yeah, I wanna show you something. Just a second, I'll be right back." She yelled as she ran off the screen.
"Soo... What's up?"
Kit rolled her eyes. "I'm not telling."
"Oh, and here I thought you were Miss Honesty."
"Yeah, but I also know the value of a good surprise. You will just have to wait for Mariah to get back."
"Figures."
"Coming from the a guy who has more secrets then a library of mystery novels, your goading really means nothing to me."
"Ouch, that hurts."
"Good!"
A few minutes later Mariah came back minus her glasses. "I got contacts! My mom sold a bunch of her paintings to this art collector and she let me get contacts!" Mariah was just glowing.
Roshi had always found her eyes to be expressive, even with her glasses. Now that she had contacts, Roshi could see just how beautiful her big golden-brown eyes really were.
"You look really nice." He managed to spit out.
Mariah blushed again. "I do? You really think so?"
"Yes."
"Oh, Roshi, thanks I was kind of worried. I've had glasses since I was six. I don't think I look like me without them on."
"Well, you look really good."
Mariah's smile probably couldn't get any bigger. "Oh, you have no idea how happy that makes me feel. Anyways, I have some more news. My mom and I are celebrating this Saturday, but I want to do something nice for you guys too. So how about we all go to a movie on me tomorrow before my mother locks away all the rest of the money in my college fund?"
"Mariah, you don't have to do that. The movie sounds great, but you don't have to pay for us, especially for me."
"But I want to. I know you don't need anyone to ever pay for you, but I think it would be nice for a change. So don't argue with me."
"Ok fine. What time and where should I meet you?"
"Kit's place. At around 6ish or so."
"Ok, I'll be there."
"Great! Well I have to go. Talk to you later!" Mariah said before ending the conversation. The screen went back to his normal desktop and then went black for energy conservation.
"Wow, Mariah is really excited. I don't think I have seen her this happy in a while." Roshi said to himself as he stretched his arms out.
Roshi leaned back in his chair and smiled. 'Well it's good for her.' Looking at his watch he laughed, 'Ok, wait about three minutes and Kit will be calling me back. Then I can do a little follow up on the stuff Slip showed me. I really shouldn't be digging, but what are friends for? Hmmm, maybe I should get Mariah involved. She would probably be all for hooking Kit up.'
It took Kit closer to five minutes to call back.
"Hi Roshi, so I was thinking... What is that smirk for?"
Roshi leaned back in his chair. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about things."
"Such as?"
"Well, like how I really don't understand Mariah."
Kit laughed, "Well that's the way the world is supposed to work. If you clueless guys actually understood us girls life would be boring and that would be no fun at all."
"Yeah, well, I knew by the look on you face when Mariah was showing me her contacts that you would be calling back, so it is not like I can't predict you two. It is just, well, I can understand why she is happy to get her contacts, and why my opinion made her even happier, but I just can't really understand why she is so happy. I haven't seen her that gleeful in a long time."
Kit shook her head slowly. "Roshi, that's because you want for nothing. Think about it for a moment. Have you ever wanted an object that you could not afford to buy or have made for you? I'm only talking about things here objects you can own. I mean, have you ever wanted something and been told no or had to save to get it?"
Roshi immediately glanced over his shoulder at the Dragonball he had just place on it's pillow.
"I see your point. The answer is yes, but the things that I can say yes to are unique and cannot be bought or made by just anyone. Where as Mariah can't afford things that I take for granted so something that means nothing to me means a lot to her."
Kit grimaced. "Yes, but no. You are so clueless. Mariah is happy because yes, she got something she has wanted for a long time, but more so she is happy because she got it as a gift from her mother and it was because of her mother's work so it really isn't the contacts that she is happy about. They just make it all that much better."
Roshi sighed. "Kit... I know this, I just said I don't, no, I can't understand her. The old saying says 'you need to walk a mile in their shoes', but I really cannot even begin to understand because of the gulf that separates us. I mean, little things like this remind me just how different our perspectives on the world really are."
"Maybe you shouldn't be the only one who has to understand. If you actually opened up and let her in a bit she might be able to help you to reach that understanding." Kit said back.
"Yeah, but I don't know."
Kit rolled her eyes. "What is this? The great Son Roshi is afraid of something? What happened to the fearless guy who answered the phone in his underwear?"
"Kit! These are shorts. They are not even boxer shorts they are just normal shorts."
"Yeah, well you shouldn't do that. It's hard on poor Mariah's heart."
"Gah! It is summer! Last time I checked there wasn't anything too illegal about a guy running around in only his shorts. Now if you or Mariah had answered the phone wearing only a pair of shorts then I could see reason to make a big deal out of it. I mean, it isn't like you two didn't see me in even less last weekend."
"Roshi, you were under water. Nobody could see anything, and it wasn't the same."
"Oh really? Why is that? I would thing being physically present would be more of a... ah... well I don't know, turn on; for lack of a better word."
Kit blinked and shook her head slowly side to side. "Roshi are you totally oblivious? Do you not know what a mirror is?" Kit suddenly stopped and laughed, "wait that is being unfair. You are not the type of guy who preens himself so he can look a role he is not. So, I guess maybe you wouldn't have noticed."
Roshi was loosing his patience. Kit was great when you needed an honest answer, but she could drag things on forever. "Notice what?"
"Ok fine, let me be blunt with you. How fast do Saiyans gain muscle mass?"
"I don't know, why?"
Kit laughed. "Because last weekend you looked like a highly toned athlete. You had muscle definition but not bulk. Now you look like you attached yourself to a steroids pump and selected inflate. Just what kind of training are you doing?"
"Um I guess they are rather intensive, but I never thought about that. It is really that noticeable of a change?"
Kit slapped herself on the forehead and leaned back in her chair. "Kami, help me. Roshi did all your gray matter seep out of your head and get turned into meat? You are normally a lot faster on the uptake. Yes, it was noticeable. When you laughed and reached over to grab your shirt the muscles on your side and stomach rippled! Muscles are not supposed to ripple noticeably! Fat people like Slade have big gross spare tire ripples, but you have like no body fat what so ever, and when your abs contracted as you moved THEY RIPPLED! Yes, I would say it is noticeable! It's down right nasty!"
"Great."
"Which is why when you and Mariah get done watching the movie tomorrow night you should ask her over to your place and let her watch you train, or maybe just do something physical with her. You really need to drop the klutz act."
"Yeah, but what if she says no?"
Kit mouth fell open and then clicked shut audibly. "Says no? NO?! Roshi, your brains really did ooze out of your head. I mean you aren't my type, but what girl wouldn't want to date you? You're a SON and you're nice, and sweet, and smart, and tall, and dark, and you're athletic, and the list goes on and on and on forever. How could you possibly think she would say no?!"
Roshi smiled inwardly. 'Hook, line, and sinker. Sorry Kit, but you fell for it and I'm going to turn the tables now.' "I don't"
"Then what are you afraid of?!"
"I don't know, but I strikes me as odd that you can list off all those wonderful reasons why someone would like to date me yet can claim that I am not your type? Just what is your type? Short, scrawny, dumb, and ugly?"
"NO!"
"Ok, then hypothetical here, just why aren't I your type?"
Kit blinked a few times and looked like she was trying to collect her thoughts. "Roshi you... My type is... well, you wouldn't understand."
"No seriously, why not tell me?"
"Roshi, it's complicated and well..." Kit hesitated.
'Sorry Kit but,' "What, I'm not Vulpine enough for you? I bet you wouldn't have such a big problem with my rippling abs if they were covered in fur."
Kit's eyes bulged out and she almost jumped out of her chair to defend herself. "Roshi! How can you say that? You make me sound like some racist bigot like Rock! It has nothing to do with that!"
"Cut the crap Kit, you make a lousy liar, especially when I have you cornered. It has everything to do with that."
"What!?!"
"It has everything to do with that because you, Keiko Nny Kitsune want kids and all of Carge's flirting, or Gryph's wooing, or the list of whatever I supposedly have is not going to do that for you."
Kit fell back into her chair, "What? How?..."
"It's really simply actually. First, you are an only child which from what I can dig up on your people is about as common as bird's teeth. Second, you volunteer at that orphanage all the time. Third, you baby sit about ten different kids on most weekends. And finally, you want to get a scholarship so you can go to college to become a teacher. You were just talking about how Mariah wanted to have contacts, but is now really happy because she now feels she earned them. Well, you want kids and you want your own kids. Simple as that."
Kit sat blinking stupidly for several moments. "No, not that, well yes that, but how did you know the other part, you know the fact that my people can't..."
"...Can't have kids with Humans? Oh, well you can thank Slip. She has access to almost every project run at Capsule Corp. She also doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'confidential'. To make a play on her name, Slip let some stuff slip in a conversation, and I put two and two together. Or am I wrong about you wanting your own kids?"
"No, but well, considering how much I pick on you to come clean and tell people who you really are this is difficult. That's sort of our dirty little secret. There are enough people who already think of us as just a step better then animals that if they knew that, it would cause problems."
"Kit, you don't need to apologize. It actually makes sense and in a way explains a lot about you."
Kit's eyes half closed as they narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, in a way, I guess I have always thought of you as being just one of the guys."
Kit rocked back, "Just one of the guys?" She asked putting emphasis on the last word. "You had better explain that one. I mean, Carge calls me a Barbie doll one week and now you said you always thought of me as being male? The two don't mix and I'm not sure which of you is the bigger loon."
"Kit, I'm being serious. To me you have always been a good friend who acted more like a guy with a girl's point of view on most things."
Kit interrupted him before he could continue. "Most things? Do you want be to start shoveling the dirt back in and packing it down? Cause your hole is deep enough to bury you in it."
"Gah, how do I explain this?" Roshi wondered aloud. He realized that he was eating his own foot and he didn't like the taste. "Ok, here, you said so yourself. I am the 'great Son Roshi'," Roshi said putting quotation marks in the air with his fingers. "You asked me what girl wouldn't want to date me? Well think back to when you first moved to Satan City. Some people tried to befriend you because you were the newest neat thing. Some people decided you were different and that was bad so they feared you and stayed away. Others like Rock tried to one up you by making fun of you. I've had that sort of thing my whole life. As a kid I never knew whom to trust because everyone either treated me like a pariah, or tried to use me. Other then my cousins you were the first person whom I ever met who heard the name Son Roshi and looked to the person rather then the name and everything that comes with it."
Roshi continued, "Then we grew up, and people changed. To tell you the truth the klutz act is my protection from normal people. Especially girls. Because well, when I meet girls I can see it in their eyes. They hear my name and by the time they figure out who I actually am they have envisioned their wedding, named the kids they will have with me, and planned all the ways they can use my fame and money. Well you didn't change. You stayed neutral and well more like a guy. Only better, 'cause you didn't become jealous of me."
Roshi sighed, "Guys go into more or less two camps. The jealous and the non-caring. And all of them get jealous occasionally. You saw how Carge puffed up on that mountain by the pools last Saturday. If he knew who I really was he would become so sure I was out to steal Niko from him that he would never calm down and be himself around me."
Kit's eyes had softened while Roshi spoke but she kept quiet.
"I don't know, I guess I can't even say you are like a guy because you are just, well, you. But what I can say is that you and my cousin Slip are the only two girls who have never looked at my name rather then who I really am. I mean, look at the way Niko acted up at the Lookout. And she is one of my better friends! I just, I get so sick of people treating me like I'm nothing more then a piece of meat, and I guess you always knew that it couldn't be so you just let yourself be a true friend for who I was and not what I was. Like I said, it makes sense now that I know why."
Kit laughed. "Yes, it does, but you shouldn't downplay being a piece of meat so much. Because, oh what a piece of meat you make. And you are right. If you were a Vulpine I could just eat you up you scrumptious succulent piece of man-meat you. Mmmmnnnnn..." Kit said making her voice as sultry as she could before licking her lips and running her long tongue over her teeth before letting it play across the tip of one of her long pointed "fang" canine teeth.
Roshi shuddered. "Kit, you're scaring me. Don't ever do that again."
Kit laughed. "Sorry, but I had to get you back for calling me male. I understand what you mean but there is something totally unsexy about being called a guy. The term Vixen is supposed to have this allure to it. Even if that allure is dead on you." Kit smiled.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. But mister! If you think Mariah is after your name and isn't your friend because of what she sees in you, then you are doing her a great big disservice!"
Roshi sighed. "I know, she doesn't now that she knows me. But you remember back when you first moved here. We both befriended you but whenever I was around Mariah would disappear or just gape at me like I was an aberration or something. It took her almost a full year to actually say more then three words to me. And I still catch her staring at me from time to time. It bugs me. It's like she is trying to convince herself that I am really there or something."
Kit burst out laughing. "Just when I start to think you are a manipulative genius you go and prove that you're just clueless and lucky! I can explain this. You said it yourself; you didn't know whom to trust. Mariah said that back then she was truly an invisible kid. You had never even spoken to her. You were friends with everyone, yet at the same time friends with no one. Then all of a sudden you descended from your pinnacle and you noticed her. She claims she was so shy she almost wet herself when you first started hanging out with her and I. She didn't know what to say so she said nothing."
"Yeah, well what about now?" Roshi asked.
Kit giggled. "Now she stares for a completely different reason. Which is why you should ask her to the summer gala dance during the Mid-summer Festival. It is also why you should let her see the real you. I mean there are some things that she is not ready for yet, but she deserves the truth. Oh, and speaking of the truth. You were wrong; I'm not an only child. I was the first of a set of paternal twins. My sister Maiko was born five minutes after me, and she died when we were four. You now know two of my dirty little secrets. Maybe Mariah should know a few of yours."
Roshi shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Kit nodded. "It's ok, I still miss her, but it is ok. We really can't change that now. What you can change is what Mariah knows about you.
Roshi grimaced. "I know, but I don't think I'm ready to tell her."
Kit sighed. "Well don't wait to long. Eventually fate will force your hand. My people have a saying that goes: When fate forces a hand it often bites the hand it forces. Beware Fate's bite, as it has very large teeth and very sharp teeth. When it bites it bites hard and never lets go for anyone or anything." Kit stretched out a little. "Don't let fate bite you Roshi. I've always thought the best time for the truth is the present. Wait to long and it will bite you."
* * *
Meanwhile, somewhere in space
Beep! The regeneration tank beeped softly. Inside Ichigo woke and immediately fought the urge to barf as some of the viscous fluid from the tank had managed to seep into her mouth.
'Ugh I know that the tank has to wake me to assure that I am healed, but I would do anything to get to sleep until long after the fluid is drained away.' She thought to herself as the special fluid drained from the tank.
Yanking her nose plugs and small breathing device off, Ichigo was hit by another waive of nausea. She had for some reason always mentally associated people getting out of regeneration tanks with babies being born. The thick viscous fluid now coated her body from head to toe with a slime that was someplace between syrup and runny snot in consistency. To make matters worse, it even smelled like afterbirth as far as Ichigo could recall from her few trips with Momo or some other person to the Maternity wards.
But the worst was the taste. Bitter brine water hit her the moment she woke. This was soon followed by an indescribably metallic flavor that just hung in her mouth. Both of these flavors then mixed with an acid tang of a sharp wine and the sickly sweet of over-ripe fruit.
Combined with the texture and smell of the fluid, it made Ichigo gag.
'Ick, I'm all slimy from that stupid tank. I hate using those things. They smell bad, and it takes forever to wash that slime off. Auugh I can't believe that I got beat up. That green guy was a lot stronger then my scouter indicated. I even have holes in my skinsuit. She thought as she stuck a finger through one of the many holes in the flexible spandex-like bodysuit she wore under her armor. This fabric is supposed to be practically impossible to destroy.'
Stopping in front of the mirror she was surprised at just how much of her armor had been destroyed. She practically had none left over either shoulder, and it was cracked and broken all over the place along her entire back.
'Guess I need a new suit of armor,' she thought as she striped out of the ruined clothing and walked to the shower unit. 'It got beat up almost as bad as I did.'
Catching a glance at herself one last time she shuddered. 'Yuck, I look and smell like a newborn baby. I need to get this crap cleaned off of me.'
Being who she was, producing an heir was an expected duty rather then a dreamful option. While Ichigo didn't mind children, the thought of giving birth was caught in her mind someplace between grossly revolting and terrifying. Since neither was a thought that Saiyans were encouraged to have on or for anything, Ichigo tried not to think about it. Besides, she was only sixteen; hopefully, she would have several years (like forever) and then a good nine months to let the idea grow on her. Stopping near the shower, Ichigo grabbed a q-tip like thing that sucked the fluid out of her ears. Her ears popped and she could suddenly hear clearly again.
"If I never have to use a regeneration tank again it will be way too soon." She wiggled her previously broken fingers. "Well I guess it is better then having a broken hand, but not by much." Ichigo said to herself as she started the shower and got in. "Aahhhh that feels good" Ichigo said aloud as she started using her tail to scrub down her back. "I think I'll take a long shower."
After her shower, she examined herself in the mirror. After turning every which way and stretching to see how well she had healed she was quite happy to not see any new scars. Her singed hair had also grown back to its normal unmanageable length. All was as it should be. It was said that scars are the body's way to remind the brain that it had been stupid. Ichigo would much prefer not having any physical reminders for anyone that she had ever made a mistake.
Ichigo decided to wear the light blue armor set this time. She liked how it matched her eyes. It also had a really cool white and blue cape that would make her look all that much more imposing to most of the people she would run into.
After dressing she went directly to the workout room to determine just how much her power had gone up.
"Computer give me a scouter reading"
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
"Your maximum power level was 39,800," it reported.
'Wow an increase of over 10,000! I must have been hurt more than I thought.'
She looked around and thought about trying to learn some of the attacks that the green man had used. But the only attack that she was impressed with was that Kame-something-or-other that she had not actually seen until after he had fired the blasted thing. 'Drat, and it was such an effective attack,' she thought as she swung her arm around in memory as she left the room.
'Now, where am I?' She thought to herself as she went to the bridge of the ship. 'I hope the people on this planet know where the Saiyans went. I really don't want to get into any more fights.'
"Computer, give me a scouter reading of this planet."
"There are no power levels above 10,000. The planet has a population of 2.5 billion people with an average power of 1,026."
'Great, the computer only lists it off like that if EVERYONE on the planet exhibits some ki control. This might be a fight in the making. I had better go eat,' she thought to herself.
She left the bridge and went to the ship's galley where she had left all the food that she had stolen from the weaklings at Namek.
"WHAT!!!!" She screamed when she opened the door and found six or seven small pinkish purple aliens eating her food.
"THAT'S MY FOOD!!!" She screamed as she ran to hit one of the aliens.
The alien quickly put two fingers to its forehead and disappeared. Soon afterward all of the rest did the same thing.
Ichigo looked around. They had taken both of the cows from the cooler and eaten every edible part. The bones littered the floor. Most of the tomatoes and potatoes were also eaten.
As she looked at the room, one of the aliens appeared, grabbed a potato and vanished before Ichigo could even move to attack it.
"My food! I didn't even get to eat it. Those aliens! how did they get onto my ship? How did they eat all my food. Why is everything going wrong? I DON'T WANT TO EAT SUPPORT BARS!!!!!! It is just not fair, not fair at all!"
She was well into a good pout when another of the aliens appeared. This one was ancient looking with almost white-pink skin practically hanging off its frame.
"You Saiyans eat a lot. We were trading food. We did not mean to be discovered. Here is the food that we are trading with. Goku liked it when he stayed with us after beating Frieza. We hope you do too." Then he was gone. He did leave a mountain of weird noodles and meats and various other edible looking objects.
"He gave me more food than they took." Ichigo said aloud as she realized what had happened. The whole thing bothered her. She decided that she wouldn't attack this planet unless no one else could give her information. The weird Aliens had given her food, and it would be a breach in her honor to attack them now. So, she ate and found that it was quite good.
"How did they know I was a Saiyan? And who is this Goku? They said that he beat Frieza... That is a Changeling name, but Goku is not a Saiyan name."
"Wait! The green man said that Kakarott had beat Frieza! That is a Saiyan name. Maybe these weird people gave him a new name. But the Green man said that the planet had blown up and that would have killed Kakarott if he had actually been fighting... I wonder" Ichigo had a habit of talking to herself when she was pondering out really confusing problems. It helped her to relax and take the time to actually think them through.
"I have been here for almost a week and I have seen no sign of the Changelings. I guess that the stories of a Saiyan killing them are true. But then, where are the Vegeta Saiyans. They should have taken everything over after they had killed off their masters. It just didn't make sense." Ichigo chewed on her lip for a moment.
"Computer, do the people on this planet have communications ability?"
"Yes."
"Patch me through to their government."
"One moment please."
An alien appeared on the screen. "May I help you?" it asked.
"I'm looking for the Saiyans that killed Frieza. Would you tell me where to locate them?"
The receptionist was visibly shocked at the question. She also avoided the question when she answered.
"Killed Frieza? According to my records, the only Frieza I know of is the planet Frieza 79, are you sure you know what you are looking for?"
"FINE!!" Ichigo was getting very sick of people either not telling her what they knew or not knowing anything at all. It would take time to land and beat the truth out of these people, and they would probably just disappear again. "Just tell me where that planet is!"
"Ok transmitting location now" "Thanks."
It took almost a full day to get to Frieza 79.
Along the way Ichigo trained and ate, and tried to sleep. She was having bad dreams. The longer her mission took the worse they got. She just couldn't help thinking about her father, and her friends. She wondered how Ringo and Sakura were. She hoped that they were still alive. Ichigo just couldn't be positive anymore. The people here were not telling her the truth, but she didn't understand why. Were the Vegeta rebels so terrible that the normal people would say anything to get her to go away? No, that couldn't be. If the rebels were horrid beings, the green man would have told her exactly where to find them. No, it was more likely that the rebels were all dead, and that the people were afraid of her.
That night Ichigo found herself hanging upside down by her tail swinging back and forth. Her arms and legs crossed. After a bit she opened her eyes. 'Oh, this whole mission is hopeless,' she thought. "I can't sleep, I can't relax, and I can't find what I'm looking for."
"Approaching destination." The computer reported to break her out of her thoughts.
"Computer, give me a scouter reading on this planet."
"There are 1,158 life forms with power levels under 1,000. There are 894 life forms with power levels between 1,000 and 5,000. There are 348 life forms with power levels between 5,000 and 10,000. There are..."
"Stop. What is the highest power level and where is it located?" She said to cut it off. The computer could go on forever some times.
"The highest power level on the planet is 23,400 and is located at a large facility in the northern section of the planet."
"Land near that life form."
There was no point in wasting any time. If her ship's scouter was off as badly as her now broken personal one had been on Namek, she would surely die. Otherwise, she would get as much information as she could from these people.
Ichigo got out of the ship and started to fly towards the multi- towered dilapidated complex that every living creature on this planet seemed to live around. Her new scouter indicated that the strongest power level was someplace inside the complex.
She landed on a platform and entered the building. An orange man with a power level of 18,400 appeared.
"Are you here to join the legions of Frieza?" he asked.
Ichigo cocked an eyebrow at him and looked him over. He was not wearing a scouter, and probably had no idea how strong she was.
"No, I am looking for the Saiyans who killed Frieza." "Ha ha ha ha ho, you are quite funny! All of those worthless monkeys have long since died. There are thankfully none of their worthless kind left in the universe."
"Is that so." Ichigo said as she ran one hand through her hair pointed at herself with the other and loosened and then waved her tail.
The orange man turned white. His mouth fell open and he fell to his knees.
"Oh! Please! I meant no disrespect. Please don't kill me. I was only serving these people because they said Frieza would come back and kill me!!"
Ichigo was shocked. She had never seen such a powerful warrior show so much fear. There were only a hand-full of Saiyans, possibly some 50,000 or so, which would actually be stronger then him. Yet he was acting like he was nothing compared to her and he didn't even know her power level. It made no sense.
"Take me to your superiors."
The man quickly snapped to attention and started walking.
"Right away!" he said in military precision.
She followed him to a large room, which looked as if it had once been a control room for a galactic conquest.
"Piako! Sir! there is a Saiyan here to see you!"
The orange man addressed a purple lizard man. The lizard man gave him a look of pure hatred and then turned to look at Ichigo. He was wearing an old style scouter. Ichigo heard it beep several times. He looked absolutely terrified.
"Ta.. ta... the the... sc... sc... ou... outer scouter s sss s says you have a power level of 32,000 just standing there. I if if ih If history proves true that would mean that your true power level could be anywhere from gulp, 32,000 to several million and I wouldn't know the difference until you killed me."
Ichigo was so shocked at the fear coming off a man who could easily have been considered her equal in power a week ago that she didn't even register what he had said.
"I don't have time for this." She said. "Tell me what exactly happened to Frieza."
The purple man looked at her and slowly opened his mouth to talk. "A test? We don't know what happened to our master Frieza..."
Pzzzt!
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
These people served the Changelings. Ichigo could freely kill them without feeling any regret. The mans prattle had been stopped when she vaporized ten of the lower powered solders and blew a hole in the wall.
The purple man was on his knees begging for his life.
"Frieza and Cold never came back from Earth! We don't know what happened. The Saiyans that supposedly lived there must have killed him! We don't know! Please have mercy on us! We beg you!"
Earth! EARTH! I'M an IDIOT! Ichigo forgot all about the trash that followed the Changelings and flew as fast as possible back to her ship.
She didn't get very far. A big greenish blue man with black hair stopped her. Her scouter said that he had a power level of 22,490.
"I'm not fooled by you! You're not nearly as strong as the rest of these fools think."
"Oh really and what make you think that?"
"You have a tail!" The man said as he suddenly transformed into this gargantuanly hideous beast and threw a Ki blast.
Ichigo took one look at her scouter and knew she would win. His power had increased to 29,850. It was a good jump in power, but not good enough.
"All Saiyans have tails you idiot!" She screamed as she used the tail in question to catch and throw back the man's Ki ball.
"What!" he screamed right before he flew into his own attack.
KA-BlUUUIE! The ball blew up in his face.
Not wanting to waste any more time with him she quickly kicked him in the back of the head and then flew around him to give him a chop to the neck, which crushed his spine and killed him.
'OOOH that stings,' she thought as she wrapped her tail back around her waist. If that attack had been any stronger, she would not have been able to have caught it, and THAT would have really hurt. Ichigo made yet another mental note to be more careful with her tail. It was too easy to hurt. She then returned to her ship.
"Computer, do you have the location of Earth on file from that ship I docked with last week?"
"Affirmative"
"Set course at maximum possible speed."
"It makes so much sense. The weaklings are from Earth! That's why I ignored it. But that green guy said that the planet that the Humans lived on could not be successfully attacked. The Saiyans must have conquered that planet and are using the Humans as slaves! That's why the Green man didn't want me to kill them. He was probably a slave too. He was probably afraid that one of the supposed Super Saiyans would kill him because of me. And if the rebel Saiyans are as strong as everyone here seems to think they are I might be able so save my people yet!" Ichigo was very excited. She had finally figured out were the Vegeta Saiyans had gone.
She decided to spend the next two days training. The computer had told her that she would arrive at Earth late Sunday afternoon by their calendar, and she intended to be even stronger when she got there. It would finally be her day of reckoning.
* * *
This chapter was edited by Kitsune Maxwell. I will owe her planets by the time this fic is done. I think you all should go review her fics and poetry so that I don't owe her quite so much. Oh, and because they are really good stuff!
Well, this was the last of the major revisions for a while, 9-15 are largely unchanged so they (should) be up within the next week.
Thanks for reading, Please Review. Your opinions are very valuable to me.
Roshi tossed his towel onto a chair and plopped down onto his bed and laid his head back. He held the small orange ball up so that it eclipsed one of his room's lights. Staring through the four stars of the Dragonball Roshi sighed. The young man had a lot going through his mind at the moment, and holding that single remaining Dragonball helped him to relax.
Roshi tossed the ball up towards his ceiling and caught it. Goku Jr. had found the four star ball during the same Budoukai that Pan had claimed to have seen Goku at. In the four hundred years since that Budoukai, no one had found another one. The Dragon Radar always showed one ball. Just the one.
Getting up from his bed, Roshi walked to his computer and sat down. "Open Electronic Journal files; Son Goku Jr. Search for any entry involving his finding the four star Dragonball." Roshi directed his computer.
"One entry found."
Roshi opened it and started reading.
May 10, 891
I have been thinking about this ball I found at the Budoukai. My sister has confirmed that it really is a real Dragonball. This has me thinking. I found the four star Dragonball. Goku's Dragonball. This is Goku's Dragonball. I have to tell myself this because it is a rather hard to believe coincidence. I have lived my entire life hearing of my namesake. I have seen millions of pictures of him. Is it really a coincidence that I find a Dragonball that is or was always associated with Goku, and then run into a man who looked exactly like what Goku looked like? He died almost 100 years ago. Or at least he went away. Grandma says it was him. No one can convince her that it was not. It does not matter that the man looked like he was my age. It does not matter that he should be almost 150. She believes it was him.
I am starting to as well. He told me that the Dragonballs were taken away because Earth had grown to depend on them too much. He said that once Earth again depended on itself they would be back.
I found the four star ball, how long until we find the rest? And just what did he mean by depend on itself? Nothing has threatened the Earth since Goku left with the Dragonballs. Is this a dire prediction that there will be a threat? Or is it just something else? I wish I had the rest of the Dragonballs so I could wish for understanding. Until then, I guess I will just have to ponder.
* * *
'Goku Jr. wrote that four hundred years one month and two days ago, and we still haven't found another Dragonball.' Roshi thought as he stared at the screen.
Roshi walked over to one of his numerous shelves and looked at the various pictures and keepsakes that he kept in his personal shrine to his ancestors. 'The only reason I am training as hard as I am because there is a new threat coming to Earth. An actual threat is coming to Earth, and Buu is for the first time since Goku's time not here to deal with it.' Roshi sighed and collected his thoughts. 'I have read that journal entry enough to have practically memorized it over the years. If that was a prediction it was at least four hundred years in the making. I just hope I am doing enough training so that the prediction can come true and the Dragonballs actually have a chance to come back. Having them would make life so much simpler.' Roshi shook his head. 'Of course, it was thinking like that that got them taken away in the first place.'
"You have an incoming phone call." His computer said to bring him out of his thoughts. Roshi put the Dragonball back onto its pillow in the alcove and looked at it for a few moments ignoring the computer.
"Hi, Oh you want to talk to me? Let me check. Nope I guess I am not in here. Please leave a message and I will get back to you eventually," the computer toned before starting to record a message.
"Hey, are you still alive? We've been trying to call you all week. I think this is the twentieth message I have left and I would have thought that you would have at least made the attempt to call me back." Kit's tone sounded rather annoyed.
"Answer." Roshi spoke over the speakers as he quickly walked over and sat down. "Sorry, I'm here, just been a bit preoccupied lately. What's up?"
"Ha..iii Roshiiii" Mariah said as her voice pitched up and got caught in her throat.
Kit and Mariah sat staring at him through the video screen. Mariah was blushing quite heavily and even Kit had an odd look on her face.
Mariah whispered something into Kit's ear and the two of them started laughing.
"What?" Roshi asked naively.
Kit shot him an odd look and then whispered something back to Mariah.
"What? What the heck is so funny?"
"Roshi do you always answer a vidphone in your underwear?" Kit asked finally.
Roshi looked down at himself. "These are shorts, and no. I just got done training for the day and was relaxing." Roshi said as he sweat dropped and reached over to where he had placed his shirt. After pulling on the extremely loose fitting shirt he looked back to the screen. "So, what are you two conniving girls calling about?"
Mariah put a hand over her chest and gave Roshi her best innocent look. "Us? Conniving? What would give you that idea?"
"Well the fact that you two are together is proof enough for me. So, what's up?
Kit glanced at Mariah and then at Roshi. "Mariah's blood pressure. Now I know why you wear such big, loose clothes all the time."
This caused Mariah and Roshi to both turn several shades of red. "Well yeah. Given the way both of you two are drooling and carrying on, the only way to get girls off of me would be to rip them off with a pry-bar. Not to mention do you have any idea how vile girl slobber is? It has cooties and germs and millions of other nasty things in it. No, seriously, what's up?"
"Girl slobber? Roshi that got old when we used to chase you boys around when we were ten." Mariah laughed.
"Well he is a guy, you know." Kit joined in. "You can't expect his maturity to be bigger than his shoe size."
"Yeah whatever, you guys are just saying that because you want me. I mean who wouldn't want me?" Roshi teased back.
"Oh, and now the little boy is developing an ego. He must be taking lessons from Rock." Kit shot back.
"No, he isn't quite as bad yet. He didn't follow his ego with a degrading comment." Mariah laughed.
"That's because he lead off with it. Girl slobber, my tail!"
"Ok! OK! Did you two just call me to pester me and make sure I was alive or is there actually a point to this conversation?"
Mariah grinned from ear to ear. "Actually, yeah, I wanna show you something. Just a second, I'll be right back." She yelled as she ran off the screen.
"Soo... What's up?"
Kit rolled her eyes. "I'm not telling."
"Oh, and here I thought you were Miss Honesty."
"Yeah, but I also know the value of a good surprise. You will just have to wait for Mariah to get back."
"Figures."
"Coming from the a guy who has more secrets then a library of mystery novels, your goading really means nothing to me."
"Ouch, that hurts."
"Good!"
A few minutes later Mariah came back minus her glasses. "I got contacts! My mom sold a bunch of her paintings to this art collector and she let me get contacts!" Mariah was just glowing.
Roshi had always found her eyes to be expressive, even with her glasses. Now that she had contacts, Roshi could see just how beautiful her big golden-brown eyes really were.
"You look really nice." He managed to spit out.
Mariah blushed again. "I do? You really think so?"
"Yes."
"Oh, Roshi, thanks I was kind of worried. I've had glasses since I was six. I don't think I look like me without them on."
"Well, you look really good."
Mariah's smile probably couldn't get any bigger. "Oh, you have no idea how happy that makes me feel. Anyways, I have some more news. My mom and I are celebrating this Saturday, but I want to do something nice for you guys too. So how about we all go to a movie on me tomorrow before my mother locks away all the rest of the money in my college fund?"
"Mariah, you don't have to do that. The movie sounds great, but you don't have to pay for us, especially for me."
"But I want to. I know you don't need anyone to ever pay for you, but I think it would be nice for a change. So don't argue with me."
"Ok fine. What time and where should I meet you?"
"Kit's place. At around 6ish or so."
"Ok, I'll be there."
"Great! Well I have to go. Talk to you later!" Mariah said before ending the conversation. The screen went back to his normal desktop and then went black for energy conservation.
"Wow, Mariah is really excited. I don't think I have seen her this happy in a while." Roshi said to himself as he stretched his arms out.
Roshi leaned back in his chair and smiled. 'Well it's good for her.' Looking at his watch he laughed, 'Ok, wait about three minutes and Kit will be calling me back. Then I can do a little follow up on the stuff Slip showed me. I really shouldn't be digging, but what are friends for? Hmmm, maybe I should get Mariah involved. She would probably be all for hooking Kit up.'
It took Kit closer to five minutes to call back.
"Hi Roshi, so I was thinking... What is that smirk for?"
Roshi leaned back in his chair. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about things."
"Such as?"
"Well, like how I really don't understand Mariah."
Kit laughed, "Well that's the way the world is supposed to work. If you clueless guys actually understood us girls life would be boring and that would be no fun at all."
"Yeah, well, I knew by the look on you face when Mariah was showing me her contacts that you would be calling back, so it is not like I can't predict you two. It is just, well, I can understand why she is happy to get her contacts, and why my opinion made her even happier, but I just can't really understand why she is so happy. I haven't seen her that gleeful in a long time."
Kit shook her head slowly. "Roshi, that's because you want for nothing. Think about it for a moment. Have you ever wanted an object that you could not afford to buy or have made for you? I'm only talking about things here objects you can own. I mean, have you ever wanted something and been told no or had to save to get it?"
Roshi immediately glanced over his shoulder at the Dragonball he had just place on it's pillow.
"I see your point. The answer is yes, but the things that I can say yes to are unique and cannot be bought or made by just anyone. Where as Mariah can't afford things that I take for granted so something that means nothing to me means a lot to her."
Kit grimaced. "Yes, but no. You are so clueless. Mariah is happy because yes, she got something she has wanted for a long time, but more so she is happy because she got it as a gift from her mother and it was because of her mother's work so it really isn't the contacts that she is happy about. They just make it all that much better."
Roshi sighed. "Kit... I know this, I just said I don't, no, I can't understand her. The old saying says 'you need to walk a mile in their shoes', but I really cannot even begin to understand because of the gulf that separates us. I mean, little things like this remind me just how different our perspectives on the world really are."
"Maybe you shouldn't be the only one who has to understand. If you actually opened up and let her in a bit she might be able to help you to reach that understanding." Kit said back.
"Yeah, but I don't know."
Kit rolled her eyes. "What is this? The great Son Roshi is afraid of something? What happened to the fearless guy who answered the phone in his underwear?"
"Kit! These are shorts. They are not even boxer shorts they are just normal shorts."
"Yeah, well you shouldn't do that. It's hard on poor Mariah's heart."
"Gah! It is summer! Last time I checked there wasn't anything too illegal about a guy running around in only his shorts. Now if you or Mariah had answered the phone wearing only a pair of shorts then I could see reason to make a big deal out of it. I mean, it isn't like you two didn't see me in even less last weekend."
"Roshi, you were under water. Nobody could see anything, and it wasn't the same."
"Oh really? Why is that? I would thing being physically present would be more of a... ah... well I don't know, turn on; for lack of a better word."
Kit blinked and shook her head slowly side to side. "Roshi are you totally oblivious? Do you not know what a mirror is?" Kit suddenly stopped and laughed, "wait that is being unfair. You are not the type of guy who preens himself so he can look a role he is not. So, I guess maybe you wouldn't have noticed."
Roshi was loosing his patience. Kit was great when you needed an honest answer, but she could drag things on forever. "Notice what?"
"Ok fine, let me be blunt with you. How fast do Saiyans gain muscle mass?"
"I don't know, why?"
Kit laughed. "Because last weekend you looked like a highly toned athlete. You had muscle definition but not bulk. Now you look like you attached yourself to a steroids pump and selected inflate. Just what kind of training are you doing?"
"Um I guess they are rather intensive, but I never thought about that. It is really that noticeable of a change?"
Kit slapped herself on the forehead and leaned back in her chair. "Kami, help me. Roshi did all your gray matter seep out of your head and get turned into meat? You are normally a lot faster on the uptake. Yes, it was noticeable. When you laughed and reached over to grab your shirt the muscles on your side and stomach rippled! Muscles are not supposed to ripple noticeably! Fat people like Slade have big gross spare tire ripples, but you have like no body fat what so ever, and when your abs contracted as you moved THEY RIPPLED! Yes, I would say it is noticeable! It's down right nasty!"
"Great."
"Which is why when you and Mariah get done watching the movie tomorrow night you should ask her over to your place and let her watch you train, or maybe just do something physical with her. You really need to drop the klutz act."
"Yeah, but what if she says no?"
Kit mouth fell open and then clicked shut audibly. "Says no? NO?! Roshi, your brains really did ooze out of your head. I mean you aren't my type, but what girl wouldn't want to date you? You're a SON and you're nice, and sweet, and smart, and tall, and dark, and you're athletic, and the list goes on and on and on forever. How could you possibly think she would say no?!"
Roshi smiled inwardly. 'Hook, line, and sinker. Sorry Kit, but you fell for it and I'm going to turn the tables now.' "I don't"
"Then what are you afraid of?!"
"I don't know, but I strikes me as odd that you can list off all those wonderful reasons why someone would like to date me yet can claim that I am not your type? Just what is your type? Short, scrawny, dumb, and ugly?"
"NO!"
"Ok, then hypothetical here, just why aren't I your type?"
Kit blinked a few times and looked like she was trying to collect her thoughts. "Roshi you... My type is... well, you wouldn't understand."
"No seriously, why not tell me?"
"Roshi, it's complicated and well..." Kit hesitated.
'Sorry Kit but,' "What, I'm not Vulpine enough for you? I bet you wouldn't have such a big problem with my rippling abs if they were covered in fur."
Kit's eyes bulged out and she almost jumped out of her chair to defend herself. "Roshi! How can you say that? You make me sound like some racist bigot like Rock! It has nothing to do with that!"
"Cut the crap Kit, you make a lousy liar, especially when I have you cornered. It has everything to do with that."
"What!?!"
"It has everything to do with that because you, Keiko Nny Kitsune want kids and all of Carge's flirting, or Gryph's wooing, or the list of whatever I supposedly have is not going to do that for you."
Kit fell back into her chair, "What? How?..."
"It's really simply actually. First, you are an only child which from what I can dig up on your people is about as common as bird's teeth. Second, you volunteer at that orphanage all the time. Third, you baby sit about ten different kids on most weekends. And finally, you want to get a scholarship so you can go to college to become a teacher. You were just talking about how Mariah wanted to have contacts, but is now really happy because she now feels she earned them. Well, you want kids and you want your own kids. Simple as that."
Kit sat blinking stupidly for several moments. "No, not that, well yes that, but how did you know the other part, you know the fact that my people can't..."
"...Can't have kids with Humans? Oh, well you can thank Slip. She has access to almost every project run at Capsule Corp. She also doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'confidential'. To make a play on her name, Slip let some stuff slip in a conversation, and I put two and two together. Or am I wrong about you wanting your own kids?"
"No, but well, considering how much I pick on you to come clean and tell people who you really are this is difficult. That's sort of our dirty little secret. There are enough people who already think of us as just a step better then animals that if they knew that, it would cause problems."
"Kit, you don't need to apologize. It actually makes sense and in a way explains a lot about you."
Kit's eyes half closed as they narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, in a way, I guess I have always thought of you as being just one of the guys."
Kit rocked back, "Just one of the guys?" She asked putting emphasis on the last word. "You had better explain that one. I mean, Carge calls me a Barbie doll one week and now you said you always thought of me as being male? The two don't mix and I'm not sure which of you is the bigger loon."
"Kit, I'm being serious. To me you have always been a good friend who acted more like a guy with a girl's point of view on most things."
Kit interrupted him before he could continue. "Most things? Do you want be to start shoveling the dirt back in and packing it down? Cause your hole is deep enough to bury you in it."
"Gah, how do I explain this?" Roshi wondered aloud. He realized that he was eating his own foot and he didn't like the taste. "Ok, here, you said so yourself. I am the 'great Son Roshi'," Roshi said putting quotation marks in the air with his fingers. "You asked me what girl wouldn't want to date me? Well think back to when you first moved to Satan City. Some people tried to befriend you because you were the newest neat thing. Some people decided you were different and that was bad so they feared you and stayed away. Others like Rock tried to one up you by making fun of you. I've had that sort of thing my whole life. As a kid I never knew whom to trust because everyone either treated me like a pariah, or tried to use me. Other then my cousins you were the first person whom I ever met who heard the name Son Roshi and looked to the person rather then the name and everything that comes with it."
Roshi continued, "Then we grew up, and people changed. To tell you the truth the klutz act is my protection from normal people. Especially girls. Because well, when I meet girls I can see it in their eyes. They hear my name and by the time they figure out who I actually am they have envisioned their wedding, named the kids they will have with me, and planned all the ways they can use my fame and money. Well you didn't change. You stayed neutral and well more like a guy. Only better, 'cause you didn't become jealous of me."
Roshi sighed, "Guys go into more or less two camps. The jealous and the non-caring. And all of them get jealous occasionally. You saw how Carge puffed up on that mountain by the pools last Saturday. If he knew who I really was he would become so sure I was out to steal Niko from him that he would never calm down and be himself around me."
Kit's eyes had softened while Roshi spoke but she kept quiet.
"I don't know, I guess I can't even say you are like a guy because you are just, well, you. But what I can say is that you and my cousin Slip are the only two girls who have never looked at my name rather then who I really am. I mean, look at the way Niko acted up at the Lookout. And she is one of my better friends! I just, I get so sick of people treating me like I'm nothing more then a piece of meat, and I guess you always knew that it couldn't be so you just let yourself be a true friend for who I was and not what I was. Like I said, it makes sense now that I know why."
Kit laughed. "Yes, it does, but you shouldn't downplay being a piece of meat so much. Because, oh what a piece of meat you make. And you are right. If you were a Vulpine I could just eat you up you scrumptious succulent piece of man-meat you. Mmmmnnnnn..." Kit said making her voice as sultry as she could before licking her lips and running her long tongue over her teeth before letting it play across the tip of one of her long pointed "fang" canine teeth.
Roshi shuddered. "Kit, you're scaring me. Don't ever do that again."
Kit laughed. "Sorry, but I had to get you back for calling me male. I understand what you mean but there is something totally unsexy about being called a guy. The term Vixen is supposed to have this allure to it. Even if that allure is dead on you." Kit smiled.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. But mister! If you think Mariah is after your name and isn't your friend because of what she sees in you, then you are doing her a great big disservice!"
Roshi sighed. "I know, she doesn't now that she knows me. But you remember back when you first moved here. We both befriended you but whenever I was around Mariah would disappear or just gape at me like I was an aberration or something. It took her almost a full year to actually say more then three words to me. And I still catch her staring at me from time to time. It bugs me. It's like she is trying to convince herself that I am really there or something."
Kit burst out laughing. "Just when I start to think you are a manipulative genius you go and prove that you're just clueless and lucky! I can explain this. You said it yourself; you didn't know whom to trust. Mariah said that back then she was truly an invisible kid. You had never even spoken to her. You were friends with everyone, yet at the same time friends with no one. Then all of a sudden you descended from your pinnacle and you noticed her. She claims she was so shy she almost wet herself when you first started hanging out with her and I. She didn't know what to say so she said nothing."
"Yeah, well what about now?" Roshi asked.
Kit giggled. "Now she stares for a completely different reason. Which is why you should ask her to the summer gala dance during the Mid-summer Festival. It is also why you should let her see the real you. I mean there are some things that she is not ready for yet, but she deserves the truth. Oh, and speaking of the truth. You were wrong; I'm not an only child. I was the first of a set of paternal twins. My sister Maiko was born five minutes after me, and she died when we were four. You now know two of my dirty little secrets. Maybe Mariah should know a few of yours."
Roshi shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Kit nodded. "It's ok, I still miss her, but it is ok. We really can't change that now. What you can change is what Mariah knows about you.
Roshi grimaced. "I know, but I don't think I'm ready to tell her."
Kit sighed. "Well don't wait to long. Eventually fate will force your hand. My people have a saying that goes: When fate forces a hand it often bites the hand it forces. Beware Fate's bite, as it has very large teeth and very sharp teeth. When it bites it bites hard and never lets go for anyone or anything." Kit stretched out a little. "Don't let fate bite you Roshi. I've always thought the best time for the truth is the present. Wait to long and it will bite you."
* * *
Meanwhile, somewhere in space
Beep! The regeneration tank beeped softly. Inside Ichigo woke and immediately fought the urge to barf as some of the viscous fluid from the tank had managed to seep into her mouth.
'Ugh I know that the tank has to wake me to assure that I am healed, but I would do anything to get to sleep until long after the fluid is drained away.' She thought to herself as the special fluid drained from the tank.
Yanking her nose plugs and small breathing device off, Ichigo was hit by another waive of nausea. She had for some reason always mentally associated people getting out of regeneration tanks with babies being born. The thick viscous fluid now coated her body from head to toe with a slime that was someplace between syrup and runny snot in consistency. To make matters worse, it even smelled like afterbirth as far as Ichigo could recall from her few trips with Momo or some other person to the Maternity wards.
But the worst was the taste. Bitter brine water hit her the moment she woke. This was soon followed by an indescribably metallic flavor that just hung in her mouth. Both of these flavors then mixed with an acid tang of a sharp wine and the sickly sweet of over-ripe fruit.
Combined with the texture and smell of the fluid, it made Ichigo gag.
'Ick, I'm all slimy from that stupid tank. I hate using those things. They smell bad, and it takes forever to wash that slime off. Auugh I can't believe that I got beat up. That green guy was a lot stronger then my scouter indicated. I even have holes in my skinsuit. She thought as she stuck a finger through one of the many holes in the flexible spandex-like bodysuit she wore under her armor. This fabric is supposed to be practically impossible to destroy.'
Stopping in front of the mirror she was surprised at just how much of her armor had been destroyed. She practically had none left over either shoulder, and it was cracked and broken all over the place along her entire back.
'Guess I need a new suit of armor,' she thought as she striped out of the ruined clothing and walked to the shower unit. 'It got beat up almost as bad as I did.'
Catching a glance at herself one last time she shuddered. 'Yuck, I look and smell like a newborn baby. I need to get this crap cleaned off of me.'
Being who she was, producing an heir was an expected duty rather then a dreamful option. While Ichigo didn't mind children, the thought of giving birth was caught in her mind someplace between grossly revolting and terrifying. Since neither was a thought that Saiyans were encouraged to have on or for anything, Ichigo tried not to think about it. Besides, she was only sixteen; hopefully, she would have several years (like forever) and then a good nine months to let the idea grow on her. Stopping near the shower, Ichigo grabbed a q-tip like thing that sucked the fluid out of her ears. Her ears popped and she could suddenly hear clearly again.
"If I never have to use a regeneration tank again it will be way too soon." She wiggled her previously broken fingers. "Well I guess it is better then having a broken hand, but not by much." Ichigo said to herself as she started the shower and got in. "Aahhhh that feels good" Ichigo said aloud as she started using her tail to scrub down her back. "I think I'll take a long shower."
After her shower, she examined herself in the mirror. After turning every which way and stretching to see how well she had healed she was quite happy to not see any new scars. Her singed hair had also grown back to its normal unmanageable length. All was as it should be. It was said that scars are the body's way to remind the brain that it had been stupid. Ichigo would much prefer not having any physical reminders for anyone that she had ever made a mistake.
Ichigo decided to wear the light blue armor set this time. She liked how it matched her eyes. It also had a really cool white and blue cape that would make her look all that much more imposing to most of the people she would run into.
After dressing she went directly to the workout room to determine just how much her power had gone up.
"Computer give me a scouter reading"
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
"Your maximum power level was 39,800," it reported.
'Wow an increase of over 10,000! I must have been hurt more than I thought.'
She looked around and thought about trying to learn some of the attacks that the green man had used. But the only attack that she was impressed with was that Kame-something-or-other that she had not actually seen until after he had fired the blasted thing. 'Drat, and it was such an effective attack,' she thought as she swung her arm around in memory as she left the room.
'Now, where am I?' She thought to herself as she went to the bridge of the ship. 'I hope the people on this planet know where the Saiyans went. I really don't want to get into any more fights.'
"Computer, give me a scouter reading of this planet."
"There are no power levels above 10,000. The planet has a population of 2.5 billion people with an average power of 1,026."
'Great, the computer only lists it off like that if EVERYONE on the planet exhibits some ki control. This might be a fight in the making. I had better go eat,' she thought to herself.
She left the bridge and went to the ship's galley where she had left all the food that she had stolen from the weaklings at Namek.
"WHAT!!!!" She screamed when she opened the door and found six or seven small pinkish purple aliens eating her food.
"THAT'S MY FOOD!!!" She screamed as she ran to hit one of the aliens.
The alien quickly put two fingers to its forehead and disappeared. Soon afterward all of the rest did the same thing.
Ichigo looked around. They had taken both of the cows from the cooler and eaten every edible part. The bones littered the floor. Most of the tomatoes and potatoes were also eaten.
As she looked at the room, one of the aliens appeared, grabbed a potato and vanished before Ichigo could even move to attack it.
"My food! I didn't even get to eat it. Those aliens! how did they get onto my ship? How did they eat all my food. Why is everything going wrong? I DON'T WANT TO EAT SUPPORT BARS!!!!!! It is just not fair, not fair at all!"
She was well into a good pout when another of the aliens appeared. This one was ancient looking with almost white-pink skin practically hanging off its frame.
"You Saiyans eat a lot. We were trading food. We did not mean to be discovered. Here is the food that we are trading with. Goku liked it when he stayed with us after beating Frieza. We hope you do too." Then he was gone. He did leave a mountain of weird noodles and meats and various other edible looking objects.
"He gave me more food than they took." Ichigo said aloud as she realized what had happened. The whole thing bothered her. She decided that she wouldn't attack this planet unless no one else could give her information. The weird Aliens had given her food, and it would be a breach in her honor to attack them now. So, she ate and found that it was quite good.
"How did they know I was a Saiyan? And who is this Goku? They said that he beat Frieza... That is a Changeling name, but Goku is not a Saiyan name."
"Wait! The green man said that Kakarott had beat Frieza! That is a Saiyan name. Maybe these weird people gave him a new name. But the Green man said that the planet had blown up and that would have killed Kakarott if he had actually been fighting... I wonder" Ichigo had a habit of talking to herself when she was pondering out really confusing problems. It helped her to relax and take the time to actually think them through.
"I have been here for almost a week and I have seen no sign of the Changelings. I guess that the stories of a Saiyan killing them are true. But then, where are the Vegeta Saiyans. They should have taken everything over after they had killed off their masters. It just didn't make sense." Ichigo chewed on her lip for a moment.
"Computer, do the people on this planet have communications ability?"
"Yes."
"Patch me through to their government."
"One moment please."
An alien appeared on the screen. "May I help you?" it asked.
"I'm looking for the Saiyans that killed Frieza. Would you tell me where to locate them?"
The receptionist was visibly shocked at the question. She also avoided the question when she answered.
"Killed Frieza? According to my records, the only Frieza I know of is the planet Frieza 79, are you sure you know what you are looking for?"
"FINE!!" Ichigo was getting very sick of people either not telling her what they knew or not knowing anything at all. It would take time to land and beat the truth out of these people, and they would probably just disappear again. "Just tell me where that planet is!"
"Ok transmitting location now" "Thanks."
It took almost a full day to get to Frieza 79.
Along the way Ichigo trained and ate, and tried to sleep. She was having bad dreams. The longer her mission took the worse they got. She just couldn't help thinking about her father, and her friends. She wondered how Ringo and Sakura were. She hoped that they were still alive. Ichigo just couldn't be positive anymore. The people here were not telling her the truth, but she didn't understand why. Were the Vegeta rebels so terrible that the normal people would say anything to get her to go away? No, that couldn't be. If the rebels were horrid beings, the green man would have told her exactly where to find them. No, it was more likely that the rebels were all dead, and that the people were afraid of her.
That night Ichigo found herself hanging upside down by her tail swinging back and forth. Her arms and legs crossed. After a bit she opened her eyes. 'Oh, this whole mission is hopeless,' she thought. "I can't sleep, I can't relax, and I can't find what I'm looking for."
"Approaching destination." The computer reported to break her out of her thoughts.
"Computer, give me a scouter reading on this planet."
"There are 1,158 life forms with power levels under 1,000. There are 894 life forms with power levels between 1,000 and 5,000. There are 348 life forms with power levels between 5,000 and 10,000. There are..."
"Stop. What is the highest power level and where is it located?" She said to cut it off. The computer could go on forever some times.
"The highest power level on the planet is 23,400 and is located at a large facility in the northern section of the planet."
"Land near that life form."
There was no point in wasting any time. If her ship's scouter was off as badly as her now broken personal one had been on Namek, she would surely die. Otherwise, she would get as much information as she could from these people.
Ichigo got out of the ship and started to fly towards the multi- towered dilapidated complex that every living creature on this planet seemed to live around. Her new scouter indicated that the strongest power level was someplace inside the complex.
She landed on a platform and entered the building. An orange man with a power level of 18,400 appeared.
"Are you here to join the legions of Frieza?" he asked.
Ichigo cocked an eyebrow at him and looked him over. He was not wearing a scouter, and probably had no idea how strong she was.
"No, I am looking for the Saiyans who killed Frieza." "Ha ha ha ha ho, you are quite funny! All of those worthless monkeys have long since died. There are thankfully none of their worthless kind left in the universe."
"Is that so." Ichigo said as she ran one hand through her hair pointed at herself with the other and loosened and then waved her tail.
The orange man turned white. His mouth fell open and he fell to his knees.
"Oh! Please! I meant no disrespect. Please don't kill me. I was only serving these people because they said Frieza would come back and kill me!!"
Ichigo was shocked. She had never seen such a powerful warrior show so much fear. There were only a hand-full of Saiyans, possibly some 50,000 or so, which would actually be stronger then him. Yet he was acting like he was nothing compared to her and he didn't even know her power level. It made no sense.
"Take me to your superiors."
The man quickly snapped to attention and started walking.
"Right away!" he said in military precision.
She followed him to a large room, which looked as if it had once been a control room for a galactic conquest.
"Piako! Sir! there is a Saiyan here to see you!"
The orange man addressed a purple lizard man. The lizard man gave him a look of pure hatred and then turned to look at Ichigo. He was wearing an old style scouter. Ichigo heard it beep several times. He looked absolutely terrified.
"Ta.. ta... the the... sc... sc... ou... outer scouter s sss s says you have a power level of 32,000 just standing there. I if if ih If history proves true that would mean that your true power level could be anywhere from gulp, 32,000 to several million and I wouldn't know the difference until you killed me."
Ichigo was so shocked at the fear coming off a man who could easily have been considered her equal in power a week ago that she didn't even register what he had said.
"I don't have time for this." She said. "Tell me what exactly happened to Frieza."
The purple man looked at her and slowly opened his mouth to talk. "A test? We don't know what happened to our master Frieza..."
Pzzzt!
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
These people served the Changelings. Ichigo could freely kill them without feeling any regret. The mans prattle had been stopped when she vaporized ten of the lower powered solders and blew a hole in the wall.
The purple man was on his knees begging for his life.
"Frieza and Cold never came back from Earth! We don't know what happened. The Saiyans that supposedly lived there must have killed him! We don't know! Please have mercy on us! We beg you!"
Earth! EARTH! I'M an IDIOT! Ichigo forgot all about the trash that followed the Changelings and flew as fast as possible back to her ship.
She didn't get very far. A big greenish blue man with black hair stopped her. Her scouter said that he had a power level of 22,490.
"I'm not fooled by you! You're not nearly as strong as the rest of these fools think."
"Oh really and what make you think that?"
"You have a tail!" The man said as he suddenly transformed into this gargantuanly hideous beast and threw a Ki blast.
Ichigo took one look at her scouter and knew she would win. His power had increased to 29,850. It was a good jump in power, but not good enough.
"All Saiyans have tails you idiot!" She screamed as she used the tail in question to catch and throw back the man's Ki ball.
"What!" he screamed right before he flew into his own attack.
KA-BlUUUIE! The ball blew up in his face.
Not wanting to waste any more time with him she quickly kicked him in the back of the head and then flew around him to give him a chop to the neck, which crushed his spine and killed him.
'OOOH that stings,' she thought as she wrapped her tail back around her waist. If that attack had been any stronger, she would not have been able to have caught it, and THAT would have really hurt. Ichigo made yet another mental note to be more careful with her tail. It was too easy to hurt. She then returned to her ship.
"Computer, do you have the location of Earth on file from that ship I docked with last week?"
"Affirmative"
"Set course at maximum possible speed."
"It makes so much sense. The weaklings are from Earth! That's why I ignored it. But that green guy said that the planet that the Humans lived on could not be successfully attacked. The Saiyans must have conquered that planet and are using the Humans as slaves! That's why the Green man didn't want me to kill them. He was probably a slave too. He was probably afraid that one of the supposed Super Saiyans would kill him because of me. And if the rebel Saiyans are as strong as everyone here seems to think they are I might be able so save my people yet!" Ichigo was very excited. She had finally figured out were the Vegeta Saiyans had gone.
She decided to spend the next two days training. The computer had told her that she would arrive at Earth late Sunday afternoon by their calendar, and she intended to be even stronger when she got there. It would finally be her day of reckoning.
* * *
This chapter was edited by Kitsune Maxwell. I will owe her planets by the time this fic is done. I think you all should go review her fics and poetry so that I don't owe her quite so much. Oh, and because they are really good stuff!
Well, this was the last of the major revisions for a while, 9-15 are largely unchanged so they (should) be up within the next week.
Thanks for reading, Please Review. Your opinions are very valuable to me.
